Trial By Fire: Surviving Death Threats, Trolls, and Armageddon When New York Times bestselling author Jim C. Hines needed to find a safe place for his family to live, he turned to God—and then to a man named Harold Camping. And what Hines and his family learned is now chronicled in the bestselling book A Countdown to Armageddon. But his story is more than just a Christian tale of God’s answer to a desperate man’s prayer. It’s also a fascinating look at the power of hope and the ability of people to transcend the horrors of history—and to defy it as well. For when Harold Camping claimed that God would destroy the Earth on October 21, 2011, he unleashed a wave of violence that put him on the cover of every major magazine and sent his followers out in search of someone—or something—to blame. For Hines, there was one clear choice: Harold Camping. A thrilling and harrowing story, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook is a tour de force about how God and men can be manipulated by evil forces. It’s also the story of how, in the wake of these attacks, Hines came to put aside his doubt and became a believer in the power of prayer and the power of forgiveness. As Jim C. Hines says in the introduction: This book is a story about my journey of faith, and how I came to place my trust in a God whom I initially did not know and understand. I hope it will inspire you to place your trust in Him as well, but most of all to consider Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord. A Countdown to Armageddon is the perfect book for anyone who has ever asked God “Why?” Jim C. Hines answers that question in full here, giving you hope, comfort, and God’s peace. You’ll see how Hines’s story is an example of how God can transform a man’s life, and through Hines’s amazing insight, his story will change you. About the Author: Jim C. Hines grew up in the San Fernando Valley and received his degree in aerospace engineering from MIT. He then worked as an engineer and business executive for Raytheon and Hughes Aircraft. He now lives with his wife in Southern California and writes full time. He is the author of the critically acclaimed A World for Sharing series and the bestselling novel A Million Miles to Go. He is the co-founder of the popular blog Church Leaders and the host of Church Leaders Television. Hines has been married to his lovely wife Kelly for 23 years and they have six children. I really enjoyed this book. Mr. Hines clearly knows his audience. While this book covers an interesting timeline of history, what I really liked was how he put God into everything. I don't mean that he has prayer and God popping up every ten pages, but rather he sees history in the scope of his faith. That is why we are here in the first place, to glorify God and it really made me feel as though the book was much more about how we can live our lives and live in submission to what God wants from us instead of some kind of history lesson. However, I can't really speak to how Christians who are in more of a head knowledge and/or education are going to find this book helpful. Personally, I think this book is a nice introduction to Christianity for someone who has little to no knowledge or interest in the faith. Overall this is a wonderful book and I would definitely recommend it. It's a great book for a child or a student to read, but not for someone who has read a ton of history books and is looking for more details or things about the Bible/Bible times. I wouldn't call this a Christian history book per say, but the perspective Hines takes is really unique and enjoyable. It doesn't leave you hanging on questions at the end as much as feeling like you left the book with a positive message for yourself and your own life. A Countdown to Armageddon may not have been written specifically for people who have never heard of Harold Camping. But, when I read it (and it's great!), I realized it's more appropriate for people who are unfamiliar with some parts of history than people who have just a basic knowledge of the bible, or those who just want to hear a little more about why Christians do what they do. It's a pretty thorough history of Christianity from its early days to present. And it's not necessarily a negative history. It just explains how people saw the world and God's call to them. And it discusses the rise and fall of certain religions, with some explanation why. Some of the explanations were really interesting, like why the Cathars would kill so many people, or why the early church would do what it did (to say nothing of some of the stories, etc). I was surprised at a lot of it. Also, as far as being written from the perspective of a Christian, he does seem to present his Christianity well. I read the book expecting to dislike it because it was a Christian perspective, but the way it was written I found it interesting. (Even though he says he's not Christian himself, but just wanted to get people thinking about what was going on in the world at the time.) It was pretty interesting, though definitely too heavy on the "church history" side. It doesn't explain why Christians do what they do, though he comes close in places. He also gets some things wrong (at times it seems like he's got the Christian view, but then contradicts himself in other parts of his book), but these aren't that serious (not like other books that I've read, like the ones cited in the footnotes, which are ridiculously and inaccurately wrong). I highly recommend A Countdown to Armageddon, especially for people who are at least open to Christianity and want to see how certain aspects of it can affect society. The explanations are helpful to me, and I plan on re-reading this book later. What a great book! What an awesome book! This is a fantastic read, from beginning to end. I found this book thought provoking as I've never really considered why the things we do have to be as they are and why certain stories are told by man but not god. But reading this book makes you ponder over many things and it is definitely worth the time to read. This book is fascinating for many reasons! From the history of Christianity to the fact that there are so many different views on what Christ and Christianity is supposed to be. The writing style was a bit dry but worth it for the content which is fascinating. This is a book you will find hard to put down and will be the perfect read for someone who is interested in many things that are currently happening. I loved this book and am excited to read more by Jim. This is a unique book that looks at history through a Christian lens. It's not a good book to learn about the history of Christianity. But, if you are interested in how Christianity has played out through the ages, this is a good book. It was very interesting to me. Mr Hines is a talented writer, telling the story of Christianity through the history of people around the world. While I am Christian, this book is not Christian, as it offers stories of persecution of people who are not Christians, as well as the persecution of other religions. This makes it a valuable book for anyone trying to gain insight into the history of other religions or ideas. A wonderful book! From the author: “A Countdown to Armageddon is the perfect book for anyone who has ever asked God ‘Why?’ What a man can do with that question is what this book is about.” Jim C. Hines I'm so glad that this book has been brought back into print. I found that there is a lot of factual information that can be easily absorbed by a young reader if not understood too thoroughly. The illustrations are also a great teaching tool and could be used to teach Bible Study. I recommend the whole series of Bible based books written by Jim C. Hines for all ages and even teens. They are a great way to teach about what happened and what it means to this day. Just about any topic in the bible can be explored in the series and the author provides clear examples that can be used to reinforce what is being taught in the story. This book helps to fill in some of the background story that is not taught in Sunday School. This is one of the most beautifully written and well-written Christian books I've ever read. Jim Hines writes beautifully and his writing takes me back to my teenage years of when I read and studied the Old Testament. Jim Hines has so many of my favorite things, great Bible history, great Biblical history, and real Bible examples (like the Pharaoh of Egypt, for example) and I loved reading them. I thoroughly enjoyed the use of footnotes that included references to the original passage. I truly appreciate that Jim included all of this historical reference so that any of us can learn more about Biblical history. For me, this book is perfect because it's on my Kindle and I can read it wherever I am. If I was to ever make an effort to purchase a physical book, I wouldn't be able to put it down. I recommend this book to everyone. It's an excellent book that I plan on getting a copy for my