Originally published in 1970, Hal Lindsey's The Late Great Planet Earth offered readers a guide to finding the future in the text of the Bible. With 15 million copies in print, this bestseller obviously struck a nerve in the modern world. Specifically, Lindsey offers order to the chaotic close of the twentieth century by arguing that many of the predictions of the Old and New Testament have come true. Such a connection offered hope to many Judeo-Christians that the Bible, and the morality that it imposes, had resonance in contemporary life. It also made many readers turn to the Bible in order to prophecy future events. In this fashion, Lindsey spurred contemporary readers to study the Bible with care and helped to re-energize Christianity. Many critics, however, suggest that few of his predictions for the 1980s came true and that he preyed on readers' hopes and fears. Regardless, the prophetic rhetoric of The Late Great Planet Earth made it the most popular book of the 1970s.

Further Reading:

Lindsey, Hal, with C.C. Carlson. The Late Great Planet Earth. Grand Rapids, Michigan, Zondervan, 1970.