Title: The High Sign
Author: David S. Heeren
Publisher: URLink Print & Media, LLC
ISBN: 978-1647531584
Pages: 312
Genre: Christian Reference
Reviewed By: Dan MacIntosh
Hollywood Book Reviews
There have been plenty of books written about the second coming of Jesus. Many have even foolishly set an exact date for Jesus’ return, only to be proven decidedly wrong by history. To a large degree, though, the Bible is a book filled with prophecy. Books like Daniel in the Old Testament and Revelation in the New Testament have intrigued spiritual seekers for ages, and as the world gets stranger and stranger (Was there ever a year quite like 2020?), one can only expect man’s fascination with the end times to grow ever more intense.
Into the fray of this already crowded field of messianic prognosticators comes David. S. Heeren’s book, The High Sign. Many of Heeren’s basic beliefs lean toward mainstream evangelicalism. Herein he references, for example, perhaps the greatest evangelist of all time, Billy Graham. Heeren separates himself from almost every other prophecy teacher, however, right in this book’s preface. In it, he states, “The sign of Jesus’s Second Coming will be a comet.” I dare anyone to say they’ve heard such a sentence preached from a Sunday morning pulpit. Granted, this isn’t as out there, as say, a belief that UFOs will be incorporated into Jesus’s return. Nevertheless, it is – at the very least – an original position on the end times theology.
Of course, Heeren is careful to point out how the word “comet” doesn’t actually appear in the Bible. Instead, Heeren writes about what he calls “cometic images.” These are terms and phrases he believes describe comets; only in the language of those that lived during Biblical times without knowledge of our modern-day astronomy. Also written in the book’s preface, Heeren states, “I have located relevant texts in 53 of the Bible’s 66 books.”
To support his thesis, Heeren details significant Bible events that – he believes – included accompanying comet appearances. These include the Great Flood of Noah, the demolition of Sodom, the plagues of the Exodus and ultimately the arrival and Second Coming of Christ. Chapter Ten, for instance, delves into Jesus’s birth. That famous incarnation was heralded by a conspicuous star that was followed by wisemen. Whether you believe Heeren’s suppositions or not here, it is undeniable that astronomy has played a large role in many significant scriptural events.
Heeren does a great job detailing his studies, which include plenty of scriptural references and outside sources. It’s one thing to have a slightly unusual view of Biblical prophecy – there have already been many widely varying viewpoints, as we have already mentioned. – but it takes a lot of knowledge and understanding to make a case as well documented as the hypothesis asserted in this book.
One of the best devices applied to this book’s structure is its multiple bullet point summarizations at the end of each chapter. Reading these chapters can be quite daunting, sometimes, making it difficult to remember all Heeren’s main points. These brief summations are quite helpful to the reader.
Whatever you think about David S. Heeren’s beliefs, his lengthy and informative book will, at the very least, give you plenty of food for thought. Also, it’s heartening to read how well Heeren melds religion with science together. Many believe religion and science contradict each other, but Heeren’s book exemplifies how religion and science are complimentary. Who knows, maybe this is just the kind of prophecy book that might intrigue a devout scientist – one not normally interested in religion, let alone prophecy – to give spiritual matters a second chance.
Lastly, if you’re already a prophecy lover, this book certainly presents a unique angle that you may have never considered before. It’s always fun to look at familiar scriptures from an entirely new perspective. The High Signis just that unique perspective.