Anytime I come across a Corrie Ten Boom book, I feel like reading it might give me a swift, grandmotherly kick in the pants. This one is a bit different than most, because she’s writing about the End Times, as if she’s living in the End Times—sixty-four years ago.

I get it: we all feel like we’re living in the End Times. I just heard it from someone at church yesterday; I’ve heard it all my life; and there’s nothing new under the sun. People can look at “the signs of the times” and predict with confidence that “Jesus is definitely coming back in my lifetime!” They’ve done it for generations, and 100% of them who have since died have died with a failed prediction. It’s just the way it is, not because they were total idiots, but because God’s patient, and He doesn’t work the way we think He ought to work (and praise Him for it!). Jesus is coming back, but He hasn’t come back yet, and to predict His coming is to behave foolishly (Matt. 24:36).

Ten Boom doesn’t go too deeply into headlines from the late ’60s—and I give her props, she doesn’t outright predict his coming in her lifetime—but she does write with an urgency that now feels outdated. This is not to say that we needn’t be urgent, of course, but that we needn’t be urgent because of, say, the Cold War. I highly doubt that this is one of her books that’s still being printed, so I feel like this is as good a time as any to share not so much a review of the book but a full-blown summary. My apologies to the publishers if I’m overstepping my bounds here. In the summary below, I’m focusing mostly on chapter titles, headings, Scripture references, and a few quotations.

About the Scripture references, two things annoy me. First, Ten Boom does have a penchant for proof-texting her statements with passages that (in my opinion) have been pulled out of context. While this proves that she’s memorized a lot of Bible (which is great!), it also proves that there’s a danger in quoting verses willy-nilly without understanding the original audience or situation. Second, she quotes most often from the J.B. Philipps Bible translation, and just a quick search for this guy shows that he was a liberal theologian who didn’t believe in the inerrancy of Scripture. I hate the translation debate, and I’m pretty liberal myself in what translations and interpretations I’ll read, but a Bible version by a guy who doesn’t even believe that he can trust the Bible seems like a loser-book from the get-go.

There’s my two cents. Now for the book summary.

“We believe that in our day we can clearly see the outlines of Biblical prophecies in world history. It is good to compare the newspapers with the Bible at this time. Then we understand that Jesus may come very soon.” (p.7)

Chapter 1: Marching Orders

Stimulation to Militancy – Colossians 3:3. (p.9-12) Communism is spreading. “There is a great battle going on in the invisible world.” (1Peter 5:8-9) “Every Christian is involved in this battle whether he wants it or not.” (Luke 21:36) “The Holy Spirit…gives us vision for the final victory of Jesus Christ.” (Phil 2:9-11) “The Holy Spirit will prepare us.” (Phil 1:6)

Be Prepared – Eph 1:17-19. (p.12-14) Atheism is expanding. “[God] has no problems, only plans.” (Eph 1:9-11) A Chinese bishop confessed “the church in China had not prepared the Christian for the terrible trials they have to face now. ‘We gave them everything we could—the gospel, churches, yes, food and clothing while poverty reigned. But one thing we did not do. We neglected to teach them how to pass on the gospel to other people.'” (13) “The Lord has given us all we need for the end time.” (Acts 1:8) “Be filled with the Holy Spirit! Give room to the Holy Spirit! That means—surrender.” 

Hope for Sinner – Matthew 5:14. (p.14-15) A prisoner addressed his fellow inmates following her address: “Friends, today I read in the Bible about three murderers; one was Moses, one was David, one was Paul. We know them all as heroes of the faith, but still they have been murderers. What God can do with a murderer who fully surrenders to Him! Fellows, there is also hope for us!” (14) “There is no sin too great for Jesus….by the power of the Holy Spirit one becomes through Jesus Christ more than conqueror.” (Romans 8:31-39)

Training – Matthew 24:13 (p.16-20) “Opposition against God and the cross is increasing.” (2Thess 2:3-4) “It is not at all important whether we have much money at this time [of Christ’s return for his church]. But it is very important that at that moment other people will go with us to meet the Lord, people to whom we showed the way of salvation.” (1Thess 4:16-18) “We are, strictly speaking, the only people in the whole world who know the future and who understand the present time.” (Luke 21:8, 31, 28, 18-19; Jer 1:12; Matt 24:35; Luke 21:36, 34) “Worries of this life…occupy us that we fail to be vigilant.” (Matt 24:37-39) “The devil likes it when we, like iconoclasts, ruthlessly throw away old truths and traditions.” (1Cor 13:2)

Chapter 2: Conquerors

God’s Promises to the Overcomers – Rev 2:7, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21.

Victory over Sins in Daily Life – Isaiah 59:2 (p.22-25) “Sins often hinder us. They confuse our sight.” (1 John 3:3) “The Holy Spirit gives us what we need.” (Gal 5:22) Confess sin which “makes us insecure and weak.” (1John 1:7,9; Micah 7:19). Jesus defeated our enemy: Satan is lion, but a chained-up lion. (Eph 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8) You have one place to be, abiding in Jesus. (John 15:4) “Training in the victorious army of God for the last great battle does not take place under unusual circumstances, but in the midst of the common daily life.” (1Peter 1:6-7)

Victory through Decreasing – John 3:30 (p.25-29)

Victory through the Blood of Jesus – Rev 12:11 (p.29-30)

Victory through the Name of Jesus – Mark 16:17-18 (p.30-32) “Use his name! Not the name ‘Christ’; that is his title.” Acts 4:12.

Victory through the Fullness of the Holy Spirit – Acts 1:8 (p.32-39) A full room can get fuller of people, and your life can get fuller with the Holy Spirit: “It is possible that some furniture must be removed: television, or some books, friendships, personal hobbies; everything that can hinder us from following Jesus Christ. We can clear out still more for Jesus.” (John 14:17; Luke 11:13)

• Gifts of the Spirit (1Cor 14:1; 14:5) [I never knew that Ten Boom is an advocate of speaking in tongues]; promised in the OT (Is 32:15; Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17).
• The Gifts of the Holy Spirit in This Time. [She quotes a lot from Mother Basilea.] Acknowledge the truth the Bible teaches not just tradition (2Cor 3:6). The church is backsliding which is why gifts are no longer common. Jesus performed miracles; so should we (Acts 10:38; Mark 16:18; James 5:14). “To question or deny their value would be denying the evidence of the Bible. When the Holy Scripture says: Desire spiritual gifts’ (1Cor 14:1), then we cannot substitute it for ‘Keep away from the gifts of the Spirit’ or ‘Fight against them’, simply because there have been false prophets and projects which have possibly been straight from the devil. We can only fight against the misuse, never against the gifts themselves.” God gives us love, and “gifts without love are nothing.” (Romans 5:5; 1Cor 13:1-3).

Victory through Yielding – 1Cor 1:8. We are weak but strong through Him (Phil 1:6. 2Tim 1:12). We struggle now but sanctification is coming (1Thess 3:12-13; 5:23). “It is not written in my Bible: ‘To him who studies Christianity, God gives power to become a child of God,’ but ‘Those who receive Jesus, He gives them the power to become a child of God.’ John 1:12.”

Chapter 3: Equipment for Active Service

Love – Romans 5:5. Psalm 103:11. 1Cor 13 (p.43-50). The First Love. “It was not my faith that helped me through three prisons. My faith was weak and was often wavering. It was the Lord  himself who carried me through.” (Rev 2:1-6. 1 John 1:7-9). ” Of course it can be the will of God that old people retire from their work, and in great thankfulness to the Lord. Enjoy their pensions, but for me the way of obedience is to travel on, although not as much as before.” (Matt 24:12). Love for the Enemy. [I would be careful of her concept of forgiveness here, based on “if” in 1John 1:9] (1Jn 3:3. Rom 5:5).

Fellowship of the Saints – Phil 1:27. (p.50-55) Discernment is possible (Mt 24:24; James 1:5; 1Jn 1:7). [Again she writes: “Lord, this is a problem, for I know that if I do not forgive, you will not forgive me.” There’s no salvation if there’s no forgiveness! This isn’t a condition “if-then” proposition.] (Psalm 139:23-24).

Devotion in Service – Matt 25:36. (p.55-58) Chain Reactions. Anyone can come to Jesus (Rev 3:20). And through intercession, it can be like a snowball of growth as they then bring another and so on.

Faithfulness – Ecc 5:4. (p.58-62) Making promises to God and not keeping them is inspirational [but dangerous] (Rev 2:10). Gideon made a vow but then a bunch of excuses (Judges 6), but God was with him and he won small victories and large. “The fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness.” (Lam 3:23. 2Tim 2:13).

Faith – Eph 6:16. Heb 2:2. (p.62-66) Hudson Taylor: “We do not need a great faith, but we need faith in a great God.” The world of Faith (Psalm 28:7, Gen 15:1). Lots about waiting on the Lord’s guidance, like Paul did with Asia Minor (Gal 2:20), or Peter walking in the water only when his eyes were on Christ.

Joy – Neh 8:10. (p. 66-68) John 12:46.

Chapter 4: Life in the End-Time

Signs of the Times – Matt 25:13. (p.69-72) “The End-time has started already” (Luke 12:56; 21:26. Matt 24:12; Dan 12:4). “We have to proclaim loudly that the end is near, so that people will be startled out of there every-day rest and security by those godly message, as through the roaring of a lion.” (Amos 3:8; Joel 2:15). “The enemy is [already] marching on from all sides.” (Ephesus 6:12). “The devil is not omnipresent, but he has an exceptionally good active Secret Service at his disposal in his army of demons. But: praise the Lord! ’They that be with us are more than they had to be with them’ (2 Kings 6:16.).”

Guidance – Rom 12:2 (p. 72-80) God guides through closeness, the Bible, feelings, and circumstances (Rom 9:14; 1Cor 2:6-7). Make sure the window that lets us see Him isn’t dirty. “Sanctification means that God separates in our hearts light from darkness.” (John 8:36). Ask God to show you your sins (Isa 59:2; 1John 1:9). We can only hope to bring our human wisdom up to the plane of God’s foolishness, never bring Him down to our level (Ps 32:8; Isa 30:21; 58:11). “The Lord is really a good Shepherd.” (Jer. 7:23). There is safety in the center of God’s will like in the eye of a hurricane (Ps 46:2). God does perform miracles.

Sanctification – Rev 22:11 (p.80-83) Jesus is the Victor, and He prepares us (Gal 5:22-23; 1Cor 1:8; Phil 1:27-28; Rom 8:28). “The promises in the book of revelation are for all Overcomers, from the beginning until the end.“ (Revelation 21:6-7. 1John 3:3). Jesus will sanctify us (John 15:1-2. Gal 5:22-26). ”Sanctification is: be filled with the Holy Spirit!”

Martyrdom – 1Peter 4:13 (p.83-91) “He does not give us Grace now for something we may have to pass through later on. If He thinks we are worthy today as a martyr, He gives us the strength for it at that moment.” (2Cor 4:17. 4:18. 1Cor 15:55). What does the Word of God say about martyrdom? (1Peter 4:12-13; Phil 1:27-30; Rev 12:11. Phil 3:10).  “God never lets the dominion go out of his hands. When we are in the midst of the battle, sometimes it seems to be one great chaos. Then suddenly the Lord shows us: ’I am still here!’” (Isaiah 40:31).

Jesus is Victor – Rev 3:10-11 (p.91-93). Matt 5:20; Isa 43:1-3; Rom 8:37; Phil 2:8-11; 2Cor 4:6.

©2023 E.T.

Read More from Corrie Ten Boom:

• Marching Orders for the End Battle (1969)
• The Hiding Place (1971)
• Tramp for the Lord (1971)