Hal Lindsey born on November 23, 1929 served in the Korean War after discontinuing his study at the University of Houston.
In 1955, while serving as a tugboat captain on the Mississippi River he became inspired reading a Gideon’s Bible. Captivated by his studying the words of the bible he soon entered Dallas Theological Seminary in 1958. Completing there the four year Master of Theology course with a major in New Testament Greek and a minor in Hebrew.
Graduating from Dallas as a Master of Theology, he came away with his study of the New Testament and early Greek literature. He was working with Campus Crusade for Christ until 1969.
In 1969, he wrote his first book, The Late Great Planet Earth. This was his best-known book, published in 54 languages and sold 35 millions copies. It aroused interest in the Pentecostal and Assembly of God movement which supported it huge sales.
The Late, Great Planet Earth, was actually written by a woman, Carla Carlson. To his credit, Lindsey has publicly admitted this. The question comes up Who is Carla Carlson? You wonder Are the rest of Hal Lindsey’s books written by unknown ghostwriters?
In 1977 Orson Wells starred in the movie with the same title, (The Late Great Planet Earth). Lindsey in 1969 helped organize a Bible School named the Light and Power House, a former college fraternity house on the fringes of the UCLA university.
Students attended once a week to hear Hal speak on various topics. The school trained many ministers and missionaries, it continued until 1976.
For over 12 years he had anchored a weekly news show on TBN, called International Intelligence Briefing. And a frequent host on TBN’s Praise the Lord he also is a speaker for churches and prophecy conferences. Plus over the years he has led many tours to Israel. Hal was awarded a Doctorate from the California School of Theology In 1994.
He has been challenged by those opposed to the prophetic movement, and some have given him the title Profit Hal Lindsey, because of his predicting the end of the world to come a number of times which of course has never happened yet.
One of his biblical Interpretations:
Christ will return to earth notes the Rapture which leads to premillennialism. He has taught on the return of Jews who had settled thru out the world to Israel founded in 1948.
Remember the Jews in the ancient past (Old Testament) were captured and taken to Assyria and Babylon from their home land which was how they were eventually dispersed thru out the world. Modern Israel is not the establishment of the Jewish religion of the past, the Jewish dispensation ended, never to be established again when Christ ascended to heaven, Acts 1:9 and the doors of the church opened, Acts 2:38.
But a prophetic event of Lindsey’s the end times is the regathering of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland (Israel) to form an independent nation after a prolonged worldwide relocation.
It claimed by him the establishment of the State of Israel in May 1948 is the fulfillment of his prophecy. He has come up with scenarios of the world ending with dates. Lindsey In his book, (The 1980s: Countdown to Armageddon) indicated, paraphrasing, that the battle of Armageddon could take place in the near future, indicating the decade of the 1980s could very well be the last day of history as we know it.
A point to take note, predicting the end of the world is a good way to lose all creditability. Many have predicted it in the past to no avail.
No one knows when the world ends, but God, Matthew 24:36 (KJV)
- 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
On speaking in tongues Lindsey believed the Holy Spirit still bestows “tongues” on some believers (not all). One of his books, (Rapture) goes into explaining the Rapture. The Rapture is a misconception of, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. These verses indicate the end of the world, nothing else, no inference that Christ is coming back to earth to live for a thousand years.
For a detailed explanation of the Rapture see: