The Wise Men of the West:

volume 1 cover

volume 2 cover

About: America was ablaze with millennial anticipation in 1844. Reflecting upon Scriptural prophecy, signs in the heavens, and the gospel of the kingdom having been preached to all nations, religious leaders expected Christ's return was imminent. Hundreds of thousands of laypeople also looked to the skies in joyous anticipation -- or dread.

Clearly, their expectations were not fulfilled; were these wrong, or simply misunderstood? [from amazon.com, volume 1]

In Perth Amboy, New Jersey, devout Quaker Josiah Thompson is convinced the answers lie in the Holy Land, but is too aged to travel. So his son Zach and British scholar James Lawrence take up the quest, only to realize the question is far larger than they imagined. And what they discover will have profound implications for not only for them, but all humanity as the modern age unfolds.

The search for the Promised One takes dramatic turns as our spiritual explorers head eastward beyond the Holy Land. They had discovered surprisingly parallel prophecies from Christian, Jewish and Muslim sources all pointing to the same time, and all pointing eastward. They set out to find answers from a famed teacher of Karbila, as well as searching at the tombs of the Wise Men of the East and of the Biblical prophet Daniel--both in Persia. With additional clues from the Zoroastrian, Hindu and Buddhist traditions, help from prayer and guidance in dreams, to what conclusion will their quest lead?

And upon their return, what message will they have for William Miller and the Adventists, whose prophetic insights initiated their quest, but whose traditional expectation of a return from the sky could be shattered? [from amazon.com, volume 2]

Excerpted below: Introduction, Prologue: On the Twelfth Day of Christmas; Chapter 1: The Quest Begins; and Chapter 2: Discussions on an Upstream Journey. See also Table of Contents for Volume 2.