Following are some questions for you to use with your reading group. If you haven't read the book yet, get it here.
- After you read about each of the four main characters in the opening chapters, which character did you relate to the most? The least?
- Caleb's fear of loneliness fueled his creation of HoloMate. What in your mind is the difference between being alone and being lonely?
- Sal's father, Gene, put his career before his relationship with his wife and son. Why do you think some people choose to prioritize career and personal ambitions over relationships with loved ones?
- Was there anything you learned about autism through Bert's story?
- Do you think Paul ever grieved the loss of his parents? Why or why not?
- Do you think you will see a cure for cancer in your lifetime? Why or why not?
- HoloMate takes social media to another level through its realistic holograms. What societal implications do you think it would have if it existed today?
- Do you think the punishment for abusive clergy was too lenient, too harsh, or about right? Why?
- How do you envision the Antichrist would look and behave? Is it different from how he was depicted in the book?
- Look at the Bible references. Can you identify any of the characteristics of the Antichrist or False Prophet with the characters in the book?
- Were there any events in the book that, when you read it, you said to yourself, "I know where the bible talks about that?"
- At what point in the book did you know which of the four was the Antichrist? Were there points where you definitively eliminated one of the four?
- How has your view of the end times changed, if at all, after reading the book?
- The book assumes the rapture will happen prior to the seven-year tribulation period (pre-tribulation). Other points of view include mid-tribulation (the rapture occurring half way through the tribulation period) and post-tribulation (the rapture occurring and the end of the tribulation period). This is unsettled doctrine. Do you have an opinion as to when the rapture will occur?
- What do you think of global warming and its role depicted in the book?
- Do you think there will be a literal single world currency like hera is depicted in the book or could a common transaction vehicle, like credit cards, be the representation of a single world currency?
- Do you think something like Zeus is possible or may even exist today? Why or why not?
- Do you think Sal was like his father? If so, why do you think he would become like someone he despised?
- Do you think something like synfood as a food staple is plausible? Why or why not?
- Has the book in any way changed how you think about your own spirituality? If so, how?
I hope the discussion questions were fruitful and stimulated great dialogue. If you haven't read the book yet, get it here.