Off the Shelf

Countdown to the Apolcalypse
by Grant Jeffrey

What in the World is Going On?
by Dr. David Jeremiah

From the February 2009 Philogian

Many of you have become familiar with the writings of Grant Jeffrey.  He wrote the popular best-selling book on the upcoming war with Gog and Magog, titled, The Next World War (Colorado Springs: Water Brook Press, 2006).  If you have not read this excellent study of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39, you must begin here.  This book will excite your mind and encourage your heart as you read your newspaper and listen to CNN and other news channels.  Russia, Iran, Libya, the Sudan, and the Muslim extremists have one common objective…the destruction of the State of Israel.  And the prophet Ezekiel warned us of these alliances some twenty five centuries ago.  I can assure you that I read news headlines with a greater understanding after reading The Next World War.

Mr. Jeffrey has just published a new book, titled, Countdown to the Apocalypse (Colorado Springs: Water Brook Press, 2008).  This book is a study of the Book of Daniel written in a style that every reader will begin to understand what that ancient prophet was foretelling.  An understanding of Daniel certainly is a key to understanding what God is doing and will continue doing in His world.  Mr. Jeffrey helps his readers to grasp the significance of the golden image dream King Nebuchadnezzar had and the vision of the four ferocious beasts that Daniel saw years later.  The author also carefully outlines the personality of that infamous “little horn,” first epitomized in the person of Antiochus Epiphanes – the brutal Syrian ruler who slaughtered thousands of Jews as he sought to eradicate Judaism from his kingdom – and then in the person of the coming Antichrist.  Could this person be alive today?  What will be the consequences of his revelation upon the pages of history?  Finally, and I think one of the strengths of the book, is the discussion on God’s timetable.  Daniel’s “seventy weeks” cause considerable difficulty in interpretation.  Mr. Jeffrey, using tables and charts, helps his readers to follow from the beginning of those “seventy weeks” to their conclusion.  This is a book that I will highly recommend to my students as it is readable and biblically accurate.    

Just a word of warning: If your theology can be described as “replacement,” then Mr. Jeffrey’s books will cause you some alarm.  Mr. Jeffrey does not ascribe to the current theological belief that God is finished with the nation of Israel and has transferred all covenantal promises to the Church.  No, he examines prophetic truth in the light of God’s program and plan for the nation of Israel as well as for the Gentiles. 

A second book that I want to highly recommend was written by Dr. David Jeremiah and is titled, What in the World Is Going On?  [For a review of Dr. Jeremiah’s book, Captured by Grace, see the November 2008 issue of the Philogian].  This book has instantly become a best-seller; in fact, the local bookstore where I purchased my copy, had difficulty keeping books on their shelves.  Not since the publication of Hal Lindsey’s remarkable book The Late Great Planet Earth (released in 1970) have I read such an excellent summary of prophetic truth.  I believe this book will be to this generation what Lindsey’s book was to the previous generation. 

One of the strong features of Dr. Jeremiah’s book is passion with which he marries current events with biblical truth.  His chapter titled “Islamic Terrorism” provides insight into how this worldwide terror network could be the prelude to an even greater reign of terror during the days prior to the coming of Christ.  Dr. Jeremiah writes, Even though the hope for an Islamic messiah is surely futile, the chaos radical Islamic leaders are creating to bring about that hope is all too real and deadly.  So deadly that much of the biblical prophecies concerning the end times will be brought about by the beliefs and actions of radical Islam.  And we are beginning to feel the pressure of those impending events in the rise and rapid spread of Islamic radicalism in our own time (page 89).

The most significant chapter, at least in my own estimation, was the one Dr. Jeremiah has titled “Does America Have a Role in Prophecy?”  The author clearly portrays an America that many of us have found to be troubling.  He writes: The average lifespan of all the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about two hundred years.  During that two-century span, each of these nations progressed through the following sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence; and from dependence back into bondage.  At what point is America in this cycle? (page 134-135, emphasis added).  That is the crucial question we all must ask ourselves. 

If you or a friend has an interest in prophetic truth as it relates to today’s events, then I highly recommend Dr. Jeremiah’s book.  You will find it very readable and easy to understand.  This would make an excellent book to read and discuss in a small group setting. 

My friends, it truly is time that we begin to seriously ponder the “signs of the times” that surround us.  They can only be indicating that the coming of the King is drawing near.  These two books will enable you to be a better student of “the times.”  Happy reading!

 

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