Agents of the Apocalypse: A Riveting Look at the Key Players of the End Times - Hardcover

Jeremiah, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1414380496 ISBN 13: 9781414380490

Verlag: TYNDALE HOUSE PUBL, 2014

Inhaltsangabe

Who Will Usher in Earth’s Final Days?
Are we living in the end times? Is it possible that the players depicted in the book of Revelation could be out in force today? And if they are, would you know how to recognize them?

In Agents of the Apocalypse, noted prophecy expert Dr. David Jeremiah does what no prophecy expert has done before. He explores the book of Revelation through the lens of its major players—the exiled, the martyrs, the elders, the victor, the king, the judge, the 144,000, the witnesses, the false prophet, and the beast.

One by one, Dr. Jeremiah delves into their individual personalities and motives, and the role that each plays in biblical prophecy. Then he provides readers with the critical clues and information needed to recognize their presence and power in the world today.

The stage is set, and the curtain is about to rise on Earth’s final act. Will you be ready?

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Who will usher in earth’s final days?
Are we living in the end times? What if the players depicted in the book of Revelation were out in force today? And if they were, would you know how to recognize them?

In Agents of the Apocalypse, noted prophecy expert Dr. David Jeremiah does what no Bible teacher has done before. He explores the book of Revelation through the lens of its major players: the exile, the martyrs, the 144,000, the two witnesses, the dragon, the beast from the earth, the beast from the sea, the Victor, the King, and the Judge.

Skillfully crafted to engage both the heart and the mind, each chapter opens with an engaging, biblically based dramatization that brings prophecies to life as never before. As Dr. Jeremiah presents these agents in the context of their unique times and places in the end times, he weaves a rich tapestry of the temperaments, motives, and conspiracies that Scripture tells us will precipitate earth’s final days. Then, in each chapter, Dr. Jeremiah provides a detailed study called “The Scripture behind the Story,” which explores some of Revelation’s most cryptic passages, explaining how to interpret them and—most important—how they apply to the malevolent forces at play in the world today.

The stage is set, and the curtain is about to rise on earth’s final act. Will you be ready?

From the inside flap:

FROM CHAPTER 7 . . .
“Archbishop Detherow,” Martin said, “I’m sure everyone in our network audience knows about all you’ve accomplished in your illustrious career, but let me summarize. You were originally the pastor of an evangelical megachurch, and you gained a wide following with your uncommon desire to unify people of all faiths. And then, after building your church into the largest religious gathering in the world, you left your pastorate at the peak of your success. Can you tell us why?”

“I left my congregation because it became clear that God was calling me to a much broader ministry—one that reaches out to people of other faiths as well.”

“By ‘other faiths,’ I presume you mean all Christian denominations,” Martin said.

“Yes, I do mean Christians of any stripe,” the pastor replied. “But God is calling me to reach out even further. He has revealed to me that all people who worship a higher power are actually worshiping Him, whether they know it or not.”

“Are you saying that Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians all worship the same God?”

Detherow beamed. “God is so big, so universal, so inscrutable, that no one should presume to understand the ways He reveals Himself. At heart, the paths to God are one and the same. The goal is to bring us into the universal oneness of all being.”

“Pastor, what is your ultimate hope as archbishop of the United Council of World Religions?”

“My hope is, with God’s help, to bring about unity among all religions. Christ Himself called His church to an undivided oneness. This is what I dream of fostering.”

“In other words,” Martin said, “you hope to achieve a one-world religion.” . . .

Aus dem Klappentext

From the inside flap:

FROM CHAPTER 7 . . .
Archbishop Detherow, Martin said, Im sure everyone in our network audience knows about all youve accomplished in your illustrious career, but let me summarize. You were originally the pastor of an evangelical megachurch, and you gained a wide following with your uncommon desire to unify people of all faiths. And then, after building your church into the largest religious gathering in the world, you left your pastorate at the peak of your success. Can you tell us why?

I left my congregation because it became clear that God was calling me to a much broader ministryone that reaches out to people of other faiths as well.

By other faiths, I presume you mean all Christian denominations, Martin said.

Yes, I do mean Christians of any stripe, the pastor replied. But God is calling me to reach out even further. He has revealed to me that all people who worship a higher power are actually worshiping Him, whether they know it or not.

Are you saying that Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians all worship the same God?

Detherow beamed. God is so big, so universal, so inscrutable, that no one should presume to understand the ways He reveals Himself. At heart, the paths to God are one and the same. The goal is to bring us into the universal oneness of all being.

Pastor, what is your ultimate hope as archbishop of the United Council of World Religions?

My hope is, with Gods help, to bring about unity among all religions. Christ Himself called His church to an undivided oneness. This is what I dream of fostering.

In other words, Martin said, you hope to achieve a one-world religion. . . .

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Agents of the Apocalypse

A Riveting Look at the Key Players of the End Times

By DAVID JEREMIAH

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Copyright © 2014 David Jeremiah
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4143-8049-0

Contents

Introduction, vii, 
Chapter 1 The Exile, 1, 
Chapter 2 The Martyrs, 25, 
Chapter 3 The 144,000, 53, 
Chapter 4 The Two Witnesses, 79, 
Chapter 5 The Dragon, 105, 
Chapter 6 The Beast from the Sea, 129, 
Chapter 7 The Beast from the Earth, 157, 
Chapter 8 The Victor, 183, 
Chapter 9 The King, 211, 
Chapter 10 The Judge, 239, 
Epilogue: The Overcomers, 265, 
Acknowledgments, 275, 
Notes, 277, 
About the Author, 283, 

CHAPTER 1

THE EXILE

It was a Sunday morning in the first century AD, and the members of the Ephesian church were gathering to worship in the spacious atrium in the villa of Marcellus, a wealthy Roman convert who freely offered his home as a meeting place.

As the members arrived, their faces were taut with uncertainty. Tension filled the air, like a mooring line ready to snap. The meeting began as usual, with a hymn, but today the church sang with little feeling. Their minds were distracted by the ominous rumors coming out of Rome. After a prayer and a reading from the prophet Isaiah, Tychicus, one of the deacons, stood to address the congregation.

"Dear brothers and sisters, the church leaders have asked me to inform you of evil tidings. A decree has just been posted in the forum telling us that the Roman emperor Domitian has assumed the title 'master and god.' He has demanded that everyone in the empire swear an oath to worship him. He has already launched an aggressive campaign to enforce the edict in every city under Rome's jurisdiction. What is worse, he has especially singled out Jews and Christians because he suspects our disloyalty to Rome."

A voice from the crowd called out, "Are the rumors true that the edict has already been enforced in some of the other churches?"

The deacon nodded soberly. "A fortnight ago Roman soldiers invaded all the Christian homes they could find in Pergamos and demanded that every member immediately take the oath of worship to Domitian."

"Did they do it?" another tremulous voice asked.

A pained look crossed Tychicus's face. "It grieves me to report that two-thirds of them gave in and took the oath."

A gasp rippled through the crowd. "What happened to those who would not bow?" someone asked.

"I am sorry to tell you that they were brutally flogged and executed. And we can be sure the same thing will soon happen here in Ephesus."

The room fell silent. Finally someone asked, "What can we do?"

At that moment, an aged man who had been sitting to the side stood slowly, aided by the staff in his hand. Unlike the other faces in the room, his showed no distress. In fact, he positively radiated joy. "It was almost as if his face glowed," one member later observed.

The apostle John faced the group. "My dear brothers and sisters," he began, "you ask what we can do. There is but one answer." At the age of ninety, his voice still rang out clear and strong. But there was a warmth in his delivery that dissolved much of the tension in the room.

"We can stand ready to give back to our Lord Jesus Christ what He has given to us. He gave us life by giving up His life, and we must do no less for Him."

"Perhaps we should stop meeting for a while," Marcellus said. "That would keep us from being so visible and identifiable."

"No, that is exactly what we must not do," John replied. "We must look at this trouble coming our way as a test of our faith. Will we love our Lord enough to stand firm and suffer with Him? Or will we turn our backs on the One who gave us the greatest gift of love in history? With such trouble coming, we need more than ever to meet together in order to support and encourage one another to stand strong. If we stop assembling, we will isolate ourselves and lose the strength we draw from each other. We must never stop meeting, no matter how severe the persecution."

"As long as this threat remains, we have decided that we should meet all over the city in separate homes," Tychicus said. "The Romans will never be able to find us all. Some of us may fall, but the church in Ephesus will survive."

"And, I hope, grow even stronger in the face of the persecution," John added. "Sometimes I fear that we are becoming complacent and that the love we originally had for our Lord and for each other is beginning to cool. Persecution could rekindle that love by drawing us together as we face a common danger."

"Why is God letting this happen?" a voice cried out from the back. "We have been loyal and dedicated. We have done many good things in Christ's name. Yet the more good we try to do, the more the world seems to hate us."

"Do not marvel, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you," John replied. "Our Lord and Savior was perfect in every way, and yet the world hated Him. People hate what they do not understand. We should look on this coming trial as a great honor. We are being chosen to share His cross and His sacrifice for us. Many who have already died for Christ have received their suffering with joy. In the years since His death and resurrection, all my fellow apostles, including that late-coming firebrand Paul, have been called to suffer death for Him. I am the only apostle remaining who has been denied that honor. And now that I see it on the horizon, I welcome it with all my heart. I urge all of you, my dear brothers and sisters, to remain steadfast and true to Christ, no matter the cost. You will receive a reward in heaven that will make your sacrifice seem as a mere trifle."

John resumed his seat, leaning heavily on his staff. After another hymn and several prayers, the assembly dismissed.

As usual, the members clustered around John with questions or prayer needs, or simply to bask in the man's magnetic presence. But today a tense undercurrent ran through the conversations. It wasn't long before Marcellus pushed his way through the group and stood facing the apostle. His face was as red as wine, and his eyes blazed with anger.

"How can you ask us to do this?" he demanded. "I have a wife and five young children. Do you expect me to just stand by while they are tortured and slaughtered? I will not do it! The rest of you can meet next Sunday like cattle waiting for these Roman butchers. But not I! You must find another place to meet. There will be no worship here until this crisis has passed. I am perfectly willing to live for Christ, but it's too much to ask me to die for Him!"

Without another word, Marcellus turned on his heel and walked away. Soon the remaining members dispersed to their homes. How would they react when the Romans came? They weren't entirely sure. Would they face the crisis with the courage of their apostle John or with the fear of Marcellus?

* * *

The following Sunday, a small group of families assembled in John's home to worship. Five of the expected twenty-three members were not in attendance. Nothing was said about those who were missing, but the morning prayer included a petition that all would regain their courage and stand fast. After a few hymns, a Scripture reading, and more prayers, John stood to speak.

Suddenly the door burst open, and eight Roman soldiers barged in. They were dressed in armor and carried swords. The startled Christians stared wide eyed, and mothers drew their children close to them.

The commanding officer opened...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: TYNDALE HOUSE PUBL
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2014
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1414380496
• ISBN 13: 9781414380490
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 283
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar