Book Review

I just finished reading the non-fiction work, Epicenter, by Joel Rosenberg. If you are at all interested in eschatology (the study of the end times), I highly recommend this read.

Having been a big fan of the entire Left Behind series, I am always drawn in to TV interviews with its authors, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. I caught them on CNN a few weeks back, along with Joel Rosenberg. Intrigued by what Joel was saying and the description of his new book, Epicenter, I made my way to the computer as soon as the interview finished so that I could put my name on the waiting list for the book at Salem Public Library.

To preface my thoughts on Epicenter, let me first explain how the Left Behind series captured my heart.

I literally stumbled upon the series quite accidentally, asking Ben to bring home "that one book that people are always talking about" from the church library a few years back in preparation for our family's camping trip to East Lake. I thought it would be a nice way to pass the time in the quiet outdoors.

It was. However, I was not impressed with the seemingly elementary story-telling. It is definitely one of the easier fiction reads out there. It took me until the last third of the book to even decide if I remotely liked it. I remember telling Ben that "it's kind of interesting" and "at least now I can say that I've read it." Upon hearing this, he explained that there were more in the series, "maybe even three or four more" he thought. "You're kidding!" I had no idea! But when I finished that first book in my hammock at East Lake, it was clear that there was a long way to go in this story of the tribulation, and I was hooked. They got me. I cared about what was happening to these characters.

So on and on I read--all ten books that had been published up until that time. I then read each new one as they were published until I finally reached the end! What did I do then? I returned back to the very first book and read them all over again.

Why? Because they were literary masterpieces? No. Because I'm trying to memorize exactly how things are going to happen in the end times? No. Because I had nothing better to do with my time? No.

What captivated me with these books was the urgency in which the characters felt to share Christ's love and plan of salvation with absolutely everyone that they met. They knew that the very soul of all they encountered hung in the balance at each and every moment. They knew that there was no time left to debate whether or not it was prudent to share their faith with others.

So chapter after chapter, reading countless dialogues of evangelism and testimonies, I became more and more inspired. I realized that even though I am not living in that time of tribulation, the fact still remains that the soul of every person that I encounter today hangs in the balance as well. Those books provided many tangible examples of how to share my faith and equipped me with the heart's desire to do so more and more. My eyes were opened to all the many mission fields God has placed in my life.

Along with the passion for evangelism, however, did come a true fascination with eschatology. The attempt to decipher the prophecies of the Old and New Testament has been an age old struggle. I believe that every generation from the time that Jesus rose from the dead 2,000 years ago has believed that they were living in the end times. I don't view that as ignorance, I view that as hopefulness.

Joel Rosenberg decided to write this non-fiction book because he literally had been forecasting future headlines in his previous fiction novels. On September 11, 2001, Joel was just finishing his fictional book, The Last Jihad, in which a group of radical Islamic Terrorists hijack a jet plane and fly an attack mission into an American city. He literally was at his computer writing the last chapter as the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center came crashing down.

The same eerie "coincidences" were happening with his other works of fiction. Before long, he was being interviewed by every major news show, where every interviewer wanted to know how he could predict the future so accurately. He very confidently explained that in no way is he psychic. He simply looks at world events through a third lens. The majority of analysts look at the world through the lenses of politics and economics. He adds a third to those: the lens of Scripture.

Most of the "future headlines" written in this book are interpretations of Ezekiel 38 & 39. These headlines include: "Israel discovers massive oil reserves," "A Czar rises in Russia," "Moscow joins military alliance with Iran," "Russia targets Israel," "New war erupts in Middle East as earthquakes and pandemics hit Europe, Africa &Asia," and "Muslims turn to Christ in record numbers." He provides striking evidence that so many of these future headlines are already in the workings--for the first time in history. For instance, Russia, under the leadership of Putin, has been regressing from democracy, and is, for the very first time, flirting with an alliance with Iran, a country led by a man that has publicly declared to "wipe Israel of the map," and stated that "Israel is the Little Satan, and the United States is the Big Satan."

I do not focus my energies on these topics to attempt to pinpoint the exact moment of time that Jesus will return. I believe that is not for us to know. I do, however, strive to keep my mission of evangelism at the forefront of my life. It is important to remember that we do not know how much time we have left--whether the second coming of Christ is imminent, or God chooses to call us home to heaven. We are commissioned to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to all ends of the earth.

For me, the ends of the earth are at the soccer fields, at the gas station, at the grocery store, at my daughter's school, at the neighborhood park, anywhere God places searching souls in my path.

I do not know if we are, in fact, living in the end times, but I do know that we are not even guaranteed tomorrow. We must take advantage of every opportunity. We are God's representatives on earth. He has left us here to fulfill the Great Commission, but He will one day choose to bring this era of history to a close and set up His new kingdom in heaven and on earth. What a truly awesome day that will be!

Epicenter is worth the read if you are at all interested in how what is currently happening in the Middle East may be a fulfillment of ancient Biblical prophesy. Regardless of whether or not these "future headlines" come to pass, we do have the promise of Who will eventually win: our great and mighty God. The King of Kings.