A diabolical counterfeit of God’s ultimate plan of salvation seems to be spreading across the Middle East—and is playing out just as foretold in the Bible. While Western Christians seem to be growing more complacent and concerned with their personal comfort and success, a prophetic storm is gathering in the Middle East. Radical Islamists are preparing for the final battle, believing it will usher in a new age of Islamist supremacy.
Do you find these events as chilling as I do?
I have been a Middle East correspondent for more than three decades and an advisor on the Middle East for just as long. In that time I have written almost two-dozen books on the Middle East and radical Islam, many of them discussing their relationship to the events of the book of Revelation. I have studied the prophecies about the end of the age given by Jesus, the Old Testament prophets, and the New Testament apostles. I have read and reread books on Bible eschatology written by experts, teachers, and scholars. And in all my research and years of experience, there has been no other time when the signs of Jesus’ imminent return were happening with the intensity we are seeing today. Bible prophecy after Bible prophecy points to the likelihood that the last generation before Jesus’ return is now on the Earth, and the last lap for the Church has begun.
I know many wise men and women will take this declaration with at least a grain of salt. In fact, someone declared that Jesus would return on May 21, 2011, only to be proven spectacularly wrong. He was ridiculed by both believers and non-believers. At the same time, popular Christian leaders are suggesting that the book of Revelation actually has more to do with the Romans of John’s time than as a prognosis for what will happen at the end of the age, throwing many into confusion. Others have touted that no one is going to be “left behind” in the Rapture. All will be saved in the end, despite what Scripture says. It is eerily reminiscent of the days before the flood, as Noah called on humanity to repent. They ridiculed and scoffed, only to realize too late that Noah had had their best interests at heart.
Personally, I have neither the desire to be a prophet of doom nor someone crying “wolf” about something that is still in the future. However, when I see the handwriting on the wall, I feel the obligation to speak up. Neither am I here to tell you to ready your bomb shelter, but I am here to say you may need to change your thinking.
The early church called the message of Jesus’ soon return “The Blessed Hope.” They saw it as a message of liberation that gave them the resolve to live righteously before their God. That is the message I want you to get from reading this book. When you put it down, I don’t want you to be filled with dread; I want you to be excited about what God is doing to seek and save the lost. I also want you to be more determined that as few as possible will be left on Earth the day Jesus calls us home.
In order to understand that message, we must first understand the gravity of where we are on God’s timeline. Time is of the essence. There is no more room for the “business as usual, let me work out my own personal salvation” complacency that grips our culture, our marketplaces, our political arenas, and—unfortunately—far too many of our churches today. Our own personal pursuits of life, liberty, and happiness will not get us through the twenty-first century as they did in the last half of the twentieth.
The American dream is turning into a nightmare right before our eyes, blinding many to the converging prophetic storms gathering before us. People, including many Christians, have grown dull of hearing. As Solomon warned us in Proverbs, now more than ever, “the complacency of fools shall destroy them” (Proverbs 1:32).
Jesus said that the final days before His return would be like those of Noah before the flood. Humanity would be obsessed with the issues of prosperity, entertainment, and self-fulfillment: “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” (Matthew 24:38). In Luke, Jesus expanded further on this saying:
“It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.” —Luke 17:28-30, 32-33
We must wake up to the realization that the Bible prophecies of Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation are quickly moving into position for God’s final checkmate of Satan. Israel is likely within a decade or less of facing the greatest threat to its existence: the development of an Iranian nuclear bomb. Not only that, but the framework for a one-world government and common world currency is already in the minds of many—just as Ahmadinejad outlined before the United Nations last fall, to the accolades of most of the delegates in the General Assembly. A perfect storm of religious extremism and those who would profit from it is gathering to oppose Judaism, Christianity, and Western Secularism alike, while the U.S. and the E.U. take the course of appeasement.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Mike done a good job of explaining difficult Biblical passages in a down to earth way - he did not use difficult technical jargon in detailing prophetic passages. He also showed a command of Bible prophecy - he also weaved together pertinent history along with current events to support his conclusion of our time as being the final generation.
This was written 10 years ago, and although most of Mike Evans' predictions have not come to pass, we still need to heed his message. We definitely are in the End Times and the situation of the world continues to deteriorate. This book is well researched, with Biblical quotes and historical events backing up his claims. A very timely read, and I'd be interested to read a more recent book by him, as obviously, some of his hypotheses have not yet eventuated.
Mike Evans certainly did his research. This is a must read if you are drawn to books pointing to the signs that these are the last days. In The Final Generation, author Mike Evans makes the case that we are indeed the final generation using a combination of historical and current events without neglecting prophecy concerning how the failing condition of the Church fits the Biblical description. He notes such things as:
1. The Christian Church is becoming less theologically literate. 2. Christians are becoming more ingrown and less out-reaching. 3. The postmodern insistence on tolerance is winning over the Christian Church. 4. The impact of Christianity on the culture and individual lives is becoming largely invisible.
I found the use of scripture to be sound; and when coupled with the events and culture described, the author makes a pretty good case.
I have to admit; once again I struggled through a lot of the book for 2 reasons.
#1. I started the book during a very busy time at my job so I wasn’t able to put the time into reading that I would have liked. I suspect this broke up some of the continuity of the author's message. #2. I got bogged down in all the detail of the historical and current events. I don’t dispute them, nor do I suggest that they are not important; I just had to trudge through them because I did not find them particularly interesting.
I do give the book a relatively high rating. Mike Evans did his homework and that in itself is worth some praise. In addition, he ended strong. I found the final 3 chapters of the book exceptional. In those he describes the unfolding of an economic collapse, the peace negotiations in the Middle East, and what the Bible says we should be doing about it right now.
2 Peter 3:3-4 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
Even though we are faced with misguided Christian leaders who mistakenly try to place a date and time on Jesus return; even though the world denies Him and many Christians reject the suggestion that His return is near, do not be discouraged. We, as His representatives, must live everyday as if we are the last generation. “We must . . . put into action the things God places in our hearts to do.”
“There is much to accomplish before the Master returns!”
Other than his call to Christians to wake up and get busy with the task Jesus has called us to, this book is pretty much the standard fare for his ilk - save your money and use it like he writes about to effect our world.