Along with that privilege comes the treat of being given free copies of books so that I might read them and offer up my own critical analysis for other dear brothers and sisters in Christ like you.
Today, I would like to share a few thoughts about one such author and his book on end times Bible prophecy (don't worry, if it's not your book that I'm about to review I can assure you that I'm committed to fulfilling my promise to do so with yours, and certainly will as the Lord leads).
The book I just finished reading is "'QUENCHED LIKE A WICK: REVEALING THE DAY AMERICA BREATHES HER LAST'" by Drew Simmons who also runs the WAKE UP BABYLON blog.
The most direct statement I can make about this book is that it painstakingly presents the Biblical case that not only identifies America (and her fate) in God's Word, but it also addresses the issue of 'date-setting' in eschatology once and for all with a clarity that I've never come across before.
I'll be more blunt about things. The "worst" I can say is that my fellow Christians will make a mistake if they think that this is nothing new. The "best" I can say is that it's rare to find a Christian author write about Bible prophecy and the future events they foretell with "careful precision" in applying God's Word to the study (2 Timothy 2:15 is what I always think of when this author and this book comes to mind, and perhaps that's because he cites over 600 Scripture references in this book!).
Yes, you and I both know that merely citing Scripture references does not automatically mean that a Bible study is accurate, Biblically sound, and/or anointed in any way, shape, or form. Anyone who has a degree in Wolfology can twist the Word of God just like Satan is able to.
The key difference is that a person must believe in Sola Scriptura as well as the TOTALITY OF SCRIPTURE since both are consistent with 2 Timothy 3:16.
Now, I realize that the content might scare some students of Bible prophecy away due to the 'controversial' nature of such aspects of last days theology. But is it really 'controversial' if the Bible actually has something to say about it?
Furthermore, I get that, at first glance, a Christian might just read the title of this book and instantly conclude that this is just another run-of-the-mill book on prophecy, overflowing with vain speculation that tries to capitalize on the 'Left Behind' market of readers, or assume that America's identity in God's Word as well as the topic of date-setting is just way too ambiguous for a Christian to invest any serious time studying them.
Again, I would respectfully disagree, and propose that such a knee-jerk reaction (though understandable) is greatly unwarranted in this case.
So what can we say about this book then? Is the author right? Has he discovered passages of Scripture where the US is clearly the subject? Is it truly possible for us to know -- right down to the very day -- when God's righteous judgment will fall upon this nation to fulfill the ancient prophecies?
Rather than share a few thoughts on every single chapter like I've done in the past, this time I'll simply provide you with some of the thought-provoking excerpts that I noted and let you decide whether or not this is a book you need to get your hands on.
ISAIAH 43:17 (NASB) Who brings forth the chariot and the horse, The army and the mighty man (They will lie down together and not rise again; They have been quenched and extinguished like a wick):
In this first installment author Drew Simmons takes the reader on a journey of discovery through the apocalyptic passages of the Bible. After tearing down and rooting out many of the misconceptions that have been built up regarding the Tribulation, he begins to build and plant through a careful and honest examination of the Word. That mysterious "thread woven in time" is revealed as he exposes the connections that have laid dormant for ages. Just as the angel commanded Daniel to "shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end," now at the end of this present age we're shown how Daniel's own overlooked words hold the key to unsealing God's message to our generation. With over 600 Scripture references to support his arguments, Drew reveals not only America's long-foretold fate but also the precise day those events will commence.
"What will happen to America and when will it happen? In this book I want to show you what is really coming to America and when it will arrive. I'm no Nostradamus. Nor have I been staring at a crystal ball. No, I've been staring intently at the source of God's truth to mankind, the Bible. With great care and diligence I've looked into the light that exposes the thief of the tribulation. It's from this time in the Word of God that I can confidently say to you that, yes, most assuredly America is discussed in the Bible; even so prominently that we can mark our calendars by it. For the day she will breathe her last is now clearly in sight." [PAGES 4-5]
"You can compare the messages of the prophets against one another to see the whole picture. It's written that God will do nothing unless He reveals His secrets to His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7). And we learn again in Acts that this very message of the last days, the "times of the restoration of all things", was given expressly to the prophets and recorded in Scripture (Acts 3:21)." [PAGE 18]
"You may have noticed that the end-time prophecies are scattered all throughout the Bible. It's as if God, in His infinite wisdom, has woven a thread throughout the whole Bible which speaks of our generation. And if we look closely enough we can see it. But we have to progress beyond a merely casual approach to the Bible. We must look intently and study with diligence. When we read a text for the tenth time and still don't understand, we must pray for understanding (James 1:5) and resolve to read it another ten times. We must come back to the text again and again until Father reveals its meaning. And we must rely on those points of comparison." [PAGE 20]
"But for what exactly are we looking? How can we know when a text is speaking of our day? There are certain words and phrases used in the Bible to which we need to pay very close attention. I've already listed some of them, such as the examination of Isaiah 28. While time will not allow to show them all, I will list some here as a small sampling. These types of phrases act as clues when reading the Bible. When we understand that a passage is speaking of our day we can then examine that passage for details. Then we are able to add that landmark to our map; our big picture view of the events of that Day. "[PAGE 21]
"As I've stated before, throughout the Word of God we are given points of comparison. God is allowing us the opportunity to make connections to other passages. And without these connections it's impossible to understand the message of the last days. What I'm attempting to do in this book is make the correct connections and understand the message." [PAGE 49]
"Our great Jehovah is trying to show us, at least those willing to study, that the complete and utter destruction of end-time Babylon begins the tribulation. It's the very first event. "[PAGE 70]
So, there you have it. Pretty compelling stuff, huh?
Again, I'm sorry to repeat myself, but I found Simmons' gift of Using-Scripture-To-Prove-And-Support-Scripture to make his case not only refreshing, but a model of the way sermonizing should always be done by us Christians.
In other words, I was encouraged and motivated to ask for the Lord's help when it comes to becoming a better expositor of His holy Word.
My dear friends, if you're still living under the impression that this nation has a 'bright future', or that a 'revival' in this country is imminent, I hate to break it to you, but you're deceiving yourself while also ignoring a whole lot of Scripture.
Read your Bible. Then place your Bible next to this book as you read through it -- praying for the Holy Spirit's help to either "confirm" or deny "its" claims.
I think that in the final analysis you'll be left with the realization that the hour is late and that we're truly living on borrowed time.
Yes, sometimes God chooses an 18-year Software Engineer and asks him to leave a good paying job to write a book for His glory, honor, and praise while living off of personal savings and the generosity of the Lord through others to do what the former Computer Expert believes God has called him to do.
I'll close with these final words. There is one 'strange coincidence' about the timing of the release of this book, it's content, and my reading and reviewing it here that I can't seem to shake.
First, you may have heard about the bestseller "The Harbinger" by Jonathan Cahn and the criticism it has generated within the Christian community. While I haven't read that book, I find it "very interesting" that both books reached distribution at approximately the same time.
I don't know if there's any overlapping content or not, but, either way, I believe the fact that both books offer the same general warning -- THAT THIS NATION IS ABOUT TO SUCCUMB TO GOD'S FINAL RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT -- leaves us with three distinct possibilities here for our immediate prayerful consideration.
1. "Both messages are meant to 'overlap' in some areas as perhaps another legitimate warning from God "
2. "One message (Cahn's) is un-Biblical in its presentation while the other message (Simmons') is Biblical in its presentation "
3. "Both books fall far short of the Biblical requirements necessary to conclude that such a message is truly from God"
So which is it?
Personally, I believe that while many of the problems people have with Cahn and his book are legitimate (i.e. like the fact that he claims to be a 'prophet' and how he shuns the authority of Scripture against the increasing trend of experience, extra-Biblical revelation, and mysticism), it's very interesting how it has caused so many American Christians to FINALLY openly discuss end times Bible prophecy and to think about how the fulfillment of those prophecies relate to this future of this nation.
"Quenched Like A Wick" accomplishes the same thing (but by doing the very opposite -- upholding the authority of Scripture, and shunning experience, extra-Biblical revelation, and mysticism). Folks, that can't be a 'coincidence', IMHO.
As David James wrote...
"The level of controversy surrounding The Harbinger and concerned reviews has been virtually unprecedented in that so much of it has been generated within conservative evangelicalism. Although other recent books have caused a stir within the broader evangelical community, some have said they have never witnessed anything quite like this in their decades of ministry life."
Again, nothing God allows or does is an 'accident' or 'inconsequential' and 'without purpose' as we might like to think. Criticisms of Cahn aside (warranted criticisms I might add), why have Christian commentators been so quick to brush off any hint that God has preserved in His Word the specifics pertaining to America's future? I think we all know why, don't we? Poligion anyone?
2 TIMOTHY 2:15 (KJV) "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
That's our responsibility when it comes to testing any of these claims (Acts 17:11).
So, his bold assertions aside, before you relegate Simmons' book to the same class as Cahn's bestseller, I encourage you to recall J.C. Ryle's statements about how to handle the different perspectives often held by Christians who study end times prophecy.
At the very outset I warn the reader of these pages that he will find here nothing deep or abstruse. I have purposely avoided everything that can be called speculative or conjectural. I have strictly confined myself to a few great prophetical principles, which appear to me written as it were with a sunbeam. I have not attempted to expound such portions of God's Word as Ezekiel's temple or the symbolical visions of Revelation. I have not ventured to fix any dates. I have not tried to settle the precise order or manner in which predictions of things to come are to be fulfilled. There is nothing I dislike so much in prophetical inquiry as dogmatism or positiveness. Much of the discredit which has fallen on prophetical study has arisen from the fact that many students instead of expounding prophecy have turned prophets themselves.
If anyone asks me what my prophetical opinions are, I am quite ready to give him an answer. Cautious and doubtful as I feel on some points, there are certain great principles about which I have fully made up my mind. I have held by them firmly for more than twenty-five years and have never had my opinion shaken about them. I have lived in the belief of them for a quarter of a century, and in the belief of them I hope to die. The older I grow, the more do I feel convinced of their truth, and the more satisfied am I that no other principles can explain the state of the Church and the world.
One thing only I wish to premise before making my statement. The reader must distinctly understand that I do not put forth my prophetical views as articles of faith but only as my private opinions. I DO NOT SAY THAT NOBODY CAN BE SAVED WHO DOES NOT AGREE WITH ME ABOUT PROPHECY. I AM NOT INFALLIBLE. I AM VERY SENSIBLE THAT HOLIER AND BETTER MEN THAN MYSELF DO NOT SEE THESE SUBJECTS WITH MY EYES AND THINK ME UTTERLY MISTAKEN. I CONDEMN NOBODY; I JUDGE NOBODY. I ONLY ASK LIBERTY TO HOLD AND STATE DISTINCTLY MY OWN VIEWS. THE DAY WILL DECIDE WHO IS RIGHT. IT IS THE NEW HEART AND FAITH IN CHRIST'S BLOOD WHICH ARE ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO SALVATION. THE MAN WHO KNOWS THESE TWO THINGS EXPERIMENTALLY MAY BE WRONG ABOUT PROPHECY, BUT HE WILL NOT MISS HEAVEN.
Amen? Of course, right?
That being said, let me be clear here. I may not agree with everything in this book, but there was more than enough content within these 247 pages that caused me to go deeper with this subject than I ever had before, and I really believe I learned a lot of pure Biblical truth from reading it.
Pray about whether or not you should buy this book.
Pray for wisdom and discernment.
"[NOTE: Though I was given a free copy of this book to read and review, I will not receive any fee from the author for publishing this nor will I receive any money derived from sales that this review might generate.] "
