P R O P H E T I C FORCE
A Demystification of Eschatology
A Review
Author: John O.B. Agbaje
Date of Publication: 2023
Publisher: LASOUCH Publishing, Houston TX, US
Page count: 154 pages
Reviewer: Prof. Olatundun A. Oderinde
Professor of New Testament Studies and Christian Theology
The book, PropheticForce A Demystification of Eschatology is an incisive theological exposition about a central Christian belief on the ‘end time events’. John O.B. Agbaje, the author, is an evangelist who combined scholarly instinct and a strong passion for evangelism in his exposition on eschatology. His thoughts flowed logically and moved the book along coherently. The author is a gifted writer with an insightful observation. The quoted material immediately after the foreword is an inspiring message that encapsulates the purpose of the book and stirs the believers to prepare for eternity. The Title of this book succinctly describes the underlining feature of the theme and the purpose of the author. The preface immediately stirs interest to take a reading adventure into an important but too-often perplexing doctrine of the Christian faith – Eschatology. Essentially, the book is not about prophecy and prophetism. But in another sense, it is about prophecy in that it rests on the prophetic force of the Holy Bible, the inerrant revelation of God’s truth for all ages!
Eschatology, Doctrine of the Last things or End times, is a doctrine about the events of the latter days of the church age and the blessed hope of the saints of Christ. But for some reasons, it has been neglected in many church teachings today owing largely to the complexity of the doctrine, ignorance of many church leaders, wave of modern teachings on making-it-here-and-now; and of course, the growing secularism. If the church is in urgent need of a book now, it is one such as this which re-awakens the church to the fact of the primary purpose of its existence and sure end of humanity. The book is divided into seven chapters with an epilogue after the 7th chapter.
Chapter one titled, Origin and Destination, opens with the reality of human travail within the confine of space and time, occasioned by the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. It reminds of the fact that whether consciously or otherwise, everyone and everything that is part of our vast world travels on the unseen pathway that can neither be hastened nor interrupted from a definite beginning to a sure end! Confronted with shattered dream of utopia expected to be ushered in by human philosophies, science and technological breakthrough; the once scorned religion and spirituality now begin to gain a come-back. Thus, in this chapter, the author notes that, the futility of expectations of better tomorrow which now leaves the protagonists with cheap explanations for their failure, the sagging prospects for a world of peace and prosperity; as well as the frustration engendered by all of these have combined to erode the pillars of propaganda that once calmed the agitations of many minds. As such, spiritual apathy that once held sway is now giving way for religious considerations especially about the End Time.
This chapter also take a swipe on the Charles Darwin’s evolutionism against Biblical creationism. The author makes sound arguments for Biblical claims as more reliable and believable than the evolution theories or hypotheses. His sharp and penetrating argument for the inerrancy and authority of the Bible certainly provides refreshing assurance for Bible believing individuals.
In chapter two, the author delves into the theological bases for the doctrine of eschatology. The conflicting views of (pre- millennialism and post-millennialism) the two theological leanings about rapture are competently explained for any enquirer to easily digest. Rapture is the main physical event of the End Time. The version of eschatology of earlier generation theologians, according to the author, emphasises more of the spiritual implications of the prophecies about eschatology while carving just a minimal impact of the events upon the physical world. The pre-millennialists (literalists), believe that rapture involves the resurrection and translation of the saints, and it will take place before the millennial reign of Christ on the earth. They also hold belief in physical reconstitution of the nation of Israel, human Antichrist and similar aspects of end time theories. Post-millennialists, on the other hand, believe that the present age is the millennial reign of Christ in spiritual sense and it would be followed by other events like the resurrection, the judgement of the nations and the destruction of the earth in a somewhat quick succession.
The author explains that each exponent on the subject was influenced, in part, by the prevailing circumstance of the era they lived, leading to varied views about the events and order of the events. But the major cause of discrepancy is individual’s handling of prophecies about the End Time. In fact, some overzealous ones, based on certain calculations, fixed dates for rapture; and specific timeline for the fulfilment of a particular segment of end time prophecy. This has generated controversy about eschatology. But the puzzling thing is that whichever side of the divides one stands, everyone draws their source from the Bible. This therefore, calls for caution in interpreting biblical prophecies about the end time.
Further, the author notes in this chapter that there are portions of eschatological prophecies upon which thick clouds hang. Thus, a complete knowledge of the exactness of the events is impossible. For instance, Rev.10:1-4 and Daniel 12:4 give injunction about sealing a part of the revelation until the end time. Therefore, there is a limit to human comprehension of the events of eschatology. This is referred to as ‘the law of prophetic reserves’. The law states that no prophetic declaration can be as full and exact as the actual outcome of the events being predicted. The chapter concludes on the note of why the subject of eschatology, a really slippery area of Christian theology, is chosen for discussion in this book. The first reason is to address the passiveness of those who, as a result of their belief in the imminent coming of Christ have become aloof in the present world. The second is to address the paucity of adequate knowledge about eschatology in modern church. In all, the author maintains that great as the knowledge of eschatology might be, it does not substitute for preparation for that great event which is effected only by the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of individuals.
Chapter three commences by drawing attention to the multidimensional tragedies of natural disasters, sudden deaths and all forms of man inhumanity against other humans as pointers to the signs of the end time predicted in the Bible. From this chapter, the author makes it clears that his exposition on the signs of the end time is predicated on the text of Matthew chapters 24 and 25 as it neatly summarises the signs.
A keen reader of the scripture would note that three distinct events constitute the focus of the prophecies of Jesus in the text. Failure to detach those events as neatly would cloud comprehension of the prophecies and mock efforts to untie the knots of His predictions. The disciples also faced the same situation and they had to approach Jesus for a private discussion to probe further about:
The same challenge confronts the church of this age about what part of the prophecy is fulfilled and what part is still to be expected. Hence, the process of painstaking efforts at unraveling the murky predictions in Matt. 24-25 begins in Chapter three. Three key things are emphasised in this chapter: The fact that the prophecy of Jesus is multi-focused ; Jesus’ warning to His disciples (both now and then) to be cautious so as not to be deceived; and the explanation of the proper way to understand the word generation when Jesus says … this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (Matthew 24:34).
Having laid the foundation for the exposition of the signs in Chapter three, chapter four takes a dive into explaining the signs and what they mean to our generation. It is approached from two different but related perspectives. The first focuses on many strange occurrences of our days which the author describes as ‘direct revolts of nature over which man lacks control.’ While there was no generation that was free of natural mishaps, the frequency and extent of impacts of natural disaster in this age can only be indicators of prophecies being fulfilled. The second perspective relates to the agency of man for the fulfilment of certain aspects of the prophecies such as; alteration to the configuration of the earth, pollution of the atmosphere, population explosion, political wrangling cum power tussle, and other daring ventures of man.
Discussing the prophecy in Matthew 24:7-11, the exposition begins by commenting on ‘… and ye shall hear of wars and rumours of war . . . For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom . . . ‘ (Matthew 24v6, 7). In the view of the author, while war has been part of human reality from time immemorial, our world has witnessed unprecedented wars in recent centuries. Last century alone witnessed two world wars (between 1914 – 1918 and 1939 – 1945) followed by the cold war. Examples of arm conflicts across the globe and various civil unrest in different regions of the world are given to buttress the fact of fulfilling the prophecy about ‘nation rising against nations’ and ‘rumours’ of wars. The author notes that frantic but futile efforts to forestall wars have no better explanation than fulfilment of prophecy of Jesus about the sign of the end.
Furtherance to the discussion the saga of war and arm conflicts, a detour is taken to give brief attention to terrorism which is another dimension to modern bloody disaster. Terrorists are religious and political radicals who have put their lives on the line to foment trouble and sponsor mayhems. They are usually motivated by generational divides and enraged by what they term as the desecration of their faith (mostly but not always Islamic) and lands by the occupation forces. Naturally terrorism will attract counter-terrorism. But from all indications, rather than being cowed, the terrorists’ resolve is being fueled and they are made more daring by all counter-measures. Thus, in Gareth Evans, former Australian foreign minister’s words; “the net result of the war on terror is more war and more terror”. The author remarks, painfully, that this indicates that ‘the world will know no peace because the war on terror is one for which no one can predict a progression or suggest when and how it will end, if it ever will’.
The next point treated in this chapter to demonstrate that the force of Jesus’ prophecy in Matt 24 on war and rumours of war is the case of ongoing battles in the Middle East which have defied and will continue to defy all solutions if prophecy is to go by. This view of the author, though subjective, seems plausible. Not only is the significance of this region derived directly from the Bible, it has also underscored the authority of its historical contents and prophetic appeals against which the world today unites in unbelief. The author reminds his readers that the region is the cradle of most ancient Bible histories: Adam-Eve, Noah and his Ark, the patriarchs, the Pharaohs, Great ancient kingdoms and empire; etc. In the author’s words “Since the last few decades, a day hardly passes by without something to report to the world from the region and for most of the times; it is news about violence and bloodshed.”
The Iranian nuclear ventures of the recent decade is said to be another signal to the fulfilment of end time prophecy. Series of back and forth possibility of instigation of hostility between Iran and her avowed enemies-United States of America and Israel are detailed in this chapter. In similar vein, North Korea and her flagrant display and testing of nuclear weapons are sources of concern to further the rumours of war prophecy. The reckless behaviours of North Korea in weapon handling makes it a possibility to transact with terror groups, who will not hesitate to detonate on their own enemies. Of course the rippling effects of this on the whole world is better imagined than experienced.
The next object of prophecy examined is about the “. . . famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places”. Reports of war-torn places and the aftermath hunger, leading to death of hundreds of thousands, are well noted. Furthermore, emergence of new variant pathogens and virulent diseases are copiously examined in line with the Biblical predictions. According to the author, the prophecy of Jesus about the End is amply supported by World Health Organisation (WHO) and other health professional bodies/organisations in their various reports of new diseases in recent decades such as AIDS, avian flu, SARS; and the one that recently plagued entire world like never before: COVID-19. Not only that, the chapter chronicles detail records of various natural disaster, such as hurricane, cyclone, earthquake, tsunamis, and other devastating event in human history. The section is summed up in the note made by the author towards his conclusion: “…from 526 AD up to year 1900 AD, a period of 1,374 years, the world had only 24 earthquakes on its records. But in 100 years of 1901 to year 2000, there were at least 117 earthquakes, with 76 of them in the last 30 years alone of the century, including the ones in ElSalvador and West India.” This further confirms that this world is racing to its end as the predicted words of Jesus are being fulfilled in unprecedented urgency.
The next prophecy is about the persecution of the Christians. Starting from the former Soviet Union aggressions and brutality against Christians in the early part of last century, to the more recent Islamic terror attacks as well as communist suppressions of Christian in places like China and North Korea, the chapter gives indices of persecution in many places during the last century. Many of the incidents of persecution may not get to press today, but according to the author, they still exist. It is noteworthy that the persecution meted out against the 1930s revival movement of Apostle Ayo Babalola of Christ Apostolic Church is also noted as a case in point to show fulfillment of the prophecy about persecutions.
The chapter also speaks about claimants to the title and position of Christ. Several examples are cited and some of their ruse are revealed. Identifying and avoiding these false christs becomes paramount in the discussion about them.
The prophecy about scientific revolution in the view of the author is found in the Book of Daniel (12:4). It is also an eschatological prophecy. A sharp contrast of this prophecy with others is that while all the signs of the end are leaving negative impacts upon our world, this prophecy beams a ray of light. Certainly, advancement in human knowledge had blessed every field of human endeavours. Humanity has improved greatly in health, communication, transportation, manufacturing and all other areas. As matter of fact, the author dares to say somewhere that only social resistance or divine inhibitions may have been standing between man and his efforts at making another man with amazing capabilities. Meaning that human knowledge has grown to an extent of man playing God!
While exponential growth of scientific discovery and technological advancement is a fulfilment of the Bible, its relation to the subject of this book is its phenomenal surge in the recent past. Technology innovation is confirmed to be growing, and doubling every five years since about two decades ago. It is said that in many cases, new products become obsolete before they get to the market!
The author reasoned that, as good as advancement in human knowledge is, its dark sides are as phenomenal as the development itself. Some of these are seen in manufacturing of weapons of mass destruction. The same science that may cure some of our worst diseases could create the world’s most frightening weapons. In fact many things invented by man now make belief about hell or destruction of the current world easily believable. Of all negative possibilities in technological advancement, that of weapons of destruction is the one given most attention in this section.
Chapter five stresses the fact that this generation can be rightly describes as ‘one upon whom the end of age has come.’ The prophecies are fulfilled in this generation and this points to a world moving fast to its end. Thus, heeding the word of Christ is of urgent essence: ‘so likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand’. (Luke 21v31). The author gives series of occurrences in this epoch showing that we are in the end time. It certainly would be interesting reading about those notable events to make informed decision or judgment of the present times. The author offers hopes and warning however in saying “The Bible offers the only source of comforts that address the anxiety of these moments and whoever has chosen to believe or snub the hope it dangles will not matter. Therefore, may it strike us, and very sharply too, that only a thin veil of time is hiding away the actual events of the end and every tick of the clock is wearing out that veil, even now!
In chapter six, the book focuses on Rapture which is the instant global snatching off of believers (or better still, the Church of Christ) from the earth to meet the Lord Jesus in the air. It is the major event that will herald the commencement of the end time events. From the beginning of this Chapter, the author takes a discourse on the current age-Church age. What qualifies one to be a member of the body of Christ (the Church) and the task of the church before rapture are points that gain attention. The latter part of the chapter returns to discuss the event of the Rapture more in a graphic manner. The wave of shock and confusion that would engulf the earth is painted is such a captivating mode that is clear enough for the ‘blind’ to see; and loud enough for the ‘deaf’ to hear! From sound biblical argument, the author also denigrates the teaching of secret rapture as misleading and misrepresenting the Bible on the subject.
In the concluding chapter, the author returns yet again to the turbulent water of arguments about rapture, antichrist, great tribulation; and how they are interrelated. The author makes efforts not to bore any reader with theological lingo by explaining the technical term in clear languages. There is a caution however, that whatever, theological school of thought one belongs in the matter of eschatology, it should be noted that the Bible will never bow to the most intelligent argument that contradicts its intent.
The final lap of the chapter is an extensive discussion on the book- 2 Thessalonians- in relation to the antichrist. Of all the Pauline epistles, Thessalonians no doubt stands out as an eschatological book. Thus, appeals have been made to its pages to take cue by different schools on eschatology for the support of their theories. The author makes cases for pre-, mid- and post-millennial theories while still maintaining his pre-millennialist stance.
The epilogue gives a succinct narrative of the author’s spiritual journey from the grip of darkness into the saving and warm embrace of Christ, and an invitation for others to come along this blessed path.
This book bears a hallmark of painstaking research, clarity of purpose and commitment to overarching biblical truth and authority. On the flip side, the work is basically a commentary without an in-depth exegesis of the texts of its discussion. Also the author makes some contestable conclusions as he attempts to relate Iran-Israel-USA war to the battle of Armageddon while discussing Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew. Meanwhile, Armageddon is prophesied in Revelation and not in the prophecy of Jesus under discussion in the chapter where he discussed it. More also, while he unequivocally states throughout the work that he stands on the side of the pre-millennialism, relating Armageddon to any past or present event would be a support for post millennialism.
The content of the work shows the desire of the author to reawaken consciousness on eschatology, to divest it of dread and present it as a comforting and soothing doctrine about the blessed hope of the church.
It is heartwarming to see an elder in the faith taking bold step in exhuming treasure in a field of theology often avoided by the majority due to its complexity. Clad with copious biblical support and communicated in easy-to-understand language, I dare say this is a book every Christian in this age should own. It is a timely, indispensable resource material for every Pastor, theologian, bible scholar and heaven-conscious Christian.