If you were sitting in the pews at Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California in the fall of 2014, the material published here would be very familiar to you. Or, if not, if you know anything at all about chapters 6, 11, 12, 13 and 20 in the New Testament book of Revelation, you’ll be right at home with Doctor David Jeremiah and Tom Williams’ “riveting look at the key players of the end times.” This Jeremiah and Williams-penned, 273-page commentary is based on a seven-Sunday sermon series Jeremiah preached at Shadow Mountain.
Structurally, Jeremiah and Williams devote “one chapter to each of the most prominent players in Revelation---those who are the primary agents of the Apocalypse.” Each chapter in this unique book is divided into two sections. The first is the dramatized account, written by Williams. That’s followed by the second section explaining the scripture behind the dramatizations. In these ten chapters, you’ll witness the exile of the apostle John, (the writer of Revelation). You’ll also meet the Tribulation martyrs, the 144,000 Tribulation converts/evangelists, the two witnesses, as well as learn the identity of the dragon, the beasts from the sea and the earth. All of that is climaxed by the roles of the victor, the king and the judge.
For the biblical purists, Jeremiah advises, “nothing presented in the Bible has been altered. The dramatized elements are constructed firmly on the facts of Revelation. The stories merely fill in the gaps that Revelation does not address. They present possibilities about how the biblical events could play out. . . . These scenes cannot fill in the gaps with perfect accuracy, but they offer one possibility among many . . . “ Jeremiah’s hope is “that these stories will serve as a reminder that the book of Revelation isn’t just theoretical; it’s intended to depict real-life individuals and situations.”
If you’ve read any of the sixteen Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye’s best-selling novels in the Left Behind series, Tom Williams’ portion of “Agents of the Apocalypse” will also feel very familiar. Here you’ll meet real characters confronted with a lot of action, fire and brimstone. A novel married back-to-back with non-fiction. You don’t see that every day. I found Williams’ dramatizations very believable. The only complaint I have is I wish Williams would’ve picked more plausible names for the Antichrist and his false prophet. Judas Christopher and Damon Detherow? Really? Think about it. We all know who betrayed Christ in the garden of Gethsemane. But to combine those two names into one satanic-controlled world dictator? We know that Satan’s minions are known as demons. But really? To call the head of the Tribulation period’s one world religion using a misspelling of “demon” coupled with a last name that looks like “death row?” Isn’t that a bit over the top? Isn’t that a bit obvious? In my view, Williams was trying too hard to get the names to paint the essence of the major evil players’ true character.
Most readers should find chapters nine and ten the most frightening to contemplate. Or the most exciting. Depending on your own point of view. Or more importantly, depending on your own spiritual condition. In “The King,” we meet Eva McLennon and her two year-old daughter, Sophie. Here we find out what life could be like for those courageous Christians who’ll refuse to accept Judas Christopher’s number or worship the Antichrist during the Tribulation. In the following chapter, Morgan Wilson finds out what his real life was like when, at the Great White Throne Judgment, Jesus opens Morgan’s personal books of law, works, secrets, words, conscience and life.
If nothing else, you should come away from “Agents of the Apocalypse” with a more realistic view of the brevity of life. You’ll gain a new understanding of the length of eternity. More importantly, you’ll come face-to-face with the fact that every soul spends eternity somewhere. One of two places. Only one of two places. You and I get to choose where. Only you and I get to choose. Both choices have no end. Choose wisely.