Unlocking the Last Days: A Guide to the Book of Revelation and the End Times

by Jeff Lasseigne, Greg Laurie (Foreword)

The very title of the last book of the Bible means "unveiling." Yet this mysterious and confusing book seems to do anything but unveil, especially when we read it on our own. Unlocking the Last Days takes readers through key parts of this misunderstood book, using a verse-by-verse approach that clearly communicates God's truth, warnings, and promises. Both Bible teachers and students will find this book a welcome aid to understanding an intriguing piece of the Scriptures.

334 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2011

Reviews

[Dj · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me and many others the book of Revelation can be hard to read and understand at times. The Last Days, written by Pastor Jeff Leasseigne is a great and trusted resource to help give us a better understanding of a book in the Bible that we really do need to read and understand. It sure is helping to open my eyes and putting clarification to what I have already learned, but wasn't sure if I understood it correctly. I tend to be a bit of an over analyzer so sometimes I go overboard trying to figure things out...but when it comes to God I've learned that we need to just rely on our faith in Him! When we do that the understanding will come!

A quote that is in this book is a must share because it is so brilliantly put: It is better to be divided by truth than to be united in error. It is better to be hated for telling the truth than to be loved for telling a lie. Given the choice of receiving the world's disapproval or the Lord's disapproval, I can live with the world's disapproval.

[Rod Otico · Rating 1 out of 5]

A Book Review of: UNLOCKING THE LAST DAYS: A guide to the Book of Revelation & the End Times by Jeff Lasseigne
By: Rod S.Otico

On “making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh,” especially if the book you are studying is the Book of Revelation. Even intellectual giant like Calvin almost shied away from it (the least quoted from his magisterial book: Institutes of Christian Religion) owing to its complicated & intriguing literary structure. But not for Pastor Jeff Lasseigne of Harvest Christian Fellowship who took the pains to write a “guide book” for Revelation.

As the blurbs tell us, this 333 page book published by Baker Books, promise to serve as the key that will unlock or unveil the mysteries & misunderstandings about the book of Revelation. “It takes the reader a verse-by-verse walk through the entire book of Revelation, clearly communicating God’s truth, warnings, and promises to a world poised for both judgment and redemption”. But as we will see, this book has to live up to its claim as Jeff failed to meet his objective of making his book the Key that unlocks, owing to “exegetical starvation”.

Written in popular approach & easy-to-digest, simplified illustration & terminologies, Jeff had gone in the direction of “Revelation Made Easy” territory to “downsized” a highly complicated, cerebral, theological book. And this explains why most of his chapters begin with a vignette or anecdotes with a dashed of dry humor & rib-ticklers. But can we really simplify (to borrow from Gordon Fee) an apocalyptic-prophetic literature, all wrapped-up in an epistolary form, in a simplistic fashion? As popular as his approach maybe, I do not hesitate to say that Jeff’s approach begs the question, as this book review will show later.

Author’s Background
Jeff Lasseigne has been an assistant pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, serving under senior pastor Greg Laurie, since 1989. In addition to his administrative duties, Jeff teaches midweek Bible study and helps to oversee leadership training. He is the author of Highway 66, an overview of the 66 books of the Bible. Other than this, the author got no formal theological training from one of those respectable theological seminaries in the USA, where Jeff resides. He is, in short, a student of “school of hardknocks”.

The thesis: What is Jeff up to?
The thesis as revealed from the title of his book is, there is a close link between the Last Days and/or End Times and the book of Revelation. His purpose is to have his book serve as a guide or as the blurb advertises, “the (interpretive) key” that will unlock the vast mysteries surrounding the book of Revelation. As I said it failed to deliver what it promised. As one reads & goes through the thick forest of discussion, there is no chapter dedicated to establishing the connection between (our 21st century) Last Days & the Book of Revelation. IF today, our current generation is the generation living in the last days (as Jeff assumes), then how do we deal with “the last hour ” of 1John2:18 of the 1st century? Or the last days of Hebrews 1:1-2? How do we make sense of these time texts? Jeff does not engage these ones.

All what Jeff do is to assert his assumption: “I believe that we are living in the last days before the return of Jesus and that many of the details and descriptions contained in Revelation are now coming to light. Some of the information, which would have been confusing and perplexing just fifty or sixty years ago, is now making much more sense in the light of current events and modern technology. Therefore the time is ripe for studying and applying the truths of Revelation, especially as we are living in the days when these events may very well come to pass (p13).” This makes the book suffer from faulty assumption of a priori and eisegesis-putting meaning into the text as oppose to exegesis(extracting the meaning from the text).

And his humble end to accomplish is: “My desire and prayer are that God would use this book to encourage and help prepare believers for his return soon.” And let me say this in advance albeit a spoiler too. But this statement is the only payoff one could get from this 333 page book.

The Driving force behind the writing of this book
From the above, it can be clearly deduced that the driving force behind the writing of this book is what author Jeff Lasseigne observes that are happening around him; then he goes to the Bible, Book of Revelation, and says: “aha, this is it!” Hearing again from Jeff:“So while there have been wars and rumors of war, earthquakes, disasters and rampant immorality. The downward slide is picking up and the labor pains & birth pangs of the last days appear to be coming closer together. All this makes our study of the book of Revelation both relevant and timely”. Clearly, Jeff is guilty of eisegesis-reading meaning into the text. Needless to say that Exegesis is the solution to Jeff’s dilemma.

Jeff’s interpretive approach is literal approach.
On p18, Jeff claims:“Revelation has been studied with various means of interpretation…Unlike those who take a historical, spiritual or allegorical approach to Revelation, I approach it from a literal point of view and meaning…taking the literal meaning unless something is clearly symbolic and intended to give us a figurative meaning. This perspective sees all the events recorded in this book as literally coming to a pass at some point. Everything after chapter 3 is yet to take place. Together we will conduct our study of Revelation from this literal viewpoint.”

It is fitting that I quote Gordon Fee to explain why I don’t agree w/ Jeff. Gordon Fee’s approach is to recognize first the genre of the book of Revelation based from internal evidence. Commenting on its structure, Gordon quips: ”Finally, it must be quoted that the combination of apocalyptic & prophetic elements has been cast into the form of letter” (How to Read The Bible for all its Worth,2nd ed, p235) “…there is a rich, diverse symbolism, some of w/c is managable(judgment in the form of earthquake;612-17) while some is obscure (the two witnesses;11:1-10). Most of the problem stem from the symbols, plus the fact that the book deals with future events, but at the same time is set in a recognizable first-century context”.

Jeff on literal, non-symbolical interpretation & application of Revelation 6:12
On p.107-108, Jeff comments: “In conjunction with and as a result of this huge earthquake, the sun will become black and the moon will turn blood red…this perhaps describes the aftermath of nuclear war between countries. That is certainly a possibility.”

I totally disagree with JL because there is no Biblical warrant that will allow that kind of system of interpretation.Allow me to explain. Conscious that Revelation draws a lot from OT symbolism, an investigation on the usage of those OT collapsing galactic, apocalyptic languages, suggest a finding contradictory to JL's simplistic literalism. In Isa 13:10, it talks about the impending judgments on Babylon. In Isa. 34:4-5, it alludes to the coming destruction of the Idumeans (Edomites). In Ezekiel 37: 7-15, it points to the days of JHVH's vengeance against Egypt. When compared with parallel verses in the OT, those apocalyptic languages like " Sun not giving its light, Moon turning into blood, Stars falling from the sky", they are associated with God's judgment, wrath & vengeance being unleash against a rebellious culture-nation or kingdoms situated in a given local area.(On this insight, I am indebted to my theological mentors: Dr.RC Sproul of Monergism, Dr. Ken Gentry of Nicene Council, Cornelis Vander Waal & Dr. Gary DeMar of American Vision).Even former Dallas Theological Seminary (the bastion of Dispensational Premillennialism), professor John Martin acknowledges that the language is figurative: “statements in Isa. 13:10 about the heavenly bodies (stars...sun...moon) no longer functioning may figuratively describe the total turnaround of the political structure of the Near East. The same would be true of the heavens trembling and the earth shaking(v.13), figures of speech suggesting all-encompassing destruction”( "Isaiah," The Bible Knowledge Commentary, 1059). If we remember, Christ quoted an OT text, Isaiah 13:10 in the Matthew 24 Olivet Discourse. If the OT usage of Christ's quoted Biblical verse like Isa. 13:10 was employed in a symbolical fashion, then there is no Biblical warrant, whatsoever to allow JL to use Rev.6:12-14 other than the symbolical interpretive methodology of the ancient prophets like Isaiah & Ezekiel.With that in mind, it’s not too strong to assume that this Rev.6:12-14 may have its application & relevance on 1st century Jerusalem-the great city that apostatized to harlot Sodom &Egypt.

Historical Context
On the issue of time text related to Rev.17,the book attempts to interpret a significant eschatological issue without engaging the biblical text on hermeneutical & exegetical ground to establish the historical context.A case in point is the issue of the Antichrist. On page 226-230 of his book Jeff simply equates the Beast of Revelation 17 to the person of Antichrist. The problem with the author’s claim is that it is purely speculative, taken out of context and a clear case of eisegesis ( forcefully imposing/reading the meaning into the text instead of extracting the meaning from the text).Who then is the Beast of Revelation 17 and what was the purpose of this revelation to John? First, it was the angel’s purpose to reveal/unveil to John the meaning of the Beast he saw, so that John won’t be confused. This fits well w/ the purpose of the Letters to the 7 churches mentioned in Rev 1:1 “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place". He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John. Simply put, its revelation (Gk. word is apokalypsis, not really the modern view of "gloom & doom" future) of the Beast has immediate & primary relevance to John (& John’s timeline), something that he could understand and not be baffled about.

The concern of the angel is John not us, 21st century believers. 2nd, even a cursory glance of the text, Revelation 17 reveals that the Beast here is not one Man or a one Nation but one Beast w/ multiple 7 heads that are actually 7 Kings(or "7-in-1"). Even more "complicated", is the fact that the said Beast has historical record that John can recall & easily identified, understand & relate to his own contemporary experience: “5 have fallen, the one is (reigning), the other has not yet come…”.In other words, John is viewing a dying "Leviathan", not as dreaded as he sees it prior to the Angel's explanation. As disclosed by the angel, the 5 Kings are dead already, only 1 King reigns & the other is still future who will reign for a short period of time; and there is the 8th King who is 1 of the 7. In reality, John was seeing One Beast w/ two heads: one head is alive (and wounded!)& one head is about to come.
Simply put, contextualized from the text, it can be established that the Beast from the sea is a "dying" beast that recovered from its fatal wound.

On top of this the angel did say to John that the 7 heads are also 7 hills. Without doubt a clear allusion to Rome w/c is known back then as the city of the 7 hills during the time of St. John. Wrapping up, John saw a dying Beast residing in a place w/ 7 hills.What about the “Antichrist” of JL? It is very interesting to know that the only text found from the Bible that speaks and reveals of the prophesied antichrist (NOT capital A!) is in the epistle of 1John & 2John (2:18-23,4:1-3 & 2Jn7. And these verse emphatically asserts the following: 1)The appearance of the prophesied antichrist/s w/c established the last hour of the 1st century. 2) The original/prophesied antichrists as ordinary ex-members of the 1st century Christian church who apostatized in the faith. Definitely nothing to do w/ Kings possessing influential, political powers. 3) The rest of the text found in the epistle of John that talks/refers to the antichrist are but development of the thought introduced in 1John2:18-24. These are:1Jn4:1-3 & 2Jn:7. As Benjamin Warfield once put it: “It is only with much difficulty for one to equate antichrist of 1John2=Beast of Rev13&17”.

Conclusion
All things considered, the book,"Unlocking The Last Days" for all the accolades it received from advanced reviews, suffers from a sloppy work of scholarship as the author relies largely upon his homegrown Bible knowledge-mostly characterized by non-technical, devotional approach. This is unmistakably evident as the author did not engage much in exegetical analysis of the biblical texts. It is apparent also from the Book’s notes that the author did make scant reference to other literature & books written by schooled & seasoned theologians that refer to or address the same bent of theological persuasion. Common among them JL referred to are the works of John MacArthur, Billy Graham & Warren Wiersbe (No reference from: John F. Walvoord, Dwight Pentecost, Charles Ryrie, the “Big Three” of Dallas Theological Seminary-the bastion of Dispensationalism ) Not surprising as the author has no formal theological training from any respectable theological seminary to engage in a complex, serious studies & research works related to theology or eschatological biblical studies. Having said this, I would not even recommend this book to laymen or beginners aspiring to pursue deeper studies on end times.

As a brotherly advise, it would do well for Jeff Lasseigne to read & study the works of Dallas Theological Seminary scholars like John Walvoord, Charles Ryrie, Darrel Bock, Robert Saucy and compare with the works of Westminster/Reformed Theological Seminary, Anthony Hoekema, Kim Riddlebarger,Vern Poythress, Kenneth Gentry & Gary DeMar. But the book to start with is Gordon Fee’s How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth-it’s really worth reading for all his profound insights. Second to this is Vern Poythress’ book, “Understanding Dispensationalism”-one of those book critiques that has positive title in it! Both Dispensationalists & non-Dispensationalists would be delighted to read Vern’s book.

[Bobby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!

Written in a sermon style, this book is perfect for a once per week read and focused prayer/Bible study. There are a few points that I don't necessarily understand or agree with but the book provides sufficient depth to answer a lot of questions believers and non-believers alike might have in reference to Revelation.

This book only makes me anticipate Jesus' return even more!

[Kathy Regehr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want a good book on Revelation- this is it! Concise, interesting and informative. A for sure re-read on my list

[Dave Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeff Lasseigne takes on the difficult book of Revelation with what is an obvious passion and fervor for the subject. The book itself is taken from a series he did at his home Church with an adult study class. Right from the front he let's us know his intention, which is to explore a faithful and literal exposition of each chapter by breaking it down in to sections of verses piece by piece. He recognizes the various degree of opinion and interpretations, and reminds us numerous times as he moves us along of his own stance.

I had a desire to pursue a different perspective on the book myself when I picked this one up, and for the most part I very much enjoyed his take. In a way he breathes some fresh perspective in to a traditional approach by challenging us to accept symbolism what is clearly meant to be symbolic, while challenging opinions that refuse to take literally what the scripture clearly presents as literal. And frankly, on many of the points he hits he has a compelling case.

The book is treated as a puzzle that we are intended to work through. And really the full picture doesn't come alive until you are near the end. But he helps navigate the world of imagery and wording in a way that paints the picture as clearly as possible. That area that he is clearly most passionate about is helping us understand the nature of the second coming of Christ and how it is broken in stages. It begins with the resurrection of what he refers to as the "church age" (believers who have died after Christ and believers who are alive) prior to the events of the last days, followed by the resurrection of the Old Testament Saints and those who are killed during the 7 years of the reign of the antichrist after the 7 years have ended. This is followed by the "second coming" and the 1,000 year reign of Jesus and then ultimately followed by the final judgment of those born during this 1,000 years. He places this general movement in the context of the verses and sections, and looks to dispel what he considers to be some major misconceptions (the big one being those that think believers will still be around for the 7 year reign).

The author really has fun with exploring some areas scholars might not touch, such as literal renderings on what it might be like to be with Christ (where we will receive, as believers, our initial judgment not of salvation but of good work), and what it will be like to enter in to the recreation of the new earth and new heaven. He also takes on what is a current conversation about traditional views of heaven and helps us understand how heaven is a temporary home that will, in the end of time, be recreated and brought down to be a part of the new earth. In fact, I think it was these final pages that I enjoyed the most as he unapologetically assumes the freedom of allowing the scripture to paint a picture of what eternity will look like.

While I didn't necessarily appreciate his use of stories/jokes/banter at the beginning of each chapter (an attempt to lead us in to the idea of a section), I did appreciate his willingness to speak honestly from his perspective and his ability to communicate that well. There are points that I disagreed with personally, some cases where he interprets a piece of scripture differently than I might, but there are many points where he has merit and where he backs himself up. Overall I enjoyed this as an added perspective in an ongoing personal study on the book of Revelation.

[Susan Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such an eye opener. He explains every single chapter in a way that anyone can understand.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeff Lasseigne writes with the calmness, clarity and patience of a seasoned speaker who knows the subject matter very, very well. He must have answered so many questions, because he had the happy knack of adding the answers into the book precisely at the same time they started to form in my head....awesome timing! As a sincere reader, the need for frank honesty, attention to detail, and above all, an intelligent non-ego driven approach was vital. Delivered. There is an amazing amount of info to take in. He led me patiently explaining every detail and why each detail was so important. He also had the foresight to throw in a few light hearted asides when he just 'knew' the going would be getting tough. I read the Bible verses out aloud and would highly recommend this. The messages and timelines are all clear with differing scholars opinions given. Regarding purchasing, there were many books on End Times and/or Revelation - personal opinions, commentaries, picture books complete with graphs. All too much. An hour later. Confusion. So, I placed the decision into His hands. Strode back to the book with the haunting graphic cover. That torn sky ! Excellent. If this book is added to at some point in the future - please can there be a summary of timelines and events included ?

[Gary L Rau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reader Beware!

This book is more or less typical of the pre-Tribulation Rapture crowd, although there is a bit (just a bit, unfortunately) more grammar and culture than usual. Still, the author has a point of view and interprets Scripture through that point of view, rather than letting Scripture inform his point of view. Agonizing for the serous student.

Those who wish their ears tickled by false assurances that Troubles are for others will find it here. Truth seekers will find a few nuggets if they are diligent and well versed in Scripture.

Not recommended.

[Go Mama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well Done! Loved it because it was informative, easy to understand. The author has a great sense of humor and covers many things of interest. I highly recommend this book to the women in our Bible study, family and friends.

Well Done! I love this book. It is informative and easy to read. The author has a great sense of humor which is appealing in a serious reading. I will recommend this book to our Bible Study group, friends and family.

[Wendy H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a clearly written book which provides an excellent review of Revelation and the End Times. It takes a Pre-Millenial stance, but very briefly talks about Millenial and Post Millenial and the differences between them. This,leads to the reason as to why the Pre-Millenial is more logical. A great book which I could highly recommend.

[Priscilla Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soooo good! Gives a very detailed and scripturally based account of the end times we are headed for.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book on the study of Revelation. It is very well written and easy to understand.

[Sandy B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening

The author does a good job of interpreting the book of Revelation for us. As time moves forward this book becomes more clear.

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful and even humorous at times. Highly recommend reading, but even more importantly is sharing what you read, especially to those who don't call Jesus Lord. "Amen! Come Lord Jesus!"