
Declaration Series IV: Bible Prophecy Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated, Read It

I advertise I want to be the boring prophecy guy. I know I need some marketing tips—you know anyone? And I learned really quick, prophecy-intrigued audiences don’t want the boring prophecy guy, they want the great-code-breaker or the wild conspiracist. But I have kept the tagline because there is not an end-time code to break (even if there are thirty books in Amazon’s prophecy Top 100 with that in the title). Now there are some mysteries, but not as many as we make it out to be. I’m convinced Bible prophecy doesn’t have to be as complicated as we make it.
I want to be the boring prophecy guy because the Bible is clear on many aspects of the end-times, and those things are what we should focus on and they’re enough to understand what we need to understand. Bible prophecy is not complicated rather we are the ones who have muddied the prophecy interpretation waters, God’s Word has not failed. Bible scholars before us have created systems or views of prophecy interpretation and we now adopt one of those views before we read. We then read with those presuppositions which often creates great complications. That is why we’re so confused.
It wasn’t until I placed my heart and mind in theological-neutral and actually read the words of the prophets and Revelation that the chaos vanished, and truth rose to the surface. It was a painstaking journey through the Old Testament that brought the end of the age to focus. And this journey was after college and seminary. So, I acknowledge, such study is work, but, frankly, I found I hadn’t read and truly worked through the texts myself. And this arrival at actually just reading the texts and trying to push my presupposition aside was only a few years ago. I want to share my journey of end-time understanding to draw attention to the fact that we are setting our minds on an end-time view before even reading Scripture.
Long before I even read the “main” end-time verses, my mind was set on how they should be interpreted. Long before I read about the end-times, I had read and watched the Left Behind series. I had watched A Thief in the Night. I listened to DC Talk. The only sense of the end-time scenario I had was a pending, quick as lightning, neatly-folded-clothes rapture.
I went into Bible College with this view while the only verse in Revelation I had really read was Revelation 3:15-16 (which again was prompted by DC Talk). In the summer, after my freshman year, before I had any teaching on the end of the age, I picked up a book on Revelation from my local Christian book store. I actually knew nothing of the author nor his view, but as a passionate youth pastor, I spent the summer teaching through that book. A book , that I now know, only contained proof texts.
Finally, in my sophomore year I had Eschatology and was taught premillennial dispensationalism was the one and only way in which The Book of Revelation could be interpreted. Therefore, I chose my stance I was a Clarence-Larkin-chart-memorizing Dispensational Premillennialist, hard and firm, that the rapture would be before the tribulation. I read nothing from opposing views, rather swore them off as evil.
Fast forward to seminary, my first semester Systematic Theology class further persuaded me to be a staunch dispensationalist. But as I progressed in my studies and began to take on the air of a scholar—I came to believe that premillies were hoaky and uneducated, and for one to truly be a scholar than he or she must be an amillennialist. Reluctant, to take the amillennial title, I just quit teaching and talking about end-times stuff—rather I became just focused on the Gospel. I took on a more-worthy cause because (I hope you read this with the sarcastic tone I’m typing in) the end-times is only peripheral to the Gospel, Missions, and Church planting.
Then came fourth-year summer term course on The Book of Revelation. That professor was a real scholar (again that tone), he taught that The Book of Revelation was just a spiritual metaphor to the completion of suffering. I now had my ammo to take on the banner of an amillie. And to sound even cooler, I was an amillennialist who viewed The Book of Revelation through an eclectic interpretation. Some literal. Most spiritual and metaphorical. It depended on which commentator sounded the best.
Let’s fast forward a few more years, I was pastoring and had realized (following my Hebrew grades) I was not a scholar. And my tree-stand readings had been from David Jeremiah, so again I came over to the premill camp, but I wasn’t sure about dispensationalism. As you can see I’ve had quite the end-time view journey, but this latest chapter of the journey has brought me to a point of stability.

If you agree with Jake that Bible prophecy should lead to action. Then get his latest book, Spiritual Prepper.
Three years ago, I taught an Old Testament Survey course at a lay seminary. And it was through that painstaking study through the Old Testament focused on the covenants, that I finally dug in and read Scripture. Now I had read the Bible cover to cover, but never dug in and really focused on books like the Minor Prophets. That grind through the Bible with presuppositions thrown to the side woke me up. It woke me up to the importance of end-times prophecy and how that it was not as complicated as we make it.
A month ago, I celebrated my twentieth year in ministry. And I now realize I spent the first seventeen years treating end-time views like a pizza buffet. I would look at the options—premillennialism, postmillennialism, or amillennialism and then pick the one that sounded best. Pretribulation, mid-tribulation, pre-wrath, or post-tribulation—again which ever looked best. Futurism, preterism, or symbolism—again whatever flavor I felt like picking.
We can’t do this! End-time views or theological views of any kind aren’t slices of pizza on a buffet. Rather, they need to be birthed from the text. Scripture itself is to lend us the view we should take. And a straight forward reading of the Bible makes the selecting of views quite easy.
So, how have you come to your end-time view? Was it selected off a buffet or birthed from the text? Was it concluded from reading the Bible or through recommendation of a friend? Have you put in the hard work and actually read the Bible?
The issue is too important to just pick a view especially if you are teaching and leading others.
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Declaration of War II: Churches Are Not Prepared, I Want to Help

I know it’s a strong picture and title for a pastor to use. Especially, when he’s not talking about physically picking up arms, but rather fighting a war of ideals. I believe the strong language of this blog series and the force of the war imagery is necessary because this battle carries weighty resonating consequences. As I wrote, in the first article of this declaration of war series, many American Christians have left the church and the faith. The number one reason being the result a difficult trial arising in their lives. When this happens, we’ll rarely step up and hold on, more often than not we’re going to split.
Statistics and experience show we’re not anywhere close to standing firm now in this present time in history, so how will we ever stand if there’s even greater tribulation—and there will be. And by greater tribulation, I’m not even talking about the coming time when the Antichrist and his ghoulish army march through the world chopping heads off those who don’t bow to his image or take his mark. But that too will happen as foretold in Scripture—and we’re not showing much promise that we’ll stand in that scenario.
Rather, I’m talking about national trials that could occur at anytime such as an economic downturn like the Great Depression, heck, just another 2008-like recession. I’m talking about the continual growth in access to immorality that web designers are busy preparing for us right now. I’m talking about restrictions on religious liberty as seen across the world. It doesn’t appear we’re ready for the coming challenges to our faith. Again, we probably weren’t ready for what we faced this morning or last night. We’re not ready for the loss of a loved one, a loss of a job, going broke, a friend stabbing us in the back, a disagreement at church, the seductive glance in the office, and the list goes on. We’ve been lulled asleep with the ideas that Christianity brings financial prosperity and its just all about making a positive difference.
We’re not prepared.
Believers across this nation are not prepared.
I have this strange life where I get to pastor a church and attend a church. I’ve got this dual membership thing going (if that really is a thing). I love the church I attend. It’s a magnificent church. Truth is proclaimed, people are baptized every week, we’re making a huge impact in our city, and a huge impact around the globe. Seriously, its one of the greatest churches in the nation. My pastor even preaches on end-time stuff and about the reality of the world around us. He has his finger on the pulse of the times and the culture.
Even being such a strong church, I sat in the morning worship service a few weeks back and peered around at the three thousand gathered. They were hearing the Word proclaimed, but as I looked a phrase came across my heart Those words were, “They are sheep headed to slaughter.” Although many around me are faithfully attending church, hearing the Word taught accurately and boldly, and going through one of the best discipleship programs in the nation—they’re still not prepared. They’re not ready to have their faith survive coming challenges. Heck, I don’t even know if I’m prepared—and I wrote a book about being prepared for such challenges.
In my book, Spiritual Prepper, I begin with a story of a father facing ISIS soldiers who were asking if he really was a Christian, a follower of the Nazarene. This father knew that if he said yes, then not only would he probably be killed, but his family—his wife and children–could be harmed even killed. And in that opening chapter, I boldly stated the Biblical truth that even if his daughters were sold to be child-sex slaves and his sons were beheaded, the Father would make the right choice by not denying Christ and holding on to his faith. Yes, I said that. And yes, it’s the absolute truth given in Scripture. Our confidence should be in God not in our own clever ways.
So, I wrote that and just the other day, I was stingingly reminded of what I had written. I was throwing myself a pity-party over not being able to provide certain things for my kiddos because at sixteen I made this crazy commitment to vocational ministry. And then I even veered off the less-than-lucrative path of pastoring to launch my own non-profit. This made even worse in that I might just be the world’s worst fundraiser. (Here’s a DONATE BUTTON by-the-way).
Yeah, so, I was whinning before the Lord, and then came that cut-you-to-the-bone chastisement from Him. “Jake, you wrote and encouraged people to remain faithful even to the point of their own child being beheaded, and now here you are wavering in your faith because your kids may never go to Disney Land.” Ouch. Hashtag ‘Murica by-the-way.
I really doubt I’m prepared. It’s highly likely you are not prepared. It’s more than likely your church is not prepared.
And I know the objections. First, I do know there are those of believers who would rise and remain faithful when things hit the fan, but I believe they could be even better prepared—I know I could be. Second, I imagine you’re thinking that every week we’re preparing our people or getting prepared by the preaching of the Word and from Bible studies, but with statistics what they are of people leaving the church and faith, we have to admit that might not be doing the trick–we’re not prepared for the wimpy challenges Monday mornings pose.
I admit as a pastor I failed in preparing my congregation, even now I’m wrestling with what to do and how to better ready my people, but I do know this–we have to be intentional. We have to talk about it. We have to have the hard discussions.
Pastor, do it! Sunday School teacher share it! And I’d also love to come and share it as well.
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Declaration of War: People are Leaving the Faith, I Want to Help

I’m declaring war against an epidemic in America. No more timidity. No more holding back. There is too much on the line. What is at stake is too important.
If you follow Stand Firm Ministries or anything I’ve been up to the past couple of years, then you have heard my story. And I know, it’s yada, yada, but again–here I go. If you’re familiar with the story, you have my permission to skip the next paragraph, but not permission to exit the screen!
I was serving as pastor at a church I loved, with people I love. Life and ministry was great. We’d been there for 11 years. The church and the community were our life, and life was good! Then I began to follow a long-time prompting of the Holy Spirit to write. In doing so, somehow, I began to write about prophecies in the Bible that we often overlook, prophecies that not only tell about the political and doomsday-type stuff at the end of the age, but rather tell how we will be in terms of our faith and morality. The image Scripture gives us is not good. Matthew 24:10 warns, many of us will turn away. That prophecy opened my eyes to the reality all around us—many had already left the faith in America. An astounding forty-two million by 2015. When faced with challenges in life, many professed Christians are splitting from the church and often the faith. This was alarming, especially since other prophecies tell us those challenges will only grow more difficult.
In response to the leading of the Spirit and the findings mentioned above, I left that pastorate and began Stand Firm Ministries and Prophecy Simplified. Stand Firm Ministries was established to encourage believers to hold-on to their faith, and Prophecy Simplified to share Scripturally and simplistically the challenges that will come our way in the future.
My number one hope is to encourage local churches across the nation with the message to hold on to their faith and identify the coming challenges to the faith. Due to the stigmatism that accompanies prophecy, I have carefully guarded what I say, not wanting to hinder future opportunities. Let’s be honest, we tend to think prophecy teachers are tin-foil hat wearing crazies. At least I did. So, I have walked on eggshells constantly laying out the prayer-fleece, so I’d not cross the line into crazy-town. But I can’t walk that tight rope anymore. I can’t suppress the truth. Too much is at stake.
Millions across the nation are departing the church and faith. Europe already has. This very morning, the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting held a meeting on the possibility that the denomination was dying. Yes, part of all this turning away is just the “wheat and tares harvest”, but the causalities do not have to be so high. Church members need to be encouraged to hold the line now, and we need to begin ministries to welcome back those who have walked away.
We need to know what the Bible is clear about in terms of the end. We need to recognize what has been and is being fulfilled before our very eyes. We need to be prepared to remain faithful now and in the future.
There I’ve said it.
I put my foot in my mouth.
I committed myself.
I exposed a calling, I’ve carried out sheepishly.
I hope you hold me to it. The stakes are high. Therefore, I declare war. My gauntlet is thrown down. On this hill I die. I declare war on silence. I declare war on not shouting down warnings from the wall. I declare war on the challenges that are blindsiding Christians and causing them to abandon their faith. I declare war on not being chicken-little announcing the sky is falling because it is.
The stakes are high—Stand Firm.
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