David Jeremiah - Escape the Coming Night: A Message of Hope in a Time of Crisis

CONTENTS

1990, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2018 by David Jeremiah.

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Scripture quotations marked TLB are from The Living Bible. Copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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Epub Edition January 2018 ISBN 9780785221951

ISBN 978-0-7852-2195-1 (eBook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017916894

ISBN 978-0-7852-2198-2

Printed in the United States of America

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But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that

this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children

of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the

night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others,

who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:46

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Warning! Watching the news could trouble your heart.

Weve never had so many sources of breaking news beamed nonstop into our homes and phones, and most of the stories leave us perplexed and disheartened. Who could imagine times like these? Political upheaval. Global terrorism. Mass killings. Rogue states. Economic peril. Rampant secularism. Worldwide pandemics. Racism. Division. War.

Its as if the signs of the times have become the signs of our times.

Earlier generations could only imagine these days as they read the concluding book of ScriptureRevelation. Now were living in times that epitomize the contents of this prophetic book. As we read the headlines of the day and compare them to the contents of Revelation, they seem to align like points on a compass. Think of the new threats that have emerged in the last few years to endanger our world: cyberwar, Internet dependence, terrorism, superbugs, super weapons, and more. And think of our communications advances with real-time video, real-time audio, and expanding social media. In Escape the Coming Night, Ill show you how the writer of Revelation envisioned these final days of history.

I dont feel frightened by the coming apocalypse, and neither should you. If we know Christ as Savior, we should be exhilarated as the times unfold. God has given us a book of promises and insights, and He has called that book Revelation because He wants to reveal tomorrow to us today.

The key thought in Revelation is simple: God has a plan for the future and for eternity. Regardless of what happensno matter how depressing or difficult the newslife in Christ has a happy ending for those whose names are written in the Lambs Book of Life.

WHY STUDY REVELATION?

There is simply something special about studying Revelation. This is the only book in the Bible that promises a special blessing for those who study it. In the pages to follow, Ill point out seven specific blessings promised to those who examine this book and love its message. If you need an extra blessing from God today, youll find it within the pages of Revelation.

Theres also something powerful about knowing the future. The contents of Revelation are devoted to telling us what must soon take place (Revelation 1:1). Im going to take you through these events, chapter by chapter. From the dawning of history, men and women have dreamed of foretelling the future; and the Devil, leveraging that desire, has enslaved millions of people through astrology, fortune-telling, gambling, and the occult. Science-fiction writers and futurists use academic models and vivid imaginations to create scenes of the future, but with limited success. For example, you can read hundreds of science-fiction books from the first half of the twentieth century without finding one that envisions the Internet or the worldwide web. The writers simply couldnt foresee how modern technology would unfold.

But God knows the future. He knows tomorrow as thoroughly as He knows yesterday, and He has shared His insights with us in the twenty-two chapters of Revelation. We dont need to read tea leaves, become sci-fi fanatics, or look at crystal balls to know whats coming. I want to show you what God says about it in the final pages of Scripture.

Revelation will also motivate you to rearrange your priorities and patterns of life. When you learn about the Rapture of the Church, the unleashing of the Tribulation, the unfolding of the last days of planet earth, the rise of the Antichrist, the courage of the Tribulation martyrs, the power of the heavenly angels, the return of Jesus, the Great White Throne Judgment, the nature of hell, and the endless realms of heaven, youll see your present life more clearly.

Imagine you knew the stock market would collapse tomorrow, or Los Angeles would suffer an atomic attack, or a new Disney theme park would open in your cityit would affect your emotions, your plans, your priorities, and the things you talk about today. It would overshadow your communication. It would dominate your thoughts. We view our lives today more clearly when we have insights into tomorrows events. The book of Revelation gives perspective.

But theres more. As you study Revelation, youll also worship Jesus in a fresh way. In the Gospels, we see Him as the friend of sinners, as a baby born to save the world, as a Savior who died and rose again for our sins. In the book of Acts, we meet Him as the unstoppable force behind His church. In the New Testament letters, we better understand the mission of Christ in bringing justification to the world and the nature of His person and work. We learn about the privilege of being in Christ.