Bible scholar David S. Heeren has written extensively on the topic of end-time prophecy, and in his fifth book on the subject, End-Time Living, Heeren trains his focus on the power of redemptive love.
“This book’s greatest theme by far is love,” Heeren says. “I have been trained as an evangelist, but there can be no greater evangelism tool in the world than the redemptive love Jesus displayed on the cross.”
End-Time Living draws its messaging from the second half of the Bible, featuring details from relevant sermons of Jesus (Matthew 5-7, 24 and Luke 21) and the eight chapters of the beautiful allegory, Song of Songs.
Included are 15 points of emphasis presented as keys to a God-honoring lifestyle; the true story of a 12-year-old Christian boy who openly expressed love for the man who beat his mother to death; the story of the enduring legacy of missionary Richard Wurmbrand and his underground ministry; and Heeren’s deeply personal account of his wife, Joan, and her tremendous capacity for love.
I had a chance to learn more in this interview.
Why did you write this book?
It began 15 years ago when I was reading the Bible and got to Isaiah 6:8. Prayed the same prayer Isaiah had prayed: "Here am I. Send me." The next day, as I continued reading through Isaiah, an amazing thing happened: I began to receive clear insights into the prophecies of Isaiah, especially those referring to the end-time in chapters two through 35 of his book. I began with seven possibilities for the identity of the sign of Jesus’ return, but one by one they were eliminated, while the comet became more and more prominent, since it was not ruled out by any of the evidence (Mat. 24:27-31, Luke 21:25-28) or anywhere else in the Bible or even in scientific celestial studies. A great positive was the telescopic observation of the breakup of a comet orbiting Jupiter in 1994. The broken pieces fell to the planet's surface and exploded in earth-size blasts. The falling pieces, with the naked eye, resembled "falling stars.” It just so happens that "falling stars" was part of Jesus' prophecy about the sign of His return (Mat. 24:29). And the primary event known as "falling stars" was the breakup of a comet within the constellation Perseus. Hence, those so-called falling stars are known as Perseids. But, even if the sign of Jesus' return is to be a comet, the question becomes: What do we as Christians do after making this identification? This book, End-Time Living, was written in order to discuss a recommended lifestyle for believers during the end-time, on the basis of the words of Jesus. It contains 15 specific pointers for end-time living and these are listed near the end of the book. A shorter list, but one that does emphasize the major points, is found at the beginning of chapter three: 1. Watch (carefully observe all that is going on); 2. Pray about these things; 3. Prepare for tough times; 4. Share the Gospel (at every opportunity); 5. Stand firm, with head held high; 6. Fear nothing; don't even worry; 7. Be ready to flee and live off the land (Mat. 24:20); 8. Avoid moral dissipation; 9. In every situation, trust God.
Why is it important for Christians to think about the end times, even if we don't know exactly when the world will end? Scriptures hint that the end-time may not last very long, but it will be perhaps the most important era of world history for it will end with 33 percent of the world population residing within God’s kingdom (Zech. 13:8-9, 14:9…references to that day refer to the day of the Lord when Jesus will return). According to arithmetic I have done based on comments I am familiar with from D. James Kennedy’s preaching (I was a member of his church) and Billy Graham’s words, at present the world population consists of less than 10% Christians. Graham also has made the startling statement that only 3% of Christians are fulfilling their potential as believers. We know that even in the U.S.A. the number of born-again believers has been reduced to an all-time low of less than 25%. An accurate worldwide estimate is probably about 5%. In order to boost this population to the prophesied one-third, the remnant of Christians standing firm for Christ and sharing the gospel with frightened unbelievers will be used by the Lord to reverse the trend. Frightened people are open to the gospel (I have known three who became believers because they were scared of death or its consequences). Believers, therefore, will have a unique opportunity that was not even available to Graham during his crusades or to Kennedy and his trainees in the worldwide Evangelism Explosion mission. But the personal behavior of believers (love, fearlessness, compassion, moral behavior, etc.) will be as important as the message they speak. Most people are more inclined to listen to the words of someone they respect than one who is cowardly or dissolute. Developing strong character will be as important to believers during the end-time as their skills in sharing the Gospel.
Why can we say that all is well, despite the conflict and struggle in our lives?
When Jesus said “fear not” and “don’t worry” he meant it. We can trust him to help us in crisis situations, even under tribulation (Mat. 24:9-22…literally, persecution) that could end our lives. But we know that after this life ends for us, eternity in heaven with the Lord is only beginning. We know that Jesus “became sin for us who knew no sin so that in Him we could become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21). We know that “through the Spirit of holiness He (Jesus) was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead.” (Romans 1:4) And that “whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36). If we stand firm on these promises, what is there to fear? I mean, literally, even if a comet blows up in our faces, so what? The worst that can happen to us is a launching pad to heaven on the Day of the Lord’s return. Michael W. Smith wrote a beautiful Christian song, based on the Christmas story, and named it “All is Well.” What more can I say: ALL IS WELL!
David S. Heeren is an award-winning journalist and author of 17 books. A personal prayer identical to that of Isaiah (Is. 6:8) led him to change his career emphasis from sports writing to Christian writing in 2007. Since that time, he has published nine books with Christian themes, five of which deal with biblical end-time prophecy. His previous book, The High Sign, which identifies the most likely sign of Jesus’ Second Coming, received a double-four-star (perfect) rating from the Online Book Club — the highest rating awarded by the club.
His upcoming Christian novel, Year of Our Lord, has been praised by literary critic David Dickerson as “by far the most exciting in the In His Steps series.”
To learn more, please visit: www.endtimesmystery.com.
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