Mark C. Tredecim's Blog, page 2

April 4, 2024

Book Review:  The Great Disappearance by Dr. David Jeremiah

As a committed student of the Bible’s end times prophecies, I try to read several books on the subject each year.  This enables me to identify authors that I think are reliable and true to the Bible, and those that I think have gone astray in some regard.  Usually I will provide a review for the benefit of others.

I purposefully kept my 2023 book “Lifeline, A Guide to Surviving the End Times” concise, so it would be a reader-friendly introduction and summary on the subject.  The Additional Resources section of Lifeline lists books that I recommend for people who wanted to dig deeper.  I recommend The Great Disappearance.

First, it is carefully based on the Biblical text and follows the literal approach for interpretation of prophecy where that makes the most sense.  The book provides the supporting Scripture references and includes footnoted references to the works of other authors.  In chapter 24, Jeremiah applies this approach to substantiate his view (which I share) that the rapture of the church will precede the Tribulation and that all believers living at that moment will be spared from the Tribulation.

The book is content rich, but it is kept interesting and understandable as he uses examples from history, current events, and entertainment to demonstrate points in the book.  He also includes several useful tables, such as one showing Old Testament prophecies and where they are fulfilled in the New Testament and one comparing the first and second comings of Christ.

Content and accuracy are very important, but good books like this one are not just for building knowledge.  Dr. Jeremiah works to help the reader be “rapture ready” by taking the content to heart.  Become a believer in Christ, if that is not already the case.  For believers, he expounds on how the imminent rapture should strengthen your faith and energize you to live it out each day.  For example, people who have lost a child (pre-born or at a young age) will find encouragement in chapter 15, “Will children be raptured?”  It explains why such Christians should look forward to joining Christ at the rapture and proceeding to heaven to be reunited with those they love.

The Great Disappearance is three times the length of my book “Lifeline” (and more than three times the price).  Even so, I encourage you to get borrow a copy from a friend or your public/church library.  If you are building your own library of end times study books, consider buying “The Great Disappearance.”  Either way, I recommend you read it.

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Published on April 04, 2024 17:38

February 17, 2024

If you have ears to hear, read this exciting news about Lifeline, A Guide to Surviving the End Times

In 2023, I published Lifeline, A Guide to Surviving the End Times.  It is a concise (under 100 pages), reader-friendly and Biblically-sound overview of the Bible’s end times prophecies.  This non-fiction book complements the “Tribulation Pilgrims’ Progress” series of novels, set during the coming end times.

Recently, a visually-impaired friend asked if Lifeline was available in audiobook format.  I was pleased to say “Yes” and provided this friend with a pre-release copy of the new audiobook edition.  Many people find audiobooks to be a blessing- something you can benefit from while you are traveling, working on a project, or relaxing at home.

So I am pleased to announce that Lifeline, a Guide to Surviving the End Times, is now available through Amazon and Audible in a 119-minute audiobook edition, narrated by David Schmiedeberg (who also narrated the audiobook edition of the Tredecim novel, The Great New Deal using his David de Berg pseudonym).  The content of the print edition is unabridged but has been slightly edited for the benefit of audio listeners.  Audible readers also are provided an 18-page PDF resource called the “Lifeline End Times Survival Guide Companion.”  Follow this link to see the description at Amazon, listen to a five-minute preview and see what special offers and promotions may be available:  Lifeline Audiobook at Amazon.

Limited time Freebie:  Are you interested in being one of the first listeners for Lifeline, and providing a review for the author?  I have a limited supply of free audiobook copies and will provide them (while supplies last) to those who request them by email to mark.c.tredecim@gmail.com

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Published on February 17, 2024 10:39

January 25, 2024

Book Review:  A Tale of Two End Times Survival Guides

After the Rapture, An End Times Guide to Survival by Dr. David Jeremiah was published in 2022, but I didn’t learn of it until Christmas Eve of 2023.  Dr. Jeremiah is a well-respected author about the Bible’s end times prophecies, so I read it in January 2024 (as the production of the audiobook edition for my 2023 book on the same subject was underway).

After the Rapture provides a straightforward and clear explanation about the coming Rapture of the Church and the events that follow, as set forth in the Bible.  The book is structured especially to be of benefit to people who were left behind after the Rapture.  It describes the horrors of the post-Rapture period but also delivers a message of hope- that God still loves the reader and wants the reader to accept the one and only gift that will protect him for eternity.  With this primary target audience in mind, the book is a basic primer on Christian eschatology.  Each chapter contains an encouragement and prayer for the reader.

After the Rapture occurs, there will be many people who are looking for an explanation of what has happened and what it means to them personally.  Many people will want to read this book, if they can get it.  But there will be supply chain problems in that era and there will be efforts to censor books like this, which won’t fit with the narrative pushed by the Antichrist and his minions.  Since Dr. Jeremiah will be in heaven after the Rapture, he won’t benefit economically from any book sales in that period (but that won’t worry him, I’m sure). 

For these reasons, I hope that many people will purchase Dr. Jeremiah’s book now.  Christians who are well-schooled in the end times prophecies will find it a handy reference tool (about 240 pages including a Scripture listing and reference notes) and will appreciate Dr. Jeremiah’s approach for sharing the Gospel message with his targeted audience.  The book would be a good gift for unbelievers whose hearts are being softened by God.  Christians might want to include a copy of the book with their last will and testament, in an envelope marked “In the event that I should vanish.”  A five-hour audiobook version is also available.

An interesting coincidence might increase your interest in reading Dr. Jeremiah’s book.  Or perhaps it might be described as an act of Providence.  An old expression says “great minds think alike.”  I can’t say that applies here, but I can say that “Faithful servants will listen to the urgings of the Holy Spirit.”

I’m referring to the overlapping but independent creation of our two books-  Dr. Jeremiah’s After the Rapture, An End Times Guide to Survival and my most recent book Lifeline, A Guide to Surviving the End Times.  Could the near-simultaneous publication of these two books be an indication that God wants this message to be reinforced now?  Does this suggest that a post-Rapture survival guide is going to be needed soon?  As I am prone to remind folks, “The Events in Revelation may be closer than they seem in your mental mirror.”

Lifeline is a concise and Biblically sound overview of the Bible’s end times prophecies.  Lifeline is written for readers after the Rapture and for people living in these last days of the Church Age. 

A resource document called “Lifeline” was a key plot element in my two end times novels.  Twilight of the Church Age (2022) tells the story of a group of pastors and scholars working in the pre-Rapture era on a resource called “Lifeline” for people living in the post-Rapture period.

My 2021 novel The Great New Deal tells the story of people living in the short period between the Rapture and the Tribulation.  These folks discover the truth of the end times events, aided by Lifeline.  This novel includes a 38-page chapter called “Excerpts from Lifeline for the Lost Sheep.”

One reviewer of Twilight of the Church Age said she hoped that the creation of a resource like “Lifeline” was happening in the real world.  I took her words to heart.  I updated and expanded the 38-pages from The Great New Deal and added additional content to make it a standalone book, published in 2023.  I kept it relatively brief at 87 pages (the coming audiobook edition is just two hours in length).  By design, it’s a reader-friendly overview.  Though I cover some topics not addressed in Dr. Jeremiah’s book, his work covers most topics in greater detail than Lifeline.

Chapter 19 of Lifeline suggests books and online resources for readers who want to dig deeper into end times studies.  Since the Lifeline audiobook edition is currently in production, I have added this additional content not found in the print/Kindle editions:

Dr. David Jeremiah is a senior pastor and founded “Turning Point Ministries” (a multi-media ministry committed to providing sound Bible teaching to Christians).  He has written over 50 books.  Many of his books and broadcasts address the events and promises of Bible prophecy, such as his recent books, The Great Disappearance: 31 Ways to be Rapture Ready (2023) and After the Rapture, An End Times Guide to Survival (2022).”

The audiobook edition also will provide the website of Dr. David Jeremiah, davidjeremiah.org.

I encourage you to read both end times survival guides and share them with people that you care about. Watch for news about the audiobook edition of Lifeline, A Guide to Surviving the End Times; it’s coming soon.

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Published on January 25, 2024 09:17

December 16, 2023

Review of the book “Five Years After” by William R. Forstchen

A Prelude to the Rapture?

In 2009, William R. Forstchen wrote a fine novel called “One Second After” about an EMP attack upon the United States, presented from the perspective of a college professor living in a small town in North Carolina.  It’s an excellent story of the impact such an attack would have on our modern civilization.  Forstchen is well-versed in technology, history, civics, military topics, colleges, and small-town life.  His characters and plot are engaging.  The book should be a call to action (to protect the U.S. from this very real threat) but those who should be listening and acting have stayed in Ostrich-mode (head in sand).  I recommend “One Second After;” be warned there are plenty of sad moments and dark times when everything electronic stops working and civilization falls back into the 19th century.

Forstchen continued the story with two more books.  I recommend both.  Besides the (mostly unheeded) warning about the risk of EMP attack, the novels look at questions of morality during times of upheaval and at the conflict between local communities and power-hungry federal bureaucrats.  The books have Christian threads, but they are secular works.

I did not expect there would be a fourth book in the series (after all, the third was titled “The Final Day”).  But Forstchen has continued the story with a 2023 book called “Five Years After.”  The characters from the prior novels are portrayed in events that are five years after “The Final Day.”  The story begins in the small North Carolina town but shifts to issues that are global in significance.  The book is a real page-turner.  To avoid a spoiler, I will just say the future seen in this novel is a time of much loss and suffering.  Though some communities are rebuilding, there are sinister forces at play in the remnants of the federal swamp (the same folks that have lost the trust of many Americans in our time).  The protagonist, John Matherson, faces a seemingly unsolvable crisis but finds a possible solution in the Bible.  As the unread novel pages dwindled, I thought “It seems like he might try this….” And my speculation turned out to be right.

When I read dystopian novels like this one, I evaluate the novel against the Bible prophecies about the coming end times.  There are a few Bible quotations or references in this novel.  Its introduction quotes from Revelation 6:8.  That Bible verse describes the early days of the Tribulation (the seal judgments) and says that one-fourth of the world population will perish from war, plague, and famine.

As evidenced by my books, I support the literal method for interpreting Bible end times prophecy, which says the Tribulation will be preceded by the Rapture.  The Forstchen novels don’t mention the sudden disappearance of millions of Christians (i.e., being taken up to meet Christ in the sky before the Tribulation).  Many of the characters seem to be Christians.  So, I infer that these four novels must take place prior to the Rapture, notwithstanding the terrible Tribulation-like events happening in the novels.

Note the term “Tribulation-like” in the preceding sentence.  Lots of terrible things occur in these novels, but they are not dissimilar to terrible things that have happened throughout history (war, famine, and plague).   Such things will occur at some level in the days prior to the Tribulation, too.  The opportunist Antichrist will leverage these things when he rises to power, claiming he has the power to end them.

The events of the Tribulation will make the past horrors pale by comparison.  God will use the Tribulation to punish those who reject Him and to get the attention of others as He says “This is your final call, surrender to Jesus and come to Me before it is too late for you.”

Most end times novels typically start in conditions like our current world and flow from there into the Rapture and then the Tribulation.  But there is no reason to expect such conditions when the Rapture occurs.  It may very well occur during (or after) a time of especially great turmoil and peril (like that described in the Forstchen novels).  See chapter 8 of “Lifeline, A Guide to Surviving the End Times,” which is titled “A Nuclear Prologue to the Rapture?”

It is my hope that the Rapture will be prior to the occurrence of wide-scale horrific events like those described by Forstchen, and that any such events will fall only within the Tribulation.  But the risk of EMP attacks, pandemics and nuclear war are real threats to us now.  Forstchen does a great job of dramatizing them.  Supposing the Forstchen storyline, the novel ”Five Years After” will be followed by the Rapture.  Then the seven years of the Tribulation will occur, when things will be much worse than Forstchen has described to this point.  But praise God, the second coming of Jesus will end the Tribulation.

The Rapture may be a few years away and it may be during a time like that described by Forstchen.  But it also could occur while you take your next breath.  God the Father will decide that moment.  There are no open Bible prophecies that must be fulfilled before the Rapture occurs.  Come, Lord Jesus!

Mark C. Tredecim

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Published on December 16, 2023 10:18

November 22, 2023

New video- “Class Action- from CCCP tv”

This new 6-minute YouTube video presents an excerpt from the audiobook of the novel “The Great New Deal,” with illustrations added for the video.

Here’s a handy link to the video at YouTube. [link to “Class Action.”]

The Coronavirus pandemic created much loss and turmoil during the 2020-21 period.  Many people perished or suffered.  Some saw the opportunity- “Never let a crisis go to waste.”  They took the opportunity to gain power and wealth.

But people are now asking for the truth about the origins of this virus, about the response to it, and what these mean for the present and future.  This video uses humorous parody to explore the collision between truth and the approved narrative.

I hope you enjoy it! Happy Thanksgiving, remember to Whom you are giving those thanks.

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Published on November 22, 2023 10:58

September 24, 2023

Book Review: “Operation Joktan” and “Has the Tribulation Begun?” by Amir Tsarfati

Tsarfati is an Israeli citizen and previously served as a major in the Israeli Defense Forces.  Though his writing pays attention to the nation of Israel, it covers matters of global concern.

Amir Tsarfati is the co-author of “Bible Prophecy: The Essentials,” which I recommended in the Additional Resources chapter of “Lifeline, A Guide to Surviving the End Times.”  He has written many best-selling nonfiction books and has started a series of novels (book three, “Out of the Far North” is now available for pre-order).  I decided to try one of those novels.

His first novel, “Operation Joktan” (2021) was written with Steve Yohn, an American pastor.  The book includes an “Author’s Note” that spells out the key goals for the novel.  Tsarfati explains that he wanted to deliver an exciting story, but he also wanted it to incorporate Biblical and geopolitical truth to give the book a higher purpose.

The book follows a group of Mossad agents working to prevent terrorist attacks upon Israel and other nations in the Middle East.  Their opponents are backed by Iran and the story illuminates the destructive efforts and goals of that regime.  There is plenty of action and the plot draws from historical and current political developments in the region.  Fans of political thriller novels by authors Tom Clancy and Joel Rosenberg will enjoy “Operation Joktan” (I did).

The story has a romantic thread involving two members of the Mossad team, but it’s kept at the PG level.  People are killed, but the book does not glorify violence or gore and it avoids the crutch of profanity used by too many writers.  The book introduces the Gospel message; it’s done deftly and appropriately in just a few passages.

That same “Author’s Note” also explains how Tsarfati’s nonfiction books present Biblical and geopolitical truth, but make it a more enjoyable read by including anecdotes and humor.  I tested this by reading “Has the Tribulation Begun?” (2023). Imagine that the joke-cracking Elvis Cole (the hero in the excellent series of novels by Robert Crais) was a solid Bible scholar instead of a detective, and you have a big-picture view of “Has the Tribulation Begun?”

This book accurately presents Biblical truths about the end times events and connects them to current political and social developments.  Tsarfati explains why this should be important to the reader.  He uses the Bible and logic to knock down several false doctrines.  Though the book provides plenty of Bible quotations and other footnote references, there are just as many humorous passages and anecdotes, so the book is both enjoyable and educational.  For example, the first page in the book answers the book’s title with “No.”  It then explains why that’s the case and why the book is more than one page long. 

Of course, time has passed since the book was published and if you are reading this review after being left behind by the rapture (that event is explained well in the book), the answer might actually be “Yes.”  Even so, the book would still be worth your time.

I recommend both of these Tsarfati books.

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Published on September 24, 2023 15:43

September 17, 2023

New YouTube Video: Vanity Fair- Section 9

This new YouTube video uses humorous parody to expose the self-anointed “elite” class that has gained significant power in the United States in this 21st century.  They are working toward complete control by subverting the U.S. Constitution and traditions.  It’s not a “done deal” yet; they are facing resistance from political populists and their plans will ultimately come to naught, when Jesus Christ returns and establishes his kingdom on earth.  The video is drawn from the audiobook of the novel “Twilight of the Church Age,” with illustrations added for the video.

Convenient link to the YouTube video, which is just under 10 minutes: [Vanity Fair Video]

The colonial founders of the United States were aware of mankind’s inherent sin nature.  They saw the perils of greed and the pursuit of power.  They came to America from lands ruled by royalty and nobility (nobility in bloodline, but seldom in spirit).  In forming this new nation, the colonials created a government with checks and balances, seeking to avoid the problems of the Old World.  For example, they intended to replace the old tradition of an upper class ruling over the masses with a republic whose leaders would be democratically chosen by the citizens.  They also wanted leaders who would not be obligated to other nations.

The United States Constitution provides the following in Article I, Section 9, Clause 8.  “No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”

Notwithstanding the Constitution, a de facto ruling class has developed in Washington DC, comprised of unelected bureaucrats and career politicians who remain in office for decades, sometimes into their 80’s and even their 90’s.  Many of them are enriched and owe fealty to their wealthy benefactors and nations (including some hostile to the United States).  These subjects are discussed further in the first chapters of “Lifeline, A Guide to Surviving the End Times,” by Mark C. Tredecim (available at Amazon in Kindle and paperback formats).

I hope you will smile at this peek into the world of the rich and powerful, even as you consider the perils posed by their schemes.

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Published on September 17, 2023 07:35

September 8, 2023

New Video at YouTube: Maria’s Story- The Rescue

This new YouTube video presents an excerpt from the audiobook of the novel “Twilight of the Church Age,” with illustrations added for the video.  The video is 18:25 in length and can be accessed using this link to YouTube: [Link to Maria’s Story]

Here is the background and a preview of the story:

In early 2021, a new President radically changed American policies and practices related to illegal immigration, particularly at the Southern border with Mexico.  The numbers of people illegally entering the United States skyrocketed and remains at record high levels.  American towns and cities struggle to deal with this wave of needy people.  Criminals, potential terrorists, and dangerous illegal drugs are pouring across the border.

The cartels profit from the drugs and the human trafficking.  Many people become virtual slaves in the world of prostitution, abuse and pornography.  These include young children, both girls and boys.  Child sex trafficking is the theme of the excellent 2023 fact-based movie “The Sound of Freedom,” starring Jim Caviezel, directed and co-written by Alejandro Monteverde.  This movie tells the story of Tim Ballard, a former U.S. Department for Homeland Security agent.

The collapse of American border controls facilitates this criminal enterprise.  This evil is huge, and the current American response is underwhelming.  But God is still in charge and has a plan to deal with all evil in the coming Day of the Lord.  As we await that Day, the battle is waged by courageous people like the aforementioned Tim Ballard and the unheralded hero of this video, Abigail Lyon.

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Published on September 08, 2023 10:10

August 24, 2023

New Video At YouTube: Code Blue

“Code Blue: The Freedom of Pre-Approved Speech” is a new YouTube video, almost 13 minutes in length. It presents an excerpt from the audiobook of the novel “The Great New Deal,” with illustrations added for the video.  This video uses humorous parody to address the real threat from the suppression of free speech and from the dominant progressive narratives (propaganda).

Convenient link to the YouTube video: Code Blue

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights, ratified and adopted on December 15, 1791.  It says:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

There has been an intensifying effort by activists and political opportunists to subvert the First Amendment.  Many government agencies, news media and online platforms have joined in this assault.

This video is set during the short interlude that comes after the rapture of all believers to heaven and before the terrible seven-year Tribulation.  Both of these coming events are described in Bible prophecy (see the author’s book “Lifeline- A Guide to Surviving the End Times” for a concise explanation of these events- Lifeline Link).

Lies and deception have been tools of Satan since the days of Adam and Eve.  They will be among his primary weapons in the final stages of his war against humanity and God.  Spoiler alert- God will win this war.  The details of future history are recorded in the Bible book of Revelation.

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Published on August 24, 2023 08:29

August 16, 2023

New Video at YouTube- “Washed in the Blood: The Hand of Providence”

This new YouTube video presents an excerpt from the audiobook of the novel “Twilight of the Church Age,” with illustrations added for the video.  I hope you have already listened to the whole audiobook (available for purchase throught Amazon and Audible). If you haven’t heard it, I hope you will enjoy this 18+ minute video and will consider purchasing the audiobook or the printed version. The audiobook provides over six hours of enjoyment. For more information about the audiobook, follow this link: Twilight of the Church Age Audiobook.

To view this new video at YouTube, follow this link: Washed in the Blood

Here is a preview of this video: It was late on Friday morning.  Thirty-year old Beau Reilly was on day three of the drive from his family’s home in Arkansas to his new home in Paterson, New Jersey.  His red Ford F-150 pick-up truck was full of his household and personal goods.  This next Sunday he would be commissioned as the new pastor for Amazing Grace Baptist Church in Paterson.

Beau had worked as a paramedic while studying online (he earned a Masters of Divinity degree, with honors).  After graduating, he continued to work as a paramedic while interning at one church and then serving for three years as the interim pastor of a small church with a limited budget.  Amazing Grace Baptist was a bigger church and Beau would be its sole pastor, so he expected that his paramedic days were probably behind him.

His phone told him of a big traffic jam and two-hour delays on I-80 eastbound.  The traffic app recommended he detour to an alternate route east through Sparta and then south on NJ-23.  Beau saw this as just a minor inconvenience. It might be more scenic and would get him to Paterson on time, so he went with it.

But it was actually the hand of Providence, putting Beau on a path that would affect several people that day and beyond.

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Published on August 16, 2023 11:30