E-Quake: A New Approach to Understanding the End Times Mysteries in the Book of Revelation

This book takes you by surprise. Dr. Hayford starts by saying that the book is more a collection of sermons than his usual careful exegesis of scripture with footnotes and documentation. However this book makes more sense than all of the commentaries and rants of other authors combined. Dr. Hayford sets out to make the book of Revelation understandable as a book of worship and practical application for our lives today. Along the way he gives us insights into the real meaning and some clarity of the prophetic. Here are some nuggets to wet your appetite: "The book of Revelation is the newspaper of tomorrow, but it is also a handbook for today. It forecasts a series of terrible and terrifying events, but at the same time it provides a perspective on the whole that affords us very practical hope" (page 7). "The book of Revelation is not a revelation of `stuff'; it is a revelation of Jesus. It is not a revelation of information; it is a revelation of Jesus. It is not a revelation of prophesies; it is a revelation of Jesus" (page 29). "The book of Revelation was not given to us as a book for speculation. It was not given as a coffee table book for the saints to sit around and talk about because it would be `fun to guess.' It was given for very pragmatic reasons: to encourage in the midst of trial, to motivate in the time of opportunity, to bring us to worship and praise before the Lord, and to realize that in the spirit of praise around His timeless throne, there is constantly an unscrolling of God's purpose in motion, which is worldwide, yet personal in its implications" (page 111). This book may startle you by its conclusions. If you are a pre-trib dispensationalist or a Tim LaHaye fan, this book probably isn't for you. Dr. Hayford is very clear about his feelings on that approach: "The book of Revelation becomes distorted when a linear approach is taken. It is easy to become confused with this approach because the book of Revelation is not written in a linear fashion. It is a series of prophecies that are seen from different viewpoints" (page 137). "People want to turn it [the book of Revelation] into a linear progression from chapter 4 though the end of the book, but it can't be done. It can't be done without creating more questions and problems, which are strained at and worked at until we end up with something that has a certain amount of satisfaction: `Well, we've got that thing lined up.' The only problem is that anytime we think we have a prophecy lined up, we soon discover that we didn't have it as lined up as we thought. We end up speculating about everything that happens" (Page 179). To conclude, if you want to make sense of the seals, and the trumpets, and all of the various overlapping symbols, events, and people, this book will help. If you want a neat system of theology that raptures you out of here at the first sign of trouble I recommend anything Dr. LaHaye writes instead. Blessings...

Once again, Jack Hayford brings the Ancient Word to life for the modern reader. E Quake is a straightforward presentation of the Book of Revelation: not a verse by verse commentary, nor an emotionaly charged devotional. Hayford gives an honest appraisal of the what and why of Revelation, along with presenting the idea that Revelation is not so much about a future doomsday, but about present opportunities to give worship and do warfare in the name of Jesus Christ, who is coming in glory.

Although this book is not very long, Jack Hayford does an excellent job of introducing readers to the Book of Revelation. Of all the books in the new testament, I have always found Revelations the most difficult to understand. I am glad that Pastor Jack Hayford has finally written a book that gives definitive insight into some of the symbols, terms, and messages contained in the text. Luckily for the reader, he does not try and explain every single verse in Revelations. So, if you are looking for an extremely detailed explanation of Revelations- don't buy this book. Instead Pastor Hayford tries to give the reader a basic understanding of why Revelation was written, how the book is structured (something that I definitely misunderstood until I read this book), and what it means to us today. The one great lesson that became crystal clear to me after reading this book, is the importance of worshipping God in a Christian's life. Many Christians, myself included, underestimate the power and importance of worship in their Christian walk. Just like prayer, it a fundamental discipline that can make a world of difference in your life, and the life of the Church. Just like one of the previous reviewers mentions, I hope Pastor Hayford does another follow-up book about Revelations. Now that I have a fundamental understanding of the book, I would like to dig a little deeper, and gain even greater insight. I recommend this book to anyone who has struggled with trying to understand the Book of Revelations. If you are looking for an excellent source to give you a basic understanding of Revelations, look no further. Get a copy of this book and add it to your Christian library.

This is probably one of Jack's best books...I've read several. That guy who gave it one star has problems.

"E-Quake" opens with Jack Hayford and wife Anna scraping themselves off their bedroom floor at 4:30am after the monstrous Northridge earthquake leveled Southern California in 1994. He uses that massively destructive $50 billion shaker to introduce us to his new book on Revelation. "E-Quake" stands for End-Quake or the final cataclysmic earthquake described in Revelation 6, that will not only level people's bedrooms worldwide, but will flatten every mountain and island on the face of the entire planet.Hayford confesses his previous reluctance to write on the book of Revelation because of a desire to "nurture people with the practical instead of the theoretical and the substantial instead of the speculative." He has, however, finally thrown his pastoral hat into the "prophetic ring" and has written an excellent book for practically applying the book of Revelation to our lives today - a battle strategy for the increasingly intense and progressive assault against the Church by the enemy. He believes the book, in addition to being prophetic, was given for practical day-to-day living so that when your personal world begins to shake and quake, God appears, just as He will at the end of time during the great End-Quake, so will he appear in your own life when things start coming unglued, TODAY.Thankfully, Hayford does NOT subscribe to the very juvenile "yo-yo theory" of the Second Coming where the "Pre-Tribs" have Jesus "secretly" rapturing the church, taking them back to Heaven, then returning several years later for the the Second Coming (actually the third). Instead, he puts the one and only Second Coming of Christ right where it belongs - right where the Bible teaches it comes - at the "E-Quake," the sixth Seal, the seventh Trumpet, the Resurrection, the Last day. Hayford says Jesus takes us THROUGH tribulation, not out of it and that the purpose of the book of Revelation is to help us through it by showing Christians whatever God's ultimate will for their life might be (even death), in the end we are guaranteed victory - we will win! Alleluia!!As for Tribulation, Hayford says their is no such thing as a crown without a cross, a victory without a battle. There can't be a battle without casualties - and as we experience trial and difficulty, some people will lose their lives. Christians in this world will NEVER "escape" persecution. He reminds us that tens of thousands of Christians willingly give their lives every year for the Faith. We who live behind the protective walls of "persecution free" America, have a very distorted and disturbed view of how Christianity is to be lived out, and indeed being lived out by our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world today. There are no quick victories in a long war nor are there any cheap price tags on triumph. But we are given frequent foretastes of the ultimate outcome.Hayford says Revelation is a book that cannot be understood as a linear progression. Rathe