Title: Last Days Deception
Author: Jackson Ekwugum
Reviewer: Gbenga Osinaike
Jackson Ekwugum’s Last Days Deception, is not just a book. It is a theological thesis put together to educate believers and take them through contentious doctrines in the Church.
Ekwugum in the book demonstrates his love for the Church and a desire to enlighten believers on dangers posed by false teachers. He presents the issues with the precision of a clinician while at the same time not sounding judgmental.
The reader begins to get a feel of the book right from its introduction where he explains that false teachers are not necessarily people who are not born again or called of God. He notes, “Some may have been genuinely saved but have come under the influence of seducing spirit,”
Identifying deception
He then identifies the various forms of deception and at the same time stating that the wide acceptance of a church practice does not make such practice Biblical.
Chapter 1 of the book starts with the thought-provoking question: Is the church at war with itself? Here the author examines the various concerns about the Body of Christ and establishes the fact that Jesus is not unaware of what is going on in the Church. He believes Jesus is more than able to “fix his business”
Rather than being a self-appointed critic of happenings in the church, he counsels, “don’t curse the darkness, shine the light”
To navigate this bend of not being critical, he employs a pedagogical style to drive home his points.
The prosperity debate
Chapter 2 opens with the question: Did Jesus die to make us rich? In this chapter, the author chooses his words carefully. He posits that “there is nothing like prosperity gospel but rather what we have is prosperity message. If there is no holiness gospel, there can’t be prosperity gospel.”
While agreeing that the purpose of Jesus’ coming, is to deliver man from sin, Ekwugum posits that salvation goes a step further than being saved from sin. He opines that it is the will of God that those who serve Jesus be free from lack and sickness since sin is what brought those calamities in the first place.
He goes on in the next chapter to tackle another exhilarating question with the title: Is the law of sowing and reaping transactional gospel? As a prelude to answering the question, he points out that the gifts and blessing of God are not for sale.
He however states in closing that chapter that, “when we give and sow money, we are expected to reap the reward” Quoting Heb 11v6, he states, “God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.”
The author goes further to treat a closely related topic to the issue of sowing and reaping in chapter 4. Here he answers the question: Is every Christian expected to be rich? He submits, “biblical prosperity does not mean every Christian will be a millionaire or billionaire. It is about God meeting our needs to make our lives fruitful and fulfilling”.
Many get the prosperity message wrong because according to him they are not able to differentiate between prosperity and materialism. He reasons: “A prosperous person may not have a fat bank account, but he is never stranded”
He then warns against equating material possession with one’s faith. Quoting Charles Stanley in the chapter, he writes, “Obey God and leave the consequence to him”
Ekwugum addresses other issues about giving to the poor stating emphatically that one of the reasons people are against the prosperity message is the position of some pastors that giving to the poor does not command blessings.
While describing that position as “balderdash” he quotes several scriptures that talk of the blessings that come with giving to the poor.
Tithing
Chapter 5 of the book is devoted to the most contentious of all the theological issues: To tithe or not to tithe. The author takes the pain to do some exegesis in this chapter. He concludes by urging believers to exercise restraint in their pro-tithe and their anti-tithe stance.
Quoting the letter of Paul to the Romans (14v5-10) the author states, “Paul was encouraging them to walk in love towards one another. The letter kills but the spirit gives life (2Cor5v6). I believe if Paul were writing to today’s church, it would read something like this, ‘He who gives tithe give to the Lord and gives God thanks. But he who does not believe in tithing but choses to give in other ways is doing it as unto the Lord. Hence, we must not judge one another anymore but rather resolve this not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way (Romans 14v13)”. He emphasizes that there is no need to destroy God’s work because of theological argument.
Full time ministry
Another controversial question people ask is: Should pastors be on full time ministry? The answer is in chapter 6 of the book. He posits that it is God’s will for pastors to be fully committed to His work.
While noting that Paul was a tent maker by choice, the author states that there were times, he got support from the churches he founded. He then identifies six things the congregation owes the pastor of a local assembly. In another breath, he mentions instances believers are permitted to stop supporting church leaders.
Grace, sanctification and prophecy
In chapter 7 the author takes ample space to explain why the doctrine of once-saved-always saved is faulty. He expresses the belief that the Christian life is a life of continuous learning of Christ.
He puts a search light on the kind of people who claim to follow Christ in chapter 8 of the book with the question: Are you a fan or follower of Jesus Christ?
Here, he urges followers of Jesus to do so with the whole of their heart. Quoting Mathew 16V24 he encourages believers to follow “the process of sanctification leading to glorification”
Still employing his teacher-pupil style, the author in chapter 9 takes the reader through a systemic explanation of relevant scriptures to puncture the hyper grace movement. He takes exception to attempts to triviliase the gospel by those who subscribe to the movement.
He warns against encouraging a loose lifestyle in the name of being eternally saved. He writes, “Just as there is no believing without following, there is no forgiveness without repentance.”
Making allusion to Paul whom extreme grace preachers quote so much, he said, “The idea that exhorting people to a life of obedience and holiness amount to sin consciousness is not supported by scriptures. If that is the case, Apostle Paul is the most sin-conscious of all people. His epistles to the Church are filled with instructions for Christian living.
The author through chapter 10 which is the concluding chapter of the book opens the eyes of the reader to yet another troubling phenomenon in the church which bothers on the distortion of the gift of prophecy. He answers the question: What is the role of prophecy in the New Testament?
He educates the reader on what prophecy in the New Testament is about. He warns against witchcraft practices in the name of prophecy while at the same time noting that prophecy in the present dispensation as espoused in the New Testament is principally about being able to preach and teach the word of God under divine inspiration.
He also identifies the role the prophetic plays in the church which according to him includes the edification of the church and glorification of Christ.
Verdict
The beauty of the book which runs through 173 pages in three parts of 10 chapters is the author’s ability to take the reader through the theological discourse in a friendly nonjudgmental manner. The reader cannot but be drawn into the author’s thought line.
Written in simple down-to-earth English, there is no dull moment reading through it from the first line to the last line. The quality of print and the cover design are breathtaking.
Jackson Ekwugum has successfully created a “one-stop shop” for answers to the most divisive issues in the modern Church. It is a must-read for any believer yearning for clarity on these issues in an age of confusion.