I remember the first time I read all the way through the Bible. It took me a year, and what started with Genesis ended in Revelation in a way I could have never predicted. And I had lots of questions, like, Do I take all of this literally? Is it all symbolic? A crazy dream that the Apostle John had while banished to a small rocky island? Is it happening in the future? The past? And what is up with the creatures covered in eyeballs?! I felt like I needed a revelation of my own to try to decipher it.
There have been a lot of books written about End Times, and one of this book's authors, Tim LaHaye, co-authored the granddaddy of them all: the Left Behind series (the first book is now a movie starring Nicolas Cage). I think that the popularity of these books testifies to the fact that there is something about the notion of good finally triumphing over evil, the bad guy finally getting what he deserves, and an end to tears, sadness, and suffering that always gets people's attention...our hearts long for things to be made right.
The Book of Revelation Made Clear is here to walk you, verse by verse, through what I think is the most mysterious book in the Bible, and the authors agree; the subtitle of this book is A Down-to-Earth Guide to Understanding the Most Mysterious Book of the Bible. "Guide" is a good word to describe this book, as there is not much narrative but tons of info.
The format is great: Each chapter, which corresponds with each chapter of Revelation, starts with a multiple choice quiz, followed by the verses for that section, then an explanation/clarification of the Bible text, and then the quiz again with the correct answers. I feel like this format helped me retain the information. Plus, when you are done, you will have read through the whole book of Revelation. And if you have read the book before, this guide will shed some fresh light on many things for you, I think; for example, it never occurred to me that when John is talking about the "sea of glass" in front of God's throne it represents calmness and serenity.
There was so much information in The Book of Revelation Made Clear that it actually took me some time to get through it. But I am so glad I stuck with it because I truly feel like I have a greater understanding now of biblical prophecy. This guide is a crash course in the final book of the Bible, and I recommend it to everyone, especially those who are now watching current events unfold and wondering what might lie ahead.
