Revelation

Of all the books of the New Testament Revelation is one of the most difficult to interpret and understand. At first reading the startling images of beasts dragons and false prophets plus many numbers great and small seem to defy meaning and understanding. This all seems contradictory to the book's opening words: The revelation of Jesus Christ. The key to understanding the Bible's last book is to establish a set of interpretive keys to unlock the symbols especially all the numbers found in so many of the chapters. This volume is based on such a set of keys.The commentary begins by revealing the structure of the book using a device common in much Jewish writing. At the heart of this structure Jesus is revealed ensuring the fulfillment of the book's opening sentence.Revelation is the twin of a corresponding volume Daniel which interprets the biblical text utilizing the same interpretive keys. The study of the Bible's last book reveals a strong connection with the Old Testament volume by the prophet Daniel that bears his name. In fact John borrows from Daniel on scores of occasions and includes some of its key symbols. Thus our understanding of both books is enhanced by studying them together.