Revelation Now
According to William J. Luke there are four impediments to gaining a thorough and complete understanding of the book of Revelation. The first is the book’s symbolism followed by its transcription composition and finally improper presumption.
This guide informs readers that if they are able to navigate these choppy waters they should be able to understand the book with the utmost clarity. Sadly Luke makes his “definitive guide” even more complex than the book of Revelation itself as he attempts to oversimplify its contents. Luke writes that there are ten easy steps to follow in order to fully comprehend the book. Among these steps are such less-than-profound notions as “visualizing the imagery” and taking the writings literally. It all sounds straightforward enough until the reader gets started and is immediately met with colorful charts and graphs that do nothing to simplify or condense the book. Luke includes far too much information for the eye to easily take in and offers no explanation as to what it all means.
The book is broken up into stages according to passages and events from Revelation. The colors diagrams and images become increasingly erratic as the reader attempts to move forward. Because Luke believes that man’s improper interpretation of the book makes Revelation even harder to understand he fails to give any original ideas that would help to clarify matters for the reader. The pull-out poster included with the book makes it all look a little like a board game.
Written explanations of the various graphs and charts are contained in massive paragraphs that dominate entire pages without offering thoughtful points. Readers will spend more time trying to find a clear path through remarkably layered and complex diagrams than they would in an attempt at interpreting the book of Revelation for themselves.
Finally there are numerous grammatical errors that in fact heed the supposed learning process throughout this book. The most glaring of these (“it’s” instead of “its”) is evident in the subtitle and abounds throughout the entire guide. The creator of a guide such as this should be able to demonstrate an aptitude for writing.
Ultimately Luke fails in his attempt to clarify Revelation and breaks his own rules in the process by offering more complications for readers to sort out.
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
