Apocalypse Dawn: John's Amazing Mystery Unveiled

By Lucille L. Turfrey

Revelation, the culminating book of the Bible has inspired, intrigued, or just plain puzzled readers for almost 2,000 years. It remains enigmatic to many. However, once his intricate codes are cracked open, St John unveils its inexhaustible treasures to the inquiring mind–be it that of a theologian or an unlettered observer.

The book is not really a compendium of conundrums at all. It was not written in order to remain within a folded scroll on a hidden shelf. It was meant to be read and understood, to be absorbed, shared and declared, for it offers God’s answer to the perplexities encountered by humankind be they endemic to the 1st, 21st, or any century in between.

Revelation–The Apocalypse–is exactly what its title intends it to be: it is a revelation, a peeling back of the mystery to disclose God’s great and eternal plan of redemption. This is, actually, the subject matter of the entire Bible – from Genesis to Revelation – and the news, ultimately, is good.

Apocalypse Dawn is written to endorse the validity of God’s word for every age–yesterday, today and, tomorrow.

You are invited to lift the veil: discover the ultimate Revelation!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Mar 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9781528968928

Lucille L. Turfrey

Lucille Turfrey was born and raised in Tasmania and became an itinerant art teacher. A change of vocation found her immersed in ministry as a Salvation Army officer. Lucille was appointed to the teaching staff of the Officer Training College situated in Melbourne, later becoming the principal of this college that catered for interstate and international cadets. International appointments also relating to leadership training included Scotland then Moscow, Russia, as principal of the Officer Training Institute. Lucille was awarded the OAM (Medal of the Order of Australia) and became a member of the International Society of Poets.

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About the Author

Lucille L Turfrey was born and raised in the Huon valley in southern Tasmania. Following tertiary education, Lucille became an art teacher. A change of vocation later found her engaged in youth ministries as a Salvation Army officer with a remit that included camping, congresses, leadership training and writing manuals for youth leaders, and also booklets on basic theology. Lucille was then appointed principal of the officer training college in southern Australia. International service found her involved in ministry in Scotland before being appointed to Russia, again as training principal. It is in retirement that Lucille has taken up pen and paintbrush to illustrate the truths, the principles and practice that have been her life’s focus, formula and foundation.

Dedication

Apocalypse Dawn

is dedicated to

Howard and Valda Broadstock

Ron and Ruth Bennett

Brian and Mavis Everett—

Leaders

Christian examples

Mentors—

through my childhood and youth.

Their challenge and encouragement

are remembered with joy.

Copyright Information ©

Lucille L Turfrey 2023

The right of Lucille L Turfrey to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781528937009 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781528968928 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

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Acknowledgement

Raison d’être

The writing of APOCALYPSE DAWN was first occasioned by the number of people and groups, who had requested that I prepare a series of Bible Studies on the book of Revelation. Classroom and small group settings that have since provided opportunities for me to open up the pages of The Apocalypse to serious study and analysis have prodded me, once more, to ‘put pen to paper’. I am grateful for the keen interest and active participation of those who have been engaged in the earlier studies. The dialogue engendered by each series has encouraged me to revisit these incomparable scenes.

An experience of being ‘in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day’ drew me once more to the point of accepting the challenge. However, readers need to ‘hear’ my early disclaimer to the effect that I do not claim any unique insights into the subject. Rather, these writings offer a personal view that has been formed through many years of absorption of the textual material. This has been refined by an on-going analysis of commentaries on the Book of Revelation, as written by learned scholars whose expertise have enriched not only my study, but also my personal understanding of the book. I pay tribute, especially, to theologians Leon Morris, William Barclay, John Taylor, William Biederwolf and others whose names appear in the bibliography.

Brian Everett, a spiritual counsellor in my teenage years, approached me following my retirement from active service, to request that I present a series of studies on the subject. The series drew large crowds from across the city of Melbourne, and their responses to the sessions consolidated my view that the book should be revisited.

Henry Gariepy, literary friend and mentor, gave a valued critique of the first edition, pointing out a glaring omission in the final chapter! The shortcoming will be rectified!

Mavis Smith, friend and ‘Faithful’ session colleague, has stood by as an able proof-reader through a number of prior publications and her valued assistance is again appreciated gratefully.

This revised second edition, originally titled John’s Amazing Mystery, is presented as an update on the book in order to address recent events and further insights, each of which will re-emphasise the veracity of the earlier work.

I offer the second edition under its new title to a new readership in the hope that this updated version will again strike the right chord and so engage the mind in a serious, in-depth study of the Book of Revelation in these ‘latter days’.

All art, photography, poetry, and the paraphrasing of Scripture is by the author and is utilised to support the content of Apocalypse Dawn.

Apocalypse?

What does the future hold for us,

The world, and all that is to be?

Impending doom, announced today,

Is this what God would have us see?

I ponder on the claims His word

Allows in terms of truth, of grace;

How may discernment come? And what

Will God reveal, today, of peace?

What can it mean, Apocalypse?

This is a mystery, a drape

Across the window of my mind;

What could I see, of Heaven’s scape?

It is revealed! Apocalypse:

The death of Death, the birth of Life!

The curtain opens on Eternity;

This ‘Day’ portrays an end to strife!

It is unveiled—the scope of life

That’s in His plan: we’re Heaven bound!

God’s word speaks Light and Life and Love.

The Dawn has come: Redemption found.

(LLT)

Foreword

You and I are about to engage in an awesome journey—exhilarating, demanding, intriguing, daunting and wholly absorbing as we open to view a panorama of unparalleled splendour. The trek is no ‘day outing’ through pleasant paths and tranquil tracks! There are limitless horizons with mountains to climb and valleys to negotiate as we delve into the depths of perhaps the most profound literature to be found in the ‘Library of the Ages’—The Bible.

The landscape we enter is a mysterious place. It contains many wonders, curious life-forms, exotic creatures, untraversed undergrowth and magnificent specimens of plant life. These draw the intrepid traveller into its environs to be enriched beyond measure as the secrets that lie beneath the surface come into view. We will set about discovering the nature of the ‘country’ that we now enter, in seeking to discover the magnitude of this environment.

The mysterious terrain into which I now invite you is titled explicitly, The Apocalypse. What a word! Surprisingly, its meaning is so very simple—it is an unveiling. One would have thought that an ‘unveiling’, a revelation, would be just about the antithesis of an apocalypse! Surely such a genre would be nothing less than veiled in mystery. Indeed, it is a mystery!

The original meaning of the word mystery (so near to the original Greek, musterion) was, precisely, a revelation! Something mysterious and indecipherable has suddenly been made abundantly clear and plain—that is, to those whose inner eyes are awakened to spiritual issues. A Grecian mystery, in New Testament times, was known to the initiated.

As the apostle John wrote of his personal experiences relating to The Apocalypse—an amazing mystery—he was following ‘Unsealed Orders’. In effect, therefore, John was commissioned to present an open secret. The book is challenging, inviting:

You’ve got the heart for it? You’ve opened your mind to it? Here it is then: Know the secrets of the past, the present and the future!

John’s astounding mystery is so much like a forest that one is tempted to complain, I can’t see the wood for the trees! Seemingly trackless, overgrown with impenetrable undergrowth and cloying vines, and teeming with unfamiliar life forms, the terrain pulsates beneath a canopy of forest giants, sometimes revealing an intermittent, feeble ray of light. Such a terrain will offer its challenges, yet it is also intriguing as it issues its summons to enter and become immersed in its undeniable beauty and throbbing life.

In this apocalyptic environment, the mysteries of Heaven mingle with the intrigues of Earth. Winged creatures, choiring their doxologies in peerless apparel, carry the vital message on an open page to those who would pause to wonder at the songs they sing of what is past, what is present and what is yet to come!

The canopy of the forest draws back its leafy veils and the sun filters down through the shadows. Light has come! The dawn is here! A path is found! This forest is no trackless waste, an impenetrable tangle of scrub and vine. The Apocalypse is an open secret! There are paths in the forest. There are signposts along the way. And, the view from the other side is matchless!

This expedition is no tourist jaunt, however. It is an awesome journey into truth—truth concerning God, truth about the world in which we live, truth about ourselves and truth about our destiny! This journey is a conquest, a triumph!

Come with me.

Overture

A Question of Time, Times and Timing

It is Sunday, the Lord’s Day,

And, as I take up my pen to commence

to write, a question occurs to me:

WHEN WILL JESUS RETURN?

I do not know!

Neither does anybody else,

But One:

The LORD God,

YHWH—Yahweh, Elohim.

However, Jesus did give some clues!

Allow my song/poem (based on Luke 21:5-31), to set the scene and give access to the avenues we will traverse in pursuing our course through John’s Amazing Mystery.

THE AGE TO COME

(Faith Alive, No. 63, LLT)

Tune: (Metre: 11.10.11.10. e.g. Hark, Hark My Soul–rep. last line)

Lord, Lord of life, when will You be returning?

For we expect that glorious day is near;

What are the signs? We would be ever learning

How to foretell the time You will appear.

Watch for the seasons, they know their time!

Watch when the winter has bid its last farewell;

The coming fruit is within the blossom’s bell!

Lord, Lord, we ask, how may we be discerning,

How may we read the signs that You disclose?

For, one day soon, the seasons will be turning,

Though raging storms the sun does yet oppose.

Wait for the reason God bides His time,

Wait for the winter to clothe itself in spring:

God intervenes then, eternal life to bring.

Lord, Lord, we pray, O listen to our yearning;

The time of our distress is hastening on;

The Earth seems doomed, this warring world is burning,

We long for when the battles will be done!

When in the tempest, God shelters you;

When all seems lost, He aids you in the strife;

Hold to your faith now, it is the way to life!

Lord, Lord, we seek to know Your plan concerning

What is in store when You return to reign;

Then we will know redemption’s span confirming

That, in Your grace, we find eternal gain.

When in the Glory Land all will be free;

Though earth and sky and sea will cease to be,

God’s ageless word will never pass away.

(LLT)

WHAT OF THE CURRENT AGE?

The Apocalypse—Revelation—will focus on the Future. Our FUTURE, however, is determined by how we respond to the challenges of TODAY! The Good News is that, because He is The Alpha and Omega—The Beginning and the End—God has provided a means whereby our future will be determined by our acceptance of His Plan of Redemption.

The Gospel—Good News—story is simple, really. It is the story of the Cross. Yes! simple, and simply WONDERFUL!

You plan to secure your future? Secure your Eternity by choosing today to place your belief, faith, trust in the One who gave His ALL for ALL on Calvary.

The visual will always speak far louder than the wordy sentences!

What. then, of the Future? What of The Apocalypse? How do we determine its Advent? Matthew, chapters 24 – 25, provide some clear and startling evidence concerning the strategic event. This forms a firm base for all that is to follow.

Jesus said:

If you would seek to know the season¹ of My return, take a close look at the fig tree!² Let the fig give you a lesson in prophecy, let it speak to you as a parable would impart its underlying truth. As spring approaches, a tree’s twig tips become tender. Then, when the leaves appear, you will know that time is marching on toward summer. In the same way, you will be able to discern when My return is near. You will realise that it is imminent, striding right up to your front door. This generation,³ this people, will not disappear from the face of the Earth until the signs that will announce My return have all been fulfilled. The heavens and the earth may disappear, but My words will last through all Eternity. LLT*⁴

The phrase, this generation can mean either those living at this particular time or this people, race or nation.³ With this thought in mind, the parable of the fig tree takes on an even greater significance. A second, enlarged paraphrase of the text could read as follows. It may just be possible to hear Jesus saying something like:

Learn the secret of the fig tree—discern what its unique characteristics can tell you about how to recognise the season of My return when, like spring after winter, it arrives! This is its secret: when you see the leaves appear, the fruit buds are also burgeoning—in embryo, the fruit is already present. Open your eyes! Recognise what the fig tree is revealing. When you see these harbingers of spring, know that I am about to knock at your door.*

These will be the signs of My return: (Matthew, 24) *

The temple will have been destroyed.(vv. 1,2) (This occurred when Titus sacked Jerusalem).

Many deceivers will claim falsely to be the Messiah. (vv. 4,5)

(Fanatics, the confused, the irrational and the misguided have made such claims throughout intervening history).

There will be wars and rumours of wars. Do not be alarmed, these do not signify the End Time. (v. 6)

(World War 1 was claimed to be the war to end all wars but World War 2 followed hard on its heels. Now people speak of an impending World War 3 and Armageddon.

What could possibly follow on after such scourges?)

Nation will attack nation, kingdoms will rise against kingdoms. (v. 7)

(Struggles against oppression, prejudice and racism [for example] have spilled the blood of both perpetrator and persecuted throughout history).

Natural disasters, such as famines and earthquakes will ravage the Earth in far flung places. (vv. 7, 8)

(One can assume that there never was a time such as now when famine and natural disasters of every kind have struck with such devastating effect. However, such events will be merely a precursor, the beginning of the pains yet to be suffered—they are the markers of the advent of the End Days).

Persecution, martyrdom and racial prejudice will be significant factors in this future time of unprecedented traumas. (v. 9)

(There were more martyrs to the Christian cause in the 20th Century than the combined total of all previous centuries of the Christian era, including the 1st Century).

Apostasy, betrayal, interpersonal hatreds, are all markers of the End Time tribulations. (v. 10)

(Strangely, the more affluent and sophisticated a society becomes, the more prone it is to turn away from the Lord. Betrayal becomes legitimised if it saves one from a like fate and hatred is the prodigy of both).

Many people will be deceived by numerous false prophecies concerning the actual date of the impending Apocalypse.⁵ (v. 11)

(The gullible are still being caught up in the occasional throes of frenzy—to the point of committing suicide rather than face the effects of a stated date).

Wickedness will increase. (v. 12)

(Philosophy, education, affluence and indoctrination have not solved the problem of sin. A sophisticated lifestyle can increase its impact on human experience. Its insidious infection will become more potent as it spreads. Aspects of modern living that contribute to moral and spiritual decay may point the finger at it, label it, condemn it, but none provides an answer for it. The only answer is to be found in a Person—The LORD)!

Apathy, cruelty, ruthlessness will be the measure of this future time. People living in isolation, fear and trauma will find no comfort in the coldness of a sin-sick society. But, if My people stand firm and resolute, they will be saved. (vv. 12, 13)

(At the very time when humankind will experience the greatest tribulation in the entire history of the world, the promises of God shall come into effect).

Global evangelisation will be the marker of the End Season. Every region of the entire world will be given an opportunity to hear the preaching of the Gospel. Then, the end will come." (v. 14)

(This aspect of the prophecy was achieved before the end of the 20th Century! Watch, therefore, for the figs are beginning to form).

The prophet Daniel has already provided you with the final clue! He said, ’The end will come like a flood: war will continue to the end with resultant desolation … A man of great power will covenant with many nations. He will raise his abusive abominations before the people and endeavour to annihilate the faithful. But, in the end, the result of his crimes against humanity will overtake him in the flood of judgement.* [Daniel 9:25-27, 11:31-35].

When you see this abominable persondesecrating that which is holy, realise that the desolation of which Daniel spoke is coming to pass. It will be time to take cover. Flee to the mountains! Leave your belongings! Save your life! This will be the harbinger of all times most dreadful.* (vv. 15-21).

(Be aware, a charismatic⁶ man, capable of captivating the whole world by his charm, may be already about to step onto the global stage. Seen as a ‘saviour’, he will turn out to be the greatest despot the world has ever known, more deplorable even than Adolf Hitler. Unprecedented devastation will result from his megalomania).

The Lord continues:

Take heart! These dreadful days will be cut short for the sake of the true people of God. In the meantime, do not go running after bogus ‘christs’ and deceitful prophets! Do not believe them—even if they amaze you with their fantastic escapades! Even if their actions look like miracles, do not be hoodwinked! It is in Satan’s scheme of things that even the most select people of God will be led astray in failing to be vigilant. (Be constantly on your guard)!

There now, I have told you ahead of time so that you may remain alert. So, if people draw attention to any ‘Adonis’, do not be deceived. When I come, you will recognise Me. No one will need to point the finger and say, ‘Look! Here is the Lord! He has returned, just as He said He would!’ You will know it! Let the vultures gather around the carcasses, you will have no need to flock to the dead! (Prepare, instead, for Life)!

I will not be hiding out in the desert! Nor will I be secreted away in an attic! My return will be as spectacular as lightning. You won’t be able to miss it! Suddenly, it is there—flashing across the sky from east to west!

Then, the sun will dim its light, the moon will disappear from view, the very stars will be shaken in their orbits (and great meteorites will fall from the sky).

All of this is but the harbinger of My return. My sign will be emblazoned on the sky. Spring will have suddenly turned into summer, the time of ‘The Great Harvest’! Nations will recognise that they left their run too late. (They failed to sow, they failed to weed, they failed to prune, they failed to hand their crops over to the Master Orchardist).

They shall see the Son of Man returning in awesome splendour and they will be confronted with their fate and mourn their eternal loss. The final trumpet will sound. The angels will gather the Church from North, East, West and South. (Yes, these events will be of global proportion). This is when time—as humanity understands time—will pass into Eternity! (vv. 22-31).

I say again, learn the parable of the fig tree! (vv. 32-35)*

These dramatic statements were by no means Jesus’ final word on the apocalyptic events that will herald His visible return to Earth in power and glory. In fact, later—much later—He allowed His beloved disciple, John, a private audience on Patmos, a remote island in the Aegean Sea. There, He shared with the astonished John some strategic details (via a variety of astounding visions) concerning His return to Earth. What is more, John was instructed to relate most of what was said and seen on that momentous occasion. He was forbidden to reveal one vision. (Revelation 10:4).

John, therefore, takes up his quill and, following some introductory comments, begins his epic story:

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day…

A Thought for The Lord’s Day

When a reader discovers a superb book, it will become a source of inspiration, a ‘good friend’ and a fount of knowledge. It will be thoroughly stimulating and wholly absorbing as it issues its invitation to come on, into the story, be at one with it and allow it to shape one’s thoughts, give direction and counsel and offer a new road for the journey of life.

Even the best of favourite books, however, will lose its power to engross, given the ever-passing years. The tomes of the parents will seldom, if ever, find a happy place on the bookshelves of their children!

The Bible is different! Once it is found to be a ‘good friend’, this ‘Book of books’ will become as a light on a darkened path, a signpost to the heights of human existence and a handbook of gathered wisdom that speaks from its heritage of the past, that focuses one’s attention on its word for today, and that unveils the vistas of tomorrow so that we may recognise its implications and heed its challenges.

The word of God is as powerful today as in the days it was first uttered. It becomes more pertinent with the passing years.

Hear its message loud and clear and act upon it so that your soul may truly LIVE! So, allow the story of Revelation, via John’s absorbing mystery—Apocalypse Dawn—to begin.

Overture Notes:

Jesus warned His followers about the futility of pin-pointing a day and hour when He urged them to take notice of the events that will mark the season, the advent, of His return. Do not be fearful of the certainty, but be aware of the signs.

A major source of sustenance for people living in biblical times, the fig tree is endowed with some peculiar characteristics. At the beginning of spring, the burgeoning tree sends forth its fruit buds along with the leaf buds. The fruit is already present (in embryonic form) on the branches at the time when the leaves reach out to the sun—an awesome parable of Jesus’ return.

As utilised in this text, the word ’generation’ could be read in two ways—in terms of family, it relates to siblings and those of similar age. In terms of history, it relates to people—specifically (in the case under scrutiny), the Jewish people.

LLT: the author’s initials. The Scripture has been paraphrased in this book with the main purpose of emphasising the point being made. An asterisk (*) will, in all future references, alert readers to the author’s paraphrase. To verify textual content, readers should refer to an actual translation.

‘Apocalypse’ is a Greek word, meaning to uncover or reveal. The final book in the Bible, Revelation, is the English form of the book’s title in Greek Apocalypse! The book recounts a divine revelation given to St John. The main theme of the book outlines happenings associated with the end of the world. These apocalyptic events are each described in terms of violence and catastrophe, making way for a new Heaven and a new Earth. Apocalyptic literature relates to a specific genre, particularly in regard to style and nature of its content. When the voices of the (Old Testament) prophets fell silent, apocalyptic literature came into its own. The books of Ezekiel and Daniel are strongly flavoured with this genre. Apocalyptic literature is recognised immediately by the symbolism and terminology it conveys—these set the seal on the style. Language is colourful as it describes visions, dreams and ’otherworldly’ events. The genre leans towards future salvation from present suffering.

Charismatic: The source of this word is to be found in the Greek word charis—in turn, translated ‘grace’. Any person touched by the grace of God may rightly be termed ‘charismatic’ (see Ephesians 2:8, 9). In modern times the word has fallen into the vernacular and, in so doing, it has lost its potency. The word may now refer to anyone who can inspire enthusiasm (to the good or ill)!

All Scripture appearing in this book—unless stated otherwise—is drawn from a personal paraphrase written by the author.

Introduction

Unravelling the Revelation

A Magnificent Adventure:

We are embarking on an adventure of mammoth proportions. The story is still unfolding! Our mind will be centred on the mysteries¹ of Heaven and of humanity—the things discernible concerning Eternity and the things divulged concerning our spiritual heritage, our present deportment and our future destiny!

The question is, how do we unravel these mysteries? The textual material is weighed down in many fathoms of deep water by the codes, the symbols, the visions, the setting and the style of the book. The associated problems of gaining a valid interpretation and placing the whole in context is immense. But submerged truth can be raised to the surface. It is a worthy enterprise.

Apocalypse Dawn is the outcome of a personal assignment to trace the patterns that emerge from John’s enigmatic work. In so doing, it has been found necessary to engage some heavy ‘earthmoving equipment’ in order to delve into the hidden reaches of John’s great masterpiece. Gems mined from the depths are more to be prized than the alluvial variety. It is hoped that the reader will be enriched, in turn, by the venture.

An observation of the bibliography will highlight the fact that the author has not worked entirely outside concepts associated with more scholarly works, at times turning to the gathered wisdom of the experts in the field. The insights they offer are noteworthy as we reach into the challenges before us.

In my earlier years, the book of Revelation existed in a cloud of incomprehension. Then, a growing interest in John’s approach to the subject surfaced. Shape, style and setting began to fall into place. As the pages opened wider, the text began to offer its inner meanings. Then, pictures, portraits and panoramas emerged that would focus attention on the hidden messages of this peerless example of apocalyptic literature. The story began to unfold in new ways. Truth cannot be denied its platform nor its page!

I began to wonder if my pencil could peel back the outer layers of the book,

allowing the gem to reveal its true worth. This became my imperative: unravel the theological jargon, pare back the language, crack open the codes and give flesh to the symbolic material, in order to discover what it is that God is saying to the Church and what He is saying to the world.

Translating Symbolism into Life Situations

Apocalypse Dawn is an honest attempt to translate symbolism into the certainty of truth—truth that is meant to be divulged. The book we know as Revelation was never meant to be a closed tome with hidden messages! It forms part of the Gospel story—that of God’s interest in humankind, His involvement in the human story of reason, rupture, redemption, reclamation and renewal. This, in essence, is the story contained in the Bible.

John was a visionary. He possessed a clear, inner view of life. His was a deep-sighted spirituality and he wore the dual lenses of inspiration and intuition for close-up work such as the encoded messages that abound in his book.

John had good reason for utilising codes and symbols, and for writing enigmatically as he did. John had not retreated to the Island of Patmos to take a rest cure! This was no island resort. Indeed, he was there much against his will. John was a prisoner of the Imperial Roman Empire!

It was John’s purpose to encourage the faithful, all those who were condemned to incarceration (on the whim of the emperor), simply because they were Christians. John’s message was dynamic, a veritable powder-keg. It was treasonous, fool-hardy and dangerous in the extreme for it carried the certainty of the death penalty if, per chance, the codes had been broken by his captors. Without a doubt, the scroll would have passed through the scrutiny of the censor before there was any chance of dissemination among his fellow prisoners. Having passed the eagle-eye of the scrutineer, the scroll could then be sent by ship to Christian enclaves far and wide.

John need not have worried. To the Romans, his writings may well have appeared to be the ridiculous raving of a demented slave who had taken too much sun! Indeed, the work would have been a laughing stock to pagan Rome, unschooled as it was in spiritual concepts. But, to Christians who were longing for an authoritative word concerning God’s continuing care, it was a Revelation! It was abundantly clear, certainly understood and deeply cherished. The persecuted Christians knew that, in the end, their present suffering would be vindicated. Their dire situation became bearable because their future freedom (not necessarily in this world) was assured! How truly blessed are those who remain faithful unto their death for they will receive the crown—the laurel wreath of Life! (Revelation 2:10).

Does the text appear to be nonsensical? Or, is it simply profound and capable of comprehension? Do we recognise it to be the authentic word of God, as applicable for the 21st Century as it was for the 1st? If unlettered slaves of Rome could understand the meaning of the textual material of Revelation, why can’t we?

Lifting the Covers:

We will be engaged in the lifting of many covers from this cryptic mystery, layer by layer. Apocalypse Dawn will not deal with them all as this writer does not pretend to have traversed its highest and deepest reaches. However,