James K. reviewed There's a New World Coming: An In-Depth Analysis of the Book of Revelation on + 5 more book reviews
Hmm, how to review a book that attempts to unravel the most mysterious and enigmatic portion of the Bible. I guess there would be two perspectives. For those who are predisposed to doubting the existence of God, this would seem a rediculous fantasy concocted by a fanatic or self-decieved fool. Right. OK. For the other group who do believe but find the book of Revelations inscrutible, Lindsey's treatment might be a breath of fresh air. It takes a verse by verse look at prophesy dealing with the end of the age and is a real help in sorting out the chronology of the difficult last book of the bible. Reading it makes me think of the story of the Indian Medicine man back in the 1950s who, having lived on the reservation in the late years of his life, was never exposed to modern american culture. A young man from his tribe attempts to seriously describe to him something he has seen on the "outside". This object he is describing is a box about the size of a war shield but a cube in shape. It opperates because lightning passes through it and illuminates the front of the cube to reveal people inside that move and speak. It also contains an endless array of stories and even incidents from around the world, all played out in movement and sound. Everything from future predictions of weather to the latest words from the great white father can be seen and heard inside this majic box. The Medicine man's reaction is not only disbelief and but outright ridicule of the young man. This is in spite of the fact that the old man is the most intelligent and wise member of the tribe. The reason for his myopic and violent doubts have nothing to do with smarts but hinge on the fact that he has never been exposed to the truth of a reality far beyond the "normal", the accepted facts of life. So he chooses to close his mind to them instead of choosing the real wisdom of admitting that his belief or unbelief do not determine truth. That it is completely independent of himself and to grasp it requires a Revelation from something higher than himself. So this is a challenging book but worthwhile for those who seek a truth beyond themselves even if it conflicts with their world view. Might be an interesting experiment to simply jump into it and suspend unbelief for the durration. View it as a thought experiment that only makes sense in it's own context. That of a world with a God and a God who reveals what will happen.
