The Bible tells us a lot about the marvelous future God has planned for His followers. He gave us that plan in detail in the last book of the Bible. However, most pastors and their church members have no idea, or a distorted idea, of the glorious future God has prepared for us. Many books and commentaries on the Book of Revelation are absolutely worthless because they are so vague and contradictory. I have written this book to give the Church a clear and simple account of the events of the end times. I want you to have a solid Biblical basis for your hope of a better world. My inspiration to write this book came from years of diligent study and reflection.
For thirty-five years I have been researching the Book of Revelation. I have read nearly every prominent book on the subject. I have taught the Book of Revelation scores of times in seminaries, Bible schools and churches. To me this is the most fascinating of all 66 books of the Holy Scriptures. I read the Revelation of John and rejoice, but when I read what others write explaining what John wrote their lack of understanding amazes me. Most of those authors are prophets of gloom and doom. Devastation, destruction, judgment, pain, suffering and death are the themes of their writings. I do not see the Book of Revelation in that light. For that reason I have chosen to write on The Bright Side of the Apocalypse.
How can there be a bright side to the apocalypse? Is that not a contradiction of terms? When you hear the word apocalypse you probably think of helicopter gun ships dropping napalm bombs on jungle villages. Maybe you envision a mushroom cloud rising over an obliterated city, or our planet engulfed in the throes of a nuclear holocaust. That is not what the word apocalypse means. Apocalypse is "a religious writing depicting symbolically the end of evil." This precisely defines the Revelation of John. It is a book of redemption, not destruction. It is the completion of God's plan of salvation, not the end of our world. The message is upbeat and positive. It is not a message of doom and gloom. I see the last book of the Bible as the final chapter in God's plan of redemption. It is the story of the Church, the redeemed ones. If you and I are a part of that company of the redeemed then we are the principal characters in the unraveling of this awesome drama. This will be an exciting study and when you have finished you will have a clearer understanding of the Book of Revelation and the events of the end times than you ever thought possible.
