Eighteen years ago the Christadelphian Scripture Study Service published a book with the title The Revelation - Which Interpretation? by Graham Pearce the well known initiator of the annual Milestones. It was in response to a growing fascination by some with what we believe to be unscriptural interpretations of the last vital message of our Master. The Protestant reformation partially freed Europe and other places from the deadly shackles of Romanism by defining the Roman church as the Harlot on the beast.

But the counter reformation, initiated by the Catholics to regain lost power, deliberately propagated the preterist writings of Alcazar, a Spanish Jesuit, who started the idea of a first century fulfilment involving the Jewish nation.

The futurist idea by Ribera, another Jesuit, again took the heat off the Roman church. But it was the Jesuit, Manuel de Lacunza y Díaz of Chile who wrote a book under the pseudonym Juan Josafat Ben-Ezra published posthumously which had the greatest impact on prophetic studies and modern futurism. It turned Protestants and Non-conformists away from the continuous historical interpretation and back into the clutches of the mother church.

To rescue Christadelphians from this disastrous trend by a few prominent authors, this book was issued. It looks at preterist and futurist interpretations written by those in the brotherhood and in a few short pages capably demonstrates why they are incorrect. Chapter 1 shows that Revelation was a book given to be understood, [and not merely for "meditation" as one recent author put it]. Chapter two presents the claims of the historical interpretation. The other chapters look at alternative views and show why they are incorrect. There are 4 appendices:

  1. Daniel and the Apocalypse,
  2. Is the Apocalypse a chronological progression?
  3. An update on a revised futurist edition and
  4. A Biblical principal of interpretation.
There is a list of further reading and a handy alphabetical index. Let us not be deceived by brethren who present to us rehashed Jesuit propaganda.

"Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy".