on www.bookreview.com

In this ambitious work, Williams takes on a challenging subject in a masterful and unusual way.

For nearly two thousand years, people have been interpreting the Book of Revelation as though it had been written specifically for their own time. Today we are flooded with uneven interpretations and fictionalized versions of the Book of Revelations, all attempting to prove that the events portrayed in this enigmatic portion of the New Testament are occurring or about to occur in our life time.

But what if they're way off the mark? What if the prophecies described in the Book were meant to reflect the times in which it was written? The concept makes good sense, and the research Williams puts behind his theories drives them home.

Not only does Williams describe in detail the political, financial and social woes suffered by Christ’s devotees in the years directly following the crucifixion, he ties together well-documented historical events that match Revelations 4 through 16.

In the last chapter of the book Williams gives us his take on other interpretations and interpreters as widely varied as St. Augustine, the Jehovah's Witnesses, Billy Graham, Carl Jung, and Edgar Cayce.

This book is a MUST HAVE for any true biblical scholar. It is an even-handed, well-written look at a subject that is too often moved from research and faith to pure fiction.