The book of Revelation begins and ends with guarantees that its inspiring message leads to blessing. Popular Bible teacher and author Ron Rhodes guides listeners on an encouraging journey through this prophetic book, interpreting its picturesque language and revealing its reassuring promises.
Each short chapter is perfect for a group Bible study or a personal quiet time and
Scripture Reading and Insights—a short passage of Revelation and easy-to-understand notes on each verse Major Themes—brief summaries of the most important ideas Digging Deeper with Cross-References—several other passages listeners can look up on relevant topics Life Lessons—practical and helpful applications to everyday life Questions for Reflection and Discussion—thought-provoking starters for group discussions or personal journaling Listeners who may have been confused or intimidated by Revelation will appreciate this easy-to-understand and practical presentation of its empowering truths.
With the state of today’s world, many sincere people are searching for answers. The Bible is THE most reliable source of information, now and forever. Ron Rhodes’ book, 40 Days Through Revelation is a solid companion volume to his 40 Days Through Genesis. (Which I also reviewed) It’s clear and succinct, loaded with Scriptural references. I highly recommend it for the neo-phyte Bible student, along with Israel on High Alert for an understanding of Bible prophecy and its modern application. Chapters 35-40 are outstanding in their descriptions of the Millennium and eternal state. Rhodes upholds the divine authority of the Bible on every issue.
I have only one reservation about the book, and it’s the same as his book on Genesis. (Indeed, all modern Bible expositors seem to fall into this snare) Rhodes feels obligated to shoehorn the Trinity into texts where it doesn’t appear, using phrases such as “God the Son” which aren’t found in the Bible. He often makes strong assertions concerning verses than can be translated more than one way, or that don’t appear in other, reliable master texts of the NT. He does this without informing the reader, which is slightly misleading.
My motive here is not to be contentious, as I view Rhodes as a blessed and gifted Bible teacher. The Trinity has been deeply ingrained in Christian thought since the 4th century and is an emotional issue for many. Yet, as is the case with all hoaxes, the Trinity’s staunchest defenders seem to know it has little Scriptural support, so they tend to use every scrap they can to bolster it. The co-equal, co-eternal Triune Godhead hoax is very similar to the religion of evolution. The evidence used to support it is only convincing if you already believe it. There was a recent article on Chernobyl dogs and evolution that was so weak on evidence, it was humorous. (Google it)
Similarly, well-intentioned Trinitarians will point frantically at ANY crumb to feed their cherished doctrine. I will go through many examples in this review. I believe it to be an important issue, which is why I raise it in my reviews of otherwise worthwhile Christian books. Jews, Muslims, and atheists alike are stumbled by the Triune Godhead doctrine. I feel justified in revealing Biblical reasons to be highly skeptical of it.
There is a legal saying. “Assuming facts not in evidence”. I will adhere to this principle with regard to the Trinity.
First, Revelation opens by saying God GAVE the revelation to Jesus. This implies that Jesus isn’t Almighty God. (How could God give something to Himself?) It also shows Jesus isn’t omniscient. As a side point, throughout the book, whenever God and Jesus are mentioned in a verse, Rhodes assumes “God” means God the Father. If the Trinity is true, why can’t “God” mean God the Holy Spirit? Or God the Father and God the Holy Spirit together in “one essence”? Trying to reason out the Triune Godhead becomes extremely confusing.
Page 19. Revelation 1:8. Rhodes claims “Alpha and Omega” refers to Jesus, and He is therefore God. There is no reason to think Jesus is speaking there. In the original text, there were no punctuation marks or “words of Jesus in red”. With multiple characters, it’s often hard to determine who’s speaking. See the book of Habakkuk (and many OT prophetic books) as examples, as well as Revelation 22. 2nd Corinthians 6:18 specifically says The Father is God Almighty. 2nd Corinthians 1:2, 3 show God the Father and Jesus to be two different Persons. 1st Corinthians 8:5, 6 says that there is “…one God, the Father.”
Pg 25. Rhodes cites John 17:5 and calls Jesus the “God of Glory”. The verse does refer to Jesus as glorious, which He absolutely is, but it doesn’t say He’s God. In fact, John 17:3 calls the Father, “The only true God.”
Pgs 25-6. Rhodes hits the Trinity hard here. “First and Last” doesn’t mean equality with God, as John 14:28, Corinthians 11:3, Revelation 1:1 show. He also says having the keys of death and hades ‘implies” Jesus is God. It doesn’t. In John 5:19-30, Jesus answers those who accuse Him of making Himself equal to God. Jesus clearly explains He did nothing of Himself, but only what He beheld His Father doing. This hardly means equality, it means a Son learning from and imitating His Father.
Pg. 46 Rhodes equates Jesus being “holy” with Him being God. This is so thin, I’m surprised Rhodes would even use it. It only shows just how feeble the Triune Godhead teaching is. The apostles are called “holy” in Ephesians 3:5. Check a Strong’s for where the word is used throughout Scripture. Angels and Christians in general are also called holy.
In his comments on Revelation 3:2, 12, Rhodes ignores Jesus calling The Father “My God” 5 times. This shows Jesus worships The Father, as do all Christians. See John 20:17.
Revelation 3:14. Rhodes strains to avoid the plain meaning of “arkhe/beginning”. A literal reading of the verse shows Jesus was “the beginning of the creation of God”. (see Strong’s) “Arkhe” can mean “chief” secondarily, but Rhodes’ example of “Archbishop” doesn’t prove his point. Archbishops are themselves bishops. An Archangel IS an angel. If Rhodes’ example were true, it would still mean Jesus was “of creation”. See Colossians 1:3, 15 which calls God Jesus’ father and says Jesus is “…the firstborn OF CREATION.” (New American Standard) What are the plain, literal meanings of “Father”, “Son”, “Firstborn of”, and “Beginning”? See also 2nd John verse 3.
On page 55, under the “Major Themes” heading, the author has “The Trinity and Creation”. The verses discussed in that chapter nowhere mention a “Trinity”, and the verses cited to support it, don’t. While Holy Spirit was certainly used in creation as “the finger of God” (Luke 11:20, “power of God” NLT), nothing Rhodes quotes can be used to prove Holy Spirit is the 3rd Person of a Triune Godhead. Indeed, there is no Scriptural record of anyone having a conversation with Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is just what its name literally means, a “Sacred Wind”. Furthermore, all the vss. Rhodes cites only mention two Persons at most, not three.
Page 69. In his comments on Revelation 5:14, Rhodes says because the 24 elders fell down before Jesus, that means Jesus is God. However, note Revelation 3:9. Check a Strong’s. The Greek word means “worship”. Also see Psalm 45:11, where the king’s bride is told to worship him because he is her Lord. As well, see 1st Samuel 25:23 where Abigail bows low before David. Such acts of obeisance are common in the OT. Rhodes knows this full well. Page 83. In comments on Revelation 6:17, the author uses the phrase “God the Son”. That phrase, along with “God the Holy Spirit” never appears in Scripture. “God the Father” occurs many times. Surely, this says something about the Trinity.
Page 122. Revelation 10. The description of a mighty angel is very similar to Jesus. Yet Rhodes goes to great lengths to show they’re different. (True). In other places, Trinitarians use the same arguments as evidence that Jesus and Yahweh are the same. Rhodes also says Jesus is God Almighty, yet Isaiah 9:6, 7 says Jesus is “Mighty”, not “ALMIGHTY” (see 2nd Corinthians 6:18, which I mentioned earlier). Rhodes cites Revelation 19:6. This describes Yahweh, not Jesus.
Pg. 124 bottom of the page. Rhodes inadvertently describes God and Jesus as two different people.
Pg. 143 Revelation 11:15. Rhodes claims this means the first and second Persons of the Trinity. Verse says no such thing. And the Holy Spirit is conspicuously absent, arguing against a “Trinity”. Rhodes sabotages his own statement in citing Psalm 2:2 and its quotation in Acts 4:26. Those verses mention Yahweh AND His anointed. If Yahweh is a Trinity, Yahweh AND His anointed would be FOUR Persons. Also, Acts 4:27 says Jesus is Yahweh’s SERVANT, not 2nd co-equal Person of a Trinity. (See Acts 4 in the zealously Trinitarian Passion Translation)
Pages 193, 4. Revelation 15:3 The song of The Lamb is about Yahweh, not Jesus. The Song of Moses about Yahweh, as well. Revelation 15:6, after saying because Jesus is holy, he must be God, he describes angels as being holy. True.
Pg. 240 Revelation 19:13, “The Word”. Rhodes mentioning the Jewish Targums is self-defeating because Jews don’t believe in the Trinity. Regarding John 1:1, “The Word was God”. The American Translation along with Moffat’s say “…the Word was divine.” Both renderings are legitimate but the alternate should at least be acknowledged. Furthermore, the Logos is described in John 1:1, 2 as being “with God”, arguing against Him being God Almighty. Rather, Jesus is the Divine SON of God. (John 20:31) Also, there’s no 3rd Person mentioned, so those vss. are weak evidence for a Triune Godhead.
Page 279. Rev. 22:3. The authors says that because the singular “him” is used, it points to the “essential oneness of the Trinity”. This is a prime example of assuming facts not in evidence. If Rhodes had martialed text after text saying that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were co-equal, co-eternal and of one essence, fine. But those vss. don’t exist. And again, the phrase “God the Son” isn’t in the Bible. And once more, only two Persons are mentioned. Rhodes cites John 10:30, but that refers to unity between Father and Son. See John 17:21, which compares the oneness of Father and Son with their oneness with believers.
Pg 287 Revelation 22:13. Rhodes again says Jesus is the “Alpha and Omega”. But footnotes in nearly every Bible I own say that phrase doesn’t appear in reliable Master texts of the NT. It’s weak evidence for Rhodes’ claims.
I apologize for my extensive and thorough review but I believe the author’s relentless assertions concerning the Triune Godhead warranted a respectful rebuttal.
Simply put, Yahweh is God the Father, Jesus is His Divine only-begotten Son, and Holy Spirit is a “Sacred Wind” or God’s power.
Other than that, Rhodes’ book is an excellent, highly recommended Bible study aid. Much appreciated in these turbulent times, with lies flying like arrows at Christians from all directions.
This book is about one theologian's view (the standard dispensational view) of the Book of Revelation. This would be fine, if he provided convincing arguments and evidence for his interpretation of it, but he doesn't. He just asserts his view as the only true view. This is just silly...
The book he covers is one of the most controversial books on the planet with many different views espoused by very fine philosophers and theologians. It is unfortunate that some theologians are not humble enough to recognize that their views may be incorrect.
I do not recommend this book for getting at the truth, study, or reference because there are better books for this like the "Four Views on the Book of Revelation". However, if you want a parrot his view, then this is the book for you!
There are a lot of books, studies, even novels based on the book of Revelation and the return of Christ to the Earth. I have studied this book of the Bible in group studies many years ago. I held Bible studies in my home back around 2001 and 2002. I haven't read much in the past 10 years about Revelation so I used this book as a refresher course and it was perfect for that purpose. Now, I plan to read some more books about the imminent return of Jesus. Happy reading 📚
These words used as a companion to understanding God’s word are very useful. There is so much symbolism and history that I have never understood but I’ve always longed to understand. I’ve read revelation with no accompanying study and I understood some of it, but this book helps put the word of God in perspective. Thank you for this study!
If I could I would give this book 10 stars. No pun intended but what a revelation "40 years through Revelation" was. The guarantees that God has put in place for us is something to rejoice in. I highly recommend this book for those who have lost their Faith in God. It will give peace of mind that you would never have thought possible.
Overall, a nice reference book, but no surprise. It leans toward a very strong personal slant that the author holds. I strongly suggest that you balance it with other books or commentary that show different viewpoints.
The bottom line is there’s so much in the book of Revelation that God does not detail for us. The author here wrote as if he was the expert and his point of view was the right one. It very well will maybe be but again God did not spell out the details.
I wanted to get a better understanding of this book in the Bible and it was extremely helpful to use as I was reading the Bible. Want to try others of these guides. Highly recommend.
This book is phenomenal! I definitely know revelation a lot better and it’s easy to understand.. a lot of facts with no agenda being pushed. I appreciated that!
My first revelations study. I had not been wanting to do one. Lots of good information. Not afraid or frightened about the end of days anymore. God is in control and I’m so grateful.
Ron Rhodes in his new book, “40 Days Through Revelation” published by Harvest House Publishers gives us a study in Uncovering the Mystery of the End Times.
From the back cover: Is Revelation a Blessing to you yet? It can be…
The book of Revelation begins and ends with guarantees that its inspiring message leads to blessing. Popular Bible teacher and author Ron Rhodes guides readers on an encouraging journey through this prophetic book, interpreting its picturesque language and revealing its reassuring promises. Each short chapter is perfect for a group Bible study or a personal quiet time and includes…
Scripture Reading and Insights–a short passage of Revelation and easy-to-understand notes on each verse Major Themes–brief summaries of the most important ideas Digging Deeper with Cross-References–several other passages readers can look up on relevant topics Life Lessons–practical and helpful applications to everyday life Questions for Reflection and Discussion–thought-provoking starters for group discussions or personal journaling If you have been confused or intimidated by Revelation you will love this easy-to-understand and practical presentation of its empowering truths.
Revelation is the only book of The Bible that tells us it comes with a blessing for reading it. Yet, most people shy away from reading it because the imagery that it contains seems to be very difficult to understand. Reverend Rhodes presents a comprehensive study to remind us that Revelation was written to believers who were facing persecution and hostility from the ruling culture. Reverend Rhodes clearly explains how today’s Christians can know that God has always been–and will always be–in control over human history. Make sense of future events and trust God in the midst of trials. And have a sense of urgency in living each day as the book of Revelation commands us to. ”40 Days Through Revelation” helps to understand just what is happening in the world right now. It also aids in getting us the blessing as it gives us a real taste to sit down and read the book in its entirety. I recommend this book highly.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Harvest House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
***...practical explanations equip readers to understand Revelatioin as never before***
Author and radio show host, Ron Rhodes penned 40 Days through Revelation to help readers understand the only Bible book that “…promises a special blessing to those who read it and obey its message…” He writes with spiritual clarity, from a pre-tribulation position, about a book of prophecy many have difficulty understanding and don’t read —the Book of Revelation.
In the introduction Ron identifies and explains “four primary” beliefs about the book of Revelation that include, “historicist…idealist…preterist…and “futurist.” Ron favors the futurist view and believes the events described in Revelation will “…take place…” word for word in what is commonly called the “End Times” just before Christ’s return.
He encourages readers to begin the study with prayer and ask God for understanding, insight and wisdom about what they read. Then, Bible in hand, he instructs readers to read the assigned sections, “verse-by-verse,” noting ones that speak to you in new and different ways. Topical chapter summaries include major themes, ample cross-references and questions that equip readers to dig deeper. The “Life Lessons” are for personal application…Full Review: www.examiner.com/list/40-days-through...
A line by line study of the book of Revelation, this study was very helpful, informative, and clear. The author presented differing opinions on the interpretation of different passages, many cross references, discussion on the major topics throughout, and offered thought provoking questions to keep me coming back.
Very simple to follow & each verse is explained. I found it be a great study. It gave great peace & comfort & strengthened my faith knowing that God holds everything & everyone in his hands.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author really helped me better understand the book of Revelation. This is a book I'll definitely pass on to my parents and, hopefully one day to my children. I'm so glad I bought this book.