Revelation: God's Word for the Biblically Inept

by Daymond R. Duck

A guide to the book of Revelation explores the scripture, presents the interpretations of experts, and comments on the implications of the text

Genres: Religion, Christian, Christian Non Fiction

350 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 1997

About the author

Daymond Duck was born in 1939 in Trimble, Tennessee. He is the second of five children born to Herbert N. and Gracie M. Duck. He is the founder and president of Prophecy Plus Ministries, the best-selling author of a shelf full of books, a conference speaker, a writer for raptureready.com and made more than 300 TV appearances.

Reviews

[Gale Penton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Helped to better understand Revelation. Loved it.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 2 out of 5]

When a book promotes itself as being a Bible commentary encouraging neophytes in the Bible to learn from such "experts" as Hal Lindsey, Vernon McGee, and John Hagee, among many others, one has reason to doubt that there will be much expertise to be found in such a book and one considers oneself likely to find the book of largely entertainment value, if any. Without knowing in advance the precise perspective of the "God's Word For The Biblically-Inept" series came from, I did not have high hopes that the people involved would actually be biblically knowledgeable, and this suspicion and skepticism was certainly well-founded. It was perhaps a bit surprising, even though it should not have been, that some of the experts showed some humility in the face of widespread disagreement about the contents of Revelation and the many mysteries that we simply do not know fully about. It is seldom a good sign when something that should be ordinary enough to be taken for granted becomes surprising in light of the general absence of biblical literacy on the part of those who consider themselves fit to instruct those who do not know any better. One is reminded of the saying that if the blind lead the blind they will both fall into a ditch, or at least both remain ignorant about the book of Revelation [1].

Despite its general ineptitude and the great frequency of unbiblical thoughts on such matters as the Lord's Day, the Rapture, and the general refusal of the book to properly address the preterist, historicist, and allegorical perspectives the book at least manages to be coherent on some level, raising this far above the level of the worst possible books. The book is organized largely into three sections, the first dealing with the "Church Age" from chapters 1-3, the period from the supposed rapture to the second coming from chapters 4-19 of Revelation, and the Millennium and beyond for the last three chapters of Revelation. Overall the contents of this book take up 350 pages, filled with pictures and occasional humorous text that is in the vein of the Dummies series of books, only with a biblical focus. Each chapter has a regular set of features, including the appeal to supposed experts, study questions, points to ponder, and reflections based on current events in the 1990's. Some of the supposed prophecy experts ended up not being sufficiently discreet enough to avoid beclowning themselves with speculations about the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, earthquake patterns, and the Shoemaker-Levy comet.

Ultimately, it must be freely confessed that this is not a very good book in terms of its content. Nevertheless, it is good when it comes to its intentions and its structure, and it is possible that other books in the series may be better. Unfortunately, this book must be honored, if it is to be honored at all, for its cautionary value to those interested in prophecy and for the fact that it seeks to put Revelation in a whole biblical context. This may not be all that the book sets out to do by being written in such a basic fashion that it explains any word, biblical or not, that could possibly confuse an audience interested in scripture, but if the book cannot possibly meet its ambitions as a volume it is worthwhile that it has at least some accomplishments. It is to be hoped, if I ever look at other volumes in this series, that their experts are genuinely knowledgeable about the Bible and not merely pretending to be or experts in their own minds. In general, it is likely that the authors of the entire series and the experts come under the point of view of fundamentalist Christianity. Let us hope that the other volumes are better, even if I am in no hurry to find out.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...

[Laura-Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Christian book on Prophecy that explains the book of Revelation verse by verse. Consults all the experts on the subject (where they agree and how they disagree) and with humor and cartoons too.
Don't leave home without it. Funny, witty, intelligent and exciting. Not just a "reader" but a "keeper" I've already owned mine for more than a decade and it is worn. But for the first time a Christian Reference Book that unravels Biblical Prophecy and is FUN to read. (I suppose that's why Daymond R Duck is also the Cartoonist known as "Reverend Fun".)

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is outstanding! I love the background and insights into the lifestyle and thought patterns of the days when each passage was written, the cross references, the prompts that add just a little bit more to think about, and the fullness of what each chapter covers. On days when life is a bit too much, and my mind is not able to concentrate and dig deep, I can read the chapter and rely on the quoted scripture, and feel fed. I can then go back and reread the chapter the next day, or while life has been less stressful, and take some real time to read all of the scriptural references, and to reflect and pray. Both options are open to me, as well as everything in between. These are great books for the Christian who is ready to take the next small step from a two minute devotional that covers one or two verses to one that is still short but digs a little deeper and covers a little more ground. They are also great for the Christian who is craving real meat and potatoes in their devotional life and Bible study. They are all worth going back for a second read a year, or ten, later. I keep them handy on my bookshelf, and often refer to them when I am confused or perplexed about someone's interpretation of a specific passage. The books give me pertinent information, in a format I can earily read and retain, that allows me to form my own opinon of what the scripture is saying.

[Carol Nease]

Very good and informative Read 3 times

[Karan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of information and increased my understanding of one of the most confusing books of the Bible.

[Roxi]

Bible Study at Christ United Methodist Church.

[Lindsey Gandhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great way to break down Revelations. I like the author, and all the other authors that added their commentary and interpretation of the scripture. The book of Revelations can be very daunting to get through, read and understand. This book does a great job of breaking it down.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great author/person. Great topic. Great format.

[Nick Woodall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this series on the Bible.

[Jennie Tavares · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I read this as a companion to Revelation in the Bible. It really helped me understand some things that had previously confused me. I would definitely recommend this!