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Dr. Boyd O. Gray has composed a lengthy work concentrating on the book of Revelation in the Holy Bible, a work that the author calls “premiliennial.” Revelation, written by the disciple John, has been seen by others (Martin Luther, John Calvin) as obscure, even offensive. But it is possible to read into its symbols and the progression of its story a true prediction, based on historical fact and offering serious advice and warnings to modern readers.
One figure that always intrigues us in Revelation is the Antichrist, who, John stated, “will make war with saints.” Gray believes that it is clear that this mysterious leader will slaughter true believers and force others to worship him, but that “God controls the future and believers belong to him.” After the time specified (seven years), there will be the Rapture of the saints and God’s heaven-like thousand-year reign on earth. Gray reminds us that it is easy for believers to think this cataclysmic period can’t happen now; this is because they are “in love with the world” and secretly want things to continue as they are, but we need to be prepared for these events to occur at any time.
Gray, son of a farmer/preacher, and himself a longtime military man, has had a substantial career as a pastor and has studied this material in depth. Gray is careful to point out that Christ is not the property of any denomination or any single church. Studying the Revelation is not for any one group, but for all. Dr. Gray’s interpretations of scripture, laid out in clear, expository prose with many historical references and a substantial bibliography, deserve the attention of every spiritually-minded reader. As Gray so logically posits, if the book of Revelation is too obscure to be understood, “why have it in the Bible at all?” Thoughtful students of the Bible will find much to ponder in this weighty analysis.
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