40 Days Through Revelation: Uncovering the Mystery of the End Times

…with one reservation. 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 is 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 really good. I would recommend this book for anyone who is wanting to study Revelations.

# Follow… د المطلب ابن هاشم (Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim) or just call him, “Muhammad,” an evil madman and lunatic straight to into HELL…# No-peace-upon-him as the doctrine of hatred a web of such deception that only Satan could have invented Islam to destroy all of humankind by proselyting themselves on woven rugs spreading their heresy up to our Heavenly Father and poison the plant earth.Complicated isn’t it to understand this insanity and why is it so confusing, perhaps by evil intent? Such is the thesis of SATAN who so reins over earth to harm, kill and destroy God’s chosen people by the hand of a false and illiterate so-called prophet along with his self-grandees appointed pagan deity called, “Allāh;” to carry out Satan’s evil and instruct the condemned souls with such foolishness as they desire death for Allāh according to Satan’s plan with the promise of a Jihad and to reap the rewards of the 72-virgins. What about the Eves of Islam? Who’s waiting in paradise for these blindly cloaked women who have been diminished to sex slaves on earth for the black hooded Adams’ to carry out their caliphate? Whose grandiose plan is it for this ends of days they so desire? Who’s going to prevail on earth as it is in heaven and who’s forever consigned to the fires of HELL, lest we forget to believe by loss of our faith?A vision came to me in a dream of my moments stood still in time with the beginnings of days until the ends of time. There was Adam and Eve; a magicka belief of Islam were of God’s human creation, who’ve so fell from grace by sin, expelled from paradise by the temptation of Satan. There was Noah; a righteous man built an ark to begin again after the great flood by Thy Wrath against the godlessness of pagan worship, again by the hand of Satan. Then God delivered the promise of hope with a rainbow. There was Abraham; father of two nations and chosen by God. Then came forth by Abraham’s seed, Ishmael from Hagar with the blessing to prosper of other nations. Then came forth by Abraham’s seed, Isaac from Sarai; child of promise begotten for the chosen people, spared from sacrifice to bring forth the new Lamb of promise. There was Moses; “I Am,” said He, “I Am.” Moses obeyed and the first born male Jewish slaves of Egypt were spared at Passover and freed for 40 years’ times 40 more to live by God’s Commandants of the Covenant until Prophets proclaimed the Son of Man would bring forth the promise and to be saved by Grace. Yeshua; Son of Man, Lamb of God came forth until the day and time of the end of days in a blink of an eye to fulfil His promise and like a Lion to defeat Satan’s chain of evil on 2/3’s of all mankind for salvation of the remaining and righteous third, for: “I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.” Ezekiel 25:17. Yeshua was and is Perfect forever without end. Past-present Muhammad, self-proclaimed slave and messenger to a spurious pagan god named Allāh, was purveyor of the nations of Islam and by the translation of Islam is “submission” to Allāh’s and their jointly evil whims to oppress lost souls and bring forth the antichrist to condemn their ilk to the gates of HELL for their final end without beginning. “Taqiyya,” Islamic principle of lying for the sake of Allāh is okay by Satan who is so perfectly happy by this deception because he wrote and created the Qur’an with a fake god in mind to replace the Torah and attempt to destroy the fulfillment of the New Covenant by Grace such as the hoax of the gospel of Barnabas. Satan enlisted Muhammad to follow this sham willingly by greed and conquest. Then Muhammad appointed himself as Allāh’s “holy” messenger to further corrupt, suppress and torment humankind for satanical whims of earthly things while the sado-submissives head-to-toe in pajamas raise their offensive stink up to heaven five times a day with their repetitive and hollow Muslim prayers without beginning or end. What’s the point of all of this madness of a 1400-year-old occult that still thrives? Why not? Satan exists and thrives to despise God’s creation and he is forever consigning the lost souls by man’s freewill to the depths of the lake fires in HELL.

Easy to understand

Brought this for a friend its one of those books I keep on the bookshelf and lend out..

I received my order on time today, which i'm so grateful for as I am reading the book of revelation at the moment and I think this book will help me understand it better - I can't wait to get into the book!

Ron Rhodes writes with a simplicity that touches the sublime. It is a book that gently touches ones heart and mind. I plan to use some of the insights in my continuing gospel ministry in 2017 and throughout 2018. Highly recommended.

Excellent quality and service, can highly recommend this book

Clearly laid out and easy to follow. Look forward to completing the challenge. Extra studies included to take you further