For many, dreams and visions offer direct communication with God, incidents that not only transform the participant but call others to shift their focus to the Almighty. In Behold, I Show You a Mystery, Michael L.A. David, shares personal stories along with his own visionary experiences in an effort to warn readers of pending apocalyptic events. Moreover, he examines the Judeo-Christian story of creation, the New Testament book Revelation, the role of ancient prophecies in modern society, the importance of Israel and Jerusalem, UFOs, Big Foot, and angels—both good and fallen—and how they all relate to Christianity.
David is an impassioned writer, and he proposes simple questions, such as, “Just why did God create man?” that allow him to share his religious insights. He has a conversational style and is most effective when sharing stories about his personal journey through life. Some of the most touching parts of the book center around the birth of his first child and the death of his mother-in-law.
The book suffers from several flaws, however. On the writing mechanics side, there are a number of run-on sentences and syntactical problems that need addressing throughout. Moreover, the narrative is greatly in need of more structure. The problem with visions is they are mostly non-linear experiences which, when related on the page, can make for difficult reading. There are so many different topics in the book, and David covers so much ground that it can be quite overwhelming for readers to follow the author’s train of thought. For example on p. 26, David is writing about the fall in the Garden of Eden and then shifts to his observations of World War II and then shifts back — all without strong transitions. These digressions become increasingly distracting.
Overall, Behold, I Show You a Mystery, offers interesting reading at points, but it’s in need of serious editorial work before it can engage a wide audience.
Also available as an ebook.
