Prophets claim to have a direct connection to God. Serving as intermediaries between the divine and humankind, they are an important component of Judaism and Christianity, helping believers better understand God’s wants and desires for all of creation.
In the spirit of the prophets, this author, who only goes by the name Michael, has written a hefty tome of exegeses that look to unpack the real messages of God from the Bible, messages that he claims have been covered over by years of bad interpretations. The author professes to have the truth and wants to share it with the world.
In a series of chapters on such topics as God’s will, the Antichrist, predestination, reconciliation, angels, and the Battle of Armageddon, Michael expounds on what can be cryptic messages from the Bible. For example, in his chapter “The Mother Whore is the Virgin Woman,” the author looks at the symbolism and imagery in the enigmatic book of Revelation, trying to help readers understand the tragedy of humankind’s infidelity, to God and to Jesus.
Michael is an author with a serious goal, but the book is often difficult to read. While Michael’s writing at times is simple to understand, his lack of a cohesive thesis, his peculiar use of parentheses, italics and bolding, and the rambling nature of his explanations sometimes make for a challenging reading experience. For example, “Many religious systems are teaching that the word ‘us’ in (Gen 1:26), which says the following: (V26 ‘…Let us make man in our image and after our likeness…’ means….” Moreover, there are a number of grammatical and punctuation mistakes and some awkward phrasing that further undermine the book’s authority (e.g. “It is time for the truth to be revealed to them that will diligently seek for it.”).
Although passionately written and well-intentioned, Michael’s message is ultimately lost in the technical mistakes. His book needs thorough editing before it can appeal to a general audience.
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