In the mid 70s, I was at West Point attending a conference of some of America’s leading military leaders and engineers. Finding a Gideon Bible in my motel room, I thought it ironic to see this symbol of peace this close to elite West Point that was training the top soldiers of one of the world’s two superpowers. So I took a look at the Apocalypse in case I could discern anything pertinent to the terror of history that I was helping to perpetuate. Surprisingly some of its meanings were immediately clear to me—because I understood them within the context of the sacred Writings of the Baha’i Faith, a worldwide movement of which I was already a member.

My “Apocalyptic” success set me on an adventure of the mind to discover other meanings in this exceedingly complex book that might lie hidden under the dross of twenty centuries. My journey lasted about five years and took me into ancient lands, ancient science, and ancient minds. I discovered that every word of the Apocalypse has multiple meanings, and it would be impossible for any one person to fully comprehend them all. Being a history buff, I was able to correlate the events of the Apocalypse with the unfolding of the spiritual history of the seven major religions of Asia from the early days of Christianity up to the present day, and even with a hint of what lies ahead for us. The result was my own Apocalypse Unsealed.

Now I am blinded by John Able’s profound and astonishing work in biblical exegesis and the beauty of his rhetoric. It is a wonder. His amazing work is beautifully crafted and researched. One strength of his approach is that it greatly enhances the readability of the text; another is that it does not discourage the efforts of future scholars. I sincerely hope and pray that his book will be published and reach a large readership.

Robert Riggs,

Charlottesville