We are all interested in the future, because that's where we are hoping to live. In the Bible, the special book about the future is the last onethe book of Revelation. It is often thought to be a mysterious book, but in fact it's a mosaic of over 500 Old Testament references. These references are the keys with which we may unlock the Apocalypse. Prominent in its forecasts are allusions to Jezebel and Elijah. Most have heard of the world's last conflict called Armageddon. But few realize that Armageddon cannot be understood without studying its Old Testament sourcethe histories of Ahab, Jezebel, Elijah at Mount Carmel, and the destruction of idolaters in the Kishon Valley (at Megiddo, which is the Hebrew root name for the Greek word Armageddon). Desmond Ford has two doctorates, and two of his postgraduate degrees are in eschatology. He has written 10 books on Daniel and Revelation and lectured in many countries on these themes. Here, Ford focuses in on future events typified by the Old Testament stories of Elijah versus Jezebel. Central to this study are investigation into Antichrist and his attacks on the latter day church. Revelation's messages for an imperiled world are central in this book.
For almost 2,000 years millions of readers of the Gospels have found them to be self-authenticating-the "inner witness" of their divine inspiration is given to all who read with a surrendered will. Dr. Desmond Ford, who has studied the New Testament records for nearly 70 years, believes that thoughtful readers of this devotional study will have that experience. This book is Christ-centered, Cross-centered, and gospel-centered. Those who give it close attention will conclude that compared to the knowledge of the glad tidings from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, all other knowledge is chaff. Gems from scores of Christian scholars are encapsulated in these pages. To gather them can make anyone richer than Solomon.
Daniel 9:24-27 is a crux interpretum with as many problems as there are cells in a honeycomb. Charles Spurgeon was fond of saying about difficult Bible passages, "The harder the shell, the sweeter the kernel," and that is true of this passage. Dr. Desmond Ford has studied Daniel for 60 years and has written thousands of pages about this Scripture book. Nonscholars, as well as the erudite lay-researcher, will benefit from this book, and will find many solutions to perplexing questions. Dr. Ford considers interpretations advocated by dispensationalists and groups such as Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as the traditional view of the last two millenniums. The book's main emphases are upon "Messiah the Prince" and his "atonement for iniquity" as applicable to both inaugurated (the Cross) and consummated (the Second Coming) eschatology.
To his commentary on Daniel, Dr. Ford has now added a detailed study of the Revelation to John, and it is a pleasure for me to write a few words in commendation of this work as I did for its predecessor.Since the exegesis of Revelation is a subject on which I myself have published some reflections, readers will know that not all the conclusions reached by Dr. Ford coincide with my own views.His confessional background is different from mine; to me, for example, the New Testament antitype of the sabbath is that divine rest into which "we who have believed" find entrance.His estimate of the historical and geographical reference of many of the details of Revelation differs from mine; to me the book is primarily intelligible in the light of the church's experience in the Roman Empire in the second half of the first century A.D. But, just because the visions of John were seen in that contemporary context, they have a permanent and universal relevance, especially for readers living in a situation not unlike that in which John and his first readers lived. And Dr. Ford's study deserves special commendation because of the clarity with which it brings out that permanent and universal relevance. He has read widely in exegetical literature, as the wealth of quotation in the following pages shows; yet throughout he has exercised his own judgment on the meaning of the text.Above all, the book of the Revelation emerges from his study as a powerful witness to the authentic biblical gospel.It is always a source of pride and joy for me to greet and commend the work of a former student, but when the work proclaims the faith of the gospel so eloquently as Dr. Ford's work does, the pride and joy are doubled. F. F. Bruce
Nothing? Or God? How did the universe begin? This comprehensive, beautifully illustrated, fearless examination of Darwinism and Creation demolishes errors on both sides of the argument. Its conclusions are confronting, challenging and inspiring. God and science can, after all, co-exist, support, and affirm each other.
This book is Christ-centred, Cross-centred, and gospel-centred. It focuses on the fulfilment of a promise that God made well over three thousand years ago. God promised that one day he would dwell with us and walk with us, and he would be our God and we would be his people. That promise was fulfilled in Jesus, who was 'God with us'. Jesus came to show us what God is like. He took our sins upon himself, and on the Cross he was judged and condemned for them so that we could be free of condemnation. That's what God is like. Here in Jesus Only, there are gospel gems that you won't find anywhere else—gems that will inspire you to praise God for his great love and wisdom.They saw no man but Jesus only.—Matthew 17:8
Nearly thirty years ago the Seventh-day Adventist church defrocked Dr. Desmond Ford for publicly challenging the denomination's prophetic views. At the same time and on the same basis, many other ministers also lost their positions. Ford had been a top Adventist scholar, who had taught ministerial students and future teachers in Adventism's tertiary institutions in Australia and the U.S. What led him to speak out, and is the debate still current today? What were the issues, and who were the parties involved? Why was it important then? Why does it matter now? This book answers all these questions and shows that the key to prophetic interpretation is Christ and his gospel-not humanly devised calculations hidden in musty history books. Christ clearly teaches it is not for us to know the times and seasons, yet official Adventism continues to teach prophetic timelines that are based on faulty premises. The Adventist teaching of the Investigative Judgment, which supposedly began in 1844, mutes the New Testament gospel, and most Adventist scholars know this. It is time for official Adventism to renounce their errors and become fully Christian in their doctrinal teachings.
The most important New Testament prophecy is also the most neglected and the least understood, despite our Lord's command to "know and understand it." See Matthew 24:15. "The abomination standing in the holy place" launches the tribulation such as never was, bringing a worldwide Calvary that threatens to annihilate the Christian church. This scenario is also discussed by Paul the Apostle in 2 Thessalonians 2 under the title of the "man of sin," the Antichrist who sits in the temple of God at present restrained by the mysterious "hinderer." This book is written for the layperson longing to know what the Bible actually teaches about the future and what will happen at the end of time. In it Dr. Ford describes Antichrist's nature and work and clarifies the gospel of Justification by Faith that Antichrist seeks to destroy.
From the prophecies of Daniel flower all New Testament teachings about the future. Christs final words about coming events (Matt. 24-25; Luke 21 and Mark 13) build on Daniels predictions about the abomination of desolation, a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations, the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven, the end coming like a flood, and the destruction of the temple and the end of the world. Our Lords warning about nations in distress and perplexity (Luke 21:25) has its seed in the first great Apocalypse written by the captive seer in Babylon. No other book of the Old Testament had such tremendous influence on the New Testament and the early Christian church. Scholars acknowledge that apocalyptic was the mother of Christian theology. Ours is an age desperately seeking a theodicy, a vindication of Gods goodness and justice in the face of evil and the wisdom and benevolence of his ways. This Daniel provides. His prophecies understood prove that the world is a ship and not an iceberg, and that human beings are not just the product of time plus chance plus mud. Here is an answer to existentialism, atheism, and post-modernism. Dr. Fords book provides an interpretative summary of Daniel that will prove a key of untold value for all earnest Bible students.
For nearly 2,000 years, the book of Revelation has been viewed as the most difficult book in the Bible. The hundreds of commentaries in the Library of Congress testify that there is no unanimity about the meaning of the symbols of Revelation. And yet this is the only book in the Bible where a special blessing is pronounced on its readers. Its a book from Jesus Christ about himself, his gospel, the future, and what will happen to the saints at the end of time. Desmond Fords Introduction to the Book of Revelation is the fruit of decades of study plus research at the University of Manchester under Professor F. F. Bruce. Ford off ers a much neglected keythis sacred book can only be unlocked by understanding the preceding 65 books of the Bible and, in particular, the life, teachings, and death of Jesus. The main message of Revelation is that the church is to repeat the experience of its Lord. After its final proclamation of the gospel, it will be condemned to martyrdom. And this climactic sin of the world will precipitate the return of Christ in glory.
In a world where diabetes was once a rarity, it has now become an epidemic and at the present rate of increase it will become pandemic later in this century, affecting half the families of earth. Present therapies leave much to be desired. The use of diabetic pills is fraught with dangers and even insulin has its downside. Many can pursue a better approach by knowledge and discipline. Right diet and adequate exercise are the best keys to the control of diabetes. Inevitably, diabetes brings rigors and stresses that can threaten to be overwhelming. Often the sufferer is plunged into depression. In this battle, Christians can be "more than conquerors," trusting in the One whose name is Love and whose absolute sovereignty extends even to a sparrow's fall. This book gives counsel regarding the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of successful diabetic therapy and life-style changes. It can bring untold relief to many.
To his commentary on Daniel, Dr. Ford has now added a detailed study of the Revelation to John, and it is a pleasure for me to write a few words in commendation of this work as I did for its predecessor.Since the exegesis of Revelation is a subject on which I myself have published some reflections, readers will know that not all the conclusions reached by Dr. Ford coincide with my own views.His confessional background is different from mine; to me, for example, the New Testament antitype of the sabbath is that divine rest into which "we who have believed" find entrance. His estimate of the historical and geographical reference of many of the details of Revelation differs from mine; to me the book is primarily intelligible in the light of the church's experience in the Roman Empire in the second half of the first century A.D. But, just because the visions of John were seen in that contemporary context, they have a permanent and universal relevance, especially for readers living in a situation not unlike that in which John and his first readers lived. And Dr. Ford's study deserves special commendation because of the clarity with which it brings out that permanent and universal relevance. He has read widely in exegetical literature, as the wealth of quotation in the following pages shows; yet throughout he has exercised his own judgment on the meaning of the text.Above all, the book of the Revelation emerges from his study as a powerful witness to the authentic biblical gospel. It is always a source of pride and joy for me to greet and commend the work of a former student, but when the work proclaims the faith of the gospel so eloquently as Dr. Ford's work does, the pride and joy are doubled. F. F. Bruce
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