Opening the Seven Seals: The Visions of John the Revelator

The Book of Revelation is an enigma to most people due to its heavy use of symbolism. I have studied it over the years and have learned little by little using the writings of Joseph Smith and the Doctrine and Covenants as resources to help in the interpretation. I even read McConkie's New Testament Commentary and that also helped. Draper's book has been the biggest help to date in my understanding of this scripture. He is a professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University and uses his knowledge of Greek and symbolism to clarify a lot of what was still confusing to me in the past. The book goes through the entire Book of Revelation verse by verse and explains the meaning in easy to understand language. He uses as resources the Doctrine and Covenants, the Joseph Smith translation of the Bible, other prophetic books in the Old and New Testaments, other Commentaries of Joseph Smith, commentaries of various LDS and non-LDS scholars, and his knowledge of the Greek language. Where there are conflicting opinions, he points these out. His discussions on symbolism were the most helpful to me. Overall I really enjoyed the book and gained new insights. I highly recommend this book for those wanting to gain a greater understanding of the Book of Revelation, especially from an LDS perspective. For non-LDS this book will provide a good summary of what LDS scripture adds to the understanding of the Apocalypse of John.

Very well written analysis of the Book of Revelation. It goes through each verse of the book, and provides thought-provoking insight into Revelation's symbolism and imagery. It also is the first book I've read that gives a plausible sequence of events leading up to the Return of Christ. The author is a Professor of Ancient Religion at Brigham Young University. Although written from an LDS perspective, it is well documented from many non-LDS sources as well, and is highly recommended for anyone who wants to comprehend more of the Apocalypse and the Last Days.