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Revelation - The Way it Happened
In The Way It Happened , Lee Harmon leads his readers, verse by verse, through the events of Revelation, adroitly explaining the relevance of these scriptures while seamlessly weaving in a father-and-son discussion of the Apostle John's frightful letter. Meet Samuel and Matthew, two Jews living in Ephesus fifty years after the death of Christ, and share in their astonishment as the prophecies of John's vision play out around them in the Roman Empire. Bare your teeth at the original beast of Revelation, his double the antichrist, and John's nemesis, the false prophet. Relive the fire-and-brimstone tragedy of Mount Vesuvius, the expectation of massacre looming on the horizon and, finally, the Christian dream of escaping to live with God in Eden-like Jerusalem after it floats down from heaven. Harmon excels at capturing the essence of that time as he addresses our modern-day perceptions and misconceptions of this ancient tome. You'll never read the Bible in the same way again.
346 pages, Paperback
First published December 13, 2010
About the author
Lee Harmon
5 books113 followersaka The Dubious Disciple
Hello! I'm an author, historical Jesus scholar, book reviewer, and liberal Christian, which means I appreciate and attempt to exercise the humanitarian teachings of Jesus without getting hung up on supernatural or religious beliefs. I am put off by neither the atheist nor the strict fundamentalist ... or, for that matter, the Muslim or Buddhist. All are brothers, and none has a monopoly on God.
The Bible is a magnificent book that has inspired and spiritually fed generations for thousands of years, and each new century seems to bring a deeper understanding of life’s purpose. This is true of not only Christianity; through the years, our age-old religions have slowly transformed from superstitious rituals into humanitarian philosophies. In short, we are growing up, and I am thrilled to be riding the wave.
I avidly read all things religious. New authors: I'd love to read and review your book!
http://www.dubiousdisciple.com
Hello! I'm an author, historical Jesus scholar, book reviewer, and liberal Christian, which means I appreciate and attempt to exercise the humanitarian teachings of Jesus without getting hung up on supernatural or religious beliefs. I am put off by neither the atheist nor the strict fundamentalist ... or, for that matter, the Muslim or Buddhist. All are brothers, and none has a monopoly on God.
The Bible is a magnificent book that has inspired and spiritually fed generations for thousands of years, and each new century seems to bring a deeper understanding of life’s purpose. This is true of not only Christianity; through the years, our age-old religions have slowly transformed from superstitious rituals into humanitarian philosophies. In short, we are growing up, and I am thrilled to be riding the wave.
I avidly read all things religious. New authors: I'd love to read and review your book!
http://www.dubiousdisciple.com
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 16, 2017
I grew up in an evangelical Christian culture that is obsessed with the final book of the Bible, Revelation. People in my family and church often spoke of Revelation as the blueprint for the end-times, which are certainly going to happen soon. This fervor increased with the release of the Left Behind book series. These books popularized the “futurist” and “dispensationalist” interpretation of Revelation.
In some way, those books began my movement away from such understanding. As a teen, I found them to be poorly written fiction. When I went to seminary my New Testament professor was known for opposing the theology of the likes the Left Behind series promoted. Studying Revelation with Dr. Lowery opened my eyes to a different way of understanding Revelation, a way that was much more historically grounded, recognizing the book had to mean something to those who first read it, as well as much more challenging, in that it has a message for us today, right now, and not just about the future.
One could say that my understanding of Revelation has been moving from a futurist perspective, where the whole of it takes place in the future, towards more of a preterist perspective, where the whole of it, or at least much of it, took place in the first century.
This is the background I brought to my Goodreads’ friend Lee Harmon’s book, Revelation: The Way it Happened. Interacting with Lee on Goodreads has been fun. Lee is a liberal Christian, bringing a completely different perspective to the scripture then I am used to. Thus I was not sure what to expect from his book. To be blunt: I loved it.
Lee brings a unique view to Revelation. While scholars debate over whether Revelation was written prior to 70 AD or around 95 AD, Lee argues it was probably written in 79 AD. This is a minority view for sure. For Lee, the first half of Revelation tells a story that has already happened, centered on the Jewish War with Rome and the persecutions of Christians by Emperor Nero. Revelation can tell this story not because it is predicting it with God’s help, but because it has already happened.
Lee then sees the second half of Revelation as a prediction of the immanent end of the world complete with the return of the evil Nero leading an invasion from the east to take revenge on his enemies. But Nero will be defeated by Jesus Christ, leading an army of martyred saints delivering justice to God’s enemies. But of course, none of this happened and the world did not end, which is why Lee sees Revelation as a failed prediction. The world kept plugging along, the end did not come.
This is not a scholarly commentary, though it is clear Lee has read many scholarly commentaries. Lee places his commentary on Revelation in the context of a discussion between a father and a son. The father, Samuel, fled from Jerusalem prior to the Jewish War, and has lived in the city of Ephesus ever since. Samuel and his son, Matthew, are Jews, but have joined the fledgling Christian movement. The most interesting part of the book is their interactions, as well as flashbacks that tell the story of Simon’s other son who died during the war.
What I most found intriguing about the book is how it weaved a variety of genres together: there was the story of Samuel and Matthew, the actual text of the book of Revelation as well as Lee’s commentary notes on it. One thing my professor used to emphasize about Revelation itself was its weaving of genres as well as its movement around in time. Lee’s story has Revelation jumping around, taking the reader back in time before returning to the present and then zipping into the future. I believe even futurists would not see Revelation as linear, since chapter 12 is the story of Jesus’ birth. But my point is that the style of Lee’s book in some way mirrors the style of Revelation. At times it was not easy to follow Lee’s story and commentary with flashbacks and footnotes thrown in (I would not recommend it as an e-book). Then I realized that is kind of how Revelation is: it is not easy to follow because it jumps between the past, present and future. Lee, I’m not sure if you intended that, but I liked it.
Of course, there are a few points I would not agree with Lee on. His theology and mine are different. That said, I think this book could be a fruitful read for any student of scripture. There were times when I do wish Lee had included more references to his sources, explaining a bit more how he made a connection from a passage in Revelation to a specific interpretation. But again, a scholarly commentary this is not and Lee does include a list of sources at the end of the book for further reading. If anything, this book has made me want to explore preterism even more, so I am appreciative of that. Overall, thanks Lee for an entertaining, thought-provoking and enlightening book.
In some way, those books began my movement away from such understanding. As a teen, I found them to be poorly written fiction. When I went to seminary my New Testament professor was known for opposing the theology of the likes the Left Behind series promoted. Studying Revelation with Dr. Lowery opened my eyes to a different way of understanding Revelation, a way that was much more historically grounded, recognizing the book had to mean something to those who first read it, as well as much more challenging, in that it has a message for us today, right now, and not just about the future.
One could say that my understanding of Revelation has been moving from a futurist perspective, where the whole of it takes place in the future, towards more of a preterist perspective, where the whole of it, or at least much of it, took place in the first century.
This is the background I brought to my Goodreads’ friend Lee Harmon’s book, Revelation: The Way it Happened. Interacting with Lee on Goodreads has been fun. Lee is a liberal Christian, bringing a completely different perspective to the scripture then I am used to. Thus I was not sure what to expect from his book. To be blunt: I loved it.
Lee brings a unique view to Revelation. While scholars debate over whether Revelation was written prior to 70 AD or around 95 AD, Lee argues it was probably written in 79 AD. This is a minority view for sure. For Lee, the first half of Revelation tells a story that has already happened, centered on the Jewish War with Rome and the persecutions of Christians by Emperor Nero. Revelation can tell this story not because it is predicting it with God’s help, but because it has already happened.
Lee then sees the second half of Revelation as a prediction of the immanent end of the world complete with the return of the evil Nero leading an invasion from the east to take revenge on his enemies. But Nero will be defeated by Jesus Christ, leading an army of martyred saints delivering justice to God’s enemies. But of course, none of this happened and the world did not end, which is why Lee sees Revelation as a failed prediction. The world kept plugging along, the end did not come.
This is not a scholarly commentary, though it is clear Lee has read many scholarly commentaries. Lee places his commentary on Revelation in the context of a discussion between a father and a son. The father, Samuel, fled from Jerusalem prior to the Jewish War, and has lived in the city of Ephesus ever since. Samuel and his son, Matthew, are Jews, but have joined the fledgling Christian movement. The most interesting part of the book is their interactions, as well as flashbacks that tell the story of Simon’s other son who died during the war.
What I most found intriguing about the book is how it weaved a variety of genres together: there was the story of Samuel and Matthew, the actual text of the book of Revelation as well as Lee’s commentary notes on it. One thing my professor used to emphasize about Revelation itself was its weaving of genres as well as its movement around in time. Lee’s story has Revelation jumping around, taking the reader back in time before returning to the present and then zipping into the future. I believe even futurists would not see Revelation as linear, since chapter 12 is the story of Jesus’ birth. But my point is that the style of Lee’s book in some way mirrors the style of Revelation. At times it was not easy to follow Lee’s story and commentary with flashbacks and footnotes thrown in (I would not recommend it as an e-book). Then I realized that is kind of how Revelation is: it is not easy to follow because it jumps between the past, present and future. Lee, I’m not sure if you intended that, but I liked it.
Of course, there are a few points I would not agree with Lee on. His theology and mine are different. That said, I think this book could be a fruitful read for any student of scripture. There were times when I do wish Lee had included more references to his sources, explaining a bit more how he made a connection from a passage in Revelation to a specific interpretation. But again, a scholarly commentary this is not and Lee does include a list of sources at the end of the book for further reading. If anything, this book has made me want to explore preterism even more, so I am appreciative of that. Overall, thanks Lee for an entertaining, thought-provoking and enlightening book.
June 3, 2016
This was a great read. It's is full of fascinating information and theories with a good story to boot. A mixture of story, Scripture, and commentary, Harmon posits that the book of Revelation was written 7-9 years after Jerusalem fell.
At first, the plot jumps around a bit between Nero and other characters, but once it settles down with Samuel and Matthew, it really takes off. He creates some plausible drama between the writings of Josephus and John and has an interesting theory about the identity of John, the author.
Harmon often makes statements that infer a late date for the books of the New Testament. This is important in establishing the reliability of the Gospels as prophetic or not. I need to do more research, but I do know that several scholars posit that Mark was written as early as 40AD. So our sources do not agree, but do they ever?
Harmon's book gives the reader much to think about. He challenges popular conceptions of the Revelation and also eternity. A must read.
At first, the plot jumps around a bit between Nero and other characters, but once it settles down with Samuel and Matthew, it really takes off. He creates some plausible drama between the writings of Josephus and John and has an interesting theory about the identity of John, the author.
Harmon often makes statements that infer a late date for the books of the New Testament. This is important in establishing the reliability of the Gospels as prophetic or not. I need to do more research, but I do know that several scholars posit that Mark was written as early as 40AD. So our sources do not agree, but do they ever?
Harmon's book gives the reader much to think about. He challenges popular conceptions of the Revelation and also eternity. A must read.
July 11, 2013
for a Fictional story, this is a great study, I thought he has put a lot of information about a really tough book in the Bible to study.
Very informative, Lee has done a great job giving very detailed information and made it easy to read and study, I am very impressed with his Biblical knowledge and look forward to reading more of his writing.
Very informative, Lee has done a great job giving very detailed information and made it easy to read and study, I am very impressed with his Biblical knowledge and look forward to reading more of his writing.
May 29, 2012
This book certainly made a lot of sense to me. I felt it was well supported and convincing and I wish people wouldn't keep looking anxiously for the end of the world
August 2, 2012
When author Lee Harmon approached me on goodreads.com about reviewing this book I wondered if he knew what he was asking. My reservations were based on the knowledge that our doctrinal beliefs couldn’t be further apart. Harmon is a self-described follower of the “historical Jesus” which means “he appreciate(s) and attempt(s) to exercise the humanitarian teachings of Jesus without getting hung up on supernatural or religious beliefs” (taken from Harmon’s Goodreads page). My views are quite different. I am a member of a Southern Baptist Church, a student at a conservative Baptist graduate school, and a Calvinist with a dispensational understanding of God’s Word. I agree with C.S. Lewis’ argument that Christ simply doesn’t give us the option of respecting Him as a teacher without accepting His Deity. Christ is either God or insane. Considering all of this, I wondered if I was capable of actually giving this book a fair review.
I’m going to give it my best shot.
Revelation: The Way it Happened is a Preterist’s presentation of the Book of Revelation. Simply put, Preterism is the belief that the prophetic books of the Bible (especially Daniel and Revelation) all concern events that have solely happened in the past. As such, Preterists argue that the Book of Revelation has very little to do with future eschatological events and more to do with the way in which Jews believed the end of the world would be ushered in almost 2,000 years ago. Quite often this assertion is coupled with the notion that the prophetic elements of the Bible were all written after the events they predict. This argument has the added benefit of robbing the Bible of any “supernatural” elements that are hard for some to wrap their minds around. Preterists start with the assumption that it would be impossible for the writers of Scripture to predict the future and then shape their theology around that assumption (often ignoring any arguments to the contrary). Harmon is no exception to this and plays the part of the Preterist quite well.
While I disagree with his theology, I prefer to focus on those aspects of his book I enjoyed and agree with.
Harmon is spot on when he argues that the original audience of the Book of Revelation would have understood it differently than we do today. God’s plan throughout Scripture is presented as a progressive revelation. By that I mean that God slowly revealed His plan to us. Believers in the Old Testament had a far different level of understanding concerning the future arrival of their Messiah than we have of Jesus today. We must remember that those of us who live in the current age are blessed to have the complete revelation from God in the form of the Bible. This wasn’t always the case. While salvation in every age is found in Jesus Christ not every believer in every age had the same level of understanding concerning Christ that we have today. So I agree with Harmon that it is important to understand Scripture as it was originally intended. In fact, this step (exegesis) should always be addressed before trying to apply Scripture to our own lives (hermeneutics).
This book is suitable to this sort of exegesis. While he may take liberties at times and seems to exercise great effort in making the text fit into his Preterist assumptions, Harmon does offer an explanation of how early Christians may have interpreted the Book of Revelation. I also must congratulate Harmon on the method he used to accomplish this task. Revelation: The Way it Happened is part exegesis and part story. Harmon intermingles the two switching back and forth between his own commentary and a fictional story about an early Christian and his sons. For the most part, Harmon’s methods work. At times, things become a little confusing for the reader due to formatting issues, however, it is a method that I think he will perfect in future books.
I also completely agree with Harmon that not all of Revelation deals with future eschatological events. In fact, practically every conservative, Biblical scholar would agree with this statement. The author of Revelation even writes, “Therefore write what you have seen, what is, and what will take place after this” (Rev 1:19, HCSB). This single verse provides the student of the Bible with a road map to understand the Book of Revelation. The truth is that Revelation deals with things in the past, the author’s present, and the future. Responsible scholars recognize this and interpret Revelation accordingly. Herein lies my chief complaint with this book. Harmon seems content to interpret solely from his presuppositions. He has essentially re-written Revelation to fit into his own preconceived notions. Responsible Biblical scholarship does its best to suspend preconceptions and shapes its conclusions from the Scripture itself.
While this may sound like a harsh complaint, I still believe Revelation: The Way it Happened has a place on my bookshelf. As stated, I respect Harmon’s technique of blending fiction with exegesis and actually learned a little about the writing process by reading his book. I’m impressed by his attempts to use fiction to reveal Biblical truth. I also think his book would be valuable to anyone wishing to learn more about Preterism. I would, however, recommend that students approach this book along with other resources (perhaps a good commentary such as John F. Walvoord’s) if they desire to get a complete picture (and understanding) of the Book of Revelation.
I’m going to give it my best shot.
Revelation: The Way it Happened is a Preterist’s presentation of the Book of Revelation. Simply put, Preterism is the belief that the prophetic books of the Bible (especially Daniel and Revelation) all concern events that have solely happened in the past. As such, Preterists argue that the Book of Revelation has very little to do with future eschatological events and more to do with the way in which Jews believed the end of the world would be ushered in almost 2,000 years ago. Quite often this assertion is coupled with the notion that the prophetic elements of the Bible were all written after the events they predict. This argument has the added benefit of robbing the Bible of any “supernatural” elements that are hard for some to wrap their minds around. Preterists start with the assumption that it would be impossible for the writers of Scripture to predict the future and then shape their theology around that assumption (often ignoring any arguments to the contrary). Harmon is no exception to this and plays the part of the Preterist quite well.
While I disagree with his theology, I prefer to focus on those aspects of his book I enjoyed and agree with.
Harmon is spot on when he argues that the original audience of the Book of Revelation would have understood it differently than we do today. God’s plan throughout Scripture is presented as a progressive revelation. By that I mean that God slowly revealed His plan to us. Believers in the Old Testament had a far different level of understanding concerning the future arrival of their Messiah than we have of Jesus today. We must remember that those of us who live in the current age are blessed to have the complete revelation from God in the form of the Bible. This wasn’t always the case. While salvation in every age is found in Jesus Christ not every believer in every age had the same level of understanding concerning Christ that we have today. So I agree with Harmon that it is important to understand Scripture as it was originally intended. In fact, this step (exegesis) should always be addressed before trying to apply Scripture to our own lives (hermeneutics).
This book is suitable to this sort of exegesis. While he may take liberties at times and seems to exercise great effort in making the text fit into his Preterist assumptions, Harmon does offer an explanation of how early Christians may have interpreted the Book of Revelation. I also must congratulate Harmon on the method he used to accomplish this task. Revelation: The Way it Happened is part exegesis and part story. Harmon intermingles the two switching back and forth between his own commentary and a fictional story about an early Christian and his sons. For the most part, Harmon’s methods work. At times, things become a little confusing for the reader due to formatting issues, however, it is a method that I think he will perfect in future books.
I also completely agree with Harmon that not all of Revelation deals with future eschatological events. In fact, practically every conservative, Biblical scholar would agree with this statement. The author of Revelation even writes, “Therefore write what you have seen, what is, and what will take place after this” (Rev 1:19, HCSB). This single verse provides the student of the Bible with a road map to understand the Book of Revelation. The truth is that Revelation deals with things in the past, the author’s present, and the future. Responsible scholars recognize this and interpret Revelation accordingly. Herein lies my chief complaint with this book. Harmon seems content to interpret solely from his presuppositions. He has essentially re-written Revelation to fit into his own preconceived notions. Responsible Biblical scholarship does its best to suspend preconceptions and shapes its conclusions from the Scripture itself.
While this may sound like a harsh complaint, I still believe Revelation: The Way it Happened has a place on my bookshelf. As stated, I respect Harmon’s technique of blending fiction with exegesis and actually learned a little about the writing process by reading his book. I’m impressed by his attempts to use fiction to reveal Biblical truth. I also think his book would be valuable to anyone wishing to learn more about Preterism. I would, however, recommend that students approach this book along with other resources (perhaps a good commentary such as John F. Walvoord’s) if they desire to get a complete picture (and understanding) of the Book of Revelation.
February 1, 2011
Reprinted by permission from author Stephen M. Wylen
----
"If you are a Christian who loves the Bible, wouldn't you want to know how the words of the New Testament books were heard by the ears of their earliest listeners, for whom they were written? That is the purpose for which Lee Harmon wrote his book Revelation: The Way it Happened. In my opinion Mr. Harmon succeeds in reaching this goal. He is historically accurate and true to his faith.
Revelation: The Way it Happened is history written as a novel, focusing on a First Century Judeo-Christian and his conversations with his son, upon the first publication of the Book of Revelation. The conversational tactic is sometimes didactic, but for the most part quite engaging. Its main strength is that it gives the author freedom to explore the psychology of the first recipients of this intriguing New Testament book, and to examine how they would have reacted to the words of Revelation based upon their immediate historical experience.
If I may fancy myself to have some knowledge of religion amongst First Century Jews and early Christians, then in my judgment every historical supposition of Mr. Harmon is within the realm of genuine possibility according to the best scholarship. Not once in the entire book did I jump out of my seat and shout, "No, that could not be!", and I was ready to do it. As Mr. Harmon humbly admits, there are many questions about Revelation, its setting and meaning that can never be answered with absolute authority, and sometimes my personal best guess might differ, but Mr. Harmon's historical work is guided by knowledge and keen insight.
The major point that cannot be denied is that people are most concerned with issues that arise in their own experience. For a Christian of Jewish origins in the late First Century, this means dealing with the Roman destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, the reign of the Emperor Nero, and the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. An early Christian would interpret the meaning of Jesus' death on the cross in the light of these events. Mr. Harmon's great strength is in associating these events with the words of the Book of Revelation. Thus, Revelation is revealed to be neither a book of crazy mystical nonsense nor an uncanny prediction of events in the distant future, but an immediate and touching response to issues of the day for early Christians. Only when one has come to this understanding can one make meaningful interpretations of the Book of Revelation for today.
I have always felt that Revelation is a Jewish book in its style and symbolism, though obviously written by a believing Christian. Mr. Harmon explains how this mixture could come to be, in a time when the lines of distinction between Jews and Christians, and between Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians, were not yet clearly drawn.
There are places Mr. Harmon leads where I cannot follow. I am a believing Jew, and Mr. Harmon is a believing Christian. Despite our differences, I think that Mr. Harmon's Judeo-Christian characters are possible and believable for their time. For all those open-minded enough to imagine themselves in a different time and a different place, reading Revelation: The Way it Happened is good reading and a great source of knowledge."
--Rabbi Stephen M. Wylen, author The Jews in the Time of Jesus
----
"If you are a Christian who loves the Bible, wouldn't you want to know how the words of the New Testament books were heard by the ears of their earliest listeners, for whom they were written? That is the purpose for which Lee Harmon wrote his book Revelation: The Way it Happened. In my opinion Mr. Harmon succeeds in reaching this goal. He is historically accurate and true to his faith.
Revelation: The Way it Happened is history written as a novel, focusing on a First Century Judeo-Christian and his conversations with his son, upon the first publication of the Book of Revelation. The conversational tactic is sometimes didactic, but for the most part quite engaging. Its main strength is that it gives the author freedom to explore the psychology of the first recipients of this intriguing New Testament book, and to examine how they would have reacted to the words of Revelation based upon their immediate historical experience.
If I may fancy myself to have some knowledge of religion amongst First Century Jews and early Christians, then in my judgment every historical supposition of Mr. Harmon is within the realm of genuine possibility according to the best scholarship. Not once in the entire book did I jump out of my seat and shout, "No, that could not be!", and I was ready to do it. As Mr. Harmon humbly admits, there are many questions about Revelation, its setting and meaning that can never be answered with absolute authority, and sometimes my personal best guess might differ, but Mr. Harmon's historical work is guided by knowledge and keen insight.
The major point that cannot be denied is that people are most concerned with issues that arise in their own experience. For a Christian of Jewish origins in the late First Century, this means dealing with the Roman destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, the reign of the Emperor Nero, and the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. An early Christian would interpret the meaning of Jesus' death on the cross in the light of these events. Mr. Harmon's great strength is in associating these events with the words of the Book of Revelation. Thus, Revelation is revealed to be neither a book of crazy mystical nonsense nor an uncanny prediction of events in the distant future, but an immediate and touching response to issues of the day for early Christians. Only when one has come to this understanding can one make meaningful interpretations of the Book of Revelation for today.
I have always felt that Revelation is a Jewish book in its style and symbolism, though obviously written by a believing Christian. Mr. Harmon explains how this mixture could come to be, in a time when the lines of distinction between Jews and Christians, and between Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians, were not yet clearly drawn.
There are places Mr. Harmon leads where I cannot follow. I am a believing Jew, and Mr. Harmon is a believing Christian. Despite our differences, I think that Mr. Harmon's Judeo-Christian characters are possible and believable for their time. For all those open-minded enough to imagine themselves in a different time and a different place, reading Revelation: The Way it Happened is good reading and a great source of knowledge."
--Rabbi Stephen M. Wylen, author The Jews in the Time of Jesus
December 14, 2010
Author Lee Harmon tackles the most elusive and mysterious book of the Bible in his new release, “Revelation: The Way It Happened”. Within its pages, Harmon explores what he believes to be a more probable interpretation of Revelation’s meaning. Fascinating, intelligent, and definitely plausible, “Revelation: The Way It Happened” is a powerful read.
“Revelation: The Way It Happened” is the study of the book of Revelation and told from a first century Jewish-Christian perspective and takes into account the current events, traditions, practices, and language of that day. By utilizing this viewpoint, it becomes clearer as to what Revelation’s author John might have been writing about; instead of the traditional futuristic and puzzling apocalyptic scenario, Harmon presents the scriptures as the historical facts of the war for Jerusalem, the destruction of the temple, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and the tyrannical reign of Nero.
“Revelation: The Way It Happened” is an enlightening and enjoyable read! Harmon’s fictional story breathes life into his analysis of the scriptures and makes the study entertaining and easy to follow from the characters’ frame of reference. In order to distinguish between inspired scripture, the author interpretations and explanations, and the fictional story, Harmon uses different fonts and spacing for each. This allowed for great ease in reading and thought transition. Further, Harmon ensured that he didn’t just provide random ideas; his translation of this biblical tome is grounded in not only scripture but published literature and the historical writings of the day. I found his analysis to be intellectual, thought-provoking, and intriguing. In addition, the book was extremely well-organized and edited; I found no discernible spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors.
If you’ve ever poured over Revelation with frustration and left with even more unanswered questions, “Revelation: The Way It Happened” will be a breath of fresh air. Author Lee Harmon doesn’t profess to be a prophet or have some sort of mystic connection with God; he’s just a ‘regular’ Christian with a drive to find applicable explanations. By paralleling world history with the writings contained in the book of Revelation, he presents a profound and possible scenario. A must-have for any serious bible student!
Reviewed by Vicki Landes, author of “Europe for the Senses – A Photographic Journal”
“Revelation: The Way It Happened” is the study of the book of Revelation and told from a first century Jewish-Christian perspective and takes into account the current events, traditions, practices, and language of that day. By utilizing this viewpoint, it becomes clearer as to what Revelation’s author John might have been writing about; instead of the traditional futuristic and puzzling apocalyptic scenario, Harmon presents the scriptures as the historical facts of the war for Jerusalem, the destruction of the temple, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and the tyrannical reign of Nero.
“Revelation: The Way It Happened” is an enlightening and enjoyable read! Harmon’s fictional story breathes life into his analysis of the scriptures and makes the study entertaining and easy to follow from the characters’ frame of reference. In order to distinguish between inspired scripture, the author interpretations and explanations, and the fictional story, Harmon uses different fonts and spacing for each. This allowed for great ease in reading and thought transition. Further, Harmon ensured that he didn’t just provide random ideas; his translation of this biblical tome is grounded in not only scripture but published literature and the historical writings of the day. I found his analysis to be intellectual, thought-provoking, and intriguing. In addition, the book was extremely well-organized and edited; I found no discernible spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors.
If you’ve ever poured over Revelation with frustration and left with even more unanswered questions, “Revelation: The Way It Happened” will be a breath of fresh air. Author Lee Harmon doesn’t profess to be a prophet or have some sort of mystic connection with God; he’s just a ‘regular’ Christian with a drive to find applicable explanations. By paralleling world history with the writings contained in the book of Revelation, he presents a profound and possible scenario. A must-have for any serious bible student!
Reviewed by Vicki Landes, author of “Europe for the Senses – A Photographic Journal”
November 25, 2013
Revelation: The Way It Happened, like the scriptural Book of Revelation, is seriously quirky. Author Lee Harmon seems to almost invent a new genre here by combining elements of religion, history, fantasy, and mysticism into a surprisingly workable tale. Probably what cements the whole improbale mix is the author's undeniable scholarship and love for his subject manner.
Lee starts with the premise John the revelator wrote for a first-century audience, about first-century occurences, and expecting a first-century return of the Messiah. All this holds together quite well with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple at the hands of the Romans in 70 A.D., and the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Also present as Roman Emperor was Nero whose inhumanity to both Jews and Christians was legendary. Add a turncoat Jewish historian (Josephus) who collaborated with the Romans, and you have some tangible circumstantial evidence to substantiate Revelation as past tense.
Readers familiar with Revelation know the judgments were handed out in 3 sets of 7 tribulations (21 total) - each increasing in severity from the level before. I don't want to spoil Harmon's book, but must stress he uses a combination of hand-picked Biblical reference, questionable historical records, like-minded extra-Scriptural commentary, and just plain excellence in storytelling to make his case. It works for the first 14 of the 21 judgments then goes adrift.
This doen't detract from the charm of the book nor does it actually negate Lee's hypothesis. Biblical events don't obey the rules of logic, they obey the Word of God.
Regardless of the potential reader's feelings about end-time prophecy, I recommend Harmon's book as superb insight into first-century happenings, and because, if true, it relieves this reviewer of one of his greatest fears. If Mr. Harmon's Satan has one-half the power Lee grants Him - I REALLY want his glory days to be in the past!
Lee starts with the premise John the revelator wrote for a first-century audience, about first-century occurences, and expecting a first-century return of the Messiah. All this holds together quite well with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple at the hands of the Romans in 70 A.D., and the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Also present as Roman Emperor was Nero whose inhumanity to both Jews and Christians was legendary. Add a turncoat Jewish historian (Josephus) who collaborated with the Romans, and you have some tangible circumstantial evidence to substantiate Revelation as past tense.
Readers familiar with Revelation know the judgments were handed out in 3 sets of 7 tribulations (21 total) - each increasing in severity from the level before. I don't want to spoil Harmon's book, but must stress he uses a combination of hand-picked Biblical reference, questionable historical records, like-minded extra-Scriptural commentary, and just plain excellence in storytelling to make his case. It works for the first 14 of the 21 judgments then goes adrift.
This doen't detract from the charm of the book nor does it actually negate Lee's hypothesis. Biblical events don't obey the rules of logic, they obey the Word of God.
Regardless of the potential reader's feelings about end-time prophecy, I recommend Harmon's book as superb insight into first-century happenings, and because, if true, it relieves this reviewer of one of his greatest fears. If Mr. Harmon's Satan has one-half the power Lee grants Him - I REALLY want his glory days to be in the past!
November 13, 2010
"Lee Harmon's REVELATION: THE WAY IT HAPPENED represents an important contribution to our understanding of the mysterious Book of Revelation and early Christianity. He interprets it against the backdrop of the Jewish War in the late 60's A.D. that saw the destruction of the Temple and a huge number of Jewish deaths.
John, the author of the book of Revelation, uses Josephus' monumental account in The Jewish War. Harmon astutely observes that Christians of the time, like the Jewish people, had to reflect on what this "war to end all wars" meant for understanding history and the coming messianic kingdom. The Book of Revelation, Harmon contends, provides just this reflection, noting what has already taken place, what is currently happening and what is likely to transpire in the future. All this Harmon carefully decodes in a well argued historical manner.
The author's style is clear, lucid and interesting. His dialogue between father and son allows Harmon to explore alternate interpretations for this intriguing text. It is a challenging read -- not because of Harmon's style -- but because of the tantalizing symbolism the Book of Revelation itself uses drawing as it does on Jewish apocalyptic imagery derived from the Book of Daniel, Zechariah and especially Ezekiel.
REVELATION: THE WAY IT HAPPENED is a rewarding read and it opens up for us a new understanding of what this canonical text might mean. Finally someone has detected a plausible historical fit and this represents a superb achievement."
--Barrie Wilson, Professor, Humanities and Religious Studies, York University, Toronto, author How Jesus Became Christian.
(Posted with permission)
John, the author of the book of Revelation, uses Josephus' monumental account in The Jewish War. Harmon astutely observes that Christians of the time, like the Jewish people, had to reflect on what this "war to end all wars" meant for understanding history and the coming messianic kingdom. The Book of Revelation, Harmon contends, provides just this reflection, noting what has already taken place, what is currently happening and what is likely to transpire in the future. All this Harmon carefully decodes in a well argued historical manner.
The author's style is clear, lucid and interesting. His dialogue between father and son allows Harmon to explore alternate interpretations for this intriguing text. It is a challenging read -- not because of Harmon's style -- but because of the tantalizing symbolism the Book of Revelation itself uses drawing as it does on Jewish apocalyptic imagery derived from the Book of Daniel, Zechariah and especially Ezekiel.
REVELATION: THE WAY IT HAPPENED is a rewarding read and it opens up for us a new understanding of what this canonical text might mean. Finally someone has detected a plausible historical fit and this represents a superb achievement."
--Barrie Wilson, Professor, Humanities and Religious Studies, York University, Toronto, author How Jesus Became Christian.
(Posted with permission)
May 23, 2011
"Revelation - The Way it Happened" by Lee Harmon is a thought provoking book; however, it is not an easy read. Thought provoking books seldom are. I remember a theology professor in college saying that if Revelation were totally futuristic, one might wonder what meaning it could have carried for a first century believer. Lee Harmon answers his query. He traces the historical application of the book of Revelation and much, much more. He peruses the entire book adding comments about the history, theology, authorship, date, and more while telling a fictional story demonstrating how early believers might have interpreted it, what their lives might have been like, and what they might have expected. What would first century “followers of the way” think of Revelation? There are so many differing views on the book today! The early Christians must have also wondered about all that John wrote. Wouldn’t they be expecting an identifiable antichrist? Weren’t they expecting the imminent return of Christ? They were living in a time of great persecution, and they desperately needed encouragement. One must wonder if it was intended only for the people of the first and possibly second centuries, or if it was meant for all believers of all ages. It is clear from Lee’s story that his characters took it as a message of hope. It was encouraging to them though somewhat confusing. I’d like to say more about the book, but instead, I suggest you read it for yourself. Lee obviously did a great deal of research to write it, and toward the end, there is the mention of a sequel that sounds promising. I don’t necessarily endorse all of his theology, but it is definitely worth reading.
June 27, 2013
My wife leant me her Kindle to read "Revelation - the way it happened" as I have long had an interest in comparative religion.
I found this story to have an interesting premise and to be intellectually challenging, pressing me to think out of the box with the way the well-researched scholarly material was mixed with telling a story. It did take me some time to get used to the modern voices of the main characters. However, as I am used to legal texts and non-fiction reading material about the different religions & their texts, this may not bother another reader.
While an index might have helped, reading this book was an engaging experience and I recommend "Revelation - the way it happened" to any reader who wants a different perspective on one of the most complex books in the Christian Bible.
Dr Beric Croome
Advocate of the High Court of South Africa
BCom. BProc. LLB. CTA.
Higher Diploma in Tax Law (cum laude).
PhD.
CA(SA). FCMA(UK). MTP(SA). TEP(UK).
I found this story to have an interesting premise and to be intellectually challenging, pressing me to think out of the box with the way the well-researched scholarly material was mixed with telling a story. It did take me some time to get used to the modern voices of the main characters. However, as I am used to legal texts and non-fiction reading material about the different religions & their texts, this may not bother another reader.
While an index might have helped, reading this book was an engaging experience and I recommend "Revelation - the way it happened" to any reader who wants a different perspective on one of the most complex books in the Christian Bible.
Dr Beric Croome
Advocate of the High Court of South Africa
BCom. BProc. LLB. CTA.
Higher Diploma in Tax Law (cum laude).
PhD.
CA(SA). FCMA(UK). MTP(SA). TEP(UK).
May 28, 2012
Lee Harmon has tackled an extremely difficult challenge, an analysis of the book of Revelations, and made it doubly difficult by writing it as a story. His effort is to be commended and encouraged, as he has produced an eminently readable book. All that stands in the way of a 5-star rating is the interruptions in the story that the thorough analysis requires. I look forward to reading more from Lee Harmon.
September 4, 2013
Lee pens "Revelation: The Way it Happened" in a story line that interweaves fact and fiction which is easy to understand, and I found quite enjoyable to read. A truly interesting read that shows the author's intense research which it kept my interest from the start. Highly recommended for all readers open to another persons take on the Bible.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the author which was provided for an honest review.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the author which was provided for an honest review.
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