Revelations Books

This is a surprisingly well-written, well-documented and important book. Having read some of the reviews here I was expecting the worse but was pleasantly surprised to discover that - beyond the misleading claims of his detractors - Matthews has done a great job in exposing the alien mythology that haunts the UFO-world AND in providing first-class evidence for the REALITY of man-made technologies.

I certainly feel that 'UFO Revelation' is worth buying, reading and supporting.

Forget the smears - this is perhaps the most important UFO book for years!

I had held back for six months; should I buy it or not? I readthe reviews and couldn't decide. Perhaps I was influenced by the liarsin the anti-Matthews camp; the fantasists, the ETHers, the disinformers.

But then I decided to buy it, to read it, to inwardly digest it.

And I was surprised beyond belief when I looked at all the references, the first-class writing and arguments that prove to me at least that some, and that's all he's saying, of the classic cases are secret technology in action.

No wonder the UFO lobby is concerned. No wonder they won't debate him. No wonder they're scared or pretending the book was never written.

UFO Revelation is a revelation, and I suggest you buy it whilst you still have a chance.........

For many years the UFO research people have been very one-sidedly writing off the possibility that reportsd of large triangular aircraft occasionally seen at low altitude are of military origin.

They have argued that these reports are proof of alien visitation.

Author Tim Matthews, indeed a controversial researcher, has taken on this lobby head on and shown, to the satisfaction of a growing number, that these craft and others like them are man-made secret or 'test' craft. There is plenty of good, hard evidence here by which I became convinced. Perhaps I should have realized this for myself, but the book convinced me. It is all there; the references, the clear-headed arguments, an historical perspective probably unknown to the adherents of the alien theory. I can't help thinking that Tim Matthews will be around for a long time, although his research goes against the grain, as it were. Given what I have read and heard, I look forward to a sequel and ponder as to whether any publishers have the guts to print UFO Revelation Update. I know I'd buy it!

It's five long years since I read this book and it is so relevant today especially as Ufology has gone back into its shell and still exists along the same old, same old lines. Although Matthews came in for a lot of criticism, largely as a result of having been briefly involved in right-wing politics (12-15 years ago it might be said) his findings, that some UFOs are of terrestrial military origin, have been borne out by studies conducted by the US National Institute for Discovery Science. Database findings show that he is right to suggest that some UFOs emanate from military facilities and are not "aliens visting the military" as the nuts would have us believe.......

It seems that Matthews is out of Ufology in 2004 but this book is hard to get and the publishers tell me that the tome sold out within a year, which is more than can be said for most UFO style material.

So if you get a chance to purchase the volume via this site I strongly suggest you do so and see why Matthews was so feared within Ufology.

Because he was right. I now know it having re-read his book.

It's about time that this book graced our bookcases - every home should have one (or more - give one to a nice friend)! Tim Matthews - what a writer,what a researcher. His omnipotent theorizing gives rise to the completion of this, the ultimate millennial Ufological hypothesis, flying triangles a-plenty with a superb conjecturalizational analysis of disk shaped aircraft. What more could anyone want?

The informative literature contained within these pages makes this the most convincing literary companion for those who reject the extraterrestrial hypothesis that has been in such abominable proliferation in recent living memory.

If you believed in extraterrestrial colonization of adjacent galactic clusters, then give Mr Matthews a try - and I'm confident that your views will be changed forever.

Well done Tim, and whencan we expect to see Volume 2?

The author compares all the essential doctrines, principles and precepts of Christianity with pre-Christian branches of Religion, always finding numerous and detailed parallels, by all means excluding coincidences. The information provided is challenging and may be used to enlighten the evolution of Religion leading to Christianity and sibling and cousin branches. That's why I give some stars. However, subtractions have to be made.

The book is polemically anti-Christian, in that certain 19th century style of lacking diplomacy, but not short of any amount of blunt naïveté from today's perspective. The author's reasoning throughout the entire some 300 pages comes down to the following quintessence: If there is more than one savior, that concept is void. If the Christian savior is mythologically derived from "heathenism", then Christianity is invalid. One may answer that every age an savior is offered to. The savior's second coming maybe the realization that there is no separation between the individual and the savior (mysticism). The author has taken over the definition and valuation of "heathenism" from his chosen adversary, the Church. That wouldn't be necessary (and neither advisable) in transmitting the information of this book.

Obviously, Kersey Graves was a believer of Atheism, basically saying anybody who believes in something else (including Agnostics) are stupid people or at least conditioned beyond hope. He judges religious morals as errors and of all there are he picks the "Turn the other cheek!" as an example. Referring to branches of Religion he writes of "Numerous Evils and Absurdities" in a headline. In other words, he is using religous concepts ("evil") to debunk Religion. How absurd! He is also using amplifications himself, which are criticized as non-sense, when done by the Bible. ("...more than a hundred millions of Christian professors can now be found...")

It is also obvious that his knowledge on Religion is that of a lay person. Yes, as such, he is entitled to challenge the institutions. Readers should be aware that they rather cross-check any information in this book before quoting or believing it. The basic thesis of non-originality of Christianity is true, however, the author lacks any overstanding of mysticism. Which should have been necessary, before attempting to debunk Religion at large. Specific religious messages, which get ridiculed in this book like "My kingdom is not of this world", cannot get sighted, and questions like how is it possible that God could have been a helpless baby, not even able to walk, or more specifically, how can God possibly be anyone or anything else but himself, would not be asked merely rhethorically. You don't have to know/believe in mysticism, yet, it should be considered when challenging Religion and averring such notions would represent "philosophical impossibilities".

There may be certain fluent borders, yet to use Buddhism and Hinduism as synonyms is a bit misleading, I may offer. To call Islam "Mohamedanism" is a grave blunder and is usually the first thing taught about this branch of Religion. There are other oddities, e.g. that proofs of Mesoamerican parallels to Christianity are "engraved upon steel and metal plates". Which would be very unusual, considering that metal was virtually unknown before any missionaries' influence.

The approach to comparing the religious parallels is prone to include some constructs, leaving the feeling of uncertainty, which ones are real: The details are taken by themselves, dissected from the rest of the branches of Religion, and are processed in separate chapters. This way, the reader gets quickly confused of how much parallel the respective branches really are in the overall picture, while the overall impression of parallelism as a thesis as such is underscored. Only few branches get compared entirely. Which only includes the parallels, not any shred of the inconsistencies. I am not writing this to dismiss the information, just to put the picture in perspective of usability for further purposes. Some of the 16 crucified saviors turn out not to be such a match afterall. Quirinus "was put to death by wicked hands". That is supposed to mean crucifixion. Not much more is said about this savior. Some saviors are Greek philosophers, I had no clue of getting considered religiously as sons of God. Graves himself says that his 16 saviors from the title page may be 13 or actually 19, relativizing three and offering three more. The reader is supposed to pick, with some saviors mentioned in a single paragraph only.

I was shocked by blatant racism. Graves is revealing that Jesus and most of the previous saviors are described as black skinned. But then he goes on what the reaction of the n*****-hating Christians would be, when such a "sable Messiah" (using skin color as a synonym for "satanic" in the popular definition) would appear in the literal second coming. He clearly goes beyond description after that with an insult towards African( American)s I refrain from repeating (p. 53), otherwise I would gravely insult myself.

As for the presentation of the book: It seems that at some point the 19th century font was changed into a modern one - by manual copying. A lot of typos slipped in, including "there" changing into "their". Which is in contrast to the sophisticated vocabulary of the author. I have to confess that I didn't know a couple of dozens of words and I am in good company: In several cases, neither does my dictionary of 1,700 pages! Thanks to the age of the internet with its dictionaries of unlimited space was I able to overstand the text completely. (I read the 2007 print of NuVision Publications of the 6th revised and enlarged print of 1875. The first edition is of 1875, too.) The involuntary copy changes proof the point of Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why (Plus), which elaborates that under the millennia the Bible is a copyists' nightmare of word errors, sometimes leading to very different messages. Also, Let There Be Light: The Seven Keys and 101 Myths of the Bible may be of interest in the comparison of this reviewed book's Bible quotes to the original messages before getting attacked. Of course, the author of 1875 didn't know about these and critizised a bit blinded at times. On the other hand, these books elaborate - and that more scientifically - the origins/source texts of Christianity/the Bible.

1875 makes the pride over the contemporary science seem ossified. It is used against any possibility of being religious. The author didn't know about the relativity theory yet, neither about quantum physics. Both are seen today as a cause IN FAVOR of religion, yet maybe in a variated way from the Bible. Read e.g. From Science to God: A Physicist's Journey into the Mystery of Consciousness and (not read yet) Quantum Questions: Mystical Writings of the World's Great Physicists (including Albert Einstein).

No less advancements have been made in the knowledge about the Religion branches. One of the supposed branches prior to Christianity elaborated on in this book is Essenism, suggesting that Christianity is directly the successor of Essenism. Today, unorthodox scientists suggest that the name Essenism is in direct reference to Jesus, i.e. that the mythological Jesus of Christianity has a very historic match much prior to popular thought. Prior to Buddha and even Krishna. In other words, if you are open to unorthodox science, as you are most likely, if you read books like this one, then you should consider the possibility that the savior of Christianity is the original after all and that all the some 16 other branches of Religion mentioning such a savior are derived from the same one as well. How about that? If you want to debunk Religion, it has to be done another way than under the botched-down-originality argument. For more of that issue read Jesus in the House of the Pharaohs: The Essene Revelations on the Historical Jesus.

Of course, if authenticated, the information in "The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors" may be used for other purposes - ironically for spiritual/religious knowledge...

While I agree with other reviewers that Graves goes over the edge fairly often throughout the book, the information contained in this book is very thought provoking and not really available elsewhere in one work. Some of the comparisons are pretty loose, and the book might better have been titled '10 crucified saviors', but still, the work attempts and succeeds at showing a prominent religious thread throughout history.
The writing style, while modern enough to be an easy read, IS from 1875 and lacks the modern understanding of a 'scholarly' approach. Having read MANY works on this subject, I can attest that most of the information is indeed correct, but his style is often inflammatory and somewhat obnoxious. He Really had a problem with Christianity and much of the book is devoted to this topic. This is probably great if you avidly detest Christians as well, but ocassionally annoying if your just trying to extract the relevant info from the book.
All in all, this IS a worthwhile read, but can be challenging because of the above considerations.

I found the sylized writing charming in a late 1800's kind of way. The points made by Kersey Graves abolish all credibility that Chrisianity is an "oringianl religion." It further establishes solid proof by example, that Religious "Faith" in general, not just Jesus and Christianity, is a bogus dysfunctional lifestyle choice from the past.

Yet, people love to indulge in a Savior Fetish... Pick One. They are all the same.

I like this book but I have to say the author makes many vague references to individuals using nothing other than their name (Mr. Jones said..") It left me wondering just who these people were and how reliable their info was. After reading it I did a little research on my own as he mentions a man named Polycarp who claimed that the Christ he knew lived to about 50 and died of natural causes. This is interesting because the Polycarp I read about was considered a saint and a early founder and supporter of the christain faith. Anyhoo, I still liked the book though the wording was odd. It is one of several I have read that simply reaffirms that the christian faith is a rip off of prior pagan and mythological beliefs.

I love the way the author tells it like it is. Blind believers will definitely hate this book. It is virtually based solely on astronomy & astrology thru-out the entire book. The blind believers will love to deny this. Another few books to look towards are: Suns of God, The Faith Healers, The Dark Side of Christian History. Of course, this goes for all religions world-wide. Past, present & future.

...and brings it right to our time. I am working with Monatomic Elements to make the DNA a superconductor for higher consciousness coming to us in the next years and this book reveales the history behind. Great! Thank you Laurence for this contribution to our history.

The Angel Hunter
The book is nothing less than fascinating. If the realm of the ancients holds your interest, read the book. Then draw your own conclusions. The case presented in this book about what the Ark really is, or was, makes more sense to me than a chest for God to inhabit while the Israelites made their way to Canaan.

It seems Gardner tries to hold up a scientific pretense which he decdidedly does not fulfill. other than that its well written - in the fiction category I would give it 4 stars. The issue here, white powder gold or Ormus, deserves a real scientific reflection. But not from this author.

When I reached the half way point of this book I was ready to give it 5 stars. It raises many intriguing ideas about the nature of what the ancients called "The Philosopher's Stone" and suggests that Moses may have been familiar with the alchemy of the Egyptians.

Probably the most interesting part for me is the idea that someone in Phoenix, AZ accidentally recreated this exotic material while applying various chemicals to farm land. His enterprise was mysteriously regulated out of existance by shady government figures.

This is related to various conspiracy theories such world as governments are stockpiling and hoarding gold and the energy and drug industries are hiding information about the potential applications of this exotic substance.

So far so good.

However the second part degenerates into a Da Vinci Code type conspirary story.

Central to this conspirary theory is the idea that Mary Magdalene sailed to France when she was pregnant with Christ's child to continue the 'royal blood line'. This fairy tale may have some basis in reality such as someone may have really appeared at that location but I don't believe it was Mary Magdalene.

It says Mary Magdalene was 'born of high ranking stock' as if she is some sort of prized cattle I guess.

Also related to this is the idea that the Church tried to conceal the pregnancy to downplay the role of women.

In that sense it uses a fairy tale to try to refute the bible.

Another big conspiracy is that the Knights Templar recovered the Ark Of The Covenenat from below Solomon's temple and they knew how to operate it using their secret knowledge. They used its powers such as anti gravity to create various cathedrals. This I think is within the realm of possibility.

But it goes on to say that the Ark was 'more historically meaningful than the root of Christianity' and the Church began a persecution of the Templars and various other secret societies to obtain this artifact. This was out of jealousy because somehow everyone knew the Templars had the ark so they became very powerful.

Then there's the part about the story of Moses being a Hebrew , being adopted by an Egyptian princess, etc., is all false. Rather he was born as an Egyptian and became the pharoah Akhenaten. Rather Moses' sister Miriam was the true hero in the Exodus story so Moses put her in jail.

In that case why did Moses lead the Israelites out of Egypt ? Oh I forgot that's probably not true either.

Once I read the part about Mary Magdalene this cast a large shadow of doubt in my mind across the rest of the material.

These various alternative scriptures tend to humanize Christ too much. He was God incarnate. Moses is a god also. The god of the sea. Thus he parted the Red Sea as it is written.

The Templars trace their roots back to two famous biblical figures: Solomon and Nimrod. That much I can believe.

Solomon is remembered for all time as someone who was given great knowledge but who rejected God completely.

Nimrod is credited in Genesis with constructing the Tower Of Babel which (whatever it really was) stands as the greatest monument to arrogance and confusion in all of human history.

So perhaps the various cathedrals that the Knights Templar built are like resurrections of the Tower Of Babel as is this book to some extent I feel.

I would never recommend that anyone read this book even though it contains a lot of very interesting information.

To me the fairy tales about Christ are too harmful and offset whatever benefits the information may afford.

I'm a big follower of Edgar Cayce. Cayce stated that Adam and Christ are the same person. In that sense we are all descendants of Christ.

Cayce provided a lot of interesting information about the scriptures including a psychic vision of The Last Supper.

Jeff Marzano

The Essential Edgar Cayce

Lives of the Master: The Rest of the Jesus Story

Edgar Cayce's Story of the Old Testament From the Birth of Souls to the Death of Moses

The Giza Power Plant : Technologies of Ancient Egypt

The Giza Death Star

Initiation

Just because a book sounds scholary doesn't mean it is. In fact, other than some intersting insights into who Moses may have been, the rest of this book is perhaps the most ridicoulous book I have ever read. Bad science and bad history all reinterpreted to fit some bizarre theory that popped into this author's head one day. Try Searching for the Ark of the Covenant: Latest Discoveries and Research

Excellent price and quality. This was a gift and the reciever loved it!

The whimsical artwork is good, but where this deck really shines is in its concept: there is no way to see a card as being upside down, as artwork goes both ways. People who aren't very familiar with tarot often get anxious about card reversals, as if the card's direction implies bad outcomes if upside down. This deck elininates that hurdle entirely, and encourages readers to show that reversals are merely the other side of the coin. Very nice.

While waiting for a movie to start I went to a bookstore and bought this deck. First off I admired the artwork. I would have liked to see a little more elemental coloring in some of the minor arcana, but over all the artwork is gorgeous. The cards have a white border and the artwork would have, in my opinion, really popped out at you if it had a black border.

Okay, having said all that, I like the deck and will probably use it in my own readings from time to time. If one is looking for simple readings then this deck will do fine. However, I noted that there did seem to be some lack of depth as far as magical theory or hermetic knowledge is involved. This is not a deck if you are wanting a depth of symbols that tie in to each other at different levels. If you want to equate a card with a meaning, then this will work.

Some of the upright meanings in the book are a little lacking. I would turn from one card's age to another card's and compare sentences and phrases to find what the author meant to be the essential core differences. You can't say two people are authority figures, give out rules, and head an organization, when one is an elected official and the other is the head of a military coup. This entirely misses the differences. The upright meanings, I felt, had to much emphasis on the easily seen characteristics and not the core differences. The World is not a suped-up version of The Wheel of Fortune.

The reversal meanings are, as noted elsewhere, the strongpoint of this deck. A lot of decks seems to be following the trend of not observing reversals. I've always done reversals and it is in the back of my mind when using a deck that doesn't. Each deck has it's own feel and characteristics that I must get to know. The reversals in this deck were much more well written than the rest of the book. Perhaps one can learn these card better by skipping the upright meanings and reading first the reversal meaning of a card and then considering what the upright meaning would be on your own.

Overall, I give it a 3. It is better than some I've used, and not nearly as complex as others. Right in the middle. If you are a collector, then you'll want to get this deck. If you want one for readings but tend to draw on lots of imagery and symbolism... then this deck might be a little lacking. If you just want a straightforward deck,then this one should work just fine.

The Visconti-Sforza Tarocchi (circa 1450), The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (circa 1909), and the Revelations Tarot (circa 2005), represent the avant-garde of their respective eras. Yes, that is pretty remarkable company to put a relatively unknown Tarot deck in, but if there is a better conceived, or more beautifully delineated Tarot deck than the Revelations Tarot out there we have never seen it. Created by Zach Wong, this is a passion illustrated, a body of effort that one would expect to have taken the Tarot culture by storm, but somehow has become lost amidst the inundation of nugatory Tarot decks of recent years.

This is a humbling deck from every aspect for any Tarot reader. Mr. Wong has redefined the most significant symbology in an uncannily accurate and relative way. Each card is dramatically illustrated in colors and hues from one of the most daring and exciting palettes ever chosen for a Tarot deck. And most remarkably, he has given Tarot readers a 78-card Tarot deck with 156 clearly defined representations to interpret from. For the first time that we are aware of, each card of both the Major and Minor Arcana are fully illustrated for both upright divinatory meaning, and the reversed meaning. As is often the case with most significant discoveries, we happened upon this deck quite by accident while looking for something else, and were immediately drawn to it. There are some slight variances from the traditional interpretations in some of the cards, but the Tarot is by its very nature a dynamic instrument of divination.

Reminiscent of stained glass by design, the Major Arcana is captured as the repetitive journeys contained within the larger journey of existence itself. All 22-card portrayals are a clear representation of its corresponding archetype, cleverly depicted as Gods amongst us, hidden only by their masks. Although potentially confusing to the novice reader, the imagery is quite to the point, for example; The Lovers card upright depicts romance, honorable relationships, and a virtuous approach to choices, with a benevolent angel overseeing a couple in love. When reversed you find lust, temptation, infidelity, relationships for gain, and on the card reversed is a temptress orchestrating a couple in the thralls of passion, clearly prurient but not salacious.

The Judgment card, succinctly put, describes "time of reckoning" in the upright position, and "time of reckoning" in the reverse position, with the principle difference reflective of how one feels about being judged. In the upright position the man welcomes the opportunity to be judged, as the angel of judgment trumpets the moment of truth, and the peripheral angels raise their hands in happiness. Viewing from the reverse the man is wrought with fear of the moment while the trumpeting angel's head is cocked in pity, and the peripheral angels throw down their arms in empathetic anguish.

The Suits are every bit as inspiring as the Majors, all the way through to the Court Cards, which are, dare we say, more movingly illustrated than just thrones and horses. The King of Swords represents an ultimate power, often in the form of intellect, and the quite necessary control of it. This King of the Revelations deck is quite adept at using his great power both assertively and passively. Depicted in the upright position you find the winged being, with confidence upon his face, and the sword held abreast by one steady hand. On the reverse you find the winged being holding the sword with two hands across his face. Unlike his upright counterpart who controls his power, this King uses his power for control, and with his face hidden strategically behind the sword you can be sure that his motives cannot be trusted.

Among the Pips of the Revelations deck, the Two of Cups, which represents partnership, balance and harmony, is depicted here with an intertwined couple, merpeople actually, holding a cup full of their love for the union. They each use both hands to show their strong desire for the relationship, while the great force of their desire to be together watches over them. On the reverse the couple have turned inward, holding their pride and needfulness of winning in higher regard than the partnership. In two equal acts of stubbornness they have turned their backs on each other while the empty cup falls away, and the great force raises its hands to the heavens in hopelessness. Another example is the most exquisite Five of Pentacles, which represents a most desolate time, the after effects of losing a job, or the separation from a spouse. Drawn as a person in desperation crawling across the peak of the pentacles stacked in the pattern of a star. On the reverse the person has turned to see something to give hope. Raising one hand in a gesture of at last, while a smile breaks across their face, clearly depicting the end of hard and difficult times.

Included with the deck is a companion book, written and illustrated by Zack Wong, which defines the upright and reversed meanings of the cards, and his thoughts behind the images and symbols he chose. The book offers a well-described association with each card that makes understanding his methodology very easy. Mr. Wong describes in the preface of his companion book how he created the Revelations Tarot deck after a fruitless attempt to connect with the current market of decks. Although Mr. Wong has a degree in architecture and works as a graphic designer, this deck has a genuine feel about it, unlike so many decks today that in reality are just 78 little pictures in a box.

Not everyone will like this deck, but it isn't a niche, genre, or theme deck, it is quite simply a Tarot deck. If you have, or intend to have, an interest in the Tarot, you must consider this deck. We feel as if this deck represents a new chapter in the history of Tarot divination, and speaking in the repetitive, should be considered on the level of Visconti and Rider/Waite/Smith. Yes, we think that it is that good!

[...]

This is a succulent, sumptious and eloquent deck, or should I say work of art. From the minute I removed the cards and slowly looked through the deck drinking deep from the gorious images, I have been awed. The swirling colours, energy, play of light, images chosen are top notch. Every little thing in this wonder has meaning. You can feel the loving craftmanship that went into the execution and drawing of this deck, it's amazing!

I don't really read with reversals per se, I prefer to think of each card always containing it's entire spectrum of meaning depending on surrounding cards. But the seamless joining of upright and revered images is stunning.

The colours! A complete and total feast for the eyes. Rarely have I seen such striking and gorgeous use of colours symbology and mixtures.

I love the smaller size of the cards. I really do not like large cards, and these to me are just the perfect size. Cardstock is good, very slippery and the backs a pleasing purple swirl.

As others have said, even if you can't read with this deck, get it! It's an artistic masterpiece. I myself am reading wonderfully with it, very very evocative and intuitive. The companion book is basic but very informative of the images, smbology and colours use.

This purchase experience was 100% pleasing in all aspects. The product was exactly as depicted, shipping was prompt and it arrived without any damage.

All books by Hal Lindsey are excellent and worth reading. He does a great job of explaining and also his material is verified.

This is a promising analysis of the Book of Revelation and a welcomed addition to anyone's apocalyptic library. The study of the end times and Revelation is important to anyone, as this book, among others, shows what is to come and the what ifs. In the end, we should be happy that we are going home soon. For those interested in similar titles, I also recommend reading Apocalyptic Secrets of the Hebrew Sanctuary, which analyzes the relationship of the Biblical books of Daniel and Revelation.

This is a MUST READ in order to understand the present Middle East situation.

In the last thirty yeas, this twit has predicted the end of the world about 5 times now. You would assume any rational human with an IQ greater then that of a dog, would start to doubt this fellow, but somehow the real magic is in how many times one can fleece the same flock, and have them still support you.

I have used this book side by side with translations from better known translators such as Yusuf Ali and found it to be more easy to understand because it uses the English language that is spoken today - and not the old Shakespeare-like English that most other translations of Quran use that makes them much harder to fully understand. You will be amazed by it if you compare it side-by-side.

If you are a Kindle owner, there is a Kindle Edition of this book available through Amazon.com. Here's the link: The Quran - A Pure and Literal Translation

Peace,


I have this book, and when I pick it up it is so hard to put it down. I have read so many other English Translations and did not understand much at all. This book is so clear and concise, that not only do I understand it,, but I actually remember it. I would definitely reccomend this book to anyone who can read. It has changed my life being able to read the Quran in English where the meaning comes through not the busy parenthesis that confuse matters. I like it simplistic language without commentary and literal translation. Beautiful. absolutely beautiful. Glory be to God!

The first thing is, the language it's written in is good. Quite simple and clear. The reader will often notice the translation differs in many areas compared to traditional translations, which is a good thing most of the time as it gives you an alternative view. Definitely worth a read.

You can download it online for free if you want, just search for it.

What separates this translation from others is

1) No parentheses
2) A literal translation

This is what makes this translation the best I have used (I have used Yusuf Ali, Mohsin Khan, Pickthall, Khilafah ). This translation is done by people who believe that the Quran is the only revelation that should be followed as an Islamic source of law and hence are not interested in trying to denigrate it to a secondary source of law subservient to the books of Bukhari et al as many other translations are.

The lack of additions creates a clarity and focus to the translation which is lost in other versions.

This translation is a good one to be read and compared to more traditional and literal translations, expecially for the non-Muslim reader. An interesting method and results. Certainly worth the purchase price, even though there are free versions available on the web.

****
Charles Stanley's "How to Listen to God" is this seasoned pastor's perspective on how to listen to God, written definitely from the perspective of a Christian fundamentalist with a life based fully on the Bible. If you are interested in this point-of-view, you will certainly enjoy this book. It is simple and perfect for the ordinary Christian desiring to be closer to God. It covers topics like how God gets our attention, identifying the voice of God, obstacles to hearing God, and ways of listening.

It does not consider other points-of-view, such as the New Age, or even more liberal Christian thinking. It is basic and down-to-earth, fully grounded in a literal interpretation of the scriptures. It is a short and easy read.

I received the book as a gift and really enjoyed it. Although I am not a fundamentalist, I thought there was much to be gained, learned, and appreciated from reading it.

Recommended.
****

A must read for those who seek to deepen their relationship with God. As always, clear and concise teachings from Dr. Charles Stanley.

As a pastor I like to read other pastors, for they have a tendency to sprinkle their writings with life experiences. I have come to appreciate this dimension in Dr. Stanley's writings.

This is a wonderful books that seeks to exalt the Word of God and keep the believer sensitive to the leading of God in everyday life.

This is a list of the bad reasoning in this book:

1) On page 9 he says, "if our relationship with him is a one way trip and the Lord Jesus Christ, then there isn't much fellowship." The problem with that is that only applies to non-Christians, Scripture however teaches that the Holy Spirit does communicate with our spirit and intercedes on behalf of it. Furthermore he implies that if there is no audible communication or extra-biblical communication that we aren't fellowshipping with God, however that isn't what Scripture teaches. According to the Christian Scholar and educator James Strong (author of the famous book Strong's Concordance), fellowship means:

1. fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, intercourse
a) the share which one has in anything, participation
b) intercourse, fellowship, intimacy

2) He said, "The second reason God still speaks today is that we need his definite and deliberate direction for our lives" yet strangely, Charles says that the Bible is direction for our lives. But is the Bible not deliberate or definite? It's NOT accidental and indistinct is it?

3) He said, "I realized that God was trying to get my attention through my body, but I wasn't listening." And what's his evidence that God was trying to say, "Hey Charles you feel worn out because I want you to rest and stop talking about me." That's not a sentence in the book but I say it to make a point. Charles doesn't give any evidence as to how he knew. But then goes on to say, "after I spent several weeks fasting and seeking to know the mind of the Lord" does anyone see anything wrong with that? I can: You can know the mind of the Lord from Scripture, the whole book shows how God thinks and what how he wants us to live. He then says, "I had been rather restless in my spirit and knew God was up to something but I didn't know exactly what." Again, what's his evidence that God was "up to something". That sentence also implies God ceases to have control over things, wrong, as Scripture teaches, God is always in control, he doesn't stop now and then (and the rest on the seventh day was him resting from CREATING, not controlling.)

4) He then said, "Then one night, out of desperation, I cried out to God, asking his purpose." Besides that being a badly worded sentence (God doesn't have a purpose, he always existed, no one created him, but obviously Charles meant what God's purpose for him was), he claims he doesn't know God's purpose (for Charles.) Hello? This is what God says, "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." - Ecclesiastes 12:13, and what commandments? Love the lord your God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself, and to "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction." - 2 Timothy 4:2. There, that's our purpose in life. But Charles isn't content, no, he's shows he's full of anxiety.

5) After that sentence Charles said, "God replied quickly and bluntly, 'I am going to move you.' I said, 'When?' In a split second the word September flashed across my mind, and immediately my burden was lifted..." Well it sure would be lifted if you felt you finally got what you were looking for.

6) He then said, "God revealed Himself, not because I was seeking a vision or a dream, but because I was seeking his mind." Well, so, Charles sought his mind but got a VISION of "Semptember", and so Charles contradicted himself. So the "mind of God" was on Charles moving in September, and this is what Charles was dying over and fasting? Wow, that's really deep. Does Scripture give any examples of people going nuts like this in Scripture? NOPE, just the opposite, they were given, without asking, God's word or what they asked for.

7) He then said, "It was a vision" see, he admits it was a vision "nevertheless, it was something God used to convince me He was involved in the business at hand." Once again Charles shows forgetfulness that God is always involved, always in control, already told us how to live.

8) Then, on page 15 he says someone asked him how much he was willing to sell his property for, and claims that God said to him, "Don't answer that" and that he later settled on a price for it and said, "I feel that the outcome was the one that pleased God." So, Charles, assumed "move" meant move his property to live somewhere else, not move to a hotel for a few days to preach the word. He FELT not KNEW that what happened was what God meant by move. Well that is really assuring isn't it, to be told to do what cults do, to merely rely on your heart and a guess.

9) Charles also claims in this book that you can know God's will by circumstances (which is a seemingly common teaching used by many good pastors unfortunately.) The problem with that teaching is that it is only true if Scripture refers to the circumstances, for example specific signs, but if you see 10 red cars in a row, what is God saying by that, that he wants you to buy ten red cars?

Does it say anything about God audibly saying anything to a person's physical body, or chatting with him? No, because that isn't what it is, and God does not say to seek to "hear / listen" to him in such a way. It amounts to fortune telling of a sort.

Charles Stanley delivers an excellent guide for everyday Christians.

Deeply rooted in God's Word he explores the Bible and shares personal testimonies on finding out God's will for our life.

This is one of the very best books written on this subject... and this subject can actually mean the diferrence between success and failure for a Christian.

Get this book, study it, and study the Word of God. Knowing the Word of God, the Bible, is actually one the most accurate ways to know what God thinks about an issue. Charles Stanley adds more insight into areas like, being in peace in your spirit, having good counsel and so much more... in the end if you seek the Lord's will, you will know, but knowing how to pray and where to look for his will will help you in your journey.

Five Stars... definitely worth every penny and even more.

Jose L. Hurtado
Toronto / Canada

Well written, precise and to the point. This book correlates with biblical passages and prophecies. Written with clarity, knowledgeable and very informational. It opens yet another door to allow the mind to expand and again, think outside of the box. As a reader myself, of over 5000 books, journals and publications; I can assure you that this book is one to definately have in your collection along with several other well knowns who are right on the same target.

Thank you.

This book is very real although some of the scenarios are stretched. I do believe in Genesis however and have personally encountered some of the entities he decribes in his book. I am glad to see someone out there willing to get the truth out. They are the ones behind the Illuminati, our government today, our media and even our churches..I do completely believe the Nephilim in paticular are he to reproduce and wreak havoc. I do believe it is the antichrist and his legion up to no good. For those of you who don't believe it sorry! I was once like you until lived in a haunted/possessed house. Wake up!!![...]

The majority of mainstream Fundamentalist Christians accept Dispensationalism uncritically. In truth, there is nothing new about L.A. Marzulli's thesis. This book is a combination of the 70's "Satan Is Alive and Well on Planet Earth" by Hal Lindsay and the 70's conclusion of the Spiritual Counterfeits Project that the entire UFO phenomenon is a demonic effort to "deceive the elect (if it were possible)." Marzulli has wisely qualified many of his assertions with the "belief" or "opinion" disclaimer for the benefit of those who do not share (a) his eschatalogical commitments for interpreting Old and New Testament prophecy or (b) his over simplification of a vastly complex world of extra biological entities.

However, given that a signigicant group of Fundamentalist Christians accepted Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness and Tim LaHaye's Left Behind without flinching, this explanation should be plausible to them as well.

Give L.A. Marzulli some credit here. At least he takes the road less traveled. Most Evangelical or Fundamentalist Christians (yes, folks there is a difference) dismiss the UFO phenomenon altogether. "Where the Bible is silent, we remain silent" is the usual path of resistance. Marzulli shows vision and proactive awareness by not denying the UFO phenomenon, but making a brave, biblical case for the existence of aliens and why they are here.

I actually agree with Marzulli:

(1) That a certain segment of Grays and Verdants (from a dominant collective who are major players in abductions) the will be the featured disclosure race and will pretend to be open to evangelism on the surface in order to complete their forced breeding program without interruption.

(2) That David Jacobs, et. al. are important resources for understanding what is going on behind the abduction scenes.

(3) That governments will have little choice but to go along with the deception because of prior agreements.

I disagree with Marzulli:

(1) That aliens are fallen angels or demonic personalities. Marzulli will be hard pressed to explain the metaphysics, physics and biology of fallen angels (demons) impregnating a human. The testimony of retired military personnel, scientists and many civilian witnesses remains on record that the aliens taken from various wreckage are extra BIOLOGICAL entities with physical DNA, not just demonic light beings. The biological material to be revealed at disclosure will bear this out.

(2) That the vast, galactic, exopolitical domain of at least 57 (and probably more) species of EBEs or ETs or aliens interacting with governments on earth can be simplified into a single-file fallen angel (demonic) masquerade party.

(3) That the only characterization of aliens, ETs or EBE's is doom and gloom. Accounting for a single (but indeed dominant) group of aliens within a certain collective does not do justice to other races who have extremely positive values and insights. What if the ultimate outcome could be a truly redemptive turn around in civilization thanks to the input of a superior race of ETs whose wisdom and technology could actually help our planet? What excludes this possibility? The circular argument that "aliens are demons, therefore aliens must be demons" just might.

Christians will respond in many ways to UFO disclosure. The Fundamentalist, Dispensational - "end timers" will likely buy into Marzulli's pre-determined, simplistic, demonic aliens model. The implications of the alternative are just too devastating to a Fundamentalist Christian belief system. Less critical, less informed Christians will be attracted to the wonder solutions of the disclosing collective (of some but not all Grays/Verdants), while ignoring reports of their abductions and forced breeding programs. A third group will see inadequacies on both sides and look for long term assistance from truly benevolent races--the identity of whom has already been documented by scores of former, credible military personnel and highly privileged government "ops" personnel. In other words, there are more witnesses to the benevolent races than just Billy Meier.

If you share the Dispensational, Millenarian, Zionistic assumptions of L.A. Marzulli, you will find this book to be meaningful, and possibly convincing. If you are less convinced by Fundamentalist, biblical hermeneutics and would like to consider a broader discussion as to the meaning of UFOs, encounters with EBEs and genuine disclosure--and the challenges that come with it--you may be better off looking elsewhere.

Very plausible arguments for what may seem at first to be ridiculous assertions. Very interesting, a real page turner!

In spite of the judicious observations found in this book, it is of rather annoying reading. It is a good example of what the Internet can give to authors who, in another way, would have few things to say. The most part of developments of the author are or borrowing in other books or of 'copy and paste' informations gleaned on the net. The problem remain that one can assert everything on the net. Readers longing for assured knowledge have to refrain.

Swami Kriyananda continues to maintain the spiritual bridge from East to West designed by our precious Lord Jesus Christ and magnificently built by Paramhansa Yogananda utilizing the eternal power and wisdom of the most Holy Spirit. The Swami's joy and peace are palpable on every page. This is truly the "Peace of Christ".

I certainly agree that not only is it possible that Jesus sought spiritual masters from the East (including Indian), that it is highly probable. And I very much appreciate the in-depth discussions about various insights this would have on understanding the New Testament.

I deducted a star because the author occasionally showed his culturalism by saying things like "India is the mother of religion." The vast majority of the discussion is presented in an intellectual fashion and such generalizations stick out like a sore thumb.

While I certainly enjoyed this book, as there are many worthwhile "nuggets" to be uncovered, I find the author to have been far too frivolous with his use of words. In many instances I'm not at all sure that the ideas expressed were Yogananda's or the authors. Also, many times the author repeats himself, but not to re-illustrate a point from a different angle, he just repeats himself. The book, though fraught with long winded diatribes is of high value due to the richness of the core content and the beauty and joy it evokes. It could have been better written.

This book is a great book for all sincere followers of Christianity. It revels the true meaning of Jesus Christ's words which are mostly misunderstood by the West for over two thousand years. It takes deep spiritual insight and experience to write such a book.

This book helps us to rediscover the true meaning of the teachings of Jesus Christ. I would highly recommend this book to all sincere Christians who are shaken by their faith of Christianity because of material science.

Please be aware that Paramahansa Yogananda was NOT the author of this book. Only titles published by Self-Realization Fellowship are authorized writings of Paramahansa Yogananda. The author of this book, Swami Kriyananda, was a student of Paramahansa in the early 1950's before Paramahansa's death. You will additionally notice that websites and other information disseminated by Swami Kriyananda typically mis-spell Paramahansa Yogananda's name as "Paramhansa".

I thought that this was an excellent book. The people chosen for interviews were good choices. As stated in some of the other reviews, the questions asked may not be hardball, but that's not the point. The point is opinions and history, not a hard-hitting interview. The pictures are great too. There are a lot of great live shots and a ton of fliers and artwork. Good stuff. The book is interesting too. I'm not heavily into this era of hardcore like some people are, but there was a time when I was, so I have the knowledge neccesary to make this book a good read. This book might not be the best for people with little or no knowledge of the scene that it talks about, but if you know a little about it you will probably enjoy it. Don't listen to that review that complains about who was interviewed. I don't see how guitar players and drummers are any less important than vocalists. They believed in what the songs were about too and were just as much part of the scene as anyone else. Your review sounds like a sad litte jealous rant because you and your friends didn't get included in the book, because, hey, you're so much more "core," than the people interviewed because you bought records first. You sound like a 12 year old.

Beth did a fantastic job of capturing every aspect of the original hardcore/sXe movement.

She interviews band members, club owners, and even some non-edgers to get every detail concerning hardcore.

Contains pictures and flyers aswell. A great read for anyone interested in the scene.

Sociologists and anthropologists might find this book a useful peek into the minds of socially dysfunctional, middle/upper middle class white kids prone to gang/crowd-mentality and testosterone charged music. Straight Edge is definitely one of the more bizarre underground cultures to emerge in America over the last 20 years. It has little or no political agenda; a bizarre lifestyle code and its followers seem to operate in cultural vacuum. It's circular philosophy places emphasis on all the things you would expect from bored teens desperately seeking an identity. Straight Edge hoists all the familiar flags: alienation, persecution, unity, etc. The strange part is that the participants in this scene insist on championing values and ethics that are already espoused by the economic-bracket and social class they come from.

This book does a good job examining the straight edge/anti-drug hardcore scene.

Not a bad book, lots of pictures (a hell of a lot of Youth of Toady) some interesting interviews, lots of uninteresting interviews. Some of the plus points are Ian MacKayes interview which is quite interesting in that he goes through his own personal history, the D.C. community and his own involvment in straight edge. Other good interviews are with No For an Answer, Ray and Porcell, Raybeez (it's interesting to read how concerned he was in the whole idea of the 'community') Jon Anastas and Pete Verbal Assault. The guys from Gorilla Biscuits didn't have all that much to say of any interest though it's quite amusing reading the interviews with former members of Bold (who I guess are no longer 'nailed to the X') Also I would have liked to read a little more from 7 Seconds who were one of my favorite bands.

Yes, some of the questions asked were not shall we say 'challenging' (ranging from "when did you start listening to hardcore" etc) but not a bad book at all.

One big negative though and this is to anyone thinking of buying this book who either does not know an awful lot about straight edge or was not around mid to late 80s in hardcore/punk. This books gives little or no background, it is assumed you already know the bands, know the people, know something of early 80s hardcore and you are reading this as something of a 'what happened to them after' kind of thing. (which is pretty much how I was reading it)

I say this because otherwise you will be reading this book thinking "who was that" "who is he talking about" "when did that happen"

For me it was an interesting read but I can see that for others it could be a damn frustrating one.

This book is a sociologist's dream as well as a hardcore music fan's dream come true. While Beth could have taken a more sociopolitical look at the straight edge movement, she decided to interview the icons of the movement and let them do the talking. Those unfamiliar with the hardcore music scene will find it difficult to read, but if you are interested in learning about youth counter culture then by all means check it out. If you are personally (or polically) straight edge yourself, you have no excuse not to read this book.