WHENEVER I THINK ABOUT SHARING SOMETHING ON SOCIAL MEDIA, I always have to think to myself, “Am I doing this to draw attention to myself or is it going to be of some use to someone somewhere in the world?” If there is ever the slightest hint of the first thing, then I hastily delete the idea and get on with life. These are not just words and this post is not virtue-signalling. I am way past that kind of jive. So I mean this from the bottom of my heart. People who seek to draw attention to themselves are not people to be trusted. Anyone who is trying to teach in any kind of way must always be subject to scrutiny as to his or her motives — preferably self-scrutiny, if one is able to be honest about it and true to oneself.

People who are primarily trying to draw attention to themselves should not be teaching anything, as they plainly need to work on themselves first. I can honestly say that every time I post something, it is hopefully to be of some use to some soul somewhere. Even if it is something lighthearted, or amusing, or just a scene from nature in a photo, I always hope that someone somewhere will receive some rays of delight from them, as I do myself.

With all this in mind, I want to share an experience which is close to my heart at this time. The project that I have been working on for the past six months — initially in Switzerland, then in London, and now staying in a monk’s tiny hovel in the wilds of Cornwall — (and one I will be continuing to write for about another three months or so) has taught me a great deal about teaching and responsibility. Writing a commentary on the Book of Revelation feels like the culmination of a life’s work and experience. I would say that at least three decades of spiritual preparation have been done in advance, without me even realising it. I have known throughout that time that one day — if I were to live that long — I would write something deep and meaningful about the Book. So this present project is the highlight of my life. It could turn out to be the end of it too (though that is in God’s hands).

One thing which gave me a kick-in-the-pants to write has been the deteriorating state of the world and my mailbox filled with messages from concerned and even traumatized people. There are so many insightful and well-meaning people who are relentlessly focusing on all the minutiae of corruption but I feel that there is a need to lift one’s focus from off of all that and get a spiritual overview of what has been brewing throughout the past 2000 years — essentially since the ascension of the Christ, which sparked intense demonic activity which has been working its way through history like yeast in a lump of dough and is building to a climax of mindblowing proportions. It is this increasingly turbulent period of time — from His ascension to the end of the age — on which the Book of Revelation mostly focuses. And it is into this maelstrom that I am sending this book that I am compiling. The thing is that until recently I did not feel sufficiently worthy of writing it. In many ways, I still don’t even now.

Each morning I have to ask myself if I am up to this — should I be doing it — or am I being presumptuous. When I pray about it, the answer I receive is always giving an impression like, “I’ll be the Judge of that. Just get on with it and shut up, you whinger!” So I do. But it is a struggle. Not a hellish struggle but a delightful one. For when I’m approaching a chapter in the Book of Revelation, I find I have to read it and meditate on it for many days or even weeks before I can really get to grips with writing the words. Then it starts to come together piecemeal, like the parts of a jigsaw assembling themselves. But it is not until the last piece has been placed that I can feel that what I am writing is worth anything. Each chapter is a process that can take days or even weeks. The other day, I was wondering, “Why doesn’t God just whack all this info into my brain right away?” Then I realised that I am not just writing this book for its readers but for my own growth in depth and understanding. It is a learning process for me too. I can honestly say that I have learned more about this Book in the last six months than I have done in the previous thirty years. Then I realised how important it is that I should have to grapple with the text in order to understand it and present it to others with some credibility.

When I was living in Greece (July 2019 – December 2020), I had a kind of vision of myself living on the Isle of Patmos in some shack a short distance from the cave where the Book of Revelation was written 1900+ years ago. It would be a bit like putting myself into exile (which I have effectively done anyway where I am now!). I could see myself sending a regular “Letter from Patmos” out to this increasingly degenerating world as part of my Diakrisis Project. Coupled with that, writing some major work on the Book of Revelation too. As many of you will know, I visited Patmos with that view in mind in November 2019, attending a Eucharist in the actual cave but undergoing an experience there which shocked me to the core and I got off the island as fast as I could. (An article about that experience is here: https://diakrisis-project.com/2019/11/20/predation-in-patmos-corruption-in-the-church-continued/ ). It was another eighteen months before I would begin what started as a large essay on the Book of Revelation, but quickly turned into what could only be a book that has so far already reached 405 pages and 130,000 words. I can honestly say that every word I write on the Book has been passed through a very severe filter. That filter is a couple of verses which appear towards the end of the final chapter in the Book of Revelation:

“I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and the holy city, which are described in this book”.

This chilling warning is another thing which has made me doubt my worthiness to write this book on the Book. How can I be sure that I am correctly interpreting a Book that is notorious for being difficult to interpret? This has sometimes made me want to stop altogether on a number of occasions. But then I get to thinking how pleased Satan would be if I shelved this work which is basically an exposé of the satanic world-system, the downfall of Satan, and the final victory of Christ presented in a number of vignettes giving varying points of view. I have also found that all I have to do is keep reminding myself that the Book of Revelation is not primarily a book about the Endtimes (as many seem to believe) but is first and foremost the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which are its first few words. The word “revelation” is a translation of the Greek word Ἀποκάλυψις, apokalypsis. The Book is known as “The Apocalypse” because of that. However, apocalypse does not mean the end of the world but ‘revelation’. Thus, the Book reveals how Christ, who He is, and what He has done is what lies behind everything. So if I keep that in my mind continually as I write — the revelation of Jesus Christ — I feel confident that I will be more faithful to the meaning.

Another aspect has been prayer. Oh my gosh! Writing this book has taught me so much about that! Let me give an example. For some weeks I have been half-dreading having to write about the 17th chapter of The Book of Revelation. It’s an exceedingly challenging portion of the Book and fraught with difficulty (humanly speaking). I have been meditating on it for weeks, praying like crazy about it. I pray a lot while cycling. The other day, I was cycling in heavy rain on the dual carriageway A38, with juggernauts thundering past me and cars flying past at 70 mph (112 kph). No hard shoulder and only a gutter with sunken drain-covers and rumble-strips (growlers) to bounce over! And in the midst of that, there is me shouting my prayers into the noise and spray. I was laughing at the madness of the whole scene. But just as I filtered off onto the ramp leading off the road, I had an insight which was like the final piece of the jigsaw about that chapter. I was so relieved that I wept. Face was wet anyway from the rain. I had been agonising over that chapter, not wanting to write anything erroneous. I still cannot be 100% sure that I have got it right; but I don’t feel that I can tweak it any further, and I think the important thing is that one’s heart must be in the right place. I do believe that if one wants the truth about anything — I mean really wants it in all its beautiful purity with every fibre of one’s being and isn’t merely seeking to have one’s prejudices or biases confirmed — then it will be shown in some way.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this with you — not to draw attention to myself but to be of some use with my words. Above all, to show the importance of wanting to get to THE TRUTH of a matter with every fibre of one’s being, no matter how unpopular or alienated that may make us become, and no matter how challenging that is to what one already thinks, believes, or imagines. Truth will generally only reveal itself to those who diligently seek it. I say “generally” because sometimes Truth will shove itself in someone’s face who was trying to run away from it. Count yourself fortunate if that happens to you. You were obviously meant to discover it. Because normally, if one runs away from Truth then Truth will obscure itself even more.

Finally, remember also that our words make waves and ripples, for better or for worse. This is why one of my mottos is “Don’t speak (or write) because you HAVE to say something, but because you have SOMETHING to say (or write)”. In other words, communicate responsibly and without neurotic need. Above all, be reconciled with the Christ for He will lead you by His Spirit into all truth. That is a promise. This is going to become increasingly necessary as the world (and the mainstream visible church too) degenerates into anomie and a deeper rejection of Divine law. One is going to have to be prepared to stand utterly alone for Truth if that is necessary. One may even have to endure a prison cell of some kind and, ultimately, execution or assassination. This is when we discover who we really are and to whom we really pay allegiance.

We live in interesting times.

© 2021, Alan Morrison / The Diakrisis Project. All Rights Reserved. 
[The copyright on my works is merely to protect them from any wanton plagiarism which could result in undesirable changes (as has actually happened!). Readers are free to reproduce my work, so long as it is in the same format and with the exact same content and its origin is acknowledged]