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Mathematics and the sciences came easily to me in college, and I graduated first in my class in mechanical engineering. Writing, on the other hand, was difficult. I received a 'D' in English composition during my undergraduate years, so it is of no surprise that I avoided writing whenever possible. I provide this information only as background for appreciating the challenge that followed. In the years 2005-2010, I was fulfilling my lifelong dream of being a fine artist and owning a gallery. The venture was financially successful, and I was thoroughly enjoying my love for the arts, but that was about to change.
One day while working in my studio, I heard a distinct voice say, "The prophecy and fulfillment of man." I was surprised to say the least. I picked up a pen and wrote it down. Then I asked, 'What is that?' The voice returned, "It's a book. You need to read it . . . and it hasn't been written." Intuitively, I knew what that meant: I needed to write a book with this title so that I could read it. As I began to think about the enormity of the subject and was in fear of my own inadequacy to meet the demand, I began to resist. How was I supposed to write on a subject about which I felt almost totally ignorant and with little skill in composition? I imagined what it must have felt like for Moses who was "slow of speech" and doubtful of being up to the challenge of the Lord's assignment for him (Ex 4:10).
I did nothing for an entire year to advance the project, preferring to continue running my art gallery, but in every waking hour, I silently felt the yearning call, "Come out and be separate. Come out. Come out." Eventually the persistence of the messenger broke my will, and I knew I must begin; I had finally accepted the assignment. Later that very day, as I was sitting in my gallery staring blankly at a work in progress, there was a great stir in my consciousness. It felt as if I was being submerged in a spiritual bath of pure light - an all-loving energy. I was being cleansed and empowered: baptized and redirected. When I was lifted back up and the light faded from view, I looked back at the painting in progress and could do nothing with it. In a moment of time, my art career was suspended. All ideas and taste for it just vanished like a dream. I was entering a new phase of discovery.
As I pondered the momentous topic before me, I reasoned that if there was such a message as the prophecy and fulfillment of man, it would have to be found in the book of Revelation, and that book was almost a total mystery to me. I knew I must approach it with new eyes and a stalwart determination to find the key to unlock it, so I made a promise to myself that I would read the book twice a day: when I woke up in the morning and before I went to bed at night. I proceeded to do this faithfully, and its complex imagery filled every waking hour, but after two months I felt that I had learned nothing. Then in a moment of reflection, I wondered if the pictures that I was creating in my head of beasts with multiple heads and horns, horses, a calf, a leopard, and the great whore were getting in the way of progress. It occurred to me that the author did not say that these beastly things existed but only that the forces being discussed were like these things. I decided to see if I could read through the book without suggestive mental imagery, letting the messenger tell his own story without any interpolation on my part. A few hours after I had done this, an encircling spiritual light embraced me again. Finally, I had the correct attitude to hear the message.
After a few more months of studying Revelation continuously, I began to notice repeating patterns. An outline began to emerge of how the book was organized, and I laid it out on the floor of my studio, spanning about 30 feet long and 4 feet wide. I still did not have an understanding of the text or its spiritual significance but could see how the book was logically framed and ordered.
In the opening verses of the first chapter, the Lord announced, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending." I felt that I could not start there because my knowledge of God's all-inclusiveness was inadequate, so I started with the messages to the churches in chapters two and three. My approach was simple. I copied down the first verse and asked, "What does it mean?" Then I waited at the open door for an answer. Using will power or human logic in order to guess or force what needed to be written was out of the question. Eventually, I could see or hear something that felt inspired, a voice that was not my own, so I wrote it down. I had become a scribe under orders; my slow skill in composition was not required, only my ability to listen.
I attended to my gallery, selling existing works of art for an entire year without any desire to create something new. I just sat there listening for the unveiling of the spiritual message. Eventually, as my thought transcended the space, I knew it was time to close the store. I took a sabbatical and spent an additional year alone, recording the words as they came. I can truly say that the manna fell day by day - I was given sufficient insight to sustain me - and I was grateful for every morsel. Sometimes, I was mentally still for a week to hear only one sentence. At other times, I received direct visions that showed me the meaning as spiritual form, in the same way that Saint John saw it, and I understood why The Revelation was written as it was and why it is impossible to translate it with the material senses or brain power.
After about two and a half years, I published
my book, which I titled Revelation: The Prophecy and Fulfillment
of Man. Although it may sound odd to most people, after the
book was printed, I carried it around with me, pondering it for
an additional year. Just because I had written it did not mean
I had gleaned its full significance. Today, I often listen to
a portion of the audio version in the early-morning hours before
I start my day. I did indeed need to read that book.
George Denninger ©
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