Gethsemane Moon is an immersive and haunting contemplation of the most dramatic event in human history. This biblical literary fiction is told from the perspective of Jesus Christ in agonizing detail, wherein a surreal and deeply moving picture emerges of what He experienced in the garden of Gethsemane prior to His arrest and crucifixion. This project spanned a decade and involved much prayer, spiritual warfare, the Holy Spirit testifying of Christ, and a significant transformation of my personal worship of God. A fuller account of the book’s development is found in the Author’s Testament at the book’s beginning.

This commentary presents a practical, discipleship-based perspective toward following Jesus into the very heart of His Revelation. Decades of prayerful reading, studying, contemplating, and teaching biblical prophecy and the book of Revelation have enabled discernment between sensationalism, emotionalism, traditionalism, bad theology, and what the Holy Spirit is actually saying to the churches! The 22-year development of this project determined the foundation and direction of my personal mission to glorify Jesus Christ and invite others to discover His plan for the end of the age and beyond.

The Middle East, specifically Israel, is the epicenter of biblical prophecy that is presently unfolding. The past few decades have set the stage for much of today’s geopolitical events—from America’s alliance with Israel designed to defend democratic freedom for all, to the axis of evil nations desiring to rid the world of all who stand against their tyranny. Though this book was released a decade ago it remains eerily prescient, particularly concerning the recent Iron Swords War (and Operations Rising Lion/Roaring Lion) that Israel unleashed in defense of its very existence against Iran (Persia) and its proxies (Jeremiah 49:34—39). However, another war is approaching that will involve God Himself supernaturally protecting Israel from certain annihilation, an act which all nations shall witness and be unable to deny (Ezekiel 38—39). This book is a great primer toward understanding radical Islam, recognizing the interconnecting framework of geopolitics and prophecy, and discerning the distant thunder of the coming prophetic firestorm.

Outside of Holy Scripture, The Cost of Discipleship is the one book that truly transformed my life. Early in my discipleship to Christ (decades ago now!), as I was reading and contemplating the Gospel of John, I began to consider what “counting the cost of discipleship” truly meant. Within days of praying for clarity, I walked into a local bookstore and noticed The Cost of Discipleship on the bookseller’s Top Ten Books of the Month display. Though I knew of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his impact on history, I was at the time unaware of this particularly powerful book he had penned. Discerning this to be a divine appointment, I purchased the book and have been forever changed. The Holy Spirit complemented my Scripture intake with Bonhoeffer’s shrewdness and deeply convicting acuity. Chapters 3, 4, 5, 8, and 15 were—and remain—some of my most arresting reads to date, covering the topics “Single-Minded Obedience,” “Discipleship and the Cross,” “Discipleship and the Individual,” “The Righteousness of Christ,” and “The Hiddenness of Prayer.” I will note that both the writing style and theological analysis are highly introspective and uncommonly perceptive, thus this book is meant to be slowly digested.

The third-most influential book on my spiritual life after Holy Scripture and The Cost of Discipleship is Thomas à Kempis’ The Imitation of Christ. It is one of the most recognized works of western Christian meditative spirituality utilized by both Protestants and Catholics. Published in the 15th-century, this inspirational/devotional collection of conversational prayers between à Kempis and Jesus Christ displays and teaches a practical interior discipleship by imitating the humility, loving obedience, and self-denial of Jesus rather than seeking worldly honor or knowledge (Colossians 3:1—3). More specifically, this work stresses personal piety via an intimate and worshipful prayer life with Christ and the Holy Spirit, encouraging divinely relational theology and consistent moral reform over the allure of merely academic speculative theology without spiritual transformation.  In sum, the frame of this book harnesses one’s imagination toward an emotionally, spiritually, and relationally sound worship of Jesus Christ.

Jeffrey Weima offers expert research into Jesus’ message to the churches of Revelation 2—3, carefully detailing the first-century Roman context in tandem with additional historical/cultural background, and then presenting a judicious understanding of both the universal and contemporary spiritual lessons to be gained. The truth of the Gospel and a glorious Christology is undeniable as Weima works his way through this comprehensive and potent study. This is one of the richest commentaries I have read; indeed, the distinction made between “application and interpretation” is a requisite rule for rightly perceiving and applying both the mystery and utility of biblical prophecy in our discipleship to Christ.

J. B. Smith’s commentary has been the finest Revelation commentary I have encountered to date. Indeed, I have read many excellent treatments and would recommend most. Yet Smith’s work, published in 1961, avoids dry academics and still wonderfully presents a rare combination of narrative style combined with passionate scholarship; evident love for God and His Word; intimacy with biblical languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek); a grammatical, historical, and cultural awareness; sharp logical and biblical reasoning when dismantling bad theology; and a witty humor employed throughout. I received my copy from a pastor friend who left me his library when he went home to the Lord in 2003. I had already been studying Jesus’ Revelation for several years but Smith’s work further fueled my admiration for the awesome Christology in the last biblical book! Truly, J. B. Smith’s work is a “disciple’s commentary” and his approach was ultimately utilized by the Holy Spirit toward the development and crafting of my own work.

Achilles

Plato