Hi, My Name Is Ralph Bass...This Is My Library
Hi, I’m Ralph Bass, the author of Back To The Future, a commentary on the Book of Revelation.

What About That Name?

To start, one might ask, “How did you come up with the name Back to the Future for the book?” To properly answer that question, I need to explain how some people, even most people view Revelation. Basically, most see it as a book about the last days of the world. Obviously, this would be a period yet in our future. But, over the years, not all have viewed it this way. From its earliest times some believers have viewed it as a prophecy on the end of the Jewish era or the “last days” of Judaism. Peter quotes Joel and speaks of issues clearly found in the Book of Revelation, that Peter says are being fulfilled in the first century.

Peter and Joel
…but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on My bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit And they shall prophesy. ‘And I will grant wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth [land] below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. ‘The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come. (Acts 2:16-20)

Joel and Revelation
In fact, Peter’s era began those last days. Not the last days of the world; the last days of Judaism. The Book of Revelation fleshes out this prophecy of Joel’s giving us the details about wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. It tells us how the sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood.

The First Century-Really?

That being the case, this book was about a period in the first century, especially the 3 ˝ years leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. So, when Revelation was written in about A.D. 63 or so, it was unfulfilled prophecy. Today, however, most of it having seen fulfillment in that era, it is now fulfilled prophecy. Therefore, we need to go back about 2,000 years to get to a period when the Book of Revelation was still unfulfilled prophecy. Hence the title Back to the Future.

A Study in the Book of Revelation





A Thematic Outline of the Book of Revelation
Introduction to the Book of Revelation - Forward

Back to the Future - Methods of Interpretation

Back to the Future - Revelation's Author and Date

Revelation 1:1 "must soon take place"
Revelation 1:1 - Sign-i-fied
Revelation 1:7 - The Theme of Revelation
Revelation 1:7 - Coming with Clouds
The Mark of the Beast
Revelation 16 - Armageddon