Explanation of Contents and Website Resources

The organization of this doctrinal commentary is completely different than any other verse-by-verse commentary of the scriptures. Except for its purely religious content, this book looks, reads, and works much like a legal treatise. I suppose that's what you get when a lawyer writes a religious commentary.

Fundamentally, this doctrinal commentary is a "readable reference." The readable portion is the actual text I have written in the printed pages of this book. The text is readable because I succinctly summarize a great deal of information from many sources without getting mired in the many details. This brevity reduces the overall length of the text while increasing the number of topics that are covered. More information in a shorter space means, however, that the text may be readable, but it's not light reading.

The readable text provides substantive information that is also topical. Almost every sentence, and many phrases within each sentence, are topics that introduce the content of the reference materials found in nearly 17,000 footnotes. The footnotes contain citations to reference materials that support, explain and expand upon the topics in my text. These cited reference materials contain almost 64,000 quotes from more than 250 authors. The reference materials can be accessed electronically on any smartphone using the printed QR codes found at the end of each section of the book. The same materials can be accessed online at https://UnveilingJesusChrist.com. My readable text (about 349,000 words) is about ten percent of the total volume of the reference materials (about 3,410,000 words) that have been collected and collated into an accessible electronic format.

The 17,000 footnotes in my text are like the Rosetta Stone that connects the dots between the readable text in the book and the reference materials online. Those wanting more than a quick and cursory read of my doctrinal commentary can dive into the reference materials via the footnotes. The following example from the first section in the book‒[§1]‒illustrates the connection between my readable text that is merely an introduction to the online reference materials.

Section 1 in the book is entitled: "[§1] The Apostle John and His Authorship of the Book of Revelation." The readable text states that, "John and Jesus were probably first cousins.15" This is a substantive statement of fact and also the topic of footnote 15. If you access the research materials for footnote 15 on your smartphone using the QR code at the end of section 1, two scholars explain why John and Jesus were probably first cousins, as follows:

15. Skinner, GOL, 139-140 ("It is also possible that John's relationship with the Savior was familial–that is, John the Beloved may have been a cousin of Jesus. Both Matthew and Mark name three women at Golgotha: Mary Magdalene; Mary, the mother of James (the Less) and Joses; and the mother of Zebedee's sons, or Salome. John appears to name four women: Mary Magdalene; Mary, the mother of Jesus; 'his mother's sister'; and Mary, the wife of Cleophas [John 19:25]. Could Salome, the mother of Zebedee's sons, be the same person as the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus? Though we cannot know with certainty, other students of the New Testament have considered it. Elder James E. Talmage wrote: 'From the fact that John mentions the mother of Jesus and "his mother's sister" [19:25] and omits mention of Salome by name, some expositors hold that Salome was the sister of Mary the mother of Jesus; and therefore the Savior's aunt. This relationship would make James and John cousins to Jesus' [Jesus the Christ, 521]."); Bruce R. McConkie, TMM, Vol. 2, 113 ("'According to Hegesippus, ... the sons of Zebedee were real cousins, their mother Salome being a sister of the Virgin.' [Edersheim 1:521-22.] … James and John are listed as blood-cousins through Mary.").

Key Words: Golgotha; Hegesippus; Jesus Christ, lineage/family; Mary Magdalene; Mary mother of Jesus; Salome; Zebedee.

The Key Words at the end of each footnote are an additional research tool. The Key Words contain hyperlinks that allow you to electronically navigate the large volume of reference materials. For example, if you click the word "Golgotha" as one of the Key Words, you will be redirected to every footnote in every section of this text where the events at Golgotha are mentioned. The online reference materials also include a Topical Index of Key Words and Phrases. This index contains over 1.2 million words, with hyperlinks that redirect you from the Topical Index to the 17,000 footnotes in the text. The reference materials also include a Scripture Index, as well as a bibliography and biographical information about every author cited in 17,000 footnotes and quoted in the reference materials. These research tools are also enhanced with AI Research capabilities that allow you to ask any gospel related question and receive back answers based on the reference materials. In addition to these research tools, the website offers a wealth of free supplementary materials to deepen your understanding. Each section of the book is accompanied by relevant podcast episodes that explore the doctrinal topics in greater depth. A complete audiobook allows you to listen along as you read each section. Video blogs provide visual insights into the historical cities mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Weekly newsletters offer deeper analysis and commentary on various sections of the book. All of these free materials work together to enhance your study experience and help you gain a richer understanding of the text. All these research tools‒together with my text‒make this doctrinal commentary a readable reference. Additional instructions and tutorials can be found online at https://UnveilingJesusChrist.com.

This book is organized into sections with discrete topics rather than lengthy chapters that contain a broad range of topics. There are 378 sections, and each section has its own heading that describes the content and/or verses of scripture covered in that section. In general, the sections follow the organizational flow and content found in the Book of Revelation. Additional sections are added at content appropriate intervals to include the related writings of other prophets such as Daniel [§§131-142], Joel [§158], Zechariah [§159] and Nephi [§216]. Each section contains sufficient contextual information so that it can be read independent of every other section. This allows you to topically study the contents found in each section. Finally, the footnotes in each section cross-reference to other sections that have related content. For example, section 3, footnote 44 contains a cross-reference to the related content in section 13, as follows: "See generally ([§13] Overview of Jesus Christ's Message to the Seven Churches)."

Casual readers can read this commentary cover-to-cover without stopping to "smell the roses" in the many footnotes along the way. Topical researchers, on the other hand, can pinpoint areas of gospel study through the Table of Contents, through the Topical Index of Key Words and Phrases, and through AI Research. With the aid of these research tools, you can literally unveil Jesus Christ in your individual lives.


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