Maurice A.
Williams
Maurice A. Williams is a retired director of Research and
Development for a company that does business
all over the world. He has traveled to many countries himself.
He is a technical writer experienced in researching literature.
Coming from a different field with no preconceived bias, he
believes he sees a more logical interpretation of Revelation
than others have seen. Williams found a clue to interpret
Revelation from authors who claim that Chapters 4 through 11
come from John the Baptist as the Baptist announced Christ and
warned of consequences should Christ be rejected. If true, then
historical events predicted by the visions would shift from
modern times to a much earlier period. Williams is the only
author to thoroughly link these visions to events experienced by
John's audience.
Williams traces Israelite and Judean history before Christ and
Judean history after Christ. He discusses Church history. He
shows how the Judean people came back to their ancestral
homeland. He outlines the growth of Islam. Williams is the only
author who prepared an easy-to-read, sensible, logical linking
of at least half of Revelation to the preaching of John the
Baptist.
Williams prepared a second book "Prophet and Historian: John and
Josephus," which is a condensed version of the above book. The
second book is meant to serve as a companion volume to the
popular "Last Disciple" series. It contains the histoy that
forms the background worked into "The Last Disciple" series.
Williams also authored many technical articles in scientific
journals around the world and has contributed chapters to six
international text books. He also writes poems and inspirational
articles.
Williams still serves as a consultant for his employer, speaking
at conventions and helping out where needed. He has four
children (one deceased) and six grandchildren who bring him
great pride and joy, and lives at home with his wife.
Visit Maurice online at
http://www.geocities.com/mauricewms2003
Books-And-Authors.net: Where did you grow up and was reading
and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest influences
and why?
Maurice A. Williams: I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. I was always an
avid reader. By time I was in high school, I tried my hand at
writing. I was also always interested in nature, always inquisitive
about animals and woodlands, and I read many books about these
topics. I had a typical youthful interest in being free and being
part of nature. In my youth, I was very much influenced by authors
such as Ernest Thompson Seton, Martin and Osa Johnson, Ivan T.
Sanderson, Immanuel Velikovsky, Jack London, and Ernest Hemingway,
among others.
Books-And-Authors.net: Why do you write?
Maurice A. Williams: I like the challenge of writing. I like the
opportunity to contribute my thoughts and experiences for others to
examine and consider. I hope what I write is as entertaining and
informative to them as writings by other people have been to me.
Books-And-Authors.net: Briefly describe your book "Revelation: Fall
of Judea, Rise of the Church"?
Maurice A. Williams: The Book of Revelation has been interpreted
many different ways throughout history. "Revelation: Fall of Judea,
Rise of the Church" focuses on three concepts from Scripture: John
the Baptist announced who the Messiah is; those who try to destroy
the Messiah's mission will themselves be destroyed ( Judea ceased to
exist as a nation from A.D. 135 until recent times); and Satan will
be released after one thousand years to deceive the nations. Unlike
many popular interpretations of Revelation that predict a future
rapture and tribulation, I propose that many of the predictions
happened during the early Church age as unbelievers tried to destroy
Christ's Church. Satan, as predicted, was released to deceive the
nations approximately one thousand years after the Church was firmly
established. As a result, the world today is filled with thousands
of conflicting Christian sects and with non-Christian, occult, even
anti-Christian movements that have propelled humans to as dangerous
a rebellion against God as the one before the flood.
Books-And-Authors.net: Discuss your experiences and research that
helped and motivated you to write "Revelation: Fall of Judea, Rise
of the Church"?
Maurice A. Williams: I had a conversion experience in 1978. My view
of life had been a contradictory mixture of revealed religion and
scientific theories of evolution. I earned a degree in biology, so I
have had more than a cursory introduction to evolution. I was also
educated in church-sponsored schools, so I was well-informed about
Scripture. I could never reconcile the two in my mind. Finally, I
reached a crisis in my view of reality where I had to decide what is
really true and what is conjecture. I started reading books by Hal
Lindsey and wound up reading most of them. I was very much impressed
with his books, and he did lead me back to God, but I had
reservations about the rapture, the tribulation, and the future
millennial kingdom to be established on Earth with Christ reigning
in the flesh.
Books-And-Authors.net: "Revelation: Fall of Judea, Rise of the
Church" is very well written -- Who was John the Baptist? Who were
the Judeans?
Maurice A. Williams: John the Baptist is the prophet who preceded
Christ by a couple years. His mission was to prepare people to
recognize Christ when Christ began his ministry. He is the prophet
who baptized people in the Jordan River and criticized Herod Antipas
for marrying his brother's wife. Herod's wife encouraged her
daughter Salome to request the Baptist's head on a platter. I
deliberately used the word "Judeans" to signify the Jews living
during the time of Christ. I didn't want to use the word "Jews"
because too much prejudice has already been directed against the
Jews, and I didn't want my readers to think I am implying that
today's Jews are in the slightest way responsible for the decisions
other people made two thousand years ago. I found out after my book
went to press that "Judahite" would have been a better word. It
would have been specific to people who, at that time, descended from
the tribe of Judah, just as "Israelite" is specific to people who
descended from Israel (Jacob who was given the name "Israel" by God)
who was the patriarch from whom the twelve tribes of Israel
descended.
Books-And-Authors.net: From your perspective what makes "Revelation:
Fall of Judea, Rise of the Church" different and new compared to
other books in the genre of religious interpretation?
Maurice A. Williams: I'm one of the few authors who argue that many
prophecies in Revelation were meant for the people who first heard
the prophecies preached and that there are historical events that
show how many of those prophecies were fulfilled in first and
second-century Judea. I'm the only author who includes an account of
Bar Kochba in my commentary. Bar Kochba led a rebellion against Rome
in A.D. 131-35. Unlike the rebellion in A.D. 65-70, the Judeans were
unified under the single leader Bar Kochba and liberated all of
Palestine early in the rebellion. Rome crushed the Judean nation in
A.D. 135, killing most of the combatants, exiling most of the
non-combatants, and bringing in different peoples to settle in
Palestine. I argue that this is the fulfillment of the third woe
"the end is here!" Judea ceased to exist as a nation of people
settled in their own land. As late as 1856, there were only 10,500
Jews residing in all of Palestine.
Books-And-Authors.net: What did you learn from writing "Revelation:
Fall of Judea, Rise of the Church"?
Maurice A. Williams: I learned a lot of history and enjoyed reading
many interesting early historical writings. I have a much better
perception of early Roman history now that I had when I finished my
schooling. I also came to a better understanding of Scripture and
why God has let humans experience so much grief during our earthly
lives.
Books-And-Authors.net: What do you hope to achieve with "Revelation:
Fall of Judea, Rise of the Church"?
Maurice A. Williams: I hope to encourage a reexamination of what the
Book of Revelation might really have predicted.
Books-And-Authors.net: What's next?
Maurice A. Williams: At the moment, I have no plans for another
book, but I plan to continue writing book reviews and posting my
thoughts on forums and blogs.
Books-And-Authors.net: What was the last book you read?
Maurice A. Williams: The last book I read was "The Upright Ape" by
Dr. Aaron G. Filler. I posted two differently worded book reviews
about this book, one on BookIdeas.com, the other on Revish.com.
Books-And-Authors.net: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How
do they enhance your writing?
Maurice A. Williams: In my younger years, my hobbies were hunting,
fishing, taxidermy, photography, and bookbinding. Now my hobbies are
reading and writing. I especially like non-fiction writings that
explain what nature is all about. I'm still very interested in
nature, science, and, later in my life, religion, in the sense of
"What did God really reveal?" I write and post book reviews both
fiction and non-fiction. I think all the study and experience I
gained through my hobbies very much shape my perception of the books
I review, and, of course, my own creative writing.
"Revelation: Fall of Judea, Rise of the Church" focuses on three
concepts from Scripture: John the Baptist announced who the Messiah
is; those who try to destroy the Messiah's mission will themselves
be destroyed ( Judea ceased to exist as a nation from A.D. 135 until
recent times); and Satan will be released after one thousand years
to deceive the nations. Unlike many popular interpretations of
Revelation that predict a future rapture and tribulation, I propose
that many of the predictions happened during the early Church age as
unbelievers tried to destroy Christ's Church. 
