Special Survey
I am interrupting my Postmillennial Primer series for a one-time special survey.
Tolle Lege, the publisher of my forthcoming commentary on Revelation, has typeset vol. 1 and is working on typesetting vol. 2. Not only so, but they are now looking into cover designs.
We are going to test the waters with three options. If you would like to vote on your favorite cover, please let me know which you would prefer. I will only display the cover to vol 1; the cover to vol 2 would copy the design of the first one while replacing the graphic image with a related one.
UPDATE!
On the afternoon of 1/17/17 from all sources of our survey the votes were:
#1 = 34%
#2 = 33%
#3 = 33%On 1/18/17 at 6:00 AM the votes have changed remarkably:
#1 = 29%
#2 = 29%
#3 = 40%
It looks like we might have to go to the Electoral College after checking the hanging chads! I wonder if the Russians are doing this to make matters more difficult?
Book covers are important because people actually do judge a book by its cover. The cover of a book must capture the eye on a store shelf containing scores of other books. Otherwise, a potential reader/buyer might walk on by, not picking up the book and surveying its Table of Contents to see what it is about. (If they had taken my course on Righteous Writing, they would know how important it is to look at a book’s Table of Contents to help evaluate the book.)
By the way, I will not be posting the high-resolution version. So they will not seem as clear as the final result. But I think you will be able to figure it out.
So here are the three options, along with a brief statement regarding the meaning of the cover.
Do you prefer Cover 1 (for vol. 1):
This option uses a white cover to emphasize the color of the paintings more. Also a more classic clean look for academic sharpness and clarity. Vol. 1 presents a famous painting of Nero burning Christians on poles. This corresponds to the beginning of the tribulation in Revelation (Rev. 1:9). Vol. 2 (not shown) presents a famous painting of the destruction of the temple. This is about the last half of Revelation. Both pictures correspond to the judgment theme of the title, The Divorce of Israel. The pictures depict the two cities of Revelation: Rome and Jerusalem.
Do you prefer Cover 2 (for vol. 1):
Vol. 1 shows the most famous symbol of Israel in antiquity, the Menorah. Behind it is the temple stone which will be thrown down in God’s judgment. The Menorah also represents the seven candlestands of the seven first-century churches to which Revelation was sent. The church will take over the function of the temple after the stone temple is destroyed (2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:19-22). The scroll below represents God’s divorce decree against Israel with the flame of God’s judgment beginning to show. This highlights the commentary’s main theme and its title, The Divorce of Israel.
Vol. 2 (not shown) depicts the four horses of the apocalypse and the fire of judgment in full flame. In the first book, the fire is just hinted at behind the scroll, in the second, the fire is all-consuming in judgment.
Do you prefer Cover 3 (for vol. 1)?
This option uses a white cover to emphasize the color of the paintings more. Also a more classic clean look for academic sharpness and clarity. Vol. 1 shows the famous painting of Nero burning Christians on poles. This corresponds to the beginning of the tribulation in Revelation (Rev. 1:9).
Vol. 2 has the famous painting of the destruction of the temple. This is about the last half of Revelation. Both pictures correspond to the judgment theme of the title, The Divorce of Israel. The pictures depict the two cities of Revelation: Rome and Jerusalem. Cover for volume 2 not shown.
Post your vote in the COMMENT section on this page.
We look forward to hearing from you. And if you would like to hear from me in a conference on Revelation, I would love to come and minister God’s word at your church.
Postmillennial Worldview 
Cover 2
Cover #2 please!
I prefer cover no. 1 Chris
Really tough choice, they are all nice and have their own positive aspects. I’m torn between 2 and 3, they fill the page up more and are easier to see and have more force to them than 1 I think. The difference between 2 and 3 seems to have to do with the emphasis on the historical/temple elements of Judaism in 2, whereas an emphasis on the persecution of Christians in 3. Which is most relevant to the commentary? Both really. One is being dismantled, the other is now in place. If your main thrust is to capture an audience from a bookshelf, then perhaps 2 is the choice. If a person is more captured by a cover than the table of contents, they probably would not appreciate the art of 3 or its message. But 2 is more bold and easier to discern. Oh well, just personal opinions.
Cover 1
#3. It has the scholarly look with a more eye-catching cover than #1.
I believe cover #2 is the strongest of the three and would appeal most to a broad contemporary audience. Thank you for your brilliant work.
Cover #1
I like cover 3
Cover #2
Cover 1
I prefer # 1
Cover #3.
Wow! What a close vote between the three covers! 33%..seriously? lol. Deciding on a cover may be harder than interpreting Revelation. Only kidding. 🙂
I vote for #3…but – similar to #1 – I recommend adding some means of differentiation between the title and your name. It slightly runs together from a distance. #1 has a strong red band with your name in white letters but you don’t want that to conflict or detract from the Volume 1 red band above as shown in #3. Also, you may want to think about adding some subtle-and-slight picture borders to help define their edges or some linework between the picture and the title. (As a reference, I really like David Chilton’s Days of Vengeance hardcover design which has an interesting blend of images around the front, edge, and back of the the book. It may be too busy for you but it sticks out as one of the most eye-catching books in my library.)
#2 slightly resembles a premillennial commentary (sorry, first impression confession). However, I do like the artistic factor of the composition. If the symbols could be more toned down and not such a hard literal picture (or maybe whitewash them slightly), I might change my vote to this one. The hard lines of the pictures seem to be competing with the title currently.
Can’t wait – can’t wait – can’t wait to see the final commentary set! This is awesome!
Cover 1
Cover 3
#3
I choose #3. The artwork and the title are bold and clear. The artwork on #1 is too small. And the imagery of #2 is too obscure to attract a reader who isn’t familiar with your work.
Cover #3 is my favorite.
Cover #2
Cover #3
cover 3
2
Will there be an email for us subscribers when your book is out? I am anxious!
I’ll take cover 3
I like cover 3 also.
I like cover 2 actually.
Cover # 3 is definitely the best.