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Can anybody give me a hint for 1down. I have "*a*ks" but can't find a word that fits the definition, or is the definition for a word that has "g" instead of "*k"?

I had problems with this one too, and my answer (which has an initial letter that makes sense when used to deduce the instruction) ignored the 'in' and used 'fits' in a sense applicable to a door.

Thanks for that. I don't understand it at the moment but perhaps light will dawn in the morning.
Are the letters of the message meant to make sense in clue order? For me at the moment they don't.

I have it now. I was overcomplicating by thinking I needed 2 letters to replace "$1000" rather than just the one. I wouldn't have thought of "coils" as a definition of the resulting word.
Now I am puzzled by the "fruit"!

Noni.
Don't forget to include spaces, commas and quotes when working out the message.

Spaces as well? It is indeed a broad definition of "characters"!

Has anybody cracked this yet? I've now spent far, far
longer gazing at a completed grid than it took to fill the thing in the first place, and my will to live is ebbing away. A hint ere I die, I beg you. (Are the words in a straight line or not?)

I haven't cracked it either after lengthy staring, but here are my thoughts for what they're worth.
Unless it's a big red herring, the title might suggest the Book of Revelations written by John. If so, 15 across could be the entry to highlight. To get 39 cells, an odd number, on an axis of symmetry surely they must cross one cell of the entry word. I don't see how you can get an odd number of cells symmetrically disposed otherwise. A vaguely circular arrangement of cells crossing one of the cells of the entry word (which surely must be centrally placed) could total 39.
However, none of the above has led me anywhere, so it may be completely wrong.

Did anyone else think the last word in 15 is a dubious definition for that element in the wordplay? I couldn't find any support in Chambers.

Dryden, cote3 = quote = scrutinize (Shak) = study. Did you really mean that 15 was the entry to be highlighted? Why?

Joining the fray and still in grid-staring mode. I too found Elton but now suspect it is a red-herring. I presume 'axis' would exclude a circle as the 'all' would suggest that each separate word has its own symmetry. I am also wondering about 24ac as the highlighted word but feel that makes a rather vauge link with the title