This tremendous exposition of the capstone of Scripture issues from years of teaching, dedicated study, and sound evangelical scholarship. The author defends the premillenninal position, but at crucial points considers other views as well.
The final book of the Bible, Revelation prophesies the ultimate judgement of mankind in a series of allegorical visions, grisly images and numerological predictions. According to these, empires will fall, the "Beast" will be destroyed and Christ will rule a new Jerusalem. With an introduction by Will Self.
A new and transforming approach to the Book of Revelation. Margaret Barker bases her study on a fresh reading of the primary sources. As an Old Testament scholar, she can read Revelation as Hebrew prophecy - ancient temple oracles which inspired Jesus and his own prophecies, and influenced the whole Jerusalem Church. Jerusalem was waiting for their Great High Priest to return and complete the Atonement at the end of the Tenth Jubilee. This expectation fuelled the revolt against Rome. Josephus, who deserted to Rome, was the false prophet. John, who escaped to Patmos, compiled Revelation as a record of the first generation. In the future, he taught, the Lord would return to his people in the Eucharist.This work illuminates the formative years of Christianity, in the social, religious and political situation of mid-first-century Palestine, in a quite remarkable way. It will have profound implications for the understanding of Christian origins and the development of Christian liturgy.
From the Introduction by Merrill C. Tenney: This commentary is an attempt to make plain the meaning of Revelation. With commendable reserve, Dr. Smith has restricted himself largely to interpretation by other passages of Scripture which are related to Revelation by actual quotation or by striking parallelism. His painstaking studies of vocabulary and of related ideas make the book valuable to the earnest student of the Bible. Dr. Smith is a futurist and a premillenarian, holding that all of the Book of Revelation beginning with the fourth chapter relates to the future period of judgment known as 'the great tribulation,' which will be followed by the personal return of Christ and by the establishment of His kingdom. In this regard he is in a long line of renowned commentators, including Seiss, Gaebelein, Ottman, and others. The distinguishing feature of this commentary is its use of Biblical statistics and comparisons. The uses of important terms in the Revelation are cataloged, and their interpretation is derived from their context. The appendices contain some extensive studies of individual topics, correlating information not easily obtainable elsewhere. Dr. Smith follows a literal interpretation except where avowed symbolism demands a different procedure. He has sought to make his exposition consistent in method and in results. His use of Greek is apt, and shows a careful investigation of the underlying vocabulary of the Greek text. This commentary will probably be the mainstay of premillennial exposition for some years to come.
Principal Subjects. 1. Title and Character of the Book, The Divine Salutation The Glorious Vision of Christ, The Seven Churches, Threefold Division of the Book, 2. Addresses to the Seven Churches, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea. Satan’s Throne and Dwelling Balaamism and Nicolaitanism, 3. Rewards to the Overcomer. The Seven Spirits and the Seven Stars, The Coming Hour of Trial, Christ Stands, Knocks, and Speaks, Third Division of the Apocalypse, 4. The Throne of the Eternal, Royal Authority of the Redeemed, The Living Creatures and their Worship, 5. The Throne and the Slain Lamb, The Seven-Sealed Book, The Intelligent Universe in Praise to God, 6. Opening of the First Six Seals, First — Sixth, (Seventh.) 7. Parenthetic Visions of Grace, Three Companies of Millennial Saints, Great Tribulation, 8. The First Four Trumpets, First — Fourth, (Fifth, Sixth.) 9. The Fifth and Sixth Trumpets, The Fallen Star or Personal Antichrist, The Number of the Avenging Hosts, 10. Descent of the Strong Angel — The Little Opened Book, Solemn Oath of the Angel, Recommencement of John’s Prophetic Ministry, 11. Jewish Testimony and the Seventh Trumpet, Jerusalem Trodden Down The World Kingdom of our Lord, 12. Events as God Views Them, The Woman and the Man-Child, Satan — His Names and Work, 13. The Two Beasts, Revival of the Roman Empire, The Number of the Beast, 666, 14. Sevenfold Intervention in Grace and Judgment, (1) Jewish Remnant Spared, (2) The Everlasting Gospel, (3) Fall of Babylon, (4) Worshippers of the Beast, (5) The Blessed Dead, (6) Harvest of the Earth, (7) The Vine of the Earth. 15. The Seven Vials, or Bowls of Wrath, The Victorious Martyred Company of Judah, Ministers of God’s Wrath equipped for Judgment, 16. The Seven Vials, etc. (Continued), First — Seventh. 17. Babylon and the Beast, The Great Harlot Described, 18. The Fall of Babylon. Lamentation on Earth, Triumph in Heaven, 19. The Marriage of the Lamb, The Judgment of the Rebellious Nations, The Conqueror and His Victorious Army, 20. The Millennium, and the Judgment of the Dead, The Reign with Christ, The Last Human Confederacy, Satan Cast into the Lake of Fire, 21. The Eternal State, and the Bride in Governmental and Millennial Splendour, A New Heaven and a New Earth, The City and its Glories, 22. Concluding Vision and Testimonies, The River and Tree of Life, “Surely I come quickly,”
The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.
C. Freeman Sleeper offers a logical and nonthreatening way for readers to study the book of Revelation. First, he introduces the reader to the basic questions. Then he acquaints readers with matters such as imagery and symbolism, and their use in other texts from the same period. Finally, he deals with the difficult issues of interpretation and the implications of Revelation for Christians today. The Victorious Christ is the perfect guide for non-specialists in search of a reliable and interesting exploration of the book of Revelation. Study questions and exercises are provided to offer additional support.
That the Apocalypse of John is a “Revelation of Jesus Christ” (Rev 1:1) is a fact too often overlooked by interpreters of this last book of the Bible. As Msgr. A. Robert Nusca’s The Christ of the Apocalypse: Contemplating the Faces of Jesus in the Book of Revelation proposes, beyond predictions of earthquakes and falling stars, St. John articulates from start to finish a multifaceted and compelling portrait of Jesus Christ. Nusca offers an exegetical reading of selected verses of the Book of Revelation, incorporating rich spiritual and pastoral reflections. The Christ of the Apocalypse above all affirms that St. John’s God- and Christ-centered, symbolic universe offers our contemporary world a spiritual place to stand amid the shifting sands of postmodernity. As Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, writes in his Foreword, “Now, as in the first century, Christians face martyrdom, and those who are not called to die for Christ are called to live for Christ in a world which in many ways rejects the Gospel. More than ever, we need the apocalyptic vision, to have our own vision of reality clarified, and to be strengthened in our evangelical witness.”
Revelation, the last book in the Christian Bible, is full of strange and spectacular symbols and image, but first and foremost it is a revelation about Jesus Christ. This book follows the so-called 'historicist' way of interpreting Revelation, which was the most common method of prophetic interpretation for most of Christian history.