A reader asks,
Do you have a good guide for studying Revelations or a Bible study for each chapter?
I would appreciate any help or suggestions you may have.
I don’t fancy myself very knowledgeable on the Revelation (and I know many readers who’d agree!) So I figured I’d ask the readers for their recommendations. Which books on the Apocalypse do you find helpful?
As most know, Stafford North is the expert in our fellowship on Revelation. He is at the Memorial Rd. C of C in Edmond, OK. and in the Spring he did a six week series for those participating in LTC. The audio for the class is at:
http://www.mrcc.org/cgi-bin/MediaList.cgi?section=&cat=A%20Breif%20Study%20of%20Revelation
It’s a great resource and he explains all of the different views and the pros and cons of each. He has study guides that you could probably find on Amazon or contact the Memorial Rd. Church of Christ.
Revelation: Four Views: A Parallel Commentary by Steve Gregg. Lays our the 4 main views in parallel columns. For clarification, the author says in a review of his own book on Amazon that he wished he had called the 4th view “Idealist” instead of “Spiritual”…and he mentions other things he would change now that is has been out a while – but it is a clear, well researched and generally unbiased view in parallel form of the different views of the Book of Revelation.
3 great books
Worthy Is the Lamb by Ray Summers
Apocalypse: A Revelation of Jesus Christ by Donald Taylor
Before Jerusalem Fell: Dating the Book of Revelation by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr
My top favorites in this order are:
1. The Consummation of the Ages by Kurt Simmons (CoC)
2. Before Jerusalem Fell by Ken Gentry (Reformed)
3. The Avenging of the Apostles and Prophets by Arthur Ogden (CoC)
The “Four Views” book is good for an introduction to the varying viewpoints.
Also be sure to study the Prophets extensively especially Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and Zechariah. And cross reference with Matthew 21-25, Luke 17 & 21. And don’t forget praying for understanding! God will grant understanding to those seek and ask for it.
I’ve been studying the prophets and the Apocalypse for several years now intensely and have now come to see the Revelation to be dealing with the Destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the Mosaic Age in AD70. That’s my viewpoint.
Been enjoying this site, first time posting. 🙂
Blessings!
If you could find a copy of “Haven’t you heard there is a war going on” by Eldred Echols last printed by Sweet Publishing Co Fort Worth Tx. I found this book very interesting and accurate.
I’d have t agree with Jerel. Revelation fits best with the rest of the Scripture when it’s interpreted as dealing with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 a.d. Ogden’s book is a good one.
MORE THAN CONQUERORS William Hendriksen
THE LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES William M. Ramsey
GOD’S FINAL WORD Ray Steadman
and, oddly, an old small group study guide from NavPress – – REVELATION, from the “LifeChange” series
Probably the real question would be, “What position would you like to use in your approach to Revelation.” If you are taking a Dispensational view then a whole different list woud be given. From that position (and it will make you reconsider) two books together-“Epicenter” by Joel Rosenburg and “What in the World is Going On” by David Jeremiah. Jeremiah seems to have taken much of his stuff from Rosenburg and is an easier read. Rosenburg has rubbed elbows and interviewd some of the worlds most impressive leaders in the Middle East like Benjamin Netanyahu. (I THINK Rosenburg is a Jewish convert, but don’t quote me on that…I’m going from memory).He has a huge concern of Russia’s support of nuclear weapon development with Iran. He documents with hundreds of articles throughout his book. While I personally don’t take the Dispensational approach, these books certainly ties current events with the Rapture and Millenium coming around the corner. They will make you think. If you are looking for scholarship (not that the two previous aren’t good) on the Historic Approach to Revelation, put your thinking caps on and read Ben Witheringtons III, Revelation, Cambridge University Press and Mitchell G. Reddish, Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary . A couple a old ones, Homer Hailey, Revelation-An Introduction & Commentary and Jim McGuiggan’s book on Revelation. Believe it or not, Rob Bell did an outstanding job in a 45 minute lecture at Willow Creek , here is the link and I am pretty sure it is still up http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1465663627958239828 For a quick overview and breakdown is Rubel Shelly’s The Lamb and His Enemies. If I remember correctly, Ray Summers treatment on Apocalyptic language in the first part of his book, Worthy is the Lamb is very good.
Oh, I can’t believe I forgot to add this in my previous comment. We (MoSt Church) had Dr. Richard Oster, a scholar from Harding Theological School, come do an eight part series on Revelation this past summer, 2011. Each lecture was an hour and fifteen mintues. As soon as “TRUTHCASTING” gets their stuff fixed and back up and running, you should be able to listen to his lectures from our website, mostchurch.com
I would add N. T. Wright’s Surprised by Hope. It’s not a commentary on Revelation but a description of the NT doctrine of heaven — but I’ve found it extremely helpful in tying OT and NT together and making better sense of passages in the Revelation.
And I’ve begun Michael J. Gorman’s Reading Revelation Responsibly. I’m a fan a Gorman’s work but haven’t finished the book yet. It’s one of several I’m working on.
As a premillenialist, I’d recommend the ECF as a good secondary source.
Since Papias’ wrintings have been lost, but a few scattered quotes, I think Irenaeus is one of the most reliable sources, since he was a disciple of Polycarp who was a disciple of John. Also great reading is Hippolytus.
But aside from these secondary sources:
It makes no sense to start with Revelation unless you have started with the OT prophets, because the typological language is essentially the same, and most of what John wrote is directly linked to similar passages and phrases in the OT.
Alexander
Hendriksen & Burton Coffman.
Just adding a little more info regarding Joel C. Rosenburg’s book, Epicenter (even though I take a Historical Approach to Revelation) for those interested you can check out Rosenburg’s blog site)
http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/four-reasons-why-god-is-shaking-america-the-world-text-of-wake-up-call-sermon
Discipleship On The Edge by Darrell W. Johnson. A practical, preachable, life-application exposition of Revelation. Published by Regent College in Vancouver, B.C.
Eugene Peterson, “Reversed Thunder” is excellent.
Rubel Shelley and Ian Fair both have small study guides available. Richard Rogers, “Hallelujah Anyway!” is available from SIBI in Lubbock.
For the preterist view- The Parousia
for the historicist view- Observation on the prophecies of daniel and the apocalypse of st. john by Isaac newton
For futurism, well theres more than enough to choose from on that. Overall i beleive all three views are correct, as i view biblical prophecy to have multiple applications or fulfillment, that is revelation occured in 70 a.d, its been unfolding across history and it will have a literal future fulfillment in the end. A good book on this i believe is the Triune hypothesis by H.E Eickleberry Jr.
All right everyone….here it is…My profoessor started this blog on Revelation. Dr. Oster is a respected scholar (PhD. Princeton) and specializes in New Testament backgrounds and Ephesus.
http://www.richardoster.com/
The fun thing about studying Revelation in the church of Christ is to get three or four commentaries from different members of the church; all will be different!
I’d say two of the most representative texts are the commentary by Burton Coffman and Conquering with Christ by Ian Fair. Brother Coffman has a very balanced approach that is part historical and part futurist and part modified preterist. He understands that the book was written primarily to first-century Christians but also believes much of the text regarding prophesy relates to events after the first century, specifically the abuses of the Roman church throughout time. in this way, it is somewhat a standard Protestant-style read. He, of course, does not lapse into premillennialism and considers the thousand year reign to be the Christian Era, which has become the traditional theory in most churches of Christ.
Ian Fair’s book, on the other hand is strictly modified preterist. Except for the very end of Revelation, Fair sees the saga as specifically and only relating to the early church. Thus, the beast, etc., are all images and symbols of Imperial Rome and the emperor cult of that time. The book becomes a highly symbolic encouragement manual for the early. Hurch as she begins an era of severe persecution. Fair’s book also may raise some eyebrows in what seems to be his belief that John consciously used passages from the Hebrew Bible as he CONSTRUCTED his narrative. Most conservatives would see that idea as a departure in the belief that John simply was a recorder of what he saw in the vision and was not trying to create a literary masterpiece himself.
Therefore, a study of both Coffman and Fair can give one a view of the spectrum of ideas about Revelation from two dedicated scholars of God’s Word.
And my above review shows how challenging it can be typing on an iPad. Sorry for any errors!