Revelation for Everyone

This is a friendly, feel-good peek at the bloodiest book in the Bible. As one who has written about Revelation from a historical-critical viewpoint, detailing all the gory first-century details which inspired the Book of Revelation, Wright’s approach felt a little to me like bouncing happily along the surface. This is not a criticism; Wright’s Revelation is more palatable than mine, certainly more inspirational for a 21st-century audience.

Given Wright's more conservative brand of Christianity, it's eerie how often he and I agree on the meaning of the Bible's most mysterious book. Wright recognizes the conflict between Christianity and Caesar worship pulsating through Revelation. He recognizes (as does nearly every serious scholar of show more Revelation) that the "Beast of the Sea," identified by the hideous number 666, refers to Nero Caesar, and Wright pays homage to the rumor that Nero had come back to life. He counts, like I do, the seven kings of Revelation beginning with Augustus, not Julius Caesar, the popular choice among preterists. He even acknowledges the frightening urgency in the tone of Revelation, because its prophecies were expected by John to be fulfilled immediately. Indeed, some had already occurred, like the two witnesses of Revelation, before John put pen to paper.

Yet in all these cases, Wright glosses over the historical connections and emphasizes, instead, Revelation's relevance to today. His focus is for Christians of today, recognizing that we still await the moment of Christ’s return. The “earthquakes” of Revelation (which should be read non-literally as merely earth-shattering events) remind us of the fall of the Berlin Wall, or the smashing of the Twin Towers. That’s a relevant stance, yet it did leave me feeling like Wright’s treatment was a bit artificial, regardless of his claim … that Revelation “in fact offers one of the clearest and sharpest visions of God’s ultimate purpose for the whole creation.”

This highlights the fascinating thing about scripture, and in particular the book of Revelation. Its vivid imagery and Christian lessons relate to followers of every century. Unless you read the book of Revelation literally—a method of reading that was appropriate only to one age and audience, the people of Asia Minor to whom John was actually writing—Revelation continues to be just as meaningful and "true" today as then.

Do not miss the final chapters, about the New Jerusalem! Wright reminds us that “Jesus, according to the whole New Testament, is already reigning.” He points out the fascinating verse in Ephesians 2:6, where the church is “seated in heavenly places in the Messiah Jesus.” As to the binding of Satan, Jesus had already accomplished this (Matthew 12:29). What it all means is the great promise: God has come to dwell with humans. So many readers of Revelation assume that the final description would be about heaven that they fail to see the glory of God's New Jerusalem on earth—a "newness" we can share in today. Heaven and earth are forever joined together.

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My second Wright book and one where I had hoped to grasp of one of the hardest of new testament books. Some companion books on The Revelation read more like a Peretti novel than a sound rendering of the text. In that respect, Wright did not disappoint giving a well-balanced exegesis.

[[NT Wright]] provides an easy to read survey of the book of Revelation and its possible interpretation. His approach is more historical and metaphorical than literal, so don't expect any timelines or direct interpretations of the various symbols in the book. He does however, state he could well be wrong and misunderstanding how it will work out; a good attitude for any commentator on Revelation.

I think his best analysis is over the last two chapters of the New Heavens and the New Earth, where heaven unites with the re-created Earth and all things are made new. His picturesque language and use of modern examples make many local cultural references in the book fresh and relevant.

The book is well worth reading whether you're a prophetic show more literalist or amillenialist. Recommended. show less

The volume for Revelation of Wright's New Testament For Everyone Series.

Consistent with previous volumes in the series, Wright first translates each section of Revelation, provides some illustration, then explains the text in its context. Major terms are defined in the glossary at the end.

Wright does well at summarizing the main action and themes of Revelation. He writes from an "amillennial" and "spiritual" perspective, demonstrating the continuity of imagery between Revelation and what has come before in the Old and New Testaments. The drama is explained well in its context.

This is not an in-depth commentary, yet has great value in introducing and explaining Revelation. Highly recommended so as to keep the big picture in mind.

**--book show more received as part of early review program show less

A thoughtful and useful popular commentary on the Book of Revelation. A sane interpretation of this magnificent but much abused book.