Revelation Resources

Since January I have participated in an Eastern Mennonite Seminary class on the book of Revelation. As a result I have been doing quite a bit of writing for the class, which is why I haven’t done much here (Well, baseball season started too…go Phillies!). Anyway, this class has been a great learning experience and I am growing in my theological, ecclesiological, and missiological understandings of this most interesting book of the Bible. I am thankful for the privilege of sharing this journey with a wonderful group of classmates and a wise instructor. I find that studying the scriptures in this kind of context is such an energizing and formational discipline, and I’m feel fortunate to have had this opportunity. Revelation is one of the strangest, most disputed (historically), and misunderstood texts in the canon of scripture. And viewpoints on its message are all over the place. Studying the book in its context (historical; literary; alongside the whole “Story” of scripture) is vital, and can keep us from getting carried away by the faulty schemes of the modern “end times prophecy” folks. This book is a journey, and I look forward to continued learning about its message.

With this post I would like to present some resources that I found to be especially helpful in this current study I’ve been engaged in. Many of these links are to books, but some of these resources are available online (for free!):

• Ted Grimsrud, at his blog Peace Theology, has a whole section on Revelation that includes the entire text of his book Triumph of the Lamb: A Self-Study Guide to the Book of Revelation. Grimsrud’s work is excellent and I highly recommend visiting his site and engaging with it.

• John Miller’s Revelation: Making Sense of Its Message in the 21st Century. Dr. Miller was my teacher for this course. With his formal discipline being Missiology, his perspectives and experience add a helpful depth to the study of Revelation (in particular discussing implications for living out its message as the church). I also appreciate his desire for a consistent hermeneutic approach to the apocalypse.

• J. Nelson Kraybill’s Apocalypse and Allegiance: Worship, Politics, and Devotion in the Book of Revelation. If I was going to lead a bible study on Revelation, this book (and Grimsrud’s) would be at the top of the list. Excellent study and highly readable.

• Michael Gorman’s Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship and Witness: Following the Lamb Into the New Creation. A very helpful look at the big-picture themes of Revelation, to guide interpretation and encourage the kind of radical living the letter calls for. Thanks to J. R. Daniel Kirk for the recommendation!

• M. Eugene Boring’s Revelation: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching is a helpful commentary discussing contextual themes associated with Revelation.

• Brian K. Blount’s Revelation: A Commentary (NTL) (New Testament Library), is an in-depth study with a great deal of grammatical detail.

• N.T. Wright’s article, “Farewell to the Rapture“.

• Loren L. Johns: Resources for the Study and Appreciation of Revelation

I invite you to check these out and hope that they also provide insight for you as well. Drop me a line in the comments if you have used any of these resources-I’d love to know how they have impacted your study of the book of Revelation.