Customer Reviews

Revelation (Life Application Bible Commentary)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
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This commentary is aimed for the young Christian and the group study leader. It is well designed and easy to navigate. It is also reasonably detailed and readable. Generally it gives the various alternative interpretations for difficult texts, including the rapture and millennium. The text of Revelation is in bold, and the comments are on one or two verses at a time, with the fragment of text being commented on highlighted in italics. It alternates between different modern bible versions, which I found annoying. It does a reasonable job of interpreting the meaning of the symbols. It includes additional tables and maps, an index, application notes and classic quotes from noted Christian thinkers.

There are instances of sloppy interpretation or editing, such as saying that the church at Ephesus was filled with pride, which is not what the text says, pride applies more to Laodicea. The mighty angel of 10:1 becomes an archangel by 10:2. On page 173 it misquotes Tertullian by saying, "The blood of the martyrs is seed" it should be "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church" (or seedbed of the church). However these are minor criticisms on what is basically a sound commentary.

Its strength is that it avoids the crass sensationalism and fiction of some modern interpretations and in general it follows the interpretation given by the more scholarly commentaries, which is to be welcomed. It is readable and not over technical and will help make Revelation meaningful to the young Christian. It is not so brief as to be useless but it packs quite a lot of information in its 284 pages making it worth buying.

The study leader will find Keener useful for application and Johnson or Krodel useful for further detail, with Mounce as a more scholarly reference. Other useful commentaries for the layman are Hendriksen and Ladd.

NB. Tom Wright has also published a good commentary for young Christians in 2011 Revelation for Everyone

As a pastor I highly recommend this commentary to anyone who is looking to delve into the mysteries of Revelation. I used it as a help in a 14 week study which we just concluded at my church.

The writing is such that most can understand it without too much trouble and the explinations and commentaries given are very well worded. It's easy to use layout makes it a perfect addition to any self study or small group study.

I have found this book to be a great study help. The information gives many of the possible interpretations without taking one particular side. Therefore, it allows the reader to make up their own mind and draw their own conclusions. I recommend it as a great companion to any Revelation study.

I am using this commentary as a supplemental tool for a women's Bible study I lead and all the ladies (45 of them) love it. Whether this is their first Bible study, or they have been studying the Word for many years, the ladies are benefitting from the insight and easy-to-use style, with helpful charts, maps and tables inserted throughout. Unlike other commentaries, you don't have to be a biblical scholar to use it or benefit from it, and there is also a focus on personal application that sets it apart from others more heavily geared toward deep intellectual or doctrinal advancement.

I am a little more than half through this. I am using it for daily devotionals partially because my Sunday School class is going through Revelation now (but not using this reference). It is an interesting read and works pretty well for my daily study. There is good background information and reference type information but it is what I would call easy reading. There is very little reference to the original greek texts, for instance, which I consider more scholerly(sp?). There is much more reference to complementary sections of the Bible. If you are interested in understanding Revelation a bit better, I think you would like it. Another caution I would add, however, is that I do not believe God intends us to fully understand revelation and that is the viewpoint of the author. So I would not buy this thinking you will have "all the answers" when you are done reading/studying it.