Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination [Paperback]

Eugene H. Peterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 1991

Peterson's eloquent meditation on the Revelation of St. John engages the imagination and awakens the intellect to the vitality and relevance of the last words on scripture, Christ, church, worship, evil, prayer, witness, politics, judgement, salvation, and heaven.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Reflections on the Revelation of John and its meaning for our lives.

About the Author

Eugene H. Peterson, author of The Pastor and translator of The Message, is professor emeritus of spiritual theology at Regent College. He and his wife, Jan, live in Montana.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (April 26, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060665033
• ISBN-13: 978-0060665036
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #203,432 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Peterson, now retired, was for many years James M. Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He also served as founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland. In addition to his widely acclaimed paraphrase of the Bible, The Message (NavPress), he has written many other books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revelation happens every moment, November 24, 2002

By 

NotATameLion (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination (Paperback)

It never ceases to amaze me how Eugene Peterson so easily exposes the lie of what we in the West have come to call "reality." His book Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer changed my worldview and revolutionized my prayer life. This book--Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination, has done just as much (and more) than Answering God.

Reversed Thunder has truly awakened my imagination. It has turned how I approach the Word of God on its head (I don't even feel like I approach it anymore--it approaches me). For the first time in my life, I feel that the Bible is not just some mystic book that speaks from somewhere in the mists of the past--it is living (how many times had I heard that and given mere intellectual assent?) and speaking to me always.

Each chapter of this book is vital. Eugene Peterson has distilled the lessons of a lifetime in these pages--they are transformative. As an aside, I read Brigitte Hanhart's children's adaptation of Tolstoy's Shoemaker Martin while I was reading Reversed Thunder--the messages of these books powerfully reinforce one another (in other words: I strongly recommend reading them together).

I give Reversed Thunder my highest recommendation.

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eminent, Significant, October 13, 1999

By 

Isabel (Shoreline, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination (Paperback)

Have you become immersed in interpretations of the varied and even gross symbolisms in the Book of Revelation? Have you missed the introductory statement that it is "the revelation of Jesus Christ"? He gave His revelation, His last words, through the listening ears and the seeing eyes of His devoted friend, St. John, theologian, poet and pastor. The author of Reversed Thunder has caught the sweep and practicalities of Revelation through his insights into Jesus' last words, His ultimate words, on such subjects as the church, prayer, evil, politics, heaven. Jesus' call for us in the here and now is to worship God and to this theme we can respond, "Amen." This book invited repeated reading, always with an open Bible, time for meditation, prayerful worship. "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Revelation of Jesus Christ is about Jesus Christ., December 17, 2001

By 

R. Schwartz (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination (Paperback)

Simply the best book I have read on Revelation. Peterson's book is about about God, the person. The focus on revelation is about the revelation of Jesus Christ. So many people get interested in everything except God, loosing themselves in symbol hunting, last day prophecies, intrigue with numbers, speculating with frenzied imaginations on times and seasons, despite Jesus' severe stricture against it. (Acts 1:7) Our salvation, our focus, is on Christ. Our timing is the looking at our present, the silence within us, God's very presence living within ourselves. The timing and sense of urgency of God is not the same as living with the sense of hurry, as it is urgent for us to look inside ourselves, use our imagination with God's Spirit and discern the revelation of Jesus Christ in others through Him and in Him in ourselves.