Customer Reviews

Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation

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Johnson's commentary is amillenial, exegetically sound, and detailed without becoming verbose. I have read numerous commentaries on Revelation, and I consider this one of the very best. It ranks alongside William Hendriksen's More Than Conquerors and Vern Poythress' The Returning King, but is much more in-depth than either of those. Also highly recommended is Kistemaker's commentary.

This book presents an explanation of the last book of the Bible that makes sense. It is not what is so commonly being preached and taught today. It is a view that shows that Revelation really does connect to the rest of Scripture making one complete unit. The author also gives short explanations of some other ways to view the difficult passages allowing the reader to better evaluate these texts. It is rare to find so much of the book of Revelation keyed to Old Testament passages that also look to the future, even beyond our day. Chapters and verses of Revelation are easy to locate all through the book so one can quickly take a look at those puzzling passages. I highly recommend it to each who is interested in learning more about the interesting way Revelation presents human and heavenly events - many times in different ways from different views. Some of these events are already past; but some (and these peak my interest) remain for us to still expect.

I just finished teaching an adult Sunday School series on Revelation. My brother-in-law, who is a professor at the same seminary where Dennis Johnson teaches, suggested this book as a resource. I relied heavily on this tome throughout the 11 weeks of the course, especially since I did not like the curricula I had found and ended up creating my own curriculum. The writing is clear and easy to follow. The concepts are organized and well thought out. The theological concepts and explanations are sound, scholarly work. Dennis did a great job tying in themes and references to the Gospels and Hebrew Scriptures. Bravo!

I'm pretty much half way into the "Triumph of the Lamb" and it has changed my life. Dennis Johnson skillfully unveils the Book of Revelation as cycles of visions. It's liken to watching football and seeing different plays from various camera angles. Each camera angle gives such tremendous edification for the play that you cannot help walking away blessed.

Indeed the blessing of hearing Revelation is truly made manifest once the believer is able to correctly approach the Book of Revelation as a book of visions and symbolism. This is one commentary you will find hard to put down.

Recently I picked up this commentary to see what he has to say, and it is good stuff. Dennis Johnson has written an excellent commentary on Revelation. I have also written one as well, and I have over 40 commentaries on this book. He gets to the heart of the matter. For any biblically literate person this is highly recommended. Great stuff.

It should also be noted that John Glynn in his Commentary and Reference Survey: A Comprehensive Guide to Biblical and Theological Resources_ also recommends this as an expositional commentary.

For the past 15 or so years I have avoided Revelation, in part because I assumed the book would be too difficult for a normal guy like me to understand. Recently I decided it was time to stop neglecting this portion of God's Word.

Thanks to Dennis Johnson for producing such a well reasoned commentary without the sensationalism so common in modern Christian writings. I never dreamed that Revelation would make sense to me or, as it has, become my favorite book of the Bible. It pretty much summarizes the entire Bible.

I would encourage any who have, like me, been scared of Revelation to simply read it for what it says and compare Scripture with Scripture (rather than the evening news). Triumph of The Lamb will help you through this study. It certainly has helped me tremendously.

There was a time when it seemed like the only Christian books I read were on the subject of eschatology. I read books that compared the different views on how to interpret the millennium and read a commentary on Revelation written from an amillennial perspective. I thought that was sufficient until I joined a Bible study earlier this year. The next book on their agenda was a book on Revelation. I initially had the rather cynical thought, "But I've already read a commentary on Revelation!" (That book was More Than Conquerors by William Hendriksen.) But of course, no Christian who is serious about learning everything they can about the Bible should be content with reading only one commentary on a particular book. It came as no surprise then, that I truly enjoyed Dennis Johnson's book Triumph of the Lamb.

Johnson's book is a concise, exegetical look at the last book of the Bible. After an introduction and an overview of Revelation, he presents it in a more or less verse by verse format, explaining what each verse means. Readers who are aware of the various schools of interpretation regarding Revelation will instantly recognize Johnson's take as the idealist view. This view sees the many visions as symbolic of events and ideas that recur throughout the time between Christ's advent and his return. Many of the visions show the same event from different perspectives (or "camera angle" as Johnson likes to put it.) The idea that the visions in Revelation are not presented in chronological fashion may be strange to some, but Johnson points out over and over that this is the only view that truly makes sense.

There are many strengths to the book. Johnson's exegesis is solid. He offers sound interpretations not only of Revelation, but of the many verses from the Old and New Testaments that directly influence the text of Revelation. The Old Testament in particular is extremely important. I thought I was familiar with OT prophetic literature but I was amazed at just how much of Revelation is taken directly from such books as Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and Zechariah. Johnson also remains consistent throughout the book. He frequently points similarities in Revelation's visions and shows how they relate to one another and the overall picture of the book.

In addition his main points, Johnson also provides many interesting tidbits on subjects that might be of only passing interest to the casual reader. For example, he makes note of grammatical issues and how they relate to the proper translation of Revelation. He even points out which translations do a better job. (The NASB doesn't fare so well.)

I enjoyed Johnson's conclusion and felt it probably should be read first. (The appendix which explains the various views on Revelation is also useful and should be read at the start) He points out what the book should mean for Christians. It's more than just a series of puzzles to solve. Revelation is primarily a book of hope. It comforts the people of God whether they are believers in the 1st or 21st centuries. Revelation shows that God hears our prayers and that the time is coming when evil will be completely wiped out. There will be no more tears and no more suffering. God lets us know that even though we must endure hardships now, He has promised to rescue us through the work of His son Jesus. Our ultimate destiny is eternal union with God in the new heaven and new earth.

I already lean strongly toward the idealist view but I'm sure that people who do not agree with it will still benefit from Johnson's excellent presentation of this view. All four views (historicist, futurist, preterist and idealist) are orthodox and Christians should not be divided over them.

This is a wonderful exposition of Revelation.
Many people seem surprised by Johnson's excellent detailing of Revelation's truths.
Yet this kind of teaching is NOT NEW to the church or the world. It is what had been believed all down through the history of the church. WILLIAM HENDRIKSEN (1940), WILLIAM MILLIGAN (1800's), and many many others have taught for AGES that the Old Testament is THE key to unlocking this book.

The general population has a problem with their understanding of The Book of Revelation only because a couple of highly popular authors have been teaching their own unscriptural fantasies about the Book of Revelation for the past 30 years.

I don't have to name names because these two sensationalists are so popular that everyone knows who I'm talking about.

The false church, along with the world, latches onto the utterances of these people because they do not understand the Book of Revelation either, allowing these two, along with a few others, and also another very odd man and his scary wife to get away with saying all manner of foolish speculations about the Book......though no one can refute what they say because so few have read the first 65 books required in order to break the code of the Book's symbology.

For many, many years, great theologians and teachers have taught the correct translation of The Book of Revelation, yet their voices have been drowned out by the popular worldly speculators whose theology is just plain wrong.

Dennis E. Johnson is not wrong, and I whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone who has the love of the truth, and whose greatest desire is merely to know the TRUTH, regardless of what it is.

I also want to communicate to everyone reading this that there are many other great authors and teachers who know and love the truth, and lay it out nicely for everyone to understand. It's time we stood up and put an end to these money grubbing so-called teachers, who are nothing more than wolves in sheeps clothing.

I recommend the Revelation and prophecy-related books of These other wonderful and highly competent teachers of Truth:

William Hendriksen, G. K. Beale, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Louis A. Brighton, John Stott, Craig Koester, Leon Morris, Everett I. Carver, Richard Brooks, John Wick Bowman, Jay E. Adams, Earl Wesley Morey, Simon Kistemaker, Eugene Boring, Paul Butler, Vern Poythress, Philip E. Hughes, G.B. Caird, R.C.H. Lenski, Philip Mauro, Louis Berkhof, William Milligan, Herman Hoeksema, Stephen S. Smalley, William E. Cox, O.T. Allis, Michael Wilcock, Albertus Pieters, Geoffrey B. Wilson, Archibald Hughes, Ray Summers, & Malcolm Smith. There are also many others whom I haven't the time and space to name.
These good people lovingly teach truth and are not given to wild, ridiculous speculations about a future which the bible speaks nothing about. They don't try to make scripture fit their own silly pre-conceived notions, but instead exegete scripture by what it actually says and means, regardless of their own beliefs.

I apologize for saying little about Dennis's book, but I'll let the other reviewers speak for that. I agree that it his is a fine tome indeed. It's an easy read as well, so you don't have to keep a dictionary by your side the whole time, and I consider that to be a major issue with Revelation related books. Many great theologians are very lacking when it comes to being able to relate their great knowledge to others, especially the student and layman. Dennis has the great gift of relating his truths in an easy and understandable way.

I merely needed to get this off my chest after reading some reviews here where people seem very surprised to see a Revelation commentary which espouses that which most of the underground church has ALWAYS believed. This is only what has been taught for century upon century by many respected teachers and theologians (Though overshadowed by the popular masses).

Yes, Left Behind and The Late Great Planet Earth sell alot of books. Thats about all they have done, unfortunately...That is, make money. Sadly though, the one thing they haven't done is taught truth.

Nutty skeptic Robert Ingersoll emotionally opined: "The Book of Revelation is the insanest of all books." On the contrary with proper exegesis one finds grace, truth, and power in large measure in the last book of the Bible. Revelation is a presentation of the all-potent ministry of Jesus Christ and a brilliant revelation of spiritual and doctrinal truth written in strange and powerful imagery that has left scholars and lay-people sometimes confused and perplexed.

In "Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation" Dennis E. Johnson (Th.M., Westminster Seminary; PhD., Fuller Seminary; professor of Theology at Westminster) with clarity and precision offers a fine exposition of the Book of Revelation. Herein the reader learns what the text intended to teach the people it was written to and how its truth still applies to the modern church.

"Triumph of the Lamb" Table of Contents includes:

1. Introduction: A Strategy for Seeing
2. Structure: Framing the Pieces of the Puzzle
3. Vision: The Son of Man among His Churches
4. Letters: The Son of Man Speaks to His Churches
5. Scroll Opened: The Lamb Is Worthy
6. Seals: Instruments, Rationale, and Climax of Judgment
7. Trumpets: Current and Coming Woes
8. Scroll Delivered: The Prophet Eats, Measures, and Testifies
9. Cosmic Conflict 1: The Mother, the Dragon, and the Beasts
10. Harvest: Celebration
11. Bowls: The Last Woes
12. Harlot: Babylon's Luxury, Violence, and Destruction
13. Cosmic Conflict 2: The Thousand Years and the Last Battle
14. Bride: New Jerusalem, Wife of the Lamb
15. Conclusion: What Should This Book Do to Us?
Appendix A: A Concise Overview of the Message of Revelation
Appendix B: Schools of Interpretation

Rev. 1:1-8 The Revelation of Jesus Christ ...4. Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. 8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." Thus the chief end of the Book of Revelation is a Revelation of Jesus: Who He is an What He has done and will do.

Endorsed by:
-D. A. Carson
- RC Sproul
-Dr. Kim Riddlebarger

Professor Johnson elucidates the recurrent and cosmic truths that the Book of Revelation provides to strengthen God's people against evil through revealing the person and power of the victorious and glorious Lord Jesus Christ: The Alpha and Omega. Read this fine commentary and the words of Christ will lift your soul through the truth of the Lord's conquest over the forces of evil.
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This book is my favorite commentary on the book of Revelation. It is very readable and beautifully conveys signs, symbols and paradoxes of the material. Triumph of the Lamb has affected the way I look at not just Revelation but my entire Christian walk and worldly surroundings.

Five stars.