Tim Parker

Monday, March 19, 2007

Let’s Study Revelation


As Carson points out in his survey of New Testament commentaries, most generations produce far too many commentaries on the book of revelation. It is a little-known fact that the Puritans, for instance, produced far more commentaries on Revelation than on any other book, most of them eminently forgettable and mercifully forgotten.

In our own time too, their seems to be no end to the amount of exotic dribble written on the book of revelation, especially at the popular level.
Recently I have come across a very promising commentary on Revelation in the "Let's Study" series.

This lesser known series of commentaries is published by the Banner of Truth tries to expound the text in a non technical way and apply it to our lives today.

In writing his commentary, Derek Thomas, wares his scholarship lightly, appears to have done a superb job of handling the text.

Thought I have not read it in its entirety, I am already confidant in recommending it to others. The following is an especially useful quote from his introduction, and is an example to the down to earth clarity he brings to the text:

And in case you need something to hold on to as you study this amazing book of Revelation, remember that at any point in the book, the message is about a Great Throne, a Lamb who is actually a Lion, and a fearsome foe who always threatens more than he can deliver and whose doom is certain. Keeping those three things in mind will keep you on track.

Let’s Study Revelation
Derek Thomas
Banner of Truth, 2003
ISBN: 0 85151 837 3
RRP £7.25