6″ x 9″, 240 pages
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Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
1 He Is Coming!
2 State Of The Church: Legalism, Faithfulness, Compromise And Syncretism
3 State Of The Church: Complacency, Steadfastness And Self-Sufficiency
4 Holy Is The Lord God Almighty
5 Worthy Is The Lamb
6 How Long Until You Judge?
7 Redeemed Out Of Tribulation
8 Four Warnings From Heaven
9 Unrepentant In Spite Of Hellish Woes
10 An Open Letter To The Nations
11 Witness Vindicated
12 War In Heaven Reflected On Earth
13 Satan’s Proxies Make War Against The Saints
14 The Harvest Is Ripe
15 With Them God’s Wrath Is Completed
16 It Is Done!
17 Babylon, The Mother Of Prostitutes
18 In One Hour Her Doom Has Come!
19 With Justice He Judges And Makes War
20 Reigning With Christ vs. Bound And Condemned
21 The Holy City
22 No More Curse, Take The Gift Of The Water Of Life
Appendix 1: The Four Basic Interpretive Approaches To Revelation
Appendix 2: Views Of The Millennium
Appendix 3: Revelation, The Counterpart To Genesis
Appendix 4: The Seven Beatitudes Of Revelation
Appendix 5: Alphabetical Glossary Of Terms, Metaphors And Symbols
Appendix 6: Structural Diagram Of Revelation
Bibliography
About The Author
Other Books By Jonathan Turner
Introduction
What This Book Is All About
As noted in the Preface, this commentary came from my own need to understand what the book of Revelation means. In addition to my own personal edification, others ask me from time to time to teach a class on the book. I refuse to teach something I personally do not understand. I also cannot, in good conscience, teach a subject if I cannot do it from conviction. It is one thing to present different interpretations, or a range of possibilities but, a teacher must know what he himself believes to do justice to a subject. This book does not provide a broad range of scholarly opinion. Instead, it reflects what I have come to believe regarding Revelation.
Since this commentary reflects my own understanding of the book, it’s important for readers to know the reasoning behind my interpretation. I depended on several principles to help me evaluate the different approaches to Revelation and to discover the meaning of the various visions.
1) Since John penned the book of Revelation primarily to the churches of Asia which existed at the time, the message must have made sense to the Christians of that time. Similarly, the book must have been applicable to them.
2) Since all those who have ears are admonished to listen to what the Spirit says to the churches, the interpretation must also be relevant to Christians today.
3) The interpretation of any piece of literature depends on its genre. For example, we do not read poetry using the same criteria as we do when reading a legal brief or a medical journal. The tropes of a romance are different than those of a murder mystery. Revelation is an apocalypse. The apocalypse genre relies heavily on metaphors and symbolism. Therefore, unless there is a good reason to make an exception, all of the visions in Revelation must be interpreted symbolically.
4) God does not change. One of the implications of this is, His revealed word is consistent. The book of Revelation draws heavily from other Scripture. Its message must, therefore, be in harmony with the passages it alludes to, as well as the overall thrust of the Bible. In other words, Revelation will never contradict other Scripture. If our interpretation is at odds with other passages, our interpretation is wrong. In light of this, the meaning of a symbol in Revelation will most probably match the meaning of the symbol in the passage from which it was taken. It also means that when a figure of speech or symbol is defined in the text, we must accept that definition in other places. For example, since Revelation 1:20 defines lampstands as symbols for churches, we shouldn’t look for a different meaning when we encounter lampstands in chapter 11.
In addition to the above principles, I have written under the following assumptions:
1) The book of Revelation is true, it is inspired by God and belongs in the canon of Scripture.
2) It was revealed to and written down by the Apostle John.
3) The Apostle most likely penned it around the year 95 or 96AD.
4) Of the four basic interpretive approaches to Revelation, the ‘Spiritual’ or ‘Idealist’ interpretive viewpoint provides the best understanding. For an overview of the four basic ways to interpret the book, please refer to Appendix 1.
5) Of the three main ways to look at the 1,000 year reign of Christ mentioned in chapter 20, the Amillennial position harmonizes best, not only with the rest of Revelation but also, with other Scripture.
Though I have called these positions ‘assumptions,’ I have arrived at them after much study. For the pros, cons and other alternatives to each of these positions, please consult the books listed in the bibliography.
Though this commentary is fairly comprehensive, it does not attempt to explain every phrase and nuance. Yes, details are important! However, I have observed that some commentators throw out such a cloud of minutia that it obscures the main point. I have tried to strike a balance between depth, complexity and clarity.
In order to reduce complexity, there are no footnotes or endnotes of any kind in this work. That was a deliberate choice on my part. While this commentary is for scholars, in the sense of people who wish to learn, it is not intended to be scholarly. One reason for this is to make life easier for people such as those I work with in other countries. Since they do not have access to the works available to me, notes would add nothing except frustration. Also, I suspect that the average, non-academic Christian appreciates not having to wade through fine print in order to find desired information. Should someone object to the methodology, I am merely following in the steps of such luminaries as William Barclay and B.W. Johnson.
Another reason for the lack of notes is that though I have benefited from the work of others and gleaned ideas from many sources, I have not quoted them. The wording is my own. In the few instances where I borrow directly from another work, I give the reference in the text itself rather than in a note. Similarly, all references to Scriptures are in the text. If readers wish more information regarding a particular verse or subject they may consult the books listed in the bibliography.
I have also refrained from delving into the Greek grammar or vocabulary of Revelation. The few exceptions are to point out something which I felt needed to be clarified in the NIV translation. My goal was not to demonstrate technical mastery of the text but to enable people to understand and apply the message of the book.
Though I have avoided using notes, there are several appendices which readers may find helpful. One is an alphabetical glossary of terms, metaphors and symbols with their definitions. This is something which I have not seen in any other commentary. Another appendix contains a diagram of Revelation’s format, showing how the various visions relate to each other.
If the book of Revelation truly is relevant to Christians today as well as the churches to whom it was first addressed, it follows that it should make a difference in our lives. My hope is not only to help people understand the various images and metaphors in Revelation, but aid them in making the message personal. Throughout the commentary I have included applications. Most of them are in the form of questions which each reader can ask of himself.
Some readers may see a similarity between this commentary and W. Hendriksen’s More Than Conquerors. Chalk it up to serendipity. Though I had seen Hendriksen’s work referenced in other books, a copy of it did not come my way until I was well into Revelation chapter 21. I did not crib from him. Also, some of my conclusions differ from his.
This commentary is designed to be read with an open Bible at hand. One reason is that the commentary does not include the text of Revelation. A person will have to read the relevant portion of the text from his Bible before reading what I have to say about it. Also, while I have quoted many of the Scriptures alluded to in Revelation, there are also a great many references which I have not quoted. To receive the full benefit or to check the context, it will be necessary to look them up. Though this commentary is based on the NIV, any faithful translation can be used.
Outlining Revelation can be quite a challenge because of the richness and complexity of the text. To simplify things for readers I have chosen to divide this commentary into 22 chapters – one for each chapter of Revelation. So, for example, if someone has a question about something in Revelation chapter 15, he could read my understanding of it by turning to chapter 15 in the commentary. However, when John penned Revelation, he did not divide it into chapters and verses. Instead, based on 1:19, the material seems to fit into the three broad categories of “what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.” To reflect this, I have given prefixes to the subject headings in the commentary. The prefix ‘S’ applies to “what you have seen.” The prefix ‘N’ pertains to “what is now” and the prefix ‘F’ (for ‘Future’) to “what will take place later.”
However, Revelation is also a letter which follows the letter-writing conventions of the Apostolic period. Headings in the commentary with the prefix ‘L’ refer to the various sections of a typical letter. Appendix 6 provides a complete view of how I have organized the material and how the prefixes fit together.
The Gospel is simple enough that a child can understand it, yet so deep that a lifetime of study is not sufficient to plumb its depths. I do not claim that this commentary provides a complete or full explanation of Revelation’s meaning. No doubt much could be added or fleshed out. Without doubt more examples and applications can be found. However, I do believe that this commentary can provide a solid foundation for anyone who is trying to understand what Revelation is all about. I do believe it can help people see how the message of Revelation is relevant to our world and how it impacts their own personal lives. At the very least it can provide a springboard for further study. To study the book is worthwhile because, as Revelation itself says, “…blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it…” (Revelation 1:3)
