Revelation, by James Hamilton, Jr.

The book of Revelation is a difficult book to tackle.  Many pastors stay away from it because it is difficult.  They don’t preach from it, they don’t read it, they don’t really want to talk about it much because it is difficult.

So, if it is difficult for Pastors just think of how difficult it is for lay people.  My College Age students asked me to teach to them from the book of Revelation one summer.  I did not feel up to the task.  But I found a resource and started into the book.  How I wish that I could have had Hamilton’s commentary that summer.  It would have given me much insight.

Hamilton grapples with the big picture of Revelation and all of the little pieces that come with it.  He then presents to us a very readable and understandable commentary on the book.

The “Preaching the Word” series of commentaries are not deep, dig into original language, talk about all the nuances and all the Theological controveries about the book in question.  No, these commentaries are written by men who “preach” the word of God on a weekly basis.  So, they grapple with the truth of the text and how it is to be applied to our culture today.

As such Hamilton gives us a great commentary that will give you enough insight to understand some of the deep issues in Revelation, but he will keep it simple enough that you will walk away with many practical insights and applications for your life.

The Chapters are not lengthy and lend themselves as a way for a small group to be able to daily read a chapter and then come together and discuss them later on.

This book would be useful for the lay person and lay pastor who want to get a ‘big picture’ overview of the book of Revelation and be able to discuss the applications to their lives.  For the lay pastor and professional pastor who want a lengthy dialogue about all the theology behind the word pictures you probably will be disappointed with this book.  BUT, you will find it encouraging to read and it WILL give you many good things to think about in regards to the book of Revelation.

Enjoy!