Reading the Book of Revelation: Five Principles for Interpretation

by Alexander E. Stewart

Overview

How to read Revelation rightly.
Let's face it: the book of Revelation is difficult to read! Many neglect it, leaving it to the experts or the obsessed. Others fixate on the details, focusing on current events but missing Christ in the process. But Revelation promises a blessing on all who read it. Why is it so hard to understand?

In Reading the Book of Revelation, Alexander E. Stewart offers five simple keys that unlock this difficult book. He then illustrates their profit in explaining Revelation chapter by chapter and provides recommendations for further study. With this short and accessible guide, readers will see how Revelation is approachable, applicable to their lives, and glorifying to Christ.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683595557
Publisher:	Lexham Press
Publication date:	12/01/2021
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Alexander E. Stewart is vice president of academic services and professor of New Testament at Gateway Seminary in Ontario, California. He is author of a forthcoming volume on Revelation in the B&H Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament series and coauthor (with Andreas J. Köstenberger) of The First Days of Jesus, The Final Days of Jesus, and Jesus and the Future.

Editorial Reviews

Stewart’s Reading the Book of Revelation is a must read for anyone just getting started in their studying of the book of Revelation. Stewart makes the book of Revelation accessible to the average reader. Yet, he does so without compromising scholarly insights. The book of Revelation is one of the great treasures of the Scriptures. Unfortunately, most Christians are afraid to set foot in it. Stewart has provided a resource that will help overcome any concerns. Reading the Book of Revelation is exceedingly readable. And the message of the book of Revelation to its first readers and hearers and to us as well comes through loud and clear: We are God’s witnesses and we must overcome!

—Rob Dalrymple, author of Follow the Lamb: A Guide to Reading, Understanding, and Applying the book of Revelation

Explaining the Book of Revelation in a clear and concise manner is a daunting task, yet Alexander Stewart excels without sacrificing or trivializing Revelation's foundational theology and message.

—Brandon D. Smith, assistant professor of theology & New Testament, Cedarville University

With its scary beasts and apocalyptic judgments, Revelation can be an intimidating book to read. Stewart offers five guiding principles that will lead readers down the well-trodden path of faithful interpretation. Without getting into the weeds of controversy and debate, Stewart illuminates Revelation’s main themes demonstrating that John’s intention is to motivate his readers to overcome. This book will help you see that Revelation is not primarily about the future, but about how the future makes a difference for us today.

—Benjamin L. Merkle, professor of New Testament and Greek Southeastern, Baptist Theological Seminary

An excellent resource for anyone who desires a short and clear guide to Revelation. Alex Stewart focuses attention on the significance of symbolism, repetition and canonical context without getting bogged down in the technical details. Blessed is anyone who reads Revelation with the help of this little book and keeps what is written in it.
—Külli Tõniste, president of Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary and professor of biblical studies and systematic theology

Without minimizing the challenges of reading and interpreting Revelation, Stewart presents five principles to help readers successfully tour the visions of its twenty-two chapters. While not everyone, including myself, may agree with every interpretive point, Stewart’s overall argument is clear and compelling. His engaging style makes the volume eminently readable. Those who read Reading Revelation Rightly will understand better this elusive conclusion to the biblical canon, so I highly recommend it!

—Mark Wilson, director, Asia Minor Research Center, Antalya, Turkey

Fanciful and farfetched interpretations of the book of Revelation are unfortunately wide-spread and easily accessible. In this book, however, Stewart provides a clear set of principles to guide readers toward a responsible interpretation of Revelation and then demonstrates these through a reading of Revelation that is both consistent in its methodology and charitable toward other major interpretations of the book. Both students and laypeople will benefit from this volume!

—Michael Naylor, associate professor of New Testament, Columbia International University

If you are confused and intimidated by the book of Revelation, whether because of its bizarre imagery or the complicated interpretations it has inspired, this book is for you! Alexander Stewart's five principles of interpretation and his careful reading of the text will give you confidence to read Revelation and guidance to read it sensibly. Even more, his approach recovers Revelation's call for the church to endure faithfully through hardship and temptation until the end—a message we need to hear anew today. I highly recommend reading this book alongside Revelation.

—Adam Copenhaver, pastor, Grace Church of Mabton, Mabton, WA

From the Publisher