Blessed: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Revelation

Some people are intimidated by the book of Revelation because after chapter 3, i. e. the letters to the churches, the letter written by Apostle John who was exiled to the island of Patmos contain mostly apocalyptic images that we do not understand and feel bear no relevance to our day to day lives. However, there are some people who are excited by the book of Revelation, as they try to decode the apocalyptic images in order to know the exact timeline of the second coming of Christ. They ask questions like, ""Which seal are we up to now?"". So, which group are you in? For me, I was in the former group. When I read the book of Revelation, I did not get much and I read it just to finish the Bible, as it is the last book of the Bible.

After I read Nancy's book Blessed: Experiencing the promise of the book of Revelation, I have a different outlook on the book of Revelation. The most important thing that I learnt is that the book of Revelation is not mainly a revelation of end times but revelation of Jesus Christ. Although Revelation ends with Jesus' promise that He is coming soon, and we should be excited about it (Revelation 22:20), the core message of Revelation is not primarily about Jesus' second coming, as it was written to strengthen the churches that were facing persecution to stand firm in their faith. It is meant to be incite hope rather than fear.

Nancy's book has helped me so much in unpacking the precious truths that the book of Revelation has, to help me…

Nancy Guthrie has written a fantastic, readable commentary on the book of Revelation. Within these pages she - along with Saint John - sets forth the glory of God, the might of Christ, and the power of the Spirit in a way that calls for worship. \\n\\nThe way she exposits the text is clear and helpful, and has left me excited, rather than fearful, to further plumb its depths. On one occasion I read aloud one excerpt from her commentary to my younger brothers (neither of whom read much), and they were both floored by how Guthrie was able to grab hold of their imaginations and reveal what the text was saying in such a powerful and beautiful way. \\n\\nGuthrie hold an a-millennial view. As someone who hasn't studied eschatology enough to have a fully formed view, I can't yet comment on this!\\n\\nOverall, bravo Nancy, thank you for revealing the beauties of the Trinity so well and bringing light to this oft-neglected canonical goldmine.

Most Christians avoid the book of Revelation because it is confusing and difficult to understand. If this is you, then this book will definitely help you to understand the book of Revelation. Nancy Guthrie has done a great job compiling a lot of bible scholar's interpretations into something that laymen can understand. In this book, the author teaches us to interpret the book of Revelation symbolically, and the symbols in the book is interpreted according to the OT, which is the book that the original audience had. So, if what you are looking for from this book is the foretelling of the future and how the symbols refer to current circumstances, you will be disappointed. But if you come to this book looking to see Jesus Christ in the book of Revelation, then definitely this book is for you.