Get back to the roots on Revelation: Through the centuries since its
writing, the book of Revelation has captured the fascination of the
Christian church. The earliest Christians were unanimous in
understanding it along a premillennial view of Jesus' second coming,
but other hermeneutical approaches began to emerge in the third century.
These clouded, and added complexity to, the task of explaining the
book's meaning. For most of the Christian era, consequently, many
readers have viewed this last of the NT writings as though it were
hopelessly embedded in an aura of deep mystery. An avalanche of
interpretive literature has evidenced remarkable interest in the
book's contents, but along with the interest has come widespread
bewilderment. Written especially for the informed layman, student, and
scholar, this commentary seeks to clear the air. The book is interpreted
according to a historical and grammatical hermeneutic and propounds a
conservative, evangelical theology, but the reader will not get a narrow
view on areas of disagreement. This commentary interacts with a range of
major views, both evangelical and nonevangelical. It reaffirms the basic
framework of eschatology espoused by ancient Christianity, but with
added help from centuries of maturing thought and doctrinal progress in
the Body of Christ. All exegesis and exposition in this commentary on
chapters 17 are based on the original language of the text. Translations
used are those of the author, and textual criticism and word study are
included where appropriate. This in-depth commentary also includes
extended excursuses on important topics of theological and historical interest.