Introductory commentaries on Revelation

[RamistThomist]

Closer than idealism. And I am not going to debate this rabbit-trail from my original question to him further, since as I said I do not intend to enter a leangthy "eschatology q&a to mr. Rastfalky and a Ramist Thomist", but ask a very specific question.

I think it is more equidistant between historicism and futurism. I am anti-historicism, but I am not idealist. It's not a rabbit trail, since these issues come up in commentaries.

 

[Jerusalem Blade]

Hello Efraim @Sam Jer ,

The first four seals have definite fulfillment in history, but they are general, as the 4 horsemen's activities indicate: conquest, bloodshed, lack of decent / affordable food, and then death coming upon a fourth of humankind through war, famine, pestilence / plagues, and "the wild animals of the earth". This will happen up through the entire age. What is shown are events of gospel proclamation, persecution and general wickedness, with consequent judgments up until the end.

The fifth seal shows those believers slaughtered for proclaiming the word of God crying out to God, and His answer. The sixth seal is a striking cameo of the end of the world and the Judgment and the wrath of the Lamb against the wicked. The seventh seal (Rev 8:1) announces, with a quiet of awe in heaven, the seven trumpet judgments.

"Historical Protestant eschatology" – I gather you mean that of the Reformers? Genuine Protestant eschatology is still being hammered out and discerned. Shall there be a consensus on eschatology before the end arrives? Possibly, but it will be in the midst of terrible suffering among the people of God.

After the first century there are very few historical events (apart from general repeated / recapitulated dynamics of witness, persecution, judgment).

Please get my name right (I know you're suffering from lack of sleep!) – Rafalsky. Thanks!

 

[Sam Jer]

"Historical Protestant eschatology" – I gather you mean that of the Reformers? Genuine Protestant eschatology is still being hammered out and discerned. Shall there be a consensus on eschatology before the end arrives? Possibly, but it will be in the midst of terrible suffering among the people of God.

I mean the historicist one, that used to be a Protestant consensus and made it into the WCF and several Lutheran confessions.

Please get my name right (I know you're suffering from lack of sleep!) – Rafalsky. Thanks!

Oh, now it makes sense. I see. Any relation to the Hebrew name Rephael (רפאל)?
That was not even my most aggregious blunder - I meant the trumpets all along!

 

[Jerusalem Blade]

@Sam Jer / Efraim, you might be interested in this "modified idealist" study on the relations between some of the trumpets and the bowls / vails: Correlating Visions in Revelation.

 

[Sam Jer]

@Sam Jer / Efraim, you might be interested in this "modified idealist" study on the relations between some of the trumpets and the bowls / vails: Correlating Visions in Revelation.

Thank you, 'll read it when I have time. Likely tommorow or during the weekend.

 

[Jason F.]

David Chilton’s “Days of Vengeance” is a good read, too.

Not particularly short or simple to read, but I second this.

 

[bookslover]

Beale's abridged commentary.

There's an abridged version? I have the full version.

While I have a very high respect for the Puritans in many areas, Revelation commentaries is not one of them. They are mostly historicist, a position I do not find very attractive, as it often descends into allegorical interpretation. A modified-idealist approach is, in my opinion, much more healthy. I recommend Derek Thomas, Dennis Johnson, Douglas Kelly, Richard Phillips, Joel Beeke, and William Hendriksen's More Than Conquerors as introductory commentaries. I do have a complete sermon series on Revelation on Sermon Audio. Unfortunately, they weren't collected into a series on the website, so you'd have to search by text.

In his New Testament Commentary Survey, D. A. Carson says something to the effect that Puritan commentaries on Revelation are mostly out of print - and deserve to be.

By the way, does anyone know who, if anyone, is going to be the next editor of New Testament Commentary Survey now that Carson is, it seems, mostly retired now? (He'll be 78 this year, I believe.)