Blessed: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Revelation

 

Blessed: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Revelation by Nancy Guthrie

 

“A Christian life in which we simply orient our lives around the teachings and example of Jesus with no real expectation of His bodily return to this earth is not the Christian life at all. The orientation of a Christian is leaning forward in anticipation of the next big event on the calendar of redemptive history: the second coming of Christ.” (p. 239)

    The Book of Revelation is undeniably the most confusing within the Bible, but it’s one I adore reading and studying. I’ve been fascinated by End Times prophecy since becoming a Christian, so it was a no-brainer to request this title on Netgalley. I’ve also heard fantastic things about Guthrie as a sound Bible teacher, so I was excited to finally read her work for myself and even more so to see that her teaching is just as good as I’ve heard. 

    Throughout this book, Guthrie’s intent is not to focus on drawing parallels to the Scripture and current events, but rather to concentrate on what the Word says and what it means for Christians.

“Revelation was written to fortify Christians to live in the world, enduring its harsh treatment and alienation, with a firm confidence that this world is not all there is, and that, in fact, what may seem like defeat is going to give way to victory” (p. 23)

“Rather, it was written to give servants of Jesus Christ in the first century, and servants of Jesus Christ living in every century since then, confidence in what God is doing to bring about His intended purposes for His world.” (p. 26)

Guthrie shares she was initially hesitant to dive into Revelation, but knew she absolutely had to read and try to understand the book of prophecy. This realization came after she read “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” (Rev 1:3, echoed in 22:10). In the introduction, she tackles some of the reasons Christians tend to shy away from reading prophecy. In an attempt to dispel these common reasons, she shares that

“Rather, it was written so that ordinary believers who hear it and embrace what is written in it will not only be able to understand it; they’ll be blessed by it–blessed in a countercultural way that the world simply cannot understand and does not value” (p. 12)

It is with this lens in mind that she tackles the entirety of the 22 chapters of Scripture throughout this book.

“Many of the symbols in Revelation find resonance in the specific social, political, cultural, and religious world of the first century….they have theological and spiritual meaning pertinent to the first readers of Revelation, and that meaning must inform how we interpret their meaning for us today.” (p. 19)

    Guthrie explains the cultural context, to reveal the true meanings of many of John’s metaphors. This provides insight different to the more literal interpretations I’ve read on Revelation. In this case, providing insight into what may actually be metaphors. I’m cautious to stray from a literal interpretation, but given the vast cultural differences between John’s time and the present, and the unique style of the apocalyptic prophecy in this book, I’m willing to consider multiple interpretations in some cases within this Book.

“One day, after all of the preparing for the wedding, our bridegroom will come for us. All of the waiting will be over. The wedding will give way to the marriage, an eternity of togetherness with the One who loves us. Until then, let’s keep ourselves pure for Him, let’s talk about Him, let’s love Him with all of our souls, all of our strength, and all of our minds” (p. 202)

    This is a refreshing take on Revelation, focusing not on the timeline or signs of the Last Days or End Times, but on what the text means for believers today. This would be a great introductory point for anyone looking to wrap their head around the Book of Revelation, but because of its unique focus, it also provides new insights for those who have spent time studying this Book. I have already purchased myself a physical copy of this book for re-reading in the future; this will definitely not be the last book I read from Guthrie! 

What I Liked 

• Each chapter ends with a “hearing and keeping” section, echoing what is written in Revelation 1:1, to help the reader see how to apply each section of Scripture to their own life. I loved this addition as a way to dig deeper without having trite questions at the end of each chapter. 
• I loved the focus on praise that should stem from reading Revelation, which is often overlooked in lieu of trying to solve the prophecies it contains. “Revelation should fill your tank with energy to worship and a longing to worship.” (p. 242) I tear up every time I read Revelation 21:1-7, as this passage shows just how good, merciful, gracious and loving God is to those who love Him. The juxtaposition of what God will do for those who know Jesus as their Savior with His wrath that will come to those who do not believe is a reminder that we will be given in His eternal Kingdom is truly a gift freely given, as we could never attempt to measure up to be worthy of receiving His Amazing Grace and agape love. 

What I Didn’t Like (all this being said, I still rated this book five stars) 

• There are parts of Guthrie’s reading into the text that I felt were taken too metaphorically, such as the mark of the beast being metaphorical as the obvious way one is living their life instead of an actual, visible mark. This goes back to my desire to read the text as literally as possible (as it says on the hand or forehead), letting the text itself dictate what is metaphor based on wording and looking to the original Hebrew words for clarification. I recognize, however, in reality none of us can claim to actually know for certain if our personal views are correct in this instance; but there is a fine line in balancing literal verses with metaphor. I’ve already purchased one of the commentaries Guthrie cites to get a bigger picture view of Revelation for myself, with many more on my wishlist. 
• I also feel there were instances of reading ourselves into the text in an effort to better connect the judgment to concepts we can fully understand. For example, the second bowl of wrath (Rev 16:3) is not a verse that needs any interpretation, as what it says is clear. Guthrie sees this is a metaphor for the stench of idol worship, stemming from the pervasive odor of cooking fish. That seems like it’s from out of left field and quite non-existent from reading the text as it is written -The final chapter completely skips over 22:18-19, which is an important part of both Revelation and what we as believers today should be aware of; the final chapter also ends rather abruptly. I wish there had been a conclusion to tie everything together. 
•  A huge pet peeve of mine, that is becoming ubiquitous in Christian non-fiction and even in many Bible translations, is the lack of capitalization of pronouns referring to God and/or Jesus. It reads as disrespectful to the Creator of the world. We all sin and fall short of His glory many times daily, the least we can do is capitalize His name. 

 Thank you to the publisher, Crossway for providing an e-ARC for review via Netgalley; all opinions are my own.