Revelation: A Mentor Expository Commentary

Mentor Expository Commentary

by Douglas F. Kelly

There is so much in the past, present and future that we do not understand. The book of Revelation helps us understand who is in full and sovereign control, the victorious Lamb on his throne. And what a great unveiling of the glorious Saviour is revealed in this apocalyptic book! In 65 expositional chapters, Douglas Kelly draws our attention to the central theme of this profound book – the Lord Jesus Christ himself. The Mentor Expository Series holds to an inerrant view of Scripture. The series is thoroughly researched with helpful practical application. This is a resource for pastors and Bible teachers who want to draw on Christ–centered expository teaching and for the lay reader who wants to delve more deeply into the riches of the Word of God.

Genres: Christian

464 pages, Hardcover

First published July 9, 2012

About the author

Dr. Kelly is the Professor of Theology Emeritus. Dr. Kelly received his B.A. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Diploma from the University of Lyon, his B.D. from the Union Theological Seminary, and his Ph. D. from the University of Edinburgh. He is the author of many written works including, If God Already Knows, Why Pray?, Preachers with Power: Four Stalwarts of the South, New Life in the Wasteland, Creation and Change, and The Emergence of Liberty in the Modern World. His firm grasp of multiple languages and his theological competence are capably demonstrated in translating such works as Sermons by John Calvin on II Samuel. He is serving with David Wright of the University of Edinburgh as a general editor for a revision of Calvin’s Old Testament Commentaries. Before joining the faculty at RTS, Dr. Kelly traveled extensively throughout the world preaching and teaching. He was also enlisted to serve on the Jurisprudence project of The Christian Legal Society and serves on the Credentials Committee of the Central Carolina Presbytery.

Reviews

[Bob O'Bannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

One potential downside of studying the book of Revelation is that we can get so caught up on the symbolic details that we lose sight of the main point, which is that Jesus Christ is the risen Savior and King of Kings who is in control of all history. Doug Kelly definitely does not make that mistake, but there is another potential downside, which is to gloss over so many of the details that the reader is left wanting more. That's what has happened here.

For instance, one of Kelly's main assumptions is that Revelation was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, which has great impact on many of the conclusions drawn. The problem is that Kelly never interacts with arguments to the contrary, so it's difficult to evaluate whether this foundational assumption is legitimate or not. But this is characteristic of the nature of this commentary, which is to focus more on godly pastoral counsel (not a bad thing, for sure) rather than rigorous interpretation.

There are also some editing problems. Chapter 47 covers the first half of Revelation 17, but chapter 48 begins with no attention given to 17:12-18. It appears that by a simple oversight, a portion of the text was just skipped over.

This book is encouraging in many ways, and perhaps appropriate for someone who has never read the book of Revelation, but if you're looking for anything more Instructive, I would look elsewhere.