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Revelation for Everyone: 20th Anniversary Edition with Study Guide
N. T. Wright, the renowned biblical scholar, offers an accessible commentary on the book of Revelation, highlighting God’s hope for believers rather than dwelling on doom and destruction others may focus on.
Often deemed the most enigmatic New Testament book, the book of Revelation overflows with peculiar, intense and occasionally violent imagery. In today’s world of complex cinematic visuals, Revelation might seem like a natural fit, but it isn’t. Despite its challenging nature, we must recognize its importance. This book provides a remarkably clear glimpse into God’s ultimate design for the entire creation. It shows how Jesus the Messiah’s triumph and the resulting costly victory of his followers overcome the powerful evil forces at work, particularly within idolatrous and oppressive political systems. Our modern world is no less complex and perilous than in the late first century, when this book was composed. To be faithful witnesses of God’s love in a world rife with violence, hatred and suspicion, we should grasp John’s magnificent imagery with both our intellects and our hearts.
The biblical text is thoughtfully divided into easily manageable sections, ensuring accessibility for readers of all backgrounds. As you engage with this ancient narrative, you’ll discover its timeless resonance with the spiritual quests of today’s readers, whether they are newcomers or seasoned followers of Jesus.
This expanded edition includes Wright’s updated biblical translation along with a new introduction and a dynamic study guide suitable for both group and individual study. Including helpful summaries and thought-provoking questions, Revelation for Everyone is an invaluable companion for exploring the New Testament with renewed enthusiasm and profound insights.
Often deemed the most enigmatic New Testament book, the book of Revelation overflows with peculiar, intense and occasionally violent imagery. In today’s world of complex cinematic visuals, Revelation might seem like a natural fit, but it isn’t. Despite its challenging nature, we must recognize its importance. This book provides a remarkably clear glimpse into God’s ultimate design for the entire creation. It shows how Jesus the Messiah’s triumph and the resulting costly victory of his followers overcome the powerful evil forces at work, particularly within idolatrous and oppressive political systems. Our modern world is no less complex and perilous than in the late first century, when this book was composed. To be faithful witnesses of God’s love in a world rife with violence, hatred and suspicion, we should grasp John’s magnificent imagery with both our intellects and our hearts.
The biblical text is thoughtfully divided into easily manageable sections, ensuring accessibility for readers of all backgrounds. As you engage with this ancient narrative, you’ll discover its timeless resonance with the spiritual quests of today’s readers, whether they are newcomers or seasoned followers of Jesus.
This expanded edition includes Wright’s updated biblical translation along with a new introduction and a dynamic study guide suitable for both group and individual study. Including helpful summaries and thought-provoking questions, Revelation for Everyone is an invaluable companion for exploring the New Testament with renewed enthusiasm and profound insights.
201 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 26, 2023
63 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
N.T. Wright
460 books2,865 followersN. T. Wright is the former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England (2003-2010) and one of the world's leading Bible scholars. He is now serving as the chair of New Testament and Early Christianity at the School of Divinity at the University of St. Andrews. He has been featured on ABC News, Dateline NBC, The Colbert Report, and Fresh Air, and he has taught New Testament studies at Cambridge, McGill, and Oxford universities. Wright is the award-winning author of Surprised by Hope, Simply Christian, The Last Word, The Challenge of Jesus, The Meaning of Jesus (coauthored with Marcus Borg), as well as the much heralded series Christian Origins and the Question of God.
He also publishes under Tom Wright.
He also publishes under Tom Wright.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 6, 2024
4.5. An excellent commentary on Revelation that is accessible and consistently situates the book within the biblical story. Highly recommend.
October 26, 2024
Fall'24-Winter'25 Buddy Coffey, at Mountain Christian Church (Joppa, MD) is leading a study of the book of Revelation with this as one if the three recomended books.
Notes I want to remember from this book:
Question p.34 "What is it that humans can do that computers can't do?
Answer p. 34" ...humans can weep and humans can forgive."
In reference to Revelation 4: 8b-11 and the many areas of Revelation where worship happens:
Question p. 34 "What can humans do that animals can't do?
Answer p. 35 "...the main difference is that humans can say the word BECAUSE."
p.36 "... worship with a because in it is what marks us out as genuine human beings."
p. 37 "All creation worships God; and we humans are called to worship Him with minds as well as heart, recognizing that He is worthy of all praise as the Creator of all things. "
In reference to Rev 6:16b-17:
Question p.47 "This objection is regularly held from people who have given up believing in God, or perhaps never believed in the first place. How can they believe, they ask, in a God who seems to do nothing when faced with the tears and torments of this world?"
Answer P.50 "They're wrong to imagine God as a capricious or revengeful tyrant. God is indeed angry at everything that has so horribly spoiled this wonderful world. His gaze from the throne is a deep, inexpressible mixture of sorrow and anger. But the Lamb's anger is the uttermost rejection, by Love incarnate, of all that is unloving. The only people who should be afraid of it are those who are determined to RESIST THE CALL OF LOVE."
p.56 " God is rightly angry with all those who deface his beautiful creation and make the lives of their fellow humans miserable and wretched. But the reason he's angry is because, at his very heart, he is so full of mercy that his most characteristic action is to come down from the throne and, in person, wipe away every tear from every eye. Learning to think of this God when we hear the word 'God', rather than instantly thinking of a faceless Heavenly bureaucrat or a violent celestial bully, is one of the most important ways in which we were able to wake up from the nightmare and embrace the reality of God's true day."
This may be the message of the last book of the Bible in a nutshell? Time will tell we're not even half way through this study and I am SO lifted by it's true message. Not as much about the horrible end-times movies I grew up watching🤔
This may be the message of the last book of the Bible in a nutshell? Time will tell we're not even half way through this study and I am SO lifted by it's true message. Not as much about the horrible end-times movies I grew up watching🤔
Notes I want to remember from this book:
Question p.34 "What is it that humans can do that computers can't do?
Answer p. 34" ...humans can weep and humans can forgive."
In reference to Revelation 4: 8b-11 and the many areas of Revelation where worship happens:
Question p. 34 "What can humans do that animals can't do?
Answer p. 35 "...the main difference is that humans can say the word BECAUSE."
p.36 "... worship with a because in it is what marks us out as genuine human beings."
p. 37 "All creation worships God; and we humans are called to worship Him with minds as well as heart, recognizing that He is worthy of all praise as the Creator of all things. "
In reference to Rev 6:16b-17:
Question p.47 "This objection is regularly held from people who have given up believing in God, or perhaps never believed in the first place. How can they believe, they ask, in a God who seems to do nothing when faced with the tears and torments of this world?"
Answer P.50 "They're wrong to imagine God as a capricious or revengeful tyrant. God is indeed angry at everything that has so horribly spoiled this wonderful world. His gaze from the throne is a deep, inexpressible mixture of sorrow and anger. But the Lamb's anger is the uttermost rejection, by Love incarnate, of all that is unloving. The only people who should be afraid of it are those who are determined to RESIST THE CALL OF LOVE."
p.56 " God is rightly angry with all those who deface his beautiful creation and make the lives of their fellow humans miserable and wretched. But the reason he's angry is because, at his very heart, he is so full of mercy that his most characteristic action is to come down from the throne and, in person, wipe away every tear from every eye. Learning to think of this God when we hear the word 'God', rather than instantly thinking of a faceless Heavenly bureaucrat or a violent celestial bully, is one of the most important ways in which we were able to wake up from the nightmare and embrace the reality of God's true day."
This may be the message of the last book of the Bible in a nutshell? Time will tell we're not even half way through this study and I am SO lifted by it's true message. Not as much about the horrible end-times movies I grew up watching🤔
This may be the message of the last book of the Bible in a nutshell? Time will tell we're not even half way through this study and I am SO lifted by it's true message. Not as much about the horrible end-times movies I grew up watching🤔
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2024
The target audience of this commentary is right in the title: everyone. It’s not super scholarly, or dense, and the size of the book is a good indicator as well, of what the reader is getting into.
So, based on its intended readership, it’s a good five star commentary. Wright obviously could’ve written a very scholarly and technical commentary four times as long, but I’m glad this is the version he chose to write.
Rather than getting bogged down in trying to interpret every symbol in the entire Revelation, Wright gets to the heart of each passage and illuminates the point in broad strokes, in light of the big picture not just of its author John the Revelator, but the Old Testament prophecies John was riffing on.
I got lots of out of this commentary, that I bought specifically because I was in the middle of reading Revelation again and needed someone to give me a few pointers along the way. Well worth it.
So, based on its intended readership, it’s a good five star commentary. Wright obviously could’ve written a very scholarly and technical commentary four times as long, but I’m glad this is the version he chose to write.
Rather than getting bogged down in trying to interpret every symbol in the entire Revelation, Wright gets to the heart of each passage and illuminates the point in broad strokes, in light of the big picture not just of its author John the Revelator, but the Old Testament prophecies John was riffing on.
I got lots of out of this commentary, that I bought specifically because I was in the middle of reading Revelation again and needed someone to give me a few pointers along the way. Well worth it.
April 1, 2025
A wonderful and accessible look at one of the most important books in the Bible. NT Wright manages to make Revelation accessible without robbing it of its poetry and symbolism. He clarifies the truth to which it points while remaining humble before its mystery
December 29, 2025
4.5 ⭐️ this book was so helpful for me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews