Apocalypse and Allegiance: Worship, Politics, and Devotion in the Book of Revelation

by J. Nelson Kraybill

In this lively introduction, J. Nelson Kraybill shows how the book of Revelation was understood by its original readers and what it means for Christians today. Kraybill places Revelation in its first-century context, opening a window into the political, economic, and social realities of the early church. His fresh interpretation highlights Revelation's liturgical structure and directs readers' attentions to twenty-first-century issues of empire, worship, and allegiance, showing how John's apocalypse is relevant to the spiritual life of believers today. The book includes maps, timelines, photos, a glossary, discussion questions, and stories of modern Christians who live out John's vision of a New Jerusalem.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies, Nonfiction, Christian, History

225 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2010

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great intro to the final book of the Bible.

What do I look for in a book about Revelation?

*Lots of history and context that points out the absurdity and sheer wrongness with the Hal Lindsey/ Tim Lahaye garbage. Check!

*Helpful points on what the message actually is and how it challenges comfortable religious people in America and other empires. Check!

Craig Koester’s book has been my favorite intro to Revelation, along with my old professor Robert Lowery’s. This one is right up there. If you’re confused about and interested in the last book of the Bible, this book is for you.

Also, there are lots of cool pictures!

[Adam Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book that I enjoyed, but cannot get behind. Better yet, I like the contemporary applications and conclusions he comes to, but object to the systemic misreading of Revelation he did to get there. He views Revelation as primarily a polemic against Rome and political powers; it is actually an Israel-centric book focused on the end of the Old Covenant. Yet there is good insight here for the post-Old Covenant era, and I think reflects an application of Revelation to modern states taht set themselves up as idolatrous nations and as the only mediators of religion or "cult" in the world. New Towers of Babel, if you will. Read with a careful eye, there is a lot of good to get out of it, despite the vast amount of research into the Roman Imperial Cult which Revelation doesn't care one whit about.

[Fred Kohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book's target audience is committed Christians, nevertheless there is useful information for anybody interested in the book of Revelations. I particularly enjoyed the photos of period artifacts.

[Esmi Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

read during a nine month period of slowly walking through the book of Revelation while simultaneously reading Reversed Thunder by Eugene Peterson. i loved this one because it’s a more academic and theological look at Revelation that really helps frame the text in its original context. it dives deep into the political realities of the time and reveals how Revelation is, at its core, a book of worship. it traces a litany of signs that call the church to reorient its soul toward Christ—the Lamb who reigns, heals, and restores. it draws one into a posture of allegiance and awe before the Lord’s future of hope and renewal. highly recommend for anyone wanting to read through/understand Rev!

“Revelation resonates with the rest of the Scriptures by insisting that faith (what we believe) is inseparable from faithfulness (actions consistent with what we profess).” pg. 162

“Imaginative worship shapes the private inner narratives of believers, and they come to see themselves as having ‘washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’” pg. 185

“…healthy worship is not escapism.” pg. 190

[Samuel Eastlund · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good book on Revelation. It presents Revelation and the imagery used by John to a modern audience in its Roman and Jewish context. Eschewing futurist readings of John's Apocalypse, Kraybill shows that John was taking aim at the Roman Empire, and encouraging Christians to remain steadfast throughout the persecutions of the Empire. Drawing on Old Testament and Pagan imagery alike, John in showing the evil behind the Empire and Emperor worship.

This is an important book for today, and makes Revelation much more relevant than what might be the common understanding of a preview of a future judgement. It enables us to apply the principles of faithfulness and patient endurance in our situations today as opposed to waiting for a future 'tribulation'. This book is also very readable, and therefore accessible to anyone interested in understanding Revelation, while not over-simplifying things.

[Widmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic in every way, a must read!

Dr Kraybill has masterfully brought together many motifs and areas of study into one cohesive narrative. Interested in ancient Israelite cosmology? 2nd temple Jewish apocalyptic? Literary designs and devices of the ancient biblical authors? Prophecy and eschatology? Culture and politics and a Christian’s role? Non-violence and the Way of Peace? The paradox of King Jesus, the lion and the lamb laying down together in tranquility? All this and so much more packed into an accessible, fast-moving narrative that brings us to the heart of worship! Come, Lord Jesus, come. Come today. Come tomorrow. Come eternally!

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book on the Biblical book Revelation but it does not predict the future and limits the explanations to what would this have meant to its first readers and how based on that meaning we can get the most out of it today. Rather than off the wall theories this book shows us that Revelation is about recognizing the evil in the society around us, about worshipping God as opposed to the idols around us and that what we do is as important as what we believe. I found it very refreshing and useful.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should be on the serious student's short list of must-read monographs on the book of Revelation. Explores the historical context of Revelation, highlighting the indexes of allegiance that were engaged in the world of the seven churches of Asia Minor and how Revelation reorients and re-contextualizes them. An excellent read for integrating worship-based discipleship with the lived experience of Christians living in or under modern empires.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent addition either for the novice reader of The Revelation or the advanced reader.

Kraybill does an excellent job relation the message first of all to the 1st century world (and the original audience) and also to the 21st century world.

The subtitle says it all: “Worship, Politics, and Devotion in the Book of Revelation.”

A great work for anyone wanting to understand the Book of Revelation and it’s continual relevance for today.

[Philip Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an introduction to get you thinking about Revelation, this is a very stimulating book. Don’t mistake it for an exegetical commentary. Think of it more as an orienting piece of background literature. The author starts proper with Revelation chapters 12 and 13 - Stampeding Empire - and then makes his way through the other chapters. Even that approach is stimulating (not better than going through the chapters as they are presented in Revelation, just different).

[Dora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally an insight into the book of Revelation with solid historic information that helps to understand the symbols used by John of Patmos. Kraybill also does an excellent job confronting the reader with the question of where his or her loyalty lies.

[Kimathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting with lots of history to highlight the context of Revelation. Written from a Christian perspective, so sometime it felt like he was talking to someone else, but point were made.

[Benjamin Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly informative and commendable for keeping the interpretation grounded in a first-century perspective.

[Wes Horn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best and most helpful books I have read in a long time. As both a minister and preacher, this is a book I've been waiting for. Finally a book that helps unravel the language and symbols of the last book of the Christian Bible. If you are looking for a traditional commentary that covers the Revelation of John, this is NOT the book for you. But, if you are looking for a book that will help open up the world that John was writing to and help explain how and why he composed his apocalypse the way he did...then this IS the book for you. And, it is the perfect companion to any commentary you might be using.

With his years of experience as both educator and minister, Dr. Kraybill offers the Church an excellent aid in understanding what the historical book of Revelation might offer the contemporary Church. In a kind, but clear, manner, Kraybill seeks to lead the reader away from fear based theologies of Revelation like those found in the Left Behind series and guide them towards a reading that offers the hope in God that John intended.

In addition to the excellent writing, this volume is also filled with excellent pictures and sidebars that help show the reader what Kraybill is trying to explain.

If you are interested in understanding the message of the Revelation of John...this a great place to start.

[Orville Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kraybill provides an excellent commentary on the theme and background of the book of Revelation (the Apocalypse) to bring to life the current setting of the late first century of the Christian Era. The Roman emperors had heightened their focus and enforcement of Emperor worship and obeisance, placing the monotheist Christians in danger, with many losing their lives.

This excellent book outlines the situation as the backdrop to the book of the Revelation. I first read this and marked it up in December 2011, then in a new study of the Revelation noted additional insights and decorated the book even further in October 2017.

Revelation appears to have been written early in the period of such growing pressure and persecution under Emperor Domitian in the early 90s. Legal and archaeological artifacts illustrate starkly the conditions and political realities of Empire in conflict with the Rule of God proclaimed by the followers of Jesus Christ.

Those who would not deny Christ as only lord and savior, the official designations of the Caesar, lost property, prestige and social position or governmental employment, and in some cases their very lives. Kraybill provides helpful insights on the geography and commercial, religious or political significance of each of the 7 cities addressed in the book of the Revelation.

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Kraybill provides a commentary on the book of Revelation by choosing to interpret most of Revelation as having already been fulfilled during the time of John the Revelator. Though this view is disputed by many (or at least some), he bases his interpretation on the guiding hermeneutical principles of apocalyptic literature.

And the case he makes is compelling!

Weaving together history and the Bible, Mr. Kraybill adroitly walks through the whole of Revelation introducing historical situations into the Biblical account and symbols in a way that is both plausible and convincing. While any commentary on the book of Revelation is open to debate, indeed, any commentary is open to debate, this book is a solid yet brief effort based on a firm foundation. Additionally, the book is filled with pictures, charts, and other helpful features that make the lay of the land and culture come alive in the 21st century. Mr. Kraybill also includes a final chapter on the lessons we can learn from Revelation (personal application) which is helpful and encouraging.

Agree or not with his conclusions, but this short book is well worth the read and will enlighten and inform almost anyone.

[Dnicebear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book on Revelation--did I really need it my inner critic wondered? But, how it meets me and adds some thinking and questions I'd wished for during my all too short summer class on Revelation. Within Kraybill's approach, the context of Revelation comes into sharp focus, violence and the many symbols within Revelation become more intelligible, and our need for imagination in our religious practices cries out.

Here's just one of many paragraphs that speak to me: "The world around us may be full of violence and greed. But in the act of worship, we imagine the world as God created it and as God will re-create it. By the power of the Spirit, we receive an actual foretaste of the new creation. God's design for the future begins to take tangible form, at least in part, through healing and hope in the restored community called church. Because followers of Jesus counterimagine a world different from what we see, we live differently."

Lots of high quality black and white pictures speak as much as the paragraphs, and I enjoy both the photos of Roman busts, ruins and currencies as well as photos or cartoons that illustrate modern-day types of empire-resistance.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A commentary on the book of Revelations that for once is not about pre-millennial prophecies imported into the present day, but rather one that deals with the social and political environment at the time St John was writing. A valuable book today therefore not only for understanding Revelations in its historical context, but also on how a Christian is to live as an "alien, an exile in a foreign land".

[Arthur O'dell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, accessible introduction to the historical and cultural context of the book of Revelation. A minor quibble: there is a lot more to Revelation than what Kraybill offers here. But this is a minor fault; the book is not intended to be an exhaustive commentary, but to highlight the setting (and a major theme) of Revelation that is often overlooked in much contemporary (especially popular) interpretation.

[M Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very solid analysis of Revelation written in an accessible style. The book is clearly intended to be used in Bible study or other classes. Each chapter is broken into short sections and each chapter ends with study questions and an illustrating story of modern life. Not any surprising information for serious students of the New Testament but does a good job tracing the three themes of the subtitle and showing the Revelator's relevance for today.

[John Hanscom · Rating 4 out of 5]

AN excellent book - not as scholarly as what of Ben WItherington III, but with a different focus. I really appreciated his call for worship and action. The only minor difficulty is, in his attempt to make his ideas accessable to all, a reader with a lot of Bible knowledge may at times feel talked down to. Nevertheless, this is a good read, and well worth the effort.

[Elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good introduction to the social and political background behind the book of Revelation, and includes some helpful thoughts on applying lessons from the book today. The book is written from a Mennonite perspective, but it is accessible to people from other backgrounds. There is more to Revelation than Kraybill deals with in this book, though, so it is best read in conjunction with others.

[William Loewen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read for people who want to study Revelation within a historical perspective. It also appealed to parts within me that love Roman history and are skeptical of Tim LaHaye.

[Gary Froseth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably a good text for an adult Bible study. Given the subtitle, I had hoped for something more.

[Sean Dockery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent survey of John's Revelation. Very thoughtful applications for Jesus followers today.

[Chad Lorion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book on Revelation. Came away with a whole new appreciation for the Christ-centered worship that abounds in Revelation.

[Nathan Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful and interesting book. Opened my view to change.