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Revelation: Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary
The book of Revelation has been both the most abused and one of the most ignored writings in the New Testament. Revelation has frequently become a non-functioning part of the canon for many persons in the church. Mitchell Reddish believes that the church has an obligation to reclaim the book of Revelation and allow it to speak afresh as a powerful voice containing the message of God. The commentary of the book of Revelation combines serious scholarship with contemporary application of the texts, helping the modern reader understand and appreciate the last book of the Bible. The visual and auditory richness of Revelation is an important part of the presentation of John's message. Reddish maintains that the visions, symbols, and seemingly strange images in the book are to be experienced more than explained, for the genius of Revelation is found in the cumulative effect of these imaginative components of John's writings. The unique features of this commentary are its three-fold format
472 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 2, 2025
Last semester of grad school. Last course of grad school. Last book of the Bible. Feels timely.
Commentaries can often feel quite hard to engage with. A lot of history, piecing through the interpretations being offered, and the authors own bias. Add on top of it the fact that this is probably the most confusing book of Scripture to the 21st Century mind. And yet, Reddish captured my attention and kept it for the entirety of the book.
What I appreciate the most, was how timely the content Reddish addressed in this book felt as I read it in real time. Sadly, this commentary was published in 2001, and the issues surrounding idolatry in American Christianity have only multiplied in their breadth and depth.
If you are too scared/confused/hesitant to engage with the text of Revelation, here is the TLDR that I think is worth considering for the 21st Century Church. We live in a world that is bent on cultivating chaos, and is obsessed with the Empire. But the body of Christ lives by a different ethic and reality - we live according to the Kingdom.
Empire emphasizes scarcity, violence, an us vs. them mentality, and a negligence for the downtrodden. The Empire follows the pattern of the Dragon, that manipulates, takes advantage of and sows confusion and chaos however it can.
The Kingdom emphasizes abundance, generosity, peace, and care for the poor, needy and oppressed. The Kingdom follows the pattern of the Slain Lamb, called to replicate the sacrificial love of the cross to combat the chaos of evil in the world.
I am of strong convincing that John would look at the American Church, and have a lot of thoughts about its loudest forms in the media currently. To see it obsessed with maintaining power for the sake of its own safety and comfort is a critique he would not hesitate to leverage. It brings me deep sorrow when I consider the testimony being written by Christian Nationalism that boasts power and control in replacement of mercy and justice - but Revelation also reconnects me to a thread of hope, that this world and all things remain in God's control. Not some dismissive pithy statement, but an anchor that allows us to live into the call to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly on this Earth while we wait for all things to be made right.
In all actuality this is probably more of a 3.5 but I rounded up. There was some pretty clear bias across the text and sweeping arguments that Reddish made throughout. I wouldn't say I disagreed with them, but there were multiple instances where he would say something to the effect of "there is hardly any grounds for making claims of certainty regarding John's intention with this particular image", and then two paragraphs later would counter that statement and say "this text clearly does not mean this" regarding whatever claim he was rebutting. Felt like he was talking out of both sides of his mouth.
I am extremely grateful for this commentary and class because it has reclaimed a part of Scripture that once cultivated a lot of religious trauma and confusion for me in my formative years as a human and a follower of Jesus. This felt like a gift to reengage with it afresh and find a deeper, fuller and more robust theology caught in its pages than what I was given at first.
PS - thanks to all for bearing with my book reviews of all my academic reads. I only have one more, and it kinda makes me sad!!!!
Commentaries can often feel quite hard to engage with. A lot of history, piecing through the interpretations being offered, and the authors own bias. Add on top of it the fact that this is probably the most confusing book of Scripture to the 21st Century mind. And yet, Reddish captured my attention and kept it for the entirety of the book.
What I appreciate the most, was how timely the content Reddish addressed in this book felt as I read it in real time. Sadly, this commentary was published in 2001, and the issues surrounding idolatry in American Christianity have only multiplied in their breadth and depth.
If you are too scared/confused/hesitant to engage with the text of Revelation, here is the TLDR that I think is worth considering for the 21st Century Church. We live in a world that is bent on cultivating chaos, and is obsessed with the Empire. But the body of Christ lives by a different ethic and reality - we live according to the Kingdom.
Empire emphasizes scarcity, violence, an us vs. them mentality, and a negligence for the downtrodden. The Empire follows the pattern of the Dragon, that manipulates, takes advantage of and sows confusion and chaos however it can.
The Kingdom emphasizes abundance, generosity, peace, and care for the poor, needy and oppressed. The Kingdom follows the pattern of the Slain Lamb, called to replicate the sacrificial love of the cross to combat the chaos of evil in the world.
I am of strong convincing that John would look at the American Church, and have a lot of thoughts about its loudest forms in the media currently. To see it obsessed with maintaining power for the sake of its own safety and comfort is a critique he would not hesitate to leverage. It brings me deep sorrow when I consider the testimony being written by Christian Nationalism that boasts power and control in replacement of mercy and justice - but Revelation also reconnects me to a thread of hope, that this world and all things remain in God's control. Not some dismissive pithy statement, but an anchor that allows us to live into the call to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly on this Earth while we wait for all things to be made right.
In all actuality this is probably more of a 3.5 but I rounded up. There was some pretty clear bias across the text and sweeping arguments that Reddish made throughout. I wouldn't say I disagreed with them, but there were multiple instances where he would say something to the effect of "there is hardly any grounds for making claims of certainty regarding John's intention with this particular image", and then two paragraphs later would counter that statement and say "this text clearly does not mean this" regarding whatever claim he was rebutting. Felt like he was talking out of both sides of his mouth.
I am extremely grateful for this commentary and class because it has reclaimed a part of Scripture that once cultivated a lot of religious trauma and confusion for me in my formative years as a human and a follower of Jesus. This felt like a gift to reengage with it afresh and find a deeper, fuller and more robust theology caught in its pages than what I was given at first.
PS - thanks to all for bearing with my book reviews of all my academic reads. I only have one more, and it kinda makes me sad!!!!
September 13, 2018
Great commentary on Revelation. Reddish is accurate with his portrayal of first century apocalyptic literature. It is important to understand Revelation this way as genre must be taken into account if our interpretations are to be correct. Reddish takes a balanced approach and warns of the potential and common mistakes in interpreting Revelation. I learned much more than I expected from this commentary and would recommend it to anyone wanting to begin balanced study of this book.
August 2, 2011
Of the many commentaries I used in teaching Revelation, this was one of the most helpful. In addition to the actual commentary text, there were many helpful sidebars and excellent charts. An added plus was the CD that came with the commentary that allowed me to have a pdf copy on my computer.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews