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When the Man Comes Around: A Commentary on the Book of Revelation
"Though St. John the Evangelist saw many strange monsters in his vision, he saw no creature so wild as one of his own commentators." ~ G.K. Chesterton
The book of Revelation was written to do just that: reveal. But most commentaries nowadays either engage in bizarre speculations about the future, or they keep an embarrassed distance from all the apocalyptic events that the apostle John says will “shortly take place.”
In this commentary, Douglas Wilson provides a passage-by-passage walkthrough of the entire book, showing how John’s most notorious prophecies concern the Fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Explaining symbols and characters as he goes, Wilson shows from the text that not only is this book not an elaborate code, but that Revelation is not even ultimately concerned with the end of the world as we know it. Revelation is about the triumph of the Church, which always happens when the Man comes around.
The book of Revelation was written to do just that: reveal. But most commentaries nowadays either engage in bizarre speculations about the future, or they keep an embarrassed distance from all the apocalyptic events that the apostle John says will “shortly take place.”
In this commentary, Douglas Wilson provides a passage-by-passage walkthrough of the entire book, showing how John’s most notorious prophecies concern the Fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Explaining symbols and characters as he goes, Wilson shows from the text that not only is this book not an elaborate code, but that Revelation is not even ultimately concerned with the end of the world as we know it. Revelation is about the triumph of the Church, which always happens when the Man comes around.
236 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 8, 2019
393 people are currently reading
682 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Wilson
300 books4,587 followersI write in order to make the little voices in my head go away. Thus far it hasn't worked.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
October 10, 2019
I initially picked up this book because I heard an interview with Doug Wilson on Apologia Radio. Wilson is a self-proclaimed post-millennialist, but in the interview he was describing the millennium in ways that sounded very similar to amillenialism, so I thought, "I need to check this out." The results were a little meh.
Probably the most disappointing thing about this book is that it's missing that characteristic Doug Wilson wit. It tries to break through on pp.155-58 when he's discussing the identification of the beast from the sea and 666, but apart from that it's a fairly straightforward, maybe even bland read in sections. I could speculate as to why this is so, but regardless, if you're used to reading Wilson's blog, don't expect the same tone in this commentary.
As a commentary on Revelation, Wilson is a fairly typical Partial Preterist, interpreting almost all of the book as a prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. As such, there are some really strong sections and some rather weak sections. As someone who is sympathetic to the Preterist position I will commend him for being consistent--he reads the book in chronological order, and he does indeed interpret Revelation 20 like an amillenialist. But the great weakness is how little he believes the book concerns the Second Coming of Christ and the final, glorified state. He sees brief glimpses of it at the end of 20 and 22, but apart from those sections everything is seemingly about the first century on. This could be dangerous for anyone who might be flirting with Full or Hyper Preterism, a position Wilson would condemn, but against which he doesn't warn the reader.
If you've read other Preterist works from R.C. Sproul, Gary DeMar, David Chilton, or Kenneth Gentry, then there's not really anything new to see here. If, however, you're not familiar with Preterism, or simply want to read a commentary on Revelation from this position for the first time, then this is a good place to start. It's an easy read (though I still find myself disconcerted by Wilson's KJV-preferred position), and it's a book that gives you the basic points of the Preterist interpretation without bogging you down with every little detail.
Probably the most disappointing thing about this book is that it's missing that characteristic Doug Wilson wit. It tries to break through on pp.155-58 when he's discussing the identification of the beast from the sea and 666, but apart from that it's a fairly straightforward, maybe even bland read in sections. I could speculate as to why this is so, but regardless, if you're used to reading Wilson's blog, don't expect the same tone in this commentary.
As a commentary on Revelation, Wilson is a fairly typical Partial Preterist, interpreting almost all of the book as a prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. As such, there are some really strong sections and some rather weak sections. As someone who is sympathetic to the Preterist position I will commend him for being consistent--he reads the book in chronological order, and he does indeed interpret Revelation 20 like an amillenialist. But the great weakness is how little he believes the book concerns the Second Coming of Christ and the final, glorified state. He sees brief glimpses of it at the end of 20 and 22, but apart from those sections everything is seemingly about the first century on. This could be dangerous for anyone who might be flirting with Full or Hyper Preterism, a position Wilson would condemn, but against which he doesn't warn the reader.
If you've read other Preterist works from R.C. Sproul, Gary DeMar, David Chilton, or Kenneth Gentry, then there's not really anything new to see here. If, however, you're not familiar with Preterism, or simply want to read a commentary on Revelation from this position for the first time, then this is a good place to start. It's an easy read (though I still find myself disconcerted by Wilson's KJV-preferred position), and it's a book that gives you the basic points of the Preterist interpretation without bogging you down with every little detail.
November 20, 2019
Doug Wilson's "When the Man Comes Around", is an accessible and persuasive commentary on the notoriously difficult and controversial book of Revelation. His main concern in writing the commentary is to remain true to the text itself, and he, in fact, is clear that he is taking the text seriously. This is evident in how frequently he refers to Old Testament prophecies and quotes them at length throughout the book.
Wilson also takes the stress on the imminence of the prophecies of Revelation as being within years of the original audience receiving the letter. These emphases are in the text, and other interpreters have to go through a myriad of expositional gymnastics to evade the rather clear language of "soon" and "quickly."
In the introduction, Wilson acknowledges his debt to Ken Gentry and Gary DeMar, two well-known preterist writers. Like these two other commentators, Wilson follows the preterist interpretation which argues that though the prophecies were in the future for the original audience, most of the prophecies have now been fulfilled and are now in our past.
Having said this, those that have read Gentry and DeMar will not likely be surprised by much in Wilson's book. Wilson follows a fairly conventional preterist approach, but Wilson's take on Revelation is an important one. When is the last time a prominent postmillenial pastor/theologian has written a lay-level commentary on Revelation? This alone makes this an important work, for it will put these ideas into the hands of a far greater audience than Gentry or DeMar.
Wilson is an engaging writer and the book is an easy read, he in fact almost makes Revelation seem as though it is not that difficult a book to understand--and in many ways it is not. The greatest obstacle to understanding Revelation is biblical illiteracy. If we all knew our Bibles better, especially the Old Testament, it wouldn't be so daunting. Wilson does a great job connecting the dots between other texts, especially the Old Testament to help interpret Revelation itself.
I have two main criticisms, both of which are probably nit-picky. First, Wilson does not really address the dating of the book very directly. He, of course, argues it was written in the 60s prior to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, but he doesn't argue directly for the early date for the book. Perhaps he is simply attempting to prioritize dating by the content of the book itself--something I agree with, but he doesn't actually argue against the more popular methods of dating the book (around 90AD) which then drives the more fanciful interpretations. This is a gap in the book that I think would have made the book even better.
Lastly, Wilson doesn't have very good explanations for the manner in which Revelation discusses worship and commerce. For example, Revelation 17:13 uses the language of commerce when describing the "mark of the beast."
"Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name."
The language of commerce and trade is thick in Revelation 18:11-24 with the lament for the fall of Babylon. Wilson doesn't really provide much of an explanation here. There's clearly something going on with the way buying, selling, and trading relates to worship and the guilt of apostate Israel. This is probably one of the most challenging parts of the book, so I can't give him too hard a time over it. But again, it is a weakness.
All in all the book is outstanding. I hope it gets a wide reading, as it is high time for Christians to abandon the more popular understandings of the end times, and Wilson has given us a great book that has the potential to start changing minds.
Wilson also takes the stress on the imminence of the prophecies of Revelation as being within years of the original audience receiving the letter. These emphases are in the text, and other interpreters have to go through a myriad of expositional gymnastics to evade the rather clear language of "soon" and "quickly."
In the introduction, Wilson acknowledges his debt to Ken Gentry and Gary DeMar, two well-known preterist writers. Like these two other commentators, Wilson follows the preterist interpretation which argues that though the prophecies were in the future for the original audience, most of the prophecies have now been fulfilled and are now in our past.
Having said this, those that have read Gentry and DeMar will not likely be surprised by much in Wilson's book. Wilson follows a fairly conventional preterist approach, but Wilson's take on Revelation is an important one. When is the last time a prominent postmillenial pastor/theologian has written a lay-level commentary on Revelation? This alone makes this an important work, for it will put these ideas into the hands of a far greater audience than Gentry or DeMar.
Wilson is an engaging writer and the book is an easy read, he in fact almost makes Revelation seem as though it is not that difficult a book to understand--and in many ways it is not. The greatest obstacle to understanding Revelation is biblical illiteracy. If we all knew our Bibles better, especially the Old Testament, it wouldn't be so daunting. Wilson does a great job connecting the dots between other texts, especially the Old Testament to help interpret Revelation itself.
I have two main criticisms, both of which are probably nit-picky. First, Wilson does not really address the dating of the book very directly. He, of course, argues it was written in the 60s prior to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, but he doesn't argue directly for the early date for the book. Perhaps he is simply attempting to prioritize dating by the content of the book itself--something I agree with, but he doesn't actually argue against the more popular methods of dating the book (around 90AD) which then drives the more fanciful interpretations. This is a gap in the book that I think would have made the book even better.
Lastly, Wilson doesn't have very good explanations for the manner in which Revelation discusses worship and commerce. For example, Revelation 17:13 uses the language of commerce when describing the "mark of the beast."
"Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name."
The language of commerce and trade is thick in Revelation 18:11-24 with the lament for the fall of Babylon. Wilson doesn't really provide much of an explanation here. There's clearly something going on with the way buying, selling, and trading relates to worship and the guilt of apostate Israel. This is probably one of the most challenging parts of the book, so I can't give him too hard a time over it. But again, it is a weakness.
All in all the book is outstanding. I hope it gets a wide reading, as it is high time for Christians to abandon the more popular understandings of the end times, and Wilson has given us a great book that has the potential to start changing minds.
February 18, 2022
I grew up in the '70s and '80s, when the end times was a hot topics. Fortunately, we didn't hear much about it at my church, so I didn't internalize a lot of bad teaching on the subject. I had a vague idea that there was a lot of weirdness out there, but I didn't know much about it.
When I embraced all the P's in my early 30s, I grabbed postmillennialism right along with presbyterianism, paedobaptism, paedocommunion, and psalm singing. But I didn't do much more than skim the surface on the topic. So when The Last Battle bummed me out so much, it was serendipitous that the audio of When the Man Comes Around was released the next day. Didn't make me an eschatology expert, but it colored in a few more details in my understanding and left me much more cheerful than Lewis did.
When I embraced all the P's in my early 30s, I grabbed postmillennialism right along with presbyterianism, paedobaptism, paedocommunion, and psalm singing. But I didn't do much more than skim the surface on the topic. So when The Last Battle bummed me out so much, it was serendipitous that the audio of When the Man Comes Around was released the next day. Didn't make me an eschatology expert, but it colored in a few more details in my understanding and left me much more cheerful than Lewis did.
December 6, 2022
Very good.
December 10, 2022
This was perhaps the most cohesive interpretation of the book of Revelation that I have read as of yet. While I disagree with the fulfillment that Wilson identifies for most of the book (he believes that almost all of it occurred in the leadup to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD), the commentary laid out a view that was able to link all sorts of historical details with almost all the key aspects of Revelation, thus providing a good framework and a persuasive case for the preterist position on Revelation. That said, Wilson was throughout somewhat inconsistent on how he took the different judgements and images. For instance, he dismisses the "language of appearance" style of interpretation (like the idea that the scorpion beasts are helicopters) in some places, but then he lends credence to that style of interpretation in others (like the idea that the hailstones were really the white stones launched from Roman catapults). Also, I in general found his interpretation of chapters 19-22 to be pretty poor. For instance, he views the new heavens and new earth in Revelation 21 as referring to part of the time before Jesus' Second Coming. Part of his support for this position was several Old Testament prophecies that he quoted, with one in particular mentioning the existence of death at the time of the OT prophecy's fulfillment, which he argues means that the passage in Revelation is not referring to after Jesus' Second Coming because there is no death after the Second Coming. The problem with this interpretation is that the passage in Revelation 21 specifically says that "death shall be no more" which totally invalidates Wilson's whole argument here. Despite all this, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it for anyone who wants an easy-to-read commentary on the book of Revelation. It is a notoriously hard book to interpret, and Wilson fully acknowledges that and proceeds humbly throughout the book. He concedes that he is offering just one possible interpretation and not the Gospel truth that must be accepted. He articulates his position clearly without any hesitation or attempts to "interpret without interpreting", a refreshing drink of water that is decidedly cool and not lukewarm. The commentary also protects the unity of the Body by not being condescending towards other Christians' outlook and by not amplifying the differences/divisions between Christians on this issue, which can so often be a cause for quarreling. Overall, it was a good read indeed.
December 13, 2023
Good commentary on Book of Revelation. Wilson’s view lines up with what reformers and puritans thought, no rapture , followed by another coming of Christ.
He also interprets “One like the Son of Man” in book of Daniel as referring to the first coming of Christ.
Really enjoyed his observations, and interpretations in book of Revelation referring to the times soon after Christ resurrection as persecution coming from Rome and Greek general after Alexander the Great.
He also interprets “One like the Son of Man” in book of Daniel as referring to the first coming of Christ.
Really enjoyed his observations, and interpretations in book of Revelation referring to the times soon after Christ resurrection as persecution coming from Rome and Greek general after Alexander the Great.
January 25, 2022
4.3 Really enjoyed Doug’s commentary on the book of Revelation. I love his style of writing. Wilson approaches the book from a preteristic standpoint alluding to a first-century fulfillment of most of the content of the book, base on the fall of Jerusalem at A.D. 70. The book of Revelation is just not about the end of our world (cosmos), but it was the end for their world, those who were living in the last few years of the Judaic aeon. The Revelation is about the triumph of the Church! For the reader who is not aware of the preterist approach, they might not quite understand Doug’s explanations and nor does he take much time defending his preterism, for this I would recommend Ken Gentry’s work. I commend this book!
September 28, 2019
I was so glad to find When the Man Comes Around because I had recently read William Hendricksen's More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation. Both books are an antidote to the widely accepted dispensational interpretations that require so much textual jiu-jitsu. I have never been entirely comfortable with dispensational premillenialism, primarily because the Book of Revelation, according to its title, should reveal and the dispensational interpretations did nothing if not confuse me. One statement that Hendricksen (who died in 1982) wrote that obviously Wilson believes as well, is that Revelation is a book of symbols, not riddles, and therefore can be understood by the believer without consulting the newspaper, a crystal ball, or chicken entrails. I kid. I do have much more prayerful study ahead of me, and these two books will be by my side as I continue.
Wilson subscribes to the preterist view of Revelation as he states almost immediately in his book. He dates the authorship of the book sometime just before the Roman sacking of Jerusalem and its Temple in 70 AD. Hendricksen is in the historicist camp and holds to a later date, about 93-96 AD. Hendricksen categorically dismisses the futurist view, but he does indicate much agreement with the preterists in certain sections. Sections where Wilson and Hendricksen agree are, for example, the identities of the 24 elders, the dragon and the Lamb; the meaning of the so-called "Millenium"; the identity of the 144,000; the unity and inspiration of the book; and the distinction between Hell and Hades. Both men believe in the return of Jesus Christ as the culmination of history.
Hendricksen's approach is what he called "progressive parallelism". What he meant by this is that each section or chapter of the book should be understood to be synchronous with later chapters in the book, hence the parallelism. The things revealed in later chapters are just deeper illuminations of earlier chapters, a progressive revelation. It should not be read like a novel, where the events in one chapter chronologically precede the events in a following chapter. For example, Hendricksen believes that Revelation 20 more thoroughly describes events that are synchronous with events initially described in chapter 12.
Wilson and Hendricksen do agree that the statements in Rev 1:1-2 regarding the events that are "soon to take place" and "the time is near" point to impending, first century events. Their views differ in that while Wilson believes that most of the events described pertain solely to the fall of Jerusalem, Hendrickson believes that the events begin immediately but continue throughout the Church Era. A good illustration of this difference is that Wilson believes the beast out of the sea can be identified as the Roman Empire. Hendricksen also believes that, but he does not believe it is only the Roman Empire; he believes the beast from the sea represents all earthly governments who oppress and fight against the Church from the first century until Christ's return.
Other areas where Hendricksen and Wilson disagree is the identity of the man whose number is 666; who or what the Whore Babylon is referring to; and the beast out of the earth (the false prophet). Both men support their views with other Scripture, both Old and New Testament.
Regardless of their differences, I really appreciated both works and benefited mightily from them. I enthusiastically recommend When the Man Comes Around. I believe you will find it refreshing. It is written in a clear style and Wilson is generous giving credit to those who influenced his views. He is also careful to note those areas where there are differences of opinion so the reader can seek out for themselves what other respected teachers believe.
Wilson subscribes to the preterist view of Revelation as he states almost immediately in his book. He dates the authorship of the book sometime just before the Roman sacking of Jerusalem and its Temple in 70 AD. Hendricksen is in the historicist camp and holds to a later date, about 93-96 AD. Hendricksen categorically dismisses the futurist view, but he does indicate much agreement with the preterists in certain sections. Sections where Wilson and Hendricksen agree are, for example, the identities of the 24 elders, the dragon and the Lamb; the meaning of the so-called "Millenium"; the identity of the 144,000; the unity and inspiration of the book; and the distinction between Hell and Hades. Both men believe in the return of Jesus Christ as the culmination of history.
Hendricksen's approach is what he called "progressive parallelism". What he meant by this is that each section or chapter of the book should be understood to be synchronous with later chapters in the book, hence the parallelism. The things revealed in later chapters are just deeper illuminations of earlier chapters, a progressive revelation. It should not be read like a novel, where the events in one chapter chronologically precede the events in a following chapter. For example, Hendricksen believes that Revelation 20 more thoroughly describes events that are synchronous with events initially described in chapter 12.
Wilson and Hendricksen do agree that the statements in Rev 1:1-2 regarding the events that are "soon to take place" and "the time is near" point to impending, first century events. Their views differ in that while Wilson believes that most of the events described pertain solely to the fall of Jerusalem, Hendrickson believes that the events begin immediately but continue throughout the Church Era. A good illustration of this difference is that Wilson believes the beast out of the sea can be identified as the Roman Empire. Hendricksen also believes that, but he does not believe it is only the Roman Empire; he believes the beast from the sea represents all earthly governments who oppress and fight against the Church from the first century until Christ's return.
Other areas where Hendricksen and Wilson disagree is the identity of the man whose number is 666; who or what the Whore Babylon is referring to; and the beast out of the earth (the false prophet). Both men support their views with other Scripture, both Old and New Testament.
Regardless of their differences, I really appreciated both works and benefited mightily from them. I enthusiastically recommend When the Man Comes Around. I believe you will find it refreshing. It is written in a clear style and Wilson is generous giving credit to those who influenced his views. He is also careful to note those areas where there are differences of opinion so the reader can seek out for themselves what other respected teachers believe.
January 8, 2022
I think we're all pretty much familiar with the premil, futuristic take on the book of Revelation, even if we don't know the technical terms - the Rapture, the seven years of tribulation, Armageddon, natural disasters - essentially, the end of the world as we know it. This is definitely what I grew up with, even if it was more subdued than the cheesiness of the Left Behind series (which I thankfully have never read). For years I didn't really know that there were other ways to interpret the book, but recently I've been rethinking that framework and have been slowly looking at other views.
This book walks through Revelation with preterist lenses (i.e., with the assumption that most of Revelation is referring to events that happened in the 1st century, especially the events surrounding the fall of Jerusalem) in an accessible, understandable way, and I have to say this is probably the first time I've come away satisfied with anyone's explanation of the book. It might not be correct in all its details, but the main thrust of it seems to fit much better with Scripture. To give a simple example, the futuristic view places little emphasis (relatively) on the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. Given how much of OT prophecy is devoted to the destruction of Solomon's temple, isn't a bit odd that there would be no importance attached to the final destruction in the NT?
At any rate, I highly recommend this book if you want a broader perspective on one of the most difficult books of the Bible. Provides lots to think about.
This book walks through Revelation with preterist lenses (i.e., with the assumption that most of Revelation is referring to events that happened in the 1st century, especially the events surrounding the fall of Jerusalem) in an accessible, understandable way, and I have to say this is probably the first time I've come away satisfied with anyone's explanation of the book. It might not be correct in all its details, but the main thrust of it seems to fit much better with Scripture. To give a simple example, the futuristic view places little emphasis (relatively) on the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. Given how much of OT prophecy is devoted to the destruction of Solomon's temple, isn't a bit odd that there would be no importance attached to the final destruction in the NT?
At any rate, I highly recommend this book if you want a broader perspective on one of the most difficult books of the Bible. Provides lots to think about.
February 17, 2022
Revelation is not meant to be obscure. It is a revelation intended to reveal, not confuse or hide.
I spent most of my years believing that what you believed and understood about the "end times" didn't really matter when it came to your day to day life. Over the past few years I've been blessed to see its affects just about everything I do.
This commentary is not overly complicated. It's easy to follow and yet it's packed full of references that you could probably spend several weeks unpacking.
Even if you are set in your current belief about the end times, I highly recommend this to you. It will help you understand what I mean when I say that eschatology matters, and it will help you to see what many fellow saints throughout centuries have understood Revelation to be.
I spent most of my years believing that what you believed and understood about the "end times" didn't really matter when it came to your day to day life. Over the past few years I've been blessed to see its affects just about everything I do.
This commentary is not overly complicated. It's easy to follow and yet it's packed full of references that you could probably spend several weeks unpacking.
Even if you are set in your current belief about the end times, I highly recommend this to you. It will help you understand what I mean when I say that eschatology matters, and it will help you to see what many fellow saints throughout centuries have understood Revelation to be.
June 20, 2020
Great accessible commentary explaining God's judgment of Israel.
November 19, 2021
Simple, easy read. Easy to follow. Highly recommend. Refreshing in the midst of conspiracy theory eschatons.
May 25, 2024
Excellent!
This was a great read. Pastor Wilson is a great writer, easy to understand but still thought provoking. This is one of the clearest commentaries on Revelation I've come across. If you're a person that was raised in dispensationalism (as I was) but you're willing to learn of other views, this book is written from the preterist view and may just blow your mind. I loved it! I would recommend reading The Last Days According to Jesus by RC Sproul first, if preterism is new to you - then come back to this book.
This was a great read. Pastor Wilson is a great writer, easy to understand but still thought provoking. This is one of the clearest commentaries on Revelation I've come across. If you're a person that was raised in dispensationalism (as I was) but you're willing to learn of other views, this book is written from the preterist view and may just blow your mind. I loved it! I would recommend reading The Last Days According to Jesus by RC Sproul first, if preterism is new to you - then come back to this book.
March 7, 2022
An excellent concise commentary of one of the most difficult books of the Bible. Will it answer every single question you have about Revelation? No. But it does give a helpful overview, providing a general orientation toward how we ought to approach it.
May 10, 2023
Verse by verse breakdown of the entire book of revelation, with wonderful, additional commentary.
July 4, 2021
A really good passage by passage commentary from a partial preterist perspective. Recommend especially for those who are new to studying the book of Revelation.
June 16, 2023
Readily accessible for a commentary on Revelation. I’ve read my fair share of commentaries, and this is certainly my favorite style. It’s written with the layman in mind and with a pastoral heart. There is certainly room for more academic commentaries, but that keeps the average churchgoer away causing them to think that biblical knowledge and study is not for them. Wilson does a great job breaking down that barrier here.
I will also add that this is a wonderful defense of the Preterist understanding of Revelation. Becoming a Preterist and leaving Futurism behind was one of the greatest joys in my spiritual growth journey.
My chief complaint with Wilson is his use of the KJV. It’s a larger issue I have with him, but in this instance, I believe it detracts from the flow of the book.
I will also add that this is a wonderful defense of the Preterist understanding of Revelation. Becoming a Preterist and leaving Futurism behind was one of the greatest joys in my spiritual growth journey.
My chief complaint with Wilson is his use of the KJV. It’s a larger issue I have with him, but in this instance, I believe it detracts from the flow of the book.
April 14, 2022
What an excellent study! Don't let "commentary" fool you into thinking that this reads like any other commentary full of scholarly footnotes and such. This is a commentary you can read just like any other book. In fact, unlike other commentaries, this is not the kind of book you just keep on your shelf as a reference book (though I will allow it to serve me in that way too).
Wilson jumps right in without giving much in terms of historical context and background. That's something he gets into along the way. Personally, I liked this approach. It's a "learn along the way" kind of book. The downside is, this book may not persuade your average futurist who thinks that the book of Revelation is about the days ahead (modern times). So yes, this is a book from an orthodox preterist perspective whereby the vast majority of the book of Revelation is about the events leading up to the destruction of the temple in 70AD.
If you read Wilson's book, and you've never really come across a preterist perspective on Revelation, this probably isn't the best book to be convinced by. This is because there are some very foundational and perhaps presuppositional beliefs at play that would need to be addressed first. Otherwise, you are going to read this book and probably wonder why Wilson isn't answering the 10,000 questions you have about this "new" way of looking at Revelation.
Wilson leaves a lot of stones unturned, and that is ok. This book is not meant to answer all of the questions, though it does answer a lot of the big ones such as, "what is the mark of the beast? Who are the 144,000? When does the 1,000 years take place and what does it mean?" The book is very fast paced, but I can't tell you how edifying it was to read. In a sense, it captured the essence of what it would have been like to be a Jerusalem located Christian living in 66AD and reading Revelation for the first time.
Much more can be said, but I would highly recommend reading this book if you at least have some familiarity with preterism. If you aren't familiar with preterism, I would recommend something like "Last Days Madness" by Gary DeMar because it is intended to persuade the futurist and challenges on the most basic foundational levels.
Wilson jumps right in without giving much in terms of historical context and background. That's something he gets into along the way. Personally, I liked this approach. It's a "learn along the way" kind of book. The downside is, this book may not persuade your average futurist who thinks that the book of Revelation is about the days ahead (modern times). So yes, this is a book from an orthodox preterist perspective whereby the vast majority of the book of Revelation is about the events leading up to the destruction of the temple in 70AD.
If you read Wilson's book, and you've never really come across a preterist perspective on Revelation, this probably isn't the best book to be convinced by. This is because there are some very foundational and perhaps presuppositional beliefs at play that would need to be addressed first. Otherwise, you are going to read this book and probably wonder why Wilson isn't answering the 10,000 questions you have about this "new" way of looking at Revelation.
Wilson leaves a lot of stones unturned, and that is ok. This book is not meant to answer all of the questions, though it does answer a lot of the big ones such as, "what is the mark of the beast? Who are the 144,000? When does the 1,000 years take place and what does it mean?" The book is very fast paced, but I can't tell you how edifying it was to read. In a sense, it captured the essence of what it would have been like to be a Jerusalem located Christian living in 66AD and reading Revelation for the first time.
Much more can be said, but I would highly recommend reading this book if you at least have some familiarity with preterism. If you aren't familiar with preterism, I would recommend something like "Last Days Madness" by Gary DeMar because it is intended to persuade the futurist and challenges on the most basic foundational levels.
September 20, 2019
The word “revelation” means that something is being revealed, or made known. Unfortunately, modern dispensationalism has brought clouds and confusion to many modern Christians regarding the book of Revelation. This commentary plays a part in clearing some of that up. Here is a snippet: “Many of our popular tropes for Heaven come from this passage [Rev. 21:9-21] (pearly gates, streets of gold), but John is revealing the nature of the Church to us, not the nature of Heaven. This is not a symbol of the afterlife, but rather a symbol for the bride of Christ.”
November 6, 2023
I read this to gain an understanding of post millenniumism, it definitely helped me understand that position...and of course because the author takes this position he is very convincing. I will say post millenniumism is a very hopeful perspective, instead of always looking for the antichrist, the beast and the mark of the beast it focuses on growing the Church and getting the Church ready for the wedding feast.
December 31, 2024
As usual, even if unconvinced, I thoroughly enjoy reading Wilson on just about anything. In the case of this commentary on Revelation, I not only enjoyed it, but also happen to be convinced and persuaded on quite a bit. The postmillennial conclusions still feel like a stretch, but the partial preterist understanding seems to have further solidified in my own eschatological thinking. But I still have lots of questions…
February 19, 2020
Helpful commentary on revelation. I like the way Wilson often quotes referenced verses in their entirety right there in the text of the book. No flipping back and forth to a footnote section at the end of the book and / or your Bible. Which who really does all that anyway?
September 22, 2022
Incredible clarity on a (historically) not so clear book. I love Doug Wilson’s style and ability to explain things. Whether one agrees with him or not, I highly recommend this book for any student of the Bible.
May 13, 2025
Audiobook a while back. Would like to get a physical copy soon
Read again on Kindle in 2025. Very good
Read again on Kindle in 2025. Very good
September 6, 2021
A good and helpful commentary, as long as you know what to expect. Wilson's aim in writing this book is self-consciously NOT to present conflicting views on Revelation or to delve into scholarly matters concerning linguistics, reception history, etc.; his aim is simply to present his own thoughts on Revelation and to try and provide some clarity and structure to those who have no idea how to even approach the book (i.e., most of evangelical America).
In particular, Wilson offers a (generally) preterist reading of Revelation--i.e., one that concerns itself primarily with the prophecy's fulfillment in the first century AD. That said, I think Wilson focuses so strongly on first-century fulfillment that he occasionally fails to explain passages that are confusing in their own right, regardless of when the majority of the prophecy was fulfilled (e.g., Christ was "slain before the foundation of the world," or "the testim0ny of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy," both passages which Wilson offers no insight on whatsoever).
Overall, I think the work itself deserves a four-star rating. The only reason I'm giving it three stars is because of the multitude of (minor) typos I found scattered throughout the book (I filled an entire page front-and-back with typos and examples of inconsistent formatting). While most of these errors would likely not bother most readers, for people like me who are acutely sensitive to such things, this did interfere with my general reading experience. In fact, I've had this problem repeatedly with books from Canon Press (even the new ones), and I think they really need to step up their game when it comes to editing.
In particular, Wilson offers a (generally) preterist reading of Revelation--i.e., one that concerns itself primarily with the prophecy's fulfillment in the first century AD. That said, I think Wilson focuses so strongly on first-century fulfillment that he occasionally fails to explain passages that are confusing in their own right, regardless of when the majority of the prophecy was fulfilled (e.g., Christ was "slain before the foundation of the world," or "the testim0ny of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy," both passages which Wilson offers no insight on whatsoever).
Overall, I think the work itself deserves a four-star rating. The only reason I'm giving it three stars is because of the multitude of (minor) typos I found scattered throughout the book (I filled an entire page front-and-back with typos and examples of inconsistent formatting). While most of these errors would likely not bother most readers, for people like me who are acutely sensitive to such things, this did interfere with my general reading experience. In fact, I've had this problem repeatedly with books from Canon Press (even the new ones), and I think they really need to step up their game when it comes to editing.
March 17, 2023
A refreshing commentary on Revelation that most accurately interprets this book of the Bible (beyond any I’ve seen yet). It should be noted that the book of Revelation, and Jesus Himself, repeatedly stated that these prophecies were “coming soon.” Douglas Wilson takes Jesus at His word and unpacks what “coming soon” meant to a 1st century A.D. audience.
I disagreed with very little of what the author included in this commentary (with the exception of parts of chapter 20). When you see Revelation in light of the Old Testament and the New Testament, it makes a lot of sense. We must go back to the audience for which a book was written to better understand the context, and we must consider what was happening historically at that time. Douglas Wilson does this very effectively.
Many of our churches today are entrenched in a futurist/dispensational view of Revelation and end times/eschatology that dates back only about 200 years to John Nelson Darby.
Throughout my life, Revelation has almost always been a bit of a mystery to me, but then again, I have been surrounded by a futurist view of it for most of that time. After reading “When The Man Comes Around,” I would say 85-90% of Revelation now makes sense.
I disagreed with very little of what the author included in this commentary (with the exception of parts of chapter 20). When you see Revelation in light of the Old Testament and the New Testament, it makes a lot of sense. We must go back to the audience for which a book was written to better understand the context, and we must consider what was happening historically at that time. Douglas Wilson does this very effectively.
Many of our churches today are entrenched in a futurist/dispensational view of Revelation and end times/eschatology that dates back only about 200 years to John Nelson Darby.
Throughout my life, Revelation has almost always been a bit of a mystery to me, but then again, I have been surrounded by a futurist view of it for most of that time. After reading “When The Man Comes Around,” I would say 85-90% of Revelation now makes sense.
September 17, 2020
I find much of what he writes to be very convincing. He seems to deal with the text in a mostly consistent manner. If you haven't ever looked into a preterist interpretation of Revelation, you are missing an important piece of the spectrum of orthodox thought regarding the scriptures, especially the importance of Jesus as prophet and King. If you think eschatology is not a very important topic, you probably need to read this book to better understand those who consider it a very important doctrine indeed. A must read for many, especially in the American Church.
I highly encourage all to at least understand the preterist interpretation, and I don't know of a better place to start than this simple and straightforward commentary. It can be read in just a few hours.
I highly encourage all to at least understand the preterist interpretation, and I don't know of a better place to start than this simple and straightforward commentary. It can be read in just a few hours.
March 11, 2024
Growing up I only heard the premil viewpoint of eschatology. I only recently found out there were other viewpoints and decided to look into all of them and determine where I stand.
I ended up reading “The Last days Madness” and this commentary in hopes to get a good understanding of the postmillennial view and preterist view.
This was the first commentary I ever read of Revelation where the book of Revelation finally made sense to me. It was concise and to the point, and contained tons of Old Testament references. Revelation is no longer a book of the Bible I want to avoid, instead I see even more now how it fits so well with all of scripture.
I highly recommend both books when seeking your own study of eschatology.
I ended up reading “The Last days Madness” and this commentary in hopes to get a good understanding of the postmillennial view and preterist view.
This was the first commentary I ever read of Revelation where the book of Revelation finally made sense to me. It was concise and to the point, and contained tons of Old Testament references. Revelation is no longer a book of the Bible I want to avoid, instead I see even more now how it fits so well with all of scripture.
I highly recommend both books when seeking your own study of eschatology.
August 29, 2025
I have always been intimidated by the book of Revelation and had a hard time reading it through. I struggle having been mostly exposed to a dispensational view and having read Left Behind as a teen (not helpful for understanding Revelation). It took until I was 50 (ashamedly) to try to fix that. As I got to the end of the Summer Reading Challenge, there it was. I was looking for a simple commentary from a post millennial perspective to help me get a high level picture of what is going on. This book delivered. It is an easy read, I finished it in 4 days. I know some are frustrated by the lack of extreme detail, but that’s what I wanted. I can only handle so much at one time 😅
February 14, 2025
Although I am yet to be convinced that Revelation has a preterist interpretation, I am impressed by Wilson's use of the OT and its imagery, combined with the partial Preterist view of other NT passages. Food for thought here. Certainly, I am ready to restudy the Revelation with a greater and renewed enthusiasm - not as a prophetic finger puzzle, but with a stronger view of Israel's Great Divorce. This is a helpful introduction, which I think is the point of the book. Time to start again with a closer exegesis...
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