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Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple
The biblical Book of Revelation frustrates and fascinates many people with its imagery and apocalyptic tone. Most popular interpretations of the book rely on a perspective known as dispensationalism, popularized by the Scofield Bible and more recently the Left Behind series of novels. Yet there are many problems with this popular way of reading Revelation, and until now, few alternatives have been available that were easy to understand.
In Revelation for the Rest of Us, Scot McKnight with Cody Matchett explore the timeless message of Revelation and how it speaks to us today with a courageous challenge to be faithful witnesses to Jesus while standing against the ever-present reality of worldly authorities. The writer, John, stimulates the imagination to see the world differently, through the eyes of God, presenting a divine politic that subverts the anti-god patterns of governments, empires, and those in power.
McKnight addresses the popular misconceptions about the book, explaining what John means in his use of the images of dragons, lambs, and beasts, and how the symbolism of Revelation speaks powerfully to the present day--though not in the way most people think. Drawing from the latest scholarship, they present an understanding of Revelation for anyone interested in deepening their personal study of the Bible as well as preachers looking to communicate this timeless message today.
McKnight offers in this book a discipleship manual for discerning the immoralities of political powers and how the church can be both an agent of resistance and transformation.
John designed his Book of Revelation to disciple readers into dissidents of the ways of the world and empire. John describes that empire with the term Babylon. Babylon is a timeless image of empire, militarism, economic exploitation, injustice, and oppression. The Book of Revelation disciples Christians through worship and the courageous challenge of faithful, or allegiant, witness to the slaughtered-Lamb. John's dissident disciples can discern the presence of Babylon in our world and learn to speak up, speak out, and walk in the way of the Lamb. He disciples us by stimulating our imaginations to see the world and Babylon through the eyes of God, and in so doing John presents a divine politic, a view of government and power that subverts the anti-god patterns of Babylon today.
In Revelation for the Rest of Us, Scot McKnight with Cody Matchett explore the timeless message of Revelation and how it speaks to us today with a courageous challenge to be faithful witnesses to Jesus while standing against the ever-present reality of worldly authorities. The writer, John, stimulates the imagination to see the world differently, through the eyes of God, presenting a divine politic that subverts the anti-god patterns of governments, empires, and those in power.
McKnight addresses the popular misconceptions about the book, explaining what John means in his use of the images of dragons, lambs, and beasts, and how the symbolism of Revelation speaks powerfully to the present day--though not in the way most people think. Drawing from the latest scholarship, they present an understanding of Revelation for anyone interested in deepening their personal study of the Bible as well as preachers looking to communicate this timeless message today.
McKnight offers in this book a discipleship manual for discerning the immoralities of political powers and how the church can be both an agent of resistance and transformation.
John designed his Book of Revelation to disciple readers into dissidents of the ways of the world and empire. John describes that empire with the term Babylon. Babylon is a timeless image of empire, militarism, economic exploitation, injustice, and oppression. The Book of Revelation disciples Christians through worship and the courageous challenge of faithful, or allegiant, witness to the slaughtered-Lamb. John's dissident disciples can discern the presence of Babylon in our world and learn to speak up, speak out, and walk in the way of the Lamb. He disciples us by stimulating our imaginations to see the world and Babylon through the eyes of God, and in so doing John presents a divine politic, a view of government and power that subverts the anti-god patterns of Babylon today.
310 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 28, 2023
379 people are currently reading
1431 people want to read
About the author
Scot McKnight
206 books539 followersScot McKnight is a recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. McKnight, author or editor of forty books, is the Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL. Dr. McKnight has given interviews on radios across the nation, has appeared on television, and is regularly speaks at local churches, conferences, colleges, and seminaries in the USA and abroad. Dr. McKnight obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Nottingham (1986).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews
March 19, 2023
As the authors state, this is not a commentary on Revelation but a political theology derived from the book of Revelation and how to read the book. What Cody and Scot seek to answer in this book is how do followers of Jesus follow Jesus in the midst of Babylon? When the world is anti-Christ, how does one follow Christ? They do an excellent job of answering these questions and reminding the reader that Jesus, the Lamb who was slain, is calling for our allegiance, while at the same time Babylon is also calling. Who we follow will be defined by who we choose to worship. I can’t recommend this book enough, especially if you grew up with a fundamentalist dispensationalist understanding of Revelation like I did.
March 14, 2023
This was an excellent book. I couldn’t put it down. This quote sums it up well…
“Our goal in this book, however, is to learn to read Revelation through the lens of Babylon’s timeless presence in the world to understand how Christians are to be allegiant witnesses to Jesus amid Babylons. This is a message of discipleship that turns hot lights on every Babylon in the world—including the USA and the complicity of American Christians in the ways of Babylon.” (p.220)
If you’ve been confused by Revelation and avoid it due to lack of understanding, this book is for you.
If you grew up looking to “Left Behind” for clarity and found yourself sucked into the constant speculations about which evil empire is the future “Babylon” that will take over the world, which president or world dictator is likely the “antichrist”, and whether the latest covid vaccine is the “mark of the beast”…this book is for you.
This book is a book about discipleship and hope - because that was the original purpose of the book to its original readers. McKnight helps us learn to recognize the ever present realities of the “dragon, beasts and Babylon” so we can discern them in our midst and faithfully maintain allegiance to the way of the Lamb and live as dissident disciples in our present day Babylons. He explains it in a way I’ve not heard it before and it’s a crucial message for God’s people here if we are to be the witnesses to the Lamb he has called us to be.
Read it.
“Our goal in this book, however, is to learn to read Revelation through the lens of Babylon’s timeless presence in the world to understand how Christians are to be allegiant witnesses to Jesus amid Babylons. This is a message of discipleship that turns hot lights on every Babylon in the world—including the USA and the complicity of American Christians in the ways of Babylon.” (p.220)
If you’ve been confused by Revelation and avoid it due to lack of understanding, this book is for you.
If you grew up looking to “Left Behind” for clarity and found yourself sucked into the constant speculations about which evil empire is the future “Babylon” that will take over the world, which president or world dictator is likely the “antichrist”, and whether the latest covid vaccine is the “mark of the beast”…this book is for you.
This book is a book about discipleship and hope - because that was the original purpose of the book to its original readers. McKnight helps us learn to recognize the ever present realities of the “dragon, beasts and Babylon” so we can discern them in our midst and faithfully maintain allegiance to the way of the Lamb and live as dissident disciples in our present day Babylons. He explains it in a way I’ve not heard it before and it’s a crucial message for God’s people here if we are to be the witnesses to the Lamb he has called us to be.
Read it.
December 13, 2023
My church spent a quarter of the year preaching through the book of Revelation. I like many people can find the constant predictive reading to be tiring. So, I picked up this book. I enjoyed McKnight's "A Church Called Tov" and thought I'd check out more of his work. There are parts of this book that are chef's kiss five star. On the other hand there are parts that are bad. Let me start with the good. When it says "for the Rest of Us" it means it. There is a sanity to McKnight's approach that will be a balm to those weary of fundamentalist readings. McKnight shows us a different way of reading the book without diving into rank speculation. That part of the book is fantastic and the appendices are great snapshots.
This issue comes in for me in what I call getting too cute. McKnight has a tendency to invent a new term or phrase for a concept and then beat it like dead horse. If I never see the phrase dissident disciple again I'd die a happy man. I swear there was a stretch where it seemed every sentence had "dissident disciple" in it somewhere. Some of the writing is prone to hyperbole and mischaracterization. His points about hymns vs spirituals was overstated. The spirituals point was apt, but it did not necessitate a hit and run of hymns. His point of militarism perhaps isn't fleshed out enough or simply doesn't rest in reality. He list all of these massive casualty numbers for wars going back to the American Civil war and decries the carnage. Then he seems to suggest no real solution other than war is bad. Is the suggestion that bad actor should simply have free reign and Christian civil authorities should willing off up their populace as martyrs? It just seemed like such middle school reasoning of war is bad with no real solution for the here and now. At times he seems to discredit the inspiration of the book, but then he'll reaffirm it. I think he overstates his points on reading Revelation like a fantasy novel to the great degradation of the scriptures. Part five of the book is highly political and while he does take some shots at progressives its about a 99 to 1 split. Which he has some very valid concerns for conservative Christians, but seems blind to the ways in which his cultural politics has shaped his entire reading of the book of Revelation.
I could go on and on. In many way this was a very good book, but the issues just started to stack up for me. The approach was a breath of fresh air, but started to stink as he got closer to application.
3.5 out of 5
This issue comes in for me in what I call getting too cute. McKnight has a tendency to invent a new term or phrase for a concept and then beat it like dead horse. If I never see the phrase dissident disciple again I'd die a happy man. I swear there was a stretch where it seemed every sentence had "dissident disciple" in it somewhere. Some of the writing is prone to hyperbole and mischaracterization. His points about hymns vs spirituals was overstated. The spirituals point was apt, but it did not necessitate a hit and run of hymns. His point of militarism perhaps isn't fleshed out enough or simply doesn't rest in reality. He list all of these massive casualty numbers for wars going back to the American Civil war and decries the carnage. Then he seems to suggest no real solution other than war is bad. Is the suggestion that bad actor should simply have free reign and Christian civil authorities should willing off up their populace as martyrs? It just seemed like such middle school reasoning of war is bad with no real solution for the here and now. At times he seems to discredit the inspiration of the book, but then he'll reaffirm it. I think he overstates his points on reading Revelation like a fantasy novel to the great degradation of the scriptures. Part five of the book is highly political and while he does take some shots at progressives its about a 99 to 1 split. Which he has some very valid concerns for conservative Christians, but seems blind to the ways in which his cultural politics has shaped his entire reading of the book of Revelation.
I could go on and on. In many way this was a very good book, but the issues just started to stack up for me. The approach was a breath of fresh air, but started to stink as he got closer to application.
3.5 out of 5
April 13, 2023
An excellent book which invites the reader into an understanding of Revelation that is good and helpful. The draw away from a "speculative" approach into a discipleship oriented approach can be paradigm shifting for many people, and should definitely be read by many Christians today.
Their brazenness against dispensationalism is refreshing and at sometimes outright funny.
9.6/10
Their brazenness against dispensationalism is refreshing and at sometimes outright funny.
9.6/10
March 31, 2023
I like McKnight, but I wonder how much of this book actually represents him and how much represents the unknown Matchett?
I disagree we need to understand Babylon first before we can understand the book of the Revelation. The key to understanding the book is found in verse 1 of chapter 1: the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Understand Jesus, understand everything else. The Revelation is about Jesus, first to last, beginning to end, alpha to omega.
I also disagree that the only sins the church needs to reckon with and the only sins Babylon perpetuates, are racism, economic disparity, and slavery, which the authors seem to bring up A LOT. Apparently, they do so, because these things are 'systemic'...as if murder, rape, alcoholism, spousal abuse, and so and so forth are not.
To be sure, I think they make an exegetical mistake a lot of people make: they seem to think that the rules that govern the church are the same as rules that govern sovereign nations. (I know that is an overly broad statement that needs teased out quite a bit.)
There are a lot of good interpretive elements and on the whole the book is worth the effort. And I think they are dead on in their polemic against dispensationalism. Nevertheless, it's a little too heavily antagonistic against conservatives and a little too light in its criticism of progressives. And for the life of me, how can they spend 300 pages telling us that Babylon is the enemy, and then quote from authors who tell us to submit to Babylon? Or that believers shouldn't be afraid of or opposed to certain politicians and social movements?
Sadly, this book is unbalanced when it comes to which side of the political spectrum McKnight and Matchett think believers are allowed to play in. I expect better cultural commentary from McKnight. I dont know Matchett, but I suspect he is the sort that some of us think is more a part of the problem than the solution.
It's 3.5, but there are no half stars and there's just enough good interpretative material that I can't do 3.
I disagree we need to understand Babylon first before we can understand the book of the Revelation. The key to understanding the book is found in verse 1 of chapter 1: the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Understand Jesus, understand everything else. The Revelation is about Jesus, first to last, beginning to end, alpha to omega.
I also disagree that the only sins the church needs to reckon with and the only sins Babylon perpetuates, are racism, economic disparity, and slavery, which the authors seem to bring up A LOT. Apparently, they do so, because these things are 'systemic'...as if murder, rape, alcoholism, spousal abuse, and so and so forth are not.
To be sure, I think they make an exegetical mistake a lot of people make: they seem to think that the rules that govern the church are the same as rules that govern sovereign nations. (I know that is an overly broad statement that needs teased out quite a bit.)
There are a lot of good interpretive elements and on the whole the book is worth the effort. And I think they are dead on in their polemic against dispensationalism. Nevertheless, it's a little too heavily antagonistic against conservatives and a little too light in its criticism of progressives. And for the life of me, how can they spend 300 pages telling us that Babylon is the enemy, and then quote from authors who tell us to submit to Babylon? Or that believers shouldn't be afraid of or opposed to certain politicians and social movements?
Sadly, this book is unbalanced when it comes to which side of the political spectrum McKnight and Matchett think believers are allowed to play in. I expect better cultural commentary from McKnight. I dont know Matchett, but I suspect he is the sort that some of us think is more a part of the problem than the solution.
It's 3.5, but there are no half stars and there's just enough good interpretative material that I can't do 3.
May 22, 2024
A truly blathering, worthless book. I’m disappointed. I followed McKnight on his blog for years. I had no idea he shifted so far to such unorthodox and fanciful scriptural interpretations.
When you study Revelation, there are commentaries by scholars that everyone - and I mean, everyone, recommends. McKnight resorts to “experts” that only parrot his interpretation of Revelation as “imagination” and likens it to LOTR or the Narnia series.
Deeper into the book, he becomes an apologist for the COVID vaccines and heavily criticizes conservative evangelical leaders for daring to raise questions about election interference in 2020.
Why this is relevant to a study of a beautiful book of scripture, is beyond me.
I rarely tell someone to save your money and avoid a book, but this is one that’s a stinker.
When you study Revelation, there are commentaries by scholars that everyone - and I mean, everyone, recommends. McKnight resorts to “experts” that only parrot his interpretation of Revelation as “imagination” and likens it to LOTR or the Narnia series.
Deeper into the book, he becomes an apologist for the COVID vaccines and heavily criticizes conservative evangelical leaders for daring to raise questions about election interference in 2020.
Why this is relevant to a study of a beautiful book of scripture, is beyond me.
I rarely tell someone to save your money and avoid a book, but this is one that’s a stinker.
March 17, 2023
I've come away convinced that Revelation is the most relevant book in the New Testament for our time, but not in the way most imagine. McKnight brilliantly illustrates how Revelation is a challenge to resist the allure of Babylon, the dragon, and the wild things, and to follow Jesus as a dissident, allegiant disciple. Rather than speculating on the who, what, or when and becoming captivated by conspiracy theories, we need to return to the core message of Revelation. May we lean further into John's message by proclaiming the way of Jesus the King, resisting Babylon, confronting injustice and worldly power, and pursuing reconciliation until he returns.
May 4, 2024
This book proposes what McKnight calls a Babylonian hermeneutic. While I think this book has significant value in the eschatological conversation, I would love to see it developed a bit farther beyond the socio-political realm. But, beggars can’t be choosy. Would recommend.
January 2, 2025
Very readable, encouraging, and provocative commentary on Revelation, showing relevance for 1st century and now in both eras what to be learnt on how to be a dissident disciple.
This is not a verse by verse approach (look elsewhere for that) but thematic.
Depending on your political leanings, you may or may not like some of the applications to modern-day USA towards the end of the book. That said, if you are looking for a fresh way into what can feel a rather wacky book of the Bible, then this is a good candidate.
I have other books on Revelation on the go, though not finished them yet. This one has been very helpful for the next part of a teaching series I am heading up in our church community.
This is not a verse by verse approach (look elsewhere for that) but thematic.
Depending on your political leanings, you may or may not like some of the applications to modern-day USA towards the end of the book. That said, if you are looking for a fresh way into what can feel a rather wacky book of the Bible, then this is a good candidate.
I have other books on Revelation on the go, though not finished them yet. This one has been very helpful for the next part of a teaching series I am heading up in our church community.
July 17, 2023
This book captures the enticing vision of Revelation I glimpsed attending Urbana 2015. Having eyes to view the world through a Babylonian lens is a skill I rely upon daily.
McKnight and Matchett encourage the church to read Revelation as dissident disciples who resist the worldly values of Rome, Babylon, the dragon (all characterized by domination, exploitation, greed, power, lust, etc.). This approach to Revelation makes the words relevant, sharp, and encouraging to all Christians trying to follow Jesus in whatever context they find themselves.
Highly recommend.
McKnight and Matchett encourage the church to read Revelation as dissident disciples who resist the worldly values of Rome, Babylon, the dragon (all characterized by domination, exploitation, greed, power, lust, etc.). This approach to Revelation makes the words relevant, sharp, and encouraging to all Christians trying to follow Jesus in whatever context they find themselves.
Highly recommend.
February 24, 2024
An A-millennial perspective that doesn't wish to be called so, this book encourages readers to embrace Revelation as ancient fantasy that should be used to spark the first century imagination within us.
Unfortunately, the author vomits over the last few chapters with one-sided political commentary while saying that "both sides need to see the Babylon within their own political parties". The authors do not take their own advice, give no evidence of the Babylon or Baal worship of their own party. His application bastardized his exegetical work into mere propaganda heaping every attribute of Babylon into the main political party he opposes instead of using the opportunity he had to call out the Babylon he tolerates in his own political affiliation. He curses Trump and prays for Biden which should tell you everything you need to know of his stance. He heaps all of the sins of big government onto the political party he opposes while remaining silent regarding the exact same and equally Babylonian sins of any other political party. He heaps the blame, not mainly on right leaning politicians, but on right leaning Christians. His possible insights for us all to be aware of instead comes off as hypocrisy. His misrepresentions of the relationship between evangelical Christians and the political right, at best, can be used as a case study for how the politically left Christian misunderstands the politically right Christian.
I grant that one must not restrict themselves to reading only one layer of the book of Revelation. There is much to be learned from anyone who has the ability to historically accurately dig deep into Revelation. If you wish to learn about how Revelation might be seen through the lense of ancient fiction this is a good book for that. If you want to glimpse how Babylon can infect any culture then this is a good eye opening book for that as well. However you might have to skip a few of the last chapters that surrender current application for one-sided mud slinging that seemed more cathartic for the author and less introspective for which all Christians must wrestle.
Unfortunately, the author vomits over the last few chapters with one-sided political commentary while saying that "both sides need to see the Babylon within their own political parties". The authors do not take their own advice, give no evidence of the Babylon or Baal worship of their own party. His application bastardized his exegetical work into mere propaganda heaping every attribute of Babylon into the main political party he opposes instead of using the opportunity he had to call out the Babylon he tolerates in his own political affiliation. He curses Trump and prays for Biden which should tell you everything you need to know of his stance. He heaps all of the sins of big government onto the political party he opposes while remaining silent regarding the exact same and equally Babylonian sins of any other political party. He heaps the blame, not mainly on right leaning politicians, but on right leaning Christians. His possible insights for us all to be aware of instead comes off as hypocrisy. His misrepresentions of the relationship between evangelical Christians and the political right, at best, can be used as a case study for how the politically left Christian misunderstands the politically right Christian.
I grant that one must not restrict themselves to reading only one layer of the book of Revelation. There is much to be learned from anyone who has the ability to historically accurately dig deep into Revelation. If you wish to learn about how Revelation might be seen through the lense of ancient fiction this is a good book for that. If you want to glimpse how Babylon can infect any culture then this is a good eye opening book for that as well. However you might have to skip a few of the last chapters that surrender current application for one-sided mud slinging that seemed more cathartic for the author and less introspective for which all Christians must wrestle.
June 13, 2023
If this book was really about focusing on discipleship, I would have been pleased, but I could see from the beginning where Scot McKnight was headed. The first hint was that he diminishes God's divine revelation to John's imagination and spends way too long trying to convince the reader that he is right in saying so. Next, he reduces prophecy from the forth telling of God to political concepts.
He finishes the book by, first of all, sounding like a robot and pawn of liberal media, and second of all, broadly lumping ALL evangelicals into a category of insurrectionist, QANON following racism's who belong to Babylon and are pawns of the dragon.
I'm always immediately skeptical of anyone who begins bucking against the majority of scholars, pretending to have a "new" insight on scripture, and then immediately follows by redefining terms which are defined clearly by scripture.
I urge you to be skeptical as well, or just look for a better book on the Revelation of Jesus Christ. But then again, l'm apparently a white supremacist, evangelical who is bowing to the power of Satan, so what do I know?
He finishes the book by, first of all, sounding like a robot and pawn of liberal media, and second of all, broadly lumping ALL evangelicals into a category of insurrectionist, QANON following racism's who belong to Babylon and are pawns of the dragon.
I'm always immediately skeptical of anyone who begins bucking against the majority of scholars, pretending to have a "new" insight on scripture, and then immediately follows by redefining terms which are defined clearly by scripture.
I urge you to be skeptical as well, or just look for a better book on the Revelation of Jesus Christ. But then again, l'm apparently a white supremacist, evangelical who is bowing to the power of Satan, so what do I know?
June 9, 2023
Biblical view of Revelation that keeps the gospel central
Great walk back of so many non-biblical views of the end times that many of us have been fed over the years. I like how McKnight and Matchett never got away from the gospel being the lens in which he translated text. This book also uses a ton of great resources and posts these at the end so we can see for ourselves. I could not recommend it enough. Easy enough read for anyone and researched for the most distinguished scholar.
Great walk back of so many non-biblical views of the end times that many of us have been fed over the years. I like how McKnight and Matchett never got away from the gospel being the lens in which he translated text. This book also uses a ton of great resources and posts these at the end so we can see for ourselves. I could not recommend it enough. Easy enough read for anyone and researched for the most distinguished scholar.
March 20, 2023
The first half is good (where he lays out his particular reading/interpretation of Revelation); the second half is not so good (where he teases out some applications. He has a tendency to criticize conservatives-- and paints them with a broad brush-- and gives a wide birth to liberals/progressives).
June 3, 2024
"Revelation for the Rest of Us" by Scot McKnight
5🌟/5🌟
Scot McKnight is one of the most prolific New Testament biblical scholars today, so I have no real business critiquing this work. Instead, I want to comment on what this book did for me-- and wow, was it a lot!
Full disclosure: I grew up reading every Left Behind book as soon as it came out, made studying dispensationalism and end times theology half my personality in church youth group, and was confident that the interpretation I was given was the real way to interpret Revelation.
It wasn't until a few years ago I began to question dispensationalism and learned how there may be more useful ways to read the Bible by examining historical context. Scot Mcknight's podcast Kingdom Roots and @bemapodcast have been extremely helpful in learning how to read the Bible through a historical lens.
Anyway, onto this book! The imagery and symbolism of Revelation can be daunting, but once one realizes this book is apocalyptic literature that is written to give early Christians hope in a time where people find themselves oppressed by empire, one can begin to appreciate the message.
In this book, Dr. McKnight shows how Revelation was providing a counter-narrative to empire, teaching believers how to follow the Way of the Lamb as a dissident disciple. Dissident disciples oppose Babylon (empire, power, oppression) and seek to be faithful witnesses to the way of the Lamb, with peace, gentleness, love, justice, and mercy.
The last few chapters of "Revelation for the Rest of Us" ask the reader to consider what Babylon looks like in our context and challenges believers to be dissident disciples in our context. I was really surprised by his critique on Chistian Nationalism and Christian progressivism. I don't think I have come across such a blunt and scathing assessment of Christian politics and the state of evangelicalism in Scot's work before (whether that's on his blog, Substack, or podcast).
This book obliterated dispensationalism from my theology and has challenged me to consider how I might be a dissident disciple and be a faithful witness committed to the Way of Jesus today.
5🌟/5🌟
Scot McKnight is one of the most prolific New Testament biblical scholars today, so I have no real business critiquing this work. Instead, I want to comment on what this book did for me-- and wow, was it a lot!
Full disclosure: I grew up reading every Left Behind book as soon as it came out, made studying dispensationalism and end times theology half my personality in church youth group, and was confident that the interpretation I was given was the real way to interpret Revelation.
It wasn't until a few years ago I began to question dispensationalism and learned how there may be more useful ways to read the Bible by examining historical context. Scot Mcknight's podcast Kingdom Roots and @bemapodcast have been extremely helpful in learning how to read the Bible through a historical lens.
Anyway, onto this book! The imagery and symbolism of Revelation can be daunting, but once one realizes this book is apocalyptic literature that is written to give early Christians hope in a time where people find themselves oppressed by empire, one can begin to appreciate the message.
In this book, Dr. McKnight shows how Revelation was providing a counter-narrative to empire, teaching believers how to follow the Way of the Lamb as a dissident disciple. Dissident disciples oppose Babylon (empire, power, oppression) and seek to be faithful witnesses to the way of the Lamb, with peace, gentleness, love, justice, and mercy.
The last few chapters of "Revelation for the Rest of Us" ask the reader to consider what Babylon looks like in our context and challenges believers to be dissident disciples in our context. I was really surprised by his critique on Chistian Nationalism and Christian progressivism. I don't think I have come across such a blunt and scathing assessment of Christian politics and the state of evangelicalism in Scot's work before (whether that's on his blog, Substack, or podcast).
This book obliterated dispensationalism from my theology and has challenged me to consider how I might be a dissident disciple and be a faithful witness committed to the Way of Jesus today.
September 22, 2025
4 stars. I enjoyed it and it gave me drastically different perspective on Revelation than Left Behind Kids 😅
Pros:
• Gave a unique interpretation of Revelation and backed it up pretty well. Viewed Revelation as a cyclical story that repeats through all time until it is eventually fulfilled in the end times (rather than solely a one time future based scenario).
• I also appreciated how McKnight brings up how the way we typically talk about Revelation is extremely USA-centered.
• There were lots of random little valuable pieces of wisdom/knowledge I was able to glean.
• I think the biggest pro I got out of this book was a mindset shift. Instead of being afraid of missing out on the rapture, I can look forward to when God will complete the narrative story of the world and bring as many people to Himself as possible (while still maintaining empathy for those who will choose to turn away).
Cons:
• I personally felt like McKnight's explanations and explorations of the reasons for attitudes towards Revelation tended toward black and white rather than shades of gray. So little in this world is black and white. But I understand the need to simplify for the purpose of writing the book.
• McKnight used language I found to be overly complicated. At times I felt his sentiment could be explained much more plainly and succinctly. This made the writing suffer in my opinion.
• Multiple times I found that McKnight would say one thing and then explain how he meant something totally different. This became frustrating as I was left thinking "just say what you mean!"
Overall, I would recommend this to Christians who have already read Revelation and are looking for a new point of view. I would not recommend this to new Christians or non-Christians.
Pros:
• Gave a unique interpretation of Revelation and backed it up pretty well. Viewed Revelation as a cyclical story that repeats through all time until it is eventually fulfilled in the end times (rather than solely a one time future based scenario).
• I also appreciated how McKnight brings up how the way we typically talk about Revelation is extremely USA-centered.
• There were lots of random little valuable pieces of wisdom/knowledge I was able to glean.
• I think the biggest pro I got out of this book was a mindset shift. Instead of being afraid of missing out on the rapture, I can look forward to when God will complete the narrative story of the world and bring as many people to Himself as possible (while still maintaining empathy for those who will choose to turn away).
Cons:
• I personally felt like McKnight's explanations and explorations of the reasons for attitudes towards Revelation tended toward black and white rather than shades of gray. So little in this world is black and white. But I understand the need to simplify for the purpose of writing the book.
• McKnight used language I found to be overly complicated. At times I felt his sentiment could be explained much more plainly and succinctly. This made the writing suffer in my opinion.
• Multiple times I found that McKnight would say one thing and then explain how he meant something totally different. This became frustrating as I was left thinking "just say what you mean!"
Overall, I would recommend this to Christians who have already read Revelation and are looking for a new point of view. I would not recommend this to new Christians or non-Christians.
July 1, 2025
Really good overall. I didn’t give it a 5 just because he didn’t really go as deep into most of the book of revelation as I would’ve liked. Most of his talk was spent on the Babylon of revelation and defining who that is for us today. After reading this book though, I have some clarity on revelation for the first time in my life it feels like. Finally makes sense on why John writes the way he does and what John is actually trying to convey (Which is not all just who, where, at what time speculations for future “end times events”). It walks through how John is writing revelation to servants of Jesus living in “Babylon” in different times in history, including today. Skip chapter 21 though, most of the chapter is spent quoting and praising some random woman believer who supports LGBTQ and leans in favor of abortion. Not specifically stated in the book but I looked up who the woman was cause some of the stuff she was saying was wack and found out what she supports. Other than that weird chapter the book is good and I’d recommend it. Preciate the recommendation @Jake Wilson
February 4, 2024
I enjoyed the book overall. It is more about politics than I thought it would be when I picked it up and while his message can be a breath of fresh air to those who don't worship political leaders it can equally offend those who are very entrenched in their politics. I like having this book as a resource--the appendixes are full of helpful information. However, if you are simply looking for a book about revelation, I really enjoyed Seeing the Strange by Brett Davis--it is not accusatory of any specific political party, but is still honest and thought provoking. And if you are looking for a book about how to live in a politically divisive country as a Christian, I recommend The Liturgy of Politics by Kaitlyn Schiess.
September 27, 2024
This book stands as a stark contrast to what I did not like about Bart Ehrman's book about Revelation. Scot McKnight and Cody Matchett work though the literary, social, and grammatical contexts which shape the message of the Apocalypse. This book is incredibly well researched yet approachable to a lay-person.
August 13, 2023
This was good. I would recommend Michael Gorman's book Reading Revelation Responsibly for an interpretation and application of Revelation along similar lines. I appreciated that the authors stayed far away from using Revelation as a batch of obscure, futuristic prophecies.
July 22, 2024
Excellent overview of the text from the perspective of Revelation as a call to discipleship and salvation. The author begs the reader not live in fear but knowledge of who's on the throne and to put Babylon behind us.
May 18, 2024
What a fantastic and approachable look at the book of Revelation, what it meant when it was written, what it means for us today, and what we should do about it. Highly, highly recommend.
November 21, 2024
I think that this is a prophetic voice in our time. McKnight does an incredible job at unpacking what Revelation is all about and how to apply it in our lives. This feels incredibly relevant in November 2024.
The book itself can be a bit redundant and repetitive (see what I did there?), which would be my only complaint. In the beginning, he really hammers home that people read Revelation wrong and then, in the second half, that we are called to be dissident disciples of Jesus. So I guess it works. I know what his main points were! But it felt just a smidge much at a few times. Other than that, no complaints.
The book itself can be a bit redundant and repetitive (see what I did there?), which would be my only complaint. In the beginning, he really hammers home that people read Revelation wrong and then, in the second half, that we are called to be dissident disciples of Jesus. So I guess it works. I know what his main points were! But it felt just a smidge much at a few times. Other than that, no complaints.
April 15, 2023
Brilliantly written and incredibly helpful…good for the scholar and the novice. Organized in easy bites. Part 5 on discipleship for dissidents today is worth the price of the book. This helps us think through our Babylon and how to live in it. Excellent
January 9, 2024
I really loved reading this. I grew up in rapture theology and there were many new concepts for me to think about in this book. Once again, Scot has me thinking deeply which is why I continue to read his books. This one will be saved in my library. I highly recommend it.
June 11, 2024
Really good non-intimidating lesson in how to read Revelation, not as a puzzle to be solved, but a lesson in discipleship and ultimately a lesson in hope.
“As we've said before, too many readings of Revelation are shaped by predictions and speculations that turn this book into a giant puzzle to be solved. Those readings view nearly everything as an obscure future event, narrowing its impact to far-off sightings. This leads one to either miss or ignore the implications of the book for living now, for seeing Babylon as something right now.”
“As we've said before, too many readings of Revelation are shaped by predictions and speculations that turn this book into a giant puzzle to be solved. Those readings view nearly everything as an obscure future event, narrowing its impact to far-off sightings. This leads one to either miss or ignore the implications of the book for living now, for seeing Babylon as something right now.”
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April 8, 2025Revelation for the Rest of Us offers not really a commentary on Revelation, but a framework for understanding it better.
The basic idea is that, by way of dispensationalism, Revelation has become more about speculating. That is, we take Revelation and then try to map it against current world events. Who does this figure symbolize? What is the timeline for that? McKnight and Matchett see Revelation not as a Bible code or allegory, but rather as a cosmic drama meant to encourage and correct the seven churches (and all other churches in the end) that it was initially written to. In short, Revelation identifies the Roman Empire (and all other empires) as Babylon, and then instructs followers of Jesus to resist the way of Babylon by showing (revealing) that the cosmic struggle is ultimately governed and won by the Lamb (Jesus).
The biggest strength of this framework is that it makes better sense of the literature of Revelation, and, further, makes better sense of how to connect the first three chapters to the rest of the book. As someone who has never been sold on dispensational readings of Revelation, this book is a breath of fresh air.
The biggest weakness is that it's only an overview. I understand this is the design of the book, but Revelation is too densely packed with questions, and McKnight and Matchett aren't interested in much detail work. For that, readers will need to start consulting commentaries and other scholarly works. This is a great introduction to a better framework, in my view.
The basic idea is that, by way of dispensationalism, Revelation has become more about speculating. That is, we take Revelation and then try to map it against current world events. Who does this figure symbolize? What is the timeline for that? McKnight and Matchett see Revelation not as a Bible code or allegory, but rather as a cosmic drama meant to encourage and correct the seven churches (and all other churches in the end) that it was initially written to. In short, Revelation identifies the Roman Empire (and all other empires) as Babylon, and then instructs followers of Jesus to resist the way of Babylon by showing (revealing) that the cosmic struggle is ultimately governed and won by the Lamb (Jesus).
The biggest strength of this framework is that it makes better sense of the literature of Revelation, and, further, makes better sense of how to connect the first three chapters to the rest of the book. As someone who has never been sold on dispensational readings of Revelation, this book is a breath of fresh air.
The biggest weakness is that it's only an overview. I understand this is the design of the book, but Revelation is too densely packed with questions, and McKnight and Matchett aren't interested in much detail work. For that, readers will need to start consulting commentaries and other scholarly works. This is a great introduction to a better framework, in my view.
March 28, 2025
“Though we have said it before, it cannot be said often enough: too many interpretations of Revelation miss its message of discipleship because those interpretations are obsessed with speculations about who and where and what. They barely recognize the message of dissident discipleship, and readings of the book become an exercise in comparing newspapers to the so-called predictions of the end time. This approach fails the church, especially the evangelical church.”
Revelation is written to make disciples, and in so doing it makes dissidents against the empire. “Dissident disciples” is the book’s refrain. I’m overlooking some minor faults here - sometimes sloppy prose, analogies that don’t land - because the point is very well taken, and extremely urgent.
Other books have been more thorough, and maybe better, than this one. But this would be a great read for a young person, or someone who is leaving the Left Behind mindset behind, or who thinks Revelation is some sort of decoder ring for current events.
Toward the end there ARE some specifics about post 2020 USA politics. That may be a turnoff for some, perhaps some who need to read it most (there’s criticism of Trump). But I’m glad they left it til the end.
Revelation is written to make disciples, and in so doing it makes dissidents against the empire. “Dissident disciples” is the book’s refrain. I’m overlooking some minor faults here - sometimes sloppy prose, analogies that don’t land - because the point is very well taken, and extremely urgent.
Other books have been more thorough, and maybe better, than this one. But this would be a great read for a young person, or someone who is leaving the Left Behind mindset behind, or who thinks Revelation is some sort of decoder ring for current events.
Toward the end there ARE some specifics about post 2020 USA politics. That may be a turnoff for some, perhaps some who need to read it most (there’s criticism of Trump). But I’m glad they left it til the end.
April 15, 2023
Really enjoyed this. Not a commentary on the book, but more of a discussion of the misinterpretation and application of it and what it's actually all about.
April 14, 2024
I am not the target audience for this book, given that I am already well entrenched in the research and approach that this book champions. This book, which is a joint effort by McKnight and Matchett, essentially functions as a stepping stone into the wider conversation regarding the shift from predictive readings to contextualixed ones. On that front it is quite good, although mileage might vary on the practical portions that get quite specific on how the authors see this reading of Revelation applying to the present state of American politics. I confess, even as a Caandian I felt these portions, which are mostly found in the final third, kind of sidelined me as a reader a bit. Which is just another way perhaps in which I wasn't entirely the target audience for this book.
Even if the material isn't necessarily new, there were still insights woven into the book that helped me think and rethink certain ideas in fresh ways. I really liked how the authors help us as readers imagine what it looks like to live as peope allegiant to King Jesus in the midst of Empire using the patterns present in Revelarion. I thought it did a nice job of demonstrating how the language of Revelation is all hyperlinked back to the OT. I also really enjoyed how the authors looked at the narrative of Revelation, which is retelling the narrative of the OT through the lens of a died, raised and ascended Jesus. In this sense, the predictive notes in Revelation are really all leading up to the death and Resurrection of Jesus, while the singular future hope is centered on one thing- Jesus' return, or the consummation of what Jesus' resurrection and ascension inaugurated (the promised new creation realty). One of the biggest points that emerges within this is the notion of Babylon as a cyclical reality- every generation and every age has their Babylon. Thus it has nothing to do with a chronological timeline of events leading up to an end times. For the author and readers of Revelation, their context is Rome and the Temple. Rome was their Babylon. We have our own. And what we can glean from the words of Revelation is not just the patterns of Empire, but how they were called to live in the reality of Empire as a dissident disciple of Jesus and His Kingdom.
Much of this book is interested in deconstructing predictive readings. Even the reconstructing moments can't help but dwell on the negative, which I suppose could be seen as a critique of the book. It's understandable though once you consider the books target audience- those for whom predictive readings no longer make sense. Old habits die hard, thus there is a need to keep repeating and calling out those old habits when they stand in danger of creeping back in.
When I first picked up this book I didn't quite know what to expect, I've read quite a bit from McKnight, so I know his voice and his sensibilities, but thus isn't a traditional commentary, so it was difficult to know what approach it was going to take. Given this, I also decided to take a risk, and reached out to an online friend in a shared group who seemed to be its more direct target audience to see if I could buddy read it from our differing points of perspective. One thing worth noting from that approach is, I do think this works best as a group read or small group study, although it would be important I think to have a group that is interested in the sorts of questions this book is asking and positing potential answers to. The authors aren't shy about where they stand, and thus make their voices prime targets for unsuspecting readers to be turned off and tuned out before they've finished the first couple chapters. This book is an entry point into what is a much larger and broader world of scholarship and discussion, but it also is paradigm shifting if you have never entertained an approach that isn't predictive.
Even if the material isn't necessarily new, there were still insights woven into the book that helped me think and rethink certain ideas in fresh ways. I really liked how the authors help us as readers imagine what it looks like to live as peope allegiant to King Jesus in the midst of Empire using the patterns present in Revelarion. I thought it did a nice job of demonstrating how the language of Revelation is all hyperlinked back to the OT. I also really enjoyed how the authors looked at the narrative of Revelation, which is retelling the narrative of the OT through the lens of a died, raised and ascended Jesus. In this sense, the predictive notes in Revelation are really all leading up to the death and Resurrection of Jesus, while the singular future hope is centered on one thing- Jesus' return, or the consummation of what Jesus' resurrection and ascension inaugurated (the promised new creation realty). One of the biggest points that emerges within this is the notion of Babylon as a cyclical reality- every generation and every age has their Babylon. Thus it has nothing to do with a chronological timeline of events leading up to an end times. For the author and readers of Revelation, their context is Rome and the Temple. Rome was their Babylon. We have our own. And what we can glean from the words of Revelation is not just the patterns of Empire, but how they were called to live in the reality of Empire as a dissident disciple of Jesus and His Kingdom.
Much of this book is interested in deconstructing predictive readings. Even the reconstructing moments can't help but dwell on the negative, which I suppose could be seen as a critique of the book. It's understandable though once you consider the books target audience- those for whom predictive readings no longer make sense. Old habits die hard, thus there is a need to keep repeating and calling out those old habits when they stand in danger of creeping back in.
When I first picked up this book I didn't quite know what to expect, I've read quite a bit from McKnight, so I know his voice and his sensibilities, but thus isn't a traditional commentary, so it was difficult to know what approach it was going to take. Given this, I also decided to take a risk, and reached out to an online friend in a shared group who seemed to be its more direct target audience to see if I could buddy read it from our differing points of perspective. One thing worth noting from that approach is, I do think this works best as a group read or small group study, although it would be important I think to have a group that is interested in the sorts of questions this book is asking and positing potential answers to. The authors aren't shy about where they stand, and thus make their voices prime targets for unsuspecting readers to be turned off and tuned out before they've finished the first couple chapters. This book is an entry point into what is a much larger and broader world of scholarship and discussion, but it also is paradigm shifting if you have never entertained an approach that isn't predictive.
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