These are the books specifically on the Revelation of Jesus Christ that I have been using lately. I always use Logos Bible software with general resources like interlinears and Greek lexicons and word study. But these are the books specifically on Revelation that I am using these days.
- Revelation for Everyone – N.T. Wright
- This is the one book on Revelation to get if you only read one, or if you want to read it devotionally day-by-day. Wright has a very informed and balanced perspective and writes (in the Everyone Series) at a popular level for regular folk. He is an excellent communicator, scholar, and pastor.
- The Bible Project
- The Bible Project is just about the best thing in biblical literacy since sliced bread. These guys offer really good video summaries on books of the Bible along with many other free resources for students of the Bible. I can’t recommend their stuff highly enough, particularly for the internet-oriented crowd. Check it our yourself, and refer your friends to this resource. Here are their two excellent 10-minute videos on The Revelation of Jesus:
And here is The Bible Project in-depth podcast series on The Day of the Lord. It’s really excellent.
- The Day of the Lord, Part 1: What’s the Deal with Babylon?
- The Day of the Lord, Part 2: Pharaoh vs. The Warrior God
- The Day of the Lord, Part 3: Solomon, the Richest Man in Babylon?
- The Day of the Lord, Part 4: The Evil Behind Babylon
- The Day of the Lord, Part 5: Jesus and the War Against Evil
- The Day of the Lord, Part 6: Revelation and Jesus in Modern Politics
- Discipleship on the Edge: An Expository Journey through the book of Revelation – Darrell W. Johnson
- This book, based on a sermon series Darrell Johnson gave in Glendale, CA some years ago, is the one I am using to help me structure my 2017 sermon series and gauge how much background material to include. I appreciate Johnson’s care in study and exegesis and his passion. He’s an excellent preacher.
- Revelation: Four Views – Steve Gregg
- If you want to understand the range of reputable views or interpretations of Revelation, this is the book to get. Gregg did a major service for those of us who want to study the range of perspectives side-by-side. His book has proven to be extremely popular with pastors and students and is in a second edition now. I highly recommend this book when you are moving beyond casual study. Or even if you just want to understand the major perspectives
- Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship and Witness: Following the Lamb into the new Creation – Michael J. Gorman
- Not too long, very balanced, and recommended by many. Darrell Johnson recommended it.
- The Theology of the Book of Revelation (New Testament Theology) – Richard Bauckham
- Bauckham did not write this as a commentary, but to explain the theology of the Revelation. Very helpful.
- Revelation: A New Covenant Commentary – Gordon D. Fee
- This is a somewhat more academic commentary that is quite good.
- The Book of Revelation, New International Commentary on the New Testament – Robert H. Mounce
- This is one of the top commentaries on Revelation. As a volume in the New International Commentary on the New Testament, it is based on the Greek text; however, knowledge of Greek is not required to get a lot of benefit. For serious students of the text. I look here for help with difficult issues.
- The NIV Application Commentary: Revelation – Craig S. Keener
- This is another highly-regarded commentary that focuses more on providing possible application of the text for today’s Christian. I find Keener’s perspective helpful.
- Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination – Eugene H. Peterson
- This book by Eugene Peterson is organized thematically. It is not a verse-by-verse commentary at all, but is about understanding the Revelation.
- The Millennial Maze: Sorting Out Evangelical Options – Stanley J. Grenz
- This is not strictly a book on Revelation at all. It’s about evangelical perspectives on the end times. It’s older than Gregg’s book above, but was one of the first resources that helped me, well, sort through the maze of millenniums. It’s an IVP book written at a level that a college student can easily read.
- The Book of Revelation, New International Greek Testament Commentary – Gregory K. Beale
- This is another top commentary on Revelation, focusing on the Greek text. Really good and pretty academic. It’s useful even if you don’t know Greek. It’s not my first resource, but rather for reference when I’m digging.