As I've mentioned before I always appreciate when pastors share any and all resources that they use when teaching. I started doing this myself while teaching through the Gospel of John. One of the coolest things that happened to me while in John was witnessing multiple people in my congregation pick up some of my recommended commentaries and use them as devotionals while we went week-by-week through that book!
With that said, below are 6 commentaries I'm currently working through or referencing while teaching through Revelation as well as links to other end-time resources that have inspired me over the past year. These aren't necessarily in any specific order as I've used them all fairly equally thus far.
1. The Book Of Revelation, The New International Greek Testament Commentary by G.K. Beale: Beale's commentary is considered by many as the queen-mother of commentaries on Revelation. I first heard about Beale's commentary when referenced by David Platt as his primary resource while teaching through this book of the bible. This commentary is also rated the #1 commentary for Revelation on bestcommentaries.com. His work has been incredibly helpful so far but there's just one more thing I feel you need to know about this guy. I've had a chance to listen to a handful of lectures from G.K. Beale and his voice sounds EXACTLY like principal Skinner from the Simpson's... I seriously giggled for like 15 minutes straight the first time a heard him (go ahead and take a listen if you don't believe me... Click Here).
2. The Book Of Revelation, The New International Commentary On The New Testament by Robert H. Mounce (revised edition): This is yet another very highly touted commentary on Revelation. Rated #2 on bestcommentaries.com this resource is one that I really look forward to reading every week. Mounce is very efficient (probably half the content of Beale's) and manages to say a lot in a little time. If you're looking for a commentary to read through during this series I'd probably put this one at the top of your list.
3. Revelation: The Spirit Speaks To The Churches, Preaching The Word by James M. Hamilton Jr.: Hamilton is an Associate Professor of Biblical Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and pastors Kenwood Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. His book has been a tremendous resource on how to, as the series title suggests, preach the text. Understanding the text yourself is only half the battle as a pastor, you have to be able to communicate it in a way that is suitable to your congregation as well or you're not doing your job. Hamilton models a very helpful strategy of how to preach this complicated book.
4. Revelation, An Expositional Commentary by Donald Barnhouse: Donald Grey Barnhouse Th.D, was an American Christian preacher, pastor, theologian, radio pioneer, and writer. He was pastor of the Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1927 to his death in 1960. In other words, this dude is straight old-school. As with Hamilton's resource this book isn't just helpful with teaching the text but has an emphasis on preaching it. Can I be honest? I didn't expect to like this resource. However, I'll happily admit that I've REALLY enjoyed this guys approach to throwing down some truth. You can still even find this guy's radio broadcasts online HERE (which sound exactly like what you'd think a 1950's radio broadcast would sound like, haha!).
5. Revelation, A Mentor Expository Commentary by Douglas F. Kelly: Dr. Kelly is a professor at Reformed Theological Seminary and has authored several helpful books. Having just been published in 2012 you won't find a lot of reviews on this particular resource. I actually found this commentary advertised while reading through the book "Kingdom Come" by Sam Storms. I'd put this commentary in the same boat as Barnhouse and Hamilton in the sense that it's very helpful when attempting to preach the text.
6. The Revelation To John, A Commentary On The Greek Text of the Apocalypse by Stephen S. Smalley: Stephen S. Smalley (Ph.D., Cambridge) is an internationally recognized Johannine scholar and was the Dean Emeritus of Chester Cathedral, England. This is a great resource in understanding the original greek. What's that greek word used? Where else do we see it in Scripture? How many times is it used and in what way? These are all questions that are good to have when holding this book in your hand.
Below are links to several end-time related resources I've reviewed over the past year:
- Christ's Prophetic Plans, MacArthur & Mayhue
- A Case For Amillennialism, Kim Riddlebarger
- Eschatology For Your Earbuds (Platt, Sproul)
Pumped to be preaching through Revelation,
Cody Parman
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