Originally published in 2005, this useful book remains widely available. At 192 digestible pages in a medium-size paperback, it is the sort of book a reader can easily slip into a pocket to dig into the wonderful prophecy of Revelation during their regular journey to work. Better still, this book ‘does what it says on the tin’ - it really does help its readers understand the revelation of Jesus to John.

Why – and How?

In Part 1 the author answers two key questions: (1) Why should we read the Book of Revelation? and (2) How should we read the Book of Revelation? Langham presents his case succinctly and compellingly. Why should we read? The author suggests four reasons:

• We are called to know the truth, which frees us from fear and ignorance
  
• We are called to be prepared – and the future will be challenging for believers
  
• We are people of the story. Langham makes the valid point that the devil is especially out to attack Genesis and Revelation. He wants to ‘steal’ the beginning and the end of our story, which is a great way to ruin the whole thing!
  
• Because of the promise in Revelation 1:3 and the warning in Revelation 22:19

In exploring how we should read, Langham begins to open out the patterns in Revelation and reminds his readers that the book is not strictly ‘linear’ in style, but tends to recapitulate certain points. If we simply set out to read it from beginning to end, we may get bogged down in symbols and repetitions. We need to keep the bigger picture in view.

The author explains briefly the four main schools of interpretation as regards Revelation (Preterist, Historicist, Futurist and Idealist). Whilst giving his own opinions, Langham concludes this section by reminding his readers of, perhaps, a much greater truth: Revelation is a manual for persecuted Christians which helps them to make sense of their present suffering. This has been a wonderful role of the Book down through two millennia, as Christians in each generation have faced varying forms of suffering and invariably asked “why?”.

This book ‘does what it says on the tin’ - it really does help its readers understand the revelation of Jesus to John.

Getting Under the Skin

In Part 2 Paul Langham again poses and explores two related questions: What does the Old Testament say about the end times? And, what does Jesus say about the end times? These are two very necessary questions to settle, as Revelation itself must be read within the broader biblical context. Scripture interprets Scripture!

Part 3, chapters 5 through 10, forms the ‘meat in the sandwich’ of this book. Langham tackles the many symbols in Revelation, under these headings:

• Backstage in the control room of history (Rev 1, 4 and 5)
  
• Troubles upon earth (Rev 6:1-8:5)
  
• More troubles upon earth (Rev 8:6-11:19 and 15-16)
  
• Characters in the drama (Rev 11-14)
  
• More characters in the drama (Rev 17-18)
  
• A new beginning (Rev 19-22)

Here the author helps his readers to really ‘get under the skin’ of what is going on. Most Christians would say that the central section of Revelation is the hardest to understand. Langham’s informal and engaging style helps to break down into sizeable chunks and themes material that can otherwise overwhelm. For this reviewer, it is Langham’s identification of Babylon (or perhaps we could say ‘the Babylons’) in this world which is the most profound – and uncomfortable – message of the entire book.

Remaining Questions

Finally, the author takes us through ‘the Rapture’ debate and explores the ‘pre-Tribuation’/‘post-Tribulation’ dichotomy. Langham reminds his readers that 1 Thessalonians provides the clearest statement of the idea of believers being “caught up in the air” and not only answers the Rapture question, but makes it clear that the author of 1 Thessalonians did not think there was a question to answer!

Langham also reminds that the ‘pre- or post-Trib’ controversy was unknown until about 1830, before which the older, received view of the Church had been settled for centuries! Langham opines that what he considers to be the falseness of the teaching on ‘pre-Trib rapture’ will leave many unprepared for the Tribulation to come (David Pawson makes a similar point in his books) and is possibly the reason why so many Christians will ultimately fall away: “I believe it to be the single most likely cause of the huge falling away from the faith which Jesus predicted among his followers at the end (Matthew 24:9-14)” (p175).

After exploring the Rapture, Langham looks at the Millennium question - wisely avoiding the sterile debate about ‘when’ and focusing instead upon ‘what’. We have a glorious future to look forward to, when our Lord will reign here on this earth and Satan will be defeated. We need to prepare both for that future and for what lies in between.

We have a glorious future to look forward to, when our Lord will reign here on this earth and Satan will be defeated. We need to prepare both for that future and for what lies in between.

Verdict

A minor surprise is that Langham does not look at all at Revelation 2-3 (the letters to the seven churches of Asia). As he does not explain why, we must conjecture; chapters 2 and 3 are probably the best-known parts of Revelation, so perhaps it is right not to waste time going over well-known ground. This omission at least keeps the book below 200 pages!

Langham wisely avoids some of the controversies that have tended to divide rather than illuminate this entire subject, and this book is not dogmatic in the positions it adopts. Instead it concentrates on the core messages of Revelation and applies them with many practical illustrations. In this sense the book comes across as a useful sermon resource; in fact, it did originate in a series of sermons from 1999.

Having read a number of books on Revelation, this book stands up well by comparison. It is not overly dogmatic or partisan, but rather rejoices in the truths that Jesus has revealed ‘ahead of time’. It is a sober book, yet its light style is a real strength – the author is a genuinely gifted writer. I would say this is a useful addition to a Christian’s personal library; doubly so, as we seem to be living in days that bear more and more resemblance to the future of which Christ warned.

‘Understanding Revelation: A preacher looks at the end-time message of the last book of the Bible’ (192pp, paperback) is available from the publisher for £12 + £1 P&P. Also available elsewhere online, including Amazon.

Paul Langham is vicar of Christ Church Clifton, Bristol.