"Revelation through Old Testament Eyes": A Review

Revelation Through Old Testament Eyes is a recent edition to Through Old Testament Eyes series published by Kregel. 
 
The strength of this volume lies in the series title: Longman seeks to interpret Revelation through the lens of the Old Testament. This is always crucial when expositing the New Testament but perhaps more than any other Old Testament book, Revelation is steeped in the language, culture, and imagery of the Old Testament.
 
His commentary is concise and readable. Longman does a great job drawing out the implications and application. The sidebars covering areas of “Going Deeper” and “What the Structure Means” are helpful but often leave the reader wishing they touched on other questions or topics. I’m a big fan of charts (let me be clear though: not prophesy charts!), outlines, tables, and graphics to illustrate structure or themes and bring the text to visual life. This volume definitely fell short in that regard (I expect this is true of the entire series though I only have experience with this volume). In addition, I would have liked to have seen application questions included at the end of each chapter or section. The level of this commentary would be perfect for Bible studies and would have benefited from them.
 
This book is geared to the lay person or as a quick reference. He does not divert onto unnecessary rabbit trails or become entrenched in the details. He is not exhaustive in covering interpretive issues or perspectives but gets straight to the point. A reader hoping for a technical commentary will wish to look elsewhere. Revelation through Old Testament Eyes serves as a helpful introductory commentary, especially lending help to understand the crucial Old Testament foundations to understanding this often confusing book of the Bible.

Note:  I received the book for free in exchange for an unbiased review.
 
 
 

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