Resources
These are the best resources that Tim and Steve know of to understand the book of Revelation. They are ranked in order of accessibility with notes about each one.
You can’t go wrong with anything that BibleProject puts out. These two videos help explain the big picture of what the book is about.
A commentary: well-rounded and a very readable 400 pages. It offers the author’s opinion as well as views from many other scholars in an easy to reference format. One of the best commentaries you will find.
A theology: one of the most profound, powerful books on Revelation ever written. Instead of a commentary, Bauckham has written a 164 page theological summary of Revelation. This book is a must read.
A commentary: as part of Wright’s “for everyone” series this commentary is very accessible. At 207 pages Wright moves quickly through the text taking about ten verses at a time instead of verse by verse.
A guide: Gorman’s work is for those who want an overview of Revelation and help engaging the text without going verse by verse. At 190 pages, his strength is guiding the reader through understanding apocalyptic prophesy and highlighting the major themes of Revelation.
A commentary: for those who don’t want to tackle Osborne’s 800 page commentary, this one is only 370 pages. It is a slimmed down version of his larger work, less academic and more succinct, yet retains Osborne’s focus on imagery and Old Testament references.
A commentary: the portion of this commentary that covers Revelation is 202 pages of excellent material. Mulholland adds a plethora of explanatory notes to each chapter that helps readers understand specific images and context of the passage.
A commentary: this is Beale’s shorter version of his academic work yet is still 529 pages. Beale is one the most respected and quoted authors on the book of Revelation. This commentary distills his 1,300 page work into a more accessible yet still robust treatment of the text.
A commentary: 800 pages and very thorough. Osborne’s book covers almost every possible topic and is one of the best commentaries to help understand the imagery and Old Testament references in Revelation. Although an academic book, it is easy to understand and readable.
An Audio Course: This is a college course at Asbury Seminary that is over 24 hours long. Even though the quality of the recording is poor, this is one of the best resources around on learning the symbolism of the book of Revelation through a lens of spiritual formation.
A series of essays: Bauckham has written a series of 11 essays that totals 450 pages. This book is quite academic and at times challenging to read. However, Bauckham’s expertise on the book of Revelation makes this book worthy of those who want to dive very deep into the text.