Revelation For Everyone

REVELATION for EVERYONE REVELATION for EVERYONE N. T. WRIGHT WJK WESTMINSTER JOHN KNOX PRESS LOUISVILLE • KENTUCKY Copyright © 2011 Nicholas Thomas Wright First published in 2011 in Great Britain by Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge 36 Causton Street London SW1P 4ST www.spckpublishing.co.uk and in the United States of America by Westminster John Knox Press 100 Witherspoon Street Louisville, KY 40202 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 36 Causton Street, London SW1P 4ST. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 -10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978-0-281-06463-2 (U.K. edition) eBook ISBN 978-0-281-06464-9 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wright, N. T. (Nicholas Thomas) Revelation for everyone I Tom Wright. p. cm.-(New Testament for everyone series) ISBN 978-0-664-22797-5 (alk. paper) 1. Bible. N.T. Revelation-Commentaries. I. Title. BS2825.53.W75 2011 228'.077-dc23 2011028912 Map by Pantek Arts Ltd, Maidstone, Kent, UK Typeset by Graphicraft Ltd, Hong Kong Printed in Great Britain at Ashford Colour Press For Oliver and Rebecca Celebrating God's new creation CONTENTS Introduction IX Map showing the Seven Churches ofAsia Revelation 1 . 1-8 Revelation 1 .9-20 Revelation 2. 1-7 Revelation 2.8-1 1 Revelation 2. 12- 1 7 Revelation 2.18-29 Revelation 3. 1-6 Revelation 3.7-13 Revelation 3.14-22 Revelation 4. 1-6a Revelation 4.6b-- 1 1 Revelation 5. 1-7 Revelation 5.8-1 4 Revelation 6.1-8 Revelation 6.9-1 7 Revelation 7. 1-8 Revelation 7.9-17 Revelation 8.1-5 Revelation 8.6-13 Revelation 9. 1-12 Revelation 9.1 3-2 1 Revelation 10. 1-1 1 Revelation 1 1 . 1-14 Revelation 1 1 . 1 5-19 Revelation 1 2. 1-6 Look! He Is Coming! Jesus Revealed The Letter to Ephesus The Letter to Smyrna The Letter to Pergamum The Letter to Thyatira The Letter to Sardis The Letter to Philadelphia The Letter to Laodicea In the Throne Room Praise to the Creator The Lion, the Lamb Worthy I s the Lamb! Four Horsemen The Day Is Coming! Sealing God's People The Great Rescue The Golden Censer The Plagues Begin Locust Attack The Fiery Riders A Little Scroll Two Witnesses The Song of Triumph The Woman and the Dragon Vll xii 1 6 10 14 19 23 28 32 36 41 46 50 54 59 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 96 101 106 CoNTENTs Revelation 12.7-18 Revelation 13. 1-10 Revelation 13.1 1-18 Revelation 14. 1-5 Revelation 14.6-13 Revelation 14. 14-20 Revelation 15. 1-8 Revelation 16. 1-9 Revelation 16.10-21 Revelation 17. 1-8 Revelation 1 7.9-18 Revelation 1 8. 1-8 Revelation 18.9-24 Revelation 19.1-10 Revelation 19.1 1-21 Revelation 20. 1-6 Revelation 20.7-15 Revelation 2 1 . 1-5 Revelation 2 1 .6-21 Revelation 2 1 .22-22.7 Revelation 22.8-21 The Dragon Is Angry A First Monster A Second Monster The Lamb's Elite Warriors A Call for Endurance Reaping the Harvest Preparing the Final Plagues The First Four Plagues The Last Three Plagues Babylon the Great The Monster and the Whore Babylon's Plagues Babylon's Judgment God's Victory The Monster Defeated Reigning for a Thousand Years Final Judgment New Heaven, New Earth New Jerusalem God and the Lamb Are There 'I Am Coming Soon!' 110 113 1 18 122 126 131 135 140 144 149 153 157 161 166 171 175 181 186 1 90 1 96 20 1 208 Glossary vm INTRODUCTION On the very first occasion when someone stood up in public to tell people about Jesus, he made it very