Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple

Written by Scot McKnight and Cody Matchett

Narrated by Wayne Campbell

The biblical Book of Revelation frustrates and fascinates many people with its imagery and apocalyptic tone. Most popular interpretations of the book rely on a perspective known as dispensationalism, popularized by the Scofield Bible and more recently the Left Behind series of novels. Yet there are many problems with this popular way of reading Revelation, and until now, few alternatives have been available that were easy to understand.

In Revelation for the Rest of Us, Scot McKnight with Cody Matchett explore the timeless message of Revelation and how it speaks to us today with a courageous challenge to be faithful witnesses to Jesus while standing against the ever-present reality of worldly authorities. The writer, John, stimulates the imagination to see the world differently, through the eyes of God, presenting a "divine politic" that subverts the anti-god patterns of governments, empires, and those in power.

McKnight addresses the popular misconceptions about the book, explaining what John means in his use of the images of dragons, lambs, and beasts, and how the symbolism of Revelation speaks powerfully to the present day--though not in the way most people think. Drawing from the latest scholarship, they present an understanding of Revelation for anyone interested in deepening their personal study of the Bible as well as preachers looking to communicate this timeless message today.

McKnight offers in this book a discipleship manual for discerning the immoralities of political powers and how the church can be both an agent of resistance and transformation.

John designed his Book of Revelation to disciple readers into dissidents of the ways of the world and empire. John describes that empire with the term "Babylon." Babylon is a timeless image of empire, militarism, economic exploitation, injustice, and oppression. The Book of Revelation disciples Christians through worship and the courageous challenge of faithful, or allegiant, witness to the slaughtered-Lamb. John's dissident disciples can discern the presence of "Babylon" in our world and learn to speak up, speak out, and walk in the way of the Lamb. He disciples us by stimulating our imaginations to see the world and "Babylon" through the eyes of God, and in so doing John presents a "divine politic," a view of government and power that subverts the anti-god patterns of "Babylon" today.

Graphics, appendices, recommended resources, and notes are included in the audiobook companion PDF download.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Release date: Feb 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9780310135807

Scot McKnight

Scot McKnight (PhD, Nottingham) has been a Professor of New Testament for more than four decades. He is the author of more than ninety books, including the award-winning The Jesus Creed as well as The King Jesus Gospel, A Fellowship of Differents, One.Life, The Blue Parakeet, Revelation for the Rest of Us, and Kingdom Conspiracy.

Reviews for Revelation for the Rest of Us

[Kurt Brown · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very good book that encouraged me as a Jesus followers how to live in these days of empire . Loved it.

[Christopher Sweet · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I could see from the beginning where Scot McKnight was headed. The first hint was that he diminishes God’s divine revelation to John’s imagination and spends way too long trying to convince the reader that he is right in saying so. Next, he reduces prophecy from the forth telling of God to political concepts.

He finishes the book by, first of all, sounding like a robot and pawn of liberal media, and second of all, broadly lumping ALL evangelicals into a category of insurrectionist, QANON following racism’s who belong to Babylon and are pawns of the dragon.

I’m always immediately skeptical of anyone who begins bucking against the majority of scholars, pretending to have a “new” insight on scripture, and then immediately follows by redefining terms which are defined clearly by scripture.

I urge you to be skeptical as well, or just look for a better book on the Revelation of Jesus Christ. But then again, I’m apparently a white supremacist, evangelical who is bowing to the power of Satan, so what do I know?

[William Piergiovanni · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

At first reading of this work, I thought it was unique but, as it turned out, it is a political platform for racism. I can not recommend this work.

[Trish Trish · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This book is drenched in leftist, liberal, preteristic rhetoric instead of sound exegetical wisdom. RUN! ?