Tim Chester is the author of Revelation For You, a volume in the “God’s Word For You” series that is produced by The Good Book Company.
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“God’s Word For You” Series
As Carl Laferton (the series editor) mentions in the preface, the aim of this series is to be Bible-centered, Christ-glorifying, relevantly applied, and easily readable. Each volume is written in such a way so that the reader may read, feed, and and/or lead. In other words, this book could be read from cover to cover, or as a daily devotional, or as a resource that assists in preparation to lead others through the study of God’s Word. These are not technical commentaries dealing with original languages or interacting with historical and recent scholarship. However, they are verse-by-verse expository guides to books of the Bible. Though not intended to be exhaustive in their interaction with the text, they are nevertheless quite thorough in their treatment of each verse.
I am a big fan of this particular series, and I was really excited to get my hands on the volume of Revelation for a few reasons. For one, Tim Chester has contributed to this series by writing quite a few other volumes, and I have really appreciated his work.
Second, I was anxious to see how the book of Revelation would be approached, given the fact that it’s one of the biblical books that is argued over the most (perhaps alongside Genesis and the discussions over creation). I was not disappointed at all! Why? Because Chester has, in typical Chester fashion, provided the church with an excellent tool through his competent, passionate, and careful exposition of God’s Word. Also, I am very impressed with how Chester handled the many difficult verses within the book of Revelation.
Revelation For You
One of the biggest debated passages in all of God’s Word is Revelation Chapter 20 and the “thousand years” text. Chester did a fine job of explaining the multiple views while also providing his own view. Though Chester doesn’t give a lot of technical discussion on the matter, he certainly helps the layman to better understand the differing views while also better equipping the believer to also teach others about this passage.
Considering this book is filled with lots of hard-to-interpret passages, Chester does a phenomenal job of maneuvering through this book. He was the right person for the job of writing this volume in this series.
Layout and Content
Each chapter is divided into two parts. As one works through the chapter, each verse is found in bold (making it very easy for those who are using this as a resource to teach). There are also bold headings that help the reader to know what each section of the text is about. I also like the added touch of the indented quotes found on some of the pages.
Each chapter includes questions for reflections. Now, please hear me out at this point! Many books provide questions at the end of a chapter. I am guilty of skipping over those questions at times because of how poorly they can be written (not always practical; sometimes too easy, sometimes too complicated; etc.). Chester writes out questions that are actually helpful and useful! Don’t skip over these.
Lastly, I just want to mention that there is a glossary included at the back of the book. Every now and then, the reader will come across a word that is gray, indicating that the word is found in the glossary due to it being a word that is not used in everyday language outside of the church. This can be very helpful!
I recommend this volume within the series “God’ Word for You”. I have come to love this series, and it is because of excellent volumes like this one by Chester. Tolle Lege, take up and read!
Other Book Reviews in the “God’s Word For You” Series:
- Exodus For You
- Galatians For You
- John For You
- Philippians For You
- Psalms For You
- Luke For You
- Romans For You
Related Book Reviews by The Good Book Company:
Disclaimer: My thanks to The Good Book Company for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Matt became a joyful follower of Jesus at the age of 21. He is very grateful to be a husband to Lindsey, and a father to four boys. He is an ordained minister (teaching elder) in the PCA. He previously served as a pastor of biblical counseling and is currently a corporate chaplain in southern Delaware. Matt received his Master of Divinity degree in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds an advanced certification in biblical counseling from the Association of Biblical Counselors. In his free time, he loves playing with his boys, traveling with his wife, and reading (and buying!) books.
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