The Lamb Wins

by    2nd May 2010    0 responses

thelambwins

Much of what is written on Revelation is more complicated than the book itself (think of extended debates on pre-millennialism, post-millennialism, and whatever lies between) but The Lamb Wins gave me a confidence to read Revelation without succumbing to endless doctrinal machinations or, baffled, simply giving up.

Richard Bewes has a very idiosyncratic style, but that does not distract from the message of The Lamb Wins.  He uses short anecdotes throughout the book, which at first appear a little quaint but actually serve to demonstrate that he has applied Revelation to his own life.  Bewes splits the content of Revelation into six sections of three chapters, and includes a set of study questions at the end of each section.  Although each chapter is part of a sequential journey through Revelation, Bewes introduces more thematic questions at appropriate points through the book.  He explains different theories of the timescale of the events, and whether they might be literal or figurative, before explaining his own view.  Crucially, Bewes assumes you know nothing about Revelation and writes as if to a fearful explorer on a dangerous mission into the unknown.  That is a great benefit, for it is exactly how I feel when I approach Revelation.

The chapters in The Lamb Wins are short, often only three or four pages long.  This is not a commentary on Revelation, or even an overview of its message.  It is, however, a guide to the contours of this difficult book, encouraging readers to work hard at understanding and applying it to their lives.  Bewes has a conviction that Revelation, as part of God’s revelation to the church, should be read by the church.  The Lamb Wins is an excellent encouragement to begin doing that.  Anyone who is tempted to steer clear of Revelation will find it an invaluable book, whether it gives confidence in personal Bible reading or in preaching.

Leave a Reply

Allowed tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong> <span style="">

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.

Ali grew up in London, but is currently at university in the North East of England. He helped to re-launch Crossring in 2009, and has acted as Managing Editor of the website since then. He occasionally dabbles in photography and web development - he also designed and maintains the Crossring website.

What's On Crossring

Crossring is a community of Christians who meet together online in fellowship around the Christian faith and the Bible.

As part of our active lifestyle of prayer and Bible reading, we are currently reading a small section of the Bible together each day and sharing our responses to it with each other. We also publish a short devotional thought on a key verse or two from each day's passage to prompt prayer or reflection.

Introducing Daily Readings

Introducing Crossring Forums