New Testament scholar, Thomas R. Schreiner (Southern Baptist Seminary), is best known for his contributions to Pauline scholarship. But now he has turned his exegetical skills towards the last book of the Bible with the recent installment in the Baker Exegetical Commentary series. His work replaces the previous volume on Revelation in the series by Grant Osborne. However, Schreiner’s is a different work. While Osborne’s commentary is more futurist temporally, Schreiner’s work could be described as a combination of present, future, and ideal elements and sees much of Revelation referring to the entire period between the first and second comings of Christ. In this review I will sample Schreiner’s treatment of a number of significant background issues and representative passages in Revelation.

Background issues: Regarding the authorship of Revelation, Schreiner takes the admittedly minority view that John the apostle wrote the book. He argues for a date in the 80s or 90s, but wisely suggests that our interpretation of the book should not be tied to a specific date. The situation of the churches in Asia Minor that John addressed was one of some external persecution under Domitian, but also internal tension and conflict. As to the genre of Revelation, Schreiner sees it as a unique combination of apocalypse, prophecy, and letter. This means that the metaphorical nature of the book, as well as the first-century historical circumstances, must be taken seriously. John uses the Old Testament throughout his book in new ways, not distorting their OT contextual meaning, but read in light of how they are fulfilled in Christ.

Representative passages: In 1:1 the word “soon” should be understood temporally in terms of imminence (not “quickly”). But this does not mean that John was wrong in predicting the end. “Soon” must be understood from God’s perspective and held in tension with indications of delay in Revelation. The reference to the “seven Spirits” in 1:4 is a reference to the Holy Spirit, not angels. Given the first century background, the images of “hot” and “cold” in the message to Laodicea in 3:15 are both positive (refreshing and cleansing), while “lukewarm” is the opposite, a negative image suggesting complete lack of any devotion to Christ. The seals in Chapter 6 refer to judgments that span the entire period between the resurrection of Christ and his second coming. The first seal, the rider on the white horse, Schreiner interprets as a reference to Jesus Christ and the progress of the gospel in the world, admittedly a minority view. The 144,000 in 7:4-8 from the twelve tribes of Israel refers to the church consisting of Jew and Gentile. The innumerable multitude in 7:9, then, is the same group as the 144,000, the church, but seen from a different perspective, the uncountable crowd fulfilling the promises to Abraham. The “great tribulation; in 7:14 refers to “the entire period from Christ’s resurrection to his return” (307). With the trumpet judgments in Chaps. 8-9, Schreiner sees recapitulation with Chap. 6, so that both the seals and trumpets refer to judgments on the world between the resurrection of Christ and his second coming. The temple that gets measured in 11:1-2, and the two witnesses in the vv. 3-14, are both symbolic of the entire church. Both images communicate the tension between “the experiences of believers in that they are sheltered under God’s protective hand while at the same time they face the onslaught of the world” (375). The temporal periods of 1260 days, 42 months, and 3 ½ years are not to be taken literally, but all refer metaphorically from different perspectives to the same period of time: the entire period between the resurrection of Christ and his second coming. The woman in Chap. 12 represents the continuity of the people of God throughout the ages, starting with Israel and continuing into the church. The beast of Chap. 13 represents Rome, but is more than Rome. It also anticipates the final antichrist figure to come at the end of history. While the seven seals and trumpets occur throughout history, Schreiner argues that the bowl judgments of Chap. 16 are only poured out at the end of history. The battle of Armageddon in 16:16 is the same battle described in 6:15-17 and in 19:11-21 and symbolizes the entire world in opposition to God. “Babylon” in Chaps. 17-18 refers to the first-century city of Rome, but “all the cities of future that become tyrannical and oppressive repristinate Rome” (579). With the opening of the heavens in 19:11 we are at the end of history with the second coming of Christ, and the rest of 19-20 will give us different snapshots of what takes place at Christ’s second coming, not necessarily a temporal sequence of events. While Schreiner admits that at one time or another he has held all the major views of the Millennium in 20:1-6, he has come down on what he calls “New Creation Millennialism” that sees the 1000 years as the first age of the New Creation in 21:1-22:5. The wicked that attack the city in 20:7-10 are not people on the earth, but they come up from the under world in one last ditch effort to destroy the people of God – all for naught! In the New Creation of Chaps. 21:1-22:5, there is both continuity and discontinuity between this creation and the new creation in the future. This suggests a transformation of the current creation rather than a creation ex nihilo. The New Jerusalem is both a people and a place in 21:9-22:5, not one or the other. The final promises of Christ coming “soon” in vv. 6-21, like 1:1, should not be taken to mean that the timing of the end can be determined or John was wrong, since the end is determined by God himself.

Overall, Schreiner’s detailed commentary is balanced and sensitive to the genre of Revelation and its literary flow. His comments and treatment of the major exegetical issues in Revelation are always thorough and well-argued. He is to be commended for refusing to ‘straightjacket’ Revelation and its language into a logical, temporal, literal narrative account. He is also sensitive to the metaphorical nature of the book, which he consistently applies throughout, distinguishing between the symbol and what it refers to. However, there is little new and unique about Schreiner’s overall approach to Revelation and his treatment of most issues. His most unique contribution is his view of the Millennium in Revelation 20 (see above), although here he has let theological interest determine the significance of this passage for his commentary. For a cryptic passage that only spans 3 verses (20:4-6), he has devoted 33 pages to the issue of the Millennium in Revelation, including a lengthy excursus of 24 pages. Arguably, the New Creation/New Jerusalem passage in 21:1-22:5, should be the focus on the final chapters of the book, not the Millennium. Moreover, while Schreiner is thorough and interacts with an extensive bibliography, his work at times comes close to being a commentary on commentaries, a collection of insights from former works. Yet, Schreiner’s commentary should stand alongside the other major works on Revelation and should be regularly consulted by students and pastors.

David Mathewson, PhD
Professor of New Testament
Denver Seminary
January 2024