Because the Time Is Near: John MacArthur Explains the Book of Revelation

By John F. MacArthur Jr.

Book Overview

The book of Revelation is full of hope and consolation

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"The end of the world is coming." From roadside signs to science fiction films, this slogan underscores our society's nervous fascination with the future. Whether it's a giant asteroid, a worldwide plague, or some other global catastrophe, the end of the world is a terrifying prospect--at least for those who have no idea what it will be like.

For Christians, however, the end of the world should be anything but dreadful. In fact, it should be something we look forward to. Why? Because God has told us how the world will end. And He has assured us that the end of this age will mark the beginning of a new, glorious one in which we will serve and worship Him in sinless perfection. Our eternal hope, as believers, is intimately tied to the end of this world.

All of this is laid out in the book of Revelation. Not only is Revelation the inspired Word of God, it is also the only New Testament book that includes a promised spiritual blessing for those who study and apply its message. As such, it is an essential part of every Christian's devotional life.

In Because the Time is Near, readers:

Study Revelation through three sections, "The Things Which You Have Seen," "The Things Which Are," and "The Things Which Will Take Place After This"Gain insight into each chapter of RevelationLearn how the book of Revelation is preeminently "the Revelation of Jesus Christ" Embrace Jesus' equality with the Father and His many names in RevelationExplore how Revelation is not meant to be incomprehensible but to reveal truthStudy the author and context of this bookDiscover and the meaning and purpose of Revelation

Those who ignore Revelation deprive themselves of a rich treasure of divine truth, and the promised blessings that come from understanding that truth. Join John MacArthur as he explains the book of Revelation in a way that is both doctrinally precise and intensely practical.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802407285
• ISBN13: 9780802407283
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: Moody Publishers
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.13 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

This book is the pre-mil perspective which isn't what I subscribe towards But!

I like the verse by verse approach that John Macarthur took as always in presenting the Pre-mil perspective. One should read this and Doug Wilson's "When the Man Comes Around" and compare perspectives from a Post-mil, preterist viewpoint. It's a good study over Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Wonderful breakdown of Revelation!

I have been a fan of John MacArthur for a while now. I've read several of his books. Because the Time is Near is top notch! I highly recommend this book for any Christian, especially knowing that we are in the final days. It is very important, relevant and useful information in these days!

Great exposition!!

This is a detailed chronicle of end-time events as revealed by Christ Jesus.John McArthur tells the truth as it is written in the Bible without mincing words.This is a must read for everyone who doesn't want to be caught off guard by the looming gloom that is about to envelope the world.Christ Jesus is coming soon. Maranatha.

Good Commentary

This book is a commentary of Revelation. The author presents it in a fashion that it is easy to read. Not all commentaries are easy to read! It also is a scholarly work which has much depth. You will think and apply to everyday life. I highly recommend it for preacher and student alike. This book is from a pre-tribulation and dispensationalist perspective.

The book to get...

...if you want to understand the book of Revelation. Macarthur breaks it down verse by verse and explains it in a way that is easy to understand. It's no nonsense, but still very enjoyable to read.

Insightful; essential for Bible study

Revelation is a tough book to understand, but this book had some great insight and it really helped to show the broad context of revelation within the rest of the Bible. MacArthur also has a good way of dealing with passages that are interpreted different ways (or controversial), he explains that one may interpret the passage as such and such but there is more evidence for a certain interpretation and he explains the evidence. Finally, his exegetical insight is great; such as the order of the letters to the churches is in the order a messenger would travel to those cities on the postal route of the day. This book is highly recommended for anyone studying the Bible.

Abridged commentary with solid exegesis and careful detail

This book is an abridged version of Dr. MacArthur's two-volume Revelation commentary. In this book, he takes a verse-by-verse exegetical walkthrough of the book of Revelation using the consistent contextual-literal hermeneutic one would expect from Dr. MacArthur. (Perhaps a more appropriate label for "contextual-literal" would be the "historical-grammatical context" - that is, "How would the original audience have understood the passage in question?") This is a great read for the layperson interested in understanding the events foretold by the Holy Spirit through the apostle John in the book of Revelation, as well as for those interested in how a consistent hermeneutic interprets the book of Revelation. It is also highly recommended for those curious how pre-millennialists interpret Revelation and understand the events of the end times to unfold, as MacArthur's writing is clear, concise, and yet respectful toward brethren of other millennial mindsets while clearly laying out verse by verse what the Scripture says. As Christian theologians of every millennial leaning tend to agree (including those who ascribe to post-millennial or a-millennial points of view), using a consistent hermeneutic through all of Scripture will lead one to a pre-millennial point of view. Given MacAthur's conviction for a consistent approach to the interpretation of Scripture, you will find his perspective is very much pre-millennial (as opposed to post-millennial, a-millennial, preterist, etc). Yet when it comes to the most difficult passages to interpret, he avoids making the rash presuppositions and outlandish interpretations that one would find characteristic of the 'Left Behind' crowd. (Perhaps it is irony then that Tim LaHaye provides one of the supporting quotes on the back cover.) I find this one of the most attractive things about the book: I could give this book to anyone with an interest in Revelation with the confidence that the content will educate them on the basics, encourage them to study further, and effect a greater love for the Word of God. As with his other books, it is written in an easy-to-read style (and typeface) that packs a lot of content yet doesn't tire the mind ( or the eyes). His average book seems to come in around 200-250 pages; this one is slightly longer at 338 pages, but thankfully so as the subject matter warrants every page. At no time did it seem overly verbose for the sake of length - a couple times I would have appreciated even more depth (though for that one can purchase the full-length, two-volume commentary).