The Joy of Hearing: A Theology of the Book of Revelation. (New Testament Theology #1) Thomas R. Scheiner. 2021. [November] 208 pages. [Source: Review copy]
First sentence: In this chapter we consider those in Revelation who refuse to hear the truth, those who close their ears to the message about Jesus Christ.
The Joy of Hearing is not a verse by verse commentary on the book of Revelation. It provides commentary and insight on the whole book thematically. The chapters are, "The Deafness of Those Living On Earth," "The Saints Hear and Heed," "The Declaration that God Rules on His Throne," "The Good News of the Lion and the Lamb," "The Testimony of the Holy Spirit," "The Promise of Blessing and the New Creation," "Reigning with Christ for One Thousand Years." (There's an introduction and epilogue as well).
The book of Revelation is complex; the subject matter can be heavy. (It doesn't have to be heavy. You can read the book of Revelation as a worship book. You can focus on the GLORY and MAJESTY of God, savor the richness of the promises and blessings. You don't have to focus on the whole THE WORLD IS ENDING aspect of it.) The Joy of Hearing may be a SHORT book, certainly more concise than some other commentaries out there on the book of Revelation. But it is still a scholarly approach--with tons of notes (footnotes? endnotes? note-notes?). It does not have a devotional approach. For better or worse.
I found it to be a dense read. I don't say that to be mean. I don't. I really don't. I just didn't have the desire to slowly chew and digest--unpack--the weighty contents of this one. I did find myself loving how each chapter had several pages of conclusion that summed up in a concise manner the contents of the chapter. The conclusions were proof that the contents were good--if not a little dense, theologically complex. That with the right consistent amount of effort, it would be to the reader's benefit.
The book does give an overview of the book of Revelation.
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