The Vindication of Jesus Christ: A Brief Readers Guide to Revelation by James B. Jordan

The Vindication of Jesus Christ: A Brief Readers Guide to Revelation Reviews

• 
  Douglas Wilson

  Fascinating.
• 
  John

  I find James Jordan's work fascinating. At a time when most orthodox commentators seem to have nothing new to say regarding the Scriptures and seem uninterested, even unengaged with the truly hard questions and passages in the Bible, James Jordan is eager to find answers and propose interpretations that satisfy and demonstrate a curiosity that most do not have.
  
  This short book on Revelation is essentially an outline, or summary of his epic 204 lesson study on Revelation. So while this less than one hundred page book is brief, he has done the work required to come to the conclusions he has. Some of them may seem arcane and odd, but that may simply be the product of someone who believes that every single word in Scripture counts and that God does not waste his words.
  
  Jordan is a preterist, but of a different mold than most. I have come to be persuaded by his interpretation of Revelation because he believes, and convincingly argues that the book is about the church and its tribulation. It is only about Rome and Jerusalem in their relationship to the church--their persecution of it, and their subsequent judgment because of it. But the bulk of the book and its prophecies concern the church's martyrdom and triumph coming out of the tribulation.
  
  The book is all too brief, unfortunately, but it is long enough to spark ideas and help you work through the book on your own. It is satisfying to start and finish a book in the same evening, though, and you can do that with this one.
  
  
• 
  David

  Helpful but short commentary on Revelation. It is a good overview of Jordan's view but he needs a book that develops on these themes yet is not quite as long as his 204 part lecture series. Hopefully the commentary that Leithart is working on will enhance on the themes Jordan develops here.
• 
  Michael

  This is an excellent little survey of Revelation. Jordan is a great guide to reading and understanding Biblical symbolism. As always, he goes places that I’m not sure are correct in his conclusions. But, at the same time, I’m also not sure he is incorrect either!
  
  I’d recommend this book to anyone who thinks Revelation is mainly about apache helicopters and the present geopolitical state that we call “Israel”.
  
  (Spoilers: it’s not about those things)
• 
  Shea Stacy

  Can't really give this a real review. I need to read Revelation a couple dozen more times and work through some simpler stuff before I talk Jordan's work here again. Had me feeling cross eyed.
• 
  Felipe

  Estimulante e desafiador!
• 
  Zachary Wilke

  A lot of fun. I've read or heard it said somewhere that many Preterists tend to make the same mistakes as Futurists when interpreting Revelation. The Futurist has his Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other, while the Preterist has his Bible in one hand and Josephus in the other. Unlike these hard-lined preterist interpreters, Jordan thinks John is primarily using the language of 'symbol' to describe the spiritual realities at play in the life of the first century church rather than using this language to cryptically describe particular events and characters surrounding the destruction of the Temple in AD 70.
  
  I think Jordan's right on a lot that he says in this little book, but I also can't quite keep up with him sometimes.
• 
  M.G. Bianco

  Jordan is great as always!
• 
  William Schrecengost

  A good overview of Revelation. It's really too short for what he talks about in it. He needed more space to flesh out some of his thoughts. There needs to be a better middle ground between this and his $1000 lectures.
• 
  Christian

  Way too short. Otherwise, great.
• 
  Zack Clemmons

  Jordan be wildin’.
  
  Will have to take a tour through the lecture series someday.
• 
  Jack W.

  Flashes of brilliant insight tied to many assertions that would take far longer than the book could give. It is almost a trailer for his years of lectures rather than a coherent argument throughout. I would recommend to someone looking for a brief explanation of Revelation, so you know answers exist, not so you will fully understand it.
• 
  Jacob Aitken

  I have mixed thoughts on this. I can only take Jim Jordan in very small amounts. That being said, if one can find it, this booklet is worth reading. I read it in about 20 minutes.
  
  Jordan argues for a symbolic reading of Revelation, implying that the keys to understanding the book are already iin the book particularly the Old Testament.
  
  If you don't agree with Jordan's hermeneutics, this book will not be of much help. I sort of agree with his methodology. I agree with Jordan that the standard "grammatical-historical" method is obviously not the method the new testament writers used. However, given my readings of James K.A. Smith, I am skeptical of claims of "this is the biblical interpretation."
  
  highpoints of the book:
  His chiastic outlines at the beginning of the book are really neat. His claim that the seven churches recapitulate the history of Israel seems to match up.
• 
  Jonah

  Mind blown.
  
  If you read this, and you should, you will question much of what Jordan is saying and this due to a couple things. One, we most likely do not know our Bible as well as James Jordan and Two, our understanding of the book of Revelation has come from popular culture not the Bible. So, read this humbly and with a teachable mind and examine the Scriptures as Jordan brings them to you. After finishing this little book, I know you will see Revelation with new eyes. Thanks James Jordan!
• 
  Brian

  Very, very short and yet dense.
  
  Really good quote on James Jordan by John Robbins: "Because he could swear by none higher, Jordan cited himself." He does that here too.
  
  Still, to balance that out, I think that God wrote Revelation so that people wouldn't think Jim Jordan was completely crazy. Encouraging that he wants to make this book less complicated.
• 
  Alan Fuller

  Review from 2010:
  Jordan believes that the Old Creation was destroyed at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. He understands this as the main concern of the book of Revelation. He is a biblical literalist who believes the earth was created in seven 24 hour days, but understands the Old Creation as the Old Covenant.
  
  Several outline structures are given for Revelation. They appear to be contradictory, but Jordan assures us they are equally correct. He doesn't explain exactly how this works. Even though the many outlines are overlapping, Jordan says none of the various judgments in Revelation (seals, trumpets, bowls) describe the same ground. There is no recapitulation.
  
  Jordan also says that Jesus coming in the clouds is his ascension, not his return. In another unique insight, he says the Man of Sin found in 2nd Thessalonians 2 is the High Priest. If that wasn't a new revelation to readers, then try this. Jordan says Greek was the language of the Roman Empire. In another insight, Jordan proclaims that 666 represents the religious leaders of Jewry and the millennium began in 70 AD. Satan is loosed to deceive certain nations at certain times, such as Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. He will finally be loosed to deceive all nations.
  
  The Bible says the length, breadth and the height of the New Jerusalem are equal. Jordan says this is a pyramid.
  
  The book is a summary of Jordan's studies and lectures. They are available for $1000 at his web site. If you're not confused enough, you can pay out the extra bucks.
• 
  Florian

  Surprisingly disappointing. As someone who clearly sees Revelation taking place in the first century I thought Jordan would give a precise and clear overview of the central elements of the Apocalypse. I found too many speculative elements for my liking. Why not stick with the obvious like: the time statements, the martyrs in chapters 1-3 expanded upon in the rest of the book, the clear identity of the big city babylon as old Jerusalem in Rev 11:8, the two women-cities contrasted: Rev 18 & 19 vs Rev 21, other clear contextual indicators that place it within the first century like vengaence upon the city for the blood of the APOSTLES? Then this little book could have become a killer book.
  But sadly this was just a disappointment for me.
  I recommend the renowned reformed theologian R.C. Sproul's book: last days according to Jesus as a better alternative, but as a note: he does not focus solemnly on Revelation.
• 
  Christopher Kou

  James B. Jordan's insights in the Book of Revelation are like putting on glasses after being near sighted your whole life. It just opens up the whole world of understanding the book. While perhaps I might disagree with certain particulars, JBJ's approach and direction to Revelation are largely correct, I believe, and sometimes seem obvious . . . once you see it.
  
  Specifically, the discussion on how the letters to the 7 churches correspond to the epochs of Biblical history, the discussion of the meaning of earth (land) and sea in prophetic language, are invaluable for reading the Book of Revelation.
  
  This is a VERY little book, and is just enough to whet your appetite for more. It is by no means a commentary, and doesn't try to be one. For a commentary in a similar vein, refer Peter Leithart's 2-volume work. But get this book as a primer for that study.
• 
  Jeroen Koornstra

  A partial preterist view on the end times. The author gives a lot of chiasms of which a few I found interesting. Since the book is very small, it is impossible for the author to give some clear explanation of how he built his conclusion on the symbolic messages in Revelation. This is a bit disappointing for several opinions seem far-fetched in my perspective.
• 
  Jefferson Oliveira

  Confesso que tenho muitas dificuldades com uma interpretação preterista do Apocalipse, em que praticamente tudo se cumpre até o ano 70 d.C. Mas há muitos insights intetessantes do autor, e a análise dos quiasmos presentes no livro de Apocalipse também vale a leitura. Infelizmente há vários erros de digitação e algumas omissões de palavras que uma revisão melhor poderia ter evitado.
• 
  Josh Robinson

  Used this book for a round table discussion on eschatology earlier in the year. Very good. I just wish Jordan had done a longer treatment. Sometimes he brings up things, drops them in your lap, and lets you sort it out yourself. Excellent reader, though.
• 
  Grant Van Brimmer

  Not sure on every point, but as always, Jordan is convincing. The lectures that go with this are probably a much needed help with some fiber points. Very happy with Jordan's pre-70 a.d. view. Highly recommend this little guide!
• 
  David Jamison

  Great for what it is. Very short so there is no room for Jordan to prove his assertions. Highly enjoyable read even as I disagree with a large portion of what was said. Never a dull idea from Jordan.
• 
  Matthew Huff

  Interesting, but far too short. Jordan ought to have fleshed this out into a proper book.
• 
  Seth Mcdevitt

  Useful very high level overview of a revelation. Some good stuff on symbol.
• 
  Arcotimsyahoo.co.in

  very good book on Revelation. it is a short and simple book with clear explanation of the book of Revelation. But need to read him more.