Revelation 1–7: An Exegetical Commentary

by Robert L. Thomas

Publisher:

Moody

, 1992

Overview

This first volume in Robert L. Thomas’s Exegetical Commentary on Revelation covers chapters 1–7. It includes a detailed introduction that includes a discussion on authorship, analysis into dating the Book of Revelation, thoughts on literary genre and hermeneutical guidelines for interpreting Revelation. In volume one of this verse-by-verse commentary, Thomas covers John’s vision of the Glorified Christ, the letters to the seven churches, and the opening of the first six seals with remarkable precision and attention to detail.

Contents

Top Highlights

“The most plausible reason for his sobbing is his fear that the events contained in the revelatory scroll would remain unfulfilled, thus thwarting the purposes of God (Caird).” (Page 386)

“In His teaching Jesus divided the time into two periods, the beginning of birth pangs (Matt. 24:8) and the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:21). The former part closely parallels the first four seals in particular. So an important key in fixing the time period of the seals in this message was given by Christ some sixty-five years earlier when He taught about the future time of trial on earth.” (Page 416)

“The best solution is to identify this vast crowd as Gentile and Jewish believers who have died either natural or violent deaths during the period of the first six seals and come out from the Great Tribulation.” (Page 485)

“A fifth analysis of the scroll is that it represents Christ’s title-deed or contract-deed to the world.” (Page 378)

“The futurist approach to the book is the only one that grants sufficient recognition to the prophetic style of the book and a normal hermeneutical pattern of interpretation based on that style. It views the book as focusing on the last period(s) of world history and outlining the various events and their relationships to one another. This is the view that best accords with the principle of literal interpretation.⁹⁹ The literal interpretation of Revelation is the one generally associated with the premillennial return of Christ and a view of inspiration that understands God to be the real author of every book of the Bible.” (Page 32)

Product Details

• Title: Revelation 1–7: An Exegetical Commentary
• Author: Robert L. Thomas
• Series: An Exegetical Commentary: Revelation by Robert L. Thomas
• Publisher: Moody
• Print Publication Date: 1992
• Logos Release Date: 2010
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Bible. N.T. Revelation › Commentaries
• ISBNs: 9780802492654, 0802492657
• Resource ID: LLS:MPREVEXCOM01
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-03T21:01:33Z

About Robert L. Thomas

Dr. Thomas studied at Moody Bible institute and at Faith Theological Seminary. From 1956 to 1959, he was an instructor and grading assistant at Dallas Theological Seminary while completing his doctoral program. Dr. Thomas served with the Lockman Foundation as a member of the translation team, on the editorial board, on the Exhaustive Concordance Committee, and on the Topical Reference Bible Committee for the New American Standard Bible. Dr. Thomas has been active in presenting papers at both the regional and national sessions of the Evangelical Theological Society, serving as the president of the national organization in 1990. He has authored numerous articles in journals, magazines, encyclopedias, and dictionaries, and has authored or edited about 20 book-length works. Dr. Thomas is best-known for A Harmony of the Gospels (editor, Moody Press, 1978), and Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Moody, 1992), and its companion volume Revelation 8-22, also published by Moody (1995). Dr. Thomas also served as the general editor for the award winning New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance (Holman, 1981). Dr. Thomas has served on the board of directors for the Orinoco River Mission and for the Bible Church Mission. Throughout his years of ministry, he has been active in his local church, in Bible conference ministries, and in pulpit supply. In 1959 he became the first full-time seminary faculty member at Talbot Theological Seminary. He served at Talbot as chairman of the department of New Testament Language and Literature until 1987 when he joined the faculty at The Master’s Seminary.