| Summary: | In many respects this commentary is more than simply another book. It represents a lifetime of studying and lecturing on the book of Revelation by the late J.B. Smith. For many years he was in demand within his Christian fellowship to speak on this great book. One of his cherished hopes was to see the results of his labor sent forth in a commentary for the common man. This being his aim, studied effort was made to avoid the language of the scholar, yet at the same time Smith wanted to employ all the tools of Bible study. This commentary is an attempt to make plain the meaning of Revelation. With commendable reserve Dr. Smith has restricted himself largely to interpretation by other passages of Scripture which are related to Revelation by actual quotation or by striking parallelism. His painstaking studies of vocabulary and of related ideas make the book valuable to the earnest student of the Bible. Dr. Smith is a futurist and a premillenarian, holding that all of the Book of Revelation beginning with the fourth chapter relates to the future period Of judgment known as "the great tribulation," which will be followed by the personal return of Christ and by the establishment of His kingdom. The distinguishing feature of this commentary is its use of biblical statistics and comparisons. The uses of important terms in the Revelation are cataloged, and their interpretation is derived from their context. The appendices contain some extensive studies of individual topics, correlating information not easily obtainable elsewhere. Dr. Smith follows a literal interpretation except where avowed symbolism demands a different procedure. He has sought to make his exposition consistent in method and in results. His use of Greek is apt, and shows a careful investigation of the underlying vocabulary of the Greek text. - Preface and Introduction.
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