This Hallelujah Banquet
How the End of What We Were Reveals Who We Can Be
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
In this powerful new interpretation of the book of Revelation, the late, revered author and translator of The Message Bible offers timely insights into how we can lean into growth, not in spite of challenging times, but because of them.
“Insightful and inviting . . . This is Eugene at his pastoral best.”—Rev. Dr. Glenn Packiam, associate senior pastor at New Life Church and author of Blessed Broken Given
The book of Revelation is filled with angels and dragons, fantastic beasts and golden cities, bottomless pits and mysterious numbers. It’s dramatic, sure—but what exactly does that have to do with the tests we face today?
Actually, a lot.
When the apostle John penned the book of Revelation, believers lived in a time of deception and injustice. But his message doesn’t just reflect their cries for things to be made right; it reveals heaven’s perspective of the bigger picture.
In this never-before-published work, Eugene H. Peterson traces the dramatic symbolism found in John’s letters to the seven churches, uncovering Christ’s instructions to these ancient communities. Along the way, encounter seven key tests, of our love, suffering, truth, holiness, reality, witness, and commitment, tests from Christ that can deepen our faith and even shape our future.
This Hallelujah Banquet is your personal invitation to grow deep and begin living now in a generous, abundant, and hopeful reality in Christ.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Peterson (The Message Bible), a Presbyterian minister who died in 2018, interprets the book of Revelation in this stimulating posthumous work compiled from a series of his sermons and archived commentaries. Discussing John's letters to the seven churches, Peterson emphasizes John's exploration of meaning and perception. Peterson shares personal memories and provides examples from scripture to catalog joy, weeping, and anger as reactions to living in the fullness of Christ. On the opposite side of the spectrum, he identifies lukewarmness as "a special fault of the successful" and urges readers to be strongly committed to Christ. He also examines how wrestling with social and political issues amounts to a "test of holiness," using John's letter to the citizens of the city of Thyatira as an example. Peterson argues that how Christians apply gratitude, praise, grace, and love determines how one matures. He also includes explanations of the spiritual significance of common scriptural terms, such as the words "hallelujah" and "amen," and concludes with thought-provoking questions for reflection. By asking readers to "examine your motives" and "test your heart," this insightful, contemplative study of Revelation will appeal to Christians who enjoy the work of N.T. Wright.
