Lions, Locusts, and the Lamb

The symbolism of Revelation has puzzled readers for centuries. Every generation falls prey to extreme views of interpretation. Even worse, they minimize the importance of John's Apocalypse by not teaching or preaching from it. Yet Revelation is a profound work of New Testament theology and warrants a close study. John expects and prepares believers to follow the Lamb through suffering and possible martyrdom. The problem is centered on what the symbols mean. Are they literal? Are they symbolic? Do the images refer to events and people in the first century, or to the last days of planet earth? Moreover, how is the book structured? Is it one vision, four visions, or more? Are the visions linear or recapped? Lions, Locusts, and the Lamb: Interpreting Key Images in the Book of Revelation demonstrates a way to unlock John's structure and unravel his symbols. The key is to follow a logical step-by-step interpretive approach that accents the historical, cultural, intertextual, extratextual, and particularly intratextual allusions and connections. The result is a book that delivers the basic meaning of three hundred images and categorizes them into an accessible guide for teachers, preachers, and readers of Revelation. ""Kuykendall provides an excellent guide to the significant features, characters, themes, phrases, and images in John's Apocalypse with precision, reliability, and exegetical sensitivity. What makes Lions, Locusts, and the Lamb' unique and helpful is the way it covers a broad range of material in a concise manner that enables the reader to see the depth of theology and the interconnectedness of Revelation's images. The format allows one to have a comprehensive, ready reference on virtually every character, theme, and symbol. This book takes the complexities of Revelation and arranges them into clear, understandable, and immensely rich components. This book is incredibly well researched and draws on the insights of the best scholarship on Revelation. It is an invaluable guide and resource to understand the tapestry of symbols and theology for anyone studying Revelation. Lion, Locusts, and the Lamb will become required reading for my students when I teach Revelation at my university or in any church."" --Alan S. Bandy, Rowena R. Strickland Associate Professor of NT & Greek, Oklahoma Baptist University Michael Kuykendall is professor of New Testament studies at Gateway Seminary and teaches on Gateway's Pacific Northwest campus in Vancouver, Washington. He is coauthor of Impact Preaching: A Case for the One-Point Expository Sermon, and has published articles in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Baptist History & Heritage Journal, Bible Review Journal, Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies, and Lexham Bible Dictionary.