Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination

by Eugene H. Peterson

Peterson's eloquent meditation on the Revelation of St. John engages the imagination and awakens the intellect to the vitality and relevance of the last words on scripture, Christ, church, worship, evil, prayer, witness, politics, judgement, salvation, and heaven.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, Spirituality, New Testament

207 pages, Paperback

Published April 26, 1991

About the author

Eugene H. Peterson was a pastor, scholar, author, and poet. For many years he was James M. Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He also served as founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland. He had written over thirty books, including Gold Medallion Book Award winner The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language a contemporary translation of the Bible. After retiring from full-time teaching, Eugene and his wife Jan lived in the Big Sky Country of rural Montana. He died in October 2018.

Reviews

[Fergus, Weaver of Autistic Webs · Rating 5 out of 5]

WELL, I DREAMED I SAW THE SILVER SPACESHIPS FLYIN’
THE LOADING HAD BEGUN
THEY WERE TAKING MOTHER NATURE’S SILVER SEED
TO A NEW HOME IN THE SUN.
-Neil Young

In his autobiography, The Pastor, Eugene Peterson said the notion of “backsliding”, in the Christian community he grew up in, was always a foreign concept to him and his parents.

For them, Faith was Existential Necessity. And here he presents his own view of the Apocalypse - a rather liberal one, thankfully!

The suppressed urban myth of the Apocalypse is a widely-held archetype of our modern consciousness. And it can feed in turn the Four Horsemen of Irrationality, who will run rampant through our unwitting minds, if we open the door to them.

So keep that door to Hell closed, and mark it NO EXIT!

Its terrors will come to interrupt our otherwise peaceful nocturnal REM sleep otherwise. The solution? For most folks, that’s just saying to ourselves grimly, “Deal with it!”

But as Carl Jung said, archetypes refuse to die, once ingrained into our subconscious.

So what can we REALLY do about it?

Says our greatest eschatologist, Eugene Peterson: APPLY LOGICAL THINKING TO IT.

Pull back the curtains of your mind and let clear DAYLIGHT shine on it!

That’s what he does with the very source of these archetypal terrors - The Book of Revelation.

He defuses its terrors with the rational explanation that THE APOCALYPSE IS AN ONGOING EVENT IN OUR LIVES.

As Peterson says elsewhere: “I gradually realized that ordinary time is not what biblical people endure or put up with or hurry through as we wait around for the End Time and it’s rocket launch into eternity…. I finally got it! End Time influences present ordinary time… by CHARGING IT - Filling it Full of Purpose and Significance…

“The End Time is not a future we wait for but THE GIFT OF THE FULLNESS OF TIME.”

It’s the brave, fearless living of a life of everyday faith - while the world screams at us, “Give it up!”

And the Book of Revelation is simply the Biblical description of that ongoing event, Peterson says.

You know, as a Catholic I find this theory quite acceptable. There’s Death, Purgatory and Judgement, but someone Is dying at every moment in this world.

And just because Apocalypse can also be a Personal Event, it doesn’t change change a THING about the ongoing Afterlife we DON’T see! That goes on till Judgement, and beyond.

As such this is mystical literature of the highest order, and it’s a book that can profitably be read by ANYONE who loves books.

And of course, it can mollify your nightmares the RIGHT way: with the application of REASON.

When I started my lifelong career with a solid organization, from which I gratefully now draw a pension - sufficient for the purposes of my pokey, bookish passion - I KNEW guys who took Neil Young at his word.

They had quelled their paranoia by psychedelic means and were now ripe subjects for the omnipresent purveyors of urban myth. You know, Flower Power had many willing victims...

If you remember those days and survived them, you may be one of the fortunate few like me who found the same fix Peterson applies - plain-thinking Christian Humanism.

It’s a fix that WORKS.

Sure, we can keep on searching for books that will ease our terrors, and defuse our dystopias, and that’s OK too.

IF we know that somewhere, somehow it’ll all work out.

And Eugene Person, of course, will tell you just to shake off your blues for a Real Life!

If only more of my tuned-in turned-on dropped-out pals would listen.

The important thing is to keep on going - and searching with a modicum of Faith (and Hope) - with however much reason and sound common sense as we can muster...

And the end of all our exploration will be
To arrive at the place we started
And KNOW the place for the first time.

And that... will be a Revelation!

[C.S. Wachter · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Revelation makes it clear that everything is subject to God’s creative judgment. When any of the great elements of creation get between us and God, becoming idols, judgment topples them and restores us to simple trust and adoration. Every misplaced trust and every mistaken devotion is called into question.” – from Reversed Thunder.

St. John wrote Revelation as a prophet, conveying God’s message to his fellow believers. He wrote it as a pastor concerned with the wellbeing of his congregations, his brothers and sisters in Christ. The truths imparted through his poetic word pictures have also held meaning for the church throughout the ages. As such, it is a book that is meaningful for all Christians, at all times, in their everyday lives. Peterson’s book reminds us of this fact. How can I meaningfully apply the words of Revelation to my life today? By grasping hold of the present … the now. “There are, to be sure, references to the past and implications for the future, but the predominate emphasis of the prophetic word is on the now.” – from Reversed Thunder.

I recommend Reversed Thunder without reservation.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading through Eugene Peterson's 'commentary on Revelation for a second time as we've worked through it at church (you can catch some of my sermons here: www.wormleyfreechurch.org.uk). I have to say that it is the best book on Revelation I've read so far. Rather than analyse every verse and detail, he reads it thematically, taking grand sweeps through a number of a chapters each time. It's also a very symbolic reading; rather than taking everything literally, he sees it as poetic, firing the imagination to see the world in a different way. He adopts a very pastoral approach, taking the letter as being written to a Pastor to his churches seeking to speak into their current context. Reversed Thunder is definitely not a dry reading, inspired by Revelation's poetic language, Peterson writes colourfully, grasping you as he brings the text alive. For those who struggle with Revelation, seeing it as too difficult or too scary or the domain of whacky Christian beliefs, I don't hesitate to recommend this fantastic book!

[Kendall Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remarkable book. If the goal of the book of Revelation is to expand our imagination so that we might see things from the divine perspective, then Peterson's book works to do just that. And I believe that he is largely successful. I found his discussion of Revelation as a poetic work to be particularly helpful.

[Joann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best commentary that I have ever read or used. Peterson allows us to "see with our ears" just as the first century people of faith did.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both clarifying and deep. My favorite thing is how he explains that Revelation is for all Christians in all times; it is not some secret code written and preserved for some future people to hopefully understand enough to pin down God. The imagery is deeply connected with the rest of scripture and seeing those connections helps us to grasp so much more of its meaning. It tells the story of who Jesus is, what he has done, is doing, and will continue to do. If you haven't wanted to touch Revelation with a 10 foot pole, try this book. (Actually, no matter your feelings on Revelation, you should probably still try this book.)

[Anthony Studstill · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best reflections on scripture I have read! It is deeply illuminating while at the same time practically informs daily life and daily faith.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very different view of the book of Revelation for me. I very much enjoyed reading it. Peterson is a little wordy for me at times. Some of his thoughts were hard for me to follow. But there were those moments that I just had sit back and say, "aha" as I understood what he was saying and agreed!
I had been a VERY different view of Revelation and prophecies concerning the "end times." This book had a much different perspective which really made sense to me.

[Jon Stallings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have come to believe if we see the book of Revelation as only being about the end times, we miss a great beauty of the book. Peterson does an outstanding job of opening up the beauty of Revelation. He follows the format of showing the Apostle John as a Theologian, Poet and Pastor. Any study of Revelation should include Reversed Thunder.

[John Angerer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book 3 times. It is hands down the best narrative commentary on the Book of Revelation. Accessible, informative and actually a page turner. This book is the reason I look forward to preaching Revelation on Sunday.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best writing on Revelation I’ve ever read. Peterson shows how Revelation is the entire story of the Bible retold in a fresh way. He demystifies Revelation in a way that makes it what it was intended to be - useful and explanatory.

[Josh Head · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whew. This book is clearly one of Peterson’s masterworks.

[Brent · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was difficult for me to follow. Of course so is Revelation.

[Allison Kohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual, Eugene Peterson's book, Reversed Thunder, is a well written encouragement for my family, the family of God to live a life of praise in harmony with our Savior and Friend. And, as usual, this book is encouraging and a powerful read for the family to consume for spiritual health.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the book on Revelation that I'll be recommending to people who want to shortcut deep, detailed study of the book, and instead want to get a sense of its pastoral and devotional importance. A bit waffley at times, but avoids many of the pitfalls of Revelation study, focussing instead on its purpose and its imaginative power.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John & the Praying Imagination by Eugene H. Peterson is a book that is revelatory in its own right, especially for those of us who were taught to fear the idea of Jesus’ second coming and any discussion of the last book of the Bible (which is why I decided to write a review). Peterson’s unfolding of the astonishing images of the Revelation fire the imagination in a life-giving way – he presents us with the dynamic picture of the kingdom of God at work in the here and now, and a picture of the ways we can joyfully participate in that kingdom. He does this by firing our imaginations as a means of grace instead of imposing a 20th/21st century fascination (obsession?) with calculations and formulas upon a text that operates from an ancient, holistic point of view. Reversed Thunder is not a new book – it was published in 1988 – but is still so relevant in a culture that desperately needs a dynamic, unifying view of a new city of God.

[Lucynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always had such a hard time associating the Jesus of the Gospels with the end times Jesus that was fed to me all of my life. If "Perfect Love casts out fear" why was I so afraid? Why were my fellow Christians constantly searching headlines for end times prophecy? Why did I have to buy into all these conspiracy theories?

This book offers such a fresh and realistic perspective on the book of Revelation. It has brought me peace at last. Does it answer all of our questions about John's revelation? No, but we are not supposed to understand all the mysteries of God. We are supposed to be seeking truth and not some drummed up conspiracy theory that has America as the winner,.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really a commentary on Revelation more of a series of topical reflections/meditations on the themes in Revelation. I really enjoyed Peterson's overall take on the book, particularly his use of imagination and his view that Revelation should not be left to the academics but should have a wide readership among laymen.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A commentary on the book of Revelation, but not in the typical sense. Peterson takes the book as a whole and not in bits and pieces, seeing it as a huge piece of art that both symbolically and literally enlarges our view of the world beyond our own. Mind expanding and hopeful.

[Elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short, popular commentary on the book of Revelation for the poetically inclined. You might not find out what the "thousand years" of Revelation 20 means, but you will be encouraged to find that Revelation is only and always about Jesus.

[Melvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are tired of the "scary" interpretations of John's book of Revelation, read this. It is a masterful exposition of how our daily living should be guided by all the books of the Bible.

[David Edgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revelation viewed from a pastor's heart. Insightful and touching.

[Esmi Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

read during a nine month period of slowly walking through the book of Revelation while simultaneously reading Apocalypse and Allegiance by J. Nelson Kraybill. i loved this one because it’s a more realistic, reflective, and applicable way of taking all the politics and academics from Revelation and applying it to one’s own personal life.

Peterson centers everything on the truth that Revelation is a book of worship, not prediction, and then shows what it means to actually worship in response. His writing is deeply reflective, focusing on how the Lord reveals Himself to John and how our own response of worship should take shape.
ultimately, the book affirms that Revelation is about the fullness of God and that true knowledge of God is never knowledge about God; it’s always relation with God.

“Christians worship with a conviction that they are in the presence of God. Worship is an act of attention to the living God who rules, speaks and reveals, creates and redeems, orders and blesses.” pg. 59

“Worship is the act in which our misunderstood and misspoken words are corrected and arranged into an expression of the whole truth of ourselves and our God; it is the act in which we find our fragmented lives corrected and arranged into a whole and perfect offering to God—by the action of the Lamb, we become ‘spotless’.” pg. 129

[Tristan Sherwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

St John’s poetic imagery finds itself in great expositional hands, as Peterson’s poetic prose artfully guides us through the book of Revelation.

It takes a poet to understand a poet. And I firmly believe that Peterson’s *Reversed Thunder* is a must read for anyone who is wanting to get to grips with one of the most complex and layered biblical books. Seriously, if you want to delve into Revelation, and although this isn’t a “commentary” as such, make sure you have this by your side.

So why I have only given this three stars?

I don’t know, maybe I’m just feeling a little off because of the bad stomach I currently have. But there are times here when I found Peterson meandering a little too much. I really do love Peterson’s beautiful descriptions and allegorical flair, and he does bring this text across in a relevant, insightful way. However, I found some passages difficult to follow: “How did we get here from the text?” and “Where are we going now?”, were questions I asked a few times.

But hey, I stand by what I said: This is a must read and it’ll be something I will definitely make reference too.

—Tristan Sherwin, author of *Love: Expressed*

[Luke Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination is a pastoral, thoughtful, and exegetically/theologically responsible study of the Book of Revelation. Each chapter focuses on a different theme/topic in the Revelation (e.g., judgment, salvation, politics, worship, etc.), while also moving chronologically through the entire biblical book. Peterson's approach is primarily pastoral, as he seeks to make the message(s) of the Revelation accessible to all Christians who are willing to listen, and he does so in a way that does not lend itself to hysteria, timetables/lines, and code-cracking, all of which are typical in many pastoral treatments of the Bible's last book. Because of Peterson's pastoral lens, there are many things about/in the Revelation that he does not interact with, at least explicitly, and yet, Peterson's book is, by no means, superficial, and there is much to glean from it, whether one is a layperson, a student, a pastor, or a scholar.

[Taylor Callen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Christian books I’ve ever read.

Peterson describes John not as a code-cracker or doomsday predictor, but as a poet. And fittingly, this book reads more like poetry than commentary. In fact, it fight feel like reading a commentary at all. It felt like being led through a Narnian wardrobe into a world of glory and awe.

Sometimes I finish a good book and arrogantly think, “With enough time and effort, I could have written something like this.” But Reversed Thunder? I couldn’t have written this in a thousand lifetimes. It’s that rich. That profound. That full of wonder.

I learned so much. I felt inspired. And more than anything, I worshiped the Lamb on the throne as I read.

Can’t recommend it highly enough.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find the speculation around the book of Revelation to be quite tiresome which is the reason why I've avoided the topic (and a reread of it) for years. But this interpretation was amazing because it didn't even try to establish a timeline or predict what each symbol could mean. It looked at how Revelation is the "last word" on so many topics relevant to life as a Christian (politics, worship, salvation) and how it reminds us of the limits of what we see now in comparison to the realities of who God is.

[Jens Hieber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was amazing. I've read/heard enough nonsense about Revelation that this was really refreshing, even if I didn't already hold Peterson in high esteem. He is knowledgeable, his writing is poetic (much like John's) and his reverence for the text is palpable even as he doesn't get drawn into the mine-field of speculation that so often surrounds this book.

[Katherine Pershey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eugene at his biblical best.

[Nathan Slonaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

some super strong nuggets of wisdom interspersed, but overall it felt a little all over the place / scattered - hard to follow at times!