30.5.07

The Lion & The Lamb - Volume 1

It's no secret that I am not a great reader (with the exception of the Word). I don't read a lot of books, Christian or otherwise. Those books I do read, it takes me a while to get through. For me to finish a book is an endorsement in itself! So this book review has been a long while coming! Roger, Matthew, Gavin and Richard have all beaten me to it.

I could, perhaps, have written the review before I read the book. I know the author and I was at the conference where the material in this book was preached. Those two facts alone would have been sufficient for me to recommend this book to anyone. Tony Ling has had an enormous influence in my life, as he has had for many. There is no-one who sparks, stirs and provokes the Spirit in me the way his gift does. And he was on top form during this conference. If you would like a sample you can listen to the first session for free on the School of the Prophets website. It should give you a good impression of the book too.

Since the book is based on transcripts of the conference, it preserves the life and dynamic of Tony's preaching style, and makes it a very easy read. For those of us who have had the privilege to hear Tony preach, you can almost hear his voice as you read along!

What I love about this book, is what I love about Tony's preaching. His great love and profound insight into the whole counsel of God's word, enables him to paint the big picture of God's great eternal plan, drawing on scriptures from all over the Word. He makes connections and draws parallels that makes your jaw drop; not just because you have never seen them before, but because once he has painted the picture for you, you can't believe you had never seen it before!

The topic of the book of Revelation may put some people off. There has been so much rubbish written on this book in the past, that many are quite naturally wary of paperbacks written on the subject (or if they are not, they should be!!) But with Tony you are "in safe hands." He handles the word of God with great respect and care, showing how the symbolism in Revelation can be found throughout the rest of the Bible, and so only in this context can it be understood. Thus this is not one of those books that draws predictions and theology from this book that cannot be founded anywhere else in the word; quite the opposite. Tony shows how this book fits into place as the ultimate revelation of Jesus Christ the returning conquering king, and the fulfilment of the purpose of God in the earth that begun in Genesis; a hope we are not detached from but integrally involved in hastening.

This book leaves you wanting more, which is good because it's only volume one of two. The second volume should be out sometime this year (I believe).

If you love God's word, and have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying through it, you will love this book.

You can order it from amazon.co.uk or amazon.com or from Living Rock Church

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, it's just gone to the top of my Amazon wish list :-)

Chris Hamer-Hodges said...

Cool! I know you will love it, Mark. I think it is right up your street :-)

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Chris Hamer-Hodges said...

Spammed by the Secret Rapture!

Seriously though, anyone who believes in a secret rapture needs to read this book... badly!

Ricky Carvel said...

Shame you deleted that, I was interested to read what that nutter had written. I started reading his blog once. Only managed to get about three lines in before I gave up...

Chris Hamer-Hodges said...

Ricky, If it was interesting or original, I would have kept it. If you have been spammed by this guy before then you know the exact content of the message, because it hasn't changed.

Spammers are rarely original or interesting. In fact they are rarely readers; just pasting the same comment into any blog post that matches certain keywords that they watch.

Rest assured that I value every genuine comment, regardless of the opinions expressed, as long as it falls within the bounds of decency and does not malign any third party (directly or by association).

Anonymous said...

Yes, I am a spammer. I just skim what's on the blog before I post.

Gavin White said...

Great Review Chris! - I enjoyed your summary of a great book by a great ministry of Christ in our generation....I too could hear Tony speak as I read the pages of this book...I love the book's faith and prophetic edge that points towards the radiant & glorious church that will herald the return of Jesus Christ.....I'm living for this dream to become reality in my lifetime!