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A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times
Amillennialism, dispensational premillennialism, historic premillennialism, postmillennialism, preterism. These are difficult words to pronounce and even harder concepts to understand. A Case for Amillennialism presents an accessible look at the crucial theological question of the millennium in the context of contemporary evangelicalism.
This study defends amillennialism as the historic Protestant understanding of the millennial age. Amillennarians believe that the millennium of Christ's heavenly reign is a present reality, not a future hope to come after his return.
Recognizing that eschatology, the study of future things, is a complicated and controversial subject, Riddlebarger provides definitions of key terms and a helpful overview of various viewpoints. He examines related biblical topics as a backdrop to understanding the subject and discusses important passages of Scripture that bear upon the millennial age, including Daniel 9, Matthew 24, Romans 11, and Revelation 20.
Regardless of their stance, readers will find helpful insight as Riddlebarger evaluates the main problems facing each of the major millennial positions and cautions readers to be aware of the spiraling consequences of each view.
This study defends amillennialism as the historic Protestant understanding of the millennial age. Amillennarians believe that the millennium of Christ's heavenly reign is a present reality, not a future hope to come after his return.
Recognizing that eschatology, the study of future things, is a complicated and controversial subject, Riddlebarger provides definitions of key terms and a helpful overview of various viewpoints. He examines related biblical topics as a backdrop to understanding the subject and discusses important passages of Scripture that bear upon the millennial age, including Daniel 9, Matthew 24, Romans 11, and Revelation 20.
Regardless of their stance, readers will find helpful insight as Riddlebarger evaluates the main problems facing each of the major millennial positions and cautions readers to be aware of the spiraling consequences of each view.
272 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2003
About the author
Kim Riddlebarger
90 books27 followersDr. Riddlebarger is a minister in the United Reformed Churches of North America and currently pastors Christ Reformed Church in Anaheim, CA. He is also visiting professor of systematic theology at Westminster Seminary California and a frequent contributor to Tabletalk and Modern Reformation. He has written two books on the end times: A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times, and The Man of Sin: Uncovering The Truth About the Antichrist. For free resources on this subject visit his blog, The Riddleblog, where he has a plethora of free charts, manuscripts and audio.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
November 17, 2020
A Case for Amillennialism is a thorough, well-organized, and easy to read book on the topic of Amillennialism. After coming to saving faith in 2013, I attended a number of churches that held to the Dispensational view of eschatology. I read this book after listening to a 13 part podcast series hosted by Theology Simply Profound (https://www.monergism.com/dispensatio...). Together they have completely obliterated any lingering dispensational leanings I may have been holding on to.
I do, however, continue to waffle between being postmil and amil. I blame this on RC Sproul 😁. I admire him as a teacher and theologian and it was his book What Is Reformed Theology?: Understanding the Basics that I credit for my radical shift in theology since January 2016. In his book The Last Days According to Jesus, which I also read this year, he laid out the case for postmillennialism (partial preterist) very succinctly.
Thankfully my salvation does not depend on which side of the debate I come down on.
If you are interested in studying Amillennialism, I highly recommend Kim Riddlebarger's book.
I do, however, continue to waffle between being postmil and amil. I blame this on RC Sproul 😁. I admire him as a teacher and theologian and it was his book What Is Reformed Theology?: Understanding the Basics that I credit for my radical shift in theology since January 2016. In his book The Last Days According to Jesus, which I also read this year, he laid out the case for postmillennialism (partial preterist) very succinctly.
Thankfully my salvation does not depend on which side of the debate I come down on.
If you are interested in studying Amillennialism, I highly recommend Kim Riddlebarger's book.
July 20, 2015
An excellent and timely book, as the second edition/printing was just released last year. Riddlebarger makes a clear, compelling, and cogent case for the amillennial position utilizing sound exegesis. Emphasizing the continuity of the covenants, and two-age model (present age and age to come), the kingdom of God which is a present reality (inaugurated) and will be fully made manifest in the age to come (consummated), we learn that Christ is reigning now with the elect saints from heaven. A reality that those in the body have sealed down payment for, as Christ's resurrection is the first fruits and guarantee that we are raised now ( πρώτος αναστάσις, regeneration), and will be raised at the end of the age. Satan is bound even as we are to bind the Strong Man, as Christ made a spectacle of all the powers, crushing them under foot as the Gospel now goes forth. The evil will grow thicker even as the Gospel is preached to the four corners, a necessary theological juxtaposition. All of the issues I have always had with dispensationalism and premillennialism but never found answers to were answered wonderfully in Riddlebarger's treatment. Simply a must read.
March 7, 2018
After growing up under dispensational teachings but finding them problematic as an adult, I dabbled in preterism for a bit. But I found that it has almost as many problems as dispensationalism does. This work on ammillenialism has brought me around to something of a middle position. I think it makes the most sense of OT prophecy and Revelation.
I was most interested to see how he explains Daniel's 70 weeks. As a child, the weeks were made much of in my grandfather's dispensational teachings. Riddlebarger's assertion that the verses about the covenant are referring to Christ and not the anti-Christ have given me a lot of food for thought. I want to research this more but in the meantime, I am having trouble seeing these verses in the old way anymore.
When stripped to the absolute bare bones of expected events before Jesus' return, I didn't see much difference between amillennialism and post-tribulation dispensationalism. For me, the importance lies in the differing understanding of what has been accomplished that results from each of the views. Amillennialism removes all need for constantly trying to relate events in the Middle East to Revelation and other such modern day “prophetic”antics. The signs of the end times are universal and in every age and “point to and warn of the reality of future judgment but not its time.” More importantly, it shows how complete Jesus' victory on the cross was. There will be no need to return to types and shadows and temples as is required by a dispensational interpretation.
Basically, this is an excellent introduction to amillennialism. His hermeneutical approach is using scripture to interpret scripture. In the case of the 1000 year reign, it means assessing how Jesus and other New Testament authors viewed the prophetic portions of the Old Testament. Although there are some assertions that are not supported in his text, such as amillennialism being the major view of church fathers, it discusses all major points of view respectfully, supports it's own view with sound appraisal of Scripture, and writes succinctly making it a work of good quality.
I was most interested to see how he explains Daniel's 70 weeks. As a child, the weeks were made much of in my grandfather's dispensational teachings. Riddlebarger's assertion that the verses about the covenant are referring to Christ and not the anti-Christ have given me a lot of food for thought. I want to research this more but in the meantime, I am having trouble seeing these verses in the old way anymore.
When stripped to the absolute bare bones of expected events before Jesus' return, I didn't see much difference between amillennialism and post-tribulation dispensationalism. For me, the importance lies in the differing understanding of what has been accomplished that results from each of the views. Amillennialism removes all need for constantly trying to relate events in the Middle East to Revelation and other such modern day “prophetic”antics. The signs of the end times are universal and in every age and “point to and warn of the reality of future judgment but not its time.” More importantly, it shows how complete Jesus' victory on the cross was. There will be no need to return to types and shadows and temples as is required by a dispensational interpretation.
Basically, this is an excellent introduction to amillennialism. His hermeneutical approach is using scripture to interpret scripture. In the case of the 1000 year reign, it means assessing how Jesus and other New Testament authors viewed the prophetic portions of the Old Testament. Although there are some assertions that are not supported in his text, such as amillennialism being the major view of church fathers, it discusses all major points of view respectfully, supports it's own view with sound appraisal of Scripture, and writes succinctly making it a work of good quality.
May 28, 2025
COMPELLING
I wasn’t prepared for A Case for Amillenialism to so thoroughly discuss other millennial views. I am deeply impressed by this in depth study as it is fair, clear, and considerate of differing opinions whilst arguing for the amillennial position.
Kim Riddlebarger was taught dispensationalism, but he had doubts.
“If Jesus is the true temple, why would the temple be rebuilt during the millennium? Why would animals be sacrificed during the millennial age when Christ's death on the cross did away with them? How can there be people on earth in unresurrected bodies after Christ comes back and raises the dead? Why are those who claim to take prophetic passages literally forced to insert gaps in Daniel's prophecy of the seventy weeks and in Jesus's teaching about judgment occurring at his second coming?”
If you share some of the same doubts or enjoy studying eschatology, then pick this one up. It is not an easy read, so be prepared for some serious study, but it is well worth your time.
I wasn’t prepared for A Case for Amillenialism to so thoroughly discuss other millennial views. I am deeply impressed by this in depth study as it is fair, clear, and considerate of differing opinions whilst arguing for the amillennial position.
Kim Riddlebarger was taught dispensationalism, but he had doubts.
“If Jesus is the true temple, why would the temple be rebuilt during the millennium? Why would animals be sacrificed during the millennial age when Christ's death on the cross did away with them? How can there be people on earth in unresurrected bodies after Christ comes back and raises the dead? Why are those who claim to take prophetic passages literally forced to insert gaps in Daniel's prophecy of the seventy weeks and in Jesus's teaching about judgment occurring at his second coming?”
If you share some of the same doubts or enjoy studying eschatology, then pick this one up. It is not an easy read, so be prepared for some serious study, but it is well worth your time.
Read
December 21, 2025I’m contractually obligated to be a premillennialist until May 2026…
August 23, 2023
This was probably the most compelling treatment of Amillennialism I’ve read. I highly recommend for those wrestling through this issue. I would highly recommend it even if you desired a very thorough critique of dispensational hermeneutics in general— I think he represents the opposing view well and is charitable, but pulls no punches.
January 24, 2022
Does a very good job of showing the untenability of premillennialism, especially premil dispensationalism.
July 29, 2022
Should be required reading for everyone that thinks “left behind” is an eschatology textbook
February 22, 2025
I can say, without a doubt, that I believe in the amill position. The book was laid it out well and it was easy to understand. Highly recommend this book to anyone who is on the fence or have another end times view.
January 30, 2024
I don't know if I am entirely convinced of his interpretation of Daniel 9 and the future personal antichrist, but I am very convinced by the redemptive-historical idealist perspective that leads to amillennialism. This was a great book, very helpful in answering a number of questions that I had.
February 9, 2020
This book was a really challenging read as far as how difficult it was to follow at times. Instead of the author simply presenting the amillenial view, he changes voices a lot when he is discussing the other views such as pre and post-trib, which made it hard to really focus on simply what the right view is. That aside, I do believe this is the biblical view of the end times even though I was raised in a dispensational church. This book is a wonderful read if you are looking for a scriptural interpretation of the end times from an Old Testament and New Testament perspective. Just remember the popular theological views in the American church are not always the correct ones, but I do not consider views on the end times dogma, and like the author states at the end, all Christians look forward to that day when Christ returns and we will be with him forever.
June 10, 2025
Good introduction to the matter. I especially liked Part 2 which was devoted to detailing the overall course of redemptive history so that we can situate our discussion of the end in that context.
April 8, 2025
Overall, insightful and helpful. So many books on Revelation are marked by vain speculation, fear mongering, and a heavy conspiratorial spirit. This book will help anyone lost in those unhelpful resources to come back to earth.
I’ve always described myself as leaning amil but this book may have pushed me fully into the camp.
I will say that most of this book can be described as “A Case Against Dispensational Premillennialism” (which is fine in its own right, but not what I was looking for). I think if you were raised in dispensational traditional, this book would be extraordinarily helpful at answering your questions. I wasn’t raised in that tradition so I felt like it dragged on a bit.
The real value of this book lies in chapters 16 & 17 which are his chapters on Rev. 20 and the signs of the times. I’ll probably recommend this book to a lot of people, but if they’re already decidedly not a dispensationalist, I’ll probably just recommend they read those two.
I’ve always described myself as leaning amil but this book may have pushed me fully into the camp.
I will say that most of this book can be described as “A Case Against Dispensational Premillennialism” (which is fine in its own right, but not what I was looking for). I think if you were raised in dispensational traditional, this book would be extraordinarily helpful at answering your questions. I wasn’t raised in that tradition so I felt like it dragged on a bit.
The real value of this book lies in chapters 16 & 17 which are his chapters on Rev. 20 and the signs of the times. I’ll probably recommend this book to a lot of people, but if they’re already decidedly not a dispensationalist, I’ll probably just recommend they read those two.
July 26, 2021
This was a good look at Amillennialism. Truth be told, I came already in the mindset that Amillennialism made the most sense to me according to Scripture, so I wasn't exactly won over from another side.
If you're already very familiar with reformed theology the first half of the book will be a lot of review. The third section which exposited four key end times texts was the most interesting to me, and I think Riddlebarger did a good job at walking through those.
I read a review that he interacted mainly with more extreme views of premillennialism, so that was something that made me curious as I read - are there any different arguments for premil I'm missing? I don't believe they'd sway me, but I wondered.
Though some of this book was a little slow for me, I couldn't help but find myself so encouraged thinking about Christ's return. I tend to agree with the quoted Jurgen Moltmann- that eschatology is not just a *part* of Christian doctrine, but a characteristic of it all. And this should true for the premil, amil, and postmil.
If you're already very familiar with reformed theology the first half of the book will be a lot of review. The third section which exposited four key end times texts was the most interesting to me, and I think Riddlebarger did a good job at walking through those.
I read a review that he interacted mainly with more extreme views of premillennialism, so that was something that made me curious as I read - are there any different arguments for premil I'm missing? I don't believe they'd sway me, but I wondered.
Though some of this book was a little slow for me, I couldn't help but find myself so encouraged thinking about Christ's return. I tend to agree with the quoted Jurgen Moltmann- that eschatology is not just a *part* of Christian doctrine, but a characteristic of it all. And this should true for the premil, amil, and postmil.
February 7, 2026
This is an excellent, thorough, treatment of critical eschatological passages from the Amil perspective.
4 stars because this man needed an editor a little bit. He repeats himself 3-4 times in several places, especially at the end🙃
A good read!
4 stars because this man needed an editor a little bit. He repeats himself 3-4 times in several places, especially at the end🙃
A good read!
October 3, 2012
This is an excellent book for the way it handles dispensationalism and premillennialism. Riddlebarger wants to be an optimistic amillennialist "as regards the kingdom", yet still holds the New Testament anticipates "Christ's direct intervention to a wicked and unbelieving world like in the days of Noah (Matt. 24:37-38)" (p237). As much as I appreciate the effort, it makes no sense to be optimistic about God's kingdom and simultaneously believe the kingdoms of this world will surround and beat it back. Thankfully the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord (anyone heading to Handel's Messiah this Christmas?), and the gates of hell will not (defensively) prevail against.
Riddlebarger interprets many passages in the NT which I believe pertain to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD as about the end of the world. He also caricatures postmillennialism, or handles an aberrant and minority version of it, as a belief that somehow this gospel/millennial age is a sweet and peachy one. Postmil theology declares the blood of martyrs is the seed of the church. How is martyrdom consistent with kingdom growth? The way it is in Acts.
Riddlebarger admits he considered postmillennialism in college but could not reconcile it with all the evil he sees on every side in the modern world. This seems to me profoundly backwards. Of course the world is full of evil. But if there was not an iota of eschatalogical doctrine in the Bible (impossible, I know, but if), then what we conclude about the growth of the gospel since the resurrection of Jesus? Two billion Christians and counting, unparalleled advance in technology, medicine, etc. This is not an exegetical argument, but it should give push back against the common line that optimistic Americans can be prone to postmillennialism. I think the doctrine, like all, should be settled first in Scripture. Don't do your theology in the newspaper. But if anything is consistent with postmillennialism, it is human history over the last 2000 years. The earth isn't near as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea, but anyone who hasn't seen the kingdom grow--recently in the southern hemisphere even as it declines in the north and west--isn't paying attention.
Riddlebarger interprets many passages in the NT which I believe pertain to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD as about the end of the world. He also caricatures postmillennialism, or handles an aberrant and minority version of it, as a belief that somehow this gospel/millennial age is a sweet and peachy one. Postmil theology declares the blood of martyrs is the seed of the church. How is martyrdom consistent with kingdom growth? The way it is in Acts.
Riddlebarger admits he considered postmillennialism in college but could not reconcile it with all the evil he sees on every side in the modern world. This seems to me profoundly backwards. Of course the world is full of evil. But if there was not an iota of eschatalogical doctrine in the Bible (impossible, I know, but if), then what we conclude about the growth of the gospel since the resurrection of Jesus? Two billion Christians and counting, unparalleled advance in technology, medicine, etc. This is not an exegetical argument, but it should give push back against the common line that optimistic Americans can be prone to postmillennialism. I think the doctrine, like all, should be settled first in Scripture. Don't do your theology in the newspaper. But if anything is consistent with postmillennialism, it is human history over the last 2000 years. The earth isn't near as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea, but anyone who hasn't seen the kingdom grow--recently in the southern hemisphere even as it declines in the north and west--isn't paying attention.
February 25, 2020
Great. Exactly the perspective I needed to read while finally getting around to looking at this area of my theology. Riddlebarger is a former dispensational premillennialist who is now a Reformed amillennialist. Riddlebarger makes his position known up front and then clearly, respectfully, yet relentlessly works his way through opposing views of eschatology. Many aspects of dispensational premillennialism had left me confused and had made me avoid studying eschatology and eschatological passages/books of the Bible - after reading this book, I feel I now have a clear perspective of a different way of seeing the End Times, of an eschatological position that actually makes sense and is Biblically consistent within the redemptive-historical framework of covenant theology.
This book convinced me pretty early in; it was more detailed than I expected and, thanks to it being an interlibrary loan with a ticking timer due date, I certainly owe the final part more time and thought than I gave it. Would love to reread the last section with the goal of actually studying the passages. Incredibly helpful book overall.
This book convinced me pretty early in; it was more detailed than I expected and, thanks to it being an interlibrary loan with a ticking timer due date, I certainly owe the final part more time and thought than I gave it. Would love to reread the last section with the goal of actually studying the passages. Incredibly helpful book overall.
January 1, 2013
A succinct and helpful introduction to what Riddlebarger argues is the 'Historic Reformed Protestant' understanding of the millennial reign of Christ in Revelation 20 (Amillennialism). One of my professors found this to be a good read, so I picked it up. I considered myself Amill before reading this book, but now I find myself to be very convinced. I cannot get over the problems that premillennialists must overcome in order to remain consistent with their own framework. If you are premillennial then you may find yourself on the defensive quite a bit as Riddlebarger's style is quite polemical at many points. I wish he could have nuanced the diversity of premillennial views (such as the emerging progressive dispensational view) more often, but the book would have been far too long for the average reader. Overall, quite pleased with this read.
March 20, 2021
This might be one of the most influential and impactful books I’ve read in my ten years of faith. The whole Bible truly is eschatological and what we think about eschatology influences so much about how we read and interpret scripture, how we live, what we think about the Church’s role in culture, and how much of God’s beauty we behold. This book drew me closer to Christ and made me long to know him more and more. It gave me so much hope in His Kingdom. It gave me endurance and faith in this “already but not yet” place in history. I think every Christian should read it. Studying eschatology is something I put off for a while because I truly didn’t think it was that important to my whole understanding of God and his Kingdom. Spoiler alert: it is SO important. Read this ASAP.
January 27, 2026
Mr Riddelbarger presents a very compelling case for an amillenial understanding of the end times. His exposition of Daniel 9, Revelation 20 are standouts as those are key passages in the debate. He also exposes the inconsistensies of other views, and addresses perceived flaws with Amillenialism. I'm rating it 4 stars, becausr in some places, it can be hard to read, and require 100% concentration.
June 26, 2011
A thorough exposition of the amillennial position, though a more accurate title would have been "A Case Against Premillenialism: Arguments Against Walvoord, Ladd, and Pentecost as Presented by Hoekema and Kline."
April 18, 2026
A very helpful look at the various Christian eschatological positions and defense of amillennialism. Much of the book deals with refuting dispensationalism. The exegesis of the primary scripture passages dealing with eschatology are very helpful.
April 21, 2009
Not for the faint of heart or those with little time.
August 5, 2019
Not shabby, however I believe there are perhaps two other Amill books I’d recommend ahead of this one.
The Promise of the Future, by Cornelius Venema is a more modern take (replacement) on: The Bible and the Future, by Anthony Hoekema. An interesting and easy to follow along would be: Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative, by Sam Storms.
I culled this from a good thread on PuritanBoard:
Bibliography for Revelation and Amil:
* G.K. Beale, New International Greek Testament Commentary: Revelation; The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: 1-2 Thessalonians; Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament; Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament: Exegesis and Interpretation; and The Use of Daniel in Jewish Apocalyptic Literature and in the Revelation of St. John
* Dennis E. Johnson, Triumph of the Lamb
* Cornelis P. Venema, The Promise of the Future
* William Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors; and Three Lectures on the Book of Revelation
* Michael Wilcock, The Message of Revelation
* Richard Bauckham, The Climax of Prophecy; and The Theology of the Book of Revelation
* Kim Riddlebarger, The Man of Sin: Uncovering the Truth About the Antichrist; and, A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times
* David J. Engelsma, Christ’s Spiritual Kingdom: A Defense of Reformed Amillennialism (A shortened online version); and The Messianic Kingdom and Civil Government (article)
* Stephen S. Smalley, The Revelation To John: A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Apocalypse
* Vern Poythress, The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation
* R.C.H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Revelation
* Stuart Olyott, Dare to Stand Alone: Daniel Simply Explained
* Samuel E. Waldron, The End Times Made Simple
* Anthony Hoekema, The Bible and the Future
* Simon J. Kistemaker, New Testament Commentary: Revelation
* Arturo Azurdia, An Exposition of the Book of Revelation (81 MP3 sermons)
William E. Cox, Amillennialism Today
* Leon Morris, The Book of Revelation (Revised Edition)
* G.B. Caird, The Revelation of Saint John
Richard Bewes, The Lamb Wins
Herman Hoeksema, Behold, He Cometh! [with some reservations]
* Sam Storms, Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative (he was premil, and now uses his old knowledge to expose its errors)
Ian Boxall, The Revelation of Saint John
The Promise of the Future, by Cornelius Venema is a more modern take (replacement) on: The Bible and the Future, by Anthony Hoekema. An interesting and easy to follow along would be: Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative, by Sam Storms.
I culled this from a good thread on PuritanBoard:
Bibliography for Revelation and Amil:
* G.K. Beale, New International Greek Testament Commentary: Revelation; The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: 1-2 Thessalonians; Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament; Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament: Exegesis and Interpretation; and The Use of Daniel in Jewish Apocalyptic Literature and in the Revelation of St. John
* Dennis E. Johnson, Triumph of the Lamb
* Cornelis P. Venema, The Promise of the Future
* William Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors; and Three Lectures on the Book of Revelation
* Michael Wilcock, The Message of Revelation
* Richard Bauckham, The Climax of Prophecy; and The Theology of the Book of Revelation
* Kim Riddlebarger, The Man of Sin: Uncovering the Truth About the Antichrist; and, A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times
* David J. Engelsma, Christ’s Spiritual Kingdom: A Defense of Reformed Amillennialism (A shortened online version); and The Messianic Kingdom and Civil Government (article)
* Stephen S. Smalley, The Revelation To John: A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Apocalypse
* Vern Poythress, The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation
* R.C.H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Revelation
* Stuart Olyott, Dare to Stand Alone: Daniel Simply Explained
* Samuel E. Waldron, The End Times Made Simple
* Anthony Hoekema, The Bible and the Future
* Simon J. Kistemaker, New Testament Commentary: Revelation
* Arturo Azurdia, An Exposition of the Book of Revelation (81 MP3 sermons)
William E. Cox, Amillennialism Today
* Leon Morris, The Book of Revelation (Revised Edition)
* G.B. Caird, The Revelation of Saint John
Richard Bewes, The Lamb Wins
Herman Hoeksema, Behold, He Cometh! [with some reservations]
* Sam Storms, Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative (he was premil, and now uses his old knowledge to expose its errors)
Ian Boxall, The Revelation of Saint John
August 11, 2026
Highly recommend. The “end times/millennium/first and second resurrections/rapture/Gog and Magog/role of Israel/ discussion always seemed so complex to me, born and raised in a very dispensationalist context, raised on the “left behind” series, that unfortunately shaped and reinforced much of my theology and eschatology. I started asking questions about eschatology as I began to notice an unbalanced focus in much of the church on the end times and the Antichrist and the possible building of the 3rd temple and the tribulation and on and on and on. So many Christians who focus heavily on the end times are also ruled by fear rather than an eager expectation of Jesus’ appearing. This book addresses all of the above very well. Since eschatology is not a core doctrine or salvation issue, though many treat it that way, I have gained confidence in holding it with an open hand, and trying to objectively weigh the different schools of thought. I will say that my stance has drastically changed and that reading the scripture for itself without the constant emphasis on current events and without using current events AS THE LENS through which we interpret scripture has been a game changer. He ends the book with a great charge to Christians that, despite our sometimes heated debate on this topic, we all are unified in our longing for the day when Christ appears and puts a final end to sin and suffering. This is the blessed hope and one day the curse will end and all will be made new. THAT is something we can all agree on. 🙌
May 20, 2023
This was my first intro to eschatology and it was fascinating. The author introduced the main eschatological views in Christianity and then goes on to present why amilliennialism makes the best sense. It was really a great introduction to the topic and completely put me in the amillennial camp. My favorite part about reading this book was that my dad had taken a class with the author on the topic a few decades ago. He say's he probably still has the papers from it too! It was really fun discussion the book with my dad and going over the different views. I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in trying to understand the different eschatological views.
April 2, 2018
This work by Dr. Riddlebarger sold me. I was leaning towards amillennialism prior to reading but now I am confident in it. Kim's work guides the reader through understanding basic features of eschatology, both Old and New Testament passages, and then extensive commentary on the chief passages (i.e. Revelation 20). I would recommend this book to others for it is persuasive and not difficult to read. He also does a good job of summarizing opposing views and what their hypothetical rebuttals would be.
July 23, 2026
5 stars because of the clarity. I read his “The Man of Sin” years ago and thought it was difficult to read. Now I want to go back and see if that was more of a me problem than a book problem.
August 29, 2026
A very thorough and compelling book!
For my own future notes:
Pages 31-32 - “There are approaches to the book of Revelation other than preterism or futurism, however. One approach is the so-called historicist school, the traditional Protestant interpretation that stresses the identification of Babylon the Great with the city of Rome.
This perspective views Revelation as a symbolic prophecy of the entire history of the church down to the return of Christ and the end of the age. The numerous symbols of the book designate various historical movements and events in the western world and the Christian church.... One of the prevailing features of this interpretation has been the view that the beast is the Roman papacy and the false prophet the Roman Church. This view was so widely held that for a long time it was called the Protestant view."
Pages 39-40 - “Amillennialism was not recognized as a distinct position until around the turn of the twentieth century. Until then, amillenarians called themselves postmillennial because they believed Christ would come back after the millennial age, but they were different from traditional postmillenarians in that they did not belleve in an earthly millennial age yet to dawn. Dutch statesman and theologian Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) may have been the first to use the term amillennial.
In point of fact, it is the amillennial position that has been the predominant eschatological view of Christianity since the days of St. Augustine.”
Page 48 - “Since all the Old Testament prophecies regarding the life of Christ are literally fulfilled in the New Testament, dispensationalists contend that prophecies regarding other eschatological themes must also be literally fulfilled. These include the restoration of the nation of Israel, the revival of the Roman Empire, a reign of Christ on earth after his return, and the land promises of the Abrahamic covenant.”
Page 52 - “The differences between the two millennial viewpoints are, therefore, largely due to the hermeneutical presuppositions that their adherents bring to the study of the data. Because of their commitment to a literal interpretation of the Bible, dispensationalists see Old Testament prophecy as the determinative category through which New Testament prophetic data is interpreted. For example, the book of Revelation must be interpreted by the book of Daniel, according to the dispensationalist hermeneutic. The amillenarians, on the other hand, see the New Testament data as the determinative category by which Old Testament and future eschatology are to be interpreted. Therefore, amillenarians see the book of Revelation as the God-given interpretation of Daniel.”
Pages 77-78 - “Another way New Testament writers linked the coming Redeemer with the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy was by referring to the new messianic age as the "last days." In fact, the phrase "latter days" appears twenty-seven times in the New Testament. In several instances, the phrase was used of the end of history, but in most instances it was used of the eschatological epoch that began in the New Testament era with the coming of Jesus Christ.' Based on the emphasis the apostolic writers placed on the unity between the Old Testament, which had foretold the messianic age, and the revelation of the Messiah, it's clear they were conscious that the first advent marked the beginning of the last days and the dawn of the age to come.”
Page 83 - “One of the most compelling lines of biblical evidence for the amillennial position is how a number of Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in the New.
Setting these matters out carefully is important when treating the subject of the millennium, especially since dispensational premillenarians insist on a literal fulfillment of these prophecies in a future millennial age.
If these prophecies have already been fulfilled in Jesus Christ, much of the dispensational case for a future earthly millennium simply evaporates.”
Page 91 - “It was in Christ's resurrection and ascension, therefore, that God fulfilled his promise that David's greater son would rule the nations with an everlasting kingdom. People's greatest foe is death, and in his resurrection Jesus emerged victorious. This is why his kingdom is everlasting and why he is both Lord and Christ. When dispensationalists complain that amillenarians spiritualize these great Old Testament prophecies by saying they are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, perhaps they should take this up with the apostles who did the very thing of which dispensationalists are so critical.”
Page 94 - “Jesus told the Samaritan woman that he could give her living water and that "whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst" (John 4:14). Jesus declared that he fulfilled the image Ezekiel foretold in chapter 37 of his prophecy when he spoke of water flowing from the sanctuary. If Jesus is the true temple of God, he alone gives us the "living water" that takes away the thirst of human sin and longing.”
Page 95 - “We now turn to the overall framework provided by the New Testament writers, who spoke of eschatological matters with one voice. They depicted God's sovereign control of history as distinct and successive eschatological ages known as "this age" and "the age to come." Throughout the New Testament, "this age" refers to the present course of human history, while "the age to come" refers to the age of redemption realized with the coming of Jesus Christ, his bodily resurrection, and his exaltation.”
Page 97 - “The idea of a general resurrection occurring at Christ's second advent presents a serious problem for premillennialists who argue that people in natural bodies continue to populate the earth during Christ's millennial rule after the resurrection of the righteous. If the age to come is the age of resurrection in which there are no marriages or sexual relationships, how can people escape this universal event and repopulate the earth after Christ returns? This is an impossibility.
Page 99 - “The solution to this overstated dilemma is to connect the terms already and not yet to the more concrete terms this age and the age to come. The already refers to the eternal blessings of the age to come that are realized in the present, while the not yet refers to the blessings of the age to come to be realized in the consummation. Neither dispensationalists nor millenarians in general can account for the significance of the biblical writers' view of history as a successive unfolding of two distinct eschatological ages.”
Page 110 - “[for] contemporary Reformed postmillennialists - The first critical question to be asked of those who hold this position is whether the Bible teaches that there will be a gradual amelioration of evil during this present age as moderate postmillenarians argue. A second and related question is whether Jesus Christ returns to a saved world as postmillennialists such as B. B. Warfield contend. Or does Christ return to save the world as amillenarians believe?”
Page 122 - “A second sign of the presence of the kingdom was that Satan fell from heaven and was bound. When the seventy-two followers returned from preaching the gospel, Jesus reported that he saw "Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (Luke 10:18). This becomes clear when cross-referenced with the binding of Satan as described in Revelation 20:1-10 and the mysterious "restrainer" of 2 Thessalonians 2:7. Not only did Satan fall from heaven and become bound, but the mystery of lawlessness was also restrained. Why? Because the kingdom of God had come.”
Page 135 - “As Hoekema points out:
The Hebrew term qahal, commonly rendered ekklesia in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible), is applied to Israel in the Old Testament. To give just a few examples, we find the word qahal used of the assembly or congregation of Israel in Exodus 12:6, Numbers 14:5, Deuteronomy 5:22, Joshua 8:35, Ezra 2:64, and Joel 2:16. Since the Septuagint was the Bible of the apostles, their use of the Greek word ekklesia, the Septuagint equivalent of qahal, for the New Testament church clearly indicates continuity between that church and Old Testament Israel.
When God's new covenant people gather for worship, that assembly is known as the ekklesia-the same term used by Greek-speaking Jews of the diaspora of the formal religious assemblies of their fathers. Surely, this connection is not accidental.”
Page 146 - “It is my contention that Christ's church will face two significant threats associated with the Antichrist. The first of these threats is internal—a series of antichrists who arise within the church and are tied to a particular heresy, the denial that Jesus Christ is God in human flesh. This internal threat has been present since the days of the apostles in the form of various heresies and Will be present until the time of the end when Jesus Christ returns.
The second threat is external-the repeated manifestation of the mysterious beast throughout the course of history (as depicted in the book of Revelation), taking the form of state-sponsored heresy and the persecution of Christ's church and the people of God.”
Page 150 - “Even though Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians before AD 70 (about AD 50/51), he was probably not referring to the events of AD 70 but to the time of the end. In verse 8, he wrote, "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming" (ESV). The spirit of lawlessness (anomia) was already present when Paul wrote his letter but was presently being restrained.
"For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way" (v. 7 ESV). This restraint probably refers to the preaching of the gospel and is Paul's description of the "binding" of Satan mentioned by John in Revelation 20:1-10.1 If true, this places the binding of Satan in the present age and not in a future millennial age, as taught by premillenarians.”
Page 153 - “Gematria—drawing numerical value from a word or phrase—might be in view if the number 666 is a reference to Nero. But even if this is a cryptic reference to Nero, it is far more important to understand what the number means than to identify the individual to whom it refers. Six falls one short of 7(the number of completeness). The beast mimics Christ but always falls short. Six represents fallen humanity, always laboring but never entering the Sabbath rest (the seventh day of creation typifying the eternal Sabbath rest).
The triple 6s indicate the beast, who along with the dragon (Satan) and the second beast (or false prophet) mimics the Holy Trinity but is condemned to fall short of completeness. The beast can never rise above humanity to attain the deity it so desires.”
Page 179 - “There is always much discussion about this prophecy given the cryptic use of "seventy weeks" or "seventy sevens" as the time frame in which the prophecy is to be fulfilled. Again, the key here is to look for other biblical-theological images that lend us help in interpretation. Since the entire prophecy was couched in covenantal imagery and language, the key to the meaning of the "sevens" is found in the sabbatical pattern established in Leviticus 25:1-4: "The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 'Speak to the Israelites and say to them, "When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. For six years sow your fields.... But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest."'" In Daniel's prophecy, the first of the sevens (v. 25) comprises seven sabbatical years (forty-nine years total), which constitutes the jubilee (Lev. 25:8), in which the "seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years." This, in turn, preceded the fiftieth year, in which liberty was to be proclaimed "throughout the land to all of its inhabitants" (v. 10).
The total period of seventy sevens in Daniel 9:24-27, therefore, constitutes ten jubilee eras, with the emphasis falling on the ultimate jubilee yet to come after 490 years had passed. In other words, the messianic age.”
Page 184 - “The final question has to do with two clauses in verse 27, "In the middle of the 'seven he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." How can an end of sacrifice be fulfilled by the death of Jesus, since Jewish sacrifices continued after Christ's crucifixion until the temple was destroyed in AD 70?
Several things can be said in response to this. For one thing, the author of Hebrews taught that Christ's death put an end to sacrifices in a religious sense. In Hebrews 9:26, we read that Christ appeared "at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself" (cf. also Heb. 7:11; 10:8-9).
Once Christ ratified God's covenant on Calvary, the sacrifices that continued in the temple were an abomination to God. When Christ was cut off from his own, the temple veil was torn from top to bottom. From that moment forward, the temple became desolate, and acceptable sacrifices ceased. The events that transpired in AD 70 with the Roman assault on Jerusalem and its temple were now assured.”
Page 198 - “The reason people were to flee the city was that the horrors to come upon Jerusalem in AD 70 would be the worst that Jerusalem had ever experienced. They would be greater than those associated with the destruction of the temple in 583 BC and the desolation of 163 BC at the hands of Antiochus Epiphanes. This would be Israel's darkest hour. Desolation would fall on the city and the temple, and the people would be dispersed to the ends of the earth.
Anyone who has ever read Josephus's description of the Roman siege of Jerusalem, including the great famine and infant cannibalism, cannot help but be moved by the unspeakable horrors the people endured while the Roman army crushed the revolt and burned the temple to the ground. In fact, once the temple burned—accidentally and against Titus's orders—the soldiers were so eager to retrieve the gold that had melted and had flowed into the cracks berween the stones that they overturned the huge stones of the burned-out building. As Jesus himself had predicted, not one stone was left standing upon another.”
Page 202 - “Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Jesus must have meant that his coming could not be fulfilled by the events of AD 70.
He had just told his disciples the exact time when Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed—when they saw the abomination that makes desolate standing in the temple. When that happened, it would be time to flee. But now Jesus was obviously speaking of an event about which no one can know the day or the hour except his Father in heaven. Clearly, the subject has shifted from the events associated with the destruction of the temple to the end of the age.”
Pages 227-228 - “Some say the problem with dispensationalists is they move directly from the linguistic level to the referential level without acknowledging either a visionary or a symbolic level of communication in Revelation. This is particularly problematic in Revelation 20, where the literary genre as well as the immediate context should tell us that in addition to the linguistic and referential meanings there are also visionary and symbolic meanings. When John said two times in this section, "I saw" (eidon), which he used throughout the book to indicate symbolic visions (cf. Rev. 4: 1ff.; 10;1-3; 13:1-3; 14:1; 17:1-3), we should realize that what follows cannot be collapsed into linguistic and referential levels.
The image of an angel with a chain and a key points to something beyond the referential level, to other biblical-theological themes elsewhere in Scripture.”
Page 228 - “Not only is it problematic to interpret the symbols used in apocalyptic literature literally, but it is also problematic to read the book of Revelation chronologically.
When reading historical narrative, you start at the beginning and read through the narrative until you come to the end. The events described therein more or less follow a chronological sequence. Not so with apocalyptic literature such as the book of Revelation. Revelation contains a series of visions, each of which functions like a different camera angle looking at the same event. Therefore, the order in which the various visions contained in Revelation are recounted by John does not necessarily reflect the order of historical occurrence of the reality those visions symbolize? This is what is known as "recapitulation," in which the same basic pattern is repeated in a variety of formulations, Pur more simply the visions were arranged topically, not chronologically Alrhough the cycles of judgment in Revelation increase in intensity as the return of our Lord draws near, the vision described in Revelation 20 might come to pass ar the same point in history as previous visions in the book. Revelation 20 may, in fact, not be describing events that come chronologically after those recorded in Revelation 19 but events that are contemporaneous with them.”
Page 229 - “But this sounds so theoretical. Is there concrete evidence for this? As William Hendriksen points out, "A careful study of chapter 20 will reveal that this chapter describes a period which is synchronous with that of chapter 12.'23
This can be clearly demonstrated by simply comparing Revelation 12:7-11 with Revelation 20:1-6.24.”
Page 231 - “The problem that this raises for premillenarians is quite serious but is often overlooked by capable premillennial interpreters." If Christ judges the nations at his second advent as depicted in Revelation 19:11-21, now does this relate to John's subsequent reference to the nations in Revelation 20:1-3? As R. Fowler White points out, the problem for the premillenarian is simply that it makes no sense to speak of protecting the nations from deception by Satan in 20:1-3 after they have just been both deceived by Satan (16:13-16) and destroyed by Christ at his return in 19:11-21. In light of the broader eschatology of the New Testament, the most plausible explanation is that Revelation 19:11-21 depicts the same event as Revelation 20:7-10.”
Page 246 - “Therefore, while insisting on understanding these two resurrections as both bodily resurrections, premillenarians are forced to spiritualize the second death. But the second death is not the death of the body. It is something far worse.”
Page 269 - “To summarize, then, the appearance of this final Antichrist (Paul's man of sin) is the culmination of that series of antichrists described by John who have plagued the church from the beginning. The satanic activity associated with the appearance of the final Antichrist corresponds to the release of Satan from the abyss, is also tied (as either cause or effect) to a time of great apostasy in the church, and is said by Paul to immediately precede the return of Jesus Christ, who will destroy the man of sin when he appears. "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming" (2 Thess. 2:8 ESV).
Therefore, before the Lord returns, the gospel must be preached worldwide, there will be a massive conversion of Jews to faith in Jesus Christ, and the church will experience a time of great apostasy and satanic activity tied to the revelation of the final Antichrist, who appears only to be destroyed by Jesus Christ at his second advent.”
Last chapter - Highlights primary problems with each millennial position.
For my own future notes:
Pages 31-32 - “There are approaches to the book of Revelation other than preterism or futurism, however. One approach is the so-called historicist school, the traditional Protestant interpretation that stresses the identification of Babylon the Great with the city of Rome.
This perspective views Revelation as a symbolic prophecy of the entire history of the church down to the return of Christ and the end of the age. The numerous symbols of the book designate various historical movements and events in the western world and the Christian church.... One of the prevailing features of this interpretation has been the view that the beast is the Roman papacy and the false prophet the Roman Church. This view was so widely held that for a long time it was called the Protestant view."
Pages 39-40 - “Amillennialism was not recognized as a distinct position until around the turn of the twentieth century. Until then, amillenarians called themselves postmillennial because they believed Christ would come back after the millennial age, but they were different from traditional postmillenarians in that they did not belleve in an earthly millennial age yet to dawn. Dutch statesman and theologian Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) may have been the first to use the term amillennial.
In point of fact, it is the amillennial position that has been the predominant eschatological view of Christianity since the days of St. Augustine.”
Page 48 - “Since all the Old Testament prophecies regarding the life of Christ are literally fulfilled in the New Testament, dispensationalists contend that prophecies regarding other eschatological themes must also be literally fulfilled. These include the restoration of the nation of Israel, the revival of the Roman Empire, a reign of Christ on earth after his return, and the land promises of the Abrahamic covenant.”
Page 52 - “The differences between the two millennial viewpoints are, therefore, largely due to the hermeneutical presuppositions that their adherents bring to the study of the data. Because of their commitment to a literal interpretation of the Bible, dispensationalists see Old Testament prophecy as the determinative category through which New Testament prophetic data is interpreted. For example, the book of Revelation must be interpreted by the book of Daniel, according to the dispensationalist hermeneutic. The amillenarians, on the other hand, see the New Testament data as the determinative category by which Old Testament and future eschatology are to be interpreted. Therefore, amillenarians see the book of Revelation as the God-given interpretation of Daniel.”
Pages 77-78 - “Another way New Testament writers linked the coming Redeemer with the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy was by referring to the new messianic age as the "last days." In fact, the phrase "latter days" appears twenty-seven times in the New Testament. In several instances, the phrase was used of the end of history, but in most instances it was used of the eschatological epoch that began in the New Testament era with the coming of Jesus Christ.' Based on the emphasis the apostolic writers placed on the unity between the Old Testament, which had foretold the messianic age, and the revelation of the Messiah, it's clear they were conscious that the first advent marked the beginning of the last days and the dawn of the age to come.”
Page 83 - “One of the most compelling lines of biblical evidence for the amillennial position is how a number of Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in the New.
Setting these matters out carefully is important when treating the subject of the millennium, especially since dispensational premillenarians insist on a literal fulfillment of these prophecies in a future millennial age.
If these prophecies have already been fulfilled in Jesus Christ, much of the dispensational case for a future earthly millennium simply evaporates.”
Page 91 - “It was in Christ's resurrection and ascension, therefore, that God fulfilled his promise that David's greater son would rule the nations with an everlasting kingdom. People's greatest foe is death, and in his resurrection Jesus emerged victorious. This is why his kingdom is everlasting and why he is both Lord and Christ. When dispensationalists complain that amillenarians spiritualize these great Old Testament prophecies by saying they are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, perhaps they should take this up with the apostles who did the very thing of which dispensationalists are so critical.”
Page 94 - “Jesus told the Samaritan woman that he could give her living water and that "whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst" (John 4:14). Jesus declared that he fulfilled the image Ezekiel foretold in chapter 37 of his prophecy when he spoke of water flowing from the sanctuary. If Jesus is the true temple of God, he alone gives us the "living water" that takes away the thirst of human sin and longing.”
Page 95 - “We now turn to the overall framework provided by the New Testament writers, who spoke of eschatological matters with one voice. They depicted God's sovereign control of history as distinct and successive eschatological ages known as "this age" and "the age to come." Throughout the New Testament, "this age" refers to the present course of human history, while "the age to come" refers to the age of redemption realized with the coming of Jesus Christ, his bodily resurrection, and his exaltation.”
Page 97 - “The idea of a general resurrection occurring at Christ's second advent presents a serious problem for premillennialists who argue that people in natural bodies continue to populate the earth during Christ's millennial rule after the resurrection of the righteous. If the age to come is the age of resurrection in which there are no marriages or sexual relationships, how can people escape this universal event and repopulate the earth after Christ returns? This is an impossibility.
Page 99 - “The solution to this overstated dilemma is to connect the terms already and not yet to the more concrete terms this age and the age to come. The already refers to the eternal blessings of the age to come that are realized in the present, while the not yet refers to the blessings of the age to come to be realized in the consummation. Neither dispensationalists nor millenarians in general can account for the significance of the biblical writers' view of history as a successive unfolding of two distinct eschatological ages.”
Page 110 - “[for] contemporary Reformed postmillennialists - The first critical question to be asked of those who hold this position is whether the Bible teaches that there will be a gradual amelioration of evil during this present age as moderate postmillenarians argue. A second and related question is whether Jesus Christ returns to a saved world as postmillennialists such as B. B. Warfield contend. Or does Christ return to save the world as amillenarians believe?”
Page 122 - “A second sign of the presence of the kingdom was that Satan fell from heaven and was bound. When the seventy-two followers returned from preaching the gospel, Jesus reported that he saw "Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (Luke 10:18). This becomes clear when cross-referenced with the binding of Satan as described in Revelation 20:1-10 and the mysterious "restrainer" of 2 Thessalonians 2:7. Not only did Satan fall from heaven and become bound, but the mystery of lawlessness was also restrained. Why? Because the kingdom of God had come.”
Page 135 - “As Hoekema points out:
The Hebrew term qahal, commonly rendered ekklesia in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible), is applied to Israel in the Old Testament. To give just a few examples, we find the word qahal used of the assembly or congregation of Israel in Exodus 12:6, Numbers 14:5, Deuteronomy 5:22, Joshua 8:35, Ezra 2:64, and Joel 2:16. Since the Septuagint was the Bible of the apostles, their use of the Greek word ekklesia, the Septuagint equivalent of qahal, for the New Testament church clearly indicates continuity between that church and Old Testament Israel.
When God's new covenant people gather for worship, that assembly is known as the ekklesia-the same term used by Greek-speaking Jews of the diaspora of the formal religious assemblies of their fathers. Surely, this connection is not accidental.”
Page 146 - “It is my contention that Christ's church will face two significant threats associated with the Antichrist. The first of these threats is internal—a series of antichrists who arise within the church and are tied to a particular heresy, the denial that Jesus Christ is God in human flesh. This internal threat has been present since the days of the apostles in the form of various heresies and Will be present until the time of the end when Jesus Christ returns.
The second threat is external-the repeated manifestation of the mysterious beast throughout the course of history (as depicted in the book of Revelation), taking the form of state-sponsored heresy and the persecution of Christ's church and the people of God.”
Page 150 - “Even though Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians before AD 70 (about AD 50/51), he was probably not referring to the events of AD 70 but to the time of the end. In verse 8, he wrote, "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming" (ESV). The spirit of lawlessness (anomia) was already present when Paul wrote his letter but was presently being restrained.
"For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way" (v. 7 ESV). This restraint probably refers to the preaching of the gospel and is Paul's description of the "binding" of Satan mentioned by John in Revelation 20:1-10.1 If true, this places the binding of Satan in the present age and not in a future millennial age, as taught by premillenarians.”
Page 153 - “Gematria—drawing numerical value from a word or phrase—might be in view if the number 666 is a reference to Nero. But even if this is a cryptic reference to Nero, it is far more important to understand what the number means than to identify the individual to whom it refers. Six falls one short of 7(the number of completeness). The beast mimics Christ but always falls short. Six represents fallen humanity, always laboring but never entering the Sabbath rest (the seventh day of creation typifying the eternal Sabbath rest).
The triple 6s indicate the beast, who along with the dragon (Satan) and the second beast (or false prophet) mimics the Holy Trinity but is condemned to fall short of completeness. The beast can never rise above humanity to attain the deity it so desires.”
Page 179 - “There is always much discussion about this prophecy given the cryptic use of "seventy weeks" or "seventy sevens" as the time frame in which the prophecy is to be fulfilled. Again, the key here is to look for other biblical-theological images that lend us help in interpretation. Since the entire prophecy was couched in covenantal imagery and language, the key to the meaning of the "sevens" is found in the sabbatical pattern established in Leviticus 25:1-4: "The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 'Speak to the Israelites and say to them, "When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. For six years sow your fields.... But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest."'" In Daniel's prophecy, the first of the sevens (v. 25) comprises seven sabbatical years (forty-nine years total), which constitutes the jubilee (Lev. 25:8), in which the "seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years." This, in turn, preceded the fiftieth year, in which liberty was to be proclaimed "throughout the land to all of its inhabitants" (v. 10).
The total period of seventy sevens in Daniel 9:24-27, therefore, constitutes ten jubilee eras, with the emphasis falling on the ultimate jubilee yet to come after 490 years had passed. In other words, the messianic age.”
Page 184 - “The final question has to do with two clauses in verse 27, "In the middle of the 'seven he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." How can an end of sacrifice be fulfilled by the death of Jesus, since Jewish sacrifices continued after Christ's crucifixion until the temple was destroyed in AD 70?
Several things can be said in response to this. For one thing, the author of Hebrews taught that Christ's death put an end to sacrifices in a religious sense. In Hebrews 9:26, we read that Christ appeared "at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself" (cf. also Heb. 7:11; 10:8-9).
Once Christ ratified God's covenant on Calvary, the sacrifices that continued in the temple were an abomination to God. When Christ was cut off from his own, the temple veil was torn from top to bottom. From that moment forward, the temple became desolate, and acceptable sacrifices ceased. The events that transpired in AD 70 with the Roman assault on Jerusalem and its temple were now assured.”
Page 198 - “The reason people were to flee the city was that the horrors to come upon Jerusalem in AD 70 would be the worst that Jerusalem had ever experienced. They would be greater than those associated with the destruction of the temple in 583 BC and the desolation of 163 BC at the hands of Antiochus Epiphanes. This would be Israel's darkest hour. Desolation would fall on the city and the temple, and the people would be dispersed to the ends of the earth.
Anyone who has ever read Josephus's description of the Roman siege of Jerusalem, including the great famine and infant cannibalism, cannot help but be moved by the unspeakable horrors the people endured while the Roman army crushed the revolt and burned the temple to the ground. In fact, once the temple burned—accidentally and against Titus's orders—the soldiers were so eager to retrieve the gold that had melted and had flowed into the cracks berween the stones that they overturned the huge stones of the burned-out building. As Jesus himself had predicted, not one stone was left standing upon another.”
Page 202 - “Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Jesus must have meant that his coming could not be fulfilled by the events of AD 70.
He had just told his disciples the exact time when Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed—when they saw the abomination that makes desolate standing in the temple. When that happened, it would be time to flee. But now Jesus was obviously speaking of an event about which no one can know the day or the hour except his Father in heaven. Clearly, the subject has shifted from the events associated with the destruction of the temple to the end of the age.”
Pages 227-228 - “Some say the problem with dispensationalists is they move directly from the linguistic level to the referential level without acknowledging either a visionary or a symbolic level of communication in Revelation. This is particularly problematic in Revelation 20, where the literary genre as well as the immediate context should tell us that in addition to the linguistic and referential meanings there are also visionary and symbolic meanings. When John said two times in this section, "I saw" (eidon), which he used throughout the book to indicate symbolic visions (cf. Rev. 4: 1ff.; 10;1-3; 13:1-3; 14:1; 17:1-3), we should realize that what follows cannot be collapsed into linguistic and referential levels.
The image of an angel with a chain and a key points to something beyond the referential level, to other biblical-theological themes elsewhere in Scripture.”
Page 228 - “Not only is it problematic to interpret the symbols used in apocalyptic literature literally, but it is also problematic to read the book of Revelation chronologically.
When reading historical narrative, you start at the beginning and read through the narrative until you come to the end. The events described therein more or less follow a chronological sequence. Not so with apocalyptic literature such as the book of Revelation. Revelation contains a series of visions, each of which functions like a different camera angle looking at the same event. Therefore, the order in which the various visions contained in Revelation are recounted by John does not necessarily reflect the order of historical occurrence of the reality those visions symbolize? This is what is known as "recapitulation," in which the same basic pattern is repeated in a variety of formulations, Pur more simply the visions were arranged topically, not chronologically Alrhough the cycles of judgment in Revelation increase in intensity as the return of our Lord draws near, the vision described in Revelation 20 might come to pass ar the same point in history as previous visions in the book. Revelation 20 may, in fact, not be describing events that come chronologically after those recorded in Revelation 19 but events that are contemporaneous with them.”
Page 229 - “But this sounds so theoretical. Is there concrete evidence for this? As William Hendriksen points out, "A careful study of chapter 20 will reveal that this chapter describes a period which is synchronous with that of chapter 12.'23
This can be clearly demonstrated by simply comparing Revelation 12:7-11 with Revelation 20:1-6.24.”
Page 231 - “The problem that this raises for premillenarians is quite serious but is often overlooked by capable premillennial interpreters." If Christ judges the nations at his second advent as depicted in Revelation 19:11-21, now does this relate to John's subsequent reference to the nations in Revelation 20:1-3? As R. Fowler White points out, the problem for the premillenarian is simply that it makes no sense to speak of protecting the nations from deception by Satan in 20:1-3 after they have just been both deceived by Satan (16:13-16) and destroyed by Christ at his return in 19:11-21. In light of the broader eschatology of the New Testament, the most plausible explanation is that Revelation 19:11-21 depicts the same event as Revelation 20:7-10.”
Page 246 - “Therefore, while insisting on understanding these two resurrections as both bodily resurrections, premillenarians are forced to spiritualize the second death. But the second death is not the death of the body. It is something far worse.”
Page 269 - “To summarize, then, the appearance of this final Antichrist (Paul's man of sin) is the culmination of that series of antichrists described by John who have plagued the church from the beginning. The satanic activity associated with the appearance of the final Antichrist corresponds to the release of Satan from the abyss, is also tied (as either cause or effect) to a time of great apostasy in the church, and is said by Paul to immediately precede the return of Jesus Christ, who will destroy the man of sin when he appears. "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming" (2 Thess. 2:8 ESV).
Therefore, before the Lord returns, the gospel must be preached worldwide, there will be a massive conversion of Jews to faith in Jesus Christ, and the church will experience a time of great apostasy and satanic activity tied to the revelation of the final Antichrist, who appears only to be destroyed by Jesus Christ at his second advent.”
Last chapter - Highlights primary problems with each millennial position.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2020
This book was very persuasive for this "leaky dispensationalist." Up to this point, I've held loosely to the "leaky dispensationalist" position similar to that of John MacArthur. After reading this title, however, I'm not so sure I can maintain it. One of big questions I've had with the dispensationalist outlook is that it gives no acknowledgment to Revelation being apocalyptic literature. Apocalyptic literature, by its very nature, is to be interpreted figuratively. The dispy position, however, insists on applying the literal hermeneutic to it. I truly believe it's more accurately interpreted figuratively. The author also addresses well the prophecy in Romans 11 of a great revival among the people of Israel, and how the creation of a nation-state for the Jews could be a part of God's brining that great revival to pass. The author also walks through the other eschatological positions, describing their deficiencies. He responds to hard questions often asked of amillennialists. This book is an excellent volume, one I recommend highly to anyone wanting to work through his/her Biblical stance on eschatology.
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