The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views

Like most modern evangelical Christians, I was brought up in the faith to believe that the bible taught that there would be a rapture, followed by a seven year tribulation period, followed by the second coming of Christ where He would set up a millennial kingdom in Jerusalem where he would reing for 1000 years, followed by a final coming where he would usher in the eternal state with a new heavens and a new earth. Back in the early 90's I was studying for ministry and I figured that someone would probably ask me my view of the end times some day, so I decided I needed to study it for myself. So, I acquired a 28 tape set on the end times by one of the leading conservative scholars in America. I listened to all of them, as he explained and defended the above scheme and I came away from that thinking that I would never be able to persuade someone of that position unless they were already heavily predisposed to believing it. What I mean is that I couldn't find a rapture/tribulation, etc. in any of the Scriptures that this teacher used. So, scratching my head, I did a little more research and came across this book. It opened my eyes to the fact that there were other views of the end times that were held by Christians who believed the Bible was the word of God. I had been told in the past that the only people who don't follow the rapture/tribulation etc., scheme were people who didn't believe the Bible. I won't tell you what view I adopted, other than to say that I found that all of the views had much to commend them, from a Scriptural standpoint, except the one I formerly held. This book does an excellent job of letting the representatives from the various schools of thought speak for themselves, and it allows critiques in a scholarly and irenic manner. I would urge anyone who feels strongly about their view of the end times to read this book. It may or may not change your mind, but hopefully it will at least open your mind to some new possibilities when it comes to end times scenarios.

This is a very useful book! It presents the four main eschatological positions in the words of accomplished theologians: G.E. Ladd on historic premillennialism, H.A. Hoyt on dispensational premillenialism, L. Boettner on postmillenialism, and A.A. Hoekema on amillenialism. Each chapter begins with one of these men stating their position on the "end times", followed by rebuttal from the other three. This dialogue format is excellent - much credit goes to the editor, R. Clouse.Each chapter is very well-written, as one would expect from such prominent men, with the exception perhaps of postmillenialism. Boettner presents a basic statement of the postmillenial viewpoint, but his use of Scripture in explaining and supporting his argument is sparse, which weakens it somewhat. The other three men did a fine job.If you are interested in this long-standing debate or if you simply wish to determine where you stand, this is a good book to start with because it addresses the four basic positions and because of its dialogue format. You probably won't have all your questions answered simply by reading this book, but you will certainly have your thoughts stirred!

Clouse does a superior job of putting together 4 scholarly advocates of different millennial interpretations. Ladd, Hoekema, and Hoyt do an excellent job of presenting and defending their stances, while Boettner's essay on Postmillennialsim could have been better. Consequently, the rebuttals from each of the other essayists concerning this view were comparitively disappointing as well. Overall, this book really is a must have for any person wanting exposure to the options in Christianity concerning the 1000 year reign of Christ as described in Rev. 20.

This book, edited by Robert Clouse, is especially helpful for anyone trying to get a quick, yet proper understanding of the major different views on the end-times by protestants. The four debaters are legitimate scholars in theology: Ladd-defends Historic Premillenialism, Hoyt-Dispensational Premillenialism, Boettner-Postmillenialism, Hoekema-AmillennialismAfter each presentation, rebuttals are given by the other authors so one can compare and contrast the views. All the presenters write at a level lay-people can understand. The writing is clear and concise and non-sensational - a must on a topic like this that is usually written to spur emotions instead of thought.A must!

If you are trying to come to grips with the subject of eschatology, there is no better place to start. There are any number of books that present three views, four views, whatever, on this or that subject. This is the book that started the trend. Four evangelical scholars present their view of the millennium, and each in turn critiques the views of the others. This is a great introduction to opinions that differ from your own. Learn the strengths and weaknesses of the various approaches to the study of "last things".