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lighthousebooks's review against another edition
5.0
COMPELLING
5⭐️ 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 raised 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.
5⭐️ 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 raised 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.
adam_z's review against another edition
4.0
This was a big help for me. I grew up in churches that taught premillenialism and was sometimes exposed to the dispensational variant of that school of thought as well. As a young adult my eschatological views had been challenged to the point that I no longer identified with any form of premillenialism, but I wasn’t quite sure what I thought about eschatology anymore (and didn’t see it as being all that important) so for years I called myself a panmillenialsist (in that Jesus is coming back and “it will all pan out in the end”). In recent years I’ve been exposed to the postmillenial and amillenial views, and I kind of felt like I landed on the amillenial view as a default since 1) The postmillenial arguments that I have heard thus far have been unconvincing to me and 2) amillenialism is the prevalent view in the denomination which I’ve been a part of for a few years now (PCA). I wanted to learn more about the amillenial position, and I was already familiar with Kim Riddlebarger as I’m longtime listener of The White Horse Inn (a radio show & podcast which he has been a frequent cohost over the years), so when I found out that he had written a book on amillenialism I thought this would be a good place to go for information. Riddlebarger didn’t disappoint me.
At times I found this harder to read/comprehend than what I would have liked, but I think that’s more because of the subject matter than how the author presented it. I definitely didn’t race through this one. I found this easier to read on my PC or on my iPad so I could use split screen view to have the text of the book on one side and scripture passages on the other side of the screen so I could quickly go back and forth between the two.
I did get out of the book what I was hoping for - a better understanding of eschatology in general and amillenialism in particular. I don’t feel like I’m ready to go teach a class on it right now (but I wouldn’t rule it out either), however, after reading this I can easily articulate the basics of amillenialism and better articulate arguments against premillenialism and postmillenialism than I would have been able to before. This is good resource for someone studying eschatology for personal enrichment or for teaching on the subject - just take it slow, and be ready to read a lot of scripture alongside.
At times I found this harder to read/comprehend than what I would have liked, but I think that’s more because of the subject matter than how the author presented it. I definitely didn’t race through this one. I found this easier to read on my PC or on my iPad so I could use split screen view to have the text of the book on one side and scripture passages on the other side of the screen so I could quickly go back and forth between the two.
I did get out of the book what I was hoping for - a better understanding of eschatology in general and amillenialism in particular. I don’t feel like I’m ready to go teach a class on it right now (but I wouldn’t rule it out either), however, after reading this I can easily articulate the basics of amillenialism and better articulate arguments against premillenialism and postmillenialism than I would have been able to before. This is good resource for someone studying eschatology for personal enrichment or for teaching on the subject - just take it slow, and be ready to read a lot of scripture alongside.
alanrussellfuller's review against another edition
3.0
After reading the first section on interpretation and eschatological views I expected to give this book four or five stars. After reading the second section about theological concerns I was thinking three or four stars. After reading the third section expositing critical texts I was hoping I could still give it as high as a two. The last section is about signs and evaluations. My decision was that the three stars were appropriate.
The author makes an important point that the NT interprets the OT. That's a lesson often ignored by premillennialists. However, I feel that the author's own interpretation of texts is totally inconsistent. In Dan 9:27 it is Christ who causes the overspreading of abominations, which are the temple sacrifices after the crucifixion. He later turns to a more traditional view of the antichrist and the abomination that causes desolation and even mentions Daniel 9. Then there is the Olivet discourse. I have always hated the way Dispensationalists chop this narrative up. They have nothing on Riddlebarger who switches back and forth from the first century to the future.
I did like the evaluation of the different eschatological views in the end. I feel the author places too much reliance on redemptive history (heilsgeschichte) which is the source of both Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism.
The author makes an important point that the NT interprets the OT. That's a lesson often ignored by premillennialists. However, I feel that the author's own interpretation of texts is totally inconsistent. In Dan 9:27 it is Christ who causes the overspreading of abominations, which are the temple sacrifices after the crucifixion. He later turns to a more traditional view of the antichrist and the abomination that causes desolation and even mentions Daniel 9. Then there is the Olivet discourse. I have always hated the way Dispensationalists chop this narrative up. They have nothing on Riddlebarger who switches back and forth from the first century to the future.
I did like the evaluation of the different eschatological views in the end. I feel the author places too much reliance on redemptive history (heilsgeschichte) which is the source of both Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism.
jaybatson's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.5
A fire hose of compelling theology
I give this simultaneously a 4 and 5 star rating. What, you say? Let me explain.
My Christian faith was forged from childhood, being raised in an evangelical home by God-loving parents. Mine was a home & church grounded in premillenarianism - that Jesus would rapture Christian believers before a great and terrible thousand years.
But I had nagging questions that I just couldn’t reconcile; similar questions to those stated by Riddlebarger in the last 2-3 pages of this book. Others around me were studying end-times eschatology and excitedly finding answers to those questions … but those answers seemed to reinforce my confusion. This especially showed up as I explored the non-eschatological teachings of theologians who had overall views I found compelling - and who did not adopt the premillennial position.
So on a whim I read this book, to see if it would help me at least see a different reading of this important biblical topic. Well, mission accomplished - this book is as thorough a treatment as you can imagine.
In fact, it did more than explain amillennialism. Riddlebarger methodically and accurately lays out each interpretive approach to eschatology, then contrasts each with the amillennial view. In detail, element by element.
This is both the strength of this work, and the reason I have my 4-star hedge. It is a fire hose of information. It completely answers every thing imaginable. It is a total - and successful - 5-star presentation of the amillennial (and other!) view(s). Enough so that I could be convinced to adopt an amillenialist view (though I may need some time, and another read-thru to truly get there (or not)).
However, this is not a book that is easily consumed - especially if I wanted to share it with one of those enthusiastic premillennialist friends I refer to above. It’s almost too-big to consume. And for that average Christian premillennialist, it doesn’t have a workbook alongside (the way so many premillennial teaching books do) that makes it a good study book for a church home group / Bible study.
This book is (rightly) aimed at being an authoritative, complete statement of its position, containing an assertion or defense about nearly anything and everything that one with a different view would need to know, or refute a criticism levied. It gets 5-stars for this.
It is not a gentle, first step in helping the average premillennial dispensationalist believer see the difficulties in their position, and presenting enough - but not yet encyclopedic - of a case for amillennialism to get that person to this more comprehensive treatment. So, for that audience, I take away one star for this inapproachability.
If Riddlebarger wants to trigger change among the average Christian believer in premillennialism, I hope he will write the “home group Bible study version” of this compelling work.
I give this simultaneously a 4 and 5 star rating. What, you say? Let me explain.
My Christian faith was forged from childhood, being raised in an evangelical home by God-loving parents. Mine was a home & church grounded in premillenarianism - that Jesus would rapture Christian believers before a great and terrible thousand years.
But I had nagging questions that I just couldn’t reconcile; similar questions to those stated by Riddlebarger in the last 2-3 pages of this book. Others around me were studying end-times eschatology and excitedly finding answers to those questions … but those answers seemed to reinforce my confusion. This especially showed up as I explored the non-eschatological teachings of theologians who had overall views I found compelling - and who did not adopt the premillennial position.
So on a whim I read this book, to see if it would help me at least see a different reading of this important biblical topic. Well, mission accomplished - this book is as thorough a treatment as you can imagine.
In fact, it did more than explain amillennialism. Riddlebarger methodically and accurately lays out each interpretive approach to eschatology, then contrasts each with the amillennial view. In detail, element by element.
This is both the strength of this work, and the reason I have my 4-star hedge. It is a fire hose of information. It completely answers every thing imaginable. It is a total - and successful - 5-star presentation of the amillennial (and other!) view(s). Enough so that I could be convinced to adopt an amillenialist view (though I may need some time, and another read-thru to truly get there (or not)).
However, this is not a book that is easily consumed - especially if I wanted to share it with one of those enthusiastic premillennialist friends I refer to above. It’s almost too-big to consume. And for that average Christian premillennialist, it doesn’t have a workbook alongside (the way so many premillennial teaching books do) that makes it a good study book for a church home group / Bible study.
This book is (rightly) aimed at being an authoritative, complete statement of its position, containing an assertion or defense about nearly anything and everything that one with a different view would need to know, or refute a criticism levied. It gets 5-stars for this.
It is not a gentle, first step in helping the average premillennial dispensationalist believer see the difficulties in their position, and presenting enough - but not yet encyclopedic - of a case for amillennialism to get that person to this more comprehensive treatment. So, for that audience, I take away one star for this inapproachability.
If Riddlebarger wants to trigger change among the average Christian believer in premillennialism, I hope he will write the “home group Bible study version” of this compelling work.
cmcuffman's review against another edition
4.0
Like the author, I was raised a dispensational premillennialist. Like the author, I have always had major hangups with that viewpoint, but had never heard a compelling argument for the amillennarian perspective, partially because the perspective was generally poo-pooed by my teachers as not taking the biblical text seriously or literally. This book demonstrates that assertion to be completely off-base. Indeed, Riddlebarger has thoroughly convinced me that the amillennarian perspective makes the best use of the biblical text, and fits much more easily into the entire redemptive narrative than premillennialism, postmillennialism or preterism. I highly recommend this book as a starting point for anyone interested in hearing the overwhelming evidence for this, nowadays, oft-overlooked viewpoint on eschatology.
alastairherd's review against another edition
5.0
A very clear explanation of all of the broad categories of eschatology, going through the reasoning behind each of the view points, using scriptural backing, and explaining potential problems that arise from each interpretation.
This is a very comprehensive book on the topic, and actually goes into some depth explaining the problems with dispensational views as well.
Without giving too much of the content away I think that Dr. Riddlebarger does an exception job of not only explaining why other eschatological views are often incoherent with scripture, but also does a great job of explaining why amillennialism is a much clearer lens to view scripture through.
Overall, a fine book on the topic.
This is a very comprehensive book on the topic, and actually goes into some depth explaining the problems with dispensational views as well.
Without giving too much of the content away I think that Dr. Riddlebarger does an exception job of not only explaining why other eschatological views are often incoherent with scripture, but also does a great job of explaining why amillennialism is a much clearer lens to view scripture through.
Overall, a fine book on the topic.
jakimo's review against another edition
4.0
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
davidbess's review against another edition
5.0
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.
glanotte's review against another edition
5.0
This is has been my first foray into better understanding the different views of eschatology as well as an attempt to better understand covenant theology. I came into this book as a questioning dispensationalist by default. I leave this book with most of my previous views very well challenged. I am not sure where this leaves me and I plan to read more and have more discussions. I found this book to be very helpful in understanding the amillennial perspective. At the very least it dispelled many of my preconceived notions about it.