A Review ofThe Return of Christ: A Premillennial Perspective, edited by David Allen and Steve Lemke

This review is reported from the Journal for Theology and Ministry. For free access to more articles and reviews, click the link.

Ched Spellman is an adjunct professor and PhD student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is in the process of completing his dissertation Toward a Canon-Conscious Reading of Scripture. He also has his own blog, chedspellman.com.

Who cares about eschatology? In many circles this query would receive a sharply negative response: no one. We live in a society where increasing numbers of people are becoming less concerned than ever about being “left behind.” However, the churches have the privilege and responsibility of demonstrating the urgent need for clear thinking about what will happen at the “end of days.” Because extravagant caricatures of biblically based eschatological reflection are not hard to find, there is a consistent need for balanced discourse about the end times and the return of Christ. In this volume, David Allen and Steve Lemke seek to provide a cogent and reflective presentation of these issues from a “premillennial perspective.”

Allen and Lemke divide the volume into two main parts that serve two different purposes. In part one, they gather the messages given at the Acts 1:11 Conference that took place in 2009 at North Metro First Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The presenters are all prominent figures within the Southern Baptist Convention and each deal with an important eschatological topic. Jerry Vines begins the volume with a sermon on the central text that served as the launch pad for the conference. From the words of the heavenly messengers spoken to the disciples after Jesus’ ascension, Vines exhorts believers to be “soul winners” rather than “stargazers.” He also highlights the theme of the volume and the motivation for believers to think carefully about eschatology by pointing to the promise that “this same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come” (Acts 1:11).

In the following presentations, the basic outline of the eschatological timetable is exposited. Ergun Caner surveys a number of millennial options and argues that a premillennial and eminent return of Christ is consistent with Scripture. Danny Akin treats the expectation of believers when Christ returns, including a secret rapture of the church, an appearance at the “judgment seat” of Christ, and the marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven. Paige Patterson discusses the nature of the great tribulation and also outlines the active role of Israel during this period. David Allen surveys the biblical support for a millennial reign of Christ upon the earth prior to the eternal state. Richard Land summarizes what will take place at the final judgment as well as the arrival and nature of the eternal state that will include both a real heaven and a real hell. Evangelist Junior Hill rounds out part one with an exhortation about “what to do until Jesus returns.” He urges the believer not to be a “gazing Christian looking to the past,” but to be a “going Christian, looking to the present and the future” (107).

In part two, five contributors provide additional reflection on issues of eschatology. R. Stanton Norman provides a brief systematic treatment of the doctrine of eschatology, covering both individual (e.g., “What happens when we die?”) and corporate dimensions (e.g., “What happens at the end of the world?”). He also connects the study of the end times to what believers are called to do in the meantime (i.e., a call to evangelism, holiness, and faithfulness). Following this general overview, Craig Blaising explains the way that the millennial kingdom fits into the overall picture of history and the harmony of Scripture. Lamar Cooper surveys the “Second Coming” in the Old Testament, Steven Cox surveys the main eschatological discourses of Jesus in the Gospels, and Michael Vlach concludes the volume with a thematic survey of eschatological topics in the Pauline corpus. Vlach seeks to demonstrate that eschatology is not “merely an appendix to Christian theology” for Paul, but rather a “crucial aspect of the Christian faith” (264).

A clear strength of this collection of essays is its overall focus on the return of Christ. Though sometimes derided by critics, ignored in preaching, or relativized in favor of other areas of theological emphasis, eschatology should matter to any believer that holds out hope in God’s promises about the future. In their own way, each of the essays contributes to this overarching emphasis. Additionally, throughout the volume, key texts that have significant bearing on the millennium and the return of Christ are highlighted and exposited (e.g., Ezek 40-48, Isa 2, Matt 24-25, 1 Cor 15, and Rev 12, 19-22). These features will help orient readers to the main areas of discussion and encourage them to reflect further on these areas of Scripture and their eschatological import. Because the messages of part one and the essays of part two are written in an engaging style, the book as a whole can serve as a resource for both pastors and laymen. In fact, many preachers will find the range, contents, and sequence of topics covered to be a possible outline for a sermon/teaching series on eschatology.

One area where clarification could be helpful is the nature of premillennialism and what it necessarily entails. A more accurate subtitle for this volume might be “A Dispensational Perspective,” or at least, “A Pretribulation-Premillennial Perspective,” as each of the contributors affirm a pre-tribulation secret rapture of the church prior to a millennial reign of Christ on earth (6). Allen and Lemke note in the introduction that “the contributors to this volume all support a premillennial position with a pre-tribulational rapture” and that they seek to present a “scholarly version of that perspective” (6). Indeed, for much of the book, the basic tenets of dispensationalism are assumed when the term “premillennial” is used (e.g., see Akin’s presentation of the “big picture” of the “pretribulation/premillennial understanding,” 50). To give one example, the clear distinction between Israel and the Church, perhaps the hallmark feature of dispensationalism, is consistently maintained (62ff, 198-205, 246-48).

Clarification might also be in order regarding the use of history to support a pre-tribulational, pre-millennial position. The “imminence of Jesus’ return” throughout the volume typically refers to the rapture of the church before the tribulation. Caner argues that the “premillennial view of the return of Christ carries with it a measure of urgency” and that “to be ‘snatched up’ (from the Gr. harpazo) at any moment is tremendously motivating for the believer” (38). As evidence of this position, he quotes Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Phillip Schaff, and a number of Anabaptists. However, in the quoted texts these figures refer not to a pre-tribulational rapture but more generally to the millennial reign of Christ on earth before the eternal state. This type of treatment resonates with the common assumption throughout the book that a natural feature of premillennialism is not only that “Christ will return before the millennium” but also that “in this system, the church will be snatched out before the tribulation” (32). Because a pre-tribulational rapture of the church is integral to the overall perspective of the book, it would have been helpful to include in the “additional reflections” a sustained exegetical argument for a dispensational understanding of the rapture. Moreover, in addition to Akin’s interaction (49-57), further explanation of 1 Thess. 4:16-17 in particular (the locus classicus of a discussion of the “rapture”) and how it relates to other views could be a worthwhile development.

Because some readers will possibly hold to a form of non-dispensational premillennialism (sometimes called “historic premillennialism”), a little more discussion about how the concerns of the book apply equally to this camp would enhance the conversation. This perspective is mentioned twice in the book (34-35, 49), but the more frequent dialogue partner in the discussion is the amillennial position that interprets the 1,000 year reign as an example of apocalyptic symbolism. This decision makes sense because amillennialism and premillennialism are at opposite ends of the eschatological spectrum and provide the strongest interpretive contrast. However, readers aware of an alternative option regarding the thousand-year reign of Christ might wonder where the key differences lie between dispensational and non-dispensational premillennialism.

As Blaising notes in his essay, “the firm belief that Jesus is coming again” is “central to the Christian faith” (141). If read sympathetically, this volume has the potential to encourage believers to continue clinging to Christ and resting in the staggering promise of his return. A number of times while reading this book, I put it down and picked up my Bible (and even my Greek lexicon a few times) to examine a passage or the textual context of a point being made by an author. This biblical examination of eschatological themes seems to be the effect intended by the contributors and editors.