Celebrating Christian Centenaries
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 68, No. 1 - Fall 2025
Editor: Malcolm B. Yarnell III
By Bryan Chapell. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2024, 256 pp., $22.99.
Chapell is the President Emeritus of Covenant Theological Seminary and Pastor Emeritus of the historic Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Illinois. The book was written after some members of the author’s church asked him whether he believed that Jesus is coming back. Chapell was deeply hurt when that accusation happened. He decided to write this book to explain that different views about the millennium are all legitimate interpretations of Revelation, and Christians need to understand them and accept diverse perspectives because all of them acknowledge the second coming of Jesus Christ. Also, Chapell was involved in designing the lessons on the Book of Revelation together with Mark Bailey and Walt Kaiser for Bible Study Fellowship. Their discussion formed the basis of this book.
Chapter 1 is entitled “Are We Living in the Last Days?” Various ways of understanding the Book of Revelation were listed and discussed. The near view (Preterist), the long view (Historicist), the future view (Futurist), the symbolic view (Idealist), and the mixed view, which combines elements from the above four views to form an eclectic view. All these views agree that we are living in the last days. According to the biblical definition, the end time began with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ’s second coming is imminent, even though there are different theories about what must happen before Christ returns.
Jesus’s Olivet Discourse in Mathew 24, wars and rumors of wars, the Antichrist, and the rebirth of Israel were discussed in chapter 2, “Expectations for the End Times.” Chapter 3, “Views of Previous Times,” introduces four views of the millennium: dispensational premillennial, historic premillennial, amillennial, and postmillennial. Chapell follows up with six chapters to provide key features of each view.
The dispensational premillennial view is explained in chapters 4 and 5. They insist that the promises in the Old Testament should be fulfilled to the Jewish people and use Daniel 9 for the prediction of the end time, and claim that there is a church age between the end of the 69th week and the beginning of the last week. Traditional dispensationalists insist the church should not be confused with Israel. They believe in the pre-tribulational rapture. They accept the plain chronology from Revelation 19 to 20, the second coming of Christ is before the literal millennial kingdom mentioned in 20:1-3. Chapell goes on to describe the progressive dispensationalists, like Blaising and Bock, who propose to eliminate the distinction between Israel and the church and to see redemption as one plan that encompasses all people.
Chapters 6 and 7 cover the historical premillennial view. Most church fathers in the early church, under Roman persecution, held this view. Their difference with the dispensationalists is the interpretation method. They think the authors of the New Testament already understood the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies through the church and Christ. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Scripture anticipated the future blessings of the church. They do not insist on the pre-tribulational rapture.
The amillennial view is explained in chapter 8. They believe the spiritual realities of the millennium kingdom are already present, i.e., a “now” millennium. Christ already inaugurated his kingdom with his cross and resurrection and will consummate it when he returns. The church’s view about the millennium changed from historic premillennialism to amillennialism after the Christian faith conquered the Roman Empire. Following the lead in the Book of Hebrews, amillennialists interpret the Old Testament prophecies as shadows that point to the realities fulfilled in the church. They consider Christians to be the true Israel of God. They believe that the rapture will occur simultaneously with the second coming of Christ. They do not emphasize the seven-year tribulation and view the tribulation of the present afflictions and persecutions as normal. They interpret the Book of Revelation as progressive parallelism, seven acts of similar end-time drama; hence, Revelation 20 does not chronologically follow Revelation 19. They do not think ten verses in Revelation 20 can support a physical thousand-year reign on earth after Christ returns.
Chapter 9 explains the postmillennial view. This view began around the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when Protestant mission works around the world started. At the turn of the twentieth century, Western Christendom was very optimistic about the future of the world. Missionaries were in Asia and Africa to convert millions. It seems that the twentieth century will become a Christian century. Even after the First and Second World Wars and the Spanish flu epidemic, some theologians still hold the view that the world is getting better and Christ will return after the progress of missions and science. They believe there is strong biblical support for their claim of end-time optimism, especially the worldwide success of the Great Commission.
After describing these four views about millennialism, in chapter 10, Chapell asks which view one should believe. He mentions several factors to consider. Is the method of interpretation literal or spiritual? How to interpret Old Testament promises and prophecies? How to understand Daniel 9 and Revelation 19-20? Is there a future for Israel? Finally, Chapell says that no matter which view one takes, one can joyfully declare the hope that all Christians share about the end time. Then chapters 11 and 12 spell out the hope. There are 15 aspects of the hope all Christians share. Chapell prays it will generate a spirit that encourages Bible-believing Christians to love and respect each other to accomplish Christ’s mission in the world. In the final chapter (13) the glorious future of the new heaven and new earth is described.
This book includes several appendices: a section “Digging Deeper” with summaries and resources for understanding major millennial views; questions for each chapter for review and discussion; and charts of millennial views.
Overall, Chapell provides a very good summary of four views about the millennium and gives a fair comparison and assessment. He espouses a “mere” biblical eschatology and encourages mutual love and respect among Christians with different views. In some sense, this book is similar to Millard Erickson’s Contemporary Options in Eschatology (1977); Clouse (ed), The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views (1977); Bock (ed), Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond (1999). It can serve as a supplemental reading in courses on the Book of Revelation and the subject of eschatology. The only place this reviewer wants to quibble about is the Battle of Armageddon, which could happen at the second coming of Jesus Christ (84, 168; Rev 19:11–21) and also after the millennial kingdom (99, Figure 6.1) and at the release of Satan (119; Rev 20:7–10).
