The most sweeping and comprehensive book on eschatology that I've ever encountered. The scope of this book is simply breathtaking. -Dr. Sam Storms For the last 150 years the evangelical world has been embroiled in a Great Debate about eschatology, about the true biblical picture of God's ultimate purpose for the universe, life, and man. Much of the debate swirls around the Kingdom of God: What is its true nature? In how many stages does it enter history? How shall we interpret the Old Testament prophecies of the Kingdom-literally (in terms of Israel) or figuratively (in terms of the Church)? There is also controversy about the Consummation: Will our world get better and better, or worse and worse? Will Christ return once, twice, or even three times? When He does return, will it be before the millennium or after? How many resurrections should we expect? How many judgments? What will the universe be like when God finally creates the new heavens and the new earth? This book was written in the conviction that the High King of heaven has given his people certain master keys by which they may know the answers to these questions, and so be fully prepared for the awesome consummation of all things. In it, pastor and author Dean Davis seeks to place those keys in our hands, so that we may behold afresh the simplicity and glory of our Blessed Hope, and thereby resolve, once and for all, the Great End Time Debate.
It is said that religion should never be discussed at dinner parties. For a party of Christians, perhaps eschatology would substitute. There is nothing quite like eschatology, a complicated and controversial topic, to ruin potential unity. Conviction and confidence are inadequate; this discussion cannot survive without humility. This needed humility is striking in Dean Davis’ The High King of Heaven. Davis begins, “as fools long to play Hamlet, so I longed to write a short definitive book on biblical eschatology. I blush to present you with the results” (xiii). This is no doubt due to the fact that this sentence appears in a 700+ page book! However, Davis has achieved something quite remarkable here, in that The High King of Heaven is an astoundingly amiable and accessible book on eschatology.
A brief outline of Davis’ argument is in order. The High King of Heaven is made up of 25 chapters divided into 5 Parts, concluding with 10 Appendices and indices. Part 1 surveys end-times issues and options (ch 1-4). In Part 2, the Kingdom of God is treated at length from varying angles including the teaching of Jesus (ch 5), God’s eternal plan of salvation (ch 7) and the Old Testament (ch 8). Part 3 carefully examines Old Testament Kingdom Prophecy and not only how it is used by the NT, but also in its own context in books such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Psalms, Ezekiel, Daniel and Zechariah. Part 4 is all about Revelation, particularly the Millennium in Rev 20. Finally, Part 5 surveys how the NT presents the consummation of all things. Appendices include critiques of Historic Premillennialism (#1), Postmillennialism (#2), Dispensational Premillennialism (#3), and Preterism (#4); a discussion on the modern state of Israel (#5); helpful lists of relevant eschatological texts (#6-9); and selections from the creeds on the consummation (#10).
The High King of Heaven has many virtues, all beginning with ‘c’. First is charity. Commonly, these debates to take an argumentative or polemic turn, but I doubt Davis would lose any readers due to his tone. One will find frequent lines like “our postmillennial brethren” (p622) or references to dispensational convictions as “reasonable and commendable” (p15). Davis seems like a guy who is forcefully persuasive, but with a smile! A friendly personality leaps off the page.
Second, is clarity. I was immediately struck by just how understandable Davis has managed to make such complicated concepts. This is mostly found in his prose, which is warm, eloquent and patient. Explanatory tables and charts and Davis’ own summary terms are also very helpful. An example of the latter would be “OTKP”, which stands for “Old Testament Kingdom Prophecy”; that is, any Old Testament passage that envisages the future glorious age. Another example would be “NCH”, which stands for the “New Covenant Hermeneutic”. It seems to me that any believer could pick up The High King of Heaven and follow along with Davis.
The third virtue is the book’s comprehensiveness. Whether it’s treatment of every important NT eschatological passage, his ten (!) appendices, or – especially welcome – his thorough discussion of Old Testament eschatological passages, Davis leaves virtually no stone unturned! Additionally, as a feature that is always beneficial, the Scripture index has formatted in bold any page number where a particular passage is treated in depth. Weaknesses
However, I also perceive three weaknesses to The High King of Heaven, beginning with ‘l’. First, counterbalancing the clarity is a frequent long-windedness. Davis is inclined to explain himself carefully, but for some this will become dull and repetitive. Entire paragraphs could have been summarised into one or two sentences. I am not saying that Davis rambles; everything in this book is relevant and well laid out. However, at times virtually hundreds of pages discuss issues that are important, but ultimately peripheral. For example, the Understanding the Kingdom of God is unpacked in 7 chapters over 100 pages. Davis himself admits that rather than going directly to “the next logical step in our journey” (p69), he takes a “rather circuitous route to our destination”, which, though longer, is a “more fruitful journey” (p70). Though this scenic route was more exhaustive, I found myself more exhausted.
Second, and related, the book’s length counterbalances the comprehensiveness. Though appealingly formatted with numerous headings and sub-headings, I am sure many hesitate even opening the book due to its size. This would be unfortunate, but understandable.
Third, and my most significant issue is the logic of Davis’ “keys”. Davis begins with principles drawn from Jesus’ own teaching and then applies these principles to the Old Testament. For Davis, these principles, known as the New Covenant Hermeneutic (NCH), are “four great truths that open all doors and solve all problems” (p177). This approach of beginning with Jesus is certainly commendable; where better to begin than with Jesus? What’s more, the NCH is easy to grasp and apply to navigate the overwhelming maze of eschatological texts. However, skeptics to Amillennialism will most likely have the distinct feeling that Davis is stacking the deck. Rather than being given ‘keys to unlock any door’, some will see instead a ‘hammer that opens any window’. As a striking example, Ezekiel 37’s imagery of the regathering of Israel and Judah in the land becomes for “Christian interpreters ruled by the NCH” a “‘mysterious’ picture of the ingathering and upbuilding of Christ’s New Covenant people – the church” (p314). And what of their return to the ‘land’? The “new land” becomes either heaven, or possibly “‘the [spiritual] region of which Christ is King and Lord” (p314). What of Ezekiel’s imagery of the two sticks of Judah and Israel being joined together (Ezek 37:16ff)? This is somehow a “very subtle picture” of Christ’s cross (p316)! Many will stomach this, but others will be left with a rotten taste in their mouth from the apparent “great fruitfulness of the NCH” (p316). For them, this will exemplify the usual criticism of Amillennilasm: it “spiritualizes” the text to such a degree that it becomes nearly unrecognizable.
A comprehensive book on eschatology must choose an approach, and Davis’ New Covenant Hermeneutic has its clear strengths, particularly its intelligibility and accessibility to any Christian. However, I have found a more inductive Amillennial approach – one that carefully traces intertextual development of OTKP texts and themes – to be more compelling, as it is harder to argue against Scripture rather than a principle. However, this would result in a very different and more rigorous book, a thereby restricting it to a more selective audience.
The High King of Heaven unabashedly argues for Amillennialism, and as such is not intended to be an impartial introduction to eschatology. However, this should not dissuade interested readers. One need not agree with everything Davis says to benefit from this work; in fact, I expect even many Amillennarians will disagree with his take on some passages, such as Daniel 9:24-27. However, one would be hard pressed to find a more charitable, clear and comprehensive presentation of Amillennialism. It also serves nicely as a resource for later use.
I could certainly recommend The High King of Heaven to any Christian who is keen enough and patient enough to wade through its many pages to read a defense of Amillennialism. For a reader with less interest and/or time on their hands, I would look elsewhere, perhaps Riddlebarger’s A Case for Amillennialism. For a more academic reader interested in getting their elbows dirty through thorough exegesis, I would suggest other works such as Storms’ Kingdom Come or especially Menn’s Biblical Eschatology. As I’ve only read Storm’s work, these recommendations come on very general knowledge of the books’ contents.
Davis is working on a condensed introduction to Amillennialism, which I expect will resolve my critiques of the book’s long-windedness and length! And then interested readers can track down copies of The High King of Heaven to impress others at dinner parties.
I was personally and graciously asked by Dean Davis to review this book. I have tried to review it on its own merits as a representation of Amillennialism. Reviewing this book does not mean I hold Davis’ conclusions.
I would like to write this review-of-sorts not yet having read the full book. So I want to come to it in a somewhat unusual way. Later (the Lord permitting), when I am done fully reading this book I would like a write a second review.
Hopefully we have learned the hard way, or at least have heard, not to judge a book by its cover. But what about by its Introduction?
Very many of us have at least heard of John Owen's second masterpiece The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. In contemporary publications of it, J.I. Packer has written the Introduction to it. A good many of us will have read people writing on the internet, or we will have heard by word-of-mouth, that J.I. Packer's Introduction itself is such a masterpiece, one could buy John Owen's book just for Packer's Introduction!
While reading Owen's book is another matter, if you have Packer's Intro, you will know the essense of what I am writing about here! Sometimes, an introduction itself is so powerful (that is, in the truth of it) that we know the rest is almost certainly going to be a sumptous elaboration. After all, the writer has poured out his heart in the limited space he has to succinctly encapsulate all the massive labor put into the rest of the book.
Dean Davis's own Introduction to his book The High King of Heaven is like that!
You could buy the book just for his Introduction!
In its few pages, you quickly become aware that Dean is cogently assisting us in what the Apostle Paul termed as that Blessed Hope, that next great event for humanity and the universe; our Lord Jesus Christ's physical arrival. You simply cannot miss this. He has very eloquently written of the Lord Jesus' heart for His people, and especially how He would have them know and understand things concerning Him, and how it must grieve Him to see what is going on among His people concerning His arrival when He and His apostles have so clearly stated it. I was also quite surprised to learn of the reason why Dean thinks that there is this eschatological morass that befuddles us, especially these last 200 years; and I think he may be very correct. I leave aside some very important aspects which you must read. He then concludes his Introduction almost prayer-like, virtually summarizing his book in its last paragraph!
But I better not say anything more; this is something you must read yourself, in just the way he writes it! Amazon has posted a sample section so you can browse the Intro, and some more. Please be sure to note the structure of the Table of Contents, then look at the space he has devoted to each chapter and the topics in the Appendices and you get the first flickering glimpse of what Sam Storms means when he says of Dean's work that the "scope is simply breathtaking."
My own Amil turn in eschatology, for which I am so grateful, came in 2005. The other "edifice" collapsed fairly rapidly, though painfully, in the face of plain Scripture. My serious problem then was I did not take our Lord's own words as seriously as we know they ought to be taken. Having recently read Dean's fifteen postings at clr4u dot wordpress dot com concerning the Kingdom of God and the OT prophecies of the Kingdom, I now joyously look forward to their being fleshed out in this very easy to read book. With the grace that the Lord has prodigiously given him, Dean has very graciously, very meticulously, very thoroughly, very cogently brought together the four major issues he terms the Great End Time Debate, which are, the Kingdom of God, the prophecies in the OT concerning the Kingdom, the Millenium, and the Consummation. But be lovingly cautioned; if you are looking for something to finish reading in a few hours, this is not for you. Here, we have joyous but serious work cut out for us. We are heading into very serious times.
So then, this partial review has been to encourage and urge us to get Dean's book and see for ourselves how the Lord has greatly enabled him to put together this compendium to assist His Church. I say "compendium" somewhat guardedly because Dean is not the first one to write things amillenial. Other superb writings (which I have read) come from Sam Storms, G.K.Beale, V. Poythress, D.E. Johnson, K. Riddlebarger, G. Vos, W.J. Grier, W. Hendricksen; and Dean includes many more in his selected Bibliography.
But what Dean Davis has done in The High King of Heaven, I think, is to very thoroughly yet very readably present the key hermeneutic the Lord has given us to understand the full progressive revelation of our Father in heaven which He has made all the way through history and right up to and in His last and final Word, His only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Come then, let us walk together on this journey with Dean, at this most apropos of time, almost the eschatos (last) of these last days, as we eagerly await our Lord's soon arrival and as he yet walketh among His candlesticks. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Be Thou our vision, Oh Lord. Even so, come soon, our redeemer and God, Jesus!
MUST read for those who are confused about pre- and post-millennialism. The most complete examination and Biblical exegesis about a-millennialism I have found in all my years!
It took nearly a year for me to work through this book. I have never come across a more thorough study of Eschatology. It is very encouraging to see such a competent and hermeneutically sound resource on amillennialism covering everything that anyone would possibly want to know about the prevalent historic eschatological view of the Church. Along with Sam Storms-Kingdom Come and Kim Riddlebarger's- Amillennialism I feel confident that this eschatology is now clearly taught and proclaimed in such a way that we can look for the Blessed Hope with surety and delight and reason with others who do not hold this view.
Dean Davis does a wonderful job of fairly defining and critiquing the other popular eschatological views in the modern church with love and respect and challenges them where they fall short to grapple with the amil perspective. This is a truly great study!
Despite being a long book, I read through it in a very short time, 2 weeks. It presents the Amillennial view of the end times but also critiques other end times views like post-mil, full preterist, partial preterist, and various pre-mil views. So even if you never consider moving from a pre-mil position the book is worth it simply because it does a very good job of explaining every end time view. I've held a pre-mil view but in the past few times I've read through the Bible I have had difficulty reconciling the pre-mil view. This book surprised me by making more sense out of scripture for the end times. I suppose until I can find a pre-mil book that can do a better job of defending itself, I suppose I am a-mil.
This book shows through the texts that the Amil eschatology makes the most sense when you use the NT to interpret the OT prophecies. It would be difficult for anyone that is Dispensationalist to walk away from this book without some doubts. For anyone interested in the End Times debate this is a must read.
A great read and at nearly 700 pages a thorough examination of eschatology. Bringing to light the New Covenant Hermaneutic and its application in unraveling Old Testament Kingdom Prophecies, the Gospels, the Epistles, and the Revelation.