Heaven Misplaced

by Douglas Wilson

Though most Christians refrain from predicting exactly when our world will end, many believe that when earth's finale does arrive, it will be a catastrophe. Details vary, but the general assumption is the same: things will get much, much worse before they get better. But is this really what the Bible teaches? Leaving aside the theological terms that often confuse and muddle this question, Douglas Wilson instead explains eschatology as the end of the greatest story in the world—the story of humanity. He turns our attention back to the stories and prophecies of Scripture and argues for "hopeful optimism": the belief that God will be true to His promises, that His will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven, and that the peace and good will we sing about at Christmas will one day be a reality here on earth.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, Religion, Audiobook, Christian Living

136 pages, Hardcover

First published November 30, 2008

About the author

I write in order to make the little voices in my head go away. Thus far it hasn't worked.

Reviews

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Answered lots of questions.

Read a section from pp. 20–21 here. Other great quotes come from pp. 50–51, 59–62, 91, and 117.

Here Joel McDurmon replies to Al Mohler's charge that the World Wars should be blamed on postmillennialism.

And here Doug Wilson talks about N.T. Wright's (formerly) postmillennial language.

See Andrew's comment ("Tiny Jesus") here.

Are we living in the end times? Wilson answers here.

See more videos here and here.

In 2023, there was a Themelios article about postmillennialism, and to me it seemed like mostly a critique of the Moscow Mood. Wilson responds here.

Here are some interesting arguments against an early dating of Revelation.

[Winnie Thornton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A winsome and pithy response to those Christians yelling: “Stop the world! I’m getting off!”

[Neal Bringe · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Heaven Misplaced" ranks among my favorite books. One can be encouraged by scripture supporting that: the gospel will continue to grow and flourish throughout the world prior to the return of Christ; Jesus must reign, until he has put all enemies under his feet through the power of the gospel, brought to the nations by His Church; as his government and peace increases, predatory beasts become herbivores and all the Gentile nations will stream to Him and be taken up into His holy mountain for a feast, culminating in the destruction of death and wiping every tear away. The resurrection of Jesus was the defining event of the new creation which was formally inaugurated when He ascended to be received in glory by God (Ancient of Days) and given all authority over the nations of the earth. Pastor Wilson helps us to see that the final biblical hope is heaven coming here: thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as in heaven; the meek will inherit the earth, Jesus is bringing all things into subjection to Himself. Spirit-led (children of God) along with creation are groaning as this glory unfolds (while still falling short of God’s ultimate design) in hope and patient waiting for the birth (resurrection) to the new order (the world made new) that will be as different as a glorious corn plant is from its seed. Our resurrection will be the culmination of what is happening now as the world is pregnant with that glory in progressive transformation/recreation by God’s breath, the Word, Jesus. We also encouraged from Pastor Wilson to look and listen for God’s loving speech that is saving the world through His Son, the Word. He is still speaking! Jesus came not to condemn the world, but to bless/save it as far as the curse is found. The ruler of this world is judged, coming to nothing. “Grace is God’s declared intention of favor for the whole world, whether we like it or not.” He did not care how rotten we were on the first Christmas night when the Savior was born – His promises of love are certain. Jesus rises as the day star of the world, overcoming the darkness. Go therefore (emphasis on therefore) and teach all nations. Your labors are not in vain, all the ends of the earth shall be converted and turn to the Lord, as living stones in the New Jerusalem, the Church, the bride of Christ. Amen.

[Mason Sherrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

SOLID!
In my opinion, this is the premier book to give when someone starts asking questions about eschatology. Specifically to the ones who ask “why does it matter?” or “why do you care so much about being post-millennial?”.
Doug aims not to write something nuanced or ground-breaking, but does an excellent job of covering the wide gamut of bases that the topic of eschatology impacts. It’s a solid read. It’s necessary for Christians, pastors, and “deconstructionists” alike. We’ve got so much confusion in the Church about what the actual purpose of Salvation is and what impact that should have on the world before we die & get “sucked out of here”.

*also excellent for discipleship! There are discussion questions at the end of each chapter.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wilson makes a compelling case for postmillenialism in this book. He begins by comparing the traditional premillenial interpretation to the US's departure from Vietnam. He writes, "In this view, the world is God's Vietnam, and the return of Christ consists of the few lucky ones helicoptered off a roof during the fall of Saigon." This is not the kind of God we serve, nor is it the type of 'end of the world' scenario that the Bible presents. I'm not yet fully convinced of the postmillenial position, but it certainly represents a more biblically consistent eschatology than historic premillenialism. This is a good, short introductory argument for postmillenialism well worth reading.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book. One of Wilson's best. It proclaims the Lordship of Jesus in a comprehensive way. The Bible is full of the proclamation that Jesus is Lord and it proclaims that he is Lord of all -- right now. Christians need to read this book. No, really. Christians need to read this book!

If you haven't read it yet, get it. If you have any friends who haven't read it yet, buy it for them and give it to them for their un-birthday (which is today).

[Thomas Kidd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book - especially as a summary to give to someone who couldn't possibly understand how a post-millennialist could actually read and believe the Bible.

[Tim Zornes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good primer on postmillennial eschatology.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heaven Misplaced: Christ's Kingdom on Earth by Douglas Wilson was a phenomenal read. For years, I’d seen it but just never got to it, ‘till now. I thought he did a great job at attacking several misconceptions in regards to the kingdom, the duty of the believer here on earth, and put good answers out there in terms of postmillennialism, preterism, etc. I commend this book! An encouraging read.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a chills-up-the-spine-real-life-really-is-better-than-fiction kind of book.

[S. Paterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great quick and enjoyable introduction to postmillenialism.

Joy to the world!

[Austin Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some chapters were much better than others. I was actually going to rate it three stars, but his section on preterism at the very end brought it up.

The best part of the book was tracing the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies in the first century as well as its emphasis on the physical, this-worldly nature of the resurrection state. And, again, his section on preterism was helpful as a short and convincing introduction.

The worst part of the book was actually how it was written. This surprised me because (agree with him or not) Doug Wilson is one of the best and most persuasive Christian authors today. The characteristic wit was there, but not as much as normal. The way in which he chose to systematically present his argument was disjointed and less than compelling—although I agree with his conclusions.

I think one would be better served by reading “When the Man Comes Around” by Wilson alongside Mathison’s “Postmillennialism.”

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I'm an expert on eschatology. OK, not really. But after The Man Comes Around, I wanted a little more on postmillennialism, and this hit the spot.

[Brandon Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing and hopeful. I pray that more of these books flood the stores.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and incredibly thought-provoking!!

[Wade Stotts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. Read in January 2015, May 2016, and again in April 2017.

[Jason Garwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so good.

2nd time through in 2 years.

[Gabriel Magill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an example of Wilson at his best; not the sarcastic, pop culture Wilson that gets so much attention but the scholarly and pastoral Wilson. One thing I greatly appreciate about Wilson’s writings on Postmillenialism is that he does not rest his case on bare facts (proof texting from Scripture), but shows the poetry of the view by showing how it flows out of biblical themes and persuades the reader without realizing you are being persuaded. I believe Wilson accomplishes what he states in the beginning of the book as his goal; if you are not persuaded by his view, at least you leave saying, “But wouldn’t it be nice if it were true.” Wilson’s writing on this topic has given me far more of a sympathetic view of the postmillenial position, and if I ever find myself firmly in that theological camp it will be largely due to how beautiful he makes the theology.

I have two critiques of this book that have consistently held me back from embracing Wilson’s view. The first is this strange kind of dispensational approach to New Testament texts. Traditional dispensationalism sees certain promises and passages in the Old Testament as being exclusively pertaining to Jerusalem and are not directed toward the New Testament church. Wilson seems to do this with many New Testament passages, regularly claiming passages as being primarily directed at the first-century Jews and not speaking about the church age as a whole, despite these passages being historically understood as applying to the church by theologians in every age. If Wilson could give more evidence that other theologians besides him and a few contemporaries view those passages as primarily speaking of first-century Judaism, it would give more weight to his argument.

Second, most of Wilson’s arguments from Scripture do not exclude the amillenial view. When he exegetes a passage on Christ’s lordship, most amillenials would say, “Exactly.” The main disagreement between these views is not what was accomplished in the past but how it will ultimately play out in the end. In this Wilson regularly discourages what he calls the “spiritualization” of the texts and focuses more exclusively on the physical manifestation he sees presented in the text. This sacrificing of the spiritual for the sake of a physical manifestation of the kingdom does not align well with Christ’s own teaching that his kingdom is not physical but spiritual. I would add that the amillenial view of the kingdom being foundation ally spiritual does not exclude the physical benefits that Wilson points towards, but the focus is not in producing those physical effects; they are glorifying and inevitable byproducts of a spiritual kingdom, but not the main focus of the kingdom. While I know this is not Wilson’s view, his writing sometimes lends the reader to think God cares more about reigning over temporal kingdoms than over immortal souls.

[Frank Lockerman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book invites you to take a perspective that felt overlayed onto the text that was being used to support it. While it did offer a new perspective on some texts that I have read before, I was very disappointed in the textual arguments made by Doug.

[Suzannah Rowntree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read December 20, 2015.

Does it seem weird to have a favourite doctrine? At risk of sounding more a hobbyist than a sincere inquirer after truth, my favourite of all the theological positions I hold is the optimistic view of the end times known technically as postmillenialism. As Douglas Wilson defines the view in this short introduction to the position, "Postmillenialism is the view that Christ will return at the end of the millenium. The millenium is generally understood as a golden age of gospel expansion, wherein the Great Commission is fulfilled. At the end of that period of time, when the nations have all been brought to the discipleship of Christ, He will return and destroy the last enemy, which is death...Most postmillenialists today hold that the millenium is in progress now, meaning that the millenium is not literally one thousand years."

I first encountered a Scriptural defence of this viewpoint in David Chilton's PARADISE REGAINED, when I was about ten or eleven. I chased it up a couple of years later with his wonderful and compelling commentary on Revelation, DAYS OF VENGEANCE. Those are still beyond a doubt the best treatments of the subject that I know of. But my goofy love of this particular doctrine means that I'll read any book on it, just for fun, and to remind myself why I love it so much.

Wilson's HEAVEN MISPLACED is briefer, chattier, and takes a more wide-angle focus than Chilton's books. I didn't find it particularly coherent as an explanation of the distinctives of postmillenialism, or particularly hefty as a systematic hermeneutical defence of postmillenialism. Its aim is rather to paint a broad-strokes image of how Scripture can be interpreted optimistically, and to demonstrate how beautiful such an interpretation is. See this as a low-level introduction to the topic, not particularly rigorous, but grounded in Scripture and easy to read.

A couple of highlights.

One common misconception of postmillenialism says that it is utopian, thinking that the golden age of the millenium will be built on human perfectibility or human works, apart from the person and grace of Christ. In his segment on the Great Commission, Wilson handily dismantles this idea:

"The kingdom would not fade away or be destroyed...[T]his understanding radically affects what we are doing when we seek to fulfill the Great Commission. Are we trying to do something, or are we telling the world about what has already been done? Are we fighting the principal battle itself, or are we announcing the victory afterwards?

This is not a campaign where we are trying to get Jesus elected to anything. He is seated already at the right hand of God the Father, and He is already the king of Idaho, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts. We have the task of announcing to the remaining rebels in the hinterlands that their capital city has already fallen, their ruler dethroned, and that resistance is futile."

Christian optimism is always a glorious theme, but this re-read of HEAVEN MISPLACED reminded me of one often-overlooked strand of this glorious theme. Arminians claim that Christ died on the cross to offer atonement for all the sins of the world, citing texts of the flavour of Luke 2:10: "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." Calvinists argue, with great logical rigor and clarity, that this contradicts Biblical evidence for the specificity of Christ's atoning work: if the benefits of Christ's death are open to all people, but thousands are capable of ignoring this priceless gift, then His full reward and inheritance is not given to Him. This, of course, leads to the accusation--which in some cases has been just--that Calvinists believe in the salvation of a handful of frozen chosen and the condemnation of the bulk of humanity to hellfire. But as Wilson demonstrates in this book, postmillenialism--a viewpoint that has been spotted hand-in-hand with the doctrines of grace all over history, all the way back to St Augustine--answers this objection handily. Christ did only die for the elect. But if you consider that the earth will eventually be as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the sea is wet, we are not talking about Christ's atonement being limited in a sense that could possibly be constructed as narrow. The best is yet to come. The field of history is white to harvest, and the tares will not outnumber the wheat.

"Jesus Christ is Saviour of the world. 'And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Saviour of the word" (1 Jn. 4:14). Jesus did not come in order to try to save the word, if the uncooperative world would only let Him. He came to save the world; He will be satisfied with nothing less than a saved world. That was the whole point...He will save the world, and we need to take the word world in such a way that encompasses more than a tiny, huddled band of the elect, consisting of no more than thirteen or fourteen people."

Amen!

----

Read July 13, 2012.

[Márcio Sobrinho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Para abalar e, com a graça de Deus, mudar todo coração pessimista.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bible-based Reformed Christian optimism about the history of the world and the work of the gospel in the future (postmillennialism).

"Think of this book as a small effort to get Christians to believe their Christmas carols year-round."
"Joy to the World; the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King!...
He comes to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found."

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent albeit necessarily general and brief defense of postmillennialism. Enjoyable read

[Seth Goodale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction into understanding the biblical view of eschatology. Wonderful instruction on how to read the Bible, specifically how to interpret and handle prophecy. This book was filled with Scripture, every opinion and conclusion was based upon the plain Word.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was instrumental in my journey to postmillenialism years ago. I wanted to revisit it in printed form, and was not disappointed. He does a good job laying out the book in an approachable way, avoiding unnecessary dogmatic statements, but still compelling the reader to follow his instruction to read 'with suspended disbelief' for the sake of discussion. He answers most of the common arguments put forth by pre-mil and especially dispensational commentators. Again, very readable, concise, and well-organized. If nothing else, the main takeaway is to let the Old Testament and its quotations in the NT guide our interpretations of difficult passages.

[Zach McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Douglas Wilson is a master of short_er book writing. This is a great introduction to an optimistic/postmillennial view of history/the future. My only complaint is that he does not deal with 'problem passages' much and I, of course, would have appreciated more interaction with the amillenial view. Nonetheless, this is a great introduction, though definitely not exhaustive, on an optimistic view of God's plan for the Church and the World.

[Drew Norwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doug Wilson persuasively presents the postmill vision. He describes this book as an exercise “not so much in systematic theology, but in lyrical theology”, and in it he shows the beauty and appeal of an optimistic eschatology.

For those less familiar with the different views on eschatology (such as myself), this book will be insufficient by itself. It is not polemical, nor is it historical or systematic. It is narrowly tailored but well executed.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eloquent and persuasive. 2nd read May 2018.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll be rereading this. Very good. Too much to take in at once; very rich, very encouraging. Comprehensive.

[M.G. Bianco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has got to be one of the best books I've ever read on the topic of eschatology.