Four Views of the End Times: Christian Views on Jesus' Second Coming

by Timothy Paul Jones, Timothy Paul Jones

So what does the Bible actually say about the end times that lead to the return of Jesus Christ? The differing ideas that divide believers into four major points-of-view are examined in the Four Views of the End Times pamphlet. This bestseller tackles Pre- and Post-millennialism, as well as Historic Premillennialism and Amillennialism in 12 panels of objective information. For each view, the glossy full-color pamphlet
A definition of the position with supporting ScripturesA time line of the view’s popularityA sampling of Christian leaders supporting that view
8.5”x 5.5” unfolds to 33” long. Fits inside most Bible covers.

The events leading up to the return of Jesus Christ are controversial, and many Christians identify with one of four Dispensational Premillennialism, Historic Premillennialism, Amillennialism, or Postmillennialism. The Four Views of the End Times pamphlet makes the viewpoints and their biblical support easy to understand. Packed with information regarding what Jesus and Paul taught about the end times, the pamphlet also includes a list of important terms and their definitions, such
ChurchEschatologyRaptureThe Great TribulationPreterism
Four Views of the End Times pamphlet addresses end-time eschatology, outlining the four major points of view regarding events leading up to the second coming of Christ. Below is the outline applied to each of the four views with a few
What is emphasized by the viewWhich Scriptures seem to support the positionThe time period for the view’s main popularity
Dispensational Gained acceptance in the 1800s and is still widespreadHistoric The earliest view following the time of the Emerged in the 5th century; championed by St. Became popular in the 1800s but decreased in 1900s as a result of the Great DepressionA graphic timeline showing the order of events held by that viewA sampling of Christian leaders sharing the Premillennialism
Dr. Charles StanleyRev. Tim LahayeHal LindsayHistoric Premillennialism
Justin Martyr AD 100-165John Warwick Montgomery – currentAmillennialism
Martin LutherJohn CalvinPostmillennialism
Jonathan EdwardsC. H. SpurgeonR.C. Sproul

Genres: Theology, Christian, Religion, Christianity

20 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Timothy Paul Jones is an American evangelical scholar known for his work in apologetics and family ministry. He serves as the C. Edwin Gheens Professor of Christian Family Ministry at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Jones has authored influential texts defending the historical reliability of the New Testament and has promoted a model of “family-equipping ministry,” which balances family discipleship with age-specific church programs. His apologetics have evolved from evidential to presuppositional approaches, emphasizing the role of the church’s moral witness and care for the marginalized. He has been recognized for books such as Misquoting Truth, How We Got the Bible, and In Church as It Is in Heaven, the latter promoting multiethnic church communities. Jones is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and has been praised as a leading voice in engaging both secular critics and intra-faith debates. He and his wife Rayann have four adopted children.

Reviews

[Rodney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pamphlet of Four Views of the End Times

This is just a pamphlet. I've had it in my Kindle library for a long time and thought it was a book so was kind of disappointed of the length. It is accurate in what it says but if you want to find out about the different views of the end times that you read something more in depth. But to just get an idea of them I recommend this book or pamphlet.

[Kevin Casto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview of the four views of the return of Christ. The author presents the views and allows the reader to discover and understand where they stand on the return of Christ. Great study!

[Alan Fuller · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some might be happy with this sort of short summary, but it wasn't for me. You could find more information by Googling for about 15 minutes.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful and very quick summary.

[John Donnelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good summary

He has done well to summarize the 4 main views and allow us to make our own minds up. This sorts out a lot of the eschatological confusion that abounds today. Christians should read it and familiarize themselves with each view then dig deeper into the Scriptures so that they can decide for themselves what end time position they ought to follow.

[Mark Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book for people wanting to explore and learn about the different End Times views. It is the only such book on this topic I have read so I do not know how it compares to others. All of these multiple view books that deal with theological topics are useful to me for beginning studies on harder topics that have multiple points of view.

[Karla Ticona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro resumen de las posturas frente a la escatología del Nuevo Testamento. Los dibujitos resumen son lo máximo para entenderlo con manzanitas.

Creo que lo más sabio para alguien que está investigando o estudiando escatología, es primero hacer estudio bíblico profundo de 1 Tesalonicenses 4, Mateo 24, 25, Marcos 13, Lucas 21, Apocalipsis 3, Juan 14; y LUEGO irse a leer libros de autores.

[Mike Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would function well as a very basic introduction to the four primary views of the end times. It is extremely basic, but a good jumping off point for somebody who is very unfamiliar with the other views. My favorite part is the brief synopsis of the historical acceptance of each view and the accompanying verses that seem to support each view.

[Jesse Huck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Difficult to compare and contrast

The information is fine. However, it does not feel like a panfilt version like it should be. Not sure how this could be fixed outside of shrinking the text size.

[Jimmy De · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick and concise

I’ve been studying this subject for an upcoming podcast episode of Sola Cast. This small book was quick and easy. End times is not my forte or a favorite subject. This book has charts and graphics that were quite helpful.

[Charlie Sutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not finish this book because I was using it as a resource. It was very helpful in that regard. However, it is a guidebook to a video teaching series and probably makes the most sense only if one is using that series.

[Tessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here is a short book in which a single author simply lays out all the view of the millennium—shorter than a textbook but not more helpful.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a good overview

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful overview of the four main Christian views of the end times. Just the basics, (it’s a very short read) but a really good place to start.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, brief overview of the major Christian views of the end times: dispensationalism, historic premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism.

It aims for objectivity, and gets pretty close (there are a couple word choices that no amillennialist would ever support--like saying that the church "replaces" Israel or that the thousand year reign of Christ is to be understood primarily as a "reign in the believer's heart").

But other than that, it is good for outlining the different views, and introducing eschatology to beginners.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the information was fine. It's basically a few glorified blog posts. It's so short that I think he has to simplify some things to the point of not really doing them justice. For instance, on historical premillennialism, he doesn't acknowledge the fact that both a pre and mid-tribulation view can be consistent under the premil umbrella.

[William Bradford · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book does an excellent job of simply describing the four primary views and is a good resource for anyone who is not familiar with the differing interpretations of Revelation.

It would be a good introduction before moving into more in-depth studies.

[Donald E. Sixt III · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, to the point

Short little book with a good amount of basic information regarding the four different views of the end times. Good as a first, or introductory read for those interested in the different views. Have a Bible handy to view the references given.

[Kim Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good study - exactly what it's title proclaims. I would have preferred it to focus a little more on Revelations. However, it was clear and delivered whet it claimed.

[Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done basic introduction to the major end times views among true disciples of Christ. I appreciated how far the work was toward the four major views.

[Annielee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise and quick study guide!

Avery nice reference to keep on hand for those who are interested in end-time prophesies. I will use it often.