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An Eschatology of Victory

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This book was very helpful in keeping the apocalyptic languages in context - both biblically and historically. Just to keep this review shorter than it could be, let me just say that the author of the book doesn't spin a bias on certain verses to fit a preconceived interpretation. Everything seemed to be well done. If you are a premillennialist (meaning you believe in the rapture of the church while a world-oppressing "antichrist" nukes the world to bits) and you are bummed out and over-stressed from confusion of the-more-you-learn-the-less-you-learn cycle, this book is for you. Also, if you are new to the bible (or even a skeptic of the bible) and don't understand biblical symbollic language, this book is for you as well. The same figures of speech God uses to promise He will destroy Egypt and Babylon are used in Matthew 24 in concern with Jerusalem. The author shows how throughout the word of God, especially in the Old Testament, when God says a nation will be punished to an end, it happens. How much more of when God speaks of Jerusalem being destroyed in the same way? If you are serious about understanding the history of fulfilled prophecy, give your brain and soul what they are due and read "An Eschatology of Victory". It is a must have for any serious bible student who would collect only valuable biblical study commentaries which will be relevant for generations. I haven't come across one like it yet, enjoy! Philippians 1:9-11, Mark 16:15-16. God bless your studies!

For those Christians who think the world is going to get worse and worse, with the Church becoming more and more impotent, until we're all taken up by the so-called "Rapture," this book provides a seriously different, and more Biblical, perspective. It gives the clearest, most coherent interpretation of Matt. 24 I have ever read. I would like to challenge all dispensationalists to read this book and see if your perspective isn't changed.

In this day and age of the End Times Industry where American Christians compare their plight in regards to morality, to the deepest level, and earthquake, and hurricanes as evidence of the Last Days, this book provides the proper historical context for the eschatological passages in the Bible. Kik uses scripture to interpret scripture and properly reveals the true nature of the the Messianic Kingdom, in terms of its purpose and scope. When this is done all the sensationalism of dispensationalism, antichrist, one world government, chip in the hand and the forehead all become what they really are, "Silly conjectures with no basis in scripture".

This book is going to offend diehard dispensationalists in that it totally refutes their eschatological view. It also offends the amillenialists, but truth is obligated to only offend those that are at variance with it.

Marcellus Kik changed my thinking on eschatology. He has an incredible gift for interpreting Scripture with Scripture and eroding one's presuppositions. An incredible book and great addition to a theologian's library.

Eschatology of Victory was a good post-millennial view of Eschatology (the end times). The book featured in-depth analysis of Matthew 24 and Revelation 20. I think it would have been better to focus on those rather than include the four short essays at the beginning of the book because there was a lot of duplication between the essays and the second part of the book.

I've never studied the post-millennial view closely, so I found the book informative as to what the author holds to be true regarding the tribulation, the 1,000 year reign of Christ, the binding of Satan, etc. The author presented good analysis and arguments for his thoughts on two critical chapters in the study of Eschatology. I did feel at times, he made a lot of assumptions (e.g., we know this, or we know that), but he didn't fully present supporting evidences.

I'm still struggling with the amillennial versus post-millenial differences on what is going to happen during the symbolic 1,000 year reign. The author presents an optimistic view where post-millennialism will usher in a "golden age" for the church where the majority of the world turns to Christ. There were some references to this in the book, but I didn't see strong scriptural support for this thinking. The amillennial view is more pessimistic in that it sees things getting worse for Christians up until the final judgment.

All I know, is that it is imperative for me to:

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." (I Peter 5:8-11 NKJV)

J. Marcellus Kik was a pastor for 20 years, and a former Associate Editor for Christianity Today.

He states in the first chapter of this 1971 book, "It is our purpose in a series of four lectures to give a historical, theological, and exegetical study of Historical Reformed Eschatology in so far as it deals with the progress of the church previous to the second coming of the Lord. It is at once obvious that we have taken in a large field of study and that the time limit alone necessitates the narrowing of that field. We have therefore limited our study to the concept of the millennium and here, too, there is a narrowing of the field as will be obvious later."

Here are some quotations from the book:

"Of course, you could say that IMMEDIATELY (in Mt 24:29) does not mean immediately, even as this generation does not mean this generation. This is rather a dishonest way of getting out of a seeming difficulty and does away with all meaning of language and the science of exegesis." (Pg. 32)
"Thus the understanding common to all the passages in Matthew where the word generation appears is that of a contemporary race, people living at the same time of Christ, the generation then living. It is further emphasized by the demonstrative pronoun 'this.' It is THIS generation, not a generation or generations in the future." (Pg. 63)
"The only valid objection against this general interpretation is that the destruction of Jerusalem did not occur within the seventieth week---within the period of seven years. The seventy weeks extended to about 33 A.D. The destruction of Jerusalem, of course, came in 70 A.D." (Pg. 109)
"The above portion of Scripture employs such strong and vivid language that many think it can be descriptive of nothing else than the end of the world and the second coming of Christ... And yet when this passage is studied in the light of prophetic language and pronouncements, it can readily be that it is descriptive of the passing away of Judaism." (Pg. 128)
"One need not project the prophecy of the sun, the moon being darkened, and the stars falling from heaven into the time of the second coming of the Lord if one understands that our Lord is using this figurative language even as the prophets of old employed it." (Pg. 133)

The author works from an allegorical assumption when interpreting prophecy; such as the thousand-years in Revelation 20, and also depends heavily upon reading the NT church back in to the Old Testament passages that refer strictly to national Israel. The church did not exist in the Old Testament, and therefore the author's theology is skewed from the start that continues all the way to his conclusion. For an able critique of Postmillennialism pick up a copy of Israelology by Arnold Fruchtenbaum.