Four Views on the Book of Revelation [Paperback]

C. Marvin Pate (Author), Stanley N. Gundry (Series Editor), Kenneth L. Gentry Jr. (Contributor), Sam Hamstra Jr. (Contributor), Robert L. Thomas (Contributor)

Book Description

Series: Counterpoints: Bible and Theology | Publication Date: April 1, 1998

Of all the books of the Bible, few are as fascinating or as bewildering as Revelation. Its images grip the imagination: four grim horsemen, the Antichrist, the ten-horned beast, the ultimate battle at Armageddon, and, of course, 666, the 'mark of the beast,' variously interpreted to signify everything from Hitler and Krushchev to credit cards and the Internet. Is the book of Revelation a blueprint for the future that needs decoding if we want to understand current events? Is it a book of powerful imagery, with warnings and promises for the church throughout the ages? Or is it essentially an imaginative depiction of historical events in the first century? Four Views on the Book of Revelation explores the four main views in which Revelation is understood: preterist, idealist, classical dispensationalist futurist, and progressive dispensationalist. The interactive Counterpoints forum allows each author not only to present his view, but also to offer brief commentary on other views presented. This evenhanded approach is ideal for comparing and contrasting stances in order to form a personal conclusion about the interpretation and meaning of Revelation. The Counterpoints series provides a forum for comparison and critique of different views on issues important to Christians. Counterpoints books address two categories: Church Life and Bible and Theology. Complete your library with other books in the Counterpoints series.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The Book of Revelation. The Millennium. Two of the most fascinating and widely disputed topics in modern Christianity. What are we to make of the Bible's rich apocalyptic imagery? How much of it is a historical account? How much is prophecy that is unfolding today or that has yet to unfold, and how much illustrates timeless truths that transcend specific events of the past, present, or future? Two additions to the Counterpoints series now provide a forum for presentation and critique of, and interaction among, the predominant views on the book of Revelation and on the millennial reign of Christ and his Church. The contributors are eminently qualified to represent their various schools of thought. Like the other Counterpoints books, each of these volumes allows the reader to set the different views side by side to compare their strengths and weaknesses, gaining a better appreciation for other perspectives while strengthening or redefining his or her own. Four views on the book of Revelation are presented, critiqued, and defended: preterist, idealist, and the classical dispensationalist and progressive dispensationalist forms of the futurist approach.

From the Author

C. Marvin Pate, Ph.D., is professor of Bible at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Kenneth L. Gentry Jr., Th.D., is professor of New Testament at Bahnsen Theological Seminary in Placentia, California. Sam Hamstra Jr., Ph.D., is vice president for institutional advancement and chaplain of Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois. Robert L. Thomas, Ph.D., is professor of New Testament at The Master’s Seminary in Sun Valley, California

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310210801
• ISBN-13: 978-0310210801
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Th.D. is an ordained minister (Reformed Presbyterian Church, General Assembly) and author of over thirty books. He holds a B.A. from Tennessee Temple University; the M.Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary; and the Th.M. and Th.D. from Whitefield Theological Seminary. He is married (July 31, 1971) and has three married children (and several grandchildren): his daughter is an Executive Asst. for the president of a national clothing firm; his oldest son is a physicist working in nanotechnology in the Research Triangle in North Carolina; his youngest son is a Senior Manager CPA for one of the Big Four accounting firms). He has a Facebook page and welcomes new "friends" there.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre Presentation of 4 Revelation Views, January 5, 2002

By 

David R. Bess (Charleston, WV) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Four Views on the Book of Revelation (Paperback)

This book is actually a combination of four short booklets, each written by a different author. My rating is for the book as a whole, though my rating for each individual writer would differ. As an editor, Pate makes a commendable effort to be fair and open-minded with the views differing from his own position. If Pate had requested each author to respond to the criticism voiced by the others, this book would have been much more helpful.

The first writer is Kenneth Gentry, representing the Preterist view. His work is the best presented of the four positions, worthy of five stars. If anyone wants an very good explanation of the Preterist view in a nutshell, Gentry offers it here.

The second writer is Sam Hamstra, representing the Idealist view. He is a bit wordy in his presentation, and comes across as rather dull. I give him three stars.

The third writer is Marvin Pate, representing the Progressive Dispensationalist view. Ironically, his argument is the weakest and most difficult to understand of the four. He appears to be seeking an interpretation that will have something for everyone, but sacrifices substance and clarity in the process. What seems to be a combination of a preterist/futurist position is not appealing in the least. I give him two stars.

The fourth writer is Robert Thomas, representing the Classic Dispensationalist view. Thomas voices the usual mantra for this camp, claiming that his dispensational view is the only position that interprets Revelation literally. He then proceeds to explain the "actual meaning" of the various "symbols" described by the Apostle John! Still, he does a commendable job of presenting a very brief summary of this very complicated viewpoint. I give him four stars.

In summary, this book is more suitable for the college classroom than for the church congregation. I would recommend it to a fellow pastor or theologian, but not to a layman. Overall, it serves to refresh the memory of a person who has already determined his viewpoint, rather than to persuade the mind of a person who is still undecided.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful book for learning about Revelation, July 12, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Four Views on the Book of Revelation (Paperback)

The book of Revelation is one of the most difficult books in the Bible. This fact is evidenced in there being so many approaches to Revelation. This work by Pate introduces and summarizes four of those approaches: preterism (the best argued in the book), dispensationalism (the most popular view in American fundamentalism), progressive dispensationalism (a mix of all the other views while trying to maintain some semblance of dispensationalism), and idealism (the most confusing and least attractive view).

Revelation is also one of the most facinating to Christians. The chapter on preterism was the most interesting to me, and the most convincing. The author basically gives a short commentary on Revelation, which provides a nice overview while presenting the preterist outlook. The preterist sees Revelation as pointing to the looming destruction of Jerusalem, as Christianity separates from Judaism.

The reason for preterism is found in two of the first three verses in Revelation: Rev. 1:1, 3. There John tells us that the events he is prophesying will "soon" take place because (in his view) "the time is at hand." I don't know how I had missed that introduction in my reading of Revelation. I don't see anyway around this problem for the other views.

Presenting two dispensational views was an odd feature of the book. Why two very different interpretations from the same school of thought? However, when all is said and done, at least the reader can see that dispensationalism is changing with the times (which is actually good news).

The idealist view seemed a bit abstract and unnatural. I don't hear of too many idealists. And maybe this chapter is helpful in understanding why the view is not making much headway.

I wish the authors had been given an opportunity to critique each others' chapters. They do allude to the positions of the others from time to time, but they were not given the chance to actually engage the others' leading arguments.

One funny thing in the book is that the dispensationalist Robert Thomas urges readers to use the grammatical-historical approach to all biblical interpretation. He says that this will lead the reader of Revelation to a dispensational understanding of the book. Then he sets forth Milton Terry as the best author to write a book on how to interpret Scripture in that way. But the preterist author (Kenneth Gentry) uses Milton Terry's work to support his own view! Milton Terry himself is a preterist. I wonder if the dispensationalist author even knew that.

I recommend this book as an introduction to the various approaches to Revelation. I think readers will be impressed with the case for preterism, even if they are not fully and finally convinced by the author.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clears up the confusion on the Book of Revelation, December 20, 1999

By 

Todd Grotenhuis "tgrotenhuis" (Grand Rapids, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Four Views on the Book of Revelation (Paperback)

Is there a harder book in the Bible to understand than Revelation? This Four Views volume offers four of the main approaches to interpreting the book -- in a somewhat brief format (232 pages), the entire book of Revelation is summarized according to four differing viewpoints. Unfortunately a fifth position, the "Historicist" view, is given only a passing glance as a view that has (apparently) fallen out of favor (despite the fact that this view used to be, and still may be, very popular among some). Also some of the views that *are* defended in the book are not the "pure" forms of those positions: the preterist (which locates all prophetic fulfillments in the 1st cent., A.D.) and idealist (which sees all prophecies as recurring in time, rather than pointing to single events) both see in Rev. 20 a brief reference to Christ's final, definitive triumph that is still in the future. The overall presentation by each of the authors is a good one, though; if you're confused about how to interpret Revelation, this book should clear up some of the fog.