Approaching The New Millennium:
An Amillennial Look At A.D. 2000

There is an enormous amount of nonsense being promoted by all kinds of special interest groups about the end of the millennium and the year 2000. Some are taking the problem computer programmers will have and are projecting a complete global financial collapse. Some of these folks are also offering insurance packages to protect those who buy into their proposal. Similar scams exist in the religious arena, where all kinds of special events are being predicted for the turn of the century. Most of these special events are linked to an offer of some kind--everything from a book that supposedly tells you what will happen to an entry fee to be part of a chosen group.

Our book of the month deals with Biblical passages about "end times." Unlike a great deal of the material circulating concerning the millennium, this book offers no escape and has nothing to sell. The best summary of the book this reviewer can offer is taken from the preface: "Will the world end at one millisecond after midnight on December 31, 1999? Will Jesus Christ come back to the world for his Second Advent precisely at A.D. 2000 and rule the world with a rod of iron from the physical city of Jerusalem for a thousand years? Are there 'signs of the times' revealed in the Bible that when A.D. 2000 rolls around the true church of Christ will be 'raptured' and unbelievers left behind to be given an opportunity to surrender to the rule of Christ on earth? Does God have something 'more' for the Jewish race that they cannot appropriate now, before Christ's Second Coming? Will Christ rebuild the Jewish temple and reinstate the Jewish sacrifices-- or will that be the work of the 'Antichrist'? Are the answers to these questions found in the Bible? Where? We believe the answer to every one of these questions is a resounding NO!" The book then explains why the answer is no.

Butler begins by discussing various end times' approaches made by religious groups. This is a very useful part of the book because it briefly explains the basic beliefs of postmillennialism, amillennialism, and premillennialism with further explanation of historical and dispensational understandings.

Butler takes us in chapter two through a history of people who have set dates as to when Christ is to return from the time of Barnabas to the present. In chapters three to seven the Valley of Jehosphaphat, Gog and Magog and the book of Daniel with it's four beasts and the seventy sevens and kings are discussed. The author gives a clear contrast of his views of Daniel 9:24-27 with the dispensational view. Zechariah 1:8 is also studied using Matthew 24-25, Mark 13, and Luke 21, with special emphasis on the predications concerning the destruction of Jerusalem. The remainder of the book deals with the book of Revelation and its prophecies.

This book is a refreshing change from the hysteria that is sweeping the world concerning this subject. The author makes his argument in a clear concise manner without abusing or demeaning other views. By the same token, the author is strong in his approach and leaves no doubt about what he believes and why.

We recommend this book as a viable source that coherently answers those who do not understand that the kingdom of Jesus is "not of this world." It is a useful study book that could be used in a class or as a private study.

Back to Contents Does God Exist?, JanFeb99.