10 Good Books about the End Times and the Return of Christ
Most Christians don’t read books about the return of Christ. And that’s a shame.
Most Christians in most churches I’ve been part of over the past twenty years haven’t read a single book about the return of Christ and the end of everything. Our general affluence keeps us from thinking about the need for Jesus to come back. And long seasons of suffering can also make it difficult to think about the future, even though that’s often what we need.
But the main reason most people don’t read about the return of Christ is that the end-times market—if you want to call it a market—is dominated by books that focus on the weird and fantastical, the debatable and controversial. That’s a shame. It turns Christians off the topic completely, and thus many have never studied all the good stuff that happens when Christ comes back. And for the believer, the good stuff about the return of Christ is the main stuff.
As I’ve studied this topic, many books have given me hope and comfort, and I want to share a few with you and encourage you to consider reading them. But before I suggest ten books about the return of Christ and the end of everything, I need to mention the one book more important than all the others. The best book to read about the return of Christ and the end of everything is, of course, the Bible.
I don’t think most Christians realize how saturated the New Testament is with verses about the return of Christ. (There are a whole bunch of passages in the Old Testament too.) I put together an ebook that compiles a great list of passages in one place. You can get it by subscribing to my blog (subscribe here). When you do, I’ll send you what I call Lord, Haste the Day: 49 Bible Passages to Fill You with Hope about the Return of Christ. The other year, I printed out all these same verses and spent time each morning meditating on a couple of them.
As you look at the books on the list, if you notice that you’ve read some of them, let me know your favorites in the comments. And if you don’t see your favorite books on the list, be sure to share those with me too.
This book can be intimidating because of its size; the epic subtitle gives you that clue. If you’re holding the book or see the 560-page count on Amazon, you might feel the same way. But it’s super readable. One time, I heard a friend joke that Alcorn built too much on C. S. Lewis rather than on the Bible. And there is a lot of Lewis in his book. But there is far more Bible than there is Lewis—or any other author. My favorite takeaway is that in heaven there will be no idolatry, so we’ll be able to enjoy all of God’s gifts in a way that doesn’t compete with our love for him. I highly recommend the book.
Bright Hope for Tomorrow: How Anticipating Jesus’ Return Gives Strength for Today
by Chris Davis
I love Chris’s book. I’ve read it several times. When I began working on my book, Chris was kind enough to give me some time on the phone, and he’s encouraged me all along the way. Chris does a great job of highlighting the positive aspects of Christ’s return, especially through the Bible’s main motifs (the warrior king, the bridegroom, the judge, and the resurrecting one).
Come, Lord Jesus: Meditations on the Second Coming of Christ
by John Piper
This book is a classic example of Piper being Piper. He dives deep into the ocean of the Bible, then swims to the surface and holds up treasure for readers to see and savor. Grab this one if you want your head and heart expanded in such a way that you’ll find yourself echoing the prayer at the end of Revelation.
The Bible and the Future
by Anthony A. Hoekema
This book is more of a textbook, and it feels that way. I read it during seminary and then again the other year. During the reread, I found myself saying, “I forgot how good this book is.” The author writes from an amillennial perspective, but that emphasis is small compared to the overall focus on what happens when the end arrives. I think most readers will get to around page one hundred before they notice this specific view, which says something about the author but also about how much all the views share.
Always Longing: Discovering the Joy of Heaven
by Stephen R. Morefield
Stephen is my friend. He says that if Randy Alcorn’s book Heaven, which I highlighted first on this list, had been smaller, he wouldn’t have written his book. But Alcorn’s book is huge and Stephen’s isn’t. He structures the book in the form of questions and answers. Each of the seven chapters answers a common question about the end times and eternity. When I’ve suggested this book to others, they’ve loved it.
Blessed: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Revelation
by Nancy Guthrie
I have always believed that God gave us the book of Revelation for our good. How could a Christian think otherwise? But all the imagery, all the debates, and all the confusion sometimes make that belief difficult and have given me hesitation from teaching the vision John received on Patmos. Guthrie’s book, however, made it easier to see how Revelation, with all its twists and turns, is not only eminently preachable by ordinary pastors to ordinary believers but also eminently believable and livable.
Are We Living in the Last Days?: Four Views of the Hope We Share about Revelation and Christ’s Return
by Bryan Chapell
Don’t be misled by the intensity of the cover design. I think the publisher is trying to appeal to readers who want end-times books to look like end-times books. Well, mission accomplished, I guess. But the book is actually a very even-handed explanation of the four main orthodox views of the return of Christ. If you often get confused with the different views (dispensational premillennialism, historic premillennialism, amillennialism, and postmillennialism), Chapell will help you navigate the issues, seeing the strengths and weaknesses of each view. He’s been both a professor and a pastor, so he knows how to make difficult concepts accessible. I was helped by the book.
A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times
by Kim Riddlebarger
Don’t hate me for including a book from my personal end-times theological camp. If that camp has always seemed sketchy to you, reading someone like Riddlebarger will hopefully help you understand that the biblical roots of amillennialism run deep. You could also read Sam Storm’s book Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative, which I also recommend. But Storm’s book can be a bit spunky and goes way deep into details, such as Daniel’s prophecies and who “all Israel” is in Romans 9. But some people like to get into the weeds, which Riddlebarger, I suppose, does too.
Gilead: A Novel
by Marilynne Robinson
Okay, this is a sneaky pick. It’s not really about the end times or the return of Christ, but it is a novel that wrestles with death and eternity. Robinson casts the book as a long letter from a pastor to his son, set in the fictional town of Gilead in rural Iowa in the 50s. The pastor is so old and his son so young that he wonders whether he’ll live to see him grow beyond boyhood. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction twenty years ago. (If the book sounds interesting to you, you might want to know that it became the first part of a four-part series, which I’m currently re-reading.)
The Restoration of All Things: How the Promise of Christ’s Return Brings Us Comfort Today
by Benjamin Vrbicek
Yes, I included my own book. If I were to rank the books on this list, I wouldn’t put my own book first; there are too many other, better books. But I also wouldn’t rank my book last. ;-)
* Photo by Slava Auchynnikauon Unsplash