Friday, June 15, 2007

Beginner's Guide to Eschatology

Places to Begin:

A Case for Amillennialism by Kim Riddlebarger
The Man of Sin by Kim Riddlebarger
The End Times Made Simple by Sam Waldron

A Little Deeper:

The Returning King by Vern Poythress
Understanding Dispensationalists by Vern Poythress
The Bible and the Future by Anthony Hoekema

Further:

The Eschatology of the Old Testament by Geerhardus Vos
The Pauline Eschatology by Geerhardus Vos

18 comments:

  1. Did you read these or are you just relaying suggestions you got from somebody else?

    If so, what did you think of Waldron's book? The title suggests that it is possible for the end times to be "made simple," which of course cannot happen.

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  2. I haven't read Waldron's book. This list is just meant to alert readers to what options are out there.

    I think Waldron is just pointing out the fact that there is much unnecessary confusion that exists in certain eschatological developments. Today, most Christians have been taught to concern themselves with minor details and miss the big picture: it's all about Jesus!

    But I agree with your assessment in that I also notice the tendency to assign eschatology to a small category pertaining to only "last things." We are told that there is only one prophetic book of the New Testament (Revelation). But, actually, all of the New Testament is concerned with Eschatology. It is incredibly integrated into the thought and theology of the Biblical writers. Everything centers on the cross and Christ's ushering in of the "last days."

    For more on this, I recommend books like the ones by Geerhardus Vos as well as other books on Biblical theology (I'll be posting a list on Biblical theology soon).

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  3. "But, actually, all of the New Testament is concerned with Eschatology."

    I have been reading "Resurrection and Redemption: A Study in Paul's Soteriology" by Richard Gaffin. His premise is the same. I'm not sure if these articles came before of after the book but they are very helpful.

    http://l1nk.org/part-i-background-biblical-theology
    http://l1nk.org/part-ii-overview-paul-s-resurrection-theology
    http://l1nk.org/part-iii-christological-soteriological-and-ecclesiological-reflections
    http://l1nk.org/part-iv-practical-implications
    http://l1nk.org/endnotes-redemption-and-resurrection

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  4. A beginner's guide to Amillennialism....

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  5. Anonymous said:
    ---
    A beginner's guide to Amillennialism....
    ---

    Yes, that's what he said. :-P

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  6. I'm glad this came up, since I find eschatology a bit difficult to work with. As such, I've been putting off hammering out any details beyond the basics. It's difficult, because most of the Christians I do Bible study with are dispensationalists of the "pre-trib" variety, and it makes some unusual approaches to interpretation.

    You don't have to be D.A. Carson to see that the hermeneutic approach of interpreting horsemen as tanks and eagles as F-22 is a little...goofy. Still, there are points that seem more plausible, like what part the "man of sin" might play. I think it does take a bit of discipline to fit all the parts together.

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  7. It would be nice to see the other views represented here too. Not that I am saying that you guys just don't give Postmillenialism equal shrift or anything. But it would be nice to see something besides Amil.

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  8. I would recommend in the premil camp: Millard Erickson, Contemporary Options in Eschatology (also a survey); and G.E. Ladd, The Last Things.

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  9. I understand the desire to be balanced. But, to tell you the truth, I'm a bit confused why some would be so surprised that I chose to only recommend books by authors whose positions I agree with. I mean, if I suggested a list of books on Soteriology, I wouldn't exactly include titles by Dave Hunt and Norman Geisler. :-)

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  10. I think you forgot Tim LaHaye in your list.

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  11. Obviously, Edgar Whisenant is where it's at.

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  12. Here's a supplementary list of prescient and timely titles to rectify Evan's shockingly lopsided and partisan list:

    http://www.amazon.com/Armageddon-Calendar-John-F-Walvoord/dp/B000H6QXRG/ref=sr_1_47/002-8010765-2019265?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181939266&sr=1-47

    http://www.amazon.com/Armageddon-Oil-Middle-East-Crisis/dp/B000GRBDJE/ref=sr_1_48/002-8010765-2019265?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181939266&sr=1-48

    http://www.amazon.com/1994-Camping-Harold/dp/B000LBTW3O/ref=sr_1_4/002-8010765-2019265?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181939435&sr=1-4

    http://www.amazon.com/Are-You-Ready-Harold-Camping/dp/0533109329/ref=pd_sim_b_2/002-8010765-2019265?ie=UTF8&qid=1181939435&sr=1-3

    http://www.amazon.com/1994-Harold-Camping/dp/1885000022/ref=sr_1_3/002-8010765-2019265?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181939435&sr=1-3

    http://www.amazon.com/Last-Train-Out-Gary-North/dp/0930462076/ref=sr_1_35/002-8010765-2019265?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181940071&sr=1-35

    http://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Chance-Ten-Feet-Survival/dp/0930462106/ref=sr_1_1/002-8010765-2019265?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181939919&sr=1-1

    http://www.amazon.com/coming-mutual-fund-meltdown-toll-free/dp/B0006QKVIE/ref=sr_1_11/002-8010765-2019265?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181940159&sr=1-11

    http://www.serve.com/thibodep/cr/y2kjudge.htm

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  13. You forgot:

    Postmillennialism: An Eschatology of Hope, by Keith Mathison;

    The Victory of Christ's Kingdom, by John Jefferson Davis;

    He Shall Have Dominion, by Kenneth Gentry;

    The Puritan Hope, by Iain Murray;

    and all the other various biblical, eschatology of the Bible resources. :0D

    But I don't worry. Jesus will put amillennialism under His feet one day too. :0D

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  14. The postmil titles were to help Evan May to the eschatology of the Bible, by the way. :0)

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  15. Hey, you can't leave G.K. Beale's monumental work on the book of Revelation!! No other commentary comes close to it!

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  16. Thought someone out there might enjoy some of these messages

    http://polemos.net/Eschatology.html

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  17. Thanks for this list. I will be using it for a course i am designing that deals with a Christian perspective of Israel and Palestine, issues of Justice and Zionism.

    I would appreciate any article recs or sermons as well.

    Thanks!

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