The Bible and the Future

Rating:
Summary: A solid work on eschatology
Review: Anthony Hoekema has produced a thorough and solid work of scholarship in "The Bible and the Future." He carefully lays out each position, noting both historic theological/philosophical support and extensive Biblical support for the views. He offers fair evidence for all sides, and in his critiques he is firm, but appreciative of the positive aspects of the positions he criticizes. His critique of dispensationalism is particularly appreciated.

My one criticism of Hoekema is his unwavering conservative evangelical perspective. Throughout most of the text, this is beneficial, as he weeds out unnecessarily complex perspectives. However, he occasionally dismisses recent important scholarship by theologians such as Barth and Moltmann, often without much explanation. Furthermore, the entire genre of important recent scholarship done by theologians like Moltmann and Bloch is mostly confined to the appendix at the back of the book. While Hoekema is not attempting to write a completely systematic tome on eschatology, his lack of inclusion of this material is what merits my only giving the book four stars.

Overall, though, anybody looking for a good, one-volume treatment of eschatology need look no further: Hoekema delivers in "The Bible and the Future."

Rating:
Summary: A First
Review: Anthony Hoekema's approach to the topic of the endtimes is a refreshing response to the cult of pre- and post- millennialism and should belong to every serious pastor's library or otherwise be accessible to him.

Hoekema "rightly divides" the Word in a way most "scholars" on this topic fail to do. By showing that the entire Bible in both testaments is eschatologically oriented and that the Darbyist and Scofieldist interpretations do not stand up under scrutiny, Hoekema has me convinced on every essential point.

If you are weary of the carnival created out of eschatology by the majority of professing scholarship, read this book!

Rating:
Summary: If you want to be intellectually challenged on end times.
Review: Eschatology (the main theme of this book) means the study of end times, if you were wondering. And yes, I agree with the author, the entire Bible is eschatologically related. The Book of Revelation is itself a condensed version of the Old Testament writings of the prophets, specifically that wonderful prophet, Isaiah. The author writes a little above the heads of the average person, nevertheless if you want to have your vocabulary on end-times issues enlarged, this appears to be interesting.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Hoekema has done the Church a service in his trilogy (Made in God's Image, Saved By Grace, and now the Bible and the Future). He has done solid exposition, exposed erroneous doctrinal systems such as Premillenial Dispensationalism, and sent believers and non-believers alike back to the Scriptures and back to the worship of the Saviour. His explanation of amillenialism is clear and convincing. Read this before any of the sensationalist end-times/rapture/tribulation genre.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Honestly, I strongly disliked Hoekema's other writings, but this one is very very good. Clear argumentation; presents all sides, and then makes his conclusion based on solid Biblical foundation.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Honestly, I strongly disliked Hoekema's other writings, but this one is very very good. Clear argumentation; presents all sides, and then makes his conclusion based on solid Biblical foundation.

Rating:
Summary: If you want to be intellectually challenged on end times.
Review: Put simply, Hoekema's book is simply a classic. Whether one agrees with him or not, one cannot find a better introduction to eschatology available from an amillennial perspective. There are a few unique contributions that this book contains:
(1) It shows how one can and should apply the already/not yet tension in eschatology. One cannot find this emphasis in many lay accessible books.
(2) It is not sensationalistic. While passionate about the things to come, he is careful not to fall prey to making prognostications.
(3) It does a good job of surveying the various millennial (and other eschatological) options in Christianity today without being overly simplistic and/or misrepresenting another position other than his own. This being so, he fairly and irenically shows why he holds his position.
(4) It represents a particular brand of amillennialism that understands the earthly prophecies of the OT not to refer to spiritual fulfillment in the church today (as many amills do), but in the new heavens and the new earth. In fact, his emphasis on the new earth in his book is surprisingly insightful.
(5) It also gives a very nice appendix which surveys the more recent developments in eschatological discussion (e.g., Cullman, Moltmann, Bultmann, Schweitzer, et al).

I do not agree with Hoekema on many issues. For instance, I am a partial preterist, and so I see a few passages in the past that he sees as still future. Also, I am a postmillennialist, thus seeing a more prosperous future for the pre-Advent church. Despite these differences, however, I gained a tremendous amount from reading Hoekema's book -- insights which I hope to help my own eschatological understanding to become more fully biblical. Let's all face it -- none of us probably has all our eschatology completely right. We need each other to appreciate all the variations and viewpoints the bible offers (see Poythress' "Symphonic Theology" for more on that subject).

In conclusion...

Whoever you are and whatever position you hold, it is doubtful that you can NOT benefit tremendously from a good reading of this book. If anything, it may just correct a misunderstanding of the amillennial position that many have today.

Happy reading!

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive and cogent, yet lay accessible
Review: Put simply, Hoekema's book is simply a classic. Whether one agrees with him or not, one cannot find a better introduction to eschatology available from an amillennial perspective. There are a few unique contributions that this book contains:
(1) It shows how one can and should apply the already/not yet tension in eschatology. One cannot find this emphasis in many lay accessible books.
(2) It is not sensationalistic. While passionate about the things to come, he is careful not to fall prey to making prognostications.
(3) It does a good job of surveying the various millennial (and other eschatological) options in Christianity today without being overly simplistic and/or misrepresenting another position other than his own. This being so, he fairly and irenically shows why he holds his position.
(4) It represents a particular brand of amillennialism that understands the earthly prophecies of the OT not to refer to spiritual fulfillment in the church today (as many amills do), but in the new heavens and the new earth. In fact, his emphasis on the new earth in his book is surprisingly insightful.
(5) It also gives a very nice appendix which surveys the more recent developments in eschatological discussion (e.g., Cullman, Moltmann, Bultmann, Schweitzer, et al).

I do not agree with Hoekema on many issues. For instance, I am a partial preterist, and so I see a few passages in the past that he sees as still future. Also, I am a postmillennialist, thus seeing a more prosperous future for the pre-Advent church. Despite these differences, however, I gained a tremendous amount from reading Hoekema's book -- insights which I hope to help my own eschatological understanding to become more fully biblical. Let's all face it -- none of us probably has all our eschatology completely right. We need each other to appreciate all the variations and viewpoints the bible offers (see Poythress' "Symphonic Theology" for more on that subject).

In conclusion...

Whoever you are and whatever position you hold, it is doubtful that you can NOT benefit tremendously from a good reading of this book. If anything, it may just correct a misunderstanding of the amillennial position that many have today.

Happy reading!