COMING SOON:
The Doctrine of the End Times
Edited by David Shaw
FIEC. 80 pages. £6.99
ISBN 978 1 784 983 260
This fifth issue of the FIEC’s Primer magazine aims to encourage the church that although eschatology is the study of the last things, we in fact live in the period of inaugurated eschatology; the tension between the now and not yet. Understanding the implications of this makes all the difference to our present Christian walk.
The style of writing seems to be aimed not so much at the average church member but church members who read widely, as well as pastors and theological students. A range of key evangelical thinkers contribute to this issue of Primer, and across the board the reader can expect commitment to biblical accuracy combined with on-the-ground relevance, as they tackle issues such as the eternality of hell, and how to read and teach Revelation.
The ‘Future Present’ article is a good introduction to the history and concept of inaugurated eschatology, which serves the reader well throughout the rest of the book. However, the insights on the practical payoff of inaugurated eschatology remained somewhat abstract.
Careful and sensitive
Readers should be grateful for Adrian Reynolds’ contribution on views of hell, carefully and sensitively handling this less discussed side of eschatology. One goes away with a simple understanding of why evangelicals have been found to hold differing views on the eternality of hell, but the article clearly leaves the reader in no doubt that eternally-conscious torment remains the orthodox and mainstream view.
Brad Bitner’s article, ‘All Things New’, is worth a read for the section on ‘Annihilation versus Renewal’, dealing with the much-talked-about issue of to what extent (if any) will human achievements be carried into the new creation in renewed form. This is a grassroots-level debate that the engineers, architects and musicians in our churches want answers to, and Brad skilfully guides readers towards their own conclusions as they engage with his accessible exposition of 2 Peter 3.
