The Last Things: Resurrection, Judgment, Glory (Volume 7)

by Donald G. Bloesch

In The Last Things Donald G. Bloesch takes up difficult and sometimes controversial themes such as the coming of the kingdom of God, the return of Jesus Christ, the life hereafter, the millennial hope, the final judgment, hell, heaven, purgatory and paradise. Wrestling with biblical texts that often take metaphorical form, Bloesch avoids rationalistic reductionism as well as timid agnosticism. While he acknowledges mystery and even paradox, Bloesch finds biblical revelation much more than sufficient to illuminate the central truths of a Christian hope articulated throughout the history of the church. The Last Things is not just a review of past Christian eschatology but a fresh articulation of the grace and glory of God yet to be consummated. The triumph of the grace of Jesus Christ and the dawning of hope beckon us to reach out in the power of the Spirit to receive that blessed future and the promise to renew the life of the church universal today.

Genres: Theology, Christianity, Christian

336 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

Reviews

[Probablynot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up specifically for a better understanding of the Olivet discourse in Matthew 24, but the whole book was good and I learned a lot. I think the author’s perspective on a lot of things about end times, heaven, and hell makes sense.

[Glenn Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This final volume in Bloesch's Christian Foundations is a worthy end of a worthwhile journey through the 7 volumes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this volume, and especially liked the Author was willing to not only tackle different eschatological views such as the various Millennium views (which were very well handled) but also delve into Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, Resurrection of the Dead, Interim States - and not too mention are chapter looking at Israel's role in end times. So often "end times" theologies only cover a selection of these topics, so I was impressed with the breadth of topics covered. Admittedly the size of this volume meant that many of these topics are only touched upon briefly - but the Author definitely gives you something to think about in these areas.

Now, I am not saying I agree with all of the Authors conclusions but he does put up some interesting proposals. I appreciated that he touched on the topic of "Rewards" - which is often avoided by Evangelical / Reformed Theologians - and this is one area I would've appreciated more discussion.

Even if you haven't read the other volumes, this one is quite capable of standing alone - and worth the read - sometimes good to challenge one's eschatology (and thus after reading this I've scheduled a couple of books - one from a Traditional Premillennialist and one from a Postmillennialist - given that I tend more towards Amillennialism).

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the seventh and final volume of Donald Bloesch's systematic theology series, but it's only the second that I've read. Bloesch addresses the various aspects of eschatology: the end of history, the return of Christ, resurrection, judgment, heaven, and hell. He does a fantastic job. I was intrigued by his view of judgment and hell, and especially his thoughts on what happens to people in the time after they die and before the final judgment. Here he does some especially insightful and (I think) unique work on understanding the New Testament concepts of hades and gehenna--two words translated as "hell" which Bloesch argues are distinct states. He argues that gehenna is the post-judgment condition/place we think of as hell, and hades is more liken the OT concept of sheol--a place of the dead in which those who die outside of Christ await the final judgment. He also makes an interesting argument for why salvation may be possible after death for those who are waiting in sheol. Like most systematic theologies, this work is a bit dense, but I found it so intriguing that it was hard to put down anyway. It's definitely the most enjoyable theology book I've had to read for school.

[Sean Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great theological reference book on Eschatology. It is Donald Bloesch's seventh volume on systematic theology. While much of his conclusions and the conclusions of quoted theologians on the subject matter are their best guesses, it is a great resource for academics that looking to think deeply on the abstract.