Last Things

Scriptural prophecies about the end times have been the subject of a great number of books. Many of them, however, are popularized accounts containing little thoughtful biblical scholarship. Yet the serious studies available are often too difficult for the average reader to understand. George Eldon Ladd has endeavored to rectify this situation with a serious discussion of eschatology written for the layperson. Two radically different interpretations of the relationship between the prophecies of the Old and New Testaments have been offered. One view sees separate programs for Israel and the Christian church, while the other recognizes progressive revelation and a unity of the Testaments. Professor Ladd holds the latter position, basing his doctrine of the last things on the conviction that "our final word . . . is to be found in the New Testament reinterpretation of Old Testament prophecy." Only as the prophecies are seen in the light of God's revelation through Christ can we clearly comprehend what they mean in relation to the end times.