Preaching and Teaching the Last Things: Old Testament Eschatology for the Life of the Church

by Walter C. Kaiser Jr.

Publisher:

Baker Academic

, 2011

Overview

Distinguished Old Testament scholar Walter Kaiser believes that the Old Testament is sorely neglected today in teaching and preaching—and that it’s even more neglected when it comes to setting forth the hope that Christians have for the future. Firmly believing that the Old Testament offers important insights into biblical eschatology and the Christian life, he provides guidance for preachers, teachers, and Bible students on expositing 15 key Old Testament eschatological passages. Each chapter focuses on a single biblical text. Kaiser introduces the topic, examines the issues, notes who has contributed to some of the solutions, and shows how this sets up the text to be exegeted and prepared for exposition.

Perfect for pastors, teachers, and laypeople seeking scriptural answers to contemporary issues, Preaching and Teaching the Last Things provides sound, biblical insight and scholarship. All Scripture passages in this volume link to your favorite Bible translation in your library. You can perform powerful searches by topic and find what other authors, pastors, and theologians have to say.

Key Features

• Introduces various topics related to the Old Testament
• Provides guidance on expositing 15 key Old Testament eschatological passages

Contents

• Part 1: The Individual and General Eschatology in the Old Testament
  • Life and Death in the Old Testament—Psalm 49:1–20
  • The Resurrection of Mortals in the Old Testament—Job 19:21–27
• Part 2: The Nation Israel in Old Testament Eschatology
  • The Everlasting Promises Made to Israel—Jeremiah 32:27–44
  • The Future Resurrection and Reunification of the Nation—Ezekiel 37:1–28
  • The Future Return of Israel to the Land of Promise—Zechariah 10:2–12
• Part 3: The New Davidic King and the City of the Great King in the Old Testament
  • The Branch of the Lord and the New Zion—Isaiah 2:2–5; 4:2–6
  • The Extent of Messiah’s Rule and Reign—Psalm 72:1–17
• Part 4: The Day of the Lord and the Beginning of the Nations’ Struggle with Israel
  • The Arrival of the Day of the Lord—Joel 2:28–3:21
  • Gog and Magog—Ezekiel 38–39
• Part 5: The Events of the Last Seven Years and the Arrival of the Western Confederacy
  • The Seventy Weeks of Daniel—Daniel 9:24–27
  • The New Coming Third Temple in Jerusalem—Ezekiel 40:1–41:26; 43:1–11
  • The Coming Antichrist—Daniel 11:36–45
  • The Battle of Armageddon—Zechariah 14:1–21
• Part 6: The Coming Millenial Rule of Christ and the Arrival of the Eternal State
  • The Millenial Rule and Reign of God—Isaiah 24:1–23
  • The New Creation—Isaiah 65:17–25; 66:18–24

Top Highlights

“The good news is that there is a wonderful future coming, in which God will bring at least a threefold transformation to this world. He will transform the human person with a new heart and a new spirit (Ezek. 36:25–27); he will transform human society by restoring Israel back to her land once again (Ezek. 36:24–31); and he will transform nature itself by banishing hunger forever and making the produce of the land most abundant (Ezek. 36:30–35).” (Page xvii)

“Over against the rigid determinism of paganism from ancient or modern times, the prophets of the Old Testament faced forward in time and anticipated a time beyond the coming divine judgment when God would resume his promises to his people as he ushered in a new age in which justice, righteousness, and peace would characterize his own reign over the whole earth. The roots for such a hope are deeply embedded in the promises of the Abrahamic and the Davidic covenants of old. But they begin to come into clear expression in the prophetic writings from the ninth- and eighth-century prophets onward—the works of Joel, Obadiah, Hosea, Amos, Micah, and Isaiah.” (Page xiii)

“However, it is always best to begin by taking the words of the text in their natural sense unless we see a signal, found in the text itself, that the words are meant in a figurative or typological sense. If one sees the words ‘as’ or ‘like,’ then we are assured that a ‘simile’ or a ‘parable’ is being offered, for it wishes to make a direct comparison between the subject and the abstract truth it points to. However, if there are no words such as ‘as’ or ‘like,’ and yet an animate subject is being put with an inanimate description, then it most likely is an unexpressed comparison, called a metaphor, or if made into a larger story or developed more extensively, it is an allegory.” (Page xviii)

Praise for the Print Edition

What can we know about eschatology from Scripture, especially the Old Testament? Walter Kaiser’s Preaching and Teaching the Last Things shows us that we can know quite a lot. This is a helpful work for those who wonder how to preach or teach about the end with balance and clarity.

—Darrell L. Bock, senior research professor of New Testament studies, Dallas Theological Seminary

Walt Kaiser has offered a powerful and practical model for preaching and teaching the prophetic plan of God. His straightforward interpretation of the future provides strong support for a future, literal, earthly reign of the Messiah over the world from Jerusalem. Through the exposition of key prophetic texts, Kaiser shows the premillennial position to be both an Old and New Testament expectation.

—Mark L. Bailey, president and professor of Bible exposition, Dallas Theological Seminary

The book could easily be used as a supplement to a seminary preaching class. . . . Along with sermon helps and a teaching outline, each of the 15 or so passages chosen by Kaiser come with a brief six or seven page commentary. I found these comments interesting [and] extremely helpful. Bits of scholarly information pop up every now and then. . . . The time-strapped pastor or interested layman will find informed excursions such as these an added bonus.

—Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society

Product Details

• Title: Preaching and Teaching the Last Things: Old Testament Eschatology for the Life of the Church
• Author: Walter C. Kaiser Jr.
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 208

About Walter C. Kaiser Jr.

Walter C. Kaiser (1933–) is an evangelical Old Testament scholar, writer, speaker, and educator. He earned degrees from Wheaton College and Brandeis University.

Kaiser taught Bible and archaeology at Wheaton College and taught at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in several capacities. He currently serves as the Colman M. Mockler Distinguished Professor of Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 2006 retired as their President.

Kaiser has contributed to numerous publications like Journal for the Study of Old Testament and Westminster Theological Journal. He has also written over 30 books including Toward an Exegetical Theology and A History of Israel: From the Bronze Age through the Jewish Wars.