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Preaching and Teaching the Last Things

Old Testament Eschatology for the Life of the Church

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About

"A helpful work for those who wonder how to preach or teach about the end with balance and clarity."--Darrell L. Bock, past president of the Evangelical Theological Society; Dallas Theological Seminary
 
Distinguished Old Testament scholar Walter Kaiser believes that the Old Testament is sorely neglected today in teaching and preaching, but it is 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 expositing fifteen key Old Testament eschatological passages to preachers, teachers, and Bible students. 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.
 
Contents
 
Introduction: Old Testament Eschatology
Part 1: The Individual and General Eschatology in the Old Testament
1. Life and Death in the Old Testament--Psalm 49:1-20
2. The Resurrection of Mortals in the Old Testament--Job 19:21-27
Part 2: The Nation of Israel in Old Testament Eschatology
3. The Everlasting Promises Made to Israel--Jeremiah 32:27-44
4. The Future Resurrection and Reunification of the Nation--Ezekiel 37:1-28
5. 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
6. The Branch of the Lord and the New Zion--Isaiah 2:2-5; 4:2-6
7. 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
8. The Arrival of the Day of the Lord--Joel 2:28-3:21
9. Gog and Magog--Ezekiel 38-39
Part 5: The Events of the Last Seven Years and the Arrival of the Western Confederacy
10. The Seventy Weeks of Daniel--Daniel 9:24-27
11. The New Coming Third Temple in Jerusalem--Ezekiel 40:1-41:26; 43:1-11
12. The Coming Antichrist--Daniel 11:36-45
13. The Battle of Armageddon--Zechariah 14:1-21
Part 6: The Coming Millennial Rule of Christ and the Arrival of the Eternal State
14. The Millennial Rule and Reign of God--Isaiah 24:1-23
15. The New Creation--Isaiah 65:17-25; 66:18-24

Endorsements

"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, past president of the Evangelical Theological Society; 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, Dallas Theological Seminary

The Author

  1. Walter C. Kaiser Jr.

    Walter C. Kaiser Jr.

    Walter C. Kaiser Jr. (PhD, Brandeis University) is president emeritus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. He previously taught at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and at Wheaton College. Kaiser is active as a preacher,...

    Continue reading about Walter C. Kaiser Jr.

Reviews

"This book has some significant strengths. After a helpful introduction, which includes an encouragement to teach prophetic passages and basics on how to interpret them, Walter Kaiser organizes this book around fifteen blocks of Scripture to apply his method. . . . A lesser scholar might have chosen 'easier' passages, but Kaiser goes directly to contentious passages. . . . In each passage the exegesis is closely performed. Kaiser is comfortable working in the Hebrew text and is aware of interpretational issues. For every text, he carefully details the available options, before clearly expressing his choice and explaining why he chose that option. When he is not sure, he admits it: one must admire honest scholarship. Over and over, Kaiser's scholarly insight into the meaning of the terms used in the text is sharp. . . . If you want exegetical insight and careful analysis of some of the toughest prophetic passages in the Bible, this book will certainly be useful."

D. Bruce Seymour,

Journal of the Evangelical Homiletics Society

"With his usual style of consistency to the text and careful exegesis, Walter Kaiser has produced another excellent volume on preaching and teaching the Old Testament. . . . Driven by the conviction that the Old Testament is too often overlooked in our communication of God's Word, Kaiser has addressed a critical issue in biblical studies that will serve as an asset for preachers and teachers alike. . . . One strength of Kaiser's work is that he doesn't simply pick and choose selected verses out of context, but addresses chapters and extended pericopies to demonstrate the Old Testament's grappling with things related to the 'Last Things.' The chapters develop and outline the passages under consideration and then provide insights to the truths of the text and how to communicate them. . . . The book is well-written with frequent cross-references throughout both the Old and New Testaments. . . . Its insights are timely, the writing is compelling, and the foundation is firmly established in Scripture. It will not only be an encouragement to believers of the hope that we possess, but an asset to preachers and teachers in demonstrating the authority of Scripture in its teachings related to the future."

Deron J. Biles,

Southwestern Journal of Theology

"The book is geared toward the needs of pastors and church teachers. The subject matter is presented in a direct and focused way so that those who share the author's views could readily adapt this material into sermons or other teaching material."

Brian E. Kelly,

Evangelical Quarterly

"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."

Shawn Leach,

Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society