The book is small in size but large in insight. Hope is an integral aspect of human life and civilizations. The book contrasts hope with worldly optimism and points to secular utopian thinking and ideologies throughout history that fail to deliver what they promise. The book’s focal theme is the “blessed hope” of the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. Understanding the Christian hope requires a panoramic view of history and what is to come.
The book describes the return of Christ as the pivot of eschatology (study of “last things”). The return of Christ realizes the long awaited telos or ultimate end in the linear timeline in Biblical eschatology. As the return of Christ is certain, so also is the certainty of the final judgement. Dr. Chia explains that the doctrines of the return of Christ and the final judgment are unique to the Christian faith in terms of end-point events in the worldview of history.
What I appreciate about the book is the way it organizes and explains the complex subject matter relating to eschatology in a systematic and concise manner. Dr. Chia explains the hope of Israel in the Old Testament and the foundations of Christian hope in the New Testament. Beyond cosmic eschatology (what is to happen to the world), the book also comments on individual eschatology (what is to happen to the individual, e.g. issues relating to heaven and hell). The book also honestly identifies aspects that God has chosen not to reveal in the Bible and the different theological views on them.
The impact of reading the book goes beyond simply gaining insights about eschatology to understanding the glorious plan of God in history and the significance of the blessed hope in our lives today.
This book is available for loan at our Resource Library.
This book review was written by Elder Pearl Tan, January 2019.
