末世論和末後論斷一些書目介紹（作者是有改革宗背景，但也熟悉時代論）
Doctrine of the Last Things:
Recommended Reading
FROM Keith Mathison Jun
10, 2011
https://www.ligonier.org/blog/doctrine-last-things-recommended-reading/
【Keith A. Mathison (born
1967) is an American theologian. He is the author of Dispensationalism: Rightly
Dividing the People of God? (1995), Postmillennialism: An Eschatology of Hope
(1999), The Shape of Sola Scriptura (2001), Given for You: Reclaiming Calvin's
Doctrine of the Lord's Supper (2002), A Reformed Approach to Science and
Scripture (2013), and From Age to Age: The Unfolding of Biblical Eschatology
(2014).
Mathison is professor
of systematic theology at Reformation Bible College in Sanford, Florida. He
obtained a Ph.D. from Whitefield Theological Seminary and is an associate
editor of the Reformation Study Bible.】(wiki)
Apart from the sacraments, there is probably no division of systematic theology
that is the source of more controversy than eschatology (the doctrine of the
last things). Among believing Christians, one finds amillennialists,
postmillennialists, and premillennialists. Among premillennialists, there are
disputes over the relationship between the “rapture” and the
“great tribulation.”
In order to find one’s way through the maze, it is
helpful to know about some of the better books on the subject. The following
works are some of those I have found most helpful (or have written myself in an
attempt to be helpful).
General Eschatology
All of the standard systematic theology texts have
sections on eschatology. Some of the more thorough discussions are those in Herman
Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics and in Michael
Horton’s The Christian
Faith. There are also specialized works focusing on eschatology.
Among the best are the following:
Cornelis Venema. The Promise of the Future. Venema’s
book is probably the best one-volume survey of eschatology from an orthodox
Reformed perspective. Venema begins with a discussion
of Old Testament eschatological expectations and their initial fulfillment in
the first coming of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. He continues with chapters
on the intermediate state, the second coming, and the signs of the times, before
addressing the various millennial views. The final section of the book deals
with the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, hell, and the new
heavens and earth. An abridged version of this book has been published under
the title Christ and the Future.
Anthony Hoekema. The Bible and the Future. Anthony Hoekema’s book has been a standard Reformed text on
eschatology since its publication in 1979. Hoekema’s
book is divided into two main sections. Part One covers “inaugurated
eschatology” and includes chapters on Old and New Testament eschatology, the
kingdom of God, and the tension between the Already and the Not Yet. Part Two
covers “future eschatology” and includes chapters on all of the major subtopics
of eschatology, including death, the intermediate state, the second coming, the
millennium, the general resurrection, and final judgment. Although largely
supplanted by Venema, this book is still a
valuable resource.
G.C. Berkouwer. The Return of Christ. Dr. Berkouwer
was Dr. Sproul’s professor in the Netherlands, and this work is his volume on
eschatology. It covers most of the major topics.
Historical Works
There are helpful discussions of the history of
the church’s teaching on this subject in most historical theology textbooks.
Although very brief, the discussion in Louis Berkhof’s The History of Christian Doctrines is worth
reading. A much more thorough discussion may be found in Gregg R.
Allison’s Historical Theology. A helpful discussion of the
early church’s eschatology may be found in J.N.D. Kelly’s Early Christian Doctrines. A few specialized
studies that are worth examining are:
Charles Hill. Regnum Caelorum: Patterns of Millennial Thought in Early
Christianity. A groundbreaking in-depth study of early Christian
views of the intermediate state and the millennium.
Brian E. Daley. The Hope of the Early Church. A survey of
patristic eschatology up to the sixth century.
Richard Kyle. The Last Days are Here Again. Kyle surveys
twenty centuries of eschatological thought with a focus on
apocalyptic date-setters.
Heinrich Quistorp. Calvin’s Doctrine of the Last Things. A full
length study of Calvin’s eschatological views.
Peter Toon. Puritans, the Millennium, and the Future of Israel.
One of the more helpful studies of Puritan eschatology.
Iain Murray. The Puritan Hope. Murray examines the way in
which an optimistic eschatology influenced European and American Christians
with a particular focus on the way it influenced the rise of
modern missions.
James A. DeJong. As the Waters Cover the Seas: Millennial Expectations in the
Rise of Anglo American Missions, 1640–1810. DeJong, Like Murray,
looks at the influence of eschatology on the missionary movement.
Biblical Theology
Keith A. Mathison. From Age to
Age: The Unfolding of Biblical Eschatology. This book is my
attempt to trace the major eschatological themes of Scripture from Genesis
to Revelation.
T. Desmond Alexander. From Eden to the New Jerusalem. Dr. Alexander’s
wonderful little book is a great introduction to the overarching story of
Scripture with its focus on the coming of the Messiah and the creation of a new
heavens and earth.
Dispensationalism
Oswald T. Allis. Prophecy and the Church. Allis’s book was one of
the first full-length critiques of dispensationalism penned by a Reformed
scholar. It is still worth reading.
Vern S. Poythress. Understanding Dispensationalists. Dr.
Poythress’s book is an irenic, yet thorough, critique of the hermeneutics
of dispensationalism.
Michael Williams. This World is Not My Home: The Origins and Development of
Dispensationalism. Williams’s book is a very helpful history of
the origins of dispensationalism.
Hyper-Preterism
Keith A. Mathison, ed. When
Shall These Things Be? This book is a collection of essays
addressing various aspects of hyper-preterism (a view
of eschatology that argues all biblical prophecy was fulfilled in the
first century).
The Book of Revelation
Richard Bauckham. The Theology of the Book of Revelation. I have
elsewhere listed my recommended commentaries on the book of Revelation. This
little book is a very helpful supplement to such commentaries.
Individual Eschatology
K. Scott Oliphint and
Sinclair B. Ferguson. If I Should Die Before I Wake. This is a great
little book for those wanting a biblical understanding of death.
Ligon Duncan
with J. Nicholas Reid. Fear Not! Death and
the Afterlife from a Christian Perspective. This too is a
helpful look at the biblical concept of death and what happens afterward.
General Eschatology: First Advent and the Kingdom
of God
Gerrit Scott Dawson. Jesus Ascended: The Meaning of Christ’s Continuing Incarnation.
The first coming of Christ fulfilled Old Testament eschatological expectations.
This book is a brilliant study of Christ’s ascension to the right hand of the
Father and what it means for this present age.
Herman Ridderbos. The
Coming of the Kingdom. Ridderbos’s
work has become something of a classic among Reformed believers. It remains one
of the most helpful studies of the New Testament teaching regarding the Kingdom
of God.
George Eldon Ladd. The Presence of the Future. Ladd is a historic
premillennialist, but his book has been widely influential as a study of
inaugurated eschatology and the already, not-yet nature of the kingdom. It
remains a must-read.
General Eschatology: The Millennium
The books by Venema and Hoekema mentioned above have chapters dealing with the
millennium as do most systematic theology texts. The following books are
devoted exclusively to this issue.
Stanley J. Grenz. The Millennial Maze. This book is still the best
introduction to the various millennial views. Very fair and even-handed.
Donald K. Campbell and Jeffrey Townsend,
eds. The Coming Millennial Kingdom. This is one of
the better defenses of the premillennialist view in print. A recent book edited
by Blomberg and Chung and titled A Case for Historic Premillennialism isn’t
quite as helpful.
Kim Riddlebarger. A
Case for Amillennialism. This work is the best single-volume
defense of the amillennial view.
Keith A. Mathison. Postmillennialism.
Although I agree with amillennialists regarding the
time of the millennium (the entire present age), I take issue with some
amillennial arguments concerning the nature and outcome of the
present age.
General Eschatology: Final Judgment, Heaven
and Hell
Paul Helm. The Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell.
This small book is a good introduction to these topics.
Robert A. Peterson. Hell On Trial.
Peterson’s book is a thorough defense of the traditional doctrine of eternal
punishment. He critiques both universalism and annihilationism.