The Last Days According to Jesus

The Last Days According to Jesus

In the book, The Last Days According to Jesus, R.C. Sproul offers answers to many critics by focusing on what Jesus himself taught about the last days and the timing of his return. Sproul discusses questions including: Who is the antichrist? What generation will witness the end? When is the millennium? I think his answers will surprise you! They certainly make you stop and think about things.

I enjoyed reading the book and spent a great deal of time thinking over and looking up Scripture both while reading and later while mulling it over.

Having read other books by this author, I felt this was written just a little different than previous books. This book read more like a research report or a presentation.

The topics were broken down to cover the following:
What Did Jesus Teach on Mount Olivet?
What “Generation” Will Witness the End?
What “Age” Was about to End?
What Did Paul Teach in His Letters?
What about the Destruction of Jerusalem?
What Did John teach in Revelation?
When is the Resurrection?
Who Is the Antichrist?
When is the Millennium?

Additionally, Sproul wrote further discussions on the Olivet Discourse according to Matthew. Again, very thought provoking to this reader.

My favorite chapters were “What about the Destruction of Jerusalem?” and “What Did John teach in Revelation?” I have been studying both topics for a while now and feel that I have a better grasp after reading this book.

I think this sums up the book and was the conclusion:

The purpose of The Last Days according to Jesus has been to examine and evaluate the various claims of preterism, both full and partial. The great service preterism performs is to focus attention on two major issues. The first is the time-frame references of the New Testament regarding eschatological prophecy. The preterist is a sentinel standing guard against frivolous and superficial attempts to downplay or explain away the force of these references.

The second major issue is the destruction of Jerusalem. This event certainly spelled the end of a crucial redemptive-historical epoch. It must be viewed as the end of some age. It also represents a significant visitation of the Lord in judgment and a vitally important “day of the Lord.” Whether this was the only day of the Lord about which Scripture speaks remains a major point of controversy among preterists.

The great weakness of full preterism–and what I regard to be its fatal flaw–is its treatment of the final resurrection. If full preterism is to gain wide credibility in our time, it must overcome this obstacle.

With respect to partial preterism, Kenneth L. Gentry Jr. has done excellent work in forcing reconsideration of the date when the Book of Revelation was written. If he is correct in arguing for a date prior to A.D. 70, then sweeping revisions must be made in our understanding of this book’s content and focus.

Debates over eschatology will probably continue until the Lord returns and we have the advantage of hindsight rather than the disadvantage of foresight. The divisions that exist within the Christian community are understandable, considering that both the subject matter and the literary genre of future prophecy are exceedingly difficult. This does not mean that we may push the Bible aside or neglect its eschatological sections. On the contrary the interpretative difficulties presented by eschatological matters simply call us to a greater diligence and persistence in seeking their solution.

Didn’t I say this book would make you think?

About the Author:

Dr. R.C. Sproul has served the church as a seminary professor, preacher, and author for more than forty years. He is the founder and chairman of Ligonier Ministries and can be heard teaching daily on the radio program Renewing Your Mind, which broadcasts on more than 300 radio outlets in the United States and throughout 50 countries. Dr. Sproul has written more than 60 books and serves as Senior Minister of Preaching and Teaching at Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida.

I would recommend this book to those are are looking for a straight forward presentation of the information instead of just an opinion piece that uses Scripture to back up their position. Sproul presents the information and other material to use for additional research.

The Last Days According to Jesus is available online at Amazon as well as in your local bookstores.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book through the blogger reading program with the publisher. All opinions are mine.