Premillennialism. Postmillennialism. Amillennialism. Pretribulationism. Posttribulationism. Midtribulationism. The list could go on. And unfortunately, most of the items on this list have already caused division and/or separation in the body of Christ. These items have become defining beliefs for some in evangelical Christianity, with the effect of disagreement being church splits. And that, in the eyes of George Eldon Ladd, is both dangerous and wrong. Ladd reminds us that the focus, for all Christians, should be on the return of Christ, and our unity with Him, not on the specific timing of that return.
This book is Ladd's concise and informative study on the second coming of Christ, or the parousia. His focus is not on the timing of the return, though he does discuss pertinent time issues. His focus is on the unity that Christ's return should foster in all Christians. Ladd comes from the premillennialist camp, believing that Christ will come to earth and, with His church, inaugurate the millennium, after which Satan and all his followers will be thrown in the lake of fire. He seeks, however, to clarify a distinction between premillennialism and pretribulationism. While pretribulationists are all premillennialists, not all premillennialists are pretribulationists (many often assume the two beliefs to be identical). The two beliefs are different, and Ladd argues that the difference, which involves timing, is important, but not crucial. In fact, he states that the Bible doesn't explicitly support the timing of either view.
Ladd does feel, however, that the biblical support for pretribulationism is somewhat weak. Many assume that a premillennial view requires one to also be a pretribulationist. Ladd takes us on a tour of Scripture to show us why that is not true. He finds little support in the Bible for a pretribulation return of Christ (and a secret, pretribulation rapture). He affirms the faith of pretribulationists, and their desire for the return of Christ, but shows how the passages which talk about the return of Christ (and the rapture) seem to indicate that believers will go through the tribulation, thus negating the possibility of a pretribulation rapture.
Ladd reminds us over and over that it "is the Lord who is the object of our [future] hope; and whether His coming be near or far, the glorious fact of His person and the certainty of our union with Him is the ground and incentive for our holy walk." All Christians need to unify in their support for Christ's return, regardless of the timing of that return. For Christ truly is our Blessed Hope.
Average Rating: 5 out of 5 stars(5 out of 5 stars)
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5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by KW (Hedgesville, WV), January 14, 2009
FWIW, I had been a pre-trib believer since I was a kid. THat was all I'd ever been taught. But now as a midlife "why do I believe this?" exercise, I decided to do some research on the topic and began with my Bible. I was pretty amazed that, viewing Scripture in context and objectively (pretending I'd never heard of the Second Coming), there wasn't any real evidence of a secret rapture of the Church. Everything pointed to the Second Coming occurring *after* The Tribulation. So I began to do some research on where, exactly, the pre-trib rapture idea came from. Without re-writing Ladd's book, I suggest that you purchase it and read it for yourself. The information is pretty common knowledge out on the web, even; but the tragedy is, too many "pre-trib" believers aren't reading it and are even building doctrine, dogma and creeds around a theory that they can't support with Scripture. The pre-trib theory is just an assumption based on very very loose inferences at best. It should never be on the same level of Scripturally sound teaching as, say, Christ's birth, death and resurrection, folks. Read the book.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Dave Kilpatrick (North Syracuse, NY), November 30, 2006
This book is well written, and very interesting to read. No previous theological background is necessary. The Blessed Hope is an eye opener about the most commonly promoted view of the second coming of Christ (i.e., pretribulation rapture). Ladd shows that this view is a fairly recent interpretation (a little over 100 years) and is based upon a dispensational interpretation of the Bible, which is a similarly recent phenomenon). You take away dispensationalism, and the pretribulation rapture collapses. Oddly, many people who accept the pre-trib rapture don't know anything about dispensationalism, but you can't have one without the other! It's a very enlightening book. I think this was out of print for many years but is back in print to counteract the eschatology portrayed in the popular Left Behind books and movies. I loved the movies, but afterwards, our whole family sat around studying the Olivet disourse, 1-2 Thessalonians, Daniel, etc. to see that while Left Behind is great entertainment, it is not so accurate eschatology. If you've read Left Behind, you must read Blessed Hope!
4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Sean (Foster City, CA), October 03, 2002
The information provided in this book is outstanding! Ladd initially lays out a great history of the debate from the early church fathers through the dawn of the reformation. Lacking a bibliography, he does give you enough in the book to chase down the original source. He then goes on to lay out a solid case for the post-tribulation position.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by David R. Bess (South Charleston, WV), January 03, 2002
This book is a keeper for any pastor or teacher wanting to understand eschatology different than the popular dispensational pre-millennialism. Ladd draws upon his extensive knowledge of Scripture and church history to define what he sees as the church's "Blessed Hope." Obviously, he does not see that hope as a secret rapture of the church before seven years of tribulation. Ladd possesses a high view of the inspiration and authority of Scripture in this work. I recommend his book highly.
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