Raises issues important to not only eschatology but also to the debate over Scripture's credibility.

Throughout the ages, various celestial and non-celestial phenomena have featured images portraying the nearness of the end of days or, in the New Testament, the Parousiawhich means the appearance of the second coming of Jesus. Many of these images and concepts are often misunderstood or misapplied. A primary purpose of this book is to correct the errant concepts believed to be true by many people because incorrect doctrine and teaching can have disastrous results. Many people today believe we are living in tumultuous times. However, to set or fix a precise date for the return of Jesus is unbiblical. This book will present a completely different view than what is commonly believed about the end times. By blending the concepts of many schools of thought and outright challenging others, the goal of this book is to help people understand the variety of views on the topic. In short, this book should be read first and then compared with what others are teaching and saying.

Surprisingly, there has never been a comprehensive exegetical study in English of Saint Paul's view of the second coming, or Parousia, of Christ. In this methodical analysis, Joseph Plevnik brings nearly three decades of research to bear on the question of Paul's understanding of this most central tenet of the whole Christ event. With careful attention to the concepts and terms underlying the notion of the Lord's coming, Plevnik examines the key Pauline texts, such as 1 Thess 5:1-11 and 1 Cor 15:23-28. Plevnik then constructs a viable theological interpretation of the great Christian hope, including the language of hope, Christ's parousia and judgment, conflict at Christ's return, the place of the church, and Paul's apocalyptic theology. This volume will be indispensable for any study of Pauline theology, the Parousia, the theology of hope, and apocalypticism. "It is my hope that the book will be not only a scholarly contribution on the topic but also of some personal value to the reader and to the preacher. It may provide a timely reading at the close of the second millennium. The times and seasons, however, are not for us to determine, but a proper preparedness for the Lord's coming is the message of the New Testament, and of Paul in particular. If the Lord's coming may no longer be said to be near, it can still be desired. Marana tha." --Preface

One of the fundamental presuppositions of the theology of the Old Testament is the coming of God to establish the kingdom and to vindicate God's people, Israel. This metaphor receives ample and diverse treatment in the Hebrew Bible, ranging from beliefs in a temporal, earthly kingdom to a supra-temporal, heavenly kingdom. In the New Testament, this idea informs the early church's belief in a future coming of Christ at the end of the age to save and to judge and to usher in God's reign. This book attempts to analyze three different rereadings of this concept in the writings of the New Testament: the letters of Paul, the Gospel of Mark, and the second letter of Peter.