A Brief Book Notice from Books At a Glance
By Fred Zaspel
This book goes back a few years – decades – but having just read through it again I am reminded of what an important book it was and is. In its own day it was a rather “cutting edge” work of Biblical Theology, demonstrating the unfolding concept of the kingdom in Scripture and anticipating his later landmark work The Presence of the Future. And Ladd’s clear grasp of the topic and his clear, succinct exposition of it make it valuable reading still.
In the first two chapters Ladd presents a crisp, helpful survey of interpretations of the “Kingdom of God” concept from the earliest centuries of the church through to the Liberal and then the more contemporary conservative views. Here he raises the question, Is the kingdom of God to be understood in spiritual or eschatological terms? In chapters three and four he takes up that question in order to demonstrate that the kingdom of God can and should be understood as both spiritual and future. In chapters five and six he turns attention to the older dispensationalist claim that in Jesus the kingdom of God was offered to Israel and then postponed, an interpretation that he thoroughly rejects. In the final two chapters he takes up the interpretation of Revelation 20 and then objections to millennialism. His treatment of each topic is superbly clear and easily accessible.
An excellent and valuable read.
Buy the books
Crucial Questions About the Kingdom of God