'This volume is likely to become the stimulus for more than one series of sermons . . . More importantly, it may well stimulate its readers to live life now and die well because they have learned to live with eternity in view, cherishing the blessed promises and consolations of the gospel of Jesus Christ' (D. A. Carson). Significant aspects of death and the afterlife continue to be debated among evangelical Christians. Paul Williamson surveys the perspectives of our contemporary culture and the biblical world, and then highlights the traditional understanding of the biblical perspective and the issues over which evangelicals have become increasingly polarized. Subsequent chapters explore the controversial areas: what happens immediately after we die; bodily resurrection; a final, universal judgment; the ultimate fate of those who do not receive God's approval on the last day; and the biblical concept of an eschatological 'heaven'. Taking care to understand the ancient Near Eastern and Greco-Roman backgrounds, Williamson works through the most important Old and New Testament passages. He demonstrates that there is considerable exegetical support for the traditional evangelical understanding of death and the afterlife, and raises questions about the basis for the growing popularity of alternative understandings.

Fresh examination of the Bible's teaching on what lies beyond death

About the Author
Lecturer in Old Testament, Hebrew and Aramaic at Moore College, Sydney. Author of Sealed With an Oath (NSBT). Contributor to the IVP Dictionary of the Old Testament, the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology and As Long as the Earth Endures. Co-editor of Exploring Exodus.

Reviews
Christians were once known as those who knew how to die well. In the Western world today, however, many of us have succumbed to the pressures of the surrounding culture, making us slow to talk about death and what lies beyond. Our creeds teach us to long for the new heaven and the new earth, and to trust Christ so as to escape the judgment we deserve, but instead of joining Christian voices across the ages and crying, 'Even so, come, Lord Jesus!', we sometimes succumb to a practical atheism. The first step toward regaining an eternal perspective is to rediscover what the Bible actually says about life, death, judgment, resurrection, and hell. And that is what Paul Williamson has undertaken. Taking care to understand the Ancient Near East and the Graeco-Roman world against which backgrounds the biblical documents were written, he surveys the emphases of the Old and New Testaments, working through the most important passages. This volume is likely to become the stimulus for more than one series of sermons on this subject. More important, it may well stimulate its readers to live life now and die well because they have learned to live with eternity in view, cherishing the blessed promises and consolations of the gospel of Jesus Christ. * D. A. Carson *



Book Information
ISBN 9781783595990
Author Paul R Williamson
Format Paperback
Page Count 244
Imprint Apollos
Publisher Inter-Varsity Press
Weight(grams) 324g