A New Heaven and a New Earth : Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology

In Recent Years, More And More Christians Have Come To Appreciate The Bible's Teaching That The Ultimate Blessed Hope For The Believer Is Not An Otherworldly Heaven; Instead, It Is Full-bodied Participation In A New Heaven And A New Earth Brought Into Fullness Through The Coming Of God's Kingdom. Drawing On The Full Sweep Of The Biblical Narrative, J. Richard Middleton Unpacks Key Old Testament And New Testament Texts To Make A Case For The New Earth As The Appropriate Christian Hope. He Suggests Its Ethical And Ecclesial Implications, Exploring The Difference A Holistic Eschatology Can Make For Living In A Broken World. Part 1: From Creation To Eschaton. Why Are We Here? Being Human As Sacred Calling ; The Plot Of The Biblical Story -- Part 2 : Holistic Salvation In The Old Testament. The Exodus As Paradigm Of Salvation ; Earthly Flourishing In Law, Wisdom, And Prophecy ; The Coming Of God In Judgment And Salvation -- Part 3 : The New Testament's Vision Of Cosmic Renewal. Resurrection And The Restoration Of Rule ; The Redemption Of All Things -- Part 4 : Problem Texts For Holistic Eschatology. Cosmic Destruction At Christ's Return ; The Role Of Heaven In Biblical Eschatology -- The Ethics Of The Kingdom. The Good News At Nazareth ; The Challenge Of The Kingdom. J. Richard Middleton. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. Preface : How I came to write this book Introduction : The problem of otherworldly hope Part 1 : From creation to eschaton. Why are we here? Being human as sacred calling The plot of the biblical story Part 2 : Holistic salvation in the Old Testament. The Exodus as paradigm of salvation Earthly flourishing in law, wisdom, and prophecy The coming of God in judgment and salvation Part 3 : The New Testament's vision of cosmic renewal. Resurrection and the restoration of rule The redemption of all things Part 4 : Problem texts for holistic eschatology. Cosmic destruction at Christ's return? The role of heaven in biblical eschatology Part 5 : The ethics of the kingdom. The good news at Nazareth The challenge of the kingdom Appendix : Whatever happened to the new earth? Contents 8 Illustrations 10 Preface 12 Introduction 22 From Creation to Eschaton 36 Why Are We Here? 38 The Plot of the Biblical Story 58 Holistic Salvation in the Old Testament 76 The Exodus as Paradigm of Salvation 78 Earthly Flourishing in Law, Wisdom, and Prophecy 96 The Coming of God in Judgment and Salvation 110 The New Testament’s Vision of Cosmic Renewal 130 Resurrection and the Restoration of Rule 132 The Redemption of All Things 156 Problem Texts for Holistic Eschatology 178 Cosmic Destruction at Christ’s Return? 180 The Role of Heaven in Biblical Eschatology 212 The Ethics of the Kingdom 240 The Good News at Nazareth 242 The Challenge of the Kingdom 264 Whatever Happened to the New Earth? 284 Subject Index 314 Scripture Index 322 In recent years, more and more Christians have come to appreciate the Bible's teaching that the ultimate blessed hope for the believer is not an otherworldly heaven; instead, it is participation--through a resurrected soul and body--in a new heaven and a new earth brought into fullness under the transformation of God's kingdom. Drawing on the full sweep of the biblical narrative, J. Richard Middleton unpacks key Old Testament and New Testament texts to make a case for the new earth as the appropriate Christian hope. He suggests its ethical and ecclesial implications, exploring the difference a holistic eschatology can make for living in a broken world. Drawing on the full sweep of the biblical narrative, Middleton makes a case for the new earth as the appropriate Christian hope and suggests its ethical and ecclesial implications.