Eschatology; Biblical, Historical, and Practical Approaches

People often remember days when a tipping point occurs in the world. Where were you on September 11, 2001 when Al-Qaeda terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon?  Where were you on September 15, 2008 when the global economic financial crisis hit? The financial world as we knew it was on the brink of melting down. Fast forward to today where U.S. debt is soaring at a hopeless rate.

 

Where does all of this stress lead? What does the Bible have to say about cataclysmic events like the financial crises of 2008, mass murder, human suffering, financial inequality, or the endless wars of terror on civilization? How is hope realistically presented in the Bible? Does this planet ever end or is there utopia coming someday to reverse the evil and the misfortune? What are the tipping points in the future?  These and many other age-old questions are explored and definitively answered in the twenty-six chapters that comprise the book, Eschatology; Biblical, Historical and Practical Approaches.

 

My chapter, “The Doctrine of the Future and the Marketplace” is the last chapter of the book. It focuses on how a family or business can survive and thrive in a worldwide marketplace swirling in volatility and debt. Entrepreneurs and small business owners can learn the strategies outlined for making decisions in the highly competitive world of online business. The keys to surplus are detailed even when sales and top line production are challenged. On top of this, a personal or business strategy for finding more opportunities is summarized from a fundamental principle of eschatology.  Finally, the essential ingredients for relationships in the workplace are detailed from a dramatic scene involving Jesus and seven of his followers on a beach in Galilee. No marketing campaign has been as successful as the one sparked by Jesus at this beach meeting with no money and no budget in play. In short, my chapter takes the practical principles found in eschatology and applies them to the marketplace today.

 

The book is a Festschrift in honor of my brother, Dr. Craig A. Blaising, on the occasion of his 65th birthday. It was written to be a timeless resource in the classroom and the library for anyone doing research on eschatology (the doctrine of the future). Most of the contributors are assistant professors; associate professors, professors, research professors, senior research professors, emeritus professors, and some are presidents of universities and seminaries around the world. The book will be used as an introductory text for the study of eschatology in colleges and seminaries.