Customer Reviews

The Blessed Hope: A Biblical Study of the Second Advent and the Rapture

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

In this higly readable study Ladd discusses the relationship between the rapture and the second advent of Christ. He studies the history of interpretation, starting with the second century church fathers, continues with the prophetic movements of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Then he continues with some exegetical chapters. Without polarising, Ladd manages to set forth his thesis that the rapture of the church and the second coming of Christ are the same, indispensable event. Ladd takes by this a stand against dispensationalism but also against preteristic schools of interpretation. Highly recommendable, espescially for its tone-setting!

This book is a keeper for any pastor or teacher wanting to understand an eschatology different than the popular dispensational premillennialism. Ladd draws upon his extensive knowledge of Scripture and church history to define what he sees as the church's "Blessed Hope." Obviously, he does not see that hope as a secret rapture of the church before seven years of tribulation. Ladd possesses a high view of the inspiration and authority of Scripture in this work. I recommend his book highly.

As a Christian raised in the Pre-Trib Rapture tradition, I thought I was losing my mind when I found myself becoming more and more convinced that the rapture of the church COULDN'T take place before the tribulation. I found a copy of The Blessed Hope and was so thoroughly convinced and put at ease that I have never questioned the subject again. Ladd's scholarship is awesome, especially his revelation of the seamy early history of pre-trib teachings. After reading where this teaching came from, its a wonder that anyone can believe it!

Ladd maintains that "blessed hope" (Titus 2:3) is not salvation from tribulation, but instead the promise of union with Christ when Christ returns in glory. Hope, so conceived, unites the believer with the Lord, who was acquainted with tribulation Himself. Still supportive of his own views that favor premillennialism, Ladd distinguishes pretribulationism as an unnecessary interpretation of Second Advent biblical and extra-canonical referents.

Unnecessary as it might be in Ladd's opinion, yet pretribulationism garners controversy among Rapture-oriented Christians who debate what amounts to a 19th-century doctrine advanced by exegetes such as a Scot named John Darby. The author's stated intent is to dispose of the "pre-trib" element by authority of the canonical Scriptures without recourse to Tradition or the Fathers of the Church. However, the first chapter of this text remands so-called pre-trib proponents to texts of the primitive Church for her sense of the second Advent of Christ. Hope has a history of exegesis in ancient records such as the Didache, Shepherd of Hermas, and Dialogue with Trypho (St. Justin Martyr). Rightly so, Ladd identifies the absence of pre-trib interpretation in this history.

With little more than the obvious that the pre-trib doctrine has no patristic roots, the book reaches a solid historical foundation in its second chapter. In chapter two, Ladd traces the 19th-century exegetical interest in futurism or what he also calls the prophetic revival. He captures what was a prevailing disgust in papism as symbol/sign of Christian unity among Western Christian futurists, and extends his review to contemporary 19th-century dissenters of the pre-trib doctrine. Noted dissent came from Dr. Erdman of the Moody Church, Chicago, among others.

Ladd lost an opportunity to link the unity of the Church to eschatology, but in all fairness to the author that was not his project regardless the implications of 19th and 20th-century debates in chapter two to unifying Protestant Christians. The remainder of the text seals the fate of not only pre-trib dispensationalism, but also any doctrine of millenniealism as far as unifying the Church. The doctrines concerning the final events of the second Advent fail to unite Protestant Christians.

There is another gem inside this book. Chapter six, "Watch," refutes pre-trib arguments concerning the Day of the Lord. Central to the theme of the chapter is the meaning of watchfulness concerning the soul as opposed to vigilant anticipation of the day for Christ to return. Whereas Ladd's use of referents to watchfulness is congruent with primitive interpretations of the Day of the Lord, which are untarnished by pre-trib spins, he accomplishes little more than state the fact.

Readers from across hermeneutic traditions will agree on one point. This text deserves a permanent place in the debates concerning the second Advent of Christ. For this reason, I recommend the text for careful study.

The author is well-rounded in his theology - warning the church of the easy believism of a pre-trib rapture. This is my kind of book because he uses 'solid' scriptural reasoning to prove his points. If you're determined to believe in a pre or mid-trib rapture then this book is not for you, but if you want to read something that makes sense this is a good place to begin.

Most of what I've read/listened to in the past is the pre-trib view. But more recently I've heard other's teach different views of eschatology. I had always taken the pre-trib view as my default position, but I hadn't really deeply dived in to research the view. I started off with two pre-trib books and then went to two post-trib books. This book stood head and shoulders above the rest. It was fairly easy to read, it made really good arguments for the post-trib position, and it made a lot of sense. Thanks to the teaching in this book, I now see that the post-trib view lines up very well with Scripture.

I've jumped from my default pre-trib position to a strong post-trib position. I don't see why people debate this anymore. Obviously the post-trib view is correct! :)

FWIW, I had been a pre-trib believer since I was a kid. THat was all I'd ever been taught. But now as a midlife "why do I believe this?" exercise, I decided to do some research on the topic and began with my Bible. I was pretty amazed that, viewing Scripture in context and objectively (pretending I'd never heard of the second coming), there wasn't any real evidence of a secret rapture of the Church. Everything pointed to the Second Coming occuring *after* The Tribulation. So I began to do some research on where, exactly, the pre-trib rapture idea came from. Without re-writing Ladd's book, I suggest that you purchase it and read it for yourself. The information is pretty common knowledge out on the web, even; but the tragedy is, too many "pre-trib" believers aren't reading it and are even building doctrine, dogma and creeds around a theory that they can't support with Scripture. The pre-trib theory is just an assumption based on very very loose inferences at best. It should never be on the same level of Scripturally sound teaching as, say, Christ's birth, death and resurrection, folks. Read the book.

I've read many books on the subject, and found this book by Ladd to be the most fair in discussing all the views of end time prophesies in the Bible.
He uses a lot of scripture and does not waste time discussing "current" events, as so many other authors do on this subject. So, if you are looking for a "meaty", yet small book, on all the important scriptures dealing with the Return of Jesus Christ ( The Blessed Hope ), this is the book for you.

This is an excellent, scholarly presentation of the historic Pre-Mill view of the second coming. Well worth the reading.
Rev. Eugene Potoka

The best thing about this book is that Ladd attempts to take Scripture, IN CONTEXT, and support what he believes Scripture teaches in regard to a post-trib rapture.

Honestly, my main problem with the book is that I think it is too short. He is already very convincing, but with more detail, critique, and examination, it would have been even more stalwart. Probably a 4.3 stars.