Last Things, The: Hope for This World and the Next [Paperback]

Herman Bavinck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996

Written a century ago, Bavinck's stately theology of "the last things"--from death to the parousia--offers sound exegetical guidance.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Dutch

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801020883
• ISBN-13: 978-0801020889
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,381,349 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-Researched, but in Some Ways Flawed, February 8, 2010

By 

John M. Balouziyeh (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Things, The: Hope for This World and the Next (Paperback)

A. Review
In The Last Things, Bavinck brings his readers an ultra-precise exegesis describing the day of Christ's return, man's state between death and resurrection, and the renewal of creation. He divides the book into three parts: (i) The Intermediate State, (ii) The Return of Christ; and (iii) The Consummation.

1. The Intermediate State
In Part 1, Bavinck discusses the question of immortality and the state of humans between death and resurrection. He discusses the state of believers after death according to various Christian perspectives and then presents the Reformed view. Pointing to Scripture drawn mostly from the Old Testament as well as from the Book of Revelation, he asserts that the dead have no knowledge of what happens on earth and cannot intercede for Christians on earth. He compares the veneration of the saints, as well as the veneration of the relics of the saints, as unbiblical.

2. The Return of Christ
In Part 2, The Return of Christ, Bavinck, based on science, history, and the Bible, argues that the earth is finite and human history will come to an end. In the end times, the spiritual reign of God will break into history. It will not, however, be comprised of a millennial intermezzo followed by a final consummation, as the chiliasts hold. Rather, the Covenant of the Old Testament is in Bavinck's view the intermezzo that will be followed by the "long-aimed-for goal, the direct continuation and the genuine fulfillment, of the Old Testament" (p. 98) the New Testament Covenant through faith in Christ. All believers, whether Jew or Gentile, ought to live their lives as though the Kingdom of God has come and the final return of Christ is coming.

3. The Consummation
In Part 3, The Consummation, Bavinck describes the reign of Christ, which will advance until all of creation has been renewed on the day of His return. On that day, the unbelievers will be judged and the believers will be resurrected. This renewal "transforms all matter (hyle) into form (edos), all potency into actuality (potential, actus), and presents the entire creation before the face of God, brilliant in unfading spendor and blossoming in a springtime of eternal youth" (p. 160).

B. Critique
The tight reasoning and carefully crafted exegeses typical of Bavinck's other works is once again brought to the reader in The Last Things. Bavinck claims on numerous occasions that if a particular precept is not in Scripture, then we must not advocate it. Accordingly, Bavinck frequently backs up his theological assertions with a string of scriptural citations.
However, looking up these citations sometimes reveals that they do not directly support the proposition offered. For example, Bavinck states that although God sometimes performs miracles through relics, "they must not be the objects of veneration" (p. 57). He cites Deuteronomy 34:6, 2 Kings 18:4, and 2 Corinthians 5:16 to support his claim. Deuteronomy 34:6 ("the Lord put [Moses] to rest in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor: but no man has knowledge of his resting-place to this day") simply states that the location of the relics of Moses are unknown, not that veneration to them would be prohibited had their whereabouts been known. Furthermore, 2 Kings 18:4 ("He had the high places taken away, and the stone pillars broken to bits, and the Asherah cut down; and the brass snake which Moses had made was crushed to powder at his order, because in those days the children of Israel had offerings burned before it") does not speak to the veneration of objects, but rather, to their worship. It reveals God's wrath at those who treat images and objects as gods and offer sacrifices to them. Such a practice must be distinguished from the reverent veneration of objects that were used by God to accomplish His holy purposes, without treating such objects as gods or offering them the worship due to God alone. Finally, the third verse he cites, 2 Corinthians 5:16 ("from this time forward we have knowledge of no man after the flesh: even if we have had knowledge of Christ after the flesh, we have no longer any such knowledge") states that we have no knowledge of man after the flesh, not that the veneration of the relics of holy men is forbidden.
Furthermore, when Bavinck offers scriptural citations that directly support his proposition, such citations are at times taken out of their proper context. For example, Bavinck takes issue with the early Church's practice of making intercessions to the saints, a practice which remains in place in many churches today. He states that such a practice is misguided, since the dead "no longer have a share in anything that happens under the sun" (p. 56). To support this proposition, he cites Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, and 10 ("the dead are not conscious of anything ... they have no longer a part for ever in anything which is done under the sun ... there is no work, or thought, or knowledge, or wisdom in the place of the dead to which you are going"). Yet these verses cannot be taken literally, for we know from other parts of Scripture that the dead do in fact have thoughts and knowledge. For example, both the rich man and Lazarus knew under what conditions they lived on earth (Luk 16). Similarly, in the final judgment, people will have knowledge of what they did on earth, claiming to Christ that they prophesied in His name (Mat 7:22). Since the Word of God cannot contradict itself, we can conclude that the statements in Ecclesiastes regarding the dead having no thoughts or knowledge are not meant to be taken literally. Rather, these statements must be taken in their hyperbolic context as the cries of a desperate man in an existential struggle for the life's meaning.
This causes the reader to inquire: what safeguards are in place to assure that Reformed systematic theology, which interprets Scripture using reason guided by Scripture alone, absent the received teachings of the early universal Church, does not fall prey to the erroneous views of individual interpreters?

2 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Right about some things - wrong about others..., May 28, 2003

By 

D. Wessel (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Things, The: Hope for This World and the Next (Paperback)

The author reminds us that people all over the world, both Christian and non, have known for some time there is a part of human beings that goes on 'after death'. It is good to be reminded of this because we all too easily become so attached to this life.

It is the Christian hope that even though our body dies we have the resurrection from the dead to look forward to. This is not just Catholic theology but an evangelical teaching as well.

Bavinck gives evidence for the immortality of the 'soul'. Although he is correct that we are immortal in some part, the soul is not that part. The Bible says human beings are made in three parts; spirit, soul and body (1 Thess.). "God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." If God is a 'spirit' and we must worship Him 'in spirit' meaning 'in our spirit', then it has to be 'our spirit' that is is 'made in His image' and therefore, immortal.

Body and soul were created 'on the earth', they are 'earthly' therefore, they are 'mortal'. A 'mortal' entity cannot contain an 'immortal' one. The mortal soul cannot contain God's immortal Spirit!

Body and soul are used synonymously in Scripture but the 'spirit' is different. Upon spiritual regeneration it is the 'spirit' of human beings that is circumcised ("circumcise the foreskin of your heart"). 'Heart' translated means 'spirit'! It is the 'spirit' that immediately goes either to paradise or hell after a person dies, the body remains in the grave until the resurrection from the dead.

Bavinck has researched his historical information well and he is correct in many of his theories. However, I found the book read like a textbook and was a little hard to follow.