This is a review of the book What Lies Ahead: A Biblical Overview of the End Times
“What Lies Ahead” seems like an awkward title to me for a book on Prophecy and End Times. I can just hear the non-dispensational, pretribulational jokes. Nevertheless, this book is a great prophetic overview. It doesn’t aim to be exhaustive in its defense of dispensationalism and pretribulationism, but it is broad in subject and scope.
The book is well written, easy to understand and presented in a logically laid-out format. It contains many helpful charts and diagrams. The tone is set by addressing the question of why we should study prophecy, followed by a discussion on Postmodernism versus the Biblical Worldview.
My favorite chapters were those which covered Covenant Theology versus Dispensationalism. What is Covenant Theology and how does it differ to Dispensationalism? What are the CT hermeneutics? The illustrations are very helpful, as is the commentary. I’d recommend the book just on these clarifications and the discussion of the covenants.
One strong disagreement I have is the authors’ position on the church’s current relationship to the New Covenant. Unfortunately, this is a hotly contested issue among dispensationalists.
The book goes on to cover topics such as the rapture; the Antichrist; the Day of the Lord; the Millennium and the Eternal State.
The critiques of the other rapture timing systems are brief yet fair. One minor point is that the official prewrath rapture view is not that it occurs half way through the second half of the 70th week, as stated in the book. This is a common misconception not helped by the fact that for many years prewrath charts have depicted it in that position without the newly-added question mark. Prewrathers state that it occurs at some unknown point after the Abomination of Desolation and before the end the 70th week.
The book’s position on imminence also differs somewhat to other pretribulational books. The authors note that verses sometimes ascribed to rapture imminence actually proclaim watchfulness. These may subsequently be applied to the Second Coming (page 180). Hence:
“Imminency is not a primary exegetical proof of pretribulationism…imminency does not prove pretribulationism; pretribulationism demands imminency.”
I agree. That an event may occur at any time without prerequisites does not mean that it must. Some will protest that pretribulationists are then employing circular reasoning. Hixson and Fontecchio capably show why this isn’t the case at all.
Another notable point is the book’s position on the nature of the “apostasia” or “falling away” in 2 Thess 2:3. The authors believe the “falling away” is the rapture (pages 200-202). This view has gained traction among some pretribulationists. While the position makes good points, I remain unconvinced. Pretribulationism does not fall or rest on this debatable argument.
No book is perfect. Yet, aside from one or two areas of disagreement, this effort is a worthy contribution to the subject of prophecy. It’s packed with good information and most pretribulational prophecy enthusiasts will learn a lot from it. As mentioned above, I profited from the sections which covered Covenant Theology. Recommended reading!
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Contents:
Chapter 1) Getting Our Feet Wet – Why We study Prophecy
Chapter 2) Holding on to the Truth – Postmodernism vs. a Biblical Worldview
Chapter 3) Is There Any Hope? – Dispensationalism vs. Covenant Theology
Chapter 4) The Road to the Future – Eschatology in Church History
Chapter 5) A Promise to be Kept – The Abrahamic Covenant
Chapter 6) Title Deed to the Land – The Abrahamic Covenant
Chapter 7) The Promise of a King – The Davidic Covenant
Chapter 8) Perfect Obedience – The New Covenant
Chapter 9) The Bride of Christ – The Church
Chapter 10) The Greatest Rescue – The Rapture
Chapter 11) Rejoice and Give Glory – The Bema Judgment and marriage of the Lamb
Chapter 12) Perilous Times – The Antichrist and Day of the Lord
Chapter 13) When will be the End of the Age? – The Olivet Discourse
Chapter 14) The Seventieth Week – The Tribulation
Chapter 15) Arrival of the Messianic Kingdom – The Second Coming and Millennium
Chapter 16) Perfect Righteousness – The Eternal State
Conclusion
Appendix: Sequential Order of End Time Events
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