Conditional Futurism: New Perspective of End-Time Prophecy

Distribution and Review Links (Updated 4/27/2012)

Resource Publications (an imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers) released
Conditional Futurism: New Perspective of End-Time Prophecy on 1/11/2012.

Sample chapters in Kindle edition available at Amazon.com USA, Amazon.fr France, Amazon.de Germany, Amazon.it Italy, Amazon.es Spain, and Amazon.co.uk UK.

Book Description:

Conditional Futurism introduces a new perspective of end-time theology (eschatology). The book holds to Christian futurism while integrating the Apocalypse of John with the conditional dynamics of prophecy taught in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and various other books throughout the Old Testament. The new paradigm concludes that the final antichrist (also known as the man of lawlessness, the beast, and the eighth king) may read the apocalyptic prophecy of his doom while deciding instead to repent of evil and turn to the Lord, which is a biblical option that would fulfill the divine purposes of the apocalypse. This cutting-edge scholarship also develops new biblical models of angels appearing as humans, the descent of Christ into hell, and the kings in Revelation that incorporate with this end-time theology that encourages hope in all circumstances.

Wipf and Stock sells Conditional Futurism to wholesalers, retailers, and consumers around the world. See the publishers brochure with reviews archived at Scribd:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/79717778/.

See the first post-publication review at The Christian Manifesto.

Pre-publication Endorsements and Review:

"James Goetz leads us on a tour of the whole Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, to explore what it has to say about future judgment and salvation. He well appreciates that biblical prophesies can have multiple fulfillments and takes this into account in his wide-ranging explorations. Concerning judgment, he argues that the many biblical texts relating to the future are not simply unconditional predictions of what will happen but are conditional outcomes. If we repent, we can avoid the consequences that God says will be our fate. Goetz even holds out hope for postmortem conversion, even from within the Lake of Fire itself. This is a perspective that warrants careful consideration and further exploration."
Robin Parry
author of The Evangelical Universalist

"James Goetz's thoughtful defense of 'Conditional Futurism' should have great appeal to any evangelical who yearns for a wider hope. He persuasively argues, first, that Bible prophecies concerning future punishment typically forecast what will happen unless (or until) certain conditions are met and, second, that a strong biblical warrant exists for the possibility of postmortem conversions. His interpretation of the New Jerusalem with gates that never close is especially powerful in this regard."
Thomas Talbott
Emeritus Professor of Philosophy
Willamette University

"James Goetz's Conditional Futurism surveys the Bible from Genesis through Revelation, focusing on predictions, especially predictions of judgment. He concludes that these predictions were always conditional; that God would always relent if the recipients would repent. This leads him to the conclusion that even the antichrist might repent and be reconciled to Christ, and to the conclusion that postmortem conversions are also probable."
Dale A. Brueggemann
Missionary-Educator

"Though never a credo of orthodoxy, the belief that not a single created being—even Lucifer himself—stands outside God's redemptive reach has a history nearly as long as the Church itself. In Conditional Futurism Goetz analyzes key biblical covenants and prophecies through this grid in a simple, straightforward presentation that suggests the Church rethink its position on postmortem conversions and end-time prophecy. All students of the Bible will find Goetz's selection and treatment of biblical passages both stimulating and challenging."
Rob Starner
Professor of Greek and New Testament
Southwestern A/G University

"Goetz has written a readable study suitable for lay readers interested in biblical end-times prophecies. Starting with a high view of Scripture, he challenges the idea that these prophecies depict what will happen, arguing that, instead, they can plausibly be seen as characterizing what would happen in the absence of repentance. Especially in the case of conservative evangelicals, this book may motivate needed reassessment of popular interpretations of end-times prophecies."
Eric Reitan
Oklahoma State University

Original Post (July 26, 2010)
Wipf and Stock Publishers contracted me to complete the working title Conditional Futurism: New Perspective of End-Time Prophecy. Prior to this contract, I already posted some blog articles related to the book. See below:

Conditional Futurism in Sum

The Conditional Apocalypse of King Nebuchadnezzar

Nebuchadnezzar and the Kings in Revelation

The Kings of the Earth in Heaven

See the Table of Contents below:

1: Conditional Futurism in Sum
2: Interpretation of End-Time Prophecy
3: Genesis and the Mosaic Covenant
4: The Davidic Dynasty and Psalms
5: Isaiah
6: Jeremiah
7: Prince Gog from the Land of Magog
8: Zechariah
9: Daniel
10: The Gospels
11: Acts
12: The Letters of Paul and Hebrews
13: The Letters of Peter, Jude, and John
14: The Eighth King in Revelation
15: Judgment, the Kings of the Earth, and the Nations in Revelation
Subject Index
Author Index
Ancient Document Index