Shades Of Sheol

Philip S. Johnston examines Israelite views on death and afterlife as reflected in the Hebrew Bible and in material remains, and sets them in their cultural, literary and theological contexts.

There are well over one hundred different views of the nature of human existence; though the Bible may rule out many of these, there still remains a large number that are all compatible with Scripture. The Bible never explicitly defines the nature of the soul or spirit, which is actually quite puzzling or even ironic, given that one major aim of Scripture is spiritual development and ultimate questions about the soul. In fact, Judeo-Christian thinking on those questions has been evolving over the course of four thousand years. This book documents that evolution as a man named Abram left Babylon four thousand years ago, journeying through the lands and the philosophies of civilizations preceding him by many more thousands of years, while he and his descendants (both physical and spiritual) unpacked their understanding of our inner being--the human soul--and the afterlife. That journey is followed to the present day, and examines how a critically thinking Christian can embrace a theology of the human soul that is fully compatible with modern scientific findings, including explanations for consciousness, mind, and soul.

What happens after we die? The Ultimate Guide to Heaven and Hell is a summary guide to the afterlife that seeks to provide answers based on biblical teaching. Throughout, readers will encounter questions like: What is heaven, and how can I be sure I will get there? Is it different from the new heavens and the new earth? Will my body be there, or just my spirit/soul? What is hell, and how can I be sure to avoid it? CHAPTERS INCLUDE: Is it Just Hype? How Can I Know? Geography of Heaven and Earth Heaven the Celestial Fire Heaven: Avoiding the Fire Is Heaven Our Home? The New Creation The Necessity and Power of Jesus’s Resurrection How Can I Know Jesus Was Raised? What Is a Person? Intermediate State: Old Testament Evidence Intermediate State: New Testament Evidence What Do We Know about Hades? Did Christ Descend to Hades? Gehenna, the Lake of Fire, Tartarus, and the Abyss Death and Dying Human mortality can be quite paralyzing to some people, but the truth remains—our individual, bodily lives will one day come to an end. What happens after? The Bible has much to say in response to that question, and ultimately provides hope on this topic as we look to Jesus, the one who has conquered death.

The work is a history of Jewish beliefs regarding the concept of the soul, the idea of resurrection, and the nature of the afterlife. The work describes these beliefs, accounts for the origin of these beliefs, discusses the ways in which these beliefs have evolved, and explains why the many changes in belief have occurred. Views about the soul, resurrection, and the afterlife are related to other Jewish views and to broad movements in Jewish thought; and Jewish intellectual history is placed within the context of the history of Western thought in general. That history begins with the biblical period and extends to the present time.

In recent years scriptural prophecies about the end times have become the subject of an increasing number of books. Many of these, however, are popularized accounts containing little thoughtful biblical scholarship. Yet the serious studies available are often too difficult for the average reader to understand. George Eldon Ladd has endeavored to rectify this situation with a serious discussion of eschatology written for the layperson. Two radically different interpretations of the relationship between the prophecies of the Old and New Testaments have been offered. One view sees separate programs for Israel and the Christian church, while the other recognizes progressive revelation and a unity of the Testaments. Professor Ladd holds the latter position, basing his doctrine of the last things on the conviction that our final word . . . is to be found in New Testament reinterpretation of Old Testament prophecy. Only as the prophecies are seen in the light of God's revelation through Christ can we clearly comprehend what they mean in relation to the end times.

What is death? Why do we die? and what happens after we die? Over the centuries, philosophers and theologians of the world’s religions have offered answers to the dilemma of death, yet this subject is rarely given the detailed attention it deserves in the contemporary Christian church. As Christians, how does our view of death impact the communication of the gospel in today’s pluralistic societies? In this study, Dr Bobby Bose not only develops a solid biblical theology of death, he also reviews the teachings of contemporary and historical Christian theologians around the world, and examines the “state-after-death” beliefs of Hindus, Muslims and Secular Humanists. The author shows that “state-after- death” was a central component of conversation in the early church, and is also a major component of God’s mission to rescue humanity. As the East converges with the West, it is vital that Christians develop a missiological approach to “state-after-death” that will encourage positive engagement with people of other faiths and beliefs.

Silencing Satan: A Handbook of Biblical Demonology is about the nature and strategies of Satan and the demons, and their defeat through the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The book is for Christians in ministry, whether seminarians, pastors, Bible teachers, Christian counselors, or lay leaders. It is for all who desire an informed faith relevant to supernatural evil and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Each chapter reflects extensive research and is succinctly written to enable believers to quickly grasp biblical truths that expose the lies and half-truths propagated by popular culture, within and outside the church. The authors teach that when face to face with supernatural evil in its various guises--apparitions, voices, sensations, false doctrine, and immoral temptations--believers resist the devil and reflexively turn to Jesus and Scripture. They fight by living a radical life of faith, expressed through love and obedience to Christ. As they do, God himself redeems the evil that Satan intends for his vainglory. God is building his church, and the gates of hades will not prevail against her (Matt 16:18)!

The Psalms as Christian Scripture. Reading the Psalms Theologically presents rich biblical-theological studies on the Psalter. Reading the Psalter as a Unified Book: Recent Trends (David M. Howard and Michael K. Snearly) The Macrostructural Design and Logic of the Psalter: An Unfurling of the Davidic Covenant (Peter C. W. Ho) David's Biblical Theology and Typology in the Psalms: Authorial Intent and Patterns of the Seed of Promise (James M. Hamilton) A Story in the Psalms? Narrative Structure at the "Seams" of the Psalter's Five Books (David "Gunner" Gunderson) Does the Book of Psalms Present a Divine Messiah? (Seth D. Postell) The Suffering Servant in Book V of the Psalter (Jill Firth) Excavating the "Fossil Record" of a Metaphor: The Use of the Verb nasa' as "to forgive" in the Psalter (C. Hassell Bullock) The Art of Lament in Lamentations (May Young) The Psalms of Lament and the Theology of the Cross (Rolf A. Jacobson) "In Sheol, who can give you praise?" Death in the Psalms (Philip S. Johnston) Psalm 32: More Accurately a Declarative Praise than Penitential Psalm (Daniel J. Estes) Theology of the Nations in the Book of Psalms (Ryan J. Cook) Psalm 87 and the Promise of Inclusion (Jamie A. Grant) YHWH Among the Gods: The Trial for Justice in Psalm 82 (Andrew J. Schmutzer) Reclaiming Divine Sovereignty in the Anthropocene: Psalms 93–100 and the Convergence of Theology and Ecology (J. Clinton McCann) A Theology of Glory: Divine Sanctum and Service in the Psalter (Jerome Skinner) Perceptions of Divine Presence in the Levitical Psalms of Book 2: The Paradox of Distance and Proximity (J. Nathan Clayton) Psalm 110, Jesus, and Melchizedek (David C. Mitchell) The essays interpret the Psalms as a carefully-composed book. Each study focuses on a biblical or theological topic, drawing insights from past interpreters and current scholarship.