To begin, the authors of this study either presently teach at Dallas Theological Seminary (Bock, Johnston) and/or received their training there (Bateman IV). It is also critical for the reader to  know that the introduction is crucial to understanding the hermeneutical approach of this work and therefore, it must be absorbed. What is the approach? Bateman defines it as a “three-fold” approach: 1) Contextual-canonical; 2) Messianic and 3) Christological. Furthermore, within this template there is a purposeful effort to show the element of progressive revelation. Understanding this approach and then tying in the thread of progressive revelation cannot be overstated.

The book is broken up into three parts, Part #1—Promise of the King; Part #2—Expectations of the King and Part #3—The coming of the King. Also, the reader must be aware that each part correlates to a key phase of biblical history (Part one—Johnston interacts with the Old (or first) Testament; Part two—Dr. Bateman examines the Second temple literature and Part three—Dr. Bock explores the New (or second) Testament). To this reviewer, the section on Second Temple Judaism was supremely fundamental to the overall conclusion of this work and brought clarity and color to my understanding of the New Testament.

One of the standout elements of the book was the author’s use of the charts. These visual helps are spread liberally throughout the book and provide moments of rest and clarity, especially for novice Christian reader. Concepts such as progressive revelation (p. 33); Kings of Israel and Judah (p.71); different genres of Second Temple literature (p.317) and the reigns and influence of Roman emperors (pgs. 337, 343) are brought to life with these charts.

A surprise to this reviewer was the absence of any explicit dispensational language, especially since all the authors (to my knowledge) hold to some form of dispensationalism. The closest reference was found on page 182 in dealing with the Messianic trajectories found in Ezekiel 44-48. Johnston states,

“According to a popular approach, Ezekiel provided an architectural blueprint for the construction of the future millennial temple, whose cultic worship will be directed by the glorious Messiah, who Himself will offer regular animal sacrifices in memorial of His once-for-all atoning sacrifices. Despite the widespread acceptance of this view, it is beset with obstacles, although there is a key element of truth in it.”

Notice there is no mention of dispensationalism (though this is an exclusive dispensational interpretation) and the author does not try to give another interpretation of Ezekiel 44-48 (since it is beyond the scope of this study). Even in Bock’s examination of the term “Messiah” in the book of Revelation, there is no discussion about chronological issues or the length of the Millennium.  It seems to me that the authors are striving to produce a scholarly work, which is devoid of tribal association or preference.

Criticism

Though the section on Second Temple Judaism (515 B.C.—70 A.D.) is critical in explaining Jesus’ hesitation to publicly proclaim His Messianic office, I found the emphasis on the documents to be painfully thorough and thus boring to any non-scholar. This is not to say that certain aspects of this section are not noteworthy. The concept of a diarchy or binary Messianism (i.e. the idea of “two Messiahs”) is one of the many fascinating discoveries found within the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Conclusion

Bock, Bateman and Johnston are to be commended for this comprehensive work. The authors laid out their purpose and proceeded in 472 pages to nail their thesis to the wall. Undoubtedly, this will be a challenging read for the novice Christian or theological infant, but those with a rudimentary understanding of the Scriptures will find this work thought-provoking and a worthy addition to the genre of Testamental studies.