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Short Studies in Biblical Theology
Resurrection Hope and the Death of Death
A Biblical Theology of Resurrection Hope from Genesis to Revelation
Death is a powerful and sobering reality. While everyone must face death, it is not the end for those united with Christ. Followers of Jesus Christ have resurrection hope--the proclamation that Christ has defeated death and the promise that believers shall share in his victory. The resurrection is essential to the Christian faith and is rooted in the faithfulness of God.
With scholarly insight, Mitchell L. Chase traces the theme of resurrection hope throughout Scripture, walking through each section of the Bible from the Law to Revelation. Having a proper understanding of death and resurrection will not only stir up our soberness for the reality of sin and death, but it will also motivate our praise to God.
Founded on Scripture: Highlights the interconnectedness of the Bible For Learners: Ideal for students or anyone looking to grow in their knowledge of God and the Scriptures Part of the Short Studies in Biblical Theology Series: Other volumes include The New Creation and the Storyline of Scripture, The Lord's Supper as the Sign and Meal of the New Covenant, and The Kingdom of God and the Glory of the Cross
Death is a powerful and sobering reality. While everyone must face death, it is not the end for those united with Christ. Followers of Jesus Christ have resurrection hope--the proclamation that Christ has defeated death and the promise that believers shall share in his victory. The resurrection is essential to the Christian faith and is rooted in the faithfulness of God.
With scholarly insight, Mitchell L. Chase traces the theme of resurrection hope throughout Scripture, walking through each section of the Bible from the Law to Revelation. Having a proper understanding of death and resurrection will not only stir up our soberness for the reality of sin and death, but it will also motivate our praise to God.
Founded on Scripture: Highlights the interconnectedness of the Bible For Learners: Ideal for students or anyone looking to grow in their knowledge of God and the Scriptures Part of the Short Studies in Biblical Theology Series: Other volumes include The New Creation and the Storyline of Scripture, The Lord's Supper as the Sign and Meal of the New Covenant, and The Kingdom of God and the Glory of the Cross
163 pages, Paperback
Published October 25, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
January 25, 2025
Sweet and edifying survey of the resurrection hope presented to us in Old and New Testaments. Will help you rejoice better in Christ, and spur you to remember that in Christ, the best is yet to come.
March 28, 2023
Read this to prepare for teaching on Resurrection Sunday but it was so much more than that. As a part of the Short Studies in Biblical Theology this book expanded my understanding of resurrection through out the Bible, and boy did it do it well. For such a short book it sure packed a punch! I can’t wait to come back to this again and again to really shore up my teachings on various passages. Very good
August 29, 2023
Good but basic intro. Would have liked the following:
- A discussion of Ps 23 in light of Ps 22. The suffering King from Ps 22 both lives Ps 23 and shepherds His people through the experience of Ps 23. The key to understanding this is resurrection, walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Would have been helpful given the allusions to Ps 22 at the cross.
- Analysis of Mt 1 (book of the genealogy) and Jn 1 (in the beginning) alluding to Genesis to show that the gospels’ emphasis on the cross is really the beginning of the new creation.
- How Acts shows the life giving Spirit from Gen 1-2 as the giver of resurrected life via the gospel to the ends of the earth.
- How resurrection is essential to justification in Paul’s thought in Rom 4:25. Though the concept was touched on with 1 Cor 15.
- A discussion of Ps 23 in light of Ps 22. The suffering King from Ps 22 both lives Ps 23 and shepherds His people through the experience of Ps 23. The key to understanding this is resurrection, walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Would have been helpful given the allusions to Ps 22 at the cross.
- Analysis of Mt 1 (book of the genealogy) and Jn 1 (in the beginning) alluding to Genesis to show that the gospels’ emphasis on the cross is really the beginning of the new creation.
- How Acts shows the life giving Spirit from Gen 1-2 as the giver of resurrected life via the gospel to the ends of the earth.
- How resurrection is essential to justification in Paul’s thought in Rom 4:25. Though the concept was touched on with 1 Cor 15.
April 17, 2025
+ Concise, very focused, handy Bible overview through the theme of resurrection. Neat sections (Law, prophets, gospels, Acts, letters etc).
- Occasional leaps and stretches to make examples fit the theme. Straightforward to read but as with the majority of Christians books, jargon-y language/phrases are frustrating.
= I'll admit... I didn't particularly *enjoy* reading this one although the truths and examples in isolation are superb. Lots of examples highlighted, but I personally prefer a more engaging, flowing book over a more clinical theological one.
- Occasional leaps and stretches to make examples fit the theme. Straightforward to read but as with the majority of Christians books, jargon-y language/phrases are frustrating.
= I'll admit... I didn't particularly *enjoy* reading this one although the truths and examples in isolation are superb. Lots of examples highlighted, but I personally prefer a more engaging, flowing book over a more clinical theological one.
January 29, 2023
Solid job tracing the theme of resurrection from beginning to end of Scripture. The chapters on the Old Testament were especially illuminating.
March 30, 2024
This was the first book in the series that I’ve read, and it was so excellent it makes me want to read the others! Loved the succinct but rich walk through all of scripture on the topic of resurrection! The connections backwards and forward were also clear and convincing and just helpful. There were also less obvious areas of Scripture that I hadn’t seen resurrection inferences prior, that I now see with new light. I will definitely come back to this as a refresher in years ahead.
January 11, 2024
This is probably the best book I have read in the series because it gave me the clearest understanding of how the apostles saw this concept in the Old Testament. More than any of the other works I have read in this series, this one most assists me in reading the Bible like the apostles.
August 4, 2024
The author is pretty cool
December 31, 2022
What does the Bible from the Old Testament to the New Testment has to teach us about the resurrection and also life after death? This book is a survey of that, giving us a biblical theology of God’s power over death and also the fuller doctrine developed in God’s revelation of a physical resurrection of all humans after death, either to judgment or salvation. The author Mitchell Chase is a professor of biblical studies at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and his doctoral work at Southern Seminary was on the topic of resurrection hope. So it is fitting he authored this book on this topic for the Short Studies in Biblical Theology series which is published by Crossway. Coming in at 163 pages it is a helpful survey of what does the Bible have to say about the resurrection that begins in seed form in the Old Testament but gets more developed as more of God’s Word is revealed in redemptive history.
Besides the introduction and conclusion there are six chapters which makes the main body of the book. The first three chapters are on the Resurrection and the Old Testament and the final four chapters are on the New Testament’s teaching of the Resurrection. The three chapters on the Old Testament is organized by the Hebrew division of the Scriptures, with chapter one on the Law, chapter two on the Prophets and chapter three is on the Writings. Covering the New Testament chapter four is on the Gospels, chapter five is on Acts and the next is on the Epistles and the final chapter is on Revelation.
Studying on the Resurrection we must keep in mind the character of Scripture with progressive revelation. This is where the beginning of Redemptive history any given theological doctrine might not be as fully developed and clear compared to later revelation. Yet it is important to know how the doctrine begins since they lay the foundation of what comes later. I admit there were times the author in the first three chapters seem to really try to argue for resurrection as power over bad things happening that seems a stretch for foundation for the resurrection. Still there were verses that the author explored that did not stick out to me before as teaching the resurrection in the Old Testament. I always thought the strongest verse from the Old Testament for the resurrection and life after death was Daniel 12:1-2. As a result of reading this my list also include other verses on the resurrection such as Ezekiel 37:10-13, and how death ends according to Isaiah 25:7-8 and Isaiah 26:19. I really enjoyed the author’s exploration of various passages from Hosea that has implications about life after death and the resurrection; specifically Hosea 6:1-2 and Hosea 13:14 stood out.
Much of the verses in the New Testament was more straight forward than the passages in the New Testament. Still I found the Old Testament chapters to be the most fascinating and insightful. This was a helpful resource and it helped equip me to have a stronger biblical theology of the Resurrection and God’s power over death.
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by Crossway without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
Besides the introduction and conclusion there are six chapters which makes the main body of the book. The first three chapters are on the Resurrection and the Old Testament and the final four chapters are on the New Testament’s teaching of the Resurrection. The three chapters on the Old Testament is organized by the Hebrew division of the Scriptures, with chapter one on the Law, chapter two on the Prophets and chapter three is on the Writings. Covering the New Testament chapter four is on the Gospels, chapter five is on Acts and the next is on the Epistles and the final chapter is on Revelation.
Studying on the Resurrection we must keep in mind the character of Scripture with progressive revelation. This is where the beginning of Redemptive history any given theological doctrine might not be as fully developed and clear compared to later revelation. Yet it is important to know how the doctrine begins since they lay the foundation of what comes later. I admit there were times the author in the first three chapters seem to really try to argue for resurrection as power over bad things happening that seems a stretch for foundation for the resurrection. Still there were verses that the author explored that did not stick out to me before as teaching the resurrection in the Old Testament. I always thought the strongest verse from the Old Testament for the resurrection and life after death was Daniel 12:1-2. As a result of reading this my list also include other verses on the resurrection such as Ezekiel 37:10-13, and how death ends according to Isaiah 25:7-8 and Isaiah 26:19. I really enjoyed the author’s exploration of various passages from Hosea that has implications about life after death and the resurrection; specifically Hosea 6:1-2 and Hosea 13:14 stood out.
Much of the verses in the New Testament was more straight forward than the passages in the New Testament. Still I found the Old Testament chapters to be the most fascinating and insightful. This was a helpful resource and it helped equip me to have a stronger biblical theology of the Resurrection and God’s power over death.
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by Crossway without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
November 8, 2022
Resurrection Hope is a short study in biblical theology by Mitchell L Chase. Mitchell L Chase is an associate professor of biblical studies at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Resurrection Hope is designed to help readers see a unified story culminating in Christ Jesus. It is organized into seven chapters. Each chapter reveals the resurrection’s hope. I, therefore, believe the purpose of the book is to inform readers of the resurrection hope we have.
Resurrection Hope is divided into Old and New Testaments. Chapters 1-3 investigate the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. Chapters 4-7 investigate the Gospels, Acts, the Letters, and Revelation.
At first, I was concerned about reading biblical theology, would I understand it? No worries, it is written in terms the layperson can understand. I appreciate reading how the resurrection hope is a theme throughout the Bible.
I give Resurrection Hope 5*/5*
Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
Resurrection Hope is designed to help readers see a unified story culminating in Christ Jesus. It is organized into seven chapters. Each chapter reveals the resurrection’s hope. I, therefore, believe the purpose of the book is to inform readers of the resurrection hope we have.
Resurrection Hope is divided into Old and New Testaments. Chapters 1-3 investigate the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. Chapters 4-7 investigate the Gospels, Acts, the Letters, and Revelation.
At first, I was concerned about reading biblical theology, would I understand it? No worries, it is written in terms the layperson can understand. I appreciate reading how the resurrection hope is a theme throughout the Bible.
I give Resurrection Hope 5*/5*
Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
December 9, 2022
From Adam & Eve thru Revelation, we are given a brief study on THE Resurrection and how Christ’s victory over death paved the way for our eventual hope of glory when death will die, hallelujah!
Minus all the publisher stuff, the real content of this volume is 127 pages. Seven chapters that have short subsections lend themselves to personal or corporate study. Author, Mitchell L. Chase, writes in an inclusive style that can be comprehended by most readers familiar with the basic concepts attendant to Christ’s resurrection & salvation. For the most part, he uses scripture to explain scripture and includes other authors as footnotes that appear on the bottom of the page where they’re mentioned rather than in an appendix or index; so much better!
Scripture references are taken from the ESV version and Chase works thru the entirety of the Bible to study his subject. These volumes are part of a series called “Short Studies In BIBLICAL THEOLOGY” They’re not meant to be an exhaustive study on a particular topic but more of an overview or introduction to the topic, giving readers a place to start or renew their foundation in a variety of topics.
All things considered, highly accessible with short sections for easy time commitments📚
Minus all the publisher stuff, the real content of this volume is 127 pages. Seven chapters that have short subsections lend themselves to personal or corporate study. Author, Mitchell L. Chase, writes in an inclusive style that can be comprehended by most readers familiar with the basic concepts attendant to Christ’s resurrection & salvation. For the most part, he uses scripture to explain scripture and includes other authors as footnotes that appear on the bottom of the page where they’re mentioned rather than in an appendix or index; so much better!
Scripture references are taken from the ESV version and Chase works thru the entirety of the Bible to study his subject. These volumes are part of a series called “Short Studies In BIBLICAL THEOLOGY” They’re not meant to be an exhaustive study on a particular topic but more of an overview or introduction to the topic, giving readers a place to start or renew their foundation in a variety of topics.
All things considered, highly accessible with short sections for easy time commitments📚
October 20, 2025
The good: I learned a lot by seeing the ways resurrection hope and life are embedded in the whole storyline of the Bible. The author made clear that there will be a general resurrection of both believers and nonbelievers on the final day of judgment. He also made clear that the theme of resurrection stems all the way back to the earliest parts of the OT.
The bad: I didn’t love how the book was laid out. It felt like a simple laundry list of every time the Bible mentioned resurrection (including themes of giving life or preserving life). The cohesion wasn’t there for me. As such, there was much duplication within chapters and between chapters. I suppose I would have preferred pulling out the main takeaways, such as, “the Bible is clear there will be a general resurrection, and here is the support…” “The Lord has always been about preserving life, and here is the support…” Thematic arrangement would have been much more enjoyable to read and easier to remember the takeaways for the individual new to Biblical theology.
The bad: I didn’t love how the book was laid out. It felt like a simple laundry list of every time the Bible mentioned resurrection (including themes of giving life or preserving life). The cohesion wasn’t there for me. As such, there was much duplication within chapters and between chapters. I suppose I would have preferred pulling out the main takeaways, such as, “the Bible is clear there will be a general resurrection, and here is the support…” “The Lord has always been about preserving life, and here is the support…” Thematic arrangement would have been much more enjoyable to read and easier to remember the takeaways for the individual new to Biblical theology.
May 7, 2024
It goes without saying, due to the title, that the theme of this short work is the Christian understanding of (the) resurrection. Some may assume/say the theme is only prevalent in the New Testament, but the author takes up the whole canon to show readers that resurrection (and the death of death) was no new idea once reaching the New Testament - it’s embedded in all of scripture in the different forms of literature (poetry, prophetic, etc). I found the book to be a bit hard to follow at times in the first half due to the numerous texts looked at in such brevity. Otherwise, anyone that’s curious on how the Christian hope of resurrection is indeed a great hope (without which Christians are most to be pitied) grounded in all of scripture would benefit from picking this up.
July 30, 2025
In a culture that often ignores or fears death, Chase offers a biblical and deeply pastoral reflection on the significance of the resurrection. In Resurrection Hope and the Death of Death, he traces how the hope of resurrection shapes the believer’s perspective on suffering, mortality, and eternity. Drawing from Scripture and church history, he shows that Christ’s victory over death is the foundation of our comfort and courage. I appreciate how he builds his argument from a number of Old Testament texts and themes (often ignored in discussions about the resurrection). This book is both theological and practical—offering encouragement for those facing grief while strengthening our confidence in the promises of God. This book is also part of the Short Studies in Biblical Theology series.
November 7, 2022
Wonderful! Almost anything on biblical theology will be personally enjoyable to me, but I had been awaiting the release of this one for a while. Chase has written a delightful overview and biblical theology of our resurrection hope from Genesis to Revelation.
If you’ve read Beale or Wright and are looking for a shorter book to enjoy or hand out, this is it. 150 pages of delightful exegesis and joyful prose. I especially enjoyed the footnotes. I may have underlined and highlighted 75% of the book. To read and believe all of this resurrection hope we have should lead the reader to glad adoration of the resurrected King.
If you’ve read Beale or Wright and are looking for a shorter book to enjoy or hand out, this is it. 150 pages of delightful exegesis and joyful prose. I especially enjoyed the footnotes. I may have underlined and highlighted 75% of the book. To read and believe all of this resurrection hope we have should lead the reader to glad adoration of the resurrected King.
October 25, 2022
Difficult book to rate. It does an excellent job of marshaling texts that have anything to do with resurrection (especially some overlooked OT ones). It does a terrible job at cohesion or argumentation. In fact, there is basically none of the latter. The book is essentially a series of biblical references/quotations matched with brief description of what the text says that is related to resurrection. And that's the whole book. The conclusion is less than two pages. Use the book like an encyclopedia, I guess.
January 26, 2023
I would give this book a 10-star review if I could. There are not many books I would tell another believer to go buy, but this is one of them. Honestly, probably one of the best books I’ve ever read. We all need hope today, and as Christians we especially need the reminder that death is not the end of this life. Eventually, death will die and “from the dust we will rise to reign. All will be well” (148).
February 28, 2025
On the plus side of good. The great resurrection is one of those things that Christian’s overlook in favor of simply going to heaven. As N.T. Wright has pointed out, heaven is not our great hope, our great hope is the resurrection of the dead. Chase pinpoints early themes of resurrection in the Old Testament and how they foreshadowed the resurrection of Christ which is the first fruits of mine and your resurrections.
December 2, 2022
The book is broken into 7 chapters. I ended up reading one each night for a week. I've attended church my whole life but learned a lot of things I didn't before or didn't realize before. It was easy to understand for someone not familiar with scripture but deep enough for someone experienced so they could still glean from it.
September 8, 2023
Not the strongest in this series. Rather than Biblical Theology- I might call this a “concordance with a brief commentary” on the theme of resurrection. It lacked the theological reflection that I have come to enjoy in the other volumes in this series. It succeeds in its brevity and concise recap of the whole Bible- but left me longing for a strong “why it matters”.
March 27, 2024
This book is like a featherweight championship fighter.
It is really lean in terms of size, but it packs a punch (and leaves many of the meatier details to be uncovered in the footnotes for those who want to explore more).
Traces the theme of resurrection from Genesis to Revelation, leaving virtually no stone unturned.
Highly recommend.
It is really lean in terms of size, but it packs a punch (and leaves many of the meatier details to be uncovered in the footnotes for those who want to explore more).
Traces the theme of resurrection from Genesis to Revelation, leaving virtually no stone unturned.
Highly recommend.
April 30, 2024
Excellent and insightful short primer of the theme of resurrection in the Bible. While much of it was helpful, I especially enjoyed the connections he made with the Pentateuch and the resurrection theme. If this is indicative of the 'short studies' series as a whole, then I am excited to read through more of these 'short studies.'
April 21, 2023
This was not my favorite😬😅 There was nothing inherently wrong or incorrect in it, and I’m sure this book would be helpful and beneficial for some. But I just could not stay focused and engaged with it. It felt like it jumped all over the place and didn’t have a good, clear flow. 3 Stars🌟
May 9, 2024
This book shows in a short amount of pages just how packed the Bible is with resurrection hope. It looks like it will be a helpful reference work to return to when preaching/teaching on a passage Chase covers.
March 1, 2023
Took me so long to finished this one, but the book is so so good. I had to take down notes while reading 😊
Read
March 19, 2024(Audiobook)
April 7, 2024
“He will swallow up death forever”
April 21, 2024
Great short read. Excited to read some of the other titles in this series.
September 11, 2024
This book is of the highest standard.
For an introductory, short biblical theology, Chase packs so much into 150 pages.
This book is extremely edifying.
Do read!
For an introductory, short biblical theology, Chase packs so much into 150 pages.
This book is extremely edifying.
Do read!
October 25, 2023
I really enjoyed the simple and basic book on resurrection hope. Some have criticized it for simply being a listing of verses and short comments, but it is more than that. Chase surveys the following in the short book:
1 Resurrection Hope in the Law
2 Resurrection Hope in the Prophets
3 Resurrection Hope in the Writings
4 Resurrection Hope in the Gospels
5 Resurrection Hope in Acts
6 Resurrection Hope in the Letters
7 Resurrection Hope in Revelation
I found his survey to be refreshing to my heart, and his brief comments to be insightful. His approach is a restrained typology that sticks to the text. While the reader will disagree with certain interpretive aspects, especially when he gets into Revelation, his goal is much broader. He invites the reader to reflect, rejoice, and rest in the resurrection hope from Genesis to Revelation. Highly recommend, especially leading up to Easter!
1 Resurrection Hope in the Law
2 Resurrection Hope in the Prophets
3 Resurrection Hope in the Writings
4 Resurrection Hope in the Gospels
5 Resurrection Hope in Acts
6 Resurrection Hope in the Letters
7 Resurrection Hope in Revelation
I found his survey to be refreshing to my heart, and his brief comments to be insightful. His approach is a restrained typology that sticks to the text. While the reader will disagree with certain interpretive aspects, especially when he gets into Revelation, his goal is much broader. He invites the reader to reflect, rejoice, and rest in the resurrection hope from Genesis to Revelation. Highly recommend, especially leading up to Easter!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews