Craig Blaising, “The Kingdom That Comes with Jesus: Premillennialism and the Harmony of Scripture,” Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 14, no. 1 (2010): 4-11.

This is a brief argument for premillennialism that spans the canon. Blaising begins by noting that Isaiah 24-25 present the following sequence: The day of the Lord, a punishment that will happen after “many days,” and then the abolition of death. Isaiah 65 speaks of the continued existence of death in the context of the new creation. When interpreted in light of Isaiah 24-25, this is best located in the “many days” subsequent to the day of the Lord but prior to the abolition of death. Additional evidence for a millennial period exists in the continued presence of sin and the coercive rule of Christ on earth in the future (Isa. 11; Zech. 14). First Corinthians 15 gives the sequence of first the resurrection of Christ, then the resurrection of his people, and then the end―which opens the possibility of a period between the resurrection of the righteous and the end. Finally, Blaising argues for a sequence that runs from Revelation 19 through Revelation 20. The logic of the passage requires that the dragon, who was not finally dealt with at the end of chapter 19, be dealt with later in the narrative. In addition, the passage’s affirmation of the resurrection of the martyrs followed by the resurrection of the wicked s thousand years later point to a millennial period.

Goodwin, Thomas. “Of the Blessed State of Glory which the Saints Possess after Death.” The Works of Thomas Goodwin. Vol. 7. Edinburgh: James Nichol, 1863.

The title of this work aptly describes its content. The bulk of the work is an argument that 2 Corinthians 5 refers to the state of the saints in heaven immediately after death. Goodwin did not convince me of his position, but his arguments are worth reading. Goodwin also exposits Revelation 14:13; John 11:25-26; Romans 8:18.

The discussion of 2 Corinthians 5 could get technical, but much of this treatise was warm and designed to help believers see the blessedness of God himself, which believers will enjoy for eternity.