nion with Christ is an important theological and practical concept that has received considerable attention in recent years. But not much consideration has been given to this union and its benefits in light of Jesus's resurrection and ascension.
In this follow-up to his bestselling A New Testament Biblical Theology, G. K. Beale summarizes and expands on that work with an eye to fleshing out the theology and theological implications of the resurrection and ascension. Beale explains that Christ's resurrection-ascension place him as the beginning of the eschatological fulfillment of the new creational kingdom. Specifically, Christ is the fulfillment of a cluster of nineteen Old Testament end-time expectations, which Beale pictures as facets of a diamond that represent the resurrection-ascension. These eschatological realities attributed to Christ are imprinted on believers through dynamic union or identification with him. Through careful exegesis, Beale draws out important practical applications for everyday Christian living in the overlap of the old creation and the new.
