If you are a biblicist who holds to the doctrine of inerrancy and sola scriptura, this book will be most persuasive. It is clear from James' writings that he has a high view of the Word of God and devotes over 500 pages to exegetical and theological analysis, rather than lengthy discussion on tradition or creedalism. The most powerful argument in the book boils down to this: If the Apostles and/or Jesus taught that the coming was going to occur within their lifetime, were they wrong? And if they were wrong, how can you trust anything else they said? If Jesus was wrong when he prophesied the events taking place within a generation (Matt. 24:34), he nothing more than a false prophet. If the Apostles were wrong by there declarations of an imminent coming, how are their teachings to be trusted elsewhere? Here are a few quotes to this point: "That both the apostle and the Thessalonians believed that ‘the coming of the Lord was drawing nigh,’ is so evident that it scarcely requires any argument to prove it. The only question is, were they mistaken, or were they not? James Stuart Russell, The Parousia: A Critical Inquiry into the New Testament Doctrine of Our Lord’s Second Coming (London: Daldy, Isbister & Co., 1878), 164." "We accept the facts verified by the historian on the word of man; is it for Christians to hesitate to accept the facts which are vouched by the word of the Lord? James Stuart Russell, The Parousia: A Critical Inquiry into the New Testament Doctrine of Our Lord’s Second Coming (London: Daldy, Isbister & Co., 1878), 169."