Published by Tyndale House Publishers on January 1, 1970
ISBN: 978-0-8423-7942-7
Genres: Christian
Pages: 533
Goodreads
NOTE: I did not receive any compensation for this review. This book was provided as a gift by friends who conduct a bible study on this topic.
Publisher’s Book Synopsis:
“HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED…
What is Heaven really going to be like? What will we look like? What will we do? Won’t Heaven get boring after a while?
We all have questions about what Heaven will be like, and after 25 years of extensive research, Dr. Randy Alcorn has the answers.
In the most comprehensive and definitive book on Heaven to date, Randy invites you to picture Heaven the way Scripture describes it — a bright, vibrant, and physical New Earth, free from sin, suffering, and death, and brimming with Christ’s presence, wondrous natural beauty, and the richness of human culture as God intended it.
God has put eternity in our hearts. Now, Randy Alcorn brings eternity to light in a way that will surprise you, spark your imagination, and change how you live life today.
If you’ve always thought of Heaven as a realm of disembodied spirits, clouds, and eternal harp strumming, you’re in for a wonderful surprise.
This is a book about real people with real bodies enjoying close relationships with God and each other, eating, drinking, working, playing, traveling, worshiping, and discovering on a New Earth. Earth as God created it. Earth as he intended it to be.
And the next time you hear someone say, “We can’t begin to imagine what Heaven will be like,” you’ll be able to tell them, ‘I can.'”
Angie’s Book Review:
I can’t thank my friends, Patty and Tim, enough for hosting a bible study on the topic of this book, “Heaven,” that my husband and I attend.
Aside from the Bible, this book has been life changing for me. In thinking about why that is, I believe opening my mind up to a different perspective on heaven is key. I don’t recall hearing many sermons on heaven. In my mind, it was this “ethereal” place where all its mysteries would only be revealed to me when I die.
And let’s be honest, death is not a subject that many people like to focus on. But death is a certainty for each one of us unless the Lord chooses to return first.
As Christians, however, we have assurance that God has provided us with a heavenly home and will live with us.
Guess what? That relationship with God is going to be like a family.
Did I just hear a “ruh roh?”
No, like a family in perfect harmony.
Eating, drinking, working and playing, traveling and worshiping together. All with our loving and gracious Heavenly Father and the Creator of the Universe.
I like to think of it as God walking with us in the garden as He did in the beginning with Adam and Eve. Only this time, there will be no departing from His presence. And no sin. Now that’s something to be excited about!
Sources
The primary source of the author’s position statements and premise is the Bible, and a full Scripture Index is included in the back of the book. Refreshingly, the author boldly includes a section in the preface that encourages readers to test the book by scripture. He further asserts that even though many of his conclusions in the book may “significantly depart from current evangelical thinking,” he believes it will stand the test of biblical review and scrutiny.
There is also a substantial section in the back called “Notes” that is much more than the title lends. It provides a chapter by chapter listing of referenced sources, other than the Bible, that can be researched and located for further study. A selected Bibliography, Name and Subject Index, and an autobiographical summary are also included.
Structure
The structure of the book is in three parts: Part I is “A Theology of Heaven;” Part II is “Questions and Answers about Heaven;” and Part III is “Living in Light of Heaven.” This structure does not deal with the subject of Heaven in order of importance, as the author admits, but focuses first on what the “New Earth” and our physical, resurrected lives as Christians will be like.
This strategy works well in alleviating for the reader many of the inherent biases and assumptions about God and Heaven that we may unwittingly “absorb” if you will, from other sources. The purpose being, of course, to cement the view of Heaven in our minds with the Bible as the primary source.
Kudos to the author for recognizing and applying this strategy to help reduce the influence of “Eastern mysticism” and other false stereotypes.
Recommendation to Readers
A definite yes to readers on recommending this book. If you are a Christian, it will cause you to not only look forward to the prospect of Heaven, but yearn for it. The author also provides a small group discussion guide, and a companion meditation book entitled, “50 days of Heaven, Reflections that Bring Eternity to Light.”
About the Author:.
Randy Alcorn is a prolific author of more than 40 books and founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM), a nonprofit dedicated to teaching principles of God’s Word and ministering to people around the world. He has a Bachelor of Theology and Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Multnomah University and an Honorary Doctorate from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He has taught on the adjunct faculties of both. Before starting EPM, he served as a pastor for 14 years. You can locate his blog at www.epm.org/blog.