I will be the first to admit that I have thought about reading this book several times over the past year or two. I have been reluctant because I am honestly skeptical. I am glad that I finally purchased it. It is the 1st book I have read on Kindle. It seemed like the reading was faster, don’t know how that would be true.
I want to start with a quote that for me was worth the price of the book, which by the way is cheaper on Kindle than in actual book form.
“I have no idea what age she was, and I didn’t even think about that.” (He is speaking here of a woman he knew on earth who was older, had false teeth, and was slumped over.) “As I stared at her beaming face, I sensed that age has no meaning in heaven.”
This makes sense to me when I look at how heaven is described in the Bible, but it is the next part that really intrigues me.
“Age expresses time passing, and there is no time there. All of the people I encountered were the same age they had been the last time I had seen them – except that all the ravages of living on earth had vanished. Even though some of their features may not have been considered attractive on earth, in heaven every feature was perfect, beautiful, and wonderful to gaze at.”
This makes a lot of sense, each person that dies stays the same age but the ravages of life here are removed. I can just imagine my grandfather who was around 90 when he died, I imagine him as he looked but with the ability to do anything that a 25 year old could do. This just makes sense to me. However it leaves me with the question of what about an infant or an unborn child??? Anyway, I like this thought, it brings comfort to me in some way.
Actually chapter 2 and 3 are the only ones out of the 18 chapters in the book that really deal with his experience in heaven. The remainder of the book go through the accident that took his life and then the trauma, pain, and trials that followed. Those parts of the book to me were not as helpful. This may be for the fact that I have experienced the pain of such an accident with one of my nephews and a lot of what he said has played out in my nephews life. To someone who has never experienced such an event these chapters may very well be helpful. They would certainly be helpful for a Christian who was going through such a tragedy.
Finally, there is one comment that the author makes that I am not comfortable with.
He is speaking about the people who do not make it to heaven.
“People in heaven simply don’t have an awareness of who is not there. They do not know who is coming.”
Now this statement had nothing to do with his experience in heaven, this is simply a statement he is making of which I disagree with.I do not believe that we are going to be in heaven and not have any memory of loved ones here who didn’t make it to heaven. Now, I don’t pretend to understand how it would be heaven if we knew our loved one was suffering in hell. But I don’t for a minute believe that if we loved one of God’s Created Beings here and then just had no memory of them ever again that could be heaven either. Again, I do not know the answer but I am searching. The bible is often mis-quoted to say there will be no tears in heaven but that is not correct.
Isaiah 25: 8 NLT
He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears.
Revelation 21: 3-4 NLT
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
The Bible doesn’t say there are no tears but He will wipe all the tears away. I don’t pretend to understand it all but in the end God has it all worked out.
It is a good book and worth the read, however it is much better for those who are suffering pain here on earth in like manner. Such as a debilitating accident.
Ronnie
Ronnie, I read this the December after my accident and it sure helped. There are still “things” about the accident that I am confused about and the “aftermath” is hard at times but I know that God left me here for a reason. I trust him more today than ever as I have lived his promises.
Ronnie, I read this book and it was great. There is another one that he werote after that. It is good too.
I wonder about babies too. My little brother died at 4 months.
He says “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, or sorrow, or crying, or pain. All these things are gone forever.” No more tears over death, or sorrow, or crying, or pain, things caused by sin. If He wipes that all away, there can be no more “bad” tears, period. We know that there are tears shed over “good” things as well, during worship, and also during times of triumph over the world or evil. Maybe we’ll shed tears over happiness of being in heaven, but then are they really tears over that happiness, or over being away from the evil? Then, there could be no tears over that, because that would be “gone forever.” I think we should just take His word that He will wipe away the tears and that the things that cause them will be gone forever.
We cannot put a human perspective on heaven really. We can not humanly comprehend it. Only know that Christ will be there and that is all that will matter when we’re there. We cannot “sorrow” over those that are not there then, Christ has wiped all of that away forever; but we can now, and do something about it, before we find ourselves in heaven without them.