I read this book on the enthusiastic recommendation of a friend, and now I have become one of those people enthusiastically recommending it to my own friends. Between us, the first friend and I make a pretty good tag-team! If you know us, your chances of reading this book have just shot up.

It's not too much to say that this book has completely changed the way I view the life to come, and my attitude toward this life as well. Alcorn starts by confronting many of the myths that we've unconsciously swallowed about what Heaven will be like (note that I am capitalizing the word following his example, treating Heaven as a real place). We have a vague idea that Heaven will be so spiritual that we will just float around as disembodied souls in a kind of saline solution of hyper-holiness. It almost sounds like the Matrix — but I think if we really scrutinize our beliefs, we'll find this isn't an inaccurate description. We've been influenced by what Alcorn terms "Christoplatonism," the heretical idea that the material world is inherently sinful and that the spiritual world is the only thing that matters.

We have a guilty feeling about Heaven because this picture of it sounds so incredibly boring. We try to comfort ourselves by saying there is no way we can appreciate what Heaven will be like, with our puny minds and sinful flesh in the way. I remember being told as a young believer that though Heaven's nonstop singing and worship sounded boring, it wouldn't be, because all I could understand was the weariness of my currently sinful flesh. This answer satisfied me somewhat, but I still couldn't quite make myself look forward to a Heaven like that.

But worship is not just standing and singing in church. Romans 12:1 says that offering our bodies to God as a living sacrifice is our spiritual act of worship. And worship is not just singing, but a lifestyle. I worship God in my treatment of other people, in every detail of everyday life. This verse also underscores one of Alcorn's main points in this book: the physical world, and our physical bodies, are not evil. Our physical bodies can actually be used to worship God! All creation is currently suffering under the Curse, but it will not always be this way. God's big plan is not to harvest our souls from this world and then trash the planet. Oh no — He is going to redeem it. He is going to make all things new, yes, but not alien, not completely different. It's the New Heavens and the New Earth, not a new place altogether.

Alcorn gives a Scriptural breakdown of what happens to Christians who die before the Second Coming, the sequence of events at the time of judgment, and the believer's sure destination of the wedding-feast with the Lamb. He also speculates quite a bit on what life in Heaven will be like. Will we forget who we were on Earth? Alcorn says that's silly; why would we? In Revelation chapter 6, the saints pray for vengeance on those who killed them; how could they do that unless they remembered their martyrdom? Alcorn also points out that those saints were told to wait, which implies that there is time in Heaven. John even gives specific amounts of time in Revelation, like when he says there was silence in Heaven for about one half-hour (Revelation 8:1)! How have we missed that all these years?

Will we know everything instantly in Heaven? Is that what it means to be perfect? Alcorn argues that no, we will not instantly know everything, and perfection does not mean complete omniscience. There will be learning in Heaven. The saints in Revelation chapter 6 are asking a question ("how long, O Lord?") because they do not know the answer. Learning is not inherently sinful, nor does it imply that the learner is imperfect. We will continue to develop and explore new things throughout eternity.

Will Heaven contain human works of art? Alcorn argues yes. There is verse in Revelation that says the glory of the nations will be brought into the New Jerusalem. Human art created under the Curse can still bring honor and praise to the Creator, and Alcorn talks about the works that have moved him to profound worship of the Father. I can identify with that; certain books have taught me beautiful things and enriched my love for God. Sin-glorifying works will perish, certainly, but I don't see why God would destroy the beautiful. I am dreaming of Heaven's libraries with a sort of quiet ecstasy...

Will our pets and animals be in Heaven? Alcorn discusses this question from a perspective I haven't really considered before. Most Christians agree that animals do not have souls, but perhaps we ought to be more specific and say they don't have human souls. It is possible that they do have souls. And if the New Heavens and the New Earth are going to be faithful to the original unfallen Eden, animals will have to be there! God delights in giving gifts to His children and enjoying their enjoyment of those gifts. Everything will glorify Him, but that doesn't mean we will simply be singing "Jesus, Lover of My Soul" in His direction nonstop forever. Alcorn believes that our love for our pets glorifies the Creator, because they are His gift, and there's no reason why our pets would not be in Heaven. Because we will be perfect, there will be no fear of idolizing a created being in place of God. All loves and all joys will glorify the Godhead and find perfect fulfillment in Him.

The cover of my copy has a quote by Stu Weber, saying "Other than the Bible itself, this may well be the single most life-changing book you'll ever read." He isn't too far-off in that claim. This book has opened my eyes to the Scriptural truth about eternity, and I have learned to long for Heaven. When I see something beautiful, I realize that I am experiencing just a shadow of Heaven's beauty. When life's bitternesses and regrets pain me, when I look at people I love suffering chronic pain, when I live in imperfect and misunderstood relationships — I rejoice in my hope of Heaven. And the hope of the future helps sustain me in the now.

I cannot recommend Heaven highly enough, and I'm very thankful for the Scriptural perspective it is restoring to believers around the world. If I could give it ten stars, I would! I urge you to read it... I can't promise that it will radically change your perspective, but it certainly did mine. Great book, great truths, and a fantastic addition to the literature on Heaven. ( )

This is by far the most exhaustive study done on the topic of Heaven. I anxiously awaited this book for years and was even more impressed with the finished product than I imagined. It has strengthened me and my resolve to be a better follower of Christ. It is an exciting read and a must read for every Christian and everyone who just wants to know what happens next. ( )

Well, this is certainly an interesting look at our eternal resting place. It is a far cry from any picture of Heaven that I have ever heard about before. However, there are plenty of scriptural references. So you can decide for yourself if this just might be an accurate portrayal. ( )

This is one for the soul. This book was a eye-opener. I read this on a cruise and I was so impress at Randy Alcorn vivid imagination on how he would interpret the bible and it's meanings of Heaven and beyond. A must read ( )

Heaven is a topic truly unknown by most Christians. This book answered questions from a Bibilical perspective personally, radically changed my life and how I live it. May be read straight through or according to specific questions. ( )