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The Heaven Promise: Engaging the Bible's Truth About Life to Come
Heaven. Eternity. The Afterlife. When you mention any of these concepts, people of all ages and from all walks of life are certain to have opinions. How can we know for sure what heaven will be like? According to New Testament scholar and popular author Scot McKnight, all we need to do is turn to Scripture to answer our questions. McKnight helps you examine God’s Word in order to discover what awaits you on the other side of the grave and find answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding heaven, 1. What about Near Death Experiences? 2. What about Rewards in Heaven? 3. Who Will Be in Heaven? 4. Is God Fair? 5. Will There Be Families in Heaven? 6. What about Children Who Die? 7. What about Cremation? 8. What about Purgatory? 9. Will There Be Pets in Heaven? 10. Why Believe in Heaven? Heaven isn’t the construction of a fairy tale or some mystical narrative. It’s very real; it’s very good; and it’s very much the fulfillment of God’s promise to you.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 6, 2015
75 people are currently reading
374 people want to read
About the author
Scot McKnight
210 books542 followersScot McKnight is a recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. McKnight, author or editor of forty books, is the Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL. Dr. McKnight has given interviews on radios across the nation, has appeared on television, and is regularly speaks at local churches, conferences, colleges, and seminaries in the USA and abroad. Dr. McKnight obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Nottingham (1986).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
December 14, 2015
I just finished reading The Heaven Promise by Scot . At first I shied away form reading this book, because the title was off-putting to me - it reminded me of Rob Bell's "Love Wins", which is not theologically or biblically sound, and I was afraid that this book was along the same lines. however, after reading the description I decided to give the book a chance, and I'm glad I did. I learned a lot from this book. There were some positive and negative aspects to this book (probably 90% positive, 10% negative), that I'll discuss below.
Positives
This book overall is a thorough look at what the Bible says about Heaven, and what it does not say. I really appreciated the author's point that so many of our ideas about Heaven are based more on imagination than fact, and that we should look more to what the Bible says than our own ideas. He also defined a theocentric view of heaven and kingdom-centric view, and explained that Heaven as described in the Bible includes both views - Heaven will be centered on God and on the fellowship of His kingdom forever.
If you have ever paid attention to the things the Bible says about Heaven you will come away feeling that in a lot of ways it is rather vague - much more vague than we might like. If you are anything like me, you want to know the details of what life in Heaven will be like. I liked that the author of this book didn't get bogged down in guessing on the details but mainly focused on the big-picture, the things that we actually know from God's Word.
I will say that through this book I had suspicions that the author's political views do not necessarily line up with mine, and that snuck through here and there in the pages. He talks a few times about "systemic injustice" in reference to the difference between rich and poor, which gives the impression of his being anti-capitalism. He also refers to "sexual equality" in a vague way that left me wondering what he meant.
Negatives
Overall, I felt like the author tried very hard to be accurate and careful to only include what the Bible says (even if his personal views shown through here and there) - that is, until Chapter 13. I was very confused by this chapter, which was supposed to be discussing how Heaven is an eternal just community. I felt like the point of this chapter was obscured by the author standing on his favorite soapboxes.
The issues he focused on kind of fit in with the theme of "justice", but kind of didn't. He really only focused on two aspects of justice that apparently he thinks will be most important in Heaven - racial and economic justice and equality. But those are only two small aspects of all the areas that need God's ultimate justice, and I think God knows what will be just more than the author does.
He even spends a good chunk talking about "food deserts", sections of cities that do not have a grocery store in each neighborhood, saying that these are the work of "the Beast". Considering he mentioned the problem of poverty and starvation earlier in the book, his focus on not having a grocery store in every American neighborhood seemed almost silly. He includes his brief interpretation of Revelation 18, which I'm not sure I agree with at all. I was left with the impression that he thinks the "Beast" (ie. Antichrist) of the end times is working in the world now, implying that he thinks we are in the tribulation now? But the trials of the tribulation and the goals of the "Beast" will be much greater and more terrible than simply not having a grocery store on each corner. These may not be the author's actual views, but this chapter left me confused about where he was coming from.
I thought it was very odd that he tried so hard to be biblically accurate through the rest of the book, and then inserts so much of his own opinions and musings in this section. The whole chapter was confusing, and almost didn't feel like it was written by the same author as the rest of the book. I think it would have been better without this chapter, which seemed to be the author's chance to talk about his favorite issues. It wasn't nearly as balanced as the rest of the book. Maybe I'm missing something here, but the shift was dramatic to me and didn't make sense at all.
I also wasn't totally happy with the last chapter on reasons to believe in Heaven. For me the answer to that is the title of the book - because God promises Heaven to those who believe in Jesus. He listed several reasons that weren't satisfactory to me, but the part that bothered me was that he said "because the disciples and Jesus did". To lump Jesus in with the disciples like any other man didn't sit well. Jesus is God, so I think He would know for sure. His Word is truth. I was disappointed in how this book ended - the beginning was stronger than the ending.
Conclusion
Overall, excluding Chapter 13, I thought this book was biblically sound, and it gave me a lot of good food for thought regarding Heaven. A lot of biblical passages about Heaven make more sense to me after reading this book, and I think he has sound opinions about many of the common questions about Heaven. However, Chapter 13 was confusing, not as firmly biblically-based, and felt poorly thought-out compared to the rest of the book. It kind of ruined it for me a little bit. If you read this book, I recommend just skipping Chapter 13, but aside from that, I learned a lot from reading "The Heaven Promise".
Note: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for a review. This is my honest opinion.
Positives
This book overall is a thorough look at what the Bible says about Heaven, and what it does not say. I really appreciated the author's point that so many of our ideas about Heaven are based more on imagination than fact, and that we should look more to what the Bible says than our own ideas. He also defined a theocentric view of heaven and kingdom-centric view, and explained that Heaven as described in the Bible includes both views - Heaven will be centered on God and on the fellowship of His kingdom forever.
If you have ever paid attention to the things the Bible says about Heaven you will come away feeling that in a lot of ways it is rather vague - much more vague than we might like. If you are anything like me, you want to know the details of what life in Heaven will be like. I liked that the author of this book didn't get bogged down in guessing on the details but mainly focused on the big-picture, the things that we actually know from God's Word.
I will say that through this book I had suspicions that the author's political views do not necessarily line up with mine, and that snuck through here and there in the pages. He talks a few times about "systemic injustice" in reference to the difference between rich and poor, which gives the impression of his being anti-capitalism. He also refers to "sexual equality" in a vague way that left me wondering what he meant.
Negatives
Overall, I felt like the author tried very hard to be accurate and careful to only include what the Bible says (even if his personal views shown through here and there) - that is, until Chapter 13. I was very confused by this chapter, which was supposed to be discussing how Heaven is an eternal just community. I felt like the point of this chapter was obscured by the author standing on his favorite soapboxes.
The issues he focused on kind of fit in with the theme of "justice", but kind of didn't. He really only focused on two aspects of justice that apparently he thinks will be most important in Heaven - racial and economic justice and equality. But those are only two small aspects of all the areas that need God's ultimate justice, and I think God knows what will be just more than the author does.
He even spends a good chunk talking about "food deserts", sections of cities that do not have a grocery store in each neighborhood, saying that these are the work of "the Beast". Considering he mentioned the problem of poverty and starvation earlier in the book, his focus on not having a grocery store in every American neighborhood seemed almost silly. He includes his brief interpretation of Revelation 18, which I'm not sure I agree with at all. I was left with the impression that he thinks the "Beast" (ie. Antichrist) of the end times is working in the world now, implying that he thinks we are in the tribulation now? But the trials of the tribulation and the goals of the "Beast" will be much greater and more terrible than simply not having a grocery store on each corner. These may not be the author's actual views, but this chapter left me confused about where he was coming from.
I thought it was very odd that he tried so hard to be biblically accurate through the rest of the book, and then inserts so much of his own opinions and musings in this section. The whole chapter was confusing, and almost didn't feel like it was written by the same author as the rest of the book. I think it would have been better without this chapter, which seemed to be the author's chance to talk about his favorite issues. It wasn't nearly as balanced as the rest of the book. Maybe I'm missing something here, but the shift was dramatic to me and didn't make sense at all.
I also wasn't totally happy with the last chapter on reasons to believe in Heaven. For me the answer to that is the title of the book - because God promises Heaven to those who believe in Jesus. He listed several reasons that weren't satisfactory to me, but the part that bothered me was that he said "because the disciples and Jesus did". To lump Jesus in with the disciples like any other man didn't sit well. Jesus is God, so I think He would know for sure. His Word is truth. I was disappointed in how this book ended - the beginning was stronger than the ending.
Conclusion
Overall, excluding Chapter 13, I thought this book was biblically sound, and it gave me a lot of good food for thought regarding Heaven. A lot of biblical passages about Heaven make more sense to me after reading this book, and I think he has sound opinions about many of the common questions about Heaven. However, Chapter 13 was confusing, not as firmly biblically-based, and felt poorly thought-out compared to the rest of the book. It kind of ruined it for me a little bit. If you read this book, I recommend just skipping Chapter 13, but aside from that, I learned a lot from reading "The Heaven Promise".
Note: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for a review. This is my honest opinion.
November 27, 2017
The opening chapters of this book are fantastic. McKnight deftly holds the tension between a God-ward and a Kingdom (or community)-ward vision of eternity. He also is very helpful in showing our the Bible's heaven promise impacts Christian life in this present age.
The later chapters get a little more speculative. Although a reader won't agree with all of the conclusions reached, McKnight is reserved in his judgements, keeps close to the Biblical evidence, and provides loads of inspiration for further thought.
I recommend the book, as it encourages the reader to love, trust, and live for Jesus and his heaven promise.
The later chapters get a little more speculative. Although a reader won't agree with all of the conclusions reached, McKnight is reserved in his judgements, keeps close to the Biblical evidence, and provides loads of inspiration for further thought.
I recommend the book, as it encourages the reader to love, trust, and live for Jesus and his heaven promise.
October 20, 2023
As another reviewer said, I was initially put off by the sentimental sound of the title and delayed reading it. But I found it to be a lovely, thoughtful book. McKnight is a scholar and has done his research and study well, but wrote this volume at an extremely accessible level.
October 29, 2015
Heaven. It's something we all wonder about, especially if we're Christians. I decided to read The Heaven Promise: Engaging the Bible's Truth About Life to Come to see what author Scot McKnight had to say on the topic. McKnight is a professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary.
The book begins with several chapters of what I'd call general conversation on heaven, featuring many quotes from great thinkers (C.S. Lewis, etc) on the topic. The last part of the book features several chapters that are themed on questions about heaven that many have wondered -- will our pets be in heaven? Who will actually make it to heaven? etc. McKnight discusses some interesting theories on what will happen to those who have never heard about Christianity at the moment of death (perhaps it's just interesting to me because this is an issue I've always wondered about: sure, I believe in Christianity, having grown up with it. But if I'd grown up Muslim, Buddhist, etc., I'm pretty sure I'd be equally assured of their validity. This bothers me).
McKnight uses as a general theory that heaven will be at least as good as earth, in every respect. For instance, if you're worried, wondering whether there will be animals in heaven, McKnight would suggest that since heaven will be at least as good as earth, then if our animals aren't there, there will be something even better. This makes sense to me.
What gives me more pause is when McKnight seems to take some leaps that I'm not sure can be scripturally justified: for instance, he writes that in heaven, "the formerly ignored and invisible will be highly visible and impossible to ignore." Now, this *may* be true, and maybe he's going on the "last shall be first" verse, but for most of these statements he lists no Biblical reference, just stating them as a matter of fact. It just makes me a little nervous that this guy, even though he's a professor, is stating so confidently things that I'm not sure we can really know. Another example: "Truth will be settled in the first hour (in heaven), and people must be reconciled. If there are tears in heaven, they will occur in the first minutes of the first hour." Can we really know this?
So, while I enjoyed reading this book, I can't say I endorse all the thinking behind it.
The book begins with several chapters of what I'd call general conversation on heaven, featuring many quotes from great thinkers (C.S. Lewis, etc) on the topic. The last part of the book features several chapters that are themed on questions about heaven that many have wondered -- will our pets be in heaven? Who will actually make it to heaven? etc. McKnight discusses some interesting theories on what will happen to those who have never heard about Christianity at the moment of death (perhaps it's just interesting to me because this is an issue I've always wondered about: sure, I believe in Christianity, having grown up with it. But if I'd grown up Muslim, Buddhist, etc., I'm pretty sure I'd be equally assured of their validity. This bothers me).
McKnight uses as a general theory that heaven will be at least as good as earth, in every respect. For instance, if you're worried, wondering whether there will be animals in heaven, McKnight would suggest that since heaven will be at least as good as earth, then if our animals aren't there, there will be something even better. This makes sense to me.
What gives me more pause is when McKnight seems to take some leaps that I'm not sure can be scripturally justified: for instance, he writes that in heaven, "the formerly ignored and invisible will be highly visible and impossible to ignore." Now, this *may* be true, and maybe he's going on the "last shall be first" verse, but for most of these statements he lists no Biblical reference, just stating them as a matter of fact. It just makes me a little nervous that this guy, even though he's a professor, is stating so confidently things that I'm not sure we can really know. Another example: "Truth will be settled in the first hour (in heaven), and people must be reconciled. If there are tears in heaven, they will occur in the first minutes of the first hour." Can we really know this?
So, while I enjoyed reading this book, I can't say I endorse all the thinking behind it.
July 13, 2016
A comprehensive but readable book on heaven. Heaven now, and heaven future. Many questions and issues covered, largely from the Biblical perspective, with conjecture on subjects such as 'those who have never heard' and 'dogs'. Useful, enjoyable, but not quite all that I expected.
January 27, 2020
5/10
Little here is new, or even newly presented, yet all of it can be seen as hopefully helpful reminders.
That has been my trouble attempting to review it, as honestly there isn’t much to say about this book, if you are generally aware of an evangelical depiction of Heaven, then there will be little new here for you.
I recently saw McKnight compared to a 'poor man's NT Wright', and although this is doubtless a little rude, its becoming apparent to me that this may well be the case. McKnight spends most of the book discussing the misconceptions of Heaven, while attempting to give Biblical president to what will be there, and what our experience will include. I found the perspective far to self focused however, as throughout the book he never referenced the purpose of Heaven. I read the New Testaments depiction of Heaven as the perfected glorification of God by His creation through their relationship with Him, now unsullied by our sins. Now you are obviously free to disagree with me here, but Scot does not even put another option on the table.
He also fails to mention the myriads that will not join God in Heaven until the final portion of the book, that seems like a gliding over more than anything else. As always, a large part of my relative dissatisfaction with this book came from my expectations, as I assumed this book would be slightly heavier in terms of actually theology. However, as a general primer on the discussion of Heaven, its certainly better than others I could mention, and to those new to the subject, I suppose I could see myself recommending it.
Little here is new, or even newly presented, yet all of it can be seen as hopefully helpful reminders.
That has been my trouble attempting to review it, as honestly there isn’t much to say about this book, if you are generally aware of an evangelical depiction of Heaven, then there will be little new here for you.
I recently saw McKnight compared to a 'poor man's NT Wright', and although this is doubtless a little rude, its becoming apparent to me that this may well be the case. McKnight spends most of the book discussing the misconceptions of Heaven, while attempting to give Biblical president to what will be there, and what our experience will include. I found the perspective far to self focused however, as throughout the book he never referenced the purpose of Heaven. I read the New Testaments depiction of Heaven as the perfected glorification of God by His creation through their relationship with Him, now unsullied by our sins. Now you are obviously free to disagree with me here, but Scot does not even put another option on the table.
He also fails to mention the myriads that will not join God in Heaven until the final portion of the book, that seems like a gliding over more than anything else. As always, a large part of my relative dissatisfaction with this book came from my expectations, as I assumed this book would be slightly heavier in terms of actually theology. However, as a general primer on the discussion of Heaven, its certainly better than others I could mention, and to those new to the subject, I suppose I could see myself recommending it.
May 12, 2021
I won this excellent book in a Goodreads giveaway although I admit that it took me longer than it should have to finally start to read it.
The book is all about Heaven and while the reader does not have to be a believer to appreciate what is written, I certainly am and I did. I wanted to thoroughly enjoy the book so I thought I would read it chapter by chapter or section on a daily basis. And that idea worked almost.... Because I was so interested in the various topics or discussions, sometimes I did not stop when I had planned.
McKnight answers a lot of questions about heaven, and he asks a lot also. And he doesn't require that the reader believe what he writes or accept any particular way of thinking. But he makes sense and certainly give the reader something to think about in the hereafter.
I was delayed occasionally reading the book because I had to stop and refer to his notes which included other resources and books which I was writing down to find. So I've already located two of those books and will be reading them soon. The author himself has written quite a few other books, and if this book is any indication of his writing ability, I am sure they also will be thought-provoking!
The book is all about Heaven and while the reader does not have to be a believer to appreciate what is written, I certainly am and I did. I wanted to thoroughly enjoy the book so I thought I would read it chapter by chapter or section on a daily basis. And that idea worked almost.... Because I was so interested in the various topics or discussions, sometimes I did not stop when I had planned.
McKnight answers a lot of questions about heaven, and he asks a lot also. And he doesn't require that the reader believe what he writes or accept any particular way of thinking. But he makes sense and certainly give the reader something to think about in the hereafter.
I was delayed occasionally reading the book because I had to stop and refer to his notes which included other resources and books which I was writing down to find. So I've already located two of those books and will be reading them soon. The author himself has written quite a few other books, and if this book is any indication of his writing ability, I am sure they also will be thought-provoking!
January 7, 2018
Great book on heaven for the average joe. Scot McKnight is the peoples' scholar in that his books are written to the common person. I especially like the chapters answering questions about heaven. For those who claim this book is not biblical, they have missed the constant footnoting of scripture throughout the work.
Potential Spoilers Ahead:
McKnight's exegesis of Matthew 22:30 is intriguing. I appreciate McKnight's attention to context in highlighting Jesus' counter argument to the Sadducees who do not believe in the resurrection. However, McKnight's conclusion seems to be "yes" to marriage in heaven. I think this conclusion is too strong. The Life Application Study Bible's conclusion is that we're unsure which seems to be a more responsible place to land in that we just don't know. I think the best answer to the question, "Will there be marriage in heaven?" is, "Perhaps, but we don't know."
Potential Spoilers Ahead:
McKnight's exegesis of Matthew 22:30 is intriguing. I appreciate McKnight's attention to context in highlighting Jesus' counter argument to the Sadducees who do not believe in the resurrection. However, McKnight's conclusion seems to be "yes" to marriage in heaven. I think this conclusion is too strong. The Life Application Study Bible's conclusion is that we're unsure which seems to be a more responsible place to land in that we just don't know. I think the best answer to the question, "Will there be marriage in heaven?" is, "Perhaps, but we don't know."
April 30, 2022
Still in the eschatology theme, I found this name of the book and author from the Lee Strobel's latest book about Heaven. What intrigued me was the statement about the first hour in heaven is about reconciliation and the second was there is still marriage in heaven. I think, okay, this is really interesting, and I save the title and author for later study.
And here I found the book and read it. The first half of the books was about the theology of heaven, also about anthropology study about why people longing for it. The last half of the book was about 10 questions we have according heaven, and this is the interesting part. Well, many was postulate, but its quite logical.
And here I found the book and read it. The first half of the books was about the theology of heaven, also about anthropology study about why people longing for it. The last half of the book was about 10 questions we have according heaven, and this is the interesting part. Well, many was postulate, but its quite logical.
April 21, 2018
Accessible pastoral book
A helpful and holistic look at the topic of heaven always seeking to base our thinking on biblical foundations.
In our Western Christian culture, our thinking about heaven and Heaven (new heaven and earth) is often confused or ignored. Or in a few cases overall detailed and specific. McNight seeks to bring together both theocentric and Kingdom visions of Heaven whilst also responding to many common questions that people ask.
A helpful and holistic look at the topic of heaven always seeking to base our thinking on biblical foundations.
In our Western Christian culture, our thinking about heaven and Heaven (new heaven and earth) is often confused or ignored. Or in a few cases overall detailed and specific. McNight seeks to bring together both theocentric and Kingdom visions of Heaven whilst also responding to many common questions that people ask.
October 6, 2025
Scot McKnight does an excellent job of covering the ground in The Heaven Promise, keeping his focus on the promises Scripture makes about the world to come. I found it both engaging and refreshing, especially in the way he offers a clear perspective on topics that are so often debated when it comes to what heaven will really be like. Reading it gave me a renewed outlook on a subject that matters deeply.
October 13, 2018
Once again I find Scot to be a poor man's NT Wright. This book makes some progress on what many people think about "heaven" and our goal as Christians but still doesn't really get into what I take to be the central Biblical reality that God is going to renew the whole creation, not take us away to "heaven". As Wright says, heaven "comes down", it doesn't rapture us away.
March 8, 2018
I am about the same age as New Testament scholar, Scot McKnight. He is writing as an Evangelical envisioning his final chapter. My heart resonated with his frequent quotes from Scripture and NT Wright. Favorite quote: The Who of Heaven is everything.
July 12, 2021
Covers just about everything you could ask about heaven. However, I took away one star because there were some sections that read like the author's opinion. I don't mind opinions, but they need to be supported by scripture in detail and I felt at times, in some chapters, they weren't.
November 28, 2020
Meh. It was good I guess
April 8, 2021
A helpful addition to stuff on heaven that account for the biblical material and that practically helps people think through hope in a way that keeps nuance. Kingdom-shaped hope centered on Jesus.
December 30, 2022
I like a lot of the points made and learned from the material but it reads to me like a dry textbook.
December 17, 2023
Some of the examples used are skeptical.
January 11, 2016
Christians believe in Heaven. It is our final destination at the end of life, our After-After-Life, our great hope for eternity. Nevertheless we don't all believe the same things about it. Popular images of heaven depict a whole lot of harp playing up there on those billowy white clouds.Our images of heaven and the after life are formed from pop-culture--movies, books, comics--and medieval art and literature. In contrast, Scot McKnight wrote The Heaven Promise to give us a picture of our Christian final hope, drawn primarily from the pages of the Bible.
It was perhaps only a matter of time before McKnight tackled the topic of heaven. Several years ago, this New Testament scholar and popular blogger and author, took on Reformed evangelicalism for reducing the gospel 'to going to heaven when you die' (See The King Jesus Gospel). However McKnight never repudiated heaven; his problem was with the ways the gospel (and heaven) were relegated to the afterlife.
McKnight divides The Heaven Promise into four sections. Part one is essentially an introduction to the question of heaven, our assumptions about the afterlife and where we got them. Part two looks deeper on what the Bible says about heaven: that it is promised to us by God, that this promise is sealed by Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension, that a bodily resurrection awaits those who share in Christ's resurrection, and that heaven begins wherever the reign of God is. Part three unfolds six promises about heaven:
God will be God (present in all his glory, majesty and power).
Jesus will be Jesus (central to everything as a reflection of the God of heaven).
Heaven will be a utopia of pleasures
Heaven will be eternal life
Heaven will be a global fellowship
Heaven will be the eternal beloved community
These six promises will have implications for what heaven will be like and for how we live our lives now.
Part four was the part of the book I read first. It is kind of a FAQ section. McKnight tackles ten questions people have about heaven. He answers questions about near death/out of body experiences, heavenly rewards, 'who get's in,' God's fairness, family in heaven?, children who die, cremation, purgatory and pets. In his final question "Why Believe in Heaven?" he gives a personal account of his belief in heaven.
I found this to be a well-written account of heaven grounded in biblical theology. McKnight has a gift for presenting complicated but important theological ideas in language that ordinary readers understand. In a few places, McKnight challenged my reading of particular passages and what that tells about heaven (i.e. he gives a fresh interpretation of Jesus' confrontation of the Sadducees).
McKnight doesn't simply rehash Bible verses about heaven. He talks about the implications of what our vision of heaven should have for our day-to-day life. For example, his chapter on the eternal beloved community (chapter 13) expounds on how the Bible's last book describes the end of the exploitation and injustice of Babylon. McKnight knows we aren't there yet. We live in a world with food deserts and unjust incarcerations (McKnight gives examples of each). He suggest that our heavenly vision of Justice and Shalom should cause us to seek to live out heaven now. For McKnight heaven isn't just 'pie in the sky when you die' but a vision we live towards.
This is a popular level book, so not exhaustive. You may not agree with Mcknight on every point. But if you want a book that gets you excited about heaven and presses into the implications for life, this one is great! I give it four stars.
Note: I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah and the Blogging for Books Program in exchange for my honest review.
It was perhaps only a matter of time before McKnight tackled the topic of heaven. Several years ago, this New Testament scholar and popular blogger and author, took on Reformed evangelicalism for reducing the gospel 'to going to heaven when you die' (See The King Jesus Gospel). However McKnight never repudiated heaven; his problem was with the ways the gospel (and heaven) were relegated to the afterlife.
McKnight divides The Heaven Promise into four sections. Part one is essentially an introduction to the question of heaven, our assumptions about the afterlife and where we got them. Part two looks deeper on what the Bible says about heaven: that it is promised to us by God, that this promise is sealed by Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension, that a bodily resurrection awaits those who share in Christ's resurrection, and that heaven begins wherever the reign of God is. Part three unfolds six promises about heaven:
God will be God (present in all his glory, majesty and power).
Jesus will be Jesus (central to everything as a reflection of the God of heaven).
Heaven will be a utopia of pleasures
Heaven will be eternal life
Heaven will be a global fellowship
Heaven will be the eternal beloved community
These six promises will have implications for what heaven will be like and for how we live our lives now.
Part four was the part of the book I read first. It is kind of a FAQ section. McKnight tackles ten questions people have about heaven. He answers questions about near death/out of body experiences, heavenly rewards, 'who get's in,' God's fairness, family in heaven?, children who die, cremation, purgatory and pets. In his final question "Why Believe in Heaven?" he gives a personal account of his belief in heaven.
I found this to be a well-written account of heaven grounded in biblical theology. McKnight has a gift for presenting complicated but important theological ideas in language that ordinary readers understand. In a few places, McKnight challenged my reading of particular passages and what that tells about heaven (i.e. he gives a fresh interpretation of Jesus' confrontation of the Sadducees).
McKnight doesn't simply rehash Bible verses about heaven. He talks about the implications of what our vision of heaven should have for our day-to-day life. For example, his chapter on the eternal beloved community (chapter 13) expounds on how the Bible's last book describes the end of the exploitation and injustice of Babylon. McKnight knows we aren't there yet. We live in a world with food deserts and unjust incarcerations (McKnight gives examples of each). He suggest that our heavenly vision of Justice and Shalom should cause us to seek to live out heaven now. For McKnight heaven isn't just 'pie in the sky when you die' but a vision we live towards.
This is a popular level book, so not exhaustive. You may not agree with Mcknight on every point. But if you want a book that gets you excited about heaven and presses into the implications for life, this one is great! I give it four stars.
Note: I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah and the Blogging for Books Program in exchange for my honest review.
January 1, 2016
A new year brings a new way to talk about an old subject, heaven. Men, women, and children have shared their stories and imaginations about what heaven is like. Many have claimed that they have been to heaven and back. The Bible gives us much information about heaven. Yet, we still wonder what heaven will be like. Some wonder if heaven really exists.
Scot McKnight has taken a fresh approach to heaven and uses the Bible as his authority. He writes that Heaven is God’s promise. I had never thought of Heaven as a promise, but, rather, a fact.
Herein lies the difference, McKnight writes that the first heaven (lowercase) “is the undisclosed, hidden reality of the presence of God” and the final Heaven (uppercase) “is the disclosed, visible reality of the presence of God on earth.” (p. 45) In other words, when a Christian dies, McKnight writes that the Christian goes to the first heaven, which can be compared to moving into a dormitory, and when the Christian moves to the final Heaven (the new Heaven), it’s like moving home.
I’m thinking about that. If God created the heavens and the earth, if God is perfect, if God is holy, then His dwelling place is perfect and holy … magnificent beyond our imaginations. Indeed, God will create a new heaven and new earth, and it will be splendid and different. Jesus promised His disciples that He was going to prepare a dwelling place for them and He would return to get them.
I’m struggling with the idea that God presently dwells in a lesser heaven than He will in the future. Presently, I think that it is just as splendid, just different.
Although we have little information about the Holy Spirit in heaven, I would have liked to have read about an additional promise about heaven: “The Holy Spirit will be the Holy Spirit.”
“Clearly, since the Holy Spirit is a member of the triune God, he will be present for all eternity, no doubt taking an active role in the creation and among God’s people. However, the Bible doesn’t specifically answer the question of exactly what His role will be.” (Randy Alcorn)
McKnight answers questions that are commonly asked about heaven, questions like the validity of near-death experiences, pets in heaven, and children who die.
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” Revelation 21:1
The new Heaven is McKnight’s Heaven Promise, and the resurrection of Jesus is the “heart of the Heaven Promise.” (p. 15) Jesus is the focus for Christians, isn’t He? His work, His sacrifice, His death, His resurrection, His coming again.
“There is a way to die that I call ‘standing in the empty tomb’ upon the promise of the resurrection and looking forward into the great beyond with hope.” (p. 52)
This sentence was precious to me. In 2014, I watched my Mama stand in the empty tomb, focused and peacefully waiting to step from the tomb into the Light. In that empty tomb, she waited in great expectation, sometimes smiling.
McKnight explores six promises about heaven:
God will be God
Jesus will be Jesus
Heaven will be the Utopia of Pleasures
Heaven will be Eternal Life
Heaven will be an Eternal Global Fellowship
Heaven will be an Eternal Beloved Community
Traditional expectations are challenged in "The Heaven Promise: Engaging the Bible’s Truth About Life to Come," and McKnight identifies Christians as Heaven people. He asks how Heaven people should live in today’s world.
This book caused me to rethink some of my ideas about heaven.Thank you, Mr. McKnight.
I received "The Heaven Promise: Engaging the Bible’s Truth About Life to Come" from Blogging for Books for this review.
Scot McKnight has taken a fresh approach to heaven and uses the Bible as his authority. He writes that Heaven is God’s promise. I had never thought of Heaven as a promise, but, rather, a fact.
Herein lies the difference, McKnight writes that the first heaven (lowercase) “is the undisclosed, hidden reality of the presence of God” and the final Heaven (uppercase) “is the disclosed, visible reality of the presence of God on earth.” (p. 45) In other words, when a Christian dies, McKnight writes that the Christian goes to the first heaven, which can be compared to moving into a dormitory, and when the Christian moves to the final Heaven (the new Heaven), it’s like moving home.
I’m thinking about that. If God created the heavens and the earth, if God is perfect, if God is holy, then His dwelling place is perfect and holy … magnificent beyond our imaginations. Indeed, God will create a new heaven and new earth, and it will be splendid and different. Jesus promised His disciples that He was going to prepare a dwelling place for them and He would return to get them.
I’m struggling with the idea that God presently dwells in a lesser heaven than He will in the future. Presently, I think that it is just as splendid, just different.
Although we have little information about the Holy Spirit in heaven, I would have liked to have read about an additional promise about heaven: “The Holy Spirit will be the Holy Spirit.”
“Clearly, since the Holy Spirit is a member of the triune God, he will be present for all eternity, no doubt taking an active role in the creation and among God’s people. However, the Bible doesn’t specifically answer the question of exactly what His role will be.” (Randy Alcorn)
McKnight answers questions that are commonly asked about heaven, questions like the validity of near-death experiences, pets in heaven, and children who die.
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” Revelation 21:1
The new Heaven is McKnight’s Heaven Promise, and the resurrection of Jesus is the “heart of the Heaven Promise.” (p. 15) Jesus is the focus for Christians, isn’t He? His work, His sacrifice, His death, His resurrection, His coming again.
“There is a way to die that I call ‘standing in the empty tomb’ upon the promise of the resurrection and looking forward into the great beyond with hope.” (p. 52)
This sentence was precious to me. In 2014, I watched my Mama stand in the empty tomb, focused and peacefully waiting to step from the tomb into the Light. In that empty tomb, she waited in great expectation, sometimes smiling.
McKnight explores six promises about heaven:
God will be God
Jesus will be Jesus
Heaven will be the Utopia of Pleasures
Heaven will be Eternal Life
Heaven will be an Eternal Global Fellowship
Heaven will be an Eternal Beloved Community
Traditional expectations are challenged in "The Heaven Promise: Engaging the Bible’s Truth About Life to Come," and McKnight identifies Christians as Heaven people. He asks how Heaven people should live in today’s world.
This book caused me to rethink some of my ideas about heaven.Thank you, Mr. McKnight.
I received "The Heaven Promise: Engaging the Bible’s Truth About Life to Come" from Blogging for Books for this review.
February 18, 2016
The Heaven Promise: Engaging the Bible’s Truth about Life to Come
When I first heard of The Heaven Promise (Waterbrook Press) I thought about geography (location) and topography (the landscape) but what Scot McKnight emphasizes in his book is not where heaven is or what it looks like but rather the atmosphere of heaven. What will heaven be like?
What will we hear, see, and feel when or if we arrive?
In this regard I think the author does a good job. He talks about reconciliation, a place where all is made new and we are restored to the original plan. We will all breathe the air of justice, worship and fellowship.
McKnight bases his book on the idea of promise. Heaven is a promise, not just a nice idea, not a reward for compliance but a real promise. He develops that theme around is promises related to heaven. God will be God. Jesus will be Jesus. Heaven will be a utopia of pleasures. Heaven will be eternal life. Heaven will be a global fellowship. Heaven will be the eternal beloved community
I appreciated his contrast between those who think heaven and holiness demand a somber affect and way of living and those who have pictured heaven as a place of unbridled pleasure.
It does seem that the author emphasizes the earthly component of a future Heaven over an otherworldly dimension of Heaven. God and the angels are somewhere right now and it seems the Bible teaches there will continue to be an outpost of heaven someplace other than on this planet. It sounds like Scot McKnight is saying that God is going to relocate in the future and move everything to this planet. I don’t see that in the Bible.
That being said over all there was much to like in the book. The christianaudio.com version was well read by Jay Greener (although I think I heard that very annoying pronunciation “ek cetera” for et cetera)
That brings me to the Q&A at the end of the book. The author answers the most frequently asked questions regarding heaven, including: 1. What About Near-Death Experiences? 2. What About Rewards in Heaven? 3. Who Will Be in Heaven? 4. Is God Fair? 5. Will There Be Families in Heaven? 6. What About Children Who Die? 7. What About Cremation? 8. What About Purgatory? 9. Will There Be Pets in Heaven? 10. Why Believe in Heaven?
I think he got most of these answers right. That means he agrees with me. Relative to the questions about families being in heaven though I have two concerns. One concern is his statement that he would not want to go to a heaven with no families. There are probably single people who don’t want to go to a place where they are constantly reminded they never got married. So not a good reason for envisioning a Heaven where husbands and wives are still husbands and wives.
In the book and also in a video Q&A about the book Dr. McKnight says there is only one verse that suggests that there is no marriage in heaven. Not really. There is one verse repeated three times. To me that is significant. So are there families in heaven? My wife at times hopes she gets break from me in eternity. Who I am to deny her that?
When I first heard of The Heaven Promise (Waterbrook Press) I thought about geography (location) and topography (the landscape) but what Scot McKnight emphasizes in his book is not where heaven is or what it looks like but rather the atmosphere of heaven. What will heaven be like?
What will we hear, see, and feel when or if we arrive?
In this regard I think the author does a good job. He talks about reconciliation, a place where all is made new and we are restored to the original plan. We will all breathe the air of justice, worship and fellowship.
McKnight bases his book on the idea of promise. Heaven is a promise, not just a nice idea, not a reward for compliance but a real promise. He develops that theme around is promises related to heaven. God will be God. Jesus will be Jesus. Heaven will be a utopia of pleasures. Heaven will be eternal life. Heaven will be a global fellowship. Heaven will be the eternal beloved community
I appreciated his contrast between those who think heaven and holiness demand a somber affect and way of living and those who have pictured heaven as a place of unbridled pleasure.
It does seem that the author emphasizes the earthly component of a future Heaven over an otherworldly dimension of Heaven. God and the angels are somewhere right now and it seems the Bible teaches there will continue to be an outpost of heaven someplace other than on this planet. It sounds like Scot McKnight is saying that God is going to relocate in the future and move everything to this planet. I don’t see that in the Bible.
That being said over all there was much to like in the book. The christianaudio.com version was well read by Jay Greener (although I think I heard that very annoying pronunciation “ek cetera” for et cetera)
That brings me to the Q&A at the end of the book. The author answers the most frequently asked questions regarding heaven, including: 1. What About Near-Death Experiences? 2. What About Rewards in Heaven? 3. Who Will Be in Heaven? 4. Is God Fair? 5. Will There Be Families in Heaven? 6. What About Children Who Die? 7. What About Cremation? 8. What About Purgatory? 9. Will There Be Pets in Heaven? 10. Why Believe in Heaven?
I think he got most of these answers right. That means he agrees with me. Relative to the questions about families being in heaven though I have two concerns. One concern is his statement that he would not want to go to a heaven with no families. There are probably single people who don’t want to go to a place where they are constantly reminded they never got married. So not a good reason for envisioning a Heaven where husbands and wives are still husbands and wives.
In the book and also in a video Q&A about the book Dr. McKnight says there is only one verse that suggests that there is no marriage in heaven. Not really. There is one verse repeated three times. To me that is significant. So are there families in heaven? My wife at times hopes she gets break from me in eternity. Who I am to deny her that?
May 9, 2016
The Heaven Promise by Scot McKnight is one man's fascinating study into heaven. He covers areas such as what the Bible says, why people believe in heaven and finishes with the ten most asked questions about heaven.
Scot McKnight discusses where we get our ideas about heaven from, and interestingly, it is not mainly from the Bible. He states that heaven is God's promise to the world. "Heaven can't be proven by logic; it can't be discovered by scientists; it can't be established by near death experiences... Heaven is a promise."
According to Scot McKnight, people believe in one of two types of heaven - theocentric or kingdom centric. The first has God at the centre, the second from what I understand, is based around people.
Jesus and Paul both talked about the promise of heaven, which lead people to believe that heaven exists. The promise of heaven all hangs on the resurrection - Jesus died and rose again and many saw the resurrected Jesus. Scot McKnight says that because of the resurrection, we can have the hope of heaven.
For Christians, death is not the end. There are no 'goodbyes', only 'see you later's." However inspite of this promise of heaven, when a loved one is taken, those left behind may still be consumed by grief. To quote one couple following a bereavement " 'Remind me of what we believe.'... 'The tomb is empty.' " Even the great theologian C.S. Lewis suffered a terrible fog when his beloved Joy died. "The promise of heaven may excite us, but the reality of death can suck the joy from life." In times like those all one can do is cling on to the cross and the hope of Jesus.
Even when Jesus faced death, He was still in control. He knew the resurrection and the promise of heaven was ahead. "God's aim is not to tame death or to silence death, but to defeat death." We can have the hope of heaven because the power of the cross means death is conquered.
Scot McKnight believes that as Christians we should live as heaven people on earth. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus as if we lose sight of Him, it will be all about us trying to work our way into heaven.
No one really knows what heaven is like but Scot McKnight has clearly researched the subject. He has looked at what the Bible says heaven is and what it says it isn't. It is a comprehensive study and written in an easy to read style. There were anecdotes and personal stories from well known Christians such as C.S. Lewis and Billy Graham as well as unknown people. There were quotes from scripture which were delved into and explained when needed.
I found The Heaven Promise an interesting and thought provoking read. I can highly recommend it.
Scot McKnight discusses where we get our ideas about heaven from, and interestingly, it is not mainly from the Bible. He states that heaven is God's promise to the world. "Heaven can't be proven by logic; it can't be discovered by scientists; it can't be established by near death experiences... Heaven is a promise."
According to Scot McKnight, people believe in one of two types of heaven - theocentric or kingdom centric. The first has God at the centre, the second from what I understand, is based around people.
Jesus and Paul both talked about the promise of heaven, which lead people to believe that heaven exists. The promise of heaven all hangs on the resurrection - Jesus died and rose again and many saw the resurrected Jesus. Scot McKnight says that because of the resurrection, we can have the hope of heaven.
For Christians, death is not the end. There are no 'goodbyes', only 'see you later's." However inspite of this promise of heaven, when a loved one is taken, those left behind may still be consumed by grief. To quote one couple following a bereavement " 'Remind me of what we believe.'... 'The tomb is empty.' " Even the great theologian C.S. Lewis suffered a terrible fog when his beloved Joy died. "The promise of heaven may excite us, but the reality of death can suck the joy from life." In times like those all one can do is cling on to the cross and the hope of Jesus.
Even when Jesus faced death, He was still in control. He knew the resurrection and the promise of heaven was ahead. "God's aim is not to tame death or to silence death, but to defeat death." We can have the hope of heaven because the power of the cross means death is conquered.
Scot McKnight believes that as Christians we should live as heaven people on earth. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus as if we lose sight of Him, it will be all about us trying to work our way into heaven.
No one really knows what heaven is like but Scot McKnight has clearly researched the subject. He has looked at what the Bible says heaven is and what it says it isn't. It is a comprehensive study and written in an easy to read style. There were anecdotes and personal stories from well known Christians such as C.S. Lewis and Billy Graham as well as unknown people. There were quotes from scripture which were delved into and explained when needed.
I found The Heaven Promise an interesting and thought provoking read. I can highly recommend it.
December 24, 2015
Here is yet another book to add to my "books about the Kingdom" shelf (one of my favorite topics). In The Heaven Promise, Scot McKnight (who is quickly becoming a favorite author) cuts past our cultural images and wild imaginations to see what does the Bible say about heaven? The answer is, actually, quite a lot.
Both the premise and the organization of the book are quite simple--you won't need a PhD to understand it. McKnight starts with some background about why we think about heaven and what various ideas are out there. Then, he moves into the six heaven promises that form the foundation of how we should think of heaven. These are pretty simple ideas like "God will be God" and "Heaven will be the utopia of pleasures."
What I love most about this book, thought, occurs in the next few chapters where McKnight brings heaven into the here and now. He explains that heaven will have a first hour and we are invited to begin living in that first hour today. He then goes into some detail about how heaven-minded people should live today. This is a foundational idea in my beliefs--what we believe about the future affects how we live today. A vision of hope should propel us toward a walk of love rooted in faith.
The final chapter is arranged in Q and A format, where McKnight builds on the principles discussed earlier to answer common questions about heaven (such as "Will there be pets?" or "What about purgatory?" or "Who will be there?").
One other idea I really appreciate McKnight bringing out is the tendency for people to go toward one of two extremes: the God-centric heaven and the Kingdom-centric heaven. Those who tend toward a God-centric heaven tend to imagine it as a place of eternal worship and they focus on their individual relationship with God. Kingdom minded people, on the other hand, imagine heaven as being much like today (except without sin and death) with work and community. The worship part is sometimes neglected. I immediately recognized myself as falling into the Kingdom camp, so reading through this book helped me realize my need for a little more balance.
If you've never given a lot of thought the heaven or don't really see how it connects to life today, I would highly recommend this book to you. McKnight does an excellent job of laying a Biblical foundation for our imaginings of the world to come and draws all of it back home into what heaven means for how we live today.
Both the premise and the organization of the book are quite simple--you won't need a PhD to understand it. McKnight starts with some background about why we think about heaven and what various ideas are out there. Then, he moves into the six heaven promises that form the foundation of how we should think of heaven. These are pretty simple ideas like "God will be God" and "Heaven will be the utopia of pleasures."
What I love most about this book, thought, occurs in the next few chapters where McKnight brings heaven into the here and now. He explains that heaven will have a first hour and we are invited to begin living in that first hour today. He then goes into some detail about how heaven-minded people should live today. This is a foundational idea in my beliefs--what we believe about the future affects how we live today. A vision of hope should propel us toward a walk of love rooted in faith.
The final chapter is arranged in Q and A format, where McKnight builds on the principles discussed earlier to answer common questions about heaven (such as "Will there be pets?" or "What about purgatory?" or "Who will be there?").
One other idea I really appreciate McKnight bringing out is the tendency for people to go toward one of two extremes: the God-centric heaven and the Kingdom-centric heaven. Those who tend toward a God-centric heaven tend to imagine it as a place of eternal worship and they focus on their individual relationship with God. Kingdom minded people, on the other hand, imagine heaven as being much like today (except without sin and death) with work and community. The worship part is sometimes neglected. I immediately recognized myself as falling into the Kingdom camp, so reading through this book helped me realize my need for a little more balance.
If you've never given a lot of thought the heaven or don't really see how it connects to life today, I would highly recommend this book to you. McKnight does an excellent job of laying a Biblical foundation for our imaginings of the world to come and draws all of it back home into what heaven means for how we live today.
January 30, 2016
I really enjoy Scot McKnight's work, even if I come across things on which we don't see exactly eye-to-eye. Any chance I get to read his work (books, blogs, etc.) I typically jump at the chance. Additionally, even though a book on Heaven can often times prove to be a little 'oxymoronic' (I find it a little funny that people can write lengthy books on the subject of Heaven... since they haven't been there and are all going off of the same text [the Bible]). Ironically enough, McKnight touches on this very thing. This being said, one of the most refreshing aspects of this book (as is the case with much of his writings), is that McKnight grounds all of his conclusions on Scripture, and doesn't go beyond what we're given in the Bible.
In his book, McKnight centers the entire book around the fact that Heaven is more than just a place that we allow our imaginations to go wild about, it's a promise made, kept, and protected by God Himself! Using this fact as the foundation, he then proceeds to look at and exegete many of the primary texts within the Bible that people like to use to support their own views and promote their own ideas regarding the afterlife. Even in the final section of the book when he takes a look specifically at hot questions that people ask and have debated regarding Heaven. While there were times you can find yourself wishing McKnight would answer more directly about his conclusions and/or personal opinion, he does an adequate job or presenting various positions, and how they stack up against the Biblical evidence. Sometimes, and he admits this, he will never outright say his position explicitly, but rather simply hint at what he thinks might be the truth. He avoids making an 'absolute' claim because there's not enough evidence in Scripture to explicitly answer the question (these questions are always secondary).
Overall, I would THOROUGHLY recommend this book! It's a welcomed edition the current available literature regarding Heaven and life after death (and if I do say so myself, probably a better overall read than most of the others because of how much he grounds his processes and conclusions in Scripture). Even if you end up reading this book and disagree with McKnight and his conclusions, you'll find that he presents his conclusions in a logical and respectful way that helps you understand another perspective on the issue.
In his book, McKnight centers the entire book around the fact that Heaven is more than just a place that we allow our imaginations to go wild about, it's a promise made, kept, and protected by God Himself! Using this fact as the foundation, he then proceeds to look at and exegete many of the primary texts within the Bible that people like to use to support their own views and promote their own ideas regarding the afterlife. Even in the final section of the book when he takes a look specifically at hot questions that people ask and have debated regarding Heaven. While there were times you can find yourself wishing McKnight would answer more directly about his conclusions and/or personal opinion, he does an adequate job or presenting various positions, and how they stack up against the Biblical evidence. Sometimes, and he admits this, he will never outright say his position explicitly, but rather simply hint at what he thinks might be the truth. He avoids making an 'absolute' claim because there's not enough evidence in Scripture to explicitly answer the question (these questions are always secondary).
Overall, I would THOROUGHLY recommend this book! It's a welcomed edition the current available literature regarding Heaven and life after death (and if I do say so myself, probably a better overall read than most of the others because of how much he grounds his processes and conclusions in Scripture). Even if you end up reading this book and disagree with McKnight and his conclusions, you'll find that he presents his conclusions in a logical and respectful way that helps you understand another perspective on the issue.
December 10, 2015
Scot McKnight once again offers sound theology based on the Biblical text in his book "The Heaven Promise." McKnight begins by exploring the Biblical proof behind heaven. To do so, he explores God's nature as a covenant keeper. He then shows that the Bible clearly states that God promises heaven for all who believe in Jesus Christ. Following this, he offers six promises regarding heaven. Then he explores what heaven means for us as we await the promise -- McKnight is very clear that we believers in Christ are in the here and now for a reason and that reason is not just to dream of heaven, but to prepare for heaven through our love of God and of neighbor.
After exploring the basis for heaven in Scripture and looking at how we should respond today in light of the fact of heaven, McKnight looks at 10 questions about heaven. These questions explore purgatory, near-death experiences, universalism, if pets go to heaven, how marriage and family will exist in heaven, cremation, God's fairness, rewards in heaven, the fate of children who die, and why we should believe in heaven. Particularly enlightening in this discussion was McKnight's look at marriage and family. He beings by discussing how friendships will exist in heaven and then in a very brief, yet thorough McKnight explores Mark 12:18-27 in order to offer an interpretation different from the traditional view.
Also of interest was the discussion around near death experiences. McKnight does not come down and declare that all such accounts are false, but warns for caution when approaching these stories. This is great advice for all those exploring the truths of heaven.
Overall, McKnight offers a great theology of heaven! His writing style is clear enough for the layperson, but his insights are keen enough for the budding scholar. Anyone who has questions about heaven should dig into this text and enjoy the insights given.
I received this book as part of Multnohmah books Blogging for Books program.
After exploring the basis for heaven in Scripture and looking at how we should respond today in light of the fact of heaven, McKnight looks at 10 questions about heaven. These questions explore purgatory, near-death experiences, universalism, if pets go to heaven, how marriage and family will exist in heaven, cremation, God's fairness, rewards in heaven, the fate of children who die, and why we should believe in heaven. Particularly enlightening in this discussion was McKnight's look at marriage and family. He beings by discussing how friendships will exist in heaven and then in a very brief, yet thorough McKnight explores Mark 12:18-27 in order to offer an interpretation different from the traditional view.
Also of interest was the discussion around near death experiences. McKnight does not come down and declare that all such accounts are false, but warns for caution when approaching these stories. This is great advice for all those exploring the truths of heaven.
Overall, McKnight offers a great theology of heaven! His writing style is clear enough for the layperson, but his insights are keen enough for the budding scholar. Anyone who has questions about heaven should dig into this text and enjoy the insights given.
I received this book as part of Multnohmah books Blogging for Books program.
January 2, 2016
'The Heaven Promise' is a must-read for everyone who questions what happens after death. There are some who have specific questions about Heaven and others who are overwhelmed by the various stories and theories out there in today's world. Throughout this book, the author uses information from the Bible to answer the many common questions about Heaven - and he does it in an easy to understand way, so that anyone can get it (if they're religious or not).
I have personally been reading different books and watching movies such as "Heaven is Real" for a long time now. It seems like there's a lot of overlap on some subjects, while other questions I've pondered have had controversial viewpoints. I try to stay objective while reading each book - looking at them purely from a factual point of view. There are so many books about the afterlife that I'll probably never get to read them all - and a large portion of these books are incredibly hard to read, let alone understand. 'The Heaven Promise' is completely different - it's easy to read and understand, and it uses the Bible itself to back up their answers. No confusion at all - simply several questions people often have regarding Heaven and the afterlife and straightforward answers to these queries with scripture to help explain why they believe these things. It's a definite must read for everyone who has questions about life after death and/or Heaven - it doesn't matter if you're religious or not. I honestly can't recommend this book highly enough! Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy - you'll see what I mean from the very first page.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book from the Blogging for Books Program in exchange for an honest review.
I have personally been reading different books and watching movies such as "Heaven is Real" for a long time now. It seems like there's a lot of overlap on some subjects, while other questions I've pondered have had controversial viewpoints. I try to stay objective while reading each book - looking at them purely from a factual point of view. There are so many books about the afterlife that I'll probably never get to read them all - and a large portion of these books are incredibly hard to read, let alone understand. 'The Heaven Promise' is completely different - it's easy to read and understand, and it uses the Bible itself to back up their answers. No confusion at all - simply several questions people often have regarding Heaven and the afterlife and straightforward answers to these queries with scripture to help explain why they believe these things. It's a definite must read for everyone who has questions about life after death and/or Heaven - it doesn't matter if you're religious or not. I honestly can't recommend this book highly enough! Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy - you'll see what I mean from the very first page.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book from the Blogging for Books Program in exchange for an honest review.
May 23, 2016
Reviewing a book about Heaven is tricky because most of it would be speculation at worst and Bible-guesswork at best.
There are 2 approaches in the after life genre: the tour guide approach and the travel agent approach. Personally I find the tour guide appoach (the ones claimed to have gone to heaven) is not biblical and inaccurate view of heaven. This book falls into the second category. McKnight has never been to heaven and that's why I read it.
Overall, this book is filled with Biblical depiction of heaven which I found very well written. That being said I found some speculations lack biblical evidence therefore they are easily dismissed.
Randy Alcorn's "Heaven" has always been my go-to-book on heaven and the afterlife. Compared to Alcorn's book, this book is pretty thin therefore lacking the biblical exposition on some of the speculations.
I still recommend this book if you want to know more about heaven from biblical point of view (please don't pick up any heaven tour guide books). Saying that, I still prefer Alcorn's book for a more comprehensive look on heaven.
4 out of 5
There are 2 approaches in the after life genre: the tour guide approach and the travel agent approach. Personally I find the tour guide appoach (the ones claimed to have gone to heaven) is not biblical and inaccurate view of heaven. This book falls into the second category. McKnight has never been to heaven and that's why I read it.
Overall, this book is filled with Biblical depiction of heaven which I found very well written. That being said I found some speculations lack biblical evidence therefore they are easily dismissed.
Randy Alcorn's "Heaven" has always been my go-to-book on heaven and the afterlife. Compared to Alcorn's book, this book is pretty thin therefore lacking the biblical exposition on some of the speculations.
I still recommend this book if you want to know more about heaven from biblical point of view (please don't pick up any heaven tour guide books). Saying that, I still prefer Alcorn's book for a more comprehensive look on heaven.
4 out of 5
November 12, 2015
I don't know that any other book (outside of the Bible) has made me anticipate Heaven more than this one. Not only does McKnight help the reader anticipate the life to come, but he also helps the reader understand what that means about how one ought to live life now. McKnight is honest about there not being a ton of straightforward information given about Heaven in the scripture, but using what is, as well as what we can learn from Jesus' post resurrection body and life, he paints a good picture.
January 10, 2016
I like reading books about Heaven.... I can learn and take away something from each one I have read. I like that he did a lot of research and read lots on Heaven. Although l don't agree on everything in this book, I enjoyed it and the ending conclusion fits within the Bible and beliefs of most.
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