Afterlife: What You Need to Know about Heaven, the Hereafter & Near-Death Experiences

by Hank Hanegraaff

What most of us have heard about heaven comes from ill-informed funeral sermons and books about widely reported near-death experiences. Hanegraaff reveals the simple yet thrilling truth about what really happens to us and those we love when we die. You’ll be left to wonder, “Why hasn’t someone told me this before?”

Genres: Christian, Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Christian Living

256 pages, Paperback

Published April 5, 2016

About the author

Hendrik "Hank" Hanegraaff, also known as the "Bible Answer Man", is an American Christian author and radio talk-show host. Formerly an evangelical Protestant, he joined the Eastern Orthodox Church in 2017. He is an outspoken figure within the Christian countercult movement, where he has established a reputation for his critiques of non-Christian religions, new religious movements, and cults, as well as heresy in Christianity. He is also an apologist on doctrinal and cultural issues.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must admit until I reviewed Afterlife by Hank Hanegraaf I had never heard of this author, and really wondered just how he would approach some of the questions that I new this book was geared toward. After all part of the title is What you need to know about Heaven, the Hearafter, & near-death experiences. Questions that I am sure we have all pondered from time to time. For me one of the questions that jumped out at me was whether our pets and other animals will go to heaven. This is a question that has plagued me for years and I really had never got a true answer for. Well the author certainly answered that question for me, and he doesn't just give his opinion, but also backs up his answer with scriptures that I can look up and read for myself.
This book covers a myriad of questions concerning the afterlife, from what and where is Heaven, to near death experiences, ghosts and many other topics. The author provides answers in a clear, concise, easy to understand way and provides scripture reference so that you can dig deeper into God's word for greater understanding.

I have been reading my Bible consistently this year, and find myself having many questions about some of the things that I am reading. Well AfterLife by Hank Hanegraaff has really helped to answer some of those questions. I always hesitate to mark up my books, but I find myself highlighting many answers in this one because Afterlife is so much more than just another book, for me it is a true study guide that I find myself reaching for as I read my Bible. Whether you a new christian, or a more seasoned one just looking for answers about the afterlife and what promises the Bible holds on this interesting topic this book certainly is for you. I think this book would make a perfect group study, and would make a wonderful gift.While the Bible ultimately has all the answers Afterlife is like a road map that will help you find the answers to questions that you may be having about what happens after death. Overall, this book has had such an impact on me, creating an unquenchable thirst for more answers to Biblical questions, that I have already ordered two of this author's previous books and can't wait to dive into them.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.

[Any Length · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't particularly moved by this book. It had some great bible passages and some good arguments.
Can't say I particularly agree with "Christian should be buried not cremated". The bible verses mentioned are not clear on the matter and we need to consider that burial in those days was a lot more important than these days. From a public heath perspective bodies needed to be buried. Now we have other sanitary methods to take care of bodies that are not taking up valuable real estate that could be used to create food to feed the starving people. And God is powerful enough to gather the minute particles left over after cremation to re-create the body. Also the sentiment that Christians should not be cremated makes those whose family members were "cremated" in a house fire or accident feel doubly bad about losing a loved one. Not necessary to put that kind of an idea out there. God gave us free will and therefore is ok with whatever burial type we see fit. I consider my self a good Christian and won't be told I am doing things wrong because I do not want my body to take up more space than is necessary after my demise and do not want a geographical connection that needs to be visited and kept nice looking (i.e. grave) by those I leave behind.
We also need to read the Bible as a document that sometimes had "health warnings" made into "God's laws" in order to make the population adhere to it. Not eating pork or shellfish made a whole lot of sense in the old days before refrigeration in desert condition. Food poisoning would have taken out a whole village when the one huge pig shared among all of them had gone off. Beef on the other hand could be safely dried out and still be edible. Same with telling folks not to eat vultures. Makes good sense not to eat birds who eat rotten meat. Un- or undereducated people of those days might have merrily eaten them an d gotten badly ill. Same with burrial. It makes sense to tell people to bury their loved ones before disease could spread. And in desert condition they could hardly be told to conjure up enough wood for cremation. I will not be told that cremation is a "pagan" ritual. It is a clean way of disposing of a body.

[Jim Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book explaining what will really happen when we die, and what it all means, especially for Christians, using Biblical texts. Death is not the end.

[Ty Briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good points, some not so good. I started this book as a point of research for my own writing project (in the vein of Dante's Divine Comedy or CS Lewis's The Great Divorce, though probably worse than both) and was pleased to find that Hanegraaff and I had come to similar conclusions on a few things.

If you're looking for information on what Heaven will be like from a biblical perspective, Randy Alcorn's Heaven is more comprehensive and, I felt, generally better written. In contrast, Afterlife addresses several things that Alcorn omits entirely, such as questions about hell, what to make of Near Death Experiences, and eschatology.

While I generally agree with a lot of what Hanegraaff said in Afterlife, I also found him to be very uncharitable toward other Christians who don't hold to his particular interpretation of certain passages. Toward the end of the book, I felt like I (as someone that leans toward a pre-trib, premillennial approach) had been set on a pedestal as everything that is wrong with modern Christianity and summarily pummeled with a baseball bat over the remains of Hanegraaff's straw men littering the floor.

[Hank Pharis · Rating 2 out of 5]

(NOTE: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book or a B. 3 stars means a very good book or a B+. 4 stars means an outstanding book or an A {only about 5% of the books I read merit 4 stars}. 5 stars means an all time favorite or an A+ {Only one of 400 or 500 books rates this!).

The great news is that I can listen to a book a day at work. The bad news is that I can’t keep up with decent reviews. So I’m going to give up for now and just rate them. I hope to come back to some of the most significant things I listen to and read them and then post a review.

Some different perspectives. Some helpful some ?

[Alicia Hagee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that it addressed many topics and Misconceptions about the afterlife but felt unresolved at the end of many of these sections. It was interesting to me that certain conclusions were made Yet others were left completely open-ended and unresolved. This book could be marketed better but attracts the audiences who are mainly inflamed with near death experiences and what people have to say about the afterlife from those. There was a lot more extensive information about general topics in the afterlife which I was surprised by and not Expecting. My favorite part was theology theology about in times and tribulation and the 1000 year period.

[Randy Corn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers all of the questions that I could think of about life after death. Hanegraff, the Bible Answer Man, doesn't just offer his opinions but gives scriptural support for his conclusions. While I don't agree with his dismissal of dispensationalism, I have to agree that he has given me much to think about. A read well worth the time.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an enlightening book to me. Mr Hanegraaff backs up his statements w/ lots of scripture. If you're looking for a biblical view on the afterlife & related matters, this is the book for you.

[Very · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t actually finish this book. I can’t read things with that many biblical quotes.

[Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel cheated as the book didn’t stick with the topic of NDE but became a source of witnessing for a religion which is not mine.

[georgesellards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and informative

Afterlife is very informative and revealing. So many of the teachings from some pulpit is exposed as false or just incorrect teaching. Thanks Hank.

[Ariana Baxter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doctrine dumpster fire, it would hit the mark, and then fall off.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is good.

Nothing overly special with this one.

Happy Reading, everybody!

[Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

…3.2 stars.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good and comforting book about thoughts on the afterlife. I didn’t agree with “everything” per se, however for the most part I found it very informative.

[Floyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seeks to follow biblical revelation

[Brian Meadows · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this book, like listening to his “Bible Answer Man” radio call-in shows, I was able to draw some positive inspiration and clarity on certain issues – especially those things that are well-established Bible truths that all true followers of Christ share. Hank Hanegraaff speaks and writes with eloquence and intellectual polish (sometimes too much). Before I retired, I had a long commute and would often listen to his program. Over time, I learned that he is from a Christian Reformed background and the more-attentively you listen or read his book the clearer that becomes. He has set himself up in his role as the Bible Answer Man as the theological expert who can answer your questions where the Bible does not speak clearly and concisely. He fills in these “gaps” with staunch Christian Reformed theology that is dependent upon logical application and reasoning. If you read this book, you need to be aware of this and simply consider what is said as input, but not necessarily buy into everything as an unquestionable fact. For me, it puts me in the mode of, as one of my former pastors used to say, eating the fruit and spitting out the seeds.

I find myself at odds with Hank Hanegraaff on end times topics. He is an amillenial who goes livid at the theology of there being a 7-year tribulation period before the physical return of Christ or of a rapture of believers before or during that tribulation. He also denies a one-thousand year reign of Christ. Both tribulation and the thousand-year reign are described in detail in Revelation so he resorts to claiming that they are spiritual in nature or actually occurred in to fall of Jerusalem in 70AD. The tribulation and the Antichrist are included in Revelation as a vision of what was to come. It is well established in most theological circles that John wrote Revelation on the Isle of Patmos much later – during the reign of the emperor Domitian (AD 81-96). That would mean the prophecies of Revelation would be fulfilled later during the end times. It has been over 1900 years and the prophecies have not been fulfilled. To me, it is significant that in After Life leans heavily on prophecies in the Gospels and Daniel and makes only token reference to Revelation.

The author, to me, hit a venomous low point when he described the pre-tribulation rapture theology as being developed at the same time as Darwin’s theory of evolution, implying that both are part of a great deception. They have nothing to do with each other and that is simply a smear attempt to associate the two to discredit John Nelson Darby who promoted dispensational theology. He claims that the pre-tribulation rapture was unheard of before then, but I have read and heard it said that it was believed in the early church, so I doubt if it was as new as Hank claims it to be. He topped it off by labeling all dispensational theology as a heresy. I actually had to stop reading for a while to pray and re-gain my perspective. Hank was much more polite and caring when I have listened to him. He had to have a dialog with a caller on the other end of the phone so it held him accountable. In the book, he could slice and dice those who disagreed.

When I taught a middle school Sunday school class many years ago, I had a lesson that made a tremendous impact on me (if not the students that I taught). That was that we should not put God in a box of our own making. God is God and he can do what He wishes. He is also Truth and Love and will not go back on His promises or be something contrary to what He has revealed himself to be. So, for those things that are not explicitly stated in the Bible and are subject to interpretation (a lot of theology) and deduction by reason should be held lightly. It is there we need the guidance of the Holy Spirit to discern the truth. Some things God prefers to remain uncertain in order to keep us seeking Him for the truth and for what is really important and honoring to Him. Trying to build a case to answer some of those things using human logic is an exercise in futility. This is where I have problems with Hank Hanegraaff and Reformed Theology in general. There is a tendency to lean on the logic of man and deny the miraculous from God apart from the documented history in the Bible. Some go so far as to say that all that passed away and became obsolete once the Bible was written since we then had His complete Word. There is no prophecy that signs and miracles would pass away once the Bible was set down in writing. Experience through the ages since and even today runs counter to that.

[Noula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book.

[Jimmy]

This book is a response to all the new books coming out about those who went to heaven and came back, those with Near Death Experiences (NDE), etc. The author, Hank Hanegraaff, is currently “The Bible Answerman” and overall does a good job dealing with the subjectivity of these “I’ve gone to heaven” books, and how their account contradict the clear teaching of Scripture and one another’s description of heaven. I enjoyed how Hanegraaff also dealt with the issue of hell, and a defense of hell from some of the recent attacks by some within the Evangelical quarter. With this said, there were somethings that I disagree with the book or think it could have done better. His discussion of libertarian free will (LFW) assumes it rather than defends it, and seems to be important in his view of end things. I think his discussion about good angels never sinning even in future heaven hits a dilemma concerning LFW. At times he even sounds like a Calvinists! Furthermore, while the author does believe in a physical reality of our future existence, he does at time have tendency to be driven by a spiritual vision model in his hermeneutics (versus a new creation model). The book does expound Hanegraaff’s Partial Preterism and here he does not have anything new to contribute beyond what Gary DeMar, RC Sproul and others have said. I kind of wished he dealt with some of the objections Christian raise concerning Partial Preterism. I also wished he could have dealt with more scholarly Dispensationalists. At times he was question begging and could have been more nuance–such as his discussion of Rob Bell on hell and also objecting to Dispensationalists Premillennial view because of Revelation 21′s promise that there will no longer be any sorrow on earth–while not accounting for Revelation 20 before chapter 21 and a defense of re-capitulation. I still think Randy Alcorn’s book on heaven is the best of recent book on heaven no matter what view of the Millennium you take.

I write this review an hour before a funeral for a saint at our church.

It was a good reminder about our eternity and keeps our ministry in perspective.

[Meagan Myhren-Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

AfterLife
by Hank Hanegraaff

Have you ever wondered what comes next? If you are honest you'll probably admit that you have. But what will the After Life be like? Hank Hanegraaff offers some answers by turning to the Scriptures.

Death is the great unknown, but what comes next? According to Hank we have 3 distinct phases of life in which we metamorphosis from the first to the last. The first stage is life in the present which starts in the womb and ends with death. The second stage is life after life which is the separation of our soul from our body. The third stage is life after life-after-life which is the reuniting of our transformed body with our soul after Christ's second coming.

Death is our entryway into a new sphere of existence - Heaven and with it eternal life. Heaven is where God is, there is no whereness in regard to the spiritual only awareness. Heaven is earth's Easter when the Creation is transformed during the restoration of our Creator's return.

There is an overabundance of Near Death Experiences and they should not be believed as they may be satanic subterfuge to confuse us and to draw us away from God. NDEs add nothing to our knowledge of the afterlife and are subjective to the individual's beliefs and past experiences.

Heaven is not limited by time or space but is rather another dimension of God's creation that we are unable to experience in our present state of life. Heaven and Earth are divided by a veil that sin created and until the creation is restored through renewal and rebirth at the second coming we will never experience the new Eden.

What we do in the now determines our eternity. Will it be Heaven with eternal life in the presence of our Creator? Or will it be the eternal torment of Hell? The choice is yours. What will you decide?

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher for the purpose of this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Lyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

When my husband first told me that he was listening to the author on a radio show. He sounded like a very arrogant and pompous man. Then my husband read this book and said that the author thinks that the Left Behind series was not Biblically sound, I was ticked! As I loved that series. And then that the author debunks all the life after death books that seem to be so popular. Now this I had to read. As I have read at least three books about people dying and supposedly seeing Heaven. Two of which I found very believable and well written. The one I found absurd and CANNOT fathom why people bought it, and from a three year olds recount. Then it became a very popular movie. So, I started reading this book. And guess what I found? I actually liked this author! And what I thought was arrogance was really just this amazingly smart man that has Biblical proof to back up his statements. Now I have changed my views on some things. First, I still love the Left Behind series, but I view it more as a great, action packed fiction series, that has Biblical concepts, but don't take it out of context. Second, if people want to believe a far fetched story about a three year old, if it makes you happy and you are not taking this kids view over what the Bible says, whatever. But if you think this is a solid Biblical proof book (Heaven is for real), not this book, as this book is solid teaching. Then I guess that is between you and God. If you go into that book looking for a feel good, warm fuzzy story? I still don't get it, but that's your opinion. The other two Heaven books were much more believable and real to me. The pastor and the Malarky kid, and I did get more happy heart feelings from those. The other one I just rolled my eyes in spots. Back to this book, if you want solid, concert, biblical truth about loads of questions that you never even knew you had, this is a great book. Highly recommend.

[Mammu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book on the heels of reading "The Boy Who Came From Heaven" and, prior to that, watching the movie on the latter. (The movie was good and did not have some of the Scriptural errors, shall we say, of the book.) Because of the errors, I searched around for a book on the afterlife that was Scripturally sound, and this was it. Although I do not agree wholeheartedly with some of what Mr. Hanegraaff wrote, he does give you both sides of every argument or belief on the afterlife out there, including NDEs, reincarnation, the resurrection, salvation after death, hell, heaven, life after life, and even touching partially on the end times. For that reason, I rated the book 5 stars. Mr. Hanegraaff does stand firmly on all his beliefs and what he wrote, and from reading this book you realize that, to him, there are totally no gray areas at all. For example, you'll sometimes get this notion that few people will populate the new Jerusalem, while a whole bunch of them will be in total separation from God for all eternity, because he staunchly believes what you do in this life will determine where you'll be in the intermediate state (the intermediate heaven or hell) and thenceforth after that in the resurrection (in the new heavens and new earth--also known as the new Jerusalem--or in hell). He tries to balance this belief with being saved sola gratia, sola fide, solus Christus, but after that foundation he insists you must have good works and good deeds in order to remain saved.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can read my full review on my blog here.

In Hank Hanegraaff’s book “Afterlife” he answers the hard questions about death and what happens to us after we die. Question about what you need to know about Heaven, the hereafter & near death experiences (NDEs), using sound Biblical research and scriptures to back it up.

I honestly never thought that deeply about where I would go after death. I know that by being born again spiritually, I will be going to Heaven when I die. What I didn’t think deeply about, is what that means for me, if I die before Jesus makes His triumphant return at the end of time. Just exactly how will I experience this great time of peace, if I no longer have a body to experience it in? Mr. Hanegraaff, explains the process that we will all go through, soundly, and with Scriptural references to back up his claims.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Publisher or Author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I have read all of Hank Hanegraaff's books over the years and I have especially enjoyed his Q&A style books like The Bible Answer Book. This book is in the same format and the questions he covers are all relevant and Christian's are in need of correct, biblical answers to the questions he covers in the book. I will say that this book is probably the most UN-clear of all of Hank's books, in terms of his answers/points being easily understood by any reader. It's like he enjoys waxing esoteric, using vocabulary that is NOT accessible for a novice (or non) Christian and since I wanted to share the contents of this book with an unbeliever, that was a disappointment. The other problem with the book is that between the question and the answer Hank includes a quote that is in some way relevant to the question, but what is confusing is that often the quote is from someone holding to error regarding the issue being answered and if you don't know that in advance, it can totally baffle the reader and start them off in the wrong direction.

That being said, his answer to the question, "Did Jesus go to Hell?" should be required reading for all Christians. Excellent from start to finish on that one!

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Noting that there have been many people writing about their trips to heaven, Hank saw the need to clarify the issue. He says we should get our information from the Bible. I felt he did not answer all the questions about the afterlife, such as the spirits in prison of 1 Peter 3:19. He also says we much stay to a literal interpretation of the Bible but then criticizes people who do so woodenly. Also, he uses intimidating language, like "it is obvious that" or "the Bible unambiguously says" when that is not true at all, or there wouldn't be various interpretations! Hank steps on lots of toes, like dispensationalists. This is certainly not the definitive work on the afterlife. See my full review at http://bit.ly/18CjdOL.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is really nothing more than a literal restatement of biblical passages on life after death. The author scoffs at all NDE experiences and research, all other religions, and any belief that differs from a literal interpretation of the Bible (even though there are conflicting passages in the Bible relating to heaven, hell, and the after life) as he sees it. If he is right, than absolutely everybody else who has written on this topic and varies from the strict biblical view is "dead wrong" - pun intended.

[Maria (Ri) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am clearly not the target audience for this book (someone whose beliefs are verified, supported, and limited to the Bible). I was turned off by the certainty that any "revelation" could not occur if you were not physically witness to the resurrection of Jesus. In the author's estimation, all answers are found in the Bible. If this resonates with you, this book will probably be a good fit for you. If not, opt for one of the many other books on the afterlife (The Afterlife of Billy Fingers, Secrets of the Light, Dying to Be Me, etc).

[Timothy A. Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simp!e, concise, and to the point.

Hank Hanegraaff answers explains many questions we have about God's promises to us who believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. There are scripture references to test the teachings presented, and a logical order to this fine book. Thank you Hank for reminding us of the hope we carry, in an easy to understand way.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A biblical perspective in a very readable format, especially with the ebook's hyperlinked table of contents. The author addresses eschatology, misconceptions, NDEs, and more with copious biblical references.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as I expected- I preferred Randy Alcorn's book on Heaven as I thought it was more detailed.