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40 Questions
40 Questions about Heaven and Hell
In 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Alan Gomes surveys the Old and New Testaments to present a comprehensive picture of the afterlife. The question-and-answer format makes it easy to find answers to specific questions on heaven, hell, the intermediate state, the final judgment, and life in eternity. Readers will find solid answers to many vital questions:
What should we conclude about those who claim to have seen heaven or hell?
Is it possible for us to communicate with the dead?
Is there such a place as purgatory?
What will our resurrected bodies be like?
What will we do in the eternal state?
Will there be animals in the eternal state?
What is hell like?
How can a God of love send people to an eternal hell?
Did Jesus "descend into hell" like the Apostles' Creed says?
Study notes point to additional resources for learning, and reflection questions at the end of each chapter make the book ideal for small group studies.
What should we conclude about those who claim to have seen heaven or hell?
Is it possible for us to communicate with the dead?
Is there such a place as purgatory?
What will our resurrected bodies be like?
What will we do in the eternal state?
Will there be animals in the eternal state?
What is hell like?
How can a God of love send people to an eternal hell?
Did Jesus "descend into hell" like the Apostles' Creed says?
Study notes point to additional resources for learning, and reflection questions at the end of each chapter make the book ideal for small group studies.
- GenresTheology
384 pages, Paperback
Published November 27, 2018
24 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 4, 2020
Summary: Addresses with clear and concise biblically based answers common questions about the afterlife: heaven, the intermediate state, the final judgment, the new creation, and hell.
What happens to us after we die? This is one of the most basic questions every human being has thought about (or tried not to think about). There are a variety of conceptions of what will happen. Some think that there isn't anything after death. Many in the world anticipate reincarnation in some form. Others, including many Christians think of our post-mortem existence more along the lines of ancient Greeks, where an immortal spirit will reside in some kind of "heaven" in the presence of angels and God.
Alan W. Gomes offers a very practical exploration of many of the questions that arise both from these popular notions and from our reading of the Bible. The title of the book says "40 Questions" but technically, some questions are answered in two parts. Here are some of the kinds of concerns he gets into: what do we mean by soul or spirit and do one or both survive our death? What does the Bible mean when speaking of "heaven" or "hell"? What happens in the period between our death and the resurrection? Will there be rewards in heaven? Degrees of punishment? What about purgatory? What are the "new heavens and the new earth?" Will there be marriage and sex in the eternal state? How can a loving God send anyone to hell? How can we be happy if there are people suffering in hell?
This isn't an exhaustive list but gives you the sense that you will probably find the questions you or others have asked addressed in this book. Each chapter offers a general discussion of the background of the questions and positions Christians have held, then considers biblical texts with the author's conclusions of how scripture addresses each question. The chapters conclude with reflection questions allowing readers to review the content, as well as determine their own response to the material presented. Generally, each chapter runs between five and ten pages.
Rather than go into detail on most of the author's answers, which would be kind of spoiler, I would observe that Gomes would tend to take a traditional approach to many of the questions in the book. What I appreciate is that he does not try to speculate on questions for which the Bible is silent. He affirms the existence of souls of believers in a conscious state prior to the resurrection. Along with other traditional and modern commentators, he believes in the resurrection of the body, and the reign of resurrected believers with Christ in the new earth, the New Jerusalem come down from heaven. He affirms both our salvation by grace, and rewards for believers on the basis of their works, their faithfulness. While acknowledging the figurative language about hell, he believes the scriptures give no warrant for anything other than eternal conscious punishment. He rejects annihilationist, and universalist proposals that have been advanced and discusses the biblical arguments that have been advanced.
I did find his answer to the question of how one could be happy knowing of others people undergoing punishment. His proposal comes down to the idea that from the perspective of eternity with God, we will see things differently--the opportunities for repentance, faith and salvation, and the sinfulness of sin. I also found it interesting that he finds no biblical warrant for the statement "he descended into hell" in many renderings of the Apostles Creed.
It's likely that not all readers will agree with all that the author says. That, in my mind is not a reason to not buy this book. Often, those who would reject the positions the author takes actually reject poor caricatures rather than the kind of carefully argued treatments this author gives us. Particularly with questions of ultimate destiny, a book like this challenges us to examine whether our beliefs are grounded in what we would like to be true, or hopeful speculations, or grounded in what scripture has made known to us. The reflection questions leave room for the reader to wrestle with these question on his or her own, and that the reader may or may not be convinced of what the author has written. I appreciate the approach here that does not shrink from setting forth what may be hard for some to accept, while giving the reader the space to reach his or her own conclusions.
________________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
What happens to us after we die? This is one of the most basic questions every human being has thought about (or tried not to think about). There are a variety of conceptions of what will happen. Some think that there isn't anything after death. Many in the world anticipate reincarnation in some form. Others, including many Christians think of our post-mortem existence more along the lines of ancient Greeks, where an immortal spirit will reside in some kind of "heaven" in the presence of angels and God.
Alan W. Gomes offers a very practical exploration of many of the questions that arise both from these popular notions and from our reading of the Bible. The title of the book says "40 Questions" but technically, some questions are answered in two parts. Here are some of the kinds of concerns he gets into: what do we mean by soul or spirit and do one or both survive our death? What does the Bible mean when speaking of "heaven" or "hell"? What happens in the period between our death and the resurrection? Will there be rewards in heaven? Degrees of punishment? What about purgatory? What are the "new heavens and the new earth?" Will there be marriage and sex in the eternal state? How can a loving God send anyone to hell? How can we be happy if there are people suffering in hell?
This isn't an exhaustive list but gives you the sense that you will probably find the questions you or others have asked addressed in this book. Each chapter offers a general discussion of the background of the questions and positions Christians have held, then considers biblical texts with the author's conclusions of how scripture addresses each question. The chapters conclude with reflection questions allowing readers to review the content, as well as determine their own response to the material presented. Generally, each chapter runs between five and ten pages.
Rather than go into detail on most of the author's answers, which would be kind of spoiler, I would observe that Gomes would tend to take a traditional approach to many of the questions in the book. What I appreciate is that he does not try to speculate on questions for which the Bible is silent. He affirms the existence of souls of believers in a conscious state prior to the resurrection. Along with other traditional and modern commentators, he believes in the resurrection of the body, and the reign of resurrected believers with Christ in the new earth, the New Jerusalem come down from heaven. He affirms both our salvation by grace, and rewards for believers on the basis of their works, their faithfulness. While acknowledging the figurative language about hell, he believes the scriptures give no warrant for anything other than eternal conscious punishment. He rejects annihilationist, and universalist proposals that have been advanced and discusses the biblical arguments that have been advanced.
I did find his answer to the question of how one could be happy knowing of others people undergoing punishment. His proposal comes down to the idea that from the perspective of eternity with God, we will see things differently--the opportunities for repentance, faith and salvation, and the sinfulness of sin. I also found it interesting that he finds no biblical warrant for the statement "he descended into hell" in many renderings of the Apostles Creed.
It's likely that not all readers will agree with all that the author says. That, in my mind is not a reason to not buy this book. Often, those who would reject the positions the author takes actually reject poor caricatures rather than the kind of carefully argued treatments this author gives us. Particularly with questions of ultimate destiny, a book like this challenges us to examine whether our beliefs are grounded in what we would like to be true, or hopeful speculations, or grounded in what scripture has made known to us. The reflection questions leave room for the reader to wrestle with these question on his or her own, and that the reader may or may not be convinced of what the author has written. I appreciate the approach here that does not shrink from setting forth what may be hard for some to accept, while giving the reader the space to reach his or her own conclusions.
________________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
December 19, 2021
Had some helpful and interesting parts on the distinction between soul and spirit, the intermediate state, the bodily resurrection, and Jesus’ supposed “descent into hell”. He holds to a refurbished earth which is a nock on the book (though not surprising), and he really has to jump through hoops on how infants are saved. His discussion of degrees of eternal rewards and punishments is interesting though also convoluted. Interesting book all in all. Half of it is worth reading and the other half not so much. I couldn’t give it a full endorsement, but It has been helpful and provoked a lot of thought.
September 7, 2020
I’m convinced that the afterlife is one of the most severely misunderstood aspects of biblical teaching. The way that Christians think of heaven and hell often stems more from pop culture than from the Bible. So what does the Bible actually teach? Alan Gomes has produced a very helpful resource for the reader wanting to know. The book is organized into 40 short chapters, each of which answers a question about heaven and hell. (It is actually 36 questions, but some were given two chapters to fit the “40 Questions” title of this book series.) These questions cover a broad range of topics, such as the nature of heaven and hell, and the important difference between the intermediate and eternal states. He also addresses some common questions that people ask, like “Will there be animals in the eternal state?” or “What happens to infants who die?” Though biblical evidence is scant for some of these topics, Gomes (mostly) avoids speculation and roots his answers in what the Bible actually says. As it turns out, Scripture has quite a lot to say!
Any treatment of heaven and hell will involve discussions on eschatology. Gomes clearly lays his cards on the table, identifying as dispensational. Specifically, he is pre-millenial, so he argues that there are two resurrections, one for the godly and one for the ungodly after the millennium. While he takes a clear stance, he respectfully presents other viewpoints and avoids dogmatism on the matter. He does the same for other topics, such as the nature of the New Jerusalem and whether it is figurative or literal. The exception to this was his chapter on annihilationism, which had a distinctively polemical tone.
Overall, this was a clear and well-organized book, and I would recommend it to anyone seeking to learn more about what happens to us after we die.
Any treatment of heaven and hell will involve discussions on eschatology. Gomes clearly lays his cards on the table, identifying as dispensational. Specifically, he is pre-millenial, so he argues that there are two resurrections, one for the godly and one for the ungodly after the millennium. While he takes a clear stance, he respectfully presents other viewpoints and avoids dogmatism on the matter. He does the same for other topics, such as the nature of the New Jerusalem and whether it is figurative or literal. The exception to this was his chapter on annihilationism, which had a distinctively polemical tone.
Overall, this was a clear and well-organized book, and I would recommend it to anyone seeking to learn more about what happens to us after we die.
April 28, 2023
I enjoyed reading a lot of Gomes' insights. Some of the questions, especially the last few, felt less thought out than others, and the ending of the book was really abrupt. 4.5 :)
September 26, 2020
This book is part of a series that introduces various theological topics by responding to 40 questions - one question per chapter. As such it is important to recognize at the outset that this is not meant to be an exhaustive treatment of the topic. Instead, it provides a high-level overview of Heaven and Hell from a Biblical perspective.
Gomes does a good job at providing succinct yet thorough answers to most questions. In particular, he has an emphasis on what the Biblical texts teach about Heaven and Hell, even when the teaching is uncomfortable. One note of caution, however, is that while Gomes references scripture often, he doesn't include the scriptural text in his book. So to get the most out of this book one needs to have a Bible open alongside in order to follow along with his exegesis.
It is also worth noting that this isn't what I would call a balanced treatment. Gomes doesn't hide his convictions, and often argues specifically for one approach to answering certain questions and against others. For example, he has chapters devoted to defending an Eternal Conscious Torment view of Hell, as well as others specifically combating competing alternatives of Universalism and Annihilationism. I suspect that proponents of these latter views would be unimpressed both with his presentations and critiques.
One main positive worth mentioning is that the book is well-suited for group study. The concise nature of each chapter and the fact that every chapter ends with a list of discussion questions makes this a good pick for anyone looking to study the doctrines of Heaven and Hell in a small group Bible study ot similar setting.
All things considered, this is a good book to have. In fact, if you're looking to dive into this topic I'd say this is an excellent place to start. But just know that what you're getting is a collection brief introductions into a myriad of important topics rather than an in depth dive into any of them.
Gomes does a good job at providing succinct yet thorough answers to most questions. In particular, he has an emphasis on what the Biblical texts teach about Heaven and Hell, even when the teaching is uncomfortable. One note of caution, however, is that while Gomes references scripture often, he doesn't include the scriptural text in his book. So to get the most out of this book one needs to have a Bible open alongside in order to follow along with his exegesis.
It is also worth noting that this isn't what I would call a balanced treatment. Gomes doesn't hide his convictions, and often argues specifically for one approach to answering certain questions and against others. For example, he has chapters devoted to defending an Eternal Conscious Torment view of Hell, as well as others specifically combating competing alternatives of Universalism and Annihilationism. I suspect that proponents of these latter views would be unimpressed both with his presentations and critiques.
One main positive worth mentioning is that the book is well-suited for group study. The concise nature of each chapter and the fact that every chapter ends with a list of discussion questions makes this a good pick for anyone looking to study the doctrines of Heaven and Hell in a small group Bible study ot similar setting.
All things considered, this is a good book to have. In fact, if you're looking to dive into this topic I'd say this is an excellent place to start. But just know that what you're getting is a collection brief introductions into a myriad of important topics rather than an in depth dive into any of them.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews