The Glory of Heaven: The Truth about Heaven, Angels and Eternal Life

by John F. MacArthur Jr., Leonard G. Goss (Editor)

If you're going to call it "home" for eternity, don't you want to know what it's like? Our pictures of life in heaven cover the range from comical to curious, from mystical to fictitious—with maybe some biblical truth thrown in. For We know angels will be there. But thanks to TV, we think of them as being gorgeous, white-robed beings with enormous wings. We know we will be given new bodies, but books have convinced us that that means we will we end up with a set of wings ourselves. And cartoons, movies, and modern music have portrayed those who have gone to heaven as having full knowledge of what's happening to their loved ones on earth. But if heaven is in your future, a Hollywood scriptwriter's interpretation or some artist's rendering of it just won't do. You need to know the truth, which, ironically, is far better than anything our creative minds can imagine. The only One who knows the glorious truth about heaven is God. And the only place to find that truth is in His Word. In this book, pastor John MacArthur takes you through those very Scriptures and opens your heart to the realities of heaven, angels, and eternal life. It's a joyous study of every Christian's future. A future that you can and should anticipate. Come along with this best-selling author for an in-depth look at where you'll spend eternity. Open up The Glory of Heaven and catch a glimpse of Home.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction, Christian Living, Religion, Christian Non Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 1996

About the author

John F. MacArthur, Jr. was a United States Calvinistic evangelical writer and minister, noted for his radio program entitled Grace to You and as the editor of the Gold Medallion Book Award-winning MacArthur Study Bible. MacArthur was a fifth-generation pastor, a popular author and conference speaker, and served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California beginning in 1969, as well as President of The Master’s College (and the related Master’s Seminary) in Santa Clarita, California.

Reviews

[Blue Morse · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most encouraging books I’ve read in a while. Last week I was able to meet with a brother in Christ a few hours before he passed away from cancer. His home-going stirred in me a desire to renew and refresh my mind on what his new heavenly home is like.

Overall, MacArthur’s book provides a solid biblical explanation of what heaven will be like, what we will be like in heaven, and an incredible description of the New Jerusalem, while answering some of the more random questions like “will we recognize one another?”, “what will happen to our earthly bodies?”, “what will our relationships be like?”, etc.

The only reason I gave it 4/5 stars is because, in typical MacArthur fashion, he spent way too much of the beginning of the book attacking the false accounts of people who have claimed to travel to heaven and back again (Ex: Heaven is for real).
In fact, I would recommend readers to just pick up with chapter 4 and skip the first three chapters entirely.

Some of my favorite quotes:
“We’re going to be with a person as much as we are going to live in a place. The presence of Christ is what makes heaven heaven.”

“As Christians, our highest satisfaction will come when we see our God and His Son, Jesus Christ, and we stand before them in perfect uprightness. Heaven will provide us with that privilege: the unclouded, undiminished, uninterrupted sight of his infinite glory and beauty, bringing us infinite and eternal delight.”

“According to these measurements, the New Jerusalem covers a length, width and height of fifteen hundred miles and surface area of 2.25 million square miles”...”How far is fifteen hundred miles? It is about the same as the distance from Maine to Florida. Imagine such an area squared off, then cubed, with multiple levels and millions of intersecting golden avenues. New Jerusalem is a place of unearthly majesty and beauty.”

[Bill Ver Velde · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book feels more like a rebuttal to the near death experience culture than an overview of heaven. MacArthur spends much of the book arguing against books like Heaven is for Real, 90 Minutes in Heaven, and What Happens When You Die. While I appreciate and agree with MacArthur's arguments against the heaven obsessed culture, it feels like I was the victim of a bait and switch. I wanted a book on heaven, not an argument against heaven culture.

I read this book immediately after reading Scot McKnight's The Heaven Promise. I feel like Scot does a better job of grounding our resurrected bodies in Jesus' resurrected body. MacArthur does talk about this but he fails to make the point as strongly as it should be made. I also like Scot's format of question and answer better than MacArthur's.

Perhaps I am being too hard on The Glory of Heaven since I am comparing it to Heaven Promise which I like better. But MacArthur's book feels more like playing defense while Scot McKnight plays offense.

[Rod Horncastle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm fascinated by people who claim to have gone to Heaven/Hell and back. But just like MacArthur; I know the truth is not in their stories. These poor deluded fools may not be lying - but what they claim does not match the Word of God, therefore it's best to ignore or critique their claims. And this book begins to question their accounts against the information God gave us in the Bible.

I think John MacArthur could have gone into way more detail in dealing with Burpo's Heavenly tale. (I don't blame the Burpo child for his thoughts - but Pastor Burpo should know better; especially when their book sets Daddy up as a divine preacher with magical Holy Spirit blessings. I bet Benny Hinn is kicking himself for not writing a book like this.)

This book does take us carefully into the Biblical account of Heaven. And that is what counts. Thanks John.

[Andrew Mulnix · Rating 3 out of 5]

The value of this book is in the critique of recent “heaven experiences” that are popular these days. He does this throughout the book and adds deeper critique in the appendices. Otherwise, MacArthur’s writing tone and style is annoying as ever.

[haileyyy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book awhile back, and oh boy, it was so amazing! I had never been understood Heaven in the way that MacArthur writes. I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more.

[Byron Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es un libro corto pero con un mensaje profundo acerca de la vida después de la muerte a la luz de la Biblia y que trata de clarificar la avalancha de información sobre este tema y también cubre una buena porción sobre los ángeles.

Como siempre, el autor enfoca su mensaje en lo que ha creído la iglesia a lo largo del tiempo con una evidencia respaldada en la Palabra De Dios. Súper recomendado.

[Wyatt Broshous · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like in his preaching, John MacArthur relies heavily on Scripture to indict popular cultural ideas that corrupt right views about heaven and to convey compelling images of our eternal home. Ultimately, his message is that our greatest hope and sustenance in this life is the promise of eternally beholding the glory of our God in the next.

[Whitney Frasier · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want a good Biblical account of what heaven is, then this book is for you. MacArthur debunks so many accounts written of people claiming to return from the dead. Good read. I do recommend.

[Clayton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came to the realization while reading this book that while John MacArthur may be a fantastic preacher, he isn't that great of a writer. This is the third book that I have read that MacArthur has written and each time I'm less impressed with his writing ability. I understand that writing a book is probably very challenging especially to stay on topic but I feel like when he rides a book he drifts off into things that are not as important or even relegated to what is being discussed. Maybe this is just a personal opinion of mine but when I read this book, I just wasn't that impressed with what he was doing. Largely, the first half of the book is mostly just a defense against what the secular world has said about heaven and the latter half is more what heaven is actually like. It's not until the last chapter that he even begins to talk about angels and their roles, which again is fine but it just felt very abrupt.

Nonetheless, that's not to say that there's nothing that can't be learned from him. There are some valuable insights and things that make you think about the glory of Heaven but overall I just wasn't that impressed with the way he wrote about things. I believe it was John Piper who wrote that those who have the greatest love and appreciation for Christ have the greatest understanding of what heaven is and is able to paint the most beautiful picture.. or something along those lines. This isn't to say that MacArthur doesn't have the greatest love and appreciation for Christ but reading his comparison of Heaven against somebody like Jonathan Edwards' description is night and day. Perhaps MacArthur is better at illuminating Christian doctrine and application rather than his ability to communicate through written word.

[Tanwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are many books written by John MacArthur that are as a result of a response to other books. This book is a response to a whole genre of "Heaven Tourism".

In the last decade, there has been an increase in book publications of people's accounts of going to Heaven, Hell, and other nead death experiences. In the first half of this book, MacArthur addressed the inaccuracies of these accounts and how these accounts were originally came from spiritualism, not Christianity.

The second half of this book, MacArthur describes what Biblical Heaven is like. However, this is where the book falls short. This is not my go-to-book in terms of heaven. There are other books out there that are better and more comprehensive on the subject of Heaven (eg. Randy Alcorn's Heaven).

Overall, this is a good critique book on the subject of heaven tourism which we certainly need today. However, if you want to learn more about biblical heaven, there are better books out there.

3 out of 5

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

MacArthur does a good job introducing the reader to a place call heaven. He uses the Bible to explain what heaven will be like, the New Jerusalem, and what will we be like in heaven. About half the book is an appendix 1 thru 4. There we read exert from Richard Baxter on the everlasting rest, The Kingdom of Heaven by Thomas Boston, and two sermons: one by Charles H. Spurgeon , and one by J. C. Ryle, both are sermons on heaven. There is also a Scripture and General index in the rear of the book.

[Josh Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good survey of a biblical heaven, and I think it's a very appropriate response to the fantastical "Christian" accounts of heaven after death. I must say however - what a dreary tone. I don't get how his writing gets so much praise.

[Susan Weeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biblical and insightful.

John MacArthur reminds us that we err when we stray from scripture and place someone's "experiences" above God's clear teaching in His Word.

[Randall R Gancarz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great biblical insights

Great biblical insights at a time when most people need it. John MacArthur never waters down what he wants to say. Good book to get grounded in

[Justin Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Colossians 3:1, the Apostle Paul encourages believers to seek heavenly things when he says, "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God." Some Evangelical Christians have taken this perhaps a little too far with a genre of books that is becoming increasingly popular to both Christians and Non-Christians alike: the ascension-into-heaven genre. Pastor Todd Burpo, for example, is making millions off of his child's claims that he went to heaven, first penning a book, "Heaven is for Real" and, more recently, a feature film. Even more recent, last week the publishing company "Tyndale House" (who publishes Christian fiction and non-fiction alike) pulled the book "The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven." Kevin Malarky wrote the book, after his son (who is now a quadriplegic after a tragic car accident) visited heaven. After a story leaked from the boys mother that both she and her son protested against the facts of the book, Tyndale pulled it from their shelves. There are others: 90 Minutes in Heaven, 23 Minutes in Hell, To Heaven and Back, among other. Clearly American is consumed with the afterlife. According to a poll in 2013, over 74 percent of Americans believe in Heaven. But this is the problem with this simple 'belief" and these stories: are they real? As you can see, the subtitles for most of these books include a sentence that says, "a true story."



If you know me at all, you will know that Dr. John MacArthur has heavily impacted my life, and I often attribute my salvation to his ministry. In this book, he delves into these miraculous occurrences and debunks these accounts by expounding on what the Bible tells us Heaven will be like and then compares this to the model that these writers have described. It is no small wonder that after reading this book, these accounts of Heaven are superficial, dangerous, confused, and little Biblical support.



While I don't want to regurgitate all the problems of these books, I want to stress an interesting point that Dr. MacArthur makes: very few people in the Bible see Heaven. When God does give man a glimpse into Heaven, the notion isn't one of irreverence as most of these books portray. I haven't read any of them personally, but from reading snippets, one can see that most people treat Jesus as their "buddy" and God is in the form of some kind of man or light. The picture of Heaven in the Bible when men do see in it is one of extreme reverence and even fear. For example, Issaiah glimpses into Heaven in chapter 6 of the book of the Bible with the same name, and after seeing the glory of God, he says,



"And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”



None of the characters in these books ever has a reaction like this, and yet this happens also to the Apostle John when he sees Heaven in Revelation. The point is that Heaven is often a place that people trivialize and fail to see what the Bible actually says about it. Even when you say the word "Heaven" out of it's context ("That [insert whatever] was so heavenly), we often times use it to describe the most wonderful thing we can imagine. And while that is what Heaven will be like, it will not be full of things that make us happy in this life.



No, Heaven will be much more grand for the Christian. Not only will we be in new, glorified bodies, but we will do nothing wrong, have no evil thoughts: indeed, we will be perfect. What is even more awesome than this, is that we will be with God, the creator of the world where there won't even need to be a sun because of His glorious light. And we will, for eternity, glorify Him.



There is a lot more to it than that, but if there's anything that Dr. MacArthur brought to my attention, it was that people like the Apostle Paul were Heaven minded. As he says in the Epistle to the Philippians, he longs to be in Heaven! The Heaven of the Bible will not be a boring place or a place where all our selfish desires are fulfilled, but it will be a place where the truest desires of the Christians heart will be fulfilled. As the Westminster Catechism puts it, "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever." That will become a reality in Heaven someday.



I strongly recommend this book for both Christians and Non-Christians who desire to know what the real Heaven will be like.

[Kev Willoughby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn't exactly what I thought it would be when I saw the title. Having already read Randy Alcorn's "Heaven," I figured this book would be along those same lines. Although there is some good information here about what we can expect in Heaven, it doesn't seem to be the main purpose of this book. Instead, John MacArthur's goal is to warn believers and non-believers alike that the current trend (even among Christian publishers) to produce stories of near-death experiences and alleged encounters in the afterlife often are at odds with what Scripture teaches us about Heaven and Hell.

Many of the books (if not all) that John MacArthur reviews within this title are published as "true stories," but the information relayed by the survivor of the near-death experience doesn't align with the teachings of Jesus, the Apostle Paul, Isaiah, and others from the Bible who have given us written information about what happens after we die. If we're not careful, MacArthur advises, we can easily be led astray by emotional and sincere accounts that are nothing more than dreams or imaginations of the authors. What's more, some of these best-selling authors of books that portray personal accounts of experiences in the afterlife are not even first person narratives--they may be writing on behalf of a child or other family member.

This is a pretty bold book to write, especially in a 21st century culture where everyone seems to have their own "truth" and no one expects to be questioned about any type of claim or assertion made, whether verbally or in written form. John MacArthur does some heavy lifting here, and I have to wonder how much grief he's probably taken for it.

However, according to 1 John 4:1, we're told, "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (CSB). As believers, we should constantly be on-guard, even when presented with books that were produced by Christian publishing companies. Just because a book has a respectable label doesn't mean we should take it as gospel. This is truly an eye-opening work and a welcome reminder that, as Paul warned us, the devil disguises himself as an angel of light. Even if none of the authors of books about personal experiences in the afterlife have intentionally tried to mislead anyone, the damage that those types of books can do through teaching concepts that are not supported by Scripture is quite serious.

The quote from John MacArthur that drives home the main idea of the book is this: "The sin that will keep you out of Heaven has no cure but the blood of Christ." That alone is the essential truth that seems to be missing from many books about experiencing Heaven. Although dying is necessary to get to Heaven, completing that step is certainly not the only pre-requisite for arrival.

[Kim Nolywaika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who has lost a loved one wants to know where that person is now. For the believer in Jesus, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord 2 Cor 5:8. But where is that? And what is it like there? And what are they doing up there right now, anyway?

Unfortunately, there is a lot of nonsense being tossed about regarding death, Heaven, the afterlife, and particularly angels. Much of it is sad delusion – people making up whatever they want to believe. Much more of it is a seduction, drawing the vulnerable into error and spiritual danger.

Subtitled, The Truth About Heaven, Angels, and Eternal Life, John MacArthur delivers the promised Truth and more.

The Glory of Heaven (Second Edition): The Truth about Heaven, Angels, and Eternal Life is not a technical work for theologians. It is a clear presentation, in plain English, of what God says about His Heaven, what we will find (and not find) there, and what is required to get there. It is concise enough for a busy (or grieving) reader without glossing over the issues that we want most to know about.

Of particular interest is Pastor MacArthur’s Biblical insight into the contemporary literary genre which focuses on near death experiences and the afterlife. He gives us extensive reviews of several of the most popular of these best sellers, shedding the light of scripture on falsehood and delusion.

But my favorite chapters in this book explain to us “What Heaven Will Be Like” and “What We Will Be Like.” While the Bible does not give us all the particulars we would like to have, these two chapters handle what the Bible does say about it. All the pertinent verses are examined in detail, giving us an accurate and clear a picture of Heaven as is possible for us to have.

God’s Word has all we need to know about Heaven, and John MacArthur is a reliable and able teacher. I am not interested in fairy tales or wishful thinking or opinions of the uninformed. I want the Truth about Heaven.

Because that is where my son is.

[Andy Febrico Bintoro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I don't know what genre this book fall into. It's begin with critics towards Todd Burpo and other books concerning going to heaven and back. The author also criticize evangelical: "Unfortunately, the evangelical response to these trends has been weak." About criticize pentecostal and charismatic, The author's view was all televangelist on charismatic doctrine was about healing and prosperity. Well, though there are also many books that write in detail about these topics, and again the author fall in the generalization about other denomination teachings out there.

The author was a great expositor, I agree with majority here, but not for interdenominational. Many things in his books concerning pentecostal doctrine, The author was not including these doctrines. The author claimed that his teaching was biblical, and I agree with that. But, also, The author not including some verses which posed difficulties to his teachings. Why not the author explained all verses including heaven, angels, and other Eschatology terms rather than choose some in this book for the exegesis.

Let say that the author was a great expositor, biblical expositor I agree, but not other books expositor, for the author seems can't understand the context of other books writing purpose.

[Morgan Bostedt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why the 5 stars and yet a critique? Because, despite its imperfections, this book has impacted my faith in unexpected ways.

This book starts with a very strong argument against gone-to-heaven-and-back stories. I love MacArthur and his no nonsense approach, but the beginning of the book and the appendixes in the back make readers feel like they’re listening to that annoying friend who just rants too much. You start to tune it out, even when your friend is right.

Now, the middle of the book changed me forever. I didn’t realize how my uncertainties in heaven affected my faith. I didn’t realize there was so much to know about heaven. I didn’t realize how my lack of knowledge affected me. I highly recommend this book. I would give it as a gift more freely, through, if I didn’t feel like I had to apologize for the lengthy rebuttals turned rants in the first quarter of the book.

Despite these things, I have been blessed by this book and am once again grateful for MacArthur’s teachings.

[Mwansa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is an interesting book. I did not come into it with an appreciation of how influential the books son heaven have been in the western world. In this sense the book showed the shocking level of naïveté on one end and fantasy on the other, of the people who indulge in such books.

God has given us his word as the ultimate guide for all of life, yet we stray so far away from what it says in order to scratch an itch. We do this in ways that simply do not satisfy the need. MacArthur has put together a very helpful book that deals with the misconceptions regarding heaven.

One big takeaway from the book is that once you lose sight of God your image of heaven looks more like you are God, which is the narcissistic version of things, or it makes heaven look like a bore, which is the prudish and thoroughly lacking in imagination way of looking at heaven. It was a very good book to read. Well worth the four stars

[Mandy Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! I highly recommend for everyone. MacArthur speaks truth. I have to admit I’m just now learning about this New Age stuff and how misleading it is. I’ve heard many Christian friends say things like, “Speak good things into being.” I’ve tried it and it just doesn’t feel right. I didn’t know until here recently that it was new age nonsense. I’m glad he reviewed the books written about near death experiences. I feel like most if not all are nonsense. From what I’ve been reading and studying it seems like once you get to Heaven, there’s no coming back to Earth until Jesus comes back in all His glory and redemption. Besides…why would you want to come back anyways? If God takes you, He takes you and things will be infinitely better than Earth and this life. Beware of this new age nonsense folks…be on your guard of so much false teachings and false teachers.

[Deeps George · Rating 4 out of 5]

NDE and Heaven seems to be the focus of the new age religions , a constant search and attraction to the life after death which tries to show us as glorified beings . This is completely contrary to the Word of God and the purpose of the visions stated in the books of Isaiah , Daniel and Revelations where the glory is God’s and everything that surrounds Him. This book provides us clarity of this subject as well establishes the fallacy that surrounds the concept of heaven as stated by new age religious teachers claiming to be Christians.
A book to be read and understood from Biblical perspective at the same time calls unto us to redirect our attention to Him rather than our desires and dreams of afterlife.

[Hank Pharis · Rating 3 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.

[Stacie Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my second time reading this book and I did enjoy it. It was a nice summary of what heaven is like without a bunch of added non-biblical commentary. I feel like a lot of books on heaven nowadays are scams to try to get you to fantasize about a place that doesn’t really look like what they describe. Most books on heaven don’t correlate with each other however this book sticks strictly to the word of God. I appreciate that. The only thing with this book was that it was a little dry and outdated for me. The appendix of sermons was too flowery for me. That’s why I gave this book 3 stars. Not because the continent wasn’t biblical, but because I didn’t enjoy the reading style overall. John MacArthur has better books than this in my opinion.

[Shaun Pua · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭13‬:‭11‬-‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[David Rough · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a solid book based on the biblical texts.
My only criticism is that the author took a great deal of space sharing the inaccuracies and inconsistencies of other books from those who claim a near-death experience. I would have preferred a book of truth, emphasizing the realities of heaven and angels with just a little less on the misguided views of man.

This is definitely a good book to read.

[Ryan Bibledingers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really solid book giving a solid overview of heaven. A good portion of this was sort of an apologetic work against the near death heaven experience books that were very popular for a while. That part is good I suppose but not really what I bought the book for. I was really looking for a theological overview of heaven and the middle portion of this book was excellent for that.

[Sharon Zink · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing I haven't read before, except his critique of Betty somebody's series starting with Embraced by the Light. Three of the appendices were better than the book: the ones by Ryle, Spurgeon, and Baxter. I didn't care for the essay by John Boston; didn't even finish it. It was full of platitudes and repetition.

[Tiffani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the digital version of this because I got a great deal through Crossway— I don’t prefer this method of reading especially for study, but a deal is a deal, amiright?

I for sure prefer Randy Alcorn’s book on Heaven, and felt like I learned a little more, but this was still so good to remind me that this world is (thankfully) not my eternal home.

[Allen Mandap · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall good book except that other things dominated the book more than what the title says. Lots of rebuttal to false teachings/writings about heaven which are primarily based on near death experiences vs Scriptures.
I did like the parts where he actually talked about Heaven, the New Jerusalem, and glorification.