Crossing the Threshold of Eternity: What the Dying Can Teach the Living

by Robert L. Wise

Exploring an issue of fascination for many people, an archbishop in the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches tackles the topic of death through powerful stories and assures Christians that there is life beyond the grave.

Genres: Christian Living, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2007

About the author

Robert L. Wise, Ph.D. is the author or coauthor of twenty-four books. He is a bishop in the communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches and has planted churches around the world. Dr. Wise and his wife, Margueritte, live in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Reviews

[Teresa Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book ended up being quite a surprise. The more I read, the more I learned. Death is nothing to be afraid of. People who are dying have so much they can teach us. I think the Lord uses these situations so that the rest of us will not fear the transition when our time comes or when we go through it with a loved one. I appreciate the author's insights on the "snapshots" and also how he shared the way he prepares himself for prayer. Robert L. Wise is using his spiritual gifts for the glory of the Lord. I truly appreciated this book.

[Donna Winters · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book opens with two powerful snapshots. I’ll try to condense the stories. A hospice nurse, Cindi, was checking on several patients. The first snapshot is of Betty Meier, an 80-something woman who was an agnostic and afraid to die. The second snapshot is of Al Harris who was also an agnostic and refused to talk about death.

On one particular day, Cindi started with a visit to Betty. She had seen something that was like a dream but she wasn’t dreaming. Cindi tested Betty’s rationality with an array of questions and then listened to Betty’s story. She had seen two little boys who had died and were in a holding realm. They were afraid and didn’t know what to do. Then, they figured out that there was a path out of this holding area. Hand in hand, they started down that road and it was like heaven broke out in rejoicing. The wind began to blow at their backs and the boys became happy as they went into eternity. All of Betty’s fears vanished.

At the end of that long day, Cindi visited Al. He was resting better and said he wasn’t worried anymore. He’d had a “twilight experience” the night before. He saw two little boys that had lost their way trying to get into eternity. They didn’t know how to get out of the realm you go to right after you die. Then, they found a path, and Al started blowing as hard as he could to help them go forward. The wind picked up, and as Al watched them find their way down the route into eternity, his fears disappeared.

Betty and Al lived miles apart, had never met, or talked to one another.

The above stories are a sample of the anecdotal material found throughout this book. The author also references Elisabeth Kubler Ross who has written more than one book on death, dying, and the hereafter. He also refers to Raymond Moody, a psychiatrist who wrote the book Life after Life which was published in 1975.

I read Moody’s book shortly after it came out. It was a study of 150 people and their near-death experiences. It was very reassuring about the hereafter.

Wise’s book, Crossing the Threshold of Eternity, brings together the findings of Kubler Ross, Moody, and experiences of many who have reported near-death experiences in the years since. Wise draws conclusions based on his careful study of scripture and of hundreds of near-death anecdotes that have been collected since these earlier books were written. He addresses objections, produces a list of seven final steps, and writes about pieces that don’t fit. In the final section of the book he encourages those who attend the dying to listen carefully to what the dying have to say and not to dismiss their stories out of hand.

[Roberta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another of my mom's pile of life after death books that were passed on to me.

This book has many small stories of NDE and brings in examples and explanations from other works and studies.

The author seemed so surprised in the story of Alicia, " while Alicia had not been trained in a Christian environment or brought up around the church, the realities of heaven had somehow opened up for her. It took only a little nudging from me to help her name and identify what she was experiencing." He had a very insular Christian reaction. God and the afterlife are not the exclusive property of Christianity, this is where I, personally, get frustrated with these Guidepost NDE books.

The "snapshots" of people's experiences contained within the book are still interesting and affirmative even if the reader isn't coming from a Christian perspective.

[Ally Jindra · Rating 3 out of 5]

i know this has nothing to do with the actual contents of this book. however, first and foremost, i have to address the way this book was bound. amazing, 10/10, no breaking in necessary. despite it being a hardcover, the book opened and read so easily — that is top-tier for me.
secondly, i did enjoy reading this book. i’ve experienced my fair share of deaths and this confirmed for me what i already knew. that’s always comforting.
this book did _not_ convert me back to christianity, but it did once more put the fear of hell, or going to hell, back in me. so, there’s that…
quick, nice, easy read. can’t get better than that 🤷‍♀️

[Elizabeth DuPont · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine dissertation on near death experiences

Most of the vignettes are quite believable. This should be good reading for both believers & nonbelievers. Listen and absorb.

[MKF]

DNF.

[Deborah Hecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am drawn to books about near death experiences and this included end of life experiences. I enjoyed reading this book. It differed somewhat from my own religious beliefs, but agreed on many other points. I felt the Spirit in many of the cases mentioned, about how God is there for us in these times of greatest need. I am very glad I read this book.