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55 Answers to Questions about Life After Death
Four thousand years ago, amid tragic suffering and death, Job asked the question of the “If a man dies, will he live again?” Since the dawn of history, the subject of death and the afterlife has been the great question of human existence. It’s a subject that everyone wonders about. What lies behind the veil of death? Is there really life after death? Is there a place called hell? This small yet power-packed book answers, in a very straightforward, reader-friendly format, all the most-asked questions ordinary people have about death, near-death experiences, cremation, purgatory, hell, heaven, and our future bodies. You’ll be amazed at what awaits us beyond the grave.Is There Sex in Heaven? It’s a fair question! And so are the rest. Go ahead…flip to the table of contents. Discover another one, two, or fifty-four others that are guaranteed to intrigue you. Questions Do those in heaven know what’s happening on earth? and Will I see my pets in heaven? Because even if you’d rather avoid the topic, death will not avoid you. So fire away! Ask the tough questions, and get the dead-on answers you need. Straightforward and easy to read, 55 Answers to Questions About Life After Death satisfies that nagging, curious voice whispering from the corner of your mind. Story Behind the Book“Three key experiences in my life have come together to make this book a reality. First, as the pastor of a local church for thirteen years, I have had the privilege of visiting people who are facing imminent death, conducting funerals, and ministering to grieving families. During these times people often have probing questions about life after death. Second, due to my interest and writing in the area of Bible prophecy, I am frequently asked questions about the afterlife at conferences and via e-mail. Third, all kinds of books, TV shows, and groups out there today are fostering unbiblical views of life after death. Knowing that this is a subject of universal interest and great confusion, I have a passionate desire to create a user-friendly, clear, straightforward resource to answer all the key questions that people everywhere are asking about life’s greatest mystery.”
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 3, 2005
92 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Mark Hitchcock
110 books114 followersMark Hitchcock was born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He attended Oklahoma State University and graduated from law school in 1984. After working for a judge at the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals for four years, Mark was led to attend Dallas Theological Seminary, graduating in 1991. Since that time, he has served as senior pastor of Faith Bible Church in Edmond, Oklahoma. He completed his PhD at Dallas Theological Seminary in 2005 and serves as an associate professor of Bible exposition at DTS. He has authored over thirty books related to end-time Bible prophecy that have sold over one million copies. His books have been translated into over ten languages. Mark is a frequent speaker at churches and prophecy conferences both in the United States and internationally. Mark and his wife, Cheryl, live in Edmond, Oklahoma. They have two sons, Justin (married to Natalee) and Samuel, and two grandchildren..
You can also connect with Mark on Facebook
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 24, 2023
A FINE SUMMARY OF RESPONSES TO COMMON QUESTIONS
Author Mark Hitchcock wrote in the Introduction to this 2005 book, “the Discovery Channel featured a program about the ten great mysteries of the world… the overwhelming number one mystery was life after death. It’s a subject that everyone wonders about… More Americans than ever… believe in life after death… Even so…it seems that most don’t have much of an idea about what happens to people when they die. Questions abound… In this answer-packed, fast-paced book I want to clearly and simply address the real questions that people like you and me have about what awaits us beyond the grace. The Bible doesn’t answer all the questions we have about the afterlife, but I think you’ll be amazed at how much the pages of Scriptures do reveal about this intriguing topic.”
He states, “The doctrine of purgatory has several serious problems… two main difficulties stand out. First… The Doctrine of purgatory exposes the false belief that salvation is really by faith PLUS works. In purgatory, man… endures punishment for his own sin… a second fatal flaw… The clear teaching of Scripture makes it plain that when a true believer in Jesus Christ dies, he or she enjoys immediate, conscious, personal fellowship with Him---with no mention of a stopping-off place in between. Consider [2 Cor 5:8; Phil 1:23]…” (Pg. 42-44)
He explains, “Many Christians have been taught that it is their responsibility to pray either FOR or TO those who have already died… Both of these practices are completely unbiblical… Those who have died and gone on to heaven don’t need our prayers. They are with Jesus Christ in glory… And those who have died and gone to hades are there forever… So there is no reason to pray for them either.” (Pg. 45-46)
He says of Near-Death Experiences [NDE], “The fact that people come back from whatever state they were in is proof that they didn’t really die. Why, then, should we put any stock in what they purport to tell us about the afterlife?... much of the idle speculation that is related from NDEs sounds more occultic and New Age than truly biblical… the only reliable source of information about the afterlife is the Bible… I’m not saying that every NDE is demonic. I believe many are due to chemicals released in the brain… I’m sure many people who have had them are true believers in Christ.” (Pg. 55)
Of cremation, he argues, “Believers are always buried in the Bible… burial highlights the sanctity of the human body as created by God in His image… Christian tradition clearly favors burial as a symbol of the promise of future resurrection… Jesus was buried… The first known cremation in America did not occur until 1876… we need to ask … what are we communicating to our families, friends, and community about our beliefs by our choice to be buried or cremated?... Having said all this, we must recognize that cremation is not an issue affecting salvation in any way…” (Pg. 82-85)
After quoting 1 Peter 3:18-20, he comments, “While this difficult text could be interpreted in several different ways, it cannot mean that Jesus went and preached the gospel to people in hell to give them a second chance at salvation… As much as people might hold out hope for an escape route from hell, the Bible is clear that no such escape route exists… Nothing can change one’s fate after death…” (Pg. 112)
He argues, “dozens of books have been written by people who claim to have visited heaven and/or hell and then come back to give the rest of us a firsthand preview… There are many problems with these kinds of books… let me mention the two main problems … First, those who claim to have visited heaven and then come back to report what they say are placing themselves in very select company… God reserved this incredible experience for only one Old Testament prophet, Isaiah… and two first-century apostles---Paul and John… The Bible consistently reveals a cautious reserve and reticence to reveal too much about heaven or hell… the Bible strongly warns us not to go beyond the revelation God has given us about heaven or other areas of biblical truth.” (Pg. 137-138)
Do people in Heaven see events on earth? He argues, “the Bible does reveal that people in heaven are aware of at least some events that transpire on earth… The Bible declines to give us any specific details as to whether God will limit our knowledge of events on earth… Some people… question why God would allow those in heaven to … see all the sin, sorrow, and misery in this world… Even so, Scriptures tell us that those in heaven know at least some of what is happening on earth and follow these events with intense interest…” (Pg. 182)
He poses the question, “How can Christians enjoy heaven knowing that people are in hell?” and responds, “I must confess I have asked this myself many times… how can we experience no sorrow for those we know who are now in hell? One solution … is to conclude that in heaven the Lord will purge our memory of our lost loved ones and friends and the existence of hell… The best solution … [is that] in heaven we will have a perfected spirit with an ability to see things clearly from the divine perspective… [we] will know that those who have rejected Him do not deserve to be in His presence…. recognizing the holiness and grace of God, we will unendingly thank Him for our salvation and understand … His righteous, eternal punishment of the lost.” (Pg. 184-185)
Of people who commit suicide, he suggests, “There are seven accounts of suicide in the Bible… in none of these cases does the Bible ever state that the person was condemned to hell for committing suicide… while we may not like to admit it, even a true believer can become so troubled, depressed, or even mentally ill that he or she might seek to ‘end it all’… I believe the Bible teaches that the Lord will welcome home any person who has trusted Him, regardless of what he or she has done… nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ.” (Pg. 221-223)
He also argues, “Although not all would agree that Scripture does not say conclusively whether our pets will be in heaven, three key points lead us to believe that animals in general---and pets in particular---will be with us on the other side. First, animals were part of the original creation of God that was declared ‘good’… Second, the Bible affirms from beginning to end that animals have souls. In Genesis 1:20, 24 we find the Hebrew word for ‘soul’ (nepes) used of animals… Third, in the millennial kingdom… animals will be present in abundance… since animals exist in the millennium, this at least establishes a precedent for suggesting that animals will populate the eternal state…” (Pg. 229-231)
Do infants and children who die go to heaven? He states, “there is a deafening biblical silence concerning any infants or children in hell… there are at least three significant points we should keep in mind. One… every person who grows to maturity, except those with serious mental challenges, reaches a point of personal, oral accountability before God to either accept or reject the gospel of Jesus Christ. Two… If a child dies before reaching this age of accountability… the Lord applies the saving benefits of Christ’s redeeming work to that person…. Three… the saving grace of God would also embrace preborn children---those whose lives are terminated by miscarriage or abortion.” (Pg. 235-236)
This concise book will be of great interest to biblical Christians studying such questions.
Author Mark Hitchcock wrote in the Introduction to this 2005 book, “the Discovery Channel featured a program about the ten great mysteries of the world… the overwhelming number one mystery was life after death. It’s a subject that everyone wonders about… More Americans than ever… believe in life after death… Even so…it seems that most don’t have much of an idea about what happens to people when they die. Questions abound… In this answer-packed, fast-paced book I want to clearly and simply address the real questions that people like you and me have about what awaits us beyond the grace. The Bible doesn’t answer all the questions we have about the afterlife, but I think you’ll be amazed at how much the pages of Scriptures do reveal about this intriguing topic.”
He states, “The doctrine of purgatory has several serious problems… two main difficulties stand out. First… The Doctrine of purgatory exposes the false belief that salvation is really by faith PLUS works. In purgatory, man… endures punishment for his own sin… a second fatal flaw… The clear teaching of Scripture makes it plain that when a true believer in Jesus Christ dies, he or she enjoys immediate, conscious, personal fellowship with Him---with no mention of a stopping-off place in between. Consider [2 Cor 5:8; Phil 1:23]…” (Pg. 42-44)
He explains, “Many Christians have been taught that it is their responsibility to pray either FOR or TO those who have already died… Both of these practices are completely unbiblical… Those who have died and gone on to heaven don’t need our prayers. They are with Jesus Christ in glory… And those who have died and gone to hades are there forever… So there is no reason to pray for them either.” (Pg. 45-46)
He says of Near-Death Experiences [NDE], “The fact that people come back from whatever state they were in is proof that they didn’t really die. Why, then, should we put any stock in what they purport to tell us about the afterlife?... much of the idle speculation that is related from NDEs sounds more occultic and New Age than truly biblical… the only reliable source of information about the afterlife is the Bible… I’m not saying that every NDE is demonic. I believe many are due to chemicals released in the brain… I’m sure many people who have had them are true believers in Christ.” (Pg. 55)
Of cremation, he argues, “Believers are always buried in the Bible… burial highlights the sanctity of the human body as created by God in His image… Christian tradition clearly favors burial as a symbol of the promise of future resurrection… Jesus was buried… The first known cremation in America did not occur until 1876… we need to ask … what are we communicating to our families, friends, and community about our beliefs by our choice to be buried or cremated?... Having said all this, we must recognize that cremation is not an issue affecting salvation in any way…” (Pg. 82-85)
After quoting 1 Peter 3:18-20, he comments, “While this difficult text could be interpreted in several different ways, it cannot mean that Jesus went and preached the gospel to people in hell to give them a second chance at salvation… As much as people might hold out hope for an escape route from hell, the Bible is clear that no such escape route exists… Nothing can change one’s fate after death…” (Pg. 112)
He argues, “dozens of books have been written by people who claim to have visited heaven and/or hell and then come back to give the rest of us a firsthand preview… There are many problems with these kinds of books… let me mention the two main problems … First, those who claim to have visited heaven and then come back to report what they say are placing themselves in very select company… God reserved this incredible experience for only one Old Testament prophet, Isaiah… and two first-century apostles---Paul and John… The Bible consistently reveals a cautious reserve and reticence to reveal too much about heaven or hell… the Bible strongly warns us not to go beyond the revelation God has given us about heaven or other areas of biblical truth.” (Pg. 137-138)
Do people in Heaven see events on earth? He argues, “the Bible does reveal that people in heaven are aware of at least some events that transpire on earth… The Bible declines to give us any specific details as to whether God will limit our knowledge of events on earth… Some people… question why God would allow those in heaven to … see all the sin, sorrow, and misery in this world… Even so, Scriptures tell us that those in heaven know at least some of what is happening on earth and follow these events with intense interest…” (Pg. 182)
He poses the question, “How can Christians enjoy heaven knowing that people are in hell?” and responds, “I must confess I have asked this myself many times… how can we experience no sorrow for those we know who are now in hell? One solution … is to conclude that in heaven the Lord will purge our memory of our lost loved ones and friends and the existence of hell… The best solution … [is that] in heaven we will have a perfected spirit with an ability to see things clearly from the divine perspective… [we] will know that those who have rejected Him do not deserve to be in His presence…. recognizing the holiness and grace of God, we will unendingly thank Him for our salvation and understand … His righteous, eternal punishment of the lost.” (Pg. 184-185)
Of people who commit suicide, he suggests, “There are seven accounts of suicide in the Bible… in none of these cases does the Bible ever state that the person was condemned to hell for committing suicide… while we may not like to admit it, even a true believer can become so troubled, depressed, or even mentally ill that he or she might seek to ‘end it all’… I believe the Bible teaches that the Lord will welcome home any person who has trusted Him, regardless of what he or she has done… nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ.” (Pg. 221-223)
He also argues, “Although not all would agree that Scripture does not say conclusively whether our pets will be in heaven, three key points lead us to believe that animals in general---and pets in particular---will be with us on the other side. First, animals were part of the original creation of God that was declared ‘good’… Second, the Bible affirms from beginning to end that animals have souls. In Genesis 1:20, 24 we find the Hebrew word for ‘soul’ (nepes) used of animals… Third, in the millennial kingdom… animals will be present in abundance… since animals exist in the millennium, this at least establishes a precedent for suggesting that animals will populate the eternal state…” (Pg. 229-231)
Do infants and children who die go to heaven? He states, “there is a deafening biblical silence concerning any infants or children in hell… there are at least three significant points we should keep in mind. One… every person who grows to maturity, except those with serious mental challenges, reaches a point of personal, oral accountability before God to either accept or reject the gospel of Jesus Christ. Two… If a child dies before reaching this age of accountability… the Lord applies the saving benefits of Christ’s redeeming work to that person…. Three… the saving grace of God would also embrace preborn children---those whose lives are terminated by miscarriage or abortion.” (Pg. 235-236)
This concise book will be of great interest to biblical Christians studying such questions.
June 20, 2018
What this book does well is cover a lot of questions people have in very short snippets. It uses Scripture, for the most part to back up the answers which is definitely what someone wanting to read this would look for. It also does so from dispensationalism point of view for whatever that might be worth to you knowing.
That being said, the book has several faults. The author likes to use poll data a lot to start the answer to the question. It gets to a point where you end up skipping it because it doesn't really add to the answer. The questions are already short by design, there's no need to add the padding. Also, knowing that the book is designed for short answers there's a lot of times where a bit more spaced needed to address other possibilities or claims or just implications to the answers (such as the "age of accountability" with no discussion on how original sin fits into that answer). Sometimes the author chooses to use the answer to the question to jump off on talking about the Rapture or something end times related; a little shoe horned in.
There are other times where some of the answers or at least implications of the answers are stated without Scriptural support. This doesn't happen all the time but it happens enough to make note of it. There was a few times where his Scriptural support was wrong. Let me be clear and say that what I'm not calling him is heretical, as seems to be quite prevalent online. He is just sometimes wrong. For example, to support his claim that people in Heaven look down on the Earth he uses Hebrews 12's "great cloud of witnesses". However, context puts that in saying that the church is built upon those who came before. There are other Scriptural citations that are surface level uses that don't really support what's being said. Again, not heretical and not all the time, but needs to be checked.
Overall, it's not a bad book and is probably a good primer for someone who's just got a couple of questions on the subject or looking for a quick study. I was left a little unsatisfied but that's ok. Final Grade - C-
That being said, the book has several faults. The author likes to use poll data a lot to start the answer to the question. It gets to a point where you end up skipping it because it doesn't really add to the answer. The questions are already short by design, there's no need to add the padding. Also, knowing that the book is designed for short answers there's a lot of times where a bit more spaced needed to address other possibilities or claims or just implications to the answers (such as the "age of accountability" with no discussion on how original sin fits into that answer). Sometimes the author chooses to use the answer to the question to jump off on talking about the Rapture or something end times related; a little shoe horned in.
There are other times where some of the answers or at least implications of the answers are stated without Scriptural support. This doesn't happen all the time but it happens enough to make note of it. There was a few times where his Scriptural support was wrong. Let me be clear and say that what I'm not calling him is heretical, as seems to be quite prevalent online. He is just sometimes wrong. For example, to support his claim that people in Heaven look down on the Earth he uses Hebrews 12's "great cloud of witnesses". However, context puts that in saying that the church is built upon those who came before. There are other Scriptural citations that are surface level uses that don't really support what's being said. Again, not heretical and not all the time, but needs to be checked.
Overall, it's not a bad book and is probably a good primer for someone who's just got a couple of questions on the subject or looking for a quick study. I was left a little unsatisfied but that's ok. Final Grade - C-
September 10, 2018
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and it gave me a lot to think about. The only glaring flaw I found was poor punctuation usage. I worried that anyone who wasn't a believer would be put off by the obvious punctuation mistakes that might dilute his message and cause readers to think his message was amateurish and as poor as the editing. I don't know if these were due to sloppy editing, as I said, or no editing, or perhaps a glitch with the computer used. In any event, I found myself itching to grab my computer and correct them. In any event, that did tend to distract me enough to make reading it less pleasurable than it could have been.
That said, I did enjoy what he had to say. Many of the questions were things I had wondered about myself and his use of scripture helped me understand the answers.
All in all, this book is well worth reading. Just be prepared to want to correct it!
That said, I did enjoy what he had to say. Many of the questions were things I had wondered about myself and his use of scripture helped me understand the answers.
All in all, this book is well worth reading. Just be prepared to want to correct it!
October 22, 2024
Excellent!
55 Answers to Questions about Life After Death is an excellent book. Dr. Hitchcock's answers are solid and based on Scripture. So, I used this book as a teaching tool for a small-group Bible study which was very well received. Most people are so focused on this life that they don't give much thought to the next one. This book will help you understand your future.
55 Answers to Questions about Life After Death is an excellent book. Dr. Hitchcock's answers are solid and based on Scripture. So, I used this book as a teaching tool for a small-group Bible study which was very well received. Most people are so focused on this life that they don't give much thought to the next one. This book will help you understand your future.
September 3, 2018
Great read
This book have me much to think about. I already know that I am going to Heaven . This answered a lot of questions I have always had. I wish you would write more questions books. You make the Bible so easy to understand.
This book have me much to think about. I already know that I am going to Heaven . This answered a lot of questions I have always had. I wish you would write more questions books. You make the Bible so easy to understand.
August 9, 2019
While I enjoyed much of this book it made me wonder about the author who discredits people who have not died as to what they have seen. While he has not yet been there himself he is answering questions based on the bible and theology.
December 3, 2018
A must read
Eye opening answers with scripture to back up. Just finished and looking forward to other books in related series. Love it
Eye opening answers with scripture to back up. Just finished and looking forward to other books in related series. Love it
February 26, 2022
Filled with great information.
June 12, 2012
I am currently reading this book and it deserves 5 stars! I usually don't care for "religious" books because most of them are theological; not this book. The chapters are in the form of questions (55, to be specific). Most people on the planet, at one time or another, have pondered or asked these questions. It is also very thought provoking and "hard to put down". Mark combines both Bibical answers and "down to earth" answers.
March 21, 2013
Concise, to the point, and without fluff and filler. Hitchcock doesn't go graduate level on the simple things. Instead, he boils it all down to what people need to know about life after death according to the Bible, and puts it in terms that everyone can understand, learn from, and accept.
January 31, 2016
read this SOMETIME in 2009
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews