If I Should Die Before I Wake: What's Beyond This Life?

by K. Scott Oliphint, Sinclair B. Ferguson

'Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.' New England Primer, 1737. According to the pollsters, a belief in Heaven is actually on the increase. Although the thought of Heaven may be popular, probably less thought is given as to how to get there than your annual holiday. It is only when events rudely awaken us that we are pressed into asking some of the serious questions about the place where most people expect to go. Sometimes the prompt is our children with a plaintive "Where is Grandma now?" Mostly, though, thoughts of heaven, and more particularly the death that precedes going there, are pushed out by the hedonistic lifestyle that most of us live. If the purpose of life is simply to enjoy then an absence of life (i.e. death) is a recipe for no fun at all! But still we believe in Heaven. In this contemporary classic Scott and Sinclair discuss why no one really dies of 'natural causes', give true/false answers to the reasons people think will get them to heaven, explain what the Bible has to say about the future, what Heaven is like and how to be ready for death. Facing death enables us to face life - knowing more about your future makes an enormous difference to the present. It's time you looked your future square in the face and thought 'What does it hold for me?'

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1995

About the author

Dr. K. Scott Oliphint Is professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. He is a graduate of West Texas State University (B.A., 1978) and Westminster (M.A.R., 1983; Th.M, 1984; Ph.D., 1994). An ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Dr. Oliphint served in pastoral ministry in Texas before coming to Westminster in 1991. He is the author of numerous books and articles, including The Battle Belongs to the Lord: The Power of Scripture for Defending Our Faith; Reasons For Faith; Revelation and Reason; "Epistemology and Christian Belief," (Westminster Theological Journal, Fall 2001); "Something Much Too Plain to Say," (Westminster Theological Journal, Fall 2006).

Reviews

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short and really good overview on why we should spend more time considering our own deaths.

[Monica English · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read with profound insights.

[Thiofhitshithu Rabali · Rating 3 out of 5]

a book that give hope when looking at life. explains about what we should expect or rather what we should look forward to when we pass away from this life ... there are greater things

[Kyle Oliphint · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good.

[Carol Nicholls]

ex book on a subject we do not always think about or discuss much. thought provoking.