Is Heaven Real?: Meditations on Scriptures about the Afterlife

by Zondervan

Overview

Is Heaven Real? It seems this is an eternal question; one that is as relevant today as at any time in history. This much-debated topic has spurred untold numbers of books, blogs, discussions, and sermons – but in the end, what matters most is what the Bible says about heaven. This ebook is the place to turn to find the answer. Packed with carefully selected scripture from the popular New International Version (NIV) of the Bible, Is Heaven Real? also includes fascinating and reassuring quotations from trusted contemporary and ancient authors. Broken into sections, this ebook guides you through the big questions: What and where is heaven? What can I expect after death? What does the Bible say about the experience of this mysterious, wonderful place? So dig in, read what the Bible reveals about heaven, and spend a few minutes meditating on what it means for your life—here and now, today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310443063
Publisher:	Zondervan
Publication date:	11/22/2011
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	96
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Jean E. Syswerda is first and foremost a wife, a mom, and a grandma. She has three grown children, all married, and ten fabulous grandchildren. She and her husband of almost fifty years live in Allendale, MI. Jean is an author and a former editor and associate publisher at Zondervan Publishing House, where her passion grew for exceptional Bibles that encourage readers to dig deep into God's Word. She has written numerous books and Bible studies, including the bestselling Women of the Bible (co-authored with Ann Spangler), which has sold over a million copies. She is also the author of My Bedtime Story Bible and the NIrV Super Heroes Holy Bible for elementary-aged children.

Read an Excerpt

Is Heaven Real?

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By Jean E. Syswerda

Zondervan

Copyright © 2011 Zondervan
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-310-44346-9

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Chapter One

Is Heaven Real?

I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! JOB 19:25–27

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Speculations? I know nothing about speculations. I'm resting on certainties. I know that my Redeemer lives, and because He lives, I shall live also. Michael Faraday, English physicist, 1791–1867

We need to stop acting as if Heaven were a myth, an impossible dream, a relentlessly dull meeting, or an unimportant distraction from real life. We need to see Heaven for what it is: the realm we're made for. Randy Alcorn

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O sweet and blessed country, the home of God's elect! O sweet and blessed country, that eager hearts expect! Jesus, in mercy bring us to that dear land of rest, Who art, with God the Father, and Spirit, ever blessed. Jerusalem the glorious! Glory of the elect! O dear and future vision that eager hearts expect! Even now by faith I see thee, even here thy walls discern; To thee my thoughts are kindled, and strive, and pant, and yearn. Bernard of Morlaix, 1146

Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." ACTS 7:55 – 56

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We can proceed with bold assurance, thanks to the evidence of history that established with convincing clarity how Jesus not only preceded us in death but also came back from the dead and blazed the trail to heaven. Lee Strobel

I once scorned ev'ry fearful thought of death, When it was but the end of pulse and breath, But now my eyes have seen that past the pain There is a world that's waiting to be claimed.

Earthmaker, Holy, let me now depart, For living's such a temporary art. And dying is but getting dressed for God, Our graves are merely doorways cut in sod. Calvin Miller

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But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. PHILIPPIANS 3:20–21

The big, blazing, terrible truth about man is that he has a heaven-sized hole in his heart, and nothing else can fill it. Peter Kreeft

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After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:

"Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." REVELATION 7:9–10

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Is Heaven Real? by Jean E. Syswerda Copyright © 2011 by Zondervan. Excerpted by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction....................5
Is Heaven Real?....................33
Will I Know Anyone in Heaven?....................63
How Do I Get to Heaven?....................73
Finally ....................87
Acknowledgments....................91