After Life

My wife, Leslie, walked into our bedroom one August night—and there she saw me, unconscious on the floor. She immediately called the paramedics, and I vaguely remember being loaded into the ambulance. At the hospital, I was sufficiently conscious for the physician’s words to register with full force: “You’re one step away from a coma, two steps away from dying.”

A cascade of medical issues had put me on the edge of death. And I can tell you from personal experience that at times like this the subject of the afterlife is more than just a dry academic topic. When you might very well be on the verge of leaving this world, it becomes critically urgent to know what awaits you in the next.

By God’s grace, I was released from the hospital after more than a week of intensive treatment, and today my overall health has been restored. But that frightening episode was a stark reminder that someday I will close my eyes for the final time in this world. What will happen when I reopen them? And how about you: what will you face when you pass from this existence into the one that follows?

My friend Hank Hanegraaff provides clear, concise, and compelling answers to questions like these in his book AfterLife. He explores the topics that typically befuddle people, such as: Is there really a heaven? Is so, what will it be like? What about hell? Is the popular portrayal of fire and brimstone accurate? Is there such a place as purgatory? Most important of all, how can I know for sure that I will be in the presence of God forever?

Building on a strong foundation of biblical teaching, Hank covers these questions as well as an impressive array of related subjects, ranging from whether ghosts are real (don’t bet on it); whether near-death experiences reveal anything certain about eternity (not so much); and even whether we will enjoy sex in heaven (you’ll have to read the book!). While a few issues in this book fall outside my scope of expertise, such as how the end times will unfold, I always find Hank’s perspective to be provocative and worthy of full consideration.

Let’s face it: nothing is more important or relevant than how you will spend eternity. Rather than traffic in speculation or unanchored opinions, Hank consistently turns to the Book that offers the ultimate answers. As he does on his Bible Answer Man radio program, Hank measures his answers by the teachings of Scripture—and then he explains them in terms that each of us can understand and apply.

I don’t want to spoil the ending, but there’s good news in this book: hope is available to each of us through Christ! As you journey toward that encouraging conclusion, you’ll find cogent responses to many of your pressing questions about the world to come.

As someone who came within two steps of death, I’m thrilled to know there are answers that will calm our minds—and satisfy our souls.

—LEE STROBEL

Hank Hanegraaff, Afterlife: What You Need to Know about Heaven, the Hereafter & near-Death Experiences (New York, NY: Worthy Books, 2013).