If there is one topic in Christianity which raises more questions than most it must be that of the afterlife. In which case a book which tackles a ‘mere’ 40 questions on this subject might be thought to be somewhat lightweight (though admittedly, to others, the opposite might be true!).
Why a book on the afterlife?
Lightweight it is not; rather this is an excellent biblically based and comprehensive survey. Although the title might suggest this is simply about heaven and hell, Gomes covers everything from the moment of death itself to life in eternity, via the intermediate state and the final judgment.
The author starts by acknowledging that many may consider thinking about the afterlife a waste of time or a luxury they cannot afford amid the constant troubles of this present life. He admits “This book will not help you pay off the mortgage, snag that promotion at work, or find the perfect mate. So why bother with it?” (p.17). But he knows that deep down we all find these questions irresistible and the answers often elusive. Moreover what we believe about the afterlife affects everything we do in this life.
What we believe about the afterlife affects everything we do in this life
Establishing a context
His approach of tackling everything within the framework of 40 questions is a good one. The format helpfully separates the main issues into several sub-topics and provides easy-to-find answers. However, there is inevitably some overlap between the questions, so it does create a certain amount of repetition and makes the book rather long. But this is a small price to pay in order to get such an outstanding analysis that also takes time to be fair to opposing views.
The author accepts that many will claim we can’t really know the answers to such questions as are raised in this book. At best these are opinions. So he sets out his assumptions carefully, namely that Jesus rose bodily from the dead, that everything he told us and demonstrated personally is true, and that what the Scriptures convey about the afterlife is reliable. The Bible believer can feel safe in his hands.
However, he also admits that some passages are difficult to interpret, so he is not always dogmatic where the scriptures do not allow this. But he is clear that arguments drawn from sources other than Scripture are of limited value, whether these be written texts, testimonies of near-death experiences, or our moral intuitions or feelings. These may come into play, but only after we have decided the case, as far as is possible, from the Bible.
Exploring deeper issues
The book is divided into four parts. Part 1 (Questions 1-9) takes an overview of the afterlife. Gomes explains why it is important to think about this, and takes us through the most common views of life after death. He goes back to basics with questions such as ‘Why do people die?’ and establishes some foundations by stating what the Bible means when it speaks of our soul and spirit, and of heaven and hell. He ends the section with the thorny issue of what we should conclude about those who claim to have seen heaven or hell.
Part 2 (Questions 10-14) is entitled The Intermediate State between Death and the Resurrection of the Body. After the basic question of what happens immediately upon death, he addresses other issues that frequently arise. What happens to infants? Is it possible to communicate with the dead? Is there such a place as purgatory? Does God give people a chance to convert after they die?
Part 3 (Questions 15-20) is devoted to The Final Judgement. After asking what this actually is and on what it is based, he tackles the matter of rewards for believers and degrees of punishment for unbelievers. The final question, ‘What will the resurrection body be like’, occupies two chapters as it is such a key one and with an answer that is quite involved, especially as he also wants to make a few observations about the resurrected bodies of the wicked.
The eternal state
Part 4 (Questions 21-40), The Eternal State, is the longest and is split into two. Section A considers the eternal state for believers and B for unbelievers. Gomes reflects first on the new heavens and the new earth, together with the New Jerusalem. What will they be like and how will they come about? He asks what will we know and do in the eternal state, and covers the matters of marriage, sex and sin, before tackling the intriguing question of whether there will be animals in the eternal state. Many readers will probably turn to this first, especially those whose pets hold a special place in their affections!
Overall this book is a treasure trove of theological rigour and biblical fidelity, offering information and insights that are handled with care and fairness.
Section B is in many ways the most serious. What is hell like, are its fires literal, how long does it last? He looks at what Universalists and Annihilationists teach, and whether Jesus actually descended into hell as the Apostles’ Creed states.
Theological treasure trove
Each chapter ends with five more questions for us to reflect on. These are very useful, helping to reinforce what we’ve just read, decide whether we agree or not, and think through how we should relate the material to our own lives.
Overall this book is a treasure trove of theological rigour and biblical fidelity, offering information and insights that are handled with care and fairness. Here is a superb resource which can just be read out of interest, or studied in detail as preparation for sermons or group discussion. It will also inform the believer in readiness for those potentially awkward conversations with unbelievers. We all need to come to terms with our mortality and what lies beyond.
‘40 Questions about Heaven and Hell’ (378 pp) is published by Kregel. It retails at £19.99, but is available from Blackwells at a discounted price.
