Billy Graham's New 'Heaven Answer Book' Offers Insights Into the Afterlife
Renowned evangelist Billy Graham has released a new book called The Heaven Answer Book, which promises to answer "questions that readers frequently have about death, the afterlife, and an eternity in heaven."
Graham's book comes alongside similar popular titles telling of journeys to heaven and back or questioning the afterlife, such as New York Times Bestseller Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent, and Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived by Rob Bell.
"I am convinced that we will never be prepared to live until we are prepared to die," Graham writes in the book. "God has a plan for us right now, and life's greatest joy comes from knowing Him and living for Him every day."
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"My purpose in this little volume is to explore answers, so that we may have hope for the future and meaning for our lives right now," he added.
The Heaven Answer Book, 179 pages-long and just seven chapters, uses Scripture to support Graham's explanations of heaven, which he provides in an easy to understand Q&A format.
Graham, 93, answers several common questions regarding heaven, including: "What happens when we die?" "What will we do in heaven?" and "What difference does heaven make?"
The evangelist addresses the usually morbid topic of death with an optimistic outlook on the promise to Christians of eternal life in God's kingdom.
When asked the question "What are the benefits of death to believers?" Graham responds:
"The greatest benefit is that we will be free from all the pain and sorrows and evils of this life, and we will be safely in God's presence forever."
Graham also answers the question "Can we be sure we will go to heaven?" by saying that humans cannot make it to heaven on their own, but rather only through trusting completely and wholly in God.
"Don't trust in yourself and your good works, but turn to Jesus and trust Him alone for your salvation," Graham writes.
Graham addresses very specific questions as well, such as "Will there be marriage in heaven?"
"Marriage in heaven will be on a much higher plane because the church will be united with Christ [...] In heaven, there will be no loneliness – fellowship will be more than the human mind can understand, and heaven will be populated by the saints born of God," he writes.
Graham has previously written on the subject of death in his 1994 book Death and the Life After.
In October 2011, the evangelist published his 30th book, Nearing Home, which was about aging. In the book, Graham writes, "All my life, I was taught how to die as a Christian, but no one ever taught me how I ought to live in the years before I die."
The 93-year-old minister has had his fair share of health issues, including a 2011 stint with pneumonia, a battle with prostate cancer and an ongoing struggle with Parkinson's disease for the past 15 years.
