Heaven Is Waiting is about heaven, but it is much more. It is about our longing for heaven, our innate instinct for it. It is about eternity in our hearts and how the hope of heaven inspires and sustains us. We groan inside as we resist death and cry for something more beyond the grave. What we call life is a journey to death; what we call death is the gateway to life.

Using biblical principles, Triplett paints a refreshing picture of heaven and provides proof that heaven is a real place. He challenges many preconceived ideas of what heaven will be like while answering the questions that you may not have had the courage to ask. He has collaborated with noted clergymen who share their insights about the heaven that can become your final forwarding address. This book will either affirm your belief in heaven or challenge your plan for getting there.

Heaven is a permanent residence, a city without a cemetery, a place where we unpack our bags—memories—and stay forever. Are you excited and ready for a great adventure? Are you anticipating what awaits you beyond death’s door? Prepare for the time of your life—heaven is waiting.

HEAVEN IS WAITING

There's No Place Like HomeBy Wayne Triplett

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 Wayne Triplett
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4697-8778-7

Contents

Foreword.........................................................................................xiPreface..........................................................................................xvAcknowledgments..................................................................................xixChapter 1 You Can Know for Sure..................................................................3Chapter 2 The Eternal Perspective................................................................19Chapter 3 Life after Death.......................................................................43Chapter 4 Resurrection...........................................................................67Chapter 5 The Three Heavens......................................................................81Chapter 6 The New Jerusalem......................................................................93Chapter 7 Our Complete Body Makeover.............................................................103Chapter 8 What We Will Do In Heaven..............................................................115Chapter 9 What Heaven Will Be Like...............................................................127Chapter 10 Questions and Answers.................................................................141Chapter 11 The New Heavens and the New Earth.....................................................161Chapter 12 Heaven ... Here and Now...............................................................171Chapter 13 The Reality of Hell...................................................................181Chapter 14 RSVP: Heaven..........................................................................195Heaven is a Wonderful Place by Rev. Craig Church, Evangelist.....................................219Heaven! What Can We Really Know? by Rev. James M. (Jim) Gore (Honorary D.D.).....................225Heaven and What It Means to Me by Rev. Van Proffit (Honorary D.D.)...............................231Heaven Is the Eternal Kingdom of God by Dr. Charles A. Whipple...................................239Heaven by Dr. Jerry C. White.....................................................................247Final Thoughts...................................................................................267Afterword........................................................................................271About the Author.................................................................................273Contributors.....................................................................................277List of Illustrations............................................................................281Bibliography.....................................................................................283

Chapter One

You Can Know For Sure

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13

I'm dying. Sometimes I forget that reality. Don't be alarmed though. I'm not presently suffering from a terminal illness, although I have battled prostate and thyroid cancers. I am not, to my knowledge, dying soon. But I am, as the apostle Paul wrote, "outwardly wasting away" (2 Corinthians 4:16).

The greater truth is that you, like me, are also dying, and that's that. Is there any way to come to grips with that reality without being depressed or consumed by it? Even though my beloved son, Kevin, has preceded me in death, as a retired educator I still try to live life to the fullest, writing books, researching cancer protocols, serving in my church, and ministering to others.

Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die. The lyrics of that song ring true throughout our culture. Speculation runs rampant about what happens to us after we leave this life on earth. Movies like Ghost, Michael, and Oh God paint a laid-back, almost comical view of the netherworld, while What Dreams May Come affirms that heaven is more glorious than we can ever imagine.

If you ask people if they believe in heaven, most would probably say yes. But if you asked them what it's like or how to get there, you'd get a multitude of answers.

Perhaps the one thing that unites diverse cultures throughout history is the near-universal belief in life after death. The ancient Egyptians are a good example. Archaeologists have discovered that the Egyptians buried their dead with pets, food, and even boats by which to navigate to the next life.

If nearly all worldviews hold to some sort of life after death, Christianity is the one that defines it with specifics. For the Christian, physical death is simply the temporary end of the life of the body. God created humans to live forever ... physically and spiritually. But once sin entered the world, both body and spirit were subject to death. It was necessary for both to be reborn. Spiritual rebirth takes place at the time of faith in Christ, while physical rebirth will occur at the Resurrection (or at the Rapture for those who are alive when that event occurs). Christians have no reason to fear death, since their conscious spirit is always in the presence of the Lord.

The Bible's Authenticity

In Heaven Is Waiting ... There's No Place Like Home, you will realize the source of authority for my writing is the Bible. Is the Bible truly the inspired Word of God? If it is, then we have certainty about God, about man, and about human destiny after death. If it is anything less, there are no certainties. We are left grasping at straws as to why we are here. If the Bible is removed, there is no foundation for our faith.

The Bible clearly states that after death there are only two possible destinies for humans ... heaven or hell. Knowing this, we would be foolish to ignore God's Word and risk relying on our own ideas about how to get to heaven.

I realize that even Christians have honest questions about the Word of God. Can we trust what the Bible says about how we should live our lives? Can we trust what it says about heaven?

Over the years, no book has been as scrutinized and challenged as the Bible has been. No other book ever made such authoritative claims to be the inspired Word of God. Yet, we have substantial archaeological and historical evidence that supports its claims. Moreover, this one book dares to predict the future. Many books have been written on that very subject. The Bible's credentials speak for themselves. In all the writings of Buddha, Confucius, and Lao-tse, you will not find a single example of predicted or fulfilled prophecy. In the Koran (the writings of Muhammad), there is only one instance of a specific prophecy that he would return to Mecca. This is quite different from the prophecy of Jesus who said that He would return from the grave. One is easily filled, and the other is humanly impossible. (Kennedy 1980).

The prophecies of the Bible are incredibly detailed and specific. They must be exactly fulfilled. They cannot be good guesses. Bible prophecies again and again have predicted the very opposite of human expectations and came true. They were written hundreds of years before the events and were fulfilled hundreds of years after the deaths of the prophets. Some two thousand specific prophecies have already been fulfilled. Those who say the Bible was simply written by men are expressing their ignorance on the subject....