This book identifies the source of the Colossian error as from within Jewish mystical movements and shows how both the theology and practice which is taught in the epistle is to be understood from this context. The book gives a helpful overview of scholarship that has attempted to identify the nature and source of the Colossian error. The book, unlike many others on the topic, is exegetically driven, and will model thorough and careful exegetical practice. The book interacts with extra-Biblical texts which help the reader to understand the mystical contexts of first century Judaism.

Over 1 Million Copies Sold! Have you ever wondered . . . ? What is Heaven really going to be like? What will we look like? What will we do every day? Won’t Heaven get boring after a while? We all have questions about what Heaven will be like, and after twenty-five years of extensive research, Dr. Randy Alcorn has the answers. In the most comprehensive and definitive book on Heaven to date, Randy invites you to picture Heaven the way Scripture describes it—a bright, vibrant, and physical New Earth, free from sin, suffering, and death, and brimming with Christ’s presence, wondrous natural beauty, and the richness of human culture as God intended it. This is a book about real people with real bodies enjoying close relationships with God and each other, eating, drinking, working, playing, traveling, worshiping, and discovering on a New Earth. Earth as God created it. Earth as he intended it to be. The next time you hear someone say, “We can’t begin to image what Heaven will be like,” you’ll be able to tell them, “I can.” “Other than the Bible itself, this may well be the single most life-changing book you’ll ever read.” —Stu Weber “This is the best book on Heaven I’ve ever read.” —Rick Warren “Randy Alcorn’s thorough mind and careful pen have produced a treasury about Heaven that will inform my own writing for years to come.” —Jerry B. Jenkins “Randy does an awesome job of answering people’s toughest questions about what lies on the other side of death.” —Joni Eareckson Tada About the Author Randy Alcorn is an author and the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries, a nonprofit ministry dedicated to teaching principles of God’s Word and assisting the church in ministering to unreached, unfed, unborn, uneducated, unreconciled, and unsupported people around the world. A New York Times bestselling author of over 50 books, including Heaven, The Treasure Principle, If God Is Good, Happiness, and the award-winning novel Safely Home, his books sold exceed eleven million copies and have been translated into over seventy languages.

It’s time to fire up your imagination and rekindle a desire for Heaven in your heart! Brimming with verses, quotes, and selected passages on the topic of Heaven, the New Earth, and life after death, Eternal Perspectives is the most comprehensive collection of quotations about Heaven ever compiled. Pulling from noted authors, scholars, and theologians such as C.S. Lewis, Charles Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, Alister McGrath, Martin Luther, Augustine, Max Lucado, Philip Yancey, D. L. Moody, Dallas Willard, and countless others, Eternal Perspectives is the ultimate resource for anyone looking for inspirational quotes and passages on the topic of Heaven. Whether you choose to skip around or read the volume straight through, these profound and enlightening insights will help you draw closer to the One who made you for himself, and deepen your desire for the place he is making for you, and where he wants to live with you throughout eternity.

Gain a fresh perspective on heaven from someone who has endured more than her share of earthly challenges for over fifty years--quadriplegia, cancer, and chronic pain. Joni Eareckson Tada's bestseller Heaven has inspired us to live well on earth even as we long for eternity, but as Joni tells us in this updated and expanded edition of Heaven, the longer you journey with your eyes on heaven, the more you begin to see. A quadriplegic for over fifty years, Joni has also endured cancer and extreme ongoing pain, and she doesn't speak lightly when she reminds us that, "God knows the precise tools to use in your life to cut, facet, cleanse, and refine the diamond that is your eternal soul . . . Every good thing that God has ever given you will last for all eternity--including the best part of every affliction." It is from this vantage point that Joni now speaks about how we can live for Jesus as we look forward to our real home in heaven. Drawing on Scripture, Joni answers the deepest questions of our hearts, including: What will heaven be like? Who will we be in heaven? How can we get ready for heaven? Join Joni as she invites you on this journey of looking back on God's faithfulness, discovering how we got to where we are, and looking forward to our real home. Praise for Heaven: "Joni is a friend of mine who has been leading people with love and courage for decades. God uses the most unlikely guides to take us up the rugged terrain in our faith. God's plan is pretty simple. He wants us to spend forever with Him. This life is just practicing for eternity. Will we face difficulties and setbacks? You bet. In this updated book, Joni has taken us once again to the high places, and she's done so from her chair." --Bob Goff, author of the New York Times bestsellers Love Does and Everybody Always

This beautifully written half-memoir, half-essay, explores the realities of Papa God’s love for you, your identity as His beloved child and heirs, and the transformation of your vision of yourself, others, and world events that this revelation of your place in the divine family brings. Poignant personal reflections are woven artfully with metaphors, personal stories, and an eclectic smattering of quotes and movie references. You, too, are invited to reflect and discover your own divine encounter. You will learn how to see through Heaven’s eyes—through the Father’s eyes—and that look of love will transform everything, including: God. Yourself. Other people. Your family. Your enemies. The end times. Seeing Through Heaven’s Eyes is powerfully presented and will bless and free you to experience a deeper relationship with Father God.

"We are far too easily pleased." C. S. Lewis stands as one of the most influential Christians of the twentieth century. His commitment to the life of the mind and the life of the heart is evident in classics like the Chronicles of Narnia and Mere Christianity—books that illustrate the unbreakable connection between rigorous thought and deep affection. With contributions from Randy Alcorn, John Piper, Philip Ryken, Kevin Vanhoozer, David Mathis, and Douglas Wilson, this volume explores the man, his work, and his legacy—reveling in the truth at the heart of Lewis's spiritual genius: God alone is the answer to our deepest longings and the source of our unending joy.

Bestselling author, cofounder of Girlfriends in God, and writer for Proverbs 31 Ministries Sharon Jaynes reveals the secret to living a better story: understanding that the worst parts of our past are the very things God uses most. Many people don't like the story God is writing in their lives. The mistakes, failures, tragedies, and circumstances outside of our control linger in our minds and hold us back. How do we come to grips with the pieces of our stories that we wish weren't there? How do we silence the pain of what has been done to us and the shame of what we've allowed to be done through us? In When You Don't Like Your Story, Bible teacher Sharon Jaynes shows us how God untangles our most painful emotions with the fingers of grace, putting his redemption on display. In the hardest parts of our narratives, we get to see God's greatest work--and this changes the ending of our stories. As we overcome shame, offer forgiveness, and use our stories to help others, we find freedom from the past and learn to live in the restoration of the present.

A young boy emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to heaven. Heaven Is for Real is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear. Colton said he met his miscarried sister, whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how "reaaally big" God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit "shoots down power" from heaven to help us. Told by the father, but often in Colton's own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready, there is a coming last battle.

Discover and understand the different Christian views of what heaven will be like. Christians from a variety of denominations and traditions are in middle of an important conversation about the final destiny of the saved. Scholars such as N. T. Wright and J. Richard Middleton have pushed back against the traditional view of heaven, and now some Christians are pushing back against them for fear that talk about the earthiness of our final hope distracts our attention from Jesus. In the familiar Counterpoints format, Four Views on Heaven brings together a well-rounded discussion and highlights similarities and differences of the current views on heaven. Each author presents their strongest biblical case for their position, followed by responses and a rejoinder that model a respectful tone. Positions and contributors include: Traditional Heaven - our destiny is to leave earth and live forever in heaven where we will rest, worship, and serve God (John S. Feinberg) Restored Earth - emphasizes that the saved will live forever with Jesus on this restored planet, enjoying ordinary human activities in our redeemed state. (J. Richard Middleton) Heavenly Earth - a balanced view that seeks to highlight both the strengths and weaknesses of the heavenly and earthly views (Michael Allen). Roman Catholic Beatific Vision - stresses the intellectual component of salvation, though it encompasses the whole of human experience of joy, happiness coming from seeing God finally face-to-face (Peter Kreeft). The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.

Heaven has received a lot of attention in recent years as bestselling books and movies have told the stories of people who claim to have been there. But what does the Bible actually say about heaven? What difference does it make? What happens the moment after we die? What will our relationships be like in heaven? Chip Ingram sets aside the hype and myths and digs into the Scriptures to discover what God actually wants us to know about the hereafter. Most importantly, Ingram shows why our understanding of heaven matters now, in this life. Because what we believe about heaven actually affects us today in ways we may not have imagined.