Three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and going to heaven. If you disagree, this is the book that will change your mind. Discover the hidden Biblical message that has been overlooked for generations. A message of great hope for all souls. It is a message teaching that Jesus did not come to earth to claim a few souls and send billions of others into the depths of hell. Instead, He is a part of God’s plan to free every soul in our creation from sin and bring them all into the kingdom of God. The author’s views are not traditional Christian views. One critic has even termed this book “almost New Age in orientation.” Answers are given to questions rarely discussed in modern churches. Who is God? Does He have a beginning? Who is Jesus? What is the relationship between God and Jesus? What parable tells us that other souls like Jesus are to be found here and there throughout the entire Universe? Why did Jesus teach that we become his brothers and sisters on the day that we are born again? Where in the Bible do the scriptures tell us that our souls are eternal and were rescued from hell at the beginning of this age – see the 25th Chapter of Matthew? What parable tells us that we who are born again will continuously experience reincarnation until the end of the age? Where does the Bible say that, in the last days, souls will be gathered from the entire earth and from the farthest reaches of the heavens? Should we believe that even our least religious friends and relatives will someday enter into the kingdom of heaven? Surprisingly, the Bible answers these questions and many more. What did Jesus mean when he preached, “I tell you, you are gods”? Do we have a basic nature that is the same as Jesus and the same as God? What did Jesus mean when He used the term, kingdom of heaven – also called the kingdom of God? Is His kingdom forever growing – see the 13th Chapter of Matthew? This book convincingly shows that the New Testament provides answers to all of these questions! Answers that you and I can understand!
The scriptures chosen for interpretation in this book are: The Warning Preached by John the Baptist, Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man, The Parable of the Weeds, The Parable of the Mustard Seed, The Parable of the Leaven, The Parable of the Hidden Treasure, the Parable of the Pearl, Causing Children to Stumble, The Rich Young Ruler and the Kingdom of God, The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, A Favor for James and John – A Mother’s Request, The Parable of the Talents, or Bags of Gold, The Parable of the Growing Seed, The Way of the Cross, The Rich and Their Entrance into the Kingdom of God, Jesus Teaches Nicodemus, The Woman at the Well, Oneness with the Father, The Day and Hour are Unknown, Prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane, The Last Supper – The Meaning of the Eating of the Bread and the Drinking of the Wine, The Great Commission, and selected scriptures taken from the Books of Romans, 1 Corinthians, 1 John, and 2 Peter.
This book is a series of essays providing a specific interpretation of a specific set of passages in the New Testament of the Bible. I’m not much of a scholar of theology, so I can’t say if this interpretation is unique, but it is different from the general, mainstream ideas of Heaven and God and assorted other Christian principles. Whether it’s reasonable, plausible, or valid is not a subject I will comment on.
The writing is jocular, as in not particularly scholarly. I felt as if the author dictated it to a friend rather than writing it. That may appeal to some readers, but I find it unprofessional for this sort of work. The text is full of long, rambling paragraphs that would have benefited from editing for clarity. It’s also repetitive, hitting the same points over and over.
Although the seed of the idea for this interpretation is more or less explained in the introduction, critical corollary ideas are laced through the text in a ‘oh, by the way, this is also important’ fashion, when they should all be declared in the beginning, then explained and defended throughout the book. Regardless, many of the explanations and defenses fall prey to logical fallacies, and anecdotal evidence is presented as fact. Information regarding times of antiquity is presented as fact without citation.
The formatting annoyed me. In each chapter a selection of verses are presented at the beginning, with annotations and bibliographic notes, which is fine. The interpretive text that follows, however, includes multiple reprints of the exact same verses, their entirety in square brackets without being set off by italics, margins, boldface, or any other text manipulation. This reduces readability dramatically.
Perhaps the most telling moment in this book comes from the following quote, found towards the end:
“I am sorry that my writing style may not be the very best. Perhaps a better writer could have eliminated some of the repetitive sentences – repeated expressions of the same ideas.”
People interested in unusual interpretations of the Bible may find this an interesting read, if only for the novelty of the hypothesis.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.