Anthony Destefano is a travel guide to Heaven: Book Review
Book review of a Travel Guide to Heaven by Anthony Destefano (Doubleday, 2003) Michael AS Guth,
â € œIf the sky is not at all, itâ € ™ s € Fun With that opening line Anthony Destefano sets tone of his book that turns out to be the most fun to read as the place being described. Reading these words in the preface, which was boosted by the hope that a Guide Sky Travel would combine sound theological teachings on the afterlife with a bit of humor and grace â € "but without the stuffy jargon of philosophers. Destefano does not disappoint his readers. He gives us concrete images of heaven that we can grasp (a perfect rose, a beautiful sunset, breathtaking views), Combined with new ideas of what it means to go on the vacation of our dreams (frolicking simultaneously with TAME € â € œwildâ animals and even the dinosaurs).
A little background on this book help explain the issue Wonderlust. This international bestseller, actually represents Destefanoâ € ™ s second attempt to write a book about heaven. 15 After attending funerals of friends and family during a seven-month period, Destefano wrote his first manuscript, called heaven, designed for the afterlife more physically real than what the priests and ministers have done in the 15 attended the funeral. But this attempt Writing proved to be so boring that Destefano never finished it.
A few months later in his fifth wedding anniversary, I wanted to treat his wife to a surprise night stay at a luxury hotel in Beverly Hills, but found the hotel had lost their reservation. The Presidential Suite at the hotel was not in use that night, and when the hotel generously allowed him to stay in the suite instead, Destefano walked into a room so immaculately furnished that one might say it was a little piece of heaven on earth.
"He comes in and is a beautiful Steinway piano line, and is a Steinway, not a (cheap imitation), and there are fireplaces in every room and his and her baths and saunas and Jacuzzis, and a dining room for 12 and this giant kitchen and butler service, OK? There is a bottle of champagne in each room and a terrace that extends throughout the hotel overlooking Sunset Boulevard, and at first my wife says "You did this to us?" And I say, 'You're worth it, baby'. I went with that for about five minutes. "
The feeling of joy of being surrounded by luxurious accommodations immediately suggested to Destefano the ingredient I needed to make a book about heaven seem more tangible to his readers: a comparison of a holiday in the presidential suite of a five star resort. Of course, in heaven the luxurious accommodations donâ € ™ t stop the furniture in the hotel, including a fabulous makeover of a new body (Chap. 2), interesting fellow holiday travel (Chapter 4), and the angels of the tour guides (Chapter 7). Forget about resting in peace, heaven will be full of fun and many interesting activities that naturally go from one activity to the nearest training, experiencing life at its maximum, and growing our own spirituality.
Destefano considers the physical location of heaven is on earth. Citing portions of the New Testament that refer to â € œâ new heaven and a new earth, â € Destefano argues that over time the land of their own experience of death, resurrection and transformation so that the œnew Eartha € â € is in fact the sky. Many of us have assumed heaven exists in another dimension beyond the limitations of three dimensions of the earth, but Destefano argues continually that heaven is a spiritual concept but a physical place we live, our physical bodies new and improved. Given that humans have existed on earth for about a million years, the physical size of freshly turned earth, it must obviously be much larger than the earth today, otherwise there would be congestion and shortage of space for all those people.
Because of this nexus between heaven and earth â € œThe New â € Destefano is able to depict concrete images of life in heaven on the basis of the best scenery that has existed throughout the history of the earth. God spent millennia creating beautiful waterfalls, golden meadows, as well as several exotic plants and animals and majestic. â € œGod not going to lose nothing he spent so much time and effort creating.â €
Throughout his book, Destefano provides quotes the Bible to support their claims about what will life in heaven. Judging by the praise of his book has received from people of different Christian denominations, his scriptural citations seem to please a wide Christian audience. For example, Destefano claims that prior to Christa € ™ s resurrection, none of the souls of the faithfully departed were allowed into the sky, the doors the sky was closed. Destefano cites 1 Cor 15:20-23, Phil. 2:8 and Rom 5:18-20. Your first appointment contains the phrase â € œFor as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be brought to life.es € His second quotation contains â € œthat in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and on earth and in the states Earth.es € â € The third citation celebration CERN, as well as through a condemnation of the transgression came to all, so through a righteous act acquittal and life came to € all.â None of those citations indicate the gates of heaven were closed.
Destefano would have more support for his claim citing John 3:13, â € œAnd one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man € However, Biblical scholars have pointed out that the line is inconsistent, for example, by 2 Kings 2:11, which says that Elijah ascended to heaven (hundreds of years before the birth of Christ). Reading John 3:13 in context, Christ is saying to Nicodemus that, questioning whether Christ is correct, Nicodemus does not yet know what is speaking with the Son of God. In our modern language, Christ might have said, "No human being can speak from personal knowledge of the heavens, like me, who came from the sky. No human has traveled up to heaven and return to earth to talk about this based on direct observation.â €
A TRAVEL GUIDE to heaven is well documented and is based in scripture for inspiration. I conclude with a quotation from the book will inspire readers to contemplate a paradise in which â € œeye has not seen, ear has not heard the wonders € ahead. â € œAnd donâ € ™ t forget the children. God knew well when it created the first and brontosaurus Tyrannosaurus that children would be enchanted by the idea of billions of years later. In fact, God could have made the dinosaurs and allowed them to roam the earth for millions of years for that reason € alone.â To enter the kingdom of God, we agree with the expectation of a child. We should not underestimate Goda € ™ s desire to make us happy in heaven and give us children, such as joy for the wonders of creation.
About the Author
Michael A. S. Guth, Ph.D., J.D., is a progressive Catholic spiritual writer. His blog can be found at http://michaelguth.com/myblog/index.html He has written a variety of articles on religion, spirituality, life after death, the need to reform the Catholic Church, and other topics.
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