After her four-year battle with cancer, I said goodbye—for now—to my wife and soulmate Nanci. My grief, though deep, is informed by God’s sovereignty and love. I know that Nanci is no longer suffering and is happier than she has ever been.

But the story isn’t over; the best is yet to come. Nanci went ahead to the present Heaven, which is “better by far” than this present world (Philippians 1:23). One day, after the resurrection, God will relocate us to the future Heaven, centered on the New Earth, where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4). So while Nanci lives in a wonderful place without pain, she and all God’s people there are looking forward to the resurrection, and the New Heaven and the New Earth.

Nanci and I talked often about what living as embodied people will be like on a resurrected Earth—a world with trees, rivers, animals, eating and drinking, reunions, old and new friendships, and above all, a place where we will worship God without sin to hinder us! Because we will still be God’s image bearers, reigning over a risen Earth, I believe we will enjoy art, literature, sports, drama, technology, and all other products of God-given creativity and glorified imaginations.

I am eternally grateful for those conversations, which began decades before Nanci was diagnosed with cancer. In her last days here on Earth, I saw her outwardly wasting away, yet because she fixed her eyes on Jesus and her unseen home, I saw her inwardly being renewed (see 2 Corinthians 4:16). Now that she has relocated to Heaven, an eternal perspective has helped me grieve in healthy ways. Nanci’s death was not the end of our relationship; reunion awaits.

God’s Word tells us, “In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). Yet today most Christians haven’t had their imaginations captured by that promise. God never abandoned His original plans and purposes. Not only does He not give up on us, He doesn’t give up on the creation He called “very good” (Genesis 1:31). He will redeem this earth as surely as He redeems His children. Where Adam and Eve failed, Jesus succeeded. Righteous humans will indeed rule a righteous Earth forever!

When Heaven was released in 2004, people said, “How can this be true, since I’ve never heard it before?” I understood—I’d never been taught these ideas in Bible college, seminary, or church. Here’s the irony: in an age when people often twist biblical truth to make it appealing, what Scripture actually says about Heaven is far more attractive than the ghostly, vague view of the afterlife that plagues countless believers.

Big books full of Scripture and theology and quotations from people long dead don’t normally sell well. Yet to my surprise (and the publisher’s), well over a million copies of Heaven have sold (over two million, including related books and a booklet). Innumerable readers, including pastors, have told me it radically changed their view of eternity. Rarely does a day go by when I don’t receive encouraging messages about the book. These are just a few:

“Within a week of losing our 16-year-old son, I ordered Heaven. It has saved my life.”

“I started reading your book, and it’s put everything in perspective. I didn’t even realize that I had wrong beliefs about Heaven. It has renewed my faith.”

“My dad was on hospice for nineteen months. He read Heaven three times before he went there. This book, along with the Bible, was his preparation for Heaven!”

“I gave your book to a friend who was in poor health. Before she died, she told me she had accepted Jesus. I’m so grateful I’ll see her again.”

“I gave Heaven to my son-in-law who was dying. He read through the first seven chapters and gave his life to Jesus. He died a few weeks later.”

“After losing my fourteen-year-old to suicide, I questioned many things, including my faith. Your book Heaven and the Bible are the two things that bring me great comfort each day.”

My prayer is that readers of the book will experience what my precious wife and I did—the heartfelt happiness of knowing Jesus and anticipating eternal life on the glorious redeemed world He is preparing for us!