Imagine the God of Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God’s Revelation, and the Love You’ve Always Wanted

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars | 869 ratings

Price: 17.05

Last update: 08-25-2024


Top reviews from the United States

Allen P. Weaver III
5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Read!!!
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2023
I read and listened to "Imagine the God of Heaven" over the course of several days. I have both the paperback and audiobook versions. I found out about the author and this book after watching the "After Death" documentary.

I could not put this book down! Not only is it great storytelling, but it is theologically accurate and plausible. As someone who studies the Bible and preaches God's Word on a regular basis, I kept trying to find "holes" in the book, as the research on NDE's (Near Death Experiences) is somewhat new to me. In the past, I read at least two books (one written by a woman, the other by a man) who allegedly had an NDE and went to heaven. Both of their descriptions of what they experienced went completely against what the Bible actually teaches. Later, controversy surfaced around one of the books, because the woman had an "agenda" and was trying to deliberately cause confusion and lead people away from the teachings of the Bible. Through these past experiences, I learned that if someone's NDE experience seems to "contradict" the Bible, the best thing to do is to rule out that particular NDE and not "rewrite" the Bible to fit the NDE. Because of these two other books, I approached Pastor Burke's book with some caution and skepticism.

"Imagine the God of Heaven" is well worth the read! It has brought me great comfort since my father passed away earlier this year. And over the past few years, other relatives and friends have died as well. All of them served Jesus, so I am looking forward to the day when we will all see each other again. MOST IMPORTANTLY, I look forward to seeing GOD face to face!

Thank you for researching and writing this book Pastor Burke! May God continue to get the glory, praise and honor, and may readers be strengthened in their faith.
SarahT
5.0 out of 5 stars Such a great book, everyone should read!
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2023
This was one of those books that’s hard to put down and I want to gift to all of my friends and family. It really is THAT GOOD! A mix of real life experiences, scientific data, and biblical truths woven together in a way that keeps you wanting to read more. And I really feel it’s for everybody with questions about what happens after this, you don’t have to be a Christian to enjoy this book. I can say it was life changing for me in that it gave me peace and comfort knowing more about where my loved ones that have passed are and where I will one day be. I’ve also struggled with the terrible way some people die- murders and tragedies. This left me with a bigger picture and a comfort for those terrible losses. I’ve also read his book “Imagine Heaven” which was also fantastic, but I think I like this one even more. Although we can never fully understand while we’re here, I feel like it gave me a better understanding of how much God loves us, how we fit into the Creator’s plan, and what awaits us. Buy the book, read it, and then pass it along to someone you care about.
Melissa
5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST book I’ve ever read
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2024
What a inspirational, well written and thoughtful book about our true home; heaven. I love how Mr. Burke related NDE with hymns in the Bible.
Kay R
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to imagine eternity
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2024
I really loved this book. Helped my focus on eternity rather than the little things in my life. Also very good at explaining the Trinity.
Juan
5.0 out of 5 stars Science, history and faith, truly recommended regardless of your beliefs
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2024
I haven't finished it yet, but so far it is just excellent.

With scientific evidence, history and faith it is a truly inspiring book, I highly recommend it.

Thank you so much!
Green Stone
5.0 out of 5 stars Such a treasure of a book!
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2024
This book is a treasure in so many ways. It provides wonderful comfort and nurturance, showing us in many ways how God loves each of us with an intimate and very personal love. It fills a need that I've been aware of for some time: namely, gives more information about God than we can find in the Bible, information from actual experiences with God.

That said, there are some limitations to be aware of. John Burke writes as though everyone who has an NDE experiences the God of Christianity, and most experience Jesus. This may be true for very many, but it is not true of all, While I believe, with John, that the New Testament depiction of God is likely the most accurate, especially the things Jesus says which convey God's intimate love for us personally, nevertheless I think it would be a mistake to imply that there is some type of obligation to be Christian or see things through a Christian lens.

In fact, one of the common themes NDErs report, wasn't mentioned at all in this book as far as I could see, which pertains to the fact that we all have many incarnations, not just one. So we reincarnate on Earth. This is a problematic oversight, to leave this out. Many NDErs report that in advance of incarnating, we work with spirit guides and other souls to plan our lives, including deciding who our parents will be. Reincarnation is not part of Christian theology, but it clearly is part of God's reality.

Anita Moorjani's NDE is an important one to highlight some of the imbalance in John Burke's account of God and of Heaven. Anita's NDE did not involve meeting Jesus, or a Christian God, but did involve experiencing the same unconditional love that characterizes most NDEr experiences. Anita's NDE also provides a different slant on the matter of prayer. John uses certain NDEs and Scripture to point to the importance of prayer in God's eyes, but for Anita, the experience of Oneness was a powerful theme in her NDE, so she realized in her NDE that "I don't feel the need to pray to an external God who's separate from me, because I'm always one with the universe, 100% of the time. Thus I feel that my life is a prayer in itself."

Eben Alexander's NDE is another example of someone who experienced God's unconditional love, but who did not have a Christian experience. He did not meet Jesus, he did not come out of the NDE with any need to live as a Christian. As well, one of the things he was taught by his NDE is that "there is nothing you can do wrong", which will be challenging to many of us, because that level of unconditional love upon our whole lives, may seem like it doesn't matter what we do here, what actions we take. It does, but at the same time, we can't really do wrong. That both those things are true is a paradox, which is difficult for younger souls to understand.

All in all, I feel that we'd all do well to read or listen to as many NDE stories and books as we can, because many of them together will give us a better understanding of our real home, than to just focus on those books which support our existing religious worldview.
Natalie
5.0 out of 5 stars Omgoodness!! Great read
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2024
I can’t say enough about this book! Literally could not put this book down. Such a fascinating read about near death experiences! In fact I’ve purchased several more for friends and family! I’ve wondered what heaven would be like, and what was so cool is some of my imaginings were confirmed by some of these experiences. So interesting how people all over the world shared the same experiences, regardless of race, culture or beliefs.
Elysummers
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2024
Love the stories for sure. Very disappointed that the publisher chose to use BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era) to describe the time periods BC -Before Christ and AD- Anno Domini , essentially attempting to erase Christianity in a subtle manner.

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