Pocket Guide to the Afterlife: Heaven, Hell, and Other Ultimate Destinations (Pocket Guides)

Heaven, Hell, and Other Ultimate DestinationsA concise and often humor-filled guide to the afterlife–the interesting, unknown, unusual, apocalyptic, and the downright strange.Jason Boyett (Amarillo, TX) is a former copywriter and creative director in the advertising/marketing industry whose work regularly appears in publications like Relevant magazine, Christian Single, and TrueU.org. He has written for Salon.com, Paste, ChristianityToday.com, Ministries Today, and other national publications. He has been featured on international programs airing on the National Geographic Channel and the History Channel, including its recent broadcast of Mysteries of the Garden of Eden.

"Fearless, deep, and snarky. And did I mention funny? Oh my goodness this guy is funny."

—Dean Nelson, author, God Hides in Plain Sight, and director, Writer's Symposium by the Sea at Point Loma

Where do we go when we die? Will we have personal chats with God on fluffy clouds? What are the odds I will be devoured by a demon? Life's deepest mysteries question what happens when life is over.

With Pocket Guide to the Afterlife, Jason Boyett becomes your tour guide to the Great Beyond. From the profound to the profane, from the light at the end of the tunnel to your ascension to the celestial void, here's everything you need to know this side of the everlasting Unknown, including

• What to expect upon arrival in destinations like Heaven, Purgatory, and the Chinvat Bridge

• Whether your understanding of the Christian Hell comes from the Bible or from an Italian poet

• Which dream scenarios you'll want to avoid because they predict your impending demise

• Why defibrillators are so important when it comes to having near-death experiences

Pondering your eventual demise has never been so much fun.

Publishers Weekly

Who says death can't be funny? Boyett, the author of two other Pocket Guides(toSainthood and to the Bible), has a gift for irreverent, humorous prose that is also quite informative. This guide is a hodge-podge mix of factoids, kitsch and jokes about what various religions teach regarding what happens after we die. The author covers a wide swath of material, from Mayan and Aztec religions to the invention of the defibrillator and its connection to increased near-death experiences. Boyett also takes a walk through the Bible to highlight what it states about heaven and hell and who is likely to end up in each. The Lettermanesque "Afterlists" are quite amusing-such as "18 symbols of death throughout the ages" and "11 highly attractive synonyms for heaven." The author should be commended for the user-friendly layout and for laboring to explicate non-Western religious traditions to a largely Western audience. Here's hoping this pocket guide series does not die off anytime soon. (Aug.)

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"Fearless, deep, and snarky. And did I mention funny? Oh my goodness this guy is funny." --Dean Nelson, author, God Hides in Plain Sight, and director, Writer's Symposium by the Sea at Point Loma Where do we go when we die? Will we have personal chats with God on fluffy clouds? What are the odds I will be devoured by a demon? Life's deepest mysteries question what happens when life is over. With Pocket Guide to the Afterlife, Jason Boyett becomes your tour guide to the Great Beyond. From the profound to the profane, from the light at the end of the tunnel to your ascension to the celestial void, here's everything you need to know this side of the everlasting Unknown, including What to expect upon arrival in destinations like Heaven, Purgatory, and the Chinvat Bridge Whether your understanding of the Christian Hell comes from the Bible or from an Italian poet Which dream scenarios you'll want to avoid because they predict your impending demise Why defibrillators are so important when it comes to having near-death experiences Pondering your eventual demise has never been so much fun. Where do we go when we die? Will we have personal chats with God on fluffy clouds? What are the odds I will be devoured by a demon? Life's deepest mysteries question what happens when life is over. With Pocket Guide to the Afterlife, Jason Boyett becomes your tour guide to the Great Beyond. From the profound to the profane, from the light at the end of the tunnel to your ascension to the celestial void, here's everything you need to know this side of the everlasting Unknown, including: What to expect upon arrival in destinations like Heaven, Purgatory, and the Chinvat Bridge, Whether your understanding of the Christian Hell comes from the Bible or from an Italian poet, Which dream scenarios you'll want to avoid because they predict your impending demise, and Why defibrillators are so important when it comes to having near-death experiences. Pondering your eventual demise has never been so much fun Pocket Guide to the Afterlife: Heaven, Hell, and Other Ultimate Destinations 7 CONTENTS 9 INTRODUCTION 11 Chapter 1: The Cosmic Lexicon (A Glossary of the Hereafter) 17 Chapter 2: Great Moments in Eternity, Part 1 (A Timeline: 2000 B.C.E. to 1563) 57 Chapter 3: Great Moments in Eternity, Part 2 (A Timeline: 1743 to Present Day) 79 Chapter 4: Geography of the Beyond (Where You Might Go) 111 Chapter 5: The Bible on Heaven (A Scriptural Tour of Glory) 145 Chapter 6: The Bible on Hell (A Holy Trek Through the Fiery Pit) 169 Chapter 7: The Afterlists (Cataloging Kingdom Come) 189 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 219 THE AUTHOR 221