World to Come: A Portal to Heaven on Earth Paperback – June 1, 2008

So this book is okay, but I probably went into it with too high of expectations. Already being schooled in the messianic view of end times I was hoping for a little deeper exposition. This book will be great for those who are in a typical evangelical church and have not done much study on the kingdom to come. The author clearly shows that heaven/the world the come is so much more than the ideas that float around today. A great introductory book. The most helpful part of the book in my opinion are the appendixes which you should read first. The author presents a narrative of biblical history to link the bible together as cohesive whole but more importantly references a vast number of scriptures from the old testament that talk about the world to come. Just reading these will dispel the ideas of heaven today and have you asking questions about your current understanding.What I was hoping for was a more in depth look at what the 1000 year reign would look like, a discussion of the insights from the rabbis of old and most importantly a detailed narrative of the world to come instead of an overview. Not these items were not in the book, they just did not have near the amount of detail as I was looking for.

I rated this book 5 stars because I wanted to know where I will be after I die. The author did not give me a pie in the sky, what I wanted to hear or off the wall crazy stories but walked me through the Hebrew bible and showed me what G-d said. The author, Derek Leman, asked these questions: What will it be like for those who enter the World to Come? What will it be like for those who do not? What events will lead up to the World to Come? What are the visions of different prophets and apostles who wrote on these matters? What hope does the World to Come bring to this present world? I am not Jewish but this book has opened my eyes how very important the Jewish people and the nation of Israel are to the World to Come. I liked the author's comment on the wonders of the World to Come, "This is not idle future speculation. A clear vision of G-d's promise is mandatory for G-d's people in this present world. Eternal life does not begin at death or at the end of the Age. It begins now. And the giver of this life has work for us to do. He always uses his creatures. In that sense, the World to Come is already (but not yet) here." I would suggest EVERYONE, Jew and Gentile, read this book with the idea that they know nothing about the future at all and start at the beginning and not form any opinion until they have read the entire book. If you already have a formed opinion and your set in you ways, why buy the book?

Excellent read. A must read for every believer who has questions on heaven, hell etc. i recommend it not just for jewish faith but all christianity as well.

Riviting Read. Rabbi Derek Leman breaks down many misconceptions people have concerning the after life, and what is to come in the future. Personally, I often had thoughts of "Heaven" as a boring existence where one simply sings worship songs all day and all night. This book has helped me to see that this view does not hold up to the light of scripture and Jewish tradition.Rather, what we see as beautiful now, will be even more enhanced in the world to come. Caring acts of love and kindness towards others, will be remembered in the world to come. Glimpses of the world to come can be seen in a dark mysterious forest, a beautiful seashore, and especially through acts of service shown toward others. This book will help the reader learn what Yeshua means by "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven". After reading this book my perception of future life in God's Kingdom dramatically changed. This is a must read!

Derek Leman is my favorite messianic Jewish author. He truly has his finger on the pulse of what is important for believers of our time. In "The World To Come" Derek truly hits on the inner parts of our souls, which responds intuitively to the beauty of creation, and pulls us to the hope of the world to come. My obscure, somewhat distant view of our eternal future has been at once clarified, and made more real. It is a beautiful read, sometimes its just good to know where you are going.

I liked this one so much that I bought a hard copy.

Writer is not a Jew. There is no such thing as a Messianic Jew. You are either Jewish or Christian, not both. The people that call themselves "messianic Jews" are Christians preying on uneducated Jews. They wrap up their Christianity with Hebrew words and suck uneducated Jews in. Repeat, you are either Christian or Jewish, not both. If you call yourself "messianic Jewish," you are a Christian.

This was an excellent book and very readable. It is as the title suggests a look at the world to come. Derek uses Christian and Jewish sources and offers a fresh perspective on a topic which is usually ignored by many.