Driven By Eternity

First your born, you live a little, you die, and then you are just getting started. This is probably the most powerful book (besides the Bible itself) I've ever read. So often we hear the phrase, "life is just a vapor", but do we ever dwell on that fact? Life is a vapor, and yet decisions we make during this vapor time count for all eternity.

After a short introductory chapter, John Bevere begins to share a parable about the life in Endel. Endel is a city where people are born and given a set number of years to live. During this time they are educated about Jalyn- the great King. The story reminded me a little of one my favorite games, "Life". Characters in Edel are given a career, salary and more life choices to make and after a set amount of time (but they don't know how much time they have), they are quickly and unexpectedly taken to the Kingdom of Affabel to meet Jalyn.

Each of the characters must stand before King Jalyn to account for everything they did on Affabel. Jalyn is a kind King, but he is consistent in according to what is written. So some people are admitted to live in Affabel and some are sentenced to the Land of Lone for all their eternity.

Through the parable, the author paints a different view of Heaven than probably what most people are familiar with. It was the picture painted of Hell that gripped me even more. It even kept me a awake for a night or two. Please don't get me wrong, Rev. Bevere isn't writing a "hell, fire and brimstone" book written to scare people into Christianity. This is a book, taken from a Biblical viewpoint, filled with scripture from the Bible, about what the judgment day will be all about. I kinda felt like I was preparing for a test as I read this book.

The next few chapters John Bevere expounds on the parable, explaining various points and scriptures. I took my time reading each chapter, personally reading the Bible references right from my own Bible, making notes and sometimes re-reading pages at a time to make sure I was understanding this correctly and lining up with Scripture. (One thing that was a little confusing to me was the fact that 8 Biblical translations were used throughout the book. That is the main reason I kept my own Bible. The author did this for clarification purposes and maybe most people wouldn't be bothered by it.

The last three chapters covered topics such as "God's Custom House", "Personal Influence", and "Multiplication" and even though he didn't go back to the parable too much, I still felt like I was eating a feast. The book never wound down, it just kept going right to the very last page. And then when you got to the end of the book, there even two more appendixes that give additional, factual information!

I have chewed on the words in this book for months now and I can seriously say, I have made inner life changes in my thoughts and my attitude toward so many things becuase of this book. The scripture tells us that the truth will set us free. Well, this book is true and I personally feel like a load has been taken off of me becuase of the changes I have decided to make.

If you are searching for answers about God this book is for you. If you want to deepen your current walk with God, this book is a must. After all, whether we choose to believe in God or not, all of us will stand before Christ to give an account for our words and deeds. What do you have to loose by reading this book and preparing for that ultimate test? I challenge you to get this book and read it.

Oh yes, BTW- The parable of "The Kingdom of Affabel" is available in audio drama format. Just click here for more info.