Without question, our world is filled with misery and pain. We somehow know and feel that something is terribly wrong with it. We have an idea of the kind of world we believe we should have. But we seem to believe that the world we live in falls short of this ideal world. The fact that we experience snippets of happiness and, sometimes, pleasure makes us wonder why the world we live in cannot be filled with happiness through and through. Hence we feel that something is missing. The contention of this book is fairly straightforward, though perhaps not simple, and it is this: there is nothing good here on earth for which heaven does not have a better substitute of infinite proportions. Whether we desire greatness, beauty, holiness, healing, or answers to questions of ultimate concern, heaven will fulfill them completely. The aim is not only to help the believer to look forward to a glorious end of this life and a glorious beginning of a new one, but also to enable him or her to live a meaningful life here on earth in spite of the reality of pain. If this conclusion can help a suffering saint to bravely face his or her hour of trial, then this book will have accomplished its purpose.
