The Journey to the Undiscovered Country. William Powell Tuck

The Journey to the Undiscovered Country

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Endorsements

Living, as we do, in an age that faces challenges from the Enlightenment and the realization on the part of many that the ideas of heaven and hell have been used to anesthetize us to the reality of suffering in this world, making us more compliant to the powers of this world, there is much angst over what to make of an afterlife. With a cautious and pastoral approach, Bill Tuck helps us navigate our way through the questions posed by life and death, so that we might journey toward the “undiscovered country” with “quiet confidence and Christian assurance,” so that we might approach death with a sense of hope and assurance, while finding encouragement to live this life with boldness and faithfulness.

— Robert Cornwall, Pastor of Central Woodward Christian Church and author of Faith in the Public Square.

Bill Tuck is wise enough not to try to give us all the answers to what happens after we die, but he does raise most of the questions, and does it in a way that is thoughtful, imaginative, and open to interesting new possibilities. At almost every point he wonders, “What if it’s not the way the preachers have always told us it would be? What if it’s different—and better—than we have ever imagined?”

He compares death to birth, and observes how the unborn infant could never know what’s waiting for him outside the womb, could never imagine how bright, and beautiful, and full of wonder the world is. But like a twin within that womb, Bill Tuck talks to us about what it might be like, and he talks about it like someone who has given it plenty of thought. He can’t be sure. He hasn’t been there. But the way he talks about it makes me almost eager to be born, to discover for myself what’s waiting beyond the womb of my earthly existence.

— Jim Somerville, Pastor of First Baptist Church

Richmond, Virginia

“Many of our fellow Americans seem to live in denial about death, but not William Tuck. He knows that death is not a friend in disguise but an enemy who would destroy us. He is confident that Jesus has defeated death and has promised to share the spoils of his victory with us. His promise gives us hope as we make The Journey to the Undiscovered Country. Tuck writes realistically about the second coming of Christ, God’s judgment, and hell. His chapter on heaven reinforced my hope and helped me to celebrate what “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,” but which “God hath prepared for them who love him.”

This is a beautifully written book and never boring. Tuck knows that many things about the future are mysteries beyond our understanding, so he doesn’t speculate unwisely. But neither does he evade difficult questions or disregard the hope-full message of the New Testament. This book is practical and interesting and filled with Christian hope. I recommend it to anyone who wants to face the future realistically and as a Christian. I especially recommend it to those who have arrived at an age where they think regularly about their own mortality.”

— Fisher Humphreys, Professor of Divinity emeritus

Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama

“This book is vintage Bill Tuck—thorough research on an important biblical subject, carefully pondered and beautifully illustrated. Chockfull of rich and wonderful nuggets of thought and devotion, it is well worth putting into the hands of anyone who has begun to think about the end of our common trajectory or has already been saddened by the death of a loved one. It is a book to be read, digested, and then read again.”

— John Killinger, former Professor & pastor, and author of 70 books including If Christians Were Really Christians and Hidden Mark: Exploring Christianity’s Heretical Gospel.

Other Books By

William Powell Tuck

The Way For All Seasons

Facing Grief and Death

The Struggle For Meaning (editor)

Knowing God: Religious Knowledge

in the Theology of John Baillie

Our Baptist Tradition

Ministry: An Ecumenical Challenge (editor)

Getting Past the Pain

A Glorious Vision

The Bible As Our Guide For Spiritual Growth (editor)

Authentic Evangelism

The Lord’s Prayer Today

Christmas Is for the Young… Whatever Their Age

Through the Eyes of a Child

Love as a Way of Living

The Compelling Faces of Jesus

The Left Behind Fantasy:

The Theology Behind the Left Behind Tales

The Ten Commandments: Their Meaning Today

Facing Life’s Ups and Downs

The Church in Today’s World

The Church Under the Cross

Modern Shapers of Baptist Thought in America

The Journey

to the

Undiscovered Country

What’s Beyond Death?

William Powell Tuck

Energion Publications

Gonzalez, FL

2012

Unless otherwise marked, Scripture quotations are the author’s translation.

Scriptures marked RSV taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U. S. A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version.

Cover Design & Original Art: Carol Everhart Roper

carolroper.com

EPub Edition

Print ISBNs:

ISBN10: 1-938434-09-9

ISBN13: 978-1-938434-09-9

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012945458

Energion Publications

P. O. Box 841

Gonzalez, FL 32560

energionpubs.com

850-525-3916

To Emily,

my companion through life toward the Celestial City,

whose love, wisdom and gifted insights

have strengthened me along the way

Preface

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