The Happiness of Heaven by Maurice Roberts
124 pages (129 with index). 2009, Reformation Heritage Books.
ISBN 978-1-60178-081-2
Maurice Roberts is a minster of the Free Church of Scotland and was the editor of The Banner of Truth magazine from January of 1988 to January of 2003. His skills as a communicator, both from behind a pulpit and in popular print, come to the fore in this volume as he writes with a clarity and simplicity that is unencumbered by the language of the academy and that will have the reader easily cruising through his treatment of this lofty subject.
This book would make for a good primer for evangelism as the first forty pages are spent discussing why a belief in both heaven and hell is necessary, what prevents one from getting to heaven, and the means by which we obtain it. These first sections of the book would, in fact, be something that a non-believer would be able to read easily and may be something you could walk through with someone whom you are seeking to reach with the good news of the gospel.
Before turning to examine the place we call heaven, Roberts takes a chapter to discuss the fate of children as the previous chapters dealt so thoroughly with the topic of guilt and the need for forgiveness but left open the question as to whether children and infants, who bear the guilt of Adam and, yet, who are not mature enough to trust in Christ are blocked from any hope of heaven. To my mind, this chapter is the weakest of the book. I agree with his conclusions that comport to our own confession (1689 10.3) when it states, “Elect infants dying in infancy are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit, who works when and where and how He pleases. The same is true of every elect person who is incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the Word.” As he defends his position, one will immediately recognize that he is appealing to many of the same NT passages that paedobaptists use to defend the practice of infant baptism and, just as they can’t bear the weight of that argument, neither are they able to prove his case for the salvation of infants. Better is the case laid out by Jared Mulvihill here: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/cognitive-disability-and-eternal-destiny
In chapter 6, he finally turns to the subject announced by the title of the book and there is much to commend here. By the title, one might assume that this is a book that has no interest in wading into the debates over the timing of the millennial kingdom and, if that is your assumption, you are correct. It might also be assumed that, in what he does cover, he will not be doing in an extensive manner but as more of a quick gloss. Once again, you would be correct. This might immediately appeal to some readers. For those who are skeptical of this book’s usefulness because of its brevity and non-academic style, I would ask that you give it a chance. He covers topics such as, “What happens when we die?”, “What will happen when the trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15 sounds?”, and “What will we do in heaven?” There were times that I found myself much encouraged by his descriptions of the joy of heaven and the idea of our knowing our loved ones who are there with us.
The book, however, does wade into some difficult topics that are worth considering. What about those whom we love who do not go to heaven, but who are sent to hell? Will their not joining us in heaven dull our enjoyment of it? Will we be able to see those who are in hell (He joins M’Cheyne and Edwards in answering in the affirmative)? And what about our sinfulness here on earth, won’t memories of it haunt us in heaven? These are questions that few may have top of mind, but once thought of, one finds themselves longing to know the answer. Roberts does a good job of addressing these questions and more.
It only took me a couple hours to read this book cover to cover and I am confident that you will be able to do the same and it will be much to your benefit.
