What is heaven going to be like? Will it be one long worship service in the universe’s largest cathedral? Will we be singing along with the angels in a continuous refrain of “Holy, Holy, Holy” as we marvel in the presence of the Creator God? Or will it be a time of freedom and joy and exploration as with each passing day we learn more about who God is and experience the vastness and perfection of His creation? Or maybe heaven will be a world much like ours today, but without the taint of sin—sort of a reconstituted Garden of Eden in which we work and live in the purity of God’s utopian perfection.

The reason there are so many questions about our heavenly eternity is that God has only given us little clues about our afterlife. A hint here about a New Jerusalem. An inkling there about God’s glory being our light source. Each little tidbit is a brief glimpse into something much larger and greater. It’s as if God wanted to assure us that He’s got something wonderful planned for our forever. So He gave us just enough to whet our appetites, but not enough to spoil the surprise. Of course we want more information, but God knew just the right amount to give. If He had told us more about heaven, we might stop caring about the wonderful world He has given us now and set our eyes only on the things to come.

In the last newsletter, I let you know that the manuscript for the next Marcus Ryker thriller was in the hands of Tyndale House Publishers. While that is a monumental step toward the publication of the next novel, it is only one of many steps necessary to get book three into the bookstores or onto your e-reader. In order to help bridge that gap, Tyndale has released a little glimpse behind the curtain—a preview of Ryker’s next adventure. A good book preview should give just enough information to whet readers’ appetites without spoiling the surprise. Sure, the reader may want more information, but Tyndale knew just the right amount to give. If they had shared too much more, the reader of The Persian Gamble might stop caring about the story they’re involved in now and set their eyes only on the book to come.

Lest anyone become concerned that I am comparing Tyndale House Publishers to God and my next Marcus Ryker book to heaven, please take this article in the lighthearted sense that it is intended. This is simply my way of saying that if you want a peek at the next book, Tyndale has made it available. If you would like to see the cover art for The Jerusalem Assassin and read the preview, then click here (https://www.tyndale.com/p/the-jerusalem-assassin/9781496437846). I hope what you find there is enough to get you excited about what lies ahead. In the meantime, while you are reading book two and Tyndale is formatting book three, I am already plotting out the perils Marcus Ryker will face in book four.

-Joel