A man lies down for a normal night of sleep and inexplicably awakens to find himself in a surreal garden bursting with fantastic aromas and colors. A succession of "tour guides" come and go, helping him to interpret the landscape's fragrant messages, each one a clue on the journey to discover his true Self, and, ultimately, the Creator of the Country Beyond. This book by famed author, Michael Phillips (over 7 million books sold), is the first of three spiritual fantasies, the second being Hell and Beyond, followed by Heaven and Beyond. In each book, the reader is challenged to set aside preconceived notions of death, heaven and hell, and enter into regions beyond the human imagination, worlds filled with surprise and discovery, fresh hope and infinite love.

As an unofficial spokesman and representative of George MacDonald in the minds of thousands who have discovered Phillips’s editions of MacDonald’s writings since the 1980s, Michael Phillips has been sought out by men and women from around the world to shed light on the complex conundrum presented by the doctrine of eternal punishment. Seeking to address these inquiries in the least controversial way possible, in 1998 Phillips prepared a private compendium of quotes from writers through history, laying out scriptural evidence on both sides of the controversy. His motive was not to argue for or against any perspective, neither to persuade to a particular point of view, but to give information that would help each individual objectively investigate the matter quietly and personally. Though not made public at the time, Phillips’s booklet proved helpful to many. It is now made more widely available in this new edition. His subtitle aptly summarizes the book’s contents: "A selection of quotations by some Christian individuals of repute who have held to the doctrine of universal reconciliation and a list of scriptures upon which their beliefs are based."