To Heaven and Back
If anyone tries to sell you a round-trip ticket to heaven, or a book telling of their journey, save your money.
In the last three decades or so, there has been an epidemic of best-selling books describing what is supposed to have been a trip to heaven and back. Most have been categorized as non-fiction, meaning they are supposed to be true, rather than categorizing them as “fantasy,” the result of “near-death experiences”, dreaming, wishful thinking, demonic suggestion, or just plain lies. And sadly, Christians are the biggest audience for these fake million plus volumes.
The fact is, “Before 1995,
no respectable Christian publisher would have seriously considered publishing any book about heaven that was based on a mystical experience someone had while clinically dead.” (The Glory of Heaven, MacArthur, Crossway 2010, pg. 33).
My mission is to point non-believers and believers alike to the Holy Scriptures as the standard, and to impart the truth found there in love (see Eph. 4:15). My premise is that Scripture is the final word…on anything. If you don’t accept that, then, if what I write doesn’t agree with your thinking, you’ll not be persuaded to accept its truth.
The Bible is crystal clear
that “it is appointed for men to die once, and then comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27). There is only one instance in all of Scripture about a man whose “round trip” was so overwhelming, that he didn’t know if it was real or a vision.
The Apostle Paul describes it in 2 Cor. 12:1-7. And he starts out with the caveat, “Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable v.1”. Speaking in the third person, he says, “[I]…was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak v.4”. He goes on to say, “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! v.7”.
Compare Paul’s response
to all others who claim to have made the trip. Not one represents seeing the glory of God that, when encountered on earth, caused men to fall on their face in worship. In fact, this genre of books does just the opposite. They are self-promoting—for profit I might add—rather than showing any form of humility or description of the magnificent centerpiece of heaven, God Himself.
Heaven is all about God, His glory, His beauty, His holiness. Yet not one of these books focuses on that. They all focus on the author, or in the case of Colton Burpo, (Heaven Is For Real fame), who was three years 9 months old when this supposedly happened, but not written about by his father, Todd Burpo, until seven years later, his son.
How quickly the church has slid
down the slope of “inclusion.” The Bible tells believers, “…come out from their midst [unbelievers] and be separate” 2 Cor. 6:17. And, for adding to or depreciating Scripture, it warns us, “…learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant” 1 Cor. 4:6.
There is a common thread among the writers of these unlikely, unsubstantiated tales. It’s all about them (and the Benjamins). Heaven is real. Heaven is glorious beyond our imagination. If you are one of God’s children, you’ll experience it firsthand the instant you die. And there’s no turning back. The same is true of hell. You can’t wait until you get there to decide you don’t want to be there. It’s the ultimate “one and done” choice.
The section, Steps To Salvation elsewhere on this site, lays out the path to heaven. If you’re not sure you’re already on the right path, turn the page and read with an open mind. Thanks for reading.