Maybe this
seems like an obscure topic but I hope you will see the reason this is
important by the end of this post. I began hearing about the books published by
various authors claiming that they had “been to heaven and back” a number of
years ago. I immediately dismissed them from my mind believing that it was
obviously a load of rubbish and that any sincere Christians would surely do the
same. I was shocked when I began hearing
Christians talking about these experiences as if they might be genuine and when
I saw people buying and reading the books. The interest in people’s stories
about their personal experiences in “heaven”, whether real or not, seemed to be
so intense that these books began hitting and remaining on best-seller lists
worldwide.
Did I
develop a sudden personal interest and think that maybe I had been too hasty in
my earlier judgement? Did I rush out and buy a copy of, The Boy Who Came Back
From Heaven, or, 90 Minutes In Heaven, to fill in the gaps that God had
apparently left when He inspired the Bible? Um….no, actually I just forgot
about all of this and assumed it was a fad that would die a quick death. I
occasionally noticed the books in Christian book shops and on the internet,
usually proudly displaying their best seller status on the front cover along
with their high rankings, but that was the extent of it.
However, the
subject came up again this week when I overheard a conversation amongst some
Christians in an American book warehouse. Whilst sorting books, one of them
asked whether they should dispose of a vast quantity of paperback copies of one
such “heavenly tourism” book and remove the title from sale. (I forget which
exact title they referred to as there are so many of them now.) Before the
person could reply I spoke without thinking (it happens sometimes,) and
commented that I couldn’t understand why any Christian would believe the
stories anyway and that I was glad they were removing it from sale as it was
clearly unbiblical. Then followed a period of weighty silence where no one
seemed inclined to agree with my comments (at least not out loud.) Then, the
person to whom the question was addressed eventually stated that actually it
was a different title (and therefore a
different person’s trip to heaven) that was no longer going to be sold but that
the original title would still be available for sale.
Later, and
more privately, I asked the manager about this and was informed that the reason
the title, The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, was being removed was because the
author’s son, who had claimed he had been to heaven, had now recanted his tale
stating that he had fabricated the entire story as he knew it would gain him
attention. To his credit he then sought to explain clearly and biblically why
his earlier experiences could not have been true…
The
conversation bothered me for a while but I knew from past experience that there
was no point in taking the matter any further as it is not within my sphere of
influence. Then today whilst sorting books in the same warehouse I stumbled
upon a book that I had never seen before, the title of which immediately caught
my attention, Visits to Heaven and Back; Are They Real?” by Mark Hitchcock. After reading the cover I borrowed the book and read it in one sitting. I read
this book, not really to confirm what I already knew, that these claims could
not possibly be true, but more to gain a biblical basis for my instinctive response.
I thought, not for the first time, how confusing it must be for non-believers
when they see Christian book shops selling one group of books with Christians' personal
experiences in heaven, and hell now, as it turns out, and then other books, including
the Bible, probably occupying the same shelf space, stating how these
experiences cannot be true! What a mess we get into when we don’t take the Bible
seriously.
Hitchcock’s
book is well-researched and, I believe, timely. He lists forty of the most popular
of these books by title. He then examines some of the very well-known titles in
light of the Word of God. He documents error in each account proving from
Scripture that these experiences cannot be valid. He gives a balanced review
and highlights positive features where they exist, e.g. if a particular author
has shared the Gospel correctly despite their erroneous claims. He further explains
why these books are dangerous and why as Christians we should avoid and reject
them, I have picked out some of the points he makes;
a) They
encourage people to search beyond the Bible for information that they are not
at liberty to gain suggesting that the Bible/God are not sufficient.
b) Many of
the books indicate that everyone will go to heaven regardless their spiritual state.
c) Removing
the fear of the unknown about death may also remove the necessary fear of judgement and create a false assurance in non-believers.
d) They
encourage Christians to base their beliefs on personal experience and not on what
Scripture says about that experience.
e) Many of
the experiences are self-centred and trivialise the serious issue of eternal
destinations.
f) The
books and authors contradict each other in relation to what heaven/God/Jesus are
like.
g) Their
descriptions of heaven do not compare with the glory of heaven described in
Scripture.
I am not
going to go into detail about the biblical errors in each book as there are too
many and, sadly, too many authors, making these, and similar, claims. I suggest you buy and read this book if you
want specifics or preferably read your Bible before rushing to celebrate the
latest crazy claim. The idea that a professing Christian can somehow end up on
a “guided tour of hell” isn’t really worthy of further comment….but many people
obviously thought that it was, judging by the sales.
Hitchcock
writes, “God is sovereign, but that’s no excuse for promoting error. Professing
Christians who write books- even books about very personal experiences- are
responsible to make every effort to interpret Scripture accurately and at least
not to directly contradict it…..the prevailing notion today is that it’s
unloving and uncharitable to question someone else’s experience or private
revelation from God….but we are all subject to God’s Word…it’s incumbent on
believers to discern the truth of the claims being made and to think biblically
about heaven and the afterlife” (Pg 11)
So, the
real reason for my post, other than drawing attention to this phenomenon and
giving those who are uncomfortable with it some moral support, is a call for
Christians to have greater discernment before blindly, hastily and often
foolishly accepting anything and everything that crosses their path in the name
of Christ. It’s time to examine Scripture in context to see if our experiences
are biblical and not the other way around.
Revelation
21 vs 1-4
“Then I saw
“a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had
passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully
dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with
them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their
God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or
mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
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