120930AM
Point One: ONLY God’s Word Can
Describe the True Heaven
So, beware of whenever Heaven is described differently than how God has described it so clearly in His Word.
How about this book with such a beautiful cover, so beautiful that five million copies were sold in just the first 9 months, and over seven million and climbing. It is still in the top 100 selling books for 55 weeks on the NYT bestsellers listing.
The online encyclopedia of publications listing states:
Todd Burpo, a Christian pastor, says that during the months after emergency surgery, Colton began describing events and people that seemed impossible for him to have seen or met. Examples include his miscarried sister, who no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born[2]. Colton also claims that he had personally sat in Jesus’ lap, while the angels sang to him[3][4][5], and that he saw the Virgin Mary standing beside Jesus in Heaven[6].
What Should We Do When
We Hear Claims Like That?
Paul said in his very first letter to a local church of believers, that they were to test everything against the doctrines taught in God’s Word, and only hold onto as truth what matched the doctrines from God (I Th. 5:21). So, how does Coltonās story of Heaven match up with God’s Word? Not very well.
Here is a quick Biblical analysis of the doctrines of God’s Word vs. the doctrines Colton explained to his parents that are now coming out in a childrenās version so that millions of children can be taught doctrines that are not from God:
Heaven is For Real is a book that chronicles, supposedly, the trip of a four-year-old during an appendectomy to heaven. He went to heaven, came back. You would think that a book like that couldnāt fall off a shelf, let alone have somebody take it off a shelf and buy it. But five million were sold in the first nine monthsā¦five million books in which a four-year-old describes what he saw in heaven while he visited there during his appendectomy.
He saw the Father, he says, who has wings like Gabriel. [DOCTRINE CHECK: Does God have a body? No, God is a Spirit. He is not material but spiritual, and has no wings. By the way, the Bible never says that angels have wings, only Seraphim and Cherubim have wings. Gabriel was seen by Daniel 2x, Zacharias 1x, and Mary 1x, and none of those three who actually saw Gabriel ever describe wings.]
He saw Jesus who has blue eyes and is only half as tall as Michael and shorter than Gabriel. But though Heās really short, Heās more powerful than the rest of them and He rides a rainbow horse that only He can ride.[DOCTRINE CHECK: We know exactly what Jesus Christ looks like in Heaven. John wrote an inspired word picture in Rev. 1.]
And he saw the Holy Spirit, too. And the Holy Spirit is a blue transparent fog floating around up there who shoots out power toward the earth. [DOCTRINE CHECK: The Holy Spirit is a Spirit, not fog.]
The Holy Spirit has been turned into the latest transformer toy. He can become whatever you want Him to be. Whatever shape you want Him in, whatever comforts you, whatever interests you, whatever allows you to manipulate people for your own ends.
Now an illustrated version is out so that this Christmas you can buy one and help your children and grandchildren get a false, un-Biblical picture of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit burned into their minds so that when they grow up they will think that maybe God does have a body just like the cults and false teachers all have said that He does.
So, this is where we get our view of the Holy Spirit and God the Son and God the Father and heaven? From a four-year-old whose imagination is prompted and expanded by his parents, no doubt?
Point one: God and His forever settled Word says beware of whenever Heaven is described differently than how God has described it so clearly in His Word.
Test All Things,
Hold Fast to Godās Truth