There’s a movie that’s opened recently based on a book by the same title called Heaven Is For Real. The book and subsequent movie is based on the recollections of a four year old boy who was clinically dead and returned with memories and images of heaven. While heaven is a topic worthy of our consideration and while such a movie would pique our collective curiosity, the fear I share with others is that this really does more harm than good by pushing experience over God’s revelation.
Rather than repeat what others have said and written, let me point you to a recent blog post by Justin Taylor that you can access HERE. In this post you will see a short video by David Platt, pastor of the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, AL. Platt has been a recent speaker at the excellent Together For the Gospel (T4G) pastor’s conference in Louisville, KY. I think you’ll find it helpful.
The bottom line is that many such experiences of heaven that come to us don’t fit with the Scriptures. Also, there are some who claim such experiences who profess no faith in Christ. Whose experience is right? That’s the problem with experiences alone as the judge of what’s right and true. We must let the Bible interpret our experiences and not let our experiences interpret the Bible.
The Christian doesn’t put their hope in the questionable experiences of others but in the unchanging, infallible, inerrant word of God. He’s told us heaven is for real. Jesus is the One who has gone there to prepare a place for His people (John 14:2). What other assurances do we need?