You may have read it.
You may have gone to the theater over the weekend to see it moving picture style.
You may have seen it mentioned on social media.
Any way you slice it is hard to get away from the promotional propaganda that is “Heaven is for Real.” If you are unaware, the film is derived from a book written by a Pastor named Todd Burpo about his sons near death experience (while on an operating table). His sons name is Colton. Colton claims to have gone to heaven where he meets a long deceased relative, hangs out with Jesus, looks around and then comes back to life as Jesus says it’s not his time. It’s a fascinating story. Really it is. How fantastic would it be to see heaven and return?
This is what has so many people intrigued. A peer into the afterlife. A direct revelation of peace, happiness and joy in an eternal state. What a fantastic boost to ones faith…
This statement is where it all begins to fall apart. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as “… the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Do you see the fallacy that exists between the reasons people want to believe the Burpo story and what scripture says in Hebrews 11? Do you see the rejection of Biblical faith in acceptance of faith through the eyes of Colton? The argument that I have heard most often is that the Burpo story serves to strengthen confidence in what was already believed. That line of reasoning flies directly in the face of Hebrews 11:1. Either we have faith or we do not. If what was already believed, was truly believed, then the Burpo story wouldn’t be such a financial success. Either we believe the scriptures as the inspired Word of God or we do not. Either we believe Hebrews 11:1 or we believe that the “Heaven is for Real” experience proves Hebrews 11:1 which would mean that Colton’s experience is the purest source of truth. Is your comfort and hope in Jesus because of what is revealed in scripture or because of a child’s fanciful experience. What is the object of your faith? Whom do you trust more: a child or the inspired word?
The second point of major concern that i have with this book/film has to do with Colton going to heaven and then returning. John 3:13 clearly says “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” This verse is specifically talking about Jesus being the only one to descend from heaven, to take on human flesh and to ascend bodily to heaven after the resurrection. I know that Colton isn’t proclaiming a bodily ascent to heaven, but there still is trouble with the theology behind his experience. When we die bodily in this present post-ascension time continuum in which we find ourselves, the spirit only splits from the body of the Christian upon true bodily death in which Paul famously says in 2 Corinthians 5:8 “to be absent from the body is to be at once with The Lord.” The only way our spirit will travel to be with The Lord is for our body to die. Just because an earthly doctor pronounces someone dead with solid accuracy doesn’t mean that they are always perfect. There are anomolies. We know much about the human body in our 21 century world, but we are only students of this earth and its many facets, not its creator. Therefore the only way to ascend to heaven is either by true bodily death or to be alive during the second coming. We know neither of these happened to Colton, therefore I am more than skeptical. At this point I am sure that some of you are screaming…
“What about Lazarus?”
“What about all the People Jesus brought back from the dead in the Gospels?”
“What about those that all of the apostles brought back from the dead in Acts, huh?”
Context, context, context. Concerning Lazarus and the gospel resurrections, we are specifically told that they were done for “God’s glory so that God’s Son would be glorified through it.” They were done to point to the person and work of Jesus Christ. They were done to produce repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. In Acts, it is a very similar situation. Christ had just ascended and the Apostles were going into Jerusalem, Samaria and the ends of the earth proclaiming the good news. There was no written word (bible) at this point in time, however, God still worked through means of grace then, just as he does today. These miraculous signs were done as a means of grace to soften hearts and call people to repentant faith in Jesus Christ and point them to baptism and the Lord’s supper for the forgiveness of sins. In essence it was the same as with Lazarus and the Gospel resurrections. The purpose was for “God’s glory so that God’s Son would be glorified through it.” God is glorified when people come to repentant faith in Jesus Christ. That is always the sign of a true work. In addition, all of the NT resurrections had another thing in common. A person performing the miracle. Lazarus and the Gospel ressurections were performed by Jesus and the Acts ressurections were performed by the Apostles. We have no biblical evidence of anyone, apart from Jesus Christ, physically dying and returning in and of themselves. Prophets would dream or have visions, but there is no precidence for them to bodily die and be resurrected supernaturally.
This leads to issue number three. Revelation 19:10 says that the “…testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” This is important because Colton is claiming to have seen heaven and is revealing what God showed him to all people. This is the definition of a Prophet. This is problematic because the testimony of Jesus is the gospel message of faith and repentance not that “Heaven is for real.” Of all the interviews that Todd and Colton have done, they have yet to point people to faith and repentance in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. It’s all about what heaven looked like. Meeting his long deceased relative that he had never before seen. What Jesus looked like and how he acted. It was all of the temporal desires that our sinful flesh craves and none of the Gospel message that our sinful flesh truly needs. Simply put, the fruit of the interviews were never in line with the fruit of the cross.
It’s sad really. The platform that this family has been given to proclaim the good news to a world that desperately needs it has all been forfeited for the glitz and glimmer of fame and fortune. This is where you and I come in. We are no different. I cannot say for sure that if it were me and my son going through a similar experience, that i wouldn’t be tempted and possibly cave to worldly desires in order to cash in and make a killing. It’s a scary picture of how truly ugly and sinful we really are. How our wants and desires for temporal blessing and comfort outweigh our need for salvation and eternal security.
We can find ourselves in this story.
This is what repentance and forgiveness is all about. Christ came to earth, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the the virgin Mary. Was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell and was raised on the third day. He ascended and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. He did all of that because we are desperately fallen sinners who have no hope in salvation apart from Christ’s perfection in our place. He paid it all so that we don’t have to. This is the gospel message.
If you want to experience true resurrection, find yourselves in the wounds of Christ not in the experience of Colton Burpo.