John Piper says it so much more eloquently than I could, "If books go beyond scripture, I doubt their claims."
I am extremely inquisitive. More like a fact checker on most occasions. I gained the nickname 'Mr. Google' from my friends in college for how quick I was to check things that I heard. It is important to note Here, I do not believe everything I read online! Ha!
This is a subject that has been heavy on my heart for sometime and particularly this week leading up to the guest speaker at church.
Sunday morning, I heard the testimony of a man who was in a wreck in 1989. He was pronounced dead at the scene and after an hour and a half breathed another breath. The power of prayer oozes from this story because of a pastor who stopped and prayed over Don Piper and how many around the world prayed for this pastor who was in this horrific accident. There's no intellectual explanation for his reviving other than that God, Himself allowed Him to live again. I fully believe Don Piper's story is life changing and the miracle of his healing can bring others to the realization that they need Jesus.
There's just a piece of the story I can't overlook.
It's a story that has become what many put into the category of "heavenly tourism." There are many books and stories of those who have seen Heaven. Each experience is different.
In Don's book, he highlights his heavenly experience over two chapters. He spends one chapter discussing his interactions in Heaven and then the music of Heaven.
As far as the way Don described Heaven during his testimony, he is right along with scripture. The description of the gate of pearl and there being no sun or moon. The twelve gates of heaven and so on. All this is found in John's account of Heaven in Revelation. More on John later. I do take issue with the fact that he claims his loved ones met him at the gates of heaven. I take issue with this first, because of the fact that our main purpose in Heaven will be to worship our Savior and our God and we will have amazing ways of doing that. We will have fellowship other believers, but our main purpose will be relishing in the glory of the Lord!
I feel as though we have placed the meeting of our loved ones in Heaven above the entrance into the presence of God. So much so, that many people today are so focused on seeing their loved ones that they forget what we will be in heaven for.
The Bible speaks to our being caught up with Jesus one day and have reunion with other believers. Paul speaks of this in 1 Thessalonians. So we do know that we will meet up with our loved ones, but scripture does not mention any sort of waiting at the gates for us.
It's hard for me to believe that Heaven is a "carrot on a stick" to motivate me to work for God. The glory of God is my main purpose in life as a Christ-follower. When I speak to people about Jesus, I'm not attempting to get them "fire insurance." I pray that when I have kids and they come to the stage of their life where they accept Christ into their life and enter into a relationship with Him, that they are not just doing it to stay out of Hell. While that is a great thing to do, to look forward to our heavenly reward, that is not our primary purpose.
Also, Don mentions the music of heaven. Again, while the majority of his claims align with scripture, there is one misstep. In his book, Don mentions that in Heaven he heard no mention of the sacrifice of Jesus in the songs and worship of the citizens of Heaven. We are informed in Revelation chapter 5 of the singing of the phrase, "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain..." So if there is no singing of the sacrifice of Christ, why does the Bible mention it.
Now following the service this morning, I managed to find a PDF version of the book, 90 Minutes in Heaven, and quickly read through the book. The majority of the book centers on his recovery and his opportunity to use this car accident and subsequent miracle of God. I am thankful that the majority of the book is centered there, but the fact that he uses the heaven experience so much as part of his speaking, keeps me stumbling.
The firm fact that no one in the Bible had been to Heaven and given an account. Lazarus died and was raised. However, he never gives account of his experience. There were Biblical accounts of visions of Heaven, the most vivid picture is painted by John in Revelation.
The Bible addresses the issue of whether or not people have seen heaven and come back.
First off, in Proverbs, there's a question posed:
"Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son? Surely you know! (Proverbs 30:4 NIV)"
Then, Jesus gives the answer in the Gospel of John:
"No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. (John 3:13 NIV)"
Also, Paul, addresses this same issue.
"I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. (2 Corinthians 12:2-4 NIV)"
So here's my thought process on this whole situation.
I don't doubt for one second the miracle that God performed when Don Piper awoke from death on the Trinity Bridge outside Huntsville. My issue lies with his trip to heaven. My issue also lies with the young man who's experience is told in Heaven is for Real. I do not hold any stock in any of these books which do not align with the word of God. To quote John MacArthur, " For anyone who truly believes the Biblical record, it is impossible to resist the conclusion that these modern testimonies with their relentless self-focus and the relatively scant attention they pay to the Glory of God are simply untrue."
There were four visions of Heaven in the Bible. Notice, that I said visions. God revealed the nature of heaven to four men: Isaiah, Ezekiel, Paul, and John. Each man's account is not very detailed, but the man focus of each account is not personal, it is the Glory of God which fills Heaven. That's where I struggle with the accounts of the "heavenly tourists," none of the narratives that I have researched spend more than a little time on the Glory of God and the centerpiece of Heaven, Jesus!
In conclusion, to my brothers and sisters, take the evangelistic material you choose to read and check it against scripture. Take what speakers and evangelists say and check it against scripture. Heck, check the things I've said against scripture, I urge you! If any of it doesn't line up with scripture, take it lightly. Your ultimate weapon is the sword of truth, USE IT!
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