Heaven is for Real (My Response)

Many people have gotten very excited about the book “Heaven Is For Real.”  Having recently read the book I have some reservations and concerns. In this short article I will only take the time to address a couple of them.  The one thing that seemed to stick out most to me as I read about this young boy and others who believed they had gone to heaven was that I don’t remember seeing a clear explanation of the gospel.  How does one “go to heaven” or how are they assured that they will at death be “present with Christ?” (IICor. 5)  Terminology such as “gave himself to Christ” or “give your life to Christ” was used, but that can mean a lot of different things to different people.  It is a phrase for which I have not found biblical support. 

Jesus and John the Baptist both used the term “repent”.  Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be “born again” of the spirit of God, believing on Jesus Christ just as the Israelites believed on the bronze serpent for salvation when bitten by snakes in the wilderness.

Paul warned the Galatians twice in chapter one that if “anyone preaches another gospel to you other than what we have preached, let him be accursed.”  Paul’s gospel was clear in I Corinthians 15:1-4,  “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”  Individuals can either come to “obedience to the faith”   (Rom. 1:5; 16:26) or face the consequences of rejection and “perish” according to John 3:16.  This message needs to be proclaimed and clarified.  Salvation is not universal.  Because of the lack of clarity in this area one has to wonder whether the authors believe that “Jesus is THE way, THE truth, and THE life” and that no one comes to the father except by Him (Jn. 10:10).  If this is their belief I would encourage and challenge them to clarify the gospel they believe and preach; if not, it seems to be a different gospel.

A second concern deals with the fact that Jesus Christ in giving the account of the Rich Man and Lazarus made this statement, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.”  (Luke 16:31).  There is indeed a large following as is attested to by the sellout crowds and that the number of books purchased  has put them on the best seller  list.   Because the Bible is authoritative we can say that the interest in this book will not lead these masses of individuals to “repentance” but we may ask, “Will it make them “twice as much as son of hell.” (Mt. 23:15)  Does it leave them with a false assurance of heaven without challenging them to repent?

The privilege of true believers  to be “children of God” I have already addressed in a previous posting entitled “Is Grandma an Angel?”  You can find encouragement here in that those who have placed their faith in Christ for salvation will not simply be angels but are “joint heirs with Christ.” (Rom. 8:17)

In the limited time and space available other concerns cannot be addressed.   Most importantly every one of us must evaluate whether we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation trusting in nothing else so that one day we too will experience the “reality of Heaven.”  For those who do not the reality of the Lake of Fire awaits!