Heaven is For Real – This Story is Not
Heaven is for Real – This Story is Definitely Not
Today I will give a review of “Heaven is for Real – A little boys astounding story of his trip to heaven and back”. I went to a local Christian book store called CUM Books stores here in South Africa to find hundreds of copies of this book stacked under the ‘Best Selling’ section. I picked one up and thought to myself, “Satan’s smart, he is now using little kids to sell his story.”
To give a brief summary of the story, little Colton aged 4, complains of stomach pains and runs a high fever. His parents, Todd and Sonja Burpo take him to a hospital where the doctor fails to diagnose the problem. The little boy is now deteriorating to such an extent that they remove him out of the hospital and take him to another one where he is diagnosed for a burst appendix. Rushed into surgery, little Colton while on the surgery table experiences something many people never do. He apparently goes to Heaven and meets Jesus. After he is home he starts to recount his story to his parents, as best as a 4 year old can, of his trip to Heaven and back.
There have been many books written by many people on their supposed trips of Heaven where they meet a ‘Jesus’ type person. One being Choo Thomas’ “Heaven is so Real” and then Don Piper’s “90 Minutes in Heaven”, who just happens to endorse Heaven is For Real. In the front of the book on the ‘Praise for Heaven is For Real’ pages, there are praises from 12 different people telling you why you should by this book, all reasoning as to why Colton’s story is just as good as that of the bible, and why you should “allow a little child to lead you.” — Don Piper, Speaker and Author, 90 Minutes in Heaven
Todd Burpo is a pastor at a Wesleyan church. This helps to cement the trap. First we the reader would surmise that a 4 year old child would never lie like (Alex Malarkey “The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven”), and to top things off the father of the child is a pastor – Satan would never go after a 4 year old child of a pastor, would he? Especially if the pastor is biblical sound in his doctrine, or is he? Throughout the book Heaven is for Real Todd Burpo points to scripture to try and back up his sons ‘visions’ but with terrible inaccuracy. For anyone not knowing scripture, they would agree with Todd, being non the wiser. After all he is a pastor, he should not be telling untruths to his church, let alone the whole world.
Heaven is for Real and it’s problematic areas:
I am now going to take you through the book Heaven is for Real, looking at all the problematic areas. We are going to deal with this book biblically which includes being logical. God gave us a brain to use – let’s use it.
False visions from Colton:
1) On page xix of Heaven is for Real,when Colton first tells his parents about his trip to Heaven he states that the angels sang to him. He says, “Dad, Jesus had the angels sing to me because I was so scared. They made me feel better” ..at the time… “I was sitting on Jesus lap”. Now Colton was scared because he was having surgery. Immediately we have a problem with this statement. If you are sitting on Jesus Christ’s lap, surely you will not be scared? But yet Colton is scared and this Jesus figure has to get the angels to sing to him in order to make him feel better. The bible tells us:
John 14:27 “27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
2) Colton tells his father about Jesus’ horse, he says; “Hey dad, did you know Jesus has a horse?”….”Yeah a rainbow horse, I got to pet him. There’s lots of colors”. pg. 63
In Heaven is for Real, Jesus has a horse that resembles that of a My Little Pony? And we as Christians are supposed to believe this? Rainbows are also very significant in New Age teaching.–(This we will discuss in more detail later). Todd tries to justify his son’s vision by telling us about scripture of “the rainbow colours described in the book of Revelation” pg. 66
3) Colton also tells his father that this Jesus figure had a crown; “Yeah a crown, and it had this… this diamond thing in the middle of it and it was kind of pink…” pg.66
In Heaven is for Real, it would appear that the Jesus of Colton’s vision not only has a My Litte Pony but appears ‘plastic’ as well. A pink like stone in his crown? Who are we kidding here! The Jesus that appeared to Colton certainly does not look anything Jesus Christ the Son of God as spoken about in the book of Revelation – visions given to John. Now this vision we can believe because it’s in the bible:
Revelation 1:12-16 “I turned to see whose voice it was that was speaking to me and when I had turned I saw seven golden lamp stands, and among these lampstands I saw someone ‘like a Son of Man’. He was dressed in a long robe with a golden girdle around his breast; his head and his hair were white as snow-white wool, his eyes blazed like fire, and his feet shone as the finest bronze glows in the furnace. His voice had the sound of a great waterfall, and I saw that in his right hand he held seven stars. A sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth, and his face was ablaze like the sun at its height.“
The Purple Sash
4) Colton also says his Jesus wore white with a purple sash in his book Heaven is for Real he says, “Jesus was the only one in heaven who had purple on, Dad Did you know that? pg 65
Todd then tries to confuse the reader of Heaven is for Real by saying the following, “In scripture, purple is the color of kings. A verse from the gospel of Mark flashed through my mind: “His clothes became dassling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them” pg 65.
If we look at this scripture what Todd is referring too, it says nothing of purple. This is when Jesus was transfigured (Mark 9:3). The only time Jesus had purple on was just before he was going to be crucified. Note, he was being clothed as a human King – Jesus Christ is now King of all Kings. He is not Colton’s description of a Jesus figure, which is more like a fairy-tale Jesus.
Mark 15:17 “And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head”
Mark 15:20 “And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.”
Later on in the article we will have a look at what Colton’s Jesus actually looks like – yes we have a picture.
5) Something that stuns Colton’s father into submission is the fact that Colton’s Jesus showed him his hands and feet and Colton says, “Jesus has markers” pg 65
Todd does not understand that this Jesus in Heaven is for Real is not the real Jesus Christ of the Bible; a vision and the reality of Jesus Christ really returning to earth are completely two different things. Yes when Jesus Christ returns we will see the marks of where he was nailed to the cross, but this vision of Colton’s is a vision and another Jesus. Satan can mimic anything he wants too.
6) Todd asks Colton what everyone looks like in heaven and Colton replies, “Everybody’s got wings.” pg 72 informing his father that everyone sort of looks like angels.
This is absolutely incorrect. We know from scripture that we will most probably look the same as we did on earth, but we will be perfect in every sense of the word. We also know from scripture that the resurrection of believers’ physical bodies has yet to take place, anyone who dies and is destined for Heaven, their form now in Heaven must lack physical attributes. Just to note: Some people were raised from the dead and transformed at the time of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. Matthew 27:52 says that their “bodies…were raised.” But do they have wings? No they do not. Philippians 3:21 says that Jesus “will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body.” Does Jesus have wings? No he does not. We are made in the image of God according to Genesis 1:27, does God have wings? No He does not. Is Colton’s Jesus pulling this child’s leg and everyone else who believes him? Yes he is.
7) Another strange addition to our bodies in Heaven is for Real is that in heaven is a halo. Colton tells his father that, “All people have a light above their head”. pg 73 To try and persuade the reader that dear little Colton is telling the truth Todd goes on to tell us about angels in the bible and “when angels show up, they’re sometimes dazzlingly bright, blinding almost”. pg 73 He also tells us about Stephen who’s “face became as bright as an angel’s” pg 73 not long after he was stoned to death.
Hmm, and what has that got to do with people in heaven having “lights about their heads?” Nothing. Again Todd’s examples from scripture to try prove his point are ridiculous to say the least. Interestingly enough Todd does say that he actually can’t “…remember angels having lights over their heads specifically-or halos, as some would call them.” pg 74 But never the less chooses to believe his sons story as being true and goes on to tell the rest of the world a lie.
8) In Heaven is for Real, Colton meets his grandfather and his little sister in heaven. It would appear that everyone goes to Heaven because his little sister tells Colton that she can’t wait to meet her parents (Todd and Sonja) one day in heaven. What would happen if either Todd or Sonja were to reject the Gospel? Would the little sister’s hope be crushed?
Colton’s little long lost sister tells him that God (who is called Jesus’ dad) – adopts all babies that have died. Now this story of God adopting children will pull at the heartstrings of a billion mothers who have lost children through miscarriage and other tragedies. The pain of losing a child is unlike anything a parent should face. But now we have the story Heaven is for Real by the Burpo’s, tapping into the heartache of millions of women (like it did with Sonja Burpo) and blinding them into believing that the vision Colton experienced was true; that he was indeed in Heaven and that the Jesus he met was indeed the true Biblical Jesus, when we know, based on all the evidence that Colton’s experience was demonic.
Who’s on the left side?
9) Colton explains to his father that Jesus sits on the right hand side of his ‘dad’. Todd then asks who sits on the left side and Colton replies, “Oh, that’s easy, Dad, That’s where the angel Gabriel is, He is really nice”. pg 101 This is another lie. No where in the bible does it tell us who sits on the left side of God because there is no left side, only a right side.
“In (Ephesians 1:19-21) here we see God exalting Jesus above all others by seating Him at the right hand of the Father.”
“The term “God’s right hand” in prophecy also refers to the Messiah to whom is given the power and authority to subdue His enemies (Psalm 110:1; Psalm 118:16)”
The fact that Jesus Christ is at the “right hand of God” was a sign to the disciples that Jesus had indeed gone to heaven. In John 16:7-15, Jesus told the disciples that He had to go away and He would send the Holy Spirit. So the coming of the Holy Spirit in the upper room on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13) was positive proof that Jesus was indeed in heaven seated at the right hand of God. This is confirmed in Romans 8:34 where the Apostle Paul writes that Christ is sitting at God’s right hand making intercession for us.
Therefore, what we can say that “God’s right hand” refers to the Messiah, the LORD Jesus Christ and He is of equal position, honor, power and authority with God (John 1:1-5). The fact that Christ is “sitting” refers to the fact that His work of redemption is done and when the fullness of the gentiles is brought in (Romans 11:25), Christ’s enemies will be made His footstool as the end of the age comes, all prophecy is completed, and time is no more.” –http://www.gotquestions.org/right-hand-God.html
The Holy Spirit
10) But it get’s worse, Colton tells his father that he sat with the Holy Spirit and it was kinda hard to describe him, other than “he’s kinda blue”. Colton was sitting by the Holy Spirit (in Heaven) praying for his father because as Colton said to his dad, “You needed the Holy Spirit, so I prayed for you”. pg 102 This is a very telling statement. The bible tells us that when you become a Christian the Holy Spirit comes to abide in you.
John 14:16-18 16 “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you”
Romans 8:9-11 “9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 “16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
1 Corinthians 6:19 “19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”
Todd is supposed to be a Pastor, and Todd is a professing Christian yet according to Colton’s Jesus, he does not have the Holy Spirit in him. This means that the following verses and many more applies to Todd Burpo:
Matthew 7:21-23 “21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied [preached] in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!
11) To make matters even worse Colton says that the Holy Spirit shoots down power to his dad when he is preaching in church, “It’s the Holy Spirit, “I watched him, He showed me”… ” He shoots down power for you when you are talking in church.” pg 126 This is totally unscriptural. Because we have proved above that the Holy Spirit abides in born again believers here on earth. The Holy Spirit does not give you power either. This Holy Spirit that Colton speaks of is false, along with it’s Jesus.
John 16:7-15 “7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.“
Rainbows in Heaven is for Real
12) Colton becomes obsessed with rainbows. Even to the point that he prays for a rainbow and one supposedly appears in the sky the following day. Todd Burbo uses the one and only scripture of Revelation 4:3 to try and backup his sons visions. “And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.”
Because we know from everything else that we have read that there is something seriously demonic regarding Colton’s visions, therefore it’s only obvious to look at New Age teaching regarding Rainbows to see what they have to say. I did an article here on the 7 Colours of the Rainbow and the 7 Chakras, please read.
This is what New Ager’s have to say about the Rainbow:
“The experience of seeing the colours of the rainbow, when the sun is shining and it has been raining, is one we all can share. The experience often has a magical quality to it as though it is stirring some deep inner response. Such is the wonder of the light that forms the colours of the rainbow.The heavenly principle is to GIVE AS WE RECEIVE. We are not intended to absorb the light of the rainbow, enlightenment, joy and happiness, rather we are intended to transmit it; and in doing so to unfold its meaning for others, and for ourselves too.” —http://www.spiritualwisdom.org.uk/colours-of-the-rainbow.htm
“The rainbow represents the regenerate spiritual person – one who has lived out the path of enlightenment, whose potential has opened out like the lotus flower of the east, each stage represented by a new colour developing out of the one before.
The main seven colours symbolise wholeness or holiness. There are a variety of rainbows sometimes seen around those in the spiritual realms – the rainbow of the ‘aura’, as it is sometimes called, picturing the spiritual state of the person.
Yoga teaches that there are seven centers or chakras in the human body. These are spiritual centers – you will not find them described in a materialistic medical book.” — http://www.spiritualwisdom.org.uk/colours-of-the-rainbow2.htm
Akiane and Colton Burpo’s Christ
13) In the book, Heaven is for Real, The Burpo’s were themselves totally obsessed with finding out what Colton’s Jesus looked like “…as pastor, I wound up spending a lot of time at hospitals, in Christian bookstores, and at other churches–all places where there are lots of drawings and paintings of Christ….When we came across a picture of Jesus we’d ask Colton, “What about this one? Is that what Jesus looks like?’ pg 93. Finally Todd came across information of a girl by the the name of Akiane Kramarik who too had began having visions at the age of four. And as it turns out her descriptions of Heaven appear to be the same as Colton’s – so they say. Akiane is a Prodigy and paints the most beautiful paintings, “she states that God has given her the visions and abilities to create her artwork” –– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akiane_Kramarik. One of her paintings is that of the Christ of her visions, she calls him her ‘Prince of Peace’. Colton, turned to his dad when he saw Akiane’s Jesus and said, “Dad, that one’s right.” pg 145.
What does the bible tell us:
Exodus 20:4-5 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image-any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
That applies to images of Jesus too, be it statues, or any other religious paintings, even the movies. It leads to idolatry, breeds superstition and leads to occultism. If Jesus wanted us to know what he looked like there would be a full description of Him in the bible, but He has not because we are to believe by FAITH.
Corinthians 5:7 “7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
1 Peter 1:8 “8 whom having not seenyou love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory”
John 20:29 “29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Therefore all and I mean all representations of Jesus are false and have no backing by scripture.
Akiane is now 16 years old, this is what she has to say about Jesus,
“Jesus shared with us: ‘I am the way, the truth and the light. No one comes to my Father, but through me.’ I feel that he invited us to participate in the divinity. Each of us is one of kind [ sic ] original path to the way of truth and light, and without our individual love and effort we cannot understand and reach God” [Emphasis added] — http://akiane.com/blog/?tag=akiane.
She rejects Jesus as being the only way for mankind to be reconciled to God. She opposes what Jesus Christ taught in favor of Satan’s promise of divinity to Eve in Genesis:3:5. Akiane has clearly met another Jesus and if Colton’s Jesus looks the same as Akiane’s then we can be certain that Colton’s Jesus is anti-Christ too.
14) Besides all the other unbiblical nonsense that Colton saw in his ‘trip to Heaven’ that was penned down in his book Heaven is for Real, the one that will bring fear into people the most is the one where he speaks of the coming war. “There’s going to be a war, and it’s going to destroy this world. Jesus and the angels and the good people are going to fight against Satan and the monsters and the bad people. I saw it”. pg 136 Colton tells his father that he saw his father fighting in the war too, fighting for Jesus who wins the war in the end. The problem with this eschatological view (the study of the end times) is that it’s wrong. The Body of Christ (Church) are ‘raptured’ to Heaven before the Tribulation starts. The ‘church’ that remains is but the false church of the antiChrist – the Roman Catholic church who have it as their mission to take over Jerusalem for themselves. The time of the 7 year tribulation is for Israel – and everything will happen in Israel. God turns back to Israel as he seals 144,000 Jewish witness to do the preaching instead of gentiles along with the 2 witnesses mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Anyone who professes Jesus Christ as their saviour will be beheaded. The time of the Tribulation is for God’s Wrath upon the earth. God deals with mankind and the anti-Christ very severely – but will mankind repent? No. If Todd Burpo is still going to be on earth during the Tribulation according to Colton’s vision he has then missed the ‘Blessed Hope’. (Titus 2:13)
See all these articles on the rapture here: Rapture, Caught Up, The First Resurrection
Colton is the new Jesus.
15) Colton’s babysitter, Ali, one night hears Colton’s story regarding his sister in heaven and that he missed her terribly. Ali, shocked at his story ends up crying her heart out. She is deeply touched. Ali had grown up in a Christian home but had entertained doubts regarding her faith, for e.g., not knowing if all religions lead to the same God or not. “But Colton’s story about his sister strengthened her Christian faith” pg 130
So Colton’s story is more impressive than anything the Bible could offer. Even though the Bible is TRUE and Colton’s story is not. Satan loves to use emotions to tug at the heartstrings of unsuspecting victims. And he is bargaining on you not going to the Bible to check to see if what he is telling you is true or not. And the longer you refrain from testing these evil spirits, the deeper and deeper you are pulled into deception through more false teaching, until you are completely swallowed up with no where to go.
Paul’s Rapture, John’s Prophecies and Lazarus and the Rich Man:
16) On page 80 of Heaven is for Real, Todd tells us about the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 12 about a man he knew personally (obviously, Paul himself) who was caught up to Heaven. And Todd also tells us about the Apostle John who had an angel appear to him and he penned a number of prophecies and described Heaven in great detail. Todd then quotes scripture from the Book of Revelation
Revelation 4:1-3 “1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.”
Basically Todd is trying to convince the reader that Colton’s vision is equal to that of Paul and John, but if Todd was a genuine Christian Pastor he would know the following:
“If I told you that I had recently visited there and only communicated what I knew was recorded in the Bible about it, you couldn’t object to what I said on the basis of my being biblically inaccurate. Accuracy, however, is not the only criterion for biblical discernment. There are many other instructions and examples that we must take into consideration. For example, the Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 12 of a “man in Christ” (no doubt Paul himself) who was caught up to Heaven. He didn’t know at the time whether it was an experience in which his spirit had left his body, or a vision while his spirit remained in his body. Nevertheless, he states that what he saw and heard in paradise was not lawful for a man to utter. Paul’s experience was followed by a humbling infirmity, which he states that God allowed him to suffer “lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations…“ (2 Corinthians:12:6-7)
That isn’t always the case in Scripture. The Apostle John obviously was given permission to declare what he witnessed in Heaven in the Book of Revelation. This would seemingly apply as well to the writer of the Book of Job.
But can we be sure that the visions and personal experiences of these writers are true? Absolutely–because their words are found in the Scriptures . Of the Word of God, the psalmist writes, “Thy word is true from the beginning…,” and Jesus said, “Thy word is truth” (Psalm:119:160; John:17:17). That is the ultimate verification that the experiences of those men of God indeed took place as they described. Furthermore, since the canon of Scripture was closed in the first century A.D., no one since that time can have his vision of-or his alleged visit to–Heaven validated in the same way.
Jesus gave us another insight to help our discernment when He told of Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man, who had died, was in a place where he was tormented and suffering remorse. Yet he begged Abraham to send someone to warn his brothers so that they would not end up with him in “this place of torment.” Abraham’s response was: “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” And again, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead“ (Luke:16:19-31) [Emphasis added] — http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/search-the-scriptures-daily/read/articles/is-heaven-is-for-real-for-real-an-exercise-in-discernment-13365.html
Todd Burpo’s deceptive faith:
17) On page 62, Todd Burpo was still trying to come to terms with Colton’s story, he said, “If Colton really had a supernatural encounter, I certainly didn’t want to ask him leading questions. We had taught Colton about our faith all his life. But if he really had seen Jesus and the angels, I wanted to become the student, not the teacher!”
Todd himself would appear to be duped and does not approve in proper biblical testing as per 1 John 4:1-6. He instead says that we must “be willing to accept reality and to call things what they are even when it is hard”. pg 75 So even though Colton’s story might be a bit hard to swallow, just believe it with childlike faith.
Todd also wanted to become a student of a 4 year old child instead of taking instruction from Jesus Christ (The Word of God). Is a 4 year old child now more truthful than the Word of God? The Bible says:
2 Timothy 3:15-17 “17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”
Proverbs 30:5 (Amp) “5Every word of God is tried and purified; He is a shield to those who trust and take refuge in Him.”
18) On page 82 of Heaven is for Real, we are told that “Roman Catholics practice confession as a sacrament, sharing their sins and shortcomings with a priest. Protestants practice confession too, though a little less formally, often confiding in God without an intermediary.” When I started reading this book I kept my eyes peeled for the Roman Catholic connection and was not really surprised when it showed up.
1) Catholics practice confession, genuine Christians do no not practice confession. Christians ask Jesus Christ for forgiveness of their sin. 2) Confession and asking for forgiveness (repenting) is two different things. 3) The statement by Todd that he confides to “God without an intermediary” is very concerning for the bible says,
1 Tim 2:5 “5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus“
Todd prays to the Holy Spirit.
19) He says, “I breathed a ‘prayer of thanks’ to the Holy Spirit, who had clearly “shot down power,” giving me an answer for this grieving woman…” pg 146 Well we know that Todd lacks Jesus Christ as an intermediary, so he needs a new substitute; the holy spirit (lower case because it’s a false spirit)
No where in the bible are we told to pray to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will always point you to Jesus Christ the Son of God.
John 14:26 “26But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
John 16:14 “14 Jesus speaking of the Holy Spirit said, “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you“
The bible does tell us the following about the Holy Spirit regarding prayer:
Romans 8:26 “26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
Jude 1:20 “…build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.”
Scripture suggests that we pray “in the Holy Spirit”, which means we permit the Holy Spirit to guide our prayers and give us the right words to say, and during times when we don’t know what to say, the Holy Spirit automatically prays on our behalf with words that cannot be uttered, because He knows exactly what we need. This new idea that we pray to the Holy Spirit is a New Age concept – The false New Age holy spirit represents the 6th Chakra or the Third Eye.
When we pray, we can pray to God our Heavenly Father – Psalm 5:2 “Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray”. To the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray as to the Father because they are equal. Or you can pray to our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ – it does not matter, what ever makes you happy. Prayer to one member of the Trinity is prayer to all, because all three are One. Stephen, when he was being martyred, prayed – Acts 7:59 “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” . We are also to pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Paul said, that we are always give – Ephesians 5:20 “thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” . There is no fixed rule, to add a rule on how to address God is wrong.
Jesus Christ’s crucifixion
20) On page 149 in Heaven is for Real, Todd makes the most unbelievable statement regarding Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, he says, “The scripture says that as Jesus gave up his spirit, as he sagged there, lifeless on that Roman cross, God the Father turn his back. I am convinced that he did that because if he had kept on watching, he couldn’t have gone through with it” This kind of thinking is very similar to a man by the name of John Dominic Crossan’s (Jesus Seminar), who has had a great influence the Emergent church:
“If we are to believe that God deliberately sent his only son into the world to be brutally tortured and crucified, then I take that to be transcendental child abuse, and I will not have it.” — John Dominic Crossan, Speech at Duke University Conference on “Jesus in Context: Who Was He?”, February 19-21, 1998
For the undiscerning reader reading this book and does not understand the crucifixion, let me please explain so that you may know the truth and nothing but the truth, because you are not going to get it from Todd Burpo.
Isaiah 53:10 “10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. “
“And about the ninth hour Jesus “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46. This cry is a fulfillment of Psalm 22:1.
Isaiah 53:4-5 tells us that Jesus “bore our griefs and carried our sorrows; that he was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities; that the chastisement of our peace was laid upon him; that by his stripes we are healed” and Galatians 3:13 tells us “He redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us”.
In those awful moments on the cross, Jesus was expressing His feelings of abandonment as God placed the sins of the world on Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” and 1 John 2:2 “2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” – and because of that God had to “turn away” from Jesus. As Jesus was feeling that weight of sin, He was experiencing separation from God for the only time in all of eternity. Jesus became sin for us, so He felt the loneliness and abandonment that sin always produces, except that in His case, it was not His sin – it was ours.
But then Jesus cried out from the cross, when Jesus uttered those words, John 19:30 “It is Finished” He was declaring the debt by mankind (the debt of sin) owed to His Father was wiped away completely and forever.
The Catholic connection.
21) One of the biggest warning signs today for a genuine Christian is to note any Roman Catholic connection. Todd says on page 152 in Heaven is for Real, “A lot of our Catholic friends have asked whether Colton saw Mary, the mother of Jesus. The answer to that is also yes. He saw Mary kneeling before the throne of God and at times, standing besides Jesus. “She still loves him like a mom”. The Roman Catholic Church is spoken off in the book of Revelation as:
Revelation 17:4-6 “4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.”
The Catholic Mary (Queen of Heaven) is non other than a demonic goddess posing as Jesus’ mother. “The Queen of Heaven in the bible is a Babylonian goddess whom people worshiped. She has been incarnated to Roman Catholicism under the name ‘Mary’, Mary-Queen of Heaven. Many Catholics would deny that Mary worship is part of Catholicism but unfortunately this is not true as she holds a special place in the hearts of many.” — Please read more on Mary Queen of Heaven – Whore of Babylon
Jeremiah 7:18 (Amp) “18 The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger!
Conclusion:
As you can see from the heaps of evidence above that was taken directly from Heaven is for Real that the ‘altered states of consciousness’ that Colton experienced was not genuine. Why? Is is due to his fathers sin of following after false doctrines. Have the Burpo’s delved into things, i.e, contemplative spirituality, that they should have not been delving into. Is this story even a lie? What ever it is, one thing is very clear, the story is not true, and if you choose to follow after this false Jesus with a pink stone in his crown and a pink pony, you will be following after a New Age Jesus. The bible says:
2 Timothy 4:1-5 “1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
Deborah — not so discerning — just saw this in the General description of your blog —
“If you don’t understand what it written please consult the Word of God (remembering to read it correctly, in context, with no twisting of scripture).”
Presumably your words!! Why don’t you practice what you preach? No twisting, in context?!!
George Garner wrote
No court of law will accept your accusation because you give no evidence of “twisting in context.”
Geaorge Gartner
Of what are Revelation 17:4-6 and Jeremiah 7:18 symbols?
Watch your language.
We do not hate Catholics. We love them and want them to be saved. That’s why we expose the dangers of Catholicism and try to warn them. Thank God, many ex-Catholics have had their eyes opened and are now saved.
I urge you to repent so that you may receive forgiveness and eternal life.
George Garther
Thanks for calling me all those names. You show yourself to be something other than a Christian.
This is just hateful. This is a four year old trying to describe things that are almost impossible to describe even for an adult. So etimes you have to take things on faith. How dare anyone discount what this child has said he has seen. He saw things that he should or could not have seen. But facts were verified. You cannot shred and take apart things you have not seen or encountered. You have no idea what that child saw. Why wouldn’t a child be scared not knowing where he is and why couldn’t the angels sing for him to calm him. Moms sing to their children every day to calm them . Jesus say let the children come to him. God is about love and grace, I didn’t find that here.
Donna
What you should do, is to ask yourself, “Who am I going to obey and listen to?” Are you going to obey and listen to a kid who claims to have been and seen things in heaven or are you going to obey God and listen to his Word? What does his Word say?
Paul was not allowed to tell anyone what he had seen and heard in heaven. The only description of what heaven is like is given in the book of Revelation and we should abide by it lest we become boastful.
On the other hand, Deborah, you’ve assumed in Item 1 that just because one is seated in Jesus’ lap that they will not have fear. But look at Rev 17:17 “for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” So even though they are in the presence of The Lamb, who leads them to the springs of the water of life, they STILL have tears in their eyes – no doubt resulting from what they’ve been through. So I can see how a boy moving from acute appendicitis to the lap of Jesus could still have fear. I think your first assumption is weak.
kelly
Please try and read all the scripture surrounding a verse to understand what is going on.
Their robes were washed in the blood of the Lamb
Revelation 7:14-17
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
God is wiping the tears from they eyes, not because they are fearful of God, but because these people have come out of the tribulation and have suffered tremendously and God is lovingly wiping the tears from their eyes.
Jesus will not cause little children to cry in fear.
The god that will cause little children to cry in fear is satan.
kelly
Please try and read all the scripture surrounding a verse to understand what is going on.
Their robes were washed in the blood of the Lamb
Revelation 7:14-17
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
God is wiping the tears from their eyes, not because they are fearful of God, but because these people have come out of the tribulation and have suffered tremendously and God is lovingly wiping the tears from their eyes.
Jesus does NOT cause anyone to fear and will not cause little children to cry.
It is amazing to read this person attempt to discredit the story of Colton Burpo.
One of the biggest problems is that the Bible itself has its own disclaimer stating that “everything that Jesus experienced” could not even be contained in all the books of the world… So how can this experience of a child???
But here is the bigger problem… God or Jesus are not limited by the “limited revelations” written in the Bible, period. But to say that the Eternal God is only bound by the limited written word is rather foolish to say the least. An example, the Bible talks about “birds” in a general sense in some passages. But, we all know there are many “species of birds.” Are we then suppose to debate the details of the feathers, beak, or sounds of the various birds and declare there is ONLY ONE BIRD of the Bible?
He is a detail the readers of this reply of mine should ponder…
I too had an out-of-body, near death experience and the “sash” that I saw Jesus wear was sky blue on top of an alabaster/cream colored thick robe(s)–with multiple layers, like drapery and with tassels too.
Surprised???
I have read every point in this response to the Book written by the Burpos and hate to admit that the person who wrote this condemnatory rebuttal and response may need to look at themselves and ask the same question(s) they are asking and proclaiming of that family alongside to saying that they too as it stands could confirm that their judged is “demonically influenced.”
If I told you and wrote about my own experience I had I could easily guarantee the author of this article about the Burpo’s would find something to judge and condemn me about too. Thankfully I had my own experience and can say there is “more to the reality of God” than what is captured still as truth in the Bible.
Finally in regards to “the wings” I think I need to share a detail and defend this innocent child from Nebraska. The “wings” he saw appears to be the light of God illuminating out in rays from each and every person who had the Spirit of God dwelling inside of them. If you recall in the Old Testament Moses when he came down from the mountain his face was illuminated and the Israelite people were terrified. They even had to cover his head. What about when Jesus was transfigured alongside to proclaiming to be equal to God…did the Apostles “light up too?” What about that “detail” not included in the Bible?
See my point?
I am sorry that the person who wrote this article had to “throw stones at a small child and family” calling them demonically influenced and all. Maybe the author is just acting out in jealously, ignorance, etc. because they did not take the “trip of their life” and would rather desire to throttle the expanded revelation of God that goes beyond the Bible regarding this particular subject.
Thankfully there is one simple message recorded in the Bible that does not need further explanation, squabbling and such. For it is clear and declares who Jesus is and how to be saved in that the Lord Jesus Christ clearly states that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and that nobody goes to the Father but by Him.
“Thank you Jesus for this simple truth of salvation and please Lord Jesus forgive the author who wrote this rebuttal article for his sins of judgement of the Burpos. And like you said Lord, “Father, forgive them (him) for they (he) does not know what they (he) are/is doing” in the case of this author of this condemnatory article, what he is saying.
Perfect Truth
What you seem to forget is that the Bible is a closed Canon and that no one needs to experience an out of body trip to heaven and/or hell to expand or to fill in the gaps of the “limited revelations” in the Bible.
When the rich man in hell begged Abraham to send Lazarus (who was in Paradise with Abraham) to his brothers and warn them of the excruciating painful place of torment he was in, this is what Abraham said:
Everything pertaining to salvation and how to live a godly life are in the Bible. Why do you need a child to go to heaven to supposedly fill in the gaps of the “limited revelations” in the Bible?” The danger with out of body experiences and alleged trips to heaven and/or hell is that the person who experiences it is prone to adding or taking away from the Bible. What does the Bible say about this?
Is this what you want for the child and his parents?
You wrote:
I agree. So why do you need to have an out of body experience and supposedly go to heaven when the most important message is already in the Bible?
Thomas:
I appreciate you taking the moment to comment on my response to the article.
Firstly, I want to make clear that I am not “blogging” to make any point that does not reflect the truth and experiences as I know it. For some reason if I am in error or my response and assessment is not in line in what God would approve I quickly humble myself and repent and seek His forgiveness. I truly take this matters seriously.
Even reading your reply I see many opportunities and “potholes” I can continue to wrangle upon and wonder when this exchange would finally extinguish. Personally I do not blog EVER and this is the very first time I have commented about this subject in a public forum. Furthermore, this will be my final reply and response to you and will resign myself from this exchange for reason I have come to have unmistakeable truths and revelations and do not feel comfortable dialoguing about this.
You discuss a “closed Canon” and simply there is no such thing in the scriptures about this, period. Even the 66 Books of the Bible do not reflect the original Canon anyway and the Canon had more Books to begin with. Also, which Canon are you referring to? I can think of many groups who all have taken a stab at proclaiming “they have the right Canon.”
Actually if you see Romans Chapter One Paul the Apostle argues how God’s Truth is “naturally Canon” and convincingly evident when he uses God’s Creation as his argument and resource to make this interesting point.
So you know, the Council of Nicaea was made up on “carnal government officials” and their self-serving intentions went well beyond what many Believers in this day and age accept and believe. Constantine was far from being a “Christian” as we define a follow of Jesus Christ today and he Constantine had opportunities extended to others to “worship him as a deity.”
Now, does that sound Christian to you? And how can you trust someone like that anyway if he is behind what Books are Canon? Would you trust the IRS, President Obama, former President Clinton to tell you what Books of God’s Word is “Canon?” What about Russian President Putin? Would you trust him?
Ponder this…
…When Jesus was handed the scroll of Isaiah to proclaim its fulfillment in Him as the ONE MESSIAH spoken of it was read from ONLY ONE SCROLL. They did not hand Him a “closed Canon” published book “someone said” was the “approved Word of God.” It does not say anything in the scriptures at all about which books represent the final assembly of books approved by God. And if we think about what I just wrote, according to Romans Chapter One Paul only talks about the evidence of God’s creation. So is “creation Canon” or part of this “closed Canon?” I think you see my point.
Speaking of Paul and now addressing why an addition message is being made through a kid from Nebraska when the Bible is supposed to have “all that we need”…
Think about this for a second…
Did not Paul “mention in passing and without a name” SOMEONE HE MET who had an out-of-body experience, whether in the body or out-of-the-body HE DID NOT KNOW? It appears Paul could not even remember the person’s name either or he was a nobody. I would read 2 Corinthians Chapter 12 to examine this more closely.
Thomas, I have read each paragraph and verse you authored and I would assess that there is much taken out of context and/or expanded and misapplied to support a point irrelevant to the original subject at hand and intended for the original reader a couple of thousand of years ago.
This strategy is rather risky and compromises, in my opinion, the original Word and intention of God. “Antidote verse application” can fall short of truly address real-time matters at hand and opens the door for self-service application of God’s words at will usurping one’s writing. In this case God’s message through the Apostles and Prophets of the Ancient Scrolls and Letters. (See how I omitted the word “Bible” here but talk about scrolls and letters?)
Why did God chose a little boy and/or me to experience what we did? Maybe it is the same questions some the Disciples asked themselves when Jesus only took three up the Mountain where He was transfigured and the others were left at the bottom of the hill, most likely in a shadowy valley paranoid of the Roman authorities. I guess they all must of felt “left out” and it could be many people are feeling the same way about this child and these supernatural stories. It is easy to see many getting offended, especially if they are religious, in the ministry and have “been faithful” during the years to their God and not even having an experience of anything out of this world other than a Blockbuster Movie rental filled with fantasy authored in Hollywood. Understandable, truly.
I use this as an example because on one occasion after I shared my story I was surprised by the envy and contention I encountered just because Jesus chose to reach out to me in the manner He did. My intention was to only share the Gospel and the reality of Jesus. The person was so jealous they have not spoken with me in sometime. Truly weird.
Remember, only God the Father and/or Jesus has the authority to take someone’s soul out of the body. Satan does not have that ability and others claiming the Devil does are giving him once again credit and power not due that wicked serpent. It is also weird when something supernatural happens it is always the devil than God.
I should not be surprised because when this did happen in the Gospels it was recorded as the UNPARDONABLE SIN.
Lastly, my experience confirmed a reality beyond this earth “more real” than me sitting, typing and communicating to you. Also, if you were standing in front of me I could actually see that the “reality of you” is faded and dying compared to the reality of living and being on my knees before the Savior Jesus Christ. Truly awesome and if you really believe in Him you are in for an amazing blessing and surprise!
Even the story of Colton or even my experience and testimony does not do any justice to the experiences that happened to us or can we even come close to reflecting and articulating something so very real, eternal, pure and Holy.
After I reentered my vacated carcass of mine laying on a bed after being gone and made aware in different ways that this was not a “freaky dream” I “turned back on” and struggled being “half on half off” and I am reminded of the scene of the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz getting his limbs filled with hay. I was truly in a malfunctioned state for a few minutes. Finally after my soul settled in the body I was uneasy about much, sought Pastoral advice and a Biblical understanding of what in the world just occurred. I could not even sleep well for about a week and was consumed constantly remembering over and over again those moments before Jesus Christ.
Here is another point I need to share…
If you knew the “Perfect Truth” of this experience and how it really is real you would completely understand that it is just that…real. You would also know that what is being shared by some, like even Paul the Apostle mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12, is so very true.
My prayer is that people be careful in their judgement when they hear these testimonies, protecting themselves from possibly “adding and subtracting” from God ordained supernatural events like this child Colton and people like me have experienced.
May God bless you and hopefully you are not a “doubting Thomas” after my reply to you!
Here is a great YouTube Channel on Near-Death Experiences, UFOs and more I would like to suggest and that I find rather interesting. Please see
Here is a great song from that channel too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7wQNEjb_fk
Perfect Truth,
I like your pseudonym but it doesn’t seem to fit your view of the Bible.
First of all I said that the Bible as we have it now is sufficient. We don’t need anything more than what is written between Genesis and Revelation.
You wrote
You are trying very hard to validate your opinion without any valid examples from Scripture. Jesus constantly quoted from the Old Testament, even so far back as Genesis which means that they already had the Old Testament when Jesus was handed the scroll from Isaiah.
He was referring to Genesis 2:24. Read this article from The Berean Call and this one here.
You wrote,
The Perfect Truth is, Perfect Truth, is that the person to whom Paul referred was NOT someone else but he himself. He deliberately did not mention his name because he did not want others to think he was boasting about his experience. Barnes explains it as follows:
Paul was not allowed to repeat the unspeakable words he heard in the third heaven. Today’s alleged travelers to heaven and back write books to tell everyone what they had seen and heard and most of the times they tell you things that don’t line up with the Word of God. Would you say that everything Colton allegedly experienced in heaven is in line with the Word of God? If not, then you should reject it outright.
Peter also had a similar experience when he saw Jesus with Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. However, he did not boast about his experience but rather said:
You wrote,
Well, I must say this is a real eye opener because it shows me from whence you tap your knowledge and experience. I would advise you to rather stick to the Bible. It’s much safer. I cannot accept your experience as being the Perfect Truth. I must obey Jesus rather than man. He said: “Take heed that no man deceive you.” (Mat 24:4).
Concerning the Catholic church, I would suggest reading about the early church fathers. These are the men who were taught by the Apostles and carried on Christianity. They all professed the real presence of Jesus in the Breaking of the Bread. Then read John 6. Note that Jesus emphasizes the bread becomes His Body. He even ties in the Manna that gave life to Moses and the Israelites. Jn 6, 54. Also, note that Judas was one of the disciples who didn’t believe Him.
God Bless,
Eric
Eric Thoman,
Paul wrote,
Roman Catholicism did not start with Jesus or the apostles. It started in Babylon and was perpetuated by the false Christian, Constantine the Great (who was a type of the Antichrist).
You wrote,
Yes, and I suppose Jesus held his own body and blood in his hands when he administered the Last Supper to his disciples in the Upper Room?
Wow….so much hate on here 🙁
If we (supposed Christians) spent as much time loving than judging people, more people would love God. So much hate…..
Unknown
You are the one who is being judgmental. You are accusing us of hatred. Wouldn’t you say hatred is when you fail to warn people against false teachings and false prophets? Jesus said to Peter “If you love Me you will feed and look after my lambs and the sheep.” That means that he ought to warn them when wolves in sheep’s clothing came amongst them. That’s real love. Your kind of lover is a false love.
We are command to judge those who are IN the church and not OUTSIDE the church.
Im sorry to say that I will be “unliking” your facebook page. I whole heartely disagree with you and I pray that you will be filled with God’s love and truth. Peace be with you…..
Andrea,
Perhaps you should begin to read, understand and believe your Bible in stead of the stories of ppersons who allegedly went to heaven and back.
Looks like this string is ripe with followers of what I call the theology of hell and damnation. I guess it works somewhat, some come by fear and all that. But for me I love Jesus because I love Him, that simple; I can’t explain it, He does not ask for it, I am compelled because that is how He made me.
You can’t drag me or force me to love. You can’t threaten me with eternal torture for some minor transgression or a misinterpretation of scripture. Pastor’s who teach the theology of hell & damnation do so not because they want to lead you to heaven; they do that because they want to control you and your money by way of fear and intimidation.
The church’s desire to control has always been a problem. Here’s the real answer, love your Father completely, and second love everybody around you. Love is the foundation for all that is good. Hell is just self inflicted separation from God and the lock to this place is operated from the inside (CS Lewis quote).
Last thought, all that interdenominational bigotry is just ugly. Let it go, I mean really? You think that your particular denomination is an automatic pass to heaven and everybody else bakes in the lake?
Kevin,
If you really love Jesus as you say, you would have believed every word He says. Guess what? He says more on hell than on anything else. Have you always loved Him because He made you that way or was there a time in your life that you did not love Him?
SCARLETTE NESTOR wrote:
Whether a child or an adult, your duty is to test their sayings in the light of the Word of God and if it does not line up with the Bible, you must reject it outright.
To become like a little child does not mean you should believe everything they say. When Jesus said: “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat 18:3) had nothing to do with what heaven looks like. The disciples were pondering who would be the greatest in heaven and Jesus was simply telling them that they should become as humble as a little child in order to inherit his kingdom. He did not mean that they should begin to think and talk like little children. Their conversation about who would be the greatest in heaven exposed their complete lack of humility. In fact, the Bible warns “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” (Eph 4:14). You seem to to love it when someone tosses you to and fro and to be carried about by every wind of doctrine. That’s got nothing to do about being childlike.
Acts 2:17 and 18 (Joel 2) was fulfilled at Pentecost and should not be seen as a template to justify a boy’s so-called experience in heaven. You are twisting Scripture.
To enjoy Jesus you must first make sure whether you believe in the right Jesus and not another one who supposedly wears purple in heaven.
Knowledge won’t get you to heaven? Really???
The word for “know” is “ginōskō” and means to have knowledge.
Get your facts straight before you slam others the way you did. Your argument is unfounded and fraught with emotional inconsistencies.
If I may just interject something. I am a pagan, just so you know. Yet it would appear that I know more of the Bible than you do, kind sir. I can point to passages in Ruth, Psalms and Malachi that refer to your god’s wings. Also your complaint about idolatry is pure hypocrisy. How many crosses are there in your church? *cough* hypocrite *cough*. I honestly think you’re just a hater who doesn’t know as much as he says he does. Also your view that Catholics aren’t true Christians is the most absurd accusation I’ve heard yet! Your Christ said that only one who works with the Holy spirit can cast out demons. Do you not know just how many exorcisms are performed by Catholic priests? I’m not going to continue trying to drill sense into your thick skull so in conclusion I say, ‘Goodbye, I hope you aren’t to wounded by the fact that a 15 year old just schooled you in your own religion.’
Sorry for saying ‘kind sir’ I only just now realized that this was posted by woman. My sincere apologies on that mistake.
Jacob Matthew,
You acknowledged that you are a pagan which proves that the Bible is correct when it says the following.
So what I would like to suggest is that you repent and believe the Gospel and receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour and only then will you be able to understand what the Bible teaches.
By the way, exorcism is no proof that a person is saved.
That’s nice of you. First you lambaste me and then you run away. Is that a natural thing with all you pagans – to run away? Remember, you cannot run away from God, my little friend of 15.
Jacob Matthew
Apology accepted. To which part in the post or comments are you referring? Many said or alluded to the fact that Catholics are not saved because they espouse a false gospel. Some of these people are male and some female.
Just for the record some run, some don’t. Do I look like I’m running? I mean no offense to anyone. Although, I take offense to the arrogance in your comment, ‘My little friend of 15’. By the way, nice come back with the ‘Lord, Lord’ reference. My question to you is, how do you know you’re not one of those people?
Thomas Lessing,
I’m a bit confused here. Who posted the above article/review? I thought it said above the tags that the author was a person named Deborah. Sorry if I made another mistake there.
Trashy. Your tearing apart a “vision” that a young boy had. Who is anyone to say how/when/why Christ would appear to anyone, or how that situation would play out? Not to mention utilizing “scripture” to back up your “belief” that this is all a lie… really? You think the Christ from the book of Revelations is the Christ that would appear to A CHILD WHO IS SCARED??? Unless you have personally had an experience in heaven and sat with him yourself, I think you should remember the scripture about “he who cast the first stone”…. see where I’m going? Not one person should judge this child or his family for writing down his account. Is it all accurate? Probably not. He’s a child. Children generally over do things. But before you down, dis, tear down, or generally call a fellow Christian a liar, you should really look at how YOU know, with 100 percent certainty that; 1. You know he’s lying. 2. You know exactly what Jesus looks like, from the day he was resurrected to the present day, preferably on a daily basis so you can get the exact time frame and compare it to make sure the time tables line up. 3. That you, in your ignorant disassembling of what someone could consider a blessed story whether fiction or not that you YOURSELF are not driving this child, his family, or ANYONE else that read the book AWAY from Christ because you are building doubts in THEIR minds about it with YOUR presumed ideals…
And by the way, I say all of this as a non-christian. I’m a gay guy. I don’t believe the same way you do, most of the world has different beliefs and such. The PROBLEM isn’t religion, it isn’t in who’s right or wrong… the problem lies with people like yourself, who tear others down who SHARE THE SAME BELIEFS YOU DO! How is this even remotely tempting for a non-believer to see this and them be drawn toward the Lord? If anything, all the bickering, fussing, and accusations on this site would drive them to do just the opposite.
Thank you for your time, unfortunately I won’t get mine back for reading the article/comments, and at least my response was short, so I didn’t waste near as much of yours. Besides, I can tell your very busy… ya know, with kid bashing and all.
jdj72032
You say you are a gay and an unbeliever. What would you have said if I told other people that you were NOT gay and a born-again Christian? Would I be telling the truth? I’m sure you would be upset if people were told lies about you? Well, in the same token, Jesus Christ becomes upset when people misrepresent Him and tell lies about Him. That’s why Paul said:
But don’t worry. I won’t tell others that you are NOT gay and a born-again Christian because I don’t want to misrepresent you in public. I want to tell them the truth. I don’t want to tear you down.