Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people. That's the message John Burke tries to convey in his book, Imagine Heaven. I read the book, and it changed my whole perspective about heaven.
When I think of heaven, I usually think of angels floating on clouds and people in long white robes continually worshipping before God's throne. That may be part of heaven, but there is much more to it. John Burke says heaven is not like "a boring church service" that literally lasts an eternity. Heaven is everything we enjoy in this life and much, much more!
Burke says people can't imagine how great heaven really is so they don't "live for it." This life is only a shadow of the real life that begins when we get to heaven.
The book paints a vivid picture of what heaven is like by sharing the accounts of people who've had near-death experiences, which Burke calls "NDErs." These are people who've been declared clinically dead, went to heaven and got a brief glimpse of the heavenly realm and came back to their earthly life.
Burke interviewed or studied the near-death experiences of hundreds of NDErs, including Colton Burpo and Don Piper, both of whom have written their own books about heaven (Heaven Is Real and 90 Minutes in Heaven). While their accounts can't totally be verified, Burke hopes these glimpses into heaven will make others live with heaven in mind.
"People don't realize how great life with God can be, starting with this life, but even more in the life to come," Burke wrote.
He wants people to see that our earthly life is just the opening act. Real life doesn't begin until we get to heaven!
The NDErs in Burke's book describe a common experience when they leave their physical bodies to "visit" heaven. They all talk about traveling through a dark tunnel or tube at a high rate of speed. At the end of the tunnel, they report seeing a Being of light, which they believe is God. The light is so bright, even brighter than the sun. Once in heaven, people report seeing people they knew on earth who had died. It's like a great welcoming committee, where their loved ones are waiting to greet them as they arrive in heaven.
As they look around in heaven, NDErs say they feel such an overwhelming sense of love and acceptance emanating from the Being of light (God). The sense of peace is indescribable, NDErs say. Even when they're shown a "life review" of all their good and bad aspects, they still feel God's incredible love despite all their faults.
I plan to write more about all these things in the coming days. I just wanted to give you a taste of what I felt as I read the book. It made me want to go to heaven, and it made me want to make sure I'm prepared to go there someday. I hope this will intrigue you to make sure you're prepared too or that you'll want to read the book yourself!
Heaven is going to be great. Don't miss it!
No comments:
Post a Comment