Heaven is a topic that has been on my mind a lot lately. Every time I lose someone dear to me, (like Lisa Marie) heaven seems more real because someone I love is there.
When Covid hit and I found myself isolated at home, I began to watch video testimonials of people who had died (and been clinically dead for a significant period of time) who had been resurrected and had amazing stories to tell of seeing Jesus, heaven and even hell. My favorite YouTube Channel is Randy Kay's, who, himself, spent 30 minutes dead and in heaven. I know he's the real deal because he sobs every time he talks about it! He even saw his childhood dog, Casey, in heaven and says that the number one question he gets from his audience is if pets go to heaven. None of them wanted to return here to earth. They missed the perfection of heaven and the visible presence and love of the Lord and felt like they had been returned to a sewer.
Several years ago, I read a book by a local man whom God had taken to hell for 23 minutes so he could come back and warn people about its reality and horrors. He came back with PTSD from what he experienced. I understand people not wanting to hear about hell but what has shocked me is the lack of interest and even fear of the reality of heaven.
I think many people are under the misconception that heaven is sitting on clouds bored all day or in an eternal church service when the reality that these NDE people have experiences that are absolutely amazing! The more I listened to the experiences of these people, the more I am anxious to go there. I want to look into the eyes of Jesus! I want to experience His inexpressible love! I want out of this horrible world even though my own personal life is going well.
John Burke, once an atheist and now a pastor in Austin, Texas, has spent 40 years researching near death experiences ("NDE") and what he learned made a Christian believer out of him. He has written two, well-researched books on the subject: Imagine Heaven and Imagine the God of Heaven where he documents that, regardless of the background and beliefs of his subjects, they all describe the God of the Bible as well as corroborating the descriptions in the Bible of heaven.
Many Christians pooh-pooh these experiences and say that they are false and "not biblical", but Paul the Apostle was stoned to death and claimed to have seen the third heaven and was raised back to life and spoke about it in one of his Epistles.
The worse this world gets, the more heartache and suffering I see around me, the more I long to go there. If I have to wait, at least I can experience it vicariously through these amazing accounts!
Have you or anyone you know, had these kinds of experiences? If so, I would LOVE to hear about them! You can email me at mmgiron@yahoo.com and let me know if you would like them share here.
Marlayne