Heaven is for Real Book Review
I like this book. The supernatural experience of the child who recounted his visits to heaven in this book resembles many other supernatural experiences I have heard else where. There are quite a few details in this book that help to establish that if the book wasn’t fabricated by the parents, then the child must have had a geunine visitation to heaven.
For example, he was able to meet his grandpa while in heaven (during a surgery), and when he came back to life, he was able to bring this up to his parents, and pinpointed the young grandpa from an old pic of the grandpa with his friends. He didn’t know about his grandpa as he died before he was born, and no one told him about his grandpa. He also met his unborn sister, who died in mom’s womb due to miscarriage, and she hugged him in heaven. He wasn’t supposed to know about his sister either.
Then he was asked what Jesus looked like, and out of many portrays of Jesus, he selected the one painted by the indigo child prodigy, Akiane.
These are the indicators that tell us that if the family isn’t making this up, then it has to be a genuine visit to heaven.
Many readers don’t doubt that the child didn’t lie, but they doubt if his parents have been leading him on, and influenced his thinking by planting thoughts or hints along the way as he shared his experience. The dad was very careful in explaining how careful they were when they were collecting information from the child. They did it subtly, almost tip-toeing, and avoided giving the child any extra information that may feed a child’s imagination. You will see if you read the book.
The boy wasn’t really telling his story intentionally. He was just giving out little bits and pieces casually, in an unfocused, unorganized, and child-like manner. Each time the parents were surprised to hear what they hear. He didn’t realize how extraordinary it was to have seen what he has seen.
The book also talks about the failures of the parents in elaborated details, which convinced me that the parents probably didn’t fabricate the story to gain frame or anything.
All in all, if you want to evangelise to friends and families, giving this book to them is a good idea.
There are more interesting details to the book and I don’t want to spoil it. I just want to make sure you know that I think it is mostly real, although there are also some extra-biblical information that make me second guess a little bit. By the way, almost all visits to heaven came up with a slightly conflicting account of what heaven and the living beings in heaven are like. Some said there were female angels, some said the saints had wings, some said that Jesus had a whipping post for naughty Christians, and others said otherwise.
Ultimately, I found that even the most reliable accounts of heaven have weird details that I will never be able to determine if they are false or not, unless I go to heaven myself. These days there are many testimonies from people who had visited heaven and hell, which is good, but there are also many extra-biblical information from these visitations. I think there might be errors from these witnesses. Maybe the spiritual realm is such an elusive place to retain in a fragile mind.
We can Pray for Visions and Dreams Too
Joel 2:29
And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
Jeremiah 33:3
3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’
For me, I find it hard to consistently pray for visions and dreams, but it is of paramount importance that we do it. The time is evil, and we need all the support we can get from heaven. To pray for assistance is a sign of humility, not pride. I used to think that I didn’t need supernatural vision or dream, but I was wrong. These experiences can really transform our life and bring breakthroughs.
People whom I knew to be in touch with God in such a way that they consistently see visions and dreams usually were quite disciplined. They ask for it, and they don’t let go. If we have a wishy washy attitude, these things won’t come.
So let’s start praying that visions and dreams will be a part of life!
