Books: Heaven (and hell)

Keeping in mind that we should not take man’s word over God’s word regarding what Heaven will be like, there are a number of books on the market that describe stories of heavenly experiences.

Individually, these make no claims other than telling their own stories and sharing them with others. Skeptics will argue that the narratives are made up, based on dreams or wishes, or any other reason to refute them.

Being careful to not put too much reliance on any one account, taken collectively, these books do present at least a description of what we can expect or hope Heaven to be like.

Many of the writers simply say some things about Heaven are inexpressible in human terms and descriptions, such as colors and music that are way beyond our current capacity to see and hear.

While we’re still here waiting for eternity, here is a list of thought-provoking Heaven-themed books, all of which are worth the time to read and re-read:

• “Heaven is for Real” (Todd Burpo, Lynn Vincent) – The 4-year-old son of a Nebraska pastor nearly dies during emergency surgery; then over the next couple years reveals astounding descriptions of Heaven itself, sitting on Jesus’s lap, and telling family members about events in their lives that young Colton could not possibly have known about except having learned in his heavenly visit.

• “Heaven Changes Everything: Living Every Day with Eternity in Mind” (Todd and Sonja Burpo) – The follow-up book a few years later describing experiences after sharing their original story with others, and best of all, lessons learned and to learn from the process.

• “Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife” (Eben Alexander) – The near-death experience of a neurosurgeon and how he finds that the spiritual aspects of life trump scientific beliefs.

• “90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life” (Don Piper) – A Baptist minister involved in a major car accident tells his spiritual realm experiences. Actually, this one focuses more on recovery afterward with only a couple brief chapters of describing Heaven.

• “The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven: A Remarkable Account of Miracles, Angels, and Life beyond This World” (Kevin and Alex Malarkey) – Another car accident story, this one in which son Alex survives and later describes angels, life beyond this world, and even meeting Jesus.

• “Akiane: Her Life, Her Art, Her Poetry” (Akiane and Foreli Kramarik) – Go back to “Heaven is for Real:” after Colton Burpo rejected numerous paintings of Jesus as not looking like him, Akiane’s was just right. They had no connection whatsoever, other than agreeing on the appearance of Jesus. This book tells Akiane’s story of how she became a widely known painter and poet while just a young child.

• “23 Minutes in Hell” (Bill Wiese) – A look at the other side and its heat, stench, and eternal suffering. This also includes an escape from hell with Jesus.

Again, being careful not to put too much stock in any one account, together these books paint a fascinating picture of what’s in store for us. There are many other books as well, and that gives us something to do while we’re still waiting.