heaven tourism

When heaven becomes silent

Posted on April 9, 2024April 13, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I’m fascinated with heaven. Aren’t you? It is our home, the next destination for us, and where Jesus is. We SHOULD be fascinated with it.

Jonathan Edwards is known for his monumental sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, with its vivid focus on the terrors of hell, but he actually wrote about heaven much more. Here in his sermon The Christian Pilgrim, or The True Christian’s Life A Journey Toward Heaven, he observed:

That we ought not to rest in the world and its enjoyments, but should desire heaven. We should “seek first the kingdom of God.” (Mat. 6:33) We ought above all things to desire a heavenly happiness; to be with God and dwell with Jesus Christ. Though surrounded with outward enjoyments, and settled in families with desirable friends and relations; though we have companions whose society is delightful, and children in whom we see many promising qualifications; though we live by good neighbors, and are generally beloved where known; we ought not to take our rest in these things as our portion. We should be so far from resting in them, that we should desire to leave them all, in God’s due time. We ought to possess, enjoy and use them, with no other view but readily to quit them, whenever we are called to it, and to change them willingly and cheerfully for heaven.

For a while in Christian publishing we had a spate of books that were classified as “Heaven tourism.” That is, books whose authors had recounted an alleged trip to heaven. Their books were filled with gushing, breathless descriptions of what heaven looks like, what people were doing there, even the smells and sounds. And of course, many times, it was Jesus guiding the person around. Thus, ‘Heaven tourism’.

I understand the curiosity about heaven but we cannot look to man’s alleged visits there to satisfy our need for knowledge about the place that’s really our home. Only the Bible has that information. These heaven visits are ‘extra-biblical’, and cannot be trusted. Only a few people in the Bible were given a glimpse into heaven while they were alive and told about it: Stephen as he was dying, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Micaiah, and Paul. Paul said it wasn’t permitted to tell what he heard. And he didn’t.

heaven tourism books popular for a while

There were several views of activity in the second heaven, or the sphere above ours, such as Elisha and his servant seeing the chariots all around, and Jacob seeing the ladder from heaven to earth with angels ascending and descending.

But the Lord did give us several ‘permissible’ glimpses of the “third heaven” or God’s abode. He obviously wanted us to know about these because they are in God’s word. Ezekiel’s vision, Isaiah’s vision, John’s book of Revelation are biblical places to see true information about heaven.

Of these glimpses into heaven we see that heaven is an active, busy, and loud place.

There are seraphim surrounding the throne of God proclaiming “holy holy holy is the Lord God almighty” so loud the pillars shake and the place fills with smoke. (Isaiah 6:3-4).

There are people singing and worshiping. There are harps and trumpets. Angels are busy proclaiming. There are living beings with 4 faces rushing left and right. “And the living beings ran back and forth like bolts of lightning.” (Ezekiel 1:14).

And I also heard the sound of their wings, like the sound of abundant waters as they went, like the voice of the Almighty, a sound of a crowd like the sound of an army camp; whenever they stopped, they let down their wings. And a voice came from above the expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they let down their wings. (Ezekiel 1:24-25).

In Revelation 5 there is much activity. There are proclamations in a loud voice, myriads of angels:

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying:” (Revelation 5:11-12)

In Job 1 and in 1 Kings 22:19-21 we see the myriads of angels assembling, reporting, discussing. Angels are constantly coming and going from heaven to earth.

*Jacob’s Dream* by William Blake (c. 1805, British Museum, London)

Heaven is busy and it’s loud. Not bad-loud, but loud. Activity, whirring, proclaiming singing, bustling, flashing, shaking…Which makes the next verse all the more significant.

As the seventh seal is about to be opened,

When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. (Revelation 8:1)

EVERYTHING STOPS

The grim significance of the moment has stunned all into silence. There are no words. God is about to speak in wrath, and the fury unleashed upon the world in the previous seal judgments will be as nothing compared to the coming fury of his righteous anger.

When we think of heaven we may think of bucolic pastures and green lushness and peace and quietude. Perhaps talking quietly with Abraham or Paul on a bench by the Tree of Life. And I’m sure that beauty and peace will be present, certainly.

But God’s current administration of His universe is busy and active. It’s stunning that all the sounds stop when the 7th seal is about to be opened.

Saints, judgment is a fearsome thing. We should be in awe of it, and eager to tell the GOOD NEWS that will release a lost soul from its coming certainty to one of peace with God and a blissful eternity in heaven.

Our citizenship there should also give us comfort and gratitude. We will be “up there”, “over yonder” when that seal is unsealed, stunned into silence ourselves, not down here about to endure the worst time on earth there shall ever be. No, the Lord graciously had mercy on our souls and transferred us from the domain of darkness and judgment to the domain of glory and bliss.

Thoughts of heaven can’t some at the expense of gratitude that we escaped judgment, either on earth during the Tribulation or in hell for all time. And as Edwards said of any pleasures or comforts of earth, we should be “readily to quit them, whenever we are called to it, and to change them willingly and cheerfully for heaven.“

Our cheerfulness resides in the fact that we know heaven is where Jesus is. Someday we shall see His face. If you are in Him, it will be a smiling face, saying, “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’” (Matthew 25:23)

theology

There are two things that drive me crazy

Posted on April 30, 2022 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

OK, there’s more than two but I’m talking not about life’s pet peeves, but doctrinal, theological error that seem to gall me more than others. Doctrinal error is a problem and in my portion, there are two particular ones that are upsetting to my heart.

I get upset with women claiming they have these conversations with God. When you do that, you immediately declare the Bible INsufficient for all edification and good works, contrary to what the Bible actually says, which is that it’s perfectly sufficient. (2 Timothy 3:16).

When I come across people who say they have been transported to heaven and back, given tours, spoken with relatives and with Jesus, it is highly upsetting to me. This is doctrinal error and a demonic delusion.

No one has ascended into heaven, except He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. (John 3:13)

Who has ascended to heaven and come down? (Proverbs 30:4a)

Only Paul, John, Isaiah, and Ezekiel were given a view of heaven. Only three of those men wrote about what they saw, with Paul saying it is unlawful for a man to go on about it. Isaiah, Ezekiel and John were given permission to write about what they saw.

Yet all these people claimed to go to heaven and be given personal tours by Jesus or their grandfather or an angel or they just strolled admiring everything. Worship seemed absent in these recountings.

And as for God calling down from heaven to assure some of these women that yes they will be successful in TV, or that they ARE enough, or whisper sweet nothings…it just galls me. Not because I’m “jealous” as critics like to lob, but because it’s unbiblical. Unbiblical things lead people astray. It’s terrible when people go astray because of supposed leaders teaching error. I don’t like it.

So I fixed it.

No I didn’t fix it really, lol. But I wanted to do this so I could make the statement that though the Bible records real heavenly visits and conversations with God, in these days they are not happening and if someone claims otherwise, it’s unbiblical. And, I wanted to offer some biblical resources to help clear up confusion on these issues.

If you have any questions or need more resources, just comment below or send a message from the contact page.

Blessings, sisters!

Answers in Genesis: Are Visits to Heaven Real?

Justin Peters: YOUR BEST AFTERLIFE NOW: An Examination and Critique of Claimed Visits to Heaven and Hell

Desiring God: Don’t Say God Is Silent with Your Bible Closed

Cameron Buettel: The Lord Told Me

discernment, Uncategorized

Posted on May 4, 2018 by elizabethprata

heaven

Earlier this week I reviewed the notable book Christy, the novel based on a true story of a woman teacher set in the fictional Appalachian village of Cutter Gap, Tennessee, in 1912. It was released as a faith book, and as such, aside from the wonderful descriptions of the scenery and well-drawn mountain folk characters, I reviewed it on that basis. It came up short.

One issue I’d had with the theology in the book was the ending. It ended with an illness and a trip to heaven, lengthy descriptions and all of what appears on the other side. In one scene, the character peering beyond the veil sees her friend who had died previously, noting that her worry lines were removed from her face and her youthful appearance and bounce in her step as she cavorted among the hillside flowers. The problem is that we don’t have our resurrection bodies yet, and no one knows what we “look” like in the current intermediate state, dead but awaiting resurrection into glorified bodies.

Leaving Christy aside for a moment, I’d like to focus on heaven tourism in general. It’s a cottage industry of late, many authors tout their trips to heaven, having claimed a visit there. Or hell, some have said they went to hell and returned to tell the tale.

heaven tourism panorama 3.jpg

Heaven is God’s abode. It is where he sits enthroned in majesty and power. It is where the holy angels worship Him, where the souls of the dead abide, where things are expressed and seen that no man may utter, as Paul noted in 2 Corinthians 12:4.

was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell

And yet, they tell.

Foremost, heaven is God’s abode. It’s where He dwells in His home.

Now, you, dear reader, have a home. You love your home. You pay for it, upkeep it, decorate it, raise children in it, have your life in it. As humble or as grand as your home may be, it’s yours and you are rightly proud of it.

Let’s imagine that you have a friend, maybe she lives across the country or she is an internet friend. She has never been in your home. She has never seen a photo of it. You’ve described it to her in words a few times, here and there but she has has no real knowledge of what your home is like in any real way.

Now let’s say that your friend has a popular blog with a million subscribers, or writes a book that sells millions of copies. She writes about your home. She writes that you have diamonds sewn into your curtains so as to make the sunlight twinkle as it streams in. You have gold faucets and a gold dipped bathtub, in which you bathe nightly in milk and honey. She writes that you have special light bulbs to make a lovely yellow-gold glow in the home, even though that costs you $1,000 a day. She writes that you have a thousand butlers lining the driveway to simply wave at you as you drive in, and an elevator pad to lift you and your car to the third floor of your home where when you step out, you are given champagne and a tiara served on a ruby-edged silver platter.

All these are fanciful lies, of course, but your friend wrote it anyway. She never referred to any of the letters you had written, describing your home the few times you mentioned it. She simply went forward and made up ridiculous scenes and wrote stupendously outlandish claims. Now she is getting rich from the lies.

How would you feel? Angry? Violated? Upset?

How does GOD feel when these people do that about HIS home? When people never consult the Bible, His love letter written to humankind, with the actual scenes from the Homeowner describing what it is like? How does He feel when people make money off their outlandish lies about His home?

We know the biblical reasons that the heavenly tourism books and blogs are wrong. No man has seen God…no man may express…No one who has No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven… (John 1:18, 2 Corinthians 12:4, John 3:13).

I live in a two-room apartment all of 400 square feet. It is humbly filled with second hand furniture and hand me downs. I am proud of it and I like how it looks. I want it to appear homey and be comfortable in case someone comes over to visit. I’d feel angry and upset if someone wrote about what my home looked like if their writing was full of lies and delusions. That’s treachery. When such lies involve God’s home, it’s blasphemy.

What about respecting the honor and dignity of the Holy One of Israel? The Ancient of Days who sent His Son to die a cruel death and be separated from His Father and become a curse, so that He can make a way for us to be given a heavenly home? Do we disrespect it with fanciful tales of imaginary joyous reunions and large gates and sunlight on a hill? With lies and imaginings? Is this how we repay Him who is preparing a place for us?

Please avoid books and essays about visits to heaven. They are lies upon lies and they are not only unbiblical, they dishonor the Homeowner, our precious and loving Father God, His Son Jesus, and His Holy Spirit.

Further Reading

The End Time: Heaven tourism books are bad; some heaven books are good

A Justin Peters video teaching: Heavenly Tourism (one hour)

Tim Challies on the topic of Heaven Tourism

discernment, Uncategorized

Discernment Video Bites: Heaven Tourism, Revelation v. Illumination, Jesus Calling, more

Posted on July 22, 2016 by elizabethprata

There are three videos recently released, in which Pastor Justin Peters speaks on various discernment topics. Known for his lessons on discerning the Word of Faith/Prosperity Gospel movement, through leading conferences and producing DVDs, such as a recent one titled “Clouds Without Water,” in these short but in-depth video bites Mr Peters discusses-

Heaven Tourism,
The inherent dangers of Jesus Calling,
The difference between Revelation and Illumination,
The responsibility of the Christian Bookstore (yet to be released).

Continue reading “Discernment Video Bites: Heaven Tourism, Revelation v. Illumination, Jesus Calling, more” →

Uncategorized

Trip report, Lazarus’ trip to heaven

Posted on June 4, 2016June 4, 2016 by elizabethprata

I see so many books and even movies coming out recounting someone’s trip to heaven. How exciting, they got to visit personally with Jesus! They were privileged with seeing the details of heaven, like the different colors we don’t have here on earth, and the winged rainbow horse Jesus pets. So I decided to turn to the Bible and see what the Bible people who have visited heaven say about their time there.

Lazarus was dead for four days. (John 11:17). Here is what Lazarus reported of the details of heaven upon his resurrected return. Looking in the Bible for the record of all that Lazarus said Jesus spoke, and Lazarus did, and what Lazarus saw, down to the colors, and all the necks of people he hugged, here is what Lazarus said:

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Oops. Well, not to worry, the Widow’s Son from Nain was dead and resurrected. (Luke 7:11-15). I am sure he had a lot to say about heaven.

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Maybe his book was lost over the centuries. I’m sure that Jairus’ daughter had a lot to say! (Luke 8:41-42, 55). Everyone else during the 2000’s seems to have so much to say about their trip to heaven! Let’s check out her trip report of the celestial places!

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OK, OK, surely Dorcas would speak. She owes at least that much to the dozens who pleaded for her life! (Acts 9:36-41).

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Certainly since Eutychus was young when he died and was resurrected and had a lot of time since his heaven tour would definitely have written a recounting of all the marvels. (Acts 20:9-10).

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Drat. Well, there were “many” that were raised from their graves on the day of the Resurrection of Jesus. (Matthew 27:52). They probably wrote a lot of books all about what heaven was like, since their job was the be a witness, right?

“ “

I’m so disappointed that none of the Bible people who have been to heaven (or hell) told us in detail what it’s like. I mean, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.” (2 Corinthians 12:2-4).

Oh. It’s not lawful to speak of what you see in heaven? Paul and John and Isaiah and Ezekiel visited there and they did have a legal commission to report a few details. Paul was given a messenger of satan to help him remember not to speak of the heavenly glories. And it seems that no one else who was dead and resurrected spoke of what it’s like in heaven or hell?

Paul was such a strict interpreter of God’s word! What a party pooper. So are Lazarus and Dorcas and Eutychus ad the rest, they’re falling down on the job! At least these people aren’t worried about what is lawful or not to utter! They went right ahead and uttered it! Heaven tourism seems pretty lucrative, too. So glad they are profiting from trading on Jesus name. (2 Peter 2:3). Got to make a living.

I guess I’ll have to be satisfied with the lawful trip reports of heaven, from John (Revelation) and Ezekiel 1 and Isaiah 6.

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