I saw the money involvment. saddened by it, because she has no good teacher to teach her she needs to continually take up the cross and not love mammon.

I would say all she needs is the bible, but personally I was not able to understand things without good teachers.... like Poonen

edit smiley, out of place

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John

I think the reason people are enamored with books about the afterlife is because it is so mysterious - there is enough in the WORD to whet our desire for more details.

I know there are many who will dismiss out of hand any modern day vision of someone who has seen into heaven or hell. I, for one, believe there are people who have been given visions from the LORD into 'heaven' or the world beyond - they have seen details that may not be recorded in the WORD. I also believe they will not contradict the clear teachings of the WORD. The mystery of what is beyond will dog us until we cross the bar. To be safe, it is best to study the WORD so one can discern which are legit and which are counterfiet.

There have been many saints who just prior to 'giving up the ghost' have heard the music, seen the angels whose faces lit up with joy and delight upon seeing beyond. The opposite is true as well - my husband's uncle was in severe agony on his deathbed because he was experiencing hell during his last moments - his attending nurse said she hopes she will never ever again witness anything like that again. It is improbable that a person in the last moments of life will actively be engaging in some form of 'deception'. What they see, what they hear is legit, but what is the source - therein lies the need to be discerning. Yes, I have heard the testimony of one who saw what he believes was a vision from the LORD but one that I doubt as coming from Jesus but believe it to be counterfiet because of his testimony after he shared it. I am sorry, but a ring on one's finger will not enable one to get into heaven! (Yes, this is what he said!)

If one wants to discount the reality of visions one only has to go to the WORD to find incidents of people who had them. Jacob had one totally unlike any other and there were many others. Do a search of the word 'vision' or 'dreams' and you will find it more commonplace then originally thought.

Yes, I do too wonder what heaven will be like. I love to imagine but know it falls far short. Having loved ones being with the LORD whets it; getting closer to your three score and ten enhances it some more. I just know its beauty will surpass anything one could possibly know and imagine here. The beauty we do observe is just a hint of the reality that has not been touched by sin.

My understanding.

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Sandra Miller

The authors of those books don't seem to be Christians full of the Holy Spirit otherwise there main concern would be to build Christs Kingdom. So unless I see the fruits of the Spirit in them I'm convinced that the "revelation" they had is not from God but from a different spirit!Beware!
If it were an important revelation God in His sovereign Wisdom would have put it in His Word.
"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth." (Col. 3v1)

I would rather at this point just keep my personal opinion, of these heaven or hell experiences to myself. I will say this, I personally believe but don't know for sure, if I ever had a true what I thought was a heaven experience and came back to earth, you would probably have to keep me in a straitjacket for the rest of my life. We have to be really careful of reading these books on heaven and hell experiences, simply because God wants us to have faith, not in these books, but in his word and in him.

I do know in the book, heaven is for real, although I haven't read it, the kid was supposed to have said that he saw God, well he didn't see his face but he saw his body. I guess the positive in these books being written, is they might draw people that are not believers to read them, and become interested in God. On the other hand, if they read these books without knowing the word of God, they might put too much faith into those books, then when they pick up a Bible, it may just create confusion in them.

Personally, I believe as a believer, that all the information I need about heaven or hell is in the word of God, and I don't need any kind of heaven or hell experience from man, to add or subtract what the word of God tells me.

I do believe that these heaven or hell experiences and books written about them will become more common. Just being here on earth has been my hell experience, and accepting the Lord Jesus Christ into my life, has became my heaven experience, that's all the proof I need.

In other news! I’m asking God to influence my thoughts & emotions, in areas where I can easily get off track; who’s joining me on this adventure?

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Bill

Two objections.

I read on some thread here: "some start well and finish poor. Some start poor and finish well."

And

Do we have any precedent to think that God gives a gift, revelation, blessing, authority, or position/etc to someone and they always follow through to the end with it well?


See what I'm saying?

"In other news! I’m asking God to influence my thoughts & emotions, in areas where I can easily get off track; who’s joining me on this adventure?"

Good point. You are right. God help me too

What always amazes me about these so called visions of heaven and hell is how flippantly people share these visions. Even the apostles Paul and John found it necessary to avoid recording some of the details of their visions and experiences. These authors are sensationalist who speak without restraint.

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Jimmy H

I'll never forget what one pastor told me about a lot of these types of things: People are bored with their Christianity. For them Jesus is simply not enough.

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Jimmy H

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Bill