Imagine Heaven

5 For we know that if [a]the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, 3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. 4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a [b]pledge.
6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by [c]sight— 8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:1-8

One afternoon while at work, my wife called to check my spring break schedule. As we compared schedules I noted how I wish we could bring her 89-year-old mom to the cities for Easter break. She, however, didn't have the leave time to travel. I, on the other hand, needed to use up some of my leave time. That evening I mentioned to Linda my willingness to go and bring 'mom' home for a visit.
God certainly doesn't disappoint as I got in the car and made my way up interstate 94 toward the highway 29 exit. At the Alexandria exit, I decided to stop at the local Target store to pick up some refreshments. At one area of the store there was just one book, sitting all by itself away from the other books, as though God was trying to get my attention. 'Imagin Heaven', a book by Engineer turned Pastor John Burke is a book about over 1000 near death experiences that, until recently, hasn't been thoroughly studied.

John Burke was well aware that there would be many naysayers who would attempt to debunk this book which is why he included research on NDE's from the medical and scientific community.

I was intrigued with this book, I suppose because  most of us who have lost children or loved ones know, the death of that loved one profoundly affects us in such a way that we really want to know what heaven is really like.

 John Burke shows in his very compelling detective writing through  real stories of thousands of near-death experiences (NDE's), including doctors, college professors, bank presidents, people of all ages and cultures, and even blind people paint a very exhilarating picture of Heaven promised in the bible.

Here is one such NDE that intrigued me because she was a child close the age of  my daughter Maria.

Seven-year-old Katie was found floating facedown in a swimming pool. A pediatrician  resuscitated her in the emergency room, but she remained profoundly comatose-massive swelling of the brain, no gag reflex, with an artificial lung breathing for her. He gave her 10 percent chance of surviving. Astonishingly, she made a full recovery within three days.

When she emerged for a follow-up appointment with the pediatrician, Katie recognized Dr. Morse. She told her mom, "That's  the one with the beard, and then he came in.  First, I was in a big room, and then they moved me to a smaller room where they did X-rays on me." She explained the way the doctors put a tube down her nose-all accurate, but "seen" while her eyes were shut and her brain was deeply comatose.

Morse asked her what she remembered about her near drowning. After all, if it resulted from a seizure, she might have another one.  Katie responded, " Do you mean when I visited my Heavenly Father?" "That's a good place to start," Morse said, skeptical yet intrigued." "Tell me about meeting the Heavenly Father."

I met Jesus  and the Heavenly Father," she said. Perhaps it was his shocked expression. Perhaps her natural shyness kicked in. Whatever the reason, that's was all she would say at that appointment. The next week, Katie was more talkative. She remembered nothing of the drowning, but recalled an initial darkness, then a tunnel through which Elizabeth came. She described her as "tall and nice", with bright golden hair. Elizabeth, her angel, accompanied Katie through the tunnel, where she met several people, including her late grandfather, two young boys named Mark and Andy and others. During those days lying comatose, Katie reported having other near death episodes where she followed her family home (while out of her physical body), and claimed she saw her brothers pushing a GI Joe in a jeep. She reported watching her mom cook roast chicken and rice. She even knew what clothes each member of the family wore that night. Her parents were shocked at the detailed accuracy.

Dr. Morse conducted the first systematic study of NDE's in children at Seattle Children's  Hospital. He interviewed 121 children who had been near death and found similar accounts to Katie's.  He also interviewed a control group of "thirty-seven children who had been treated with almost every kind of mind altering medication known to pharmacology." He discovered that not one of them "had anything resembling a NDE.

Although no two experiences were alike, and some outlying details should be skeptically questioned, there are amazingly common elements to the core near-death experience described by young and old across cultures, in different languages. Dr. Long reports on the percentage of each core element described in his study of 1300 NDE's from around the world. For more information on this you can go to this link: http://www.skeptiko.com/94-jeffrey-long-near-death-experience-research/

Knowing something about what my loved ones are presently experiencing in heaven does three things for me: (1) it eases my pain and suffering when I can see a glimpse that God truly does have a plan for my life, and (2)   just knowing that Heaven exists makes me want to know my Savior Jesus better, and lastly, (3) knowing about what my final home will be like instills in me the importance of sharing the hope in Christ to everyone I meet.  The words from 2 Corinthians 5:20 are a reminder of our purpose in this world- So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!"


I am reminded of a long ago conversation with my son when I blurted out, in the depth of my sorrow, my desire to change places with Maria. My son said to me with those wise young eyes, "Dad, do you really think she would want to come back knowing what she is experiencing right now in heaven

Having read this book, I would have to agree with his assessment.