Surprising (to me, anyway) was how little most believers know about Heaven.
In this day, there is no shortage of confusion about Heaven: it’s one of the topics of Christian theology that innumerable unbalanced and unregenerate people love to focus on (that and angels, which is highly related). There is no shortage of fools and frauds that claim to have insight into Heaven; what it’s like, the nature of it, who goes there, etc. Also, the last twenty years or so has produced a gaggle of I Went To Heaven books where some clown claimed to go to Heaven and get the inside scoop (every single one of those people is lying, and I explain why here). There’s no shortage of claims about Heaven out there, and it gets prettycrazy. Try and survive a few minutes of this barking-mad insanity, which is shockingly peddled by the New Apostolic Reformation crowd (Just kidding…I’m not shocked for a second).
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Samuel Hall 
Hi Sam,
I’m a little slow at opening some of my email. Today I got this far and opened the blog attached. Some of the things the writer was stating made me want to check the scriptures he was using as the foundation for his argument. I think his conclusions were based upon what he interpreted the scriptures to mean. People tend to do that. I for one, don’t believe paradise and heaven are the same place. As I understand it, Paradise (not Hades which was for unbelievers) was a holding place for believers until Jesus’ atonement, and it was emptied when Christ arose. There are other points the writer makes with which I also disagree.
I do think that all there is to know about GOD is not revealed in our Bible, but whatever He additionally chooses to reveal about Himself will be in alignment with the Bible.
Thanks for forwarding things that cause us to think.
Connie
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Thanks Connie, for taking the time to participate in this discussion. You may not have picked up on my comment re the re-blogged article that I wish I’d checked out his positions and references more thoroughly. However, I think we would do well to read more about Heaven; would enhance our lives here on earth.
Hi Sam,
Trust you are well.
I think you must be experiencing some frustration.
I was surprised at your choice of words which seemed more inflammatory than helpful.
That is not what I have experienced from your usual thoughtful blogs.
So I was confused about the re-blog and where your comments ended. sorry. 😦
Bill, thanks for your comments–and your patience with my re-blog. By now, you might have been able to read my response to 8431Lincoln.
I thought about scrubbing this whole string of comments, b/c the delineation of original blog from my one-line intro was not well-constructed. However, it appears that those of you who commented got my explanation. For those who didn’t stick around, they might think as you did initially–and say they’re done with Sam Hall.
Dear Sam,
I think you are not trusting truth and God sufficiently. Don piper and the two doctors with great brains and no need for money or fame, only agree and enhance what others have said long since the days of the disciples. I had a friend who suffered from multiple personalities for years and was a mess. She had three heart attacks and on the 3rd one went to heaven for awhile and then after seeing Jesus was told her time had not yet come. She woke up from the coma with only one personality, no longer troubled by multiples. She is still in touch with me. Sorry you do not share the joy these people have found and shared with us. Don Piper and Cecil Murphy are both deep Christians and would not write “90 Minutes in Heaven” unless it were true.
The little girl who was healed and went to heaven after a fall in the tree, is very genuine also as are her family. Now the other friend I had who was taken hostage in a UFO is another matter. I believe she believes that it happened. I can’t prove it one way or the other, but it was not at all like these heavenly adventures.
God is sending dreams and visions to many in the Middle East and they are becoming Christians at the rate of 125,000 per week according to one group. I have never seen a vision of Jesus or had him light up a room, but i believe He does to reach his other children who have been mislead about the Bible. I also believe in healing as a friend of mine was healed at an Oral Roberts Tent meeting in Springfield, OR, from crooked spine and curled leg from polio. I also have many friends who speak in tongues. Just because these are not my experiences does not mean that God does not use them for reaching and drawing people to him.
Grace,peace and love, Billie Reynolds
Billie, thanks for commenting. Now, I want to put a big Whoa! on this. Looks like a lot of readers didn’t understand that this is a re-blog of another writer’s blog posting (his language was pretty rough). The full extent of what I said was this:
Surprising (to me, anyway) was how little most believers know about Heaven.
That’s all I said. Nothing about healings, dreams and visions, or glossolalia.
God still heals; I’ve witnessed it. Apparently you have, too.
I don’t endorse the epithets re “unbalanced and unregenerate people” and the statement about there being “no shortage of fools and frauds.” That was in the original posting. I re-blogged their posting for a couple reasons:
1) He talked about Heaven, giving plenty of references. I think we need a greater understanding of Heaven.
2) I suggest you read Randy Alcorn’s book, “Heaven,” if you want an uplifting treatise of what to expect in the hereafter.
I expect that you and I are still going to trip over some disagreements, but we respect each other. I appreciate your sharing your insights and experiences.
Now, if the other commenters will post their observations within the blog–rather than as an email to me, I can respond where you all can see.