Point taken.
Just for clarification, Alex Malarkey is separate from “Heaven is For Real.” He had his own experience written in a book called, “The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven.”
Colton Burpo is the boy from “Heaven is For Real,” and after Alex Malarkey admitted he had fabricated the story, Colton made a point of standing by his.
Interesting side note about “Heaven is For Real,” (because we were talking about it) Colton was 3 – I believe – when he had his experience. After he came back, he mentioned to his Mom that he had 2 sisters because he met a girl in Heaven who told her that she was his sister and had died in their Mom’s tummy. He had never been told about that miscarriage. He told his Mom and Dad that she appeared to be about the age she would have been had she lived. According to Colton, people in Heaven are a young age (20s to 30s), but if they arrive young, they mature until they reach that age.
I know that all of this sounds like malarkey…..haha. And I would not stake my life on it. But, even the Bible talks about people having visions of Heaven…..Paul talks about a man (likely himself) being caught up to the third heaven (whether in the body or out of it) – in fact, he goes on to say “caught up into Paradise.” (2 Cor. 12:2-4) And John, of course, saw Heaven. Isaiah saw Heaven. Stephen looked up into Heaven.
And God still works in people’s lives. Who can say for sure that an experience is not legitimate?…..unless, of course, the person reveals the lie themselves. 😉
But, yes, this does not carry valid weight in a scriptural discussion.
It’s a shame no one ever wrote down Lazarus’ testimony. Where is that manuscript hidden? Cyprus? 🙂