Near-Death Experience Led to Heaven's Door

WHILE on a family road trip in 2003, a small-town Nebraska boy just shy of four years old survived a brush with death made all the more maddening by how preventable it was.

A simple case of appendicitis took a malevolent turn when medical miscalls, parental errors in judgment and the vagaries of winter travel conditions lead to Colton Burpo suffering a rupture and rampant infection.

Heaven Is for Real, by Colton's father, Todd, a Baptist preacher, with the help of Sarah Palin's ghostwriter Lynn Vincent, could easily have been devoted to examining how such a near tragedy occurred.

But instead, Colton, once restored to health, energy and normal precociousness, offers up a far more irresistible storyline.

In conversation, Colton starts to drop the names of some remarkable religious figures, saying that he had met them in heaven during the moments he was nearest to taking his last breath.

Todd, a pastor at a Nebraska Wesleyan church, wonders about his son's otherworldly comments that pop up in the midst of otherwise normal little-boy chatter.

Being careful not to seed and feed Colton's account, Todd coolly inquires, "Remember when we were in the car and you talked about sitting on Jesus's lap ... well, did anything else happen?"

Immediately rising to the open-ended bait, Colton goes on to describe meeting Jesus's cousin, John the Baptist, and petting Jesus's multicoloured horse. Todd, knowing that Colton could not possibly have had prior knowledge of the experiences and people he describes, interprets the situation as a calling.

"We'd been given a gift and our job now was to unwrap it, slowly, carefully, and see what was....

When my son was about that age, I was running the office in my husband’s and his brother’s business. We had a room for him, with a tv, videos, toys... so he would let me work. One day he kept on interrupting me, and I kept sending him back to his “office”. He got my attention when he came in and said he had been talking to Jesus. Really? And how did you know it was Him? My son answered that he knew it was Jesus because “he needed a haircut”. Ok, cute! And, what did He say? The answer stunned me: “He said to tell you that I am a gift from Him to you, a reward to you”. Of course he was too young to know Psalm 127. In fact, he wasn’t even attending Sunday school back then!

I also think that people who buy into this book are indulging in superstition - not religion.

Perhaps.. none of us really "know"... some of us choose to believe, or dis-believe. Neither side 'knows' who is correct.

As for me, I am prone to believe, largely because of my own personal experiences. When I was born, my mother suffered a severe infection. At one point, she was pronouced "dead", but was revived by doctors. All of my life, while she was living, she told my sister and I about how she felt herself leaving her body.

She said she saw a bright light, and a hand reaching for her. She didn't know who it was, but she knew if she reached out and took the hand, that she would be taken and would have no more pain.

She says she pleaded with God, "Please God, don't take me now. Let me stay until my two children are taken care of".

I heard that story from the time I was a baby... right up until the weekend before I left home to go to college... when Mom was diagnosed with termimal Multiple Myeloma. She was told she would live 6 months. She managed to hang on 4 1/2 years.... She died 3 months after I graduated with my ChE degree. My older sister already had her degree, was married, and had her first son.

MAYBE... it was all just a two decade long coincidence... She never thought so. She saw it as God granting her the bargain.

The Lord give us signs... often. It's up to us to see them, or reject them.

I am prone to believe, largely because of my own personal experiences

And therein is the problem. Experiences feed the senses and our society is drenched in seeking anything which appeals to the senses.

With that in mind we do know from the scripture that Christ warns us about being led by deceptive spirits. The dead do not hang around hospitals...but demons do for the scripture makes it clear Satan is the "Prince and Power of the air"....... Scripture also states that they transform themselves into angels of light..with the intention of deceiving. Often doing so to look, act and speak as imposter's of the departed...which those who study these expereinces will attest to.

We are told to 'put on the whole armor of God' to withstand the wiles of the devil. Far too many peop;le are wide open to deceptive spirits because they are not grounded in what God's word clearly teaches........ We are also told not to be ignorant of satans devices. Rather to understand how he operates.

This story is just one of the many publishers are selling now because we as a people are ripe for these deceptions... Yes, I did look into this and the fact the kid was three when this began....that he was sedated with powerful drugs...should be a heads up right away. The stories then follow over a period of four years or thereabouts..adding to them...as children do.And let's remember Colton was very familar with Christian-talk...visuals throughout his church as well as "stories" taught by his father and in the church he attended.

Further, The medical community, who have studied these supposed encounters, have found these are brought on by drugs...or/and the trauma of what they might go thru....... Colton had gone thru three hospitals before a correct diagnoses was made. I don't imagine he was comfortable by the time he had arrived to the last one...in fact he was in pretty "Traumatic" shape.

Additionally we know that the mind stores memories and of these people who undergo surgery etc. will draw from those...often times imagination fills in the gaps.

There are many things in Colton's story easily revealed as simply a boys imagination and memory. An example is of him saying "God is so big he can put the world in the palm of his hands"..............Most every Christian child has been taught that song in church..."He's Got the Whole world in His Hands"...and I would guess most here exposed to this song can pretty much sing it now.

His description of heavenly beings falls far short of what the Bible tells us. Examine the Bible about where our dead bodies are..and they are not trolloping around heaven with angel wings. Departed Christians 'await' the joining of their bodies ....'at the resurrection'. Just one of the many things Colton spoke which are highly questioable. I for one do not believe his story as being from God.

There are many more issues with this story that are faulty at best. Investigate it in light of Gods word and it is very clear and precise this is the imagination of a child, with his parents influencing him just by the questions they asked......and further possibly under demonic influences...which are highly likely as well.

I tell you, FF, kids see the strangest things. First off, I should tell you that I am a Catholic, and my children have been raised in the faith as well.

My youngest was born with a heart defect, had a stroke, and came extremely close to death at 9 days old. He did suffer a brain injury as a result of the stroke, and has learning deficiencies because of it.

Anyway, one day about 6 years ago, I kept having to call him down to eat breakfast. I finally went to the foot of the stairs, and there he was, at the top, not moving. “Come down, Johnny. It’s time for breakfast,” I said. He shook his head, “No.” I asked him why not, and he said, “The Devil is blocking my way.” Uh-huh..yeah, and I’m Santa Claus, I thought.

I went upstairs, took him by the hand, and started to lead him down. Halfway there he stopped and sat on the stairs. “I’m afraid of him,” he said. “He’s talking to me.” I said, “Oh, Johnny, there’s nothing here! Look! What does this devil look like, anyway?”

Now...you would think that a seven year old would say it was red, with a pitchfork and a tail, etc. You know, standard cartoon devil stuff. But Johnny said, “He’s green and has black wings like Batman (I think he meant ‘like a bat.’) And he’s sitting next to me.”

FF, I can guarantee you that my son had not read Dante at seven years old, nor do we have any depictions like that in the house. But his description scared the heck out of me. We invoked the Lord, and His Archangel Michael, and St. Joseph (scourge of the devil). Finally, Johnny got up, said, “He’s gone,” and went downstairs for some Frosted Flakes just like nothing happened.

I’ve never been so creeped out in all my life.

Regards,

PS: Johnny also claims to have spoken to Mary — and he was even younger than seven when he said THAT. I don’t know if any of it is real or not...but when a child says these things, with no agenda...it’s hard not to take it seriously.

PPS: There have been no more sightings of either the Blessed Mother or the Devil since then.

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