I cannot speak to other modern heavenly encounters being in accord with scripture. But, it occurs to me that in the case of the Burpo family, would not God not want to terrorize a four year old child and present him a vision that is both comforting and understandable to a four year old?
I have had the... I will qualify, an experience... and I can tell you that it is hard to relate, and doing so seldom creates a new believer. People are naturally skeptical.