TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

Some stores that sell Christian books carry stories from people who say they traveled to heaven and came back. These books describe experiences that the authors claim to have had beyond death. However, biblical teaching presents a different picture of what happens when people die.
Scripture tells us that humans die one time, followed by judgment. This means death is not something people experience multiple times. Claims about visiting heaven or hell and returning do not align with this biblical principle. When people make such claims, they are not speaking truthfully about their experiences.

The Bible does mention something called the third heaven. This term refers to where God lives. The first heaven means the air surrounding our planet that we breathe. The second heaven refers to outer space, where the moon and stars exist. The third heaven, then, is simply the place where God dwells.

Paul was the only person in the New Testament who experienced being taken to the third heaven. Even he could not explain how this happened. He stated that he did not know if he was physically present or if his body remained behind. This experience was similar to the visions that prophets received in the Old Testament, like the vision Isaiah had when he saw God’s throne.

Paul described being brought into God’s presence and witnessing things too wonderful for human understanding. He said these things could not be spoken about or described. I believe that if someone genuinely visited heaven, they would have the same experience Paul had. They would find themselves unable to talk about what they witnessed there.

The biblical pattern shows that genuine encounters with heaven leave people without words to describe them, not with books to sell.