I want to take this time to do a review on my blog for the movie Heaven is For Real. I went to take my daughter, myself and 8 other people for my daughters 16th Birthday Party. Everyone in the party, even the little kids enjoyed this movie.
I believe this was a very good movie. I even cried some in it. Todd, Colton’s father in the movie, is a preacher. The times it shows him “preaching” he is more telling a story or teaching instead of preaching, but still good lessons. I like how his final lesson shows how he comes to terms with Colton’s experience and offers the hope to others about Heaven. I may not believe heaven looks like Colton’s vision, because I know the Bible tells us differently, but I can see the movie bringing hope to people.
However, we know only one person has truly ever acceded to Heaven and came back and that is Jesus Christ (John 3:13). The Apostle John, one of the men that followed Jesus, who got a glimpse of Heaven. He saw an open door to Heaven. Revelation 4 tells us that that open door. While you are looking things up in the Bible, you can also read about the new Heaven on Earth in Revelation 21.
I would like to point out though in 1 Corinthians 2:9 shares that no eye has seen, no ear or heard or even a human mind can conceive what Heaven will be like.
Visions of Heaven
The Bible tells us what Heaven looks like, the vision Colton saw may not be the Biblical vision like John saw. But, Colton’s experience is giving hope to people. His vision may not truly be what Heaven is really like, but his point is … HEAVEN IS FOR REAL. I believe this movie basically is just offering hope to people that heaven is for real.
Two places we go when we die
Matthew 25:46 even tells us there are two places we go, heaven or hell. It uses everlasting punishment for hell and eternal life for heaven. The movie never touches that we can go to hell. The Bible tells us otherwise, we have two places we will go!
A glimpse of Heaven?
But truly, just like Colton’s father says, we all I am sure have saw a glimpse of heaven. We all have a mental image of what we portray heaven to be like. Maybe God gave Colton a vision, may He didn’t. We truly won’t know until we get called home to be with Him. But, just think when you see your new born child, isn’t that almost like heaven to you? But, we will never experience heaven unless we are born again and only when we pass from our Earthly bodies.
Multi-Colored Horse?
Colton does talk about seeing Jesus in heaven. He says his horse is multi-colored. We know the Bible says when he comes again, he will be on a white horse (See Revelation 19).
What it lacks
But, I believe one thing the movie lacks, is telling people how you get to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ. He said no one comes to the father but through me. See John 14:6.
Applause at the end
This movie ended with applause in the nearly backed theater. The only other time I have experienced that was when I watched God’s Not Dead Movie Review
Go see it
I highly recommend you see this movie. I do believe it gives hope to people that Heaven is for Real. It may not look like what Colton describes according to scripture. Check out the trailer for Heaven is For Real. But do not put your belief in what Colton claims to have seen. Read the Bible as that is the only true representation of Heaven we will have.
Quotes from those who went with me
These quotes are the reflections of those who were in the group of people that went with my daughter and I to this movie. It felt great to be in the presence of other loved ones while watching this movie. Everyone that was in our party, total of 10 of us, enjoyed the movie very much. Here are what some of them had to say.
Amber Patterson, my daughter, said,
“How every time Todd would pray, that Colton would also pray the same prayer. He was with his dad so much he knew what his dad would pray. It made me think that Colton may become a preacher one day.”
Paula Patterson, my mother, said,
“It made her reflect on family members that have died and gave her a sense of feeling to know she will see them again in heaven. Parts of it made me sad like when people were questioning him about his experience. It was touching to see him see his dead sister and great grandfather while he got a glimpse of Heaven. It also made me reflect how awesome Heaven would be and I cannot comprehend it.”
Sarah Carter said,
“It was easy to see why the movie was modeled primarily after the father’s viewpoint about his son’s experience. We as grown-ups tend to forget the ‘living’ part of life and focus on the drudgery; in watching this film, we can identify with him by reflecting upon concepts of faith, love, connection and possibility. As Christian, this film is a great tool to help others perceive the spirituality in a broader span of realism than mere words can convey. I am definitely looking forward to reading the book about this story based on true events.”
Another thought
One other thought, John MacArthur, a Baptist Pastor and a commentator. Says this about those who have near death experiences and claim to see visions of heaven. “They are either figments of the human imagination (dreams, hallucinations, false memories, fantasies, and in the worst cases, deliberate lies), or else they are products of demonic deception.” According to the Patriot Post, For Christians, the teachings of the Bible and the resurrection of Jesus provide the primary reason for believing in heaven.[1]
Final thought to my readers
I think it would have been great to see it focus more on the boys perspective than than the father’s. I believe Colton’ may have visioned this, but if it was a true account of Heaven is to be questioned. Since the Bible tells us otherwise about Heaven. I do know this movie is giving hope to people about heaven. But folks, don’t get disappointed if you go to Heaven and find out that Colton’s vision is not true. This is why it is important to stay in the word so when someone tells us things that contradict the Bible then we know for sure.
Nevertheless, We all know, Heaven is a real place. We will go to one of two places when we die. Either Heaven or Hell. That choice is yours. If you accept Christ as your personal Savior, then you will go to Heaven. If you reject him and deny Him as Christ our personal Savior, then you will go to hell. Folks this is for eternity! We do live forever after we are done with our earthly bodies. So what choice are you going to make?
Check out what Charles Spurgeous says,
“It’s a little heaven below, to imagine sweet things. But never think that imagination can picture heaven. When it is most sublime, when it is freest from the dust of earth, when it is carried up by the greatest knowledge, and kept steady by the most extreme caution, imagination cannot picture heaven. “It hath not entered the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” Imagination is good, but not to picture to us heaven. Your imaginary heaven you will find by-and-by to be all a mistake; though you may have piled up fine castles, you will find them to be castles in the air, and they will vanish like thin clouds before the gale. For imagination cannot make a heaven. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered the heart of man to conceive” it.”[3]
Check out what John MacAuthor says
“What God has revealed in Scripture is the only legitimate place to get a clear understanding of the heavenly kingdom. This is a point we will come back to repeatedly: The Bible is our only reliable source of information about heaven. I want to show you why it is misleading and dangerous to probe and dissect people’s near-death experiences, as if they could give us some important truth about the afterlife that we are lacking from Scripture.”[2]
Comments
What are your thoughts about the movie? Did you enjoy it? Was there something that stood out to you? Maybe something you didn’t like? Your comments are welcome!
Notes
- patriotpost.us/commentary/25183
- gty.org/Blog/B140428
- [Charles H. Spurgeon, The New Park Street Pulpit, 6 vols. (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1856), 2:20-21.]
About the Author
Thanks for sharing. I have read the book and I agree that all of Colton’s “memories” are not accurate by what the Bible says. I don’t know what Colton actually experienced but our memories can be confused with our dreams and our real life experiences. Colton was young when this happened. There is no way to know why he had the experience that he did.