BETTER THAN A BAR-B-Q

…and they will see His face.  Revelation 22:4a

15-to-20 years ago, there was a ghastly trend within evangelical publishing that was designated “Heavenly Tourism.” These tomes purported to be firsthand narratives of individuals who had gone “beyond and back” (despite Hebrews 9:27), having experienced the joys of Heaven and then graciously returned to earth so that they might be enriched through penning their lucrative bestsellers. In connection with a series that I was doing on this phenomenon, I waded through most of the major entries of this genre (e.g., “Heaven is for Real,” “The Boy who Came Back from Heaven,” “23 Minutes in Hell”); duty to research alone provoked such a masochistic enterprise.

Mercifully, the fad eventually dissipated, and the restless public moved on to other refuse. Or, so I had thought—until 2026’s astonishing rise of Gabe Poirot (“18 Days in Heaven”)—thus confirming Ecclesiastes 1:9!

In 2004 a major entry in this category (9 million sales) was “90 Minutes in Heaven” by Don Piper, a Baptist minister who suffered a devastating car-crash and then “experienced” Heaven (“experience,” of course, trumps Scripture in today’s postmodern church). In his account, Piper focuses heavily upon his tearful reunion with family and friends—an ultimate backyard Bar-B-Q. Perusing Piper’s narrative, however, I was most struck by what was missing: NO JESUS!!! He wasn’t there.

The Beatific Vision!—to behold that which was denied Moses (Exodus 33:20) and to experience, in concrete terms, the hope of the Aaronic Blessing (Numbers 6:25a: “Yahweh make His face shine on you”)! God’s people await glorification, when we leave sin behind and intimately experience His Presence (Psalm 11:7; 17:15; Matthew 5:8; 1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2). In contrast, “Heavenly Tourism” literature has sinful, unglorified people experiencing a “heaven” that appeals to the flesh and omits Christ!

Terry L. Reese