Many popular books and movies recount near-death experiences, where a person supposedly went to heaven and came back again. But are these visits real?

Well, we need to compare everything we read to God’s Word. In Scripture, any vision of heaven focuses on God’s glory and our unworthiness to be in his presence. There’s no focus on loved ones or the fun experiences. It’s all about God—as it should be. But these stories of supposed visits to heaven focus on distinctly human things like loved ones or the person’s feelings.

Instead of getting our doctrine of heaven from books, we need to start our thinking with God’s Word, beginning in Genesis.