"Heaven? Come On!"

By Francis Anfuso

"I don't believe in heaven - Why should someone believe in what we cannot see or hasn't personally experienced?"

"Just because another person is convinced about something, does not mean that I have to agree with him."

"People talk about Heaven, but no one can prove to me that it exists - until I know for sure, I'm not going to accept it."

Many people have strong reasons as to why they don't believe in Heaven. We all have the freedom to accept whether or not it exists.

Each of us has heard of people who have had "out of the body experiences," in which their physical bodies either came precariously close to deaths, or actually even died. When they returned to being physically conscious, they reported incredible experiences in another dimension. Many have insisted that they went to Heaven or Hell for a brief but live changing period of time. We each certainly have the right to accept or reject their reports, but the frequency and similarity of these experiences make us wonder.

In a similar way, we all have the privilege of rejecting the idea of Heaven, but we also should be open to consider why hundred of millions of people on this earth believe it exists.

Let's consider some of the reasons why people believe in Heaven. One reason is because the Bible says it exists (2 Cor. 5:1; 1 Pet. 1:4). More copies of the Bible are published every year than any other book. Those who have taken the time to read it with an open mind have found it to be 100% accuate.

The Bible said that the world was suspended in space more than 2,000 years before scientists found out it was (Job 26:7). Another reason why people believe in Heaven is because Jesus said it existed (Matt. 5:3,12,20). He claimed to be the creator of the universe, and so He certainly would have known what He created (John 1:1,3; Heb. 1:8,10).

You might say, "I don't believe in the Bible or in what Jesus said, so neither would affect me." Then consider this if you will. I am one of those millions of people who knows Heaven exists because I have a personal relationship with the God who created the whole universe, including Heaven. I'm not saying that in a boastful way, because I don't deserve to know Him. But because He reached into my life and gave me a wonderful communication with Him, I now believe what the Bible says and what Jesus said, that there is definitely a Heaven.

Though I cannot convince you that there is a Heaven, the one who convinced me can. I sincerely wanted to know God, if He existed, and so I asked Him to reveal Himself to me. He did it in such a personal way that I was completely persuaded that He was very much alive.

Now if all this sounds crazy to you, I can completely understand. For over seven years I didn't believe in God or in Heaven. But when I was 16 years old, I came to know Him personally. All I said was this: "Jesus, I don't know if you are who man says you are, but if you are, come into my life and do for me what you've done for him." Because I was sincere, He did exactly what I asked Him to do. I encourage you to do the same and I assure you He will reveal Himself to you in a very special way.