Is Heaven for real? A little boy claims to have sat on Jesus's lap during a near-death experience.

Having to face the reality that you may lose your child is a nightmare for any parent. Todd and Sonja Burpo had to face this very situation in 2003 when their son Colton’s ruptured appendix was misdiagnosed. After five days as his condition worsened and his tiny body filled with poison, Colton was rushed to emergency and his parents were given the news that the boy was unlikely to survive. As there son went into surgery his father Todd, a Christian pastor at Crossroads Wesleyan Church went to a private room to have his words with God while his mother went to make phone calls to family and friends.

The fact that Colton survived is amazing enough but what happened in the months following his surgery were even more spectacular. When leaving the hospital Colton told his father,  “Dad I almost died” his father still shaken from the possibility of losing his son disregarded his son’s claim not wanting to give him permission to give up.  When Colton mentioned that he had seen angels in the hospital room his parents wrote it off as influence from his sunday school teachings. It was almost four months after his time at the hospital when Colton and his father were driving past the hospital and Todd half-heartedly asked if Colton remembered being there. Straight faced and with no indication of joking Colton responded with, “Yes, that’s where the angels sang to me,” his father not sure how to respond, left it at that.

It was when Colton began telling them exactly where they were and what they were doing during the time he was unconscious that his parents realized there was something more to the claims he was making since his surgery.  He was communicating facts and describing situations that he couldn’t possibly know.  He related how he sat on Jesus’ lap and watched from above as his dad made angry prayers to the Lord in one room while his mother made frantic phone calls in another.

It was at this point that Colton’s parents decided they needed to listen more attentively to what it was their 4 year old son was saying. The more they listened the more information their son volunteered in spontaneous conversation. Over the next several months young Colton told of his journey to heavenand what he learned while he was there. He said that Jesus taught him lessons of how being kind to all is important and even showed him the great war that happened there and how the angels have swords to keep the devil out of Heaven.

One day Colton, who has one older sister, told his mother he had two sisters. When she asked him what he meant he said, “You had a baby die in your tummy, I met her.”  No one had ever spoke of the miscarriage that happened years before Colton was born, It was a personal pain the Burpos kept to themselves and they would not have tried to explain something like that to a 4 year old anyway. They were not even aware of the sex of the baby but felt a sense of healing as their little boy told them they have a daughter waiting for them in Heaven.

Colton also claims to have met his great grandfather, Pop, while in Heaven. Pop is Todd’s grandfather who passed away 30 years before Colton was born. Todd was very close to his grandfather but lost him to a car accident when he was just seven years old; he never discussed the pain of losing Pop with his young son. When asked to describe his great grandfather Colton recalled a large kind looking man with curly hair a big smile and huge wings who approached him and asked if he was Todd’s son. Any family photos of Pop are from his later years closer to the time when he passed, Colton proclaims Pop is now a young man and no longer needs to wear glasses as no one gets old in Heaven – everyone appeared to be youthful and in their 30s at the most.

Todd began using details from his son’s incredible story in his sermons. The family later decided to share Colton’s journey in a book with hopes of inspiring others. Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding story of his trip to Heaven and back was published November 2, 2010. The book was on the Los Angeles Times bestseller list for eight weeks and remained on the New York Times Paperback Nonfiction bestsellers list for 55 weeks in the #1 slot. With over 3 million copies sold, Heaven is for Real became the top selling book in the nation. The family is thrilled at the success of spreading Colton’s simple message “Heaven is real.”  There has even been talk from Hollywood producers of the book being turned into a motion picture, Todd says he is excited about the idea of so many more families hearing their message through a film. The Burpo family wants nothing more than for Colton’s story to bring healing and hope to people all over the world just as it has to them.

Read more:

Heaven is for Real

Heaven is for Real | LATimes.com