Colton Burpo: Heaven is for Real

Sitting on Jesus’ lap …

Have you ever wondered if Heaven is for real?  After a brush with death, a young boy, Colton Burpo, may have the answers millions of us are looking for.  Was his vision real or something he dreamed?  Well, you can decide for yourself.  Natalie Tisdale of Fox 31 News tells us why people are so interested in this little boy from Nebraska.  Colton Burpo recalls, “I remember Jesus.  There are streets of gold and a lot of colors.  I sat in Jesus’ lap, and then I felt just safe.”  It sounded like a story dreamed up by a little boy, but to understand what Colton Burpo said you have to hear what he did. 

Colton becomes very sick

It all started on a trip to Colorado.  Colton complained of a stomach ache, so a trip to the doctor took place with a diagnosis of the flu.  Then, back home in Nebraska, Colton saw another doctor, but still no improvement.  He went downhill fast.  Colton’s father, Todd, says, “As parents we felt sick at what we could have done different.  Man, we did this wrong.” 

It turns out that for five days he suffered, misdiagnosed.  The then three-year-old had a ruptured appendix.  While in surgery, his parents, Todd and Sonya, prayed in separate rooms.  They thought they had lost him. Miraculously, after a difficult recovery, Colton survived.  But, his story is far from over.  There were things Colton did and things he said after the surgery that were out of the ordinary.  Until a drive past the hospital four months after his surgery, none of it made sense.  His dad jokingly asked Colton if he wanted to go back to the hospital.  His response was, “The Angels, they sang to me while I was there.”  Todd could see Colton was dead serious.

A Heavenly journey is revealed

Colton’s story about Heaven was about to begin.  He had never talked about angels before.  While in Heaven, Colton says he saw many things and met many people, including his great grandfather.  A picture sent months later by his grandmother was a likeness for the man he met – Pop, his great grandfather.  He had died 30 years before Colton was born.  Colton says Pop looked like a young man without glasses.  And, perhaps the most shocking part of Colton’s story was when he told his Mom, “I have two sisters. You had a baby die in your tummy didn’t you Mom.”  His parents never told him about the miscarriage.  Colton says, “She looked familiar and then she started giving me hugs and telling me that she was glad to have someone from her family up there.”

Over time, this young man’s visions became more real, from his description of Jesus to his talks with God – even a discussion about Armageddon.  “I actually got a glimpse of it.” says Colton.  “How does a kid make that up?” says Todd.  The Burpo family accepted and embraced their little boy’s unbelievable story. 

Heaven is for Real – book & movie

Todd Burpo is a pastor here in Imperial, Nebraska, population 1800.  Many people here know about Colton’s story.  In fact, they’ve encouraged Todd to write a book about it.  He did.  It’s a New York Times bestseller.  It wasn’t something Todd wanted to do or even knew how to do.  But he did exactly what he did the night Colton laid on that table near death.  He prayed, “God if this is really you,” … I kind of laid my fleece out and I said … “You know I don’t know how to publish a book, but if you really want me to do this, you’re going to have to have the publishing industry find me.”  It wasn’t a long time before that actually happened.  So far, a half a million books have been printed.  Bookstores across the country are trying to get more copies.  They’re on eBook readers, audio tape, and there’s even talk of a movie.  It’s a lot for this small town family.  Todd says, “We never imagined it to go where it is.”  

Colton at age 11

As for Colton, he’s a pretty straightforward eleven-year-old.  He likes music, he wrestles, and he prays to the God he describes as the biggest one in Heaven.  Colton says, “He can hold the earth in His hands.” His father says, “I don’t know why God picked us.  We’re just normal people that God did a remarkable miracle for.”

In the back of the Heaven is for Real book, you will see a copy of the Prince of Peace painting of Jesus by Akiane Kramarik.  Akiane saw Jesus in a vision when she was very young and then painted what she saw at the age of eight.  Colton Burpo and thousands of others confirm this as Jesus’ likeness.  Watch Akiane Kramarik’s Famous Painting of Jesus Reappears to see this painting and Akiane’s story.