Has Anyone Been to Heaven or Hell and Returned?

There are all kinds of popular books and movies based on 'true stories' of people who have claimed to been to Heaven or Hell and returned to earth to tell people about it.  All claims must be compared to what God has made known in His Word.  What does scripture say about these claims?  Through this we can determine a if these experiences and visions are true or hallucinations and vivid imagination.

Does Heaven have Pearly Gates with Gold Streets?

There are three things we need to understand when approaching this issue.  Present material matter vs future matter,  in-time vs eternity, and The Heaven vs 'heaven'.  Grasping the differences in these will help us understand the issue of the appearance of heaven.  First we will look at matter and discuss our earthly and heavenly bodies.  Then we will get into language symbolism and limitations to better understand what we can hope for; and finally answer the question of what will have  Pearly Gates with Gold Streets.

Statement of Faith: Things to Come

           The blessed hope and literal return of Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13), the personal and imminent coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to rapture His saints (1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:2). Will then forever be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:16-5:2).  The visible and bodily return of Christ to the earth with His saints to establish His promised millennial kingdom (Zechariah 14:4-11;1 Thessalonians 1:10;Revelation 3:10,19:11-16,20:1-6). We believe in the physical resurrection of all men—the saints to everlasting joy and bliss on the New Earth, and the wicked to eternal punishment in the lake of fire (Matthew 25:46;John 5:28-29;Revelation 20:5-6,12-13).

Statement of Faith: Angels, Satan, and Demons

          The real existence and personality of angels.  God created the angels to be His servants and messengers (Nehemiah 9:6;Psalm 148:2;Hebrews 1:14).  There is a spiritual realm of angels and demons. Angels serve God and carry out his will.