The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven

The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven

We were made for so much more than the things of this world.
Sometimes we can sense this. We have a feeling that, despite our
best efforts, we don’t quite belong here, that this is not our final
destination. We have deep hungers and thirsts that cannot yet be
satisfied.

In fact, when we try to make this world our home, our ultimate
security and place of comfort, we simply end up feeling disappointed
or empty. This is why a great saint of the church was moved to write,
“Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.”

Our home is Heaven. But what is Heaven? Heaven radiates with
the brilliance of God’s glory. It is filled with the music of angels in
worship and the beauty of an unmarred landscape. Because it is the
dwelling place of God, those who enter its gates experience only
peace, hope, faith, and love—the very essence of God Himself.

Much as we long for Heaven, there is a problem. We know very
little of the place where we were made to live. Whom do you know
who has been there? Have you seen any photographs? Sure, you may
have heard stories of white light and tunnels from people who haveexperienced death and then returned to this life. But what if there
was a person who had been to Heaven . . . actually walked through
the gates . . . and stayed long enough to learn about it? Would you be
interested in what he had to say?

Well, I know such a person. He is my son, William Alexander
Malarkey. We call him Alex.

In November 2004, Alex and I were in a car accident. The accident
was so horrific that Alex, who was six at the time, was not
expected to live, and a medical officer suggested that the coroner be
called to the scene. Later, in the hospital, Alex was in a coma for two
months. Alex spent time during this period in Heaven, and when he
returned to us, he had much to say about his experience.

Now, I know what you may be thinking: A kid goes to Heaven and
comes back to tell us about it? Come on.

I’m not here to beat a drum, convince you of a theological argument,
or force you to validate Alex’s experiences. But I humbly offer
a challenge: suspend your judgment for just a few chapters.

I think your life may be changed forever.

Sometimes I have no clue what to make of Alex’s supernatural
life—I have no theological box to put some of this stuff in. But
everyone who has taken the time to get to know Alex agrees: he
is a remarkable boy on whom God has placed His hand for His
purposes.

What follows includes physical descriptions of parts of Heaven,
a recounting of the way Alex and God sometimes talk face-to-face,
and details about Alex’s direct experience with angels, demons, and,
yes, the devil himself.

Heaven is real. There is an unseen world at work—an intensely
active spiritual dimension right here on earth, all around us.

Taken from The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven by Kevin & Alex Malarkey. Copyright © 2010 by Kevin Malarkey. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.