Colton Burpo amazed his family and later millions worldwide with his story of visiting heaven during a near-death experience at age 3. Today, the 25-year-old recalls his experience and how it transformed his life in this powerful testimony.
We often wonder what heaven might be like. Most of us rely on faith and scripture to form our understanding of the afterlife. But what if someone—especially a small child—came back with vivid memories and specific details?
The Life-Changing Medical Crisis
In 2003, when Colton was just 3 years old, he faced a serious medical emergency. Doctors misdiagnosed his condition for about five days until they finally discovered his appendix had ruptured. He was rushed into emergency surgery.
During this surgery, something extraordinary happened. “During that first surgery, that’s when I had my near-death experience, where I remember lifting out of my body,” Colton told CBN News.
“I looked down. I saw the doctors. They were working on me. My mom, I saw her in one room; she was like on the phone talking with people, praying. My dad, he was in another room and he was praying very loudly at God.”
What happened next changed everything for Colton and his family. “And, at the moment, I was freaking out. I had no idea what was going on. Then, I was sitting on Jesus’s lap and he had some angels sing to me to calm me down,” he recalled.
According to Colton, Jesus then had an angel fly him to heaven where his experience continued.
What He Saw in Heaven
Colton’s heavenly experience wasn’t vague or dreamlike. He described meeting Jesus, seeing angels, and noticing specific details that a child his age shouldn’t have known.
When asked by his father, “So Colton, where do you go to sleep when like it was nighttime in heaven?”, young Colton responded with surprising directness: “Who told you it gets dark in heaven? It doesn’t happen.”
He also described heaven as having “people, animals, angels, grass, trees, water, skies” and mentioned there’s even food there.
What deeply touched his mother was when Colton described meeting a sister he never knew existed—a baby his mother had miscarried before he was born.
“When I went to heaven I met a lot of different people… and one of those people I met in heaven was my sister who was miscarried before I was born,” he explained. This little girl ran to him and gave him “this giant old bear hug.”
Colton, being a typical three-year-old boy, remembered thinking: “At the time I was a boy, I was three, I fully believed in cooties… who are you, why are you hugging me, what’s going on?”
What made this encounter remarkable was the specific details Colton provided about this sister he had never met nor been told about. “She looked like my oldest sister Cassie, she wasn’t as big as her but she was bigger than me, and then she had brown hair like my mom instead of blonde hair like my sister and I.”
Two Powerful Conversations with Jesus
Among his most treasured memories are two conversations with Jesus that have stayed with him throughout his life.
The first was a simple explanation of salvation. “Jesus just teaching me, ‘Colton, this is how you get to heaven: if you love me and follow me, my dad’s okay with that,'” he explained.
“Salvation simplified by Jesus. He taught a three-year-old Colton this is how you get to heaven: love Jesus, follow him, that’s it.”
The second conversation remains deeply meaningful to Colton. He noticed Jesus had what he called “markers” on his hands and feet—wounds from the crucifixion—while no one else in heaven had any imperfections.
“I remember asking like, ‘Jesus, how come you’re the only one in heaven with markers?'” Colton shared. “I remember he got down on a knee, he looked me in the eyes and he said, ‘Colton, it’s to remind me how much I love you.'”
This detail about Jesus choosing to keep his wounds as a reminder of his love has touched many people who’ve heard Colton’s story.
Growing Up with an Extraordinary Story
Carrying such a profound experience throughout childhood wasn’t always easy. As Colton grew up, he faced both support and skepticism.
“I had people writing parody books about me, I had people making fun of me,” he shared about his teenage years. At one point, another family’s fabricated heaven story was mistakenly attributed to him, causing further confusion and criticism.
During high school, Colton felt God challenging him to develop a deeper faith beyond his heaven experience. “I remember in high school, that’s around the time that God really started challenging me like, ‘Hey, you don’t have to rely on this one experience with me. I want to do life with you. I want to be a part of your life today,'” he recalled.
This invitation marked a turning point in his faith journey. “At one point I got kind of fed up with ministry where in all honesty I was like, ‘Okay God, I can’t refute that. Like you are real, I met you, great. I don’t want to do ministry,'” he candidly shared.
He also admits to struggling with pride at times. “I did obviously struggle with pride because it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, I have a book and movie about me, I got this, it’s great.'”
Through these challenges, Colton learned an important lesson: “I’ve had to get to a point where the fame and also just heaven is real in general, like my heaven experience, that is not my main identity.”
His Life Today
Today at 25, Colton lives in Colorado’s Eagle County with his wife of nearly three years. He recently finished trade school and works as a journeyman electrician.
Ironically, despite being a pastor’s kid who never wanted to work at a church, Colton now serves as a worship pastor at Mountain Life Calvary Chapel. “I’m about ready to be a first-time dad. I have a little girl on the way like two weeks,” he shared excitedly in his interview.
A Message of Hope for Everyone
Colton’s message to people today is beautifully straightforward. He reminds us that Jesus’ love is constant and available to everyone: “Regardless of what I have done, regardless of what I will do, Jesus keeps those markers because he chose to die on the cross for us.”
His final words offer both comfort and invitation: “Jesus loves you so much that he always has his hand out, he always wants to take you by the hand, he wants to uplift you, he wants to comfort you, he wants to be with you. All you have to do is take his hand.”
Colton Burpo’s story continues to inspire people worldwide. His testimony first appeared in the bestselling book “Heaven Is For Real,” which sold millions of copies.
Later, the successful 2014 film adaptation starring Greg Kinnear brought his story to even more people.
WATCH: Colton Burpo Recalls His Visit to Heaven 20 Years Later
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