The pastor selling land in heaven, explained

Social media is home to some truly bizarre discoveries — from the rise of the Four Seasons Orlando baby to the birth of the so-called ‘girl dinner’ — but every now and then, a new story emerges overruns our algorithm that seems to take the cake in terms of pure strangeness (and oftentimes, downright hilarity). 

Most recently, that viral story has come courtesy of a pastor in Mexico, who is selling plots of land in heaven in what is considered to be either a case of divine intervention, pure satire, or a masterful real estate scam. If you read that sentence and scratched your head (or perhaps considered purchasing a heaven plot yourself, because why not?), read on for all the details about this case of heavenly real estate. 

The pastor selling land in heaven, explained

A Christian church in Mexico is going viral and attracting headlines, after news broke that its pastor is selling plots of land in Heaven. The Iglesia del Final de los Tiempos, which translates to the Church of the End of Times, claims its pastor can sell the land after having a meeting with God in 2017. According to the church, both members of the parish and the general community can purchase the plot in heaven for $100 —  which is a pretty fair price for a ticket to eternal salvation, if you ask me. 

Offering even more amenities like the true real estate agent he is, the pastor said the plots will guarantee you a place in heaven (I guess there’s no need for repenting now?), and promised that the land will be close to God’s palace. The would-be homeowner in me wants to ask if there are any schools nearby or see details of the neighborhood crime rate, but then I remember it’s Heaven so that’s probably unnecessary. 

Going a step further, the church even offered various payment methods for the heaven plots, accepting the $100 on everything from PayPal to Google Pay, Visa, Mastercard and American Express, as well as other flexible payment plans. While these details were enough to catch the attention of the internet, it was later revealed that the church, and its real estate offer, is satirical, with Iglesia del Final de los Tiempos found to have a long history of parodying the religious world.

Their Facebook page is marked as ‘Just For Fun’, and they were responsible for circulating the fake promotional materials that featured a big house on a plot of land in the sky. The page has, over the years, mocked the exploitative nature of some Christian pastors, which makes their heaven plot satire ploy all the more hilarious. 

So, before you go checking your account for a spare $100 or pitching Netflix with a Heaven-based spinoff of Selling Sunset, know that the so-called heaven plot was merely a satirical meme.