Is your ticket to heaven already punched?

Heaven’s Ticket –

Has your conductor punched it yet?

Punched or Consumed?

I’ve heard a lot of Christians say that since they have accepted Jesus as their Savior and been baptized, they are assured a place in Heaven.   Is that true?  Can you take that one step and get a golden ticket to heaven?   No matter what you do later, no matter how much heartbreak or whatever laws you break?   Is that ticket to heaven still good?   Was it punched when you were baptized or were you simply issued a ticket that still needs to be collected, scrutinized by the conductor and punched before the train leaves the station?   Who stays on that railroad to heaven and who is put off? 

A common question is this:  “What about Hitler?”   He was a baptized Christian.  Is he in heaven now?   What about the priests that have admitted or been caught molesting children in their charge?   What about the ministers that even today are being accused of adultery with the wives of their congregation or even with a brother’s wife?

What about those in prison for murder that were baptized as children, or those that were highly regarded church-going citizens of the community before they did some heinous crime.   How about the murderer who was baptized a few days before his execution and appeared to be sincere about accepting Jesus?  What about those within the church that simply show up at Christmas and otherwise do nothing for Christ the rest of the year?   What about those who show up every Sunday and tithe and even teach Sunday School but then gossip to their neighbors about someone they know?  Do you know where the line is drawn between a punched paid-for ticket and a tattered wortless one that will be consumed along with its holder?

Most of us would say that Hitler, probably anyone that murders or molests children would certainly be put off the train and left behind.  Others will still cry out, even shout, that the only requirement is to accept Christ and be baptized.  Once in, forever in!  So what do you think?  Here are some thoughts to consider before you make up your mind.  It may be a hard lesson.

Receiving the Holy Spirit: The Samarians

You do receive a ticket good for boarding the train when you are baptized in the name of the Lord, but whether it is accepted depends on your heart and life – whether you are walking in the footsteps of Christ or not.  It is not prepaid and it is not punched for the final destination.   Why do I say that?  Read on before you reject it.

There is a prepaid, punched ticket:  It is issued by the Holy Spirit by a separate baptism.  There is the baptism by water which you can receive in church or in a nearby stream.  It is a formal baptism, but it may not be enough.  There is a second baptism that comes only through receipt of the Holy Spirit.  

For example, see Acts 8:12-24 in which Philip had already baptized a number of Samaritans into the name of the Lord, meaning they had declared an acceptance of Christ and been dunked in the water.   They had their ticket, however they had not received the Holy Spirit.  When Peter and John prayed that they would receive the Holy Spirit, they were so filled.  At that moment their ticket was punched.  

On the other hand, Simon had also been baptized by Phillip but did not receive the Holy Spirit.  He offered money to Peter and John, a bribe for them to also punch his ticket by the giving of the Holy Spirit.   Peter and John rebuked him by telling him that he had no part with God and told him “may your money perish with you.” 

Clearly, if Philip had issued the ticket to Simon by baptism with water and he had accepted the Lord, most of us would say he had a good and lasting ticket to Heaven.   But Peter said he would perish anyway.   Peter and John recognized by his actions, that he had not been baptized by the Holy Spirit.  The lesson here is that baptism by water and declaration of acceptance of Jesus is not enough to assure safe passage!  There is a place in the heart, a place in the soul that needs special attention.  Simon’s ticket needed further validation, one by the infilling given only by the Holy Spirit.

Can you be baptized by the Holy Spirit without baptism by water?

Well, yes.   Again, I think most of us would have said no!   But in hearing the message, the Good News, many become believers and receive the Holy Spirit at that moment.   Baptism by water may come later.  Read Acts 10:44-48.  The gentiles at Caesarea heard Peter’s message and were filled with the Holy Spirit and soon after were baptized in water by Peter.

Is the infilling of the Holy Spirit the same as baptism by the Holy Spirit? 

Yes.   Prior to Jesus first coming however, the Holy Spirit was vested only on certain special people, and, in fact, was sometimes removed.   But Jesus told his disciples that he would ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to baptise them.   See John 14:26, then see Acts 1:4-5.  

What did Jesus Say about the need for the baptism by the Holy Spirit?  

The Holy Spirit was involved in the virgin birth of Jesus. See Luke 1:35.   The Holy Spirit baptized Jesus after John baptized him with water.  See Luke 3:21-22.   Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again with the Holy Spirit.  John 3:5-6.

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

There you go!   Baptism by both the water and the Spirit.   From the lips of Jesus.  Your ticket is issued upon receiving your baptism by water.  But it is worthless if you do not receive Baptism by the Holy Spirit, an infilling that lasts a lifetime.   Those that are baptized with water in the name of Jesus that later turn to crime or do not follow and actually serve God are subject to the judgement that may result in confiscation of their ticket and a toss off the train into the lake of fire.   Their hearts were never right, their souls were never filled with the right ingredient.  The Holy Spirit had not validated their ticket.   

The Holy Spirit baptism lasts a lifetime and is not given lightly and cannot be abused.  It is my guess that someone that has claimed to have been “born again” or appeared to have received the Holy Spirit and later committed some crime was somehow fooling us and even themselves.   I don’t believe the Holy Spirit makes those kinds of mistakes. 

How do you know you have received this infilling of the Holy Spirit?  

You probably will not know until you meet the conductor and receive His judgement.   There is a certain peace that prevails and many people obviously have received it.   However, although I think I’ve received it, and I’ve even spoken in tongues (only once),  I cannot say for sure – did I just will it on myself?  Fooling myself?  

I am not my own judge.  I’m afraid I don’t measure up.   I know I do the wrong things, say hurtful things, make judgements, do selfish things and things to make people notice me.  I know I don’t pray enough, don’t read the bible enough and sometimes make up excuses to not go to church when I should.   I gossip and tell white lies, and do things I’m not proud of.   So I don’t know whether I’ll be “up there” with you or not.  Pray for me.

 Whatever the verdict, I accept it.  Only God holds the keys to the kingdom.  He is Sovern. It is His call, not mine.   I’m doing the best I can and if that is not good enough, I deserve to burn with the worst of them.

Thank God for God’s gift of Grace and for His Son, sent to teach us His ways and to give us the gift of salvation through his death and through the Holy Spirit.  

Are you doing the best you can?  What have you done for God lately?  What is the condition of your ticket?   Will Jesus  open the book,  look at you, check your ticket and declare “I don’t know you!”, or will your life since baptism prove good enough?  Let’s pray it is the latter.   If you are afraid you don’t measure up, please don’t panic.  Go to your church and ask for guidence on how to get on the path God wants you to be on.

Grace and Peace,

Oldtimer

Visions and Dreams

Was It Just a Dream? 

 You have had a remarkably vivid experience that you think might be a vision, but wait… what if it was just a dream?  How do you tell the difference?

For me it was straight-forward.  Over the first 60 years of my life I have had countless dreams.  Some nightmares, some daydreams, even lucid dreams.   But I knew they were dreams.   You could use the analogy of a duck … if it looks like a …. well, you know that story.   Everyone has had dreams and maybe a few have been frightening and some have been beautiful and rewarding, but you knew it was a dream.  

When I had my first vision, it was instantly recognized as a vision, even while it was in progress.  Lots of things were different.   

Observer not participant  

I have been an active participant in all the dreams and nightmares I can recall.   In my visions, with only a couple of exceptions, I was only an observer.   I watched things happen, but I did take part in what was going on.   The visions that were exceptions were so remarkable that no one that had one could ever mistake it for a dream.  God shows you things, teaches you things, tells you things.   Most of the time, there is nothing He expects you to do but watch and learn.

Awake not asleep 

 I was awake and aware of my surroundings during the visions.  I heard the air conditioner or the heating system come on, I was aware that I was awake and watching something important.   I had independent thoughts about what I saw and was trying to be careful not to “lose” and was keenly interested in what I was seeing.

Visions don’t fade, dreams do 

Of the perhaps thousands of dreams I’ve had over the 70 years I’ve been alive, I can recall only a few nightmares.  Most of my dreams were faded out and gone by the time I was fully awake.  Seldom does any detail of a dream last more than a few hours.   The visions don’t fade, apparently never.   Every detail of the visions can be replayed in color in exact sequence, in slow or fast motion every time I think of it.    The only exceptions are where I said “no” once and lost the details of part of that vision and where I heard the song of the 4 horsemen and could not learn it.  Apparently I was not qualified to learn it.

Apparently when God gives you a vision, it is intended to stick with you.  Forever.

Visions have basis in God’s Word – the Bible 

I’ve been able to locate bible verses to support each vision that I’ve had.  I’ve quoted them as part of each of the visions I’ve recorded here.  I doubt that many dreams are biblically related.

Visions teach, dreams don’t

I’ve discovered something new in each new vision.   Often there is a different interpretation from what I had thought was true, or some new knowledge that is biblically supported, but still different from what I had understood in my internal interpretation.   If the visions were self-induced from my predisposition in belief of God, you would think the vision would support what I already thought I knew.   Instead, I’ve been very surprised at some of the things I’ve learned.  Unexpected interpretations come forward that make perfect sense in hindsight.

Thoughts pop into your head

Many times explanitory or declaritive thoughts just popped into my head.   I saw something and then an explanitory thought of a word or two just rolled through my head.  “This is God”  “God is in me”  “We are living in God”  These were always in my own voice except for the time of the euolgy.

Visions are “Super Vivid”

Visions are crystal clear.   Most of mine have been in vivid color, but even the black and white ones are super vivid as I play them over again and again in my mind.   God has a way of getting your attention, make no mistake about it.

You “keep your cool” during visions  

In summary, let me say that anyone that has had a vision will know it instantly, from the very beginning and most certainly will take it calmly.   I could be sitting in my chair one instant and standing outside looking at the stars the next, yet not be the least surprised.   Just watching transfixed at the events taking place.   Never mind that I’m soaring into Heaven or standing over the earth or being observed by dark people.   There were two notable exceptions.  One was when I was discovered not having a 666 on my forehead as the bibles were being purged by Satan’s followers, and the other when the words of prophesy were being shouted at me about the deaths of missionaries.  

You will know you have had a vision when you have one.

 Oldtimer

Are you and I already in heaven?

There is reason for me to believe that we live in a parallel universe right now.   Yes, one of those universes that the scientists talk about in purely scientific terms.  We exist there now with our same memories and personalities (although possibly much more mellow), but in a timeless place where we are free to move back and forth in what to us is time.   In that place everything that has already happened, or will ever happen in our present or natural universe is available to all the inhabitants of the other universe.  

The inhabitants of that other universe just don’t have the same ability that we have to change anything in our universe (the one we live in now) as they go along.  But they can visit our past, our present, and our future at will.   That place is called Heaven by us, and the only “catch” as we would characterize it is that everyone is already dead, risen again and with the Father.   You, I, everyone we know, all our individual ancestors and all our children, and all their descendants are already there.   And we are still stuck here.  Thankfully, it is temporary and we will then cross over the veil into that other universe – to Heaven.

This concept is all based on one of the most interesting visions I’ve had, a revelation on the nature of Heaven and of our spirits.  It is the brief one the evening after my father died.   I called it the Vision of Crossing Over – Timeless Heaven. In it a voice, presumably from an angel, told me this about my father who had died earlier in the day:

“Take comfort!  The Spirit and Heaven, like God, are timeless and have no beginning and no end.  Your father has not gone to the present Heaven, but to the future Heaven!   You and your descendants, as well as your ancestors, are all there to greet him!”

Do you understand what that really means?   Most of us can fathom the concept that “God is timeless” – capable of moving back and forth in time, that “He knew us from the beginning” and planned and “created us from the first day of creation”.   In other words, timelessness is a special attribute that we associate with God.   Yet when we hear that God has known us from the beginning of creation, we just take it for granted that He is able to do that.   He planned us and when we would be born, live and die.   Now the timeless spirit word from the angel tells us that we were actually present at the beginning too – the spirit is “timeless and have no beginning and no end” – confirmation of what we have been told.

The voice told me that our spirit and the Heaven that we go to are both timeless.   A timeless heaven and a timeless spirit (our spirit) resolves the conflict between the idea of Revelations 20 whereby we are all resurrected together and the idea that we hope is true – that we are taken immediately to Heaven.  If Heaven and our spirits are timeless, then we both go immediately (one at a time) and at the same instant arrive together.   Jesus told the criminal on the cross: 

…”Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” Luke 23:43

This criminal went straight to Heaven, but we thought perhaps it was a special case.  This timeless Heaven, timeless spirit revelation resolves the quandary I hear all the time.   “I’m sure that my Mother is in heaven, but I’ve also been told that we rise together at the end of 1000 years – at the end times.   When do we go?  Is she there already or not?”

They both are true, because in Heaven all times are the same time.   She dies well before you, rises immediately (at the instant of death) at the end times and is greeted by you and all your ancestors and your descendants who also arise at that same instant.   She can look down on you at any time she chooses, and so can you. 

What a concept!  What a revelation!    Heaven’s inhabitants can visit any of our natural times at any time their spiritual bodies wish.   We arrive together but it is instantaneous upon our death, which may be many years apart as we measure it, but is the same instant as God, Heaven, and the Spirit measure it.

In this parallel universe of a timeless Heaven, we can move back and forth in time, visit with ancestors and visit situations with our descendants.  We likely won’t be concerned with what is happening because we already know the outcome and are already with whoever we were visiting with.   I can’t see any reason for this visiting except as a chance to smile and say:  “Now look how worried you were!  And now you know it was all for nothing!” or just to review and witness how our families developed.

Ever had a déjà vu moment?  The experience of déjà vu seems to be very common; in formal studies 70% of people report having experienced it at least once.   Déjà vu has been described as “remembering the future.”   Perhaps our own spirit, already in Heaven, has given us a quick glimpse of this moment and we did not realize it.   Ever had an inspiration that seemed to come out of the blue?   An idea, a solution, a thought that you did not understand how it popped into your head?   Perhaps an ancestor, descendant, or self was present.

Parallel universe – or Heaven!  What do you think?  I think Heaven is all around us, not just “up there”!

For the scientists and physicists:

Those of you with a scientific curiosity and mind may want to check out how I’ve presented this timeless concept to the physics world:   Does time exist?  What I’m really talking about there is the realm of photons – light.  It was inspired by the vision mentioned above.   God is the light, Jesus is the light of the world.   If this parallel universe we call Heaven is timeless, perhaps it exists in the same universe that photons – light – does.   It makes sense to me.  It tells me where Heaven really is, not necessarily up there, but all around us – we just can’t see it – yet!  This other presentation is purely scientific.  You and I know the rest of the story.

Yes, science and religion can co-exist.  

Oldtimer

Vision of Crossing Over – Timeless Heaven

Crossing Over

This vision had the most profound meaning to me of any vision I’ve had.  It was the final seal for me that heaven not only exists, but it is indeed populated with our ancestors.  There was a suprise though in one major area – it showed me who else is already there.

But about the resurrection of the dead‑‑have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ ? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.  Matthew 22:31‑33 (NIV) 

Thursday, November 25, 1999, Thanksgiving Day.  It was the day after my Father died.  I was trying to take a nap, but not successfully.   I kept telling Dad, and God as well, how much I loved them.  Also Mother.  

I had a brief vision, followed by an understanding that seemed to come from God about the “hereafter”.  But first the vision:

I saw Dad lying back on the chair that I found him in, he had his mouth partially open and immediately a wispy breath emerged but grew into the figure of a white angel carrying what I knew was his spirit, who was also wispy and white.  The angel had Dad around his waist from behind and both were facing forward as they sped skyward.  Although Dad was still in the chair in a closed house when I found him, they were now speeding away into the open blue sky.

They were both looking to heaven and speeding away so rapidly that the entire vision took only a second to complete. 

The angel’s wings were initially folded back sharply to form a long trail that came from Dad’s mouth, and as they came out, they were immediately the same size as the figure of Dad – it happened so fast that when I first realized what I was looking at, they were full size, and Dad’s head was about even with the Angel’s, and both were looking straight up as they sped away.

Then I had an understanding or word of comfort that seemed to be a truth that only God could have given me.

The words I heard said,

“Take comfort!  The Spirit and Heaven, like God, are timeless and have no beginning and no end.  Your father has not gone to the present Heaven, but to the future Heaven!   You and your descendants, as well as your ancestors, are all there to greet him!”

Those are the only words that I heard, but the understanding goes deeper.  I can’t find the words to describe the terminology of Heaven in the context of time.  The best that I can hope to do is to say that when we die, we don’t go to the present Heaven, meaning one that exists right now, even though one exists right now – Heaven is in a different time dimension than we can perceive!   Heaven wasn’t one age when Moses died and an older one when Dad died.   Heaven is both ageless and timeless.  So is the spirit, even yours and mine.  God has known us from the beginning of time.

In a sense, there is no such thing as a “present Heaven,” unless you say “the ever-present Heaven”, because Heaven, like God, is timeless.  When we die, our spirits are timeless, in the same sense that God is timeless, but of course, our spirits have limitations that He does not have.  We don’t become gods. 

We actually cross over into a timeless world, not a  present heaven where a person dies and arrives in Heaven that day and many years later one of their great great grandchildren dies and he or she arrives at that later time.  Instead, we arrive all at once, best described by my feeble mind as the future one.   I say that because   from what I was told, not only are our ancestors present, but our descendants too!   In my thinking, I can only perceive that as the future Heaven, though I know that is not good terminology.

I don’t know how it works, but what I understand is that when we arrive in Heaven, we are greeted by loved ones who have preceded us and loved ones who die later, and soon, all descendants.  All of us arrive at the great awakening as soon as we cross over, with no apparent lapse of time, but when we first arrive, it is in that future time as we would perceive it on earth.  I would guess that this happens in the end times as described by Revelations.  

So we meet our parents, grandparents and our children and grand children, nieces, and nephews generations far into this “natural” world’s future and far into the past as well. 

I would guess that we don’t necessarily see or meet them all at once, but being timeless, we may meet a future descendant or perhaps an ancestor and visit with them, and even travel back or forward with them and observe their life at the times they wish us to see, and show our own lives as well.   Our spirits are timeless so we can move back and forth through time at will. 

I am speculating at this point, so feel free to discount this part, but as I see it, it is in those travels, when we, as spirits, could conceivably  visit our own “natural” lives, which may be (as we perceive time in this natural world) some time in our distant past or some time in our future.   In any event, those who find comfort in thinking their departed loved one is nearby or watching over them can take heart in knowing that they may well be doing exactly that in God’s timeless Heaven.

Do you suppose it is possible that, on those occasions, we sometimes, perhaps only with God’s permission, give ourselves a word of knowledge or wisdom that we may recognize as coming from God or we might attribute to a premonition or to deja vu?

In any event, the really neat thing about Heaven, the part that I get a firm grasp on, is this:  When we die we are instantly with loving ancestors, loving descendants, and with a loving God.   Everything that we have worried about has already happened and these happy spirits that we meet in Heaven when we arrive are unconcerned about long past events. 

I can’t see why there would be any reason to visit or observe those we left behind, since we are together in Heaven, but perhaps sometimes we may choose to do so.  Dad, although he preceded me in death, is already with me in Heaven.  He has no reason to look over me in the life he left behind.  He already knows the outcome.  

If we were to choose to go back and look at some significant event that is part of my or his life, we might have an option to give a word of knowledge that comes in our own voice, in our own head, so it may or may not be recognizable as coming from our Spirit.  Have you ever, if you are like me, occasionally had things come to you “out of the blue” a sudden thought,  and it suddenly makes a difference in your life? 

In any event, I have come to  realize that all those trials and tribulations, all those successes and failures have little meaning except as to how we look in the eyes of God.   Pain and sorrow, despair and death, all fade away when we show our lives to our loved ones in the light of God’s plan, and see how it all fits in.  I imagine that we couldn’t be happier, or freer to worship and praise God with that knowledge and freedom.                   

For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. {22} For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. {23} But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. {24} Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.  1 Corinthians 15:21‑24 (NIV) 

This vision, like the many that preceded it, are all true and accurately described using notes from my journal at the time.  However, it is well to note that these visions have never faded.   Not at all like dreams which fade even before you finish getting up.  Once God gives you a vision, you have it forever.  You can call it up at anytime.   I’ve not always recalled the exact words I saw or heard, but the visual parts are fixed like a movie playing in my mind.   The words are accurate because they came from my journal, usually written within moments of the end of a vision.

They have been generally in the order received, but I’ve gotten out of order here to put my Dad’s death next to Mother’s.  Now I have to figure out how to put these in order again and can’t.  They are at least all accurately dated. 

Because it is related to the end times and/or ascending to heaven, I will tell you about The Children next.

Heaven Revealed?

In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  John 14:2 (KJV) 

On Thursday, two days after the Jesus Moments in Time vision, I had another remarkable vision.

I began to get bolder, now that Jesus has revealed himself to me.  At prayers I asked that God show me what Heaven looks like.  I have heard so many stories of near-death experiences where people are drawn through a tunnel, and are greeted by long gone friends, relatives and Jesus, and I wanted to see for myself.

I thought that if they were en route to Heaven, Jesus might show me some of that.  I fully expected to see angels, bright lights, long dead friends and relatives.    Would God let me see Heaven?  Would I have to go through a tunnel?  Would the streets be paved with gold?

I have begun to be unafraid of death, being secure in the knowledge that Jesus was really going to be there for me.  At the same time, I am not ready to hurry it along.  I am convinced that God will take me when my work is done, and not before. 

I am ready to go anytime and anyway that He chooses!   I have already told our Bible Study class to rejoice when I am gone – throw a party in my name.

It would be nice to know what Heaven really looked like, so full of angels, relatives, and friends that have gone before me.  So I asked God, if it was within His will, to show me Heaven.

The approach.

The vision opened with me in the sky, approaching what appeared to be a two or three-story building from several hundred feet. The building was a reddish color with a grey roof, set against a deep blue shy. 

However, my impression of the size of the building was gained only from the relative size, assuming I was close to it.  I didn’t see any trees on the ground or windows, or other features on the building that gave me a clue as to its true size. 

I was sailing along without any power, or conscious effort on my part.  No wings, no vehicle, no consciousness of body – just moving toward the building ahead.  I felt like I had the freedom to go where I wanted, but I wanted to go to the building. 

As I came closer, the building got bigger and bigger, so my perspective was wrong – it was much bigger than three stories high!  I was approaching from very far away.

As I drew near the building, it grew considerably larger, and it appeared that I was very high in the sky, maybe miles high!  The building was so tall that I could not see the bottom.  I was still slightly above it, but I was still flying toward it and as I did, it became enormous.  Wide as well as tall.

The descent.

I began to descend at the front of the building and it seemed that I took a very long time getting down.  As I continued to approach the building and dropped lower, other building began to stretch from far below toward me and they were also very tall, even though initially they were too small to even see.  

The buildings were many miles high, and there were many of them.

Inside – the rooms.

I flew down the front of the taller building toward the bottom, but did not land at the bottom.  Somehow, as I drew near the bottom of the building, I simply appeared in one of the rooms inside of the building. 

The room was furnished somewhat like a mansion or maybe a big hotel, with comfortable-looking leather chairs, tables, couches, rugs, fine pictures, and vases on the tables. 

I remember one room with a fireplace.  Each room was a comfortable arrangement of the type you would expect to find in the lobby of an exclusive, very fine hotel or perhaps a mansion!

I don’t remember any lamps or lights, but the room was lit normally.  I strolled through several very spacious rooms and had the impression that this was someone’s living suite, and that each person that lived there was similarly provided for. 

I never saw any people, however, nor doorways.  Each room flowed into the next one through wide hallways, offset from one another slightly.   In other words, as you reached the end of a room, you could turn one way or another and be facing a wide hallway which might be long or very short.  The wall at the end of the hallway would be part of a wall for the next room.  There were no framed doorways, and the layout was somewhat like a maze with rooms at the corners of each passage..

Each room opened up into other well-decorated rooms.  Some rooms appeared to have patterns like wallpaper and some appeared to have solid colors as if painted.  Ornate rugs covered what appeared to be wooden floors, and there were tables throughout.  The chairs and furniture arrangements were set up for small groups of two to eight people in each area.  I did not get to tour bedrooms, bathrooms, or kitchens if there were any.  Nor did I see any telephones, televisions or radios.

The mansions.

After walking through the area and being satisfied that this was a home that I would enjoy living in, I was suddenly airborne again and outside.  I was above and in front of one of the smaller buildings, but not too far off of the ground. 

The grounds were beautiful, and I was admiring the surrounding estate, which was extremely well manicured, perfectly shaped trees, and shrubs of all sizes.  There were green and flowery gardens, winding walkways, and areas enclosed within arbors.  

I had the impression that an extended family lived in this mansion.  As I think back, I also saw people strolling the walkways, but they were in the far distance.  

The vision ended when I had looked over the smaller mansion for a while.

I did not receive word statements like those that I had during the God Partially Revealed vision.  I didn’t suddenly think to myself,  “A family lives here” or “This is Heaven.”   I did come away with a peace and satisfaction from the impressions that I received during my brief visit.

I had the impression that the first building housed many people, perhaps many hundreds of thousands, comfortably.  There were several very tall buildings in the vision and numerous smaller buildings surrounded by green parks and trees. 

I had the impression that the smaller mansions housed larger, more extended families, and the larger buildings housed individuals, couples, and smaller groups in a city-like structure.  Those were only my impressions during the vision.  It almost seems more logical the other way around!

I also had the impression that Heaven was whatever I wanted it to be like on earth, nice furnishing, beautiful estate, comfortable living.   I saw no clouds, no harps, and no angels with wings, and no tunnels of light. 

These are the mansions of the scriptures!

In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.  John 14:2-4 (KJV) 

Or as written in the New International Version:

In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.  John 14:2-4 (NIV)   

Since then I have had a few thoughts about the meaning of what I saw.  It seems to me that Heaven was what would have been very comfortable to me. 

Perhaps there are different mansions for people with different styles of living.  I also believe that Heaven would be similar to whatever one would be comfortable with within their present culture. 

For example, a man or woman of two thousand years ago would probably have been placed in mansions similar to those of the best homes of their time, not of some future time.  I can’t imagine a person of 4000 years ago being placed in a 20^th century setting and immediately feeling very comfortable.  

Nor can I picture myself being comfortable in a setting of 2000 years ago, or of 1000 years in the future.  If a person is not comfortable, then it wouldn’t be Heaven, would it?

I expect that as civilization progresses, newer mansions are created, and hopefully the inhabitants of the old mansions would have options to move into newer quarters. 

I believe, of course, that God knows how mankind will be living in the year 4000, assuming that the end times are that far off.  He could place us into that environment when we are resurrected, but we would probably be as “out of place” in that setting as one of the disciples would be if placed in a 21st century home – in shock.

Just how big is heaven?

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls.  The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long.  Rev 21:10, 15-16 (NIV) The measurement 12,000 stadia is equivalent to about 1,400 miles.  This is the New Jerusalem, but it came down from heaven in this vision of John. 

Heaven being bigger than this New Jerusalem, is at least 1,400 miles wide, 1,400 miles long, and 1,400 miles high.  No wonder I could not see the ground from the top of the tallest building!

Tomorrow – The Visit