[Cont. from Part 10]
COMING HOME
Switching on the key, he put the car in gear and continued down the narrow, rocky road. He drove slowly and carefully, for the many deep ruts were difficult to see. Fortunately, there was no oncoming traffic to watch out for. In fact, there was VERY LITTLE TRAFFIC AT ALL. Running alongside the road - not fifty feet to his left - was a very busy, twelve-lane SUPERHIGHWAY. Jammed bumper-to-bumper, hundreds of cars raced by in a blur of lights. Blaring horns and the loud curses of angry drivers created an ugly montage of noisy confusion.
Separating the two roads was a ten-foot-tall retaining wall. The base was
two feet high and made of concrete. Sitting atop this was a eight-foot
plexiglass divider. Every mile or so, an off-ramp led to a large gateway.
Thus, by checking the traffic through the divider, a driver could easily
jump on or off the superhighway. Making such a change, however, meant more
than mere road conditions: traffic on the adjacent highway was heading
in the OPPOSITE direction. Topping a hill, the car slowed as the man stared
with relief at a point far ahead, where a pinpoint of light pierced the
surrounding blackness. A
look of satisfaction crossed
the old man's face, and he began to hum. Ignoring a nearby exit ramp, he
continued inching his way along the dark, hazardous road, for he had seen
WHERE the superhighway LED:
Racing as if their very lives depended on it, the contestants didn't see the danger ahead until it was too late for them to turn back. As the cars dashed around a final sharp curve, THE ROAD ENDED ABRUPTLY. Horrified screams and squealing brakes created a macabre symphony, as hapless drivers sailed off the edge - and STRAIGHT DOWN TO A BOTTOMLESS, HELLISH LAKE OF FIRE! Disembodied, fiendish laughter greeted each new arrival.
Meanwhile on the other side of the wall, just up ahead a little ways, the tiny light had grown into one of an intense sparkling brilliance, beckoning the beleaguered family forward. Slowly, a great rainbow-colored CRYSTAL CITY began to emerge from the stormy darkness. Turning to his passengers, the man grinned. Hugging each other, the family joyfully began singing a favorite gospel song. THEY HAD MADE IT! It had been a long, hard journey, but at last, they were nearly HOME.
QUESTIONS. SO
MANY QUESTIONS
"I guess God knew I wasn't really serious at the beginning. After all, I was oh, so-o-o busy - pursuing earthly pleasures and a career in the very secular (read Satanic) field of country music. Of course, I didn't think of it as Satanic at the time. But then, I was one of the lucky ones. God cared enough about me to take it all away - and I do mean ALL. Take my advice and NEVER take anything or anyone for granted (as your "right" or your due) - least of all, GOD! He put a tremendous burden on my heart - and a Mountain I didn't think I would ever be able to climb. But I found that it's true: God never gives us a Cross too heavy for us to bear, and with His help and guidance, I finally made it to the top of that Mountain. Now, my eyes remain steadfastly on Heaven. And that brings us back to the questions: "Is there really a Heaven? Will Believers go there after the Millennium? WHAT WILL IT BE LIKE?"
ALIENS AND THE
THREE HEAVENS
In the Bible we are told there are THREE heavens. The FIRST is the heaven that we see: INNER SPACE - or AIR (SKY, atmosphere, stratosphere, etc.) This is LUCIFER's (Satan's) REALM. When God threw him to earth, this is where he set up his kingdom, for the Bible calls him the "prince" and "power of the AIR." But, the Bible also calls LUCIFER (whose name was changed to "SATAN" when he was thrown out of Heaven) the "GOD OF THIS EARTH," which means - at least until JESUS returns - Satan has free run of this Earth and everything in its immediate vicinity. In fact, Satan even brags about it:
A NEW LOOK AT
SATAN AND GOD
The SECOND heaven is where the sun, moon and stars declare the glory of God as David affirms in Psalms. We know this Second heaven as "OUTER SPACE." The THIRD Heaven is, of course, GOD'S OWN KINGDOM. Now, assuming this is all true (and I DO), doesn't this make BOTH Satan and God - "ALIENS?" Of course it does. After all, neither of them came from this earth! They both come from "outer space," both have "supernatural powers" beyond our human understanding. Of course, this is a two-way street: WE are also aliens - to Heaven! So, what it comes down to is WHICH "alien" will you choose to follow - and why? And maybe you better ask yourself this: WHERE is the one I have chosen to follow leading me?
GOD: THE
ULTIMATE ALIEN
"The AVERAGE BRAIN weighs about three pounds and contains 12 BILLION CELLS,
EACH of which is connected to 10,000 OTHER BRAIN CELLS. That's 120 TRILLION
brain connections! The CAPILLARIES in your body - which if laid end-to-end,
would wrap FIVE TIMES AROUND THE EARTH - carry blood, nutrition, and oxygen
to your entire body." And Humanists (evolutionists) would have us believe
this came about by "RANDOM CHANCE?!" What are these people smoking?!! Because
we must accept either creation OR evolution by FAITH, it seems far more
LOGICAL to believe that a
DESIGNER planned and created
the human body, don't you think?
STUPID
SCIENTISTS?
Dr. David Raup, CURATOR OF GEOLOGY at Chicago's FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL
HISTORY, tells us that the "250,000 species of plants and animals recorded
and deposited in museums throughout the world DID NOT SUPPORT THE GRADUAL
UNFOLDING HOPED FOR BY DARWIN." And PHYSICIST and NOBEL PRIZE WINNER, Dr.
Robert A. Millikan stated in a speech before the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY,
"The PATHETIC thing about it is that many scientists are trying to PROVE
THE DOCTRINE (faith; belief) OF EVOLUTION, which NO SCIENCE CAN DO." (!!)
And the author of 'UNENDED QUEST,' Karl Popper admits: "I have come to
the conclusion that DARWINISM
IS NOT A TESTABLE SCIENTIFIC
THEORY, but a METAPHYSICAL (insubstantial; supernatural) research programme
- a POSSIBLE framework for testable scientific theories." Perhaps that
is why, according to Henry Margenau, "If you take the TOP NOTCH SCIENTISTS,
you find VERY FEW ATHEISTS among them." We have been brainwashed into discounting
the scientific credibility of anybody who believes in God and His Son,
Jesus Christ - and that is plain foolishness!
HAVE WE
BEEN BUGGED?
Now, if that is the case, when we call on God, it would be like hitting this button, (sort of like the on-off switch on a microphone). This, in turn, could possibly alert God's Angels - or relay it to God Himself. This "button" may also be programed so that if we verbally or mentally REJECT God - or His Word - it would SHUT DOWN and God and His angels would be out of contact. It would OPEN up again, if we changed our minds and HUMBLED ourselves and PRAYED, and SOUGHT GOD'S FACE, and TURNED FROM OUR WICKED WAYS. If we are willing to do that - and ACCEPT JESUS AS OUR SAVIOR, God promises that "THEN WILL I HEAR FROM HEAVEN, AND WILL FORGIVE YOUR SIN, AND HEAL YOUR LAND." (II Chronicles 7:14) And if ever America needed healing, it is NOW!
TICKET
TO HEAVEN
I want to make this crystal clear right now: the answer is NO: honest confusion will not cost you your Ticket to Heaven! All these different opinions and viewpoints are either based on Scripture or misinformation - or just plain old-fashioned quesswork. Don't worry about it if you are confused, though. Just about every theologian is, too, on some issues (including me - and I am not a theologian). After all, they are merely HUMAN, like you and me! Some things we are not MEANT to know. They are GOD'S BUSINESS! So just remember this: YOUR TICKET TO HEAVEN IS FREE - JESUS ALREADY PAID YOUR WAY. You cannot lose it if you 1) ADMIT YOU ARE A SINNER, 2) REPENT OF YOUR SINS, and 3) OPENLY ACCEPT AND ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS AS YOUR SAVIOR. PERIOD. At this point, I really would advise you to find a church (be VERY careful which one, though. Make very sure that it is SCRIPTURAL!!) and be BAPTIZED - because you are then INVITING THE HOLY SPIRIT IN - and you will be REBORN. After this, I suggest you ask God for WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING - then simply FOLLOW HIS WILL. I guarantee, if you are sincere, He will SHOW it to you!! Personally, I don't think women should preach (in agreement with Paul), because pastors are suppose to be the spiritual head of a church - and if a woman was a pastor, she would be OVER the men of the church. That doesn't seem Biblical to me. However, she can do many, MANY other things - including teaching Sunday School, missionary work, etc., etc. But - man or woman - whatever we do, I don't believe God wants us to "just sit back and wait" for Him! Otherwise, what will God judge us on at the Bema Seat?
THE BEMA
SEAT JUDGMENT
According to the above quotation - as well as Romans 14:10, 1 Corinthians 3:14,15, and 1 Corinthians 4:5 - we will first appear before the JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST, where our actions here on Earth will be judged (The Great White Throne is the Judgment Seat of GOD and it is ONLY for the unbelievers). This evaluation is not for the purpose of punishing us for our sins. They were already paid for on the CROSS by the LORD JESUS. Instead, it is a REVIEWING STAND where our performance as CHRISTIANS (not self-serving or phony "good works" type, but genuine, SPIRIT-FILLED Christians) will be evaluated and REWARDED! Les Feldick explains it this way:
"[The BEMA (grk. "judgment") SEAT] is not to determine heaven or hell. It's not to judge us for our sins (thank God!), because the believers' sins have already been judged totally and completely at the Cross. WE WILL NEVER AGAIN HAVE TO FACE OUR SINS. Now this doesn't give license, not by any stretch of the imagination. We won't come before the Bema Seat shaking in our boots wondering if we are going to make it or not...The Gospel of Grace says that CHRIST RELEASES THE POWER OF SALVATION AT OUR BELIEVING (not just mentally, but ABSOLUTE KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT RESERVATION that JESUS IS REAL, HE DIED FOR ME, DEFEATED SIN, SATAN AND DEATH, AND ROSE AGAIN!)...[When God sees this], our sins are judged, and we are CLEANSED of them. Then He SEALS US, and sets us on our way working and serving Him. As a believer, the whole concept here is that we live a life well-pleasing now AS A CHILD (remember how THRILLED we were as children, when our parents were PLEASED with something that we did?), with the idea of gaining a reward for meritorious service." This judgement is in preparation for:
THE GLORIOUS MARRIAGE
SUPPER OF THE LAMB
"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB IS COME, and his WIFE (His CHURCH) hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, THESE ARE THE TRUE SAYINGS OF GOD." - Revelation 19:7-9
SECRETS
REVEALED
"AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN THE LAST DAYS, SAITH GOD, I WILL POUR OUT
OF MY SPIRIT UPON ALL FLESH: AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY,
AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS: AND ON MY SERVANTS AND ON MY HAND-
MAIDENS I WILL POUR OUT IN THOSE DAYS OF MY SPIRIT; AND THEY SHALL PROPHESY;
- v: 17, 18
"AND I WILL SHEW WONDERS IN HEAVEN ABOVE, AND SIGNS IN THE EARTH BENEATH;
BLOOD, AND FIRE, AND VAPOUR OF SMOKE: THE SUN SHALL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS,
AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THAT GREAT AND NOTABLE DAY OF THE LORD
COME: AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, THAT WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL ON THE NAME
OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED." - vs: 19-21
WHAT IS IT
LIKE TO DIE?
I am, of course, talking about NDEs ("near death experiences"). Now, I
really believe that a number of these are true, because God promised us
He would "shew wonders in Heaven." (Note, He did NOT say "heavenS" - plural
- as He has always done, when referring to the firmament.) And let's not
forget that He showed Ezekial and John and others what Heaven is like.
So, the idea of His showing Heaven to people today is not that far-fetched.
Descriptions given by many of the survivors of these NDEs do not conflict
with the various descriptions given in the Bible. EVEN FROM SOME OF THOSE
TOTALLY UNFAMILIAR WITH
THE BIBLE! Let's take a look at some of these NDEs: one witness described
the moment when his spirit left his body as being "like pulling the stopper
out of a thermos bottle." Another talked about "a strange darkness" - a
darkness that was "extreme." Many have spoken of a "dark tunnel." One described
it as a "long dark narrow valley" in which Jesus held her hand and helped
her to cross:
QUESTIONS FOR
THE HUMANISTS
Secular Humanists have come up with a scientific explanation for all this. According to them, it is simply SOMETHING INSIDE OUR BRAIN that is triggered when someone believes they are about to die. So that when we die (temporarily), we see what we EXPECT Heaven to be like, based upon what we have been told (most of which came from descriptions in the Bible) - or what we subconsiously WANT to see. I have a couple of questions for them though: how do you explain the reports from people who have never been IN a church or even opened a Bible? Or the many reports DETAILING HOSPITAL LAYOUTS, ACCIDENT SCENES, etc. from people WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN THERE BEFORE? How about reports on what doctors, nurses, family members and other visitors were doing while the NDE victim was either in a coma, or "clinically" dead? How do you explain the testimony of those who, while visiting Heaven, learned about family members THEY NEVER EVEN KNEW EXISTED? True. This could be nothing more than deception by the Devil - but does it make any sense that HE would use a golden opportunity like this to GLORIFY GOD AND HIS HANDIWORK?!
HEAVENLY
SCHEMATICS
"...[The CITY of] Heaven is a perfect cube 1,500 MILES HIGH and 1,500 MILES SQUARE. Imagine a CITY that would stretch all the way from MAINE to FLORIDA!...How many [people] will inhabit the heavenly city? Perhaps BILLIONS. To accomodate those masses, literalists have suggested some of the following staggering proportions:
1. Putting each street a MILE APART, there would be EIGHT MILLION STREETS,
each 1,500 MILES LONG.
2. If the city were divided into rooms ONE MILE IN LENGTH, ONE MILE WIDE,
and ONE MILE HIGH, it would contain THREE BILLION, 375 MILLION ROOMS.
3. Another interesting calculation is to multiply 1,500 miles by 1,500
miles; you
would have 2,250,000 SQUARE MILES. There are 640 acres to a square mile,
so you have ONE BILLION, 440 MILLION ACRES in the city. (Now, that's a
LOT
of real estate! - OL)
"God has made the GATES OF HEAVEN large enough to accomodate all who wish to come through. Someone said that for these gates to be properly proportioned to the wall of the city, they would have to be at least 100 MILES FROM PILLAR TO POST. It's astonishing to note that EACH GATE WILL BE MADE OF A SINGLE SNOW WHITE PEARL (100 MILES WIDE!). The LARGEST pearl known today is about the size of a man's FIST!" (When people talk about the "PEARLY GATES," that doesn't begin to tell the story!)
PLANET
HEAVEN
"We already know that many other planets in our solar system are larger than Earth - Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus...Our SUN is approximately 109 TIMES the size of Earth, and literally MILLIONS of planets in the universe are larger than the sun. Many, who have gone beyond, report visiting these far-flung cities and park-like gardens." Wilkerson accepts their accounts (as do I) "not only because they have seen them, but because THEY HARMONIZE WITH BIBLICAL ACCOUNTS." "Heaven," he explains, "is not some mere abstract fancy of man, but is AS REAL AS ANY CITY ON EARTH, such as San Francisco, London or Tokyo."
THE
CITY OF GOD
"Then I saw one resplendent LIGHT emanating from the center of the RIGHT
OF GOD'S THRONE. I recognized it as being JESUS, my SAVIOR!...He welcomed
me into His presence, and I began to worship Him. I want to stress the
DIGNITY of worship there. There is nothing of the frivolity that we sometimes
see in our earthly houses of worship. I cannot express its glory because
it is infinity! Then a strange thing happened. My attention was attracted
to the hospital, and I could see my body lying upon the bed. A white car
was parked near the entrance and a familiar person entered the building.
I saw it
all THROUGH THOSE STREETS
OF GOLD! It was as though the hospital had no roof on it. Before that time
I HAD NOT KNOWN THE LAYOUT of the hospital. As I continued watching, I
saw Pastor Wilkerson enter, proceed down the corridor, turn to the Intensive
Care Unit and knock on the door..."
HEAVEN'S
THRONE ROOM
"And he (God) that sat was to look upon like a JASPER (like an emerald) and a SARDINE STONE (sunset-colored): and there was a RAINBOW round about the throne, in sight like unto an EMERALD. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats (or thrones): and upon the seats I saw FOUR AND TWENTY ELDERS sitting, clothed in white rainment; and they had on their heads CROWNS OF GOLD. And out of the throne (the very presence of God) proceeded LIGHTNINGS and THUNDERINGS and VOICES: and there were SEVEN LAMPS OF FIRE burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a SEA OF GLASS like unto CRYSTAL: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were FOUR BEASTS (ANGELS) full of eyes before and behind." - Revelation 4:3-6 (Hardly a cold, white, empty space! - OL)
THE NEW
JERUSALEM
"And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials
full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither,
I will shew thee the BRIDE, the LAMB'S WIFE. And he carried me away in
the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city,
the holy Jerusalem, DESCENDING OUT OF HEAVEN FROM GOD, Having the glory
of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a
JASPER stone, CLEAR AS CRYSTAL (a brilliant, clear, sparkling green); And
had a WALL great and high, and had TWELVE GATES, and at the gates
TWELVE ANGELS, and names
written thereon, which are the NAMES OF THE TWELVE TRIBES of the CHILDREN
OF ISRAEL: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south
three gates; and on the west three gates." - Revelation 21:9-13
FOUNDATIONS OF
PRICELESS JEWELS
Now, I don't know about y'all, but this certainly sounds like a very REAL and TANGIBLE (evident; touchable) place to me!
NO LOCKS
NO BLACKOUTS
NO SICKNESS
NO HUNGER OR THIRST
THE TIME
IS AT HAND
EDITORS
NEED NOT APPLY
The Bible is a collection of GOD'S DIVINELY INSPIRED WORD and He makes
it very clear that IT IS FATAL TO TRY TO EDIT IT! I always feel
that people are foolish for rewriting the Bible, such as the Catholics,
the Mormons, and Jehovah's Witnesses - as well as recognizing only one
PART of the Bible. The Jews, and certain groups like the Amish, LIMIT themselves
to the Old Testament, along with many "Christians," who never even look
at the Old Testament, satisfied to cite favorite quotations from tiny editions
of the New Testament. The Old Testament is SCRIPTURE: history and laws.
In 'The Oxford
Companion to the Bible,'
Benhard W. Anderson describes it as "creation theology, a healthy this-worldliness,
the role of nationhood in God's economy, expostulation (dissatisfaction)
with God in times of human distress and perplexity, and the insistance
that the command to love God and one another must be informed by God's
demand for justice and mercy in political, social, and economic relations."
(Micah 6:8) The New Testament is the GOSPEL: the Good News of our salvation
through Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection - along with hundreds of
pages of prophecies on our future. Each
Testament makes reference
to the other, and BOTH ARE NEEDED TO TELL THE WHOLE STORY.
AFTER THE
MILLENNIUM
To begin with, Jesus told us that in His Father's house (Heaven) are many "MANSIONS" (apartments) and He was GOING (don't forget that after His Resurrection, Jesus ASCENDED - went up - to Heaven!) to "prepare a place" for us. Would He be likely to do that, if He knew we were NEVER leaving earth? Furthermore, why would God SHOW so many people what Heaven was like, if we weren't going there? Why does God tell us that "Heaven and earth shall pass away" and be replaced by NEW ones? That includes HEAVEN! And most telling of all, the Bible tells us quite clearly that GOD HAS ALREADY TAKEN BELIEVERS TO HEAVEN. Now, why would He take THEM - and leave us BEHIND? But, whatever the answer, personally I DON'T CARE! As far as I am concerned, Heaven is WHEREVER JESUS IS!
A
PERFECT LIFE
Pastor Wilkerson reminds us that "The Bible talks about going in and out
of the gates. Business will be conducted in Heaven. But it will be GOD's
business. If there were no movement in and out of the city, its gates would
be unnecessary." Although we will never tire there, we will apparently
REST from time to time, or there would be no necessity for "MANSIONS" for
each of us. By the way, "mansions" in Hebrew actually means APARTMENTS.
But considering the mind-boggling dimensions of Heaven
described above, these apartments
are not exactly going to be studio-sized - imagine, for example, having
an apartment the size of a SMALL TOWN - completely bedecked in pricelss
jewels!
***
"BLESSED is he who reads
and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and
keep those things which
are written in it; for THE TIME IS NEAR." - Revelation 1:3
*
"O FOOLS, and slow of heart
to believe all
that the prophets have spoken."
- Luke 24:25
Will YOU be "BLESSED" - or
a FOOL?
***
"IF MY PEOPLE, WHICH ARE
CALLED BY MY NAME,
SHALL HUMBLE THEMSELVES,
AND PRAY,
AND SEEK MY FACE,
AND
TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS;
THEN WILL I HEAR FROM HEAVEN,
AND WILL
FORGIVE THEIR SIN, AND WILL
HEAL THEIR LAND."
Twenty years ago in Nashville,
God gave me a song
that I believe sums up the
STORY OF MANKIND perfectly
I'd like to share it with
you:
FOOTPRINTS ON A MOUNTAIN
I have faced the driving
wind and rain, drowning out my tears
And I have seen the glory
of a budding dawn, erasing all my fears
I've trembled at a new-born
baby's cry - as it left its mama's womb
And I have heard the Voice
of God - in the stillness of my room.
Now I have seen the Mountain
every man must climb, standing oh so tall
I have watched the Brave
fight to make it, and seen the poor Fools fall
For I have walked those
roads leading there, and read their warning signs:
"Be careful of each step
you take, Friend: Your Footprints stay behind!
Now the Mountain is every
man's life and how he chose to live
Did he use his hands just
for taking - did he learn how to give?
For neither gold nor all
the sands of time
can erase where the Devil's
been
And each man chooses his
own path: Heaven or Hell at the end.
WILL IT BE HEAVEN - WILL
IT BE HELL
- waiting for YOU
at the end?
THE END
or... Could this be
just
the BEGINNING?
*********************************************************