Minutes in

Heaven

“‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’”—Isaiah 6:5 (NIV)

  One night, I was crying out to God in absolute remorse because I fell into a deep pile pit of sin. I was inflamed with a feeling of deep, godly sorrow because I sinned against my Heavenly Father. God’s grace crushed the tyranny of self, penned the tenets of grace on my heart, and pulled me out of the jaws of death. I fell into the manhole of sin, and shame crept into the corridors of my soul (oh, my soul!). As I was reading the book of Psalms, I drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep. Next, the impossible happened; I (my spirit) was uprooted out of my body and ascended to clouds of splendor and prestige glory, where I would appear before the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in heaven. I went to bed snoring and woke up in the Arms of glory. I was clothed and surrounded by royalty, glory, and heavenly authority, which was so tangible, and it most utterly and beautifully consumed me.

   As I was looking in front of me, the Son of Man approached me, saying, “Matthew, I forgive your iniquities and remember your sin no more!” I could not see His face! He was garmented in all white, and even His robe was the brilliance of glory. I came back inhaling and exhaling glory from my lungs because I was embraced in the Arms of glory. When I came back, glory was surging through my whole body. I was illuminated with a particle touch of heaven. I could feel heaven’s magnificent grandeur running through my vitals as the crimson-red blood of Jesus Christ flowed through my veins. The fire of God was consuming within me.

  My eyes beheld the Son of God after His resurrection and glorification. Because of my personal encounter with God Almighty and what Christ said to me, the scripture Jeremiah 31:34 is forevermore written on the tablets of my heart. Jesus Christ is far beyond anything your mind could fathom; the supernatural is for certain. I saw the Lord, literally, visibly, and physically. Jesus took me all the way to heaven to tell me that I was forgiven and that He remembers my sins no more. What a mighty Lord we serve!

  Yes, people have seen the Lord, and I have seen the Lord briefly in heaven; but we should respond to many of these testimonies with skepticism. The phrase, “I saw Jesus,” should be met with caution. If someone were to see Jesus today, it would require a divine vision. In a vision, you can actually travel, like Paul and John traveled to heaven. In Ezekiel, chapter 8, Ezekiel was picked up by his hair and was carried from Babylon to Jerusalem. “The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God he took me to Jerusalem…” (Ezekiel 8:3, NIV).

 The things experienced in a vision are just as real as they would be in your physical body; it is as if you are there physically. The prophet Joel predicted an outpouring of visions. This prophecy was fulfilled in the book of Acts and confirmed by Apostle Peter. “No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams’” (Acts 2:16–17, NIV). The upper room was the official last days of this prophecy and was fulfilled in Acts, and it continues to this day. Don’t let some thumb-sucking, scriptural illiterate tell you that God does not give dreams and visions.

  God is giving people visions and dreams today because His Word says He will. God will give a dream or a vision to anyone He chooses. “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34). In Job 33:14–15, we read, “For God may speak… in a dream, in a vision of the night.” In Numbers 24:4, Balaam was described as one who “hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty.” Daniel 2:19 tells us that “the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision.” Ezekiel 1 mentions “visions of God.”

  Obadiah 1 mentions, “The vision of Obadiah.” Habakkuk 2:2 says, “Then the LORD answered me and said: ‘Write the vision and make it plain.’” In Job 7:14, it says, “Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions” (KJV). In Isaiah 21:2, we see that Isaiah was given “a grievous vision” (KJV). And in Job 4:13–14, Eliphaz says, “The visions of the night… made all my bones shake.” So God can give a person a terrifying, bone-shaking, bone-breaking vision. He can give a vision of heaven or hell.

  “If Stephen saw our Lord before he died, and if Paul was caught up into paradise, it is just possible that other believers might also have such a vision… We should not expect such experiences, but they could happen.”—Erwin W. Lutzer, a graduate from Dallas Theological Seminary, Loyola University, and Simon Greenleaf School of Law

  If a person truly did see Jesus in these latter days, nothing in the vision would contradict the truth of Scripture but would illuminate the truth of Scripture. We can see that a few people in Scripture have seen Jesus after His resurrection (e.g., Steven [Acts 7:56], John [Revelation 1], and Paul [1 Corinthians 9:1]). Former Muslims have expressed stories of Jesus appearing to them in dreams, resulting in revolting against Islam, the doctrine of death.

  Do not listen to most of these goose-flesh testimonies about people seeing Jesus. In the Charismatic circles, some have described Him as a fireman. Some have claimed that He rode in the car with them. Some say they saw Him standing nine hundred feet tall. Others meet regularly with Him in the bathroom. Some have seen Him dance on the garbage dump. Others have seen Him in a wheelchair in a convalescent home. Some have taken long walks with Him on the beach. This is sappy emotionalism and bizarre, freakish fantasies. The Word of God says, “…this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11, KJV).

  Reader, what you hear from other people’s testimonies and what you are reading in this book, check it out in Scripture. From every book, dream, vision, and testimony, always confirm their authenticity in the Word. Every doctrine, every ministry, every word of knowledge, every vision, and every dream from the pope, a priest, a pastor, a peasant, and on down must be ratified and confirmed with God’s Word, and if it doesn’t, forget about it—it is not worth remembering.

  So, if you hear someone taking elevators and escalators to heaven, confirm that in the Word. LOL! Many of these people say they have been to heaven when, really, they won a golden ticket and took a tour of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, blowing up from blueberry Dubble Bubble gumballs.

FORBIDDEN

  Concerning heaven, Paul, Daniel, and John were instructed to conceal aspects of the visions they received. It would seem unbiblical for people to have a greater glimpse of glory and greater visions today and express those visions that Paul, John, and Daniel were commanded not to utter.

  “…heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.”—2 Corinthians 12:4 (NIV)

  “…but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”—Daniel 8:26 (NIV)

  “…‘Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.’”—Revelation 10:4 (NIV)

BIBLICAL EXAMPLES

   People use this scripture against supernatural heavenly visits and testimonies: “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man” (John 3:13, NIV). In context, this verse has to do with why Jesus could teach about heavenly things and not just earthly things (John 3:12). Jesus was uniquely qualified to teach about the things of God. “If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?” (John 3:12, NIV). Plus, when Jesus commented, “No one had ever gone into heaven,” people were still in paradise (Hades) until His resurrection and set those captives free (Ephesians 4:8), and then the righteous went to heaven.

  Jesus was not teaching that no one had ever gone to heaven before. Obviously, Paul and John were caught up and were transported through the portals of glory. The Old Testament saints had gone to paradise when they died (Mark 12:26–27), and Enoch and Elijah had been taken there without dying (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5; 2 Kings 2:11). Regarding John 3:13, Jesus was teaching that, of all rabbis, He had the best credentials. Jesus has direct contact with heaven; He is the Master Theologian on the subject.

  We clearly see that Enoch went to heaven. “Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away” (Genesis 5:24, NIV).

  Elijah ascended to heaven. “…suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind” (2 Kings 2:11, NIV).

   Ezekiel received a glimpse of heaven. “…the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God” (Ezekiel 1:1, NIV).

   Paul was caught up to heaven. “…was caught up to the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2, NIV).

  John saw heaven. “…I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, ‘Come up here…’” (Revelation 4:1, NIV).

  The crucifix career criminal went to heaven. “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise’” (Luke 23:43, NIV).

WHAT NO EYE HAS SEEN

  God has whetted our appetites for this beautiful place called heaven. There will be two surprises in heaven: those who made it and those who did not make it. No one will be able to do justice and try to describe a place that God has prepared for the righteous. Paul, the grandest of the greatest, would outwrite all the poets and the Shakespeares of the world. After a guided tour of heaven, Paul puts his pen to parchment and writes,

  “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter” (2 Corinthians 12:2–4, NKJV).

   Paul, the Shakespeare of Scripture, also writes,

  “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him’” (1 Corinthians 2:9, NKJV).

  Yes, many Christians make 1 Corinthians 2:9 applicable to the future blessings of heaven, which has sound merit; but also in this context, Paul points out the mystery of the gospel, who is in the Man, Jesus Christ. This is so exciting, it will even make a Baptist dance in a foot fellowship.

YOU WILL KNOW!

  Many people have theological theories that we will not know each other in heaven. Yes, do you think we will be less intelligent in heaven than we are right now? “...many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 8:11, KJV). How will you know it’s Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob if you do not know who they are? In God’s tomorrow, we will be known as we are known.

  People ask, “Will we have bodies in heaven?” Yes! We are not going to be fluffy-cloud saints dangling in the air. After Jesus’ resurrection, He said, “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have” (Luke 24:39–40, KJV). Again, spirits and ghosts do not leave fish bones and bread crumbs on the beach.

HEAVENLY HOST

 This is allegedly a true story of a college football player with enormous talent; his potential never matched his performance. He was a senior fullback and was labeled by the players and coaching staff as “the goof-off” because he was always horsing around and never took the game seriously. One day, on the practice field, he received a telegram that his father had tragically passed away. He immediately left the field and went to his father’s memorial service.

  Eventually, he returned to campus; it was game day, not just a game but the Homecoming game. The game introduction began, and the team ran out of the tunnel, and the monstrous crowd cheered with thunderous joy. The game started, and the team was trailing the entire game. With thirteen points down and several minutes left in the fourth quarter, the goof-off asked if he could play. The coach said, “Sure! You are a senior, and we have nothing to lose since we are down! Neither have you ever played your full potential.”

  The goof-off ran into the game and played like a man possessed. He ran through the defensive line like a bull ripping through tissue paper, and he scored. Down one touchdown, they did an onside kick and got the ball back. Again, this goof-off ran through the defensive line like a bulldozer with nothing to lose, scoring again. They kicked the extra point and won the game.

  In the dressing room, the coach asked, “What in the world happened to you? You had all this potential and performance for four years, and today, for several minutes, you decided to show everyone how good you really are. Why?” The goof-off replied, “My dad died this week, and he was a Christian. No one knew that he was blind, and he had never seen me touch a football or play a football game. But today, I knew he was watching me from the sidelines of heaven, and I wanted to give it my all and my best!” God the Father is watching you, and He wants you to give it your all. He wants you to finish the race!

 “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…”—Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)

 Praise and shout for joy if Jesus Christ is your Savior and Lord, you are going to heaven. This is a hallelujah shakedown, praising and glorified. I see this in my cerebral cortex: You will be a guest at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, a Jewish fiesta. Your future is to walk the avenues and the golden streets of heaven, not walking on asphalt, living in the suburbs of heaven created by the Architect of the Ages. You will be crowned with victor crowns of glory, dazzling white robes of righteousness, singing, praising, and shouting on the mountaintops of blazing glory. Men will beat their swords into plowshares and study war no more.

 This is where the lame leap, the deaf hear, and the blind see. This is where the asthmatic can run like an Olympian with no shortness of breath. There will be no crying or dying; heaven is your home, God is your Father, and the Lamb is the perpetual light. We are pilgrims, strangers, and searchers here searching for a city whose Builder and Maker is God. There will be an innumerable host around the banister in the celestial, holy city.

 Heaven will have the greatest concert ever. Our faith begins with a song, with angels praising on top of Bethlehem’s Manger, and our faith ends with a song with the saints of God praising on the sea of glass, which is the song of the redeemed before the throne of God. Do you want your sainted mother, dad, and loved ones, playing the heavenly hallelujah jamboree, shouting from the balconies of heaven, cheering you on to get saved and win the race? Run the race and finish the race!