Eternal life, invulnerability, bliss and youth without end - a familiar picture? It is a paradise. It is reserved only for the most obedient. We can say that everyone dreams of this, and anyone who says they don’t dream is lying. Each paradise has its own order and bonuses. “Dialogue” figured out what you could choose.
Lucas Cranach, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Image from website: ru.wikipedia.org
Lost, Found and the One in Heaven
According to the concepts of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), we humans already had heaven. Adam and Eve lived exactly there - in Eden, in the east of the earth, but, having tasted the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, they were expelled by the Creator. The beautiful garden is now guarded by a winged Cherub, and we cannot get there yet.
The opportunity to go there appears if you choose a righteous path in earthly life. “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?” (1 Cor. 6:9). The New Testament provides fairly specific descriptions of what awaits the righteous after death:
“It has a large and high wall, has twelve gates and twelve angels on them<…>The city street is pure gold, like clear glass<…>Its gates will not be locked during the day; and there will be no night there<…>In the midst of its street, and on both sides of the river, is the tree of life, bearing fruit twelve times, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. And nothing will be cursed anymore; but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will serve Him. And they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no night there, and they will have no need of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God illuminates them; and they will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 21:2, 12, 21, 25; 22:2–5).
For Christians, the kingdom of God is not the same Eden in which the first people lived. Don't go back there. You can only get to the one in heaven. Adam and Eve did not know Christ. But we - descendants - have become acquainted with him, and we strive for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven. And we not only strive, but also create it together with the divine. There can be no talk of any eternal rest. God settles Adam in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it (Gen. 2:15), and it is written about the future inhabitants of the Heavenly Jerusalem that they will serve Him (Rev. 22:3). Staying in paradise according to the Bible is depicted as a certain human activity and is depicted not as static and idleness, but as a constant dynamic of approaching God. And the same Tree from the primordial paradise is waiting for people there, and it is this tree that will feed the righteous.
Mikalojus Ciurlionis, "Paradise". Image from ru.wikipedia.org For Muslims, these two paradises - Eden and the heavenly one - are rather identical. Islamic paradise is called Jannat. Ideas about him are less metaphysical, more down-to-earth. Its inhabitants are left to each other and their pleasures, and if Allah appears, it is only to greet them (Quran, 36:58) and ask about their desires. “Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Allah. This is a great profit! (Quran, 5:19; 59:22; 98:8).
These are the gifts prepared for believers: “In the gardens of delight there is a crowd of the first and a few of the last, on embroidered beds, leaning on them against each other. Boys forever young go around them with bowls, vessels and goblets from a flowing source - they do not suffer from headaches and weakness from it<…>among the lotus, devoid of thorns, and the acacia, hung with fruits, under the far-spreading shade, on the banks of flowing waters and among the abundant fruits, not exhausted and not forbidden, and carpets spread out, and We created for them (the companions) a special creation and made them virgins, loving husband, peers.<…>For the God-fearing there is a place of salvation - gardens and vineyards, and full-breasted women of the same age, and a full cup. They will not hear there any chatter, nor accusations of lies” (Quran, 56:12-19; 28-37; 78:31-35).
There is a fairly common but erroneous belief that women are not welcome in Islamic paradise. However, it is not. “Allah promised believing men and women Gardens of Eden in which rivers flow and in which they will abide forever, as well as beautiful dwellings in the Gardens of Eden. But Allah's pleasure will be greater than this. This is great success" (At-Tawba, 9/72). It’s just that there are different rewards for women and men. Each man receives virgins - Gurias: “Big-eyed, black-eyed maidens, with skin the color of silver; which neither man nor genie had touched before; who look only at their husbands."
In the Koran, women who go to heaven are called “azwajun mutahharatun” (pure spouses). These women are worthy of Heaven, and the higher their level of purity, the more beautiful they will be. Here they are decorations.
Heaven without heaven
There is a concept of heaven in Judaism, but it does not imply eternal life in a fairy garden. Judaism draws its attention to the fact that by leading a righteous life, a person receives the right to resurrection for eternal life on Earth, and even the body is resurrected. After the resurrection, the earth will be different - absolute, ideal. Heaven and hell are interpreted by Jewish theologians as metaphorical concepts.
Buddha statue. Photo from pixabay.com In Eastern religions, heaven can be called nirvana. She is nowhere. And it is not associated with achievement, but rather with extinction, cessation. The soul emerges from the constant cycle of rebirths - samsara, gets rid of suffering and remains in eternal non-existence. There are no desires, just as there is no suffering, which is associated with each stage of reincarnation. The cause-and-effect relationship is broken. According to the Buddhist thinker Nagarjuna, “The cessation of thinking about being and non-being is called nirvana.”
In Hinduism, moving away from self-centered existence is called moksha. This is the stage before nirvana. In Jainism, since karma is a special type of substance from which the karmic body of a jiva (saint) consists, nirvana is interpreted as liberation from karmic substances and is achieved in the process of learning religious practices. Jiva receives siddhatva - absolute knowledge. He can ascend to the top of the Siddhakshetra universe. And this is already close to the traditions of Christianity and Islam.
On the ground
Abolitionism (not to be confused with the anti-slavery movement in the United States) is based on the manifesto of the British philosopher David Peirce (also called the “paradise builder”) “The Hedonistic Imperative.” According to him, achieving the greatest possible degree of happiness is the main goal of life. According to abolitionists, there is a “baseline level of happiness” to which a person returns over time, no matter what happens to him. Neither income level nor events that can make him happy or sad for a long time (such as the birth of children or the death of a close relative) play a role.
In the future, “our descendants may live in a civilization of well-motivated, high-achieving people, driven by varying gradients of bliss, not only ignorant of suffering and disease, but also of the slightest psychological discomfort,” writes Pierce.
David Pierce. Photo from ru.wikipedia.org The level of human happiness is biologically limited. Peirce theorizes that humanity can overcome its genetic predisposition to suffering through scientific advances in fields such as applied neuroscience, biotechnology, nanotechnology, genetic engineering, and psychopharmacology. Abolitionists view the very possibility of suffering as an undesirable aspect of human nature and believe that people can and must rewire the brain to achieve maximum levels of happiness. There is a theory that this can be achieved not only with the help of already developed technologies - for example, genetic engineering - but also thanks to technological advances that can theoretically appear. For example, uploading consciousness into a computer system.
Abolitionism assumes that emotions are physical, not spiritual, and that by rewiring the brain, one can radically change the way a person perceives the world around them. And although evolution has not made everyone happy, technology can take the place of evolution and create a post-human who feels only happiness and does not experience sadness or fear. At the same time, external functionality is maintained and improved. Skeptics have a question: how to experience happiness in a transhumanist paradise without experiencing disappointment, since the value of positive emotions is determined based on negative experience? Since most abolitionist projects involve a stepwise implementation - from the creation of bioprosthetics to immortality - scientists are charged with the responsibility of determining ways to develop and implement each of the stages. If these ideas are implemented, it will be necessary to compare the final goals and possible means of achievement that arise in connection with the risks. It is likely that people may not follow the path of these programs.
Prepared by Egor Shcherbota / Dialog news agency
Read what awaits us in hell.
The earthly paradise, or beautiful garden, in which God settled the first people - Adam and Eve, was located in Asia, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
The life of people in paradise was full of joy and bliss. Their conscience was calm, their heart was pure, their mind was bright. They were not afraid of illness or death, and had no need for clothing. They had prosperity and contentment in everything. Their food was the fruits of the trees of paradise.
There was no enmity among the animals - the strong did not touch the weak, they lived together and ate grass and plants. None of them were afraid of people, and everyone loved and obeyed them.
But the highest bliss of Adam and Eve was in prayer, that is, in frequent conversation with God. God appeared to them in paradise in a visible way, like a father to children, and told them everything they needed.
God created people, as well as angels, so that they could love God and each other and enjoy the great joy of life in the love of God. Therefore, just like the angels, He gave them complete freedom: to love Him or not to love Him. Without freedom there can be no love. And love manifests itself in the joyful fulfillment of the desires of the one you love.
But, since people were less perfect than angels, the Lord did not allow them to immediately and forever make a choice: to accept or reject this love, as was the case with the angels.
God began to teach people love. For this reason, He gave people this small, not difficult commandment - do not eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. By fulfilling this command or desire of God, they could thereby demonstrate their love for Him. Gradually, moving from easy to more complex, they would strengthen in love and improve in it. Adam and Eve obeyed God with love and joy. And in paradise the will of God and God’s order were in everything.
The Lord created the first people - Adam and Eve - perfect and sinless. He created them in His image and likeness. That is, he endowed with the properties that He Himself possesses: freedom, creativity, reason. The destiny of the first people was holiness and heavenly bliss, and the meaning of life was the knowledge of God and becoming like Him.
The earthly paradise, or beautiful garden in which God settled Adam and Eve, was located in the east of the earth and was called Eden.
The life of people in paradise was full of joy. Their conscience was calm, their hearts were clear, their minds were bright. Their highest perfection consisted in moral innocence. The very thought of anything unclean and sinful was alien to them. “And Adam and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed” (Gen. 2:25).
They were not afraid of illness or death, and had no need for clothing. Living in paradise, they took advantage of all its gifts and enjoyed all its joys. By eating the fruits of the Garden of Eden, especially the fruits of the “tree of life,” they received bodily strength and health. And they were immortal.
There was no enmity among the animals: the strong did not touch the weak, everyone lived together and ate grass and plants. None of them were afraid of people, and everyone loved and obeyed them. But the highest happiness of Adam and Eve was communication with God. The Lord appeared to them in paradise in a visible way, like a father to children, and talked with them.
This living, direct connection between man and God was the first and perfect religion of the human race. We now call our communication with the Lord prayer.
God created people so that they would love Him and each other and enjoy the great joy of life in the love of God. Just like the Angels, He gave them complete freedom, without which there can be no love. So that Adam and Eve could demonstrate their freedom and establish themselves in goodness, God gave people a commandment. She forbade eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. “And the Lord God commanded the man and said, Of every tree of the garden thou shalt eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest of it thou shalt die” (Gen. 2- 16,17).
By fulfilling this command, or desire of God, Adam and Eve thereby showed their love for Him. Gradually, moving from obedience to an easy commandment to more complex ones, they would strengthen in love and improve in it. Adam and Eve joyfully obeyed God. And in paradise the will of God and God’s order were in everything. Holy Scripture does not tell us how long the blissful life of the first people in paradise lasted. But she aroused the evil envy of the devil, who, having lost it himself, looked with hatred at the bliss of others. After the fall, envy and thirst for evil became properties of his being. All goodness, peace, order, innocence, obedience became hateful to him. Therefore, from the very first day of man’s appearance, the devil sought to dissolve the grace-filled union of people with God and drag man along with him into eternal destruction. And so he appeared in paradise - in the form of a serpent, who “was more cunning than all the beasts of the field” (Gen. 3: 1). An evil and treacherous spirit approached the wife and said to her: “Did God really say: do not eat from any tree in paradise?” (Genesis 3:1). “No,” Eve answered the serpent, “we can eat fruits from all trees, only fruits from the tree that is in the middle of paradise,” God said, “do not eat or touch them, lest you die.” (Genesis 3:2-3). Then the devil aroused distrust of God in his wife. He told her: “No, you will not die, but God knows that on the day you eat of them, your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5).
The seductive speech of the serpent affected Eve. She looked at the tree and saw that the tree was pleasant to the eyes, good for food and gives knowledge; and she wanted to know good and evil. She picked fruit from the forbidden tree and ate, “and she also gave it to her husband, and he ate” (Genesis 3:6).
The greatest revolution in the history of mankind took place - people violated the commandment of God and lost what the Lord had so lovingly and generously given them. Their lot now became an eternal and unquenchable longing for the lost paradise, sorrow and death.
But the Lord is infinite and infinite, just as His mercy and love are infinite and infinite. The Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who appeared in the world, again gave man what he had once rejected. He gave him the opportunity to communicate with God, bliss and immortality. And now man, curbing his will, which is more inclined to sin than to do good, overcoming the imperfection of the mind, which has lost the desire for divine things, can in his life correct the evil that Adam committed. And then he will gain much more than what our ancestor lost when expelled from paradise - he will gain the enduring and eternal Kingdom of Heaven.
In the summer of 1974, when I was only eight years old, I returned home from school and went to my room to read my daily portion of the Bible. I wanted to finish these four chapters of the Gospel of John quickly so that I could go play with my friends.
I took the Bible and lay down on the bed. However, as soon as my head hit the pillow, the Bible, the bed, the room, and even my very body all disappeared! This happened without any warning. Suddenly, the true self - the spiritual being Roberts Liardon living in this body (2 Cor. 5:1 -10) - flew, cutting through the heavens at great speed.
At that time, while still a little boy, I did not know that the Word of God speaks of more than one heaven. Only then did I learn that Genesis 1:1 tells how God created the heavens and the earth. Bible scholars agree that there are three heavens.
The first heaven, according to the Old Testament, is the earth's atmosphere. The “second heaven” usually refers to the cosmos and the sphere in which Satan and his demons have been located since the expulsion from the third heaven (Rev. 12:4). The third heaven, according to Scripture, is the dwelling place of God.
Paul mentions heaven in Ephesians.
In Ephesians 1:20,21 he writes that Christ was seated at the right hand of God "in the heavenly places, far above all principality and authority and power and dominion and every name."
In 3:10, Paul wrote that Christ wants the Church, His Body, to declare to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places the manifold wisdom of God.
And, of course, Paul was writing about a man he knew—most people believe it was the apostle himself—who was out of the body and who, like me, was caught up to the third heaven.
The Old Testament term “heaven of heavens” (Deut. 10:14; 3 Kings 8:27; Ps. 67:34; 149:4) is synonymous with the “third heaven” of which Paul writes.
But all I knew that day in 1974 was that I was flying through the heavens at incredible speed. I rushed past many things in the first sky, rushed through the second and landed at a huge gate. Never in my life - neither before nor after - have I seen a gate larger than this.
All I can say about them is that they were very wide, very high and absolutely flawless - not a single scratch. This gate was made from a single piece of pearl, one huge sparkling, blazing, dazzling white pearl, decorated with tiles around the edges. It was the largest gate I had ever seen. Their presence radiated not so much an aura, but some kind of special flame - their very life.
I shook my head to make sure I was not dreaming - everything was happening so quickly. But when I heard a voice behind me speaking to me, I realized that everything was happening in reality.
The man said, “This is one of the gates.”
I turned around. Jesus Christ stood there in all His glory! Even though He did not look like the pictures I had seen on earth, I recognized Him immediately. All I can say is that when you encounter the presence of Jesus, you will know without a shadow of a doubt. Who is standing in front of you?
Many people ask me what He looked like. (I noticed that when someone talks about seeing Jesus, the first thing they ask is what He looked like.) I know from my own experience that when one sees Jesus, one is so captivated that His appearance takes a backseat to His literal presence. You are so caught up in it. Who He is that your mind doesn't focus on and remember the details of what He looks like.
However, I remember that His height was about one meter eighty centimeters, He had sandy brown hair, not very short, but not very long either. I remember my first impression of Him: He was perfect. His appearance, speech, movements - everything was perfect. What I remember most is the impression of perfection and completeness.
In the years since that event, I have often heard people say to me when I talk about heaven, or people who have read an earlier edition of this book, “But Jesus has dark hair.”
Maybe they are right. Perhaps His hair seemed blond to me because of the light of His presence or because of the glory that overshadowed Him. All I know is that they looked sandy brown back then. Or perhaps some people believe that Jesus had black hair because of the influence of medieval portraits in which He is depicted as such, or because He was Jewish.
On the other side. The Apostle John writes that Jesus' hair is as white as white wool, like snow (Rev. 1:14). So I can't argue about Jesus' hair color. I can only describe how I saw it.
I fell to my knees and tears flowed from my eyes. I couldn't stop them even if I tried. Every time Jesus speaks, it is like the arrows of faith, aimed by love, striking and exploding within you. And all you can do is cry.
He spoke again: "I want to show you heaven because I love you so much."
And there is no person whom Jesus loves more than you. God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Tears started streaming down my face again.
Jesus said, "Enough. No more tears. A face that glows with joy will give me pleasure."
Then He laughed, and I laughed too. He came to me, took me in his arms and wiped my tears. These were not tears of sadness or sadness, nor were they tears of fear. As I said before, the presence of Jesus is so tender to your spirit that joy bursts out in tears.
Our earthly vocabulary is too small to describe Jesus or heaven. All we - those who have seen Jesus or heaven - can do is express what we saw in comparison with "what it was like" on earth, but the result is only a poor semblance of the true picture.
Life in heaven
Jesus led me through this huge gate. He didn't ask anyone to open them and didn't press any button. The gate simply opened and we entered.
The first thing I saw was the street. And she was golden.
When I walked through heaven later, I saw that all the streets looked as if they were literally paved with pure gold. Even the curbstones were gold (Rev. 21:21). And right behind the curb stone, flowers of all shades of the rainbow were planted.
I thought, “If this is heaven, then I am now standing on the streets of gold,” and I rushed to the curb.
From there I saw Jesus turn to tell me something, but I was no longer there.
He looked at me and asked, “What are you doing there?”
I stood on the grass next to the curb with my eyes and mouth wide open in surprise. My answer consisted of two words: “Golden streets!” Some of these streets looked like earthly gold. That's why I recognized them. But others were so transparent that the gold was like crystal.
Jesus laughed and laughed. It began to seem to me that He would never stop. Then He said, “Come on, come here.”
And I answered: “No, these streets are golden. I can’t walk on them!” (I had previously only seen gold in the form of rings on people's fingers. I knew it was very expensive and valuable.)
But Jesus beckoned me with his finger. “Come here,” He said. Still laughing. He came up to me and took me by the hand back to the street.
"These streets are made for those who have accepted Me into their hearts. This place is prepared for My younger brothers and sisters. (Rom. 8:29; John 14:2,3). And you are one of them, so you can enjoy them ".
As we walked, I realized that the atmosphere of heaven is wonderful because it is charged with the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23,24). Even the breeze itself was filled with God's presence. Sometimes on earth, when someone with a very strong anointing prays for you, you get goosebumps. But even if the body does not respond to the supernatural presence of the Holy Spirit, you still feel an inner warmth, as if the love of God is enveloping you. This is the feeling that arises in heaven, only there it is much stronger.
We passed by towns, houses and small offices. These buildings were intended for special “works” or meetings that were done and took place in heaven. I saw people coming in and out, and they were all smiling. Some sang songs that we sing on earth, while others sang heavenly songs that I had never heard before. These people were carrying small packages, and some of them had books in their hands.
I'm not sure if there was any money exchange there, but people came in and out to get things. I saw a woman enter one of these buildings with a small purse containing something and come out with a book.
The monasteries are ready for us
As we walked along what looked like an unpaved earthen path, I saw a gigantic building behind the trees. Even now, as an adult and remembering this house, I know that it was a monastery (John 14:2). This building looked so huge not only because I was a small boy.
As we walked along the path to that house, Jesus kept talking to me. Jesus is a Person and you can talk to Him about everyday matters. He is not only a member of the Trinity that rules and reigns, but He is also our friend. And we don't have to go to heaven to talk to Him! Jesus is with us here on earth. He will never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5).
The Trinity - God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit - has feelings. Otherwise we would not have feelings - after all, we were created in their image (Gen. 1:26). However, unlike many of us, They do not depend on Their feelings. Their emotions do not guide Them. They do what is right, regardless of Their feelings. Therefore, although we have feelings, we should not allow them to control us.
When someone hurts our feelings, we begin to feel sorry for ourselves, get angry, and often even try to take revenge somehow. Our attitude may offend Jesus, but His love and attitude towards us remain the same. He does not spare Himself, no malice comes from Him, He does not take revenge.
We are not designed to be driven by negative feelings. But they became part of us at that moment. when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and had to leave the Garden of Eden. We must be very careful not to offend Jesus, the Holy Spirit or the Father because we love Them. And we cannot love Them more than They love us, but we must love Them as much as we can.
Love permeated everything Jesus said or did during my journey through heaven. I will never forget this revelation of true love.
When we reached the door of the monastery, Jesus knocked. This is also part of love - to be attentive to the feelings, time and personal lives of other people. The people in heaven are very polite.
We waited for about three minutes, but the owners did not answer, then Jesus knocked again. The door was opened by a short man. He stuck his head out and spoke to us. In heaven, I've never seen anyone just "fly through walls."
He said, "How are you, Jesus? How are you, Roberts?" I almost fell. This man knew my name!
I thought, “How does he know my name? Only Jesus knows me here.”
However, I soon realized that everyone we talked to knew my name. The conversations were the same as on earth. People asked questions and answered them.
I looked at this man, absolutely amazed, but, as I was taught, I politely answered: “Okay.”
We were invited to enter. Jesus and I went in and sat down. The heavenly sofas were different from ours. Earthly furniture can sometimes be uncomfortable. In heaven, comfort seeks you out. I sat down on a black velvet sofa, and it changed shape and literally enveloped me. I was so comfortable that I didn’t even want to move.
After talking a little, the owner showed us the house. His abode was very similar to earthly houses, only it was perfect. There were curtains hanging on the windows. The walls were decorated with paintings, which in this house were very reminiscent of the art of earthly modernists, only they were much better.
There were also photographs of the owner's family members; and flowers and trees were placed everywhere. In addition, the entire house was filled with fine furniture and luxury items. I even recognized some of them.
Each monastery was suitable for the person who lived in it. Every child of God has his own home in heaven (John 14:2). The one we went to had different rooms, such as a dining room, living room, kitchen, office, etc. (I'm sure there were bedrooms, but we didn't go upstairs).
The owner gave me a large fruit, like an apple and very tasty. Then we said goodbye and left through the back door. I don’t know why, but that’s exactly how we came out. There were other people in the house; before we left they hugged and kissed us.
It seems that many people do not believe that we will eat in heaven. However, the Apostle John wrote about the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:19). John also wrote about the tree of life, which bears one of 12 fruits every month (Rev. 22:2). In addition, Jesus and his disciples ate fish and bread after he was resurrected and received a transfigured body, such as we will have in heaven (Luke 24:42; John 21:9).
Everyone I've seen looked great and were in full bloom. Everyone looked to be in their thirties. Perhaps this is because the Bible says that we will be like Him (1 John 3:2), but He was resurrected and ascended into heaven at this age. I didn't see any children at all; however, for some reason I am sure that they were there. Apparently they were in a different place where we didn't go.
In addition, I learned that there age is determined by a person’s spiritual maturity, and not by age on earth. When you go to heaven, your age will be equal to the age of the hidden person living in your heart.
Animals in heaven
Jesus and I moved on. After crossing several hills, I saw as many different animals as you can imagine, from A to Z. Sometimes people question this, but if you look at it, why shouldn't animals be in heaven? The Bible says there are horses there. Will God really limit himself to just one type of animal?
Everyone knows that Jesus will return to earth on a white horse (Rev. 19:11). Horses and a chariot were sent to take Elijah to heaven (2 Chron. 2:11,12). Both the chariot and the horses were of fire.
Some time later, Elisha asked God to open the eyes of his servant so that he could see that there was a larger army on Israel's side than on the enemy's side.
“...And the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw, and behold, the whole mountain was filled with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17).
I saw a dog, a kid and a mighty lion. Birds of all sizes chirped in the trees, and they all seemed to be singing the same song. And when they finished singing, you would have thought that they began to talk to each other!
In the distance I saw other animals, but I could not recognize them. However, they did not run away from people or try to attack them. Weight was quiet and calm. There is no fear in heaven. God's presence there is so strong that things like fear, confusion, doubt, weakness and worry simply cannot exist.
I also looked at the trees. As we passed them, the leaves swayed in dance and praise. You would have thought that a strong wind was blowing everywhere. The grass was green - all green - and very soft. When we passed, it immediately straightened and took its previous position, so the traces instantly disappeared.
Many will rejoice when they learn that in heaven there is no need to mow lawns! The grass always remains the same length. And if a leaf falls from a tree, it immediately disappears. There is no rotten fruit on the trees, because there is no death or corruption in heaven. There is nothing wrong and there are never any problems.
Of course, thanks to the presence of the Source of life itself, there is no doubt or unbelief. The goodness of God is in heaven.
Cloud of Witnesses
Walking with Jesus in heaven, we became good friends. I felt very comfortable with Him and was not at all nervous about what I said or did. Looking at myself, I saw that my clothes were exactly the same as everyone else we met.
All the saints I saw wore white robes - "the white linen of righteousness."
“And it was given to her (the Bride of Christ in general and the saints of God in particular) to be clothed in fine linen, clean and bright; and the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints” (Revelation 19:8).
Some people wore jewelry, others wore colorful scarves. Of course, no one showed any fuss or pride in their appearance, but there is no doubt that even in heaven God wants all His children to honor Him and look good. However, white robes were an important element of heavenly attire.
Having been to heaven, I can no longer understand people who believe that there they will only lazily fly on the clouds. If God does not approve of people's self-indulgence and laziness (Prov. 6:6; 15:19) on earth, then much less will He allow it in heaven. There is no laziness in heaven - none at all.
I am also concerned about all the false information about angels that is circulating not only in the world, but also in the Church! Everywhere you can see pictures depicting half-naked cherubs, a meter tall, shooting arrows of “love” at people from a bow. And recently there was even a popular show on television based on the fantasy that people turn into angels after death.
And to make matters worse, this show and another fairly popular movie, It's a Wonderful Life, which is shown every year during the Christmas holiday, are based on the premise that people who want to become angels can earn their wings. Nothing in heaven can be earned by “the works of the flesh,” neither good nor bad. Everything there is a gift from God the Father to His beloved children.
People must understand that angels are completely different from us. According to what is written in the Bible, there are several types of winged celestial creatures.
Cherubs are beautiful creatures, as different from the plump little cherubs of romantic fantasies as you can imagine. In addition to them, there are also messenger angels, warrior angels and seraphim. There may be someone else, but the Bible is silent about it.
From a technical point of view, cherubs are not angels, but are an absolutely independent species. When Adam and Eve were sent to live on earth. God appointed cherubim to guard the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:24). Moses was commanded to make golden images of cherubim so that they would shade (Ex. 25:18; Heb. 9:5), that is, to make a glory cover for the Ark of the Covenant.
Ezekiel, describing his vision of fornication in the Temple of Jerusalem, calls the cherubim animals (Ezek. 10:20; 16:15). He said that the cherubim had four faces: the face of a cherub, the face of a man, the face of a lion, and the face of an eagle (Ezek. 10:14, 20-22).
In fact, in a passage that many believe refers to Satan, Ezekiel calls him “the anointed cherub to overshadow” (Ezekiel 28:14). We usually call the devil a fallen angel, but according to the Word he was a creature of much higher rank. He was, in fact, one of the beautiful cherubs - the highest ranking being in heaven. However, by rebelling against God, he was able to convince a third of the angels in heaven to follow him (Rev. 12:4).
The Bible talks a lot about angels. Some of them carried judgment, for example, the angels who came to Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19); others carried a warning, such as the angel with a drawn sword who appeared to Balaam (Num. 22:22-35), and still others were answers to prayer, such as the one who came to Daniel after 21 days of fasting (Dan. 10:13).
According to my observations, angels reach a height of two meters, some even higher. They are fully dressed according to the purpose and level of their assignment. Some have wings, others don't.
Seraphim (Is. 6:2, 26), according to the prophet Isaiah, have six wings. Truly, these heavenly creatures are more beautiful than anything we can imagine (1 Cor. 2:9).
This is how I saw them.
Tears of intercession
We left the building, and as we walked along the road, Jesus began to cry. I was amazed. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, wept. He turned to me; Tears of intercession flowed down His cheeks. Some of His words are too holy for me to repeat, but I can say this:
"Roberts, I love My people so much that I would come back to earth and preach again for three years and die for even one person. If I had to pay the price all over again and if I knew they wanted to go to heaven, I would would do it again.
I don't need to know whether they will succeed or not. If they only wanted to get here, then I would die for them again, even if they were the worst sinners in the world."
He continued: “I love my people so much. Why don't people believe My Word? Don't they know that I have all the authority on earth and in heaven, with which I can confirm every word I say? It's so simple. I didn't make it anything complicated. If people would only believe My Word, I would do what I said."
He began to cry even more and said, “I don’t understand why people say they believe that I will do something, but when it doesn’t happen in their time, they begin to doubt My Word. If only they would believe and with They said with confidence that I would do it, then I would do it at the right time."
I know that Jesus wept because of our unbelief. I was only eight years old at the time, but I already knew what it was and how much it hurt Jesus. And right there I made a covenant with Jesus to never doubt His words and let God be God. Now, when I think or speak about something with doubt, I remember the tears of intercession streaming down the face of Jesus, and I cast aside all doubt and unbelief.
Having reached one of the branches of the River of Life, we took off our shoes and entered the water. The depth was knee-deep and the water was crystal clear. Do you know what Jesus did? He dipped me into the water. I jumped back and splashed Him. We had a water battle. We splashed and laughed. And we walked inside the water. I know that you don’t understand this, and, in principle, neither do I. But that was exactly what we did.
And that meant something to me. The King of Glory, the Son of God, took time away from His work to splash around with eight-year-old Roberts in the River of Life. When I return to heaven again, I will place a historical plaque on that spot: “On this very spot, Jesus Christ became not only Roberts Liardon’s Lord and Savior, but also His friend.”
Yes, He became my friend. Now we walk and talk together. When I hear a good joke, I run to Jesus and listen to Him laugh at it. And when He hears a funny joke, He tells it to me. You know. God can tell you some good jokes if you are sensitive enough to hear His voice. His jokes are very funny and never boring. After all, the Bible tells us that God knows how to laugh (Ps. 2:4; Ps. 37:13).
The River of Life is unlike anything on earth. When you step into its waters, it cleanses you. It cleanses you of everything that remains in you from earthly life, and gives you life from its true source. The Throne Room of God (Rev. 22:1,2).
The River of Life flows like a mountain stream, and it has no bottom. All its water is crystal clear. After playing for a while, we went ashore. Then I felt as if a huge hair dryer had turned on and instantly dried our clothes. We put on our shoes and moved on.
Our "family" cheers us on
Then we had to face something that I never expected to see in heaven, but which I remember as the funniest experience. However, when I figured it out, I realized that it was the most uplifting and exciting thing I have ever dealt with in my entire Christian life.
Hebrews 12:1 speaks of the “cloud of witnesses”:
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every burden and the sin that so easily besets us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
I saw this huge cloud of witnesses. They know what the Church is doing spiritually. For example, when I preach, they encourage me and shout, “Do it, do it, go ahead.” When "half time" arrives, they all fall to their knees and begin to pray. "Half time" is prayer time. Then they all get up and start cheering me on again.
It's like a big game, a game very serious and very real, not just for fun. Our fans cheer us on. They are 100 percent behind us. "Go ahead! Take them! So! Go ahead!"
If we could only clearly understand that Scripture speaks of one family on earth and in heaven, we could hear in our spirit what our heavenly relatives are saying. If we heard this cloud of witnesses, we would prosper in all areas of life. And to do this, you just need to go to the world of the spirit.
People from time to time ask me about true family members who have gone to heaven: “Will I see my cousin in heaven? How will I recognize him?” I truly believe that to God our “spiritual family” is much more important than a regular family. Even though you may recognize your cousin in heaven, you may be surprised to find that your most important relationships will be with the people God has placed in your “spiritual family,” and these will not necessarily be members of your “regular family.” ".
Unclaimed Blessings
The next point of my journey was another building, but it was much larger and looked rather strange. My curiosity was aroused even more when I saw that the building was literally entwined with lightning, and thunder could be heard from inside.
Usually I asked Jesus out loud, and He answered me out loud too.
But this time I just thought, “I wonder what this building is?” The answer came immediately.
"This is the Throne Room of God."
It also differed from all others in that seven rows of flowers were planted in front of it. They grew on the sides of the path leading to the entrance. In heaven, everything has a purpose, and the number 7 in the Bible symbolizes perfection and completeness. The flowers themselves constantly changed their colors and looked very much like a rainbow. All flowers, buds and leaves were the same size.
In addition, 12 trees grew in front of the building - not like we see on earth, but special, heavenly. There was a tree of wisdom, bearing the fruit of wisdom, a tree of love, bearing the fruit of love, etc. There was a tree of life, bearing 12 different fruits, whose leaves “heal” the nations. Twelve is the number of supreme power.
And he showed me a pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and the Lamb. In the midst of its street, and on both sides of the river, is the tree of life, bearing fruit twelve times, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree for the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:1,2).
And I saw two angels standing at the entrance. Each of them held a sword in his hand, and the blades of the swords were tongues of flame. These two angels were guarding the entrance to the Throne Hall of God, and their swords were literally blazing.
Heavenly repository
We moved on - and this is the most important, and perhaps the strangest part of my story. About half a kilometer from the Throne Hall there were three warehouses. They were very long and very wide. There may have been more, but I only noticed three. We entered the first of them. As Jesus closed the door behind us, I looked around in shock!
Along one wall, various parts of human bodies lay on shelves. The legs were hanging on the wall, but it all looked natural, not grotesque. Along the other wall there were eyes on shelves: green, brown, blue, etc.
This building contains all the parts of the human body needed on earth, but Christians do not understand that such blessings await them in heaven. And in the entire universe there is no other place where all this can be needed except here on earth. They are not needed anywhere else.
Jesus told me, "These are unclaimed blessings. This building should not be filled. It should be empty. This is where you come in faith, and this is where you and the people you come into contact with today can receive the body parts you need."
Unclaimed blessings lie in those warehouses - all the parts of the human body that anyone could need: hundreds of new eyes, legs, hair, eardrums, new skin - it's all there. All you have to do is lie down and take what you need with the hand of faith, because it's already there.
You don't have to cry and beg God to create the body part you need. Just go and get it. The doors to these vaults are never locked. They are always open for those who need to enter. We have to clear these buildings.
Sometimes when we pray, an angel from heaven brings us the answer, as we see in the story of Daniel (Dan. 10:12), but he cannot always deliver it right away. Daniel prayed and fasted for 21 days before receiving the answer. Thanks to his persistence in prayer, the angel was able to overcome demonic barriers in the second heaven, where the principalities, powers and rulers of the darkness of this world dwell (Eph. 6:12).
What would have happened if Daniel had stopped praying and “persevering” while waiting for an answer from God? The angel might not have won the battle with the prince of the kingdom of Persia (Dan. 10:13), and Daniel might not have received the answer if, as many Christians do today, he had said, “Well, this thing doesn’t work. I prayed and fasted.” , but God still didn’t answer.”
But the truth is that he would not have received the answer because he had stopped praying; he would have given up too soon.
Jesus wants us to be alive and well
Because of my journey to heaven, I never doubted not only that Jesus wants His people alive and well, but that healing belongs to all who will accept it. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God did not place sickness and sickness on people. During my journey to heaven I saw neither one nor the other. I saw there only provision for creative miracles.
Everything God has given us, done, or provided for us has its source in Him and His heavenly Kingdom. So how could He give us sickness or disease if it is a purely earthly phenomenon, the result of the fall of Adam and Eve? Weakness, illness, any deficiency and all other earthly sorrows come from Satan - the father of lies and the culprit of death and destruction.
However, my knowledge of healing in Jesus is not based on an experience in heaven. I base myself only on the Word of God. There are many good books on the subject of healing, but there is too little space in this book to discuss this topic in detail here. But for the sake of those who do not know this or have been taught something completely different, I want to give just two verses of Scripture that prove that healing is ours.
“But He was revealed for our sins and tormented for our iniquities; the punishment of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed (in the original - we are healed. Note transl.)” - (Isaiah 53:5).
The prophet said this while awaiting the time when Jesus would come to earth as the Messiah and go to the cross for the sake of humanity.
“He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, so that we, being freed from sins, should live for righteousness; by His stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24)
The Apostle Peter quoted Isaiah, but changed the verb; Isaiah looked to the future; Peter used the verb in the past tense. Isaiah looked for Jesus to come with healing on his wings (Mal. 4:2), and Peter said, "It's already done! He's already come with healing on his wings."
Jesus wants us to be physically healthy for two reasons: He loves us and doesn't want us to be in pain, and He wants nothing to stop us from doing His will in ministry or in our lives. Sickness and illness make you think about yourself and not about others; they drain your finances which could be used for the work of the Lord: and they give Satan the opportunity to gain so many victories in your life.
A fairly popular teaching is that God uses sickness and disease to “teach us something.” This is absolutely contrary to Scripture. Would you give your child measles or smallpox to “teach him something?” If so, then you are simply mocking your child. And this is exactly what God would do if he taught us through sickness or disease.
Jesus noted that if earthly fathers give something good to their children, how much more will our Heavenly Father give to us. To your children, good gifts. He asked if you would give your son a snake if he asked you for a fish (Matt. 10:16; Luke 11:11). So why do people think God can do such a thing?
If, according to the Old Testament, God kept more than three million Jews healthy and free from infirmity, then much more will He keep His children healthy and free from infirmity under the New Testament, a better covenant! (Heb. 8:6).
Read Exodus 15:26:
“If you obey the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, then I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon Egypt; for I am the Lord your healer. ".
Notice that the conditions for a healthy life were obedience to the voice of God, doing what was pleasing in His sight, paying attention to His commandments, and keeping all His statutes. The bottom line is this: God says, “If you listen to Me and obey Me, then I will do this for you.”
In Aramaic this verse reads as follows:
“I will not allow any of the diseases to happen to you that I allowed to happen to the Egyptians.”
During my journey through heaven I knew none of this, only later, as I grew, did I learn all this from the Word of God. However, after this journey, I knew that it is always the will of God for the healing of all who listen to Him and obey Him - and this, according to the New Testament, means that a person should walk in love with God and with his “neighbor” (Matthew 22: 37-39) and in faith (Heb. 11).
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive it, and it will be done for you” (Mark 11:24)
“But let him ask in faith, without any doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, tossed and tossed by the wind; let such a person not think that he will receive anything from the Lord. A man with double thoughts is not firm in all his ways” - (Jacob 1:6-8).
As far back as I can remember, even before my journey to heaven, I have never doubted that the Word of God is true.
After Jesus showed me the Throne Room of God and the repository of unclaimed blessings, we moved on and walked in silence. I thought about what I saw and simply enjoyed the presence of Jesus.
Then Jesus spoke and began to tell me about the work He called me to do on earth.
Jesus appointed me
Jesus took both my hands in His, and He placed the other hand on my head.
He said, "Roberts, I'm calling you to a great work. I'm calling you to a great work. You'll have to run like no one else, and preach like no one else."
In other words, He told me not to try to copy other people, not to try to fit into religious opinions and frameworks, but to simply do only what He wants me to do and be only what He wants me to be.
“Difficult times will come,” He warned me, “but you need to look at them not as thresholds, but as steps. Go with strength and with faith, and I will always be with you. Go, go, go. Go and do what I did."
And when Jesus first said, “Go,” anointing and fire began to flow from Him into me. This fire passed through me from head to toe. And now, every time I talk about Jesus, no matter if there are 3,000 people listening or just one, my whole body literally burns, as it is written in Luke 3:16:
“John answered everyone: I baptize you with water, but one mightier than me is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
The Church must accept this fire of God. Only he can burn away all the straw in your life. Hebrews 12:29 says, “For our God is a consuming fire.”
If you allow the fire of the Holy Spirit to purify your body, you will be able to walk boldly with a pure heart and a pure mind with God. You will learn that you can enter into His presence, where you belong, without fear of being killed by His glory.
After praying for me and appointing me, Jesus stepped back. I looked at my palms. They were red, like blood.
Stepping back, Jesus pulled a large screen out of thin air. On this screen He began to show me my past.
Of course, at the age of eight I didn’t have it for very long.
But then, when Jesus began to show me my ministry and the people who would be saved through it, I tried not to miss anything, and now I try to reach every one of them - even if it means living into old age.
A miracle greater than the miracle of raising Lazarus occurs when a person is born again, raised from spiritual death, and saved from eternal damnation.
I saw myself preaching in various places. Then I realized it was time to go.
I was about to leave through the nearest gate when Jesus called: “Roberte!” I turned around very quickly. Jesus stood with tears streaming down His cheeks. His hands were extended towards me.
He said, "I love you."
And when He said this, I left heaven and returned to my earthly home.
(Article by 13-year-old editor of the site “Family and Faith” - Misha Romanov)
Z Hello, dear children and parents!
Today I would like to talk to you about how the first people lived in Paradise. The Lord created the first man from the earth and breathed life into him, and named him Adam, which means taken from the earth. For Adam, the Lord created a beautiful garden, which was in Paradise. Paradise was on earth, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in Asia.
Adam really liked the Garden of Eden. God allowed Adam to give names to all plants, animals, birds and fish. And Adam gave everyone names. The animals did not cause any harm to Adam and did not devour each other, but fed on plant foods and lived with each other in friendship.
But still, Adam was bored, since he could not find someone like himself, which is why he was so sad. The Lord saw how sad Adam was, and so God decided to create a friend and helper for Adam. God brought a dream to Adam and, taking his rib, created from the rib the first woman on earth, Adam’s friend and helper - Eve. The name Eve means mother of people, and Adam gave this name to Eve. Now they have more fun together. Adam showed Eve the Garden of Eden, talked about how God created everything and how Adam gave names to animals and plants.
The Lord appeared to Adam and Eve every day (in what form - we do not know), because Adam and Eve were pure in heart and sinless, like Angels. The Lord, appearing to Adam and Eve every day, talked with them and taught them everything they needed to know. We do not know exactly how long Adam and Eve lived in Paradise. But living with God they were blissful and rejoiced.
One day Eve was walking in the Garden of Eden. Suddenly, on a tree, she saw a snake. It was the devil. The devil was very jealous that people were blissful in Paradise, and knowing how much God loved Adam and Eve, the devil planned to destroy the first people in order to hurt God. So the devil decided to take on the guise of a serpent, and by cunning and deception to destroy the first people.
And his plan was this: the demon knew that God forbade Adam and Eve to eat fruit from the tree of the “Knowledge of Good and Evil.” The Lord, having forbidden Adam and Eve to eat fruit from the tree of the “Knowledge of Good and Evil,” wanted in this way to provide people with freedom of choice, test their obedience and give people the opportunity to be with God in Paradise of their own free will.
You may ask the question, how could the devil even be in Paradise? The demon made his way into Paradise, wanting to destroy people, but God, seeing this, apparently hoped that Adam and Eve would not break the promise they had made to Him not to eat fruit from the tree of the “Knowledge of Good and Evil” and thereby put the devil to shame, and they themselves would become even closer to God.
So, God was watching what would happen next. And then Eve went to the tree of the “Knowledge of Good and Evil” and entered into a conversation with the serpent. The serpent said to her: “Are you allowed to eat fruit from all the trees?” Eve said, “Yes, we can eat fruit from all trees. But from the tree of the “Knowledge of Good and Evil” God did not allow us to eat the fruits, because if we taste them, then we will perish.”
The serpent said: “No, you will not perish, but you will become like gods.” Eve believed the false words of the tempter serpent and wanted to become equal to God. Eve ate the forbidden apple, and gave it to Adam to taste, and Adam ate the fruit from the tree of the “Knowledge of Good and Evil,” also wanting to become the same as God.
Adam and Eve sinned, that is, they did something bad, they broke the promise they made to God. Their minds became darkened and sin entered their souls. And they saw that they were naked, that is, without clothes, and they felt ashamed, and they ran to different bushes to cover themselves.
Then the Lord asked: “Adam, where are you?” Adam replied: “I was afraid that I was naked and hid.” God continued: “Adam, have you not eaten from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?” Adam said: “Yes, I did. But it’s not my fault, but the wife you gave me, it was she who gave me the fruit from the tree of the “Knowledge of Good and Evil.” And Eve also began to defend herself, saying that it was not my fault, but the serpent’s, it was he who told me to eat the fruit from the tree of the “Knowledge of Good and Evil,” and also said that if you eat this fruit, you will become wise like gods, and So, they say, I ate it.
As you can see, Adam and Eve, instead of repenting and asking God for forgiveness, began to shield themselves and blame each other - Adam on Eve, and Eve on the serpent. And then the Lord looked at both of them and said to them: “Adam, because you did not listen to Me, you will work on earth by the sweat of your brow in order to earn food for yourself. And you, Eve, will bear children in sorrow and obey your husband.” And God said to the devil: “There will be a great struggle between you and people, and people will defeat you.”
And God said to Adam and Eve: “I will send My Son to earth so that He may suffer for people and deliver them from eternal death.” And so that Adam and Eve would not forget the promise given to them by God, God ordered them to slaughter a lamb or ewe and sacrifice it to God, burning it on the altar.
Adam and Eve could no longer be in Paradise, and they were expelled from Paradise. At the entrance to Paradise, the Lord placed an Angel - Cherubim, so that he would guard the entrance to Paradise.
But, as we already know, the Lord sent His Son into the world, and He atoned for this first sin of people, and again opened the doors of Paradise! Now every person who lives according to God’s commandments can enter Paradise after earthly life!
I wish you all the best and see you for new stories!
