The Mercy of God

 Death is a reality that haunts all of us. If you believe that death is the final end, the day the lights go out for ever, you may live in fear, or you many persuade yourself that you have a limited time to enjoy yourself or achieve great things, and that is all.

But then you find that life is not all happiness. You find pain, disappointments, traumas. There must be something more!

The closer we come to then end of our lives, the more the certainty of death creeps into our thoughts.

If you have a Christian background, you hope you might go to heaven, but God is far away, up there somewhere. How do you know how God will judge you when you meet your maker face to face?
You might think you have been a good person, but if you are honest, you will know you have not been a real saint.

Then you read the Bible and you come to the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus explains what God is looking for in your character.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Mt 5:8 NIV

You know you look at bad stuff on TV and the internet. You don't qualify.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Mt 5:7 NIV

You have been bullied by your family, at school or in your workplace, but if you are honest, you know you have also treated other people badly. You have often not been merciful.

I talked to an elderly lady who was a devout Catholic, but she had suffered much in her family life and her marriage had been terrible. She was chronically traumatised and very bitter, in spite of her efforts to be a good Catholic.

At the mention of death, she responded with dread. I spoke to her about forgiveness, about mercy. About hope, about heaven, about a better life to come.

Her heart began to soften. Her rage faded away little by little.

I visited her and we talked on the phone. I kept talking to her about our heavenly hope. There is only one way to heaven, and that is through faith in Jesus.

If you cry out to Jesus for mercy, he will hear you.

Anyone can reach God. If you are not sure about God or Jesus, you can simply cry out from your heart.

“Jesus, if you are real, if you are really the Son of God, show me who you are, help me out of my desperate situation.

Jesus, if you are real, come into my life and change me. Have mercy on me.”

God Loves Like a Mother

 A young Christian woman was going for a walk when she felt a strong prompting from God. She must walk over to a crazy looking, possibly dangerous young man. She must tell him that Jesus loves him.

 She ignored the prompting and walked on, but she could not shake off the conviction that God wanted her to speak to this wild looking man. 

She finally obeyed. When she told him that Jesus loves him, he was overwhelmed with emotion and hugged her warmly. She was more than uncomfortable, but she didn't resist. Then he told her he had come to this place to kill himself, but now he had changed his mind. She had saved his life.

She then sat down with him and explained the Gospel of Jesus. Jesus is the Son of God and he died on the cross to pay the penalty for his sins. If he put his faith in Jesus, and put his whole life in God’s hands, he would be forgiven and have eternal life with God.

He believed and he had a whole new life.

Years later the young woman died of COVID. When she was in heaven, Jesus showed her a crowd of people who had believed and gone to heaven because of the ministry of the young man she had talked to. He had become an evangelist and many people were in heaven because of his preaching. 

Although the woman was happily married, she did not want to leave heaven and go back to her life on earth. But then Jesus reminded her of her 15 year old daughter. Jesus sent her back to earth and healed her. 

She was willing to leave heaven because her daughter needed a mother’s love.

Jesus was in Heaven with the Father, but he was willing to leave the happiness of heaven because you and I needed to know the love of God.

There is no greater earthly love than the love of a mother for her child. This is a picture of how God loves you and me.

God tells us about this in the Bible.

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” 
Can a woman forget her nursing child or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these might forget, yet I will not forget you. 
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. Is 49:14–16 NRSVue

In the Old Testament, God told the Jews he loved them with the love of a mother. In the New Testament, we see that God loves the world with the same intense love. That includes you and me.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NRSVue

Recently I read news report of a mother whose house was on fire. She rushed into the blazing inferno and rescued her six children. She was terribly burned on most of her body. She was in a coma for two weeks but she survived.

This is how God loves you and me. Jesus not only left heaven to suffer on earth, but he suffered the most painful possible execution to pay the penalty for our sins.
Jesus is reaching out to you and me now. He wants to give you a new life.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Mt 11:28 NRSVue

You can talk to Jesus now. He is waiting for your call for help.

Love in Heaven

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Rev 21:4–5 NIV

There is a new world coming. It will not be ruled by men. It will not be governed by the rich or the powerful. It will not be ruled by the Americans, the Europeans or the Chinese.

It will not be governed by business or socialism. There will be no politics, no dominant classes or races. There will be no national borders and no armies, no weapons, no locked doors, no police.

There will be no celebrities, no different religions, no church leaders.

It will be God’s world, governed by God alone. God will not be our president. He will be our loving father.

We will have no need for doctors, nurses, psychologists or lawyers.

Men will not rule over women. Priests and pastors will not rule over other believers. We will be brothers and sisters.

There will be no evangelism.

We will all be one loving family. We will know and see and love God for ever. It will not be difficult to believe, because we will all be bathed, washed and overwhelmed by the tender love of our loving creator.

There is one problem. We have all offended against the love of God. We need to be forgiven before we can be received into the family of Father God. This new world is only for those who love the Father. It is a choice.

But there is another problem. God is just. Sin must be punished. God hates sin but he loves you and me in spite of our sin.

God sent His only Son into this world to live as a man. He did not sin but he suffered brutal execution to suffer the punishment we deserved. He was punished on your behalf and my behalf. He paid our penalty.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Jn 3:16–17 NIV

Are you ready to believe and receive forgiveness from God?

If you receive God’s forgiveness and commit your life to living in the love and goodness of God. You will be one of the billions of blessed ones in God’s new world.

So why will God need to wipe away our tears in Heaven?

If we get to heaven but we miss some loved ones who did not turn to God, it will be heartbreaking. God shares our grief. He will comfort us in our grief and wipe away our tears.

While we are here on earth, we must not judge and reject our children who make bad choices in life. We must not stop loving and forgiving them as our heavenly Father loves us and them.

Old Age

 Retirement and old age can be a curse. Are you full or regrets over your failures and bad choices? You can look back at so many mistakes in your life. You wish you had made better decisions. What would have happened if …

You can look at the horrible things people had done that hurt you. You wish you had not allowed this or that person to dominate you and rob you of your independent thinking.

I saw my father in his eighties, as his health and his intellectual brilliance deteriorated. He went to bookshops and bought piles of books that he would never read. He so much wanted to keep thinking, although he knew his brain was ageing and his mind was fading and failing.

He progressively slipped into despair, just waiting to die and disappear into nothingness.
But old age can also be a time to rethink, to reconsider, to be open to another dimension.

As my father became helpless and bedridden, he could not read or watch television, but there was an openness to something he had pushed away from his mind when he was mentally and physically able.

My wife and I asked him if we could read the bible to him. He was happy to listen. We would read a chapter to him and ask him if that was enough. As time went by, he even asked to hear more.
Then there came a time when he was happy for us to pray for him.

Eventually he was 88 and my wife asked him if he would like to believe in Jesus and make peace with God. She prayed for him and he squeezed her hand. From that day he was never the same again. The black cloud of despair left him.

I talked to him about his mother and brother who were already in heaven. I told him they were waiting to see him again. Now he listened with positive expectation. Eventually my father died in peace at the age of 91.

Never stop praying for your loved ones. Many people in old age become more difficult, more irritable, more negative, but that does not have to be the end of the story.

Death can be a dreaded departure into darkness, or it can be a wonderful release into a better world with a good God.

I am now 75. Every year is a year closer to heaven. I am learning to let go of negative attitudes that I learned in past years. I am learning to be more tolerant, less critical, less judgemental, although that it still often a challenge.

Old age can be a time of hardening or a time of softening, a time of resignation, or a time of learning and teaching others with the wisdom of reflection.

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; Eccesiastes 3:1–2 NKJV

God has Better Plans

 Are you discouraged? Disappointed? Frightened?
Are you completely dejected?

Before the Last Supper, the apostles were disappointed and deeply shaken.

But how was that possible? They were Jesus' closest friends. They believed he was the Son of God, their Saviour and Redeemer. He was with them in the flesh. And they were dismayed?

A few days ago, Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem. The crowds had recognised him as the Messiah with jubilation.

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Mt 21:9 NIV

The Jews, and probably also the apostles, expected that Jesus as the Messiah would then establish the kingdom of God in Jerusalem, that Jesus would rule the world.

But Jesus did not do this. Everyone was disappointed. The religious leaders were now able to manipulate the disappointed Jews.

Instead of the expected triumph, the disciples were staring disaster in the face.

What did Jesus say?

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. Jn 14:1 NIV

You expected a great revival, prayed for it for years, heard wonderful prophecies.

Nevertheless, the corona catastrophe came. Then came the war in Ukraine, and another war in the Middle East.

Where is God? You no longer understand anything.

What does Jesus say now?

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. Jn 14:1 NIV

You were expecting something wonderful from God. You have waited a long time for it and now you are shaken.

My father was 70 years old. He had smoked 40 cigarettes a day for many years and his lungs were almost destroyed. I had prayed for him for years but there was no sign of faith. But he was plagued by emphysema. That's a death sentence.

Then I started praying in a completely different way. ‘Please let my father live until he comes to faith.’

He made his peace with God at the age of 88. He was very weak but there was no sign of emphysema.

Finally he turned 91, he was nearly blind and life had become a burden to him.

Then I read in the Bible:

With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Ps 91:16 NIV

I thanked and praised God. I then prayed boldly.

‘Dear God, you have answered my prayer. But now life is a torment for my father. How would it be if my father could pass away peacefully exactly 16 days after his 91st birthday?

Exactly 16 days later, Jesus took my father to heaven without pain.

“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.

“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. Jn 14:2–3 NASB95

God has good plans for us, including you.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. Jn 14:1 NIV

Only Jesus gives you a Future

 When we watch TV, what do we see? When we walk down the street in the city, what do we see?

What do we see in the office, in the hospital, in schools?

People, people, people.

And what is the future of these people?

Millions die every day.

There are countless corpses and the souls disappear, but where do they go?
Communists and atheists do not believe in any supernatural reality, but in reality many are involved in occultism.

Hindus and Buddhists believe they will always come back, but when this planet perishes, they will finally find no place to live. Will this earth last forever?

The insecurity of Muslims is pitiful. If their virtue does not outweigh their sins, they believe they will have to suffer in the eternal flames of hell. They live in constant fear. Who can confidently claim that their virtue is enough to please God.

But there is a good God who loves you infinitely. He has told us in the Bible that He wants to totally forgive all our sins.

But how can a holy and just God let our sins go unpunished? Our sin has poisoned this planet. It cannot go on like this.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NASB95

God has planned a good future for you, but he will not force you to go his way. But if you are fed up with your present life and want to experience God's love, Jesus is ready to be your companion and guide.

Jesus died on the cross to take your punishment for your sins, but he did not stay dead.

Jesus is waiting for your call for help.

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ Jer 33:3 NIV

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Mt 11:28 NASB95

Are Near Death Experiences Real?

 An American preacher died in a car accident. The ambulance took him to the hospital and the doctors were unable to revive him, but after eight hours something totally amazing happened.

‘There was a sheet on my face. Oh, the pain!
I heard someone say: ‘He's been dead for hours.’
I sat up and replied: ‘I'm not dead yet.’

Someone from the medical staff screamed out loud.
Another lost control of his bladder.

Apparently I had been dead for more than eight hours and they were about to take me to the mortuary.

I could feel my bones coming back together. I could feel my wounds healing as I sat up. And I could breathe and speak.’

Sigmund, Richard. My Time in Heaven: A True Story of Dying and Coming Back to Life.

Richard Sigmund recounts what he experienced during those eight hours. He really did visit heaven.
But that will seem unbelievable to some.

Why? Because theological experts have claimed for many centuries that the dead remain unconscious until the last judgement.

But in 2 Corinthians, Paul tells of a Christian who visited heaven and returned to earthly life. Obviously this was Paul himself.

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.

And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—

was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. 2 Co 12:2–4 NIV

In our times we hear of many near-death experiences. Why are such reports so common in our time?

Some claim that it is a sign of the end times, when occult phenomena are so widespread and so many people are deceived and misguided by sorcery.

But there is a practical explanation. In the last 60 years, emergency medicine and surgery have made enormous progress. Many heart attack patients and accident victims who would have died in earlier times have been resuscitated.

The research of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and Dr Raymond Moody has also helped to publicise the near-death experiences of many patients.

There are several Bible stories where really dead people were brought back to life by God, but critics of near-death experiences will claim that no one in the Bible told of otherworldly experiences.
But this is not entirely true. The apostle John saw dramatic revelations from heaven in the last book of the Bible. John was still alive, but that makes no difference. Nothing is impossible with God.

There are many Christians who think that no miracles in our time should surpass the amazingly dramatic miracles in the Bible. When they hear testimonies of miracles that are more dramatic than the miracles Jesus performed on earth, they want to reject the testimonies as unbiblical.
But Jesus taught the opposite.

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. Jn 14.12 NIV

People who die or nearly die and then talk about the afterlife are not taken seriously by many Christians, but why?

As the return of Jesus draws closer, should we not expect even greater miracles than the miracles in the Bible stories?

But some argue that no one should die twice.

That is a weak argument. Lazarus and some others died and were resurrected by Jesus. Of course, he did die later.

But when Paul spoke of his journey to heaven in 2 Cor 12:2-4, he was very cautious. He said he was not allowed to pass on what Jesus had told him in heaven.

Sometimes Jesus shares secrets, and sometimes He shares revelations that need to be passed on.
Paul heard secrets but the apostle John in the last book of the Bible told exactly what was revealed to him.

So it is today. In Western countries, many no longer believe in God, no longer believe in the immortal soul, no longer believe in heaven and no longer believe in hell. Through near-death experiences and testimonies of the afterlife, many are coming back to faith.

If preachers abuse children, should they be fired?

 In God's heaven there is no sin, no anger, no unkindness, no little lies.
If you are a little sarcastic with your wife, God must forgive you before you are allowed to go to heaven.

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness, no one will see the Lord. Heb 12:14 NIV

All of us, without exception, are unholy by nature. Those who are sometimes a little lazy need God's forgiveness.
Those who are sometimes unloving or sarcastic need God's forgiveness.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

Jesus was cruelly executed to take our guilt upon himself so that God would not punish us for our sins.

But we must humbly receive God's free gift. God's forgiveness is free and complete, but not unconditional.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

We must believe, but that means much more than religious mental assent.

Jesus preached that we must repent and be ready to live a new life with God.

“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Mk 1:15 NIV

Faith means trusting God. If you believe in a good doctor, you take the prescribed medicine.

Those who believe in Jesus try to obey Jesus.

But do we all become faultless after our conversion?

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 Jn 1:8–9 NIV

If a Christian acts a little unloving or speaks sarcastically to his family, he should confess his sin.

But if a Christian watches porn, will God forgive that too? Or if he abuses a child?

In the Bible, we see how God also forgives terrible sins, but repentance or conversion does not just mean a short prayer.

King David had a soldier killed and took his wife for himself. He had to confess his sin publicly. In Psalm 51 we see his deep remorse.

But if a preacher abuses a child, and he is minimising his sin, can he simply confess and continue preaching?

Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 1 Ti 3:2 NIV

Some claim that all sins are equal in God's eyes. But this is not the case.

If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that.

All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death. 1 Jn 5:16–17 NIV

A significant issue within the Church regarding abuse is that its  theology often suggests that all sins are equal, which can lead to minimising abuse and offering "cheap grace" to perpetrators.(Boz Tschividjian... Christian lawyer.)

Paul preached grace and forgiveness of sins, but when a man in Corinth would not give up a sexual relationship with his stepmother, Paul wrote that he should be excommunicated.

Should preachers who abuse children be allowed to continue preaching? God wants to forgive all sins, but different sins have different consequences.

Near Death Experience. Pilot Sees Heaven.

 Captain Dale Black was a pilot who died in a plane crash.

‘’The plane burst apart, the three pilots were thrown at about 220 kilometres per hour onto the concrete from about twenty metres. Only Dale survived, somehow...

Suddenly I was thrown into the air and hovered over my shattered body...
Two angel escorts accompanied me, dressed in seamless white robes woven from silver threads.‘’

He reached God's heaven. After God sent him back to his body and his earthly life, he tried to describe what he had experienced in heaven.

‘’Each house was customised and unique, yet they all looked very harmonious together. Some had three or four storeys, others were even higher. No two houses were alike.‘’

Burke, John . This is what heaven is like: near-death experiences, the promises of God, and the extraordinary future that awaits you (German Edition) . Kindle Edition.

Shortly before his death on the cross, Jesus wanted to encourage his disciples.

In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? Jn 14:2 NRSV

The home of the heavenly Father is the city of God in heaven. When you trust Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you have a new and eternal citizenship.

Your home is God's heaven. God has prepared a home for you, your own home.

Have you ever been to a church service and the singing gradually became boring?

Then the question arises whether worship in heaven will only be a service without end. The thought is discouraging.

But if heaven will only be a never-ending worship service, why will we need houses?

In God's heaven, everything is indescribably beautiful, the trees, the flowers, the music and even the houses.

Surely we will worship God with songs of praise.

The apostle Paul was stoned and died. He died and then came back.

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 2 Co 12:2 NASB95

From the context of the passage, we understand that Paul was most likely talking about his own experience.

God created you with a mortal body, but you are also a spiritual being. Your life will never come to an end.

Where will you live forever?

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;

and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Jn 11:25–26 NIV

In God's heaven are all those who trust and love Jesus from the heart, but all others will continue to exist elsewhere, without God, without love and without hope.

Jesus loves me, this I know ...

 A child lay on his deathbed in hospital. His mother was holding his hand, trying to hold back her tears.

The little boy believed in Jesus. He knew that he would soon be in heaven and that his pain would be over, but he also felt insecure.

He felt compassion for his mother, who was already grieving deeply. He could not imagine life without his beloved mother, but he knew that after his death his mother would suffer grief that would be hard to bear.

"Mummy, please don't cry too much. I'm going to heaven, aren't I? And then you will go there too when my sister grows up."

"I know, dear child, but I will miss you."

"Mummy, I know I will be in heaven soon, but what will it be like there?"

"Dear child, I have never died myself, but I am sure you will be quite safe and at home there."

"Imagine going to sleep and waking up in the morning in your own bed at home. I won't be there, but I will come to you later. When you wake up, Grandma and Grandpa will be standing there with Jesus. They love you so much."

This is a story, but we must never despise childlike faith.

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them
and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:2–3 ESV

But the Jewish scribes had no time for such simple ideas. Jesus was humble, but they were too arrogant to understand Jesus.

Unfortunately, even today there are not only Jewish rabbis, but also humanistically oriented theologians and pastors who are so busy with academic theories that they do not understand Jesus.

When Jesus spoke of faith, he meant that we should have childlike trust in God. When Jesus or Father God speaks plainly, we simply have to believe.

Shortly before his death on the cross, Jesus spoke to his disciples at the Last Supper.

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. am, there ye may be also. John 14:1–3 NKJV 

Many educated people think this is too childish, too simple, or too good to be true, but Jesus explained the truth.

Someone asked Karl Barth, the famous Swiss theologian how he could sum up his theology.

He answered briefly with a line from a children's song.

"Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

God Wants to Protect You

He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armour and protection. Psalm 91:4 NLT

As a farmer walked through his yard, he found a dead chicken. It was badly injured, obviously killed by a bird of prey. When he picked up the chicken, four chicks were still alive. The mother died saving her chicks.

When you look around, you see a world coming apart at the seams. Who tore this world apart? God didn't do it.

We can blame the devil, but that is only half-truth. We all need to confess that we have gone wrong in some way. We need God's forgiveness so that we do not suffer eternally separated from God and His goodness after we die.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NLT

There are many Christians who believe this. They hope to go to heaven after they die, but their life on earth is only a shadow of the supernatural adventure with God that we see in the Bible.

God wants us to go deeper into his love.

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Revelation 3:20 NLT

You can experience God's personal love in this way. But how?

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7–8 NLT

When you learn to experience God's kind and gentle love, you must expect attacks from the enemy of your soul, but if you live in close friendship with Jesus you can have His supernatural protection.

We live within the shadow of the Almighty, sheltered by the God who is above all gods.

This I declare, that he alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I am trusting him. Psalm 91:1–2 The Living Bible

I know a woman who is familiar with God's tender love. As she was driving one day, God saved her from certain death.

It was too late to stop. She could not avoid a collision. Then she felt a terrible heat. The vehicle drove through her car without making any noise, without causing any damage. It was like something out of a Science Fiction movie.

I know this woman well. It is a true story.

God has a Special Place just for You.

Captain Dale Black was a pilot who died in a plane crash.

The plane broke apart ... Only Dale survived, somehow...

“Suddenly I was thrown into the air and hovered over my shattered body...

Two angel escorts accompanied me, dressed in seamless white robes woven from silver threads.''
After God sent him back to his body and his earthly life, he told what had happened to him. He tried to describe what he had experienced and seen in heaven.

Each house was custom-made and unique and yet all together looked very harmonious. Some had three or four floors, others were even higher. "No two houses were alike.

Burke, John. This is what heaven is like: near-death experiences, God's promises, and the extraordinary future that awaits you (English Edition) . Kindle Edition.

Just before his death on the cross, Jesus wanted to encourage his disciples.
 
 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:2

The House of the Heavenly Father is the City of God in heaven. If you trust Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you have a new and eternal citizenship. Your home is God's heaven. God has prepared a house for you, your own house.

Have you ever been to a church service and it started to get boring.
Then you start to wonder whether heaven will be just one endless church service. A depressing thought.

But if heaven is just one long church service, why will we need houses?

In God's heaven everything is indescribably beautiful, the trees, the flowers, the music and also the houses.

In Heaven we will worship God with lovely songs.

The apostle Paul was stoned to death. Then he stood up and walked away, not only alive but miraculously healed.

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. 2 Cor 12:2 (NKJV)
 

From the context of the passage we understand that Paul was most likely telling about his own experience.


… he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 2 Cor 12:4
 
A well-known preacher in our time also had the privilege of looking into God's heaven.

Was it in a vision, a dream or did he leave his body like the pilot after the plane crash? I don't know. God has different ways to bless his children.

Many people who have somehow visited heaven tell about the overwhelmingly beautiful music.

This preacher told how a large crowd sang worship songs in heaven. The songs were in perfect harmony, but as he listened  he found that everyone was singing their favourite music.
You could distinguish all kinds of musical styles and traditions, but the harmony was perfect.

Once I was in a wonderfully blessed meeting in Germany. The presence of God was amazing. Some people saw a heavenly white cloud in the room. I could feel it but not see it. Later, this heavenly cloud was clearly visible in digital photos.

Two men started to play the guitar in the style of 1960's rock music and we sang together and felt God's blessing. 

I started singing, but my song was in classical style, someone said like a Jewish cantor, but my song fitted perfectly with the harmony and rhythm of the rock song.

When you experience oppressive conformism in church, it's not from God.

Paul explained how God distributes different gifts to his children.

If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body?
And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body? 1 Cor 12:15-16 (NKJV)

God created you unique. You are you.

UNDERSTANDING GOD'S HEALING

In the Gospel of Matthew some Jewish leaders tried to trap Jesus with a question. A woman married seven times but each husband died. Whose wife will she be in the next life?

Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.” Mt 22:29-30

So often we also limit the meaning and the power of the Bible by sticking to traditional mindsets.

The Bible says God heals all our illnesses and disabilities but we experience some healings, many incomplete healings and many conditions which are not healed. So we believe according to our experience instead of believing the promise of God. Much of our theology is based on disappointment and human reasoning rather than on the Word of God which we profess to believe.

John G Lake was a missionary in Africa. In his ministry there were countless healing miracles. Then he returned to North America and set up a healing ministry in Spokane, Washington. In 5 years, over 100,000 documented healings took place. Was everybody healed? Probably not but the percentage of miracle healings was much higher than we normally see or expect.

When Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt, everyone was healed.

He also brought them out with silver and gold, And there was none feeble among His tribes. Ps 105:37 (NKJV)

When Jesus ministered miracle healing in Israel, His failure rate was zero.

When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses." Mt 8:16-17

No one in our time has enjoyed 100% success but the stream of healings and miracles seen in some ministries should encourage us to take the Bible promises of healing at face value.

Does that mean we should advise seriously ill people to take off their glasses or stop taking medication? Of course not. This kind of fanaticism has caused much harm and offended many. God is not against medicine. He made natural healing available through giving knowledge wisdom to doctors and by creating the raw materials of medicine.

There is another problem with some healing ministries. Sick people are told it is their duty to believe and be healed. People feel guilty or rejected if they do not receive healing. We love people as they are, whether strong or weak in faith.

If you make a person feel he must prove his value by believing and being healed, you are not truly representing the unconditional love of God.

When the disciples of Jesus could not drive out a demon, Jesus criticised the disciples, not the sick boy or his father. (Matthew 17:14-21)

Some people distinguish between miracles and supernatural healing. Miracles happen very quickly but healing can take time.

Before the time of antibiotics, a pastor in England had tuberculosis. When he prayed in faith, God answered with an instruction, to spend two hours a day in prayer. When he obeyed God he recovered completely.

In His healing ministry Jesus often gave an instruction to a sick person. When the person obeyed Jesus, he was supernaturally healed. I believe if we listened to the Holy Spirit more and were open to hear and obey specific instructions from God here and now, we would experience more healings, here and now, or “HEAR” and now.

... "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God ... I will put none of the diseases on you ... For I am the LORD who heals you." Ex 15:26

Read His word; speak His word; listen to His Voice.

There is another hindrance to healing. Many sick Christians stay in churches where healing is rare. If you need healing, go to where healings are happening. In the Gospels, people did not usually get healed by waiting for Jesus to visit their synagogue.

Faith is contagious, and so is unbelief. Go to where faith is strong.

If you have a sick friend, pray for him and if necessary take him to a good healing ministry.