Today I took the A.W.O. kids to our monthly Bible study meeting with a burning message to impart. For weeks God has been impressing upon me strong and clear imagery of Heaven and the very realness of Heaven and Hell. I have been preparing and counting the days down til I could share my heart with the kids I work with. I hoped their ears would be open, I prayed their hearts would receive, and I held my breath as I watched their faces. What did I see? Tears. Wonder. Awe. Conviction. Repentance. Joy. Faith. What a mighty work He did today!
What I did was simple. I read scripture, straight from the books of Luke, Revelation, and Isaiah. I spoke of the experiences of some others who testify to having visited Heaven, and even Hell. Stories such as those told by Colton Burpo, Akiane Kramarik, and Don Piper pack a powerful punch. They line up with the scriptures, and they give us a visual aid and a real testimony that sometimes unbelievers (and dare I say--believers too?) need to hear. I passed around a print of the portrait of Jesus painted by Akiane (The Prince of Peace). I shared with them how both Colton and Akiane describe the vivid colors in Heaven, colors that do not even exist on Earth, and how they describe the myriad of rainbows everywhere, especially near Jesus himself. Then I passed around some light refracting glasses for them to view the room with. With the aid of those glasses, our vision is able to see and separate light which was before barely noticeable. Rainbows filled the room, even surrounding some of us. They were amazed. I suggested to them the possibility (just my own theory) that in Heaven our vision is perfect (rather than our imperfect Earthly vision) and that those glasses might not be necessary to separate the light around us. I suggested that it might be possible, in Heaven, to see rainbows in the glorious luminescence of God all around us.
They were blown away. They threw questions at me left and right. What was the Lamb's Book of Life? How do we get to Heaven? Who's name gets written in the Book of Life? What is Judgement Day? And so on. And then I began to speak of Hell. I described for them the gnashing of teeth, the ever burning fire, and the torment that awaits some. More questions flew my way. We discussed, again, the prayer of Salvation and how to walk in the Light. Salvation is a regular topic because I get so many new kids. Those who have been with me for years have a full understanding, but there are those who have only met me once, or perhaps are attending having just met me for the first time. Some have no idea what salvation is, so I always talk about it.
I feel totally fulfilled this day. I know, beyond question, that God's will for my life was carried out today and that He prevailed once again over the enemy. What a gracious and wonderful God we serve!
