The Nature of Heaven Sermon

     There are quite a few people now that can recount an experience of Heaven. They had a Near Death Experience. There are personal aspects of these experiences that may never get shared. There are a set of things that all have in common. I do not discount these people’s experiences because I have had the same thing happen to me. I was a very sick little kid. Every illness that was contagious seemed to land on me. The two times I remember from childhood were because of these illnesses.

     I did not have anything fancy. The first time was a rampant viral infection as an infant. My fever was very high. They had to pack ice around me to bring the fever down.

     The second time was Spinal Meningitis. I was about 4 at the time. I have always been a chow hound. My Mom could mention food was ready, and I would be on my way. I remember sitting outside on the grass. Mom called from the porch that it was lunch time. I could not turn around. After the second time, Mom came out to see what was going on. When she saw that I could not turn to look at her just sitting and staring ahead she scooped me up in her arms.

     She was a Nurse and I could see fear in her eyes. I remember her running. The Hospital was just a couple of blocks away. When Mom got to the Doctor’s office she told the Nurse at the desk that this was an Emergency. The Nurse did not respond in a expeditious manner. The woman wanted Mom to fill out paperwork.

     When Mom repeated that I had to see a Doctor immediately the woman told her to sit down like everyone else. Mom walked past her to the Doctor’s door and kicked it open. I remember it hurt my head to hear it hit the wall behind.

     The Doctor recognized the fear in Mom’s eyes and told Mom to put me on the exam table. It was so cold. He was very nice. Mom said a bunch of stuff I did not understand to him. When she was done he came over to talk to me. I did not know what was wrong but I was not scared.

     He bent over so I could see his smiling face. He told me that he wanted me to touch me chin to my chest. I tried for several seconds when he told me it was ok, I could do it for him later. Several minutes later people were all around me taking me to a room. I don’t remember much until it was night and I was not in my body.

     I remember a very bright light. I was told that this was just a hug before I got back to work. I really did not want to come back to the pain. God said something that made it ok. After that I was willing to go back. I think the other two times were to remind me about Heaven. Sort of a booster shot of Heaven. I was not greeted by relatives. I was not accompanied by Angels. I did float for a second, before I was suddenly just there in Heaven. It was a beautiful white room. It felt like a waiting room. I was not a kid in Heaven, but a young adult all of my visits. I felt infused with Love.

     The next thing I remember was waking up still not able to move my neck. I had boards on my arms to keep them straight where the IV lines went in to my veins. My Mom was asleep in a chair next to my bed. I could move again in a couple of days.

     Some common threads about these experiences are Talking to God, Jesus, or Angels. There is a very bright light, that under other conditions would be blinding. Floating above their own bodies is common. There are often Relatives coming as escorts. There is speaking without talking. There is a great sense of being surrounded by Love. A tunnel is common in many recountings. Because we are talking with returned folks there is commonly a message conveyed that the person should go back. There is a sense that they are needed back in their bodies. Sometimes there is a renewed sense of purpose, faith, and Love for others. All people who have these things happen have changes in the life they lead after they recover.

     There are also some less common things. Some remember being told something specific. Or they are given a Mission to work on. Some see past the tunnel. Descriptions vary, but peacefulness, love, and harmony are common. Music is very common. I know that all of them might have seen something different because they were in a different part of Heaven.

     Many people live their lives differently because they no longer fear death. To know Heaven is there waiting definitely changes your focus in life. I think part of the reason God has people go back is to let others know from being told that Heaven is real.

     In my entire life I have never feared death. I tried to tell people about what I saw when they were dying. I told them that I knew it was there. I told them that their pain would go away. I told them that they would see their family and friends. I reassured them that pets and other animals would be there. I told them that there was great music, and beauty. No one in Heaven needs to worry about hunger, suffering, or persecution. It seemed to help some people. There were a few that insisted that they did not believe me. I tried that was all I could do.

     I have been sent children that had lost Grandparents or a beloved pet to death. Their parents often had not taken time to comfort them. The parents were too tied up in their own grief. In some cases the pets were regarded as oh well, they died. Some kids knew what I talked about. It was fun. They said they remembered now. They said they had just forgotten a little about Heaven. I was more gratified by the kids, because they had not built the walls of disbelief yet.

     I think it is wonderful that Kids remember Heaven and God. There are verses in the Reconciler that speak of the Wisdom of a seven day old and children in general. I know that God speaks through them often, if we will just listen.

     RGoT Verse 4 Jesus said, “ An old person who dares to see the Wisdom in the eyes of a seven day old infant will know how to know Heaven, and be born again. Many who are first will be last by service to The One.”

     RGoT Verse 20 The Disciples said to Jesus, “What is Heaven like?”

     Jesus told them, “A seed like a mustard seed that falls on fertile cleared soil, like the mind of a three year old child will produce a great plant. Growing in the light and beauty of The One to maturity becomes shelter to all the souls that like birds fill the sky.”

     May you all have the Faith and innocence of a child. You are all Children of God. Take care of Each Other.

God Bless the Whole World no Exceptions.

Angel

     The Question of where the Dead go has been with us as long as there has been the concept of an Afterlife. The discussion about where Heaven and Hell are located have been with us as long as there have been those concepts.

     In many Mainstream Christian teachings there are very distinct locals. It boiled down to a simple idea. Heaven is up and Hell is down. The Thomas Tradition has had a different way of identifying the locations. It is a simply concept if you look at the World through observing eyes.

     There were many reasons Mainstream Christianity identified their teaching’s locations of Heaven and Hell. There was the idea of Dead People being underground. The Jewish tradition saw the place of the dead as being an underground waiting room of sorts. It was called Sheol. It was where the dead waited until Judgment Day. There was no suffering per se.

     This became the place where Hell was. It was not with God so it was Hell. If you were with God you must be in Heaven. There were several instances of Servants of God going directly to Heaven. There was Moses, and Elijah. They had to have assistance from Angels to get to Heaven.

     Since Angels were seen as having wings, it followed that they needed wings to get back to Heaven. So Heaven was the up. Up was in the Sky, unreachable. God had to send Angels to collect you if you were to be able to get to Heaven.

     This of course led to the proverbial Tower of Babel. To reach Heaven you needed to build a tower tall enough to get to Heaven. They failed of course, because it is not up to people to demand access to Heaven.

     The other reason that Hell was relegated as Down. The story of the fall of “The Morning Star”, otherwise known as Lucifer and Satan. That there was a fall described Heaven must be up and Hell down.

     The Gospel of Thomas has verses that have been called cryptic by Trinitarian Scholars. When the stories were told explaining where Heaven and Hell were located they were in agreement with the verses 3 and 113. Here they are. I have highlighted the most pertinent sections.