michaelottministries.podomatic.com
I have shared this story with a few people over the years and have put off sharing it publicly for quite some time. It is because the mission that was given to me was to share love with all who will hear. Back in 2010 Jesus sat on my bed and told me to go share his love for people with everyone I meet. That has been my mission so I have stuck to that message. I have had many people ask me to share about my time in heaven and I have put it off time and time again. I did not want that to become the focus of my ministry and I didn't want to lose track of my assignment and go off on a different trail than the one I was assigned to.
Lately I have sought the Lord to see if now was the time to share this part of my story and I was given the green light to do so. I will share the story to demonstrate the love that God has for each of you. There is so much more that I can't share at this time but I will tell my story and stick to my assignment at the same time. I decided to call this message “Heaven on Hold”
I'll begin by saying that I have had many encounters with heaven in my life. I don't remember a day in my life when I didn't pray and talk to Jesus as if he were my best friend because he is. Even before I was born again I knew him and he knew me and we loved each other. Then I had my first life changing encounter.
When I was a child I didn't just walk down the aisle at my church and then get baptized. I was radically changed. I can take you back to the little Baptist Church and to the very pew I was sitting in when I was born again. I remember the song they were singing and can still smell the perfume of the elderly lady who sat in front of me. It was if the very love of God surrounded me and engulfed me. His presence was so strong that I couldn't sit still. I was trying to be tough like all little boys do. I resisted and resisted but I couldn't help myself. I found myself standing in front of that preacher begging to understand what was happening to me. I think they were shocked. Even though they were holding what they call a “revival” I don't think they really expected anyone to be revived.
I remember for days after that encounter my Dad pulling me aside and talking to me. I had such peace and such love and my life and my personality totally changed. I was overflowing with great joy. He even took me back to the church and spoke to our pastor who had no answers. He asked the pastor why I had changed so drastically and the pastor told him not to worry it would probably wear off in a few days and I would be normal again. Well it's been forty five years and I am still not normal. Sometimes when I go back to my childhood home I go to that church and sit in the parking lot and worship and weep. I'll never forget that day. Not ever.
I could tell you many stories of other encounters I have had in my life but for the sake of time I will try to get on to the encounter everyone asks me about. It was my first trip to heaven. I've had a few since but they are for another time. It was a time in my life when I was struggling. I was working too much and too far in debt. I was under great stress and was fighting the call of God on my life. Holy Spirit was leading me to go into ministry but I had too many bills to pay and at that time didn't have the faith to trust him to make a way for me.
I had a job in an automobile dealership. It was very stressful. I was working the wholesale parts counter where I had several phone lines that rang constantly. I could never catch up. There was always more to do than I could get to but I had to keep working to make a living. The commission we got paid was very low so if I didn't sell, sell, sell I wouldn't make a bonus check. I became very ill and began having high blood pressure. My doctor told me my job was killing me so I decided to change jobs. I went to work in a body shop but it was no better. The stress was just as bad.
So one day I found myself at my doctor's office and couldn't remember how I got there. They gave me medicine in the waiting room because they thought I was about to have a stroke. The nurse said she couldn't believe my blood pressure was that high and I didn't die. When I finally got back outside I found my truck in the parking lot running and the driver's door was open. I had no recollection of how I got there. By the grace of God my truck was still there and no one stole it. I guess they thought it was one of those bait cars the police put out just to see if someone steals it.
So I went and got the prescriptions filled that the doctor gave me. His instructions were to take one pill in the morning and another when I got home at night. So the next morning I did as I was instructed and I took the first pill. I struggled all day and was so tired. It seemed as if my heart was not getting me enough blood to keep moving. It felt like I was walking through deep water. My legs felt so heavy and I struggled to keep moving. I called the doctor's office and they said that was normal until I got adjusted to the medicine. I struggled through the day and finally got home around seven o'clock that evening and was totally exhausted. I decided to take the pill right before bedtime.
As I was getting ready for bed I took the second pill and crawled into my bed and within a few moments I knew something was wrong. I felt my heartbeat getting weaker and weaker and it started slowing down and the beats got fewer and fewer. My heart was skipping and missing beats. Beat, beat skip, beat, skip, skip, beat skip. It only took a few more minutes and I knew I was in bad trouble. I lived out in the country miles from town. I knew calling for help was not the answer. They would never get there in time.
I felt this strange peace come over me and I really thought it was over and I was right. I started timing my pulse rate by holding my wrist and looking at my watch. Finally I could not hold my arm up to look at my watch because my arm became so tired and weak. My heart got slower and slower and then this great pain hit me. It felt like someone stabbing me in the chest. I grabbed my chest and cried “Jesus” and it was over.
One thing I would like to say to all believers is to never fear death. You will find it to be the most pleasurable event ever. As soon as the lights went out in my eyes my true eyes came on. Suddenly I was in this tunnel of light. I could see glory at the other end. I as not walking but was being carried by the light to the light. It seemed like just an instant and yet it seemed like eternity. It would not have mattered to me because even though I wasn't fully in heaven yet this place sure seemed like heaven to me.
The music. The glorious music.
I have shared this story with a few people over the years and have put off sharing it publicly for quite some time. It is because the mission that was given to me was to share love with all who will hear. Back in 2010 Jesus sat on my bed and told me to go share his love for people with everyone I meet. That has been my mission so I have stuck to that message. I have had many people ask me to share about my time in heaven and I have put it off time and time again. I did not want that to become the focus of my ministry and I didn't want to lose track of my assignment and go off on a different trail than the one I was assigned to.
Lately I have sought the Lord to see if now was the time to share this part of my story and I was given the green light to do so. I will share the story to demonstrate the love that God has for each of you. There is so much more that I can't share at this time but I will tell my story and stick to my assignment at the same time. I decided to call this message “Heaven on Hold”
I'll begin by saying that I have had many encounters with heaven in my life. I don't remember a day in my life when I didn't pray and talk to Jesus as if he were my best friend because he is. Even before I was born again I knew him and he knew me and we loved each other. Then I had my first life changing encounter.
When I was a child I didn't just walk down the aisle at my church and then get baptized. I was radically changed. I can take you back to the little Baptist Church and to the very pew I was sitting in when I was born again. I remember the song they were singing and can still smell the perfume of the elderly lady who sat in front of me. It was if the very love of God surrounded me and engulfed me. His presence was so strong that I couldn't sit still. I was trying to be tough like all little boys do. I resisted and resisted but I couldn't help myself. I found myself standing in front of that preacher begging to understand what was happening to me. I think they were shocked. Even though they were holding what they call a “revival” I don't think they really expected anyone to be revived.
I remember for days after that encounter my Dad pulling me aside and talking to me. I had such peace and such love and my life and my personality totally changed. I was overflowing with great joy. He even took me back to the church and spoke to our pastor who had no answers. He asked the pastor why I had changed so drastically and the pastor told him not to worry it would probably wear off in a few days and I would be normal again. Well it's been forty five years and I am still not normal. Sometimes when I go back to my childhood home I go to that church and sit in the parking lot and worship and weep. I'll never forget that day. Not ever.
I could tell you many stories of other encounters I have had in my life but for the sake of time I will try to get on to the encounter everyone asks me about. It was my first trip to heaven. I've had a few since but they are for another time. It was a time in my life when I was struggling. I was working too much and too far in debt. I was under great stress and was fighting the call of God on my life. Holy Spirit was leading me to go into ministry but I had too many bills to pay and at that time didn't have the faith to trust him to make a way for me.
I had a job in an automobile dealership. It was very stressful. I was working the wholesale parts counter where I had several phone lines that rang constantly. I could never catch up. There was always more to do than I could get to but I had to keep working to make a living. The commission we got paid was very low so if I didn't sell, sell, sell I wouldn't make a bonus check. I became very ill and began having high blood pressure. My doctor told me my job was killing me so I decided to change jobs. I went to work in a body shop but it was no better. The stress was just as bad.
So one day I found myself at my doctor's office and couldn't remember how I got there. They gave me medicine in the waiting room because they thought I was about to have a stroke. The nurse said she couldn't believe my blood pressure was that high and I didn't die. When I finally got back outside I found my truck in the parking lot running and the driver's door was open. I had no recollection of how I got there. By the grace of God my truck was still there and no one stole it. I guess they thought it was one of those bait cars the police put out just to see if someone steals it.
So I went and got the prescriptions filled that the doctor gave me. His instructions were to take one pill in the morning and another when I got home at night. So the next morning I did as I was instructed and I took the first pill. I struggled all day and was so tired. It seemed as if my heart was not getting me enough blood to keep moving. It felt like I was walking through deep water. My legs felt so heavy and I struggled to keep moving. I called the doctor's office and they said that was normal until I got adjusted to the medicine. I struggled through the day and finally got home around seven o'clock that evening and was totally exhausted. I decided to take the pill right before bedtime.
As I was getting ready for bed I took the second pill and crawled into my bed and within a few moments I knew something was wrong. I felt my heartbeat getting weaker and weaker and it started slowing down and the beats got fewer and fewer. My heart was skipping and missing beats. Beat, beat skip, beat, skip, skip, beat skip. It only took a few more minutes and I knew I was in bad trouble. I lived out in the country miles from town. I knew calling for help was not the answer. They would never get there in time.
I felt this strange peace come over me and I really thought it was over and I was right. I started timing my pulse rate by holding my wrist and looking at my watch. Finally I could not hold my arm up to look at my watch because my arm became so tired and weak. My heart got slower and slower and then this great pain hit me. It felt like someone stabbing me in the chest. I grabbed my chest and cried “Jesus” and it was over.
One thing I would like to say to all believers is to never fear death. You will find it to be the most pleasurable event ever. As soon as the lights went out in my eyes my true eyes came on. Suddenly I was in this tunnel of light. I could see glory at the other end. I as not walking but was being carried by the light to the light. It seemed like just an instant and yet it seemed like eternity. It would not have mattered to me because even though I wasn't fully in heaven yet this place sure seemed like heaven to me.
The music. The glorious music.
I was born into a musical family. We played music out our house for as long as I can remember. My Dad played guitar as well as my brother and I, and our sisters play and sing also. Many of our relatives and friends would play music on the front porch of the house we grew up in. So I always loved playing and singing and writing songs. I had heard many talented musicians but there was nothing that prepared me for what I heard while in that tunnel of light.
I will try to describe what music is in heaven or at least how I experienced it. In heaven music is liquid and it is light and it is sound and it is smell and it is color. It has taste and it has warmth. When you hear a song you can hear each note of each instrument individually and together. You can hear a million instruments at once or you can hear a single note on one instrument. While in the tunnel I heard the most beautiful orchestras playing the prettiest song I ever heard. It sounded like millions of instruments all in perfect tune and perfect rhythm. I heard two orchestras playing that were separated by a distance. Finally true stereo. Yay! One orchestra would play the notes and the other would echo those notes as if to answer. It was if the songs were talking to each other. As the first song ended the last note of the song lingered in my ear a moment and I watched it fall out of my ear towards the bottom of the tunnel. The note was like a tiny crystal or diamond. It was so bright. When it hit the bottom it made a sound like a splash cymbal that a drummer plays.
As the next song started a wave of beautiful light came with the sound as well as the most beautiful aroma. I could see the notes and hear the notes and taste them and smell them. Suddenly I began to vibrate all over and my being became an instrument. I began to create a sound that came from me that added sound to the song. I was not playing the song. The song was playing me. For the first time ever I wasn't playing music. I was music. I could have stayed here forever and been full of joy for eternity but the light was drawing me closer and I was getting close to the end of the tunnel.
I always expected that when I went to heaven I would find a city that the scripture talks about. Maybe he didn't let me see it or the throne because I may not have come back. As soon as I was out of the tunnel I found myself in heaven's countryside. Being a country boy this was heaven to me already. I was standing under a beautiful tree by a river and along a walkway. There were flowers everywhere and to my surprise they were singing and dancing on their stems. I couldn't help myself. I reached down and picked a flower and I said “you are beautiful.” The flower said “thanks for picking me.” Suddenly it hit me that maybe I didn't have the right to pick flowers since they don't belong to me. I said “what do I do?” the flower said “just put me back on my stem. So I did and the flower went back to singing and dancing. I was amazed that the flower could speak to me in my mind and the flower told me that all things there communicate. It was once that way here in the garden of Eden.
Suddenly the tree that I was under started moving. It reached it's branches towards the sky and proclaimed in a loud voice “He's coming! Somehow I didn't have to ask who. I knew who was coming. The tree said that it loved being planted by the stream and the walkway because Jesus walks this way often and it's an honor to get to worship him as he walks by. I was amazed. I looked to see which way that Jesus was coming but before I could find him he appeared in front of me. I was so amazed. I have never felt so much love in my life.
I can't begin to describe what it feels like to be completely swallowed by his love. He looked me right in the eyes and I felt like I was melting. He asked me a question. He said “are you staying or going back?” I stuttered as I spoke. It doesn't matter if you are on earth or in heaven, Jesus is glorious and stuttering while speaking to him is very common. I said “I, I, I, I have a choice?” He said “yes, it's not your time to be here but all my children are welcome in my home. If you come to me I will in no wise cast you out.” I asked if I could look around just a while before I decided. He said that I only had a short time and he would be back for my answer.
Suddenly he disappeared and I was once again talking to the flowers and the trees as I listened to the water and the rocks sing in the river. Everything in heaven sings. Everything there is alive and you can communicate freely there. Not really with words but spirit to spirit. I looked down the path to my left and it went over a hill and I knew this path led to the city and to the throne. I don't know how I knew but I knew. It's like I had lived there forever.
In heaven your senses are so much greater and I sensed family and friends that have already passed on. They were there waiting over the hill to see if I was staying or not. I guess they were told not to greet me yet. I could sense them and I knew who they were even the ones who passed on before I was born. I knew them. As the scripture says "we will know as we are known". It was one of the most wonderful things he did for me. One of my best childhood friends who passed away very young was there. I was so relieved. I had witnessed to him often in high school but he would never tell me if he had given his heart to Jesus. I had always hoped that he made it home safe.
There are so many things that happened in the short time that I stood there that if I wrote them down it would take years. In heaven you can put a million years into a second or you can stretch a second into a million years. The doctors told me later that the damage on my heart appeared that it had stopped for about three minutes but it seemed like I was there for ages.
Suddenly Jesus appeared to me one more time and asked if I had decided yet. I asked if I could please have just another moment to decide. He said that would be fine and told me he had something to teach me. I asked him to please teach me and he said “we don't use words here to transfer lots of information. We have a better way.” He reached into his heart and then put his hand on my chest and it seemed like he downloaded millions of pages of information into me. He told me these were date sensitive folders that would open in the appointed times and I would know without knowing and understand without learning. I have experienced this often since I've been back. I know when one of the files opens. I hear a little ringing sound inside.It is hard to explain but it sounds like a bell that you push at a counter to alert the clerk that you are there.
He then told me that he wanted to show me how much I am loved and how much we all are loved. I wasn't sure what was coming next and I never would have guessed. He reached out his hand and handed me a Nerf football. It was the one I got for Christmas when I was a child. I had asked for a real one but my Mama couldn't afford a real football. When you have twelve bothers and sisters things are pretty tight. It was all that I got that year because our family was rich in love but poor in money.
I'll never forget how we played with that ball all day on Christmas Day and right before dark I threw it and it got stuck up in a tall tree. I was so tired from playing all day that I didn't want to climb the tree and get it. I decided I would get up early the next day and climb the tree. Later that night the wind blew the ball out of the tree and my dog chewed it to pieces. I gathered all the pieces and tried to glue it back together and I got some of it but it wasn't much of a football after the dog had his way with it. I looked at the ball in wonder. I could still see the tooth marks from the dog on it. I looked at him amazed and just had one question. “How?”
He said "I have the ball and I have the dog." I was so excited. I said “you have my dog?” He said, “I have all your pets and all your toys and everything you ever loved.” Once again I was so amazed that I could only utter one word. I said “how?” He leaned over and whispered and said, “you know my Father?” I said “Yes sir.” He said “let me tell you a secret, He is God and he can do anything.”
I began to weep again and he told me to look to my left. When I did I saw my first bicycle that I had when I was a child. The last time I had seen it on earth we were moving and didn't take it with us because it was bent and broken from riding trails and jumping ramps and doing things that boys do. This bike was so special because of how I got it. When I was ten years old all my friends had bikes and they would go riding on Saturdays. They would ride all around the countryside where we lived and they would come by my house. I didn't have a bike but they would come by to see me.
Well one day my oldest brother, whom we affectionately call “Bud” saw that I was sad because I couldn't ride with them because I didn't have a bike so he said “let's build one.” So we went to the public dump. Back then it was just a pit dug into the ground way out in the country and when it got full they would cover it up with dirt and dig another pit. We dug around and around until we found about five or six old bicycles that were in really bad shape. We took them all home and he took all the parts and had enough to make one bike out of all the parts. It was about five or six different colors but I was excited to have a bike. I couldn't wait to ride it to school on Monday like all my friends. While I was asleep that night my brother went to town and bought red spray paint and spray on chrome. When I got up Sunday morning I had a shiny red bike with chrome wheels and chrome handle bars. It looked even better than my friends' bikes. I loved that bike and rode it until it was completely worn out.
These are just a couple of the many things he shared with me at that moment. I won't go into all of them because of the time it would take. But He disappeared once again and I knew I had to decide right then and there If I was staying in heaven or going home. So I looked as far as I could see in all directions. I looked up that the sky that was golden and had clouds made out of music that people were riding and dancing on. Sometimes a cloud would come down and you could hear the music in it. If the person really loved the tune the cloud would pick them up and take them for a ride. I looked at the trees and the grass that was alive and singing also.
Then came a shocker. I looked at myself. I was amazed because I could see all of me and could see into my own heart and I was looking to see if I had any sin. I was so amazed because I could not find any darkness in me. I felt so clean and so holy. I guess it all got sifted out and left behind in my body. It felt so good to be clean and it felt as if a million pounds were gone off of me. I felt so strong. As I was thinking I realized that I was unlimited there. There no such thing as hard there. No hard questions, no hard problems. Nothing to heavy to lift or to move. I felt like Superman times a million. I couldn't even remember what sin was. I just had a faint memory that maybe I did something wrong but I couldn't remember what it would be. It is not even possible there to remember any sin.
Then for some reason I looked behind me. I could see the tunnel I came through was still open. I saw my dead body on my bed. I saw my daughter asleep in her room. She was a young child at the time. Strange that as I was looking back into this world I could remember hurt and pain and sin but when looking into heaven it no longer existed.
Suddenly I thought about my little girl. I remember how my Dad was sick when I was young and had many strokes and he passed away when I was thirteen. I remembered what it felt like for him to be gone. I didn't want her to know what that feels like. I had all these emotions hitting me at once. I felt no guilt for sin but had this longing that I hadn't done what he called me to do.
When you stand before him you wonder what you had in life that was so important that you couldn't love with every bit of life in you while on the earth. I didn't regret one thing that I had done but I regretted all the things that I had left undone. Why didn't I spend every moment of my life serving him and serving others. Why didn't I rejoice in every moment I had on earth because our time here is so short? This was about the hardest thing I have ever done. I knew that I would have to come back and put heaven on hold.
Suddenly the tree once again exclaimed “He is coming!” and put his branches up again and began to worship. I turned around and Wonderful was there again. Wonderful is not just his name it's who he is. You will know when you see him and you will understand. Just his presence is heaven. He is so comforting and so gracious. He is Lord of all but still humble. You feel so safe and so much peace flowing from him. He is the Prince of Peace. It is not possible to fear when he is that close to you.
He smiled at me and asked me what I had been looking at inside me. I said. I was looking for sin. He said “ that doesn't exist here. My blood took it away.” I felt so silly, not convicted or ashamed but kind of silly for thinking that I could bring sin into heaven. We think we have been so bad in life but our mistakes are no match for his blood. Suddenly I realized the real me is not the one who fumbles and stumbles and clumsily wanders through the earth. The real me is born of God and does not commit sin. The real me is the Spirit being that is made in his image. My body is just a mechanical wrapper. The outer me is worn and weary. The inner me is alive forever more!
He asked me one more time “ Are you staying or going? I have to know now.” As if he didn't know already? He knows all things but it was my choice. I looked at him and said “ I have to go back my Lord.” He got a tear in his eye and I asked him did I hurt him or make him said. He looked me in the eye and said “ you would choose loving someone on earth above all these wonders and rewards?” I said “yes sir, for now I have to.” He wiped another tear and I said “my Lord and my God did I hurt you?” He smiled and said “no my son. You have chosen wisely. Always choose love over reward. Love is the reward. Always choose to walk in love and you will do well.”
He spoke to me once more and said “ all these things will be here when you get home. It isn't your time yet. I came and prepared a place for you. When it is you time I will come receive you to myself and you will be with me forever.” He looked at me with so much love that I cry each time I remember it.
Suddenly I was pulled backwards through the tunnel of light. I woke up violently and disgustingly ill. I was blue and freezing and still felt like I was dying. My heart was still skipping and hurting and I was dizzy and a mess. I will leave some of the details for another day about how he healed me and about all the encounters I have had since. That is another miracle in itself.
There is one thing I want you to know. Heaven is your home if you believe in him. You came from there and you will return there. One day you will see him face to face and you will feel true love for the first time in your life. You will know what unconditional love is and you will find that there is a God in heaven who loves you more than you can imagine. Please don't break his heart by not believing and not making it there. He loves you too much to lose you.
For those of you who are struggling. He knows. He understands and he will fix everything you give him to fix. If you have lost loved ones they are safe in him. They are riding clouds of music and dancing with trees and singing the songs of heaven. They are visiting with each other or worshiping and having a heavenly time.
I will try to describe what music is in heaven or at least how I experienced it. In heaven music is liquid and it is light and it is sound and it is smell and it is color. It has taste and it has warmth. When you hear a song you can hear each note of each instrument individually and together. You can hear a million instruments at once or you can hear a single note on one instrument. While in the tunnel I heard the most beautiful orchestras playing the prettiest song I ever heard. It sounded like millions of instruments all in perfect tune and perfect rhythm. I heard two orchestras playing that were separated by a distance. Finally true stereo. Yay! One orchestra would play the notes and the other would echo those notes as if to answer. It was if the songs were talking to each other. As the first song ended the last note of the song lingered in my ear a moment and I watched it fall out of my ear towards the bottom of the tunnel. The note was like a tiny crystal or diamond. It was so bright. When it hit the bottom it made a sound like a splash cymbal that a drummer plays.
As the next song started a wave of beautiful light came with the sound as well as the most beautiful aroma. I could see the notes and hear the notes and taste them and smell them. Suddenly I began to vibrate all over and my being became an instrument. I began to create a sound that came from me that added sound to the song. I was not playing the song. The song was playing me. For the first time ever I wasn't playing music. I was music. I could have stayed here forever and been full of joy for eternity but the light was drawing me closer and I was getting close to the end of the tunnel.
I always expected that when I went to heaven I would find a city that the scripture talks about. Maybe he didn't let me see it or the throne because I may not have come back. As soon as I was out of the tunnel I found myself in heaven's countryside. Being a country boy this was heaven to me already. I was standing under a beautiful tree by a river and along a walkway. There were flowers everywhere and to my surprise they were singing and dancing on their stems. I couldn't help myself. I reached down and picked a flower and I said “you are beautiful.” The flower said “thanks for picking me.” Suddenly it hit me that maybe I didn't have the right to pick flowers since they don't belong to me. I said “what do I do?” the flower said “just put me back on my stem. So I did and the flower went back to singing and dancing. I was amazed that the flower could speak to me in my mind and the flower told me that all things there communicate. It was once that way here in the garden of Eden.
Suddenly the tree that I was under started moving. It reached it's branches towards the sky and proclaimed in a loud voice “He's coming! Somehow I didn't have to ask who. I knew who was coming. The tree said that it loved being planted by the stream and the walkway because Jesus walks this way often and it's an honor to get to worship him as he walks by. I was amazed. I looked to see which way that Jesus was coming but before I could find him he appeared in front of me. I was so amazed. I have never felt so much love in my life.
I can't begin to describe what it feels like to be completely swallowed by his love. He looked me right in the eyes and I felt like I was melting. He asked me a question. He said “are you staying or going back?” I stuttered as I spoke. It doesn't matter if you are on earth or in heaven, Jesus is glorious and stuttering while speaking to him is very common. I said “I, I, I, I have a choice?” He said “yes, it's not your time to be here but all my children are welcome in my home. If you come to me I will in no wise cast you out.” I asked if I could look around just a while before I decided. He said that I only had a short time and he would be back for my answer.
Suddenly he disappeared and I was once again talking to the flowers and the trees as I listened to the water and the rocks sing in the river. Everything in heaven sings. Everything there is alive and you can communicate freely there. Not really with words but spirit to spirit. I looked down the path to my left and it went over a hill and I knew this path led to the city and to the throne. I don't know how I knew but I knew. It's like I had lived there forever.
In heaven your senses are so much greater and I sensed family and friends that have already passed on. They were there waiting over the hill to see if I was staying or not. I guess they were told not to greet me yet. I could sense them and I knew who they were even the ones who passed on before I was born. I knew them. As the scripture says "we will know as we are known". It was one of the most wonderful things he did for me. One of my best childhood friends who passed away very young was there. I was so relieved. I had witnessed to him often in high school but he would never tell me if he had given his heart to Jesus. I had always hoped that he made it home safe.
There are so many things that happened in the short time that I stood there that if I wrote them down it would take years. In heaven you can put a million years into a second or you can stretch a second into a million years. The doctors told me later that the damage on my heart appeared that it had stopped for about three minutes but it seemed like I was there for ages.
Suddenly Jesus appeared to me one more time and asked if I had decided yet. I asked if I could please have just another moment to decide. He said that would be fine and told me he had something to teach me. I asked him to please teach me and he said “we don't use words here to transfer lots of information. We have a better way.” He reached into his heart and then put his hand on my chest and it seemed like he downloaded millions of pages of information into me. He told me these were date sensitive folders that would open in the appointed times and I would know without knowing and understand without learning. I have experienced this often since I've been back. I know when one of the files opens. I hear a little ringing sound inside.It is hard to explain but it sounds like a bell that you push at a counter to alert the clerk that you are there.
He then told me that he wanted to show me how much I am loved and how much we all are loved. I wasn't sure what was coming next and I never would have guessed. He reached out his hand and handed me a Nerf football. It was the one I got for Christmas when I was a child. I had asked for a real one but my Mama couldn't afford a real football. When you have twelve bothers and sisters things are pretty tight. It was all that I got that year because our family was rich in love but poor in money.
I'll never forget how we played with that ball all day on Christmas Day and right before dark I threw it and it got stuck up in a tall tree. I was so tired from playing all day that I didn't want to climb the tree and get it. I decided I would get up early the next day and climb the tree. Later that night the wind blew the ball out of the tree and my dog chewed it to pieces. I gathered all the pieces and tried to glue it back together and I got some of it but it wasn't much of a football after the dog had his way with it. I looked at the ball in wonder. I could still see the tooth marks from the dog on it. I looked at him amazed and just had one question. “How?”
He said "I have the ball and I have the dog." I was so excited. I said “you have my dog?” He said, “I have all your pets and all your toys and everything you ever loved.” Once again I was so amazed that I could only utter one word. I said “how?” He leaned over and whispered and said, “you know my Father?” I said “Yes sir.” He said “let me tell you a secret, He is God and he can do anything.”
I began to weep again and he told me to look to my left. When I did I saw my first bicycle that I had when I was a child. The last time I had seen it on earth we were moving and didn't take it with us because it was bent and broken from riding trails and jumping ramps and doing things that boys do. This bike was so special because of how I got it. When I was ten years old all my friends had bikes and they would go riding on Saturdays. They would ride all around the countryside where we lived and they would come by my house. I didn't have a bike but they would come by to see me.
Well one day my oldest brother, whom we affectionately call “Bud” saw that I was sad because I couldn't ride with them because I didn't have a bike so he said “let's build one.” So we went to the public dump. Back then it was just a pit dug into the ground way out in the country and when it got full they would cover it up with dirt and dig another pit. We dug around and around until we found about five or six old bicycles that were in really bad shape. We took them all home and he took all the parts and had enough to make one bike out of all the parts. It was about five or six different colors but I was excited to have a bike. I couldn't wait to ride it to school on Monday like all my friends. While I was asleep that night my brother went to town and bought red spray paint and spray on chrome. When I got up Sunday morning I had a shiny red bike with chrome wheels and chrome handle bars. It looked even better than my friends' bikes. I loved that bike and rode it until it was completely worn out.
These are just a couple of the many things he shared with me at that moment. I won't go into all of them because of the time it would take. But He disappeared once again and I knew I had to decide right then and there If I was staying in heaven or going home. So I looked as far as I could see in all directions. I looked up that the sky that was golden and had clouds made out of music that people were riding and dancing on. Sometimes a cloud would come down and you could hear the music in it. If the person really loved the tune the cloud would pick them up and take them for a ride. I looked at the trees and the grass that was alive and singing also.
Then came a shocker. I looked at myself. I was amazed because I could see all of me and could see into my own heart and I was looking to see if I had any sin. I was so amazed because I could not find any darkness in me. I felt so clean and so holy. I guess it all got sifted out and left behind in my body. It felt so good to be clean and it felt as if a million pounds were gone off of me. I felt so strong. As I was thinking I realized that I was unlimited there. There no such thing as hard there. No hard questions, no hard problems. Nothing to heavy to lift or to move. I felt like Superman times a million. I couldn't even remember what sin was. I just had a faint memory that maybe I did something wrong but I couldn't remember what it would be. It is not even possible there to remember any sin.
Then for some reason I looked behind me. I could see the tunnel I came through was still open. I saw my dead body on my bed. I saw my daughter asleep in her room. She was a young child at the time. Strange that as I was looking back into this world I could remember hurt and pain and sin but when looking into heaven it no longer existed.
Suddenly I thought about my little girl. I remember how my Dad was sick when I was young and had many strokes and he passed away when I was thirteen. I remembered what it felt like for him to be gone. I didn't want her to know what that feels like. I had all these emotions hitting me at once. I felt no guilt for sin but had this longing that I hadn't done what he called me to do.
When you stand before him you wonder what you had in life that was so important that you couldn't love with every bit of life in you while on the earth. I didn't regret one thing that I had done but I regretted all the things that I had left undone. Why didn't I spend every moment of my life serving him and serving others. Why didn't I rejoice in every moment I had on earth because our time here is so short? This was about the hardest thing I have ever done. I knew that I would have to come back and put heaven on hold.
Suddenly the tree once again exclaimed “He is coming!” and put his branches up again and began to worship. I turned around and Wonderful was there again. Wonderful is not just his name it's who he is. You will know when you see him and you will understand. Just his presence is heaven. He is so comforting and so gracious. He is Lord of all but still humble. You feel so safe and so much peace flowing from him. He is the Prince of Peace. It is not possible to fear when he is that close to you.
He smiled at me and asked me what I had been looking at inside me. I said. I was looking for sin. He said “ that doesn't exist here. My blood took it away.” I felt so silly, not convicted or ashamed but kind of silly for thinking that I could bring sin into heaven. We think we have been so bad in life but our mistakes are no match for his blood. Suddenly I realized the real me is not the one who fumbles and stumbles and clumsily wanders through the earth. The real me is born of God and does not commit sin. The real me is the Spirit being that is made in his image. My body is just a mechanical wrapper. The outer me is worn and weary. The inner me is alive forever more!
He asked me one more time “ Are you staying or going? I have to know now.” As if he didn't know already? He knows all things but it was my choice. I looked at him and said “ I have to go back my Lord.” He got a tear in his eye and I asked him did I hurt him or make him said. He looked me in the eye and said “ you would choose loving someone on earth above all these wonders and rewards?” I said “yes sir, for now I have to.” He wiped another tear and I said “my Lord and my God did I hurt you?” He smiled and said “no my son. You have chosen wisely. Always choose love over reward. Love is the reward. Always choose to walk in love and you will do well.”
He spoke to me once more and said “ all these things will be here when you get home. It isn't your time yet. I came and prepared a place for you. When it is you time I will come receive you to myself and you will be with me forever.” He looked at me with so much love that I cry each time I remember it.
Suddenly I was pulled backwards through the tunnel of light. I woke up violently and disgustingly ill. I was blue and freezing and still felt like I was dying. My heart was still skipping and hurting and I was dizzy and a mess. I will leave some of the details for another day about how he healed me and about all the encounters I have had since. That is another miracle in itself.
There is one thing I want you to know. Heaven is your home if you believe in him. You came from there and you will return there. One day you will see him face to face and you will feel true love for the first time in your life. You will know what unconditional love is and you will find that there is a God in heaven who loves you more than you can imagine. Please don't break his heart by not believing and not making it there. He loves you too much to lose you.
For those of you who are struggling. He knows. He understands and he will fix everything you give him to fix. If you have lost loved ones they are safe in him. They are riding clouds of music and dancing with trees and singing the songs of heaven. They are visiting with each other or worshiping and having a heavenly time.
First Thessalonians Chapter Four says that when Jesus comes he will “bring with him” those who have fallen asleep. It doesn't say come get them. It says bring with him. Their bodies are in the dust but their spirits are alive and with him. That's why it says the dead in Christ will rise first. They are not in the grave. They are “in Christ.” When that day comes we will meet them in the heavenly realm. The bible says that if you believe on him then you have already passed from death into life. You are already living as an everlasting being.
For those who believe their loved ones are just sleeping until the resurrection, think again. Remember the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Think about how Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus. We don't know about Elijah but the scriptures tell us that Moses died. Yet he appeared with Jesus on the mountain. Think about the captives that Jesus went and preached to and brought them out with him when he was resurrected. He didn't go grave to grave to preach to dead bodies. He went into Sheol and preached to living spirits. So be comforted and know that your loved ones are safe and are experiencing great joy at all times. They are with him and not asleep in some cemetery.
No more sadness. Live, love and be joyful. Rejoice with all your heart. We will all be home one day if he hasn't returned and brought everyone with him. It will be a glorious day when heaven comes to earth to stay and heaven and earth are completely one.
To finish up this part of my story. As a songwriter I try to write a song for each major encounter or lesson that I receive from him. I encourage each of you to write something down each time you hear his voice or experience him in a great way. This way when the devil comes to tell you that it was all in your head and you just dreamed it up you can say. “It is written, on this date I had this encounter so take your lies on down the road and leave me alone.” So I wrote a song to commemorate my trip to heaven. It's called. Which Side of That River. For those of you reading this on my blog there will be a link to click at the bottom of the page to hear it. For those listening on the podcast it will play right after I'm done.
Thanks to all of you. I hope you know that you are a treasure to me and to your Lord. I love sharing this journey with you. Thank you so much for all of you who are praying for me. I feel your prayers and they are so appreciated.
I hope you were encouraged by these words.
So until next time,
Grow Rich in His Grace,
I love you all,
michael
Here is the link to the song:
For those who believe their loved ones are just sleeping until the resurrection, think again. Remember the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Think about how Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus. We don't know about Elijah but the scriptures tell us that Moses died. Yet he appeared with Jesus on the mountain. Think about the captives that Jesus went and preached to and brought them out with him when he was resurrected. He didn't go grave to grave to preach to dead bodies. He went into Sheol and preached to living spirits. So be comforted and know that your loved ones are safe and are experiencing great joy at all times. They are with him and not asleep in some cemetery.
No more sadness. Live, love and be joyful. Rejoice with all your heart. We will all be home one day if he hasn't returned and brought everyone with him. It will be a glorious day when heaven comes to earth to stay and heaven and earth are completely one.
To finish up this part of my story. As a songwriter I try to write a song for each major encounter or lesson that I receive from him. I encourage each of you to write something down each time you hear his voice or experience him in a great way. This way when the devil comes to tell you that it was all in your head and you just dreamed it up you can say. “It is written, on this date I had this encounter so take your lies on down the road and leave me alone.” So I wrote a song to commemorate my trip to heaven. It's called. Which Side of That River. For those of you reading this on my blog there will be a link to click at the bottom of the page to hear it. For those listening on the podcast it will play right after I'm done.
Thanks to all of you. I hope you know that you are a treasure to me and to your Lord. I love sharing this journey with you. Thank you so much for all of you who are praying for me. I feel your prayers and they are so appreciated.
I hope you were encouraged by these words.
So until next time,
Grow Rich in His Grace,
I love you all,
michael
Here is the link to the song:
Which Side of That River
For more information please click the links below:
michaelottministries.org
For more information please click the links below:
michaelottministries.org
