Encounter With Heaven

Todd Bentley

Canada

edited by Kathy Thorne

Part 1

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”—Hebrews 12:1. [emphasis mine]

I was just a kid when, over twenty-five years ago, the compelling movie Chariots of Fire came on the scene featuring Eric Liddell, the “Flying Scotsman.” The movie depicted how Liddell overcame intense pressure from both the political arena (the Prince of Wales) and the general public to run an Olympic race on a Sunday, the day which he always dedicated solely to the Lord. To keep his covenant he had to withdraw from the men’s 100 meters, his best race!

Yet that wasn’t the only battle Liddell faced. More pressure came from an unexpected source, his beloved sister. She worried that he was so dedicated to running that he was forgetting their spiritual mission. Inspired, he explained to her: “I believe that God made me for a purpose . . . (missionary work), but He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure.”

Imagine! “When I run, I feel His pleasure!” He had divine knowledge or revelation that when he ran he brought pleasure to God . . . and he felt that pleasure. Talk about an encounter with heaven! He experienced God’s presence in the race! What’s more, not only did Eric Liddell press in to win the prize in his spiritual high calling by being an overcomer, he also won two Olympic medals—one gold and one bronze. A double, no a triple – blessing!

Friends! Just like Eric Liddell, God created each one of you to be champions in the race that He has set before you. He wants you to receive the “gold”—His presence and His pleasure, that says, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matt. 25:21). Think about that. Eric Liddell had the right heart before God and he entered into the joy of the Lord because of it.

UNCHANGEABLE GOD

Yes . . . having the right heart brings God’s pleasure and His presence. Jesus Christ spoke about this to His disciples when He said:

“The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him]” (Jn. 14:21 Amplified).

That is a promise that God gives! He says that if you love Him and keep His commandments, He will manifest Himself to you! How will He manifest Himself? It might be through a dream, in a vision, in a prophetic experience, in the Word of God, divine knowledge or revelation (like Eric Liddell, for example), or through the gifts of the Spirit—“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets” (Heb. 1:1).

But let’s not limit God only to those examples. Listen. He will also come bodily. Remember, after Jesus died and rose again, He spent forty days in His resurrected body on the earth teaching His disciples. According to God’s Word, Jesus is the same today, yesterday, and forever (Heb. 13:8). Do you believe that promise? Do you believe that Jesus actually is the same today as He was yesterday? The fact is, God doesn’t change His mind—“The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind” (Heb. 7:21 RSV).

Since God manifests Himself in diverse ways and He does not change, the full impact of that truth can potentially rock your entire world! Ponder this . . . because the Lord is the same today, yesterday, and forever, just imagine the possibilities of what God can do in your life TODAY. He is the same today as He was yesterday! Friends, it is possible that Jesus will come to us the same way that He did before—bodily. So let’s stir up our faith!

Now I want you to think about how God turned the apostles’ lives upside down two thousand years ago. Consider what happened to Peter. He fell into a trance and had a vision in which God revealed something so immense it revolutionized the advancement of the whole Gospel (Acts 10:9–33). Yet don’t miss this—Peter fell into a trance! Do you know what a trance is? A trance is a dream-like state but you are awake. Look! If Peter can fall into a trance, you and I can fall into a trance. We need to have faith today that God is the ever-living, unchangeable God! If it’s in the Bible, it can happen! The Holy Spirit is here and He is just as real for you and me today as He was for Peter and the other early disciples.

Look at Ezekiel. He was taken up by his hair (Ez. 8:3) and at times he was carried in the spirit to various places (11:1; 37:1; 40:1, 2). If God wills it, you and I can be carried in the spirit too. What about Elijah! Scripture says that he was a man just like you and me, but he prayed hard that it would not rain and it didn’t, for over three years (James 5:17). If God can come and work mighty miracles through Elijah like that, He can work mighty miracles through you too! Then there’s the apostle Paul!

HEAVEN IS REAL

I could go on and on; but just know this. Every great man and woman [in God’s eyes] that He has ever used throughout history is as great as you are. They received the grace of God because their heart was right with Him and in His grace God chose to visit them. For us, today, we are blessed because God in His grace has chosen to give us His precious word. What’s more, God in His grace has given us His Holy Spirit.

One main reason that God gave us the Holy Spirit is so that He would live in us and that we could then connect with Him as He exists in heaven now. When I received a revelation from the Holy Spirit about this connection—heaven invading earth—I ascended new levels in my walk with the Lord. What hit me, and to this day remains one of the most significant aspects of the whole ministry of the Gospel, was the instruction from Jesus to His disciples—“In this manner, therefore, pray . . . Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:9, 10). Jesus said that when you pray, “pray Your kingdom come.” In other words, He was saying that it’s not yet on earth as it is in heaven, so when you pray, pray that it will be on earth as it is in heaven!

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray like that, He was actually revealing the secret to having the power come. It wasn’t necessarily just by fasting and it isn’t necessarily by all the great things we learn in training seminars and five-step models. He said when you pray, pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” It’s a “now” word—Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven NOW.

What would it be like if you were in heaven right now? What would you expect to see if you were in heaven right now? Would you have any problem with seeing the apostle Paul? How about Abraham? How about family members and loved ones that have gone on to heaven? Is there a cloud of witnesses as the Bible describes (Heb. 12:1) or is there not a cloud of witnesses? I mean, is heaven real? Are there mansions with streets that are golden in heaven? Are there angels? Are there gems? What is the glory of God like?

Remember, Jesus said when you pray, pray Your kingdom come, because it’s not on earth as it is in heaven yet. But Jesus wants it to be! Impossible? No! I believe there is an open door. I believe we can come boldly by the blood of Jesus before God’s throne of grace. I’m saying that heavenly encounters are possible; experiencing Jesus is possible; revelation of the Lord is possible. Dreams are real, visions are real, heavenly encounters are real. God is a living God. He said, “My sheep hear My voice” (Jn. 10:27). He speaks to His people!

Heaven is my inheritance and if I wasn’t in my physical body, where would I be? I’d be in heaven: absent from the body, present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). Yet, I believe heaven is something that we can experience now. Jesus came preaching the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt. 4:17). The kingdom of God is within in you (Luke 17:21). It’s “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). Surely these scriptures tell us that heaven is close enough for us to discern it!

Let’s keep pressing in. There is another realm called the invisible realm. God created an invisible spiritual realm. One part of that realm includes principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). It’s a realm in which we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood but against demonic powers. So why would God create a realm that is invisible? One answer is because God wants to enlighten the eyes of your understanding and give you eyes to see into that invisible realm (Eph. 1:18).

Friends, I want you to understand today that even though we can’t see heaven with our natural eyes, heaven is real! In fact, it’s more real to me today than it’s ever been. I’m saying this because I have been there! I have been taken into heaven.

IF IT'S IN THE BIBLE, IT'S FOR US!

Why is it in the church today that we struggle when somebody says that he or she has been to heaven or they’ve had an encounter with Jesus face to face? Listen! God doesn’t have anybody else to visit but you and me! The great saints of old like Abraham, Elijah, Moses, and Paul aren’t here. Neither are more recent saints like John G. Lake and Smith Wigglesworth alive anymore. So if God can’t visit them supernaturally here, whom do you think He is going to visit? He is the same yesterday, today and forever . . . remember? Why should it be any different for us if God wills to come in His grace and reveal Himself just as He revealed Himself to any other saint that we read about in the Bible? It’s you and I who are alive today, and it’s you and I who will bring in the second coming of Jesus Christ.

In fact, we actually build upon what those previous godly generations gave us. If something was possible for them, then it’s possible for us, too. Look at this. The apostle Paul spoke about someone he knew who was caught up into the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2). Is there anything stopping us from daring to believe that God will bring us into the third heaven, too? Think about that.

HEAVENLY ENCOUNTERS

Before I speak more about the third heaven, I want to say that as I pursue the Lord it’s the cry of my heart to know Him intimately; to know Jesus Christ more and the power of His resurrection more. Essentially, the whole ministry of Jesus (for me) was a model of what it was like to be a son of the Father and to have a relationship with the Father. Today it’s as if He is saying to us: “Here is what it looks like and this is what I want you to have, because you’re My sons and daughters.” That love relationship is the model of Jesus!

Friends, it’s because of my Father-son relationship with God that He has taken me into real, tangible, encounters with Him; encounters that I liken to the disciples’ Road to Emmaus experience (Luke 24:13–34). In those encounters, the Lord was as real to me as He was to those early disciples when He was alive for forty days after His resurrection. The encounters I have experienced were, and are, totally rooted and grounded on the Word of God. Look. If something is outside of the scriptures, we can’t say it’s from the Lord. But if it’s in the Bible, I’m hungry for it. We can only limit God with the boundaries of Scripture.

So, let’s dig into the scriptures right now! Since I mentioned earlier that the apostle Paul said he knew a man who was taken into the third heaven, let’s examine what Paul said about that encounter in Second Corinthians 12, verses 1–4. [Although Paul was speaking about “a man I know,” most Bible scholars agree—and I agree with them—that he was really speaking about himself.]

“It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: 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. And I know such a man--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows--how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”

Paul had “visions and revelations of the Lord.” We must place the emphasis on “of the Lord” because it’s not about the experience, but it’s about bringing us into the place where we love Jesus more and want Jesus more. It’s about Jesus! It must be about Him! Is that what you want? More of Jesus! In addition, Paul was in such a deep place of respect and intimacy with the Lord that he wasn’t going to “utter” the “inexpressible words” that he heard in Paradise. I believe that what he heard was so astounding that to try and put it all into words would have done it an injustice, and also the hearers were probably not in the right position to receive such revelation even if it could be uttered!

Naturally, there are times when deep revelation should not be discussed but there are times when it is right to share. Today I am permitted by God to share with you about some of the recent amazing heavenly encounters that I have experienced. As revelation is released (in this three-part teaching-article) I want you to taste and see how good God is and to anticipate all the goodness that God has planned for you. But most of all, it is my hope that you will love Jesus Christ more than ever before – that you’ll experience His pleasure and presence in the race that you are running. Exciting days are before you!

Part 2

Perhaps you’ve sensed after reading Part One that I’m pretty pumped up about what God is doing. Well, you’re right! I am pumped up! Listen. There are times, historic times really, when God touches those who are prepared and ready and He launches them into areas that are virtually uncharted.

TAKE A GIANT LEAP!

For example, let’s take a look at the early explorers. Hundreds of years ago fearless explorers sailed from Europe into unknown, new waters. What drove them on was the awareness in their spirit that much more landmass existed than was the common perception of the day. So they sought and got the necessary resources, their crews, and they set sail from the familiar, not giving up until they eventually set foot on new land. And their courage was rewarded! Those bold explorers discovered the “Americas” [parts of a landmass eventually termed: the Western Hemisphere]! No wonder European life was never the same again!

It was a pivotal time in world history back then . . . and yet it is no less for us today. This is an hour like none other. Instead of a Western Hemisphere waiting to be discovered, there is a heavenly hemisphere or heavenly realms waiting for exploration by those who dare. As a matter of fact, in the natural, outer space has been probed by gutsy astronauts for about four decades—beginning about seven years before I was born! Perhaps some of you might remember the famous words of “ground-breaker” astronaut Neil Armstrong as he set foot on the moon’s surface [July 21, 1969]—“That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind!”

Wow! Those courageous explorers and astronauts discovered new realms, and yet—don’t miss this—there is more “out there” that God wants us to discover and understand. In fact, today, there is a new breed of believers that God is raising up who have the same DNA as the explorers and the astronauts! These new pioneers are about to take a giant leap into new heavenly realms that for the most part have been unexplored, except by a few. This is God’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.

A WHOLE NEW DIMENSION IS OPENING UP

God’s works and His ways are unendingly awesome! A whole new dimension is opening up for those who love the Lord, who are in the right position. Remember last week I shared that heaven is more real to me now than it’s ever been; all because I’ve been there! I’ve been taken into heaven.

Recently, the Lord Jesus Christ walked into my world while I was away ministering at a Youth Conference, just like He did when He approached two of His disciples as they walked along the road to Emmaus! (Luke 24:13–15). Here’s what happened. I was sitting with my team at the conference. It was already in session but I was getting ready to minister. I was receiving specific prophetic words from the Lord for the region and for the church hosting it, when suddenly I was overcome by the Holy Spirit. Feeling somewhat weak, as if I was going to go into a trance, [a feeling somewhat familiar to me], I asked my team to help me leave the meeting. I had about an hour’s time before I was scheduled to speak and they took me behind the platform into a little room. Sitting down on the couch I could feel a strong overwhelming sense of the presence of God and I knew I was going to fall into a trance. I was going to have a supernatural encounter. [See Part One for an explanation of trances.]

In the chair, with my eyes open, I had an open vision. Jesus appeared right in front of me. It was as though He stepped right out of heaven, the Lord Jesus Himself, and stood before me as a Man. He wasn’t the King of glory or the Lord full of majesty. He was as He would have been on the earth as the Son of man. In fact, I was struck by His appearance, surprised that He did not look more majestic—King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. But I knew it was the Lord; I saw His eyes.

Now I want you to understand there are times when, although you can see everything (in a heavenly encounter), there are only certain details that become the focus. So, even though I could give a description of the Lord, the main thing that I was drawn to was Jesus’ eyes. He had brown eyes, and I know it sounds funny, but I immediately thought of Bambi! He had these big brown eyes and he was wearing a simple garment; it was almost brown, like the dust of the earth or almost the color of wood (the cross), with a little hint of purple. Pondering what I was seeing, I had the quickening realization that He was as the Good Shepherd would be. It was like Jesus simply stepped out of the harvest field, came as the Son of man, very humble in apparel. I focused on the eyes of the Lord. I wanted to go into His eyes. I was drawn into His eyes.

The Lord (of course) knew what I was thinking! He spoke to me without words— “These are My eyes as I had eyes on the earth. But if you were to see Me in heaven I have eyes ‘blue, like revelation eyes,’ like fire. These are My human eyes, not My God eyes.” As I looked into His eyes I couldn’t help but notice that from behind the Lord, almost like a projection, a vision of heaven shone from the back of the Lord’s body. It was as if He stepped out of heaven and a trail of heaven followed Him. He appeared before me but heaven was projected behind him. That’s what I saw. [“The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard” (Is. 58:8)].

HEAVEN IS MUCH MORE THAN WHAT WE THINK

Out of the Lord came beams of white and golden light. Such brightness! From out of the white, golden, light came other brilliant colors—blue, purple, green, red and pink were the main ones—like rainbows. Pink prophetically represents love and emotions. I saw what looked to be ten rainbows coming from the Lord, Himself. It reminded me of the description of the throne room in Ezekiel 1:28—“Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.”

Then I saw what Psalm 23 and Isaiah 35 describe. I began to have a vision of the Paradise of heaven. I saw flowers, and gardens. I saw bumble bees, large blue birds, and humming birds. I saw many lions and lambs lying down together. I thought: This is the millennium. I am living Psalm 23. I am living the highway of holiness in Isaiah 35.

Plainly, heaven came out of the Lord! The Lord was heaven! And yet, there is a place, heaven, but it’s not separable from the Lord. Literally, heaven is the bosom of the Father. Literally, heaven is God; it is light. When you are in heaven you are in God, you are in Christ, and you are in the Father. However, it’s not merely that there is a place called “heaven” where Jesus sits on His throne in heaven. Though that is true, heaven literally came out of the Lord. I saw white shafts of light everywhere. I even saw rivers of oil, rivers of honey, and I saw bridges. Incredible! Open heavens! I saw a sun in the sky though there was no need for a sun. It was a prophetic picture of the Son of Righteousness because God is the light of heaven. I saw the color of the glory. I said, “I am beholding the glory, and this is the Lord Himself.”

Then the Lord did two things to me. He walked up to me and He put His hand inside my belly and He gave me a supernatural enablement to live through what was about to take place. He was establishing me so I wouldn’t die. I say that because when I saw heaven I wanted to pass the Lord and go into heaven. But the Lord said, “If you pass Me right now, you will die. Todd, you are not just having a vision, you are in heaven and this is real.” The Lord said, “I am the gate, I am the door, I am the ladder. There is no heaven without Me.” He said if you pass Me, you will die. Something sustained me. He put His hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes and said one word, “Peace I give you, not as the world gives,” and this peace came over me like a vibration and my whole body vibrated while I received the peace of God.

Then the vision faded and I was numb, honestly. I was still behind the platform. Remember, I was in a meeting and I was going to preach soon. Yet I was so overcome by the glory of God I just laid on the floor behind the stage, behind the curtain. Then as I was lying there, all of a sudden I was caught up instantly into the spirit. I was no longer aware that I was in a conference setting. All of a sudden I was standing on a grassy hill and I saw still waters, a river flowing, I saw river banks. It was like Psalm 23, green pastures, and I was looking down. I thought the (flowing) river was going to be pure living water but as I looked I saw that it was a river of oil and honey. Next the colors changed from pink and rainbows, white light and the color of gold, to orangey red. Everywhere I looked was the appearance of amber. Everywhere, it was like a sunrise or a sunset, red or ruby or orangey red.

I looked up to my left and there was a bridge, and my first thought was: What a secret place. Still waters, I am in paradise, this is Ps 23. Look at that beautiful bridge! I just want to sit up on the bridge. That’s what I was thinking. The butterflies were flying by and I felt the peace of God, I was overcome by the Shalom, wow. I thought: Look at that bridge. Now, when you think something in heaven, you are there, so although I don’t actually remember moving, the next thing I knew I was actually sitting on the bridge.

What happened next? Well, I am still feasting on it, and so I want to share the fantastic banquet with you next week in Part Three. In preparation I invite you to pray and meditate on Hebrews 12:1, the scripture quoted at the very beginning of this teaching series. For next week, emphasis will be placed on “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.”

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” [emphasis mine]

Part 3: Conclusion

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.” —Ephesians 3:20, 21

This week I want to begin exactly where I left off last week—sitting on the bridge, in the peace of God in heaven, overwhelmed by the beauty surrounding me—completely ripe for whatever God wanted to do. Truly, in that amazing place, the blessing of God touched my life far beyond all I could ever ask or think. What happened next has indelibly marked my destiny, forever, as a son of God.

MY FIRST MEETING

Now it could have been anyone, or any thing, but by God’s design as unbelievable as it may sound, I actually saw the apostle Paul come walking toward me onto the bridge. You might be wondering how I knew immediately that it was Paul. I just perceived it by divine knowledge and revelation. Some things you just know.

People have asked me what he looked like, and so I will attempt to describe his appearance. He was short, not more than 5’1” or 5’2” (I’m 5’6”). He was bald except for a little crown of hair that came around his head. Looking very Jewish with a short, trimmed, white beard, my first thought was of a monk in a monastery! He actually had jolly cheeks and I thought: Paul you’ve got a little weight on you! I mean he wasn’t fat but he looked a little pudgy! Funny, eh? But that’s what I was thinking!

He sat next to me and he took his hand and placed it across my chest not saying anything. But I felt like I was receiving an apostolic blessing from a father—“For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established” (Rom. 1:11). While he touched my chest, Abraham and David appeared out of the cloud of witnesses (Heb. 12:1). Although they were very close (and yet somehow at a distance), they weren’t the main focus. They were simply there as witnesses to an encounter.

Next, Paul spoke to me without words spirit to spirit. I never heard one word but I had instant knowledge of what he was saying. He said that David and Abraham are true fathers—“These are the apostolic fathers”—and I thought to myself: Why Abraham and David? He answered me by saying that there would be no gospel without Abraham. People forget that without Abraham there would be no Israel, or Jewish people (Ps. 105:6–11; Gen. 15:1–5, 18–21; Gen. 17).

Just so you know too, Abraham was taller than David and Paul, about 6’5”. He was a very big rugged looking man, very big boned, large hands, having a long black beard and hair. In fact he looked quite East Indian or Pakistani (in skin color); not like an African man (in blackness), but closer to an East Indian man. He actually didn’t look Jewish at all!

Now David’s appearance was much different from Abraham’s. Having seen Jesus before, I noticed that David’s features were similar to Jesus, the Son of David. Both Jesus’ hair and David’s hair were alike—long brown reddish locks that hung to their shoulders. David’s eyes were blue and he wore a purple royal robe but when he lifted his arm, inside his robe I saw the color blue; it was very kingly. He was very handsome with a short beard and he was really well kept.

GLIMPSES INTO THE APOSTLE PAUL'S LIFE

As I just stated, Paul told me that essentially there would be no gospel and there would be no Israel without Abraham. He said too, that there would be no gospel without David because there would be no divine Son of David (Jesus Christ) in order for the kingdom and His throne to be built upon the throne of David (Luke 1:31, 32). Jesus came through the lineage of David and with Jesus’ coming, the gospel was released.

Paul also said that—in the sense of the revelation of the gospel to the Gentiles—he was the greatest carrier of that revelation to them. He took what Jesus brought and made it available to the rest of the world, and the global evangelism that’s taking place today comes as a result of the revelation of the gospel by the apostle Paul.

Because he didn’t actually walk with Jesus Christ when He was alive on earth like the other apostles did, Paul said that people doubted he was a true apostle. So, he had to fight against that doubtful mindset, because he really was a true apostle. We can read in First Corinthians Chapter 15 where Paul begins to describe why he was an apostle and he says, “Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time” (v. 8). Paul did see Jesus, and I’ll discuss this in more detail later.

PAUL'S HEAVENLY DOWNLOAD DID NOT COME FROM MAN

What’s more, Paul said, “Todd, I want to share with you how I received the revelation of the gospel and I want to share with you some of the encounters that I had in the third heaven.” Thinking: This needs to be in the Bible, Paul, I said “okay” to that. Then, as Paul began pointing out passages of scripture, the Bible opened up to me – boom! Certain scriptures literally jumped off the page; for starters, two verses from the Book of Galatians: “But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:11, 12, emphasis mine).

After Paul highlighted those scriptures, he asked, “Do you want to know when that (Gal. 1:11, 12) happened?” Of course I did! And so he told me it occurred when the events described in Second Corinthians 12:1–4 took place:

“It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: 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. And I know such a man--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows-- how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”

Yes, Paul didn’t preach the gospel according to man, nor did he get revelation in the same way that the other apostles did. Paul’s revelation came through the revelation of Jesus Christ in the third heaven! “Jesus Christ was with me when I was here in heaven, and He shared the revelation of the gospel Himself,” said Paul. Friends, that’s essentially what it says right here in Galatians 1:11, 12 which I just quoted!

In fact, the Bible says that Paul emphasized once more (to the Galatians) that he did not preach the gospel according to man—“. . . that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days” (Gal. 1:16–18, emphasis mine).

To paraphrase, he was saying, “When I got saved I did not talk with flesh and blood and not one single man taught me. I didn’t go to any Bible school and I didn’t hang out with any other apostles. Instead, I spent three years in Arabia in the desert by myself. During those three years I had a third heaven encounter (2 Cor. 12:1–4). That’s when I was taken up into heaven and had visions and revelations of the Lord. I heard inexpressible words which were unlawful to utter.

So let’s track the context of these events. After Paul’s encounter in the third heaven he went up to Jerusalem and visited with Peter for fifteen days (getting to know him better), and he saw James as well (Gal. 1:18, 19). But much later, after an interval of fourteen years, Paul returned to Jerusalem (with Barnabas and Titus) because he had something important to tell the other apostles (Gal. 2:1). And what did he have for the other apostles to hear? It was the revelation that he received in the third heaven which he preached among the Gentiles (2:2)!

REVELATION BY THE SPIRIT OF REVELATION

In fact, I believe Paul’s apostleship was born in the third heaven when he walked with the Lord there.

So, bearing in mind Paul’s third heaven encounter, I want to challenge some of you by asking a few questions. Is there a greater realm than just conferring with other apostles and disciples [even though I believe in all that]? Is there a greater realm than just what man teaches? Is it possible that today by revelation, by the Spirit of revelation, God is teaching believers? Look. Fresh Fire Ministries has a Supernatural Training Centre and I have an internship program. I believe in mentoring, discipling, releasing and raising men and woman up for ministry. But I believe that there are those that can be literally taken into heaven and in one moment in heaven God can give them more than anything they can learn by being with other apostles and disciples.

Furthermore, think about this: Jesus Christ put his hand inside my belly (see Part Two: Heaven is much more than we think), and Paul laid his hand on my chest to give me a father’s blessing. Listen! We need more blessings like this from Jesus Christ and the true apostles. I believe that similar experiences need to happen to you for your encounter in heaven and also for the church today . . . which brings me to my final crucial question. Do you want this?

PAUL'S MEETING WITH THE FATHER OF THE FAITH

Back to Paul! I discovered while conversing with Paul that it wasn’t only Jesus Christ who taught him in heaven. I say this because Paul told me: “Abraham taught me, in heaven, and that’s how and why I wrote the book of Hebrews. What I heard was from the lips of Abraham himself.”

I know I’m stepping out on theology now; however, I want you to understand that Paul always made it clear when he authored an epistle—“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ” or “Paul, a bond-servant of Christ.” Always! Yet, for the Book of Hebrews, although most Bible scholars believe that it was authored by Paul, there are those that really can’t say it was him because the authorship is never clear. Paul told me why. Here is what he said to me. “Do you know why I know so much about Abraham?” [So much of Hebrews is based on other things that you just can’t pull from in other scriptures.] He said, “Abraham himself shared (information) with me and I simply wrote it” (in the Book of Hebrews). “The authorship isn’t clear because it was Abraham and I; Abraham shared with me.” [Much of Hebrews is about Abraham; i.e. Hebrews Chapter 11.] Paul said, “When I was in the third heaven, Abraham was with me like you are with me now.”

THE MESSAGE OF THE HOUR IS A TWOFOLD MESSAGE

Then Paul emphasized that the beginning of First Corinthians Chapter Two contains the most important passage of scripture for the church in this hour. Do you know how it begins? With the message of the cross—“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (vv. 1, 2).

In fact, when you read First Corinthians Chapter Two, yes, Paul begins by preaching the cross, but he also speaks about the hidden mysteries and he ends with preaching about revelatory gifts and the deep things of God (vv. 7–16). So it’s like Paul was saying (paraphrase): “I was never just (only) a preacher of the gospel and I was never just a man of the gospel and salvation. I was a prophet of visions and revelations. I was a man of prophetic encounters and prophetic experiences. I was a man of the open heavens. I was a man that believed in the revelatory gift of the Spirit of God searching the deep things of God and revealing it to me. We have the mind of Christ!”

He was saying that, above all, God is releasing the message of the cross, the gospel, in power (preaching and salvation), but not without hidden mysteries and not without revelation. So the message of the hour is actually a twofold message. One: the message of the cross. Two: the message released with hidden mysteries revealed by revelation.

A VISIT AT PAUL'S HOUSE

Shuba! Next, I was at Paul’s house and he said to eat the Book of Titus!

Now one of the most striking scriptures in the Book of Titus is the first verse where it opens with—“Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ” (emphasis mine). “Todd, never just be an apostle or just do signs and wonders.” “No!” said Paul, “be a love slave.”

Immediately after Paul’s counsel I was conscious of the fact that there is something that influences our thinking when we hit apostle status or senior pastor status that somehow we are above the people. In response Paul said, “Not me. I was a love slave. I was a bondservant and an apostle. But what made me a great apostle was my great love . . . my great love . . .” Then, as Paul’s message touched my heart, I ate the Book of Titus while he pronounced: “This is for the sons and daughters that you are raising up.”

You know, it’s about relationship (for instance, fathering and mothering), and if you read through the Book of Titus you can see the intimacy that existed between Titus and Paul. And so I’ve come to appreciate that this book is good nurturing food, just the right kind that a father would want to give to bless his sons and daughters.

Now hang on, because Paul had more in store for me! Next he told me to eat the Book of Hebrews, which is one of the most prophetic books in the Bible! And ever since then, more than ever before, I’m preaching from the Book of Hebrews with much greater understanding.

ASCENDING GOD'S HEAVENLY LADDER

What’s more, several days later I was taken back into heaven to Paul’s house! But this time I didn’t go inside. I stayed outside where I saw a ladder in his back yard like the one described in Genesis 28, Jacob’s ladder. [I’ve come to understand that there are ladders like that in heaven in order to ascend and descend into different realms because heaven has places, geographical places. For example, the first heaven is where we live on the earth; the second heaven is the invisible realm of Ephesians 6: 12; and the third heaven where I was with Paul, it’s the Paradise of God (Rev. 2:7).]

So I jumped onto the ladder and began to climb up into another realm. I saw around me that it was all clouds so I began to pull those clouds back. As I did, a hole opened up in the heavens. Immediately then, out of heaven, flowed the color green, not just a light; it was like a green liquid and it was pouring onto my eyes! When I asked God about this, He said, “You are coming into the throne room; you are beneath the sea of glass; there is a rainbow around the throne. It’s not just above the throne; it’s a circle around the throne, a rainbow, emerald, green in color.” [“And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald” (Rev. 4:3).] I had just climbed into the fourth realm of heaven which is the throne room, (with more realms to follow). [You can read Revelation Chapter Four for a good description of the throne room.]

Although I was aware that there were other colors in the rainbow, I focused mainly on three colors—blue, purple, and pink. Therefore, before I share about the other realms I saw, I want to speak about these three colors because I received notable revelation about what each color symbolizes.

Do you know what green represents, besides prosperity? It’s growth, new things, life, growth in the Lord, what you grow into. Blue is revelation, and when you grow into revelation, what does it release? Purple! This color represents authority and kingship. [Revelation and counsel bring might, and revelation releases the true authority which brings the kingdom.] What happens after purple? Pink! Remember, last week I said that pink prophetically represents love and emotions. These two attributes are crucial because faith works by love! So, here’s the download: You grow in revelation; revelation releases authority, and the kingdom comes and rules; and it operates out of emotion and love.

Back to climbing! I went up from the throne room into the fifth realm which is the heavenly city. I saw streets that are golden and mansions and I noticed that it was very different from the Paradise of God (third heaven) where there are hills, still waters, and flowers. It wasn’t as peaceful. Next came the sixth realm of heaven which is the place where the angels live. There is literally a realm reserved for Michael, Gabriel, all the arch angels and all the angels under the arch angels! This isn’t the second heaven, the angel and demon realm, where they battle. It’s just a realm where the angels dwell. Then the last heaven I saw, the seventh realm was other universes and the solar systems; undiscovered universes and planets that God has created.

JESUS IS THE DOOR

There could be other heavenly realms; however, I only saw seven. But having said that, friends, really . . . everything I experienced and saw—Jesus, Paul, the seven atmospheres of heaven, and more—when it’s all said and done, it all boils down to Jesus Christ. He is the essence of everything and He is the all in all. He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). It’s about Him! An encounter with heaven is an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ! It’s about friendship and intimacy with Jesus; He wants us to experience ever-increasing measures of His love and greater glory.

In this hour God wants us to realize that He is causing a great shift to take place in the church. Today He is releasing keys to unlock some of the hidden mysteries and He is giving crucial revelation to willing believers because God is building up His kingdom “on the earth as it is in heaven” NOW. But it’s for those who want it! God is establishing the reality of heaven in our hearts if we will allow Him! Once again, do you want this?

You know, when Jesus died for us on the cross He did so because of the joy that was set before Him (Heb. 12:2). You and I are that joy; the joy not only written on His heart, but on His hands too—“See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me” (Is. 49:16). Now think about this. If we will allow the reality of heaven to be written on our hearts it will be a joy for us, too; because Jesus Christ is the Joy. The reality of heaven is Jesus Christ, and we are His joy and He is our joy, and it’s all written on our hearts!

There’s more. Joy involves pleasure. Remember, we discussed (in the first segment) how the covenant with God that Olympic athlete Eric Liddell made, brought God such great pleasure that Eric Liddell could actually feel God’s pleasure! The reality of heaven was written on his heart! Eric overcame and outran all the opposition both in the natural and in the spiritual realms. With all eyes on him, he was God’s man for the hour! Equally, God wants you to run your race as a champion, too; AND YOU WILL!

Also, we took a look at the early explorers and the modern-day astronauts (in the second segment), those fearless ground-breakers who explored uncharted territory on the earth and in the heavens. Remember, the DNA that launched them into the deep is available to you, too! God wants your faith to soar to new heights.

It bears repeating—God wants you to experience the reality of heaven, that heaven is real! And that’s why this teaching-article was written. Yet, ultimately, remember that it’s about Jesus! It all comes back to Him! He is the door and it’s only through Jesus Christ that you and I can enter in to the greater glory and the joy of our Lord. He is the only door to every true encounter with heaven.

“Then Jesus said to them again, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep . . . I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture . . .I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.’”—John 10:7, 9, 10b (emphasis mine)

Before closing, for those of you who want to study this teaching-article further I want to recommend four valuable resources which are available here at Fresh Fire Ministries that will help to reinforce or boost your spiritual sensitivity---The Reality of the Supernatural World [book]; Audio resources -- Developing Your Seer Gift; Open Heavens Worship and Prayer CD [Vol. II]; and School of the Supernatural Realms of Heaven (with optional workbook).