Imagine Heaven!

(This letter was written from a son to his mother as though it were 5000 years into the future!)

Month Eleven, Day Twenty-three, 5005 A2C

Mom

887th Parcel

Miller Cove -- River Of Life Tributary

New Freedom-Ville, New Earth, 77777

Dear Mom,

My Mother…. Even after all these many centuries in God’s Perfect Universe, even after He gave you such a beautiful new name, I hope you don’t mind if I don’t use that name…because you will always be Mom to me.

I know that the weekly tradition has always been to meet in the New Jerusalem on every Sabbath; however, there are sometimes some exceptions…I guess you could say that when the Lord tells you to go somewhere else…simply put, you go!   That is exactly what has He has done.   He has asked Cindy and me to go to a very unusual place to witness for Him and to all the events of which we have been a part of all these many centuries of time.

This place is where we are and where we will be staying for a while.   It is very hard to describe…especially in human language and terms.   The only way you could really understand it is that it is a place where their entire universe is in only a two dimensional plane…not three dimensional like ours.   Even more strange than that is that everything in their universe would be like lines.   Yes, that is correct…ordinary lines.   All the beauty….all the symmetry of nature…the way they communicate and the way they look is like lines.   Therefore, if you were to see it, you would see a flat universe of lines that move in perfect symmetry and design endlessly throughout time.   They actually communicate to one another by symmetrically moving about in distinct patterns.   What we would consider as nature in their universe in actually more lines moving about in still other unique patterns.

Actually, no one else in the universe other than Jesus has ever been here to visit.   They have heard all about the rest of the universe, but they have a very hard time understanding it.   The one thing that they really have a hard time understanding is the chaos that sin produces and why any race of intelligent life would ever want to choose that way of life.   They do not have the designation in their vocabulary for sin or chaos.   Nevertheless, you could say that in their universe, sin would amount to nothing more that scribbling on a piece of paper.   That is a foreign concept to them.

You might be wondering how it is that God chose me to be the emissary to this place.   That is a good question.   Well, as only God’s providence could work out, the reason I was chosen is due to something that happened back in the AD years.   You remember, BC is “Before Christ”, AD is the “Year of our Lord” (or after His death and resurrection), and A2C is “After the 2 nd Coming”.   AD is the years we lived back on the old sinful Earth.  You see, way back in those years I did something rather dangerous and extremely foolish.   As a result of being under the influence of some hallucinogenic fumes, in my mind I was sort of being morphed into a two dimensional plane of lines.   It was more than just a little bit frightening at the time, yet God thought that not only would that help me out just a little bit to understand this place…He also said that it would be a good growing experience for me too.

So, in case you have not figured it out by now…I am sending this to you from that place.   Cindy of course is with me, and together, you could say… we are missionaries to a universe of lines.   God sent us equipped to be able to communicate to them with the basics, but since we have been here, we have learned so much more from them.   Of course, that means that even now Cindy and I have been morphed into lines so that they can see us in their world.   They are actually the most delightful creatures.   They have been so gracious to us in caring for our needs and showing us around their world.   Of all the places that I have seen in the universe so far, this is clearly the strangest.   Yet, for all the strangeness here, they certainly make up for it in kindness and hospitality.

Well anyway, since it is your birthday…Oh, Happy 5080 th Birthday, Mother Dear, I thought it would be fun to do some reminiscing of the good ole’ days.   Cindy and I are hoping that we can make it there for your Birthday reunion party.

I will never forget “That Day”…not “That Day”!   That was the most exciting day that I have ever lived in my whole life.   I remember it so clearly like it was yesterday.   I knew that the Lord would appear on “That Day”.   I remember so clearly waiting and waiting… as if it was forever in that dark and awful forest on the side of the mountain where I had been staying.   I had seen the little black cloud in the sky in the East on the very first day it appeared.   I remember so clearly that I had been looking every day for quite some time after the big war and the Sunday laws began.   I knew it had been seven days since I first seen the black cloud.   I could see that it was getting bigger and bigger…like it was a huge water balloon getting ready to explode.   I knew on that day the Lord Jesus would appear.   I had heard His voice like thunder already.   I had felt that old crusty Earth breaking apart.   It was early in the morning when I heard the sound of evil men firing guns and yelling profanities at me….so I ran.   What else do you do, right?   I mean, if you can run…you run!   So I ran.   I knew my cue.   I had read about it so many times before….so I ran and ran.   They chased me and I ran more!   On the one hand I thought I would die from exhaustion and on the other hand I knew if I did I wouldn’t be dead long because I knew that was the Big Day.   I ended up running into a dead end in a cavernous area with nowhere to turn, nowhere to hide.   Six men in dark uniforms surrounded me with their guns pointed at my head.   Then it happened…it was indeed like a huge bolt of lightening that lit up the whole earth and kept lighting it up.   The sky itself ripped apart and Jesus Christ had appeared in all His Glory like a Mighty Conqueror.   The men fell over like dead men, and I turned back for a moment to look at them to say to them, “Look, this is my God, the One that I have been waiting for, and He is here to deliver me.”   When I turned my head back to look at Jesus, I felt paralyzed.   What seemed like eternity must have only been moments, but then I heard Him call my name.   He said, “Arise…come forth my child.”   I will never forget that those were the sweetest words that I had ever heard in all my life.

Well, I never new what it felt like to be dead, but compared to the way I felt the moment I was changed…the moment before that could not have felt any better than death.   It felt like a rush of wind from the very mouth of Jesus flooded into my mouth and my lungs…like my lungs kept getting fuller and fuller…but never all the way full.   It felt like my limbs had been stiff like a tree…but all at once, they turned to strong muscle once again.  It felt like my eyes had been blind all my life…that I could never see the clear details of life…but now I was looking with perfect clarity into the eyes of Jesus, and I could actually see the twinkle of light in His eyes as He seemed to look directly in my eyes.   For the first time in my life, my eyes felt perfectly clear…like I could look directly into His eyes with perfect vision and with His eyes gazing back at mine.   I remember clearly how it felt like my entire being had been reborn.   For a moment it felt like my old sinful body was like a rubber band being stretched out farther and farther till it would break, but instead it flung loose like an arrow that had been fired into the sky.   I believe I remember the exact moment when I actually got my new sinless brain.   My whole life before that I had never been quite certain what “normal” felt like.   Like…if there was such a thing as normal, I was either a little bit above it or a little bit below it…but never quite right.   For the first time ever it seemed as though I was perfectly normal, perfectly happy, perfectly at peace, perfectly content, perfectly balanced in both thought and emotion…filled with wonder and awe and overflowing with the most exciting sense of adventure imaginable.

What a ride up!   I faintly remember a sense of commotion on the ride up…but I was so mesmerized by the beautiful sight of Christ’s righteous glory…my eyes were affixed on Him as though there was nothing else in the entire universe that could ever be more important to gaze upon.   I remember hearing a voice that sounded like Cindy’s, but I was too enthralled in the Vision of Beauty that my eyes were set upon.   I remember feeling as though someone was hugging me…then another, as though two people were hugging me…but my eyes were still on Christ.   He looked like a King.  I could hardly believe how huge of man He was.   He looked like a Fire and Rainbow all in one!   My eyes seemed to be able to focus on His face even more, and I noticed that He had the biggest smile across His face.   He was clearly no longer a “man of sorrows.”

After what seemed like days of gazing upon Him and what must have been billions of light years of traveling through space, I could still feel that two people seemed to be hugging me.   Then I heard Cindy’s voice again, and I turned to my right to look to see who was hugging me.   I could hardly believe my eyes.   I seen a woman next to me hugging me who was more beautiful than anything I had ever seen before, and I looked closely to see who it was.   Then I heard her say my name again, and I realized that it was Cindy who had been there by my side all along.

Then I turned to look to see who else had been hugging me, and I knew instantly that it was the happiest face that I had ever seen in my life, it was the friendliest face that I had ever seen in my life…and the most welcoming face that I had ever seen in my life.   For a moment it was as though I was a baby being held in your arms…looking at my “Mommy’s” face.   It was a face that I had not seen so at peace since I was a little baby in your arms.   Not a single care or worry was in your eyes.   No perplexing expression to indicate that things were less than perfect.   I saw a look in your eye that seemed to indicate that you were taking me home to meet the New Man of the family…the One that had cared for us all those many years of Earthly troubles.   I might not have recognized you so quickly had it not been for that old High school picture of you that I had carried around in my wallet for so many years.   You were young again; blonde hair -- like a goddess…and absolutely looked like a beautiful queen.   I still can hardly believe that the first words out of my mouth to you were nothing more important than, “Mom, I think the ringing in my ears finally stopped.”   I do believe that we laughed for nearly the rest of the way to Heaven until our Angels finally had to say, “Shhhh!”

Who ever said that there would be no tears in Heaven?   Certainly not me!   But, true to His word, one by one, Jesus wiped away every tear from every eye.  I will never forget those early days in Heaven.   My Angel must have patted me on the back a million times while I was waiting for my turn to see Jesus.   He seemed to know what was on my mind.   I could hardly believe that I was there.   I could hardly believe that I was going to get a turn to talk to the King in person.   I couldn’t help remembering the way I felt at my College graduation standing in line waiting to get my diploma.   I kept thinking that someone would tap me on my shoulder and tell me that a mistake had been made, and that I would need to step out of the graduation line while they sorted out the whole mess.   I guess that is why my Angel, He Is Near Me, (I still call him that), kept patting me on my back.  He kept reminding me that the price had already been paid for my presence there.   I knew it was true, but I had been so used to the idea that if it sounded too good to be true, it probably was!

I remember all through the big feast, all through the big ceremonies with Adam & Eve, all through the reunion between Christ and His disciples…all through the going over all the “what about him” list of who made it and who didn’t, waiting for my turn to see Jesus.   No matter how you cut the cards, personally greeting that many Saints, one by one, takes up a great amount of time.   My turn finally came after about 650 years.   Nevertheless, I guess time fly’s in Heaven when you are having fun with your family, friends and loved ones.   I would have never dreamed that the Prophet Hosea and I would have become such good friends.   I believe that he had more questions for me than I had for him.   Those years of waiting really flew by.   I will never forget the day that it was my turn to meet Jesus.   For some reason…all the people who went in the line from the first had been told not to tell those who were waiting behind them the true nature of the meeting with Jesus.   I was quite surprised to find out that once you sat down next to Him on His throne time stopped.   While time continued on for those who were waiting…time on the throne stopped.   What I thought would be my five minutes turned out to be what seemed like years of talking and questions that I had for Him and He had for me.   That was the most comforting and enlightening conversation I had ever had…needless to say.   It was so reassuring to know that although He knew me inside and out…that He loved me so much.   I will never forget when He finally gave me my new name.   After all the talking I had almost forgot about getting my new name.   When I heard what my new name was, I believe that that was the moment that I new like I had never known before that this was a Friend that not only new me inside and out…but that this was a Friend that I could trust implicitly for all eternity…that He would care for my every need.   I felt like someone finally understood me like no one had ever really understood me before.   It was so cool not having to share that name with anyone else like on the old Earth.

Heaven was such a magical place.   After all these years, I don’t think it is much easier to describe Heaven than it was before I had never seen it.   Words still cannot describe it.   But while I was there, I could not help but feel like we still had some unfinished business.   I guess everyone else must have felt that way too.   I think by the time that there were no more tears left to dry, and everyone seemed to have grown up and matured, it was finally time to go back to that dark old world we once called home.   It seemed as though everyone sort of had mixed feelings about the trip back to Earth.   On the one hand, Jesus was going to create a new home of paradise for us right before our very eyes.   We would see His righteousness as we had never seen it up till that day.   On the other hand, we would also see for the first and last time all the people that chose to rebel against Him.   We would also be first hand witnesses to Satan deceiving them for the last time.   I guess it took those 1000 years just to prepare us for that.   However, truly God was both Just and Merciful on that final day.   It was His Beautiful and Glorious Righteousness that cleansed the Earth from sin and sinners.   While it may have been to them fire…to those of us who were saved, it was the Glory of Jesus that cleansed the earth from sin and filled our hearts with ever more love and admiration for His character.

I guess the best part of that day was seeing every knee bow to Jesus.   When Jesus was lifted up on His throne and His righteousness was unveiled, I believe that His glory was even 10 times more glorious than it was on the day of His 2 nd coming.   I remember clearly for I was standing very close to Jesus, and I know I seen tears in His eyes as the wicked were destroyed.   I guess the saying is true that “we all lost loved ones” on that Day.   Nevertheless, just like that…poof!   The whole thing was over.

I will never forget how Jesus created the New Earth.   Every day…again for seven days, the Earth began to look like paradise.   I remember hearing Adam and Eve say that it looked more glorious than it did on the first day of their creation.   One by one, we all stepped out of the New Jerusalem which had been our home for the last 1000 years…all following Jesus on a victory march…like a parade all across the entire New Earth.   There were so many new things to see; animals that were brand new, flowers that had never been seen before; life forms that were beautiful and strange and new.   I remember stepping off of the grand staircase of the New Jerusalem for the first time.   Cindy was right there next to me walking with me hand and hand.   On my other hand was the girl of my dreams…only she was not a little girl anymore.   While I had nearly missed seeing her grow up to be a woman, I seen her change from an old Earth girl into a New Earth woman…who still looked a bit like me.   Ashley had become my new best friend and was holding onto my other hand.   It took about 100 years of being in Heaven before she felt ready to approach me…but it was 100 years worth the wait.   Over the next 900 years we became best friends.   My sons were close at hand.   I knew my brothers and sisters where close by…because I could see you, Mother dear, just up ahead, and my brothers and sisters were never too far away from you either.   But as I looked around, not only could I see my Grandma Swanson standing so tall and upright in picture perfect health, I could see many other friends and family and loved ones…and then I remember thinking more than ever before…that all the people that I could see for all the miles and miles of humanity that had come out of the New Jerusalem…that these all were my friends and my family and my loved ones.   Like never before, I knew that I was finally home sweet home at last.

The Angels seemed like they had all been there before, though they had not.   Yet somehow God gave them the directions to guide each family to the spot on the New Earth that would be their permanent home.   From where Jesus had His throne, the river of life flowed out like a rushing river.   It was all new water.   It was just created new as it rushed out from His throne; it is always so fun to watch that happen.   The tree of life was also placed there on either side of the river, and I believe it was over one mile into the air…with branches as thick as semi trucks.   The river flowed out into a huge sea…the Sea of Glass .   As we followed the Sea of Glass to the right of Jesus throne…and walked and walked for miles…tirelessly enjoying the beautiful scenery, we finally came to a small tributary that flowed out of the Sea of Glass.   Our Angels told us to turn and follow that small river.   The entire Miller clan that is to say…we all followed the river, and then I remember someone asking, “Where are we going?”   The Angel said, “To Miller Cove in New Freedom-Ville!”   We all shouted, “Halleluiah, to Miller Cove we go!”  Not being one to be short on questions I asked the Angel, “where is that?”   My Angel, He Is Near Me, winked at me and said with a smile that he knew I would understand, “right next to Paradise City…where the grass is green and the trees are pretty.”   And I shouted back to my Angel, “Oh, please…take me home!”

Someone shouted out, “Can we swim in the river to find our way home?”   The Angel didn’t say anything…he just jumped in the water and everyone followed.   That is everyone but you and me, Mother Dear.   I remembered that you had yet never learned to swim.   But, I knew you could swim now...so I figured…now is the time to see Mom swim…and I gave you a big push.   You jumped and did a perfect swan dive like only an Olympic swimmer could do.    One by one as we all swam downstream into Miller Cove, the Angels directed us out to find our own way…each to their own private property that they would call home.   One by one everyone disappeared to their own homes, but it was just Cindy and I…with you, Mom, that swam downstream the farthest.   From where the Angel told you it was your turn to get out and discover your home, I could see that we were near the end of the cove.   I knew that we would be living next to each other.

Well, here at has been nearly 4000 years since Cindy and I finished that swim a short distance from your place, but I have not explored onto my own property yet more than what I seen in the first few days of my arrival.   My Angel told me that I have barely seen the property yet that is my property…but, he agreed that there was no rush either.   It is not like I don’t have plenty of time to get to it.   But, I know what I have seen so far is more than I could have dreamed about.   Well, I have always wanted an all grass private room.   This place has more different types of grass there than I could have ever imagined.   It is like a living carpet of green…in all different shapes and sizes.   Miller Cove has a small little creek that runs out the back directly into my private room.   From my private room, I can swim all the way upstream into the Sea of Glass .   I trained two dolphins to come to my call, and they swim up the small creek into my private room.   I have them trained to give me a tow down the river.   They have become quite good trusted friends in their own way.    My Angel has told me that there is only two ways to access my property.   One is to swim there.   That is the only way that I have used so far.   The other is quite a long walk away from the creek.   I expect that I will walk there one of these days to take a look.   But for now…I love being so close to the water’s edge.   There is a huge wall of the most beautiful stones on one side…with moss and flowers growing all over the stones.   Water is trickling down the rocks from way up high.   I have climbed up the rocks and stones for over a mile in the air, and I still have not seen the top of them.   While many folks have made a lot of changes in their homes on the New Earth, so far I have not done much.   I pretty much like it the way it was when I first arrived.   The only really new thing that I built was my giant diamond water slide.   I guess some old habits are still hard to break…but Cindy and I and my kids still think that going down the water slide is about the finest thing to do in all the New Earth.   We get lots of visitors everyday that come to go down the slide.   It takes nearly 3 hours to slide from the top all the way to the bottom.

Of course, it is most beautiful spending time with you as a family around Miller Cove.   It is teaming with life of every variety.   I never could have imagined all the life forms that Jesus created.   I have counted over 150 different kinds of fish, water plants and other creatures that live nowhere else on all the New Earth other than in Miller cove.

Of course, I was never more pleased to find out that the orchard next to my private room had a path directly to your home.   I guess…if you could call it an orchard.   It is more like a choir loft for all the birds in the New Earth.   I still can hardly believe how you have trained all those birds to actually sing entire melodies and songs together.   It has become the talk of Earth how you trained the first Bird orchestra and choir.

Of all the many adventures that we have had together since we have arrived in the sinless Universe that God has created…there are too many to count them all.   Yet, we have barely spent any time here yet at all compared to what lies ahead for us for the rest of eternity.

Words could never adequately portray the gratitude that I have in my heart for you, Mother Dear…for leading me here to this beautiful paradise; for your unflinching loyalty that you showed to Jesus in the old days in the AD years of Earth…and how you always pointed me to Him…that He would be my best friend and guide through life…through all those trials, which looking back seem so small now compared to the wealth and glory of this place that we can now call home for all eternity.

With Lots of Love,

Your Son

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