Zion Train: The Heavens Opened: Part 22

The Heavens Opened: Part 22

By Anna Rountree

(Continuation)

Departure

Then Elijah and I bowed and turned to leave. Before we reached the area where the dancing was taking place, I turned again to look at my Father. The mercy, splendor, and faithfulness of our God overwhelmed me. I choked a little as I said, “I love You, Daddy.”

“I love you, Anna,” my Father replied.

I smiled again and began to walk from the throne room with Elijah. Epaggelias followed right behind us, and Jachin and Boaz dropped in behind him and slightly to either side.

As we walked through the dancers, the redeemed acknowledged our passing. Their looks were warm. I was as comfortable as being among loved ones on earth and more so. What a family, I thought to myself. What friends.

Clara waved to me from among those dancing. I looked for other angels that I knew now, but there were so many of them circling around that it was difficult to distinguish quickly one face from another.

On the Path

Almost immediately we were walking on the path in Paradise.

“Another promise kept’ Epaggelias said, speaking aloud to himself.

I turned my head to look at him.

He chuckled to himself, “My, He is faithful.”

Jachin and Boaz showed respect for the depth of Epaggelias’ gratitude. They nodded solemnly.

Questioning Elijah

“Elijah’ I said. He looked at me.

“Why did the Lord give me a new name?”

Elijah answered, “Because you are new. Your mission, your call, your direction on earth have changed. You are called now to reveal the Father’s heart, and I am to be of assistance to you in doing this. So few understand, Anna, but they long to understand.

“The world is too much with the children of God. It is as though the earth, from which their frames are made, has too much of a hold upon them. Truly their vessels of clay should not dictate the course of the lives of the redeemed, but they seem to have difficulty separating the vessel from that which the vessel contains—seepage. It is as though their clay is still wet and has seeped into their souls.

“However, this manner of life will no longer suffice. The times are coming and now are already here when the separation between soul and spirit, between body and soul, together with cleanness of heart, must take place for survival.

“Anna, there is a spirit in the land that distracts continually from the true. Because of this, our God is sending again the spirit of Elijah.

“The greatest need is still to know the Father. He must reveal Himself in greater measure before the end of these times. I have come to help reveal the heart of the Father to the children, for His heart is for them, and to prick their hearts to seek Him in order that they might know Him. The Father has brought you forth at this time to be one” (I felt that “among many” was implied) “to reveal His heart.

“When the spirit of Elijah is in the land, there are judgments, droughts, and visible confrontations with the enemies of God. As it was with those who worshiped Baal, always there will be violent confrontations and great exhibitions of God’s power; but first, Anna, the Father’s children must have a greater certainty of His love.’ They must be rooted and grounded in Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and their eyes looking above and fixed on Him.

“You will enjoy revealing the Father’s heart, and I will enjoy assisting you.”

The Dark Cloud

I asked, “What is the dark cloud about which my Father spoke, Elijah?”

He replied, “The dark cloud that surrounds God is actually the dense oil of the Spirit, a great good, a visible sign of the magnitude of the anointing, incomprehensible to mankind and therefore seemingly dark.’ To the majority of mankind, He is hidden in darkness. Light that they cannot see emanates from Him. To many of His children He seems hidden, but the fire of His love is burning through the density of that oil now and will allow His children to see His love, His mercy, and His fatherly compassion, as well as the startling reality of His holiness.

“This fire will burn all that is wood, hay, and stubble in the lives of His children. They must desire the fire and long for His holiness. His heart is turned toward them, and the fire of His love will reveal this. The hearts of the children will long to turn toward Him, to walk through the fire of purification, and to rest in His arms. As the enemy hates the fire, so must God’s children love it, for in and through the fire, they will see God.”

At the Stairport

We had arrived at the stairport. Elijah smiled at me, “Are you ready to go to work?”

“Yes:’ I smiled in return. I took his hand in mine. “Thank you, Elijah, and all of you,” I said, turning to Epaggelias, Jachin, and Boaz. “Thank you. I bless you in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

“Thank you, Anna,” they replied together. “We receive that.” We stood there awkwardly.

“Now what do I do?” I asked.

“You return,” Elijah chuckled.

“And what about you?” I asked.

All four faces of Jachin and Boaz said, “We go with you, Anna. Remember?”

“Oh,” I said perplexed, “right.”

I turned to walk toward the docking station, and they disappeared, though I knew they were with me.

Azar Reappears

Azar appeared, leaning on the docking post. “Ah, here you are—well, parts of you anyway,” he smiled, referring to my visible head and hands.

I looked down at my cloak and shoes. I could see right through them to the path.

He began to remove the red cord from the post. “And your Father has revealed to you the reason you came?” he grinned broadly.

“Yes,” I smiled, and then the wonder and mystery of it all swept over me. “Yes,” I repeated with a greater sense of awe.

“Are you ready to return then?” he continued, trying to help me gather my scattered focus.

“Oh, yes,” I said, suddenly realizing that I needed to concentrate on the task before me. I moved toward the stairs.

“Remember not to look down over the sides of the stairs when going back. It takes a little getting used to, but we need to learn sometime, don’t we?” He sounded ever so like a nanny. He began to let down the stairs.

“Thank you for your help, Azar.”

“That’s my name:’ he chirped. “Still I hope we don’t see each other too often. Naw, just kidding,” he said. “If you slip on the steps, I’ll steady you.”

I laughed at him, shaking my head.

“Give me your hand,” he said, leading me to the top of the stairs. “Now be careful with the first step. Light isn’t slippery, but it does have a different feel from materials on earth, you know.”

He held my hand until I had taken the first step and then the next.

“All right!” he cheered, and began whistling through his teeth and clapping loudly as one would at a sports event. “Take care, luv.”

The Descent

I could not help but smile, even while steadying myself on the stairs. As I began to descend, he called after me, “Remember the stairports are all over the world and ready for your use.”

“Thank you,” I called back to him loudly; I lifted my hand without looking back. I could sense that he was watching me the full length of the stairs. He continued to hold the end of the cord.

When I reached the bottom, I turned and waved, although he was only a speck. The cord tightened; the stairs in its first stage retracted, then the second, then the third, and disappeared.

On Earth Again

I was back at the location from which I had escaped. Ear away in the distance, I could hear the sound of a fierce battle in progress. Quickly I clawed my way to the top of the sandy hill again. I wanted to see if any of the city remained after the battering ram’s attack.

Where the walled city had stood, now there was only debris, scattered stones, and pockets of burning. Still I knew that the stones, the living stones of Christ’s true church, were safe.

They may have climbed some stairway, or hidden in caves, or floated on the water; but the living stones had survived.

I stood there a moment looking at the devastation before me. Then I looked up, cocked my head to one side, and smiled.

“Reporting for work, Daddy.”

Afterword
How It Happened

“You will receive a visitation.” With these simple words our lives were blasted from one realm into another, although we did not realize it at the time.

My husband and I received this promise at a dinner party a few days before we left the city. Four years before, the Lord had brought us to that large metropolitan area after my husband’s retirement from the pastoral ministry. We brought together pastors and intercessors—crossing denominational lines—in a citywide prayer movement.

After the Lord raised up leadership from among the pastors we turned the prayer ministry of the city over to them. At our last citywide gathering with the ministers, they laid hands on us, blessed us, and sent us out to serve the larger body of Christ.

“You will be in a cabin at the season of Hanukkah when you receive this visitation,” the dinner guest had continued. He was a friend of ours who had an internationally recognized prophetic ministry. Although we had known him for several years, he had never spoken words from the Lord to us personally.

I had seen angels intermittently while we were in the city and had even seen the Lord several times from a distance, but a visitation was far beyond anything my husband or I had ever experienced. To say the least, we were skeptical.

However, our God is merciful as well as full of surprises.

On the eve of Hanukkah, 1994, in a cabin on a lake in Texas, suddenly, the heavens opened as the Spirit ushered me into the very throne room of God. I saw with such startling clarity that I could not deny what I was seeing. Everything I saw and heard was different from what I had thought: more extraordinary, yet comfortable. It seemed as though I were at home.

I began to visit heaven on a daily basis. Although at first the visits were tiring, I was careful to journal them. I do not think of these visits as visions, for I believe that what I saw is actually there. John told of such an experience in Revelation 4:1. John reported what he saw and heard when he was summoned to heaven in the Spirit.

There were visions also. This book begins with a vision. Visions seem to be a pictorial language—visual aids representing truth from God in which one may or may not participate. One example of the visions given to John while he was in heaven is Revelation 9:17.

When I shared these revelations with my husband, the Lord allowed my husband to experience what I was experiencing by being there.

Then on January 1, 1997, the Lord asked us to compile a book from some of the early revelations and to include an addendum containing scriptural verification and illumination concerning all that was seen and heard. He asked us to complete the entire manuscript in one year.

This book is in response to the Lord’s request. My husband and I can truly say that we do not believe this book is our own. We have never served the Lord in any way that has been so completely Him. Everything in this book is true. If there are errors in the way things are described, the errors are entirely our doing.

All those who are born again in Christ Jesus sit with Him, in spirit, in heavenly places. However, He has been gracious to allow some of us to see into that realm, according to His Word in John 1:51.

Moreover, we found that these revelations were not for the two of us alone, as we had first thought, but for the body of Christ, of which we are members.

We, who are bondservants of Christ, bless you in His name.

—ANNA ROUNTREE

There is an extensive notes section presented in the book, but not given here.

The End.

* I would like you to pray this prayer right away, if you want Jesus to come into your heart:

Heavenly Father, I come to You admitting that I am a sinner (Romans 3:23). Right now I choose to turn away from sin, and I ask you to cleanse me, by Your blood, of all unrighteousness. I believe that Your Son, Jesus, died on the cross to take away all my sins.

I also believe that He rose again from the dead so that I may be justified and made righteous through faith in Him (Romans 6:23). I call upon the name of Jesus Christ, to be the Savior and Lord of my life (Acts 2:21). Dear Lord, I choose to follow You, and I ask that you fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:3).

I hereby renounce the power of Satan and sin over my life, declaring that I am now a born-again child of God (Romans 10:9-10). I am free from sin and full of the righteousness of God, in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

If you just prayed this prayer by faith, the Word of God has promised that you are now BORN AGAIN! (II Corinthians 5:17). Welcome to the Kingdom of God! Now you have brothers and sisters all around the world. This is the most important decision that you have ever made. Take full advantage of it. Don't go back into the world. The world leads to death, but the fear of God leads to eternal life. At each moment you need to live like it is the last day, and the last time of your life.

Four steps will help you to grow in faith and grace:
1. Read the Bible (I Peter 2:2)
2. Pray (Romans 12:12)
3. Attend Church (Hebrews 10: 25)
4. Share Christ with others (II Corinthians 5:18-20)

http://www.allaboutgod.net/group/ziontrain