ZION TRAIN: The Heavens Opened (Part 7)

The Heavens Opened (Part 7)

By Anna Rountree

(Continuation)

He Comes:

Immediately ahead of us on the path was a burning light. Hundreds of spirits surrounded this brilliance, darting in and lifting out like eagles catching heat currents. They were flying with the light as if escorting it. So bright was this great light that it reduced the spirits to silver outlines of themselves in its radiance. It reminded me of figures passing in front of bright headlights on a dark night, although here there was no surrounding darkness. Everything paled that was near this intense brightness.

Clara spoke to me. “He is coming,’ she said. “He comes for you, Ann.”

Both of our faces were catching the glow of His radiance. My heart leaped within me, yet a peace settled over me like warm oil.

Clara continued, “We will be with one another later. All of your attention needs to be given to Him now.” She smiled toward the light and vanished.

The Lord Jesus                             

He was coming —my Beloved, my Friend. My breath was knocked out of me, and my knees went slack as He came closer. Then, like a tree overtaken by a dust cloud from a wind flurry, the cloud of His glory engulfed me. The spirits still were darting in and lifting out on the periphery, but I could see only Him.

Remembering:

I had seen Him standing in the sanctuary of a church several times before over a period of years. The last time was two and a half months earlier. He was standing twenty-four feet high in the sanctuary of a church where the pastors met for citywide prayer meetings. It was Yom Kippur. For four years we had labored in the citywide prayer movement of that metropolitan area, and we had returned to the city for a Bible conference after being gone for a year.

At that time He stood in the sanctuary, a rainbow encircling Him, clothed in a shimmering, multicolored cloak.’ The light radiating from Him looked alive. Suddenly He telescoped to the size of a man and spoke.

“Look at Me,” He said. His eyes, though far away, suddenly were near and riveting, as if aflame.

As I looked into His eyes, the robe of vibrating colors passed through His body, came to me, and encircled my body. I could feel it as well as see it.

Then, without walking, He came forward until He passed right into my body. He was facing the back of my head, and I was facing the back of His. He turned around within my body, and we were both facing in the same direction, both wearing the cloak. After this I had the even stranger sensation of having someone look out of my eyes—Jesus, not I, was looking out of my eye sockets.

Suddenly He moved forward out of my body, leaving the cloak on me and returning to the place from which He had come. In an instant He disappeared, and I was left wearing the shimmering, multicolored cloak.

The experience two and a half months before this present moment when He stood before me in heaven seemed wonderfully strange and yet very natural. But I had never understood what it all meant. I expected some change in my life, some increased anointing, but I found myself amazingly the same and stunningly un-anointed, which was usual.                                           

The Desire of All Nations:    

Now He was standing before me in Paradise.

How can one describe “The Desire of All Nations”? Far more than the impact of His physical appearance, He embodies life. His eyes are clear blue but as deep as a bottomless pool. It seems that if you could travel into those eyes, you would understand all mysteries, that in plunging toward the bottom of that deep pool, you would pass the answers to all things.

He embodies love, light, and truth. A kaleidoscope of understandings flooded my spirit, computing faster than lightning, causing me to react as Job reacted when the Lord confronted him—I could only cover my mouth.

He stepped up to me.

He was smiling broadly, as a childhood sweetheart that you knew you would always, always love, but that you had not seen since childhood. The years dropped away as you saw Him, and you were right—you would always, always love Him; no one could ever take His place.

He took my right hand in His left, which strengthened me. “Come,” He said. Immediately we were flying.

The Mountains of Spices:

Paradise began to pass beneath us. The spirits accompanying Him flew to the side and behind us. We were flying up to an astonishing mountain range. The color of each mountain varied. As we drew closer, I realized that the first mountain emitted an aroma.

“Where are we, Lord?” I asked.

“You have often called Me to the mountains of spices,” He said. “We are here.”

Aromatic spices were growing on these mountains. The colors, as well as the aromas, varied from mountain to mountain.

The Father’s Delight:

“These are for your Father’s delight,” Jesus said, “and for the delight of His children. They bring joy.” Without turning His head to look at me, He asked, “Do you wish to bring joy?”

“Yes,” I answered.

Jesus responded, “Obedience brings joy to My Father, holiness of heart, thankfulness, truth with mercy. Each is like a spice. Each has a fragrance. Collectively the aromas are pleasing to My Father. The aromas speak of Me to Him, not just one spice but the aroma of the blend as one passes from mountain to mountain. Together they witness of Me, and this pleases My Father. Also the aroma of these spices coming from His adopted children speaks of Me, and He is pleased.”

As we passed over each mountain, wave upon wave of the most tantalizingly delicious smells washed over me. Then some of the particular spices growing from each flew up into my free arm and hand. As we passed over the twelfth mountain, my arm and hand were full of the complete complement of aromatic spices from the mountain range; the smell was beyond Compare. I breathed in deeply and felt permeated with the aroma; I could almost taste the fragrance.

Suddenly I wanted to give out that which had come to me. I flung the spices up into the air, and they became white doves.

“My covenant of peace,” Jesus said.

Before my eyes I could see the whole earth as if I were the distance of a satellite from it. The doves flew and became flames of fire resting over the whole earth.’°

The picture before my eyes so intrigued me that I did not realize that the spirits had disappeared and that Jesus and I were coming down into a walled garden.

The Walled Garden:

The enclosure seemed to be a private garden.” It was not extremely large, but it was large enough to have a variety of trees as a part of its planting: the pomegranate, myrtle, and cedar; the balsam, cinnamon, frankincense, myrrh, and aloe.

The garden was in the full bloom of spring with narcissus and jonquils in the beds and vines of yellow jasmine and purple wisteria intertwined on the stone wall.

There was a three-tiered fountain in the center of the garden with a bench near it. The bench was under a very large apricot tree, which resembled more an oak than a fruit tree. It was in bloom also and exuded a lovely, invigorating scent.

Our feet came to rest on the ground near the fountain.

“What a lovely garden:’ I said.

“Yes,” He smiled, allowing His eyes to scan the area lightly. “I enjoy walking here.”

Suddenly into my mind came a phrase from the Song of Solomon: “Until the cool of the day when the shadows flee away. “ It was cool here, and certainly there were no shadows. Did that song speak of Paradise?

We began to walk

(To be continued)

* 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)