- Jan 21, 2006
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A STRANGE JOURNEY
The young man found himself in some sort of tunnel. It was a swirling tunnel that seemed to be made up of radiant light. This radiant tunnel of light seemed to revolve around and around, pointing to some kind of distant vortex which seemed to grow nearer and nearer.
At first, he felt himself being pulled through this strange tunnel rather slowly, then, the speed picked up. He managed to see through the sides of the tunnel the blackness of the night sky filled with an array of heavenly stars. These were the same stars he saw night after night, now; they seemed closer, even closer still.
He thought back to the warm, summer nights when he often lay down in the grassy hills near the olive groves. He would look up into the sky and imagine he was Father Abraham, seeing the same evening stars, those twinkling, tiny lamps that gave testimony to God’s splendid creation, the same God whose promise was fulfilled so many thousands of years ago, that through him, a nation would be born.
Now, these same stars became a white blur as they rushed passed him, or perhaps it was he who was rushing past them through this strange tunnel of light.
As he looked to the far distant radiant vortex, he noticed a star which was brighter than all the others which were around him. The star grew in size as he moved through the tunnel, faster and faster.
The star seemed to take on a certain shape as he got nearer. He saw that the shape took on the appearance took on the of a four-square city of a whitish-golden glow. He saw a wall, a wall that seemed to stretch for miles and miles and appeared to have no end.
Beyond the walls lay the city itself in a dazzling array of multi-colors. The tunnel of light ended suddenly and the young man found himself suspended high above the city looking down.
Gazing down upon the golden city he observed a multitude of heavenly hosts array in dazzling white tunics with golden belts around their waists. Their feet were shod with golden sandals encrusted with all sorts of precious stones. No doubt these beings were angels as they also had enormous white wings which were folded behind their backs.
The angels were all busy at work, building and inlaying precious stones in mansions of all sorts and sizes. As far as his eyes could see, there was construction work going on. It seemed that this entire city was getting prepared, prepared for some event, a very special event.
As the young man continued to look out over the golden celestial metropolis, he saw one of the angels looking up at him. The angel opened up his radiant white wings and flew upward towards him. In a matter of seconds, they were face to face, both suspended above the glowing city of golden white light.
“Peace and blessings to you son of Adam” spoke the angel with a resounding voice.
“And to you, angel, blessings and peace” replied the young man at the wonder of this entire splendor.
“Welcome to the Kingdom of Heaven, the great city of the King” continued the angel.
“I’ve heard that name before” replied the young man, “I’ve heard it mentioned by a dear friend of mine. To whom does this city belong?”
“It is the city of the King” spoke the angel with pride, “The KING of kings and LORD of lords, the creator of the universe and all that is in it. It also belongs to all who are HIS and to all who believe on HIS name.”
“I see” spoke the young man, “I see all the heavenly hosts down there busy building all those glorious mansions. Are they not for you who believe on HIS name, you, who indeed belong to HIM?”
“Indeed” replied the angel, “we do belong to HIM and we believe on HIS name who is HOLY, but this city is built for all redeemed man, for all men and women, great and small who have trusted and who will trust in the complete work of redemption of the LAMB”
“Redemption?” questioned the young man, “Redemption from what?”
“From the curse of sin” replied the angel, “the sin which all mankind has inherited from Adam, who is the father of all who breathes the breath of life Oh Son of Man.”
“And how” questioned the young man, “is this redemption to be fulfilled?”
“The blood” replied the angel, “for without blood there can be no remission of sins.”
“But that is the reason for the sacrifices” answered the young man, “We have daily sacrifices at the temple. The priests and Levites take bulls and goats and…”
“They are but shadows, oh man” interrupted the angel.
“Shadows?” questioned the young man.
“Yes” replied the angel, “shadows of things to come, mere shadows of He who has come to fulfill all the prophecies of the Torah and the Prophets. It is He who walks among you this very day.”
The young man stood there wondering, wondering and marveling at the words of the angel. Just who could this be he thought? Did he know him? The angel seemed to know his thoughts.
“It is He who teaches in the synagogues, the essence of the Torah and of the Prophets. It is He who makes the words of Moses come to life, gives sight to blind eyes, and strengthens the legs of the lame. It is He who heals all sort of infirmities. He is the one who comforts the sorrowful and who embraces the children.” The angel stood there gazing into the eyes of the young man, hoping that the words would enlighten his soul.
The young man just stood there, suspended high above the holy city of God, thinking, contemplating over the words of the angel. As he was deep in thought, only one person came to mind. Only one person could meet that description.
“Could it be my dear friend Yeshua?” asked the young man, looking deep into the eyes of the angel.
“Indeed” replied the angel with joy, knowing now that understanding had reached and penetrated his soul. “Your heart has revealed the truth to you, and this same Yeshua will suffer at the hands of sinners. He will be mocked and stricken, he will be despised and chastised with whips, and by His stripes will all mankind receive healing.”
“Those are the words of the Prophet Isaiah.” said the young man, still deep in thought.
“Indeed” replied the angel, “and that prophecy will soon come to pass.”
“But who would want to hurt my dear friend Yeshua?” asked the young man a little perplexed. “He has done no harm to anyone, only good has he done.”
“Does a lamb offend so that a serpent will strike?” asked the angel, gazing intensely into the eyes of the young man. “Nay, yet the serpent will indeed strike the lamb and the shepherd will be slain, yet the shepherd-lamb will rise from the dead on the third day. Hear this oh man, the serpent’s head will then be crushed. Only then will the captives that lie in Abraham’s bosom be set free. The Son of Man will take the key to life and open Heaven’s gate to receive the redeemed. All those who sleep in the dust of the earth, from righteous Abel to him that will be at the side of the lamb will inherit this same city which you now see.”
The young man marveled at the angel’s words, taking in all this wonderful news.
“And how do you come to know all this?” asked the young man
“It has been revealed to me by the Father” answered the angel. “It is He who knows all that will come to pass, and as the Father thus wills all that is to come, so does the Son give testimony to the Father by His obedience, even unto death.”
“When will all this occur?” asked the young man, his questioning eyes gazing into the eyes of the holy angel
“Soon” answered the angel, “very soon, but I must now return unto my labors below as you must return to yours, as you are being called back. Soon, very soon we will meet again and this City of God will be your inheritance as one of the redeemed by the blood of the lamb.”
The angel then opened his snow-white wings, aglow with the Shekinah light and flew back down to the streets of the City of God. There he rejoined the rest of the multitude of heavenly hosts and continued to build inlaying precious stones in the mansions of the redeemed.
The young man just stood there, hovering above the City of God. He watched the angel as he returned to his work with the others, becoming just a tiny speck amidst the vast multitude of heavenly beings. He stood in awe, taking in the glorious splendor of Heaven. How he wished he could stay, being a part of the heavenly host.
All of a sudden, he heard a voice. It was a voice of thunder, a voice of command, of infinite authority. He felt the air vibrate around him; the resonating voice seemed to engulf him completely, seemingly to draw him away from this heavenly realm. Indeed, he felt now that he was being drawn away, entering the same tunnel of light which brought him to this city of peace.
He felt himself being pulled away, faster and faster. As he looked back, he saw the Kingdom of Heaven growing smaller and smaller until it looked like just another one of the bright stars of the heavens.
Around and around he traveled, feeling an unseen force which, he could not explain, a force which pulled him through this strange tunnel of glowing, pulsating light. He observed around him all the stars of heaven going past him, leaving behind them small tails of light.
Up ahead, he noticed a small, round object of blue and white color. The object got bigger second by second. He then noticed brown and green mixed with the blue and white colors. The object then got so big that it seemed to engulf him completely. Then he noticed familiar objects; trees, hills, and mountains. He noticed a familiar countryside of green meadows and date palms. He finally saw something very familiar, it was his own house. Behind his house was a small, rocky hill. He felt himself being drawn into that hill, a hill that harbored an empty tomb.
Suddenly, everything went dark. He felt confined, lying down on a hard, stone surface. He felt bound by cloth and a horrible stench of death permeated the pitch-dark atmosphere. Then suddenly, a voice rang out, a voice that he recognized the voice of a friend, his master, and teacher, the voice of God, saying...
…LAZARUS, COME FORTH!!!
by Rabbi Ben Avraham (Rabbi James) from my eBook "God Tales, An Anthology"
The young man found himself in some sort of tunnel. It was a swirling tunnel that seemed to be made up of radiant light. This radiant tunnel of light seemed to revolve around and around, pointing to some kind of distant vortex which seemed to grow nearer and nearer.
At first, he felt himself being pulled through this strange tunnel rather slowly, then, the speed picked up. He managed to see through the sides of the tunnel the blackness of the night sky filled with an array of heavenly stars. These were the same stars he saw night after night, now; they seemed closer, even closer still.
He thought back to the warm, summer nights when he often lay down in the grassy hills near the olive groves. He would look up into the sky and imagine he was Father Abraham, seeing the same evening stars, those twinkling, tiny lamps that gave testimony to God’s splendid creation, the same God whose promise was fulfilled so many thousands of years ago, that through him, a nation would be born.
Now, these same stars became a white blur as they rushed passed him, or perhaps it was he who was rushing past them through this strange tunnel of light.
As he looked to the far distant radiant vortex, he noticed a star which was brighter than all the others which were around him. The star grew in size as he moved through the tunnel, faster and faster.
The star seemed to take on a certain shape as he got nearer. He saw that the shape took on the appearance took on the of a four-square city of a whitish-golden glow. He saw a wall, a wall that seemed to stretch for miles and miles and appeared to have no end.
Beyond the walls lay the city itself in a dazzling array of multi-colors. The tunnel of light ended suddenly and the young man found himself suspended high above the city looking down.
Gazing down upon the golden city he observed a multitude of heavenly hosts array in dazzling white tunics with golden belts around their waists. Their feet were shod with golden sandals encrusted with all sorts of precious stones. No doubt these beings were angels as they also had enormous white wings which were folded behind their backs.
The angels were all busy at work, building and inlaying precious stones in mansions of all sorts and sizes. As far as his eyes could see, there was construction work going on. It seemed that this entire city was getting prepared, prepared for some event, a very special event.
As the young man continued to look out over the golden celestial metropolis, he saw one of the angels looking up at him. The angel opened up his radiant white wings and flew upward towards him. In a matter of seconds, they were face to face, both suspended above the glowing city of golden white light.
“Peace and blessings to you son of Adam” spoke the angel with a resounding voice.
“And to you, angel, blessings and peace” replied the young man at the wonder of this entire splendor.
“Welcome to the Kingdom of Heaven, the great city of the King” continued the angel.
“I’ve heard that name before” replied the young man, “I’ve heard it mentioned by a dear friend of mine. To whom does this city belong?”
“It is the city of the King” spoke the angel with pride, “The KING of kings and LORD of lords, the creator of the universe and all that is in it. It also belongs to all who are HIS and to all who believe on HIS name.”
“I see” spoke the young man, “I see all the heavenly hosts down there busy building all those glorious mansions. Are they not for you who believe on HIS name, you, who indeed belong to HIM?”
“Indeed” replied the angel, “we do belong to HIM and we believe on HIS name who is HOLY, but this city is built for all redeemed man, for all men and women, great and small who have trusted and who will trust in the complete work of redemption of the LAMB”
“Redemption?” questioned the young man, “Redemption from what?”
“From the curse of sin” replied the angel, “the sin which all mankind has inherited from Adam, who is the father of all who breathes the breath of life Oh Son of Man.”
“And how” questioned the young man, “is this redemption to be fulfilled?”
“The blood” replied the angel, “for without blood there can be no remission of sins.”
“But that is the reason for the sacrifices” answered the young man, “We have daily sacrifices at the temple. The priests and Levites take bulls and goats and…”
“They are but shadows, oh man” interrupted the angel.
“Shadows?” questioned the young man.
“Yes” replied the angel, “shadows of things to come, mere shadows of He who has come to fulfill all the prophecies of the Torah and the Prophets. It is He who walks among you this very day.”
The young man stood there wondering, wondering and marveling at the words of the angel. Just who could this be he thought? Did he know him? The angel seemed to know his thoughts.
“It is He who teaches in the synagogues, the essence of the Torah and of the Prophets. It is He who makes the words of Moses come to life, gives sight to blind eyes, and strengthens the legs of the lame. It is He who heals all sort of infirmities. He is the one who comforts the sorrowful and who embraces the children.” The angel stood there gazing into the eyes of the young man, hoping that the words would enlighten his soul.
The young man just stood there, suspended high above the holy city of God, thinking, contemplating over the words of the angel. As he was deep in thought, only one person came to mind. Only one person could meet that description.
“Could it be my dear friend Yeshua?” asked the young man, looking deep into the eyes of the angel.
“Indeed” replied the angel with joy, knowing now that understanding had reached and penetrated his soul. “Your heart has revealed the truth to you, and this same Yeshua will suffer at the hands of sinners. He will be mocked and stricken, he will be despised and chastised with whips, and by His stripes will all mankind receive healing.”
“Those are the words of the Prophet Isaiah.” said the young man, still deep in thought.
“Indeed” replied the angel, “and that prophecy will soon come to pass.”
“But who would want to hurt my dear friend Yeshua?” asked the young man a little perplexed. “He has done no harm to anyone, only good has he done.”
“Does a lamb offend so that a serpent will strike?” asked the angel, gazing intensely into the eyes of the young man. “Nay, yet the serpent will indeed strike the lamb and the shepherd will be slain, yet the shepherd-lamb will rise from the dead on the third day. Hear this oh man, the serpent’s head will then be crushed. Only then will the captives that lie in Abraham’s bosom be set free. The Son of Man will take the key to life and open Heaven’s gate to receive the redeemed. All those who sleep in the dust of the earth, from righteous Abel to him that will be at the side of the lamb will inherit this same city which you now see.”
The young man marveled at the angel’s words, taking in all this wonderful news.
“And how do you come to know all this?” asked the young man
“It has been revealed to me by the Father” answered the angel. “It is He who knows all that will come to pass, and as the Father thus wills all that is to come, so does the Son give testimony to the Father by His obedience, even unto death.”
“When will all this occur?” asked the young man, his questioning eyes gazing into the eyes of the holy angel
“Soon” answered the angel, “very soon, but I must now return unto my labors below as you must return to yours, as you are being called back. Soon, very soon we will meet again and this City of God will be your inheritance as one of the redeemed by the blood of the lamb.”
The angel then opened his snow-white wings, aglow with the Shekinah light and flew back down to the streets of the City of God. There he rejoined the rest of the multitude of heavenly hosts and continued to build inlaying precious stones in the mansions of the redeemed.
The young man just stood there, hovering above the City of God. He watched the angel as he returned to his work with the others, becoming just a tiny speck amidst the vast multitude of heavenly beings. He stood in awe, taking in the glorious splendor of Heaven. How he wished he could stay, being a part of the heavenly host.
All of a sudden, he heard a voice. It was a voice of thunder, a voice of command, of infinite authority. He felt the air vibrate around him; the resonating voice seemed to engulf him completely, seemingly to draw him away from this heavenly realm. Indeed, he felt now that he was being drawn away, entering the same tunnel of light which brought him to this city of peace.
He felt himself being pulled away, faster and faster. As he looked back, he saw the Kingdom of Heaven growing smaller and smaller until it looked like just another one of the bright stars of the heavens.
Around and around he traveled, feeling an unseen force which, he could not explain, a force which pulled him through this strange tunnel of glowing, pulsating light. He observed around him all the stars of heaven going past him, leaving behind them small tails of light.
Up ahead, he noticed a small, round object of blue and white color. The object got bigger second by second. He then noticed brown and green mixed with the blue and white colors. The object then got so big that it seemed to engulf him completely. Then he noticed familiar objects; trees, hills, and mountains. He noticed a familiar countryside of green meadows and date palms. He finally saw something very familiar, it was his own house. Behind his house was a small, rocky hill. He felt himself being drawn into that hill, a hill that harbored an empty tomb.
Suddenly, everything went dark. He felt confined, lying down on a hard, stone surface. He felt bound by cloth and a horrible stench of death permeated the pitch-dark atmosphere. Then suddenly, a voice rang out, a voice that he recognized the voice of a friend, his master, and teacher, the voice of God, saying...
…LAZARUS, COME FORTH!!!
by Rabbi Ben Avraham (Rabbi James) from my eBook "God Tales, An Anthology"
