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A Final Flight to Heaven – Dr. James Wilkins

Copyright © 2013

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge, 1769.

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First edition published 2013

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Cover Design: Amber Burger

Editor: Mary Vesperman

Contents

FOREWORD......................................................................................... VI

A FINAL FLIGHT TO HEAVEN .........................................................1

A FINAL FLIGHT DELAYED ............................................................35

PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE UNCERTAIN ..........................39

PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE UNPREPARED ......................40

NEW CONVERT CARE DISCIPLESHIP PROGRAM ...................41

ADDITIONAL BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM NEW TESTAMENT MINISTRIES ..........................................................................................42

ABOUT THE AUTHOR......................................................................55

FOREWORD

When a born-again child of God takes his final breath on earth, he is in heaven before all of

the air is exhaled from his lungs.When one of our brave Christian soldiers is shot

down in battle, he is lifted into the very presence of God before his body falls to the ground. Paul stated this marvelous truth when he said, “to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthi-ans 5:8).

A child of God does not go to heaven by means of an airplane, jet, or rocket ship. Before the pilot could push a lever, the heaven-bound saint would already be wide-eyed with astonishment as he views the splen-dor of heaven. But in order to illustrate some eternal truths, we present A Final Flight to Heaven.

A FINAL FLIGHT TO HEAVEN

The airplane taxies down the runway and lifts off to soar into the heavens. There is a layer of clouds

at about 20,000 feet, and suddenly the plane is in a dense fog. What is above the fog is a mystery to all of the first-time passengers. What they expect is the beautiful blue of the endless heavens. “No worries. We should be at our destination right on time,” the pilot announces.

“No worries.” I’m in good hands and should arrive right on time, is the Christian’s thought. My plane is in good hands and is being flown by the seasoned pilot Grace who, according to the Word of God, has never lost a passenger.

I will soon land on the eternal shores of home with all of my troubles and worries behind me, there to bathe in the royalty of heaven forever.

He is right about the good pilot Grace! He has never lost a passenger. He is right; Grace will safely deliver him right into the very presence of the Lord in the beautiful splendor of heaven.

He is right about another thing as well: There is

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not a place in all of God’s creation as beautiful as the place He has prepared for His children.

Let us join that nominal Christian in his final flight and observe some shocking events that lie ahead on his bumpy route into the unknown.

As the airplane lifts up beyond the layers of clouds, an announcement comes over the intercom, “We are now passing through the inter-world time line into eternity.”

“What did that announcement mean?” he asks.As he looks up for the first time, he realizes that the

flight attendant who answers his questions is an angel.“On planet earth, everything is calculated in time

segments: minutes, hours, days, years. But when one passes through the inter-world time line, there are no longer any time segments,” replies the angel.

“No more time segments?” he repeats in disbelief.“That is correct,” the angel reaffirms. “We have just

passed from time into eternity.”“Don’t they tell time in heaven like we do on earth?”

comes a surprised question.“No! Haven’t you read in your Bible that a thou-

sand years on earth is like a watch in the night or as yesterday when it is past?”

“I don’t remember reading that. Where in the Bible does it say that? And what does it mean, ‘like a watch in the night’?” he asks, as if in shock.

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“Why, Psalm 90:4 is the place where you can find it. A watch in the night is a seaman’s term that means three hours,” explains the angel.

In a bewildered, hesitating voice he replies, “Are you trying to tell me that a thousand years on earth is like a short time period of about three hours in heaven?”

“Or like yesterday, which is past,” says the angel. “You see, we are not governed by time in heaven; we are in eternity.”

“The heaven where your pilot Grace will deliver you will be more of a beautiful vacationland than a place where you will dwell forever. When you get off the plane piloted by Grace, you will have passed out of the zone where they measure time and into eternity, where there is no measurement of time.”

Our passenger sits there as if in total shock. He is brought back to reality by the announcement, “We are here!” All of a sudden, it is like someone has turned on the finest quality stereo. He becomes aware of the softest, most uplifting music. A sense of expectancy and excitement sweeps over everyone like electricity, and he knows that the announcement, “We are here!” means he has safely arrived in heaven.

As he moves out of the plane, all of the thoughts that were puzzling his mind are swept away by the astonishing beauty surrounding him.

The atmosphere of love and contentment perme-

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ates the air like the sweetest floral aroma imaginable. The sense of well-being and security comforts each person, until everyone is congenial and thrilled with the same sense of expectancy that a large, loving fam-ily may experience at homecoming.

And there, standing with outstretched arms, IS JESUS! Everything and everyone else loses any attrac-tion as everyone sees their blessed Redeemer and Savior for the very first time. Breathless, and with an awe that mortal tongues cannot express, our Christian stands and drinks in the beauty and wonderment of His blessed presence.

This almost trancelike state is broken by the hearty hug of the one whom God had used to bring him to Christ. As he laughs and converses with him, his eyes focus, he catches his breath, and exclaims. “There is Mother! I’ve never seen her look so radiant and beau-tiful!” Then, as he moves toward his mother’s out-stretched arms, he sees his father. Through embracing and tears, they are reunited.

Then in rapid order other relatives and friends appear. Time seems to stand still. Then more faces become familiar. “Oh, I would know him anywhere – that has to be John the Baptist! And look! There’s the apostle Paul!”

His mind and head are swirling as he visits first with one of them and then the other.

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And the music. It causes him to want to laugh, cry, shout, dance, and praise God – all at the same time! It has an intoxicating effect, which thrills as well as calms, and a sense of well-being settles upon him. He just has to stop and drink it all in.

There are lofty mansions and lovely exquisite fur-nishings. Every mansion is so magnificent, but all with a different and superb design. It would take forever just to view each of the mansions that God has prepared for His children.

Then, all of these marvelous, indescribable events and surroundings are interrupted by the sound of a trumpet.

In keeping with our illustration of a Christian’s flight on an airplane, it is back to the landing strip. It seems like it was just a moment ago that he had arrived.

As the angel guides him to his seat and he straps on his seatbelt, he hears over the intercom, “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We are now leaving the inter world’s airport of heaven for the short flight to the judgment seat of Christ.” The announcement continues. “We will be joined in mid-flight by the saints who are still alive on the earth. Somewhere between here and the short flight to the judgment seat, you will be receiving your eternal bodies.”

“Your pilot for our short flight is Captain Justice.”Our nominal Christian draws back and exclaims,

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“I want off the plane! I want to stay here. My ticket states, ‘Final destination – heaven.’”

An attending angel says, “You need to check your ticket more closely. Look, it reads, it is appointed unto men once to die [heaven for the saved], but after this the judgment. You belong on this plane all right, and you have the right pilot. Our next destination is a short stop at the judgment seat of Christ.”

“Judgment seat of Christ? But I was saved by Grace. Where did Grace go?” comes the startled inquiry.

“Oh, Grace did his job a lready. Remem-ber? He delivered you all the way to heaven. But that was just your first stop. He will return and be your pilot when you go into the eternal heav-ens. But that will be after the millennial reign,” explains the angel.

“Judgment seat of Christ? Millennial reign? Where’s that? And what is that?” comes another question.

“The judgment seat of Christ is where every believer goes to receive his rewards, or in many cases, see his rewards burned up. The millennial reign of Christ is where Jesus will sit on the messianic throne and rule the earth in righteousness for one thousand years,” replies the angel.

“A thousand years! That’s a very long time. You mean a thousand years, like a year is a year? A thou-sand years of years?” comes his confused inquiry.

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“Yes, you will be on the earth a thousand years, like the years you are used to,” confirms the angel.

“Well, why wasn’t I told?”“It was all in your life manual,” the angel answers

with a puzzled look.“Life manual? What life manual?1 I didn’t get any

life manual.”“You didn’t have a Bible?” comes the startled reply

from the angel.“Bible! You mean the Bible was our life manual?

That was what the Bible was for?” he asks.“Yes,” the angel replies. “The Bible was your life

manual and was meant to fully furnish you with the knowledge and ability to prepare for your final exam, which you are about to take at the judgment seat of Christ.”

“What final exam? You mean like a test? A final examination?” Another panicked question follows. “What’s the test about?”

“The test will determine whether or not you fulfilled your purpose on earth.2 It will also decide if you were faithful with the talents and opportunities that God

1 Our life manual, the Bible – All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17).2 Saved for a purpose – Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according

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gave you.3 But your questions will have to wait. We are now arriving at the judgment seat of Christ,” the angel informs him.

“Oh Lord, have mercy!” A terrified cry escapes from his mouth.

“No, there won’t be any mercy here. Mercy is what brought you to Grace. You had ample opportunity for mercy during your lifetime. We have now arrived at the place where there will be no mercy. Today is the time for examination to determine the rewards, or loss of rewards, for each child of God, according to their individual labor,” explains the angel.

“But I never heard any of this in Sunday school. I don’t ever remember hearing my pastor mention these things in a sermon. To be honest, I often wondered why there wasn’t more distinction made between how the church members lived and how people who never went to church lived.”

“Wait,” interrupts the angel. “There is one passage of Scripture that might apply to believers like you.”

“Oh, please tell me!” he exclaims. “I’m scared out of my senses. I have been caught totally by surprise.

to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began (2 Timothy 1:9).3 Rewarded for faithful service – His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faith-ful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord (Matthew 25:21).

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I’ve never heard of this judgment of Christians, and of works burning, and of living a thousand years of years on this earth.”

“The words of Jesus in Luke 12:47-48 refer to the time we are coming to right now, a time of judgment,” the angel explains. “Jesus said that the servant, the child of God, who knew the Lord’s will and did not prepare for it shall be beaten with many stripes. That means justice with no mercy and severe penalties. But, this part may give you some comfort. But he that knew not … shall be beaten with few stripes.”

“That doesn’t sound too comforting to me,” he moans.

“There is one thing you can count on. Jesus will be perfectly fair, and He will have the books of deeds there before Him,4 everything you have done since you were saved.”

“Everything?” he interrupts.“Yes, and He will turn your computer brain on, and

you will have total recall. You will be able to remem-ber all the times the Holy Spirit prompted you to do something in Christian service.”

4 The book of works – Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name (Malachi 3:16).

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“Oh! What about my sins?” His next question is immediate.

The angel explains further, “Your sins were judged on the cross of Calvary. They have already been paid for by the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross as your substitute.5 No, you don’t have any worry about going to hell. The judgment of sinners comes a thousand years from now at the great white throne judgment of God.”6

“Great white throne judgment? What’s that?” he again inquires.

“That is the judgment of lost sinners, and it occurs right after the thousand-year reign of Jesus and right before you go back into the eternal heaven.”7

“Go back into the eternal heaven and be there in that wonderful land we just left, forever?” he asks.

“Forever,” answers the angel. “Only it will be bet-ter than what you just experienced. You see, before you go into the eternal heaven, all of the tears will be

5 Jesus paid for our sins – Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed (1 Peter 2:24).6 The great white throne judgment – And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them (Revelation 20:11).7 A new eternal home – And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea (Revelation 21:1).

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wiped away from God’s children’s eyes. And all of the former things that happened in your life on earth and in the life you will have lived for these thousand years will be forgotten.”

“Why don’t we just skip all of this thousand-years stuff and go right into the eternal heaven?” he asks.

“God’s thousand-year kingdom will serve at least two purposes,” continues the angel.

“Two purposes?” he echoes. “What are they?”“First, God wants to demonstrate how He wanted

the first Adam and the human race to have lived in peace with each other, with no wars, death, or sor-rows. He will do this through the reign of His Son, who is the second Adam.”

“The second reason is that God wants to honor all of His children who followed His manual [the Bible] and lived under His tutorship and guidance by giving the lost world the Gospel.”

“What is that brightness?”8 he suddenly asks, in a voice that reveals both anxiety and fear. The angel calmly answers, “It is Jesus. We have arrived at the judgment seat of Christ.”

“It can’t be Jesus,” he counters. “I just saw Him in heaven as He warmly received His children home. He was smiling and kind. You could feel His love

8 The glorified Christ on His throne – and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone (Revelation 4:2b-3).

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flowing toward each of His children. This brightness is blinding!”

“It is Jesus,” the angel replies. “He is now sitting upon the throne judging the works of each believer. He is not responding to each person as a tender Savior, but as a righteous judge.”9

“Why wasn’t I told?” he asks again. “Oh, I know what you are going to say: ‘It was in your Bible.’”

“Yes,” the angel answers kindly. “God’s Word admonished you to work out your own salvation [pur-pose] with fear and trembling.”10

“If I had only obeyed that verse, I wouldn’t be so scared and trembling now,” he replies. “What are they doing?” he asks as he observes the activities of other angels. “It looks like they are putting a lot of items upon some sort of foundation.”

“Yes. The items are the materials a Christian has built his life with, upon his foundation, which is Christ. There is wood, hay, and stubble; or there is gold, silver,

9 The righteous judge – For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son (John 5:22).10 Work with fear and trembling – Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).

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and precious stones.11 Every man’s work will be tried by fire,”12 explains the angel.

“What is the wood, hay, and stubble, and what were the other items you said?” he inquires.

“Gold, silver, and precious stones,” replies the angel.“Yes, that’s it. What are they?”“Wood, hay, and stubble are perishable items and

represent the religious works of man that he does in the flesh to be seen by his fellow man. Stubble is defined as pride.13 Wood stands for the works of man’s hands, while hay represents the motive as well as the self-centered works man does to be seen,” begins the angel.

“You mean that wood, hay, and stubble represent the service one renders in life for self-glory and grati-fication rather than for God’s glory?” he asks.

“Yes, that is a good summary. The works of man that are described as gold, silver, and precious stones are items referred to as eternal and which were done for the right reason and purpose,” continues the angel.

“Look. The judgment fires are being applied to that

11 Building upon Christ – Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble (1 Corinthians 3:12).12 Works tried by fire – Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is (1 Corinthians 3:13).13 Pride symbolized by stubble – For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble (Malachi 4:1).

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man’s life works now. Wow! Most of his works remain unburned. How beautiful!” he exclaims in amazement.

Then a voice of loving authority interrupts his thoughts.

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Be thou ruler over the city of New York for one thousand years. Enter into the joy of thy service to the Lord.”

“That was Jesus speaking, wasn’t it?” he asks the angel.

“Yes, it was the Master,” is the reply.“Wow! Look at that saint’s glorified body!” he mar-

vels, as the commended saint receives a spectacular new body.14

“Look! They are placing those life works of wood, hay, stubble, gold, silver, and precious stones upon the foundation again,” he announces.

“Yes, it is another Christian’s life works,” replies the angel.

Then a huge blaze flares up, which shocks and frightens him. He looks again, and sees the remainder of the wood, hay, and stubble, in a pile of ashes. He is brought back to reality by that authoritative voice again, but this time the sound of His voice sends a shiver up his back.

14 Difference in glorified bodies – There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead (1 Corinthians 15:41-42a).

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“Thou wicked and slothful servant. Go to the back side of the farmlands of Texas and there begin to serve your master by tilling his farmlands for a thousand years.”15

He stands trembling as one child of God after another has his life’s works judged. Some receive a more magnificent body than others. Some are led away in tears.

As he inches ever nearer, he realizes that holy and righteous judgment is being executed upon all. There are times when Jesus halts the entire proceedings to commend one of His saints.

“What’s all that cheering about?” he asks the angel.“Jesus just presented a little ‘nobody,’ as the world

would judge a person, to the royal courts of heaven. They are cheering for her. She is a ninety-seven-year-old saint who lived in one of the most depraved, sin-ful towns in her country. She almost single-handedly turned the town into a place where God was honored and many in the town were converted,” the angel explains.

“She did this?” he asks, as he looks on in amazement.“Yes, she did.”“What did she do that was so great?”“When the town was wicked, there were only two

15 Some will plow – And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers (Isaiah 61:5).

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or three members in her church. She was a girl then. She dedicated her life to fasting and praying for revival. She went fifty-eight years without missing a service,” the angel replies.

“You mean on Sundays, don’t you?”“No, I mean all services. She would walk to the

church in the snow or rain. Often she would slip into a Sunday school room when everyone else had gone home, and she would pray and weep for souls.”

“Do you mean she never missed a Sunday or a Wednesday night? She must have,” he says again.

“No, Wednesday nights and prayer meetings were her favorite services.”

“Wow! Look at her now,” he exclaims as she is transformed. “What a beautiful, glorified body!”

“Yes. There are two things that the Lord loves to do,” the angel replies.

“You mean there are two things above all else He loves to do?”

“Yes. He loves to reward people who are faithful in pursuing their purpose. That little lady was saved when she was thirteen years old, right after her lost, alcoholic daddy died. And she has faithfully served the Lord for the last eighty-four years.”

“Wow, that is something. What is the second thing He loves to do?”

“This may be His most favorite. He loves to take

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someone that was a nobody as far as the world was concerned, but put the Lord and His work first, all while faithfully doing their vocational job.”

“Well, then what?” he interrupts.“He loves to lift them up so all the world can see,

and reward them for their self denying, faithful ser-vice,” the angel finishes.

“Take nobodies in the eyes of the world and show the world what superstars they really are, huh?” he comments.

“That is what gives Jesus a great deal of pleasure,” the angel confirms. “He loves rewarding a person who humbly and faithfully serves Him without any notice or fanfare from those around him.”

“Angel, there is a new excitement in the air. The environment is charged with expectancy, almost like an electrical current.”

“Yes, you can feel the anticipation. It has been noised about that one of the Lord’s greatest servants is going to be recognized and honored today, someone like Moses, Paul, or one of the other apostles. There is the special award signal now. Listen.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention? In the main arena of extraordinary rewards we have our next coronation.”

Immediately an award arena was elevated so that

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every eye could have a close-up, ringside view of the ceremony.

There were three men standing on the awards plat-form waiting to be recognized and awarded, with a single person bowing before them.

“Angel, angel, I’ve never seen such beautiful glori-fied bodies. Their bodies are almost as beautiful as the Lord’s.”

“Yes. The two men standing with the Lord, as well as the one waiting to be crowned, were martyrs. A martyr is one who was killed while witnessing for the Lord. The special glorified body which the Lord gives them designates them as martyrs. It is like a gov-ernment awarding the Distinguished Service Cross, which is the highest award a nation gives. Throughout eternity those martyred for the cause of Christ will be recognized and honored as special heroes of the Lord.”

“Angel, angel, who is that single figure who is kneel-ing before the three?”

“In heaven he is known as Doulos, which means bond slave. Because he referred to himself as the Lord’s bond slave, or Doulos, that is what all the angels and inhabitants of heaven called him. On earth he was known as Paul, the apostle.

The presiding angel interrupts their conversation by announcing, “Because of a special request, the Lord is allowing two prominent people in Paul’s ministry

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to assist Him in Paul’s coronation. The men are those who were responsible for his conversion and the man who discipled him.”

With this announcement one of the men stepped forward and was warmly embraced by the apostle Paul.

“Who is that man Paul is embracing, and why is he so important?”

“That is Stephen, a deacon and a soul winner from the first church. Paul, who was Saul of Tarsus at the time, led the mob in stoning Stephen to death.”16

“Wow!”“Yes, Stephen died with such grace – and he prayed

for God’s mercy and forgiveness upon Saul and the mob while he was dying. His noble death later led to Saul’s conversion.”17

“Angel, look! The other man is about to speak.”“Yes, that is Barnabas, the man who discipled and

trained Apostle Paul.”“Discipled?”“Yes. He befriended Paul when all of the twelve

apostles were still afraid to trust their former enemy – Paul.”

16 Saul, the leader of the persecutions – And cast him [Ste-phen] out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul (Acts 7:58).17 Stephen prayed for the mob – And he [Stephen] kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge (Acts 7:60a).

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“You mean Saul?”“Yes. Saul had been killing Christians, and the

apostles thought he may have been pretending to be a Christian so he would be accepted into their inner circle of leaders.”

But Barnabas took Saul, a young Christian then, and became his tutor and role model.”18

Barnabas begins to speak. “Thank you, my King, for this honor of presenting to you a man I had the honor and privilege of helping just after he accepted you as his Lord and Savior. As you well know, Paul wept almost every day over the Christians who suf-fered so under his cruel persecution when he was a young convert.”

There was an intense quiet as the huge crowd lis-tened intently.

“But my young friend [it seemed that Barnabas was almost reliving the moment so long ago] learned the great principle that he later penned in his letter to the Romans, and I quote: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’

“This assurance from God (that all things work together for good) quieted his spirit and dried his tears.

18 The apostles were afraid but Barnabas began to disciple him – but they [the apostles] were all afraid of him ... But Barn-abas took him (Acts 9:26b-27a).

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This knowledge caused him to work more intently day and night in his efforts to win and develop others.

“Here are my final words, my dear King. Many times as we worked and taught together, his spirit and compassion for people made me think I was working with you. I would catch myself looking at Paul in order to make sure it was him instead of you.”19

When Barnabas finished speaking, it seemed that all of heaven burst into cheers.

“Angel, Paul must have been a great man, but who are all these people?”

“Listen. I believe King Jesus is about to tell us.”“Thank you, Barnabas,” were Jesus’ first words.

“And now to the coronation of my servant Paul – bet-ter known in heaven as Doulos.” Again, the cheers and applause were deafening.

“The first tribute to Paul will come from all those he personally won or who were saved under his preaching.”20

Thousands came cheering as they marched around the awards platform.

“Angel, did he win all those people?”

19 Paul’s Christ-likeness – And the disciples [whom Barnabas and Saul were discipling] were called Christians first at Antioch (Acts 11:26b).20 Paul’s crown of rejoicing – For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye [those he won] in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? (1 Thessalonians 2:19).

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“He won all those people, but we have just begun.” He was interrupted by Jesus who began to speak again.

“All those who were won by the people Paul won – please stand.”

Again tens of thousands of new people stood and came surging around the awards stand.

Jesus again spoke. “Will those who were saved through the ministries of the churches which my bond slave started please stand?” The huge crowd seemed to double as, it seemed, endless masses were all standing and cheering the one who had suffered so in order to bring the gospel to their town.

“Angel, I can’t believe this – all those people honor-ing one man. Was Paul responsible for all these people coming to heaven?”

“Wait, Jesus is speaking once again.”“Will all those who personally received instruction

from Paul as he taught either through a local church or in a Bible college – or from the fourteen Epistles he wrote to the local churches, please stand?” Now the joyful singing and shouts of praise were beyond description. The thousands who had never been given the opportunity of expressing their love and gratitude to the one who had given his life and suf-fered so acutely for them stood and expressed their thanksgiving and joy.21

21 Rewarded for those who are saved as a result of one faith-

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“Angel, I’m weeping – what a great sight!”“Yes, it is wonderful.”All the time Jesus was bowing and extending His

arms toward the humble servant who had so unself-ishly served Him.

“Now,” Jesus continued. “It gives me great pleasure to create a new kingdom. The continents which were once known as the continents of Europe and Asia will be renamed Paulica,22 after my friend Paul, and he will sit upon his throne in the new headquarters city, which will be called Doulos, after my bond slave and because of his faithful service.”

With that He steps forward and places a beauti-ful crown upon Paul’s head. Instantly there appears a mirage of Paul’s beautiful mansion and the garden city of Doulos.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I present King Paul of Paulica.”

All of heaven seemed to erupt with applause and shouts of joy.

Then his thoughts brought him back to reality. As

ful life – Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord [Paul] from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them (Revelation 14:13).22 God rewards people by naming places in their honor – The twelve gates were named after the twelve tribes of Israel (Revelation 21:12). And the wall of that city had twelve founda-tions, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Revelation 21:14).

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the special service in the main arena of extraordinary rewards ended, he found himself nearer to the Bema Seat, and it was his time to answer for what he now acknowledged for the first time. He had to answer for his wasted life, and his trembling and tears began all over again.

His thoughts in the deepest part of his soul plagued him: Oh, why didn’t I try to find out what life was all about while I was living? Why didn’t I live my life in the light of the Holy Bible and eternity? Why wasn’t I more careful in how I built my life’s works?

Then there is a flash so bright that he has to brace himself. He stands tense, with his eyes closed. The angel gently touches his arm and, with a start, he opens his eyes.

“What is wrong?” inquires the angel. “Why are you shaking so?”

“I thought that bright flash was a bolt of lighten-ing! I just instantly closed my eyes, waiting for the deafening thunder,” he replies.

“No,” corrects the angel. “That bright flash was the works of a hypocritical Christian being consumed by the judgment fire.”

Oh, Lord, I’m almost there. There are only a few more before me. His thoughts keep flooding through his mind.

Why didn’t I go to church more? I know, down deep

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— 2 5 —

in my heart, that I should have tithed. And the stories the missionaries told – how my heart went out to those suffering people. Why didn’t I do something about it instead of just shedding a few tears?

Another blinding flash! And now, he can’t stop his trembling.

And all my friends – my fellow workers – my neigh-bors – we were all friends. Why didn’t I speak up for Jesus? Why didn’t I warn them of ... His thoughts are interrupted by the wailing of another person who has had his life’s works consumed.

And then the next person’s works are tried. “Wow! Look at that beautiful glorified body! How marvel-ous!” he exclaims.

“Yes,” responds the angel. “Through sickness, rejec-tion, persecution, and even death, that saint always won souls and put his Lord’s work first.”

The angel will be calling his name next. He will have to step forward and look up into the face of Jesus. What will he hear Him say?

His thoughts keep racing. This can’t be happening to me! This must be some kind of nightmare! Say this isn’t so! Say it is not real!

He feels the nudge of the angel’s hand, and he knows it is his time. His appointment at the judgment seat of Christ has come.

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He stands, almost in a daze, as he watches them pile his life’s works on the foundation to be tried by fire.

He can feel himself shudder as he breathlessly waits.What will my blessed Lord say to me? Where will

I serve on the earth for the next thousand years? His thoughts keep coming.

He watches, as if in a petrified state, as the angel applies the fire to his whole life’s works. He reels backwards as a blinding flash all but knocks him off his feet. Then he looks in total disbelief at the pile of ashes that represents the complete work of his life.

He stares at the pile of ashes. He thought he would look up into the face of Jesus, but he is so ashamed that he cannot raise his head. He wouldn’t be able to see Him anyway because of the gushing of tears which stream down his face.

Then, he has never heard anything so chilling, so final, as the words that come from the Man who died on the cross for him but now serves as his life’s judge.23

“Depart from me, you unprofitable servant.”24

Then He says to the angel, “Take him away, but before you place him where he will labor for the next

23 Every man shall give account – For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God (Romans 14:11-12).24 Cast out of fellowship – And cast ye the unprofitable ser-vant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30).

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— 2 7 —

thousand years, show him what my good, acceptable, and perfect will for his life was.”25

Suddenly, he is in a building much like a large movie house, where the movie screens encircle the whole room.

Immediately there appears the most beautiful man-sion, a huge farmhouse sitting upon a scenic hill. It overlooks acres of fruit trees of all varieties, and then he sees a vineyard, and he can’t believe any field could ever be that gorgeous. Down the hill is a barn with horses. The row crops stretch out for what seem like miles, and all are straight as an arrow. The whole vil-lage, which is built in a support pattern around the mansion, is filled with so many happy, smiling faces that he cannot count them all.

He stares in disbelief and asks, “You mean this was all to be mine?”

“Look closer,” the angel says.Then he sees a person in the most beautiful, glori-

fied body. He stares. “That’s me!” he cries.“It could have been you, and that mansion and

those servants would have been yours for a thousand years. That was God’s reward for you, if you would

25 Good, acceptable, and perfect will – And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:2).

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have allowed Him to work out His good, acceptable, and perfect will for your life.26

Then he notices a little shack near the barn at the bottom of the hill. As he focuses in, he can see his name on the mailbox in front of the shack.

“Oh no! Is that where I will be living?” he asks.“Yes. You will live right next to the barn, where you

will be caring for and cleaning up after the horses,” the angel responds.

“For all of the thousand years?”“Yes, for a whole thousand years.”“Oh no! But who were those people with smiling

faces? There were so many of them. Where did they go?”

“You don’t want to know,” the angel answers sadly.His old temper, which had gotten him into trouble

so many times before, flares up as he demands, “I do want to know! Where did they go?”

A scene from hell bursts onto the screen, with the screaming and wailing of so many people! Although their faces are twisted by pain and mangled by hatred and old age, he can still recognize that they are the same people he had seen happy and smiling just moments before.

“Turn it off! Turn it off!” he screams as he covers

26 A full reward – Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward (2 John 1:8).

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— 2 9 —

his eyes. But the scene was so vivid he can still see it with his eyes closed.

The angel touches him and he opens his eyes. The screams and the smells of hell are gone.27

“Let me ask you,” he forces his words through his sobs. “Are those people in hell because I failed to serve God?”

The angel nods his head and affirms what he already knew.28

“Oh God, what have I done?” he cries.“Angel, angel, when I saw myself there was some-

thing red on my hands. What was that on my hands?”“I wish you hadn’t asked.”“But, I have to know. Was that blood on my hands

the blood of people I should have warned, but didn’t?”The hurt, pathos, and regrets that the angel heard

in his voice caused the angel to silently nod his head in the affirmative.

“But I thought the Scriptures about blood being on a person’s hands were meant only for preachers.”

27 The rich man and Lazarus could see – And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame (Luke 16:24).28 I am free of blood because – Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God (Acts 20:26-27).

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“You chose to believe that. That was your way of escaping your personal responsibility to lost sinners.”

“But I didn’t know ...”“Do you want me to flash on the big screen the times

the Holy Spirit spoke to you about your responsibility to the lost?” asked the angel.

“No, no. Please don’t do that,” he says as he places his hands over his face and eyes in an effort to blot out the horrible thoughts and images.

The angel stands motionless, waiting for his thoughts to turn toward his family, who are still alive on earth.

“Angel, angel, go and see my sons and my brothers, and tell them the truth about the judgment seat, and I beg you to tell them about hell! I don’t know if they are truly saved!” he pleads.

“I cannot go,” replies the angel.“Then send someone else!” he argues.“They have the Holy Bible. If they will not be con-

vinced by the Bible, then they wouldn’t be convinced by someone who rose from the dead.”29

“Oh angel, I don’t think I can bear this. I can’t stand to live with my memories, with what could have been. If only I had listened to the Holy Spirit when He tried to get me to yield my life to the Lord.”

29 Neither persuaded by one from the dead – And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead (Luke 16:31).

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— 3 1 —

Then, in rapid fashion, there appears in his mind all of the times that he had rebelled against God’s lead-ing – in His Word or the pastor’s message.30

On the screen now is June 8. “That was when Momma died! Look at me. I look so young then and Momma looked so sick.”

Then he hears her voice. “Promise me, son, that you will go to church and serve the Lord.”

“I promise, Momma, I promise,” he had replied as her hand went limp.

“I kept my promise,” he says to the angel.“For three months,” the angel replies. “Until a better

job came along that took up all your time.”Then his mind goes to another scene. “That’s little

Joey in the children’s hospital.”“Do you remember your promise to God there at

his bedside?” the angel asks.“Yes. I promised I would get back to church if God

would heal him.”“Did you go back to church?”“No, but I really meant to. I did go to a church a

time or two, but I didn’t like the preacher’s preach-ing,” he solemnly replies.

30 Works, whether good or bad – Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

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“Do you know how many times God brought something into your life to turn you back to Him?” the angel asks.

“No, how many?” he hesitantly asks.“Ninety-two,” is the reply.“No! That couldn’t be!”“Do you want to see each time God tried to help

you?” the angel asks as another scene appears.“No! No! I have seen enough,” he sadly replies.He begins to weep uncontrollably. The angel touches

him again.He looks up with tear-filled eyes and says, “I’m in

pain. I hurt so badly.”“You don’t hurt nearly as much as those people you

saw in hell. You don’t hurt half as bad as Jesus suffered on the cross to save you,” he replies.

Then the angel seems to lose his composure as he continues. “You don’t hurt like Jesus does right now, knowing the potential of your life, which you wasted.”

This sobers him up. He hadn’t thought about Jesus’ suffering or those in hell.

“Besides, those people in hell will suffer throughout the ages to come, for eternity.31 You will stop suffer-ing and shedding tears after the great white throne

31 Tormented forever and ever – And the smoke of their tor-ment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name (Revelation 14:11).

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— 3 3 —

judgment day for the lost. Then your loving heavenly Father will wipe all tears from your eyes and all for-mer things will be forgotten,”32 the angel concludes.

Into his heart comes a glimmer of hope. His thoughts come rushing into his mind once again.

“You cannot change anything after the judgment seat,” the angel says.

“That’s what I was thinking. Oh I wish I could! But I now I can’t,” he replies.

“No, you cannot change the past,” the angel confirms.

“But Jesus will rule this earth in peace, won’t He?”33

“Yes, it will be glorious. The animals will be tame.34 There will be no storms or wars.”

“And we will live on this earth for a thousand years and then go back to the eternal heaven?” he asks, seek-ing reassurance.

32 Former things are forgotten – And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away (Revelation 21:4).33 Peace will be on earth – And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious (Isaiah 11:10).34 Animals shall be tame – The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them (Isaiah 11:6).

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— 3 4 —

“Yes, the good pilot Grace will be back and will carry you back to the eternal heaven.”

“And the bad memories and hurt will be wiped away before ...”

“Before you go into the eternal heaven,” the angel finishes his sentence.

“Thank you, sir. I’m ready to go to my little shack and start my service,” he humbly replies.

“That is good. Let’s get going.”

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