I heard a testimony a couple days ago from a brother named Oliver John Calvert (pictured left), who had died from heat stroke, while painting outdoors in extremely hot temperatures, and went to heaven.
Life Review
In heaven, he was on His face before the Heavenly Father. There in that position, he received a sobering life review that literally changed his entire life. He was made to review his entire life from start to finish and see all the ways he had hurt people and experience the hurt from the perspective of the other person. Many others have described this same type of life review and also that this is the perpetual experience of every soul in hell. During his lifetime, he had treated people with fear, intimidation, neglect, sarcasm, harsh criticism, coarse jokes, ridicule, etc. He saw their faces and what he had put them through.
This went on for what seemed like eternity to him. It was so terrible for him to watch and feel what they felt that he sobbed continuously with tears running down his face, and this went on for around the first two-thirds of the time he was dead (counted in earth days). Eventually he began begging for it to stop, because he couldn't take it any more, When it finally stopped, he knew he was the only one to blame and that he deserved hell. He told the Lord that he understood, and that he was truly, very sorry for all those bad things he had done throughout his life.
Three Keys to Life's Purpose
Then the Father said, "You have not fulfilled your purpose here." The Father patiently taught him that this is not the way he was meant to live and he had not fulfilled the purpose for which He created him. So he asked the Father, "What was my purpose?"
Here is how he described the way God answered that question:
And this voice said to me, "The same as every man, you were put on the earth to take care of the earth." And come to find out later, Adam did tend the garden and keep it. Even before the fall, he had work to do. We as men are here to take care of the earth. It's one of our responsibilities as men. And that was very personal. He said, "You you're not to strip mine the earth. You're not to pollute the earth. You're not to destroy your home." And I was being indicted because I was responsible. I was a litterer. I was one that didn't care about nature or environment at all. And this was a beautiful home that God had created for me to live and enjoy.
And he said, "Secondly, you're here for the animals. They look up to you that you're the one with the spirit. You're the one with reason, with intelligence, with the strength to change things, the ability to protect them and take care of them and do [things] for them. They don't have that ability. And yet you destroy species after species. And I knew that I was responsible, partly responsible. I had hunted for sport. I had no concern for animals. I never showed any compassion for animals didn't have any compassion for animals or men.
And he said, "Thirdly, and most importantly, you're here for each other.” And this is imperative: “I sent you to be part of the answer. You've just been part of the problem.” And I couldn't do anything with that because it was on my shoulders and I was just grieving over it.
[End of excerpt from video testimony].
To summarize. there were three key things that John was supposed to do, which are all top priorities of the same purpose that the Father has for every person whom He creates. Those three priorities of God's purpose for us are: 1) To take care of the earth, 2) To protect the animals, take care of them, and do things for them that they cannot do for themselves, and 3) You're here for each other, for other people, which the Father told him was the most important thing of all and is imperative (i.e., love your neighbor as yourself).
Repeatedly Saved from Destruction
Then while still laying on his face before God, a screen opened on in the floor right beside him, and he was given a vision beginning from the moment he was born and throughout his life of all the times God had personally stepped in to save him from destruction. However, God told him that he was not going to do that any more. God said that he was going to give John one last chance to live his life right, and that there would be absolutely no more chances after that.
Four God-Given Appetites
God showed him that He had given him four appetites -- a natural/physical one, an emotional one, an intellectual one, and a spiritual one. He had overdone it with the first three and neglected the spiritual one all his life, which is why his life was so out of balance, and why nothing worked in his life. He was a work-a-holic, a bed-hopper, a cigarette smoker, a drug abuser, a drunkard, and a glutton. Having ben taught this lesson by God about the four appetites, this was his first inkling of what it meant to be a man.
Loving Relationship with Father
God allowed him to look up at him. He wiped away his tears and accepted him. The Father let him know that He had not been angry with him all his life, but that He was disappointed with him. He could tell that God loved him. Now it was no longer about what was right and wrong, but about having a relationship with his Heavenly Father. That was the instant that changed his heart.
The Heavenly Father who was an enormous Person, wearing a huge, white, flowing robe, sitting on an enormous white throne as big as the stars, and whose face was as bright as the sun; however, it was not an orange-yellow light, but rather a white and blue light. There was someone sitting right next to the Father, who looked like Him, and had the same kind of face as Him, but was a little smaller. Of course, that was His Son, Jesus Christ, who didn't say anything, but was just observing.
One Universal Pattern in Creation
God showed him other things, too, and allowed him to ask questions. For example, he showed him that there is one consistent pattern throughout the entire universe that is found in everything from the smallest atom and all the way to a galaxy and group of galaxies. It's the same pattern all the way up. God also showed him how He expects a husband to protect his wife and to treat his wife. The Father said, "You will totally devote yourself to her wants, her needs, her occupational needs, her educational needs, her medical needs. You will delight and surprise and romance her, her clothing...everything about her. You will give her attention and consideration. This will motivate her to seek for ways to serve you. And you'll both be free from selfishness. And this kind of a relationship is the only way to represent Christ and His church or My relationship with you."
Return to Earthly Body
Then God said, "Your body cannot survive much longer without your spirit." Then after his spirit had been gone from his body for three days and three nights, he suddenly sat up in bed in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on earth. He disconnected all of the wires, monitors, and tubes attached to him. Then he signed himself out of the hospital, and it took him a year to learn how to walk and talk again. He had to relearn how to speak, eat, swallow, and walk. He lost all of his childhood memories, which he never regained again.
A Christian pastor found him in the hospital parking lot wearing nothing but a hospital gown, and took him into his care for an extended period of time. The Lord eventually healed him and opened doors to share his testimony of what happened when he died. He is now able to hear the Lord's voice in his heart very clearly, because he has a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.
Closing Words
Regarding the relationship he now has with the Lord, he said, "This is His will for you as well. He wants relationship with everyone. God is not willing that any should perish. He made you. He died for you. He loves you. You may not be regenerated. You may not be born again, but you're still a child made by God. And to Him, you'll always be a child. See, I didn't realize until that day before Him that His impression of me really mattered."
God loves you, too, my friend. He doesn't want you to perish, but to have eternal life. He has already proven and demonstrated His love for you in that He's sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for you, pay the price for all your sins and mine, and rise from the dead on the third day. Repent of your sins, believe in Jesus Christ, asking Him to forgive you, to save you, and come and live inside your heart as your Lord and Savior. If you do so, that will be the best decision you ever made, and will be the beginning of a wonderful relationship with our loving, Heavenly Father.
Do You Want to Know Him?If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "
Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of
Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission.
www.dmiworld.org.
