Chapter 4 -- The Revelation of David Price

5-3.2008

I DREAMED OF HEAVEN, but that's not exactly something easy to describe. Even after all that John wrote in the book of Revelation, as well as the other books describing what heaven will be like, it's still hard to grasp. Nevertheless, I would eventually find out one of these days. I sat down a cream colored table surrounded by several tables each with 6 chairs, 3 on each side. The tables were rectangular and the chairs were made of hardwood, polished and smoothed out made just for sitting. The tables had a smooth clean surface and it had patterns of colors and random shape designs. I sat there with my plate full of chicken fried tenders with a smudge of honey mustard resting beside my French fries. A cold soda cocktail fizzled in my glass which I sat above my plate next to the napkins. Soda cocktail...a fancy term that I coined to describe what you get after mixing Root Beer, Sprite, pink Hi-C, and Cherry Coke together in a single glass; it gave the taste of a sweet raspberry taste soured with a strong acidic taste that made your eyes water. It wasn't stronger than Coke, but had a PH level that was equivalent to a Doctor Pepper. If I ever needed something considerably strong, this is what I would usually drink. Plus, it's legal and non-alcoholic and perfectly acceptable for a school like this.

I found myself thinking about the dream and wondered what the Lord meant by His Words. Surely, the Lord is coming back soon, I thought. The only problem is that nobody knows when. It's all still a blur and a mystery. Despite that though, I found myself nibbling on my food for several more minutes, and then I got up, pushed in my chair, and grabbed my plate and glass and took them to the window in the north side of the cafeteria. Instead of going to my room, I went to school chapel to spend some time in prayer. I thought I'd pray about this matter and would ask the Lord for more clarification on what the meaning was to His Words, although in a sense they were rather obvious! Still, I couldn't let it go! I was being compelled to seek the meaning to what I had saw; after all, it wouldn't be the first time I had such a dream. I know when I was younger and not a Christian, I had an intense dream about God. It was one of those that made you realize that you were not alone in this world and that there is something greater and beyond our human understanding. I couldn't understand why many people try to convince themselves that there is no God! It's foolish and stupid and they are clearly denying the one thing that testifies against them. Many who believe that there isn't a God question the Bible and use evolution as their source of information to "prove" that the Bible isn't true. My question with that is: where was evolution back when Pharaoh and the other nations existed? Looking back at history, it's clearly evident that there is a long millennia existing between the natural belief in a god and the construed belief in Darwin's evolutionary theory. Now, I'm not saying that dreams or visions can change people's views, but in my case, these questions were clearly answered after that major event in my life several years ago. I was wondering, then, if this held any significance like the one I had long ago.

Inside the chapel I found myself kneeling at the base of the step that divided the upper platform from the foundation on which the pews were stationed. I kneeled down in front of the podium, which was white all around but framed with a gold rectangle centered in the middle. I felt as though I had a strong invisible weight pulling my body down the floor with a strong tingling sensation that bubbled across my heart. I felt my voice clog up with ramblings and my hands were tightened together as they pressed hard against each other. I thought for a second that I would actually break my fingers doing this, but the pressure of this "mystery" burdened me a great deal. I remember Daniel and how he prayed for his people. He was so concerned about this that he prayed to the Lord to help him understand Jeremiah's prophecy concerning the seventy years destined for his people. In this case, I was burdened about what the Lord meant by calling His servants and letting the trial begin on earth. Could He possibly be referring to the Tribulation period?

"LORD, my heart is burdened and my mind is troubling me! Your servant is troubled in spirit and I'm having a hard time letting just this dream go. I believe, LORD, that You are revealing something to Your servant, but Your thoughts are higher than mine, just like Your ways, that I cannot understand such mysteries. Only You, oh LORD, are wise enough to tell me clearly about the dream that You humbly gave Your servant. So, I ask of Thee, Oh LORD, please grant me the understanding of Your mystery so that I can praise You and glorify You by submitting to Your will. But if You choose not to grant me the interpretation of Your message, please guide me by Your Spirit to live according to Your grace that I may be found faithful in the end. Either way, dear Father, please have Your way and do things according to your grace and wisdom. As in the Words of my precious LORD Jesus: Father, not my will, but Your will be done. In Jesus' name, Amen!"

I opened my eyes to find that I was caked with sweat all over. Truly, this was a burden that needed to be left with the LORD. As I stood on my feet, I stood on my way to head back to my room when a huge burst of drowsiness came over me. Slowly walking up the stairs to my room, I held the banister very tightly and forced my feet and legs to take on one step after another. After what seemed like ten minutes, I was finally on the third floor. I rushed through the two doors to finally get my dorm room and as I did I noticed a friend of coming this way.

"Hey man, how ya doing?" He asked.

"For some reason, I'm pretty tired. I can barely walk!" I replied.

"Are you okay?": He said.

"Yeah...but for some reason I need to rest. Where are you off to, Leison?" I asked.

"Going out to study at a nearby coffee house. I'd ask you to come along but that doesn't seem right given the state you're in now."
"Thanks, I greatly appreciate it. Just pray for me, k?" I said with my voice fading out like a song on a CD.

"No problem man! Get some rest and take it easy. I'll be back later to check on you. Take it easy man!" He said as he calmly slid past me going to the door towards the stairway.

"Okay, thanks Leison! Catch you later." I said waving my weak, trembling hand at his back.

Leison was a great friend and brother-in-Christ. Although it's his first semester her at the school, he has done well in adjusting to the environment. He was also a country boy that was true to the stereotype that went with it. He was a couple of years younger than I was but he was very mature, moreso than myself at least. He was about my height, 5'9, had a hairy beard that shot up the two sides of his face and connected it to the hair on his head. His hair, as well as his beard, was a blondish tan, slightly bland and white, and he wore thin light colored glasses. His tan Khakis proudly matched his green shirt with vertical white strips made him uniquely distinct from the rest of his outfit as well as his plain old white tennis shoes that fit loosely on his feet. He was a trust brother that I loved dearly, as he always seemed to look out for my wellbeing. Praying for one another was a great way to show the love of Christ that dwelled deepen within us both, but he'd do an extra step and would do far more than what I could imagine. I was so thankful for him and his sacrifices and all the advice he gave me in this life. Surely, we'd be enjoying the treasures of Christ when we get to heaven...

Going into my room, I shut my door and then kicked off my shoes. I wen t to my window and grabbed the clock that was on the ledge of the ceil and set the alarm. I jumped on my bed and took off my glasses, placing them on the ledge along with the clock. I soon found myself drifting off into a deep sleep, an extremely deep sleep that I would never forget. I felt my body relax, suddenly fixing still and all my limbs collapsing on the sheets as I instantly became like a corpse. The only amazement was that I was still breathing that day! Still, something unimaginable happened during that time; I could never forget such a thing, no matter what and how long it was...

Shadows, darkness, and a terrible wind surrounded me. All around was nothing but black hills and sky. However, as I stood in place straining to look ahead of me, I saw two figures: one big and the other slightly smaller than I was, each standing to my right and my left. I saw them walking towards me and it also appeared as though they had something in their hands. As they stopped about three inches away from me, I saw the silhouettes lift up their hands and present the objects towards the sky. Suddenly, a beam of light pierced from the sky above and down over the three of us. I was suddenly able to see the faces of those who were hidden in darkness. There appeared a woman, who seemed gentle but terrified and also a man who looked mean and proud. In the woman's hands there was a silver cross with a figure etched on it; the man had a sword in hands that extended towards me, but was soon directed to heaven. The woman held her cross in the air and the figure on it fell off onto the ground and suddenly started to bleed. The woman then looked down and was horrified at the image. I quickly shifted my attention away from the woman to the mean malicious man with the sword. Having raised it towards heaven, he thrust it in the air as though he were slaying an invisible figure and a small smiled came to life on his face as he did. I, then, heard the sound of thunder from the heavens, sounding as though something exploded in the sky and I saw lightning fall to the ground, separating the ground between me and the two people. Immediately, I heard the sound of trumpet and found myself floating in the sky towards Heaven. As I ascended, I suddenly saw the man and woman looking around in terror and fear. Soon, I saw the entire sky get swallowed up with a bright light and I felt my body being engulfed by fierce but unscathing flames. Within an instant, I saw myself land on a bright road, it's streets lustering gold, and a city made of all kinds of diamonds. I stood between what looked like gates and I also saw a figure dressed in white coming towards me. The figure looked like a lamb that was slain but is now alive and a crown with diadems sat on His head. He wore a robe like a priest but He walked like a king. He directly in front of me and then suddenly held out His hands, as though He were getting ready to hug me. I saw His eyes, which were full of joy, and His face gleamed with gladness. I, then, heard Him say, "Welcome home, my son! Welcome home!" Then, a flash of light engulfed me and the place became too bright to see.

Waking up, I felt myself breathing lightly with my hands trembling, although I was calm. I looked around as though the room was foreign to me and noticed that it was now dark outside. I felt my heart race quite a bit before immediately slowing down. As I went to rub my eyes, I felt some water jump onto my finger. Like a leaky faucet, water dripped from eyes as I wiped it away while rubbing them. I smiled, looked at the ceiling, and nodded my head in awe.

"Thank you, my LORD for comforting your servant. I will be home with you soon indeed. I praise You for Your love and I look to see you very, very soon!" With that, I cried a bit more and then took a tissue from the box sitting by my clock. After that, I jumped out of bed, turned off my alarm, and put on my shoes; it was now 7 o'clock in the evening.