A View of Heaven

December 10, 2006

By Ernie Knoll

In my dream, I am on the right side of a very large temple.[1] The floor has a gradual down slope to a large platform in the front. The ceiling has a gradual up slope toward the front of the temple. I notice a very tall Person on the platform. He is wearing a bright white robe[2] that is like dry mist with folds and has small bells on the bottom. I immediately know this is Jesus.

 I stand there, along with many others, because there are no seats. As I watch a large video screen, Jesus talks about what I see. The screen resembles a large sheet of glass that reaches from one side of the platform to the other and curves back on the ends. Even though I stand there for a long time, I do not get tired. As I watch and listen, I am thinking, “Yes, this is all correct[3] and it explains everything.”

 I now turn to look at the large group of people and see that they all stand in perfect rows that make a perfect square.[4] It is then I notice everyone watches a different video on the same screen, and Jesus, the Great Instructor,[5] is giving an explanation to each person at the same time.

 When I turn to leave, I walk up a row between people and sense the ease of climbing up toward the back of the temple. At the back, I enter into a large foyer where many people are visiting. As I exit the temple, there is an opening but I don’t recall a door.[6] I also sense that only certain individuals can enter this temple.

I now stand outside and see there are many buildings[7] of different sizes surrounded with a variety of plants and trees. Some tree limbs almost sweep the ground as they sway back and forth. I look down and marvel at the ground. It is a light, clear gold,[8] sloped and thick, yet I can look way down.

 I am in awe at the beauty and size of everything–the vivid colors, how all looks clean and new. I realize the area I see is just a small area compared to the rest of heaven.

 I now see many, many angels talking to people, some holding infants in their arms, others holding the hands of small children. I see many children running and playing and people of different heights standing, talking and laughing.

 As I walk up a small incline, I notice that the robe I am wearing is similar to the Great Instructor’s but not as bright of a white and does not have bells. I do not feel cold or hot, just perfectly comfortable.[9]

 I then see Jesus with groups of people listening to Him. They are of different heights[10] and all are happy, smiling, or laughing.

 In the distance, I hear water[11] flowing and the sound of birds. As they fly by, I see they are different shapes.

 I also realize that wherever I walk, I hear soft, gentle music playing.[12] It is unlike any I have heard on earth, even more beautiful than church music.

 I walk to the left and see a large wall[13] with an opening and sense this is not the end of the wall but the middle. The opening has a pillar of great dimension. It is a clear substance and is very tall. On top of it is a large wide beam that extends a great distance till the next pillar. Between the pillars is a wall that is hard to describe. It is massive and thick with different colors of stones or crystals that glisten with beauty.

At the opening of the wall, I see a very large guard who is wearing a robe with belts. In his left hand he holds what resembles a large crystal tablet with information constantly displaying. In his right hand he holds what looks like a large sword or scepter that projects up over his left shoulder. As I pass by to go outside, he looks down at me and smiles. He does not speak, but I sense that he is thinking, “You have every right[14] to leave and enter, to travel and return as you wish.”

 As I walk out of the city, I pass many others coming in. I notice the city is on top of a large hill.[15] Looking down into the valley, I see a vast expanse of grass, flowers, meadows, and forests. The valley goes on and on, further than I can see. I sense there are many, many people[16] living down there. As I walk down a path, I see many others coming into the city.

 I now smile, outstretch my arms and feel myself leave the ground and begin to rise into the air. I look down and see people waving and calling to me. I call and wave back. It is then that I realize I am not flying[17] with my arms. I continue to ascend higher and admire the beautiful valley below with its green grass[18] that flutters in the breeze, almost as if in an ocean current.

 Even though I am now about 300 feet above the people that I saw on the path, I am able to smell the aroma of flowers, grass, and trees.

 Suddenly it feels as though a very strong breeze takes me quickly higher. I am several thousand feet high now. As I look down again, the people now appear as a long path of beautiful jewels[19] that go on and on next to the great wall and down into the valley. I look back at the wall and am amazed at how far it goes on and how perfectly straight it is. I notice what looks like a very large curtain that hangs between the pillars and blows in the wind.

 In the distance I see, in the middle of the great city, a large city on top of a large hill surrounded by an expanse of parks. In the middle of the city within the city, I notice a rotunda at the center of a large building. The architecture is difficult to describe. It is the most beautiful building of all. The rotunda is pure gold, clear like glass. It emits a light that comes out from it and causes everything to be bright. There are no shadows or sun.[20]

 I now feel as though I am getting too high and need to descend. I make a large turn and am now over the immense valley and have an even better view of the great wall. I am not able to see the end to the left or right.

 As I fly back, the people are still coming into the city. The guard looks at me as if to say, “Welcome home.” As I come in to land, my body rotates and my feet gently touch the ground. I walk up a small incline to return to the temple and think about how easy it is to climb.

 I then see Jesus leave a group of people He has been talking with. As He walks it is as if all acknowledge Him as the Creator[21] of the universe.  He meets me and the two of us discuss the things I saw and experienced. He smiles and laughs quite often. I notice His hair is bright white,[22] not parted, but straight back and curly to His shoulders. His skin is well tanned.[23] I do not notice the color of His eyes–only the extreme love of the love of the love.[24] All that I saw in heaven was nothing compared to what I saw in the eyes of Jesus.

 The two of us walk and talk together for quite some time. One of the things we talked about was how beautiful the music was that I heard in heaven. I mentioned that it was unlike anything I had ever heard in our worship services on earth. I asked Him if He enjoys the music and worship services we have. He responded, “That is just it. They are your worship services not Mine.” He said that some of the music we have is inspired not by Himself, the Father or the Holy Spirit but by a whole different spirit. There are times when we think we are worshipping God but we are actually worshipping Satan.

 He then told me that He instructed His prophet, Ellen White, to write about our worship services. Portions of it are found in Early Writings, beginning on page 54.

 I saw a throne, and on it sat the Father and the Son. Jesus would breathe upon them the Holy Ghost. In that breath was light, power, and much love, joy, and peace. I saw the Father rise from the throne. I turned to look at the company who were still bowed before the throne; they did not know that Jesus had left it. Satan appeared to be by the throne, trying to carry on the work of God. I saw them look up to the throne, and pray, “Father, give us Thy Spirit.” Satan would then breathe upon them an unholy influence; in it there was light and much power, but no sweet love, joy, and peace. Satan’s object was to keep them deceived and to draw back and deceive God’s children.

 In order to help me understand the holiness and reverence due to God, Jesus explained that at His Father’s throne there are six-winged angels called seraphim. He then showed me Isaiah 6:2-3 which states:

“The seraphim each had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”

 Pertaining to the style of music in our worship services, Jesus explained that what we call Christian rock and praise music is an abomination to Himself and the Father. He explained that we begin our worship services asking for the Holy Spirit to come. Why do we believe that they would be there in something that God finds an abomination. He explained that praise music is nothing more than repetition, a carefully designed instrument of worship by Satan himself.

 How wrong is it for us to bring the world’s popular type of music into our body temple? How much worse is it for us to bring it into God’s holy temple?

 Jesus and I continue to walk and talk together. We spoke about many other things. After a while, He stops and smiles a smile that gives me such peace and security, yet He speaks with authority, saying that I need to wake up and share[25] the things I have seen. He says, “Tell them to not get caught up in the trivial[26] things of this world.”

 Jesus then tells me there are some horrible, horrible, horrible[27] things to happen but that these things need to happen.

 I was also instructed not to worry and to know that He will be there to help[28] in all our tests and trials. We only need to ask for angels and they will be there for us. We are not to worry about today or tomorrow, because He is coming. He smiles and says, “Tell them I am coming!” Jesus was explicit in not saying, “I am coming soon.” He says that this time has passed. Saying “I am coming soon” is like saying, some time down the road. We are at the end[29] of the road.

 After waking from this dream, I realized that although we hear of wars and rumors of wars, I believe God wants us to turn our eyes and hearts to a better land. We are so caught up with the problems here that we forget what we have waiting for us up there.

 Incidentally, for two weeks after this dream I did not share the ending—the most important part of the dream where Jesus talked with me. I was afraid of what others would say. But then I found it difficult to sleep at night and a still, small voice kept saying to share the end of the dream. Becky now began to notice that something was not right and asked if there was anything else I was not telling her. I tearfully began relating the end of the dream. We decided that if Jesus said to share the dream, that we had no other choice but to do it. And we have not been sorry ever since.

[1]    Revelation 7:15  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them.

 [2] Matthew 17:1-2  And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

 [3] 1 Corinthians 6:3  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life?

 [4]   Early Writings, p. 16  Here on the sea of glass the 144,000 stood in a perfect square.

 [5] Christian Educator, August 1, 1897  In Christ the deity was represented. He was the great instructor in divine philosophy.

 [6] John 20:19  Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

 [7] John 14:2  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

 [8] Revelation 21:21  And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

 [9] The Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 1, p. 49  In humility and inexpressible sadness, Adam and Eve left the lovely garden wherein they had been so happy until they disobeyed the command of God. The atmosphere was changed. It was no longer unvarying as before the transgression. God clothed them with coats of skins to protect them from the sense of chilliness and then of heat to which they were exposed.

 [10] Genesis 6:4  There were giants in the earth in those days.

 [11] Revelation 22:1  And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

 [12] Evangelism, p. 505  I have been shown the order, the perfect order, of heaven, and have been enraptured as I listened to the perfect music there. After coming out of vision, the singing here has sounded very harsh and discordant. I have seen companies of  angels, who stood in a hollow square, every one having a harp of gold. . . . There is one angel who always leads, who first touches the harp and strikes the note, then all join in the rich, perfect music of heaven. It cannot be described. It is melody, heavenly, divine, while from every countenance beams the image of Jesus, shining with glory unspeakable.

 [13] Revelation 21:17  And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

 [14] Early Writings, p. 16  Jesus raised His mighty, glorious arm, laid hold of the pearly gate, swung it back on its glittering hinges, and said to us, “You have washed your robes in My blood, stood stiffly for My truth, enter in.” We all marched in and felt that we had a perfect right in the city.

 [15] Revelation 21:10  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the Holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.

 [16] Revelation 7:9  After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.

 [17] Early Writings, p. 18  And I saw the little ones climb, or, if they chose, use their little wings and fly, to the top of the mountains and pluck the never-fading flowers.

 [18] Early Writings, p. 18  Next I saw a field of tall grass, most glorious to behold; it was living green and had a reflection of silver and gold, as it waved proudly to the glory of King Jesus.

 [19] Malachi 3:17  And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

 [20] Revelation 21:23  And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

 [21] Colossians 1:16-17  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

 [22] Daniel 7:9  I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

 [23] Revelation 1:15  And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

 [24] 1 John 4:16  And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God,  and God in him.

 [25] Revelation 1:10-11  I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches.

      Early Writings, p. 19  And He said, “You must go back to the earth again and relate to others what I have revealedto you.”

 [26] Luke 12:29-31  And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 [27] Daniel 12:1  And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

 [28] Psalms 27:5  For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

 [29] Luke 21:36  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.