Anne Lastman

Has anyone ever had the experience of being in a state of half-asleep half awake?  In a way that is conscious yet unconscious?  In a way that a doorway is opened so that either dreams or visions become possible.?

Recently I had this very experience about 3 am of being asleep but not fully, being able to hear outside noises and house noises but almost being outside of that. Conscious that this is happening but not fully conscious but not wanting it to end.

In this particular experience I found myself looking ahead towards what looked like A huge brilliant cloud and Jesus (his back) walking towards that cloud and as he walked towards the cloud it parted (similar to the parting of the red sea).  Jesus simply walked through and as he walked it parted.  At first it seemed dense but as he continued walking and the cloud kept parting it became brighter and brighter until it seemed that he reached a place of complete and utter and beautiful brilliance and there, sitting on a throne, one who resembled Jesus but perhaps older and, on his left, sat a woman also clothed in great beauty. Using only earthly language its very difficult to explain the brilliance, the beauty, the serenity of this place.

As Jesus approached the older man, who glowed with a light like no other, he handed to Him a scroll with a seal which said “accomplished.” And then he took his seat on the right hand of the older man.  

As this transfer of scroll or presentation occurred, a sound of trumpets filled and reverberated from what appeared to be the walls of the cloud and the echo of the strangest music leading all the way down to the densest part of the cloud. A music so different so unknown and indescribable and yet with a faint echo of a memory, and during this descent the music slowly ebbed and the back of the cloud where the brilliance shone, slowly began to close and return back to the beginning and to normal then to invisible, and what had appeared as a throne room was no longer seen, and the last echo of the trumpet was dimly heard almost like it was so distant and then completely disappeared.  

I remember waking from this “unusual” state in such a euphoric state.  No thoughts about visions. No thought about its meaning. Just a state of almost bliss, if this is what bliss looks and feels like because I don’t have words to fully explain the experience only perhaps approximate to the best of my knowledge.

As time passed, In the conscious state, I kept thinking about this and trying to make sense of its meaning and different scenes and what appeared different dimensions, and the fact that the more distant from earth the more beautiful and whiter (I thought the word shinier), with the first and lowest dimension almost heavy and murky cloud and giving a sense of wanting to escape from this.

As I pondered on this imagery, I kept thinking mostly about Jesus walking towards that place of brilliance and as he walked, the light became brighter as it parted.  There were no cherubs. No long-deceased relatives. No gardens and flowers of the greatest beauty. No dark tunnel.  Not even angelic beings, just what appeared to be obedient brilliant clouds.

As Jesus approached the throne and, on his left, he saw a woman there, simply smiling just like a mother who is proud of her son’s accomplishments.  She looked on him with such love that it was palpable and a father who simply nodded and looked at his son.

I have been reminded of St Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:2 speaking about a man being caught up in third heaven “whether in the body or out of the body I do not know God knows” and that this place is a place of highest heaven and level of heaven of the holiest.

I personally didn’t know about the levels of heavens just that the “clouds” were more and more beautiful and kept parting just like the parting of the Red Sea and Jesus, like the Jews, walked straight through without fear, without speed, and certain of the place he was going to.

The part of the image I loved most was Jesus handing over the scroll with seal and the word “accomplished.”

The seed of the woman defeated the enemy’s seed and he crushed the head of the enemy.

“Accomplished.”