I’m so glad you are here, reading this page with me!  There’s hidden treasure here, heavenly treasure to be found by the one who is hungry and thirsty for more!  Jesus said you are blessed when you hunger and thirst for righteousness, because you will be filled.  (Matthew chapter 5 in the Bible). 

Wasn’t it wonderful to experience Young Soon’s first look into the face of the God Who Loves?   Walk with me now as she discovers that the entire universe was orchestrated for her good (and for your good, too)!
 

         The Heaven Chapter

             Young Soon sat down on the park bench.  Later on, Joshua planned to take her to see his mother’s house.  Young Soon smiled at the thought of Joshua.  He loved his mother so much, and spent much of his time preparing her heaven house.  All he talked about was how he should decorate this room or that furniture to her tastes and likings.  She was eager to see all of his work, but for now, she was glad to rest and watch.  The bench seemed to engulf her and surround her until she was unimaginably comfortable just sitting on the bench.  All of the furniture here practically hugged her into its comfort. 

Just in front of her, the River of Life gurgled past, outlining the streets of the city on the other side.  She had no desire to leave but watched the city in front of her, mesmerized by the gold.  The street before her was solid gold with no dirt on its surface, despite the mass of people and animals that walked over it.  Every being, every plant, and even the gusts of wind moved with an order and a precise timing, yet nothing looked robotic or forced.  Her very soul was captivated with the fluid of movement so indicative of home of the God Who Loves.  People rode animals of all types down the street.  She saw six children on top of one elephant.  Their chatter and laughter jingled like bells above the streets. 

            To her immediate left and right she watched as people in white gowns stood by the river, occasionally kneeling to drink.  Every once in a while, the line of people moved forward and the person talking to her would get up and take his place back in the line.  No one appeared to be in a hurry.  Young Soon could not tell where the line was going or why they slowly moved forward. 

“May I join you, Young Soon?”

Young Soon looked behind her at a handsome man who had a beautiful belt of light around him. She motioned for him to sit beside her. 

“Where did you get that special glow?” she asked.

The man smiled.  “I walked on the mountains with Jehovah while I was on the earth.  One day I just kept on walking right through the gates of heaven.”

“What is your name?”

“Enoch,” the man answered.  He stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed his ankles.  Young Soon heard a whirring sound and the light belt seemed to pulsate.  The sound was pleasant and it made Young Soon remember the beautiful music that came out of the solar system as she passed through the sky from earth to heaven. 

“You are special,” Young Soon observed. 

Enoch smiled.  “And so are you!  The Lord is coming to see you, you know.” 

“The God who loves?” she asked.  “Do you mean, Jesus?”

The king nodded.  “He’ll be here soon.”

Young Soon leaned forward.  “He’s coming to see me?”  

Enoch nodded.  “You’re going to like it here.”

Young Soon laughed at that.  How couldn’t I like it here?

“I will talk to you again later,” said Enoch, and he got up to leave.

“When is he coming?” Young Soon called after him.  Her heart pounded in her breast and she felt she’d explode with love for Jesus. 

“You’ll know,” Enoch answered quietly.  “Just wait here.  You’ll know.”

Young Soon hugged her knees and closed her eyes, recalling the day she met the God Who Loves.  She relived the moment he carried her into the River of Life and washed away her all her fears.  And the sound of laughter from the children who rolled down the hill and later called her by name.  Her memories here were so pleasant and the bitterness of her earth life was no longer felt, only recalled.

 Finally, she opened her eyes again and watched the trees and flowers and beautifully dyed foliage slowly sway and sing, edging the banks of the river with worship.  The flora transformed from color to color under the breath of the wind.

            It seemed the flowers around her bench were trying to reach up and gently caress her hand.  She’d never seen such beautiful shades.  And although she sat underneath a tree, there was no shadow there.  In fact, there wasn’t a shadow to be seen anywhere-- only light, glorious golden light.  She looked up into the sky again.  No sun. She studied the gold underneath the solid street across from the river.  Underneath the hard surface of the road there appeared to be another stirring, glittery liquid gold.  I wonder if the sun in heaven is underneath the ground, like the On Dol stove underneath my house in Poydon?  Young Soon felt she could sit for hours on the bench just watching the liquid gold underneath the streets.

Tall buildings of every imaginable structure jutted out of the golden outline of the city.  The design of one building was tripled so that there were three designs of each structure and yet those identical buildings were arranged in three different lengths and shaded in different hues of one basic paint.  She decided she liked the one on the far left the best. On the far left, behind the wide golden sidewalk, there was one building that loomed overhead shaped sort of like the rockets she studied in grade school.  Each rocket shaped building was identical except one was a royal purple, one bathed in magenta, and the third a pale transparent pink.  Each structure and color complimented the one beside it.  Although the city went on and on, it seemed as though she could see all of it from that park bench.  The buildings were transparent and yet solid.  The streets were the same.  How could one comprehend the construction of such a place?  The line of people in white gowns moved forward again.

Suddenly, there were hands over her eyes. 

“Jesus!” Young Soon squealed.  “You’re here!”  It was easy to identify his touch.  She turned to see him face to face. 

“I’m here,” he answered, smiling.  “Father suggested that I show you something today.”

“Father?” asked Young Soon.  “Father knows my name?”

Jesus laughed at that.  “Of course.  We’ve been watching you since before you were born.”

Before I was born?  Young Soon felt she’d never come to the end of all she wanted to know in this glorious place.

“You have eternity to learn all about us,” Jesus said, answering her thoughts.  “You’re enjoying the city?” 

“Yes,” answered Young Soon.  It felt so good to be close to Jesus again.  There were so many things to talk about!  “I am wondering where all the people in the little white gowns are going.”

“All those people are in gowns of salvation,” Jesus answered.  “Those who overcome on the earth receive a robe of righteousness like yours. 

“Oh!  I love my robe!  And I saw other people with robes like mine with different colored sashes.  But a few of the people wear wreaths on their heads instead of a crown.”

“That’s right,” Jesus said.  “These saints in line at the river did not overcome on the earth, but they believed in me to forgive them of their sins and so I brought them here.  They are all heading toward the throne room of Almighty God.”

“You are merciful,” Young Soon whispered.  “And you are the most merciful to me.”

Jesus took her hand.  “Let’s go.”

Young Soon stood.  Behind the bench was a beautiful white horse.  She gasped.   “I’ve never seen any creature so beautiful!”

“Ride with me,” Jesus said.  He easily mounted the lofty horse and then pulled Young Soon up toward him.  “Sit behind me and hang on!”

The horse, like the people and animals in the city, galloped sinuously across the rolling green hills behind the bench.  As Young Soon held onto Jesus she could not help feeling overcome with reverence at his special love for her.

“Up!” Jesus called. 

The horse galloped upwards into the sky.  A cry of delight escaped her lips.  She never imagined such a beautiful pathway!  The horse traversed a rainbow colored pathway.  The very clouds seemed to caress her in comfort.  The air was exhilarating and Young Soon felt that she could ride forever with Jesus and never tire.”

“I’m taking you to the portal,” he called back to her.  His words broadcast like streams of water gurgling, gushing, roaring in unison, a reverberation of authority that shook the very foundations of heaven itself. 

Young Soon’s heart beat wildly at the sound of his voice.  A rush of adrenaline coursed through her and she buried her head into his white robe and clung more tightly. She could not get enough of him—his touch, his fragrance, his voice.  She felt the thrill, but also the authority that such love carried.  It was love that brought her here and this heavenly love expanded every moment she was near him.  Now he wanted to share a special place with her—a place he called The Portal.

Young Soon looked up.  Just ahead, thick misty clouds seemed to swallow the rainbow path.  It didn’t seem passable, but she was not afraid.  Jesus shouted something to the horse and together they leaped above the path’s end and into the clouds.  The clouds were blinding.  She clung to Jesus.  She could see nothing in front of her or around her.  Onward they rode until all at once she heard the clatter of the horse’s hoofs upon pavement.  Are we here?

The clouds dissipated and Young Soon saw an immense portico that expanded as far as she could see to the left and the right.  It was a courtyard of immense proportions and the towering pillars that hinged the gateway were solid pearl.  She looked behind her.  Despite the clouds they just galloped through, she could see the city of God in the far distance. 

She looked above her.  Could it be?  Darkness!  Young Soon gasped.  It was the first time she’d seen darkness since she left earth.

“This is the gateway that belongs to my father and me,” Jesus explained.  “We come here often.”

Young Soon wondered why God would want a gateway that peered into the darkness.

“It was from this gateway that the Holy Spirit first hovered over the brewing void of darkness that expanded the outside of heaven.”

Young Soon did not understand, but she waited for him to explain. 

“In the beginning, we stood here and created the world, the universe, the seas, and dry land.  We created the first humans, too.”

Young Soon had never heard this story before. 

             “Would you like to see the great porch?” he asked.

            Young Soon nodded.  “If you stay here with me.”

            At the impulse of his desire, the gate unlatched and opened wide.  Young Soon was startled.

“I never knew---“ she started.

“I know,” Jesus replied.  “That is why Father wanted you to see.”

Jesus took her hand and together they walked past the lofty pillar gates and out onto the porch that extended a small distance and then dropped into the expanse of the universe.

            Suddenly a great screen appeared.  Young Soon watched in awe as she saw Jesus and his father and his Great Spirit create the earth, the seas, the creatures, the lights in the heavens.  As she stared at the grandeur of it all, she realized that Jesus was beyond imagination and it would take all of forever to know everything that he was capable of doing.

“Look at the planets and the galaxies of stars!” exclaimed Young Soon.  The dark canvas of the sky seemed the perfect backdrop for displaying the intricate beauty of each star.  She remembered the night before Han Chun was born when she sat on the bench in the back yard of her home and watched the sky.

Suddenly, she had a question.

“It was me,” Jesus answered.  In that moment he turned to the tall white pillar on the left of the entranceway into heaven and put his hand into a large square golden box.  He pulled out a glorious twinkling light and threw it soaring across the sky!  It changed in sizes and colors over and over again, creating a wonderful light show for Young Soon’s enjoyment.

“Wow!” exclaimed Young Soon.  “Is that how you did it?”

“Yes,” Jesus answered.  “You lived in great darkness in North Korea.  But you began to talk to me, calling me, “The God Who Loves.”

Young Soon smiled.  “I remember.  Did you mind?”

Jesus shook his head.  “Not at all.  Your faith delighted my heart.”  Now Jesus smiled and Young Soon felt that she could drink the pleasure he felt in her faith on the earth.

“Did the star really go into Han Chun that night?”

Jesus grinned and then shook his head.  “No, but your faith did.  And your faith was a shining star in the darkness of your situation.”

“Do it again,” Young Soon urged.  She put her hand to her mouth to suppress a giggle.  Jesus laughed at that and then thrust his hand into the golden box and threw another star across the universe. 

“Oh, thank you!” Young Soon cried.  She grabbed Jesus’ sleeve and then pulled his hand to her lips and kissed it.  “Thank you for loving me and my children.”

“I love the whole world,” Jesus replied as he placed her hand in his.  “But Father and I cannot help ourselves—we respond to faith.  We love faith.  And your faith, although you did not know my name, moved our heart.  Your faith even touched the hearts of the angels to want to bring you here.  Your guardian was pleased to be assigned to your rescue.”

Young Soon tried to absorb it all.  She looked at the stars, the earth, the universe, and then back at the golden box at the left of the gate.

Immediately she noticed another golden box on the right side of the entranceway into heaven. 

“What is in this box?” she asked as she walked closer. 

At that question a tear formed in Jesus’ eye and his appearance changed back and forth, from solid to liquid to a vapor almost.  Young Soon fell on her face and worshipped him. 

“What is it, Lord?” she cried.  “What is it that could make you cry?”

Young Soon sobbed at the tear in her Beloved’s eye.  She could feel the emotion of grief again yet she wanted to feel what he felt and know him in this awful yet effervescent way. 

Jesus did not come to her.  He went to the box and hesitated. 

“This,” he said slowly.  “This is the Father’s box of love.”

Young Soon felt sorrow come up in her throat as Jesus reached into the box. 

“Why, it’s a crown!” she exclaimed.

Jesus nodded.  “A crown—and a robe.”

“I don’t understand,” said Young Soon.

“One night my Father and I stepped on this very portico.  I gave him my heavenly crown and my royal robes and we clasped one another in a strong embrace.  I needed his strength for the mission.  That night, Father put my robe and crown in this box and he reformed me and placed me into the womb of a woman, a virgin.”

“On the earth?” asked Young Soon.

“Yes, on the earth.  Her name is Mary.  She’s here with everyone else now.  Mary had faith to believe she could carry me and with God’s help she could raise me, even though I was the Son of God and the Savior of the world.”

“How beautiful,” said Young Soon.   “Did Father throw her a star, too?”

Jesus tilted his head slightly, his eyes shining at some remote memory.  “Kind of.  He gave her reason to believe that he wanted her to give birth to me and raise me so that I could show God’s love to the world.”

“How did you show God’s love?” asked Young Soon.

“Mostly, I showed God’s love by being willing to leave him in order to help the people on the earth.  I missed him greatly and while on earth spent a great deal of my time praying to him.  I also healed the sick, raised up a few dead people back to life, taught the people about God and his love, and—“

His voice dropped off and Young Soon’s heart urged him to continue.  She did not say a word, but their spirits were intertwined now and she knew that he knew her eagerness to hear the rest of the story about the love of God.

“The people on earth, some of them did not understand.  They killed me.”

Suddenly the screen was back again and Young Soon saw her Beloved hanging on a cross, his face swollen, bruised, and bloody, his body dangling from large spikes hammered onto boards.  His precious head was mangled.

“Oh, no!” Young Soon cried.  She fell on her face on the floor of the portico and wept.  “No, no, no!”

“Yes,” said Jesus.  “Sin and grief and sorrow and fear have no place inside these grand gates.  It was the Father’s greatest love test to send me to die so that no one would need to live in their sins forever.”

Young Soon’s body shook with grief over the condition of the body of the God Who Loves.  She trembled at the condition of her own heart when she was on the earth.  She remembered her hatred for the Gotchebee children and shuddered.  She suddenly remembered the lies she’d told and all the wrong things she’d done.  It seemed unfathomable-- she never knew what he had done for her until that moment. 

She wrenched the crown from her head and threw it at his feet.  “Please, take my crown, take mine!  It’s all I have to give—to thank you.”

Jesus squatted beside her and pulled the hair back from her wet cheeks, her golden crown in his other hand.  “This crown is your reward, Young Soon.  It belongs to you.”

She looked up at him.  There was so much love in his eyes, so much tenderness and forgiveness.  She was astonished-- utterly consumed by the love in his eyes.  “Please?  It’s all that I have to give you here.  I have nothing else I can offer.”

“You have given me this moment together,” he said.  “And you’ve given me your love.”

“Will you wear it?” she asked.

Jesus smiled and put the crown on his head.  “It fits right inside of my own crown.  How’s that?”
            Young Soon looked at him more deeply, not answering his question.  His eyes drew her into a trance of love, one that she did not want to return from for a long, long time.

After a time, Jesus helped her back to her feet and embraced her. Strength went into her and she was able to feel his calm peace and love one more time.

“I am so sorry,” Young Soon said quietly.  “I am so sorry for all my wrongs.”

“I forgive you,” said Jesus.  “Even without knowing about my sacrifice for you, you were able to believe in the God who loves.  Many who know all of my story still do not believe me.”

Young Soon could not comprehend such a heart of unbelief. 

Jesus picked up his crown and robe.  “These are here, kept in this box outside the gate, to remember the great love of the Father and to remember all those on the earth who have courageously left their homes and families in order to travel the path that God has for them.”

Jesus put the crown and the robe back into the golden box.  When he turned back toward her, God’s love overpowered Young Soon and she collapsed onto the porch again. 

Jesus knelt beside her and gently drew her into his arms, as he had that first day in heaven by the river, and lifted her up and carried her back through the gateway into heaven.  She thought her heart would break into a million pieces.  Then, just as they entered back into heaven, the gates gently closed and the wind of heaven blew over her, tousled her hair and dried her tears.  Heaven’s energy surged through her being again and the bitter sorrow of his suffering became a reality imbedded in her memory that only added to her love for him.  The grief was gone and she stopped crying.  

“I love you, Young Soon,” said Jesus. 

“I will love you forever,” said Young Soon.  “Forever and ever with all of my heart.”

Jesus smiled. “I know.  I can feel your love.”

Jesus easily lifted her to the horse and then mounted in front of her.  The horse reared into the air and snorted.  Thunder echoed across the clouds.  Young Soon looked back at the gateway.  She’d never forget what she was shown here today.  The horse whinnied and shivered with delight.  Sparkles of silver shook from his mane and sides and he transported the Son of God and his maiden back to the rainbow path.