Chapter 2: The Mountain

Part II- THE HOLY MOUNTAIN

We stood in the Garden of God under the Tree of Life. It seemed that the entire army was there, many of them kneeling before the Lord Jesus. He had just given us the charge to return to the battle for the sake of our brothers who were still bound and for the world that He loved. It was both a wonderful and a terrible command. It was wonderful because it came from Him. It was terrible because it meant that we would have to leave His manifest presence and the Garden that was more beautiful than any place we had ever been before. To leave all of this to go into battle again seemed incomprehensible.

The Lord continued His exhortation: “I have given you spiritual gifts and power, and an increasing understanding of My Word and My kingdom, but the greatest weapon you have been given is the Father’s love. As long as you walk in My Father’s love, you will never fail. The fruit of this tree is the Father’s love, which is manifested in Me. This love, which is in Me, must be your daily bread.”

In this setting of such beauty and glory, it did not seem that the Lord was appearing in His glory. In fact, His appearance was rather ordinary. Even so, the grace with which He moved and spoke made Him the most attractive person I had ever seen. He was beyond human definition in dignity and nobility. It was easy to understand why He is everything that the Father loves and esteems. Seeing Him this way, so full of grace and truth, made it seem that nothing but grace and truth should ever matter.

As I ate the fruit from the Tree of Life, the thought of every good thing I had ever known filled my soul. When Jesus spoke, it was the same, only magnified. All I wanted to do was stay in this place and listen to Him. I remembered how I had once thought it must be boring for those angels who do nothing but worship Him continually before the throne. Now I knew that there was nothing more wonderful or exhilarating that we would ever do than to simply worship Him.

Such worship was what we were created for, and it would surely be the best part of heaven. I could not imagine how wonderful it would be if all of the heavenly choirs were added. It was hard to believe that I had struggled so much with boredom during worship services. I knew that it was only because I had been almost completely out of touch with this heavenly reality.

I was almost overwhelmed with the desire to go back and make up for those times during worship services when I had allowed my mind to wander or had occupied myself with other things. The desire to express my adoration for Him became almost insatiable. I had to praise Him! As I opened my mouth, I was shocked by the spontaneous worship that erupted from the entire army at the same time. I had almost forgotten that anyone else was there, yet we were all in perfect unity. The glorious worship that followed could not be described in human language.

As we worshiped, a golden glow began to emanate from the Lord. Then silver appeared around the gold. We were all then enveloped in colors, the richness of which I have never seen with my natural eyes. With this glory, I entered a realm of emotion that I had never experienced before. Somehow I understood that this glory had been there all along, but when we focused on

Him in worship, we began to see more of His glory. The more intensely we worshiped, the more glory we beheld. If this was heaven, it was much, much better than I had ever dreamed.

His Dwelling Place

I have no idea how long this worship lasted. It could have been minutes or it could have been months. There was just no way to measure time in that kind of glory. I closed my eyes because the glory I was seeing with my heart was as great as what I was seeing with my physical eyes.

When I opened them, I was surprised to see that the Lord was not there any longer, but a troop of angels was standing where He had been. One of them approached me and said, “Close your eyes again.” When I did, I beheld the glory of the Lord. This was no small relief. Now that I had experienced the glory, I knew I simply could not live without it.

Then the angel explained, “What you see with the eyes of your heart is more real than what you see with your physical eyes.”

I had made this statement myself many times, but how little I had walked in it! The angel continued, “It was for this reason that the Lord told His first disciples it was better for Him to go away so the Holy Spirit could come. The Lord dwells within you. You have taught this many times, but now you must live it for you have eaten from the Tree of Life.”

The angel then began to lead me back to the gate. I protested that I did not want to leave. Seeming surprised, the angel took me by the shoulders and looked me in the eyes. This was when I recognized him—it was Wisdom.

“You never have to leave this Garden,” he assured me. “This Garden is in your heart because the Creator Himself is within you. You have desired the best part, to worship and sit in His presence forever, and it will never be taken from you. But you must take it from here to where it is needed most.”

I knew he was right. I then looked past him to the Tree of Life. I had a compulsion to grab all of the fruit that I could before leaving. Knowing my thoughts, Wisdom gently shook me. “No. Even this fruit, gathered in fear, would go bad. This fruit and this tree are within you because He is in you. You must believe.”

Seeing With Eyes Closed

I closed my eyes and tried to see the Lord again, but I could not. When I opened my eyes, Wisdom was still staring at me. With great patience, he continued.

“You have tasted of the heavenly realm, and no one ever wants to go back to the battle once they do. No one ever wants to leave the manifest presence of the Lord. After the Apostle Paul came here, he struggled for the rest of his life as to whether he should continue to labor for the sake of the church or return here to enter into his inheritance. His inheritance was magnified the

longer he stayed and served on earth. Now that you have the heart of a true worshiper, you will always want to be here, and you can, whenever you enter into true worship. The more focused you are on Him, the more glory you will see, regardless of where you are.”

Wisdom’s words had finally calmed me. Again I closed my eyes just to thank the Lord for this wonderful experience and the life He had given to me. As I did, I started to see His glory again, and all of the emotion of the previous worship experience flooded my soul.

The Lord’s words to me were so loud and clear that I was sure they were audible: “I will never leave or forsake you.”

“Lord, forgive my unbelief,” I responded. “Please help me never to leave or forsake You.” This was both a wonderful and trying time. Here the “real world” was not real, and the spiritual realm was so much more real that I just could not imagine going back to the other. I was gripped both with wonder and a terrible fear that I might wake up at any moment and find it was all just a dream.

Wisdom understood what was going on inside of me. “You are dreaming,” he said. “But this dream is more real than what you think of as real. The Father gave men dreams to help them see the door to His dwelling place. He will only dwell in men’s hearts, and dreams can be a door to your heart, which will lead you to Him. This is why His angels so often appear to men in their dreams. In dreams they can bypass the fallen mind of man and go straight to his heart.”

As I opened my eyes, Wisdom was still gripping my shoulders. “I am the primary gift that has been given to you for your work,” he said. “I will show you the way and keep you on it, but only love will keep you faithful. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but the highest wisdom is to love Him.”

Then Wisdom released me and started to walk toward the gate. I followed with ambivalence. I remembered the exhilaration of the battle and the climb up the mountain, and though it was compelling, there was no comparison to the presence of the Lord and the worship I had just experienced. Leaving this would be the greatest sacrifice I had ever made. Then I remembered how it was all inside of me, and I was amazed that I could forget this so quickly. It was as if a great battle was raging within me, between what I saw with my physical eyes and what I saw with my heart.

The Third Heaven

Having moved forward so that I was walking beside Wisdom, I asked him: “I have prayed for twenty-five years to be caught up into the third heaven like the Apostle Paul. Is this the third heaven?”

“This is part of it,” he replied, “but there is much more.” “Will I be allowed to see more?” I asked.

“You will see much more. I am taking you to see more now,” he replied.

I started thinking of the Book of Revelation. “Was John’s revelation part of the third heaven?” I asked.

“Part of John’s revelation was from the third heaven, but most of it was from the second heaven. The first heaven was before the fall of man. The second heaven is the spiritual realm during the reign of evil upon the earth. In the third heaven the love and domain of the Father will again prevail over the earth through the King.”

“What was the first heaven like?” I inquired, strangely feeling a cold chill as I asked. “It is wisdom not to be concerned about that now,” Wisdom responded with increased

seriousness, as my question seemed to jolt him. “Wisdom is to seek to know the third heaven just as you have. There is much more to know about the third heaven than you can know in this life, yet it is the third heaven, the kingdom, that you must preach. In the ages to come you will be told about the first heaven, but it is not profitable for you to know about it now.”

When I resolved to remember the cold chill I had just felt, Wisdom nodded, which I knew to be an affirmation of that thought. “What a great companion you are,” I had to say as I realized the valuable gift that this angel was. “You really will keep me on the right path.”

“I will indeed,” he replied.

The Other Half of Love

I was sure I felt love coming from this angel, which was unique, since I had never felt it from the other angels. They usually showed their concern more out of duty than love. Wisdom responded to my thoughts as if I had spoken them out loud.

“It is wisdom to love, and I could not be Wisdom if I did not love you. It is also wisdom to behold the kindness and the severity of God. It is wisdom to love Him and to fear Him. You are in deception if you do otherwise. This is the next lesson that you must learn,” he said with unmistakable earnestness.

“I do know that, and have taught it many times,” I responded, feeling for the first time that maybe Wisdom did not fully know me.

“I have been your companion for a very long time, and I know your teachings,” Wisdom replied. “Now you are about to learn what some of your own teachings mean. As you have said many times, ‘It is not by believing in your mind, but in your heart that results in righteousness.’”

I apologized, feeling a bit ashamed at having questioned Wisdom. He graciously accepted my apology. It was then that I realized I had been questioning and challenging him most of my life, often to my harm.

“Just as there is a time to plant and a time to reap,” Wisdom continued, “there are times to adore the Lord, and there are times to honor Him with the greatest fear and respect. It is wisdom to know the time for each. True wisdom knows the times and seasons of God. I brought you here because it was time to worship the Lord in the glory of His love. This is what you needed the most after such a battle. I am now taking you to another place because it is time for you to worship Him in the fear of His judgment. Until you know both, there is a danger that we can be separated from each other.”

“Do you mean that if I had stayed back there in that glorious worship I would have lost you?” I asked in disbelief.

“Yes. I would have always visited with you when I could, but we would have rarely crossed paths. Although it is hard to leave such glory and peace, that is not the whole revelation of the King. He is both a Lion and a Lamb. To the spiritual children, He is the Lamb. To the maturing, He is the Lion. To the fully mature, He is both the Lion and the Lamb. Again, I know you understand this, but you have known it primarily in your mind. Soon you will know it in your heart, for you are about to experience the judgment seat of Christ.”

Returning to the Battle

Before leaving the gates to the Garden, I asked Wisdom if I could sit for a while to ponder all that I had just experienced. “Yes, you should do this,” he replied, “but I have a better place for you to do it.”

I followed Wisdom out of the gates and we began to go down the mountain. To my surprise, the battle was still going on, but not as intensely as it was when we ascended. There were still arrows of accusation and slander flying about on the lower levels, but most of the enemy horde that remained was furiously attacking the great white eagles. The eagles were easily prevailing.

We kept descending until we were almost at the bottom. Just above the levels of “Salvation” and “Sanctification” was the level of “Thanksgiving and Praise.” I remembered this level very well because one of the greatest attacks of the enemy came when I had first tried to reach it. Once we had arrived, the rest of the climb was much easier, and when an arrow penetrated our armor, healing came much faster.

As soon as my enemies spotted me on this level (they could not see Wisdom), a shower of arrows began to rain down on me. I knocked them down with my shield so easily that the enemies quit shooting. Their arrows were now almost gone, and they could not afford to waste them.

The soldiers who were still fighting from this level looked at me in astonishment with a deference that made me very uncomfortable. It was then I first noticed that the glory of the Lord was emanating from my armor and shield. I told these soldiers to climb to the top of the mountain without stopping, and they, too, would see the Lord. As soon as they agreed to go, they saw Wisdom. They started to fall down to worship him, but he restrained them and sent them on their way.

The Faithful

I was filled with love for these soldiers, many of whom were women and children. Their armor was a mess, and they were covered in blood, but they had not given up. In fact, they were still cheerful and encouraged. I told them that they were deserving of more honor than I was because they had borne the greatest burden of the battle and had held their ground. They seemed to not believe me, but appreciated that I would say it. However, I really felt that it was true.

Every level on the mountain had to be occupied, or the vultures that were left would come and desecrate it with vomit and excrement until it was difficult to stand on. Most of the ledges were occupied by soldiers which I recognized to be from different denominations or movements that emphasized the truth of the level they were defending. I was embarrassed by the attitude I had maintained toward some of these groups. I had considered them out of touch and backslidden at best, but here they were fighting faithfully against a terrible onslaught of the enemy. Their defense of these positions had probably enabled me to keep climbing.

Some of these levels were situated so that there was a good view of the mountain and the battlefield, but some were so isolated that the soldiers on them could see only their own position. These seemed unaware of the rest of the battle that was raging or the rest of the army that was also fighting the battle. They were so wounded from the slander and accusations that they would resist anyone who came down to them from a higher level to encourage them to continue climbing.

However, when some came down from the top reflecting the glory of the Lord, the wounded warriors listened, most of them with great joy. Soon a number of them began to climb with courage and resolve. As I beheld all of this, Wisdom did not say much, but he seemed very interested in my reactions.

Reality Discovered

I watched as many soldiers who had been to the top began descending to all of the levels in order to relieve those who had been taking their stand on those truths. As they did, each level began to shine with the glory they carried. Soon the whole mountain was shining with a glory that was blinding to the vultures and demons that were left. After a time, there was so much glory on the mountain that it began to have the same feel as the Garden.

I started thanking and praising the Lord and immediately I was in His presence again. It was hard to contain the emotions and glory that I felt when I did this. The experience became so intense that I stopped. Wisdom was standing beside me. Putting his hand on my shoulder, he said, “You enter His gates with thanksgiving, His courts with praise.”

“But that was so real!” I exclaimed. “I felt as if I was there again.”

“You were there, indeed,” replied Wisdom. “It has not become more real, but you have. Just as the Lord told the thief on the cross, ‘Today you will be with Me in Paradise,’ you can enter Paradise at anytime. The Lord, His Paradise, and this mountain are all abiding in you,

because He is in you. What were but foretastes are now a reality to you because you have climbed the mountain. The reason you can see me and others cannot, is not because I have entered your realm, but because you have entered mine. This is the reality that the prophets knew which gave them great boldness even when they stood alone against armies. They saw the heavenly host that was for them, not just the earthly one arrayed against them.”

The Deadly Trap

I then looked out over the carnage below and the slowly retreating demonic army. Behind me, more of the glorious warriors were constantly taking their places on the mountain. I knew that we were now strong enough to attack and destroy what was left of this enemy horde. “Not yet,” said Wisdom. “Look over there.”

I looked in the direction he was pointing, but had to shield my eyes from the glory emanating from my own armor to see anything. Then I caught a glimpse of some movement in a small valley. I could not make out what I was seeing because the glory shining from my armor made it difficult to see into the darkness. I asked Wisdom if there was something that I could cover my armor with so I could see. He then gave me a very plain mantle to put on.

“What is this?” I inquired, a little insulted by its drabness.

“Humility,” said Wisdom. “You will not be able to see very well without it.”

Reluctantly I put it on, and immediately I saw many things that I could not see before. I looked toward the valley and the movement I had seen. To my astonishment, there was an entire division of the enemy horde that was waiting to ambush anyone who ventured from the mountain.

“What army is that?” I asked, “and how did they escape the battle intact?”

“That is Pride,” explained Wisdom. “It is the hardest enemy to see after you have been in the glory. Those who refuse to put on this cloak will suffer much at the hands of that most devious enemy.”

As I looked back at the mountain, I saw many of the glorious warriors crossing the plain to attack the remnant of the enemy horde. None of them were wearing the cloaks of humility, and they had not seen the enemy that was ready to attack them from their rear. I started to run out to stop them, but Wisdom restrained me.

“You cannot stop this,” he said. “Only the soldiers who wear this cloak will recognize your authority. Come with me. There is something else that you must see before you can help lead in the great battle that is to come.”

The Foundation of Glory

Wisdom led me down the mountain to the very lowest level, which was named “Salvation.” “You see this as the lowest level,” declared Wisdom, “but this is the foundation of the whole mountain. In any journey, the first step is the most important, and it is usually the most difficult. Without ‘Salvation’ there would be no mountain.”

I was appalled by the carnage on this level. Every soldier was very badly wounded, but none of them were dead. Multitudes were barely clinging to the edge. Many seemed ready to fall off, but none did. Angels were everywhere ministering to the soldiers with such great joy that I had to ask: “Why are they so happy?”

“These angels have beheld the courage that it took for these to hold on. They may not have gone any farther, but neither did they give up. They will soon be healed; then they will behold the glory of the rest of the mountain and they will begin to climb. These will be great warriors for the battle to come.”

“But wouldn’t they have been better off to climb the mountain with the rest of us?” I protested, seeing their present condition.

“It would have been better for them, but not for you. By staying here, they kept most of your enemies occupied and that made it easier for you to climb. Very few from the higher levels ever reached out to help others come to the mountain, but these did. Even when barely clinging to the mountain themselves, they would reach out to pull others up. In fact, most of the mighty warriors were led to the mountain by these faithful ones.

“These who stayed and faithfully fought on the level of “Salvation” are no less heroes than the ones who made it to the top. They brought great joy to heaven by leading others to salvation. It was for this reason that all the angels in heaven wanted to come to minister to them, but only the most honored were permitted.”

Again I felt shame for my previous attitude toward these great saints. Many of us had scorned them as we climbed to the higher levels. They had made many mistakes during the battle, but they had also displayed more of the Shepherd’s heart than the rest of us. The Lord would leave the ninety-nine to go after the one who was lost. These had stayed in the place where they could still reach the lost, and they paid a dear price for it. I, too, wanted to help but did not know where to start.

Wisdom then said, “It is right for you to want to help, but you will help most by going on to what you have been called to do. These will all be healed and will climb the mountain. They can now climb faster because of you and the others who went before them, both destroying the enemy and marking the way. They will join you again in the battle. These are fearless ones who will never retreat before the enemy.”

The Power of Pride

I was pondering how I was learning as much by descending the mountain as I had by climbing it, when the noise from the battlefield drew my attention. By now, thousands of the mighty warriors had crossed the plain to attack the remnant of the enemy horde.

The enemy was fleeing in all directions, except for one division—Pride. Completely undetected, it had marched right up to the rear of the advancing warriors and was about to release a hail of arrows. I then noticed that the mighty warriors had no armor on their backsides. They were totally exposed and vulnerable to what was about to hit them.

Wisdom remarked, “You have taught that there is no armor for the backside, which means you are vulnerable if you run from the enemy. However, you never saw how advancing in pride also makes you vulnerable.”

I could only nod in acknowledgment, for it was too late to do anything. It was almost unbearable to watch, but Wisdom said that I must. I knew the kingdom of God was about to suffer a major defeat. Though I had felt sorrow before, I had never felt this kind of sorrow.

To my amazement, when the arrows of Pride struck the warriors they did not even notice. However, the enemy kept shooting. The warriors were bleeding and getting weaker fast, but they would not acknowledge it. Soon they were too weak to hold up their shields and swords; they cast them down, declaring that they no longer needed them. They started taking off their armor, saying it was not needed anymore either.

Then another enemy division appeared and moved up swiftly. It was called Strong Delusion. Its members released a hail of arrows and they all seemed to hit their marks. It only took a few of the demons of Delusion, who were all small and seemingly weak, to lead away this once great army of glorious warriors. They were taken to various prison camps, each named after a different doctrine of demons. I was astounded at how this great company of the righteous had been so easily defeated, and they still did not even know what had hit them.

I blurted out: “How could those who were so strong, who have been all the way to the top of the mountain, who have seen the Lord as they have, be so vulnerable?”

“Pride is the hardest enemy to see, and it always sneaks up behind you,” Wisdom lamented. “In some ways, those who have been to the greatest heights are in the greatest danger of falling. You must always remember that in this life you can fall at any time from any level.”

“Take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall,” I replied. “How awesome such Scriptures seem to me now!”

“When you think you are the least vulnerable to falling is in fact when you are the most vulnerable. Most men fall immediately after a great victory,” Wisdom lamented.

“How can we keep from being attacked like this?” I asked.

“Stay close to me, inquire of the Lord before making major decisions, and keep that mantle on. Then the enemy will not be able to easily blindside you as he did them.”

I looked at my mantle. It looked so plain and insignificant. I felt that it made me look more like a homeless person than a warrior. Wisdom responded as if I had been speaking out loud.

“The Lord is closer to the homeless than to kings. You only have true strength to the degree that you walk in the grace of God, and ‘He gives His grace to the humble.’ No evil weapon can penetrate this mantle because nothing can overpower His grace. As long as you wear this mantle, you are safe from this kind of attack.”

I then started to look up to see how many warriors were still on the mountain. I was shocked to see how few there were. I noticed, however, that they all had on the same mantle of humility. “How did that happen?” I inquired.

“When they saw the battle you just witnessed, they all came to me for help and I gave them their mantles,”Wisdom replied.

“But I thought you were with me that whole time.”

“I am with all who go forth to do the will of My Father,” Wisdom answered.

“You’re the Lord!” I cried.

“Yes,” He answered. “I told you that I would never leave you or forsake you. I am with all My warriors just as I am with you. I will be to you whatever you need to accomplish My will, and you have needed wisdom.” Then He vanished.

Rank in the Kingdom

I was left standing in the midst of the great company of angels who were ministering to the wounded on the level of “Salvation.” As I began to walk past these angels, they bowed on one knee and showed me great respect. I finally asked one of them why they did this, as even the smallest was much more powerful than I was. “Because of the mantle,” he replied. “That is the highest rank in the kingdom.”

“This is just a plain mantle,” I protested.

“No!” the angel insisted. “You are clothed in the grace of God. There is no greater power than that!”

“But there are thousands of us all wearing the same mantle. How could it represent rank?” I asked.

“You are the dreaded champions, the sons and daughters of the King. He wore the same mantle when He walked on this earth. As long as you are clothed in that, there is no power in

heaven or on earth that can stand before you. Everyone in heaven and hell recognizes that mantle. We are indeed His servants, but He abides in you, and you are clothed in His grace.”

Somehow I knew that if I had not been wearing the mantle, and if my glorious armor had been exposed, the angel’s statements and behavior toward me would have fed my pride. It was simply impossible to feel prideful or arrogant while wearing such a drab, plain cloak. However, my confidence in the mantle was growing fast.