Time machines have been a staple of science fiction for ages. In Star Trek and other sci-fi shows we see them use a machine to instantly transport people to another location. Man has not yet perfected such devices in real life, but God has. As I study the scriptural accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection in anticipation of Good Friday and Easter, I am reminded of the times He has transported me to another place and time.
Nearly 64 years ago now, I knelt at the altar of a church. As I acknowledged my sins and the fact that God’s only Son died in my place (John 3:16), I suddenly found myself kneeling at the foot of the cross nearly two thousand years earlier as the blood Jesus shed dripped down on me, penetrating my body and cleansing my soul. I could almost hear the angels celebrating that another lost lamb had been found – another son had been added to God’s family.
Ten years later, while visiting the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, I knelt, closed my eyes and found myself before the entrance of another empty tomb nearly two thousand years earlier. I could hear the angel saying, “He is not here. He has risen.” My mind raced and my spirit soared as the realization that Jesus is alive flooded over me.
Just over three years ago now, my Christian brothers at CLC laid hands on me and prayed that my long term sciatic pain would be healed. My arthritic knees would no longer allow me to kneel, but as I bowed my head and closed my eyes I found myself kneeling on a dusty road in front of Jesus. I wanted to reach out in faith to touch the hem of his robe, but I felt His hand on my shoulder and I knew everything would be alright. I slept soundly that night and the next morning I awoke with no nerve pain in my hips and legs for the first time in eight years.
Paul describes being transported to the third heaven. (2 Corinthians 12:1-4) He did not know whether it was in the body or if it was an out of body experience of his spirit, but he knew it was real. I’m sure skeptics would chalk my experiences up to imagination or even hallucination and my healing as some sort of placebo effect, but I know they are more than that. I really don’t know if I was transported in mind, body, spirit or some combination. The only thing I know for certain is “with God all things are possible”. (Mark 10:27)
Someday, in the not so distant future I will shed this old body and be transported one last time to be where Jesus is. I will once again be able to kneel before Him and personally thank Him for allowing me to share eternity with Him.