(Genesis 28:10-17) Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place. 12 He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. 14 Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
From this we can see:
- angels can come and go between heaven and earth
Personal experience: there have been people who thought that they have died and gone to heaven and then returned for one reason or another. But from scripture, we know that right now there is a type of "heavenly sleep" when a believer dies, and no one will enter heaven until the end of the Millennium. (1 Corinthians 15:20-25; 1 Thessalonians 4:13; Revelation 21)
What I believe happens (when it feels like one goes to heaven during a near death or temporary death experience) is that there is the presence of angels and/or one feels the nearness of God in that moment - this sensation can transfer into our dreams. Either this is just a dream, or maybe God is legitimately giving that person an encouraging message of some sort (like their time is not yet done), but they will not have literally gone to heaven.
This sort of dream-thing has happened to me, but not with angels. A few times I have had nightmares that go beyond. They are obviously demonic. When I wake up - in that moment - I can sense a presence in the room - and often I see a presence (usually in the form of a green shifting light). I cannot describe that a little bit better, but I won't. And I could only describe so and so much of it, because I always look away and close my eyes while praying for God's protection. I refuse to interact or show any interest.
Today's takeaway: never interact with demons - or angels. We are to interact with God only! And if through a dream there is a message, and we think it is from God... always make sure that it aligns with God's words.
Notice in the above scripture in the last few verses, Jacob only focuses on and fears God. The LORD is the gate to heaven! Jesus is the only way!!!...
(1 John 5:20) And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
(John 14:6-7) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. 7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”
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