Visions of the Spiritual World

IN this book I have attempted to write about some of the visions which God has given me. Had I considered my own inclinations I would not have published the account of these visions during my lifetime; but friends, whose judgment I value, have been insistent that, as a spiritual help to others, the publication of the teaching of these visions should not be delayed. In deference to the wish of these friends this book is now presented to the public. i At Kotgarh, fourteen years ago, while I was praying, my eyes were opened to the Heavenly Vision. So vividly did I see it all that I thought I must have died, and that my soul had passed into the glory of heaven; but throughout the intervening years these visions have continued to enrich my life. I cannot call them up at will, but, usually when [ am praying or meditating, sometimes as often as eight or ten times in a month, my spiritual eyes are opened to see within the heavens, and, for an hour or two, I walk in the glory of the heavenly sphere with Christ Jesus, and hold converse with angels and spirits. “Their answers to my questions have provided much of the material that has already been published in my books, and the unutterable ecstasy of that spiritual communion makes me long for the time when I shall enter in permanently to the bliss and fellowship of the redeemed.

Some may consider that these visions are merely a form of spiritualism, but I would emphasize that there is one very essential difference. Spiritualism does presume to produce messages and signs from spirits out of the dark, but they are usually so fragmentary and unintelligible, if not actually deceptive, that they lead their followers away from, rather than to, the truth. In these / visions, on the other hand, I see vividly and clearly every detail of the glory of the spiritual world, and I have the uplifting experi- ence of very real fellowship with the saints, amid the inconceivably bright and beautiful surroundings of a spiritual world made visible. It is from these angels and saints that I have received, not vague, broken and elusive messages from the unseen, but clear and rational elucidations of many of the problems that have troubled me.

This “Communion of the Saints’ was a fact so real in the experience of the early Church, that it is given a place among the necessary articles of their faith, as stated in the “Apostles’ Creed.’’ Once, in a vision, I asked the saints for a proof from the Bible of this communion of saints, and was told that it was to be found clearly given in Zechariah iii. 7-8, where ‘‘those that were standing by’? were not angels, nor “‘men’’ of flesh and blood, but saints in glory; and God’s promise, on condition of Joshua fulfilling His command, is that he will be given ‘‘a place of access to walk among them (saints) that stand by,” and these are his

‘‘fellows’’—the spirits of men made perfect with whom he could commune.

There is repeated mention of Spirits, Saints and Angels in this book. The dis- tinction I would make between them is that

, Spirits are both good and bad, who after death exist in a state intermediate between heaven and hell. Saints are those who have passed on through this stage into the higher sphere of the spiritual world, and have had special service allotted to them. Angels are those glorious beings to whom all kinds of superior service have been allotted, and among them are included many saints from other worlds, as well as from this world of ours, who all live together as one family. ‘They serve one another in love, and, in the effulgence of God’s glory, are eternally happy. The World of Spirits means that intermediary state into which spirits enter after leaving the body. By the Spiritual World is meant all spiritual beings that progress through the stages between the darkness of the bottomless pit and the throne of the Lord in light.

I wish to express my sincere thanks to Rey. T. E. Riddle of the New Zealand Presbyterian Mission, Kharar, Punjab, who has journeyed up to Subathu to translate this book from Urdu into English. My thanks are again due to Miss E. Sanders, of Coventry, for having corrected the proofs of this book.

THERE is only one source of Life—an Infinite and Almighty Life, whose creative power gave life to all living things. All creatures live in Him, and in Him will they remain forever. Again this Life created innumerable other lives, different in kind, and in the stages of their progress man is one of these, created in God’s own image that he might ever remain happy in His holy presence.

This life may change but it can never be destroyed, and though the change from one form of existence into another is called Death, this never means that death finally ends life, or even that it adds to the life, or takes away anything from it. It merely transfers the life from one form of existence to another. A thing that disappears from our sight has not thereby ceased to exist. It reappears, but in another form and state.

Nothing in this whole universe was ever destroyed, nor can it ever be, because the Creator has never created anything for destruction. If He had wished to destroy it, He would never have created it. And if nothing in creation can be destroyed, then how can man be destroyed, who is the crown of creation, and the image of his Creator? Can God Himself destroy His own image, or can any other creature do it? Never! If man is not destroyed at death then at once the question rises, where will man exist after death, and in what state?

I shall attempt to give a brief explanation from my own visional experiences though it is not possible for me to describe all the things which I have seen in visions of the spiritual world, because the language and illustrations of this world are inadequate to express these spiritual realities; and the very attempt to reduce to ordinary language the glory of the things seen is likely to result in misunderstanding. I[ have, therefore, had to eliminate the account of all those subtle spiritual occurrences, for which only a spiritual language is adequate, and to take up only a few simple and instructive incidents that will prove profitable to all. And since at some time or other every one will have to enter into this unseen spiritual world it will not be without profit if we, to some extent, become familiar with it.

ONE day when I was praying alone, I suddenly found myself surrounded by a great concourse of spirit beings, or I might say that as soon as my spiritual eyes were opened I found myself bowed in the presence of a considerable company of saints and angels. At first I was somewhat abashed, when I saw their bright and glorious state and compared with them my own inferior quality. But I was at once put at ease by their real sympathy and love-inspired friendliness. I had already had the experience of the peace of the presence of God in my life, but the fellowship with these saints added a new and wonderful joy to me. As we conversed together I received from them answers to my questions relating to my difficulties about many problems that puzzled me. My first inquiry was about what happens at the time, of dying, and about the state of the soul after death. I said, ‘‘We know what happens to us between childhood and old age, but we know nothing of what happens at the time of death or beyond the gates of death. Correct information about it can be known only by those on the other side of death, after they have entered the spiritual world. Can you,’ I asked, “give us any information about this?”

To this one of the saints answered, ‘‘Death is like sleep. There is no pain in the passing over, except in the case of a few bodily diseases and mental conditions. As an exhausted man is overcome by deep sleep, so comes the sleep of death to man. Death comes so suddenly to many, that it is only with great difficulty that they realize that they have left the material world, and entered this world of spirits. Bewildered by the many new and beautiful things that they see around them, they imagine that they are visiting some country or city of the physical world, which they have not seen before. It is only when they have been more fully instructed, and realize that their spiritual body is different from their former material body, that they allow that they have, in fact, been transferred from the material world to the realm of spirits.”

Another of the saints who was present gave this further answer to my question, “Usually,” he said, “tat the time of death the body gradually loses its power of feeling. It has no pain, but is simply overcome by a sense of drowsiness. Sometimes in cases of great weakness, or after accident, the spirit departs while the body is still unconscious. Then the spirits of those who have lived without thought of, or preparation for, entering the spiritual world, being thus suddenly transferred into the world of spirits, are extremely bewildered and in a state of great distress at their fate, so, for a considerable period, they have to remain in the lower and darker planes of the intermediate state.

The spirits of these lower spheres often greatly harass people in the world. But the only ones that they can injure are those who are like in mind to themselves, who of their own free will open their hearts to entertain them. These evil spirits, by allying themselves with other evil spirits, would do immense harm in the world were it not that God has appointed innumerable angels everywhere for the protection of His people, and of His creation, so that His people are always safe in His keeping.”

“Evil spirits can injure only those in the yv world who are like in nature to themselves, and then they can do it only to a limited extent. They can, indeed, trouble the righteous, but not without God’s permission. God sometimes does give to Satan and his angels permission to tempt and persecute His people, that they may emerge from the trial stronger and better, as when He allowed Satan to persecute His servant Job. But from such a trial there is gain rather than loss to the believer.”

Another of the saints standing by added in reply to my question, “‘Many whose lives have not been yielded to God, when about to _ die, seem to become unconscious; but what actually happens is that when they see the hideous and devilish faces of the evil spirits that have come about them, they become speechless and paralyzed by fear. On the other hand the dying of a believer is frequently the very opposite of this. He is often extremely happy for he sees angels and saintly spirits coming to welcome him. Then, too, his loved ones, who have died before, are permitted to attend his deathbed, and to conduct his soul to the spiritual world. On entering the world of spirits he at once feels at home, for not only are his friends about him, but, while in the world he had long been preparing himself for that Home by his trust in God and fellowship with Him.”

After that a fourth saint said, ““To conduct the souls of men from the world is the work of angels. Usually the Christ reveals

Himself in the spiritual world to each one in degrees of glory differing in intensity according to the state of each soul’s spiritual development. But in some cases He Himself ™ comes to a death-bed to welcome His servant, and in love dries his tears, and leads him into Paradise. Asa child born into the world finds everything provided for its wants, so does the soul, on entering the spiritual world, find all its wants supplied.”

ONCE in the course of a conversation the saints gave me this information. ‘After death the soul of every human being will enter the world of spirits, and every one, according to the stage of his spiritual growth, will dwell with spirits like in mind and in nature to himself, either in the darkness or in the light of glory. We are assured that no one in the physical body has entered into the spiritual world, except Christ and a few saints, whose bodies were transformed into glorious bodies, yet to some it has been granted, that, while still dwelling in the world, they can see the world of spirits, and heaven itself, as in 2 Cor. xii. 2, though they themselves cannot tell whether they enter Paradise in the body or in the spirit.”’

After this conversation these saints conducted me round and showed me many wonderful things and places.

I saw that from all sides thousands upon thousands of souls were constantly arriving in the world of spirits, and that all were attended by angels. The souls of the good had with them only angels and good spirits, who had conducted them from their death-beds. Evil spirits were not allowed to come near to them, but stood far off and watched. I saw also that there were no good spirits with the souls of the really wicked, but about them were evil spirits, who had come with them from their death-beds, while angels too stood by and prevented the evil spirits from giving free play to the spite of their malicious natures in harassing them. ‘The evil spirits almost immediately led these souls away towards the darkness, for when in the flesh, they had consistently allowed evil spirits to influence them for evil, and had willingly permitted themselves to be enticed to all kinds of wickedness. For the angels in no way interfere with the free will of any soul. I saw there, also, many souls who had lately come into the world of spirits, who were attended by both good and evil spirits, as well as by angels. But before long the radical difference of their lives began to assert itself, and they separated themselyes—the good in character towards the good, and the evil towards the evil.