ALBERT'S NEW LIFE
"I am in awe at the simple yet stupendous abundance of life in this realm!"
My spirit's weight is like an inanimate astronaut, free-floating outside the space shuttle. The vivid surroundings beneath me have captured my wide-eyed attention. Its stunning objects seem to pass by just beyond my reach. Offering a spectacular vision of constant delight, flooding the windows of my eye-gates while surprising with purity the limitlessness of my imagination. As when I would watch the sunset in my childhood days. Though I never actually saw it move, the picturesque horizon it created had an ever-changing beauty.
The planet moved in such a steady rotation that it never disrupted my steps. And here, the same is happening. Except my legs are carrying me forward across a perfect sky. And my soul is feeding off a sensation of boundless freedom. It feels as if I am lifting my arms and soaring like a creature with massive wings.
"Where is this high-flying march leading me?"
I perceive it has no end, but the effects have a surreal mix of fact and fantasy.
This place is very tangible. Or so I am led to believe, due to the witness of my own eyes.
It provides the fullness of my past world. Of my past life. But all in a single massive location.
My downward view of the horizon exposes a multitude of objects. Like car lots loaded with brand-new vehicles, expanding for miles in each direction. The automotive machines vary in shape, size, and color, as do the ones from Earth. Except here, they appear customized. Made for those who would choose to own them. Some even seem cartoonish by design but are ready to travel by land or by air. Beneath the water or riding the waves. I see owners nearby who are using them in those like manner.
Not to undermine the scores of trucks, buses, mobile homes, and other odd vehicles. They also vary in design, operating as the cars do but with more internal space. I especially admire the custom artwork on the larger vehicles. They have the faces of their owners canvassed across their bodies, from the forward section to the rear.
I see countless rows of private and commercial jets in another area, parked in open lots, like city traffic after the morning commute. They range from single-engine models to multi-passenger jumbo aircraft, with the vast light gleaming off the tops of their fuselages. No matter which positions they seem to face. Several of them are actual spaceships with American-style movie flare, except these are capable of authentic travel into faraway galaxies.
I see large bodies of peaceful waters filled with sailing vessels. Most are no more significant than the automobiles, others far above the most spacious airplanes. These water-traveling toys come with every luxurious accessory ever created for them. Some never known before. At least from what I can spot from my overhead viewpoint. They even seem free to enjoy for everyone who wants to do so.
What shall I see next? Whoa! On my left. A host of billion-dollar mansions clustered together like high-rise apartments. Looking through their windows, I see they have furnishings made of expensive materials. Some I recognize, but they appear a thousand times more valuable, with plenty to be had, from the floors to the ceilings.
This world even has city parks with every variety of fruit trees known to humanity.
Blooming amid their grassy fields. With flying animals from all lands co-existing on their branches and bounties.
And every age of children, from infants to young adults, are moving and playing with an array of animals as if this were always natural for them. Maybe they never knew any other world or lifestyle that would have tainted their young minds in any other way. They appear to be carefree and happier than a physical life on Earth could have given them.
Upon my landing, I will pluck one of the huge golden apples from the tree that is in front of my passing. One bite, and I will see if my past beliefs about this world were true.
Oh my God! My thoughts were deceptive. This fruit is far better tasting than I could have ever imagined. Its flavor is sweeter than any fruit I have ever known, yet it has no overbearing sugary after-effect.
I feel joyously brutish while consuming my snack as I candidly land and walk upon this stunningly clean terra firma. Gazing at the fields of vegetation in this rich black soil that clearly surpasses the homeland from which I came. Like the fruit trees, their growth is phenomenal, and variety is plentiful for all life forms that desire to eat.
There are large and small ponds, with various plants and cacti growing near and drinking from their reserves. To my right, I see beaches covered with fresh golden sands and tropical rainforests growing on their edges. Two and four-legged beings are at peace and playing together, like loving pet owners and their beloved out-of-the-ordinary pets. This realm of life has taken the urban cities, the farmlands, the sandy deserts, and the bounties of the tropics and fused each one together, creating the perfect community for every living creature.
I am like a small child at the world's most colorful amusement park, with uncontrollable enthusiasm, wanting to experience all the wonder for myself.
The ground at my feet now resembles a floor made of scratch-proof glass. It is so clear that it does not appear to exist. But its surface is soft, like freshly picked pure cotton. Untainted by flesh-covered hands.
"My soul is alive forever!"
With my snack wholly consumed, I will continue my journey, as the clothing draped over my body has now grabbed my attention. My inner eye can see my bare physical frame, and this anatomy resembles an organic machine with no limitations. As if the Master sculptor has empowered it with sturdy shoulders, which gives arousal to its self-flexing pecs. Both arms sway with robust confidence, and each hand of this masterpiece can tighten with stone-crushing force.
The abdomen of this creation forms several dry rivers that bend around its smooth muscular hills, flowing to its bellybutton lower lake region.
Both my legs are stout, like the majestic Beech trees of the homeland from which I hail. And they stride more gracefully than any four belonging to the finest Irish Thoroughbred alive.
Dear God! Even the reproductive organ of this perfect frame has the sensational essence of solid durability, while high potency courses through my other organs. Not like the weak body I was born with. It became feeble as time passed. Leading me to entrust my stability to Percy, my cherished walking cane, with the brass-plated lion head. His support came without fail, and he even saved my life once. But now I have advanced abilities, never to need Percy or saving again.
"I am gifted with vitality, and my personage is flawless. Not a wrinkle on me!"
The uniqueness of this world adds busyness to my sight, which is now magnified a thousand times more. The bifocals I needed before are now obsolete. I can see a shimmering flicker of light off a droplet of water sitting atop a stone at two hundred yards in the distance. Even the most expensive man-made observatory cannot compete with this type of optical efficiency using its best telescopes.
"This place exudes greater wonderment than I could have ever thought possible!"
Now, I am walking into an overwhelming brightness. The immensity is too intense, forcing my gaze upward and away from my forward progress. I can only focus on the vast sky overhead, which has neither a bluish atmosphere nor a cloudy one, but pure white. A solemn illumination with no visible boundaries. And add to that, I get a sense of protection from gigantic walls. As if I am in a city of ancient days. Surrounded by high bricks of impassable security.
The burning light is increasing in severity. It denies me the thrill of knowing its origin. The grandness of it has overwhelming strength, and I can feel its heat. Though my head is held high, and my hands completely shield my eyes, I can only give them partial protection from the light's aura.
Wait a second! The glow from the light is exposing my attire with a subduing shine. I am wearing a white glittering silk suit with a shirt and a sash to match while my feet are bare. Complemented by a neon robe of the same color, covering me like a superhero's cape.
"This entire place takes my breath away!"
And the brilliance of the light keeps all darkness away from me, no matter my position. No burning star governing the most marvelous galaxies can muster such authority. It turns the flooring into something even more spectacular, like high-quality glass or fine crystal. Or a rare, undiluted diamond material, never touched by sinful hands.
Wait! In my spirit, I am being informed that I am looking at a street, not a floor, made of pure transparent gold. I once visited the halls of Buckingham Palace and walked on her marble tiles. They never gleamed such a reflection as dazzling as this pavement. It reflects the light into the atmosphere with more radiance than the sun glistening off the ocean's horizon.
The bright illumination draws me onto this pathway with higher significance. More than polished marble ever could. I have no words to explain how fascinated I am in this domain.
My goodness, what do I spy off in the distance now? It is an immeasurable number of beings. Their voices are loud and reverberating, yet I can hear the different languages they speak and translate every word.
"Dear Lord, the intensity of the light refutes me, and to shelter my view will no longer suffice."
"Trust not in your sight and shut your eyes. Rely on the core of your faith."
Jesus! I just heard the authoritative voice of the Holy Spirit.
"Yes, my Lord, I will obey."
To the God, most high, how extraordinary are your ways? I see your surrounding children with their eyes closed, as are my own now. They are the saints of Christ, a variety of men and women representing their nations. A sea of rainbow skin tones expressing harmonious bliss. They too, are wearing shiny white silk clothing, and by their garments, I can discern the different eras from which they hail.
Other mythic humanoids stand among them, intrepid in appearance. Their height reaches three times that of an average six-foot-tall man. And they have wings like those of mammoth eagles. Four beings have unfurled their wings before everyone, expanding them to the length of a standard semi-tracker trailer, from bumper to bumper. These colossal individuals magnify the glory of our king through the glow from their white garbs. One of them has a flaming sword holstered behind him. He must be a warring prince for the children of prophecy. They are angelic servants to the heavenly Father.
These sons of God are faithful believers, swelling the street because of my presence. There are so many of them it would take a lifetime to count their numbers. They are expressing joy for me with loud acceptance as I strut amid them.
"Why are you all celebrating my presence in song?"
For a specific reason, I presume. Several of the women sing aloud while others dance. Two of the celestial agents fly above us, conveying my name with exultation.
"Behold, one of the Lord's disciples, Albert Henry Bunker. A warrior in his day."
Blessed Emmanual, I understand what is happening. It is a parade, and I am the featured guest of this march.
"I thank you all for coming out!"
Zion's family shares their delight by esteeming me as worthy of God's grace as I stroll down the uncontaminated golden walkway. To have such value is genuinely an inspiring blessing.
"Why me? How did I deserve this honor?"
No one deserves to be praised. Only Jesus, in his crucifixion, has earned that right. "We need to exalt the Lamb of God. That is the correct thing to do!"
"Obedience to my Word makes this possible for those who believe," the righteous one of heaven said. "Enjoy my walk of distinction and join the consecrated children as they praise the Bread of Life."
"My Messiah! The food of my conscience. I glorify you, Lord, most worthy, with my beating heart, for you are nirvana!"
Today, I am in heaven! Where the dead in Christ shall live. I will again meet my loving friends, who I know have entered here before me. We will dine with the legendary biblical heroes and the unnamed saints of the past, sharing our experiences serving our protector, Jehovah-Nissi. And the angelic brothers will tell us of their invisible involvement in our earthly affairs.
My wife, Carolina, and I will reunite as one in our spirits. I will gaze upon her loveliness for eternity, which is better than any reverie I have dared to imagine, apart from my glorious sighting of the Lord himself.
The heavenly choir, in tribute to him, will sing for the rest of forever with my fresh voice in their numbers.
Hold on! A change in my body has happened, a stride-ending sensation. The noteworthy glow has clarity now, and its source is close. Dear Jehovah, the power is right here! The glory of Yahweh streams from his mighty throne.
He is allowing me into the third realm of his house. But the spiritual presence of his face, I cannot see. Only a burning ball of glorious energy is above an immense royal seat, with only the throne's legs exposed. Nor can I translate what he is saying to the Messenger Angel, who kneels before the throne in honor of him.
"Father, I pray for your willingness to let me comprehend your words, that I may adhere to its expressions in the name of your only begotten son. Do I ask and thank you."
"Lean not on your unique ability to listen, my faithful child, but attend deeper to your newness of understanding."
"Yes, my King."
My Lord, I can now discern in the Queen's English what you are saying to your divine servant. To hear, as the massive one receives your commandment, is a blessing on its own. He is to bring your message to my awareness at my home in Eastbourne, England.
"Go. Time to awaken Albert, for humankind needs his strength."
I was not aware that my new body could quiver with excitement. The Ancient of Days has found me worthy of his righteous attention.
Something from his love is holding my face upward. The touch of his hands is unlike anything I have ever experienced. Grace is present and overwhelms me. God's call upon my story is on display for the host of heaven to witness.
From his wise sovereignty, the great El Shaddai has taken a moment to remember my life in the third part of his heaven. In His Holy Majesty!
"My very existence is ablaze!"
Now I know how abundantly he loves his children of faith and the gracious value of the passion in Christ Jesus.
As a noble soldier, I stand here in his attendance. Respectful of his commanding presence. Ready to receive my orders with obedience and thankfulness.
"Shine your radiance on me, my saving Lord. Thank you for directing your amazing glory upon me, amen!"
The glorious illumination of the Lord reaches out with a blinding glow until everything and everyone in its presence are touched. As I praised Him before vanishing into the light. My knees became a secondary pair of feet.
