September 2017 Newsletter
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Once you’ve seen Heaven and walked in the very presence of angels and of Jesus, you can never be satisfied on earth again.
By Dr. Thom Gardner and James Woodford
James Woodford, a former airline pilot, has seen much of the world from 30,000 feet. For most of his life he had no interest in serving God. All of that changed forever after eleven hours in Heaven. Now James declares, “I’m just a man who has gotten a glimpse of Heaven’s glory.”
The story of James Woodford and his unexpected journey to Heaven is one of contrasts: from death to life, from experiencing the literal clutches of Hell to the loving embrace of Heaven, and from a prison of sickness to a miraculous healing. James, a man who soared to great heights in business and aviation, began his ascent to Heaven with a crashing descent into the darkness of a debilitating and often-fatal disease: Guillain-BarrО.
From Death to Life
This disease filled his life with relentless and indescribable pain and eventually shut down his earthly body. His fingers began to curl inward so much they had to be splinted to remain straight. Through medical treatment and physical therapy James was able to learn to function. He found temporary relief in powerful prescription drugs.
Then, one evening while sitting in the cab of his pickup truck, James took too much of the medication and succumbed to its toxic effects. Immediately, knowing that he had done something very wrong, James gasped a final cry, “God forgive me.” With that, his spirit shed his earthly body and he began his unexpected journey to Heaven. As James began to rise up, he looked back to see his depleted body resting against the steering wheel of his truck. He soared beyond the scope of any aeronautical instruments. In a moment, he was transported through a tunnel of brilliant, golden light into fields and pastures surrounding Heaven whose colors and sounds defy description. As James puts it, he came to realize that he had lived in the land of the dying but was going to the land of the living!
From the Clutches of Hell to the Embrace of Heaven
At the other end of the tunnel, James stood at a transition point between the lush green paradise of Heaven to his right and the gaping jaws of Hell to his left. James stood at the edge of Hell’s pit, smelling the stench of death and hopelessness and hearing its ancient screeching gates opening to receive him into Hell’s eternal darkness. Sinister, whispering voices now called out his name, “Jim, Jim, come with us….” Then from that roiling blackness emerged a creature with red eyes and gaping jaws dripping with foul saliva and desiring to have him. James felt the sharp talon of this beast at his back drawing him into its clutches. James cried out in desperation, “God save me!” (Understand that because of James’s upbringing in the Catholic Church that when he calls on God he is calling on the name of Jesus.)
With that, James saw three points of light growing more brilliant as they jetted toward him with incredible speed. These angels were three of the most magnificent beings in the realm of Heaven dispatched to rescue James at the command of Messiah Jesus! The three angels were of immense stature being 10, 13, and 15 feet tall clothed in brilliant garments and shining with the light of God. The angels had violet eyes that looked at James with great tenderness. They spoke to him through a direct transfer of thought revealing they were guardians assigned to him.
The tallest of the three was a warring angel whose garments were even more brilliant than the other two. This angel was endowed with great authority having a spiritual sword of light in a scabbard at his side. James was rescued from the clutches of Hell and gathered into the loving embrace of Heaven in the arms of angels.
James was then taken by the guardians on a walking tour of Heaven’s paradise. The landscape featured lush green grass rippling with light. The petals of translucent flowers rang out a gentle chiming song to the reigning Messiah Jesus as James and the guardians walked by. Palpable joy filled the atmosphere. James experienced sounds that had color and color that had sounds. At one point, James touched the arm of one of the angels, and as he pulled his hand away, the light that emanated from the angel clung to him . James called it the “sticky love” of God.
James observed various halls for healing, knowledge, and learning as well as a nursery for infants who had passed away at or before birth. To his great delight, James was led to a pasture where three magnificent horses greeted him. (James has always had a great love for horses.) Of particular fascination was the sight of six clouds that rose straight up into Heaven. When James inquired about this phenomenon, the guardians told him that these were the prayers being offered for his return and healing. James later found out that at that same time, six people, including his wife and other family members, were gathered in a circle praying for him. What an opportunity to see prayer from Heaven’s perspective!
The greatest experience of all awaited James as the warring angel led him to the very presence of Jesus who was more brilliant than all of the angels. As James looked into the gracious loving eyes of Jesus, he found healing for the emptiness he had experienced in his earthly life and a new purpose to declare God’s glory. James wanted nothing more than to abide in the presence of the One who rescued him from death and destruction, but he was sent back with a single command: “James, my son, this is not yet your time. Go back and tell your brothers and sisters of the wonders we have shown you.” With that, James’s spirit left the brilliance of Heaven’s paradise and traveled back, re-inhabiting his earthly body, which had been brain-dead and on life support for eleven hours.
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From Brokenness to Wholeness
The initial road to recovery after his experience in Heaven was a challenge. James came back with the chemical evidence of Guillain-BarrО still in his body, but to the amazement of the doctors he has no symptoms—no pain or paralysis! James not only went from death to life, from emptiness to fullness, from the gates of Hell to Heaven, he was now transformed from brokenness to wholeness. He was healed by the power and love of Jesus! James reports that he has more energy now at age 69 than he did when he was 40.
A longing for Heaven and Messiah Jesus remains in James’s heart. Once you’ve seen Heaven and walked in the very presence of angels and of Jesus, you can never be satisfied on earth again. Now James is filled with the love of Jesus and desires to fulfill his mission. His story and the subsequent book, Heaven: An Unexpected Journey , invite us to the hope of Heaven and the love James experienced there.
Captain James Woodford became one of the youngest licensed pilots in Canada, eventually traveling all over the world as captain of a jetliner. He now travels throughout North America encouraging others with his experience in Heaven.
Dr. Thom Gardner is President of Restored Life Ministries, a ministry dedicated to holistic spiritual formation. He travels internationally to equip leaders of the body of Messiah.
Get Ready. The Best is Yet to Come!
When God wants me to know something good has just happened or is about to happen, a car with a license plate including “777” will cross my path. Why 777? Because 7 is God’s sign of completion, rest and perfection. Even my Israeli citizenship identification number includes 777!
This month God outdid Himself. September 7th is my 77th birthday. Again 777! And we are just wrapping up the year 5777 on the Jewish calendar! What does all this emphasis on 777 mean? God is once again getting my attention. For starters, I know everything I have ever done is preparation for what is coming.
Shortly after you receive this I will be leading a very large Jewish outreach. I am expecting a major upgrade in the Spirit this year—perhaps it will be at this outreach. But this upgrade is not just for me, it’s for everyone who is hungering for more of God. It’s like the parable of the ten virgins—five were wise and five were foolish. The foolish ran out of the oil of the Holy Spirit. The wise were filled with Holy Spirit oil. It’s not too late to be wise!
What will our upgrade look like? It will be the fullness of Peter’s quote at Pentecost from Acts 2:16-21 (NLT): “…what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams….[This will take place] BEFORE that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’’’
Pentecost was the beginning of the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. But before the final judgment it will reach its fullness with the largest outpouring of God’s Spirit in history. Prophets will prophesy with total accuracy. Healing evangelists will walk in creative miracles. Missing limbs will come from the “parts room” in Heaven and materialize before our eyes! But it will not be a few select superstars. Read the text: “I will pour out my Spirit upon ALL people.” Get ready—that means us!
Many believers follow the news rather than the Word of God. Faith and truth come from hearing the Word of God. Fear and hopelessness come from hearing the news. It almost seems many believers want the United States to fail. That’s because they are feeding on the news and second heaven (demonic) chatter.
What will happen if America becomes a third-world nation and is taken over by evil? A billion souls might die without Jesus! But I know better. For the salvation of the world, America will be a great nation again! Some may store guns, food and gold. I am storing the oil of the Holy Spirit and a soul winner’s crown. And those who partner with me will share in all the fruit of this ministry. First Samuel 30:24 (NLT) says, “We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment.” God is saying those who pray and financially partner share equally!
This is your moment of opportunity. What are you sharing in as you partner with us? We have now sent more than 1.7 million evangelistic books to Jewish households in North America! And 1.3 million have been distributed in the Russian language. That doesn’t even include the books we have distributed in Ukrainian, Spanish, Hebrew, French and more!
Only God knows how many unsaved have been and are being reached by our TV show, It’s Supernatural! Our It’s Supernatural! Network (ISN) has 13,000 daily viewers—246,000 have downloaded our ISN App. Our Middle East TV network reaches every home in Israel that has a TV set as well as the entire Middle East! Our YouTube channel now has over 300,000 subscribers. And God is saying to me, “The best is yet to come!” I know it has to do with Israel and the coming upgrade.
The best 77th birthday present you can give me is to plant a seed financially and in prayer for our God-given evangelistic opportunities, including my next Jewish outreach. Consider a gift that is a multiple of 7 such as $77, $777, etc. Because we are debt-free, all of your gifts will be poured into Jewish evangelism. Your prayers and gifts could well change the destiny of a nation! I believe your upgrade is on the way!