PART ONE: VISITATIONS AND VISIONS

Chapter 1: On Heaven's Road

"I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
(PHILIPPIANS 3:14)

My name is Choo Nam Thomas, and I am Korean-American. I am the only daughter of my parents, who are deceased, and I have two brothers: one younger and one older. I am married and have two children, a son and a daughter, both of whom are married. I also have two grandsons and two granddaughters.

In Korea, my family was not religious in any way. I never heard about Jesus until I went to church. I had only heard about church and God.

I became a Christian in February 1992. I literally fell in love with Jesus after I attended church a couple of times. When I found out what He did for me, I made up my mind that I wanted to give all of my being to Him for the rest of my life.

God responded by answering my prayers, and this enabled my faith to grow stronger day by day. I began to lose my old desires each day, very quickly. I could think only about Jesus every waking moment. I was so much in fear of God that I couldn't knowingly do anything against His will. I wanted only to please Him, and I wanted to know everything about Him so I could tell others.

A VISION AND THE FIRE OF GOD

I received the fire of the Holy Spirit while I was praying at home in January 1994. About a month later, I saw the Lord's presence while I was worshiping at the Neighborhood Assembly of God in Tacoma, Washington. He was sitting by the pulpit. His legs were crossed, and I could see Him as clearly as a real person, except I couldn't see His face.

As I perceived Him, He had silky white hair and was wearing a pure white robe. His person was visible to me for almost five minutes. After seeing Him my body was on fire with unspeakable joy, and I became wholeheartedly committed to Jesus. Soon after this life-changing experience, my family and I began attending Puget Sound Christian Center in Tacoma, Washington.

I had another profound spiritual experience on Easter Sunday 1995. While attending services with my family at Puget Sound Christian Center, my body began to shake violently, and we had to stay for second service. I was experiencing the same phenomenon known among Quakers, Shakers and early Pentecostals.

Since then, my body never stops shaking in church or during my prayer time at home. Two weeks after this Easter Sunday experience, I received the gift of tongues while at home and began to sing in the Spirit. While watching a Benny Hinn crusade on television, I stood up and lifted my hands in prayer. Then I fell on the floor for almost three hours. The anointing of God's Holy Spirit was so strong that I couldn't get up, and all I could do was sing and talk in tongues and laugh.

During every worship service after that, I could see the presence of the Lord Jesus in church. The visions I continue to receive of Him are not quite as vivid as the first one, but they are just as real.

A WILLING VESSEL

I believe these exciting and unusual experiences are preparation for the work God has called me to. I have a strong desire to receive healing and soul-winning gifts, but I don't know how to serve Him, except by telling everyone who Jesus is.

At first, some family members and friends rejected my message and disliked me for always talking about Jesus. Now, however, things are different. No matter who I am with, I only want to talk about the Lord, and He has given me the privilege of leading many people to Him, including my relatives and friends. All of my loved ones are saved now.

Jesus is always in my thoughts and on my tongue. When difficult times come, I think about what Jesus did for us. When I remember all that He has done, I realize nothing is too hard for me. When someone hurts me, I simply meditate on all Jesus did for me at Calvary, and peace comes instantly.

Preceding the Lord's first visit with me, I had some very special dreams about clouds. These dreams reminded me of something my father had once shared with me.

He told me that my mother had had a very special dream about clouds. He often mentioned that my mother also had had a special dream about me before she became pregnant with me. He said she never forgot that dream about a clear day that suddenly became very cloudy. The clouds came toward the front of the house. One of them came into the room where she was sleeping and filled the room with a white glow.

My mother had been sick most of her life, and she died when she was only forty. She never shared these dreams and visions with me, but my father told me many times about them, especially about the clouds. I never thought seriously about them until I had my own experience with dreams and visions.

My father's interpretation of the dream about the clouds was that I could have become very successful if I had been a boy, because in those days many Oriental men believed that only boys could attain success in life. I believe, however, that the dream was a sign from the Lord. As you read this book, you will see that clouds have played an important part in the preparatory work the Lord had done and continues to do in my life.

Since meeting Jesus, I have had a strong desire to pray for others. I have become a true prayer warrior. Intercessory prayer has become a way of life for me. I regularly attended a Bible study at a Korean-American church for about a year before my husband, Roger, was saved.

I didn't do any full-time church work or know many of God's words, but He chose me for His special work anyway. According to my Lord Jesus, He wanted me to first get to know Him and to learn to obey Him and focus only on Him. By showing me heaven and all the other visions I have been privileged to experience, He began to prepare me for the ministry He has called me to. Now I'm learning about Him through prayer and the study of His Word.

REVELATION OF HEAVEN The remaining chapters of this book, as you will soon discover, record some remarkable journeys that God has taken me on since I turned my life over to Him. He has asked me to record these experiences in this book so that others will see and understand. Why He chose me for this important work remains a mystery to me, but I do understand that He wants me to warn people in the world and in the church that we don't have much time left in which to complete the work He has called us to do.

The Father in heaven wants everyone to know how much He loves them and desires to bless them, if they will trust Him and obey His Word. He has shown me that many believers are, in reality, functional atheists'they don't really believe there is a heaven. I can say with all the certainty that it is possible for us'on this side of eternity'to know that heaven is so real. Furthermore, I now know that our God is able, as His Word says, to do 'exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us' (Eph. 3:20).

The purpose of this book is to give Him glory: 'To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen' (Eph. 3:21).

Please read these pages with an open mind and heart, and let the Lord speak to you. He has a wonderful plan and purpose for your life. He has prepared a home for you in heaven. Like me, you can discover the thrill of knowing that you are bound for the Promised Land.