3. The Pearl Gate with Precious Stones-Commentary

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3. The Pearl Gate with Precious Stones

The Eastern Gate of Heaven in all its glory of iridescent pearl beauty, flanked by twelve kinds of precious and semi-precious stones. The seventy-two yard wide Jasper Wall, lighted by Heaven's glory, makes a tunnel of amazing light.

This picture shows a marvelous revelation given as Sally, the artist, worked with the dimensions Rita recorded in her book "To Heaven and Back." Now we know why God chose the wall to be so wide. He wanted the entrance to be a tunnel of light! This is not only true of the main Eastern Gate and its two other gates flanking it on each side, but of all twelve gates. Twelve huge tunnels of light. There are three gates on the north, the south, the east, and the west. What a radiant place!

What also thrilled Ms. Bennett with this revelation was that many dying people, as they go into eternity, describe to those by their bedside that they see a tunnel of light. And many people who have died, or nearly "died and come back" (NDEs) describe going through a tunnel. We never knew until this time that the Bible actually confirms a tunnel of light entrance. To our knowledge this is a first time discovery.

Rita found it necessary to read books on Near-death Experiences during her research. She soon found some antisupernaturalist authors who explained the tunnel experience as the human brain dying from the outside cortex, death moving down layer by layer until it reached the core of the brain. This to them explained the tunnel of light, according to their strictly intellectual belief system.

How great it is that the New Testament has, unbeknown to us previously, already addressed this situation! Since biblical understanding was revealed following the publication of Rita's book in 1997, this is the first time of writing about it.

Here artist, and author placed the colorful precious stones at the foundation and bottom of the gates. Bible scholars have different opinions about the locations. The most familiar stones to us are sapphire (blue), emerald (green), topaz (golden) and amethyst (purple). See Chapter ten in "To Heaven and Back" for more details on the gem stones (p.109).

Drawn to the light of Messiah at the end of the tunnel, this joyous person hurries on to the new life ahead. There is no more sadness, sickness, sorrow, fear, disappointment, and every tear will be wiped away, except tears of joy.