Posted on 09/06/2005 11:09:13 AM PDT by J. Neil Schulman
- On February 18, 1997 I had an experience I've previously described as a "Vulcan Mind Meld with God." It was not the first time I'd been in touch with the Eternal.
- Forget Oh, God!, Bruce Almighty, and Joan of Arcadia. As delightful as they are, those stories are fiction. These events really happened to me. And for the first time, I'm telling my story in full. Of course you're free to make up your mind whether you think I'm telling the truth or not, and whether you believe I'm in my right mind or not.
- In over seventeen hours of interviews, largely conducted by Brad Linaweaver and Jack Landman, I am finally revealing the depth of life-changing, challenging, confronting, weird, funny, frightening, paranormal, Kabbalistic, spiritual, inspirational, ecstatic, and otherwise extraordinary events that have led me from being an utterly skeptical atheist to a believer in God, although a believer who still regards himself as not being a member of any religion.
- These interviews, and some additional materials,are now available as an audio book, and will later be transcribed for my tenth in-print book, both titled I MET GOD.
(Excerpt) Read more at imetgod.com ...
Neil
Did you get His driver's license #?
Ping for later read. Did you ask God what his name is? If he said "Yahweh" or "Jehovah" or "Jesus," I'm interested. If he said "Satan," I think I'll pass.
My2Cents wrote:
"Did you ask God what his name is?"
The way God made it work was that He merged us into one identity and we shared the same thoughts for the duration of the experience -- about eight hours, from about noon to eight pm. I didn't need to ask because I knew "my" name. And "my" name during that eight hours was "God."
"Did you get His driver's license #?"
He didn't have one. When he went for the eye test He failed because his vision was π / 20
:-)
If I could ask God just one question--just one--I would ask Him, "What is the best joke ever?" I'm not kidding. I thought long and hard about it while drving from Georgia back to Michigan this past spring. A good joke I can handle. Anything else I might think of asking, I don't know. I'm just too inconsequential to be privy to that info.
God's answer: "I'm looking at it." ;-)
I admit it, I had to think a few moments before I cuaght that. Makes me wish I had a mirror sitting around!
I didn't need to ask because I knew "my" name. And "my" name during that eight hours was "God."
Well there's your answer, My2Cents.
man of sin be revealed...so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God
Lucifer...hast said in thine heart...I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
the serpent said..."For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Satan is now what he has always been, a liar and a deceiver.
That there is a spirit realm I have no doubt; that human beings can commune with this realm I also have no doubt; but it should not be dabbled in by the undiscerning.
Look, it's your right to think I'm a liar, a dupe of Satan, a psychotic, or a money-hungry author.
But because you're Freepers, I'm offering you for free what other people are going to have to pay $29.99 for.
Why the idea that God would never choose to communicate with a man who has spent his life learning the art of communicating through writing and speaking -- therefore it must be some Satanic deception -- is beyond me.
If you actually care, you might do me -- and God, if I'm right -- the courtesy of a listen before making up your mind.
Neil
It’s beyond you because you’re not familiar with God’s word. We have been given the word of God in the scriptures, and it would take many lifetimes even to begin to plumb the depths of the riches contained therein. Yet, as the scriptures make clear, that will not be enough for many, who will demand to see or hear signs, wonders and visions. By saying you have received a message from God, you are claiming to have additional truth beyond the word of God given us in the scriptures by the Holy Spirit.
For I testify unto everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book.
God’s word is complete, and it is forbidden to add to or take away anything from it. Yet our adversary continues to bring lying signs and wonders to deceive us. Satan is not a cartoon character, dressed in a red suit with a forked tail and holding a pitchfork. People seem to have gotten that idea from either Dante or Milton, but not from the Bible. When Satan appears, he appears as an angel of light.
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, event the elect. But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.
Look, I don’t know whether you are lying or not. I hope you are lying, because that would be better for you. We know from the scriptures that if you really did receive a supernatural vision, it did not come from God.
My advice to you?
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
And sit yourself down and read the Bible.
God has spoken through His prophets, and ultimately through His Son, Jesus Christ. There is no further revelation needed. By His Spirit, He continues to lead those who look to Him, and by this method, God has spoken to me as well (not as new revelation, but as a fellowship, Spirit to spirit). I don't mean to offend, but whatever experience you had (and I don't deny you had an experience) holds no particlar interest to me. I know who God is; I know His name; I know His character; I've read of His actions within history; I know of His actions toward me; and by His Spirit, He communicates His character to me and through me (as He does with all who have expressed faith in Him and look to Him for guidance and life). What does your testimony offer that I have not already experienced through Jesus Christ?
So, if I understand what you're saying, you're telling God to shut up?
Because that is what you are saying. You're demanding that God say nothing that He hasn't already said. You're saying that the Author wrote His book and He's not permitted to write any more.
What arrogant, hubristic, prideful folly.
"Why -everyone- knows the best joke ever told is The Aristocrats." God replied, with a tone mock credulity in his voice.
I do not read that at all. M2C would not have used present tense verbs if he (she?) was not interested in anything else God might have to say.
What does your testimony offer that I have not already experienced through Jesus Christ?
This does not seem to be a disinterest in God's continuing message.
In looking at my previous reply, I come across as unnecessarily confrontational and harsh. It's not my intent to make committed Christians abandon holy scripture.
But please try to understand my situation. I was an atheist. God -- for whatever His reasons -- made me capable of being a vessel for carrying his word. What was I supposed to do with that? Turn my back on it? Refuse it? Waste it?
I come from a Jewish background. Jews -- not Christians -- are the first people to be called the "people of the Book."
But I've written, edited, and published books. That's been my profession. I know the virtue of books and their limitations. The word Bible means "book."
So let me put it this way. Which would you rather have: a living father who you can talk to, or one who's abandoned you and left you nothing but his diary? That's the choice that Jews and Christians have to make when they're asking what more God might have to say to one of His children. I think that deafening oneself to a living God in favor of a book -- any book --is a form of idolatry. I think that denying a living God's attempt to communicate with us, because the words written in a book are supposed to be sufficient for all time, is an attempt to petrify God. I think that anyone who puts the Bible, which is finite in time and space, ahead of God, who surpasses our limitations of time and space, is not being open to God.
I'm doing the best I can to tell what happened to me and what I think I learned from it. Again, no one has to believe me. I'm not starting a new religion, or going into competition with any existing religion.
But here I am with a story to tell.
Neil
Twinky alert!
Sorry, I'm on a low-carb diet. You can have the Twinky all to yourself.
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