James Stuart Bell - Heaven Touching Earth: True Stories of Angels, Miracles, and Heavenly Encounters

A t certain times in our lives heaven and earth can seem so far apart. When we are going through difficult times, heaven can seem like a remote and distant place, and God seems to be absent when we call. We know of loved ones who have gone on to be with the Lordwhere there is no darkness, sickness, or failureand perhaps we envy their everlasting rest and their joy and bliss as they experience the amazing perfections of heaven in ways of which we have no inkling.

Yet the kingdom of heaven is indeed in our midst, or as Jesus said, actually within us. We, in turn, are also mysteriously seated in heavenly places with Him. Though we can rarely see it or fully comprehend it, Jesus has brought heaven down to earth and reconciled us so that the barriers we often perceive are really nonexistent.

This volume is a collection of stories of when heaven and earth come together; it is a sequel to my first volume on this subject: Angels, Miracles, and Heavenly Encounters. There are similar stories of near-death experiences, encounters with angels, spiritual warfare, miracles, and other occurrences where only a supernatural explanation fits the circumstances.

As Christians, none of us is guaranteed any of these types of experiences no matter how good or needy we may be, and we are not inferior simply because we havent experienced these things. We do not need signs and wonders to have a vibrant overcoming faith; God gives us everything we need as we receive Christ himself by faith on a daily basis. But for Gods own mysterious and sovereign reasons, He does manifest himself in powerful supernatural displays. These build up all of us as they are shared, as God is revealed in new, exciting, and intimate ways consistent with His person and character.

If you talk to others in your church or with your Christian friends and family, youll maybe find someone who has had a supernatural experience similar to those found in this book. Sometime, somewhere in the lives of these persons, God chose to manifest himself in an extraordinary way that can only be marveled at to the praise of His glory. As a result, their lives have been enriched; indeed, they might say their lives have never been the same.

God doesnt give these experiences because the subjects of these stories are superspiritual or church leaders, but rather, these pages are filled with ordinary believers who seek Him to simply be involved and answer their requests and needs. Thats not to say that some of the circumstances here are not dramatic and desperate, for many are just that. You might want to say that God does extraordinary things in unusual circumstances in ordinary people. And that gives hope to you and me, for after reading these stories we may have greater expectations that we, too, may have an encounter with heaven while still on this earth.

James Stuart Bell