It was the night of January 1, 2022. As I laid in bed, I was having some tummy issues and wasn't sleeping ~ although I did have my eyes closed wishing for sleep to come.
Suddenly, without any fear, I found myself in the Presence of Jesus! There was a bright thick white light, the purest clean white I've ever seen, mixed with just a little blue and it was coming from, what I would describe as right where our thoughts are, my forehead, right above my eyes and the light was my soul within His presence. We were together!
My soul was actually In His Presence! There were no Pearly Gates. No thoughts of who or what else I might see, where I would live...I was completely and blissfully in His Presence. With Him. Nothing else mattered!
I thought "So THIS is how the soul leaves the body .... Interesting!"
I was extremely happy! So ready to go, and fillled with such a complete joy and..... peace!!
Then He asked me; "Are you ready?"
It wasn't a question of warning, it was more of a question like someone who has a HUGE GRAND surprise waiting and they are ready to show it, so ask "Are you ready for this!?!?" With excitement!
I could literally feel my soul, with everything that was in me, wanting to go, needing to go, already halfway there....
I said "oh yes!!!! I can hardly wait! Please let's go!!" The thrill of this moment overwhelmed me!
Then I asked, not with doubt, but more with curiosity, "I thought You were going to "keep me alive through the whole business?"
He chuckled. (Yes I, Julie Ann Rucker, made the King of Kings chuckle) It made ME smile also. His joy was also mine!!
He said with His chuckle "I DID say that didn't I?" Just like a Great Father taking joy in His baby girl.
In that moment it didn't matter to me. I was ready to roll!! LET'S go!! I could already feel my soul lifting away to be with Him. This was the smoothest most natural relationship I've ever experienced.
Then He asked "What would you like to do?"
I told Him I was READY TO GO! "Although," I said, "I have been having SO much fun learning more about You and watching You reveal Yourself to me more and more, and there's a lot of people I still want to talk to about You."
He smiled, (I never saw a face but I felt these things. It's hard to explain. It was more of a knowing) and with that smile He said "ok"
I felt hugged and loved then came back to myself still feeling a smile in my heart. I opened my eyes and the Light still was shining so bright I had to close my eyes again. I peaked one more time just to make sure my phone wasn't lit up, so no one (or even myself) could later say "the light of the phone caused a dream."
As I lay there it occurred to me, I didn't worry about anything. Not who I would be leaving behind, my kids, my house..... Nothing. I didn't think about anything else but the way it felt to be with Him.
The worries of Earth TRULY all pass away when you're in His Presence!! It was remarkable to me, when I was thinking about it the next day, what I DIDN'T think of. I can't express enough that nothing else matters once you're in His complete care!!
It took all of that next day to ponder it in my heart. To wonder WHY. Before I told a friend that evening.
That next night I had one of the best sleeps of my life. Completely rested, comfortable, a wake up "bright eyed and bushy tailed" kind of sleeps.
I told a complete stranger about it the other day. We got to talking about God and how great He has been to us and in the course of the conversation I told her about it. She said "You ARE supposed to tell people. It's your testimony!"
Now, Let me explain why I said to the King Of Kings and the Lord of Lords "I thought you were going to leave me alive through the whole business?"
When the kids were little, between 2-4, I was sick a lot. Receiving blood transfusions, in and out of the hospital and exhausted all the time because of the Crohn's. At that point, I was even septic once. I'm not a person of fear, but there was one point that I had an overwhelming fear that I was going to die and leave them motherless. That scared me more than death itself.
I was praying and felt the desire to read Isaiah 43 "You are mine! I have called you by name,When you pass through the waters...." and so on.
However all that kept coming to my mind was Jeremiah 45. I wasn't very familiar with Jeremiah back then, so I flipped open to it and started to read. I thought "this doesn't sound the least bit familiar..it must be further down the chapter" then noticed that Jeremiah 45 is probably one of the shortest chapters in the Bible!
But I read on anyway - here's where God started to speak to my wounded weary fearful soul that day ~
Jeremiah 45 ".....You say, "These are bad times for me! It's one thing after another. God is piling on the pain and there's no end in sight."
(Wow, Ok God, this is gonna be good! I can feel it)
"But God says, "Look around, what I've built I'm about to wreck, and what I've planted I'm about to rip up, and I'm doing it everywhere - all over the whole earth!"
(Wait, WHAT?! this is NOT encouraging to me Father!! Help!)
"So forget about making any big plans for yourself. Things are going to get worse before they get better."
(Lord, why did You lead me to THIS SCRIPTURE?!?! Wait, maybe He didn't. After all, it's not what I originally wanted to read, right?)
Then I read the very last sentence of Jeremiah 45....
"But don't worry, I'll keep you alive through the whole business."
I had no idea of the things that would come to be wrecked and ripped up in my life over the years, back then. The things I would go through physically, mentally, spiritually. The neglect, abuse or lies. Two failed marriages. More moves than I want to count, friendships lost, death, mourning, good times and bad. So much pain in many different ways However, I knew that day, because of the immediate peace I felt after reading that last sentence, that I would always be here for my kids. No matter how bad things might get. And I have been.
In the first few days of January after my Near Jesus Experience, (I had not told the kids yet) Trevor asked me if I had heard a certain song by Maverick City Choir. I had not, so I listened in my work van the next day. When no one was in it with me, I listened on repeat and for HOURS praised God. I thought about my experience with Him a few nights before and how wonderful it is to be in His presence without any care in the world.
Listening to that song made me think about my mom, brother, grandparents and all those I've known and loved who I know are with Him singing and praising feeling that complete peace that I felt the other night. I kept picturing them all with a huge mass of others in heaven with smiles on their faces and the complete joy I knew they were experiencing! I now knew a small piece of what they were getting to feel in His Presence I couldn't help but cry tears of joy as I kept listening to this song and was feeling so grateful!!!
That night, for the first time ever, my three beautiful children cooked dinner together for me.....(I'm in tears again as I think of how this is all playing out even still .. God is SO GOOD TO ME!!!! God is SO GOOD!!)
As I sat in the living room while they prepared the food they bought and were cooking together, my heart was overflowing. OVER FLOWING I'm telling you!!!!
After we ate, I told them about my Near Jesus Experience. I told them He is the best thing they will EVER do in this life. And that I want nothing more than for them to experience what I just did for all of eternity with me.
I explained to them the reason I said to Him "I thought you were going to leave me alive through the whole business."
I told them that I believe through these experiences that when I do go, it won't be because of anything bad. It won't be because my body and all of it's issues, or anything that happens because something or someone takes life from me but simply because He comes to me again.... and once again He asks, "Are you ready?" And I will simply say "OH YES!!!"
Then I mentioned the song I had been listening to all day, the one Trevor introduced me to; Revelation 19:1 and asked if they would like to hear it in light of this conversation.
Before I played it for them I said, "You know, I've been wanting all day to read that verse. I probably should, but I don't know what it says."
So I got out my Bible and my old lady glasses and began to read ... However, before I could utter one word, I had to take off my glasses and weep. Y'all, THIS IS HOW GREAT OUR GOD IS....
When I got myself under control (and it wasn't easy) I read out loud:
Revelation 19:1 (the message Bible)
"I heard a sound like massed choirs in Heaven singing,
Hallelujah!
The salvation and glory and power are God's-"
THANK YOU JESUS!!!! I played the song and we talked about how cool God is.
So, now, I have to ask ...... Are you ready??
As you listen to this song.... Pray, dance, sing!! Are you ready? Are you able to have "Choir Practice" and feel the excitement? The Joy? Relate to the anticipation? Are you able to picture yourself singing to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords with the massed choirs in Heaven??? Oh what JOY!!!
If you're not, you can be. All you have to do is ask Jesus to come into your life and he will start showing you the next thing, and the next thing and the next thing.... He will forgive and forget!!! How awesome is that? There is no greater joy than Jesus. I PROMISE you that. I PROMISE!! Don't wait! Oh to be in His Presence!!!
Watch this video, crank it up!!! Heaven will not be boring!! The Joy on the faces, the clapping, singing, dancing, cheering.... It will ALL be part of worshipping our Savior and our God!!! Have some Choir Practice!!!!! Imagine yourself in the Presence of Yeshua, of God the Creator of the Universe, and singing with the massed choirs in Heaven!!!! Are you Ready?
"Hallelujah!
The Salvation and Glory and Power are God's-"
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