Kicking Up Golddust

“When my time comes, don’t be sorry for me; I’ll be kicking up gold dust on the streets of glory.” “this is a win-win for me.” “I am at perfect peace."

A good friend of Rogers wrote this tribute: "Through the years, Adrian and I rallied for battle, sometimes side-by-side and sometimes on opposite lines. He always liked to pretend that he never quite understood why I was a Presbyterian. I always liked to pretend that I never quite understood why he was a Baptist. None of that really matters any more--I'm guessing he knows better now! Somehow though, I can almost hear his sonorous voice engaging the Apostle Paul--or Polycarp or Augustine or maybe even Calvin, Bucer, and Beza--arguing against the idea of covenantalism, even as he did with me, but all the while punctuating each rhetorical flourish with a familiar jolly chuckle.I know my beloved brother, is going to enjoy being home."

Did Dr Rogers have a personal vision of himself walking down the streets of glory, kicking up gold dust? Was this just a general assumption? Was this just another death bed affirmation?

Did his friend believe strongly that Rogers was his usual self as he had been in the halls of his beloved Bellevue, engaging the residents of heaven with his familiar "sonorous voice" and "jolly chuckle"?

I met him once and ceremoniously shook his hand on the stage at Bellevue. I was impressed as anyone with his persona and courteous nature. However early in 2007 while walking my dog I heard from heaven about Adrian Rogers. In a vision I saw a chair being shoved forward and the angry voice of God say, "Adrian Rogers, sit here in this chair and watch your beloved Bellevue crumble and be destroyed." I had never experienced hurt from Dr Rogers and no vendetta against him. There was no reason for jealously on my part as he was way, way out of my league.

Needlessly, I have been sorely criticized for saying this. It is alright to offer your own affirmation of your state in heaven and for your friends to speculate how you are doing in heaven. If I had said by vision he was walking the streets, kicking up gold dust no one would be questioning the reliability of old men seeing visions.

I shared this vision with a manager at work and he said: "hey, if God had taken time out to show me anything at all I would be leaping up and down excited with joy that he had selected me!" "Charles, how many people in all of America are hearing directly from God about anything?" However all the Christians in my circles are skeptical about visions, particularly mine.

This vision does not diminish with time but intensifies. Scripture rules visions and not the other way around. It is OK to be presumptuous and speculative but I would never ever be so presumptuous to utter these words about any man's heavenly reward. It would be erroneous to do so. This is clearly from the Lord or else it is Satanic! It can also be Satanic to make assumptions or speculations about one's or other's destiny! We say according to God's will let it be so.

We cannot say that so and so was so evil that he surely went to hell. Neither can we say that someone was so good they surely went to heaven. Neither can we speculate who has clearly accepted Christ or has denied his offer of salvation. Heaven will reveal how right our speculations were. (My personal belief that we will error on the negative side and that many we thought would perish in torment will be there. They will be as surprised that we are there!) Anyway heaven will have the same number of mansions as those elected in pre-creation. God will remain just and right, unchangeable in all his ways.

Perhaps God is using me to say to America: "don't be presumptuous about heaven." Heaven is our home, 'oh glorious thought', but there may be surprises there that should cause us to fall on our faces in brokenness, "I am a man of unclean lips and dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips."