Sid Roth - Heaven Is a Place You Can Visit
Sid Roth: Hello. Sid Roth here. Welcome to my world where it's naturally supernatural. I have to tell you. The presence of God is so strong that I am literally trembling under the presence of God at this moment. My guest has gone to Heaven frequently and he was instructed in Heaven how the scriptures tell us that we can access Heaven while we're alive as believers in the Messiah. And he teaches, and multitudes then begin going to Heaven after they're exposed to his teachings. So my guest James Durham, at age three went to Heaven. But his parents were just nominal Christians. No paradigm for anything. What happened at three?
James Durham: Well Sid, at three, I just, one night I just got lifted up into this place that was absolutely amazing to me. I was in a place of perfect peace. There was such unity there that I had never experienced on Earth. Just saw the animals, that people were together and I just felt something so wonderful and so unique that I desired to be there. I had no idea what it was, but it was wonderful.
Sid Roth: And then at four, I mean, at four, I can't remember three and four. At four, he doesn't know the Bible stories. His parents would go a few times a year to church, if that. What happened at age four?
James Durham: When I was four years old, I had an open vision and it was felt like I was actually translated to a different location. And I was standing, and I was watching these animals. As they were coming by me they were going up a ramp into some kind of a building, and they were going two by two. And the little animals coming by, that was very fun to watch, but when the big cats, the lions and tigers, it really terrified me. I had no idea what I was seeing and I cried out, and when I cried out the vision ended.
Sid Roth: Well what he was seeing obviously was Noah and the ark, going two by two. When you told your parents this, were they excited?
James Durham: They were excited, but not in a good way. When I cried out, I woke up my older sister and so I was actually punished for this. And when I told them what happened, they didn't believe me, and so I was punished for lying.
Sid Roth: Okay. At six, you're going at this time you're going to like a Bible camp and Sunday school, and you have another what you call an open vision. To me, an open vision is you're seeing it happen right before your eyes. What did you see?
James Durham: Well Sid, that's exactly what happened. I was sitting in the pew during a worship program. It was a Vacation Bible School and this was a new experience for me. But as I sat on that pew, literally I saw like the floor open in front of me and the flames of Hell just erupted up from that opening in the floor. And I felt like I could just slide right into that fire and be in Hell. At that moment, I was only six years old, but I felt convicted of sin, that I needed Jesus from what I had learned in Vacation Bible School. So I gave my heart to Jesus.
Sid Roth: He devotes his life now to being a chaplain. He was a chaplain in the Army for how many years?
James Durham: Almost 30 years.
Sid Roth: And but the thing that intrigues me is when these visits to Heaven started in 2008. Explain
James Durham: In 2008, two things happened sort of simultaneously. First of all, God put it on my heart, pray for Israel, every day. Every day I would get face down on the floor and repent for the things our nation had done to Israel, cry out, Shalom Jerusalem and Shalom Israel. And about that same time, I went to a large revival. And one night I came home late from the revival, and when I laid down in bed my head hit the pillow, I was literally translated to Heaven. I stood in this place in Heaven. Some people called it The Throne Room, but it was not really a room. It was huge. But I was standing looking at the throne of Jesus, and I was in so much awe of Jesus. I was literally paralyzed with awe of Jesus. And as I looked at him, just love flowed out of me, and I just felt like this is my Jesus. And I felt like I was just connecting with him in such a powerful way. And it was a life-changing experience for me.
Sid Roth: And then a few days later, a second vision. What happened?
James Durham: Well I actually, I asked the Lord if He would allow me to go back to that same place because I had a question I wanted to ask.
Sid Roth: What was that?
James Durham: I wanted to know, the Bible...
Sid Roth: I have a lot of questions. How about you? Wouldn't you like to ask?
James Durham: Good luck asking. Ephesians 2:6 says, "We were seated with him in heavenly places". So I actually, I wanted to know, this is kind of self-centered, but I wanted to know, where is my seat in Heaven.
Sid Roth: But wait. That's exactly what the scriptures say. We're already seated in heavenly places. So that's a fair question. Did you get your answer?
James Durham: I did, but not directly. I had almost the same experience. Came back late at night from the revival meeting, very tired. But as soon as my head hit the pillow I was translated back to that exact same spot I had been the night before. And there was Jesus, and I was in awe of Jesus again. I was literally paralyzed, in awe of this amazing Jesus. And as time went on, I began to think, I believe I had a question, but I can't remember what it is.
Sid Roth: I'll tell you what. Hold that thought because Jesus gives him three assignments. We'll find out about it when we come back.
Sid Roth: Now I was talking to James Durham about his visit to Heaven. And something intrigued me, because I've had prophetic words myself that there was an ancient door that was getting ready to open in my life. When you went to Heaven, describe that ancient door. I want to understand this.
James Durham: Well Sid, when I was lifted, this was sometime later. I had been to Heaven a few times. But I was lifted up and I saw this ancient arch wooden door, and it was an amazing door. It looked like it was very, very old, but the wood still looked very strong. What amazed me was that it had hinges on both sides and there was no doorknob. So by human means, there was no way that I could open that door, but I felt like I was supposed to go through the door. And my only opportunity was to ask the Holy Spirit help me somehow to understand how to get through this door. And suddenly, the door swung open.
Sid Roth: What was the first thing you saw when it swung open?
James Durham: Actually, I was looking into what appeared to be a room. But it was dark in the room, because where I was standing was a much brighter light, and I couldn't see very clearly inside the room. But I was led by the spirit to go inside the room. And as I walked through the door, I heard audibly three times, the Holy Spirit announced, "An oak of righteousness, an oak of righteousness, an oak of righteousness".
Sid Roth: What does this mean?
James Durham: And I immediately thought of the words from Isaiah and that this was the secret place of the most High God.
Sid Roth: Now when he was in the secret place of the most High God, God commissioned him to do three things. What were these three things?
James Durham: Well the Lord told me that He wanted me to, number one, write a book, and I did not want to write a book.
Sid Roth: Why
James Durham: I always said, I will never write a book. So I had to eat my words for many, many years.
Sid Roth: I'm sure.
James Durham: To write the book. Second thing He said was move. And I loved the house where we were living. It was exactly kind of like my dream house and a dream office. But I immediately began to get the house in order to move. The third thing He told me to do was to go back and invite people to come to the secret place and to give an impartation for heavenly visitation.
Sid Roth: Now would there be a lot of preparation involved before you invite people? When did you first do this with others?
James Durham: Well I was hoping there was going to be a lot instruction and a lot of time before I actually had to do this because I felt like people would think I was crazy to come back saying things like this. And so I asked the Lord, "How long do I have"? He said, "Until this Sunday," which was like two days away.
Sid Roth: Well did you do it?
James Durham: I did it. I did it.
Sid Roth: And what happened?
James Durham: Well some people received that. Some people actually visited Heaven. But other people, I got some strong rejection from some of the people and I really understood that I was going to receive that rejection. It made it clear to me right away that when you obey God and you say things like this that are so far out of line with the way people normally think, you will experience some rejection.
Sid Roth: You know, then multitudes have been, when he teaches, have had experiences of going to Heaven. But why is it? I'm hearing, I think there's a new believer. But I'm hearing so many people now, believers are having visits to Heaven. Why is that happening now?
James Durham: Well Sid, I believe the reason it's happening now is that time is very short. In the First Letter of John, he says, "This is the last hour". And I believe that God is getting the bride ready and He's calling people to Heaven to give them instructions, the preparations, the correction, whatever discipline they may need to be ready. And I believe that we're at the time of the great End Time harvest, and God is calling the harvesters to Heaven to train them and to empower them, and to gift them to go back into the harvest and win lost souls for the Kingdom. Some people were going to Heaven and some were not. So on one of the visits I asked the Lord, "Lord, why is that? I just don't understand it". And the Lord said, "The number one reason is grace". That when we go Heaven and He tells us to do something, if we don't do it, judgment will come, and He does not want to give judgment right now. He wants to give more grace and more mercy. And so he's waiting until people are ready to obey, and that's God's grace.
Sid Roth: Now why did He choose you to talk about the ladder of going up to Heaven and coming back like the angels did? Why you?
James Durham: I think because there's absolutely nothing special about me. I think at that time I had been away for 30 years in the military. I was basically unknown in the church, in the Body of Christ, and the Lord wanted someone who was unknown. So that when I would share with people I had been to Heaven, I figured they would look at me and say, well if he can do it, I can do it.
Sid Roth: I like to say that. Anything James can do, you can do better.
James Durham: Amen.
Sid Roth: Now James, on one of your trips to Heaven, Jesus gave you a couple of stones. Tell me about that.
James Durham: Well Sid, he asked me if I wanted these stones. They came one at a time. The first one that came was about the size of an egg and it was a ruby, and it landed in my left hand, and I could feel it just as real I could feel anything I touched. I was excited. I thought that when I came back to Heaven I'd still have that in my hand.
Sid Roth: I understand.
James Durham: I thought I was going to be able to show this egg-sized ruby to everyone. But it started to melt in my hand, and when it started melting in my hand there was extreme fire that came into my hand. It was very painful. And then the stone that came into the other hand was also melted into my hand, and it was also on fire and very painful. It was a stone for releasing gifts of healing and ministering impartation to people. And my hands were on fire seven days a week, 24 hours a day for more than two years. And the only relief I could get was to go put my hands under cold water and get relief for a few moments. As soon as I took my hands out, they would be on fire again. And I immediately noticed that my wife started feeling the same thing. So I know that what God placed in my hands is transferable, and that it can be passed to other people. And I believe that some people here tonight are going to begin to feel the fire of God in their hands, going to begin to feel the power of God moving in them, and it's going to bring a healing anointing, and an anointing to release the love of God to people.
Sid Roth: Tell me about two or three people that actually were healed as they heard you speak.
James Durham: One of the most dramatic was speaking in a church in Chicago and the, a woman who had had her neck broken in three places went into a trance. Her neck had been fused and she was in great pain, and couldn't move her head. And in that trance the Glory came and God restored the vertebrae in her neck. And not too long after that, I was sharing that in another conference, and while I was speaking the Glory fell. The presence of God came and another woman, no one praying for her, no one else really knowing she had gone through almost the same thing. The doctors said, "The rest of your life will be controlling the pain". Her neck was totally restored in the presence of God, the Glory of God. And I believe that Glory and that presence is here with us tonight and it's going to be with everyone who is watching this program, God is going to release that anointing to them.
Sid Roth: James, I have to describe what I witnessed before the show started. I was talking to James and my eyes went down to his hands, and his hands, it looked like there were scars. It was so red and it look liked there were scars almost all over. Do you understand what I'm saying? It was so obvious that I said to him, "What's going on"? And we all, it wasn't just me. Several looked at your hand and before our eyes, the redness and what looked to be like burns almost, disappeared while we were watching that. I'd be remiss before God if I didn't tell you, pray whatever God wants you to pray right now.
James Durham: Right now, I'd just like to say, Sid, that over and over I've experienced angels coming into our presence and they're holding the angels that have come into the presence. They started coming in this afternoon. They're still moving in. And those angels are touching people right there, right now, and I believe they're also, they're coming into the homes of all the listeners. And these angels are drawing people on to the Father, bringing them closer to the Father. I believe that tonight there's a lifting up to the Father. And when those angels began to manifest, healing angels also came. And I believe that we have healing angels throughout the room tonight. And the Lord is saying right now, we just pray over you and we release to you right now, the love of the Father, we release that anointing to you that you would feel a supernatural flow of the Father's love. And that when those angels of holiness come and touch you we release them right now to touch you and lift you up, and draw you to the Father in Heaven. And as those healing angels begin to manifest, we release those angels to minister healing. And I'm hearing that many people are being healed right of severe headaches, of chronic headaches. And right now, you've just been healed by the power of God being brought by these healing angels. The Lord said that upper respiratory infections are being healed right now. Right now if you have an upper respiratory infection, just let that healing angel touch you, release the power of God while the Glory is manifesting and powerfully present here and in your home as you watch this. There is a healing in the abdominal region, people receiving it right now for all kind of different issues in the bowels. Chronic problems are being healed right now by those healing angels. They're coming to you. So right now in the name of Yeshua HaMashiach, we release that anointing for healing and for holiness, and we ask those angels, give to people what God sent you to give. We receive it and we believe it in the mighty name of Yeshua HaMashiach. Amen and Amen. Amen.
Sid Roth: You see, when James goes to Heaven, he's instructed by God to teach certain things. One trip, he was taught about the Kabod, the Glory, the heaviness of God, the presence of God and how wonderful that is. And the Lord taught him there were seven levels, the Kabod of Glory. Tell me the top level that He explained to you.
James Durham: The top level, Sid, is the unity glory. And I believe we see that in that same chapter of Ephesians. Ephesians 2:6, that we're seated with him in heavenly places. But you read on a little further and we're told in Verses 13 through 18 that the dividing wall has been brought down, separating the Jewish believers from the gentile believers, and one new preacher, one new man is coming forth, one new human being is emerging from that. And in Verse 18 it says, that in this newness along with unity with Jesus, the Holy Spirit is giving us access to Heaven, and we literally are becoming members of the family of God. We're part of the household. You have a chair in Heaven and it's time to go sit in that chair and visit the Father, and visit Jesus in Heaven. Amen.
Sid Roth: Tell me as quickly as you can, what is going to happen in this unity of Jew and gentile? When Jesus said, "You'll do the same works that I have done and even greater," is that what he's talking about?
James Durham: Sid, I believe that's exactly what he's talking about. And what the Lord showed me is that as Jesus, when he ministered on Earth, was able to see what the Father was doing and hear what the Father was saying, literally Jesus was experiencing Heaven and Earth at the same time, and that you and I can have that same experience. You and I can experience Heaven and Earth simultaneously.
Sid Roth: But step one to experience Heaven and Earth is to make Jesus your Messiah and Lord. You don't need my words. Get right with God now.
James Durham: Amen.