Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.

• 2 Corinthians 12:1-5

“ ‘So I entered the place where I usually prayed and, mindful of the words of the holy man [Simeon the Studite] I began to say ‘Holy God’. At once I was so greatly moved to tears and loving desire for God that I would be unable to describe in words the joy and delight I then felt. I fell prostrate on the ground, and at once I saw, and behold, a great light was immaterially shining on me and seized hold of my whole mind and soul, so that I was struck with amazement at the unexpected marvel and I was, as it were, in ecstasy. ‘Whether I was in the body or outside the body’ [2 Corinthians l2.2], I conversed with this light. The light itself knows it; it scattered whatever mist there was in my soul and cast out every earthly care. It expelled from me all material denseness and bodily heaviness that made my members sluggish and numb.  There was poured into my soul in unutterable fashion a great spiritual joy and perception and a sweetness surpassing every taste of visible objects, together with a freedom and forgetfulness of all thoughts pertaining to this life. In a marvellous way there was granted to me and revealed to me the manner of the departure from this present Iife. Thus all the perceptions of my mind and my soul were wholly concentrated on the ineffable joy of that light. (Catechetical Discourses 16.3)’ ”

• Tony Lane, A Concise History of Christian Thought

Simeon (or Symeon) the New Theologian (949-1022) was a student of Simeon the Studite, mentioned in the quote above.  He gives a very detailed account of a “spiritual moment” in his life.  He speaks of being in the presence of God and he brings up 2 Corinthians 12:2 to bolster his claim.

Sadly, he misquotes the Apostle Paul.  The change of pronoun from the biblical “he” to his “I” makes it sound that Paul was bragging about being taken up to the heavens either in body or out of the body, when Paul would never have done that.  Paul says in this passage of Scripture that he knew someone that made that claim and he glorified God in the process, but Paul himself bragged only of his weaknesses.

My wife dreamed of her own death.  Or was it a vision?  She did not know.  She knew she did not go to the hospital room in the body; thus, vision or dream makes little difference.  I want to confirm that every detail of her dream came true, a true sign that it was from God.  Of course, her guardian angel walking with her from the hospital room to meet Jesus face to face has to be taken by faith.  But as she said after the “dream” occurred, “I don’t just have faith in Jesus as my Savior, I know!”

Maybe Simeon the New Theologian had that kind of profound change in his life as well.  You might get a detail wrong here or there, but if that event had permanently changed you, then you are blessed, and God should get all the glory.

I became a Christian fifty plus years ago, and I have often thought, of late, that if I had made the giant strides my wife made in becoming more like Jesus, I would be a much better person than I am.  Maybe, I am like Paul in that what I can boast of are my weaknesses, my blunders, my “almost made it that time” moments.

But I look at my wife’s progress, she “knew” Jesus would be there to welcome her, but she felt she had little time to clean up her act.  In seeing the “dream” she felt that she did not age that much from when she had the “dream” in 2000 until she died 23 years later.  She often said that she did not think she would live as long as she did.

There are a few things to be said for such testimonies as Simeon the New Theologian gave.

• They should be repeated often to encourage others in the faith.
• They should be used to glorify God and no earthly human.
• They should be a reminder that time is short, and if God would do this for me, my time must not be wasted from here on.

In further discussions, Simeon the New Theologian tied his vision with the concept of God being the Light.  He used what he experienced to put the glory upon God Himself.

And it seemed Simeon did not waste time.  He was a prolific writer.  He wrote Discourses, Ethical Treatises, and hymns.  He was one of only three saints canonized by the Eastern Orthodox faith that were also given the title of theologian (more than the modern field of study).  The other two were John the Apostle and Gregory of Nazianzus.

If you like these Tuesday morning essays about philosophy and other “heavy topics,” but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Tuesday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.