High up on top of a smoky, mist covered mountain stands a towering palace, dazzling in beauty.  From four watchtowers capped with golden domes angels can see the whole earth. The pathway to the palace follows a river of living water upon which men who first drink of it can walk, and they do not sink.

A giant, living lion forms the gate, ferocious at first, but inviting, and none can enter the palace except through the lion gate which, flanked by huge pearls, is always open. It is a small gate, so only those who have become like little children may enter.

Once inside the kingdom walls, a few more steps brings you to the palace door, a lamb which at first appears slain, but is alive and gentle. To enter the palace one must simply go through the lamb door, also always open.

Humbly, but boldly, Josh stepped through the gate and the door and found himself in a splendorous anteroom, with crystal chandeliers, a quiet room, but bustling with people and angelic beings coming and going through 1,000 different doors. Josh caught the scent of a sweet aroma that made him deliriously joyful. He realized it was the smell of the saints.

“Where am I?” Josh asked an angel who appeared just as the question was forming in his mind.

“You have just entered the eternal kingdom of God, Josh. In this palace you will live for the rest of forever,” said the angel.

 “What is this room?”

“This great hall is The Room of 1,000 Doors.  It is the anteroom of God’s great mansion.  Only those who enter through the lion gate and the lamb door ever see this room.  It is a room of unspeakable pleasure. Righteousness is it’s name. Peace is its purpose. Joy is its emotion. The Spirit of our Most Holy God is its presence.

 “Where do all those doors lead?” he asked.

“You don’t waste any time, do you, Josh!”

“This is the moment for which I have been preparing all my life. I had no idea what to expect.  But this is so…so… exquisite. It’s overwhelming.”

“Josh, you are invited by God himself to enter each of these 1,000 doors any time you desire. You are free to come and go as you please. Everything behind each door belongs to you now; it has been bought for you at a great price.  It will take a great deal of time to explore and experience everything behind these doors.  But you have the time, Josh. In fact, you have all time.

“That first door over there—we call that Eternity. It’s like a hall with no end.

“That next door we call Infinity. When you open it you will think you’ve opened the door of a space ship and can peer in all directions without end, past stars and suns and moons.

“The next door leads to the room called Holiness. No sin is allowed here, of course, but in The Holiness Room you feel the weight of God’s presence.

“Other doors lead to Goodness, Sovereignty, Power, Knowledge, and Blessing.  That one over there is The Lamb’s Book of Life room—very special. Here we have The Room of Tears where all the tears of the saints are kept.  They’ve all been carefully counted and cataloged, you know, and you can even find your own tears, as well as the tears you made others cry, like your wife and children and parents.” The angel and Josh were now walking. “And over here is the door leading to The Room of Answered Prayer. Here we have the door to Victory. And that one is Freedom.”

Next, the angel became ecstatic and somber at the same time.  With a grand, sweeping gesture the angel pointed and said, “These next few doors are special—very special. Here, for example, is The Shepherd Door behind which Comfort is found. This one over here is the Great Physician’s door. In that room all is healed and made whole again. As you may suspect, that’s one of the first stops most newly arrived sons and daughters make.”

Then the angel came to an abrupt halt. “This next door is unique, Josh. That’s because, first, it is always open.  It is the door to The Throne Room of the Father and King of this great estate.  And next to it is the door to the Holy of Holies.”

As they walked around the perimeter of The Great Hall of 1,000 Doors, Josh was struck that it would take forever to explore all these rooms, time he had, and he would never tire of things to do.  He thought, I’ll finally be able to get answers for all those troubling questions I’ve had. Of course Josh had no way of knowing, at least at this point, that once he entered the Bright Morning Star Door, warm Light would wash him and most of those questions would simply go away.

“This door,” the angel continued, “leads to The Word of God. Next to it is The Sermon on the Mount, then The Lord’s Prayer. This next door is Love and, as you can see, the next several doors are all the fruit of the Spirit—Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness—that’s your goodness, of course, not God’s (that would be a different door)—Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.”

Feeling no sense of hurry, Josh and the angel lingered as Josh’s eyes tried to drink it all in. The angel wisely saw that Josh needed a moment for his mind to catch up, for the angel knew Josh quite well.

At the right time… (Actually, there is no time there but, so the reader can understand, an analogy to time is used). At the right time, the angel took Josh by the hand and led him past a door through which no one seemed to want to go.  “What’s that door?” Josh asked.

“Oh, that is The Creation Door.  No one ever wants to go back there, even though they could if they wanted to. That was a room of Preparation. It’s only used for a very short time by anyone anyway. And it’s a very tiny room, often unpleasant—it brings back too many painful memories for most.

“Josh, I feel badly that I’ve only just begun to introduce you to The 1,000 Doors, but I think you are starting to get the idea. And, as you can see, each door is clearly marked. See, over there are The Come As A Little Child Door, The Purity of Heart Door, and The Mercy and Justice Doors. These are some of the places I’ve looked forward to showing you from that day I was first assigned to you to watch over you when you were still swimming in your mother’s womb. I must leave you now, for I am keeping you from fellowship with old friends and exploring the eternal realm. That’s to say nothing of the fact that you are no doubt eager to be with the King of kings and Lord of lords, whose presence fills every room—even this anteroom of 1,000 doors. Josh, do you now have a better understanding of what this place is like?”

“I do,” said Josh. “How can I ever thank you enough. What’s your name, by the way?”  But the angel had already disappeared.

Until every church disciples every man…