Book Review at Divine Revelations Site

At the same site (http://www.spiritlessons.com/) mentioned in my previous post, there is review of the Book "Visons Beyong the Veil" by H A Baker. I have not read the book, but have a few questions about what the review says.

"
Visions Beyond the Veilby H.A.Baker Such a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit onto little poor Chinese Orphans, showing what is only possible when God's anointing is at work. This book documents the visions and miracles that happened when revival broke out in their midst. The children saw angels, demons, heaven, hell, etc. The visions changed the children's lives and behaviors. The children would lay or sit still for hours as if in a trance, and would reported their visions to the Bakers, who faithfully documented them. Young children (new believers) who were untrained and ignorant of spiritual truths, spoke in the 1st person of Jesus with such boldness and eloquence, and as powerful as any old testament prophet, demonstrating the power of God on those who are surrendered to Him.
"

1. When we go to court, the testimonies of children are often handled with extra care, as they may not be able to clearly tell the truth from deception or illusion. This book is based entirely on what happened to children. Hence, precaution should be taken.

2. The children reporting what they saw in a trance - is this acceptable to Bible-believing Christians? If we tell such stories of non-Christians, Christians will immediately label it as the devil and demons at work. But when it happens to them, it is God at work. Is that an objective perspective? In some studies, this practice is known as chanelling (labelled as from the devil by Christians).

3. How did the author Baker document them? Did the children speak word by word for him to record? Or did not write what he assumed he heard?

4. How can these new believers speak in the first person of Jesus? In non-Christian circles, it would classifed as demon-possession. Nowhere in the Bible do we read of Jesus possessing a human being and speaking as the first person.

5. Why was only the author present? Why is it that God presumably always manifests in some remote, unknown areas and only one person witnessess it, and have to write a book to tell the story?

If the Bible-god is true, why doesn't he just ask his son Jesus to appear in the sky so that everyone will believe in him without any need for arguments or indirect allegations of proof in isolated places in the world? Why bother to write texts all over the world, bury them somewhere in the wild, wait for thousands of years for some shepherd boy to find them, then wait for a council to compile the books as the Bible in one language, and then wait for many many years later for all kinds of translations, then let people interpret/misinterpret and fight over it and condemn each other to hell?

Up to today, it is still a belief that Jesus can save the world. When something is true, we need not believe, cos it is true. As long as it is a belief, it can be false.

After Reading

As I read the accounts online, I cannot believe it. It does not sound all Christian!!

First extract
Some of the visions seen were: Christ tied to a post and scourged; Christ bleeding on the cross while scoffers looked on; the body of Christ taken from the cross, carried to the tomb, placed in the tomb, and the tomb closed; an angel opening the tomb and Christ's resurrection; His appearance to the women, to the disciples by the sea, and to those in the upper room; the ascension of Christ and the descent of the two angels; heaven; detailed visions inside the New Jerusalem in heaven; angels; the redeemed; hell; the condition of the lost in hell; demons; the devil; the great tribulation and things pertaining to saints and to the subjects of the beast during that time; the battle of Armageddon; the binding and imprisonment of Satan in the pit; the binding of the Anti- Christ; the devil cast out of heaven; the Great Supper of God and birds eating flesh of kings and captains of the earth; the coming of Christ with his angels; the sun and moon changed; heaven quake and earth quake and destruction that attended the coming of Christ; the resurrection of the righteous; the marriage supper of the Lamb in Paradise; detailed views of our mansions in heaven and other heavenly scenes.

I wonder why would God wish to show them what has been described in the Bible? What does that achieve? It was like they were watching a film on the New Testament?

Second Extract
The Adullam children said they went to the third heaven.

I wonder how they know it was first, second, third?

Third Extract
On either side of the beautiful golden streets were buildings side by side, a room for each person, every room opening onto the street. Upon the door and about the front were precious jewels so resplendently brilliant that the building shone with light and glory. The name of each occupant was above the door. Angels led the children into the rooms. Within all the rooms were the same kinds of furnishings: a beautiful golden table upon which was a Bible, a flower vase, a pen, and a book; by the table was a golden chair; there was also a wonderful golden chest and a golden bed. In each room was a jeweled crown, a golden harp, and a trumpet. The walls were gold. From the Bible, made of such paper as had never been seen on earth and bound with gold, light and such brilliant glory shone forth that the whole room needed no other light. The visitors were told that when they came to stay after death they could go out into Paradise and pick any flowers of their choice to place in the beautiful vase on the golden table.23
In these visits to heaven the children could go to their rooms at pleasure to read their Bibles or to play their harps and trumpets. Sometimes they took their trumpets or harps out into the streets or out into Paradise to play and sing with the angels and the redeemed who are now in heaven.

Everyone has a room? So heaven is no different from earth? And the Bible is still existing in Heaven? Why do we need the Bible in heaven? Beside playing harps and trumpets, what will we do in heaven?

Fourth Extract
The first day when the Holy Spirit fell upon the children, and one of the boys was caught up to heaven, with angels who came to welcome him came also the two Adullam boys who were undoubtedly saved and who died the year before. These two, "Hsi Dien Fu" and "Djang Hsing," had with them in heaven a little girl who died in Kotchiu four years previous, whom our children had forgotten.
These who had died and gone on before led those who were caught up in the joys and wonders of heaven. They led them to see Jesus, first of all, and to worship and thank Him. After this they were shown their dwellings and escorted around the city or led out into Paradise to play.

I thought the Bible says only when the Rapture takes place then the dead will be caught up to be with God. But the author here records that someone who died 1 year earlier was already in heaven. It sounds more like a Chinese belief. Did the boys tell something out of their Chinese belief? And why did they only see these 2 boys? Were there no others/

Fifth Extract
One of the young men was in Paradise almost as soon as he entered the heavenly city. There he was met by the two Adullam boys who had died in Hokow. These boys, taking him through Paradise and the other parts of the Holy City, soon came to a great, lawn like, grassy, open plot surrounded by magnificent trees, golden and sparkling.

The whole scene was so entrancing the young man said to his two glorified friends, "This is good enough for me. There cannot be anything more beautiful. I will stay right here." The boys who had preceded him to heaven said, "No, do not wait here, for there are much greater marvels." Going on a little farther they came to still more wonderful trees, some of them bearing fruit. The whole park-like surrounding and the grassy lawn beneath the trees were enticing beyond any earthly understanding. The young man said, "I must stay here, I cannot go on and leave this great beauty. I am so happy." "Come on," said the others, "there are many things in heaven exceeding this." "You go," he replied, "but I shall remain right here for awhile." The others left him on the grass under the trees with the great, open, velvet-like grassy space before him. Floods of joy and happiness he had never known on earth flooded his whole being. He was in the land of joy, "joy unspeakable and full of glory," "the land that is fairer than day." Frequently an angel came walking by, playing a harp and singing. The angel smiled, offered him the harp. "I cannot play," he said. The angel passed by. Soon other angels came, smiling to him as they played and sang.

The angels were dressed in seamless garments of white; their faces were perfect; one was not more beautiful than another. "When they smiled—Oh, I can't describe that," the boy said, "there is no way on earth to describe the angels' smile."
Similar and surpassing beautiful scenes in Paradise were seen, repeatedly seen, by a large number of Adullam children. In Paradise they saw trees bearing the most delicious fruit, and vistas of most beautiful flowers of every color and hue, sending forth an aroma of surpassing fragrance. There were birds of glorious plumage singing their carols of joy and praise. In this park were also animals of every size and description: large deer, small deer, large lions, great elephants, lovely rabbits, and all sorts of little friendly pets such as they had never seen before.

This surely reads like a Harry Potter !! Any story writer can write such a story.

Sixth Extract

When hungry, the children ate of the wonderful fruit or gathered freely the sweet tasting, refreshing manna that was scattered all about. Were they thirsty? Here and there trickled little brooks of the stimulating and refreshing water of life.

So we still get hungry and thirsty and need food to live? Did the Bible say that?

Seventh Extract

When one man who did not know the Gospel died, his soul, after being liberated from the body, wandered about unhindered from place to place on earth, until one of the devil's angels, descending from the sky with chains, bound him and forced him down to hell. The death of a professing Christian who had known the Lord, but had not truly repented, was still more terrible. When this man was dying, demons by his deathbed waited in fiendish delight for the liberation of the soul of this hypocritical, one-time professing Christian. The demons began to bind him before he was entirely out of the body and completed the binding of their captive the minute he drew his last ungodly breath. The hypocrite did not enjoy one moment of freedom to wander about the earth. An object of ridicule to his demon captors, in terror he was at once dragged and pushed into hell.
One such ungodly man was the special sport of demons who, having bound him in chains, dragged him along on the earth, again and again jerking him up on his feet only again to drag him down and haul him along like a dead dog. After furnishing amusement for his captor the man was dragged down the dark road to the infernal regions.

The Bible says in the Book of Revelations that one day, God will free all the dead and all will be judged. The righteous will go to heaven, the other go to hell. But the author here says the unconverted dead is dragged to hell immediately upon death. Sure this contradicts what the Bible says. His description fits more of the Chinese belief that all of us who die will be chained and dragged to hell. So again, were the children lying?

The author then claimed that the whole book of Revelations was lived out as if in real life to the children.Hmmm...It read like everything was copied from the Bible without any new details or interpretation.

In conclusion, the book is almost 80% what is already found in the Bible. The rest are claims of the children expressed in the author's view. Nothing new or convincing, really.