Within Heaven's Gates

Rebecca Ruter Springer (1832–1904) first published her vision of heaven in the early 1900s. Mrs. Springer was unconscious for some days while the vision was unveiled to her; the vision itself covers a period of years. Rebecca Springer said each person would need to draw his or her own conclusions about the vision, but she had reported it as it had come to her at the time. She came to understand the vision as a series of basic instructions about heaven rather than a revelation of the past or future. She said the initial instructions from the vision came in the form of illustrations, in a style as if one were teaching truths to children. Then, the application and meaning of these illustrations were given. Rebecca wrote, "I am painfully aware of the fact that I can never paint for others the scenes as they appeared to me during those wonderful days…with the hope that it may comfort and uplift some who read, even as it then did, and as its memory ever will do for me, I submit this imperfect sketch of a most perfect vision."