Heaven and Hell (34 page)

Although God was watching Jennifer with kind, understanding eyes, there was fear within her. How would she present her petition? Did she even have to? Yet, her greatest fear and concern was for her son. She wondered if he was somehow in trouble, perhaps very grave trouble. Within a minute she stood closer to God than she had ever seen anyone stand, so close that she might well have reached out and touched Him.

Slowly the crowd around her faded from view, to be replaced by white billowing clouds. The four beasts and the elders all vanished, leaving only God, His son, and herself, standing on the great glistening stage of onyx. Beyond the stage and below the clouds, Jennifer saw the green Earth, many thousands of feet beneath them; it was a spectacular vista.

“Beloved and faithful daughter, don’t be afraid,” said God, in a very human voice. “I know that you are very troubled by the events of the past days, especially those that have transpired today.

You don’t understand why these things have come to pass, why your son has experienced troubling dreams since his arrival.”

“But I gave him hope when there was none,” cried Jennifer, weeping openly. “Father, I started guessing about the meaning of his dreams, just making up stories, telling Chris what I thought he wanted to hear. Then I took pride in it all. I’m so ashamed.”

“Daughter, you have done nothing to be ashamed of,” said the Father, leaning toward the distraught woman, His voice gentle and understanding. “There was no sin in what you did; none at all. You interpreted his dreams to the best of your ability. You did it out of love and concern for your son. You didn’t want to see him suffer.”

“I just don’t understand what’s going on,” replied Jennifer, weeping.

“I know,” replied the Father, rising from His throne. He walked the two steps toward Jennifer.

Jennifer had been unprepared for this. She didn’t know whether to fall to her knees or look her Creator straight in the face. She chose the latter, gazing into the Father’s eternally deep eyes.

Now that God stood beside her, she could gain a true measure of His stature. He was well over 6 feet in height. He reached out to her, His luminous hand caressed her chin gently. His hand was soft and warm, yet the sensation of His touch went far beyond that. She could sense His pure power, His divine nature as He took her hand in His.

“Jennifer, what has happened this day will try your son, measure the quality of his heart.” God’s expression turned somewhat more solemn. “The road he travels is not an easy one, but what has happened is necessary. His faith and conviction must be put to the test. He must come to realize his limits and his capabilities. If he is to become greater in the Kingdom of Heaven, he must go through this trial. What he does in the coming days shall shape his destiny and that of many others.”

Jennifer was still confused. Her mind was an avalanche of so many emotions. “But, Lord, why did this all have to happen to him?

“Daughter, you assume that Heaven offers no trials for the saints, but now you know otherwise. We have not spoken of these things before. There was no need to. Your sweet loving spirit has allowed you to overcome the minor challenges you have met here with ease. So much so, that you hardly realized that they were there at all. When Chris was a child, you once told him that into every life a little rain must fall. Do you recall that?”

“Yes, Father, I remember,” Jennifer said, thinking back to another life. In her mind’s eye, she envisioned the incident clearly. “I also remember my own mother telling that to me when I was a child.”

“It is as true in Heaven as it was on Earth,” continued the Father. “The saying does not only mean that the rain of adversity is likely to enter your life, it also means that it is essential that it enter your life. Do you know why?”

Jennifer hesitated. “I think so. Is it because problems that we face and overcome make us stronger people?”

A broad smile appeared upon the Father’s face. “Yes, beloved daughter, that is exactly what it means. Without this rain, how would you grow? Such things as these strengthen the spirit. I want all of my children to grow, to become the image of my first born. If Heaven were a place devoid of such trials, how would that be possible?”

“OK,” said Jennifer. “I understand that what my son is going through is a trial, a test that will, I hope, make him a better person. But why this? Why did he have to remember this woman sentenced to Hell, a woman he loved so much?”

“Daughter, that was his choice,” was the response. “Often, man creates his own trials and tribulations. His love for Serena was deep; he would not let go of her memory, even here. He needed to remember. For this reason, I allowed him to keep a portion of the memory of her; that he might decide for himself if he truly wished to let go of her.”

“I looked at her life in her book in the Hall of Records,” continued Jennifer, who seemed determined to act as an advocate for her son and perhaps even his wife. “I know she wasn’t a Christian. I know that she died in her sins; but Father, isn’t there something you can do for her?”

The compassion in the eyes of the heavenly Father didn’t dim, not in the least. “I already have. Her grandmother imparted my message of love to her. At first, she accepted it joyfully, yet the circumstances of her life eventually hardened her heart. Chris knew these things, yet despite that knowledge, he chose to marry her, to yoke himself unevenly with one who would not believe. That choice has brought him great pain, and it will bring him more anguish still.”

“So, what’s going to happen now?” asked Jennifer. “How is this trial going to make him stronger?”

“Only Chris can decide that. His love for Serena is great. It is a pure and noble love, and that love will give genesis to a desperate plan. There will be no dissuading him from it when he finally arrives at it.”

“But, Father, can’t you stop him from doing something foolish? I mean, he’s suffered enough.”

God shook his head. “Beloved daughter, I will not stand in his way. All of my children have a free will, and I have very rarely prevented them from exercising it. He feared that I would erase the memory of Serena from his mind. I would never do that. If he chooses to continue to mourn her condition, that is his decision.

But listen carefully, Jennifer, an important decision lies ahead for him, the most important decision that he will ever make. You cannot make that decision for him; however, your desire to council him will be fulfilled. Eventually, he will come to you.”

“But what should I tell him?” asked Jennifer, her frustration only too obvious.

“You already know the answer to that question,” was the reply. “You will tell him to have faith, to seek Me. You will plead with him; but understand, he may not listen to you. Nonetheless, you must try, for in doing so you will plant a seed that might later germinate.” The Father released Jennifer’s hand and turned to His first born. He said nothing that Jennifer heard; yet clearly there had been communication.

“Come, Jennifer,” said Jesus. “I will take you home.”

Jennifer wanted to know more, but she realized that the mind of the Father was made up. She went with Jesus.

Jennifer turned once more to her Creator, whose sympathetic eyes were focused on her. “Thank you, Father. Thank you for hearing me.”

God smiled, but said nothing. Jennifer was lead away into the mists. She felt comforted in the presence of Jesus, but she still feared for her son. Suppose he would not listen to reason? Could a human be kicked out of Heaven? She wasn’t sure.

The mists parted before them and the two travelers walked onto the lawn in front of her mansion. It was pleasantly cool, and a gentle breeze blew in from the forests beyond the rolling field of grass, carrying with it the odor of honeysuckle and pine needles.

Ebbie still sat on the porch, exactly where she had been when Jennifer and Chris had left this morning. Normally, she would have come right out into the yard and welcomed them home; yet today she held her ground. She seemed confused that Chris hadn’t returned.

“I will stay with you for a time,” said Jesus, placing His arm around the distraught woman. “I understand how you feel. Just remember; all things work to the good for those who love God. It is as true here as it was upon the Earth.”

They sat on the steps of the porch looking out across the lawn toward the forest. Ebbie walked slowly forward, sat down beside Jesus, and began to purr as if she knew who He was. He reached over and stroked her soft fur, causing her to purr even louder.

“If I only knew that everything was going to be all right, with Chris,” Jennifer said. “Lord, what’s going to happen? You know—I know you do.”

“I do not know,” said Jesus, “but I have faith in the Father. There are some things that only the Father knows. The Son cannot know all that is on the Father’s mind, especially when that mind is so vast.”

“Lord, maybe you could go to my son and speak to him,” said Jennifer. “He would listen to you; I know he would.”

“I’m sorry, I cannot,” replied Jesus. “You see, it isn’t the proper time yet. It is the Father’s will that your son should go through the trial before him, and he is going to have to do it on his own. When I walked the Earth, I had a dear friend by the name of Lazarus.”

“The brother of Mary and Martha,” said Jennifer.

“Yes,” confirmed Jesus. “I was by the Jordan River, near the place where John had baptized so many, when word reached me that he had fallen ill. His sisters urged me to come at once. You see, they feared for his life and were convinced that I could save him from death.”

“But you didn’t go immediately,” chimed in Jennifer.

Jesus smiled. “No, I didn’t. Two days passed before I set off for Bethany. When I arrived there, Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. I believe that you know the rest of the story.”

“Yes,” replied Jennifer. “You had the stone to his tomb rolled away, and told him to come forth. You raised him from the dead.”

“And many people witnessed it,” replied Jesus. “A multitude came to believe in my message because of that one event.” Jesus paused to allow Jennifer to consider that miracle anew. “Now, suppose I had gone immediately, the moment Martha’s message had reached me. I would have found my friend on his death bed, very ill, with only Mary and Martha there to see to his needs. I might have laid my hand upon him and seen to his recovery. It would have been a thing done in secret, as many of my earlier miracles were. But it was the Father’s plan that this not be the case. Do you understand why?”

Jennifer considered the words of Jesus before she replied. “I think so. God wanted there to be a grander miracle, one that a whole lot of people would see, not just Mary and Martha.”

“Yes, in part. It was a matter of timing, God’s timing. The day that I would enter Jerusalem for the Passover was not far off. In your time, you might say that God was setting the stage for the final conflict, setting the stage for my own personal trial. It is the same here. The time is not right for me to speak to Chris, perhaps later it will be.”

“I think I’m going through a trial too,” Jennifer said.

“Of course you are,” confirmed Jesus. “By going directly to the Father, you have taken the first step to placing this trial behind you.”

“But I’m seeing eternity in a whole new light now,” said Jennifer. Her head turned away from Jesus. “Nothing will ever be the same again. I guess, before, I was only seeing what I wanted to see here in Heaven. I felt good. I mean, everyone around me felt good. There didn’t seem to be a problem in all creation, but there is, isn’t there?”

For a moment there was only silence. “Go on,” urged Jesus.

“I saw Hell,” said Jennifer, who found it difficult to continue. “I looked into one of the black books. I know that I shouldn’t have, but I did. What I saw, it was awful. I saw a black sea of fire and people being horribly tortured everywhere. How can the Father let this go on? Why did He create such a horrible place?”

“You might also ask why the Father allows so many terrible things to happen on Earth,” answered Jesus. “He told you. He said that He rarely interferes in the free will of man. Humanity creates most of their own problems. Wars, famines, even what you might call natural disasters, are mostly man’s doing, though satan has had a hand in it as well. Understand, outer darkness, where Hell exists, is a realm beyond God’s creation. It is a cold and harsh realm to absolute nothingness. Yet, at the center of this nothingness, is a world called Hell. God made the light that shown warmly upon it, and the winds that blew across it, but He did not create the horrors that transpire there. That was satan’s doing. It was he and his angels who have defiled that place. Though it was his prison, satan was determined to rule it. He vowed to rule that domain through fear and pain. That is the source of his power. He has harbored a jealous hatred for humanity in his heart since the Father created Adam and Eve. In bringing pain and grief to humanity, especially those condemned to outer darkness as he is, he is striking out at the Father in the only way that he can. Only so long as he could control them, would his lust for power and domination be partially placated.”

“And once someone is condemned to satan’s kingdom, they’re stuck there,” deduced Jennifer. “No one has ever gotten out.”

“That is not exactly true,” said Jesus. “Long ago, I traveled to that domain. For a full day I preached to the lost in that place, as I had on Earth. I preached to all who would listen. I offered them a way back to God, offering them the same opportunity that I offered to all those living on Earth. When I departed, I took all who would accept my sacrifice with me. They dwell with us in Heaven, even unto this day.”