Heaven and Hell (7 page)

C
HRIS felt no fear as he boldly stepped into the glowing ethereal tunnel. Yet, for an instant, there was a sense of confusion; a sense that something was missing. He glanced at his right hand as if expecting to see something within it. It was empty. It wasn’t empty just a few seconds ago, he was certain of it. What had happened? The Earth behind him, and his life upon it, had become a blur. Why couldn’t he remember?

That wasn’t important right now. No, he would try to put all of that together later. Right now, he was positively overwhelmed by the vastness and beauty of this place. The light ahead of him was bright, and was becoming brighter by the second. It was magnificent. Yet, his eyes were easily adapting to the changing illumination.

He looked around and saw a cylindrical wall of gray clouds, slowly swirling. Here and there, diffused ribbons of light threaded their way through the billowing mists. He was convinced that he was witnessing the subtle glow from hidden bolts of lightning traveling through the depths of the clouds, yet they were not accompanied by any auditory sensation resembling thunder.

He looked down to discover what he already expected; there was absolutely nothing beneath his feet but empty space. He was floating free, weightless. But he experienced none of the vertigo that he certainly would have experienced had his earthly body been placed in the midst of such vastness.

He never cared much for flying. When the captain turned on the “fasten seatbelt” sign, and warned of impending turbulence, he was inevitably the first passenger to go for the little bag in the seat pocket in front of him. Yet, this time he had no problems at all. Actually, this flight was sort of fun.

Stranger still, there was no fear. The sense of indescribable love and peace that he had felt at the entrance to the tunnel was far greater now—it had become all encompassing. If these emotions could be transformed into a tangible entity, they were present within this tunnel. He knew that he was not alone, though he could see no one. He knew he was in good hands, so why worry? For now, he would simply enjoy the ride.

He looked around again, this time with a more analytical eye. How wide was this tunnel of light? He could hardly imagine. There were no points of reference. It was obviously much wider than the 10- or 12-foot portal he had entered just a minute ago. Perhaps it was a dozen miles across, maybe even wider than that. There was so much to take in.

He was in motion, of that much he was certain. He was being carried along by some sort of ethereal wind. He could feel it blowing around him. It was not unlike an earthly wind; yet, it was so much more. It was refreshing, even invigorating, and it seemed somehow alive. It was a crazy thought, but that was his impression of it; a living wind, the breath of God. He was like a sailing ship, carried by steady unerring breezes, to a distant and exotic port. What would that port, that final destination, be like? And how long would the journey take? He could only guess. He figured he had the time to spare.

Beyond the wind, there was no physical sense of acceleration or movement. Still, he was moving toward the light. He had no problem with that. Minutes passed and Chris settled in for the voyage, much as any passenger might do on a long trip. The light at the end of the tunnel was becoming brighter, even as the clouds around him were transformed from gray to white.

Looking at his hand, he discovered that he could see straight through it to the clouds beyond. “Weird,” he whispered, though he quickly realized that he could not hear his voice. No, he heard it only within his mind.
This is so cool
, he thought.

For a time, he didn’t know how long, he was transformed into a state of pure spirit, free from the limitations of any physical form. In this state of being, he felt indeed close to God. As far as he was concerned, he could have remained in this state forever.

Then, all too soon, physical reality returned. It materialized all around him in the form of a great white antechamber of glistening grandeur. Towering marble columns supported a ceiling of dazzling light, and beyond that, a soft white billowing mist extended as far as the eye could see. There was music too, the most wonderful music he had ever heard. It seemed to be coming from everywhere. Was it real, or was the music simply a manifestation that existed within his mind? He could not say for sure.

Then he beheld something more awe-inspiring than the architecture, more beautiful than the music. A man in a long white robe stood about 20 feet in front of him. Chris realized that this was the man he had seen at the end of the tunnel, the great luminary who radiated not only light but love. There had been no formal introduction, no band of angels gathered about Him, yet Chris knew Him from the instant he first saw Him. This man was Jesus. It should have been no great surprise; after all, He was the light of the world, and the light at the end of it.

He had the appearance of a man in His mid-30s, handsome and solidly built, with light brown hair and a well-trimmed beard. Even now, His form was practically radiant, yet it was His deep blue eyes that caught Chris’s attention. They were so kind, so very deep, they seemed to gaze into the very depths of Chris’s soul. His face held a loving smile as He looked at Chris. He stretched out His hands, revealing barely discernable scars on both wrists.

“Welcome home, Chris.”

Tears of joy welled up in Chris’s eyes as he stepped forward to embrace his Savior. After a moment, Jesus spoke again. “Chris, I need you to be of stout heart, for your trial is at hand. Like all men, you must stand before God to be judged.”

For a moment, Chris was fearful. He was not proud of everything he had done during the course of his life. How could he possibly stand before God?

“Don’t be afraid,” Jesus said, His tone and smile reassuring. “I bore the penalty for your sins already, your debt is paid, remember?” Jesus took Chris’s hand in His. “I know you Chris, better than you realize. For years you have placed your faith in me, placed your hand in mine, even as I now place mine in yours. Place your faith in me now, and lay your fears to rest. You are in my hands, I assure you. I shall be by your side every minute of the trial.”

They walked side by side into the great judgment hall, a vast arena, surrounded by men and women robed in white. Chris took little note of his surroundings. There were many people here, yet Chris’s attention was drawn to the figure upon the white throne before him. It was a human figure, as bright as the sun, yet His radiance didn’t hurt his eyes. Instinctively, Chris knelt before the figure upon the throne. He was unsure as to whether it was proper to look into the face of God as he did; yet he could do nothing else. What he beheld was magnificent beyond description.

The being upon the throne appeared ageless, with no wrinkles or imperfections. Chris fully realized that, in this case, age was a meaningless concept. Chris remembered that God was a spirit, perhaps He only took on a familiar form for Chris, one that he could relate to.

The white-robed being was of enormous stature, and yet Chris was not as afraid as he thought he might have been. Yes, having Jesus at his side helped a lot, but the Being before him, the Creator of the universe, was the Creator of Jesus as well, the ultimate Father of all. He had so loved the world; that He had sent Jesus to redeem those who lived in it.

A white-robed angel, who stood before the throne, opened a large book. And in that moment, Chris beheld his life, amidst the blue mists of a divine vision. At first he was fearful, ashamed of what might be revealed, yet those things never appeared. He witnessed himself as a child praying the prayer of faith with his mother. He witnessed his own baptism at the church in Eugene, Oregon.

He’d had a little trouble on that day. He’d swallowed some water on the way up from the baptismal pool, and had choked on it off and on for the better part of a minute. It was definitely an embarrassing moment, and here it was for all to see. Had he heard traces of subdued mirth from the vast audience around him? He wasn’t sure, but he thought so. He looked nervously toward the angel who stood by the great book, their eyes met. He was surprised to see the expression of mild amusement upon the angel’s face. He was unsure as to whether that was a good or a bad sign.

Chris saw himself as a young man, proclaiming his faith in his Savior before his friends at school. He spoke boldly of God’s love to them. Some laughed at him, even made fun of him, but most listened. Yes, he had planted a seed in their hearts, more than he had thought. Some of those to whom he had spoken had gone on to accept the good news he had shared with them. This, too, was revealed in the vision.

The vision continued, and he witnessed happy times with his parents at their home, gatherings around the dinner table, in the back yard, in the park. There were so many happy memories.

A tear came to his eye as he saw himself praying with his mother in the hospital during her last days on Earth. Yes, there were some sad times, but nothing for which he should have felt ashamed. Somehow those things had been erased from the record. Somehow? He knew how, didn’t he? It was the blood of the Lamb, the blood of Jesus, shed on Calvary. The Bible spoke of the cleansing blood. Now Chris truly understood the meaning of those words. It had to have been the blood that had washed his sins from the record before him, the record that God now reviewed.

When the vision came to an end, and the time came to speak, Chris did not have to defend himself before the judgment seat, for it was Jesus who spoke in his behalf. He spoke of His love for Chris, of faithfulness, and devotion, of the debts He had already paid. When He had finished, God turned to the angel who stood before the judgment seat.

“Does the name of Christopher Alan Davis, appear in the Lamb’s Book of Life?” He asked.

There was a pause, a shuffling of pages that could not have lasted for more than a few seconds, yet, to Chris it seemed far longer.

“Yes, Lord,” replied the angel, pointing toward an entry made in the great volume before him, “his name appears in the book.”

God turned to Chris. There was a broad smile upon His countenance. “Well done, good and faithful servant, well done, my son. Enter into the eternal joy that I’ve prepared for you.”

“Thank you, Lord.” A tremendous weight had been lifted from his soul.

Jesus bid Chris to rise. They walked together from the judgment hall, across the white marble floors of the outer courts.

“What now?” Chris asked Jesus. “I mean, where do we go from here?”

Jesus stopped momentarily, looking into His companion’s eyes understandingly. He smiled broadly. “Where? That is totally up to you, Chris. A long journey lies ahead of you, as it does for all humanity. The end of life is not the end of man’s sojourn, far from it; it is but the beginning. The first steps in any journey are the most difficult and important ones. Those are the ones that you took on Earth. When you accepted Me into your heart, and as you followed Me throughout your life, you decided which direction your personal voyage would take you. You chose the narrow path. Too few people find it, for the world is full of cares and concerns that obscure the way. Though I offer to carry their burdens, most reject me.

For the wide highway that leads to destruction, to Hell, is so much easier to find and travel. They find the pleasures it offers along the way too sweet, too tempting to pass up. But you rejected the easy way; you searched out the narrow path. And it has taken you to the threshold of a wondrous land. You will learn much there, and along the way, you will grow in wisdom as well. God’s judgment and mine are now behind you. We are both very pleased with you.”

For a moment, Chris seemed confused, “Your judgment, Lord?”

“Yes,” Jesus said. “Did you not know that judgment begins in the House of the Lord? For you, judgment is over; but for those who rejected my sacrifice, a final judgment is ahead for them, a judgment at the end of time. But don’t be afraid. Today, I have weighed you and the fruit of your faith in Me in the balance. I am very pleased with what you have accomplished. I am very pleased with you. You have fought the good fight. Now the road to eternity lies open before you.”

“Lord, I can never thank you enough for opening this road to Heaven for me. I wouldn’t have made it without you.”

“And you were worth the sacrifice,” replied Jesus, placing a compassionate hand upon the young man’s shoulder. “Our Father sent me into the world, that you might have everlasting life, that you might have communion with Him, as I do.”

“But now that I’m here, what do I do?” Chris asked.

Again Jesus smiled. “Continue the journey. You’ve done a pretty good job so far, stay the course. I urge you to get to know the Father better, love Him as He has loved you, and love those around you, even as God has loved you. These are the two greatest commandments that I gave you on Earth. Nothing has changed. It is the same in Heaven, as it was on Earth. You followed these commandments on Earth, and I am proud of you. Stay the course, Chris, let the love within you flow to all of those around you.”

Chris couldn’t help but smile at that comment. It meant a lot to him to hear it coming from Jesus. “Thank you, Lord.”

“But there is something else,” Jesus said, his tone somewhat more serious. “Chris, you need to stop worrying so much. Worry does not add so much as a minute to your life, or an inch to your height. Take one day at a time. Don’t worry about tomorrow because our Father has everything in control. But I know that you are still searching for a starting point, and I shall give it to you. From there the rest will be up to you.”