The day had been too long. Over exaggerated wants of the day lingered selfishly, cutting into my much needed night’s repose. With the last moment of consciousness before floating into the empty void, I screamed out, “LORD KEEP MY SOUL THIS NIGHT!”
With that done, peace replaced day’s unwanted interruptions. The peace did not wait to greet the glory of morning. Something pulled me from my sleep into the night, a blazing light that broke through the darkness from an aperture in the floor. The stench of scorched earth was carried about on wings of gray smoke. The bed bucked like a wild bull bent on throwing the burden from its back.
A flame arose from the fissure, then split into two equal parts. One part moved to the left, the other to the right. The inferno transformed into human like creatures. The creature to the left had a torso of fire with long thin blue arms and hands adorned with gold. Her head possessed a paste white face with large colorless lips and fiery hair. The right flame became bronze toned muscles. His face held coal black eyes that reflected no light. The expressionless face seemed to be unaware of the fire that burned wildly were his hair should reside.
The room became dreadfully quiet. In the mist of the two arose a creature whose beauty took my breath. As I looked on, the beauty became repulsive to my sight. Gold covered the new creature’s perfectly formed features. Two large wings met above its head and formed a circular frame that held the distasteful splendor. Its mouth opened. The sound of its voice threw my body into the wall.
“YOU ARE EITHER A WISE HUMAN OR A LUCKY FOOL! THIS VERY NIGHT I PETITIONED FOR YOUR SOUL, BUT YOUR PRAYER WAS ENTERED AS TESTIMONY IN YOUR BEHALF. I TOLD THE COUNCIL THAT YOU WERE PRAYING TO ME. THAT I WAS YOUR LORD, BUT DESPITE MY PLEADINGTHEY GRANTED YOU A STAY.” The voice softened, “I was granted this visit. These two are my witnesses. To my left are the eyes that see all things. He forgets nothing, but speaks nothing. To my right is the tongue that tells all the eyes behold. We will be asking you three questions. In return we will allow you three questions.”
I had regained control of myself and was sitting at the side of the bed. “Ask your questions,” I said.
The third visitor looked towards the tongue and the tongue uttered the first question. “Who is your lord?”
For a moment I thought that I should have to think on the answer, but my voice spoke without deliberation. “The Lamb is my Lord.”
The tongue quickly followed with question two. “Who is your Lord?”
Without delay my voice replied, “The first born.”
The third question was the same as the other two. “Who is your Lord?”
Again my voice replied, “The One sent from the Father for the redemption of sin.
The perfect features turned their attention to me, ASK YOUR QUESTIONS, if you wish.
“It was said that you were once with God. What caused you to break away?” I inquired.
The winged creature looked to the tongue and the tongue answered,
“… before time there were great beast upon the earth. Over the beast and all the earth was The Light Source and the Light was with God. A message was brought from the Council of the Will to the Light. The Word spoke to the Light saying, ‘The beasts of the earth are too large and large in number for the earth. It is better for all that they should die. ‘The Light could not accept the words and sent a message back to the Council saying, ‘the earth and its heavens are mine, I will accept the Word of God no more nor will I do Its Will.’ With these words and because of the intent in his heart, the Light became Darkness.
Without the Light to warm the earth it became a frozen wasteland and all the beast of the earth died. And Darkness and destruction overtook the physical world.
The Council of God set about to find a new being to rule over the earth that would follow the Will. The Word was called before the council, because he had visited the earth many times, and was asked what virtue he would take to the earth. The Word answered, ‘moderation in all things.’
Hearing the words, the Council gave the Word dominion over the earth. He was instructed to recreate the earth and populate it with new beasts. The Word did all things according to the Will of God. He placed a sun in the center of the earth’s heaven and time was born. From the earth he brought up all manner of mortal life. One of the lives the Word called human and thought to give that life dominion over the earth and a soul connected to the all things in hopes that humans would possess understanding. Hearing, the Council agreed.
The Word taught humans the virtue of moderation and of the Will, but the Darkness came to the humans and taught them of the extremes. Humanity saw the extremes and took it to themselves to forget the teachings of the Word and the Will and chose to follow the Darkness. And life became death.”
For my second question I asked, “Do you know the Lord of forgiveness?”
The tongue answered, “we know of the Lord. We do not know any lord.”
“The Lamb was sent for the redemption of all sin. Do you wish to have your sins forgiven?”
The creatures with golden features looked towards me with pain filled eyes. “DO YOU MOCK ME?”
“I minister to you. That is four. I have answered your questions, now answer mine.”
“WE HAVE NO WISH OTHER THAN TO BE GOD,” the tongue replied with anger.
“By the blood of the Lamb you can be one with God. Is that not being God?”
“BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB I AM CONDEMNED. TO BE GOD, NOT TO BE OF GOD IS MY DESIRE,” the golden creature cried.
“There is not God without being of God.”
“And how do you, HUMAN, know this? Only moments ago your soul was in my hands.”
“You had another answer the questions I asked of you, but they answered your words. I am answering, but the words are not mine. They are given by the Spirit of the Lamb.”
The center creature looked first to the left then to the right, “Why did you not tell me of this?”
The tongue replied, “the eyes can not see what has not been reveled.”
With smoke and flashes of fire the floor consumed the creatures. The room was empty and dark. I tried to think about what had just passed but my mind went void of remembrance and drifted back to the peace of night. Just before the peace consumed me a voice softly whispered, “by your faith.”
© 1996 Tim D. Coulter Sr.