The Gathering
The Voyage: Chapter Six
The Gathering
Raj stood in the front of the room. He nodded at Judas who was standing front and center in the crowded chamber. His eyes scanned the dead quickly, noting those from Hell and the many who had come down from Heaven to attend the summit. This meeting was to set plans in place for defense of Earth. He noticed the space between the demon guards and the humans from Hell and frowned.
“Gather closer,” he shouted to them. He saw the look the guards and prisoner exchanged and neither moved. “What’s the problem?” he called out.
“They are monsters,” shouted one human. “They treat us horribly.”
“Do you seriously think you are in hell because of them?” Raj countered. “Did they put you in Hell?”
“No, but…”
“No, but nothing. You took yourself here, as you well know. Your actions have taken you to where you needed to be. Why blame them for your end? Either you take responsibility for yourself, or you still belong here. At heart, there is no difference between demons who are cruel and humans who are. Change is expected from both. Now, are you with us, or not?”
The two groups slowly started to shift towards each other until there were no gaps in the crowd.
“There is a big event coming up,” Raj went on. “We need angels and humans, both dead and living, to work together. We have reports of what the opposition is planning, and we need to be prepared. We have to hold the ground.”
“How can we do that?” Judas called out, a determined look on his face.
Raj looked around the room. He spied Michael leaning against the wall in the back.
“Michael! How would you answer that? How can we do this together?”
Michael straightened up. His robust voice carried to every corner of the room, “By faith, of course. The same way we do anything. The same way you get yourself out of hell, and the way you bring yourself back to Yahweh. You see the truth and you stand by it with all your being.”
The big archangel strode to Raj’s side and continued to address the assembly. “Of course, the demons didn’t put you in hell. Of course, it wasn’t humans’ fault that you Sons were exiled. It was freedom of choice and each chose wrong. The truth is that you did it. The truth is that if I leave the truth, I could be exiled too. So, what is the sin that holds you from standing for what is right and against the behavior that brought you here? Or, against the sin that took you from Yahweh’s side?”
Michael looked around the room, his face fierce. “So, you’ve suffered? We know. We have seen your suffering, and we have seen the terrible suffering of the ones that you took your anger out on. What happened to you was just. When you embrace that truth, then you show faith. Faith believes and faith trusts. Get over yourself and whatever punishment came to you and embrace the stand for the truth of it all. If you do – when you do – no one can sway you. You are immovable and will be supported by the truth himself, who is God.”
“How will we overcome the invasion of Earth? By faith. We know what is true by what Yahweh says, and no one – no one,” he repeated with emphasis, turning his head from side to side to take in the whole room, “can tell us differently. That is faith, and that is how we stand.”
“Exactly,” said Raj. “Now. We are going to go through a transition period. Jesus is going to live on Earth soon and coordinate things from there. He told me that there will be a short period of time for people to readjust their thinking before the action starts. Hell is the backup support for Earth. That’s why we need a solid foundation of truth here and cooperation between all the realms.”
“If anyone needs a partner, let us know after the meeting and we will match you up with someone. Humans from Hell pair up with a human from Heaven. Sons in Hell need to partner up with Sons from Cristi’s forces on Earth and practice sparring. There is going to be some fierce fighting with beings who will do almost anything to destroy us. Don’t let a hole open up around you.”
Someone raised his hand.
“Yes?” Raj had his eye on Cristi who was moving among the guards from Hell, nodding and gesturing reassuringly to them. He hoped they were leaving the sullen attitude that was so prevalent in Hell, both for human and fallen angel.
He turned his attention back to the questioner, who was shifting his weight from side to side, like a boxer getting ready to start a new round, waiting for Raj to acknowledge him. Raj smiled at him slightly and he raised himself on his heels and shouted his question.
“Who’s the opponent? What is coming?”
“The opponent is from another cosmos,” Raj replied.
“Another cosmos!” shouted one of the guards from Hell. “There’s only one. Yahweh only made this one.”
“The other cosmos wasn’t made by Yahweh,” Raj said.
These was immediate silence.
Raj saw shock, disbelief, and amazement on faces all around him.
“But he said he created everything. We were there! We saw when he formed the earth and made everything, shortly after he made us. We even watched when he breathed into mankind.”
One of the humans who had come down from Heaven stepped out from the group at the edge of the room. Raj recognized him. It was the one they called Paul. He had been an advocate for Jesus on Earth back when the Church was just getting started.
“No, he didn’t say that. He said that he made everything that was made. He pointed out that he himself wasn’t made, and we are going to war with another creator of worlds, who was not made either. This is why we need serious thinking and unity between us. How can we win this war? What are our strengths? What are theirs? Just exactly what kind of worlds were created that are coming to oppose us? What will happen if we lose?”
“Well, we know that they have five planets,” Raj said, Judas, what are your forces? How many in Hell are prepared to join with us?”
“Well, on paper, everyone,” Judas answered. “If you ask just about anyone if they would rather fight or stay in Hell, they all swear left and right and up and down, that they will be the most devoted soldier ever. But there is a lot still to learn and it is hard to change down here. The whole atmosphere of Hell reeks of surly resentment and that is hard to overcome.”
“That’s why I am here,” Paul chimed in. “I came down to teach. Let your experiences in Hell and ours in Heaven be brought together and examined and let’s see the truths about good and evil. What is good and what is evil and how do they affect us, and how should they affect us?"
Raj stepped back as Paul moved to the center of the room. The Apostle's eye brightened as all eyes turned towards him and he lifted his voice so everyone could hear. Raj saw that Paul had the experience and gravitas to move the discussion forward...
Raj stood in the front of the room. He nodded at Judas who was standing front and center in the crowded chamber. His eyes scanned the dead quickly, noting those from Hell and the many who had come down from Heaven to attend the summit. This meeting was to set plans in place for defense of Earth. He noticed the space between the demon guards and the humans from Hell and frowned.
“Gather closer,” he shouted to them. He saw the look the guards and prisoner exchanged and neither moved. “What’s the problem?” he called out.
“They are monsters,” shouted one human. “They treat us horribly.”
“Do you seriously think you are in hell because of them?” Raj countered. “Did they put you in Hell?”
“No, but…”
“No, but nothing. You took yourself here, as you well know. Your actions have taken you to where you needed to be. Why blame them for your end? Either you take responsibility for yourself, or you still belong here. At heart, there is no difference between demons who are cruel and humans who are. Change is expected from both. Now, are you with us, or not?”
The two groups slowly started to shift towards each other until there were no gaps in the crowd.
“There is a big event coming up,” Raj went on. “We need angels and humans, both dead and living, to work together. We have reports of what the opposition is planning, and we need to be prepared. We have to hold the ground.”
“How can we do that?” Judas called out, a determined look on his face.
Raj looked around the room. He spied Michael leaning against the wall in the back.
“Michael! How would you answer that? How can we do this together?”
Michael straightened up. His robust voice carried to every corner of the room, “By faith, of course. The same way we do anything. The same way you get yourself out of hell, and the way you bring yourself back to Yahweh. You see the truth and you stand by it with all your being.”
The big archangel strode to Raj’s side and continued to address the assembly. “Of course, the demons didn’t put you in hell. Of course, it wasn’t humans’ fault that you Sons were exiled. It was freedom of choice and each chose wrong. The truth is that you did it. The truth is that if I leave the truth, I could be exiled too. So, what is the sin that holds you from standing for what is right and against the behavior that brought you here? Or, against the sin that took you from Yahweh’s side?”
Michael looked around the room, his face fierce. “So, you’ve suffered? We know. We have seen your suffering, and we have seen the terrible suffering of the ones that you took your anger out on. What happened to you was just. When you embrace that truth, then you show faith. Faith believes and faith trusts. Get over yourself and whatever punishment came to you and embrace the stand for the truth of it all. If you do – when you do – no one can sway you. You are immovable and will be supported by the truth himself, who is God.”
“How will we overcome the invasion of Earth? By faith. We know what is true by what Yahweh says, and no one – no one,” he repeated with emphasis, turning his head from side to side to take in the whole room, “can tell us differently. That is faith, and that is how we stand.”
“Exactly,” said Raj. “Now. We are going to go through a transition period. Jesus is going to live on Earth soon and coordinate things from there. He told me that there will be a short period of time for people to readjust their thinking before the action starts. Hell is the backup support for Earth. That’s why we need a solid foundation of truth here and cooperation between all the realms.”
“If anyone needs a partner, let us know after the meeting and we will match you up with someone. Humans from Hell pair up with a human from Heaven. Sons in Hell need to partner up with Sons from Cristi’s forces on Earth and practice sparring. There is going to be some fierce fighting with beings who will do almost anything to destroy us. Don’t let a hole open up around you.”
Someone raised his hand.
“Yes?” Raj had his eye on Cristi who was moving among the guards from Hell, nodding and gesturing reassuringly to them. He hoped they were leaving the sullen attitude that was so prevalent in Hell, both for human and fallen angel.
He turned his attention back to the questioner, who was shifting his weight from side to side, like a boxer getting ready to start a new round, waiting for Raj to acknowledge him. Raj smiled at him slightly and he raised himself on his heels and shouted his question.
“Who’s the opponent? What is coming?”
“The opponent is from another cosmos,” Raj replied.
“Another cosmos!” shouted one of the guards from Hell. “There’s only one. Yahweh only made this one.”
“The other cosmos wasn’t made by Yahweh,” Raj said.
These was immediate silence.
Raj saw shock, disbelief, and amazement on faces all around him.
“But he said he created everything. We were there! We saw when he formed the earth and made everything, shortly after he made us. We even watched when he breathed into mankind.”
One of the humans who had come down from Heaven stepped out from the group at the edge of the room. Raj recognized him. It was the one they called Paul. He had been an advocate for Jesus on Earth back when the Church was just getting started.
“No, he didn’t say that. He said that he made everything that was made. He pointed out that he himself wasn’t made, and we are going to war with another creator of worlds, who was not made either. This is why we need serious thinking and unity between us. How can we win this war? What are our strengths? What are theirs? Just exactly what kind of worlds were created that are coming to oppose us? What will happen if we lose?”
“Well, we know that they have five planets,” Raj said, Judas, what are your forces? How many in Hell are prepared to join with us?”
“Well, on paper, everyone,” Judas answered. “If you ask just about anyone if they would rather fight or stay in Hell, they all swear left and right and up and down, that they will be the most devoted soldier ever. But there is a lot still to learn and it is hard to change down here. The whole atmosphere of Hell reeks of surly resentment and that is hard to overcome.”
“That’s why I am here,” Paul chimed in. “I came down to teach. Let your experiences in Hell and ours in Heaven be brought together and examined and let’s see the truths about good and evil. What is good and what is evil and how do they affect us, and how should they affect us?"
Raj stepped back as Paul moved to the center of the room. The Apostle's eye brightened as all eyes turned towards him and he lifted his voice so everyone could hear. Raj saw that Paul had the experience and gravitas to move the discussion forward...