The Children of Eternity (10 page)

From beyond that door streamed an undeniably strange radiance. It wasn’t particularly bright, shifting from an almost pink hue to orange. Christopher turned to see that he was sitting only about 15 feet from the end of the hallway where a tall window took up most of the wall. It was apparently night, for he saw that only darkness lay beyond the clear glass. Jerry and Jonathon stood by that window, gazing out into the darkness in wide-eyed wonder.

“Christopher, you’ve just gotta see this,” said Jerry, who only glanced back at his friend for an instant.

Christopher rose to his feet and looked out into the darkness. Now he could see stars out there. It was night. He approached the window. “Where are we? How did it get to be night all of a sudden?”

“Is it night?” asked Jerry. “I think you need to take a closer look.”

Christopher looked up into the sky to see a firmament filled with the brightest stars he had ever seen. Yet the pattern of these stars was unfamiliar. His vision panned down to where he perceived the horizon could be; but there was no horizon. His gaze drifted ever lower to behold nothing but stars—above, below, and everywhere. “Oh, my.”

“We’re in space,” deduced Jerry, smiling from ear to ear. “This is a home in space.”

Christopher had to think about that one. “But wait a minute, if we’re in space, shouldn’t we be weightless or something?”

“Yeah, we should be,” confirmed Jonathon, “at least according to anything I’ve ever read.”

“But we’re not,” replied Jerry. He reached out to the glass of the window cautiously. “The window seems to be warm and vibrating.”

Christopher reached out to touch the glass to confirm Jerry’s comment. He was right. It was then that Christopher heard a sound. “Wait, I thought I heard a voice.” He turned toward the partially opened door about 50 or 60 feet away. “It came from down there.”

Cautiously, the three boys made their way toward the door. Christopher got there first, stopping just short of the door and staring at the warm glow that emanated from the room. He took a deep breath and then one more step. He turned to behold the source of the light. He was looking into a large room, well-furnished with finely cushioned chairs and couches. It was like a grand study that may have been part of a great mansion from a century past.

A huge globe of the Earth sat not far beyond the door, cradled in a dark, wooden frame. To the left was a stone fireplace in which a small fire popped and crackled. The plastered walls had a number of paintings depicting finely rendered scenes of galaxies, stars, and planets, and the floors were glossy, made of the finest hardwood with a few throw rugs here and there. The wood glistened in the primary source of light, which in reality didn’t come from within the room at all. Beyond a great set of tall windows that took up the entire far wall was a thing of wonder: a luminous nebula painted in glowing clouds of pink and orange. The clouds stretched from one side of the window to the other and from top to bottom. Imbedded within the distant mists were stars far brighter than those seen within the night sky, enshrouded in swirling blankets of blue mists.

“Amazing,” gasped Jonathon, stepping up to Christopher’s side. “Did you ever see the likes of this? It’s an emission nebula, and a big one too. I’ve seen things like this through my great-grandma Gladys’s telescope, but I’ve never seen one this close. It’s in places like this that stars and planets are born. Amazing.”

Then Christopher’s attention was drawn to a high-backed armchair with fine red leather upholstery. In that chair was a girl who looked like the one he had seen in the Holy Place. She was staring straight at him with an absolutely contagious grin on her face.

“Father, they’re here,” she announced, a giggle in her voice.

“Yes, I know,” said a strong voice that emanated from another high-backed armchair that was facing the windows and the nebula beyond. “Come in, My children.”

Christopher recognized that strong deep voice. He had heard it many times. It was the voice of the Father. He slowly walked toward the chairs that had been placed around a coffee table near the middle of the room. All the while the girl gazed at him with that wonderful beaming smile. Yes, there was no doubt about it: this was the same girl he had noticed in the Holy Place.

He was only a few steps away from her when he turned to view the source of the voice. For the very first time, Christopher came face to face with the physical manifestation of the Creator of the universe. Somehow, the Father’s physical appearance was not quite what he had expected. He was not some great glowing being or an old man with a long, white beard. He looked very much like any human being. There was nothing in His physical appearance that made Him particularly stand out. Christopher figured that He was about 6 feet tall and of average build. He had the appearance of a man in His mid-40s. He was clean shaven, with brown, curly hair. His eyes were blue, and His skin was the very essence of smooth perfection. He wore a sort of purple robe and slippers on His feet.

Still, there was something about His eyes. There was a deepness about them, and a kindness. His presence made Christopher feel very much at ease, even though he realized that he was gazing upon the very Creator of everything. The slightest of smiles came across the Father’s face.

“Does My appearance live up to your expectations?” He asked.

Christopher didn’t know what to say. And before he was able to formulate an answer, the Father answered.

“Not quite what you expected,” He chuckled. “Actually, I get that a lot.” He motioned to the chair at His right. “Please, Christopher, My son, sit here at My side. We have much to discuss.”

Christopher made his way around the chairs and sat at the Father’s side. The Father took Christopher’s hand in His. There was nothing unusual about the feel of that hand—no electricity, no sense of power, just a warm, soft, human hand. Yet Christopher knew beyond a doubt that he was touching greatness.

“I’ve been looking forward to this meeting,” continued the Father. The Father turned to see that Jonathon had fallen to his knees before his Creator, as had Jerry. He smiled. “Come, My sons, to your feet. We have much to discuss. Please, be seated, be comfortable. Know that I love each of you very much, and I am very pleased with you. You have all done very well. You have made Me both happy and proud, and you shall do greater things still.”

Jerry and Jonathon rose to their feet and made their way to the remaining two chairs. All the while their eyes were upon the magnificent being before them. It was Jonathon who spoke next.

“Incredible,” he said.

Again God laughed. “Thank you. I am glad to have you here with Me.”

“You have a really nice place,” said Jerry. “It has such a wonderful view.”

God nodded, His smile broadening. “Thank you, Jerry, it serves Me well.”

“I don’t understand,” Jonathon finally admitted. “I’ve come to talk to You many times before, but this is so different.”

“Yes it is,” confirmed the Father. “What we have to discuss today is very important, so I have brought you all here.”

Jerry and Jonathon sat down, though they seemed a bit nervous. It was only then that Christopher noticed the four cups on the round table before them. Had they been there before? He didn’t think so.

“I’ve prepared something nice for all of you,” announced the Father. “Cinnamon tea for you, Christopher; coffee with cream for you, Jonathon; spring water for you, Lilly; and for you, Jerry, mint tea.”

“Thank You, Father,” said the four, almost in unison.

Christopher took a sip of the tea. It was exactly the way he liked it. Then again, what else could he have expected?

“All of you came to talk with Me,” began the Father. “Lilly has been here for several days. We have had a wonderful time together, haven’t we?”

“Yes, we have,” confirmed Lilly, smiling with a truly angelic smile. “I’ve really enjoyed being here again.” Lilly turned to the others. “And I’ve learned so much. But we’ve been waiting for you. Father said you would come, and now here you are.”

“You’ve been waiting for us?” asked Christopher. “I mean, the three of us?”

“Yes,” confirmed the Father. “Invaders have entered into the most beautiful land in all of creation. And I need to call my greatest warriors to arms to vanquish them.”

For a moment, silence ruled the room. Only the crackling of the burning wood in the fireplace broke the silence. Clearly, the Father was waiting for a response. It was Jonathon who provided it.

“Father, I’m confused,” he began. “Satan and his demons were trapped in the depths of Hell. Wasn’t it You who released them?”

“Yes, it was,” confirmed the Father. “Every so often I gather together the leaders of the angels—all of them. Even those angels that have fallen are called. I bring them together so that they may talk. You could say that they are given an opportunity to air out their differences. In addition, I give them counsel and instructions. It is generally a good time of fellowship.”

“Generally?” asked Jerry.

“Yes, generally,” replied the Father. “The conversation between the leaders of the angels is usually very constructive. They discuss how to best help each other and how to make the most effective use of their time and talents.” There was a pause. “That is with the exception of the angel of the morning. He was created the most beautiful of all of the angels. He went by several names. To some he was Phosphorus, the Bright and Morning Star, but I had named him Lucifer. He was My chief minister, the spokesperson for all of the angels.

“In the beginning, he served Me very well. Yet, as time passed, he became enamored with his own importance. When I decided to create man after My own image, he objected strongly. He couldn’t understand why I would want to create a race of beings who would become My children, a race of beings that he and his fellow angels would serve. In the end, he and those loyal to his cause revolted against Me and the other angels. There was a war in Heaven, yet he and his minions did not prevail.

“I could not bring Myself to destroy them, so I cast them out into outer darkness, cut off from the rest of My creation. There they were, free to set up their own kingdom if that was their wish. Even still, I called Lucifer forth to join the other angels at the time of the meetings. It gave him an opportunity to settle his differences with Michael and Gabriel, to make peace with them. The angels have been at war with each other for far too long. But all he would ever speak about was My children and their weaknesses. He accused them of all manner of crimes, so great was his hate for them.

“Then, but nine days ago, he challenged Michael and Gabriel. He desired to ascend to his former position here in Heaven. He spoke of a peaceful transition if possible, but he was willing to engage them in war if that was not possible.”

“And You allowed it,” deduced Christopher.

“Yes, I did,” confirmed the Father. “Even My Firstborn had reservations about My decision. You see, the time had come for the bickering to end between My servants. If they could settle their differences through negotiations, that was good, but if a final war was necessary, so be it.”

Christopher could hardly believe what he was hearing. He could not, for the life of him, understand why the Father had done what He had done.

“You doubt the wisdom of My decision?” asked the Father. There was the slightest of smiles on His face. Christopher knew that He was not offended.

“I would never do that, Father,” replied Christopher, “I guess I just don’t understand.”

“This war, terrible as it is, was necessary,” continued the Father. “The angels had to be given the opportunity to reconcile their differences. But there is another reason that this war had to happen. You know that reason already.”

The others looked at Christopher in surprise. A few seconds later Jerry nodded, yet he said nothing.

It was another few seconds before Christopher finally responded. “Some of the saints are treating Heaven like a rest home in the sky.”

“Yes,” confirmed the Father. “Very good, Christopher. As you already know, many of My children have lost their vision of the future.” The Father scanned the eyes of the children, which were all upon Him. “They see Heaven as a destination, a place of final rest. This is not the case. Heaven itself is a journey. You do not stop growing simply because you have left the troubles of Earth. Two of you had but a brief experience upon the Earth, the other two none at all. With the exception of Lilly, you have been largely spared the trials and tribulations of living on Earth, so you do not fully realize the relief that comes with an arrival in Heaven. Many who were very concerned with their spiritual growth on Earth are not so concerned here, and so they have grown little in Heaven or not at all…”