Lamp Black: Second Edition, Disaster, Preparedness, Survival, Awakening (The Gatekeeper Book 2) (20 page)

All his thoughts, all his curiosities about heaven and earth, were laid bare to his mind with a simple desire to understand them. John turned to look at his dad, and saw him smiling. John felt an undeniable interest to understand his own past, his own pre-mortal life, but when he tried to access that information it was closed to him. It was as if the “big book” would not willingly turn its pages for him. “Why can’t I see my past . . . when I was here before my time on earth?” John asked his father. “I know I lived before, so why can’t I see it?”

“You cannot see all things at this time, Johnny. Your physical life is not yet complete. Knowing what you did before you lived on earth
will change who you are, and therefore what you must do,” answered his dad. “Come, follow me. We have a meeting to attend. I want to introduce you to some of your family.”

They emerged from the infirmary and John saw, standing before him, a large gathering of many people. He was immediately surrounded by friends and family who had passed on before him; some while John was still alive, but many more before he was born. There was family on both sides. He saw all his deceased aunts and uncles, and spoke to both sets of grandparents, as well as relatives going back several generations. Everyone who approached John embraced or kissed him, and congratulated him on his work.

John saw that his relatives knew him, and that he knew each one of them, personally, in a single moment of clarity, as soon as he saw their faces. He knew everything about them, who they were and what they did with their lives. The family assembly stretched back many generations, and John met them all. In their turn, they approached and greeted him warmly and enthusiastically, and told him to keep up the good work. He knew they had been watching him, and that surprised him, but it also comforted him.

He was also surprised to see several close friends that were lost in combat. One, an officer friend who died after being hit by an IED that literally cut him in half, was a very difficult loss for John. He was deeply troubled by his friend’s sudden departure, and he greeted him warmly; cried even when he saw him dressed in uniform. As they embraced, his friend told John not to worry, that he had found excellent employment as a Soldier in heaven, and that he was looking forward to the day they would once again fight together, but for a much more worthy cause.

While in heaven, John’s emotions were seemingly unrestrained. Free of all the fears and phobias of physical life, he was free to express his love and joy without restraint, as did everyone around him. It was a fascinating and fulfilling experience. John knew love was a condition of heavenly life, but he had no idea how deeply that condition governed heavenly existence.
It truly was a law, and he was deeply and permanently touched by the unrestrained love and support he received from everyone around him.

After everyone had a chance to greet John, they returned to their work. He watched the last of his relatives depart, and like it had started, he was left standing with his dad. John walked next to his dad as he escorted him through a beautifully manicured park. Everything from the polished white surface of the elaborate stone walkways, to the trees, flowers, shrubs and grass, glowed with a radiance and brilliance that surpassed anything John had ever seen on earth. The beauty of it sang to him, it filled his heart with peace and joy. It was a serenity like no other, and John was truly at peace.

They approached an open pavilion, and John saw Eli standing there, next to another man he did not recognize. Eli approached John and embraced him warmly. “I’m so sorry I lost you, papa. I know now the truth of your journey, that it wasn’t easy for you. I pray you will forgive me,” cried Eli.

So much had happened since John left his body that he completely forgot Eli was sent to bring him up. “There’s nothing to forgive, Eli. It’s good to see you again,” said John.

“It’s good to see you too, papa. Here, I want you to meet someone. This is Sarrif. He’s your special guardian.”

John studied the man for a moment and knew, in an instant, that he was a highly trained and skilled warrior. It wasn’t the way he was outfitted, for he looked a little like a character straight out of the Halo video games, complete with body armor, helmet, gauntlets, and weapons, but it was his bearing that told John everything about him. He had a presence about him that spoke of capability, strength and confidence. John extended his hand to Sarrif and they gripped firmly, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sarrif,” said John.

“No, the pleasure’s all mine,” replied Sarrif. “It’s an honor to serve you again, sir.”

John was incredibly humbled by the man’s demeanor, but also by his humility. Who was this man, this fine heavenly warrior, to call him,
sir? He didn’t miss Sarrif’s reference to having served him previously, but he wasn’t prepared to delve into that at the moment. Everything was moving so fast. “Please, call me John.”

“Thank you, John,” replied Sarrif, as he nodded his head in a strangely familiar salute of respect.

“John, it’s time for me to leave you now,” came the voice of his dad from behind. John turned to see the man who shaped his life in almost every way possible. In an instant, John was carried away in a flood of memories of all the time he spent with his dad. John’s eyes again began to well up, and he asked, “When will I see you again, dad?”

“Soon enough, Johnny,” said his dad, and he approached and embraced John. “You’ll see me again when you need to, and when you return, so don’t worry. You have work to do, and so do I. I leave you in good company.” He held John’s face in his hands and said, “Be true to yourself, John. Let love rule your heart. There will be time to fight, to protect those you love, but fill your heart with love and keep it full. Help those who need your help, and be ready to lead those who come to you, and look to you as their teacher and leader.”

He released John’s face, and after momentarily resting his hands on John’s shoulders, his dad turned and departed the pavilion. John watched his dad walk away until he felt another hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Eli standing with him, and Sarrif watching warmly from a few paces away. He felt loved, a depth of love that family and friends truly understand. Despite his father’s departure, John knew he would see him again, and he was glad to be in the company of such fine companions.

“Come, papa, let’s sit at the table and discuss the plans for your work, and how it will continue to go forward,” said Eli. “Much will change for you when you return, and we need to prepare you.” He led John to the beautiful white stone table in the center of the pavilion. They each took a seat on the benches around the table, and leaned forward to study the map that lay before them.

The map was unlike anything John had ever before seen. It seemed to be a map of dimensionality, of cross-roads and events that happened and were yet to occur. As he studied the map he thought he recognized certain critical events in his life; key events, life changing events, and events that didn’t seem that important to him at the time, but obviously were to the host of heaven. He pointed to one such event and asked, “This here, the one marked ‘Jackie’, why was it significant?” John presented the question openly, unsure of who would be able, or willing to answer it.

“That marked a potential convergence in your life, a crossroad of paths with a potentially different life partner,” said Eli. “If you stayed with Jackie, as was certainly possible, then you would have taken a very different path and not joined the army,” said Eli, as he ran a finger along the path to show John what he meant.

John traced the line from Jackie to his own, and saw that it did, indeed, follow a very different path. It didn’t converge with Jenna, but it appeared to offer a later option to rejoin the life-line he was currently on, only with Jackie as his wife instead of Jenna. As he continued to study the map, John saw many examples of where his choices had influenced his direction and placement on the life line, but he was surprised to see that most of his choices appeared to converge at a point where he currently was. He was on track.

The only way he could have completely failed was to have diverged from his mission all together, and the only way he could have diverged more completely was to surrender himself to an addiction with drugs, alcohol, gambling or even pornography. He saw that there were other ways he could have lost his way, like through crime or sexual deviancy, but they never seemed to present themselves as significant obstacles in his life. He knew that such a life would have resulted in a prison conviction, but that was never in his path. They knew he would reach this point before he even started. He saw, that even if he slipped a little, he would have recovered from the distraction. He somehow managed to find his way, as if nudged a little, here and there. “What are the red lines?” asked John.

“Those lines represent influence from other sources, they represent people who either directed you along your path, or people who could have assumed your mission had you become lost in your natural desires,” replied Eli.

John pointed at a red line on the map and asked, “Do you mean this line represented someone who could have replaced me if I failed?” asked John.

“Precisely,” responded Eli, in a solemn tone, “but it doesn’t matter. You made it to a critical point. We know you’ll make it the rest of the way, that you’ll finish the mission.” Eli pointed to a place on the map where a single longitudinal black line stood out as the front line of John’s progress. “You are exactly where you’re supposed to be for the work,” explained Eli. He moved his finger forward, along the gold lines that barely showed on the surface of the map, and said, “This is your route. You might notice, because of your visit here, that your path has become much less cluttered and . . . or chancy. Your course was set into motion by your dreams, and strengthened by your desire to understand and follow them.”

“And what is this?” asked John, pointing to a blank area on the map. He traced the yellow lines that stopped short of the area where no lines traveled. “Is this where I die?” he asked.

“Oh, no. You’re death is long in coming. You will learn of it when the time is right. You will be ready for it, even . . . but the blank portion of this map,” said Eli, as he stabbed it with a finger, “has been blocked to us as well.”

“Who does know?” asked John, curious about the change in Eli’s demeanor. He became reserved, reverent even, as if he could not discuss the solemn disposition of John’s life any further.

“Father.” said Eli, with a smile and pointing up.

John instinctively looked up and asked, “How far up is, Father? I thought we were already . . . up,” asked John, clearly confused about the reference to more altitude.

Eli smiled and nodded. “There are many levels in Heaven, papa, and Father sits His throne on the highest. But you must know that He, that Father, is very interested in your progress. The work has reached a new stage, and you will be a big part of it,” replied Eli.

“I’ve heard mention of the work before. What exactly is it?” asked John.

“The awakening. For your part, it’s to bring about several important events that will change things on earth, but that’s all I can tell you for now. Just know that we will be with you. Sarrif and I will guide you on your journey. You were allowed here because you are special, papa. You were chosen for this work long ago, so don’t worry. Be glad that you reached this point in your life. Many things will change for you now . . . good things, important things,” finished Eli

J
ohn bowed his head as he considered what he had just heard, what he had just learned, that God Himself was interested in him, in what he was doing. He didn’t know how to absorb the information, and really needed time to absorb it. He stood and walked to the edge of the pavilion and focused his sight on a distant lake; one more beautiful than any he had ever before seen. With a thought, John found himself standing by the edge of the lake. He was more surprised to find himself alone, without Eli or Sarrif, than to be suddenly standing by the edge of the lake, but he was relieved to be alone. He needed personal time, time to think about everything that he had just learned.

John looked into the water and saw into its depths. The water was crystal clear, and he could see to the bottom of the lake as if it was air. All life in, and around, the lake was open to him, displayed in all its glory. He reached down and ran a hand through the water, and cupped some in his hand. As he poured the water back into the lake, he found that his skin was dry. The water did not wet his skin. It belonged to the lake, and could not be diminished by his contact. Even the water had special properties in this place.

In the distance, at the far end of the lake, John saw a beautiful waterfall cascading down from highlands. It fell several hundred feet into the lake below, and created a beautiful crystalline landscape of mist in the air as its base. A beautiful bow, more vibrant and colorful than possible on earth, spanned the lake from one side to the other.

Beyond the highlands were several tall, snowcapped mountains. Their peeks reached high into the sky, majestic, grand and
breathtaking in their glory and splendor. One mountain in particular, that was smaller, yet somehow more significant than its taller sisters, called to John. It sang to him, a song of discovery and release, of understanding and awakening. The mountain invited him, and with another thought, he went to it.