Scars of My Guardian Angel

by Russell L Martin

  While we were slowly making our way down the street, I see a small child heading in my direction that looked like a Mayan Indian. This little girl is holding a cup full of what looked like grape juice. She’s smiling while trying to hand me her cup, and at the same time asking me if I was her father. I look around at Allayer and Nipper expecting them to be rolling on the ground, but it was just the opposite. They were both looking down with sadness on their faces. I slowly turn, having to face this precious little child, “No Sweetie, I’m not your father, but if I see him I’ll tell him you’re looking for him.”

  As I look back at my two faithful Angel buddies, they are both shaking their heads no. “No, what did I do?” After we move up the street away from the little girl, Nipper whispers to me, “Chado, a lot of the kids that come here have lost their parents. The parents had knowledge of God but continued to reject the truth of salvation and they didn’t make it. So the kids after passing are brought here. That little girl’s whole village was wiped out from smallpox and she still has some memory of her family. That part of it is very sad.”

  “I thought everyone is under a spirit of illusion and doesn’t really know what’s going on?”

  “Well, they don’t. But God, for whatever reason allows everyone to have some memory of family. We think it might be some way to allow their hearts to become tender to the true love of Jesus.”

  Nipper tells me, “Remember when you lost your daughter Summer and you became closer to the Lord than any other time in your life? ”

  “Oh yeah, how could I forget?”

  “Well, we believe that could be one of the reasons God allows those who come here to have a memory of their family.”

  As we move up the street, I ask Allayer and Nipper “Hey guys, are y’all wondering why I haven’t asked if my daughter Summer made it to Heaven?”

  Allayer lets me know, “We understand, you don’t want to know until you get to Heaven, right?”

  “Right, I guess my fear ever since she got killed comes from how she was living on the edge, and a little on the wild side. I’m just thankful to a Christian lady I was dating a few years ago that told me she had prayed the prayer of salvation with her; actually, several times. I pray Summer meant it in her heart.” As I was looking down at the cobblestone street, making our way through this small village, a heavy feeling of despair came over me. Without realizing it, I felt the tendency to shrug my shoulders with a feeling of defeat.

  I looked back up at the guys and said, “I just hope she made it, I can’t stand the thought of living in Heaven for eternity without my little Sweetie.”

  I notice Nipper and Allayer are not successful trying to hide their childish grins. As we move along the narrow street, I’m thinking, that was a good sign, the grins I mean; maybe she did make it!

  15

  Bad Day for Pagans

  A s we pass by a two story building just to our left, I hear loud voices coming from inside. The building has two large doors that are wide open and you can easily see inside. To my surprise, I have a clear view of some sort of a statue in the center of the room. There are prayer rugs placed all around the statue, and several people are kneeling, praying and worshiping the statue. In the back of this weird house of worship, there is one old man surrounded by a group of younger men having a heated discussion.

  Allayer taps me on the shoulder and points to a table and chairs sitting around what looked like an old timey water well. The well reminded me of what you would see in a movie about the Bible in ancient times. This well had an old pulley system with a rope and bucket. The well and the sitting area had an awning covering it. I’m thinking this is actually very nice. As we sit down a gorgeous young lady walks up to us coming from a basket weaving shop just across the street. She has three silver chalice drinking cups with her and as she sets the cups on the table, with a foreign language she tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. ”

  She then turns and drops the bucket over the edge and with the weight of the bucket, the rope quickly uncoils and we hear the bucket as it hits the water. I stand to help her draw the water back up when Nipper grabs my hand, shaking his head no, he whispers, “It’s their custom to serve you, we shouldn’t interfere.”

  I sit back down thinking, “If that had been my dad and I didn’t try to help a female, he would have popped me behind the head and said, ‘Boy, you better get off your butt and help that lady’.”

  Nipper giggles as he hears my thoughts, “Well Chado, we aren’t in Kansas anymore.”

  We all three laugh a bit and suddenly hush as the young lady approaches. She walks over with a ladle made out of what looks like an old timey gourd; she then fills each of our glasses to the point of almost running over. When she finishes, she places the gourd back in the bucket, sets it on the edge of the well and turns back to us, giving us an elegant bow saying, “May God bless you and keep you, and that you will always thirst for the Word of God.”

  We all give her a nod and thank her for her kindness. She smiles, turns away and heads back to her basket weaving shop. I can’t help myself, in a daze watching her walk back across the street, I’m thinking what an awesome lady, Earth could use more people like her. Suddenly Allayer lightly kicks me on the leg.

  I look over at him and ask, “ What the heck Allayer?” He’s motioning with his eyes to look over at what’s going on in the pagan worship center.

  With a clear view of the heated disagreement still going on with the old man right in the middle, Allayer tells me, “Watch and remember”, and then holds his finger in front of his lips letting me know to be quiet and listen.

  I whisper, “Who is that old man?”

  Nipper leans over, takes a drink of water and tells me, “That’s Elijah. ”

  “What? You’re telling me that old man, is the Elijah from the Bible? The Elijah that God took up in a whirlwind and he never saw death, that Elijah?”

  “Chado, why are you so surprised every time we see someone you’ve read or heard about?”

  “I know, I know. It’s just so cool getting to see these people. I’ve been taught about these Bible characters all of my life. I remember sitting in our little Sunday school classes as a kid. Not to mention on through my adult life and now boom! I’m seeing it all first hand. You guys need to give me a little room for excitement.”

  Allayer whispers, “It’s a joy for us to witness and be a part of this assignment, but you need to pay attention to what’s going on across the street.”

  I turn to where I can see what is unfolding inside the mosque. The younger men are slinging their hands in the air and some are pointing their fingers in the face of Elijah. I can make out some of what they are saying and they are defending their statue and claiming it to be a god. One dressed like some noble priest starts blaspheming the Holy Spirit while lighting incense around the statue. Another one of their priests comes from the back and the rest hush, like he was something special. He stands in front of a podium a few feet behind the statue and tells Elijah to leave and never return. He says they will see to it that all who live in or enter this village will either bow to Hurrian, the god of wisdom, or die by the sword.

  I’m thinking this is unbelievable, if they only knew what was really going on here. Good lord, what are they doing?

  Allayer bumps my leg again and points down the street. As I look I can see three people walking toward our location leading several horses. The one guy in the middle looks like a young kid no more than twelve to fifteen years old. The other two guys look like linemen for a pro football team. They all three are dressed in sackcloth and sandals. The two big guys are wearing leather belts strapped across their breast with each having huge swords attached to the belts. I’m thinking, it’s about to be a showdown.

  I look back and I hear Elijah, “Hear me worshipers of Hurrian, you have turned your face from the prophets and the Word of God. As the Lord
of Host has cried out in the wilderness, you closed your ears. He shouted from the mountains, you turned away. He opened the Heavens and your hearts became like stone. Thus says the Lord, He knows your heart. I tell you this now, you will see the truth, and you will meet the darkness where the worm never dies.”

  Elijah turns and slowly walks toward the door with several men running up to him, spitting and cursing. Elijah, with a stern look on his face manages to walk past and through the angry mob. He then turns and walks toward the three men coming up the street without speaking or even looking at them as they pass. He continues on while lifting his hands to the Lord, praying and singing as he walks.

  I was hoping he would have come over and hung out for a while. Allayer tells me, “This isn’t a good time for a visit if you get my drift.”

  “I totally understand. So who are the three guys with the horses coming up the street?”

  “You want to tell him Nipper?”

  “Sure. They are all Angels; the two big guys are Warrior Angels and the little guy, well, he’s kind of special.”

  “What do you mean special?”

  “He has a power of persuasion. He can pretty much have a person stand on their head if he wanted them to.”

  “So, why does he have the two Warriors with him?”

  “Sometimes Lucifer allows some of his followers to be numb to his ability, so God sends backup, just to keep all this on the quiet side. ”

  “So Lucifer has power here?”

  “Not really, he’s very limited here. His power hangs onto the free will of some of these souls.”

  “Okay, I’m confused now.”

  “Just watch and learn.”

  The three Angels stop right in front of us; they dropped the reins to the horses without having to tie them up. Apparently these horses are trained and have done this before. Allayer, Nipper, and I have to stand because our view is blocked by the horses. We take a couple steps closer as the three Angels enter.

  Immediately, the spiritual leader of the group starts raising his voice. “You aren’t welcome here infidels, you are filthy and have no right to set foot in our holy temple. The very sight of the dirty rags you wear is an abomination. You must kneel in the street before our god of wisdom, Hurrian. Then you must bathe and wear pure white cotton robes and bring a sacrifice of blood before our god. Leave now, or we will have your heads.”

  The others join in, shaking their fists and start moving toward the three Angels now standing just inside the doorway. The small Angel pulls out a handful of dirt from a leather pouch tied to his side. He walks through the angry mob and tosses the dirt up into the air over the statue. The mob becomes furious, with the leader shouting, “How dare you defile Hurrian. Kill them, Kill them all!”

  Suddenly I hear a loud booming voice from the little Angel, “SILENCE!”

  I look over at Allayer and Nipper, “Wow, did you hear that?”

  Allayer bumps me in the ribs with his elbow, “Be quiet.”

  You could have heard a pin drop, they were all speechless. A few seconds passed, then suddenly I notice the dirt that the Angel threw on the statue seem to be eating away at their golden idol. Within just a couple minutes it is completely gone. After the idol is destroyed the small Angel tells them, “You will all go out and mount the horses, you are going on a journey.”

  Each one comes through the door, without any expression on their faces, gets on the horses and waits. The two Warrior Angels grab onto the reins of the front four horses and start back down the street from where they came. The leader of this pagan religious group has to ride on the last horse, this being another touch of humiliation.

  The small Angel walks by us and smiles as he nods his head in a friendly gesture. We all nod back and smile as he turns and follows after the group.

  I look over at Allayer and Nipper with my eyes blared wide open in amazement to what just took place. “Guys that was unbelievable, can I ask where are they taking them?”

  Nipper points to a mountain range that looks to be several miles away from the village. He looks over at me as we walk back to our table and tells me “You’ll see. Finish your water, we’re going to follow.”

  As we make our way down the cobblestone street leading us out of the village, the three Angels and the group of condemned men are only a few yards ahead. We pass several people from the village on our way out of town and they all seem to be smiling or making friendly gestures as we walk by. I ask Allayer if they have any idea on what’s taking place.

  “Chado, do you remember what we told you about the spirit of persuasion?”

  “Yes, so I take it they don’t know?”

  “That’s right, and they won’t even miss these characters.”

  “What would have happened if Elijah hadn’t confronted them?”

  “Well if God would have allowed this to go on, they would continue to force their false religion on everyone in the village. They would have grown stronger over a short period of time, eventually spreading completely over Tabula Rasa. Sort of like a plague that would destroy millions. This would start religious wars and eventually turn Tabula into another Earth.”

  “Wow, just like on Earth.”

  “Now you’ve got it. With all the man-made religions on Earth, it only took a few thousand years for the complete fall of man.”

  “What do you mean the complete fall of man? Is it over for Earth?”

  “Nipper and I both feel, well I guess you could say all of the Angels can tell, it’s just a matter of time before God takes everyone that loves Him in the great rapture.”

  Nipper explains more, “Lucifer didn’t just start his job today, he has been at it for thousands of years and he is good at stealing the minds and hearts of men. He has used religion as one of his best traps. Oh yeah, he’s a sly dog. He has fooled man with a spirit of deception. Can you imagine how stupid it would be to worship a statue or some gold idol? That’s hilarious, and people have fallen for that deceiving spirit for centuries. If you fast forward to your time on Earth the idols changed from being a statue to money, fancy cars, bigger homes, sports, movie stars, oh yeah rock stars; anything that people loved more than God.

  So to answer your question, God has sent some of His key people here to Tabula Rasa. They teach and give the ones without knowledge a chance to know Him, and when they refuse to acknowledge Him as God and turn to idols, His wrath is certain. Chado, do you get the picture?”

  “Yeah, thanks Nipper.”

  As we continue following the three Angels and their captives, I see the priest on the last horse turn and look back at us. He has an empty, lost look on his face; his eyes seem to have sort of a glaze covering over them. He reminded me of an old black man I had the opportunity to meet years ago. The old man’s speech slurred to the point where I couldn’t understand him. A great grandson of the old man kindly told me his grandfather was one hundred and five years old. His eyes were sky blue and had the same haze covering both eyes. This was the oldest man I had ever come in contact with back on Earth.

  The priest calmly turned back around and slumped in the saddle as we near the base of the mountains. We turn off the cobblestone road onto a narrow trail that twisted around and up, paralleling a river that was flowing between two huge mountains.

  I could now smell the evergreen trees growing along the trail and feel the cool mist coming off the river as it rushes across the boulders and the small waterfalls that were numerous up the river. I look over at Nipper and tell him, “Doesn’t this kind of remind you of Montana; what do think?”

  He reaches over and breaks off a small twig from one of the aspen trees and says, “You know partner, heck, I believe you’re right, it does feel a little like Montana.”

  I laugh at his new western accent, “So Nipper you’ve been to Montana?”

  Allayer laughs, “We’ve been around since 1116 BC, don’t you think we’ve had enough time to make that trip?”

  “You guys are too funny, and to be so old and still
have a sense of humor.” We all three continue to laugh as we come to a sudden stop.

  I walk over and stand as close to the river as I could, in an attempt to see around the bend to find out why we’ve stopped. I start to walk ahead and Allayer tells me to hold up. Within a few more seconds we start moving again.

  “Hey guys I wonder what’s going on up ahead?”

  Nipper says, “We are probably at the hidden cave. ”

  “The hidden cave?”

  “Chado, why do you feel the need to repeat everything that has any kind of excitement attached to it?”

  “Well, I don’t know… because it’s exciting?” I start giggling and look over at Nipper and he’s smiling from ear to ear shaking his head.

  “Hey guys, I see what’s going on. The two big Angels are removing heavy brush away from a narrow passage. Is this some kind of secret passage or do the town folk know about it?”

  Nipper animatedly replies, “Absolutely not, this is definitely off limits to everyone.”

  “Well, just a little brush covering the entrance wouldn’t keep me out, especially when I was a kid. Adventure was my name and meddling was my game.”

  The little Angel ahead of us starts laughing and turns around, holds his finger over his lips with the universal sign to be quiet. Nipper tells me, “Now you’ve done it.”

  “What? Am I in trouble for joking around?”

  Allayer whispers, “No you’re not in trouble; it’s just the little Angel has to keep his concentration to be able to control the minds of those wicked men. Remember, he has the power of persuasion and he’s locked in on the bad guys. We just need to tone it down a bit. As for your question about someone finding this opening, if they do, they won’t make it past the next obstacle.”

  “What next obstacle?” Nipper chuckles; “How did we know you were going to ask?”

  “Okay guys, I’ll wait and see for myself.”

  All the horses, without any effort from their riders, lined up single file and squeezed through the narrow opening. It reminded me of earlier when they all stood in the street back at the village without being tied. I was now certain that this was not the first time these horses have been through this passage with the condemned saddled on their backs.