Scars of My Guardian Angel

by Russell L Martin

  Nipper and Allayer point to a building located on the opposite end of the village from the crossroad. At that point, I hate to ask if the portal is in the building, thinking the question would be really dumb. Nipper laughs, “No it’s not in the building, you’ll see.”

  We get within a few yards of this bamboo shack and I see several people walk out and start heading out of town. Nipper, leading the way, starts to follow this small group. Just over a couple small foot hills we come to another river, and low and behold, John the Baptist. He was at it again, waist deep in water with a long line of people, all waiting to be baptized. You could hear him from a long distance boldly preaching, “No man can come to the Father but through His Son Jesus Christ!”

  Splash, another submerged, and then another, with John never missing a breath continuing his preaching. It was truly a spectacular sight.

  We watch as the ones who had already been baptized and accepted Jesus as Lord start heading away from the crowd further down the river bank. With Nipper still in the lead, we all follow the new believers. As we make our way through a few weeping willow trees growing along the river bank, I am reminded of home. The branches hanging low over this crystal clear river makes me think of the swimming holes of my youth.

  I hear Nipper, “There it is!” I look up and see a stone doorway just a couple hundred feet away with trees lining the path on each side, their branches all hanging over the road creating a tunnel. It is simply beautiful. The stones in the doorway look like they are from an ancient castle, each stacked unevenly but giving the appearance of being perfect .

  There are dogwood trees blooming on each side of the door with roses of many different colors twined around the base of each tree. Just to the right of the portal, I see an old man seated on a huge wooden chair. He has a large scroll set on a rock stand in front of him. As each person steps over the threshold to the portal, he writes on his scroll.

  Before I can even ask, Allayer hears my thought, “No that’s not the Lamb’s Book of Life. He’s just documenting each person leaving Tabula Rasa.”

  “Who is the old man?”

  “We don’t know for sure, some of the Angels say it’s Methuselah. He doesn’t talk to anybody and he’s usually too busy doing what you see. So we never bother him; as a matter of fact we’ve only seen this place one other time.”

  “So how many portals to Heaven are there on Tabula?”

  “We think there are several hundred scattered all over the planet. We know every village and town has at least one around their location.”

  “So is there someone like Methuselah at each portal documenting everyone that goes through?”

  “Yep, all are volunteers, and they won’t complete their mission until the last soul passes over. That won’t happen until there are no more coming from Earth.”

  “Right, if they run out of souls here that means Earth is toast.”

  “Yep, pretty much. That’s when we’ll see God fulfill scripture with the two thousand year reign of peace, a new Heaven and a new Earth. It’s going to be awesome.”

  “So, what now guys?”

  Nipper and Allayer look at each other then back at me, “Let’s get in line, it’s time to get you to Heaven.”

  “For real, y’all aren’t pulling my leg again, are you? ”

  “Nope, let’s get in line.”

  All three of us edge closer to the back of a very long line. The glow we talked about earlier was evident in the face of each person there. I’m sure my face was now shining as bright as anyone’s. The thrill and happiness is starting to overcome me as I try to keep my composure. I hear the chattering of several different languages as I stand in line with people from all over the world.

  My thoughts of Heaven are overwhelming! Will I get to meet my great-great-grandfather? I wonder if some of my kin, maybe my daughter, will meet me at the gate of Heaven. Probably not, I’m sure Jesus will be at the gate. What if no one meets me there and I have to wander around Heaven to find everyone? Well I guess that wouldn’t be a bad problem to have. Wait a second… God is in control and I know He has this. I’m letting my mind get way too far out there.

  We slowly move closer to the portal, ole Methuselah is continuing to jot everyone’s name down as the line shortens. It looks like we are only a couple hundred people back from the entrance.

  As I’m looking around at all these people, I start wondering about my dad again. I’m still not sure if he made it. Oh yeah, I remember in the conversation with Lucifer, he said he got my grandfather and almost got my dad and he would have if hadn’t been for my mom praying and fasting for my dad. So he’s definitely up there. Okay, that’s a relief. But Summer? My sweet daughter, did she make it? Well duh, I remember Allayer and Nipper grinning when we were talking about my daughter. So I think that means she made it also.

  Pondering over these thoughts, faces of old friends I lost years ago pass through my memories. I wonder if… Suddenly, my deep thoughts are interrupted as Allayer turns and looks at me and with a stern voice.

  “Chado Cole, you stop that right now! You’re going to have a heart attack and die again if you keep worrying about who did or didn’t make it to Heaven.” We look at each other and burst out laughing.

  “Heart attack, Allayer you are crazy.”

  After our comic relief, our laughter dies away and we find ourselves standing right in front of old man Methuselah. When he died on Earth he was only 969 years old, the oldest man in history.

  As the two people in front of us stepped through the portal, Methuselah never changing expression, looked up at me and with a deep, crusty sounding voice he says, “They told me you were coming.”

  I was speechless. While I was trying to think of something wise to say back, he looks down writes our names on the tablet, and then motions with his left hand to move through. All I could manage to squeak out was, “Thank you, sir.”

  18

  Next Stop, Heaven!

  I look at Allayer then back at Nipper; both I think are as excited as I am. We all three step through together with our arms locked at the elbows. I get the same sensation as before with my whole body being submerged in warm wax.

  As we move forward past the portal, I feel a pull that I imagine to be like that of a giant vacuum. I see ahead of us what looks like a glittering dust trail. It must be from the two people that had just gone through ahead of us. The surrounding stars and their shapes seem to be changing as our speed increases. Instead of appearing round and clear, they are becoming elongated and distorted. I’m wondering: Could this be light speed or something even beyond? All I know, we were now traveling so fast the stars look like long strands of light all intersecting into a mass of distorted rays. I feel a small vibration coming from Allayer and Nippers arms as I look back at Tabula Rasa. Everything behind us has the appearance of a distant galaxy, just as you would see standing on Earth staring into space. I notice we have a glittering dust trail behind us also.

  I look over at Allayer as he points in the direction we’re headed. I can tell we are now starting to slow down, but can’t quite make out what he’s pointing at .

  Nipper and Allayer are smiling and excited. They remind me of a couple kids who are approaching Disney World for the first time. They both laugh at me with Nipper saying, “You think we look excited, you should see your face, I wish I had a mirror.”

  As a few more seconds pass, the stars are now slowly coming back into focus.

  I ask Allayer what he’s pointing at, and before he can answer; I see a large cluster of stars with one in the center that looked a hundred times larger than our sun back on Earth. The planets surrounding this star look a lot like our solar system. The only difference between our solar system and this one is we had nine planets orbiting the sun and I count thirteen here.

  I’m wondering if there’s significance to the number of planets surrounding this star. Nipper hearing my thoughts, “Yes, the number twelve is important; there were twelve tribes of Israel and twelve dis
ciples. Now, what do you think?”

  “Well, are the planets named after the tribes or the disciples?”

  “Neither, the twelve tribes of Israel were named after the planets. God designed these planets way before there was an Israel.”

  “Okay, I understand, so if there are thirteen planets, does this mean one of them could be Heaven?”

  “Yes sir, number thirteen is your lucky number.” We all burst out laughing again, knowing there is no such thing as luck. We continue to decrease our speed as we enter into this beautiful solar system of Heaven.

  The huge star in the center is casting an almost blinding light, and then darkening as we pass through the shadows of the outer planets. This scene reminds me of the solar eclipses we experienced on Earth.

  I try to make out which planet could be Heaven, but they all are beautiful, each having their own unique colors. As we get closer, I notice each one has a close resemblance to Earth, with the unmistakable light blue color of water covering a large percentage of their surfaces. I’m so excited I could burst!

  Nipper points at a small speck that seemed to be floating across space. It was quite easy to see due to having the background of the blue planet ahead of us. I notice the speck was moving in the same direction as we were. Before I could ask, “That’s the people that went through the portal before us.”

  “Guys, you know I always wanted to be a jet fighter pilot when I was a kid, heck, I even dreamed of going supersonic speeds as a grownup. This is so far beyond an F-18! We just traveled across the galaxies at or beyond light speed, and now we’re cruising through these planets probably faster than any jet on Earth. This is the best time I’ve ever had.”

  Allayer and Nipper unlock our elbows and completely let go. I quickly reach back to grab onto Allayer and Nipper’s arms, but they pulled away just out of my reach. Fear came over me as I realized I couldn’t reach either of the two. I look back in the direction we’re headed and; oh my goodness, I’m flying through space. Hey, I’m flying guys! I’m really flying!

  Nipper darts around me like he’s Peter Pan’s cousin, laughing the whole time. “Chado you can do it, just relax and feel it.”

  For the next several hundred miles, I flop through space like a wounded goose trying to get the hang of this new talent God has blessed me with. My biggest problem is I can’t seem to distinguish between what’s up or down. “Hey Chado, there is no up or down, you’re in space for God’s sake.”

  “Duh, thanks for the info Nipper.”

  After a little help from Allayer and Nipper, I’m now gliding along like they were, grinning from ear to ear like a kid at Christmas.

  We’ve passed several planets, all looking like they would sustain life .

  “Tell me guys, are there people living on any of these planets?”

  “No, but you can visit them if you ever want to do a little exploring. God has all sorts of animals living on these planets. There are species you’ve never heard of, all scattered throughout the planets in this system.”

  “That is so amazing. Are they friendly? I mean is it safe to go walk around?”

  “Sure it safe, all of God’s creatures are friendly. You do remember the saying; the lion will lay down with the lamb?”

  “Okay, okay, I remember, just asking.”

  The people that were ahead of us seem to be changing direction and circling around the back side of what looked like the largest planet in the system. We continue following their lead and I notice we’re starting to close the gap between us and them. They are no doubt slowing down.

  Could this huge planet be Heaven? I see Allayer shaking his head no. “Well dang, I thought it would surely be Heaven.”

  * * *

  I can now see a light coming from something located on the backside of this behemoth of a planet. I look back at the guys and they are both smiling. This must be it; it’s got to be Heaven. We travel a few hundred miles and I start to see more and more. With only a small piece of this planet exposed, the rotation of this system circling the sun allows my view of Heaven to be slowly unveiled.

  At the same time we all come to a complete stop, as if we have arrived at an imaginary overlook. Now suspended somewhere out in the darkness of space, the grandeur of Heaven has almost come into full view. With the deafening silence and the overwhelming beauty I start to cry tears of joy. I search for words; there aren’t any to be found. Suddenly a poem came in my heart. With Allayer and Nipper smiling, as they hear my thoughts, “Okay Chado, we want to hear it.”

  “Oh Lord my God,

  We witness your awesome wonder,

  We see the universe, Thy hands have made.

  The stars and planets you have set in place,

  I stand unworthy of your grace.

  My God My God you’ve shown your love,

  Let us always seek your face.”

  After I finish the humble little poem to the Lord, the unveiling of Heaven is now complete. This beautiful planet that I can now call home is in full view. To explain what I’m seeing is almost impossible to put into words. Without saying anything, Allayer and Nipper place their hands on my shoulders telling me, “Hey bud, we have been here thousands of times and upon each arrival, it still seems like the very first.”

  We slowly start making our way across the atmosphere of Heaven. As we get closer, I see something very strange about the planet. It looks like this peculiar world is sitting on a sheet of glass that is several hundred miles thick and extends outward past the equator. There’s a white ring that seems to be several miles wide circling the whole planet around the edge of the glass.

  “Can y’all fill me in on what’s with the sheet of glass and the white ring underneath the planet?”

  Allayer chuckles, “That’s not glass, that’s water, and the white ring is white sand.”

  “So God has a super cool beach underneath Heaven?”

  “Yep, He sure does. Get this, you can wind surf on the sea side or walk to the edge of space on the other. He has tunnels that go underneath and through the sea bed. You can see face to face all kinds of sea creatures that live in the deep. There is no vacation place in all of God’s creation that will compare to what you’re going to see in Heaven.”

  As I continue to admire this beautiful planet of Heaven, I try to compare from memory the difference between Heaven and Earth. The best I could come up with is Heaven has to be at least three times the size of Earth. I remember wondering if Heaven will be large enough to house all the people that have died over the last few thousand years and the ones yet to come. After seeing the size of Heaven, there is no doubt there is plenty of room.

  We are now just a mile or two behind the people from Tabula Rasa. I feel the dampness from the grey and white clouds as we pass through the upper troposphere. We were now only seven or eight miles to the surface of Heaven.

  The people we were following suddenly vanished as they went through what had to be another portal and we changed directions heading away from their entry point.

  “Hey guys, we’re not following them through the portal?”

  “Nope, we have to bring you in through another entry point. God wants you to see everyone coming in from a distance, or I should say where you can get the big picture; because only the Angels are allowed to use this route.”

  As we get closer to the ground I can make out a narrow road leading through rolling hills. Clover everywhere, the hills are covered in crimson clover. The narrow road looks like it’s made from the same cobblestones as back on Tabula Rasa.

  Before I could ask, “No it’s not made of gold; it’s just a rock road, get over it. The streets of gold are inside the city of Heaven. Just wait, have a little patience, you’ll see. ”

  We fly along the rock road a few more miles and finally hit the ground; I mean literally hit the ground. Allayer and Nipper lit down like a couple giant eagles, and I crashed and tumbled for a hundred feet. As I finally stop tumbling I reach up, a bit embarrassed, digging a wad of grass and dirt o
ut of my mouth. Yes, laugh it up guys, you could have warned me and given me a few helpful tips on landing.

  I take a sip of Tabula Rasa wine, swishing the dirt out of my mouth as we continue up the road.

  Nipper had to stop every few feet, still laughing at my landing. “That was so awesome, I can’t believe you didn’t let off and lean back…,” he had to wipe tears from his eyes before he continued; “I hope I’m around for your next landing.”

  Allayer tells Nipper, “Give him a break; I seem to remember the first time you tried to land, you hit the ground pretty hard yourself.”

  Nipper, a bit embarrassed instantly stops laughing. Allayer and I burst out and have to bend over in the middle of the cobblestone road with tears of laughter running down our faces. Then suddenly the laughter ceases when Allayer says, “Chado we are going to miss you, you’ve been the most fun we’ve had in a long time.”

  I look up, “You guys aren’t going inside the city with me?”

  “No, our journey with you is almost over. We have to get back to our regular job, sorry bud.”

  “Dang. I understand. Well, who’s going to guide me the rest of the way?”

  “Not sure, it could be anyone. If I had to guess, it would probably be your Guardian Angel.”

  We continue walking another mile or so admiring the beautiful landscape when Allayer stops, “Listen for a second…”

  I hear a deep rumbling coming from over the next hill. It sounds a lot like my horses back home when I would call them in for their evening feed .

  But the sound of my three horses running full out didn’t compare to the sound coming from over the hill. I look over at Nipper and his smile tells me this is going to be a sight to see.

  As the sound gets closer and closer, my heart races… I’m overwhelmed with anticipation, thinking, this has to be the mighty horses of Heaven with a great stallion leading the herd.

  Our eyes fixed at the crest of the hill, I can now see the tops of their heads bobbing up and down as they gallop toward us, but something was different. It wasn’t the mighty horses of Heaven at all. It was miniature donkeys, “What the heck guys?”