Walking back, the clouds reappeared and it once again began to snow. Brother James was deep in thought about what to write and how to start such a story. There’s so much more I need to question, he thought as he climbed the stone stairs to his room. Once inside his room he felt very sleepy and laid down for a nap.
As soon as he fell asleep he felt himself leaving his physical body and drifting off without a sense of direction. Brother James would later describe his adventure in detail. What follows is an excerpt of his experience out of body.
“I knew immediately what was happening as God was going to give me a firsthand look at Heaven. My first feeling was one of lightness of weight and then a feeling of warmth surrounding me. There weren’t any colors to speak of just whiteness and a sense of purity in a timeless way. As I felt warmer and warmer both inside and out it appeared I’d reached a place of importance as figures resembling human form were waiting for me to arrive. This is very difficult to put into words but I’ll attempt to describe the picture I saw in front of me. First I felt like I was stationary and not floating around anymore. Colors appeared in front of me as I saw some figures looking at me dressed in ancient clothing not unlike the pictures of times of Jesus and his followers.”
“I learned later that the appearance presented to me was for my benefit so as to make me comfortable with the first meeting which included the son of God and three of his disciples. They all appeared as men in human form but the clarity and perfectness of their forms stood out as distinctly spirits without a care in the world.”
“What was at first hard to get used to was when we talked the lips didn’t move only a voice was heard. However, soon I was drawn to their eyes and forgot about seeing lips moving when talking. The son of God introduced him and then introduced the other three with him. The voice I heard was not special, but just a soothing tone that was pleasant to listen to. I was so taken in by the surroundings that I failed to hear his every word.”
“It looked like we were in the mountains of an unknown place beside a fast running creek. Tall trees ran up the mountain and green leaf trees followed the creek. All four of them sat on rocks that seemed to fit very well and I too saw I was sitting on a rock. The son of God was saying:
“This is a stopover point James. We wanted you to see part of what Heaven is all about. This stop over is just one of a few whereby the first interviews take place. I know it’s written in the Bible that I undertake all interviews when a spirit comes to Heaven, but in fact I do very little of that kind of thing. We have lots of folks who take care of the settling in kind of thing. What you see around you is but a sample of images that anyone can view at a moment’s time.”
“One of the first things a newcomer asks is what is there to do for eternity. Or how to I fill up the time that is no time here in Heaven? It’s pretty much left up to the individual. For example, if you were a nature lover then you could spend countless times observing or walking or flying over any and all various types of nature. Maybe this is a better way to put it. If you look at it from the standpoint of a day at a time, then each day is new and different so one would never get bored. To put it another way James, you could something different, see something different, and never run out of things to do or see forever.”
“Excuse me Lord, but does one sleep at any given time while residing here?”
“It’s not sleep as you would know it on earth. If for example you wanted to sit here by this lovely creek and close your eyes, so be it for as long as you like. In human form you dream every night and sometimes remember them and sometimes not. Here in Heaven we can dream in reality rather than fantasy.”
“Does boredom ever set in? What I mean is say that I’m a fisherman. Is there a point in time that I’ll get tired of fishing every day?
Jesus looked at his followers and they all smiled at each other. Then the Lord said: “Never is one bored here in Heaven. Those kinds of emotions are not felt here. The only emotions are joy and harmony. James let’s take a trip to another level and see what is to see for you.”
Once again Brother James felt a sense of calm encompassed by a white mist of sorts. When the mist cleared they were all standing, or at least he thought they were standing on a street corner of a city or town much like the one he had grown up in. In fact it indeed was the very town he grew up in. However, he didn’t see anyone he recognized. His eyes traveled to the feed store and that brought back some memories of the times he went there with his father and mother. Then slowly the sounds of the town came to his ears and suddenly he saw his parents come out of the feed store. He opened his mouth but no sound came out.
“I’m sorry James, but as you are still a living entity you can only observe not interact with anyone you see here,” said the Lord. “When it comes your time, then a reunion is certainly possible. Now what would you like to do or see?”
“I think I’ve seen enough for the time being,” James said. “I’d like to go back now and digest what has happened to me. After that I would like to continue my conversations with God.”
“Then we will make it so James. We all hope to see you soon as your time come to pass. Meanwhile be well and keep your thoughts happy as always.”
The trip back was in a blink of an eye. Brother James found himself lying on his bed. With only the thought of being back on earth, he drifted off into a deep sleep.
* * *
When Brother James awoke he was famished. A glance at the window showed darkness had come while he slept. An old clock on his dresser told him it was six pm and he felt lucky he awoke at dinner time. He quickly washed his face and hands then went down to the eating area.
Sitting at his usual place he felt eyes upon him and glanced up to see the abbot was looking at Brother James with not unkind eyes, but eyes of a curious nature. Brother James nodded at him and proceeded to eat his rice soup with vegetables. Fresh bread once again not only tasted good but smelled good too.
At first Brother James wondered why the abbot was looking at him and then promptly forgot it as hunger overtook his thoughts. After dinner it was time for evening prayers and as Brother James followed some of his fellow monks to the chapel, the abbot whispered in his ear telling him to see him after prayers in his office.
After evening prayers Brother James made his way to the Abbot’s office not the least concerned about the conversation to come. He knocked softly on the heavy wooden door and walked in. The abbot was just finishing off a pewter mug of red wine as was his custom after prayers. The abbot motioned him to a hard wooden chair that sat in front of his antique desk. Antique because of age and not of any value particularly. The abbot moved his oversized body to a well used office chair the creaked almost as loud as his stove up body did. After what seemed like ages he finally settled in and said, "Brother James word has filtered back to me today that you don’t seem to be your old self. Our librarian said you were looking out the window for a long time and we wondered if all was well.”
“I’m very well thank you abbot. I’ve never felt better in my life, but as we’ve known each other for three decades, if I told you what was on my mind and what I’ve experienced you would commit me to a loony bin. But I’m going to keep my research to myself for the time being; you will just have to be patient and not worry about me.”
“It appears I don’t have a choice Brother James. I’m aware of your research into the hereafter and if that has taken you places where more research and thought is needed, then so be it. I’ll pass the word that our Brother James is well and good and nobody needs to be concerned about him.”
With that having been said, the abbot forced his obese body out of his chair to denote the ending of the conversation. Brother James gave a head bow and hands in their proper place turned and left the office.
With purpose and without hesitation Brother James entered his room. The screen once again was flashing his name, but he chose to ignore it for the moment. He lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling trying to digest and organize his
recent experiences with the hereafter. Needless to say, what he had experienced was not an easy thing to put into form or into some coherent order.
While Brother James was going over what he saw with his parents at the feed store God spoke to him through the computer saying:
“James, I know you’ve been overwhelmed with lots to think about, but have no fear that in a short time you’ll be up to speed on what is necessary to convey to your future readers. Now if you’re up to the task we can continue our little chat.”
“Heavenly Father, I’m still trying to assimilate what I saw when Jesus took me on a tour. Maybe you’d be so kind as to enlighten me on what I saw in my town with my parents at the feed store?”
“I sure can James. What you saw was what you wanted to see if you could visit the past. I stress upon you that pleasant and feelings of well being are all encompassing in Heaven. Therefore James, seeing your family with smiles is what you best remember in the past. A word here is needed to make it evident as to what one can experience from the hereafter: satisfaction. Satisfaction is what’s lacking in the human form and for the life of me I can’t see where I went wrong. Humans don’t seem to be satisfied with anything they do or accumulate.”
“A classic example of this is when there is a family gathering when it’s time to eat. Few are satisfied with the volume they eat. Most eat beyond their needs. If there is more available, then they consume until they can’t eat anymore. It could be said that not only is satisfaction not observed, but gluttony and greed enters at the same time. Let me be clear here James, I didn’t set up the governments of the earth, man did that. It would appear then that satisfaction is never achieved by humans. It’s true I gave my children the ability to think and reason, but I also said that gluttony is not good, nor is greed or any items not of immediate use stored away just to say I have them.”
“Humans need not be perfect, but for the brief time they are in human form, some sense of being satisfied with what one has needs some attention. Take this monastery for example. All of you live a life of austerity and are frugal in all ways. However, you are not self sufficient and must rely upon donations to meet your daily needs. Charity is a good word and a good way to find a place in the hereafter. At least what is commonly known in the free world, charities are exempt from taxes? Humans could do a lot better but some things have prevented that from happening, greed for one and being unsatisfied is another.”
“James, sorry I got off on a tangent and let me address what you are thinking about. I’m sorry to say, at this stage of your life, we can’t send you to Heaven to communicate with your love ones. Now what can you ask me that you have been thinking about?”
“How will my parents see me when the time comes?”
“That’s a little hard to explain but let me try. Each member of your family has a picture in their minds of what you look like to them or to say it in other words, what they think you looked like when they were most happy about you regardless of age. When you observed your parents they appeared to you what you best remember they looked like.”
“Your next experience will take you to the highest level in Heaven. There you’ll be exposed to the ultimate in experience. The Buddhists akin this to enlightenment and the Hindus relate it to nirvana. Regardless of the word, this is bliss in its truest sense. Utopia comes to mind as word to describe this place in Heaven.”
“I was led to believe that utopia doesn’t exist. I’m not sure I’m ready for that kind of experience,” James said.
“While it’s true utopia doesn’t exist in your world simply because humans are looking for something beyond their reach; small minds if you will accept that for an example. Humans fail to see what is in front of their eyes as what is good and satisfying. Do you remember when my son had thousands of believers around him that were hungry? His disciples asked Jesus how they would feed them all with only a few loaves of bread and only a few fish. Well, you know the full story but what his disciples didn’t realize was how much they really had to share with the masses. When it was all said and done, everyone was satisfied and content.”
“James, do you know how much food is wasted everyday on earth? If I told you that human’s throw away enough food to feed all of so called hungry people of the world would you believe it?”
“Yes, Father, I would believe it. I don’t think it’s the fault of the hungry people, but the system they live under hinders their efforts. Am I on the right track Father?”
“Right on the button, my son. By human count there are around 6 billion people living on earth. By no means is that too many to feed if properly managed. However, without pointing fingers at any single country or nation, mismanagement prevails. Unfortunately the people suffer worldwide while a small portion sits at a table full of food.”
“James, I cried big tears when man invented the garbage disposal for kitchens and eating establishments. Only God knows how much good food is ground up and sent to the sewer system. Let’s take for example, the world’s best know city New York. It’s common knowledge that the garbage or waste is loaded aboard barges and taken out to sea where it is dumped to foul the waters that were given man to feed himself. Kind of ironic huh James knowing millions of tons of garbage is polluting my oceans.”
“James my son, I must leave now as something has come up that needs my attention. I’ll return when you least expect it. Go forth now and write what we have talked about.
* * * *
“God's Plan”
Brother James sat overlooking the same valley, at almost the same time of year, reflecting back on the time during a snowy day, while God was talking to him, parted the clouds revealing a picture of a winter wonderland. James remembered that day as if was just yesterday and not seventy years ago. God for some reason, still not entirely clear, had chosen James to put down in writing a description of Heaven. He had faithfully done his job and was world renown for the vivid portrayal of the Hereafter. Reluctantly he had accepted a Sainthood thrust upon him by a higher religious order.
Now at age one hundred and forty two St. James neither felt any older or younger from the time God first spoke to him through his laptop. He had accepted the job God offered him and did not have one single regret his decision to be God's messenger to a world of mixed feelings about life after death and the message He thought was clear and concise to his followers. In God's thinking man had not followed his commandments and therefore thought it was prudent to show mankind His mind set of today's religious beliefs.
For St. James it was not his place to judge whether or not the current example was too strong or too weak. He did, however look at it objectively and without judgment. God had decided to remove the hearing of mankind and see what developed. Like the rest of the human race, newborns arrived without ears and or the ability to hear. For those with ears and hearing a slow process happened over time whereby after a few years the hearing ceased and the ears withered away. It would be an understatement to say the world had drastically changed. To describe the results would be even more difficult, but that was St. James job to put into written words the results of God's behavior.
St. James, as far as he knew, he was the only one left on the planet that remembered hearing sounds created by nature and man. God's animals, other than man, continued with all their faculties. Man on the other hand, adapted quickly and now seventy years later life was pretty much the same except you could not hear any sounds. Sign language was the norm and one of the amazing results was the way people greeted others. A smile and a wave rather than a head down mumbled greeting.
St. James felt right with the world and even though the abbey had drastically changed over the years, it had changed for the better. God had asked him to teach others as Jesus had taught his disciples. It was a slow process but after all these years, James could see the results of a changing mindset that offered a new way of life for the believers. The advancement in technology aided his efforts. Rarely did one not see a hand held devise in a hand walking down
a street.
Sign language had replaced the more than 9000 different languages prior to God's intervention, not to mention more than 20,000 different dialects. It virtually eliminated miss-communication.
Another almost startling disaster was on the war fronts around the globe. For years conflicts struggled with the inability to communicate resulting in a war footing involving the superpowers. The inability to communicate was rapidly solved by sharing technology via video screens and additionally transparency at the highest levels. The end result was a stalemate across the board. Slowly the combatants withdrew and went home. Where once billions of dollars went to defensive means suddenly went for social programs that benefited all not just a few.
St. James was proud of that fact as he walked back to the abbey. It was almost dinnertime and afterwards evening prayers. He smiled inwardly remembering years ago a flood of worshipers flocked to their church of choice after it was revealed that in fact there was a Hereafter. All one had to do was follow the rules sat down by God and off you went. Now many years later mankind still found solace and comfort in God. His own abbey looked much different than before as people came in droves to see where St. James, God's messenger lived. A very large place to pray was constructed and a bus service ran up and down the mountain delivering new and old found religious people. All expenses came from the sales of his books.
One thing that had not changed was the dining room and the food was basically the same. That pleased James as he sat down to dinner smelling the fresh baked bread that worked hard to compete with sauerkraut and fresh vegetables. A vow of silence still was the order of the abbey. He gave thanks for the food and when he opened his eyes someone had left a note next to his plate.
James ate his dinner without reading the note. Then he put it in his pocket and went to evening prayers. Later back in his room James read the note. It was from a major news network asking for an interview. The only thing different about this request was at the bottom it said “Please.” James smiled and decided to give this interviewer a chance. He opened his computer and sent an e-mail. After that he went to work on his new book feeling very satisfied with things as they stood in his life and his work with God.
Heaven for Nonbelievers Page 2
