The Other Side of Heaven

by Stan Mason

  ‘Very well,’ I went on. ‘Is there a God or a Supreme Power governing the universe and, if so, why haven’t I seen him?’

  His eyes focussed on my face before he answered the question. ‘There is indeed a Supreme Power you would know as God,’ he replied. ‘As you can imagine, he’s extremely busy having to control the whole universe but, if you fit into Heaven, as we hope you will, you’ll be able to meet him in due course.’

  I paused to reflect the essence of his reply. So there was a Supreme Power after all but he didn’t meet lower-ranking spirits until they were presumed fit enough to be in Heaven. The statement surprised me because there was no reason why he couldn’t greet all spirits as they arrived in Heaven. But then some of them, like myself, might not fit in or be reincarnated in due course. If that happened there would have been no point in them meeting the Supreme Power. I presumed that there was logic in the system in such cases. And then another thought crossed my mind. This angel had been especially appointed for the purpose of answering my questions. What if he was using political gobbledegook in order to appease me? Politicians were famous for never answering questions, wandering all over the place with replies that had hidden secrets behind them. For example, the Supreme Power may have been very busy controlling the universe but what of the comment that followed? ‘But if you fit inot Heaven, as we hope you will, you’ll be able to meet him in due course.’ Did that have any significance? I was far too astute to be fobbed off by the strange remark. There was something behind it that I recognised as sinister. What did the angel mean by it? Was I not yet in Heaven? If so, why say the words: ‘but, if you fit into Heaven, as I hope you will... ’? I would have loved to have argued the point with him there and then but I decided to keep it for later when i could gather my thoughts and present the question with greater impact.

  ‘Have I been reincarnated before?’ I enquired gently, expecting that my life on Earth was the first one.

  He surprised me by giving me a full answer. ‘You’ve been reincarnated no less than five times. Six if you count the last one. Three times as a man; twice as a woman. Your roles in life differed substantially on each occasion. In the first instance, you were a handmaiden to Queen Nefertiti, the queen of Egypt. You gave birth to two sons. The second time, you were a coolie in Southern China working in the rice fields. Then you became a Roman Soldier of the fifteenth legion stationed in Southern Germany fighting the Goths. You were then returned as a French tinker making his living by wandering from village to village along the roads of Northern France. After that, you were burned at the stake at a young age in the reign of Oliver Cromwell when you were tried and sentenced as a witch. Lastly, of course, you were a teacher at a school in England.’

  The revelation left me gasping at my mind tried to grapple with my past. Reincarnated five times. Three times as a man; twice as a woman. I had given birth to two sons on the first occasion. I was flabbergasted to hear the past history of my days on Earth. Reincarnated six times! I didn’t know whether that was normal for some people or a record. And then I had a strange reaction feeling that I had been used... recycled like old bottles or plastics or paper. Why had I been reincarnated so many times. I didn’t recall having been to Heaven before but then I presumed my memory of events were erased each time I passed away.

  The Angel of Innocence sat quite still waiting for me to pose the next question. I considered it to be the moment to challenge him on what he had told me earlier.

  ‘You mentioned that I might not fit into Heaven,’ I began seriously. ‘What did you mean by that? Am I not in Heaven now?’

  I recalled a television programme entitled Star Trek Voyager in which members of the crew spent some of their spare time in a place known as the Holo-deck of the space vessel. There they could create scenes by means of a computer programme which they played out to their pleasure. None of it was real although the simulation appeared to be authentic while the computer programme was in operation. Perhaps my vision of Heaven was similar to that of the Holo-deck on board the space ship, ostensibly real but not really so. This was reinforced by the comment made by the Angel of Innocence when he mentioned that I might not be fit for Heaven. It caused me to think that despite being in the spirit world perhaps I was not yet there.

  ‘You are in the spirit world after you passed away,’ he replied with political correctness. ‘Heaven is before you. Surely you must know that.’

  I failed to understand what he really meant but even before he had finished his brief reply I was ready with the next important question. ‘I’d like to ask about Jesus Christ, the founder of the Christian religion. Was he really the son of God?’ I continued with vigour. At the back of my mind I recalled a joke I used to tell about a man asking God if he had ever came to Earth. ‘Yes,’ replied God candidly. ‘I went down to Earth just over two thousand years ago and nade love to a young Jewish woman. They’re still talking about it!’

  The angel shrugged his shoulders amiably. ‘Jesus Christ was just an ordinary human-being rebelling against the opinions and declarations of the Jewish priests as well as the yoke of the harsh rule of the Romans. When he left the Earth, he became a common spirit in Heaven... nothing more,’ came the reply. ‘I know that people on Earth worshipped him but all he did was to instil the idea of Christianity into their minds. His work on Earth was effective in that those who followed his faith began to pray to the single Supreme Power but he was still accepted as an ordinary Seraph only into Heaven and, contrary to the belief of many people, he does not sit at the right hand of the throne of the Almighty.’

  ‘Why not?’ I demanded in the hope of finding out more information. However I was to be bitterly disappointed due to the reticence of the angel.

  ‘I think I’ve answered that question quite adequately,’ he replied point-blank. I knew that he was a master in telepathic transference of thought and I was constantly aware that he knew exactly what I was thinking. ‘Suffice it to say,’ he went on unabated, ‘that he entered Heaven as a low-ranking Seraph.

  ‘That’s a pretty poor show,’ I accused directly. ‘He led millions of people into a new religion which focussed on a single God yet he ends up as a low-ranking Seraph. He ought to have been honoured, credited with the fact that he directed millions of people towards praying to a Supreme Power. Isn’t that what’s wanted in Heaven?’

  ‘It’s not for me to comment on that,’ he returned sharply. ‘You’ll have to accept my answer as fact.’

  In the past, I firmly rejected the belief that people on Earth glorified Jesus Christ as the son of God. However, I recognised that their worship of him was more symbolic than real and now I had been told the truth.

  ‘Tell me,’ I pressed on relentlessly. ‘Why do you allow people on Earth to follow so many religions? The Hindus pray to numerous Gods, asd did the Greeks and Romans in past history. Those who follow Islam and Judaism believe in just one. Buddhists don’t believe in God at all. In the Christian faith there are Anglicans, Catholics, Baptists, Protestants, Seventh Day Adventists, and many other splinter groups, all in the name of Christianity. Beyond that there are numerous minor religions of all kinds. In general, the end result is that each group is suspicious, and sometimes condemns, the others. Occasionally, conflicts erupt overflowing into war which happens between the followers of Islam and Judaism as well as Catholics and Protestants. Why isn’t there simply one single religion which covers the Earth in its entirety creating peace and harmony? It would resolved a host of problems.’

  ‘Human beings on Earth are allowed to choose their own paths in life. You would call it democratic. The difference in race and different locations means that their thoughts, ideas and teachings, indeed even their language, is different. In the effluxion of time, human beings decided by common progress on their methods of religious beliefs, each of which tend to be contrary to each other. You might consider it as natural development. Resultantly, they follow differen
t faiths. and continue to prosper by the emergence of splinter groups of existing religions.’

  ‘Very uncoordinated... very unsatisfactory,’ I retorted sharply shaking my head vigorously.

  I rued the fact that no single angel was in charge of religious activities on Earth which I considered to be paramount in Heaven. However, I still knew so little about the place.

  ‘Explain to me the workings of Heaven,’ I advanced which was really like the situation of a Martian landing on Earth and asking for details of the planet. In such a case, the answers would include geographical locations, weather, religion, culture, industry, finance, nations, politics, and a whole host of other matters. I realised that I was asking an impossible question but the Angel of Innocence did not seem to be put out by it.

  ‘Heaven is a wonderful place,’ he related thoughtfully. ‘It is beautiful and peaceful, silent and monumental. It caters for the spirits of those who have passed away and is sectionalised because different species arrive from different galaxies. Every attempt is made to establish harmony.’

  ‘What of the high black wall at the end of it?’ I enquired hoping to trick him into a reply.

  ‘There is no end to Heaven in the same way that the universe is infinite,’ he replied.

  ‘That can’t be true,’ I snapped believing that he had made an error and had lied to me. ‘I came to the high black wall and couldn’t rise above it,’ I told him. ‘I tried several times but on each occasion I was repressed.’ ‘The reason is that you were not permitted to see what went on beyond it.’ He was quite definite with his answer.

  ‘Why not?’ I demanded getting the bit between my teeth.

  ‘Because you’re not allowed to,’ he responded with an element of reluctance in his voice. ‘There are some things a Seraph does not need to know. I cannot tell you more.’

  ‘But I thought you were here to answer all my questions,’ I persisted.

  ‘I cannot tell you more,’ he repeated slowly and I could see by his face that he was determined not to give me a satisfactory reply.

  ‘Very well,’ I went on equally resolutely. ‘I would have thought that peace on Earth and goodwill amongst all men would be a priority to a Supreme Power... the Almighty. Yet he allows no less than four wars at a time to continue in operation. In addition, a massive number of people suffer from disease. There’s famine, drought, and many other factors... no less serious accidents, lots of pain and suffering. Why does he do it when it’s in his own interest for people to live in peace, harmony and grace?’

  He smiled momentarily and stared directly into my eyes. ‘You may not realise it but you’ve asked four questions at the same time,’ he retorted sagely. ‘Nonetheless, I’ll answer them in turn. Firstly, wars are of man’s own making. No one is able to curb man’s hatred, anger and ambition all of which incites conflict. The urge for war depends on the individual, his cause, and the way in which he thinks for himself. There is no jurisdiction to prevent that from happening. Secondly, disease is one of nature’s way of killing human-beings, fauna and flora. If it wasn’t in evidence then nothing would die. There has to be an alpha and omega for everyone and everything otherwise Heaven would be empty of spirits while the planets would overflow with beings. Thirdly, famine and drought are mainly attributable to Earth as a result of its natural causes and reactions. Such events do not happen generally on the planets in other galaxies. They all have their natural problems but not necessarily famine and drought. It is the planet of your sun which causes such dramatic effects on Earth. Fourthly, accidents occur mainly as a result of the actions of the inhabitants of Earth themselves. They are an advanced thinking people and because of that they kill themselves in their motor vehicles, by means of health hazards, as a result of killing each other, through carelessness, and by way of their indiscriminate decision-making techniques.’

  ‘Can you clarify that last remark?’ I cut in curtly.

  ‘Certainly,’ he replied without hesitation. ‘Such as the need to cross a road heavily used by traffic. Or whether to drive through a red traffic light when driving a vehicle. Or piloting an experimental aircraft on a test run. Or trying to be a hero by tackling a group of youths carrying knives in an attempt to save an innocent man. I could go on and on for ever providing examples.’

  I gave him the benefit of the doubt but I still felt uneasy that there was something he wasn’t telling me. I reminded myself of a party in my youth where the topic of the evening included a range of mystery questions, most of which had answers but were very difficult to solve. For the final question there was a small trophy for the winner, if indeed there happened to be one, and the group of young men and women waited patiently for it to be asked. The person in charge of the programme stood up in due course to address the audience.

  ‘Imagine a castle,’ he began with a slight smile touching his lips. ‘Inside you stand at the barbican, the fortified gatehouse. In front of you there are two doors, each one guarded by a knight in shining armour. You’re aware that one of the knights will tell the truth but the other can only tell lies. Now... one of the doors in front of you leads to freedom; the other takes you to instant death. You’re allowed to ask one question... and only one question... to find out which is the door to freedom. In order to win this trophy, you have to determine that question.’

  We put our minds into operation, each one of us desperate to find the answer in order to win the trophy but the challenge proved to be extremely difficult. One question only could be asked, no more. If I asked one of the knights whether his door was the one to freedom, his answer might be true if he was the one who told the truth or false if he told me a lie. It seemed that it was a trick question without the possibility of a proper answer. However, I stayed with it, thinking very hard, and it took exactly eighteen minutes for me to fathom it out. I suddenly raised my hand and called out loudly to the person in charge.

  ‘Eureka! I have it!’ I shouted triumphantly. ‘I have it!’

  He held the trophy tightly in his hand ready to hand it to me if I gave him the correct answer.

  ‘Very well,’ he uttered hopefully. ‘What was the question you asked and to whom did you ask it?’

  ‘It doesn’t matter to which knight I ask the question,’ I replied jubilantly. ‘I go to either one of them. My question is... if I ask the other knight which door leads to freedom what would he say? Whatever answer is given to me, I would take the opposite door. You see, if he’s the one telling the truth, he would know the other knight would lie and give me the wrong answer. Whereby if he is the one who lies, he would also give me the wrong answer. So if I took the opposite door to any reply, I would find my way to freedom.’

  I went home that night clutching the trophy in triumph. It is said that everyone has fifteen minutes of fame during their lifetime. That was my time... my moment of fame!

  I felt that once again I was in a castle facing two doors but this time there were no guardian knights... just the Angel of Innocence before me... and I knew that there was something more to fathom out from the answers he had given me. In particular was the comment about fitting, or not fitting, into Heaven. I was unable to free my mind from the fact that, from what he had told me, I wasn’t yet in Heaven.

  ‘Tell me more about the Cosmic Joker,’ I went on in the hope of obtaining more information. ‘After all, it was your fault that I came into contact with him. Let’s get things straight. You might point the finger at me for breaking the rules, but it was one which was broken by the angels in Heaven. You can’t put that one on me.’

  He seemed nervous at my challenge and hesitated before replying. ‘I think this session must end now,’ he told me with an air of finality. ‘You’ve achieved a number of answers to your questions but enough is enough.’

  ‘What happens to me now?’ I asked, disappointed that he had terminated the meeting.

  ‘I’m going to leave t
hat to the Angel of Retribution,’ he replied, opening his wings and flying upwards and outwards from the room.

  Once again I was left in limbo wondering where I would be transported to next. I didn’t have to wait long. In a short while, I found myself back in front of the Angel of Retribution who held all the scrolls I had written about the rules.

  ‘I’m very disappointed with you, Jeremiah,’ he uttered miserably. ‘You seem to fail every test we give you.’

  ‘I disagree,’ I countered. ‘I think I succeed in all of them. The only thing you can hold against me is my high-grade consciousness and my resentment about my treatment in Heaven. I’ve done nothing wrong whereas you put me in contact with the Cosmic Joker and I was a whisker away of becoming a dead soul by only just avoiding the Soul Gatherer. Why should I be the only one punished or is that what happens here? A spirit becomes a victim and stays one. On Earth that’s known as bullying tactics.’

  I could see that I had him in a bind. Whoever was in charge of the Desert of Ice had made a real error placing me there at the same time as the Cosmic Joker. I would never know if anyone was ever punished for the action but I bet that a peal of bells had rung out loudly at the actions of the culprit for the error..

  ‘I’m going to offer you two choices,’ stated the Angel of Retribution after thinking the matter through carefully. ‘You have the option of returning to your team revising the Great Chain of Being or going to the Angelic Court.’

  ‘What happens in the Angelic Court?’ I enquired puzzled by the expression although at the back of my mind I knew exactly what he was about to tell me.

  ‘It’s a Court similar to the legal strictures practiced on Earth. It’s a means by which you’ll be tried for your misdemeanours in a Court of Angels. You’ll have the opportunity to argue your case in front of three judges. There’ll be a Prosecuting Counsel trying to get you indicted but you’ll have a Defence Counsel on your side. You can bring any witnesses you wish to help you present your case.’