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" 'Yes,' said another, 'that He gave us anything at all. We aregrateful and full of love for Him. For surely out there in the darknessis a great Nothing, and we have seen so many below who wereobsessed with Nothing and with Misery, and they never knew the joysthat we knew or know now.'
" 'This isn't easy,' said another soul. 'It's been a great struggle.
But to make love was good, and to drink was good, and to dance andsing was beautiful, and to run drunk through the rain was joyous; andbeyond there lies a chaos, an absence, and I am grateful that my eyesopened upon the world below and that I can remember it and see itfrom here.'
"I thought for a long time without answering any of them, andthey continued to talk to me, drawn to me, as if the light in me, ifthere was any visible light, was attracting them. In fact, the more Iresponded to their questions, the more they opened and seemed tounderstand their own answers more meaningfully, the denser andmore intense the declarations became.
"I soon saw these people had come from all nations and all walksof life. And though kinship bound many of them tightly together,that was not true with them all. In fact, many had lost sight of theirdead kin entirely in other realms of Sheol. Others had never even laideyes on them. While some had been greeted at the moment of deathby their lost ones! And these were people of the world and all itsbeliefs gathered here in this place where light was beginning to shineforth.
" 'Your lives on earth, was there one common thread?' I askedfinally. They couldn't answer. They really didn't know. They had notquestioned each other about their lives, and as I asked them quick,random questions, it became clear that there had been no thread!
Some of these people had been very rich, others poor, some hadsuffered unspeakably, some had suffered nothing but had known agolden prosperity and leisure in which they had grown to love Creationbefore they were even dead. But I began to sense that if Iwanted to, I could start to count these responses and evaluate them insome way. In other words, all these souls had learnt to forgive God invarious ways. But very possibly one way was better for this thananother, infinitely more efficient. Perhaps. I couldn't be sure. And fornow I couldn't know.
"I wrapped my arms around these souls. I drew them to me. 'Iwant you to come on a journey with me,' I said to them, having spokennow to each and every one and being completely certain of wherewe stood. 'I want you to come to Heaven and stand before God. Nowit may be brief, and you may see Him for no more than an instant,and possibly He will not allow Himself to be seen by you at all. Youmay find yourselves returned here, having learnt nothing, but alsohaving suffered nothing. The truth is, I can't guarantee what willhappen! No one knows God.
" 'We know,' they aliswered.
" 'But I invite you to come to God and tell Him what you've toldme. And now I'll answer your question to me: I am his ArchangelMemnoch, of the very mold of other Angels of whom you heardwhen you were alive! Will you come?'
"Several were astonished and hesitated. But the majority said inone voice, a mingling of answers that was this answer: 'We will come.
One glimpse of God, the chance of it even, is worth anything. Ifthat's not so then I don't remember the smell of the sweet olive tree,or how the fresh grass felt beneath me when I laid on it. I never tastedwine, and I never bedded the ones I loved. We will come.'
"Several refused. It took a few moments before we all realized itbut several had totally withdrawn. They saw me now for what I was,an Angel, and they understood what had been withheld from them,and they had lost their peace and lost their power to forgive in thatinstant. They stared at me in horror or anger or both. The othersouls hastened to change their minds, but they wouldn't be changed.
No, they did not want to see this God who had deserted His Creationand left it to rear up gods on altars all over the planet and pray in vainfor intervention or final judgment! No, no, no!
" 'Come,' I said to the others, 'Let's try to enter Heaven. Let'sgive it all our strength! How many are we? A thousand times ten? Amillion? What does it matter? God said ten but not ten only. Godmeant at least ten. Come, let's go!"16IN A FLASH, I shall have my answer, I thought. He will eitheradmit us or cast us back down with His Might the way He oncethrew me to Earth. He might even dissolve the lot of us, forsurely He can make His judgment on my success or failure before Iever reach the gates of Heaven. What had He said in His InfiniteWisdom? He had said, 'Come back as soon as you can.'
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