The Mission

Plans were already in place before I arrived in the realms of light. People think the universe is chaotic and random. I assure you it's quite the opposite. The intricate design the creator puts into the universe is astonishing. Nothing is overlooked. The smallest detail is woven into the fabric of creation. The angels on high have seen Judas' demise, yet love him just the same. Like generals planning a great battle, the angels had been planning Judas' resurrection. I had my part to play, that’s all I knew. I hadn't the ability to fully fathom the mission, it's complication beyond my comprehension. The only instruction I received was to be ready when I was called.

After a period of rest and contemplation I was brought by the three spirits who conducted my life review to what I can only describe as a command center filled with technological advancements far beyond anything known on earth. Standing in the middle of the command center was intimidating. Spirits great and small bustled around, each with tasks, no one more important than the other. I tried to make myself invisible, until John approached, smiling softly. His green eyes and boyish looks softened his intense demeanor, but not by much. He wore his dark hair a bit longer than he did when I remembered his as Dr. Z. It had a lot of natural curl, puffed out a bit around the ears, made his head look bigger.

“Don't worry about the life review, William, and don't place too much weight on it. Our time on earth is short, yours shorter than most. Earth is a great teacher, but that's it. Even if you had lived to a hundred, what's a number compared to eternity?”

“It was hard to watch, you know, the bad parts.” I whispered.

“All we can do is learn and grow. That's what life on earth is all about. Earth is a time of preparation, but now the preparation is over.”

“It’s time, isn't it … Judas?”

“William, please, I have something to show you.” John lead me to a darkened room, away from the commotion. “Only a select few know of the mission to bring Judas home.”

“By the looks of things out there I'd say every soul in the realm knows of the mission.” I said, slightly confused.

“Those spirits are hard at work bringing lost souls out of darkness, but the mission to resurrect Judas is classified. Please sit.” John directed me toward a metallic circular table in the middle of the room.”

“I'm amazed how clean everything is here. I haven't seen so much as a particle of dirt since arriving in the light.” I said.

“The inhabitants of these realms take great care of the things around them, knowing everything is a gift from God.” John said, as he sat across from me.

“What did you want to show me, John?”

The cloudy white mists floating above John's hands cleared when I peered into the vision glowing against the background of the dark room. Judas appeared transparent, half real, half imagined. His face muddied and his garments torn, making it difficult to see his features. I watched as he made his way to the forsaken city I'd escaped from. The pit I found him in a fading memory. Judas fumbled along the outside of the great wall until he was directly opposite the Gates of Hell.

“What do you see, William?” John asked.

“I don't know, it’s dark.”

“Concentrate, what do you see?” John asked again.

“He’s back in that hateful city.”

“Dis.”

“I didn't mean any disrespect, John. That's what I see.”

“What?”

“You said, 'Dis.’ It's slang for disrespect.”

“No, the city of Dis. That's where Judas is, but he doesn't belong there.” John said.

“He’s standing up. He’s looking at something.”

“What is it?” John asked.

“Looks like some sort of door. Yeah, he’s trying to open it. There's some type of writing on the door.”

“What kind of writing?” John asked.

“Like a number, maybe a ... 2.”

“What's behind door number two?”

I chuckled. “Hoping for a new car but I’m guessing it's a zonk. Let's make a deal, John.”

“Focus William!” John's sharp tone told me he wasn't in the mood for jokes, or maybe he just wasn't a fan of daytime TV.

Three doors appeared across from Judas, numbers and a intricate seal etched into each one, the lines too dirty to make sense of it. Judas stood in front of the middle door, tracing his finger around each line, the final causing the door to open and a red glow to illuminate the image of a beast with seven heads. Judas turned his face to the horizon, something resembling a comet streaked through the sky just before the beast rose from the seal and devoured his spirit.

I looked up at John as the vision faded. “What’s this all about?” I asked. John remained silent. "You're asking the impossible," I shook my head.

"It can be done." John replied.

"How?” I asked.

"I will instruct you, teach you the ancient ways, the lost arts. Everything starts with prayer and a calm mind. A calm mind is a focused mind. If mind wanders so can the soul. To resurrect Judas you must have the utmost calmness and focus if you are to connect with his soul. I will teach you to believe, William."

“You saw that beast. Judas didn't stand a chance. How are we even breaking into hell for that matter?"

"I’m not breaking in. You are." John said.

“Um,” was the only sound I could produce.

“I'm a being of pure light. The darkness would be overwhelmed.”

"Right, it’s a bad idea for you to go to hell because you're too powerful."

"Yes." John said.

“That's like benching your star player because he’s too good. With all due respect, John, I'm feeling a little used. Do you even care what happens to me? Am I just a pawn, a disposable piece of heaven’s game? You saw what that thing did to Judas."

"There's still much darkness and ignorance in your soul. Enough to allow you to pass beyond the gates of hell, beyond the beast, beyond the evil." John was serious.

"Tell me you're at least giving me a secret weapon, a holy nuclear bomb or something." I said.

"There are no weapons in this war."

"You've got to be kidding me." I put my head down. The room felt cold and empty.

"What's the use of weapons when death is merely an illusion? You can’t kill evil. What you can do is bind it, control it, and keep it locked away until it can be transformed. This is a spiritual war fought between powerful intellects and commanding souls. Your weapon is your light, soul, and the God that dwells within it." John placed his calming hand on my shoulder.

"If there's still darkness in my soul, how will I find God in it?"

"Through much difficulty, trial, and error. Remember, Judas hid in that pit for two centuries before you freed him. That's when you first found the light."

"Why did he go back when he was free? He gave himself up so easily." I said.

"It was the only way he could seek true self-punishment. The hunters, demons, and inhabitants of the City of Dis revered him. They gave him false praise and false authority. He despised it all, wanted none of it. He'd rather endure unimagined torture than be celebrated for his misdoings. You see William, contrary to popular belief; Judas wasn't an evil man on earth. He was a young kid who made a mistake. A mistake that was forgiven as soon as it was made. It's time he forgave himself."

John pointed to a monitor hanging from the ceiling in the corner of the room, the ancient scene replayed. Judas, a young man, not even twenty, thought giving up his master would force the Son of God to display his great power. So distraught and consumed with guilt, Judas threw a noose around his neck, the branch breaking before the job was done, the fall to the rocks below finally killing him.

I watched Judas' spirit jar free from its body. Depraved unclean spirits surrounded him, ready to devour just like they did when I was dragged into the pit. Judas was beaten and tormented, almost as if an initiation had taken place before he was raised up and worshipped by the dark spirits. He fled in horror, the monitor went blank.

***

My soul warmed with compassion upon seeing the fear Judas felt after his death. I knew it dearly. It's not the decrepit creatures that scare you. It's the horror of the realization that the choices you've made have damned your soul. You search frantically for an excuse, a scapegoat to place the blame. You never find it. Your soul, that pure and pristine creation, knows the truth and always will.

"Was it the devil? The beast who devoured Judas?" I asked, unable to shake John's vision from my mind.

"There is no literal devil, no polar opposite of God. There are beings, powerful beings bent on destruction that will claim to be the devil, but there is no duality."

"Duality?"

"The belief that God and the Devil are equal. God, a being of ultimate good; the Devil, a being of ultimate evil. It's a false belief. God is all powerful, he has no equal."

"So the devil is just a product of human imagination?"

"More or less, but that doesn't mean there's no such thing as evil. We use the term Devil to represent what our minds can't grasp. The devil is archetypal, representing the shadow, created by the free will that lives inside us all.”

"What about demons? I assure you they exist. I've met a few first hand."

“The popular story is that Lucifer, a powerful being of light, grew resentful of God’s love toward mankind. His pride and arrogance caused him to fall from heaven. A third of God’s angels followed him becoming what you know as demons.” John said.

"Is the story true?”

“I can't say for certain, but I doubt it.”

“How does an enlightened being such as yourself not know for certain?” I asked.

“Ancient peoples relied on story and metaphor to convey their understanding of history and how the world around them worked. My personal belief is that this story is one of those cases. All we know of the past is what’s recorded as story. Does reading a history book give you absolute truth? No, it can only give you an idea of truth. Some things are beyond even my comprehension. William, you seem to forget I’m just like you, formerly human.” John was right. Despite his famous past, he wasn't all knowing. John was simply farther along the spiritual path than me.

“What if the stories are true? You said you weren’t certain. What if Lucifer exists?" I asked.

"If Lucifer does dwell on some low plane of existence, then nobody from the realms of light has seen or heard from him, not since the fall anyway."

"What fall? What’s that about?" I asked.

"The story of the fall of man. Again, a story I can neither confirm or deny. As it goes, Lucifer became filled with pride. He didn't think a being as powerful as he should be serving mankind. As the story goes, Michael the Archangel, threw Lucifer out of heaven after defeating him in a great spiritual battle."

John opened his palms. This was the story the ancients told to help them understand spiritual matters beyond their comprehension. A ball of hazy white light hovered above his hands, the mist cleared when I peered inside at two powerful beings of blinding light.

"A fine day is it not brother." The first being said.

"A fine day indeed." Responded the second.

The two were alone in a garden. Behind them appeared to be a palace made of glass and light. It’s beauty beyond human language’s ability to express.

"Can you pass the fruit?"

"For you brother, I'd give the world."

"Do we have to have this conversation now? I just want to eat in peace."

"You think you can save the world?"

"I guess we're having the conversation."

"Why save the world when you can rule it! Mankind should be serving us, the powerful, not the other way around.

"I can do nothing without the power our father gives me."

"You're a king."

"I'm a servant."

"What glory lies in servitude?"

"The kingdom is built on servitude, the glory lies within."

"Mankind is beneath us brother. Can't you see. We shouldn't waste one breath on them. They should serve us. Again, the weak should serve the powerful!"

"Father loves all his creatures regardless of strength and status."

"What about free will, brother. The great gift. Surely we are meant to let it shine. Surely the power father gave us should not be kept hidden like some wretched deformity."

"Power should be used in times of necessity, from a point of service, not from a point of rule."

"Very well, Michael. I see you shall not come to view things my way on this fine day, but I shall continue to show you the light."

"Someday Lucifer, I fear your mind will become twisted with self-righteousness, the light father gave you will have all but gone out, trapping your soul in ice."

John closed his hands and the image faded. "That’s the story our history books tell. Eventually, the so-called devil was able to lead mankind away from God. It was inevitable, only a matter of time before the great spiritual battle would commence … the battle for the human soul.”

“But you said the story might not be true? Sorry John, but you’ve got my head spinning.”

“There's a hidden lesson here.”

“I figured you had something up your sleeve.” I said.

“The past is the past, the future is the future, the present is reality. There's value in studying the past and planning for the future, but don't hold them as absolute truths. The past may not always be what it seems. The future is forever changing. Right now is the absolute truth.”

“I get what you're saying, I think.”

“My point is this … don't let things of the past or future scare you. Whether or not Lucifer is real, it doesn't matter. If you believe in him, then you will fear him, then you will be lead astray.” John said.

“What about this battle? How did they fight if they had no weapons?”

“Thought creates reality. God’s love for mankind is overwhelming. His loving thoughts created an environment that no longer suited the shadow side of mankind, thus causing his fall. The fall is metaphoric. God’s thoughts grew in love, creating the realms of light. Fallen beings have allowed their thoughts to become twisted, creating the realms of darkness. It’s likely the beast we saw tormenting Judas was a product of mankind's dark subconscious.”

"You really want me to go against that?" I asked.

"Yes," John was serious.

"What makes you think I can succeed?"

"Faith."

"How am I supposed to kill the beast, or Lucifer, if he exists, for that matter?” I asked.

"This is a spiritual battle, William. There is no death, remember?" John said.

"I don’t understand how you win a battle if you can't kill the enemy.”

"You take away his power, render him useless and helpless."

"What's evil’s power?"

"Deception, take away the lies and you take away the power. How do you fight a lie? With truth. The truth is we’re never separate from God. Bring truth to Judas and he'll walk right out of hell."

"You make it sound so simple." I said.

"The lie's been around since the beginning of man. Have you heard about the serpent in the Garden?" John asked.

"I remember some version from Sunday school."

"The serpent is symbolic of the human ego or self. Many people have a biological fear of snakes. As the stories and legends grew the poor serpent became the scapegoat, representing how self-righteousness implanted its seed deep in the mind without you knowing it's even there. The saying that the serpent lies is very true. A thief in the night, if corrupted, the ego can steal one's light. You won't know it. You won't see it. You won't hear it coming. It’ll work his way inside, twist and contort the victim's mind, turn friend against friend, create confusion, stress and fear. The ego will create division and separation, the biggest of all it’s lies. A corrupted and manipulated ego can lead people to believe they are separate from God, when in reality no one is separate from God. You learned this first hand."

“Who or what is causing this manipulation?” I asked.

“Us, or at least a part of us. A dark part born from the gift of free will. Fallen beings know this, pulling at the illusion the ego creates. The biggest danger is their ability to twist the ego’s reality, create subtle illusions, and turn friend into foe. Evil is strong, William. If it ever broke out of hell, I shudder to think of the darkness that would follow."

"What keeps evil from getting out?" I asked.

"Love. The power of God."

"We should be safe then." I said.

"Yes ... and no. Free will is held in the highest regard. God didn't create evil, evil is born in the mind and spreads like a plague. What starts out as small childish behavior grows into the darkness we know today.”

"You say this darkness can't be killed. What then? How do we stop it?" I asked.

"Evil has been contained, held by chains of love, but it’s time may be coming. Evil grows stronger as the world grows darker. Planet Earth has been long delayed both spiritually and technologically. There's a reason for that. Humans still wage war with each other, brother verses brother. Many other planets in the universe have long since ended their blood shed, not mother earth. Her sons and daughters continue to spill one another's blood on her soil. The darkness created from bloodshed weakens the chains that hold evil in bondage. If love fails the earth will fall to hell."

"Can God stop it?" I asked.

"That remains to be seen. God is the ultimate respecter of free will, even he is bound by his own law. Long ago he decreed that the free will of man shall not be interfered with. Mankind holds the key to his salvation, and his destruction."

"Say I was able to gain entry past the sealed doors, then what? You saw that beast spring up and devour Judas. Will that happen to me?" John stared at me in silence. A terrible concern filled his spirit.

"Yes."

"Yes!" My voice rose two octaves. "Um, ok. You really need to work on your salesmanship. I appreciate your honesty but come on, at least sugar coat it, for my sake."

"I'm sorry, William. There are complexities beyond your ability to comprehend. I have to be brutally honest here. There can be no misconception.” John took great pause, the first hesitation I’d seen from him. “Let me be crystal clear. If you accept the mission to return to hell and resurrect Judas, the beast will devour you whole." John leaned in, looking me square in the eye, his authority radiating power, “before this is all over, you will cry out."