Legacy of the Dreams

Interlude 5 - One for the Other Side

The Lord looked down on the grieving family of His faithful on Earth. It always hit them hard when He decided someone's time was up, and on this particular occasion He'd made the decision to take two at once. Two souls brought from the Earth to have their lives evaluated and their deeds assessed. As they waited, the Lord of Hosts discussed His decision with His angels who guarded the entrance and the gateway to heaven.

An angel opened the Book of Life and read from its pages. "Lia and Bobby. What shall I put down?"

"Like so many, they did not understand until it was too late," the Lord observed. "Even when given an extraordinarily long time in which to make the decision to not only walk with me but also to listen to what I say and act according to My plan, they did not succeed."

"They have failed," Lucifer declared as the Lord considered their fate.

"They have not done what I set them on the Earth to do. That is true," the Lord agreed.

"Then this is a reflection on your faithful too. Jalyn and Cadence were not able to sway them according to Your plan," Lucifer said. "They have failed too."

"Success of my servants shall be judged on their hearts and wiliness to carry out my plan. Both Jalyn and Cadence actively serve me. They share their faith. They live according to that faith, showing by example what I expect of those who are faithful. They actively help all they meet by sharing what I've taught them. They have done that and continue to do that with all those they encounter. They have been open and honest, even with these two whom Azrael has brought home. My messengers have done my bidding and acted according to my will. But even they do not have the power to turn men's souls. Each and every man and woman has free will. It is their choices which determine their fate, not those of Jalyn and Cadence. In the case of Bobby and Lia, known in this most recent life as Robert and Ruth, this is also true."

"Those you send as messengers are more than that," Lucifer protested.

"Some are, some aren't. Some are My servants in human form. Some are men with messages to deliver as part of My plan. Some are there to support faith in the lives of those around them, to assist my servants where they can. My faithful understand that. They do what they can, but even they cannot ensure each life they touch will succeed," the Lord said.

"If Lia and Bobby have failed, they are mine!" Lucifer said, and his form transformed into the opponent of the Lord.

"Mmm, no. Not yet," the Lord said, and he stayed Satan's hand. "My decisions are not made according to your opinion. Even in Heaven there are laws to consider."

"They are of the Children of Israel," the Angel of the Lord said. "They've lived their lives according to the Laws given to Moses. They have kept themselves pure, at least as pure as it is possible for a human being to be."

"These two standing before you are like many who say they believe. They pray religiously, they study Your Word, but they lived their lives according to the way they thought best. When you answer their prayers, they accept only what they are comfortable with or wanted to hear. They pick and choose which parts of Your plan they will see through. As often as not, they like my suggestions better. They listen to me rather than You. They listen to my servants within the Temple walls who tell them what to believe," Satan said.

"They try to live according to what they are told. It is not their failing that what they were told was not the whole truth," the Angel of the Lord argued. "They died searching, trying to discover by human means what it is You intended them to do, only discovering the truth at the end."

"Each man and woman is responsible for his or her own soul. It is the nature of free will for each to decide when to listen and who to listen to. They must choose when and where to act, what messages they will accept and which they will reject. Their unwillingness to consider the all resources of Heaven has led them to this place," the Lord said.

"They are here. They are mine," Satan said again.

"This is the place of decision. It is outside the gates of heaven, yet removed from the gateway to hell. They are not yours, simply because they are here," the Angel of the Lord said.

"So you say for every soul who visits here," Satan who was also known as Lucifer said.

"And so I will until the end of time," the Angel of the Lord said. "It is my job to argue for the souls of men."

"Then make your argument," the Lord said. "I will listen to what both sides say then I will decide what is to be their fate."

"For the soul named Bobby in the Book of Life, as the Lord has already declared, he did not meet the challenges set. He did not do the work set out for him in fulfillment of the Lord's plan, even with the blessing of his extremely long life. He has had two. Together, he had more years than most to not only understand your plan, but also to act. Still it was not long enough. Therefore by definition, he is mine," Satan said.

"And yet he lived according to the Laws set out for his race. He kept the letter of the law, analyzing everything he saw and heard, only in the end finding his faith. He understood that much on the day he died," the Angel of the Lord said.

"Not in time to influence his life or to fulfil the work the Lord put him there to do," Satan argued. "The same argument is true for the soul whose name is set down in the Book of Life as Lia. The same was challenge set. The same failure occurred. She has had three lives to succeed; two lives to Bobby's one this most recent time in order to get things right, and again she ultimately listened to me instead of to the Lord. Believing was hard for her and so she didn't. Fear prevented her from listening to you, and so she refused to remember, to learn from what she's done before. It was easier for her to listen to my servants who told her the dreams were a lie rather than the Lord. Their whispers became like those of an old friend, comfortable and easy. By the judgement and decree set out by the Lord, they are both mine."

"Judgement Day has not yet come," the Lord warned. "It is premature for you to declare what My Judgement for any given soul will be. At the end of each physical life, it is necessary to assess the progress of each soul in carrying out My plan, to determine if their individual or collective challenges have been met, and the status of their relationship with me. For even those souls who by their faith are saved, their place in heaven is set according to their deeds."

"Is it not your decree that the Children of the Lord should on occasion be granted more than a single life to meet the challenge of serving you? To learn to walk with you and live their lives in your service in exclusion of all else?" the Angel said.

And the hosts of heaven and hell continued to argue while the men of Earth mourned. The Lord of hosts settled back to listen to the arguments of His angels and to watch the Earth as He considered His plan.

c