Legacy of the Dreams

Interlude 6 - The Decision

The Lord in heaven listened to the prayers of His faithful as the arguments being presented to Him continued regarding the souls known on Earth as Ruth and Mr. Simms - known to the heavens as Lia and Bobby - and their place in His plan. The Angel of the Lord argued for mercy, for giving this pair another opportunity to succeed, another chance to live and perhaps to discover and act on their place in the Lord's plan. Lucifer on the other hand, argued their failure, insisting their time on Earth had come to an end and their fate should be set accordingly. In the midst of all this, voices from the Earth rose to the heavens, reaching the listening ears of the Lord.

"Have you even heard a word I have been saying?" Lucifer protested.

"I hear everything," the Lord reminded him. "Including the voices of those My faithful have touched."

"Jalyn and Cadence are not the topic of our current debate," Lucifer pointed out.

"Perhaps not, but you and I ...we do speak of them often. And they do My work, spreading their ability to hear Me to those around them. Their faith is strong," the Lord said. "Listen. Surely even you can hear the many voices of the Earth crying out to Me. The lives My servants have touched with their faith are calling My name, praying for the souls known in the Book of Life as Bobby and Lia."

"Their lives are over," Lucifer said.

"Ah, but in their wisdom, even My faithful know only I have the power to set the number of days a spirit may live. It is I who determines when and if a soul should walk the Earth, be given flesh and live again. It is My decision. It is Mine to choose," the Lord said.

"The fate of each soul that comes before You is contained within the merits of that soul alone. Whether You will claim them or leave them to me ... that is decision is Yours alone, oh Lord," Lucifer said.

"When Judgement Day comes, they will be judged according to how they lived," the Lord agreed. "But even then, they are My children. The number of days they will be allowed to live before that day is My decision. Whether those days consist of one lifetime or many, I am the one who will decide, not based on merit alone, but how the soul before Me will serve My plan."

"They walk with You only when it is easy. They listen only when they need something or when it suites them," Lucifer said. "Lia is spiteful and unforgiving. She heard Your word but did not fully believe. She chooses not to listen to the messengers You send. She believes only those who tell her the things she wants to hear, closing her eyes, ears, and heart to the miracles You bring."

"Go on," prompted the Lord. "I am listening."

"Like Lia, Bobby believes only what will serve his plan. He looks for excuses and reason to guide his faith. He does not wait on You, but expects it will be the other way round, crying out for signs and messages meant for him alone. And when You deliver them, he hears Your messengers only imperfectly. Always, he is slow to believe they are meant for him. Even when he does understand they are from You, his choice was act not according to Your plan, but to take what he knows and prepare for a next life. He assumed it would be given ... when that decision is Yours alone. So while he prays and follows your laws, his heart remains hard and for most of his life, he has turned away from nearly every opportunity to walk with You," Lucifer said.

"When looking at a man's life, it is necessary to consider it as a whole ... from beginning to end. The soul that was Bobby understood at the end. He knew that it is not only through study and learning that a man walks with the Lord, but through acts of faith and allowing himself to be led. He was willing to risk his life in order to do that. To go where he was led," the Angel of the Lord said. "He gave up his life while following Your lead."

"While I must concede his attitude changed recently ... in his last years, he did learn to hear some of the Lord's messengers, but not all. He is still easily deceived by my servant's whispers," Lucifer said. "He walks more closely to You than he did before, but his walk is not strong. Still he seeks the ways of men to address what should be a spiritual journey. This pattern has repeated itself in both lives he's been given. These are not the characteristics of a soul destined to succeed. Even when taken together, Lia and Bobby do not show the potential to be able to overcome such failings. They have done little to earn Your blessing of additional years. In short, they are not the sort of souls the Lord generally employs to do His work. They are mine for that reason. They do not deserve another opportunity, another lifetime to live."

"Oh Lord, hear me. Hear also the arguments being made by Your children. The voices of Your faithful plead for these two souls," the Angel of the Lord said.

"I have heard the prayers of My faithful. Have you also an argument to make on their behalf?" the Lord said.

"The decision is yours, oh Lord of men and hosts. But are not these two souls counted amongst the Sons and Daughters of Israel? Are they not the Children of the Lord by virtue of your promise to Abraham and Israel that their descendants would be blessed?" the Angel of the Lord said.

"I am aware of the promises I have made. Always, special consideration must be given to my Chosen People, but even they have a place, work they must do, a role they must play as part of My plan," the Lord said. "They can not succeed due to heredity alone. Their hearts must also be pure. They must walk with Me."

"For men with free will, being a Child of the Lord is no guarantee of success," the Angel of the Lord agreed. "And while their walk with You has been less than perfect, moments before they came to You, they have shown their hearts can change. They can be influenced by those who serve You who also have free will, and in that way, they can learn to walk with You. Surely You love them enough to give them another chance ... enough to allow them to once again discover, and this time carry out, their place in Your plan?"

"The many years they were given bore no fruit ... not until their final day was there even a possibility that they would," the Lord said.

"The seeds you sowed fell on hard ground. When supported by faith and love, and the many blessings spread like fertilizer by your faithful, they began to grow ... only to be cut down. Plant them again in the place where they have been nurtured, amongst those who pray for their souls. Let them bear for You the fruit which seemed so promising before bringing them home," the Angel of the Lord urged.

"You are interfering," Lucifer said, a challenge in his tone.

His presence grew darker and in his role as Satan, he made a move to claim the two souls. But the Angel of the Lord bared his way, standing between the souls of the dead and the adversary, as he was known on Earth. The hosts of heaven rose up around him, their song a battle cry in the name of the Lord, while the agents of Hell gathered on Satan's side.

"You will not carry out your battle for these souls here!" the Lord commanded. "The time for battle over the souls of men is while they are alive. Unless Bobby and Lia enter into life again, that time has passed."

"Then let them live again, oh Lord. Answer the prayers of those so faithful to You. Let the seeds of their spirits fall on fertile ground and allow them to grow ... and begin again," the Angel of the Lord said.

"Even then, they will not listen. They will be swept away as always by listening to my whispers," Satan said. "It will not matter when or where they are born. These two souls are what they are. The little bit of faith they showed at the end will be extinguished when they learn it was in that moment they died."

"The Lord has servants in that place who will counter your whispers. Who know the truth and can persuade them to listen," the Angle of the Lord insisted.

The Lord waited a little bit more, but when the arguments were ended His decision was made.

"It is decided," the Lord decreed.

"The prayers of the Lord's faithful have been answered. Prepare for battle. We will meet again at their end," the Angel of the Lord declared.

And while the Angel of the Lord and Lucifer prepared to do battle for the souls given another chance, the Lord of Heaven and Earth turned His attention to the affairs of men yet again.

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