Those who had watched footage from an earth knew what Troy was referring to, while those that were attending a rebel meeting for the first time tried to digest and visualise that which they had just been told.
Troy continued: ‘In some cases the damaged flesh will repair but in other cases it remains permanently damaged. Also on earth, I can tell you, because we have seen it with our own eyes, some brothers and sisters are cruel to one another. This again causes sorrow and hurt.’
Caleb flinched when he heard this. He couldn’t imagine a place where two spirits would want to hurt one another.
‘In some cases, when a person on earth is badly harmed, it can cause them to die so that they are no more found upon the earth. In one particularly disturbing piece of footage, we watched a man strike a women many times until she died,’ said Troy.
At this juncture he dared to cast a quick glance directly at Caleb. It was clear that his account had hit the mark, and Caleb was so dazed by a vision of Tara suffering such a fate that he did not notice the sly gaze from the orator.
‘Now you can imagine how I felt watching a man inflict such pain upon another. I wept bitterly and it took me days to recover,’ Troy lied. He would not have dared tell the audience that increasingly he found such a scene enjoyable.
‘As a male spirit who holds women in the highest regard, you can imagine the state of my soul as I watched this pure female being beaten repeatedly.’
Troy paused at this juncture and turned his face away from the crowd, and back towards the stage upon which his three friends were seated, with a fourth empty chair also remaining there, upon which he would place his lying frame once he had finished. As he looked back, feigning sadness, he was tempted to wink at his friends but decided that he could not take that risk.
Turning back to his audience he made an immensely troubled face and set himself to continue, but before he did so he was forced to pause a moment as his performance had been so convincing that a few spirits towards the back began crying and had to be settled before he could continue.
‘Now my brothers, this female could have been someone that you know. Yes it could even be someone that you care about very deeply.’ Troy was enjoying himself now but he dared not cast another glance in Caleb’s direction.
‘I, for one, simply will not stand for this. There must be a way to amend the plan so that such a thing is not possible. There is so much more that I could say, but what I have said will have to suffice for now. I will close, however you can rest assured that one of our number will speak later concerning some minor amendments to the plan. I’m sure that these small proposed changes will bring you great comfort,’ finished Troy.
His speech invoked a generous response from the crowd, which was swelling in number, much to the delight of the esteemed president and his noble counsel.
Next Jezebel rose to reinforce Troy’s message.
‘My dear brothers and sisters, I too have watched these things and I am still affected by them now,’ stated Jezebel with immense feeling. 'Here in the Kingdom, Father and Mother have always made sure that we were so safe and protected. I simply cannot understand why they would be willing to allow us to go through such things on earth. Surely there can be no benefit in it. I can only assume that it is an oversight on their behalf. I’m sure that if they were aware of such suffering on earth they simply would not allow it to occur.’
As she spoke her countenance was dim but all present, including Caleb, were so ensnared by her words that they didn’t notice.
Jezebel targeted Caleb directly with her next account in the same way that Troy had done.
‘My innocent sisters, and caring brothers, please do not be fooled for one moment into thinking that the scene that Troy has just described was the only one to be concerned by. In a moment I will recount to you a scene that we viewed just yesterday, a scene which left me utterly aghast.
‘You will recall that our parents have always taught that we should promise ourselves to but one person.’
‘From our study of earth, however, let me assure you that this does not always occur. I will not harrow up your mind with a full description of all that we have observed, but I will simply say that we witnessed a scene where a female, who had married another, had intimate relations with someone other than the male to whom she was married. It was absolutely despicable.’
Jezebel was also not being entirely candid with the multitude. She was not quite as disturbed by this scene as she might have liked to suggest. Caleb though, was visibly shaken by the dialogue. He had felt many foreign emotions since reacquainting with Anas, but this was by far the most acute. None of the emotions had been good, and all were biting into the substance of his soul, but this was a gouge not a nibble.
It was at this moment that he met the gaze of the president. The look that he received from the dignitary sent a chill down his spine. It lasted less than a second but he remembered it until his mortal birth. He could not then draw upon words to properly describe the look, but he perceived that it was a look of one who was delighting in his suffering. Lucifer quickly turned away, hoping that Caleb had not seen that which he had put on display.
Jezebel continued her speech along similar lines and succeeded in drawing Caleb back to his new found emotions. Accordingly, by the time Ham stood to speak, he had Caleb’s undivided attention. Before commencing his address Ham paused, intentionally looking as though a great weight was upon him. He commenced once he was certain that all had perceived the burden that he had been forced to carry.
‘Thank you kindly for attending this meeting,’ he whispered, in a manner designed to harness the attention of the room, and to further exaggerate his own suffering under the weight of the things that he must share with them. Continuing, he increased to a normal volume for his next statement.
‘Personally, I would like to congratulate Father and Mother on the wonder of their plan.’
Lucifer, who was already in lower spirits due to his concern that Caleb may have detected him, developed a black look and would have done Ham physical harm had he been mortal at that time.
‘We must give great accolades to our parents because they have developed a plan that is almost perfect.’
Lucifer now perceived the brilliance of Ham’s approach and loved him the more. Ham knew Caleb better than any of them and understood his devotion to their parents. Had he commenced by strongly denouncing the existing plan, he may well have lost credibility in Caleb’s eyes. In fact, Ham had been very nervous during Jezebel’s speech as he feared that she went too far in criticising their parents. Thankfully, the revelations that she made were enough to keep Caleb interested, and now Ham sought to refocus the attendees on the pure intentions of their parents, prior to carefully pulling the meeting in the other direction.
In their planning meeting Lucifer, Ham, Troy and Jezebel had discussed their broad approach, but had not rehearsed their speeches word for word, so Ham was surprised by some of what Troy and Jezebel had said and Lucifer, Troy and Jezebel were certainly surprised by Ham’s opening. Ham continued to outline many of the virtues of the plan of their heavenly parents, but gradually sewed seeds of doubt concerning whether they were truly omniscient, as a consequence of the abominable things that had been described by Troy and Jezebel, and other things that he dared not mention, for risk of shocking the attendees even further. Ham then moved to close his argument
‘My kindred spirits, I genuinely believe that Father and Mother think that they can know and see all. Consequently, they assume that they know precisely what is best for us. Have any of us ever doubted the strength of their love for us? To the contrary, from the very beginning, they have done everything to help us learn and grow in this safe environment. Obviously I’m not suggesting that they are intentionally doing something to harm us, rather I honestly believe that they have begun making some very minor mistakes. I’m absolutely certain that if they saw what we have seen of life on earth, they would not permit us to go there under the terms
of the plan as they currently stand.
‘I am here before you, not because I am in opposition to our parents, but rather because I love them, and I would spare them the great pain of making mistakes that would have a negative effect on the destiny of each of their precious spirit children.
‘I believe that each one of you is doing us a great service by being here. Ultimately, all of your spirit brothers and sisters, and also your parents, will applaud your wisdom.’
This was a thrilling thought to most of the crowd, many of whom recognised that they were beginning to trail most other spirits in the development of talents. Ham’s was a powerful closing and one which prompted a raucous response from the attendees, who felt almost edified by words that were a cunning counterfeit of the pure teachings that they had received from the beginning.
The president rose next and paced the room in a manner unusual to spirits. His actions, combined with the extended pause before he spoke, created a form of reverence. This was entirely what he was seeking. At length he spoke, when all was unusually quiet, even for the Kingdom.
‘My most worthy spirits, you are indeed the pride of the Kingdom. I can only combine my voice with Ham’s and promise you that one day your wisdom and foresight will be acknowledged by all within the Kingdom, including your parents.
‘Like those who have spoken before me, I too am very concerned about what we have been studying. I first observed the material in one of our fine libraries.
‘Now I know that we have always been counselled against observing that which occurs on earth, but I felt drawn to the material, as if by a force greater than my own. The moment I began reading and viewing the material I knew why. My heart was filled with great concern for each of you, my brothers and sisters, and for all of those less intelligent, but innocent, beings that are not in attendance today.
‘Enough has been said of the evils and tribulations of earth, and I wholeheartedly sanction Ham’s observations that our beloved parents must be operating in ignorance of the full implications of their plan.’
Lucifer again paused and paced, and thus if he didn’t have the full attention of the room, he did by the time he recommenced.
When one’s words don’t invoke reverence in and of themselves then other methods must be utilised.
‘Now let us consider the details of the amendments to the plan that we propose. There are only two so far, which again reflects the fact that the plan our parents have proposed is almost perfect. Firstly, I do not believe that there should be pain or suffering on earth. The scenes that have been described to you should simply not be permitted to occur. Secondly, we would suggest that all should be allowed to return to the Kingdom following their mortal journey.’
How this was to be achieved Lucifer did not yet know, but the amendments seemed virtuous enough and were met with general approval. Caleb, who had been partially woken from his slumber by Lucifer’s gaze, could simultaneously see both the reasonableness and the folly of what was being suggested. The thought of a world where Tara couldn’t possibility be hurt was very reassuring. However, he struggled internally to identify any benefit to the mortal journey under such circumstances, as the same environment was already present in the spirit kingdom.
Most of the others that attended were not so perceptive and failed to see anything but wisdom and righteousness in the noble suggestions of their leader. They also felt most reassured that the president and his counsellors were on guard at a time when Mother and Father’s judgment had temporarily failed them.
At the close of the meeting Lucifer was careful not to look in Caleb’s direction and he busily introduced himself to some other first time attendees. Ham, on the other hand, had been specifically assigned to speak with Caleb after the meeting’s close, on account of the pre-existing relationship that he had with him.
‘Caleb, it is wonderful to see you here! What a nice surprise.’
‘Thank you Ham. Anas invited me and I thought that it would be wise to at least listen to what was being proposed.’
‘What was your first impression?’ Ham asked casually.
‘I’m not too sure yet. There were some things in respect of earth that alarmed me, and I must confess that a portion of what was said made sense. I guess I just need to digest it and give it some more thought.’
‘Well I suggest that you continue to attend our meetings so that you can be enlightened further,’ said Ham smoothly.
‘Thank you Ham, I think I will,’ replied Caleb.
The meeting closed and all departed, except for four, who remained to celebrate. Ham related Caleb’s closing comments and this was enough to put all four into a very jovial mood, including Lucifer who deduced that his glance must not have been detected after all. After much merriment they settled down together to admire some more earthly scenes, as a reward for their labours.
19 jezebel’s interview
Two weeks later Jezebel waited nervously in her abode, her mind spinning, as she tried to decide what to do. The reason for the turmoil that she felt was a scheduled meeting with her mother. There was nothing unusual about the meeting itself, as both Mother and Father met with each of their children periodically to see how they were progressing. The meetings were not compulsory and Jezebel would have preferred not to attend. However, after much nagging, Lucifer had persuaded her to attend the meeting so that she could assess whether Mother was aware of their activities.
While he did not disclose his reasoning to Jezebel, Lucifer was extremely keen for her to adopt this approach as it saved him from doing so in his next meeting with Father. Strategically he thought it important that they have an awareness of whether their activities were known. He just didn’t want to do it himself. Nervously Jezebel flew from side to side within her abode, an action that was extremely unusual within the Kingdom. So too though was the level of unrest that she felt.
Ultimately the time of the meeting approached, and she flew speedily to the home of her heavenly parents. She flew as fast as she possibly could, hoping that she might outrun the consequences of her actions. As she approached her parents’ abode, she found the light very troubling, but she ignored it as best she could and steeled herself for the forthcoming challenge.
Mother greeted her daughter at the entrance to her abode, making it clear that she had been waiting keenly for her arrival. With affection she said:
‘Jezebel, I have had you on my mind lately and I’m so happy that we can meet together.’
‘I am also, Mother,' Jezebel lied.
‘Tell me what has been happening in your life,’ said her mother gently.
‘Oh nothing very much, I’m attending some music classes and spending time with Lucifer, that is about it,’ replied Jezebel coolly.
‘How is Lucifer? Is he treating you well?’ Mother asked insightfully.
‘Oh yes, very well. I couldn’t be happier,’ responded Jezebel.
From there the meeting moved slowly because, for the first time, Jezebel did not speak frankly with her mother. She answered carefully, with that level of care that must be taken when there is an absence of truth to what is being said. As the end of the meeting approached, it was clear that Jezebel did not want to be honest but her mother gave her one more chance.
‘Jezebel, are you sure that you are telling me everything?’
‘Yes Mother,’ said Jezebel slyly.
‘Jezebel, I cannot give you proper guidance if you do not share everything with me, even if I do have knowledge of it.’
‘No, there is nothing else I need to tell you Mother.’
‘Then I can do no more to help you, but I will give you a final word of counsel and warning. Please know that there is only pain and suffering to be found in the future that you are selecting. It would do you well to abruptly change course.’
Jezebel did not answer this, but rather turned to leave. As she did so, her mother called out.
‘Jez, I love you,’ she said tenderly.
Even these words from a perfect
parent could not soften Jezebel’s perverted heart.
As she left the presence of her mother, rather than being remorseful she was triumphant. She had overcome her fear and she now understood that, although Mother seemed to be aware of their plot, there was nothing that she or Father would do to stop them from following through with their plan. They were free to proceed without the need to fear the consequences, or so she thought. Ironically, she failed to comprehend that the very plan that she was plotting against was what granted her this freedom. She gave no thought to Mother’s final counsel, or to her expression of tenderness. Her heart was past feeling such tenderness, or accepting guidance. Her course was fixed. When she arrived at her place, Lucifer was there eager to hear the details of the meeting.
‘How did you go, Jez?’
‘It was no problem. I never realised that Mother was so weak. She knows what we’re doing but she is powerless to stop us. I could tell that she knew about our plans but she will not do anything about it because of our precious agency.’
Lucifer was buoyed by this news. Having wandered from the peace that only obedience to his parents’ commandments could grant, he was no longer filled with an inner calm. Thus his moods swung with the events of each day. This particular development cheered him considerably, but it would be fleeting and then he would need a further boost if he was to maintain a positive disposition.
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