The Other Side of Heaven

by Stan Mason

  ‘Your spirits will soon start to develop in a form that you recognise,’ declared the angel leader confidently. ‘As I mentioned before, it will be a new experience for you and you’ll need to adjust. You have to remember that we do not expect much of you on your arrival here... not until you meet the Angel of Justice who will interview each one of you to discuss your past lives. Then you will receive further instruction.’

  I wondered what we would be expected to do when we received further instruction. It was an enigma that didn’t concern me too much at the time because my mind was in delirium. We watched the angel disappear into the mist in the distance and waited patiently together. After a while, I began to see the shapes of the others and looked down at myself to find that my body had developed in the same way as it had done so on Earth. I seemed to be much younger although the power within me seemed to have diminished. I was dressed in a similar grey toga to the angel although I was not of any substance and continued to float in space like a spirit entity. There was still no feeling within me yet I had an energy which I knew would propel me forward whenever I was asked to go.

  There was no euphoria when our shapes became obvious, simply a spiritual experience to share with each other. The most noticeable feature at that point was the utter silence which seemed to flood the scene. There was not a sound or a murmur ... no rustle of breeze or wind... just utter silence which seemed to explode by virtue of its non-existence. Then, like a curtain rising in a theatre, a scene appeared before us which on Earth would have been most stunning. The Kingdom of Heaven appeared as a realm surrounded by great white walls which in themselves looked quietly magnificent. They had been erected with enormous white stones reaching up to a very great height while a number of towers peered above them in the near distance.

  The angel appeared once more and beckoned us towards the walls. At first, there seemed to be no door or gateway by which means we could enter. However, surprisingly, our spirits passed through them without any difficulty proving that we were natural spirits and that solid objects provided no resistance whatsoever. As we passed through the walls, however, the Kingdom of Heaven suddenly disappeared from our view. All we could see was a grand area very much like a military parade ground, austere and bleak, reaching out far to the horizon. We assembled there like an assortment of recruits in the army before another angel appeared in a toga emulating a sergeant in the military inspecting a new set of recruits. After he had wandered up and down, staring at each of us carefully, a scroll appeared in his hand which he opened to read an address.

  ‘There are a number of rules which you will all have to follow without fail and I shall read them to you now,’ he began solemnly. ‘I can inform you that eventually you’ll recall your past life and the people whom you once loved. Hence, the first rule is that you will never use the power you gain to contact anyone from your past life on Earth for any reason whatsoever. Secondly, you will obey all commands given to you by any angel of a higher rank without question. Thirdly, you will never refer to any other place than Heaven. Fourthly, you will never seek to approach a higher authority for any reason unless requested to do so. There are other minor rules you’ll need to follow but these are the prime directives which you will all obey without question.’ He paused to look at the assembly before him again before taking a step back. ‘Now... if you’ll come with me, I shall take you forward.’

  As he turned, we all dutifully followed him, but a spate of curiosity arrived in my head and I ventured to ask a question.

  ‘Will I meet my wife here in Heaven?’ I called out suddenly recognising her vision although she was nowhere to be seen.

  The angel halted temporarily and turned slightly in my direction. ‘You will find the answer to that question in due course. I’m not permitted to reveal the answer.’

  I turned to realise that some of the spirits around me had become frozen and failed to move with the rest of us. Although the situation did not concern me, I decided to enquire of their fate.

  ‘Why are some of us not moving forward,’ I asked gently.

  The angel stopped in his tracks to stare at me solemnly. It was my belief that he was becoming extremely tired with my curiosity. ‘They’re the ones selected to be reincarnated,’ he declared candidly. ‘They’ll be returned to Earth without delay to be reborn into a new society. However, on this occasion, they will find themselves in alternative locations, different environments, with new parents, and in changed situations to those they experienced on their journey on Earth before.’

  ‘Why wasn’t I chosen ot be reincarnated?’ I challenged meekly.

  ‘You are not to ask such questions but to follow my lead,’ he retorted sharply.’

  My mind dwelt upon the issue although I was surprised at his reticence. Surely he could answer a simple question on reincarnation but he failed to do so. I reflected that in Buddhist and Hindu thinking, man or the soul was seen to be reborn in accordance with merits acquired during his previous lifetime. Some sects of Hinduism held that a man did not necessarily assume a human form in the new life. If he had been involved with vice or crime, it was considered that he might possibly return as a cactus, a toad, a lizard, or even as poison ivy. The Buddhists believed that man was made up of such elements as body, sensation, perception, impulse, emotion and consciousness, all of which fell apart at death. The individual as such ceased to exist and a new individual life began according to the quality of the previous life, until at last achieving perfection and nirvana... eternal bliss.

  Without delay, the angel walked on in the silence and those not chosen to return to Earth came with me as we continued to follow him. We floated onwards for quite some distance which puzzled me because the area seemed to be limitless. The city I had seen from beyond the walls behind us had seemingly disappeared and there was nothing I could see to establish a place or location. Everything was simply bare with a mistiness that tended to hide the destination ahead. We stopped finally and the angel turned to speak.

  ‘You will stay here until the Guardian Angel comes to speak with you,’ he told us before turning to disappear into the distance.

  We had nowhere else to go and nothing to do as we waited patiently for the angel to arrive. It soon became clear to me that there was no night or day; the sky was incessantly light but there were no twinkling stars visible. Time did not exist and none of the features that applied on Earth had any essence in this place. I suddenly realised that I had two senses to nurture... those of sight and sound. However, what I could see was hardly describable and, as for sound, there was still complete silence. Only the words of the angels could be heard loud and clear when they spoke. Yet, gradually, my memory was beginning to return. I could remember certain elements of what had happened in my life on Earth albeit they were surrounded by mystifying thoughts and some confused elaborations. I soon realised that there were numerous other souls sharing the same kind of experience as myself. It was in my mind to enter into conversation with them but somehow there appeared to be a barrier preventing me from doing so.

  Eventually, the Guardian Angel arrived from ostensibly nowhere. She flew down with very large white feathered wings which closed in swiftly behind her. As she landed, she smiled at us welcomingly and opened her arms as if to embrace us.

  ‘You have now entered the Kingdom of Heaven,’ she related unnecessarily, for we all assumed that we were there.

  ‘Excuse me,’ I ventured amiably, still in awe that she wore such beautiful white wings and had flown in like a graceful bird. The angel looked at me with an element of surprise showing on her face. No one had ever interrupted her before in these proceedings. ‘These spirits here with me come from all different countries and obviously speak in different tongues. How is it that they all understand what you’re saying when you speak only in English.’

  The Guardian Angel smiled yet again. ‘In Heaven there is only one language which translates to all spir
its who enter here. Does that answer your question?’

  I nodded and hovered on the spot where I stood waiting for her to continue. I still could not get over the fact that she had such beautiful white wings which carried her wherever she wanted to go.

  ‘You’ve been told that there are many levels in the Kingdom of Heaven,’ she went on. ‘Some of you will find that you’re unable to progress from the first one; others will move higher. I need to explain that there are nine orders or choirs of angels which are listed as follows: Seraphim leading on to Cherubim, then Thrones, followed by Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels and Angels. Each one of you has been introduced to the first level which is that of Seraphim and I advise you to attend your duties without denial or refusal.’

  ‘What happens if we don’t comply?’ asked one of the other spirits interrupting quickly.

  ‘Whoever disobeys or reacts adversely will be chastised initially. However, if that spirit continues to misbehave it will be reincarnated and returned to a new life on Earth. Reincarnation occurs when a spirit is of such a nature that it has no right to be in Heaven and is therefore returned to relive a life to come back here eventually as a better and more enlightened spirit.’

  ‘Does this mean that a bad person may be returned to Earth many times before being accepted here?’ asked one of the spirits close by me.

  ‘You are not to ask questions of that kind,’ she responded sharply. ‘Simply think of the essence of what I have told you so far.’

  There was silence as the words of the angel were allowed to sink in to the minds of all the spirits. It was quite clear that we could go back to Earth as different people in changed environments with new parents, in altered circumstances, if we failed in our endeavours. However, after a life which was comprised of little else but utmost disappointment and severe pain, I hardly wished to return to another life having to suffer the same problems all over again. It was far better for me to behave myself dutifully, obeying the orders of higher angels, to preserve my place in Heaven. Nonetheless, I did recall a television programme in which people were hypnotised and, in the trance, related the specific details of a previous life on Earth. They were taken back into the past, some of them for two thousand years, to talk about the incidents they had experienced in the past. Now I understood the reason how that had happened.

  ‘You’ll discover duties of a nature that you’ve never known before,’ continued the Guardian Angel instructively. ‘Some of them may be to accompany loved ones still alive on Earth whom you will follow as accompanying angels. Of greatest importance is that you will not contact them because activities of that kind are forbidden. Your role might be simply to accompany them until you’re requested to return here. It is possible that you will have the power to guide them on to the right track of goodness when they start to stray but you will not do so unless instructed. Is that understood?’ We all stared at her as she paused for our consent. ‘There are certain angels who have a special role,’ she went on. ‘They are sent to Earth for a specific period of time to undertake a mission which supervises a particular occurrence or event. You will learn more about that angel service in due course. There are also spirits who examine scrolls of the endless universe and those who debate the morality of life and death, while there are other angels who influence those who live on Earth and the incidents that affect them, as Guardian Angels.’ She hesitated for a moment for effect knowing that she was holding everyone’s attention.

  ‘What about God himself?’ I ventured wilfully, wondering whether there was actually a Supreme Being over-lording the whole of Heaven.

  ‘You were an atheist in life,’ commented the angel curtly, ‘but that will not be held against you. Each person is entitled to their own opinion, but let me say that such views will have no effect on your position here. However, you’re not privileged to ask questions of that nature. If you progress to higher levels, you will discover many things lessening your need to ask questions.’

  ‘I prayed to Jesus every week in church,’ stated another spirit earnestly. ‘Will I get the chance to meet him?’

  The Guardian Angel looked at the spirit sternly before replying. ‘Everything will be explained to you eventually. But for now, you are not to ask such questions,’ she told him sharply.

  ‘What will happen to us from here onwards?’ asked another spirit sombrely.

  The Guardian Angel looked towards the spirit with a vague expression on her face. ‘You will discover that after I have left. The Angel of Justice will interview you accordingly as soon as you gain more power to your spirits and your memories return.’

  ‘Do we have names or identities?’ asked another spirit.

  ‘You may call yourselves whatever you like,’ suggested the Guardian Angel.

  ‘I rather like the name of Jeremiah,’ I cut in sharply. ‘I’ve always liked that name.’

  ‘Then that’s what you’ll be called,’ came the reply. ‘Now... if you will follow me, I’ll take you to the Dome of Despair.’

  ‘The Dome of Despair?’ repeated one of the spirits, propelling himself forward as though on wings.

  ‘That’s where you’ll meet the Angel of Justice. Come... follow me!’

  She went swiftly on her way on foot, not wishing to fly away on her beautiful white wings, and we all pursued her to arrive shortly at a large flat area which sported an ornately tiled dome which sprouted from the ground upwards held on a single stout pillar. There were no walls around it and the only feature there was a lectern located beneath it with an empty chair on each side.

  ‘At the moment,’ declared the Guardian Angel solemnly, ‘you are all spirits within the realm of Heaven with no substance and no knowledge of your former life. This will change when you’re called to an interview with the Angel of Justice. Everything that happened to you in your previous life will become apparent and you’ll need to reflect the good and bad deeds you once committed. Your progress here depends on your behaviour in the past.’

  ‘Do you mean that if I killed another person on Earth in my past life it would be held against me here?’ asked one of the other spirits gloomily.

  ‘You are not privileged to ask such questions!’ snapped the Guardian Angel sharply. ‘I shall tell you once again that each one of you will be called in turn. Of that you can be certain. I can only advise you to be truthful and ready with your answers.’

  The Guardian Angel then opened her white wings and flew off leaving us hovering in space waiting for the Angel of Justice to arrive. I tried to recall my past life but my mind, if one could call it that, was completely blank.

  In due course, I found myself being propelled away from the other spirits and floated swiftly to a bleak area with no background whatsoever. Other than the dome, it was like being in a swamp with the mist all around me on a very bleak morning. Suddenly, an apparition appeared in the sky which was clearly the Angel of Justice. She flew in with her mighty beautiful large white wings which fascinated me beyond all bounds. I had never seen anything which took my interest so fervently before. Before I could think of anything else, I found myself standing beneath the Dome of Despair.

  ‘Sit down,’ began the Angel of Justice, easing herself on the chair in front of the lectern, pointing to the other one on which I sat down. ‘Speak to me of your past life... of all the good and evil things you did,’ she went on in a voice that sounded as if it was coated with honey.

  It was as though she had snapped her fingers to bring it to mind because, in that instant, I remembered everything about myself in my past life on Earth. I recalled reading about the belief that after death one had to face judgement on one’s former life. In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, forty-two sins had to be denied by the dead soul before forty-two judges, and not until they had been acquitted was that soul allowed to join Osiris and taste the joys of Paradise. In fact, I recalled that in Ancient Greece, M
inos and Rhadamanthus judged the dead in a similar fashion. I hesitated for a moment with thoughts flooding my mind before starting my oration.

  ‘I was born in the East End of London, down by the docks. It was a very down-town area and the people were very poor. I lived with my parents in a block of flats and, in due course, I became a teacher in English, Geography, and for Sports at Blenman’s School, teaching there for... ’

  ‘I do not wish to hear your life story,’ interrupted the angel curtly. ‘I need to know about the good and evil deeds carried out by you in your lifetime.’

  I paused to reflect the situation. What good things and bad things could be put down to me during my eighty-eight years on Earth? I was simply an ordinary man who lived out his life just like most other people. There had been some good and bad issues but I was definitely no hero or villain. In fact, when push came to shove, I bordered more on the side of cowardice. What in Heaven’s name could I tell this angel to satisfy her about me?

  ‘I gave to charity,’ I advanced weakly. ‘I arranged for the nursing of my mother when she was ill. There was a loan of money which I gave to a needy friend.’ My mind seemed to freeze up at that point. ‘I’m sorry,’ I blurted in confusion, ‘I can’t think of anything else at the moment.

  ‘And what of the evil things you did?’ Her words seemed to cut through the mist as though I was on trial... which was clearly the case.

  ‘I stole some money from my father when I was young and lied about it to him,’ I replied with some degree of anxiousness as I recalled the incident. ‘I was only fourteen at the time. I ruined another teacher’s life with a false accusation because I disliked him so much.’ I sat thinking hard for a short while. ‘I have to admit that I neglected my wife which turned my marriage sour when I had a brief affair with a female teacher at school.’ I paused to reflect but could think of nothing more. ‘That’s about it.’