The Harrowing
The following is imagination, not vision. My intent is to orient a Christian follower to the worldview shared by the first 1500 years of Christianity.
It was the color I couldn’t figure out. I’d never seen colors like this. And the sounds, music I’d never imagined, but just as I turned my attention to it — I heard that voice. It was jarring. Ugly, snide and so condescending. As I turned to see who was speaking, I found myself in the throne room of Heaven. A dark figure was crouched in front of the throne speaking to the One on the throne. “… they won’t be happy loving you,” he seethed, “they’ll escape being under your thumb as soon as they can.” As the creature spoke, it writhed as though it was uncomfortable, couldn’t stand being in its… well it wasn’t exactly skin.
Suddenly, the throne room changed. An incredible light, and a note that was like everything delicious danced and then I heard the voice. It was indescribable. The creature froze as the One spoke. “They are my creation, and I love them. Why must you test me?” The retort came quickly; “I too am your creation, but look at what I’ve become!” As soon as he hissed this, the room changed. Suddenly, I was full of melancholy. As I began to weep, I heard the note again, I was no longer sad, and then the voice. “If mankind rejects me, their souls would be damned to circumstances designed for the likes of you. It’s a terrible penalty.” “But required!” shouted the devil; “Those who reject you are mine. Right??” I heard the figure scream in the closest thing to glee I could imagine that evil being achieving. “If they eat the apple, they’re mine!” The light changed again as everything stopped. I held my breath awaiting the answer. “Yes,” I heard. “If my people sin against me, the consequences are real.” And then I saw an Angel grab the crouching devil, he removed him from the throne room, in a not very gentle manner, and the One on the throne said, “He has no idea what he’s getting into.” And He sounded melancholy too.
And then I was in the sun. I heard water flowing, and I saw flowers like I’d never seen, roses with no thorns. Then I heard that same voice — snide and arrogant, but this time, it sounded beautiful and lovely and wonderful, and it said, “Listen, I’m being straight. He was holding you guys back, He knows you can be just like Him if you eat this apple, so He sent me to tell you He changed His mind. Go ahead, it’s delicious.”
And I was melancholy again.
It had been two weeks since my dreams. I found myself content, at peace. Not like normal. The usual angst was gone. I might say I could still feel the love from that room. The content of my dream had been curious to be sure, but people have weird dreams all the time, and I was beginning to dismiss it as a curiosity when I found myself standing in front of a glorious fountain; flowing down on four sides from a central peak. As I looked at it — I realized I was looking at a pyramid with water flowing into channels that carried the water away in four directions.
People surrounded me, and I was afraid. I heard them speak but could not understand their words, as I stood there, I saw their evil works, well, I saw the scars of their evil works, the wounds on their souls, the hate in their hearts. And as I pondered all this, it began to rain. And it rained and rained.
I found myself running, and as I ran, I had no idea where to go, but everybody was running one direction — so I followed, thinking they must know something. I was so wet, I looked down to see what I was wearing and realized I didn’t have a body. That was weird.
And then I saw it — all the people were running towards a massive wooden structure. It was a boat. Massive in size, I could see it in the distance, but as I began to draw near, water began to gather on the ground, and although I didn’t have a body, I thought my feet were wet.
Melancholy filled my spirit again, as the waters gathered, and I began to hear the curses and cries of those with bodies. And then I was on the deck of the boat as the water swept the land. I watched as the evil ones, bastard children of evil disobedient angels, were swallowed by the waters, and as the rain fell and the days slowly passed, fewer and fewer of the ghastly beasts could be heard cursing and screaming, until I heard nothing but rain.
And then I was with a simple people. Perhaps 20 in all, 7 men, 8 women and half a dozen children, and I heard one of the men say, “We were able to do amazing things, in the days before the scattering. Buildings almost to heaven! And then, almost in an instant, we were all here, in this valley. And we have been ever since. Perhaps one day we will be reunited with our lost people.”
And I was at home again.
And then I was in the throne room of heaven again. The feeling of love, and then the colors got me again, I feel them as much as see them, and that makes me check to see if I have a body. I do not.
As I looked, there was the crouched devil again, but the Angel was close behind this time. I strained to hear what he was saying, his anger was clear. “How dare He call one of mine back! This Lazarus was mine. That is the law, that is consequence.”
And I heard the One on the throne say to the crouched devil, “What would you have me do?”
And everybody stopped and looked at the evil one as he peered up at the One.
“Give me Jesus to replace Lazarus.” A gasp echoed through the throne room. “Why would I let you kill my very Son?” And there was laughter in heaven for a time. And then that devil sneered again, “What if I give you the souls of those who follow Him in trade?”
And quickly, the One said “Deal,” and I watched as the Angel immediately threw the evil one from the throne room down to earth, and as he fell, I heard the fear in his growl.
And I was melancholy. A sadness I had never experienced at what would happen to His Son overcame me and I began to weep. Then the Angel looked at me and said “Love will prevail” and I smiled.
The voices pulled me in again, I turned to look, and as I did, I saw 3 grotesque creatures. I started to gag, and then realized I didn’t have a body again.
They were arguing with one another, angry for some reason with each of the other two. “How would I know why He is here?” “Well you better figure it out,” said another voice. I couldn’t reconcile their words with their tone, it sounded like a regular conversation, but the anger made it clear these were not friends. “Who cares why? He is here, now is our chance.”
“Are you kidding me? What even would we do to Him — He can crush us,” said what I thought was the ugliest demon.
“I don’t get it, why now, it isn’t time yet,” I heard one ask.
“I don’t like it,” the ugly one barked back.
And then I saw the devil. He was standing upright, but somehow still seemed to be crouching, and he approached the three demons. As he walked up, he spat on one of the demons and the other two laughed.
“You idiots will never know what I just pulled off,” he began. “The Ancient of Days has granted me the rights to kill this Jesus of Nazareth.”
I watched as each of three demons seemed to freeze in place. I smiled as I watched them process what had been said.
“What do you mean kill?” said the ugly one. “What will this cost us?”
“Practically nothing, those losers who have been following Him around belong to the Ancient of Days. Big whoop. You guys heard me, this is going to be the most exciting thing to happen in Hades since I was cast down.”
And then, I was on a mountain, and I heard the Lord say, “Do not commit adultery, but I say to you, anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed the sin.” And I heard Him explain that the law can’t save us, and we need a Savior. That Moses was able to take the people to the border, but the law can’t get into the promised land, and that’s why Joshua (which means Yeshua, or Jesus) lead the people into the promised land.
He is that Savior, and I smiled as I realized God loved each of us so much, that rather than asking one of us to die, He sent His very Son — His nature, His power, part of Himself — to die.
And then the sky turned dark. I felt a chill as I realized I was at Calvary. I checked, still no body. Our Savior is on the cross, and all those around Him are mocking, crying, praising, praying. And then I heard Him say, “It is finished” — but the way He said it, it was delivered like a King who has had enough of the jesters. It was clear. No more. That’s enough.
And then the earth began to shake.
But then I was home again.
Weeks passed, all I could do was consider. What a strange place for the Lord to leave us, I almost felt abandoned. My prayer life began to wane; you can imagine how eagerly I arose on those early morns after the visions. But time passes, visions dim. Life happens.
And then I felt cold. This was a different cold than winter storms, this had an ache I couldn’t place, like I had a hole in the middle of me. Melancholy was back, and it was dark. It was so cold, I tried to move around to warm up but I didn’t have a body again.
And then I began to hear it. It was a wail of terror that pierced through the darkness, but … I couldn’t hear it, I could only feel it. My eyes began to adjust to the dimness and I came to recognize that I was in Hades, where the rich man cries out to Lazarus for help. The melancholy was overwhelming. Despair. Cold. Wrong. And as I looked around, I could see the heat waves in the air, could feel the misery thick like fog. As I began to weep, I heard an evil cheer, “He is ours! We’ve killed Jesus!!!” And just as quickly as I heard that, I heard another voice, this one soft and kind, and it said, “You have no claim on Me, I am guilty of no sin with which to justify your claim.”
Everything stopped. And I saw that old serpent process what he had heard.
And he cried out, “No! That’s not fair, that’s not how this is supposed to go!”
And as I watched, Jesus began walking the aisles, telling the souls chained and trapped, that He was the solution to their predicament, that although mankind did sin and fall from grace, God loved His creation so much, He chose to provide a solution through Jesus.
And as He spoke, He would reach out to each person, and each of those who took His hand, the chains fell off and they began to follow behind Him. I recognized one of the men who grabbed at Jesus like he was drowning — it was the man from the cross, the one who defended the Christ. And as Jesus reached down to him, he leapt to his feet and they embraced. I’d never felt a hug from across the room before. And I smiled. And my melancholy was gone.
Then He who is victorious explained to those who remained in Hades that death has no grip on those who call upon the name of Jesus. The terms of the deal are binding.
And I was caught up from Hades, along with all those with the Christ, and it was exceedingly dark. Suddenly, a loud sound like an earthquake, and part of the wall began to move, allowing light to flood in. I was in a small room, and the Lord was walking out a doorway.
I heard a cheer from all those who had followed Him from Hades as He walked out of the grave, and I began to sing and cheer at what had been accomplished.
And I was back home. And the melancholy is gone. And peace has replaced it. And I can’t stop smiling.