Nine Days in Heaven: A True Story (16 page)
Infant Instruction—
the Lost Man
A
T THIS POINT A TOTALLY DIFFERENT SCENE WAS PRESENTED TO
the infants as part of their preparation for advancement. To help you understand what happened next and the reason why these extraordinary scenes were shown to the infants, I need to explain that some of the instruction in the spirit world is given by dramatization.
1
Real-to-life scenes are presented to the infants to teach them about past events or to illustrate important principles.
In this way the spirits can be taught, even when they have no scientific or artistic wisdom, no knowledge of moral or spiritual laws, and no understanding of the complex universe. The “dramatizations” are so clear the infants can easily grasp them and absorb the information presented.
To fully explain everything used in this process, even for that very basic infant school, is simply beyond my ability. It would also require volumes to contain it all, even if it could be written down. As a result I must condense it to a summary form, and you must be satisfied with that.
The light and glory that illuminated the dome gradually dimmed until only a half-light marked the outline of the great city. Everything fell silent, and nothing moved. The stillness of that moment was broken only by a gentle breeze wafting across the vast plain.
After a brief pause, a moonlit landscape from earth appeared. Beneath a bank of gloomy clouds was an underground cave, and in this cave lay a man. He was badly wounded, apparently dying, and he tossed to and fro trying to obtain relief. The attention of every spirit was fixed upon him.
H
IS EFFORTS WERE FITFUL AND
CONVULSIVE, BUT IN NO WISE ADAPTED
TO HIS NECESSITIES, AND HIS INABILITY
TO EXTRICATE HIMSELF WAS CLEARLY
MANIFEST FROM HIS DEMEANOR
.
His tossing and turning was fitful and convulsive but completely futile. He tried to heal his wounds by applying what he thought were effective medicines, but they were all unsuccessful. In fact, they only increased his suffering and probably added to his peril. The cave where he was lying was surrounded by an abyss, and though he made several attempts to cross it, he failed each time, finally giving up in utter despair.
As he lay weak and helpless, a group of people gathered around him—a woman, some teenagers, and children—apparently his wife and family. They were grieving for him and tried to help him. They attempted to bind up his wounds, to lift his head and revive his strength, but to no avail.
As I looked more closely, I saw that he was lying right beside the edge of the abyss. Not only that, but he was being drawn closer each moment by some invisible and irresistible power. It was a moment of great tension. His wife came closer and wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to hold him back. The others tried to help too, but all in vain. He was drawn even closer to the abyss. The effect of his sickness had worsened too, until finally, at the point of death, he lost consciousness. To my surprise, a man who looked like him stood up beside him. I immediately realized it was the spirit of the man, and it had just left his body.
As the spirit stood there, it still seemed connected to the prostrate body and dependent on it, and though it resembled the man, it looked far more disfigured and dreadful. Spiritual and moral disease had done its work, and I could actually see the results before my eyes.
T
HEN, SUDDENLY, THE SPIRIT
DISAPPEARED, AND THE BODY SHOWED
SIGNS OF RETURNING TO LIFE
. T
HE MAN
RECOVERED, BUT ONLY TO EXPERIENCE
GREAT MISERY IN HIS BODY AGAIN AND
TO FEEL HIS SORRY STATE EVEN MORE
THAN BEFORE…. THE MAN GAVE SIGNS
OF RETURNING LIFE AND SENSE; BUT HE
ONLY RECOVERED TO KNOW AGAIN, IN THE
OUTER MAN, EXCESSIVE MISERY, AND TO
MORE FULLY FEEL HIS FORLORN STATE
.
During this time the body had remained motionless, but the spirit was quite capable of movement and expressed graphically all of his sufferings. He looked up, as if to seek help from above, but a cloud of thick darkness overshadowed him. Then he looked around wildly, seeking some place of refuge or help. But all his efforts were hopeless, and he gave up in despair.
Then his gaze dropped vacantly and fell on the abyss, yawning beneath. Convulsing again, he tried to escape, but all in vain. The scene was horrible. The agonizing, fruitless efforts, together with the expressions of final despair, showed a complete wretchedness beyond human description.
The little group, however, encouraged by the signs of life, renewed their efforts to restore him, but they had no power to soothe his grief or restore the lost health of his body or spirit.
As they struggled in this way, a light descended. Under its penetrating brightness it became immediately obvious that all of the family group were in the same spiritual condition as the man, except that the effect was not as marked. Their final destiny, however, was just as certain. Gradually they became aware of their fate, and they cried out for help.
A voice answered out of nowhere, a voice that was somehow familiar to me. “In this situation man cannot help man,” it said. “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard change its spots?
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Can the weakness of those who are already dying restore the life of another victim? Help must come from above; otherwise there is no hope at all.”
As the scene closed, an angel explained to the infants watching: “This gloomy region you just saw is earth. The people there struggle with many sicknesses—physical, moral, and spiritual—but they cannot save themselves.
“The spirit that rose when his body gave up represents the immortal nature. Even though the body perishes, this immortal nature continues to exist, and, in fact, it is even more sensitive in this state. When the spirit sank down in despair, it showed you that the effects of moral or spiritual degradation are not cured by death.
“…
THE DEATH OF THE BODY CAN IN
NO WISE RELIEVE THE SOUL FROM
MORAL OR SPIRITUAL DEGRADATION
.”
“The family group represents human sympathy. People seek help from others in their suffering, and this inspires the more benevolent to assist them.
“Those who do this are sensitive to the troubles of others. They deeply sympathize with them, no matter what the cause. They try to remove evil from the world and lift mankind through human efforts. But they have the same inherent weaknesses as the ones they are trying to help, so they can never fully succeed, although superficial relief sometimes inspires hope for a short time. Throughout the ages the human race has struggled with this problem, in countless reformatory measures. Eventually these reformers have given up in despair because of this fundamental weakness in themselves.
