Jack gave him a slight clip over the head.
Erica wiped tears from her eyes. “These are tears of joy—a release for a surplus of joy, maybe what tears were always planned for.”
They stood in a massive open area, almost like a stadium. Layers and layers of people that seemed to go on forever. An assembly of thousands and thousands of people. He could see great mountains in the distance. That surprised him—this was nothing like the wispy view he’d had of the dwelling place of God.
Johnny had wandered off with Erica’s dad to take in the view.
Cath’s dad came over to him, sensing Jack’s wonder at it all. “It’s a massive cube, Jack. Based on God’s word, I would say that it’s over 2,200 kilometres cubed—that means it goes a long way in all directions, including up and well out of our atmosphere. I think we need to think as little as possible in earthly terms.”
“I may need to think in earthly terms to get a grip on how large it all is.”
“The footprint would cover half the continental United States. It would completely cover Western Australia.”
“Ok, that’s large.”
“And, in relation to its height, commercial aircraft can’t fly much higher 40,000 feet—that’s around twelve kilometres. The International Space Station flies at an average altitude of 400 kilometres above Earth, and the moon is 384,400 kilometres away.”
“What about satellites?”
“There are thousands of active satellites—not sure how many inactive ones, maybe double the number of active ones. They’re classified based on their height above the Earth’s surface. I suppose the ones that would be of interest are the ones classified as low-earth orbits. They’re abbreviated LEOs and occupy a region in space that may conflict with our new home.”
“So a few could bump into the New Earth.”
“True. I believe the LEOs take up most of the satellite space—they even call it a satellite constellation network—so there may be a few collisions. All depends on orbiting speeds and the like. Once a collision happens, it can set off a chain reaction for risk of future collisions but I think all will be in order. Satellites may pass through unaffected. Be an interesting time working in aerospace at the moment.”
“Working anywhere at the moment could be interesting.”
“And it’s going to be interesting working here on the New Earth.”
Jack could sense excitement and contentment in Frank’s voice.
“I doubt there’ll be jobs for policemen here.”
Frank laughed. “There will be, Jack. But not for crime.”
A world without crime. Jack couldn’t get his head around that—not now, anyway. He sensed he would.
He looked at the mountains again. So this world would be perfect. Paradise. He saw black specks against the blue sky in the distance. Birds?
Johnny came up beside him and pointed towards the stadium.
“Feel the power, Dad,” Johnny said. “The King is coming.”
A river clear as crystal flowed from the direction of the stadium’s platform, separating the sides of the stadium. Floating screens strategically placed among the people allowed everyone to view the proceeding. Soft soothing background music played directly into Jack’s brain. Those surrounding the front of the platform were dressed in white and waved what looked like palm branches, a contrast against the white.
“I believe they are the tribulation saints,” Erica’s voice cut in, overriding the background music. “Those martyred for their faith.”
The platform sound returned, and thousands joined in the praises.
Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty.
Jack had never heard nor felt anything like it. He closed his eyes. A vision of God entered his mind. A vision so profound, so amazing. You will see Me face-to-face. He fell to his knees. Erica and Johnny joined him. Around the stadium, millions upon millions fell on their knees.
Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!
A light flashed across his closed eyelids. He opened his eyes to see the brightest light shining down on the platform, penetrating the platform. The worship increased.
Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty.
Jack sensed the light as a type of energy and felt a tingle inside, as if the light was connecting with him. To the right of the light, a large throne-like seat appeared on the platform. Then he saw a silhouette figure coming down in the light, descending like a dove. As the shadow came into focus, he realised who it was.
The King.
Jack looked to the sky. Light cascaded down from above. He could see no sun. No moon. Just light. He sensed he was detecting different light waves, maybe a wider spectrum than his eyes were used to. Some of the beings standing before the throne weren’t earth-like, not human—that was the only way he could describe them. He assumed they were beings that normally roamed the unseen realm his earthly eyes could not detect. Heavenly beings. Supernatural beings. Even at a distance, he sensed their power.
The viewing screen drew him in—they had become one. He was present. He was part of the scene. What looked like books were arranged before the Lord. No table, just hovering. The light shimmered before the throne, shadows like schools of fish passing.
“Judgement is taking place, my friend.” Jack’s angel appeared beside him. “It’s beyond your present understanding.”
Judgement. He had recollections of judgement day and the great white throne. He also remembered the mention of books being opened.
“Are they books before the Lord?”
“Yes, they are. Books that store the Words of God the person has rejected, and books that store the works of a person, works they’re judged against. The Book of Life is the final judgement. The unsaved do not appear in this book and are cast out of the presence of God—it was their choice. For you, a believer, your home is here—the New Jerusalem.”
Jack understood and was forever thankful.
41 - Dining in heaven
Jack’s mind was spinning. People had dispersed after the welcoming ceremony. Now he and his family were in a huge dining room. He couldn’t explain how he got here or why he was surrounded by his friends and loved ones, but it all made sense. There just seemed so much order. Erica and Johnny were on either side of him, along with his parents and Erica’s mother and father, Adam and Joanne. Friends and other relatives weren’t far away.
Circles of friends, like Venn diagrams. Overlapping circles bringing together people with something in common. He could see several members of his investigations team from work. He hadn’t realised many were believers. His heart was gladdened to see Sally-Anne Richmond. She caught his attention and gave him a smile.
“Hello, my name is David, and I’m your server today.”
Jack stared at the speaker. He was neat and tidy in appearance and dressed in a white robe. Jedi like.
“Hello, David.” Jack rested his arms on the large white table. “And what do you serve?”
David gave a warm smile. “If you move your arms a list of items will display on the table.”
He did. Welcome to the new world.
“All healthy and perfectly designed for your new bodies.” David pumped his fist, rallying them on.
“Wow, Dad, didn’t think they’d have Coke in heaven.”
David gave them a smile. “Better than the Coke you know, and better for you. Made in harmony for your body.”
