The police now had the crowd under control and the site taped off. Churchie watched as Aaron put on a brave front. White sheets covered the bodies. Mackenzie’s parents had arrived and Aaron told Churchie who they were. Aaron was doing his best to console them.

“Churchie.”

He turned to see the Rev coming towards him. Churchie stood up and walked towards the Rev.

“What’s up?” he asked the Rev.

“Strange things are going on, Churchie. I have had a revelation from the Lord about these people. The Lord will raise them to life and restore their souls. It is for His glory, and also His timing. But for now, I need to go and pray for these people.”

<°)))><

The Rev had an urgency about him. Churchie walked with him as he made his way to the taped off area. A police officer watched as they approached.

“Can I help you, gentlemen?”

“I’m a Pastor and I would like to pray for these people.” The Rev had his wallet out, showing his identification.

“But they’re deceased.”

“That’s okay. I’d still like to pray for them.”

The Rev noticed a man standing close by, listening in on their conversation. The man tapped the Rev on the shoulder. The Rev turned.

“Hi, I’m James Gordon, the father of one of the victims. Could I have a word with you before you pray?”

“Certainly.” They stepped back.

“Pastor, my wife and I are Christians. I’m a bit confused about your request for praying for my daughter as it appears she is deceased and it would now be too late to change anything. Besides, although we are hurting, we are at peace knowing she’s with the Lord.”

The Rev was nodding his head. “I agree with you. And it’s not something I would normally do. But the Lord has put something on my heart and I don’t find this easy to say, but I believe the Lord wants to bring these people back to life.”

The Rev was overwhelmed with what God had put on his heart and could only imagine this man felt the same, but most probably at a much deeper level.

Mackenzie’s dad rubbed his head. “Bring people back to life?” He looked at the bodies and then returned his gaze to the Rev. “I don’t know what to say. Yes, I’m a man of faith, but stand here confused. Do such things happen?”

“Yes, believers in Asia, Africa, and South America do this, and there are recorded miracles of people being raised from the dead. But we in western society don’t pursue this as actively as those in other countries. Why? I’m sure there are many reasons and one could be that we don’t do it because we don’t believe.”

The Rev paused. They all needed to take in what was happening. Some people—window cleaners, perhaps—abseiling on the next building caught the Rev’s attention. See how much confidence they had in those ropes. How much confidence do we have in God? This poor man was really being put on the spot, just like the Rev.

The Rev continued. “I don’t want to give you false hope, but I felt strongly that the Lord has spoken to me. It’s not something that happens frequently. I rarely hear the Lord’s voice. But I have with this situation and when the Lord speaks, you know it.

James Gordon looked at the bodies again. “I don’t want to displease the Lord by doing something that is not right.”

“I agree and I don’t treat this lightly. The Lord has put this on my heart and in a powerful way. I would displease him if I was not to do what he has requested. Please, the last thing I want to do is add to your grieving. I don’t know what the Lord has planned. Maybe it will be plain for us to see, maybe not.”

The abseilers were now on the ground, feet on solid rock. Their ropes proved themselves and they survived their task. They looked over at the Rev and the crowd, and started tidying up their ropes. There was so little proof of what the Rev was asking.

James Gordon turned to walk off. “Let me talk to my wife.”

The Rev watched as he walked over to his wife. After a brief discussion they both came back. Aaron followed behind them.

James introduced his wife to the Rev. “We have decided that praying for the deceased would serve no purpose. We know where Mackenzie has gone and trust the Lord. Although we would dearly love to have Mackenzie back, we understand it is up to the Lord and we believe he does not want us to communicate with the dead.”

“But . . . what about the other person?”

“They also have chosen their destination,” James said.

The Rev was disappointed. “I understand and will abide by your wishes.”

“Thank you.” James comforted his wife as the tears began to flow. “We will miss her very much but know that she is with the Father. We do thank you for what you were willing to do.”

The Rev watched them walk off.

The Rev hadn’t expected this. He was convinced God had wanted him to pray for the people to be raised up. He sensed a presence next to him. Churchie. He gave him a brief smile, then turned back to watch Mackenzie’s parents as they headed off.

The Rev felt distraught. He was tapped on the shoulder, “Rev.” He faced Churchie.

“There’s something strange going on. There are angels and demons around the bodies. They look like they’re in a confused state.”

“And so am I! What does your angel advise?”

“He says they’ve lost the souls of those people.”

“What does he mean by that?” He thought of what the Lord said to him about restoring their souls.

“When people die, the angels come to take the believer’s spirit to be with the Lord and the demons come to escort the unbeliever spirit to a place of torment. But those people? Their souls aren’t here.”

The Rev took this in. He was aware of such activity in the Bible. There was truth in what Churchie was saying. He looked over at the bodies, imagined the unseen angels and demons hovering over them. What did the angels and demons look like? He said a quiet prayer to the Lord and asked what he was meant to do now, for he didn’t want to go against the commitment he just made to the parents and he didn’t want to go against the Lord.

No immediate response came. He would wait upon the Lord.

The Rev saw Mackenzie’s dad walking back towards them. The Rev’s heart lifted. But James Gordon walked over to the police officer. The Rev was in hearing distance.

“What is going to happen next?” James Gordon asked the police officer.

“What will normally happen is that the bodies are moved to mortuary where they’ll be formally identified. I say ‘normally’, because events surrounding these deaths have been strange.”

The Rev knew an autopsy would need to be performed and sensed the officer’s goodwill in not mentioning that.

“Do I need to go the mortuary?” asked James.

“Yes, if you’re going to formally identify one of the victims.”

<°)))><

Midnight was close. Litter from the work day bounced and tumbled down the street, helped along by a slight breeze. Aaron heard the faint sound of machinery coming from another street. Probably street cleaners. He sat in a landscaped area just outside the foyer of a large commercial building. The seat was out of the wind and gave him a good view of the goings-on. He felt like he was watching a movie as the scene unfolded before him.

His soul mate lay there, dead. It felt like part of him had been removed. He had attempted to comfort Mackenzie’s parents, but it was really the other way around. What is it with faith? He was sure they were as devastated as he was, yet they managed to display some kind of strength.