“Oh, he’s real,” Mackenzie said. Why were there no tears? Instead, there were feelings of love, of peace.
The angel looked and smiled at Mackenzie. “The Father has revealed to me that you are one of His. He tells me that He loves you, Mackenzie, and you are not to fear, for this will all come to an end soon.”
The angel turned towards the man. “But you young man, the Lord knows you and loves you and wants all to be saved. You are still under the condemnation of God because your sins have not been covered by the atoning blood of Christ. You can still be saved. Listen to Mackenzie: she will explain things to you.”
The angel turned towards the dark side. “But, be warned. The dark side is where the souls of the lost go when they die. They do pass through a bright light, but it is on the way to a place of torment—there they stay until Judgement Day. You have been warned. Repent and be saved.”
Mackenzie watched Joshua’s reaction to this. She knew that he had been given a reprieve that many didn’t get.
The angel turned to Mackenzie. “I must go now, Mackenzie Gordon. Your ministering angels are on their way. Mackenzie, it is not sad news, for Paul is with the Father now. It was his spirit we have just retrieved. You know for certain where he is and you know it is a better place. Be in peace about it. He is home.”
Still no tears, but love and peace flooded her mind. There are no tears in heaven. She watched the angel float above their heads, and then depart. A thin veil separated them. She continued to watch as more mighty angels appeared.
“Hello, loved one. We are your ministering angels. We have been with your body, wondering where your spirit had departed to. You are away from your physical body at the moment. But the Father does not want that to remain. You will see us for but a short time. But know this: we will be with you forever.”
An angel stood next to Joshua who had his head bowed and was shaking. Mackenzie walked over to Joshua. She prayed silently, thanking the Lord for starting a work in Joshua’s heart. “Joshua, you have a lovely name. Did you know that the Greek translation of your name is Jesus? Let me tell you about him.”
Chapter 23
AARON WATCHED A SMALL group of runners as they talked and ran along a path parallel to the Brisbane River. He watched as a colony of gulls broke up and flew to the sky when the runners came too close. Their squawk he had to imagine, as the car windows blocked out sounds from the outside world. He returned his gaze to Kathy, who now had her hand on James’s lap as he drove the five of them to the mortuary.
Kathy had decided to give the passengers an update. “We were informed earlier that the coroner has requested that an autopsy be performed on our Mackenzie. So I’m glad we’re going to get this thing done before that. I’ve told them that we would like to come in and pray for our daughter and the other person who were brought in last night. They were unsure about the other person, but said they’d check out if that was okay.”
Aaron noticed that Kathy’s enthusiasm was dropping off. Aaron understood. He was impressed by Churchie’s abilities. He even believed they were supernatural, but like a drug, the effects wear off. Normality soon comes back. He knew Kathy and James would still be finding it hard and wondering if they were doing the right thing. They would all be glad when it was over.
“They’re hesitant about who could come in and see the bodies, and would only allow relatives and the Reverend. I tried to get you in, Aaron, but they’re quite strict on who could come in. Sorry, Churchie, the same goes for you.”
Aaron shook his head in agreement. “I understand, Kathy. When you think about it, what has taken place over the past few days is quite extraordinary, and the investigation process is going to be complex and thorough. They won’t want anyone tampering with the evidence.”
“You sound so military, Aaron,” Kathy said.
“Yeah, soldier boy, get a life,” Churchie gave him a nudge. “It’s okay by me, too, Kathy.
Aaron saw Kathy looking at Churchie in the rear-view mirror.
Kathy spoke. “You know Churchie, there’s something about your eyes. You look excited. You really believe something is going to happen don’t you? I have mixed feelings. I really didn’t know what to think.”
“It will be good, Kathy,” Churchie said.
Kathy nodded her head slowly.
The high from Churchie’s supernatural dose had all but gone now.
<°)))><
The Rev sat in the back seat, gazing at the river craft as they started their daily routines. He sensed Kathy was still not convinced about bringing Mackenzie back to life. He could understand that, because he had struggled with it. But the one thought that stayed strong in his mind was the Bible verse about God’s power being made perfect in weakness. He asked God to help him to be weak in the flesh but strong in the Spirit.
Churchie, squeezed in between the Rev and Aaron, was full of enthusiasm. “And imagine what’s going to take place when these bodies rise.”
Good on ya Churchie. You’re a man of faith.
They travelled in silence for the rest of the trip, each in their own world.
“Think it’s coming up on the left,” Kathy said.
The Rev looked at a pinkish two-story building, bordered by native shrubbery and high-security features. The indicator came on, they turned in and James parked the car. Kathy, James and the Rev got out of the car and headed towards the reception area. Just like a cemetery or crematorium, the reception area allowed visitors to be received in sensitively-planned surroundings. They walked up to the reception desk, completed the appropriate paperwork, and were guided into a meeting room. A mortuary attendant soon took them to the viewing room.
The room was cold.
Two stainless steel tables sat in the centre of the room each with a body fully covered in a white sheet.
The Rev stared at the bodies, pleased that both bodies were there. He’d left that for God to sort out.
<°)))><
Aaron and Churchie leaned on the bonnet of the car, their eyes focused on the main entrance. Aaron didn’t know what to expect. A lot had been happening, and there was a lot to take in, but bodies being raised from the dead?
“What ya thinking about, Aaron?”
“Things unseen, Churchie.” He smiled. “How do you feel about the dead being raised? What happens if it doesn’t happen? How are Kathy and James going to feel?”
“Many questions, Aaron . . . if everyone could see what I see, they’d believe. The angels are messengers of God, Aaron, so I know there’s a God and he’s mighty. So I have no doubt he can raise the dead as he has created all things.”
A line of ants caught Aaron’s attention. “Has it happened before, Churchie?” Aaron watched one of the ants carrying something much larger that its size. How did it do that?
“I read something in the Bible about when Jesus was raised from the dead, the tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. The Rev also told me other examples of individuals being brought back to life—I’m sure you have heard of Lazarus.”
“Yep . . . back from the dead like Lazarus.”
