FLASHBACKS INTO THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS

MIKE CUNNINGHAM

MAY 31, 2009

An obviously agitated male voice broke the silence at a point which was almost the outer limit of our Creator’s vast universe. You want to know something, Pal? I’m starting to get antsy, that’s what. And why is that, asked the angel assigned to escort the spirit of a man who was recently released from his body at the exact moment of death. It’s taking forever to get into Heaven, that’s why. There’s got to be a shorter way, Pal. For crying out loud, we must have passed a zillion of those super cluster things and billions of galaxies by now. I mean, how much more of this scenic route stuff am I supposed to put up with? You must know by now these are the kind of things that always set me off and get me all bent out of shape. Enough’s, enough, Pal!

O but there is another route home, Charlie. As a matter of fact, it’s direct and instantaneous. I can’t believe I’m hearing all this. You’re telling me there are two routes leading into heaven after a person dies and here you got me on the long one? I don’t mean to be disrespectful, Pal but I got to tell you the truth. How else you goanna learn? Somebody has to clue you in. There are a lot of gutless wonders that feel the same way as I do about someone but they keep it to themselves. To your face they make believe everything is honky dory but it really ain’t. You’ve been with me for my whole life, Pal. You know I’m no phony. I always let everybody know what I think of think of them. No beating around the bush with me. People always know what’s on my mind. How else are they goanna learn and get with the program? Tell me! You can’t! I knew it all along. Boy I can’t believe I have so much patience. I’m starting to feel a little better now, Pal. Just like I always do when I give someone a piece of my mind and get everything off my chest. I’m aware of that fact, Charlie. Now may I ask you what it was you wanted to tell me. O that. I almost forgot. You got me going all over the place. Here it is. I said it before and I’ll say it again. You ain’t right, Pal, you ain’t right! There’s no other way I can say it. It’s the God honest truth. You know I get to judge you someday, (1 Cor. 6:3) Pal. That’s why I’m trying to help you now. You care about me don’t you, Charlie? You know I do. Some day you’re goanna thank me, Pal.

Now why are you bringing me the long way instead of the fastest? You’re a special person, Charlie. I’m special? Indeed you are, Charlie. Very special! You know Pal, I always thought I was. Even little kids could see that I am. Do you remember the time I was in the pizza joint with Martha and my wise guy kid and the stupid waiter wanted to know if we wanted silverware? To eat our spaghetti! Indeed I do Charlie, indeed I do. I sure let that idiot know what I thought of him. And the little kid sitting at the table next to us took it all in. He pointed to me and told his father: That mans a piece of work, Daddy. And the kid’s father agreed with him. They didn’t even know me but they can spot a special person when they see one. But what’s this got to do with you taking me on the long route home, Pal? Everything Charlie! Everything! Because you’re so special I have to bring you the longest way possible. You’re not fit to enter into God’s heaven. There’s something you must do first. Now you’re telling me that in addition to confessing my sins to God and telling him how sorry I was and begging him to forgive me even to the point of crying, I still can’t get into heaven. You’re telling me all that ain’t good enough. You’re saying the Bible has it all wrong. Here it is: ⁸ for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

I beg your pardon, Charlie. I never said the Bible has it all wrong. You said that, Charlie. Ok, Pal; I get the picture. So now we’re goanna play head–games. I said it before and I gotta say it again, Pal. You ain’t right! What did I ever do to have a misfit like you assigned as my guardian angel? You’ve got to be up there at the top of the list of losers. I can hardly wait for the day to come when I get to judge you, Pal? Now let’s move along for Pete’s sake. We can’t proceed any farther, Charlie. It’s time for the flashbacks. Flashbacks! Where to? Back into the kingdom of darkness, Charlie.

At that instant a very emotional scene suddenly appeared before Charlie’s eyes. A pathetic looking woman was all alone in their living room seated in a cushioned chair. Charlie’s wife Martha was trembling and crying uncontrollably like a frightened little girl all by herself at midnight during a raging thunder and lightning storm. She cried out: “O Father, I can’t take any more of Charlie. He’s so mean and nasty most of the time. My stomach is killing me. If I didn’t take my marriage vows seriously I would have left him a long time ago. But I can’t go on living like this. I wish I were dead. Take me home. Please! The scene vanished as quickly as it had appeared. A dumb-struck Charlie finally managed to say: “I don’t understand all this, Pal. I know you don’t, Charlie.

No sooner were those words out of the angels’ mouth than another scene flashed in front of Charlie. It was his young son kneeling alongside his bed pleading with God. Charlie was all ears as he listened to his son “He doesn’t love me at all. He could care less about all my worrying if my best friend Rick will ever be able to use his legs again, remain paralyzed for the rest of his life, or whether or not the test results will show my favorite teacher’s cancer has spread. My father is all wrapped up in himself. All my friends are always asking me if my loose-cannon old man has finally blown his stack and gone to hell where he belongs. I’m ashamed to say he’s my father. I wish I never was born.” And then that scene disappeared as quickly as the first one. This time Charlie was speechless and couldn’t even look at the angel.

Suddenly another scene flashed before Charlie’s eyes. His brother Claude had obviously just finished playing a recording Charlie’s son had secretly taped of his father in action. His therapist was sitting in a chair facing Claude with his back toward Charlie. All he could do was shake his head from side to side. Claude spoke: “My brother Charlie has got to be the cruelest, most insensitive, know-it—all, holier than thou, argumentative, judgmental, loud-mouthed, poor excuse for a human being I have ever had the misfortune of meeting, and his therapist nodded his head in agreement. I can’t stand him. I wish I never had been born into my family. And then, that scene also faded away.

By now Charlie regained his composure, and asked the angel: “what on earth are they all talking about. Are they crazy? I’m a good person. I worked my butt off seeing to it Martha and my wise guy kid always had a roof over their head, and lots of food on the table and nice duds to wear. I always got myself to my neighbor’s bible study every Saturday morning and showed up at church every Sunday. I served on church committees even though there were some morons on them. And I tithed a good ten percent. And you know something else, Pal; I even footed the bill so my brother Claude could see that shrink guy on a regular basis. They’re all out to lunch. What more can anyone ask? I’m glad you want to know, Charlie. Now let’s pause for a minute and listen to what our God has to say about Himself and how He wants His adopted children to conduct themselves. Go for it, Pal. I’m all ears.

“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” Exodus 15:11 (ESV)

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Isaiah 57:15 (ESV)

“And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” Revelation 4:8 (ESV)

“ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Romans 8:29 (ESV)

“… even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” Ephesians 1:4 (ESV)

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2 (ESV)

“Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.” Hebrews 12:10 (NIV)

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” Ephesians 5:25-27 (NIV)

“For it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:16 (NIV)

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 (ESV)

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;” 1 Peter 1:15 (NIV)

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; WITHOUT HOLINESS NO ONE WILL SEE THE LORD “Hebrews 12:14 (NIV)

Now let’s read something an old Baptist preacher has posted on his web site about you in his parable: “The Wise Man And The Wise Guy” just as we did with his Halloween one earlier during the journey.

http://s128601634.onlinehome.us/wise_man.htm When Charlie was finished reading, the angel asked: Now what do you have to say for yourself, Charlie? I never knew how stinking rotten I really was, Pal. I was good for nothing except to cause a whole bunch of misery for lots of people, especially the ones in my own family. If I was still in my body I think I would pull my tongue out. I can’t even stand myself anymore. They would have been better off without me, Pal. I wish I had never been born. Really! Yeah, Pal! I’m authorized to tell you that can be arranged Charlie. You mean it will be like I never even existed. Correct, Charlie! But then I wouldn’t get to enjoy being in heaven for ever and what about my son? He turned out to be a real good kid. He wouldn’t exist either? To use your own words, “you got that right, Charlie. But Martha and Claude would. That’s also correct. Well Charlie, what’s it going to be? It’s up to you. What do you want? ……Did you hear me? …Charlie, I’m waiting. What are your wishes?

I wasted my whole life being wrapped up in myself, Pal. It was always about me and very little about Him. I can’t go back and undo all the rotten stuff I’ve done. I’m aware of that fact, Charlie. People only pass through the world once. There are no second chances. But if I never got born in the first place there wouldn’t be anything to undo. Precisely Charlie! But then my son wouldn’t have been born either. The world would be a better place to be in if more people were like my son. Indeed it would be, Charlie. And it would be a considerably nicer place with less people like you in it, I might add. Boy have you got that one right, Pal. Have you decided what you want Charlie? Please take your time. Don’t make a hasty decision and rush into something. Yeah, like doing something I’ll live to regret, Ha, Ha—-Charlie, unless I’m mistaken, your composure seems to be returning. May I assume you decided what you sincerely want? Yeah Pal, I have.

Talk about having a crummy self-image. I hate myself. I wish I was dead. Are you implying you wish you were never born? Are you giving me the go ahead, so to speak? I know now it isn’t about me, Pal. It’s all about Him. That’s why I want whatever my Creator planned, ordained, and predestined to happen before He spoke His world into existence. It was as though a switch was flicked. Everything suddenly lit up. There was no more darkness. None whatsoever. Charlie immediately sensed he was in the presence of four other people. A woman’s voice greeted him. Welcome home, Charlie. Martha? Is that you Martha? It sure is dad, answered Charlie’s son. We’re happy to see you again, Charlie. You’re here too, Claude? They’re all here Charlie, a stranger interjected. Who are you? I was your brother’s therapist. But not anymore! I couldn’t be doing any better than I am right now, said Claude. I don’t understand. How did you guys get here before me? It happened while we were driving in your car over the old bridge on our way home from your committal service at the cemetery, Martha answered. The bridge suddenly gave out and we plunged into the river sixty feet below, added his son. The next thing we knew here we are in heaven, dad. It was instantaneous. We’ve been waiting for you, said Martha. Let’s show dad around a bit. We still have some time before Jesus told us to bring him into His presence, said Claude. And all the while the beaming angel took in all in. Then he said: To borrow one of your favorite phrases, I’m out of here. I hope you find it in your heart to give me a favorable rating, Charlie. Piece of cake, Pal. Piece of cake!

“For it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:16 (NIV)

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 (ESV)

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;” 1 Peter 1:15 (NIV)

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; WITHOUT HOLINESS NO ONE WILL SEE THE LORD,” Hebrews 12:14 (NIV).

We shouldn’t fool ourselves into believing we will gain entry into heaven without diligently struggling to become more and more holy, increasingly Christ-like, and sincerely striving to manifest the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control as we make our way through the kingdom of darkness and into Gods kingdom of light. I pray that each of you folks who just heard this parable and all who may read it later, if you haven’t already done so, I pray you will choose to accept Christ’s love for poor lost sinners such as you and me (John 3:16) and that we are all pleasantly surprised when we meet each other in heaven.

This concludes the final segment of my Charlie and the Angel series. Unless…