Sheol (i)

Freed from the bonds of crucifixion sharp
The spirit of the Lamb of God his flight
Now taken soared into the heights of Heaven
Transcending all that Satan could conspire
To bring Him down, now faced His Father dear
In rapture sweet beheld the heavenly throne
Which once again a sight so sweet and loved
Did meet his eyes, and Yahweh’s awe-full sight
Was to Him love personified and bright.
His mission now to release those now held
In captive state in Sheol’s underworld,
Awaiting Yahweh’s merciful command
To bring them up from their dull lifeless pit
Into His presence. So did Yahweh speak:
“My Son, beloved Son, now is the time
In our great purpose to fulfil that which
Is part of our great plan of redemption;
Let us all righteousness fulfil by your
Descent by Heaven’s flight to depths below
Wherein are waiting servants who from past
Endeavours are to rise to Heaven’s heights.
In Sheol they are kept, outside of time’s
Unending orbit of all human souls,
They who have run earth’s race and suffered much
Yet kept the faith and in obedience worked
To show my people paths of righteousness
For our name’s sake and for their good on earth.
Break Sheol’s gates to let these souls go free
And fly up Heavenward to lasting bliss
Which is their great and unending reward
And which our pleasure is for those who seek
Nought but our Kingdom’s rule in human lives
And in their own, such music to our ears
Is perfect melody and joyous chime
That rings throughout the plains of Paradise
Wherein such music carried over is,
Reverberating echoes endlessly,
And myriad choirs of angels ever sing
Our praises clear in voices worshipful
And adoration lovingly bestowed.
My Son, go forth and rend great Sheol’s gates
So nevermore will they contain pure souls
Who on us call and keep the faith by which
Inheritance divine is their reward.
Break down the one last barrier whereby
Souls that are faithful are kept from our side
And so deliver them to Heaven’s heights.
And those who know not purposes divine
Or who chose to reject salvation of
All humankind to our unending praise,
Let them be freed and on our judgement wait
For judgement is our sole prerogative
Beyond all human reasoning and thought.
Fair judgement we will give according to
Their deeds which are the fruit of their words and
Actions which do affect the souls with whom
They did in time past interact and which
Determined consequences good or ill.”
On hearing Yahweh’s great command, the Lamb
Of God in rapture instantly replied:
“O Abba dear, my Father true, your Son
Rejoices at your righteousness divine
In which before all time began do we
Enjoy in constancy in which we are,
And now by which those souls locked in Sheol
Will be released as but in one moment
Yet which to human lives seems ages past
As were these when on earth their lives did spend
Unto our service and to humankind
Upon which we were pleased to confer our
Image and purpose of our glorious will
To restore Eden lost in sinful night
And bring our light more glorious than the day
Into the world to blind the serpent’s eyes
So that he crawls unending knowing not
The journey undertaken, ever lost
Despite his efforts to reclaim what he
Believes is his, despite the evil wrought
In human lives until that moment when
We shall in glory visit Eden’s bower
And take unto ourselves all righteous souls
Into our bosom, Heaven’s limitless
And pearliest kingdom, colourful, serene
And filled with everlasting peace and joy.
And those who chose not to believe what we
Have wrought for salvation of human souls,
Do we reserve for our most holy rule
Right judgement that we only can impart
And which is not for human minds to know
Or ponder, such are our good purposes.
Dear Abba, go I now unto Sheol
In glorious fulfilment of our love
And pleasure good, unending happiness
Which shall resound on Heaven’s happy shore
When freedom will at last break Sheol’s chains
And those held captive fly up into Heaven
To find eternal rest and happiness.
I go with your eternal vision fixed
Within my heart, we are not separate
But ever joined as One in all things that
We undertake, distance is nought to us.
Happy are we, and all who have believed
Our message. In an instant will I see
Us reunited on the shores of Heaven.”
O grave, where is your hollow victory,
Where is your sting O death? These are no more!
Cheated are you of what you thought would be
Your prize, the spoils by which you would but seek
And hold in everlasting chains what you
Had sought to gain for Satan’s wicked glee.
Yet now bereft are you of what you thought
Would be your riches, now mere emptiness
Is what remains; a vacuum, nothingness
The true reward of those who turn away
In disobedience to the will of God
And seek mere earthly pleasures, all in vain
Is their pursuit of riches, wealth and power
Whose sight is pleasing and whose taste is sweet
Until like daylight, fades away and leaves
The night of desolation and despair
Which echoes when replenishment of such
Pleasures is once again a faded joy
A treadmill of unending emptiness
Temporal lifeless gains that fade away.
O grave, the stone which seals the entrance to
Your inner space of emptiness and death
Now seals your fate, for you will be cast out
Into the outer darkness, never to
Be seen, or spoken of, ever again.
O death, for you will be the same reward
For Christ, the Lamb of God, has shackled you
In your own prison, never to be freed
And like the grave, for ever cast away
Into unending outer darkness bleak.
The risen Christ, the holy Lamb of God
Who for our sakes endured all manner of
Cruel suffering, both mental and physical,
And helpless to resist, accepting yet
His lot, His portion to negate the power
Of sin and death, and ever cast them out
Into the outer darkness for all time
And things eternal. He, with eagle’s flight,
Flew soaring through the realms beyond all time
And space, things that will become in due time
A memory, like Eden past, to be
Replaced by Heaven and earth of new design,
As Yahweh and the angel host observed.
With great rejoicing angels praised the One
Who by His power, infinite and great
Removed the barrier of sin and death
That separated humankind from life
Eternal as their well apportioned lot
Now to observe release of those who in
Past times were instruments of His choosing
And who by faith obeyed the voice of Him
Who sought oft times to bring His people to
The Promised Land where milk and honey flowed
Forgiving their backsliding, showing true
Mercy and love, remembering sin no more.
Yet knowing those who chose not to accept
Such bounty from the hand of Yahweh God
Or knowing not of Him who for their souls
Had wrought a great eternal salvation,
Would, at the hand of Yahweh receive just
Judgement for their actions, their thoughts and words
According to the mind of Him who knows
All things of which we are not able to
Or even be allowed to comprehend.
Judgement remains the sole prerogative
Of Yahweh and of Christ and Spirit blest.
And so the angelic host in voices raised
Addressed Yahweh in anticipation
Of Sheol’s rendering, sang out these words:
“All hail, O mighty Yahweh, ever God
Who sent your Son to expiate the sins
Of humankind to free them from the chains
Which bound them to the serpent’s evil ways
When he corrupted Eden by deceit
Bearing false witness to your wondrous truth
And robbing humankind of innocence
And purity of action, thought and word.
But by your Son, a second Adam came
To fight against the heinous serpent’s crimes
Against your majesty and all that you
Created good and wondrous, pure and true.
All hail to your beloved Son, the Christ
In whose willingness chose to undergo
The punishment to pardon all the sins
Committed under Adam’s mindlessness
Despite at first rebuking Eve’s dread lapse
She, mindless also of the warnings given
Succumbed to Satan’s lies, weak is the flesh
When it encounters combat spiritual.
But by His one atoning sacrifice
He has opened for all eternity
The gates of Heaven to those who believe.
And, in acceptance of your majesty
Forgiveness and mercy from your right hand
That flows like waters that once filled the earth
In Noah’s time, yet these flow to preserve
For all time and eternity all those
Who call upon your name for salvation.
Worthy are you, Yahweh, and your belovèd
Son Jesus, who is Christ and Lord of all
Who with you and the Spirit like the dove,
Rests evermore on those as like a seal
Upon their foreheads rests, as does the flame
Of Spirit Holy, blessed be Holy Three
Supreme in power, might and majesty!
Yahweh supreme, have mercy on those who
Chose not to take the path eternal which
Would lead them at the last to Paradise
Where blessings limitless forever flow.
And those who know you not be merciful
According to your righteous and just mind
For you alone can judgement minister
As source of all perfection, mercy, grace.”
Thus spake the angel host in praise of Him
Who by his might and power Eden restored,
Who, in light blinding, unapproachable
And filling Heaven’s throne of golden rays
Was wont to speak in spirit and in truth
As those who worship Him, His praises sing.
And in response spoke love and tenderness:
“Angelic host, so rightly do you speak
And utter praises of my Holy Name.
I see my creation still subject to
The sins of Adam and his offspring which
Until now had not expiated been.
For all eternity, freely do I
Forgive them, I forgive them endlessly
My love for them is great, despite their sins.
Freely do I forgive, remembering
No more the sins that bound them fast in chains.
Pure is my love, free, unconditional
That flows from my pure essence, covering
All that would bar the way to Heaven’s gates.
Freely do I forgive, no longer will
Their sins remain, for they are blotted out
And in the Book of Life are writ their names
Forever. Unlike tablets made of stone,
My Spirit rests on each and every one
Who calls upon the name of my dear Son
Who stands and knocks upon the door of their
Lives, waiting for the invitation to
Enter and sup and taste the things of Heaven
Which is their reward, their inheritance.
Freely do I forgive, yet freely still,
Come taste my banquet, there is room for all
My sons and daughters in whom we will make
Our home, forever. Come now, let us see
My Son, my only Son, break Sheol down
To free the waiting souls from their prison
To fly up to and storm the gates of this,
My Heaven, let us welcome myriads
Of prophets, martyrs, warriors and kings
Who listened and obeyed my voice but yet
Have yet to taste what had been promised them.
And judgement, true and just, administered
To those who did not or could not accept
Salvation given from my righteous hand
Mine only is this sole authority.
Come blessed throng, you heavenly host, observe
What I have wrought for all of humankind
Great is my mercy, great is my reward
And justice to all by their words and deeds.”