Ed and Tim's Journey to the Afterlife PDF
Preview Ed and Tim's Journey to the Afterlife
Two Journeys To the Afterlife T. Ralph Turner Also by T. Ralph Turner How to Overcome Cooldown and Keep the Fires Burning—Hunter Books Preparing Your Heart to Survive in a Dangerous World—Publish America Threat Awareness—Publish America Color Coded Motorcycle Safety—Publish America Citizen Warrior—Wolfhunter Chronicles EBook Publishing To my wife Joan Without her dedication to and support of these projects, none would have been possible. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken form the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV. Copyright @ 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Or Scripture quotations marked “NKJV” are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Or Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Base Scripture There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, “Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.” But Abraham replied, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.” He answered, “Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.” Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.” “No, father Abraham,” he said, “but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.” He said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” Luke 16: 19–31 NIV Meet Ed Williams Ed’s Life Begins Jesse Williams paced back and forth in the front yard of the family farmhouse. He would change directions, spinning on the heel of his cowboy boots at one edge of the porch and then head for the other edge. With each spin, his rather long black hair would lag slightly behind the change in direction of the rest of his 6 foot 4 inch frame. With each pass by the front door, his dark eyes would flick toward the opening to see if there was any sign. And with each pass, he would grow more impatient. “What are they doing?” he snapped at no one in particular, although there were several more in attendance. After about a dozen or so of these passes, his father, sitting in the cane bottom rocking chair on the porch, spoke. His words were carefully chosen, and spoken with deliberation. His pointed way of speaking came from his Native American heritage as well as his time as an army colonel, riding with Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. “Settle down, boy! How many brothers and sisters do you have?” Jessie was in no mood for riddles. “What difference does that make, Dad?” “How many?” the old man repeated. Without even pausing in his journey, Jessie shot back, “Eight brothers and three sisters. So what?” “That means that I have been where you are eleven times. This is your first. And you ain’t gonna die! And neither is Janie. Your mother is in there with her, and so is Aunt Ethel, the best midwife in the state. So just relax.” But the old man was wrong. Jesse snapped back at him. “Yea, Dad. You and Mom had a whole bunch of us kids. But how many did you have to bury before you even had the chance to meet them.” Jesse’s dad, Amos, pulled up short in his remarks. He had plumb forgotten that. Now he remembered how hurt his son and his young wife had been at the loss of the two other babies. “Sorry, Son!” he said. “I didn’t mean anything by what I said. It’s just that you get so steamed up over things you can’t control. And believe me, this is one thing that is totally in the hands of the Lord. You know that, and you know Him. Just leave this in His hands, and take whatever happens as His will.” Jesse felt a twinge of resentment touch his heart. He knew there was no way he could blame God for the other two or with whatever happened here. This was the first time Janie had been able to carry a child to full term. He remembered her mental state for several months after the other two. The last one was worse and lasted longer than the first. He just didn’t know if she could handle another loss. They both wanted this baby more than anyone could know. So, of course, Jesse was anxious, scared, and more than a little bit short tempered when told to just relax and not worry. He knew he should leave the entire thing in God’s hands, but that was easier said than done. Then, on what he knew must be the hundredth trip back and forth between one end of the porch to the other, it happened. He heard it faintly at first. Then louder! The distinctive cry of a baby! And one with good lungs from the sound of it. Jesse’s mother burst out the front door, shoving it hard enough for it to bang against the doorstop. “It’s a boy!” she shouted. Jesse began to dance around the front yard, kicking up dust. The old man fairly skipped down the steps off the porch, yelling at Jesse, “See, I told you so. God had already let me know this one was going to make it okay. See … I told you!” He continued dancing right into the yard, joining the dance with his son. “See!” he yelled again. “I told you it would all work out this time. I heard it from a good source. The Lord promised me He would hear my prayer that this baby be not only born but born healthy.” “Okay, Dad! I heard you! Praise God!” And the dust flew higher! With that, Jesse ran into the house, through the living room, and into the bedroom, where Janie was. She looked beautiful, though exhausted. And there in her arms, all snuggled in a blue blanket, was the most fabulous gift a man could receive. A girl would have been wonderful, but a son … wow! Jesse paused beside the bed, just looking at the tiny figure. “Thank you, Jesus! And forgive me for doubting.” “How do you like him?” Janie asked in a low voice.
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