The Rock: 17

Silence returned momentarily David and Elizabeth attempted to minister to Servant as he remained on the floor face down in the manner which he’d fallen. His eyes were open but whatever realm he was now in it certainly was not the realm they were aware of at his moment. Elizabeth tried to communicate with him as she had before, but today she couldn’t reach him at all. “Dad what should we do?” While she spoke a clamor arose outside their door as people flooded to the house.  A knock on the door brought David to the realization that their might have been more to the rock fall than he’d thought. He went over and opened the door only to be met with shouting reporters, and camera flashes, accompanied  by a Police officer asking  if they might speak to him. The officer noticed Servant on the floor and looked sternly at David with questioning eyes. David stepped back half a step to let the officer in but firmly pushed the door shut on the reporters. “What can  we do for you officer,” the policeman went over to Servant concerned at first but realizing who he was, grinned and said, “So how did he end up in your house,” with a discomforting chuckle and  gleaming stare. David  asked, “Is there something you wanted or needed from me  officer or are you simply here for a visit?” “I came to see if everyone was alright being that  a 100 ton boulder fell off the mountain and ended up in your yard after destroying 2 other houses in its path!” “Well you can see that we are fine, and obviously you know my friend so if you….if you….”

Servant was in a different realm from his vantage he thought he was in the third heaven as Paul wrote in his writings. Servant was terrified once again although he’d been here before it was never easy, and the terror of this holy place  was not the terror of fear on any earthly plane but the sheer terror of the holiness of the kingdom of God. Jesus said if your righteousness does not exceed the righteousness of the Scribes, and the Pharisees, you shall by no means enter the kingdom of God, but by whatever way he was there he knew this was that kingdom and Servant John Withers was here.

As Servant lay on his face in the this place he heard David as through a long tunnel,  ” If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small.” “If you faint in the day of adversity,Your strength is small.”  Although not aware Tears flowed  profusely from Johns eyes as he heard hid friend’s words and in shame he remained as the remainder of those words came to his heart  as though from the mouth of God with stunning majesty.

“Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds? My son, eat honey because it is good, And the honey comb which is sweet to your taste;So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; If you have found it, there is a prospect, And your hope will not be cut off.  Servant shook in terror as he spoke with the one who spoke to him, “My Lord, and My God, you know me! You know that I am small, and you know – you know that there is no strength in my soul and no strength in my body, I have never been strong and  have always been very week, how can you say these things to me?”   “I take the pitiful and weak things of the world to shame the mighty the proud and the strong, you know this.”  “Yes it’s in your word father, but it’s not in my world, you know that I am not lying but that this world hates and  rejects  those who dare to truly believe and  serve.”

“How can a man face God, and how can flesh and blood answer the Lord  God who has created both the heavens and the earth?” Servant raised himself to see the one who stood before him, but his body did not move. “No man can answer you a word, and no man can imagine the terror of facing you Lord! No no one has conceived the truth that your holiness is a terror to men, though men boast in utter vanity that they know you, Father I know that every man who truly knows you is a man of few words and great fear.” “You said deliver those who are drawn to death, and hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter, but my God,  they are everywhere, in every house, and every church and on every street and town, because men have led one another to the slaughter throughout  my  generation for every reason, season, and fancy and people like me are at best invisible, and at worst refuse to the strong though they march into the  darkness of vanity, and eternal destruction.”

Servant held his ground as he watched many people pass before his eyes in the place where the invisible is visible and the earthen is dissolved into nothing short of a mist. He shuddered  and groaned within as he saw his family, and relatives, friends and former friends, people he loved, and those who had rejected everything about him passing by each one carrying  the treasures they lived for. But to his surprise few had any form or faith, but most  had nothing  within their hearts but to live frivolously as the scripture has said, “They sit down to eat, and rise up to play.” With a sense of  sorrow and regret he watched as the few who had some semblance of faith traveled the same path although pretentious in bearing banners of faith.

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