"Meet me at 10:30 pm tonight, at Westminster Cathedral, for the Easter Vigil. Michael." I spent the day doing travel agency work at my computer. I was unable to complete my work, but I wanted to note a few more thoughts before they escaped me. I decided to take my miniature tape recorder and record them. I could write up what I had recorded later. It was a bit awkward to make a tape while on the underground but it was easier than writing. In the end, the whirring, grinding, electric and metal sounds that are part of a ride on the Underground, made the tape almost inaudible but I somehow managed. It was only as I finished my agency work that it struck me. "Why hadn't I been recording my conversations with Michael?" He was visible to others, he must also be audible! Now was my chance. I left the station and walked down Victoria Street, toward the Cathedral at 10:15 pm. There are fewer trains late at night, but my connections had been good. I would arrive easily before 10:30. It had been raining heavily all day and well into the evening, stopping just before I left the hotel. Rain made for a more quiet Saturday night in the city, most people choosing to stay at home. The air was still heavy with mist and formed golden halos around the amber street lights.

  "You are early!"

 I stopped, turned and saw Michael walking up to me from behind. Just as I did, a taxi screeched to a halt, just avoiding a pedestrian. I turned toward the street and looked, but everyone was safe.

   It occurred to me then to turn on my tape recorder, which I did, leaving it in the pocket of my coat.  The taxi sounded his horn at the pedestrian, and continued on its way.  Michael joined me and asked, "Is it working?", nodding toward my tape recorder.

 "I was going to ask you if would mind."

  "I don't mind at all. Is it working? Check it." I removed the tape recorder from my pocket. As I rewound the tape slightly, the batteries ran out.

 "Unfortunately, you will not find a place to purchase batteries at 10:15 pm."

 I was still hopeful that I had at least been able to record Michael's voice. The following day I checked it with fresh batteries. I had a perfect recording of a taxi sounding his horn. It was the last sound the recorder picked up.

 "Would I have been able to record your voice?" I asked.

 "Yes." I was as disappointed to hear that as I would have been to hear 'No.'

 Michael began walking with me toward the cathedral. I asked him another question. "Michael, what happened when you took me to Laura's room? Was I really there?"

 "Yes and no. It has to do with the interaction of energy, matter and time..."

 "Wait! I don't think I asked the question I wanted to ask. I wasn't looking for a scientific explanation. What I really want to know is what has happened to her?"

 "That is a good sign. Concern for people should take precedence over knowledge. Here is what happened. For three days Teshua stood guard as Laura slept, never leaving her side, never distracted. The dull assignment was not resented. Having fought for her for twenty-two years, the break-through was a source of rejoicing. The sheep that was lost, now had been found. Yet Teshua knew that the battle for her was not yet ended. Malor had not given up even though he and his allies had suffered a major set-back. Experience had taught them a lot. Many 'conversions' of this type can be reversed within the first few weeks. They were plotting the quick uprooting of this seed.

 "24 hours after slipping into safe oblivion, Laura stirred. Her clothes were soaked in prespiration from her body's fight to purge itself of the drugs and alcohol. She inhaled deeply and brought her hands to her face, brushing away her hair. Her hands flopped back onto the bed, she had yet to open her eyes.

 Teshua saw her stir and immediately doubled his guard. He expected to see Malor return. He was not surprised as a shadow began to appear near the table. Teshua had been given instruction on how to handle this. He suspected he knew what Malor would do, assuming he followed the standard pattern. "Malor approached the side of the bed. Teshua moved around to the head. Neither drew weapons. This would be another in their seemingly endless verbal wars.

 "Teshua passed his hand through Laura's head. 'A memory,' he whispered. 'A memory of peace and joy. The sudden disappearance of despair replaced by an unanticipated hope.'

 "'Yet it wasn't exactly like that.' Malor now spoke to her. 'It certainly wasn't an experience of him.'  "The word 'God' seldom issues from their mouths," Michael explained. "It is a painful memory of what they have lost. If they can avoid saying it, or 'Lord' or 'Jesus' they will.

 "'Truly,' Malor continued, 'you have never had a high like that before. It would be well worth doing it again. A drug experience like that is well worth the risk. You certainly didn't experience him while you were on drugs. That isn't the way religious experiences work. You came to the edge of the abyss of death, the ultimate experience. In death you found life. How much more it would have been true had you fully submitted to it and not backed away at the supreme moment. Total emptiness was the source of your freedom. Come again! Let the numbness return. Don't feel. Don't think. In nothingness you are free from everything. You tasted it. How good and tantalizing it was. Come, drink fully of death this time.' "Laura's eyes grew wide. A look of fear passed over her face. Her emptiness was returning. Again Teshua passed his hand through Laura's mind. 'Think! Remember the void. Yes, remember the fear. You saw death. In it was no joy. The taste you remember is fullness, not emptiness. Do you want fear and death to return?... Never! Remember what happened. You planned it all perfectly. It was enough narcotics and whiskey to kill you three times over. What saved you? It was not mind over matter. You had done what was necessary to kill yourself. It was something beyond you. There is a source of love, a source of hope. You can know him.' "Teshua's mind lifted to intercession. The room began filling with the presence of hundred's of lights of various shades and hues, again covering Laura's body. Slowly, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up on the edge. 'There is hope... I know it. This source of life and love. I must find it.' She did not move. Slowly at first, but then in a flood, tears came to her eyes and ran down her cheeks. After ten minutes, which seemed forever to Laura, the initial, overwhelming grace left.

 "'Karen,' prompted Teshua. 'Karen is where you have seen it before: this hope, this love.' "Laura rose, went to the phone and began to dial, and then noticed there was no dial tone. She found the phone lead and was about to plug it in, but then hesitated.

 "'Not now, later.' Malor had returned to his work. 'What will you say? How can you go back to her after what you said. What will she think? Have you suddenly become religious? You know better. You don't want her sympathy. You don't want her pity. What if she starts putting pressure on you again?' "Laura plugged in the phone, saying to herself, "She's not likely to be at home on a Saturday night anyway." In an attempt not to take a firm decision yet. She dialed Karen's number, expecting no answer, but willing to talk if she happened to reach her. The phone rang at the other end of the line - once, twice. Laura found herself not knowing what to hope: an answer, or no answer. It continued to ring a third and fourth time. In the middle of the the fifth ring the phone was answered, the sound was mechanical, 'Hi! Its Karen. I'm sorry I'm not in...' Now she had to decide whether to leave a message.

 "'Don't bother. Ring her later when you know what you want to say.' Malor was first to respond. Laura assented internally. Just then, the tape stopped and Karen answered. "'Hello! This is Karen. Sorry about the tape. I couldn't get the phone quickly enough.' "'Karen? ... It's Laura.'  "'Laura?' There was a note of surprise in Karen's voice. She tried to hide it quickly... 'Hi! How are you?' "'OK, I guess. And you?'

 "'Fine, thanks. Yah. Fine.' Karen hesitated just a brief moment in case Laura wanted to continue. She was uncertain how to handle the phone call. It was completely out of character for Laura. Karen decided Laura probably wanted her to take the initiative, but where? How? 'So, ah..., what have you been up to, Laura?' "'Don't tell her! Certainly don't tell her about this so called religious experience!' Malor jumped in.

 "'Nothing much, mostly staying here in my flat.'

 "'Sounds a bit lonely. Hey, how about coming to visit sometime?' Malor jumped in. "'Laura, it's a brush off. Come visit me sometime.' "'Yah. Sometime.' Laura's voice was flat. Karen caught it. She was afraid Laura might hang up. "'Wait a minute.' Karen had to come up with an idea, any idea. 'What am I doing tonight?' She thought, and then asked Laura, 'What are you doing tonight?' "'I hadn't made any plans.' Laura's voice was still flat, expressionless. "'Can you come to church with me?' As soon as she said it, Karen regretted it. 'Church???' She tought, 'what a mistake.'

 "'Not church! Not religion!' It was Malor again. 'You hate it. You're not  interested. Just say no thanks.'

 "'You want her hope, her joy. Give her a chance,' said Teshua. "'Laura? ... Are you still there?'

 "'...Church?'

 "Karen inhaled quickly, she hadn't lost Laura yet, but how could she get her to think positively about going to church? 'I think you'll like it. It's not an ordinary service. We never went to one like this when we were young.'  "'I don't know...'

 "Karen's mind was racing, 'O, Lord, now what do I say? Should I back off and propose something else? The cinema maybe? She didn't have time to think. 'It would be great to have you come along!' The words were out of her mouth before she could make a good decision. 'I could pick you up at 11:30. It starts at midnight. It will go for a couple of hours.' Karen paused, nervously.

 "Laura didn't respond immediately, finally she said. 'That doesn't sound like a very typical church service?' "'Go for it!' The thought flashed through Karen's mind. 'Oh, it's not, believe me. I told you it wouldn't be. I can explain more when we get there.... Can you come?' She pressed for an answer. "'I suppose so. I guess I could give it a try.' "'Great, I'll come by in a couple of hours! Bye!'

 "'Yah, bye...' Laura's voice showed the first signs of life.

 "Malor retreated again in defeat and began thinking about a new strategy."

 "Michael," I asked, "Has or will Malor given up?"

 "He will not give up on Laura until she is dead. He will harass her for the rest of her life. Fortunately, his power over her has been greatly reduced in the twenty-four hours. Still, neither he nor we would ever admit defeat until the very end when she is safely delivered into the hands of the Most High, or when she is lost to him forever."

 "Won't she see right through the emptiness of his deceit from now on?"

 "Often, yes, but he is a master of disguise. My guess is that she, and Teshua, will have to fight long and hard. Malor will seek to colour her memory and twist her dreams. He knows that the road to hell must not be void of pleasure. He will remind her only of the joys of her previous life: the travel, the parties, the nice clothes and the adventure of it all. The pain, the loneliness, the despair and much else that was evil he will try to hide. He will also seek to distort her perception of her new life. Faithfulness will be called dull. Love will be called obligation and bondage. Love for her by other Christians will seem like condescending pity. Holiness will always seem out of her reach. Malor's name means emptiness. He will always seek to isolate her and to draw her back into the empty way of life she had led. To do this he must get her to abandon truth, love for God and love for others. It will not be easy for him, especially if Laura receives the amount of grace that is available to her. In fact, tonight you will see that grace even more clearly. So will she. She needs it to grow into giving the full response the Most High seeks from her. It still isn't exactly clear to her what or who she is looking for in going to the church. She was prepared to admit that it might be God, but she still isn't happy about all this 'Jesus' stuff, and she is a bit skeptical about what relevance anything in his life might have for her life." Michael was leading me toward the front doors of the Cathedral. Somehow it was seeming more and more like I was visiting him at his home. Some home!

 "Time is passing. We must finish the story quickly." Michael walked with a purpose toward the main sanctuary. We finally stopped before a mosaic of the resurrection in the apse on the left. describe "I will continue the story where I left off on Friday." Michael began. "For two days the Roman guards who were assigned by Pilate watched and waited without incident. They hadn't expected any. They were told of the prediction of a resurrection on the third day. Still, Roman guards were always alert. They were trained to be alert. Day or night, it didn't matter. With or without an expected incident, they watched carefully. All through the night they patrolled back and forth, watching for any sign of activity, but there was none - at least none that they could see.

 "There was not much to do as watchmen by night. They passed the hours of deepest darkness of the second night in conversation. That was all that broke the stillness. Two guards were patrolling in front of the tomb. One was a Greek from Antioch, Aristides by name. He had grown up with quite a bit of exposure to the many forms of religion which received attention in that cosmopolitan city. The second guard, Quintus, was from Rome. Although Rome was also a cosmopolitan city and home to many religious beliefs, his faith was first, last and always in the empire. Everything else was inferior.

 "'Is it possible that this was the one the Jews called the Messiah?' Aristides said it aloud mostly to pass the time, but Quintus gladly responded in order to break the monotony. "'You don't believe in those fables do you?' "'If they are fables...,' Aristides wondered in a hushed tone. He realized the danger of leaving his statement there. He spoke louder now, 'If they are fables, then of course I wouldn't believe. Who believes in fables. But are they fables?' "'They have to be. Who has ever known someone to be raised from the dead.' "'Who ever knew of anyone conquering the entire world? But Alexander did it, and before the Romans! We were sent here just in case he does rise from the dead.'

 "'Forget that argument. We're not here because anyone expects a resurrection. We were assigned here by Pilate because he just wanted to be rid of those members of the Sanhedrin who were pestering him. He wants to put this whole affair behind him as quickly as possible. Messiahs and resurrections have nothing to do with us being here.'

 "'But what do you make of what we have heard?' "'What do you mean?' "'You know what I mean. Lazarus. That was what started this all in the first place. Scores of people claimed this Jesus raised him from the dead. His family had buried him in a sealed tomb and four days later, Jesus raised him from the dead, or so they say.'

 "'So they say...' "'But you can't argue that Lazarus isn't alive.' "'No, but was he really dead?'

 "'I can't prove it, but then I can't prove that he wasn't. A lot of people have testified that he was.' "'So what, they are Jews.' "'What do you make of what happened in Capernaum?'

 "'The Centurion's servant?' "'Yes.' "'I don't know.' "'He is no Jew. Why would he claim that this Jesus healed his servant?'

 "'Maybe he owed him something. Blackmail maybe...' "'Come on, no Centurion is blackmailed by a self proclaimed itinerant rabbi.'

 "'So, maybe he healed the man. What does it matter?' "'It means he could be this Messiah everyone is talking about.'

 "'You mean, could have been. He's dead. You saw him. We sealed the tomb. He's dead. Cold, stiff and dead - Messiah or no Messiah - he's dead.'

 "'Suppose he rises from the dead like they say he claimed he would, then what?'

 "'Suppose the sun rises in the west tomorrow. Suppose trees can paint. Suppose horses can whistle. When I see it, I'll believe it, not before.' "'Well, what about the other Centurion and his men? You heard what they said when they came back from the scene of the crucifixion. They are convinced that he is the Son of God.'

 "'So what! What if they came back telling you they were convinced he was Julius Caesar? Would you believe that, too?'

 "'Hold on, I never said I believed any of this. I am just asking questions. I am interested in the truth here.' "'What is truth?'

 "'The truth is what matters. Being told you are getting paid for this miserable assignment but then for it not to be true: What do you think of that? To have it said publicly that your wife is cheating on you, when she isn't: What about that?' Truth matters.'

 "'I suppose...'

 "'Well, then, suppose he rises from the dead? Think about that.'

 "'You think about it. I know what is important. It's here in my scabbard. Rome conquered by the sword. That's what's important to understand. If he rises, he will either come with me to Pilate or he will go right back into the tomb with some steel in his stomach.' "'Some good that will do.' "'What do you mean?'

 "'I mean that if he rose from the dead, what good will killing him do? He'll just rise again.' This time Quintus was slower in his response.

 "'So what do we do?'

 "'I don't know.' "'He just better stay dead.'

 "'Maybe... Quintus, I think I am going to have a talk with this Lazarus.'

 "Silence returned. The guards continued to patrol waiting for morning.

 "Toward the end of the night, the host of heaven were given orders to report to a garden near Golgatha, just outside the walls of Jerusalem. Each of us drew near quietly. We had been told to come, but not to manifest our glory at all. Angels of all ranks and orders were there, waiting, silent. From time to time, others would arrive, messengers sent without a message, warriors sent without battle instructions, comforters with none to comfort. We were all to wait, silently.

 "The night was heavily overcast. The clouds still unbroken. The darkness was yet undisturbed. As it drew closer to the dawn, the angels of worship began to appear. The throne room in heaven was shrouded now in stillness, empty save for the presence of the Most High.

  "We were not the only ones to arrive in force. The powers of darkness were present as well. They too had heard the claim of Jesus, only they didn't believe it. Our enemy is no fool. The threat had to be responded to in some way, so he sent his minions to do battle if it were necessary on the morning of the third day. As yet they didn't know whether it would be necessary. They too waited silently." "I looked at the heavens, knowing the time was near to hand. The clouds were breaking, blowing across a sky illuminated only by the stars. The full moon had already set. Still, we waited.

In the land of shadows, the dim and silent world where light does not penetrate, the souls of the dead were waiting - never thinking, never acting, never changing, - but waiting in the quiet and empty darkness. All who were sons and daughters of Adam and Eve - Abraham and Moses, Ruth and Esther - the known and the unknown still existed but mute and motionless, unaware of time, without sensation or thought. Into this pale, faint world the human soul of the Son of Man descended, fulfilling all righteousness, entering the deathly destiny of his race, another soul added to the countless number held imprisoned by Azrael, the angel of the abyss. Like all the other souls it came to its place of rest and was still. Azrael had been warned in advance. He was to watch this soul carefully. Might this usher in the first of the fateful days, rumoured from of old, the Day of the Righteous One? A day only less feared than the Day of Destruction when Hades was to be cast into Gehennna, the everlasting fire. His orders, should the Righteous One appear to open the gates of Hades, was to summon the Horde of Hell to war. The gates of Hades had to be held lest the powers of death be damaged or destroyed. He waited and watched. The hours began to pass as normal. The quietness of death was undisturbed. Azrael relaxed, nothing had changed.

 Suddenly, silently, a beam of energy emanated from the Son of Man. It was undetectable to all but the first born soul, toward whom it was directed. The soul resonated. Adam was awakened. Another beam issued forth. The soul of Abel, the first-born unto death, imprisoned in darkness since the very beginning of the era of the sons and daughters of Adam, instantly assimilated the energy of life. The pace quickened. One beam followed another in rapid succession. From the source they shot out in every direction, up, down, left right, forward and back, each beam hitting its mark. Many of them were instantly received but some struggled, searching for resonance for a moment and only then reviving the soul. However not all attempts were successful. There was a resistance, an opposition which deadened the force of life. When the beam of energy ceased for these, the deadness returned, deeper, impenetrable. The stillness of Hades remained not a soul had moved, not a sound was heard.

 Now a word went forth, but still no voice, no sound was heard. "I know my redeemer lives and from my flesh I shall see God." The life, energy was pouring into the soul of Job. Again a word went forth, "God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me." This time it was directed to the soul of David. The word was recognised and received. The powers of his soul were restored. Another word was sent toward Asaph, the psalm writer. "You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory." The inspired words from ages gone by were bringing dead souls to life. One word after another went forth, then many instantaneously. The souls of the just were wakening.

 Suddenly a word was spoken to all in Hades who had yet remained untouched: "Awake, O sleeper! Arise from the dead, and I shall give you light. Death and darkness are vanquished. I have come to set the captives free and lead them to glory. Grace and mercy accompany me, faith will follow me, paradise opens before me." The souls of the dead responded, some received the offer of grace and mercy. Many though stirred to life by the word refused to follow or did not believe.

 Azariah, too, heard this word. For him it meant an immediate call to action.

 "I noticed a small break in the clouds. The sky behind it began to show the most faint light. The sun was working its way toward us below the eastern horizon.

 "Suddenly, there came from above a long, single beam of lightning, splitting the clouds and piercing the rock where the tomb had been hewn. The ground underfoot rumbled and quaked, knocking the Roman guards from their feet.

 "At the moment of the resurrection, the Horde of Hell knew it had not been summoned without purpose. All of them began to rush toward us. The battle was begun.

 "Every angel now became bright with its own reflection of its part of the glory of God. The demonic horde recoiled in horror. The sound of glory and the brilliance of light was difficult for them to handle, for they despise the light and the glory far more than the empty darkness of hell. The light was piercing the darkness and the darkness could not overcome it. In every case, the glory of true loyalty was revealing the depravity of their allegiance to the master of hell. Every demon was again aware of his disasterous choice to follow Satan. The extent of their empty, futile existence pained them as it was exposed to the fullness of light and felt the weight of glory and still they refused to yield.

 An angel of unselfish love manifested itself to a demon of utter self-centredness. The demon knew, and experienced anew, the emptiness of his self-centredness especially as compared to the fullness of his adversary's glory. He persisted in his choice against what is beautiful and good, and then fled, wounded again by the truth.

 "A angel of hope manifested itself to an angel of despair. Again there was the opportunity to choose but by the art of deception blessed freedom appeared to be painful depravity. Despair fled into the night, aware of his slavery and unwilling to be set free. One confrontation after another brought the same result. Dismay yielded to joy. Greed collapsed before generosity and cruelty before kindness. Doubt was driven out by faith, lust by purity, cowardice by courage, and hatred by love.

  "Now, a light, another angel, came from above. The stone sealing the tomb rolled away as the energy of this angel was now converted into physical force. The gap between the stone and the tomb grew. Light began to issue forth. Suddenly, the whole area was ablaze with radiant splendor. Each of us suddenly grew in glory and power. The tomb was opened and the victor emerged. Jesus rose triumphant, passing through the gates of Hades and setting the host of captives free.

 "The resurrection of the Son of Man dismayed the Sons of Hell. The incarnation, the Son of God become man, lower than the angels, they considered a disgrace, but this was worse. This was the exaltation of a man. The incarnation was bad enough, but now their worst fear had come true: a son of man was exalted above the glory of the angels. The love, glory and power of the Most High was shining in the face of a man, the resurrected Jesus. A wail of indescribable, hate-filled agony went up from the horde as they fled, every one of them, searching for a place of darkness to wallow in their despair. "A shout went up from the angelic host as those bound by sin and death were set free by their great deliverer. This was the hour of glory, the initial fulfillment of the plan of the Most High for the restoration of the fallen planet and its fallen race, the pinacle of human history. Every angel has been given a voice with which to worship the Most High. This was a song of victory and triumph unlike any ever heard before. How could we help but sing songs of exultation and rejoice with exceedingly great joy. Salvation had come, death was damned, sin was vanquished, Hades was plundered and Satan was crippled. The human race was now redeemed and the gates of heaven were opened!

 "Please note that this was all in a brief amount of time. It was over as soon as it had begun, except for the guards. Some of them fled. This was, after all, well out of their realm of experience. Aristides and Quintus were closest. They had fallen to the ground at the earthquake. As the stone was rolled away they were momentarily blinded by the light. When they had recovered their sight, all was quiet.  "'What was that!' Asked Quintus, lying on his stomach looking toward the tomb. "'I don't know.' Fear had gripped both of them, but they conquered it quickly. They had been trained in the Roman army. They both stood, quickly.

 "'Draw your sword.' Aristides didn't need to say it. Quintus had drawn it as soon as he had regained his feet. Swords drawn, they approached the tomb. Their hearts were racing. They knew they must look. They approached from either side of the mouth of the tomb, their backs to the outside walls. The moment had come. They looked at each other across the mouth of the tomb. Quintus nodded and, simultaneously, they both charged into the entrance, ready for what might come, but not ready for what they saw. They froze.

 "'Nothing!' "'It's empty...'

 "'Where did he go?' "'Where did he go??? What in the name of Caeser happened! I don't understand this.' "Quintus looked at Aristedes and then looked again into the tomb. "'Now what?' Asked Aristides, still looking into the empty tomb, not expecting an answer.

 "Quintus paused, then responed. 'We must report. We must go to Pilate and tell him.' "'That wasn't what I was asking, Quintus. What about those fables. What about these claims that he would rise from the dead? Now what? What do you think? What do you do?'" "What did they do?" I asked.

 "They acted as you might expect. Quintus was paid to keep quiet and he did. He never spoke about what he saw. 'Nothing happened,' he would say. He even came to believe that was the case. He talked himself into it. Now Aristides, on the other hand, did a lot of thinking about the Jewish 'fables', spoke to Lazarus and eventually became a disciple." "Michael, it surprises me that a witness to the resurrection itself could just deny it happened so easily." "Yes, but it is no different now. People disbelieve because they do not want to believe, not because of lack of evidence. They just aren't scientific enough in their thinking about it." "Not scientific enough?"

 "They fear the truth. It always leads you back to the fundamental choice."