"The return of the Lord."

It struck me that I might be in a position to receive some highly coveted information. I decided to ask my questions from here on very carefully

. "Do you know whether I will live to see the return of the Lord?" I asked. I was quickly disappointed.

"No, because I don't know when he will return."

I didn't give up immediately, but held out hope of getting some information. "Is it the case that you know more than anyone but God himself about the Lord's return?"

"Yes, I am known to be the highest of the angels in the chain of command."

"Are you free to talk to me about it?"

"Oh, most definitely."

I tried to act detached, as though it was only natural for us to have such a conversation. Michael then began a long narrative that lasted until dawn. I have recorded here what I can remember, but I fear it only dimly reflects our last conversation.

"Currently, anticipation of the second coming, among the heavenly host, is very high. I have not seen an atmosphere of expectation like this since the first coming. Many of us are reviewing our roles for the final day and getting prepared. There remains a final battle to be waged with Satan and his minions. Our planning these days is more and more about that final battle. My captains, who are making preparations, regularly ask me, 'Michael, have you heard anything more?' They know that the kind of preparations that we are making in these days are unusually serious, of a type reserved for only the most significant of confrontations between the armies of heaven and the hoards of hell. I must also note, however, that serious preparations are always part of our battle planning, and this present age of darkness warrants such serious preparation, even if this is not the run up to the final battle. Still, I will describe what is happening and what is to happen.

"The Angels of worship, those who stand before the throne night and day and never cease to sing, are more and more pleading to the Lord through the words of one Psalm in particular. It says, 'O Lord God of vengeance, O God of justice shine forth. Rise up O Judge of the earth. Give the proud what they deserve. O Lord how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?' They are longing to see the justice which will only come when Christ Jesus returns to reign on earth.

"But it doesn't stop there. Yesterday I spoke again with Gabriel. The messengers under his command who bring the word of the Most High to the prophets usually have much to say, with great variety, to the four corners of the earth. Now the message is getting shorter, and clearer, and more consistent. 'A day of unprecedented battle is at hand. Prepare! Judgment has already begun, issue a call to repentance while there is yet the time, for the time grows short!'

"In addition, I must say that even my own spirit is growing restless, not from lacking anything to do, but from eagerness for something great to do. That same restlessness is everywhere in heaven, and unlike any that I have seen before. Who is to say why?

"Now when the final day does come and in the fullness of time. All of the worship before the throne will stop and silence will fall as the Father stands. All will kneel. Last of all, even the Son will kneel before his Father to receive his final commission.

"Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? You, my son, today I make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. Break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because I, who am faithful, the Holy One of Israel, have chosen you.

"Behold you are my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon you to bring forth justice to the nations. I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.

"Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is at hand. Advance, O horses, and rage, O chariots! Prepare war, stir up the mighty men. Let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, "I am a warrior." Let the warriors go forth: men who handle the shield, men skilled in handling the bow. Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. This is a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. A day of wrath is this day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.

"Arise, in your anger, lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; for I have appointed a judgment. Rule in the midst of your foes!

"Now the age of mercy shall end and the age of justice shall begin.

"There is a robe, kept in heaven. It is red, for it has been dipped in blood, and on it is written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I am commissioned to place it on his shoulders and to take down his sword, the Sword of the Spirit which is called the Word of God, and to present it to him quoting the Psalm, 'O mighty one, gird your sword upon your thigh. In glory and majesty ride forth in victory for the cause of truth and to defend the right.' As the silence remains, the Son will rise, and for the first time since he ascended to heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father, he will leave the throne room and prepare for war.

"In a stable kept in heaven there are countless horses, each of them a white stallion trained for war. They too eagerly await the final battle, pawing and snorting. The saints will don their garments, linens white and pure, saddle their horses, and assemble in battle array before the gates of heaven. It will be a great multitude. Men from every tribe and language, every people, race and tongue, from every age and every generation, young and old, men and women - all of those who, through faith, have persevered. Jesus, riding a mighty white stallion, will take his place at the head of the heavenly host and the words of Paul will come to mind, 'Oh death, where is your terror? Oh death where is your sting?' Instead of this, Jesus will proclaim the words the prophet Hosea spoke, 'Oh death, I am your plague. Oh death, I am your destruction,' for the time will have come for those words to be fulfilled. The last enemy, death, once defeated, is now to be destroyed.

 "On earth all of the human race will wonder at what is taking place. The sun will grow dark and the moon will no longer reflect its light. As the sky darkens the stars will be seen falling from the sky. A thick darkness will cover the earth.

"In heaven, I will address the gate and its keeper, 'Lift up your heads O gates and be lifted up O ancient doors. The King of Glory is in your midst.' The gate keeper will lift his voice and ask, 'Who is this King of Glory?' And I will respond, 'The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.'

  "The second time I say it, it will be a command, 'Lift up your heads O gates and be lifted up O ancient doors. It is the Lord of Hosts. He is the King of Glory!'

"At this the gates of heaven will open. As they do, Gabriel will lift the trumpet to his lips. The blasts from his trumpet will be a call to war that will shake the very foundations of the earth. Those who are awake will wonder where the sound is coming from. Those indoors will run outside. Those out of doors will look for the source, but they will not see it. Those who are asleep will be stirred from the deepest slumber and rub their eyes, amazed by the sound and wondering what it could mean. Over and over again the call will be sounded until every man, woman, and child will have heard it.

"The hands of the deaf shall rush to their ears in wonder as they hear for the first time. They will be dumb struck by what they hear as the blasts come to an end, for in heaven a loud shout will go up, 'Hallelujah, for the Lord our God the Almighty reigns! Behold your God, behold your God comes with power!' Among the feeble, and the paralyzed, eyes will open wide as they feel their broken bones mended, their twisted spines straightened, their gnarled hands made supple. Their bodies will not be in their own control as unceasing pains cease, limbs fill with warmth and tingling as circulation and nerves are restored. The lame and crippled will rise from their chairs and walk. Those who are dumb suddenly will speak. Motor control will be given to their tongues, voice boxes shall be restored, words will form in their minds and be spoken through their lips. They shall shout and sing, astounded as they hear sounds coming from their own mouths. The eyes of the blind shall be opened in an instant. They will see colour and motion, texture and shape, height and depth for the first time.

"Birds will begin to sing for joy, all in harmony with one another, like a symphony of sopranos. Robin will call to the owl, 'Awake! Awake and sing. Sing a new song in praise of the king who comes to redeem the earth. Our travail is ended. Again we will sing the harmony of heaven.'

"Sheep, wolf , fox and deer will sing the tenor's tune together. Cattle, horses, lion and buffalo will join in, basses lending an eager affirmation. Trees will rattle their leaves like snare drums. The winds will play a bush like a flute. The seas will come alive as countless fish break for the surface of the waters, eager to see the coming king. Schools of them will dance in unison and whales will leap high above the surface of the deep, twisting and turning and falling back into the water with a slap.

"Even the dead in their graves shall be stirred by the sound of the trumpet, for it will be a call to them to awake from their sleep. Tombs will be opened as the multitudes of those trapped in death begin to experience the same power that raised Christ from the dead now flowing through whatever remains of their sinews, bone and flesh. Ashes strewn across the waters will be drawn back together. Matter will be reshaped and reformed to provide muscle, organs and tissues. Senses which long lay dormant will be reawakened. The resurrection of the dead will be happening in every graveyard, cemetery and mausoleum in all nations, in each of their cities, and all of their villages.

"Then through the gates of heaven will come the Lord of Hosts riding a white charger - neck and limbs, muscles, bones and sinews all straining ahead eager for battle. Following behind him, arrayed in all of their glory, will be all the angels of heaven and all who have died in Christ.

"All those who dwell on the earth will shield their eyes before the glory of heaven. You have yet to see the glory of an angel. We are light, brilliant light, blazing like a thousand suns, painfully bright. You would not be able to look directly at us because of the brilliant intensity of our splendor. Our voices are like thunder even when we whisper. We are more majestic than the mountains and more magnificent than the sea. Our presence can be more terrifying than the angel of death...   or more comforting than the quiet of the stillest night.

As the heavens empty, terror or comfort will appear on every face as they behold myriads and myriads of angels. Thousands upon thousands will pour forth through the gates and fill the sky with glory. Even so, we will not be that to which every eye is drawn. We will be dull in comparison to the Son of Man appearing for the first time in the fullness of his glory. Ours is but a reflected glory. As the sun outshines the moon, so the Lord outshines us. On a brilliant day you can barely see the moon because of the brightness of the sun even though it is high in the sky.

"Now, if it is painful to look at the sun, and angels are more brilliant than the sun, and thousands upon thousands of angels will be there, and the Lord outshines them all such that they are dim in comparison, you might be wondering how you will be able to bear such a sight. I will tell you a mystery. You will be changed - in a flash - in the twinkling of an eye when Gabriel blows the trumpet. The perishable will clothe itself with the imperishable, the mortal shall put on immortality. You are going to be transformed and given a spiritual body equipped with eyes to look upon beauty unimaginable. But don't be distracted by this transformation of your body, rather stand up, lift your head and behold the return of the Holy One of Israel.

"But, alas for Satan on this day, for this is the day of the Lord. As the sky grows dark and the trumpet sounds he will know that his hour has come. That which he has dreaded for eaons will finally be upon him. This evil source of fear, this author of horror, will cower as he faces his own destruction. The very gates of hell will shake as the Lord descends to destroy sin, death and all that is evil.

"Once again the Lord will come face to face with Satan. But this time it will not be just as a man, 'weak and helpless'. It will be as the Son of Man, in all his glory, majesty and power.

"In his great pride, Satan will resist him with every ounce of rebellion, stubbornness and hatred within him, making his deceit filled claims to glory: 'So, you have come. Am I to be impressed with this show of power? Does your majesty fill me with awe? You should know better! Do you expect me to do homage before you? I have reigned on earth since the beginning. Since the dawn of humanity I have been the master. I am the Prince of this world! I am the King of Darkness! I do not bow before man! You bow to me! It is my wisdom which reigns on earth. I am the one all-powerful on earth. Who has held out against the power of temptation? Who has not yielded to sin? No, you must bow before me!' Thunder will crash and bolts of darkness will explode from Satan's upraised hands.

"The Son of Man will remain standing, undeluded by the deceit, undaunted by the power, unmoved by the words and works of darkness. Simply, with no show of power, the Son of Man will raise his right hand in judgement, and with one finger pointed upward, he will say, 'Your reign is ended.'

"Satan will resist. 'You demand that I submit, but I will not submit! I will not serve! I will not kneel! You are a man! I am an angel! I will not bow. I will not bend the knee. I will not worship. I will not speak your name or acknowledge your glory.'

"Yet even as he speaks Satan will know his power of darkness have failed. Slowly, pitifully, painfully, he will be collapse to his knees before a truth he refused to believe. And then he, himself, on bended knee, with his own tongue will confess, 'Let all of the heavens and the earth declare, to the glory of God, that Jesus Christ is Lord!'

"In that moment, with the command given, the truth admitted, the authority of evil broken and the powers of darkness destroyed for all time, sin and death will fail, and the glorious and eternal reign of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords of a new heavens and a new earth, will fully and finally begin!"

Michael's eyes seemed to fill with tears of joy. "Do angels cry?" I wondered. I suspect not, but I can recognize joy that is rooted in a loyal, fierce love when I see it. I was seeing it.

"Is that day near?" Michael continued. "I cannot say. Is it far off? No....

"Only recently the armies of heaven have been given battle orders for which we are to prepare. They are our final assignments for the day of the Lord. Each of us now knows what we are to do on that day. For now, we continue to fight as we always have, but there is a difference. In these days we fight with our ears ready to hear a command which will..."

At this Michael paused and dropped his head to listen. After a brief moment he stood and turned toward me. "Unfortunately I must leave. I have been summoned by the Most High. He has called a meeting of the High Council of Heaven regarding a matter of great urgency and I must attend. War is at hand. The armies of heaven are ready."

I instantly asked, "And those of earth?" Even as I was asking, there was a bright flash of light where Michael stood. At first, it filled the entire chapel, and then just as quickly, it condensed into a brilliant point of light which flew with great acceleration out of the chapel into the nave. It soared upward into the heights of the Cathedral with the sound of rushing air, leaving a brief trailing light. As it reached the roof, it vanished. Michael was gone.