Heaven and Hell Read Online Free PDF Page B

by the hand of the Creator. Before the Father spoke the universe into existence, there was only a sea of nothingness. Outer darkness is the manifestation of that primal state.”
    Serena looked around again. She didn’t fully comprehend all that the angel told her—everything was happening so fast.
    “And into this sea of nothingness came the fallen, those who rebelled against He who had created them,” continued the angel.
    “Lucifer and his angels?” asked Serena.
    “Among others,” confirmed the angel. “Lucifer was the name given to him by God, but he long ago rejected that name, so great was the enmity between him and his Creator. He took onto himself a new name, as did the angels who followed him.”
    “He became satan,” Serena said.
    The angel nodded. “Here, he and his legions were to be exiled for all eternity, separated from their Creator. Here, they might ponder forever the bitter fruits of their savage disobedience. Even still, God was not without mercy. Amidst the sea of nothingness, He had spoken into being an island, this island, a place where one could stand upon solid ground, breathe life-giving air, and feel the warm orange sun. It was here, that lucifer and his wayward followers came to dwell. This was to be their prison until the day of final judgment. Only in this place would they be able to manifest a physical presence. Beyond this island, they would become but wandering spirits, without form or substance.”
    “Believe me when I tell you, that existence as a disembodied spirit is not a pleasant alternative. Still, more often than they would like, lucifer compels many of his minions to go forth from this place. They wander your Earth, to spread what influence they can, to beguile humanity, to lure them here, into the hands of their master. Nonetheless, they much prefer to remain here. To them, the world beyond is as a wasteland in which they find no rest.”
    “I remember reading something like that in the Bible,” noted Serena. “Jesus was casting a whole group of demons out of some possessed man. The demons didn’t want to be cast out. They pleaded with Him to allow them to go into a herd of pigs, or something like that, rather than be sent out into the world. They had to be in some sort of living creatures, even a herd of pigs.”
    “This is true,” said the angel. “Only their dedication to their master, and his purpose, would motivate them to travel from here and into the spiritual wilderness beyond. Yet, they have been at work here as well, doing their master’s bidding. Over time, they have desecrated this world, transformed it into a realm that better suited their needs. You see, even then, they knew that their efforts on Earth would be largely successful, that humans—such as your-self—would one day join them in their exile. They transformed their prison into a world of their own, into an empire that satan could rule. This empire became the place you know as Hell.”
    “Then this is Hell?” asked Serena, her voice faltering.
    “Yes, as far as the eye can see and beyond. This is but a small part of an island prison, lost in the vastness of the sea of nothingness. More than infinity separates it from everything you ever knew. It is a place from which there can be no escape.”
    Serena was overwhelmed. A sea of nothingness beyond creation? An island prison, an inescapable prison, separated by more than infinity from all she had ever known? Her frightened mind refused to grasp the concept. To her, this angel was speaking in riddles.
    Serena and the angel had reached the bottom of the stairway. Before them was a long, level corridor hewn from the surrounding gray rock. On either side of the corridor, were a multitude of small dismal cubicles, each closed off by a set of thick metal bars. From the cells that lined the corridor, Serena heard the pathetic whimpering and crying of many wretched souls. The mournful cries sent a chill through Serena’s soul.
    The angel paused