I awoke.
In front of me was a tree I could only just see its blurry image. My eyes were still adjusting to what I was seeing. I don't know what had just happened to me but I understood something dramatic had happened. I was feeling giddy but as my eyes reached a point where my mind was beginning to focus on the tree and so the image was becoming clearer and sharper I could see that the tree was sparkling, gold and bronze colours, it looked spectacular and quite wondrous in fact. As my eyes reached a point where my mind could tell what I seeing I realized that the tree was in fact on fire. There was not much of it left, it had at one time really been a wonderous creation, it was rather large, but the fire had burned it pretty much to a crisp, all that remained was just a burned out old has been tree. The fire had almost burnt its way over the entire tree and was beginning to go out. My demure sank as I finally watched the fire overcome the whole tree and burn out. The tree was gone in its place was a burned out charcoaled shadow of it’s former self.
My attention then became fixed on where I was and what I had been doing. My eyes were still hazy; I could make out various sights on the horizon. Short bursts of Lava spewing from the earth. Deep on the horizon snow. I couldn't really see the snow, but I was aware that something was falling from the sky, because the scenery and mood around me was dark and dreary. I could see that there was a stark contrast on the horizon on which had formed a visible white layer on the surface of the earth,
I couldn’t really tell what it was because it was so far away, but to me it seemed like snow.
I could also see a great rift in the earth in front of me, well I say in front of me, actually it was several miles ahead. It had ripped the belly of the earth in front of me in two and had split so profoundly that it appeared that you could just reach out and touch it even though you couldn't.
My eyes were now becoming much better and I tried to get up from where I was laying down but I couldn't, the strength in me had appeared to have gone. Nothing could then prepare me for the horror I was about to see. As I looked I was lying in a pool of blood, and all around were dead men, thousands upon thousands upon thousands of them, it was a most horrific sight.
It was only after I saw this that I realized the state of my own condition. I raised my hands to my face to get a good look at them they were withered away; they looked like they belonged to an old man and not me. They were covered in cuts and bruises, they were dripping with blood not just my blood but also the blood of those around me. Blood also dripped from my mouth, I imagine that my face was covered in it.
I was then that I was reminded of this verse:
And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me (Matt 25:40)
No one should have the blood of there brother on them, did I have this on my own hands or was my blood on others hands. I knew the answer to my question was one of these two answers, but which, I did not know. There were little answers in this bloodbath just more and more questions. I wasn't quite sure of any of what had happened here. But I was well aware that a huge war had taken place and as far as I could tell I was the only survivor. How could this be?
I then began to look at the rest of my body. I was covered in armour and weapons from the head down. I was aware that my armour and weapons had stayed intact and probably kept me alive, whereas some of those around me had theirs decimated, still some looked to have alright armour but that hadn't prevented them from being killed.
I was wearing two sets of overcoats over my armour; I noticed that those dead bodies around me just had one. The first one was what appeared to be a coat of arms, I assumed it represented what I was fighting for. The second, which was over the first, had prevented the first from being spoilt. The one over was quite plain the battle had made it look extremely shabby, it was dirty and covered in blood looking at it made me feel sick. I thought about taking it off, but something told me not to and as it had probably saved my life I decided to keep wearing it no matter how bad it looked. I wondered what it had looked like before the battle. I then began pondering the fact that actually its plain naïve look was quite becoming and attractive. Inside it was layered with a fabulous woollen gold lining, its edges were rimmed with gold on the outside but all the blood and dirt that was covering this made it look shabby, it was made of a strong material that had obviously protected me from the battle.
I decided that I should stop paying attention to myself and start to looking around. I knew I had to get out of here as quick as I could and there was nowhere else that I‘d rather not be. The stench and sight of blood was beginning to make me feel sick, and I was aware that I was still bleeding, quite badly, and needed rest and healing. I stood up as soon as I could muster the strength to get up properly.
In front of me is what I recognised to be the enemy. I stood up and put my hand above my eyes to shelter them from the sun and gazed at them. They were well away from me in the distant horizon, but they were so numerous that I could see them, they were celebrating there victory, but what seemed strange to me was that they hadn't actually become involved in the battle on the field. How could they there were none of there soldiers dead on the ground from the battle just ours. How could this be?
The evil horde in front of made me want to vomit, they looked so gruesome, dark and hideous even from the distance. I instantly turned to see a golden palace in the distance without hesitation I started moving towards it, it was a glorious place, so unlike the scene around me, I instantly knew I had to make it there and was determined that I should leave this place and get there as quickly as was possible for me in this state. The battle scene was so horrific that I didn't want to think about the images I was seeing. I passed thousands upon thousands of dead soldiers. All I knew was that I was not in a good place, I was injured, and surely even hell was not as bad as this. I was broken, desperate and lost, in front of me was something much better. I didn't even think about what it was I just knew I had to get there, and if not I knew I would rot to death on this battlefield along with those who already had. I kept walking; I then realized that I had almost walked to the palace in front of me, it wasn't so far away from me as I looked up at it. It was in the complete opposite direction of the evil horde that were now far behind me. Its glory lit up my face and reflected on my armour and overcoat. Its vision was so awesome that it was uplifting and for the first time I had some inner peace.
In front of me was a tree I could only just see its blurry image. My eyes were still adjusting to what I was seeing. I don't know what had just happened to me but I understood something dramatic had happened. I was feeling giddy but as my eyes reached a point where my mind was beginning to focus on the tree and so the image was becoming clearer and sharper I could see that the tree was sparkling, gold and bronze colours, it looked spectacular and quite wondrous in fact. As my eyes reached a point where my mind could tell what I seeing I realized that the tree was in fact on fire. There was not much of it left, it had at one time really been a wonderous creation, it was rather large, but the fire had burned it pretty much to a crisp, all that remained was just a burned out old has been tree. The fire had almost burnt its way over the entire tree and was beginning to go out. My demure sank as I finally watched the fire overcome the whole tree and burn out. The tree was gone in its place was a burned out charcoaled shadow of it’s former self.
My attention then became fixed on where I was and what I had been doing. My eyes were still hazy; I could make out various sights on the horizon. Short bursts of Lava spewing from the earth. Deep on the horizon snow. I couldn't really see the snow, but I was aware that something was falling from the sky, because the scenery and mood around me was dark and dreary. I could see that there was a stark contrast on the horizon on which had formed a visible white layer on the surface of the earth,
I couldn’t really tell what it was because it was so far away, but to me it seemed like snow.
I could also see a great rift in the earth in front of me, well I say in front of me, actually it was several miles ahead. It had ripped the belly of the earth in front of me in two and had split so profoundly that it appeared that you could just reach out and touch it even though you couldn't.
My eyes were now becoming much better and I tried to get up from where I was laying down but I couldn't, the strength in me had appeared to have gone. Nothing could then prepare me for the horror I was about to see. As I looked I was lying in a pool of blood, and all around were dead men, thousands upon thousands upon thousands of them, it was a most horrific sight.
It was only after I saw this that I realized the state of my own condition. I raised my hands to my face to get a good look at them they were withered away; they looked like they belonged to an old man and not me. They were covered in cuts and bruises, they were dripping with blood not just my blood but also the blood of those around me. Blood also dripped from my mouth, I imagine that my face was covered in it.
I was then that I was reminded of this verse:
And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me (Matt 25:40)
No one should have the blood of there brother on them, did I have this on my own hands or was my blood on others hands. I knew the answer to my question was one of these two answers, but which, I did not know. There were little answers in this bloodbath just more and more questions. I wasn't quite sure of any of what had happened here. But I was well aware that a huge war had taken place and as far as I could tell I was the only survivor. How could this be?
I then began to look at the rest of my body. I was covered in armour and weapons from the head down. I was aware that my armour and weapons had stayed intact and probably kept me alive, whereas some of those around me had theirs decimated, still some looked to have alright armour but that hadn't prevented them from being killed.
I was wearing two sets of overcoats over my armour; I noticed that those dead bodies around me just had one. The first one was what appeared to be a coat of arms, I assumed it represented what I was fighting for. The second, which was over the first, had prevented the first from being spoilt. The one over was quite plain the battle had made it look extremely shabby, it was dirty and covered in blood looking at it made me feel sick. I thought about taking it off, but something told me not to and as it had probably saved my life I decided to keep wearing it no matter how bad it looked. I wondered what it had looked like before the battle. I then began pondering the fact that actually its plain naïve look was quite becoming and attractive. Inside it was layered with a fabulous woollen gold lining, its edges were rimmed with gold on the outside but all the blood and dirt that was covering this made it look shabby, it was made of a strong material that had obviously protected me from the battle.
I decided that I should stop paying attention to myself and start to looking around. I knew I had to get out of here as quick as I could and there was nowhere else that I‘d rather not be. The stench and sight of blood was beginning to make me feel sick, and I was aware that I was still bleeding, quite badly, and needed rest and healing. I stood up as soon as I could muster the strength to get up properly.
In front of me is what I recognised to be the enemy. I stood up and put my hand above my eyes to shelter them from the sun and gazed at them. They were well away from me in the distant horizon, but they were so numerous that I could see them, they were celebrating there victory, but what seemed strange to me was that they hadn't actually become involved in the battle on the field. How could they there were none of there soldiers dead on the ground from the battle just ours. How could this be?
The evil horde in front of made me want to vomit, they looked so gruesome, dark and hideous even from the distance. I instantly turned to see a golden palace in the distance without hesitation I started moving towards it, it was a glorious place, so unlike the scene around me, I instantly knew I had to make it there and was determined that I should leave this place and get there as quickly as was possible for me in this state. The battle scene was so horrific that I didn't want to think about the images I was seeing. I passed thousands upon thousands of dead soldiers. All I knew was that I was not in a good place, I was injured, and surely even hell was not as bad as this. I was broken, desperate and lost, in front of me was something much better. I didn't even think about what it was I just knew I had to get there, and if not I knew I would rot to death on this battlefield along with those who already had. I kept walking; I then realized that I had almost walked to the palace in front of me, it wasn't so far away from me as I looked up at it. It was in the complete opposite direction of the evil horde that were now far behind me. Its glory lit up my face and reflected on my armour and overcoat. Its vision was so awesome that it was uplifting and for the first time I had some inner peace.
