Chapter 3: Angels In Training

An angel began walking beside me as I floated down the path.

"Whom do you seek?" the angel asked.

"I thought I was going to see my Father in the throne room," I answered.

"He is everywhere, but this is not the throne room."

The Terraced Waterfall

I had floated to the edge of a pool; I began descending to rest on the grass. The pool was at the base of a high, terraced waterfall. Lavender flowers and hanging greenery grew on the ledges of the fall. A fine mist hung over the pool, caused by the impact of the falling water.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"One of the gardens," the angel said. "It's peaceful here. Why don't you rest," he suggested, and then he was gone.

There was something soothing in the sound of the waterfall, something restful, but there was also someone humming a lovely melody. The sound vibrated through me, touching every part of my body. Then a high voice began to sing:

There is a place where travelers rest,

And lay their heads in peace.

Returning to the Eagle's nest,

All war within will cease.

O Lamb of God,

Our heart's desire,

O Truth in Word,

Eternal Fire,

O Lamb of God,

God's chosen Son,

Receive them when

Their race is run.

At the song's end, slowly a figure formed from the mist of the waterfall. I sat up to watch this unusual sight.

Heather of the Mist "Who are you?" I asked.

"I am Heather' the figure said. "I tend this part of the garden. Sometimes the path leads beside still waters or into perfumed gardens," she smiled.

I lay back on the grass, for I was weary and still recovering from my experience at the sand pile.

She continued after a pause, "Do you wish to grow in spirit or in the natural?"

"In spirit, most of all," I said.

"Then cultivate obedience," she said."Your Father loves you. I know that, or you would not be here. You would not have access to Him nor be able to enter these perfumed gardens."

"Tell me of these gardens," I said.

"There are many, each filled with untold delights. I suppose, being on the path, you always expect to arrive in the throne room?" she asked.

"Yes, I do."

"But your Father wants you to see more of His beautiful land."

The Question

Suddenly I sat up, looking at her intently. "Heather, what do you do here?"

"We grow in God. Also, I tend this small part of the garden. But we do not toil here. We live for what you would call spiritual growth." Then returning to the subject she was addressing before my question, she swept her hand in a wide semicircle.

"The areas to visit are without end and beyond compare."

"I seem to be alone here," I said, "but I know there are others."

"Yes, but your Father is answering your prayers to grow and learn. He decides how each child should be taught," she smiled.

"For you there is private tutoring here. One on one. Ask what you will."

"I'm so at peace in this place," I shrugged. "I find it difficult to think of things to ask."

"I've heard that," she mused.

I could think of one question only, for which I felt I already knew the answer, but I asked: "Do you have fellowship here?"

"Yes, we are happy. Actually, there are many of us around, but I alone am sent to you, so you see only me."

"Why are you called Heather?" I asked.

"For the flowers that grow in the midst of the falls," she smiled, looking up at the high, terraced garden.

The Angel Clara

"Hello, Ann," A woman's voice spoke from behind us. "Heather," the voice continued, as we turned our faces toward her.

"Clara," Heather responded; she quickly rose to face her. Heather turned to me. "This is Clara, who is very beloved of us here."

I rose to my feet also. "Hello, Clara," I said. She was absolutely the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. This angel looked very womanly and had a soft light coming from her head area. The light seemed to gather into streaks of light as it radiated outward from that glow. She parted her botticellian, golden-red hair in the center and caught it in a multiple bun arrangement at the nape of her neck. She wore a white, draped garment similar to the designs adopted by Roman women before the time of Christ. The garment was gathered and belted beneath what would be the bust area in a human. Her eyes were an intense blue.

Clara's Invitation

"I've come to take Ann to a training session," Clara continued.

"What kind of training?" I asked.

"Of the healing angels," she smiled.

"Oh," I said softly, for she amazed me by speaking of an area that was of great interest to me. "I would like that, but...," I grappled for the words as well as for direction, "I'm on my way to the throne room."

"This is on your way," she smiled. "Your heavenly Father is offering you this opportunity."

I looked to Heather for guidance. "I would go if I were you," she affirmed. "Would you like to drop by?" Clara asked. "Yes," I said enthusiastically.

Clara laughed. "Thank you, Heather. She seems wonderfully refreshed."

"Yes, thank you, Heather," I added, turning to her, but already she was fading into the mist of the waterfall, smiling and holding up her hand to acknowledge our departure as she disappeared.

We too left suddenly.

The Annex

Immediately we were outside of a very large building that had a small sign over its double doors: THE ANNEX. It was a short distance from an equally large building that had a sign written in a language that I could not read.

I thought to myself, I wonder if travel is at the speed of thought here?

We entered the building.

It was a huge auditorium much the same as the municipal auditoriums in major cities. There were a number of tiers, as well as the main floor. Angels filled the building. They all wore white armbands with a large red cross on each band. They seemed to be attending a lecture.

Their instructor was on an elevated platform before a gigantic, clear board that looked similar to lucid plastic. He held a long pointer with which he would add colored-light illustrations to the board by touching it. He did not draw or write, but pointed only; they appeared on the board complete in their design.

Clara began to make her way to the front of the auditorium. The angels remained attentive, but they moved aside so that we could pass down the aisle. We stood near the raised platform, and I could see the instructor more clearly.

He had a crew cut and wore white armbands with a red cross on each band. He also had stripes on his sleeves.

Angels of Healing

I turned to look at the faces of the angels. They looked like the United Nations of angelhood, representing many nationalities."

I supposed that the Lord would send them on assignments all over the world. They were very intent upon the lecture.

The instructor continued, "You realize that you play a very important role in verifying our Lord's victory in the area of health.

The enemy will use any wile to attempt to bring into a place of unbelief those to whom our God assigns you. He is a master of unbelief. He has succeeded mightily with humankind in general and with the elect specifically. It is often easier for the redeemed to believe our Lord will provide for them financially than to believe He wants His people well. The healing revival is about to begin. Instead of one, we will be assigning two of you to each person slated for the gift of healing.

"We want you to learn to work together now. We have some badges for you to fasten to those receiving this gift."

He held up a badge. It was green with red letters: ONLY BELIEVE.

"We have a large number of the redeemed who will be here later, who will act like believers on earth. Don't be discouraged by what they say to you. They are here to show you exactly what you might be facing with your charges. Some of the replies they will give you will seem fantastic, but they are usual. You will be able to see how effectively the enemy has eroded belief in the Lord's gracious provision of health. Work through this dismay now. We've given you a 'buddy system' for this revival. There are to be many, many with the gift of healing this time around. Any questions?"

"When will this be?" an angel shouted from far back in the hail.

"The Lord God, the Almighty, knows this. You just get ready!" he called to the angel asking the question. "He did say, 'Soon'; I can tell you that much. That is the reason for this mobilization and intensification of training. Any other questions?"

There was general silence.

"All right, I want you to rally back here after your work with the redeemed. Do not, and let me repeat this, do not individually question the redeemed so that you 'bone up' before this workout. We want the full impact of their answers to hit you together.

If there are no other questions, you are dismissed." There was a great deal of movement as the angels rose and began talking to one another while leaving. Clara and I started up some stairs toward the top of the platform. The instructor was clearing the transparent board as we reached the top.

The Angelic Instructor

"Hello, Clara. Who is this with you?" he teased, as an adult might tease about a child whom he knows well.

"I believe you know Ann," Clara said, playing along.

His eyes twinkled. "Yes, I do know her. If I hadn't told the trainees to refrain from cramming for this exam, I could have had Ann give them some of the answers they will hear on earth."

"Now, Chabburah," Clara smiled, shaking her head as one might when indulging an inveterate jokester. I knew what he meant, however, so I changed the subject.

"What are the stripes on your sleeve?" I asked.

"By His stripes we are healed," he smiled tenderly, looking at the stripes.

Clara continued: "We're taking a tour. Do you have any suggestions?"

"The hanging gardens..." he began.

"No," she laughed, "concerning the healing angels and the revival that is coming in the area of healing."

He looked at a slate in his hand with mock seriousness. "Well, I see here that Ann is slated for a couple of my finest angels."

"Me?" I questioned. "Is it possible?" I knew that God gave this giftedness to some of His children. In fact, I had stepped into a stream of such a gift at one time. It was as though God healed everyone for whom I prayed. This amazing and utterly supernatural anointing lasted for several months, and then it was gone. Why He gave it and why the anointing lifted, I never understood. Since that time, there were more questions than answers in my mind.

Classes

The instructor did not respond to my inner dialogue, but continued, "Clara, I would suggest that she begin classes soon. She's almost a classic example of 'gelatin belief'-'touch it and it shakes. I'm going to teach these classes myself," he continued.

"She can study this series at home as a correspondence course, but since she's here right now, she could tour the warehouse."

Clara turned to me. "Would you like that?"

"Yes," I said. "If the Lord is going to use me to pray for healing in others, I... well, I need to learn all that I can."

"All right," he said. "You can get a head start by touring next door; we'll page you when you're to begin your course at home.

How's that?"

"That sounds good to us," Clara said, "We'll begin right away. Thank you." She began moving us toward the stairs of the platform.

"Yes, thank you," I said.

The Request

He called alter us, "Now don't talk to any of the students on your way out. You might tempt one of them to stumble and ask you questions," he chuckled. Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, he called to us.

"Wait a minute. This is really an excellent opportunity. You're here, and..." I could not understand what he was saying. "Would you be willing for the students to question you in order that they might hear your reasoning?" he asked. "Sometimes it's difficult for the redeemed believers up here to remember why they thought as they thought while on earth. Would you be willing?"

"Mercy," I laughed lightly. "Am I so tough?"

"No, no, no," he said, putting down his slate and crossing to place his hands on my shoulders. "You're just... typical of the reasoning given on earth."

"If it would be helpful to you and the others..." I said.

"It would," he replied. "Good! You and Clara tour next door. We'll page you there," he said, going back to the large board. But almost immediately he whipped around again to look at us. "Now, don't ask Clara about healing," he smiled.

"We want a raw example for them."

"Okay," I laughed.

He went back to his board, and we started down the stairs.

Immediately we were at the back of the large auditorium and exiting the double doors.

As we stepped from the building, we could see thousands of angel trainees sitting on the lawn in twos with one or two of the redeemed. They were in deep discussions.

I looked up at the sign over the doorway of the building toward which we were walking. I could not read it before, but now, much to my amazement, it appeared clearly: BODY PARTS.

Clara opened the door, and we stepped inside.