“So in his anger, the King of Syria raised up a great army and sent spies into the land to find out exactly where Elisha was staying. Well, they found him in the city of Dothan. So the armies of the King of Syria swept in and surrounded the city of Dothan in the night. Of course, our messengers went ahead to warn Elisha and to tell him what was happening, that we were on our way and not to be afraid.
“In the morning, the whole city was surrounded by the Syrian army, and they were demanding that Elisha be turned over to them immediately. The people of the city were very afraid. Elisha’s own servant was afraid. He was a young man, and all he could see were all those horses and chariots of the Syrian army surrounding the city, all their lances and their angry looks. So he cried out to Elisha, wondering what could be done, for it seemed to him that they were about to be killed. Well, right about then, we arrived!”
Ja-al laughed again, recalling the scene. “Oh, it was glorious! We had ridden across the great plain at a tremendous speed and were now descending into that region. Our chariots rumbled in and began filling all the hills and area that surrounded Dothan, until we totally surrounded the Syrian army.
“Of course, because we were in a higher dimension, no normal people on Earth could see or hear us. But Elisha, who was in tune with the Spirit of God, looked up and saw us come, and he laughed, for he knew that the Lord was with him.
“What a day that was! The forces of the Fallen Ones fell back in fear before the Lord, and the army of the King of Syria was helpless. Then the Lord called out to Elisha, ‘What shall we do with them?’
“Elisha was quite a funny little man. He was going bald and was not at all a fierce or dangerous enough looking fellow that you would think to send an entire army to arrest him. He looked totally harmless to all those soldiers. But, you see, he was the prophet of God. He was God’s voice to His people, so God protected him. So this little man prayed to the Lord, ‘Blind them!’-And the entire army of Syria was blinded by God!
Elisha just walked out of the city and talked to them and convinced them that they were all at the wrong city, and that he would lead them to where they needed to go. So he set off leading them straight for the city of Samaria, where there were many armed soldiers ready to destroy them. Blindly the whole Syrian army followed the very man they’d come to kill. Elisha led them all straight into a trap, taking them right into the center of heavily guarded Samaria. Then Elisha prayed again, and the Lord lifted their blindness. Suddenly they realized they were in Samaria and that they’d all been captured!
“Well, the King of Israel was so amazed by all this, that he asked Elisha whether they should kill them or not. Elisha was a wise man and said, ‘Oh no, no, don’t kill them. Feed them, take care of them, treat them nicely, and send them home!’ And then he laughed, and we all laughed too. That was such a day! They were all so surprised. I really liked that battle-no one got hurt, and God won a great victory!”
Ja-al laughed a deep, hearty laugh. Suddenly he remembered he’d left out something. “Oh, but I forgot to tell you the most interesting part. Remember when Elisha’s servant was upset and fearful and asking Elisha to tell him what was going to happen to them? Well, Elisha prayed and the Lord opened the servant’s eyes so he could see our armies and chariots rolling in. We were coming down from the mountains all around. What a sight that must have been for him. He sure looked surprised! That was his first peek into the great spirit world that was all around him. He got to see this world that you are in right now, so he got quite an eyeful that day!”
I’d remembered reading that story in the Bible, but it had never seemed so real and alive as hearing about it from someone who’d actually been there. I realized that Helios, the great horse I’d seen Ja-al ride up on, had probably been with him there in that battle, and many other horses from the herd. I couldn’t help but ask, “Was Helios there too?”
“Oh, yes!” Ja-al replied. “Helios helped pull my chariot. Helios has done a lot of work for the Lord.” He smiled, “Well, that’s how he got his name. You see, he loves to appear as though he’s made of fire, and he may well be! He’s like the burning sun in battle. Helios was one of the horses helping to pull the fiery chariot that rode down and divided Elisha and Elijah on the day that Elijah was taken up to be with us here. Oh, yes, Helios has had many adventures, but those are stories for another time.”
I could have listened on and on to the wondrous tales of adventure that seemed to be a daily part of the life here. The most exciting things from all history were here to be learned so easily. I had so many more questions tumbling into my mind, of great battles in the spirit, of the messenger who battled with the Fallen Ones as he tried to get a message from God through to the prophet Daniel. There were so many things I wanted to know, so many mysteries I was eager to discover. But those things would have to wait, for it was clearly time now to retire in peaceful rest. This had been a long day, my first day in this new world.
The whole family showed me to my room and prayed for me that I would have a good sleep and that I would be blessed and able to stay with them longer-or if not, then to some day return. I thanked them for all their love and hospitality. I lay awake for quite a long while, turning over in my mind the events of that day. I wondered what would happen to me when I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep. Where would I awake, here or back on Earth? I heard the gentle cooing of a dove outside my window and closed my eyes.
6 - My New Name
I awoke to a bright and beautiful day! To my relief and joy, I found myself still in Jamal’s house. I looked up through the clear, crystal dome that formed the roof of this part of the house and was the ceiling of my room. Above me was a very beautiful, bright, colorful sky. I mused for a moment and wondered what further excitement and adventures awaited me this day. My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a voice beside me. It was not a voice I knew or recognized.
“Oh, good morning. You’re awake!”
A little shocked, I turned my head to see sitting by the window not far from my bed, a girl slightly older than Jamal. She had lovely, rusty-red hair, and a very happy, round, smiling, freckled face.
“Jamal is over at the stables with his father,” she said. “He was concerned that you would awake and find him gone, so asked me to come over and wait for you to wake up. So here I am!”
I struggled with a few awkward Earth feelings at the realization that someone I didn’t even know, and a girl at that, was in my room watching me and waiting for me to wake up. I guess I must have shown a bit of surprise on my face, for she sort of laughed or chuckled a bit to see me taken aback. Such behavior must seem so odd to these people who are so honest and open and totally comfortable with each other.
“You just arrived yesterday, didn’t you?” she said, seeming to want to put me at ease by getting a conversation going.
“Yes,” I said. “I’m the new kid on the block,” trying to be a bit humorous. She looked a little puzzled, as though she hadn’t heard that expression before, so was not quite sure what it meant exactly.
She seemed quite different than Jamal. Although she seemed older in appearance, she didn’t seem to be quite as … well, how should I put it … understanding and sensitive to others. Still, I liked her! She had a fun twinkle in her eyes like she could be quite unpredictable at times.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Zaapha,” she replied. “And yours?”
At that moment I realized that I had never actually used my name yet here. Names mean a lot back on Earth, but they didn’t seem to be so needed or important here. In this place you just seemed to know people in a very close and personal way almost as soon as you met them, plus everyone I’d met so far seemed to know me so well it hardly seemed necessary to give them a name. They were like old friends