Lazarus, a tale of the world's great miracle/Chapter 23
CHAPTER XXIII.
"THEN the Spirit took me by the hand and said: 'Come back to Hades, and thou shalt descend to-night into hell.' And we flew though the air more swiftly than the birds. Then said I to the Spirit: 'I feel so strong, like to a young eagle; yet on earth I was ever weary and footsore. 'And he made answer: 'It was the body chained thee. When the spirit is delivered from the body, at that moment it feels lifted up and is capable of all things. The spirit is of God and therefore perfect. The will and the flesh belong to man, and war ever with the spirit. Thy thoughts now are pure, being by the body undefiled. Thou seest clearly with the eyes of the spirit; thou hearest keenly with the spirit's ear. Thine heart can love the Lord because it hath no fleshy taint, being wholly of the spirit. So it is that thou feelest perfect joy and rest, for thou hast no weariness of the flesh.'
" 'Then, if the spirit be of God,' I asked, 'whence are the evil spirits?' 'Ask me not,' said the Spirit of Truth. 'The Spirit of Evil and the flesh are one. At the Judgment Day all shall stand reunited to their fleshly bodies, as thou wilt shortly be; but the righteous join their mortal bodies but for the hour of the Judgment, and, when they enter into eternal glory these bodies will return to dust. But the wicked are reunited to their bodies for evermore. They can never again be free of them. And henceforth they have but the nature of the flesh. There is nothing spiritual left to them, with which to lessen the heaviness of their flesh. All that the flesh lusteth for, they attain; and then, when the flesh wearieth of that which it attaineth, their lust is turned to nausea; and one of hell's chief torments is to have known the delights of being in the spirit and then to return to the flesh.'
" 'And the eternal flames,' I asked, 'are they real flames, that burn and scorch the body?'—'They are the inward flames of eternal desire without hope of satisfaction.' Then on my head he placed a helmet. 'This,' he said, 'is the helmet of Salvation, which I place on thy head, lest the flames should scorch thee.'
"Then I knew that I was saved by the love of Jesus, and that I should descend to hell only to see the woe I had escaped; and I fell to the ground and thanked the Lord that, of His mercy, He had redeemed me; and I vowed a vow that, when I should return to the body, I would give all that I possessed, and follow Jesus, for that naught else availed in this world. Then I took his hand, and he led me through the air, and my heart was filled with a grievous dread of that which I should see.
" 'Now thou shalt know what is real sin,' said the Spirit to me. 'Many indeed already think they know; but the ways of the Lord are different from those of man, and many who thought that they were righteous groan now in hell.'
"And now we no longer flew, but hovered, as if 'twixt heaven and earth; then fell, and fell, and fell; and, while we fell, methought I heard the noise of rocks that crashed and crumbled, and the great light of Hades became ever dimmer, and there came a gloaming as of eventide, and then dusk. Then we came to a dreary field, with no corn, or flowers, or green leaves therein; only a desolate, grey waste. And figures sat about in groups with bent heads supported on their hands, and waiting, yet without hope; and I asked the Spirit: 'Who are these?' And the Spirit answered: 'These are they who in their lives have done neither right nor wrong; who have risen, and slept, and eaten, and drunk, and harmed no man. These are they who, having talents, buried them, and have come to the Lord with empty hands; and, as they lived on earth, so will they live through all eternity, doing nothing, learning nothing, reaping nothing, for there is naught in this field to reap.'
" 'Are they not gladdened even at the sight of us?' I asked. 'They can never any more be glad or sorry,' replied the Spirit. 'They laugh not, neither do they weep.'
"Then we looked across the field to where was a long stone building, and here it was darker still; and the Spirit unlocked the door, and all was silent, and so dark, that I could not perceive whether there were people there or not; yet presently could I hear faint sighing; and soon a little light arose from the open door; then I saw figures groping about and clutching each other, as if to make sure that others were also there; and great blocks of rock lay across the passage, yet so dim it was that they could not see whether it was rock or forms of beasts.
"And, as I wondered, the Spirit said: 'These are they who have been silent when they should have spoken, who shrank from all responsibility, who helped not one another, who witnessed neither for good nor evil, who accused not the wicked nor held up the oppressed, who would be neither hot nor cold. These are they who heed not, neither give, saying, "Perchance this man deserveth it not"; who say to the one who asketh for advice and comfort: "I cannot tell; see thou to that." Of these is Pontius Pilate, and hither will he come; but only for a season, for he will suffer much on earth at the hands of his own country. All these will through eternity continue in this twilight. There will be no night in which to rest, and no day in which to see what is around them, for they would not see the straight path, they would not guide the helpless, nor oppose the evil; so now they know not what lieth close, whether it be danger, friend or foe, wild beast or falling rock; and they sit motionless for fear of what they know not, daring not to go forth and face what is before them, as in life they lacked courage to stand by the righteous and the oppressed. The more part of these are of noble blood, who feared to bring reproach to their name or to soil their garments; who would not sit at meat with sinners, yet who did shut their eyes if their own familiar friend did sin, and reproached him not. These are great sinners, but, seeing that they have not judged others, nor harmed any, but by silence, they go not into the nethermost hell,'
"'What is the worst sin of all?' I asked.—'There is one sin we may not speak of, that even the angels wot not of; and we know not whether any man hath committed it, nor where the hell is. Of that knoweth only God. But one of the greatest sinners is he who never forgiveth; for this cause he too is never forgiven.'
"Then we passed through a long, dark building, like to a sepulchre; and, as we passed out, I felt a cold air come against me, as if the north wind blew over mountains of ice and snow; and figures that were unclothed ran hither and thither, crying out for garments and for fire; praying that even scorching fire might come upon them, rather than this cold. And the Spirit of Truth said: 'These are they who have no mercy; who have loved neither father nor mother, nor husband, nor friend, nor children; who have not cared if others suffered or needed help, nor listened to those that loved them, nor drawn with love the hearts of those that erred. Here they freeze and freeze, yet die not, and no warmth cometh to them ever.'
"Then I saw that most of these were women whose hearts were cold; and, as we passed, one ran after me and seized me, and she said: 'Give me of thy warmth, give me of thy warmth.'
"But, even while she spoke, she fainted from very cold; and I said to the Spirit: 'Who is this woman, for methinks I have seen her picture when on earth?' And he answered: 'That is Jezebel.'
"Then we hurried on, for the night was well-nigh spent, and the Spirit of Truth did tell me that I must needs make speed, for that the next day the Lord would need me for the glory of His name; and, in deep thankfulness, I thanked God that I, so great a sinner, should have been chosen to testify to His power. And as I hastened along, I looked from side to side, lest, haply, any that I loved was in this hell; but none saw I that I had loved, though many that I had known on earth and had thought righteous, and most were Pharisees; and many that I had thought to have seen were not there.
"Then I said:' If time be short, show me the nethermost hells, that I may know of the greatest sins.'
"And while I spoke, the ground on which I stood gave way, and we fell still lower; and Truth said: 'Look around and see the confusion of this hell, for in it God hath put no check, and the lack of it hath made them as if mad.'
"And I saw men and women running hither and thither in haste, yet doing nothing, save quarrelling and tearing each other to pieces; yet death would not release them.
" 'Who are these?' I said. 'These be schemers and plotters and lawyers,' said the Spirit of Truth. 'They ran to and fro on earth and laid snares for men; and they still do so, but now they fall into their own toils; and to the makers of laws none hearken, for none careth for the law, for he hath naught to gain who keepeth it, nor hath he aught to lose who transgresseth it.
"And, looking on their faces, I saw such fury as I had thought that no man could wear, for they seemed to place no bounds upon their rage and envyings, for they had lost all power of self-restraint, and no longer could direct or bind their thoughts. And their mouths were full of cursing; such words proceeding from their mouths that, though I could not understand them, I felt were cries of hellish hate and foulest loathing, such as were never known on earth. Women and men cursed equally, cursed each other, and God for making them, and Satan for bringing them hither; yet their revilings brought them no relief, their foul words no content, and each tore hither and thither like one possessed.
"Then I said, 'Surely there are none worse than these.'
"But the Spirit took me past this pit of horror where men crept in and out like worms beneath a corpse, and I saw another hell, and at one end of it an iron gate with spikes. And in this hell was a great concourse of men and women. And one having the appearance of an angel, and bearing a lantern in his hand, did run along between the crowds of men and women; and, when he reached the gate, he sprang thereon and cried: 'Behold the gate that leadeth out of hell.' And all followed him, but, when they strove to clamber over it—for none could open it, it being strongly barred—the spikes did enter their flesh and tear them. Then they returned and told their brethren, to entreat their help; but it availed nothing. And every time the angel ran anew, so ran others; yet all failed to pass beyond the gate.
"And the Spirit of Truth said to me: 'These be they who have corrupted youth and childhood, and the pure-minded among men, and have beguiled them, so that they have strayed. Just as in their lives they led believing souls to the gates of knowledge, and then left them to be wounded by their sin, so now they themselves are led, for they fancy ever that at last they will escape; but the spikes do tear them and will in no wise let them pass."
"Then I looked and saw that many of these were women; at which, marvelling, I said: 'Do women lead the innocent to their undoing?' And the Spirit answered: 'Yea, more ofttimes than men. It never satisfieth a woman till she hath caught a young man in her toils. Then she leaveth him; and he, taught by her, betrayeth other women; but for one man that betrayeth a woman there are twenty women who betray men, and these are oft the mothers of children.'
"And I marvelled that women had been created. Then I looked up, and on a high mountain peak I saw a woman of exceeding beauty poised. And her eyes were turned on hell; and I asked Truth: 'Who is she?' And he answered: 'That same is Eve, the mother of all mankind. She sitteth on the highest mountain peak of hell and looketh down and seeth the grief that she hath brought upon the world by disobedience; and she weepeth always and prayeth without ceasing; and her grief of repentance is so great that it is to her even as hell; and it shall be counted to her for righteousness, for she hath believed and repented and suffered much, and, one day, she shall be forgiven; but not till she hath seen the victory over sin, not till she hath seen even the Holy One in hell.'
"Then I asked the Spirit: 'Will the Christ come to this hell? Wherefore?' And the Spirit of Truth answered: 'That I know not, but methinks that 't is to give hope to them who were not on earth at His appearance; that, when they see Him, they may believe and tremble, and repent.'
"Then I saw a crowd assembled, and high places raised, like thrones, and men in long robes ascending them, as if to preach; and, as each rose in the high place, another came and tore him down and cried: 'Who art thou to call thyself a priest?' or, 'Who art thou to call thyself a ruler? I will be priest, I will be ruler.' And, so soon as the one that did pull the other down did reach the throne, he too was dragged down and buffeted.
"And the Spirit of Truth explained: 'These are they whom ambition hath consumed. They sought high places and some gained them. Then these were puffed up with pride; then others came and took their place, and they were stricken to the dust.'
"Then I heard peals of laughter, the like to which I had never heard before. Methinks Satan must laugh so. And I looked around and saw no man near, save them who rose and fell in the high places; and the Spirit of Truth spake thus concerning them: 'These who hear this laughter are they who scoffed and derided at religion, and at them who tried to act aright; and they who made afraid the timid hearts. Now they hear ever this laughter around them, and seek to find whence it proceedeth; but they seek in vain; and the laugh continueth day and night, and ever it seemeth to them that none standeth near; till at last they go well-nigh mad for very horror, yet the laughter ceaseth not, and will never cease.'
"Then we came to almost the nethermost hell of all, and the smell was foul, as of a putrefying, stagnant pool, heavy with fever-laden mists; and the rocks grew closer, as though they would crush out all light. 'Here dwell the greatest sinners of any thou hast seen,' said the Spirit of Truth; 'the religious hypocrites and the priests who pervert the people. They who make weak women confess their sins, that they may listen to uncleanly tales, and hold the secrets of the fearsome, like daggers, over their heads. Of these Caiaphas will be—and his day is close at hand.'
"And I looked and saw that the place was crowded with long-robed priests with folded hands, which they could not unlock; the women came and cursed them, and their sons and daughters came and cursed them, and cried out: 'Who then was our father?'
"And, while I looked I saw that they were struck with blindness, and there was none to lead them as they walked; thus they struck their feet against the stones and rocks, and ofttimes fell to the ground.
"And the Spirit of Truth said: 'In life these men knew the truth and hid it from the people, beguiling them with rumours and tradition; and now they themselves are struck with blindness, and ofttimes the crowd doth rend them, and they cannot help themselves.'
"Then remembered I the words of the Nazarene: 'Woe unto ye, ye blind guides, which say, "Whosoever shall swear by the Temple it is nothing, but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the Temple he is a debtor!" '
"Then I saw that this was the greatest punishment of all, to be blind and in hell, and to know that this blindness is forever and ever. Yet could I not pity them as I did the others, for I thought of all the rulers and high priests that I had known, and could call none to mind that spake the truth or taught it; and I considered how the laws of Moses had been perverted by these hypocrites, and that their sayings and writings would remain written for generations; and I wondered not that the worst punishment of eternal blindness should be theirs.
"Then we came to a field which was fair to see, with fruit and flowers that hung in bounteous profusion everywhere; and I said: 'This can be no hell!'
"But the Spirit shook his head and made reply: 'This is the garden of hell, where the women wander for one hour in every day. This blessing is accorded them because of the mother of the Lord. 'T is only since the birth of the Christ on earth that it hath been planted. For her sake, and for the sake of their suffering on earth, women are given one hour that they may rest them from the torture of hell. But not all women are allowed to enter here. 'T is like unto the Garden of Eden, in which the Lord placed Adam and Eve; for, each evening, an angel with a flaming sword doth chase them from the garden, even as Eve was chased, and crieth out: "Depart, depart, ye sinful."
"And as I gazed, I saw that many women of exceeding fairness wandered in the cool shade of the garden, and for one hour their eyes did shine and their smile was sweet. And even while I looked, the angel with the flaming sword which turned each way appeared and cried, as Truth had advertised me: 'Depart, depart, ye sinful.' Then, with deep wailing and moaning and tearing of hair, the crowd of women rushed down the alleys, looking neither to the right nor to the left.
"And I asked: 'How have these women sinned?'—'These are unfaithful, haters of children, envious, loving luxury, driving men to sin and theft by their desire for sumptuous living, backbiters, liars, bearers of false witness against other women, tattlers; and the worst of all are they who marry without love, and they who force their children to barter themselves for gold.'
"Next we came to a freezing lake, which stank of brimstone and other noisome things. And, as we looked, behold blue lights illumed the lake, and over it was ice. And a vast concourse approached from the farther side, making as though they would cross over; but midway, the ice did break and they fell in; and great blue flames burst forth and scorched them as they plunged into the lake.
" 'This,' said the Spirit of Truth, 'is the Lake of Liars. The blue lights are like their words that have misguided men. The ice is like their promises that they have broken; and now they are plunged into the scorching flames of hell.'
"Then Truth came near the lake, and the spirits cried: 'Approach not, come not near, for we hate thee, Truth.'
"And I looked and saw that the lake did stretch farther than the eye could reach, and in it were countless souls, with the appearance of wriggling eels and serpents fighting, hustling, holding on to each other, trying to lift themselves out of the mire.
"And I said to the Spirit of Truth: 'Why are these so many? Surely they do outnumber all others in hell.' And the Spirit answered: 'Because all men are liars. Some lie to each other, and some to God, and some to themselves; but all are liars, and none speak the truth. Some indeed know not what truth is.'
"Then I said: 'Tell me what others dwell in hell.' And Truth replied: 'There are the mischief-makers. Their hell is like unto the liars', save that an eternal wind doth blow on their ears; and there are the traitors; they too are in a bottomless pit, and are divided thus: traitors to their country, traitors to their Lord, traitors to their friends, traitors to their kinsmen. These last are worst of all; for, if a man honour not his own flesh and blood, whom then will he honour? Besides, these are they who weary souls by much reproving, and they who judge. They who judge are weighed in balances; day and night are they weighed, and ever are they found wanting; and the weighing ceaseth never and every evil thought they have had towards others is returned into their own bosom.'
"Then I inquired: 'Wherefore still remaineth so much room in hell?' And Truth answered: 'For the generations to come, there are many races and many generations yet to come, and each that cometh after will be judged more hardly, because it hath known the truth and hath suffered lighter persecution. Last of all will come the judgment of them of the West, who make profession of belief in Jesus; but many of these will not believe, though belief encompass them around, and though all the works of Christ lay open before them.' Then the Spirit added: 'This is thy last night in Hades, and we must return, for thou must pray ere thou rejoin thy body.'
"Then meekly I took him by the hand, and we rose once more straight through the air, like arrows shot upward from a bow; and while we rose thus swiftly, yet could we hear the wailing and the gnashing of teeth and the howling of those beneath; and I said: 'I would the Christ saw not such sights.' But he answered: 'He will spare Himself no suffering, but drink the cup of bitterness to the dregs.'
"And after that the Spirit of Truth bade me depart; and at his words I wept, for a great fear came upon me; I feared to live again after that which I had seen. I clung to the Spirit of Truth and I said: 'Leave me not alone, I pray thee, in the valley of the shadow of death.' And it seemed to me, Mary, that thy voice sang to me the words that thou didst sing when I was at the point of death: 'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff do comfort me.' And a great peace came over me and I fell asleep.
"When I awoke I was once more outside the road of Jericho near to Bethany beneath the olive groves; and I saw the face of Jesus and the disciples, and I saw thee and Martha and the Jews who came to wail and mourn. And at the sight of Jesus' face my strength returned, and I said inwardly: 'If Thou canst die for me, then I can live for Thee.'
"And I saw that Jesus wept for the love He bore me and the love He bore Jerusalem, and for its unbelief; and I knew that He would I had not died, and that, having died, I should not live again to die a second death. Yet would I live and die daily, if I could serve the Lord forever; for I know that, beyond here and Hades, there are things reserved for them which love the Lord that pass man's understanding. Then I prayed as I had never prayed before, for I knew for a very certainty that Jesus was the Christ, and that men with their vain imaginations are but as worms before the Lord, and are without understanding. At last, when night was past, I heard the voice of Jesus calling me, as it were, across great waters; and my spirit hastened to the voice of God, and I stood inside the sepulchre ye had prepared for me; and I saw a body lying there, and I shuddered at the thought of that which was before me, and of the power of the flesh; and I would indeed that it were not so that I must live again. Yet I longed to see the face of the Christ once more, and to show forth His glory to all men, for I thought that then, indeed, all could not but believe. So I laid me down once more on the body that had pained me so in life, and I cried, 'Not my will, but Thine, be done on earth, O Lord!' Then I heard the voice of the Christ—that sounded like silver trumpets on the mountain tops mingling with summer fountains—cry out: 'Lazarus, come forth!' And at those words of Jesus I stood once more on my feet. Yet still the people believed not in Him."