[ Setting: A lake beach with a bench. ]
CLARISSA: I used to come out to a place like this almost every day after work. The rhythm of the waves is so soothing.
ALLEGENTIA: What work was that?
CLARISSA: I was an assistant at the church most of my life. Of course I did a few other things too, but there was not much to do in our little town.
ALLEGENTIA: It sounds as if you led a pretty quiet life.
CLARISSA: I did, small town life suited me. I had my friends and the church and God to keep me company.
You did say I could ask you any question I wanted to ask. Is that right?
ALLEGENTIA: Anything at all.
CLARISSA: Well, I think I heard you say when you woke us up there were many levels of heaven. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am certainly glad to be on my way to heaven but how can there be many levels of heaven?
ALLEGENTIA: So much will be sorted out when you step out on your new world and actually see for yourself. Your first impressions will more than match the heaven of your dreams, but soon thereafter you will begin to see how different things really are and how much more is possible. We say “First Heaven” because you will truly be in heaven and because it is, in fact, only your first step beyond their nativity planet. Humans are, for the most part, unaware of the immense structure of the universe and how much farther – physically, intellectually, and spiritually – they will to get to go to arrive at the final heaven of Paradise. Everyone is different and we are fully aware of how difficult this first change of perspective can be. But be at ease, we have set up many techniques for dealing with every sort of transition shock.
CLARISSA: Is not everyone equal in the eyes of God? We struggled on Earth with the idea some were better than others.
ALLEGENTIA: Yes, everyone is equal in God’s eyes because he loves everyone absolutely with no qualifications. There is no higher love to be given. He loves Jesus absolutely. He loves Lucifer absolutely. He loves you absolutely. And he loves each person so much he has given them their own free will so each person can choose their own destiny.
CLARISSA: Well, some sure made better choices with that free will than others.
ALLEGENTIA: That certainly is true. There are different ways to grow because you begin as babies and mature to be more than you were. Each person decides what to do with the abilities they naturally possess. This produces real differences. The problem comes in when a person notices those differences and judges themselves to be above others. With a larger perspective you will see these differences as tiny compared to your infinite possibilities.
CLARISSA: The differences I saw were not “tiny.”
ALLEGENTIA: You are correct about the extremes; some people were very wicked and some were saints. Nonetheless, the spiritual differences between most humans are not very great.
Angels and other spiritual beings are obviously more advanced than the newly arriving souls from young planets. Soon you will be able to compare yourself with them and see how far you really can grow. And we angels do the same. I am almost two million earth years old but what is that when I have met people who are two billion years old and know of persons who are two trillion? And, of course, God is infinite.
CLARISSA: Billions and trillions might as well be infinite to me, but I get your point. Can we at least see the big picture when we get there?
ALLEGENTIA: The big picture, too, is relative but you will see a vast array of things which will begin to give you a bigger picture. But do not kid yourself into thinking you will ever see the total picture. There is always more. Infinite is without end.
Enlightenment is a temporary state of mind. It is true you must understand most things in your mind first but in order to make your enlightenment practical, you will need to move it out of your mind and into your soul with experience.
CLARISSA: How come God did not just make us perfect in the first place?
ALLEGENTIA: God did make some perfect beings and others are perfecting. You find yourself in the enviable position of being at the beginning of the perfection plan. There are uncountable individuals who were created in the intervening stages between actual perfection and potential perfection. All too common is the mistaken belief of a universe made up of only God the Father and Humankind, with a few angels thrown in for good measure. Yet God’s plan does include Beings who possess perfection in all phases and who have creative powers in their own right.
CLARISSA: What did you mean when you said, “enviable?”
ALLEGENTIA: I say “enviable” as an understanding of the value of the gifts you have been given. We who are more advanced, either by nature or accomplishment, look to the wisdom of the progression scheme as one of God’s most brilliant ideas. You get to ascend the ladder of perfection by choice – and we get to help you; the opportunity to serve is also a very great joy. By doing so we get to share the loving-kindness of God with each other and with you.
Within a few years you will meet some people who, ages ago, lived on a planet such as yours who have gone through the perfection plan taking every step themselves willingly. Seeing these men and women who have made the long journey, you will be convinced of the value of the plan and you will be all the more inspired to make the effort yourself.
CLARISSA: It will certainly be interesting meeting people that old. I’m sure they will have a few stories to tell. I hope they’ll be willing to give me a few pointers.
You also said in the opening address it would take many years of travel to get to heaven. I can’t see why God could not simply have plucked us off Earth and put us wherever he wanted us to be. He can do anything. Why take the time, especially since we will be unconscious anyway?
ALLEGENTIA: Could he transport you from Earth to the portals of the Progress Worlds? Certainly, but would he take away from anyone the honor of doing what they were created for? Certainly not. He set things up perfectly in the beginning and he continues to manage it perfectly. He is Absolutely Consistent. He does things the best way they can be done. His habits are what we understand to be Reality. Our alignment with his plan is a measure of our maturity. In his infinite wisdom he gave us the opportunity to grow up gradually; there is plenty of time to learn and become our better selves.
CLARISSA: But he is all-powerful isn’t he?
ALLEGENTIA: He is. But would it make sense for him to use his omnipotence to disrupt, intervene, or otherwise change the outworking of the original perfect plan he set in motion? Most cultures who believe in an infallible God make the mistake of believing this power makes him capricious or impulsive. Many humans still think power is his primary quality and assume he will exercise it separately from his other attributes. He is a whole being. He is indivisible.
CLARISSA: Are you saying God cannot do some things?
ALLEGENTIA: It is very common to misunderstand God’s omnipotence and say he can do anything. But he would not do an ungodlike thing, nor take an unwise action. He chooses what he will do; his volitional choices are always perfect.
Just think about it. What does it mean to have all absolute qualities? It is certainly true he is all-powerful, but it is also true he is all-knowing and can see all of his options. And it is also true he is all-wise and can pick the best among all of the possibilities, even if they are infinite. God is self-limited only by his perfect choices. His choices are tempered not only by the information he has, but especially by the Divine attributes he possesses. All of them are controlled by a nature of pure love. Because each of his qualities are absolute they are all in exquisite harmony.
CLARISSA: Well, that makes sense, I guess. But he takes care of every detail, right?
ALLEGENTIA: You might ask, “What is love?” and one of the most prominent qualities you will come up with is sharing. His sharing is, of course, both absolute and perfect. Consequently, it should not be surprising when I tell you God, personally, does only those things he alone can do. The rest he has delegated to countless numbers of beings; giving them the ability and privilege to do everything else. We angels are a prime example of his boundless generosity, but by no means are we the best example.
CLARISSA: So he directs it all instead of doing it all?
ALLEGENTIA: That’s right. The universe is teaming with beings, almost all of them have free will. We all do our best to align our wills with God’s will. Some are impersonal and designed to perform more machine-like work, but they too have a form of decision-action liberty.
CLARISSA: They sound like robots.
ALLEGENTIA: Some jobs in the universe are so precise, it would be impossible, not to mention unkind, to give them to beings who possess personality as we know it. For instance there are tremendous energy forces in the cosmos needing to be controlled and balanced. Powerful beings called Force Organizers and Energy Manipulators work tirelessly to protect planets and the people on them.
CLARISSA: Good grief, He could have made it a lot simpler.
ALLEGENTIA: It is all very simple for him. Those of higher spiritual essence do not make mistakes. Immature beings are unwise, fallible, and frail thus they sometimes decide to do things against the way they work best. We all act in our own right with our own free will doing what we are capable of doing – always learning more about how we can best cooperate with God’s marvelous plans. As you get to understand more, you will appreciate how it is set up and why. The important thing is to carry on with a willing attitude.
CLARISSA: Right, free will, I am thankful for that. I just need to take it all a little bit at a time.
ALLEGENTIA: We understand humans do need to know why and how things work; and we know you need time. We will give you reasons as best we can, although some of the reasons are predicated on the assimilation of more fundamental awareness and expanded soul growth than you now possess. Your capacity for greater clarity is limited more by the current qualitative character of your soul than by any lack of available information. As you grow you will be more able to grasp bigger ideas and absorb better ideals. You will have all the time you need to become the person who God already knows you can become. Have faith.
CLARISSA: Thank you, I will. I think I have had about all I can take for now though.
ALLEGENTIA: Rest easy. We will gently, and in your own time, help you see how things really are when you get to heaven.