in Heaven! - TFI Online

Below:Pompeiianwall painting2Templeof IsisMy name is Maresha, and I’d like to tell you ofmy “System survival” experience in the Romancity of Pompeii, before its demise.I was raised in a Christian family until theage of eight, when soldiers raided our smallcommunity and took my brothers, my sistersand me away, to be sold as slaves to richhouseholds in Pompeii and other Roman cities.I never saw my brothers and sisters again, andI must admit, I was confused and frightened atfirst. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before anelderly man, who I later found out was the headservant of a certain household in Pompeii,bought me to help with kitchen work.El-Nor, the man who bought me, was kindenough, and I was fed and clothed. I was putunder the instruction of his wife, also a servantin that household. She taught me the work Iwas to do, as well as what I was and wasn’tallowed to do, and where I was and wasn’tallowed to go in this palatial mansion. Therewas a great garden that encircled the mansion,and in one back corner of the garden weresmall stone buildings, which made up theservants’ living quarters. El-Nor and his wifehad children, and I slept with them.The house of the nobles we servedin was very grand, built in theclassical Roman style of that day,complete with white marble, pillars,fountains, stone benches, and beautifulwhite statues placed about theproperty. Aurellia was the noblewoman,and she ran the householdsince her husband, Dominatus, was

often away on government business. I did not seeAurellia, Dominatus, or their children sometimesfor many months at a time, since we slave childrenwere not allowed in the main areas of thehouse and gardens.I lived a fairly happy life in my new home. Ihad always helped my mother in the kitchen, so Idid not find the work unpleasant, although thelong work hours took some getting used to.Aurellia was a very bored noblewoman it seemed,for she often threw extravagant feasts for herfriends, and we worked very hard to create justthe ambiance she wanted, and the perfect foodand drinks.El-Nor ordered us young slaves to go to bedquite soon after sundown, for we arose early eachday to begin our chores. It was at these times, as Ilay in bed listening to the distant laughter andmusic of one of Aurellia’s feasts, that I wouldthink about my mother and father and brothersand sisters. I’d picture each one in my mind, sothat I wouldn’t forget their beautiful faces. Iwould review all the things that we had donetogether.We’d had a simple but happy life. Father hadworked hard in the fields and Mother had doneher share taking care of us children, as well assewing and mending for others in the village. Iremembered the fun times I spent with my oldersister, as we talked and played and learned aboutsewing and cooking from our mother. I rememberedthe prayers we prayed as a family, the wornscrolls father read to us each night after dinner,and the kindly man known to us as “the apostle,”who visited and spoke with us whenever he waspassing through our town.Each night I still prayed as Mother had taughtme to pray, whispering under my breath. El-Norand his wife and children worshipped the samegods that Aurellia and Dominatus did, but theynever made me worship them, for which I wasgrateful. I was quiet and obedient and a willingworker, so although I sometimes got puzzled looksdining roomfrom the other slaves for notparticipating, they didn’tbother me about my religion.The years passed, and as Igrew older, El-Nor trusted memore. He often sent me onerrands outside the property,to go buy fish at the nearbyport, or to select fresh flowersfor one of Aurellia’s feasts.El-Nor’s wife found that I hada natural bent for decorating,and she often called on me toarrange the flowers in themain part of the house andbeautify the house in otherways. I was fifteen years oldnow, and had seen Dominatusonly two times, and Aurelliaseveral times, as she wasoften flitting around herhouse before she had guests,making sure everything wasjust right, although it seemedshe never noticed me.As for their three children,I began to see them morefrequently. Their eldestdaughter was a couple ofyears older than me, their3

next son about twelve,and their third son, whohad been just a threeyear-oldwhen I firstarrived, was now tenyears old. They had beentaught to pay no attentionto us slave children,and frequently behaved asthough we were notaround, except when theyneeded us to do somethingfor them.One afternoon I wasarranging a vase of large,bright orange flowerswith small white andyellow flowers. I tookmuch pleasure in my jobof arranging flowers, anddid it carefully. I wasconcentrating so much onmy task that I did notrealize that someone waswatching me.When I was satisfiedthat it was all that Icould make it, I heardthe voice of Aurellia closebehind me. “Very nice,child. What is yourname?” It was the firsttime Aurellia had addressedme directly, and Imust admit my palmswere immediately sweaty.“Maresha, my lady,” Ireplied, keeping my headdown. She looked me upand down and nodded inapproval at my clean andstraight, waist-lengthbrown hair, my simplewhite frock and sandaled4feet. Then she left. Ithought no more of it.However, I heard about itthe following week whenEl-Nor pulled me asideand explained that ourmistress had told himthat she wanted me to bea servant and companionfor her eldest daughter,Aurnora.This was a newchapter in my life, andwhile my first years as aslave in this householdhad been mostly spent athome, I discoveredquickly that Aurnorawanted to be anywherebut at home. She spentmuch of her time betweenthe baths, the theater, thearena and her friends’houses. I accompaniedher everywhere. I felt shyat first among so manyrich, with their fancyclothes and vain ways.But I soon learned that Iwas not expected to saymuch, and indeed oftenAurnora and her friendsspoke of intimate thingstogether as if I was noteven in the room.Aurnora’s female friendsalso had slave companions,and I becameacquainted with the oneswho were around mostfrequently. Havingstepped up a significant

notch in my duties, I wasfitted for new dresses andinstructed to keep mylong hair in a braidcrowning my head at alltimes. I wore the typicalarm bracelet signifyingmy status as a slave.Aurnora was not anunkind mistress, onlyspoiled and thoughtlessdue to her very shelteredand pampered upbringing.Her conversationswith me consisted oftelling me what to get forher, how to do her hair,and asking me what Ithought looked better onher when she was shopping.As for myself, Itried to remember thewise words my motherhad told my sister and mewhen we were children,about the shallowness ofphysical beauty and theworth of inner beauty—how inner beauty canonly be cultivatedthrough a relationshipwith God. But I mustconfess, I felt myselfslipping in what myparents had taught me. Iprayed less and less. Ifelt sadness inside tothink that, for lack ofanything else to believe, Imight end up adoptingthe beliefs and attitudesof my masters.Thankfully, God heardthe prayer of my heartand answered me out ofthe blue. My mistress hadsent me out to theMacellum, the marketarea in the center ofPompeii, to obtain somenew material from acertain shop for a dressshe wanted to wear to thenext arena spectacle withher friends. I found theshop easily, in a narrowstreet crammed betweentwo other stores. Iselected the material thatAurnora wanted, and as Iwas waiting for it to becut and packaged, afamiliar, well-wornface appeared througha door leading to theback room of theshop.I blinked hard andlooked intently at it,and the man paused inhis conversation withthe man of the shop toreturn my gaze withcalm yet inquiring eyes.I thought hard, trying toremember where I hadseen the face before.Even as I tried to recallthis, it came rushingback to me: the kindapostle, Petrus, who hadsometimes visited ourhome when I wasjust a child. He,however, did notrecognize me, andthe next moment Irealized that he surely5

would not, seeing as Iwas very much grown upsince the time he hadbounced me on his knee.I collected my packageand quickly exitedthe store, my mind racingfuriously as to what I wasto do now, since it waspossible I would neversee him again. I decidedto wait at the corner ofthe street for him toemerge. He did so soonafter, and began walkingin my direction. As hereached the corner whereI was, I called out tohim, “Sir, might you haveknown of a certain goodlycouple named Mera andNiro?”He turned to me, alittle startled to see meagain, but paused andthought carefully beforereplying. The man lookedintently into my eyes,“And what if I did knowthese good people?”I could barely holdback my tears, for now Iwas certain I6top: the bathscenter: altarbottom: the theaterwasn’t dreaming. Ireplied simply, “Wouldyou remember theirsecond eldest daughter,Maresha?”I could tell that Petruswanted to hug me tightright there, for he hadbeen like a favorite uncleto us children, but heheld back, not willing tobetray any emotions inthis pagan city filled withspies. “I cannot believemy eyes, youare alive andwell!” was allhe could say.I had to begetting back tomy mistress,but I did not want this tobe my only contact withdear Petrus, for here wasthe answer to the prayersI had prayed for myflickering faith. Therewas so much I wanted toknow about what hadhappened to my parentsand brothers and sisters.I spoke quickly, informingPetrus where mymaster’s house waslocated. He then agreedto have someone meet methe next day, at the arenawhere I was going to bewith my mistress, withinformation about whereI could see him next.I was so excited Icould hardly contain it. Iusually detested our tripsto the arena and thebloodshed I was forced tobe a spectator to, but itwas the fashionable thingfor Aurnora to attend, sowe were frequent attendees.However today, Icould hardly wait to getto the arena. I scanned

the crowds around me,hoping that whoeverPetrus was sending wouldfind me amid this madcrowd.People were cheeringand rising from theirseats during their favoriteparts, and during onesuch moment, a youngman wearing the typicalshort toga and armbandof a slave, brushed by mewithout a word or a look,depositing something intomy hand as he continuedon down the steps of theaisle we were next to. Itucked it away in thefolds of my dress andlater read in Petrus’ ownwriting of a certain houseI could go to in the cityon the following night tomeet him.Amazingly, I was ableto get away the followingnight, as it was very lateand my mistress hadalready retired after along and tiring day ofshopping. The city wasstill bustling with activity,people going to andfrom parties or the bathsor business of some sort.I wore a cloak to keepI usually detested our trips to the arena and the bloodshed Iwas forced to be a spectator to .... However today, I couldhardly wait to get to the arena.myself warm in the coolevening air and to disguisemy appearance.Thankfully, since beingAurnora’s slave andsleeping in her quarters,El-Nor and his wife hadless knowledge of mywhereabouts, which gaveme greater freedom tocome and go more often.I arrived at thedesignated house and wasallowed to enter by thedoorkeeper after presentingmy note from Petrus.I entered an upper room,which I was surprised tofind filled with people.Petrusgreetedmewarmly,butbeforewe hadachanceto talka hushfellovertheroomandsomeonecalled him to the front.He excused himself,promising we would talkafterward, and proceededto the front of the roomwhere he began to readfrom some old wornscrolls, which I recognizedfrom his visits toour house.I sat on the floor andleaned against the wall,drinking the refreshingwords in, words that Ihad not heard in so long.I leaned my head backand closed my eyes,remembering thosewonderful evenings withmy family. As the wordsfilled my ears, so too didthe glimmer of faith inmy heart brighten. I feltan assurance that I hadbeen barely aware of for7

many years, that God waswith me and cared forme, and now He hadallowed my path to crosswith an old and dearfriend for the sake of myhappiness. I knew thatthis would be the beginningof many wonderfulevenings, sharing God’sWord with fellowbelievers.I opened my eyes andlooked across the roomas the reading continued,and spied Estrela, theslave companion of oneof Aurnora’s friends. Shewas sitting next to adark-haired young manand he was kissing herhand with affection.Obviously this was theironly chance to see one8Pompeii, ancient city of southern Italy, a port nearNaples and at the foot of Mt. Vesuvius. Pompeii was aflourishing port and a prosperous resort. An earthquakein A.D. 63 damaged the city, and the eruption of Mt.Vesuvius in A.D. 79 buried Pompeii and the nearby port ofHerculaneum under cinders and ashes that preservedtheir ruins.For more than 1500 years Pompeii lay undisturbed beneathheaps of ashes and cinders, and not until 1748 wereexcavations undertaken, which revealed in great detailthe habits and manners of life in Roman times.Among the most significant aspects of the discoveriesat Pompeii is the remarkable degree of preservation of theancient objects. The showers of wet ashes and cindersthat accompanied the eruption formed a hermetic sealabout the town, preserving many public structures,temples, theaters, baths, shops, and private dwellings. Inaddition, remnants of some of the 2,000 victims of thedisaster were found in the ruins of Pompeii, includingseveral gladiators who had been placed inchains to prevent them from escaping orcommitting suicide. Ashes, mixed with rain,had settled around the bodies in molds thatremained after the bodies themselves hadturned to dust. Liquid plaster was pouredinto some of these molds by the excavators,and the forms of the bodies have thereby beenpreserved.Most of the inhabitants escaped the eruption,carrying with them their movable assets.After the eruption they tunneled into and aroundthe houses and public buildings, and carried off almosteverything of value, even to the extent of strippingmarble slabs from the buildings. For this reason few objectsof great value have been discovered at Pompeii.

another. She noticed melooking at her withsurprise, and gave asmile of recognition. So,she was a believer too,and who knows how manyothers of my fellowslaves? I determined thatI would talk with herwhenever our mistressesmet, and learn moreabout her and any others.That evening was onlythe first of many suchmeetings for me. Eachtime I talked with Petrusand heard the words fromthat wonderful scroll, myfaith grew stronger. I feltmore peace about mylife, as well as about mybrothers and sisters andparents. Although Petrusknew the whereabouts ofonly one of my brothers,in a distant city, hereassured me by quotingpromises from the Word,that God, who was takingcare of and guiding me,was surely also doing thesame for my other lovedones.I became moreacquainted with Estrella,as well as several otherslave girls who had met asimilar fate to mine,having been taken fromtheir Christian parents atan early age. Aurnoracontinued her life ofparties and friends, butas she began to realizethe shallowness and evenbetrayal by some of herfriends, she confidedmore and more in mewhen we were alonetogether. Sometimes wewould lie in her room andtalk for hours into thenight. It was at thesetimes that it seemed weall but forgot the divisionbetween us of mistressand slave, and welaughed and talked andcried together. She askedme more about my life,and sought my opinionabout the world she wasgrowing up in.I counseled withPetrus as Aurnora and Ibecame close, and hereassured me that thisseemed to be God’s planto reach Aurnora. I hadto be very careful andprayerful, though, and itwas a very long whilebefore I revealed toAurnora my religiousbeliefs. She was unstableat times, like her mother,reverting to the spoiled,self-centered mistress shecouldn’t help but be.One time I broughtback the wrong kind ofmaterial for a dress shebadly wanted, and shehad me isolated for a dayin a fit of temper. In frontof her friends she wouldoften verbally humiliateme, although thankfullyshe never mentioned myreligious beliefs, and shealways tearfully apologizedafterward when wewere alone together. Itwasn’t fashionable forrich young women totreat their slaves withany measure of respect,and I understood thepressures she experienced.The same thingwould happen to my otherChristian slave friends atthe hand of their mistresses,and the Lordgave us all the grace tobear it.As Aurnora grewolder, her immature wayslessened, and in time Iwas able to copy Scripturedown by hand andshare it with Aurnora. Inonly a few years she waswed to a handsome youngRoman fellow, and my jobsoon thereafter switchedfrom being her companionto being a nurse forher three children.And so I lived underthe shadow of God’sprotection, and He ledme and prospered me.When Aurnora and herhusband started a houseof their own, Aurnora putme in charge of all theservants and the businessof her household. Shetrusted me completely. Asa result, I screened allslaves and servants9

10Sucesuswashere.PubliusComiciusRestitutustoodherewithhisbrother.Abenevolentgodwelshereinthishouse.Burglar,watchout!Thisisnoplaceforidlers.Onyourway, loafer.Stronniusisaknow-nothing.GaiusJuliusPrimigeniuswashere.Whyareyoulate?Letanyonewhoinvitesmetodinnerprosper.OnApril19Ibakedbread.Epaphraisnotabal-player.Learnthiswel:WhileIamalive,youaremyenemy,Death.Graffiti From om tom thebefore we hired them, tomake sure they were notstrict idol worshippers, andthat if they were notChristians, that they wouldbe open to learning. So Ideveloped a small churchin the household I ran.New servants were trainedand brought along until Ifelt they were ready tolearn more of the secret ofour happy household, orelse in prayer the Lordwould show me that theywould not be able to keepour secret, and so I wouldsend them along to ahousehold of one ofAurnora’s friends.As for Aurnora, wecontinued to be very closefriends in private. Shegave me full care of herchildren, and I broughtthem up with Godly values.Aurnora held only thecondition that they were tobe trained to behave asother Pompeiian childrenin public. So they weretaught the basics of Romanbeliefs, although in such away as to differentiateRoman gods from the trueGod, so that in public theyappeared like any otherpagan child.Our household ran well,oiled by our precious HolySpirit and the unity thatonly believers can have,and the aura of peace thatsurrounded the propertywas the marvel of manyof Aurnora’s friends.Aurnora’s now very agedmother, Aurellia, wouldoften visit to play withher grandchildren and torelax her frail nerves.She often thanked me, tomy great surprise, forbeing a support to herdaughter. Once when wewere alone in the roomtogether she even said tome, “You have been likethe sister that my daughternever had.”In time, Pompeii grewincreasingly wicked. Thepeople became known fortheir appetite for theblood that was shed inthe arena on a weeklybasis. Aurnora knew ofmy objection to killingfor pleasure, so thankfullyshe never permittedher children to attend,although she often had tomake an appearancewith her friends there.Before long, Christiansagain became the objectof Pompeiian hate, andthe city around usbecame a sea of danger.But Aurnora protectedus, and her haughty wayslearnt from her motheras a child often came inhandy as she preventedthose suspicious of herservants from gettingnear to us.In that fateful year

that heralded Pompeii’sdemise, the Lord showedus in one of our regularprayer meetings, thatPompeii’s cup was nearlyfull and her end was near.The Lord showed me topersuade Aurnora tomove her entire householdto the summer villaof her husband’s fatherfor a few months, and assuch we escaped thedestruction of Pompeiiwhen its volcano eruptedon that terrible day.Aurnora’s husbandand father died, havingrefused to leave Pompeiiwhen our household did,and as a result Aurnorainherited the summervilla. Free from the gripof Rome’s tentacles, ourhousehold became ahaven for travelingChristians.It wasn’t long tillAurnora, softened by thetragedy of this time inher life—with her husband,her father-in-law,her mother and herfather and most of her friendsdead—declared that all ofher slaves were free to stayon and serve her or to leaveand seek out their own lives.It was a miraculous token ofthe faithful feeding I hadgradually given her over theyears.Many of the servantsstayed on, overjoyed to seetheir mistress enacting hernew-found faith, and morethan happy to assist inrunning this secret Christianhaven. I lived to a ripe oldage along with Aurnora. Herson grew into a fine youngman and joined the Romansenate, and he enacted manychanges for the good due tohis godly upbringing. As forher daughter, she continuedon with us, tending to travelwearyvisitors and finallymarrying a fine young Christianman who she met whilehe was passing through, andstarting a family of her own.The ripples of God’s willand plan continued to spreadout, affecting many people inmy day. Truly everything hadworkedtogetherfor goodin mylife, andGodneverfailedme.MarcuslovesSpendusa.Lethimwholovesprosper.Lethimwholovesnot,perish.Andlethimwhoforbidsotherstolove,perishtwiceover.Lethimwhochastisesloverstrytofetterthewindsandblockthendlessflowofwaterfromaspring.Lovers,likebees,leadahoney-sweetlife.Iamamazed,owal,thatyouhavenotcolapsedandfalen,sinceyoumustbearthetedioustupiditiesofsomanyscrawlers.ThefruitselersaskyoutoelectMarcusHolconiusPriscusasaedile.Walls of Pomompeii11

Fashionsin Heaven!for the girlsIt’s Angela again!I wanted to tell you a littleabout what fashions are likein Heaven. There are somany different designsand styles of clothingyou can choose from.You can even createyour own! This is lotsof fun for us girlswho like to dressup and weardifferentthings.There’sa hugepavilionwhereyou can see allthe different fashionsthat have been designedon Earth, and I’mtelling you, there are alot. But besides that,there are so manymore designs, materials,colors andfabrics in Heaventhat are not even onEarth. In fact, wehardly use any ofthe designs thatare used onEarth; that’smore like amuseum ofancient history.Sometimes we12dress up for fun, kind of like the partiesyou have down there where you dress uplike different characters or in differentstyles. Doing that Here is quite a ball,because there’s so much to choosefrom.As far as everyday clothinggoes, there are so manydifferent varieties andchoices Here, newand differentones fromthoseyouknowo n Earth. And wehave fun changing asoften as we want intowhatever is the mostcomfortable for us.There are alsounlimited ways you cando your hair. Talkabout having yourown hairdresser—youdon’t have tospend a lotof timedoing ityourself.There are somany hairstylesyou can’t weardown there, because they’redifficult to do yourselfwithout going to a professionalhair stylist. But up

Here, you can choosewhatever style you wantand it doesn’t take anywork on your part. Yourhair doesn’t fall out ofplace or get messed upeither, so it’s great!You can either justthink what you want andit happens, or you can goto a hairdresser. Yes,there are people up Herewho specialize in thatsort of thing, becausethey enjoy doing it andit’s fun for them. Theyalso experiment andcome up with differentways to do your hair. Forspecial occasions Iusually go to a hairdresser,and have them domy hair for me. Myfavorite is having my hairentwined with smalldelicate flowers ofpurple, pink and blue. Myhair falls about down tomy waist, so the flowersare all entwined downfrom the top to thebottom. It sort of blendsinto my hair, kind of likeribbons, only it’s a stringof these little flowers ofdifferent colors.Anyway, if you wantsome far-out hair orclothing designs, this isthe place to be becausewe have the best, andmore variety than youcan imagine!TherearelotsofgirlsHerewhodesignclothesasahobby.They’velearnedhowtoembedtinyjewelsandgemsintothefabric.Theyalsomakegownsthathavedistinctflavors,aromasorfragrances.MostclothesHerearelight,sexy,andcomfortable.Thematerialsaresosoftandgorgeous,unlikeanythingthatyouhaveonEarth.Probablytheclosesthingthatyouhavetheretocompareitowouldbesilk.Ifyou’regoingforaswim,thegownyouarewearingwildisappearasoonasyoutouchthewater,andwhenyougetout,itwilreappear.Orifyou’rehavingsex,youcanjusthinkaboutyourclothesbeingof,andtheywilbe.WhenyoufirstgetoHeaven,you’lariveinaspecialgownthatJesusdesignedespecialyforyou.Hemixesyourheart’sdesireswithHisdesires—andoutcomesthisgorgeousgownthatyougetowearonyourarivaltoHeaven.Believeme,you’llookstunning!InyourmansiontherewilbeacolectionofclotheschosenandpickedbyourlovedonesandfriendsupHerewhopreparethewayforyou.Buthechoicedoesn’tendthere.Thereisalsothefashionfair,whereyoucancheckoutclothingfromanyeraoftime.13

Heavenly Preview:What’s music like up Here? Whatdo we have that you don’t havethere on Earth? I’ll tell youwhat, we’ve got more cool stuffthan you could ever dream up orthink up or even imagine. Wejust let it rip, man! Our soulsare stirred with the passion,emotion and spirit that emanateslike shock waves from theSource. Got a cool theme?We’ll put it to music. Got a coolrhythm? We’ll give you somehot lyrics and beef up the soundwaves. Or better yet, just let ustake over! Take the chance atbeing stunned and floored withwhat Heaven’s made of.You guys think you know coolmusic. You guys think you knowwhat’s “in,” what’s groovy,what’s “wicked”—as some saythese days—and what’s out ofthis world. I’m telling you, youdon’t know what listeningpleasure is until you get Here.My name is Jamin, and you’reabout to get a sneak preview ofsome legendary stuff that canbreak all sound barriers, changehearts, move spirits, light upHeaven, and set the world onfire.Music is an essential part ofHeaven. I’m sure you feel thesame way there on Earth, butwhat you have would be about anumber two on a scale from oneto 10 [10 being the highest],compared to hits you’ll hear upHere. Well, some of the songsyou’ve got there that have beenreceived directly from Heaventhrough prophecy are pretty high14

on the scale, but there are somany different styles!—You’vebarely scratched the surface!I used to go for the music thatthe world had to offer when I wason Earth; it was my life. I was adrummer and those beats justdrove me insane, crazy, and Iended up doing something realstupid. That’s when my life ended,but I’ll get to that in a sec. Yousee, I loved the beats, I loved therhythm, I loved the cool sounds. Iloved the way that music wouldmake me feel; it would eithermake me happy, sad, mad orcrazy.I liked how I could expressmyself through music, butunfortunately it wasn’t theright kind of music. But, hey,man, I didn’t know any better. Ithought I knew the world aboutmusic. I thought I was a masterof my trade. I thought I knewalmost all there was to know. Butthe music that I played didn’thave the Spirit, and because itdidn’t have the Spirit, I wasn’tglorifying the Lord. I was glorifyingmyself. And because Icouldn’t find total fulfillment inmy music, I turned to drugs andbooze to give me the highs that Ineeded.One night I got furious andalmost went insane. On the wayhome that night I had a head-oncollision with a guy in a pickuptruck, and neither of us survived.Anyway, the good news is that Iwas saved and I’m Here now. I’vebeen here for about five years byyour standard of time, and all ofmy dreams have come true! Youguys think you’re missing out ifyou don’t listen to that hellishmusic out in the System, but takeit from me, they don’t knowanything. Sure, they know how toOne night I got furious andalmost went insane.play and they have the technicalside of things just right. Theyknow how to produce and maketheir stuff sell, but it’s just fool’splay. It’s just a cheap imitation.I’ve learned that when Satanfell from glory as the Lord’sbearer of light, he first hadgathered together as muchinformation from Heaven as hepossibly could. He’s tried tocreate a false utopia on Earth, inhopes of fooling the world intothinking that this life is all thereis, and that they can get everythingthey need out of life without15

16God. His whole aim is to get God outof the picture, to make men thinkthey can do it all themselves and haveall they need and want, through theirown knowledge and skill.He’s inspired people on Earth witha certain knowledge of the workingsof music—and the Lord has allowedthis, as His message is also preachedthrough this medium. But mortal menhave mixed the workings of musicwith the workings of Satan, andthat’s why they’re defiled.Satan’s got power, Satan’s gotknowledge, and he knows how tomake his music sound pretty good.He’s gothis littlepuppets allaround the worldthat pump out hisvibes through theirmusical productions. Iknow it’s hard to see howthings really are when you’re onEarth.You think that perfection makesfor ultimate music. Well, you haven’theard anything yet, and the thingsyou’ve heard down there are reallyflawed and imperfect compared with theterrific music you’ll hear up here.Satan has limited knowledge when itcomes to music. He fell from gracethousands of years ago, and every daysince then Heaven has been perfectingthe musical arts. Millions of new songshave been written every day, andmillions of new styles have been createdsince Satan’s fall from grace. He’spassed on his limited knowledge to theworld, and he uses it for his glory, as hisvehicle, as his conduit, with his message,to make suckers out of the worldthrough his poor imitation.Music Here is electrifying! You cantravel with music. You can create thingswith music. You can express yourselfthrough music. You can learn thingsthrough music. You can experienceecstasies through music. You can havean orgasm through music. You can prayfor people with music. You can relaxwith music. You can dance with music.You can do anything you want withmusic. Cool? Groovy? Out of thisworld? Dynamic? Far out? No, man, it’s

way, way, way beyond all that! Itreaches way past the blow-your-mindlevel!The most wonderful thing about allof this is that you can have a part ofHeaven and part of Heaven’s music withyou now, if you have the faith for it. TheLord can’t give His music to the Systembecause they’re not tuned into Hiswavelength. So many of today’s musiciansare tuned into Satan and he justkeeps recycling his counterfeit andspewing it back out at them in differentforms and ways, making them thinkthey have new styles and new methods,when really they’ve just been doing thesame old thing for years. The Lord can’tget through to them.—They’re too full,they’re too satisfied, and the Enemy iscontrolling the music industry. But thepeople of the Lord seek a new thing,and those that seek new things will getnew things. Got it?Music is a language all of its own,and there’s still so much to learn. I’vestill got miles to go. It’s like the Systemis still sucking at bottles and learninghow to talk, and some of you guys arestill learning your ABCs. So, how ‘boutit, man? Get with the beat! Fill your lifewith rhythm and beats that’ll keep yougrooving till you get up Here. Don’ttake “no” for an answer. Don’t say itcan’t be done. Don’t say you know allthere is to know, because I’m tellingyou, you haven’t even begun to realizewhat music is and what power lieswithin the caverns of this amazingscience that was, and could only havebeen, designed in Heaven.Did I whet your appetite for things tocome? Well, if you’re not convinced yet,you’d better come and hear for yourself!—It’sno letdown! Okay, gotta gojam with the guys. Come for a visit anytime you’d like and we’ll pass on someHeavenly tunes.17

everyone is given arole to play inlife. How well you playthat role is up to you, youknow what I’m sayin’? Yougot the choice, Dude. Thepickin’ is yours, girl.. Howyou’re gonna choose to playthat role is up to you.Listen to me now, think hardand choose right, cause ya’only got one life downthere, you know?I had a spark of inspiration.I had it in me, but Iturned it to bad--livin’ onthe edge of darkness, whenI coulda turned to thelight all along. I wasproud to be bad but now Iknow that ain’t the way. Ihad a power of a kind allright, but I was like a kidplayin’ with a toy, youknow what I’m sayin? Just akid not knowin’ how to usethe awesome power put in myhand, so whatta I do? Icoulda had the right and Iturned to the bad! I blewthe wad! I blew the fuse!‘Cuz I didn’t catch thevision! I didn’t want tolearn, paid no attention tothe instructions. I turnedaway from the Man, shut Himout, and turned to badinstead and tried playin’their game of violence andcrime, instead of grabbin’the right to pull me out.My protest turned to nightmareas I lived out the badrole I really detested!All I could see was the18TUPACSHAKURRAPPING A NEW MESSAGE

wronggoin’ down,the violence, the crime,the bad stuff all ‘round. Soinstead of risin’ above, andcallin’ on JC for help, I sunkdown, down, down. I figuredall wrong cause I didn’t catchit. Had no vision, had noanswer--couldn’t see for theblinding lights. Thinkin’ themon would give mefun, I had itwrong all thetime. All I couldsee was the violentsolution.Figurin’ there was no way out.What’s a dude to do? Might aswell be cool, so I thought,but cool don’t fly up Here.Get it? Being bad and cool notonly ended my life, it broughtothers down with the grip.That’s the sad story, the badsad story of turnin’ your backon the Man, you see?He never left me since thetime I was small when my mamawas singin’ to me. But as timeticked on, I grew cold inheart, wouldn’t listen--sostubborn and proud. I heardHim talkin’ from the time Iwasyoung, but rebellionclosed in on me. Thehardness, the coldness I feltall around, I gave as my lameexcuse. Pride got in my way,and I took off ya know,hustlin’ and ruffin’ for pay.But the Man JC in His love,you see, He cut me some slack,Figurin’ there was no wayout. What’s a dude to do?Might as well be cool.ya know? Tragic as my deathwas, in mercy it was, He deliveredmy body--to save my soul,cause I didn’t leave Him achoice, you know what I’msayin? Not until I arrivedHere, I woke up to see--bad gotno place in Heaven. And now Iknow the deal--ain’t no doubtin my head--bad got no placedown there either. And soon,real soon, the Man JC gonnacome and straighten accounts--you know what I’m sayin?You dudes in the Family,you’ve got it all--all I wishI ever had. You’ve got the19

eal deal, gonna help setit all right--stand upagainst all that flack!You’ve got what I reallywanted all along, cuz yougot the key to how to useall that power--you hearwhat I’m sayin’? When Ilived in the hood, Icoulda had the real powerof Heaven, but I got mywires all jammed. But yougot it all--not only thepower but the know how--how to put it to use. Deeptruths of the Spirit,marvels to stun e-mail--you got words of the Heavenlyrap! Man, you got thesure weapons, and you knowhow to use ‘em--strong weapons of theSpirit--against ‘em there ain’t no match.Awesome it’ll be, a really big gig--when allthe bad dudes will straighten up and flyright! Ya know what I’m sayin’?Down there in the hood, deep inside I wasscared, always walkin’ in fear. Now I’vejoined the Heavenly clan, got no fear nomore--I’m startin’ all over and flyin realhigh! Goin’ through school, re-wirin’ myhead, uptight no more, catchin’ up on thoseyears I was dead. I was dead in the spirit,dead to the truth. I lived by the sword, andI died by the sword--sad, sad tragedy.So take it from me, you know what I’msayin’--and remember my sad legacy. Thedownfall for me, I turned out the light,turned to pride, rebellion, and no unity.East against West, West against East--brothersdivided--brought us down real big, yadig? Biggie Smalls and me we’re learnin’ yousee, to live and love together. Up Here inHeaven we’re learnin’ to love and livin’ inthe true brotherhood. Thanks to the One, theBig Dude above, our Man, JC, who set us free!20Tupac Amaru Shakur(1971-1996) TupacShakur’s given name atbirth was Lesane Crooks.His mother, Afeni Shakur,a member of The Blackpanther Party, gave birth toTupac whilst in jail onbombing charges. TupacAmaru means “shining serpent”in the Incas andShakur is Arabic for “thankfulto God.”After working as aroadie/equipment manager,dancer, rapper, Tupacmade his individualdebut in1991.By 1995,his releaseswere number one on thebillboard. Tupac alsostarred in a number of movies.Tupac is well known forhis “thug life” image, hehad the very words tattooedacross his chest.Most people never knewthat Tupac renounced histhug life, that it was stupid,and a thing of the past.Amidst other tattoos,Tupac had a huge Gothiccrucifix tattooed on hisback which read: Exodus18:11, a reference to abook of the Old Testamentwhich states, “Now I knowthat the Lord is greater thanall gods, because he deliveredthe people from theEgyptians, when they dealtarrogantly with them.”Tupac Shakur was shotin Las Vegas, after a MikeTyson fight.

MOVIE MAKING IN HEAVENDe Mille, Cecil B. (1881-1959),American motion-picturedirector and producer, ashowman known for hisspectacular historical epics andbiblical film extravaganzas. DeMille both directed andproduced all of his 70 films.Above all, however, he was amaster of entertainment, agifted storyteller who couldmold public taste to fit his ownstrengths. In 1949 he received aspecial Academy Award for “37years of brilliant showmanship.”explained byCECIL B. DE MILLEi there. I’m not much of a speaker, but I’m a great visionary.Yes, I’m still into the movie business. People up Here stillenjoy watching movies, and there are all types of movies! Infact, you can still watch some of the movies that were made onEarth. Of course, they’re nothing compared to the kind ofmovies that are made Here, but just as you sometimes like towatch old black-and-white movies, we sometimes like to watchold Earth movies.I know you think the movies I made there were classics andmasterpieces. But they’re nothing compared to the kind ofthings that we moviemakers can do up Here. You think they’vegot special effects with all of their computer graphics andwhatnot. Just wait till you see the kind of studios and graphicsdepartments we have up Here! I made a new “Ten Command-21

ments” movie, allbased on whatreally happened.Moses helped mewith it himself!You maywonder what Imean when I saythat I made a new“Ten Commandments.”You maywonder why. Can’tyou just watch itas it really happened,and beright there? Well,yes, you can. Youcan time travelback into history—anytime ofhistory—andwatch the eventsas they reallyhappened. It’sawesome. I do itall the time,because I’mfascinated byhistory.So why have amovie? Well, let’stake the life ofMoses. He lived along time, andalthough timeHere is irrelevant,you still may notwant to waitaround with Mosesfor 40 years in theland of Midian, ifyou know what Imean. So we makea “movie” bygathering togetherall the best andmost pertinentscenes. I won’teven begin to tryto explainto you howwe do this,but wegather thesescenes straightfrom history andweave themtogether, muchlike movie editorson Earth take allthe different shotsof the actors andrun them togetherin a certain order.The only differenceis, we don’t useactors; we use theactual scenes asthey happened.So, if you thinkthat my last movieon Earth, “TheTen Commandments,”was great,you’ll love mylatest Heavenlyedition. Did youknow that I hadmade a silentversion of thissame movie beforetalking movieswere invented?Now, imagine thedifference betweenthe old silentversion, and thefull sound andcolor version withCharlton Heston.That’s about howdifferent my latest,Heavenly versionis from the colorversion that youknow so well. ButI’m not going totell you moreabout it, or thatwould spoil thesurprise. You’regoing to have towait till you get upHere to see foryourself.Does thatsurprise you thatwe still havemovies in Heaven?It shouldn’t. Imean, if we havesex in Heaven (andlet me tell you—we do!) whyshouldn’t we havemovies? Huh? Andguess what? Weeven have actorsup Here. That’sright! We stillproduce plays,22holo-deck: a room in the Star Trek series, in which you caninteract with computer-generated holographic images. Thecomputer can simulate people, rooms, even whole worldsaround you at the same time, and you can move about freely,

allets, operas,and movies.WilliamShakespeare stillwrites plays everyonce in a while,and others are stillwriting books,stories and novels,many of which arenow being passeddown to you.Of course,there’s a differencebetween theway we writestories up Here,and the way thatthey are written onEarth. First of all,any story or playthat is written hasa purpose, amessage, a lesson,or something thatmakes it worthwhile.We do notspend time Here inidle entertainmentor amusement.Don’t get mewrong. We havelots of fun, lots ofenjoyment, but itis all with apurpose. It allsomehow glorifiesthe Lord, upliftsthe mind or thespirit, or in someway contributes tothe edification ofthose who participate.There is nosuch thing asfrivolity Here.There are no sillyand meaninglessmovies that leaveyour heart andyour mind empty,hollow, anddissatisfied.Everything hasmeaning, purposeand depth.Another waythat our entertainmentHere isdifferent is thatyou can enter in ifyou like. Maybeyou’ve seensomething similarto this on thetelevision seriescalled “StarTrek.” You knowhow they have aholo-deck? Thatslightly resembleswhat some of ourplays and moviesare like. You canenter into them.You don’t justwatch them on alittle—or even abig—screen. Youcan actually beright within them,partaking of theaction, and eveninfluencing themovie just for yourown entertainment.But no, youcan’t changehistory; it is theway it is becauseGod ordained itthat way. Likewise,if we’remaking a movieabout the life ofMoses for example,well, wewon’t letyou playon the‘holodeck’and changethe story aroundwhile we’re filmingor editing!But, for fun,you can getinteractive withhistorical charactersas you watcha movie. Or, youcan at times enterinto the 3-D TV ofhistory as it was,and partake of theexperience. You’renot changingthings as theyhappened, notpermanentlyas if you were actually in that place. You can communicateand interact with the holographic people around you, whoare programmed to respond as if they were real human [oralien, as the case may be] beings.23

anyway. You’rejust being allowedto experiment andparticipate for thesake of learningand for the benefitof the experienceto you personally.Of course, westill have stagesand theaters here,much like there onEarth, with liveactors and dancersthat perform playsand ballets. Oh,you should see theballets that wehave up Here.They are abso-24lutely gorgeous—nothing like youcould ever see onEarth. I saw aworld-classRussian balletonce while I wasMueseum qualityitems direct from theDe Mille estate,including hisdirector’s chair, ascroll from ‘Sign ofthe Cross’, a copperpot from Delilah’stent in ‘Samson &Deliah’. Displayedwith an originalworking, 1914 Pathe35mm camera on pan& tilt head withvintage tripod &spreader. Alsodisplayed as part ofthis incredibleensemble is a Klieglight on stand.on Earth, and theyseemed like theymust have been thebest in the world,with all theirbeautiful streamingcolors andperfectly synchronizedmovements.But the kind ofstuff that happensup Here, wow, Idon’t think youcould even imagineit, and I don’tthink I coulddescribe it inwords.All that to saythat you have a lotto look forward towhen you getHere. There is somuch going on—and it’s not allwork, ha! Well,the work is reallya lot of fun too,but the fun is evenmore fun, if youknow what I mean.Okay, I’m off. Ineed to get somemore footageready for a newmovie—a secret.Bye for now!Cecil B. De Mille(left, next tocinematographerLoyal Griggs)comes full circlewith his lastfilm, the remakeof his own TheTen Commandments(Paramount,1956).

“What do they want me to do? Stop nowand release it as the The Five Commandments?Money should not be an objectwhen creating a Bible epic.”—De MilleQIfthere are Earth-moviesin Heaven, how are theyrated or deemed “worthy”of Heavenly viewing?Dad SpeakingBasically, you can read or watch anythingfrom Earth that you want to—-but for the mostpart, there isn’t a need or want for it. Well,I should say there’s not a need or want foranything bad or evil or worthless or stupid.There are some well-made movies on Earth thatare real classics, beautiful love stories orstories of giving or sacrifice or overcomingobstacles, etc., that are worth keeping, and wehave a library of them. As far as historicalmovies, there isn’t much of a need for those,since ol’ Cecil and some of his buddies uphere have done some terrific movies with footagefrom the real thing, like he told you. Butthey haven’t gotten around to everything yet,and there are still some good ‘Earth-movies’ aswe call them, that are fairly accurate historicallyand an interesting insight, and I’vewatched some of those that I hadn’t gotten tosee while on Earth. So while Earth-movies areavailable here, the real trash doesn’t make itthrough the gate!25

TheBleedersA departedspirit speaksregardingthe movie“Touch”(“Touch” is adrama about ayoung manwho has theability toeffect miraclehealings, whilesufferingstigmata[bleeding asChrist did onthe cross].Rated inGrapevine#46.)Stigmata, in Christianity: marks on aperson’s body resembling the woundssuffered by Jesus Christ in the crucifixionand inflicted presumably by a supernaturalagency. Over 300 cases have beenrecorded. Observations of stigmata haveincluded not only wounds of the hands andfeet and of the side, such as thosereceived in the crucifixion, but also thoseimpressed as by a crown of thorns and byscourging. Saint Francis of Assisi was saidto have had stigmata appear on his bodyafter 40 days of fasting and prayer.God gives His gifts inmany forms. To some Hegives showy outward manifestationsto inspire the faith ofothers. You in the Family havebeen given many amazing gifts,and though they may not besuper showy, they are just asimportant as this one. Thegifts this man received werejust like the gifts you have.Prophecy, for example, is theSpirit of God workingthrough you—just as theblood of Christ was flowingthrough this boy’s hands toheal.These outward manifestationsof the Spirit are givenmainly for those who lack infaith and need extra help tobelieve. There have beensome which have been giventhis gift, and I was one ofthem. We used to be called“the Bleeders,” and we wentabout healing people in theLord’s name.I lived in 1879 in southernAfrica, and I received26

this gift when I was 17. TheLord asked me if I was willingto go and heal the sick, andtake their sicknesses uponmyself for His sake. At first itwas a battle. I wept over itand tried to get out of it, butin the end I yielded to theLord’s will. I was able to healmany, but it really was accordingto their faith. Theyhad to believe.Many scoffers came andchallenged me to heal them,and many were healed becausedeep inside their hearts theysaid, “If God can do this, Iwill believe.” They trulywanted to believe; they werejust seeking proof. But therewere others who only wantedto prove me wrong, or provethe power of God to be a hoax;these I could not heal. Thesehad to bear their infirmitiestill they decided to forsaketheir waywardness and ask forthe Lord’s forgiveness.While this movie isn’t atrue story, it is based upontrue acts of God’s power. InHis infinite love He sends suchmanifestations of His Spirit tomen that they may believe.It’s sad though, that eventhough some see this miraculousoccurrence, they still willnot believe. The same is truewith the love you give toothers, and the Words youreceive from beyond. Thosewho have faith to believe,receive these words. Othersmock and reject them. Yet others, in their doubting,are like Thomas—they want to believe buttheir faith is weak.This movie gets out the message of God’s powerto heal, even though in a pretty milky way. It’simportant to remember that even though yourgifts may not be that showy or outward, they areno less important and no less a miracle of God’spower. So don’t belittle your calling. If you’recalled to be a channel, then be the best channelyou can be. If you’re called to be a healer, then bethe best healer you can be.When we start to take credit and glory forourselves, then the Lord has to take the gift away.That’s one reason why in this movie Juvenal losthis gift for awhile. It was to show him that it wasonly a working of God and nothing of himself. Hewas going on a big TV news network and he had tobe sure that it was God, not himself. Thus the manin the mall was not healed because it wasJuvenal’s own blood and not the Lord’s.So take this as a lesson. Don’t take glory toyourselves for the gifts the Lord has given you,because they are His gifts and He can do as Hepleases with them.27

System Survival During The Demise Of Pompeii ................. 2Forcibly taken from her home at a young age, sold as a slaveto a heathen household, a young woman learns how tosurvive in the System of her day.Fashions in Heaven ............................................... 12For ladies into fashion and style, there’s some good stuffcoming.Heavenly Preview: Music Scene.................. 14The language of music in Heaven—styles andsounds unlimited. A drummer gives you a lookinto the genuine rush music was intended to be.Tupac Shakur ......................................................... 18Where did this rapper end up, and is he still rapping? Ifso, what about?Movie-making in Heaven ..................................... 21Cecil B. De Mille, a classic movie-maker from daysgone by, tells what he does now, and how productionhasn’t stopped for him yet.The Bleeders............................................. 26Are they real? A departed bleeder speaks, andtalks about the movie “Touch.”Cover by Rain. Illustrations by Kristen.28Suggested reading age for this publication is JETTs and up. Parents orshepherds may read with or allow portions to be read by younger ages, attheir discretion.If you have suggestions for linkUP topics, or contributions to the mag,please send them via the Grapevine e-mail or postal address.linkUP is a nonprofitpublication, published free formembers only. Not for resale.Copyright © 1999 by TheFamily. — DFO