Read The War in Heaven for Free Online Page A

feet left the ground. Within a matter of seconds, he had been swept up like a piece of lint into the hose of a great vacuum.
    He tumbled end over end through the billowing cloud-lined corridor, that was now very wide indeed; hundreds of yards at least. The dark clouds that rushed by him were filled with bolts of lightning that sometimes extended into the corridor itself. He screamed, but he could not hear his own voice over the roar of the wind and rumble of the thunder. He could feel the electricity, like a thousand ants, crawling over his skin.
    As he watched in horror, his body looked translucent. He could actually see his own pulsing organs and bones through its milky substance. At the same time, it was becoming darker and darker around him, even as the roar of the winds began to fade. He felt a growing icy cold that penetrated his very being.
    In the fading light, something moved before him, something enormous. He saw it for only a few seconds, but that was more than enough time for its image to become forever imprinted in his memory. Then it erupted from the shadows like some great leviathan from the black depths of the sea. It was like a gigantic snake, only this one had short arms and legs. It had wings too, yet they were surely too short for flight. Yet, fly it did. In an instant it towered before him. He could see its dark brown scales, its glistening red eyes, and enormous three-feet-long teeth. Carson was drenched in thecreature’s foul breath. It took one look at him, and as its mouth curled back into a hideous parody of a smile, it was gone.
    The journey continued. For a moment, he was certain that he was tumbling through some great rocky tunnel, yet it quickly faded to black as the last trace of light was extinguished. The total darkness and intense cold that now overshadowed his fear were profound. Never in his life had he felt so cold. There was no wind here, he didn’t even have the sense that he was breathing. In fact, he couldn’t even draw a breath, and he very much needed to. He wasn’t sure if he were flesh or spirit, so complete was the darkness. Spirits didn’t feel cold or need air. At least he didn’t think so. Some part of him must still be flesh and bone. He felt as if he might be going into shock.
    Then the scene abruptly changed. The bright orange glare, the heat, the loud cacophony of the birds was almost too much for him to bear. What was happening? As incredible as it seemed, he must have fallen asleep for a time, reliving the events that had brought him here. Sleep on the altar of pain? It was a concept almost too incredible to believe. But now he was awake, and his waking nightmare could begin anew. His mind was awash in confusion. Something had happened, but what? The birds of prey were here. He could hear them. He could also hear the shrieks and screams of the multitude around him, yet the birds weren’t attacking him. Why?
    A dark shadow momentarily swept across him; he could feel the gust of wind in its wake. He was so afraid. He didn’t want to be eaten again, no, not again. Tears formed. If only he could move, but he couldn’t.
    “Oh, Lord Jesus, help me,” he cried, tears running down his cheeks. “Oh please forgive me. Please get me out of here. Have mercy on me, Lord.”
    He had prayed so many times on this altar, prayed for deliverance, but it had never come. No, he was past all salvation or deliverance. This was Hell.
    Again the shadow swept across him, but this time it didn’t depart. It seemed to hover above him. It was drawing nearer. It was a dark silhouette, surrounded by an aura of shifting light.
    “No please, leave me alone,” he cried, yet his voice was barely above a whisper. “Please don’t hurt me, not again! Oh God, help me.”
    Then something touched the side of his face. It was not the talons of a bird of prey, nor the brush of swift feathers; it was soft and smooth.
    “Be still, Dr. Carson,” said a voice that seemed to come from everywhere. It