One Thousand Years
Genesage
“Eben"
(Chp 7:6)
With Eben gone, Thomas had time to remember the first time He met the man;
Eben Abram
"You can call me Eben" the man with a staff said walking up to him.
He had walked straight towards him from out of the crowd of newcomers that had been getting closer with the singing. Eben wasn’t singing at the time, but later Thomas found out, most of the time you could hear Eben before you saw him. This was the first time Thomas met Eben so Eben was on his best behavior.
He looked odd, not that anyone or anything looked normal. Reminds me of some “doomsday” prophet in a robe and staff saying the “End is Near, Repent.” Somehow now it wasn’t as funny as it was back then.
Everyone and everything looked strange. Abnormal being the norm in this case. Who was to say what was odd or strange. Certainly not he, thought Thomas. The world just ended and he wanted to sing a song he recalled….”make the world…go away”
" If you think you have lost your mind.
Let me reassure you.
You have."
Eben said.
Thomas giggled.
He said that so matter of fact that as a matter of course Thomas accepted the statement without forethought.
Hearing him being told he had lost his mind did in fact reassure him. He didn't sound like he was joking or kidding either. Still, he did say it like it was to be expected. Almost like it was acceptable, normal.
There is that dirty word again, thought Thomas,
normal.
"You are crazy.”
“This isn't even the beginning of your madness."
The man in the robe talked casually as though he were commenting on the weather. As though having nothing better to do than to reassure a crazy man he was crazy. The problem was Thomas knew he was crazy. And so far about the time he thought he might get answers, he was being told he was crazy.
“This IS crazy”
thought Thomas still not commenting yet.
He was taking in the scene, setting the person, words; concluding reality had taken a flight over the cuckoos’ nest with he about to sing like a parakeet.
“Thomas want a Cracker???”
“Thomas want some answers???”
“Thomas want some sanity???”
"Wait till you get a load of what we have in store for you. Then you will know how crazy you are."
Laughing now he thought, That was the “sane ist” thing anyone had ever said to him.
In the last four years with all he had been through you would have to believe in insanity. Nothing sane about what he had gone thru. No one sane could have done it or been there. You had to have been insane to even think it was real. It couldn't have been. Not even God could cook up anything that horrific.
Yet, here am I, he thought.
"Move over Stocholm syndrome we now have Tribulation Syndrome." Thomas began to giggle again.
Where did that thought come from?
Of course!! I am insane.
Thomas poked the fire in the present time again sending a flume of sparks upward. Looking back it was funny now. Eben had known just how fragile he was. Almost over the edge of sanity. If he had said anything else, or talked to him about religion, or God ,or anything at all, he would have flipped out.
It would have been the straw the broke the back of the man he thought he had been.
So what did Eben say?
Laughing Thomas thought of it now, he beat me to the punch, he called me what I thought I was. Crazy. Now here he was sixty-nine years later looking back remembering that faithful day. The day he recalled back then.
"Here drink this" …,
Eben had handed him a wineskin. He gave him a normal cup which apparently did run out.
"If it didn't run out we'd all be drunk"
Eben had said.
Even back then he had anticipated Thomas thoughts. Liquor for some reason Thomas did not expect. After little or no experience with alcohol in the last three years or more the wine calmed his jangled nerves.
Smiling he thought, even back then Eben had my number. This was soothing, calming, relaxing. No fear of being over the legal limit to drive, he had no idea where he had last seen his car. Or where he parked it.
That had made Thomas laugh again, no parking lot woes.
He didn't have to go looking for his car.
The wine was followed by some kind of bread. Eben had started talking about where he, Thomas was going. While Thomas chewed the bread keeping his mouth busy, Eben told him that nothing would be required of him. In fact all he had to do really was to eat, heal, rest.
This sounded good to Thomas.
He was told the seven thousand would be moving into small farm communities like a kibbutz, only in Cities of Refuge for Refugees
Then Eben told Thomas he stunk.
That didn't sound so good to Thomas they both laughed at that. Each seemed to know what Thomas had been through. Eben kept making humor out of the nightmare He had seen. He didn't let up. He kept at Him with humor.
Thomas vaguely remembering only some of the lines Eben had used on him. All he really could remember was, it sounded good.
"God had a barbecue and you weren't the main course"
Thomas had giggled while eating , drinking the wine.
"Am I on Candid Camera?
Is this the gospel according to Stephen King?"
“Teaching the Bible by Quinten Tarrantino”
Eben kept the one liners coming while he ate giving the bread and the wine to take effect on Thomas
Thomas laughed so hard his sides hurt. This went on while Thomas consumed all the bread. Soon as he was done laughing Eben said,
"You ready?"
Thomas started to say no, when Eben stated,
"Of course you're not but remember what I told you"
"What's that?"
Thomas asked.
"I told you. You're Crazy…,"
"Oh yeah,"
said Tom.
When Eben whistled and a Giant Lion with Wings landed. Eben walked over to the creature with His back to Thomas. He spoke to the Lion. He scratched his mane and said in a loud voice for Thomas to hear:
"Hail Aslan"
Thomas fainted.
Sitting next to the fire sixty-nine years later it really was hilarious. Eben told him later that while Thomas was unconscious the Lion had said,
"Who are you calling Aslan."
Chuckling Thomas could still recall the story as though it were yesterday. Thomas had been filled in later, much later.
Eben told the Lion of Judah it was a joke.
He then tried to explain what a joke was. Angelic really didn’t respond well to jokes. Finally Eben said it was easier to move Thomas asleep then it was wide awake. Lion-Judah agreed with a roar according to Eben.
Then they flew him off, cleaned him up, dressed him in a robe, deposited him in his "new home" in the kingdom.
Thomas figured there was more to the story but didn't ask nor did he ever figure out how many hours or days he slept that first day.
All he knew was that when he woke he felt like that last three and half years had all been a bad dream, one long nightmare. He also has this idea in his head that living in this "New Kingdom..,
sounded good.
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