| The Two Sinners |
By: Bob Berry
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"You know how broke we are and how much we need some money." Joe explained yet again. "So why not get it from someone who has plenty? He won't miss it and we sure need it."
"All right," Matt finally gave in. "I'll do it. I don't like it but I'm hungry too."
"Hey you know how those rich people are. They got more money than they know what to do with. We'll just be liberating them from some of that excess money."
"I said I'd do it." Matt answered. "So stop trying to convince me that it's right. I still know right from wrong."
"You and your Christian morality. Joe complained. "You're going to drive me crazy with it."
"Hey, it's a short drive." Matt kidded his friend. "But seriously, why don't you accept Jesus and you can be saved too?"
"I don't need to be saved." An irritated Joe grumbled. "I'm doin' just fine like I am."
"Hold it right there." Joe pointed the gun at the stranger." Dig out your wallet and give it to my friend. Who knows, if there's enough in there I might not shoot you."
"Ok, ok." the stranger replied, obviously frightened as he carefully pulled out his wallet. "Just don't shoot."
"I think I will just as soon as Matt gets your wallet." Joe exulted. "So you better get down on your knees and beg me not to."
The stranger started shaking visibly at this and held his wallet out about halfway. Matt reached for it and just as he was about to get it the stranger dropped it, grabbed Matt's hand and pulled him between himself and Joe. At the same time he grabbed Matt's throat and rammed him into Joe. Joe got off one shot that went wild before Matt slammed into him. Before he could recover, the stranger let go of Matt, grabbed Joe's gun hand, twisted it away from him and slammed the butt of his hand into Joe's nose, killing him instantly.
The stranger knelt by Matt, who was chocking on his mangled throat. "I'm sorry son," He said " But I couldn't let your friend kill me. I would have let you leave with the wallet. What's in it isn't worth your life or his. I hope you two are Christians. I really don't want to send anyone to hell."
Matt indicated himself with his thumb.
"You are but he isn't?"
Matt gave a weak nod just before he passed out.
Joe opened his eyes and stared into the most beautiful face he's ever seen. "I must have died and gone to heaven."
"Heaven doesn't smell this bad." the beautiful lady answered. " this is Gehenna, the place where lost souls go while waiting for the final judgment. Didn't you notice the smell and the heat?"
"So this is sort of like Purgatory? I have to stay here for a few hundred years until my sins are paid for?"
"Purgatory's a myth and even if it wasn't it would take the rest of eternity to pay for your sins."
"Then we're both stuck here?"
"You are, I just have to stay here with you for an hour then I have to leave."
"You angels have special privileges?"
"I am an angel but of the wrong kind. I made a bad mistake of following he angel of light when he rebelled against God. Now I'm destined for the lake of fire just like you. The difference is I can't stay here and you can't leave. I've watched you for years Joe and you're a good man. Just not good enough to get into heaven without accepting Jesus. No one is."
"That's what Matt kept telling me. I just never believed him. Now I see I should have. That's going to be my big regret from now on."
"My big regret is that we never got together while you were still alive. I wanted to but my master never let me. Then he made me just watch when you made that dumb move against that guy who killed you. I tried to warn you but he wouldn't let me."
"You sure don't sound much like a demon, wanting to help me instead of causing me trouble. What gives?"
"For some reason you just seem to bring out the little bit of good still lurking deep inside of me. That sure had my master peeved. He was a lot happier when I was fooling gullible mortals into thinking I was a goddess and worshiping me."
"You were a goddess?"
"I was Aphrodite and Venus. both the Greeks ans the Romans were foolish enough to worship me. I would have had you worshiping me too if my master had let me make myself visible to you."
"So what if you could have been visible to me? Could we have gotten married?"
"We could have. I've been married to mortals before. I was really the wife from hell for them. I would have been for you too. I'm a very selfish creature."
"Can't we get married now?"
"No, I can't stay here much longer and you have to stay until the final judgment when we both will be cast into the lake of fire for all the rest of eternity."
"I thought you demons were in charge of things there."
"That's a common misconception my master is very fond of. He wants everyone to believe that and he doesn't really care what religion you practice as long as you don't accept Jesus as your savior. He wants everyone to suffer in hell with him."
"So, there's not going to be any parties there?" a very puzzled Joe asked.
"Does this look like a place to party?" the demon scoffed. "Hell's worse than here, there won't be any parties there either."
"What about Matt? He was sinning right along side of me when we died. Where's he now?"
"Matt's in heaven. He's a Christian, saved by God's grace."
Matt woke up to the cleanest air he ever smelled. He stood up and looked around at the most beautiful countryside he ever saw. It was as bright as a sunny day but there was no sun in the sky and, he just noticed, no shadows. The light was coming from all around. He saw a road leading up the hill he was on to a wall that stretched out in both directions as far as he could see. There was a large city on the other side, the largest he ever saw. He wasn't much for large cities but he felt strangely drawn to this one.
He started walking up the hill, angling toward the road. He reached the road and followed it to a gate in the wall. There was a rugged, outdoors type man sitting behind a desk in a comfortable looking overstuffed chair.
"Welcome Matthew," the stranger said. "welcome to Heaven. I'm Peter who was one of Jesus' first disciples. "I've a friend named Matthew, he was a tax collector for the hated Romans before Jesus called him to follow Him."
"Isn't there some kind of mistake here?" Matt asked. "I was killed while committing a sin."
"We were all sinners, Matthew, saved by the grace of God. None of us would be here if we had to rely on our own goodness. We'd all be where your friend Joseph is. Look."
Peter waved his hand and Matt saw Joe in a place where there were hugh piles of burning refuse. The smoke was blowing away from Joe and his companion, a very beautiful, curvaceous lady. Suddenly the wind changed and the smoke blew right at Joe and his companion. They started chocking and screaming out in pain. Their skin blistered badly. Joe's beautiful companion didn't look so good anymore.
Peter waved his hand again and the scene disappeared. "We don't like to dwell on the negatives here but that's what you and I escaped by the grace of God."
"But there must be some consequences for my sin." Matt insisted.
"Yes, there is." Peter answered. "God called you home years earlier than he would have otherwise and you missed out on many opportunities to do good and to lead lost souls to Him. You could have had many more rewards here that you missed out on because of Joe's bad influence on you."
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