The spirit who signed himself, “F”, continues his story:
“I had expected to meet my loved ones who had gone before me, and to enjoy the happiness of their presence.
“Well, I soon found myself a spirit, dissevered from my body, possessed of joy, and as mortals say, lighter than air. Figuratively speaking, I seemed to be walking on air, with nothing to interfere with my ascension to the bright realm where I expected to find my beloved ones and the Christ of my beliefs and love. I had hardly realized my separation from my body before some of my loved ones met me and welcomed me with their love and cheer, and told me that they were happy that I had come over, and that I must not be afraid, or doubt that I was then an inhabitant of the spirit world. I could scarcely tell you how happy I was, and how the memories of the cares and burdens of my earth life had left me, and how I seemes to be in an atmosphere of love and heavenly joy.
“The meeting with them was more than I had anticipated, and I thought how it had not entered into my mind when on earth to conceive of the beauty and grandeur of the spirit home which Jesus had said he was in heaven preparing for all those who believed in him. But soon I remembered that my great expectation was to see Jesus and feel the influence of his love, and also get into the heaven where the Father was, and join with the mighty host in singing halleluiahs and songs of thanksgiving. I then asked my loved ones where Jesus was, and when I should enter into the presence of the Father, and receive His benediction of approval as a faithful and obedient child.
“Then, in a loving way and in a manneer to make my disappointment less intense, they told me that Jesus was in the celestial spheres, and the Father they had never seen – that He was way up in His Heavens, and that no spirit had seen His face or heard His voice, no matter how exalted and developed that spirit might be. That I was mistaken in my belief, and that only by the development of my soul in love could I possibly ascend to the celestial spheres where the Master was.” To be continued…