"For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed."Job 33:14,15
A wealthy, retired British army officer once proved the above scripture by a terrifying experience. He dreamed he awoke in hell.
Space will not permit covering the dreadful dream in detail. Suffice to say that he felt his presence there was a terrible reality. All that he had heard and read about hell proved to be only too true. "He lifted up his eyes being in torments."
When he awoke he was trembling with an eagerness of excitement which he never had felt before. Where was he? Was he on earth or in hell? What tremendous issues hung upon the answer! The agony and suspense of the moment were indescribable.
It was still quite dark and he dared not move. For awhile he lay fearing to close his eyes. Then he dressed as one in a daze.
His servants were afraid of him, but too well behaved to ask what had happened. He looked ten years older and his hair was white.
He had ordered his coach the day before to drive to Ascot. It was cup day at the races; the coach was at the door. He stepped into it more like a robot than a man. How he got to Ascot and why he went he could not say― he spent the whole journey thinking of where he had been last night. The memory of it made him shudder till the coach shook.
He was awakened from his reverie when his coach suddenly collided with a heavy van. He hardly knew what had happened. He heard as a man in a dream until brought to his senses by a shout from the van: "Go to h―!"
He had heard that profane phrase thousands of times at college, at the officer's mess, at the club― yes, used it himself; but now it was like a new language to which he had obtained the key.
His servant noticed him trembling and asked if he were ill; then he proposed they return home. But the man refused. The truth was, he dreaded being alone.
When they arrived at the race track, he tried to walk but could scarcely reach the stand. The first acquaintance he met was a fellow officer he had not seen for years, not since he left the regiment. This old friend shook his hand heartily enough and then exclaimed,
"Where the h―have you been all these years?"
The distraught man heard no more. He only knew that he had collapsed and was being carried away. He heard vaguely oaths and curses on all sides, as he had heard at race courses all his life; but now he started with each mention of the word hell. It was jest to the crowd; but to him it was now all grim seriousness.
Having arrived home, the doctor said he had had a shock and must be kept perfectly quiet. But the doctor didn't say, how. He might as well have talked of keeping the sea quiet.
How did he know that his patient might not fall asleep and wake up where he had been the night before― and be there forever?
Would life in hell never end? The contemplation of it caused the officer to faint away again. When consciousness returned, his brother Jack was sitting by his bedside. He had been sent for.
He asked Jack to read the Bible to him― about Lazarus and the man... He meant the man that died and opened his eyes in hell (Luke 16); but he could not bear to utter the word.
On being requested to read the Bible, Jack left the room and did not return for some time. It turned out that in all the house, which the officer had purchased two years before for three hundred thousand dollars, and had furnished with every modern requisite, there was not a Bible to be found.
So they sent for one. But again Jack went out, this time because he could not find the place. Nearly an hour had passed since he was first asked to read. At last he began: "Now a certain man was sick named Lazarus." That is wrong, thought his brother; he meant the story of the beggar, Lazarus. However, Jack was allowed to read on, although his brother did not listen further― this story was of no concern to him. But he knew that Jack could not find the other one. Then he mused: "Lazarus was sick, was he?... So was he... Lazarus was dead?... Would he be dead in another hour or so?" He heard no more until Jack read: "Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth."
"Where had Lazarus been?" wondered the listener. "Strange that Jack should read about him." Here Jack paused.
"Go on," said his brother; however, he heard but little until Jack read: "Many people were there to see Lazarus also, whom He had raised from the dead." "Would people be coming to see me?" he asked himself.
But hark! "They consulted that they might put Lazarus to death." How he pitied Lazarus! He then said to Jack:
"Jack, I have had a shock."
"Yes, old man, what was it?"
"Last night I was in hell."
Jack started in amazement, while his brother continued:
"It was only for an hour; but you see, Jack, I may be there tonight forever."
Tears filled Jack's eyes; he tried to speak; but both remained silent for several minutes.
"Jack, read it all again," said his brother, and this time he drank in every word as Jack continued slowly: "Jesus said unto her, thy brother shall rise again." Jack's voice trembled as he continued, "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."
"Stop!" shouted the now arrested listener. "Read that again!" And Jack read it again three times.
"Jack, do you believe that? Go on."
"And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?"
At this point the "sick" man gave a shout which aroused the whole household: "Jack, believest thou this?"
Never did a patient recover more speedily; he was out of bed like a shot. Before, the household was afraid he was out of his mind, now they seemed sure of it. He read and reread the chapter at least fifty times, and each time it became clearer.
"Shall never die! No more hell for me!" he kept repeating.