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My Spiritual Rebirth by Dushan Yovanovich of Kragujevac, Serbia, part three. The desire
to touch and embrace all of this was great, but my angel interrupted me and soon thereafter
we landed in that wonderful place. My surprise and joy were boundless. I could not decide
where to look first. All around us, everything grew with unimaginable vigor. Paradise was
like nothing I had never seen before. The soil was like glass, clean as a crystal, and
those small creeks flowed below the surface like rivers which disappear into the earth.
At various distances were beautiful houses of different sizes and shapes. Each was so
richly decorated that their ornaments looked like finest jewels. Roofs of these houses
were particularly striking and reminded me a little of roofs on Russian churches with
the many cupolas. This magnificent architecture looked even more beautiful under the blindingly
bright light which reflected from their surfaces. These divine castles were surrounded by parks
brimming with beautiful trees and flowers. Everything smelled indescribably pleasant
and the fragrances were carried in all directions by light breezes. I was amazed to see some
flowers opening their buds continuously while others occasionally changed their colors,
and emitted intoxicating fragrances. Together with these plants I saw many different fruit
trees decorated with fruits as if they were the most beautiful necklaces. The fruit from
these trees were almost invariably large and the juice which visibly flowed through them,
was abundant. The angel told me that the trees bore fruit 12 times a year. I also saw many
vineyards, especially on the river banks but occasionally around the houses, too. The bright
green leaves and red grapes of the vineyards gave me an impression of the most serene,
cultivated land. Within these undreamed of beauties was an abundance of most beautiful
birds, which I could have watched and listened to forever. Throughout paradise I saw many
people of all ages. The old people looked particularly pleasant and amazing. The only
apparent signs of old age were white hair and white beards; otherwise their faces were
transformed into faces of young people. I was even more amazed by the children who in
many respects equalled the angels. In parks and many other places I watched them play
various games. Many made wreaths and other decorations from flowers, and the birds landed
on their shoulders, flapped their wings and sang enhancing the games with their docile
presence. I also noticed that children and adults dressed differently. An infinite number
of angels were there, too, and the fineness and beauty of their faces is impossible to
imagine. Their faces were brighter than the sun, and their clothing reflected light like
lightning. The young, the old, and the angels were friendly and in many places sang together
praising the Lord. As we walked through paradise I was overcome with awe, My Angel and I walked
effortlessly and at times very quickly. At one point we reached a place which surpassed
in beauty all the places I had previously seen. Here, just in front of us on the right
hand side, stood a row of higher, heavenly ranks in a long, orderly manner. To our left
stood many others chosen by God. Those in both rows were separated into groups according
to rank. Their beauty is impossible to describe with appropriate words. In front of this assembly,
my angel slowed down, turned to the right, and, indicating with his hand explained, "these
are Angels and these are Archangels". he turned to the left and said "these are Saints, and
these are Hermits." He again turned to the right and continued, "these are Cherubs and
these are Seraphs." Again my angel turned to the left and said, "these are Monks, and
these are Martyrs who together gave their lives for the Lord Jesus Christ and so earned
the glory of heaven." He turned once more to the right and said, "these are Apostles,"
In that moment my Angel stopped talking because from the group of apostles stepped the Apostle
Peter. From our left, appeared Saint Mother Paraskeva, who came over and stood beside
the Apostle Peter. The passengers I took that day from Kraljevo to Zica stood now before
us in the fullest glory and radiance. They wore glowing crowns on their heads and over
their dresses they wore vestments which sparkled with blinding intensity from indescribable
decorations. Over their right shoulders and across their chests they wore beautifully
decorated sashes as marks of distinction. They were fully arrayed in the splendour of
paradise. As my angel showed me paradise, it never crossed my mind that I might meet
my passengers again. Now, surprised by meeting them and by their appearance, I watched them
with fascination; I could not take my eyes away from them. The soft voice of Saint Apostle
Peter roused me from this reverie, "do you know now, Dushan, who you took into your car
today?" Without trying to hide my joy, I answered, "yes I do!" Addressing me further, the apostle
continued, "starting today, you must stop being a non-believer and become a believer.
You must cross yourself in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." He then
showed me how to cross myself. As a child I crossed myself from forehead to chin. Taught
by the example of Apostle Peter, I understood immediately that way was incorrect and I now
learned how I should do it in the future. The apostle waited a little while, and then
continued to give me advice, "in your prayers you should call on all the Saints, Prophets,
Apostles, Angels, Archangels, Cherubs and the Seraphs. But, most of all, call upon God's
mother, the most holy mother of Jesus, Maria, because her glory and honor are greater than
that of all the Angels in heaven. She is the quick helper to all who, in faith and through
prayer, ask her aid! Starting today, you must abandoned the habits that are deeply rooted
in you, and you must celebrate your Slava, Saint Paraskeva, who prays for all who celebrate
her," and he pointed to her. "All that you see today, Dushan, all that Archangel Gabriel
will still show you is a blessing to you, to your family, and to all who believe you.
But, the blessing will not be enough if you, after that, do not follow the path of our
Lord, Jesus Christ. I tell you, Dushan, you can save yourself if, for the rest of your
life, you fast, pray and obey the commandments. The seriousness of the great Apostle's words
left a deep impression on my soul. I stood motionless until I was roused by Archangel
Gabriel who continued his explanations. "These are God's Prophets, and these are Martyrs."
He introduced me to them one-by-one and each, when presented, gently smiled and bowed. Next,
the angel took me through more of paradise. By the way, I should mention that I could
see extremely far with my bare eyes, and could recognize at great distances the smallest
details as if they were very near. I could see much better and much farther than when
I watched the resurrection of dead from the cloud. The Lord he gave me this ability while
I travelled through the spiritual world. As we wandered through Paradise, I saw countless
beautiful churches made from pure gold and precious stones. Doors on these churches were
wide open and one could hear magnificent religious services accompanied by songs sung by choirs
of Angels, Archangels and Saints. The angel slowed our pace only when he wanted me to
see something better, but he never stopped. I do not remember how long we walked, when
abruptly we slowed almost to a halt. Before us, at a great distance, was a hill. There
I saw the Crucified Lord, and above his cross a large dove with the spread wings hovered.
The cross radiated blinding light in all directions and around its base stood many multi winged
Angels, the Archangels, Apostles, Prophets and Saints praising the glory of the Crucified
Lord. Behind the cross, I saw several huge churches and some other buildings. The cloud
waited where my angel took me out of Paradise. As we entered it the cloud moved to the west.
This time I could not see where we were going, but I had the impression that we did not travel
long when the cloud suddenly started to descend with dizzying speed into a gorge. Somewhere
in that abyss the cloud stopped and we stepped out into darkness. After a few steps the darkness
became blacker than anything I'd ever known. From the depths of this darkness came a vile,
foul smell which stifled our breath. I felt that something horrible was ahead of us but
I had no idea what. Fear and trembling overcame me so I huddled closely to my angel for protection.
My foreboding soon proved true. For in front of us appeared an endless sea burning with
a horrible flame. We soon arrived at this place and stopped in front of it on a high
wall which surrounded the place of eternal flame and horror. The scene which raged before
our eyes suddenly blurred my senses; my limbs, paralyzed from earlier fear, became completely
numb. My eyes shut, and a cold shiver was the only sign that I was still alive. When
I opened my eyes and looked again, I saw before us, like a crater of a raging volcano, boiling,
foul smelling, sulfurated water and a horrible, gushing flame. "This sea is not equally deep.
There, where the flame is 50 yards high, the sea is deepest, "said my Angel. In this indescribably
horrible scene, I saw countless most terrifying animals created to serve as horrible torturers.
Giant snakes, with one or several wiggling heads, raised themselves and took sinners
into the horrible depths of the fiery sea, embracing them with a steel like grip. I saw
some other animals which looked even more terrifying. From their bloody mouths, legs
arms and other parts of human bodies stuck out. Among them, as in a hornet's nest, worms,
scorpions and other disgusting pests, stimulated by an eruptive energy, constantly and madly,
jumped, throwing themselves upon the sinful souls. Screams, shrieks, and cries of longing
came from many human voices. In this burning sea human souls were as helpless as fish in
shallow water. From all directions they were attacked by countless swarms of these monsters
which bit and tore them apart. The torn and disfigured bodies were then again assembled
into complete human bodies. I almost fell from fear into this flame, but my angel caught
me and said, "do not be afraid, Dushan! We are now in hell. The snakes and other pests
here were created by God in such a way that flame and hot water cannot hurt them. They
will, as you can see, always bite and suck the blood of sinners. Everybody in this fire
will be cooked and baked forever."