Tales of Light

THE NEW JERUSALEM

THE NEW JERUSALEM

A Bible retelling of Revelations 21 originally published in the Shuzia Magazine, the New Issue 2024 edition.

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Shahida Kwali curled up into herself clutching her midsection as she moaned in pain.

Whatever they had forced down her throat, she was sure it was meant to kill her.

Since the guards came to cart her away from her ramshackle home last night, this was the first time they would be forcing her to ingest anything.

The raucous laughter of the drunk guards outside the tiny dungeon grated her ears.

At least, none of them had tried to molest her sexually. She knew that itself was a miracle. Maybe the guards were a bit afraid of her, considering the mysterious happenings that always surrounded her wherever she went.

She has been a pious Muslim lady before everything took a 360° turn the first time Yeshua appeared to her in a dream.

That supernatural encounter propelled her to look for answers. She began secretly going for Christian meetings and got saved.
The truth burned so deep that she had to start telling everyone about Yeshua.

Due to her uncle's high status, she was only beaten the first time she preached in the public market, healing a crippled woman which had caused an uproar. However, her uncle, who was her only guardian since she became an, disowned her.

Now, here she was, stuck in this godforsaken dungeon all because she went to the Stadium to proclaim Yeshua as Lord.

A thousand vermin's crawled on the cold, slimy concrete floor. The roof leaked and there was no window, only metal bars.

As Shahida slipped in and out of consciousness, she did the only thing she could-she prayed in the spirit.
She fell to a fitful slumber after the pain subsided.

A few moments later, her eyes fluttered open. The first thing she saw was an azure sky that sparkled as though embedded with crystals. She soon noticed that she was lying face up on the softest carpet of grass.

She stood, her attention still fixed on the sky. Suddenly, a white cavity tore open and she saw a throne-like platform slowly descending with a city following.

The platform was beautifully crafted in gold and all sorts of precious stones. She could only see the outline of the One seated on the throne. Seven majestic angels with wings bearing golden vials stood before him, their heads bowed.

Suddenly, like a mighty thunderclap, she heard the voice of the One on the throne ringing through the atmosphere as she watched, trembling as the city planted itself right before her.

"Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God!"

The city grew and expanded all around her in brilliant hues.

Sensing company, her eyes darted to her side. A beautiful young man in white robe stood there. She immediately recognised him as one of the angels who stood before the throne. His blonde hair matched his golden bowl. Intricate gold patterns tipped the edges of his large feathery wings.

"Come. Let me take you on a tour. Meet New Jerusalem. The bride of the Lamb who seats upon the throne." He stretched his large hands at her and she gingerly placed hers in his.

Her eyes grew round as his wings lifted. Within the twinkling of an eye, she found herself zapping through time and space. They alighted on a majestic mountain capped with snow.

Shahida watched the beautiful city with wonder. People were starting to appear out of nowhere and file into the city gates. There were four pearly gates each on all the sides of the city.

As the people walked into them, they were passing through an automated screening.
All those defiled would be spat out into the lake of hell through a portal.
Those qualified to enter the city underwent a beautiful transformation. From their plain white robes, their garments upgraded to dresses of beautiful colours. Then, they would skip into the city, laughing in the company of others. The children were the best sight to behold.

"What you are seeing is the future. Behold, the Lamb will do a new things and it shall spring forth. The old will be tossed away and the new will be established," the angel said.

"Wow! This is amazing," she whispered.

"Shahida, you have been commissioned to tell them. Let them know about the beautiful place the Lamb has prepared for all who believe in Him."

"I don't want to leave," she pleaded, having a faint recollection of where she had come from.

The angel smiled and held her shoulder. "I know. But it's not yet the right time. Just trust and obey."

He placed his soft hands on her eyes.

Shahida opened her eyes and had to adjust to the darkness in the dungeon. She coughed and sat up, trembling.

One of the new guards came and looked genuinely shocked to meet her still alive.

In the months to come, he would hear the message of truth and be converted. He would secretly bring her writing materials to record her revelations. By the help of angels, he would sneak the messages to the northern churches. He would help spread the accounts to all the churches in the country until he was eventually caught. Then he would follow Shahida on the path of noble martyrdom for the Lamb.

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Author's note: Happy new year y'all. Welcome to 2024! 🎊🎉🎇🎆🧨

It's gonna be a year of amazing new things in Jesus' name.

What do you think about this story? I hope you loved it and learnt something. I'd love to hear your comments and have your votes. ☺️
Thanks for reading. God bless you.