Another story about learning from the past.

Onuphrius was lost in prayer and the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit. He was standing at the top of the hill above his cave. His arms were beyond the point of numbness, raised in worship and supplication. 

The sun would soon be rising, triggering that same regret he always felt at this time in the morning.

Onuphrius held to his ritual to stand and worship during the night hours, mesmerized by the glory of God’s artistry in the stars. 

He stood naked in his stronghold, whispering prayers and conversing with the Holy Spirit. The well-worn path up the hill from his cave ended at the top, where footprints and knee prints testified to determination. Nakedness was not an issue. Onuphrius hadn’t seen another person in however many years he claimed the cave as his home. 

Onuphrius knew he was aging by looking at his hands—the hands of an old man, and long gray hair and a beard hanging to his knees. His life was comfortable in a sense, with the comfort of familiarity and of knowing the angel would have brought his food to the cave. 

He watched as the sun peeked above the horizon. It would be brutally hot today. But today was the day to hike to the narrow stream across the small stone gorge to refill his leather pouch. 

Onuphrius slowly lowered his arms and calmly descended the hill to his cave. He endured the pain of blood coming back into his arms and had started to eat the bread the angel had brought when a voice quietly asked, “How’s that bread? I’ve often wondered what it must taste like as I watch your face as you eat. I know where the bread comes from. So I am not surprised by the look of joy on your face.”

Onuphrius slowly turned to see the angel sitting across the cave on the ledge carved into the side of the cave where he slept. The angel was sitting on his bed.

Onuphrius quietly croaked a question, “Why are you still here? I don’t remember the last time you talked with me. So what is this about?”

The angel stood up, making sure not to bump his head against the ceiling, and said, “The one who sang this world into existence wants you to see something. As a kind of encouragement and a warning. But you can finish the bread before we leave.”

Onuphrius, in the middle of chewing on a perfectly baked bread crust, asked, “Leave? The idea of leaving my cave is a difficult one. Will you be coming with me? That would be a comfort. I am eager to obey the wishes of my Lord. But I admit to a level of apprehension.”

“Yes, I will be with you. And, where we are going, no one will see or hear anything you say. So, are you ready to go?” The angel towered over Onuphrius.

Onuphrius put the remaining bread on the rock he was sitting on, turned to say he was ready, and found himself standing amid thousands of people swarming around and through him. He froze, stunned by the shock of being alone, and then surrounded by humans bustling around like ants.

The angel put his hand on Onuphrius, and peace flooded his mind and body. “This is the future. It is the result of your prayers for this world. As the Lord told Abraham, his seed would be a blessing to the world. Your prayers, mingled with the prayers of the righteous since Jesus ascended, have sustained this world from Satan’s destruction.”

Onuphrius nodded as the angel talked. He sensed something was wrong with all of this. It was evident that the future held great promise for mankind. But, The Holy Spirit was being grieved. 

“What’s wrong here?” Onuphrius asked, “My spirit is crying out with pain and…and anger.”

The angel stepped in front of Onuphrius and whispered something barely discernible. Then he stepped aside and knelt, took Onuphris’ head in his hands, looked into his eyes, and blew into his face. 

The perspective shifted.

There was a difference, as the people now were portrayed in one of two ways. Some radiated the light of the Holy Spirit but were vastly outnumbered by the darkness obscuring the rest of the people. Most alarming thing were demons riding on the backs of the dark people. 

Onuphrius was startled as the angel placed his hands over his ears. Then, the noise of a cataclysmic battle assaulted his mind. The angel had removed the veil, while keeping the battle between demons and angels from being visible to the people walking around him.

Demons were everywhere, trying to maintain a grip on those hidden by the shadow. The people encased in light were guarded by angels who made short work of any demon that dared to attempt to influence their charges.

Onuphrius noticed another group of people whose light was flickering and dimming.

The angel approached one of those whose light was dimming and said, “When a human being turns to Jesus, what happens?

Onuphrius did not hesitate and answered, “Our human spirit is resurrected, and the Holy Spirit takes up residence.”

“Do you see any of those who carry the light attempting to help anyone? They are doing exactly the same thing as those without the light:” the angel pointed out. “They are filled with the Holy Spirit and have been made a new creation. Before Jesus came and gave you the gift of walking filled with the third person of the Trinity, the only ones who were given this gift were the prophets.”

Onuphrius’s face turned dark as he realized the waste and sloth he had witnessed. “They have the Holy Spirit inside and don’t do anything with Him? This is the greatest gift anyone could give someone else. Not engaging with Him is a kind of sin!”

The angel agreed, “Indeed. Satan has done extremely well at confusing and deceiving even those who have the light. They are caught up with the world and its pleasures.”

Onuphrius turned to the angel and asked, “Why are you showing me this? How can I have anything to do with this disaster?”

“The Lord is beginning to release dreams and visions to the world. Salvation to the ones in the dark. And exhortation to those squandering the time that has been given them. Many of the people here are distant relatives of yours. In essence, they are the seeds about which Abraham was told. Your commitment to seek His face, to the exclusion of the pleasures of the world, has given you favor with the Father. 

Your prayers for these people will be the seed planted for this population. Or your prayers will be the pebble thrown in the pond that begins a ripple that will last for a thousand years and more. The prayers of the saints are never wasted. They are always answered. Either in this life or the next, generation to generation, the Grandfathers’ and Grandmothers’ prayers contribute to their descendants’ lives.”

Onuphrius’s emotions wanted to explode into tears or rage. But before he could express any of that, the angel carried him to his rocky bed in his comfortable cave. Without another word, the angel was gone. 

Onuphrius sat up, determined to climb the hill to talk with his Lord. But before he could take a step, he smelled the aroma of freshly baked bread and something else. He walked to the place where the angel always left the food. There was a much larger loaf of bread, still warm, and next to it was a basket of dates and a plate of fruit-filled pastries.

On top of the bread was a note that said, “See you tomorrow.”