Chapter 10 Sheol

As the cloud fades and vanishes, so he who goes down to Sheol does not come up; he returns no more to his house, nor does his place know him anymore. Job 7:9-10
For God will rescue my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Psalm 49:15
Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death? O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from my eyes. Hosea 13:14
Before God's children were permitted to enter Zion there was Sheol. Sheol is not hell. I think it must have been much like shadow land. Or perhaps Sheol is shadow land. It was after the death of Christ that he descended to Sheol and from there led captives in his train into Zion. It was his sacrifice and atonement that opened the gates to the heavenly city. Nothing evil enters the city of Zion but in the hills surrounding that city a good bit of warfare exists between good and evil. Gabriel and Michael and other angels are heavens outpost in this shadow land. This is a place where one can be deceived. Whatever you hear should be tested by scripture.
There is one forlorn little soul of a Haitian woman that seemed to want to speak to me here in shadow land. She had some story to tell of her life and of her indecision of whether she should go to heaven or hell because she had loved ones in both places. Apparently she had a son in Zion who had lived life as a cripple under her table, eating the scraps from the floor like a dog. I finally decided to test the situation and rebuked the apparition. She evaporated almost immediately. She may be an actual person in hell puppet ed about by some unholy spirit but she was not a citizen of heaven. The difference between this ghastly wraith and the redeemed was as night and day. According to scripture the offer of salvation comes to the living and not to the dead. It is a dangerous thing to listen to the dead if you do not listen to the Lord. For they can lead you astray. Some believe that shadow land is a Pergatory or a place where one pays for or at least must repent of unconfessed sin such as suicide. But this is a tradition that is not based on scripture and there is the passage that teaches that for the Christian to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. God does not leaving his children standing on the doorstep for when he sees us he sees his Son.
In Zion I am free from oppression and attack. But just beneath in shadow land Jesus, Gabriel, Michael and Algonquin protect me. Giselle and Audrey come to meet me too. Satan sometimes shows up as a large blue nosed blood hound or perhaps some hulking shape walking cross my path. During these times Algonquin may cover me with his wings so that I am completely hidden. Sometimes it seems like I am in a snow globe and a viperous frog creature creeps around the outside of the glass looking for a way in. Gabe & Michael will stab at various spidery and centipede creatures that writhe at the edge of our feet. Sometimes though something will get by and settle into some weakness in my armor .... Like a deep pressure on my heart. I try to refrain from anger and negative emotions but sometimes I nearly have to flee to some place of seclusion so I can pray and get right with God. I sometimes find myself niggled by complaint, judgmental or unkind thoughts even against those I love best. This is distressing. In such times I need to get closer to Jesus in shadow land or simply go to Zion which is his prevailing presence.
There are other actions or chants that I have learned to defend my soul and cause all that is unholy to fall back. But they are not effective as empty ritual. Quoting scripture is as sharp as any double edged sword. The Lord's Prayer, the sign of the cross, lifting up and glorifying the Christ, "May the Lord God arise, and may his enemies be scattered and may this mountain be cast into the sea" .... "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory." .... well that's good for now. God Bless.