By Dr. Tilak S. Fernando

A friend of mine submitted the following story of his own experience, as a feedback, after reading my articles on supernatural experiences of various kinds. My friend’s father Jim (imaginary) had died at the age of 66 years and 6 months to be precise, at an integer of 666! There are many beliefs surrounding the number 6 and particularly 666 referring to Satan!

In the Textus Receptus manuscripts of the New Testament, the Book of Revelation (13:17–18) cryptically asserts 666 to be “man’s number” or “the number of a man” associated with the beast. In modern popular philosophy, 666 are identified as one of the most widely recognised symbols for the Anti-Christ or, the devil. The number 666 has, therefore, been professedly used to invoke Satan!

Intuition!

At the time Jim’s death in Mt. Lavinia, Sri Lanka, his cousin Henry (made-up) lived in Sydney Australia. Jim’s whole family and ancestry had been Christians from time immemorial except Henry being converted to Buddhism and thereon dabbling very much in the mystical world of spirits and ghosts. So, it was not so unnatural for him to have known Jim’s death well in advance prior to any of the relatives came to know about it through a mystic medium.

When my friend visited his uncle Henry in Australia in 1985, he was surprised to learn that (Henry) had known about his father’s death well before anyone in the family !  He was spellbound and became extremely curious to find out how uncle Henry managed to get such information prior to anyone else especially when his father died in Mt. Lavinia and Henry lived in Sydney Australia at the time of his father’s death!

When queried Henry has simply said, I came to know  about your father’s death from my contacts” but did not specifically elaborate on the word contacts” or go into detail about the matter further!

Descent

Jim’s ancestry went back a long way to his uncles, aunts, and grand parents, both paternal and maternal who were Christians. They were a closely-knit family unit more like intimate friends than family members.

Further delving into his inquest my friend was determined to find out about the whole episode in detail and posed  the question as to how his uncle came to know about his father’s death and what part his  so- called  ‘contacts’ did play in the act!

Henry came out with an interesting story of explaining how he visited Sri Lanka with the help of his contacts in a spiritual expedition, which meant in his astral formation or in spirit. His spirit had teleported to Sri Lanka, with the help of some of the souls of the dead, who according to their Christian belief mark time in the atmosphere, unseen to the human eye which is called the purgatory.  In the company of such boothayas  Henry had travelled  and reached their family house in Mt. Lavinia.

Upon arrival at  the doorstep of his family house in  Mt. Lavinia and knocking on the door dead Henry had appeared by opening the main door with an exclamation, Hello Jim!  What are you doing here”? Jim had then   ushered Henry into the house and were happily in ‘conversation’!

After a cordial discussion and  the exchange of pleasantries Henry had  apparently told  Jim thus:

Jim,  I was planning to come down and see you, but at that time can you remember you were surrounded by your grieving family as you were left inside a coffin being dead in this very house” .

Jim had responded by saying,   Yes I do remember”!

At this point Henry had asked Jim: Then Jim, why are you still homebound”?   Jim’s answer to his cousin’s had been: Henry, I am worried about the family men”  ! Henry in turn had told Jim: You need not worry about them now Jim, they will be all right, so you must progress to the place that you are destined to go”!

At the same time Henry referring to Jim’s mother (my friend’s grandmother) had asked:         Jim can you see mummy up there waiting for you…..?  So,  you come with me and I will take you to mummy…….”.

At the end Henry after succeeding in convincing Jim’s spirit to leave the house, in which had he been occupying for so many years , had managed to help it progress into  different plane where, apparently Jim’s grandmother was waiting to receive his soul before   the grandmother herself advanced to the next ‘ level’ in the nonphysical world.

Shortly after my friend’s return to Sri Lanka from his holiday in Australia his other uncle, father’s younger brother who was living in Colombo, had dreamt of Jim being in a happy jolly mood had described to my friend as : I say, I saw Podi Aiya in my dreams  and he looked very well and  happy and was in a “glorious ” looking  outfit,  which I cannot describe”! 

Some believe in the existence of Ghosts, Boothayas or a World of Jinn. Christians believe once a person dies his/her soul marks time in the purgatory until the day of reckoning only then it will be released to Heaven or Hell! But no one specifically mentions whether this         ‘ day of reckoning’ is applicable to a soul individually and spiritually or to the world as a whole!

It is also said that when one understands the magnitude of Devil’s deception only one will be able to grasp the roots of so many of humanity’s problems. People have been experimenting for thousands of years with governments, philosophies and ways of living, so what is the cause eradicating or solving human problems? Man made governments with all their efforts have not succeeded so far because the human being has not mastered the right way to live. King Solomon of ancient Israel has  put it bluntly: There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death”  ( Proverbs 14:12; Proverbs 16:25

tilakfernando@gmail.com