Chapter Three -- The Bell Ringer

The next morning I heard the bells again. They continued to ring for several minutes after I was fully awake. This time I decided that I must talk to the bell ringer himself. I felt there was a possibility that he may somehow hold the keys to this mystery.

I drove over to Albertsons again and there he was, faithfully ringing his bell. I felt nervous about approaching him but forced myself onward.

I put a couple dollars in the pot and managed to say "How's it going today?"

"Fine," he replied.

"Has anyone commented that the sound of your bells seems to be different than the other bell ringers in town?"

"Several have commented," he smiled with noticeable pleasure in his eyes. "The reason my bell rings differently is that I have my own bell."

"I didn't know any bell ringers had their own bell."

"I've used this bell for a very long time. Here. Take a look at it." He put it in my hand.

It felt warm, almost tingly to my touch. I peered at it and said, "It looks like there are some ancient hand-carved hieroglyphics on the surface." I looked closer. "This one here is interesting. It looks like a crop circle I remember seeing recently. Do you know what they mean?"

"The meanings are layered and are interpreted in levels. I understand several of the levels," he said.

After he said this I seemed to sense that my suspicion was correct, that there was something hidden about this man. I rang the bell gently against my ear. "It has the most beautiful sound I have ever heard," I said.

"Yes," said the man, smiling. "It really helps with the donations. Just because of that beautiful sound this location receives over three times the donations of any other in town."

"Interesting," I said. "Has anyone told you they heard your bells in their sleep?"

The man looked visibly shaken. "Not for a long time," he said. "Why do you ask that?"

I told him my experience with the bells.

He smiled and said, "Then you are the one I have been waiting for."

I stared at him wide-eyed. "You've been waiting for me? Why? This is too weird to be true."

"If you think this is strange now, just wait a while. What is your name, my old friend?"

"What do you mean by old friend?"

"I'll explain later when you are ready. Now tell me your name."

I figured what harm is there in telling him? "My name is J. J. Dewey. My friends call me Joe."

"So the first J stands for Joe or is it Joseph?"

"On my birth certificate it is Joseph, but as you know almost all Josephs call themselves Joe. Joseph seems a little pious. About the only person who ever calls me that is my wife"

"It is good that you are not pious. Nevertheless, Joseph is a beautiful and ancient name. Do you know what it means?"

"I think I read somewhere that it means added or added upon."

"Whoever came up with that did not really understand the Hebrew. In ancient days, when a father named his son Joseph he did so with the understanding that his son will have great increase - that whatever good that is in him will be amplified and eventually bring forth an abundance of all the earth has to offer. Joseph of the Bible who was sold into Egypt was the perfect example of this. He increased in knowledge, virtue and eventually became the richest man on the earth."

"Sounds like a good destiny," I said. This man was unusually knowledgeable for a bell ringer.

"Your second initial is J. What does that stand for?"

"John," I said.

"How appropriate! That is also my name. Do you know what this name means?"

"I don't think so."

"This name comes from the Hebrew Yowchanan. Any dictionaries that define the word miss the full meaning. Basically, it implies that a man with this name will attract the attention of God to the extent that God will befriend him as an equal. Some say it means favored of God, but the meaning is more like friend of God."

"So would you say that the apostle John is the great example of this since he was called the beloved of Jesus, or perhaps His best friend?" I asked.

John's eyes widened in surprise and he smiled. "He was an example perhaps. I don't know if I would call him a great one."

I pondered what he said. The comment seemed rather strange to me. Of course John the Beloved was a great example, I thought.

He shifted my attention again toward his bell. "See this symbol here," he said, holding up the bell.

I looked and answered, "You mean the two intertwined circles?"

"Yes."

"One has a dot in the middle," I remarked.

"That is my name." said John.

"So this symbol means John?"

"Yes and no," he said. "It identifies me and I am John, but it doesn't necessarily mean John."

"You seem to speak in riddles," I said.

"All teachers do at times," he said, smiling. "Did I hear right that your last name is Dewey?"

"Yes."

"Do you know what that means?"

"I'm not sure."

"The medieval Welsh altered the name of David, or the Greek Dabeed, to something like Dawee and finally to Dewey. Do you know the meaning of David, my old friend?"

I wondered again why he kept calling me old friend but I was too interested in the names to backtrack. "It seems like I remember learning back in Sunday School that it means beloved."

"The standard meaning is close here. It means beloved as in the sense of a family member or close friend. King David of the Bible was called a man after God's own heart and God had compassion toward David in his weaknesses just as a Father would toward his own son"

"How do you know all of this? You almost sound like you know this from personal experience." This man was really arousing my curiosity.

"That doesn't matter right now," he replied. "The point is that you are blessed with three meaningful ancient names which will help you accomplish your mission."

"Mission?" I asked, startled. I would have walked away at that point if the man had not been so captivating.

"Your full name is strong with meaning. Put together, it goes something like this: The desires of your heart will be amplified and fulfilled by attracting the attention of God or his servants. If you use your power of increase for good, you will enter into the Kingdom of God and become part of the family of God."

"It's a good thing I didn't know the meaning of my name earlier - I might have gotten a big head," I laughed.

"You are far from being alone in having a beautiful meaning behind your name. Almost all names have a lot of beauty and meaning in them. It is sad that the ancient science of names and the power of their meaning has been lost to the world. But this loss is temporary. Mankind will soon learn the power of names again."

I studied this wise man closer. "You aren't just a bell ringer, are you? Who are you really?"

John sighed, looked heavenward for a moment and then looked at me. "I guess it's time to tell someone, but I can only tell you if you heard the bells as you were waking from sleep. You did hear them, didn't you?"

"Yes, I heard them loud and clear."

John shut his eyes for a few seconds as if he was reading a page from a book within his head. He opened them and said: "Yes. You did really hear them. I do not doubt you. This is a great day. Would you like to get a cup of coffee at Denny's when I finish my shift? It's only a few minutes away"

I didn't know if this guy was for real or not - probably not, I thought - but, like I said, I'm a very curious person. I replied, "I don't know why I find your words so fascinating. Yes, I would really like to talk more..."

Chapter Four -- The First Communion

Drinking coffee at Denny's seemed to be a strange situation to have the greatest spiritual experience of my life, but that was where it happened.

After we received our coffee and exchanged several pleasantries about the Christmas season, I had to show my curiosity. "I'm full of questions. I want to know the meaning of the bells, who you are and what you mean by mission."

"One at a time," he smiled. "What do you want to know first?"

"Do you know why I heard the bells?"

"The bells were tuned to your vibration and I was calling for you. The spiritual law is that I could not come to you, but you had to respond and come to me. You heard the bells and came to me as I anticipated. That is all I will tell you right now."

"Well, I'll take any morsel I can get right now. Can you tell me who you are? Obviously, you're more than a bell ringer and I think more than any ordinary man..."

"If I just tell you outright you will not believe me," he said. "Hold your right hand up and let your fingertips touch mine."

I felt kind of weird doing this. I looked around and saw we were fairly secluded in a corner so I thought what the heck and put my fingertips next to his.

"Now look at me steady in the eyes," he said.

It seemed a strange thing to do, but everything about this man and events leading up to our encounter seemed strange, so I thought I had nothing to lose and looked him in the eyes as we touched fingertips. At first nothing seemed to happen.

"Keep looking," he said, "and free your mind from all thoughts."

As I cooperated with him I felt my mind begin to drift. I thought we were having a Vulcan mind melding, for I sensed a merging of our two souls in a way difficult to explain.

He pulled away his fingers and asked: "Now you tell me... Who am I?"

I drew back in a start and exclaimed: "I know who you are. You're John!"

He smiled and said, "You've known all along my name is John."

"But you're not just any John. You are the John!"

"And which John is that?"

"You are John, the fisherman, the son of Zebedee, the apostle... the Beloved... How do I know this?"

"I transferred some of my memories to you. Do you believe them?"

"You're right. If you told me outright I might have thought you were a crackpot, but seeing your memories makes it hard to deny. A part of me believes what I received but another part says this is impossible. My mind has to make sense of all this. I have to ask a couple of more questions."

"Ask away."

"Two thousand years have passed since the days of the apostles. This means that either you are now an angel sent back to the earth or are a resurrected being... Or perhaps I am just dreaming all this."

"It is none of those things," he said.

"But what else could it be?" I asked.

"There is one more possibility that you missed. A hint is given in the Bible." He then reached into a bag he carried with him and pulled out a very old looking Bible. He found a passage, pointed to it and said: "Here. Read this...Verses 22 and 23 in the twenty-first chapter of John."

I picked up his Bible and looked at it. The print was very old. It seemed to be a King James translation, but the type was an old Roman style. "I suppose this is the very first King James Bible published," I said half joking.

He glanced back somewhat serious and said, "Not quite. The first edition was bulky and not practical to carry around. This is a later but still very old edition."

"Of course," I said, humoring myself. "Now which verses was it you wanted me to read?"

"Twenty-two and twenty three. Keep in mind Jesus and Peter were talking about the apostle John, who you now remember to be me."

I paused and read the verses: Peter seeing him (John) saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me.

'Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, if I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?"

"I remember this scripture," I said. "It is very mysterious. It seems to leave it up in the air as to whether John will die or not. I remember reading several legends that he was boiled in oil and still survived."

"That's not a legend. I was boiled in oil. In addition to that I have been crucified, tortured, stabbed, hung and shot several times."

"So, you went through all that and you never died?" I asked, amazed.

"Notice the careful wording of the scripture. It indicates that the will of Jesus is that I tarry until he comes again, yet he did not say that I shall not die. I have died several times, but was revived again and healed by God... something like the experience of Lazarus except when I was revived I was able to choose the age I was to be. I usually pick the early twenties."

"But now you look like you're around sixty. Is that the age you picked this time?"

"No, my friend. The last time I died I was revived looking about the age of twenty-one. That was back in 1944. Since that time I have been aging normally. My body presently has an age of about 71 years of age."

"You look good for seventy-one," I remarked with a smile.

"I've learned to take reasonable care of my body and have learned to overcome sickness. I have not been ill for about 1500 years, and even then I was careless and poisoned by an enemy, so I was not ill for normal reasons."

"So, how did you die in 1944?"

"I was hung with piano wire by a wayward brother."

"He must have been wayward all right. Who was this person?"

"Adolph Hitler."

"Hitler!" I exclaimed. After a moment of absorbing the moment I asked, "So were you in a concentration camp or something?"

"No." He paused a moment and continued, "I lived among the Germans and assisted in an attempt to overthrow the Nazis from within."

My eyes widened. "I remember reading about a rebellion against Hitler lead by a one-eyed, three-fingered man."

"That man was Claus Schenk Von Staufenberg who made a very brave effort to remove Hitler from power. I was there working with and encouraging the little band of conspirators, but not everything a disciple does succeeds. After Staufenberg failed in his attempt to kill Hitler everyone who even smelled like they didn't like Hitler was killed. I was unable to escape and was one of those rounded up and hung with piano wire because they couldn't find any regular rope."

"So, do you experience pain when you are killed?"

"When I am injured I feel what anyone else would feel, but have learned to neutralize discomfort by detaching myself from it."

"So when you die, and are revived, do you have the full memory of your past?"

"When I am revived I lose a lot of my memories, but then through contemplation I have learned to retrieve the important ones. That is an advantage I have over others, if you want to call it that. I have a memory that goes back 2000 years. If I were to write the story of my full life it would take many volumes."

"So, what have you been doing the past 50 years?"

"It's a long story, but I will give you a skeleton outline. After I was revived I saw that the next major threat was the Soviet Union and have spent most of my time there. I am not allowed to be a major player, however. My mission is to work with and inspire and teach people who can change the world in a positive direction. Therefore, in Russia I worked with those who sought freedom and democracy and encouraged them to forge ahead. The Christ told me that my work helped in the preparation for the falling of communism and the Berlin Wall.

"I also traveled to China and worked with the Christ to inspire the students at Tianamen Square, but as I told you, not everything I do succeeds immediately. Even though the attempt at democracy in China failed, we planted seeds that will materialize in the next attempt.

"We now are living in a time of great opportunity. The authority and tyranny that ruled Communism in the Soviet Union has basically come to an end. We still have China and Third World nations who will have nuclear weapons to worry about, but I saw a window of opportunity where I could take some time off and offer some pure spiritual teachings to the world. I have been looking forward to this for lifetimes. I just hope you are ready for what I have to give you, my friend."

"I've always been interested in philosophy", I said, "and the spiritual side of life. If you want to teach me, I'm a sponge waiting to be filled. I'm curious about one thing though. Why did you pick me?"

"Christ selected you. He tuned my bells to your vibration and sent me to Boise to send you the call."

"The call?"

"Yes. Before any great work is accomplished, there must first be a free will response to a spiritual call of some kind. You had to make a free will response to the bells you heard and seek me out as I sought you out. The disciple must meet the Teacher half way."

"So, this mission you have for me... Is that also based on my free will?"

"Of course. You can accept or reject it. Few disciples, however, reject a teaching mission. Instead, the problem is that most of them wind up messing it up by seeking glory for themselves instead of passing it along the chain that links us to the One God."

"And what is this chain?"

"Whenever true knowledge comes to the earth it comes through a chain of souls that are linked to the One Great Life. If you accept your mission, you are linked to me, I am linked to Christ, and Christ is linked to the entity he called Father in the New Testament. The Father is linked to God with such oneness that He is one with God and is God in every way that the average man can conceive. Any links higher than the Eternal Father are so far beyond us that it is futile for the average person to think about them."

"You mean there are lives higher than Jesus or the Father of Jesus?"

"It does not do a lot of good going into detail about this now, for it will offend some people as truth always does. I have been killed a number of times just because I was seen as a heretic."

John continued, "I will say this one thing. Imagine the consciousness of just one cell in your body. Next imagine the consciousness of all your cells put together, which consciousness is your own. The gap in consciousness between you and a cell is so great that communication on an individual basis is not practical. Yet, if you have a problem with your foot, which is composed of billions of cells, you will pay attention to healing it and in the process benefit not only the foot as a whole, but also the billions of individual cells within it.

"The One God governs over a large universe and right now this sector is a sore foot. You and I are cells that are working in conjunction with many other cells to heal the foot. That is all I will tell you about this at present. We must press on to your mission for I'm not sure how long I have with you."

"Why aren't you sure?"

"If a world crisis surfaces I may be called away from you."

"OK. I'll try to not distract you." I said. I was amazed at myself for being so believing for I am usually fairly skeptical of outlandish or unusual claims. But the reason I could not seem to question the validity of this man was that he seemed so familiar, like an old friend, and I could not deny the memories he planted in my mind. I had to ask, "What is my mission?"

"The first part of your mission is to teach the Keys."

"What are the Keys?"

"There are Twelve Keys of Knowledge, Twelve Keys of Understanding and Twelve Keys of Eternal Life. I am to teach them to you and you will teach them to others."

"Are you sure you've got the right guy?" I asked. "I've done a little teaching, but I'm no Moses."

"Moses didn't think he was a great teacher either, but he did OK."

"Well, I would refuse to teach anything that doesn't make sense to me," I said.

"That is exactly the quality we are looking for in a student," he said.

"I'll tell you what," I said. "Give me some of your teachings, I'll think them over and we'll go from there."

"At least you are willing to start the process," said John, "but I can only give you the keys one at a time."

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to learn a couple of them and then if they make sense I could continue."

"A logical conclusion," stated John.

"So, when do we start?" I asked.

"How about now?" said John.

"Right now? I'm afraid I'm not prepared. I don't even have anything with me to write on."

"This is not your standard method of teaching," he said. "You do not need any paper."

"What do I need then?"

"You need to use your understanding as you never have before..."

I was silent for a long 15 seconds in anticipation.

Go to FreeRead.Com to read Chapters 5-21

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