Vision: Whodunnit

 

(This vision was seen in 2007. I was reminded of  it a couple of times, years ago. But then yesterday, 14th October 2018  my attention was specifically drawn to it )

 

VISION: WHODUNNIT?
4th December 2007

I saw a stately mansion. The large family who occupied this sprawling mansion had inherited it.

These fun-loving residents, busied themselves with endless entertainment. The mansion was well-staffed with gardeners, chauffeurs, chefs and butlers, attendants and other auxiliary helps. More help than the family actually needed. They had recently come into great wealth, and were not hesitant to spend it on whims and fancies.

As the building was extremely large and spacious and the estate vast, it was divided into 4 wings, North, South, East, West. Each wing was in the care of a senior housekeeper and a head butler.

The family occupied the south and west wings.

The affairs of the mansion were left to the butlers. Wheresoever there was pilferage, wrong-doing, the butlers would report the matter to the police and have the culprit member of the staff removed. The residents were too busy to be occupied by such mundane matters as the day to day running of this vast establishment; besides, they were pleased to see that the butlers were alert enough to take the necessary action.

One day, a country cousin who lived in the mountains, came unannounced, to stay with the family who were surprised and delighted to see him. No matter what the relation, all  the family endearingly called him ” cousin”.

He was impressed by the mansion and the management that took care of the functioning of such a large establishment, intrigued him.

Weeks before cousin arrived, the family had discussed a famous murder with the butlers, which had taken place in the lifetime of the previous occupant of this mansion. They had shared their desire to see the culprit caught. The family pledged that they’d even give a very handsome reward to the one who solved the murder.

” Ma’am we will solve this murder mystery,” said the head butler to his employer. We have already been scouting the grounds for clues but will say no more until….”

One day, cousin heard loud police sirens on the mansion grounds.

The butlers gave police vital clues and soon the murderer was caught. A colourful woman found hiding in the north wing was handcuffed and pushed into the police car, and driven away.

The family never ceased to be overwhelmed by the intuitiveness of the head butlers and the respect they commanded not only from the staff but also the police. They handed over the reward money they had promised to the head butlers, for solving the crime.

One night as the cousin slept in his luxurious suite in the West Wing, he heard a knock on the door. His old aunt did not wait till the door was fully opened, she exclaimed, ” Come quickly. A thief is caught! Come see how our expert management handles this”.

The cousin dressed in a hurry and ran down the stairs ahead of his aunt.
The head butler’s office was crowded. The police, the housekeeper, junior butlers and maids, and clerks and accountants all stood on their toes trying to listen to the culprit confess.
All those not involved in the matter hastened away to their work, when they saw their employer, whom they had privately nicknamed, ‘old moneybags’.

” Ma’am, the thief has confessed and has been relieved of his duties forthwith. The stolen goods have been retrieved. We are hereby handing him over to the police “.

” There we are! ” said the aunt brimming with pride, to her kin who stood beside her, ” you see how efficient my staff is? We know how to deal with the enemy. My employees make me proud.”

As many thefts took place in the mansion, seeing the thief caught and handed over to the police had become quite an item of entertainment for the family. They would rush down the stairs and run back up after the police had departed.

Next

Cousin could not sleep that night. He rose from his bed and sat in the balcony praying.

He saw the lights come on briefly in the porch of the North Wing, which was a distance away. He noticed the police car in the driveway. Cousin dressed immediately and praying continually, ran towards the North Wing. Mid-way, he slowed down and stopped altogether. He looked to the right and the left and moved stealthily, into the building.

Early the next morning he cycled to the nearby village.

Next

All the family were gathered at the breakfast table. There were more than two trainee butlers  to serve each person, besides the trained ones who stood a little away, supervising.

Cousin, suggested they move the breakfast outdoors since it was a beautiful day.

The family was delighted and after the food had been laid out on the manicured lawn, Cousin asked that all the trainee butlers, head butlers and staff that had surrounded them, to leave. The relatives protested a little and gave in when Country Cousin said, “I must leave today. We need some family time. I would like to share with you all that I have seen since I arrived here.”.

All noticed that none of the staff wanted to leave them alone.
” Aw….look how much they care for us”, said their employer.

After much persuasion the staff moved away but remained within earshot.

A little annoyed, the aunt shooed them away into the house and turning to cousin she said, “OK,  feel free to tell us all that you’ve seen! Be absolutely truthful. Hide nothing. Spare no details. And if at all we need to correct something, which I am absolutely sure you would be hard pressed to find any such thing, pray do tell us. In fact I insist you tell us all. Spare nothing,” said his aunt smiling confidently, and continued, ” But I want you to know that all the staff are like family ….I don’t like to send them away. They are so sensitive to our every need. The butlers even come into our rooms and pray such beautiful long prayers for us. They are so loyal, so trustworthy….”

“They have not revealed to you who they really are”, interrupted country cousin. “They are all related to one another. They came here under false pretenses and have been stealing from you you since the day they arrived. Your ‘staff’ do not live in the quarters appointed to them but have occupied both the north and the east wings, where the loot is hidden,  and are using the estate for personal gain through other even more unholier activities.”

Cousin leaned forward and removed a folded newspaper from his pocket and placed it on the table. ” That murder remains unsolved. Read it here, ” he continued. ” Your ‘staff’ put up a big act to win your trust by this great show of ‘care, concern and loyalty’, they played games with you. They and their relatives  played  the roles of thieves, the police, the murderer, the good guys/ the bad guys. You have entrusted them with your lives. Your valuable antiques have been replaced by replicas, and you did not see it. Your butlers are cheating you right under your noses, in the household expenses, repairs, and inflated salaries. They have knocked down walls and divided the house, they have created a separate entrance for the other two wings. Your best cars are in those garages and your sturdiest horses in the other stables. I saw it for myself last night.

You were impressed by their appearances and flattery. Impressed by their long prayers, you gave them large amounts of money ‘for the poor’. That money incidentally never reached the poor. It is stashed away in overseas accounts. They do not serve the Lord but their bellies.”

Horrified, the family gasped.

” Continue, cousin, don’t stop,” said the uncle to country cousin.

But the aunt held country cousin’s hand to interrupt him, and said as she wept, ” I praise God for sending you. I know now! I can see! We were all so naive. I can see how foolish I have been. We did not do due diligence. We did not check the state of our estate! Accounts went unchecked, words and actions were accepted on face value. Our assets were fast disappearing right under our noses but we were careless and negligent. We did not seek God. They saw that we were naive. That we liked thrills and drama. They gave us thrills and drama. We as a family and as individuals said we would serve the Lord with all our God-given assets. We have not done so. May God have mercy on us! It is time to wake up and take some serious actions, and clean house”.

All were in agreement. They immediately knelt and bowed their heads, and wept as they prayed fervently.

The bonafide police were informed and the entire staff were taken into custody.

The family visited the north and east wings and knelt again and wept and prayed. They dedicated themselves and all the assets that God had given them and prayed that He use it all for His Glory, Honour and Praise for the extension of His Kingdom.

They thanked country cousin and pleaded with him to extend his stay with them. But cousin politely declined.

” For quite sometime now I had been praying and waiting on the Lord about what I am to do. He Sent me here. I was up most of the night and this morning praying. I have heard from  the Lord. He is Sending me to other mansions such as these; for those whose god is their belly have wormed their way into them. It is the need of the hour, that the families who dwell therein  be warned.”

Swarna Jha
Bombay-India

 

Roman’s 16:18

For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

Philippians 3:19

Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)