“The Lamb.”
“And so Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be ‘led as a lamb to the slaughter.’1 And so John the Baptist heralded Him with the words ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’2 So why is He called the Lamb?”
“Because His life would become a sacrifice.”
“Yes, and for more than that. He didn’t come only as the Lamb—but specifically as the Passover Lamb. What day was it that He gave His life? It was Passover. And what was the cross? Beams of wood as of a doorpost, marked with the blood of the Lamb—the sign of Passover.
And what is the gospel? The message that says, ‘The Lamb died in your place and took your judgment so you could be free, so you could be saved.’ It’s the message of Passover. It is, from beginning to end, a Passover faith.
“And what have we now witnessed, Nouriel? A nation, a civilization, a world culture turning away not only from God but from the Lamb, from the faith that centers on the Passover Lamb. And now, upon that world comes a plague, and the people of that world are told they must stay inside their houses until the plague passes over them. And it all comes upon the world in the season of Passover.
“So the world that had turned away from the Lamb of Passover is now drawn back into its mystery. And what does Passover reveal as the only answer?”
“The Lamb.”
“The only answer to the judgment . . . but not merely the judgment of Egypt but the judgment that must fall on all sin and evil.”
“So the world was being called back.”
“And what was the global epicenter of the plague?”
“New York.”
“And the harbinger that grew in New York at Ground Zero, the erez tree, the Tree of Hope . . . on what day was it struck down?”
“On Passover.”
“And do you remember the two days on which the plague reached its peak in New York?”
“April 9 and April 10.”
“And do you know what April 9 was?”
“No.”
“It was Passover . . . the first day of Passover!”
“So the peak moment of the plague passing through the land fell on the Hebrew holy day that commemorated the plague passing through the land!”
“Yes,” he answered, “And what is New York? It’s the center of the Jewish population in America. So on the day when the plague was ravaging New York, the Jewish people were observing Passover, the holy day that commemorates the overcoming of the plague by the blood of the lamb. And it was just after that day that the plague in New York would begin decreasing, passing over.”
“That was April 9,” I said, “but the peak took place over two days. What about the other day, April 10? Was that significant?”
“I would say so,” said the prophet. “April 10 was Good Friday. Good Friday is, in reality, another reckoning of the same day, Passover, the day that commemorates the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross on Passover as the Passover Lamb . . . that the plague might pass over our lives.”
The dawn was just beginning to break over Brighton Beach. Ana was staring toward the ocean, but at nothing in particular.
“What are you thinking?” asked Nouriel.
“I don’t know.”
“You do know. What are you thinking?”
“It all goes back to Him,” she said. “It all went back to Him the first time, when you first came to me.”
“Jesus?”
“Yes.”
“That’s what it tends to do. That’s what everything tends to do—go back to Him. The entire age is timed to the reckoning of His birth, every human event, every moment of our lives. Even America—it was founded because of Him and dedicated to His purposes. Even the city on the hill, America’s founding vision—it wasn’t Winthrop who came up with it; it was Jesus. It’s the image He gave His disciples as to what they were called to be. As Passover centers on the lamb, so the world centers on Him—history itself is divided by his life . . . and not only history. In the end, it’s not about history or nations.”
“Then what?”
“In the end, it’s about us, Ana, each of us. The judgment of nations belongs to this world. But this world is only a small part, the smallest part of eternity. Ahead of us lies eternity, an eternity with God or an eternity without Him. Remember what the prophet said: it is the necessity of God to bring evil into judgment. The light must overcome the darkness, and the good must bring evil to an end. And so every sin must be brought into judgment, and just one evil is enough to separate us from the good, and just one sin, enough to separate us from God, infinitely and forever.”
“Eternal judgment.”
“We’re all appointed to stand in the light on the day of judgment.”
“But nobody’s without sin,” she said. “So then no one can be saved.”
“And that’s the mystery of Passover. The judgment is coming. It’s coming to everyone. But for those who take refuge in the Lamb, the judgment passes over them. Everyone who comes to the Lamb is saved.”
“The Lamb being Jesus.”
“The Lamb being Jesus, who died in our place, who took our judgment so that we could be saved . . . as it is written, ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’”3
“But perhaps some of us are too far away from God.”
“You’re not any farther away than I was. And how far away you are doesn’t matter. On the night of Passover, it didn’t matter who you were, what your past was, how good or evil, how holy or sinful. None of it mattered. No one was saved or lost because of their past, or because of what they had or hadn’t done. Whoever entered through the door and took refuge in the lamb was saved from judgment, and whoever did not, was not.
“It’s no different now. It doesn’t matter who you are, what your past has been, your religion, or what you were born as, or how far away from God you find yourself. Look at me, Ana; I was the least likely person, the farthest from Him. But it’s not about who we are. It’s about who He is. In the end, it’s all about His love. The door is open to everyone . . . the door that bears the markings of the Lamb’s blood . . . now in the form of a cross. And whoever enters through that doorway is saved. And whoever does not, is not.
“The justice of God is found in judgment—but the heart of God you find in the cross, in the Lamb. God is love, and the greatest love is that which gives itself, puts itself in our place, bears our pain and sorrows, takes our hell and judgment, that we would never know it, that we would be saved. That’s the heart of God. So when we speak of judgment, remember, God is the One who bears all judgment on Himself that we would never have to. God is the love . . . and love is the Lamb.”
“You’ve become quite an evangelist, Nouriel.”
“No,” he replied. “I’m just sharing the most important thing I could share with someone I care about. He’s not far from you, Ana. And it’s not hard. All you have to do is come to Him who is love . . . who died for your sins, who took your judgment and overcame death so you could have eternal life . . . to receive Him, to receive His love, His forgiveness, His cleansing, His presence, His resurrection, His power, His Spirit, His peace, and His blessings . . . into your heart . . . and let it touch every part of your life. And then you follow in His footsteps. It’s as it was on Passover . . . you walk through that doorway, you leave everything old behind, and when you come out of that doorway, everything becomes new.”
“Like being born again,” she said.
“Like being born again.”
“I know I should but . . . ”
“Don’t wait, Ana. Don’t put it off for tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes. All these things are reminders of how short, how fragile, and fleeting this life is. We live our lives just one heartbeat away from death. Every moment we have is separated from eternity by a single heartbeat. Every breath is borrowed, a gift from Him who gave us life and the only One who can give us life again. And no one
knows when that last heartbeat and last breath will be. And then comes one of two eternities. But then it’s too late to choose. The only time we have to choose is now. As long as we have that heartbeat, we can choose. So He calls out to all of us and says, ‘Choose life,’4 . . . and to each of us . . . to you, Ana, and says, ‘Come to Me.’”5
She was silent for a time. And then she spoke.
“They were to stay in their houses until the morning. And in the morning . . . ”
“They were free. Everything was new.”
“A new birth?”
“Yes, a new birth, a new beginning . . . the resurrection of the nation. Passover ends with a resurrection. From death comes life, and from night, the day. So the night was over; morning had come. And now they began their journey home to the Promised Land.”
“And do you know what, Nouriel?”
“What?”
“It’s morning.”
“So it is.”
The two sat there for a time without a word, watching the dawn come over the ocean.
Finally, Ana broke the silence. “So you’re in the boat with the prophet. Where did you go? And what was the secret?”
Chapter 35
The Day of the Watchman
HE NAVIGATED THE boat in a southwesterly direction until we were in the middle of the water just about halfway between New York and New Jersey.
“All these things,” he said, “the mystery, the signs, the harbingers, the warnings—they all began on the day of the first shaking.”
“9/11.”
“But it is written that before the day of calamity, God gives warning. Is it possible then that before that day, before all these things began, a warning was given? And if so, is it possible that within that warning was a revelation and a message for this present hour?”
“Is it?”
“In ancient times, God revealed the coming of calamity through prophetic acts.”
“Prophetic acts . . . meaning . . . ?”
“Acts that foretell in symbolism what is yet to come. The prophet Jeremiah smashing the clay jar, foretelling the destruction of Jerusalem; the prophet Ahijah tearing his garment into pieces, foretelling the dividing of the kingdom; the prophet Ezekiel carrying out his luggage in the sight of the people, foretelling their coming departure into exile.1 A prophetic act could even be performed by those unaware that they were performing it—like the potter in the Book of Jeremiah who mars his vessel and then reshapes it, a sign to signify the sovereignty of God over the nation of Israel.2
“Prophetic acts occur throughout the Bible, often preceding and foretelling a day of calamity. Thus is it possible that a prophetic act took place before it all began, before 9/11? And if so, is it possible that it foreshadowed it?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“It lies in the realm of the secret things. I never asked you for the last seal. Did you bring it with you?”
“Of course.”
So I handed it to him. I didn’t expect him to give me another, as I knew we were at the end, or beyond the end—but he did. On the seal was the image of a robed and bearded man sounding a ram’s horn.
“The watchman!” I said. “This is the first seal I was given. It was to tell me there was more to be revealed. It was the seal that started it all. So everything’s come full circle. But it was the little girl who gave it to me. And I gave it back to her. How did you get it?”
“Does it matter?”
The wind began picking up and the sky was growing increasingly cloudy, as if a storm was coming.
“And what did the watchman do?” asked the prophet.
“He kept watch on the city walls for the first sign of an enemy attack, and if he saw it, he sounded the alarm.”
“And where specifically on the walls? At the gate. The watchman at the gate. Where are we, Nouriel?”
“In New York Bay,” I replied.
“Look to your right. That’s Ellis Island, through which millions of immigrants came to America. This is the passageway. This is the gate of America. And in back of me is Liberty Island, on which stands the Statue of Liberty, the first thing the immigrants saw as they approached their destination. This is the gate. Even the poem on its pedestal proclaimed that the statue would stand at ‘our sea-washed, sunset gates.’3 Who was it, Nouriel, that was first to see the attack of the enemy?”
“The watchman.”
“Yes, because he stood at the edge of the city, on its walls, at its gate, and looked into the distance. And here we are at the edge of America, at the nation’s gate . . . at the place of the watchman.”
We were now approaching Liberty Island and the statue that was now towering over us.
“You’re taking me to the Statue of Liberty.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To show you where it happened,” he said, “the prophetic event that took place before the calamity.”
“When did it happen?”
“It happened two years before the calamity . . . on the day a watchman came to the gate.”
“What do you mean, a watchman?”
“One called to see what was coming and to sound the alarm.”
“So somebody came here two years before 9/11.”
“He didn’t come alone. Others came with him, and others joined him here. They all had come for the same purpose.”
It was then that the boat arrived at the dock. The prophet used a rope to secure it to one of the wooden posts that was sticking out of the water.
“Can we just do that?” I asked.
“We just did.”
“I mean, do we have the authority?”
“We do,” he replied, “of a kind.”
We got out of the boat, walked along the dock, and came onto the island. Like most of the other public places of our recent encounters, it was largely deserted. We stopped on the walkway by the water’s edge.
“So who was it that came here with the same purpose?”
“People of God, believers,” he replied, “warriors of the spirit.”
“Where did they come from?”
“From the city, from the surrounding regions, and from all over the country.”
“And why did they come?”
“For most of them, it was because they knew a calamity was coming upon the nation.”
“How could they have known that?”
“They knew it by the Spirit. They knew that a calamity was coming to the nation and specifically to New York City.”
“What did they see as the reason for the calamity?”
“America’s departure from God had placed it in danger. They saw the nation’s hedge of protection lifting.”
“Did they know how the calamity would come?”
“They knew it would come in the form of a terrorist attack and it would be focused on New York City. So in view of that knowledge, they came here to pray for the city and the nation.”
“And what did they do on this island?”
“Come,” said the prophet, “I’ll show you.”
At that, he began leading me to the statue. As we approached the pedestal, I saw two security officials. I expected to be stopped. The island wasn’t open for tourists. But the prophet approached the two officials as if he knew them. They responded as if they knew him as well. I don’t know what the story was or what it was that he said to them; I never asked. All I know is that after looking me over, I presume to make sure that I didn’t pose a danger, they let us through. We went inside the pedestal and began ascending the stairs. You wouldn’t think it, but the pedestal is about as high as a ten-story building. Before reaching its top, the prophet led me outside onto something of a balcony and then to one of its four corners.
“And this is where the watchman led them that day, to the pedestal’s northeast corner.”
“It’s kind of like a rampart,” I said. “I can picture a watchman standing here.”
“What do you see from here, Nouriel?”
&nbs
p; The corner was facing the city, the bottom of Manhattan, and particularly the bottom of the city’s west side.
“I see the harbinger,” I said, “the tower, the World Trade Center.”
“Yes, but they didn’t. They saw the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. They had come to the city because they knew an attack was coming. But now the watchman led them to this corner.”
“So they could see the site where the attack would take place.”
“What is it, Nouriel, that the watchman does at the gate when he sees the danger coming, the first glimpse of the coming attack?”
“He sounds the alarm; he blows the trumpet.”
“Yes. And so the watchman came here that day and brought with him the watchman’s alarm, the trumpet, the shofar. He led those standing at that corner in proclamation and prayer for America and for the purposes of God. Then he lifted up the trumpet, pointed it to the city, toward the two towers of the World Trade Center, and blew. And the sound of the watchman, which, from ancient times, warned of a coming attack, now went forth from the nation’s gate to New York City toward the towers, the focal point of the coming attack. And so it was written:
The sound of the trumpet . . . destruction is cried.4
. . . when he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet . . . 5
I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’6
If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid?”7
“Was this a prophetic act?” I asked.
“If it foretold that which was yet to come, then it was. The prophet Ezekiel was told by the Lord to perform a prophetic act involving an image. He was to create a representation of Jerusalem onto a clay tablet, an engraving. Then he was to ‘lay siege against it.’8 It was a prophetic simulation of the attack that would come against the city, a prophetic image foreshadowing the calamity that would come upon Jerusalem.”
“Don’t tell me they had a clay tablet on the Statue of Liberty.”
“No. But they had something else on which images are created—a camera. As the watchman sounded the trumpet, they took a picture of it. And from this came a prophetic image.”
The Harbinger II Page 28
