Chapter 18
Encore
When Dar-Raven’s angels followed his escape from God’s Mountain, the children, including God’s angels, clapped, jumped, and rejoiced. It was a celebration of victory. Sister Bernard couldn’t help thinking of the Psalm that spoke of putting a believer’s feet on a high, wide place, a victory place, a place given to every believer in the beginning of their Christian journey.
The Sister went to each of those who helped her, thanking them repeatedly for her safety. When she came to Anne, Carey, and Keel, she felt humbled by their faith and energy.
"Thanks for helping me. Why is it I don’t think you are with these other kids? Where did you come from?"
She was watching Keel intensely while wanting to understand more about who he was. She wanted to know about this "white anointing" and about what made these three so special.
Anne spoke excitedly, "We came from Nashville. The angels helped us get through the roadblocks. God told us to come to God’s Mountain to find safety. There are ten of us, but we call ourselves God’s Dozen with a minus sign."
The Sister spoke assuredly, "This is God’s Mountain alright, and after today, it’s more God’s than before. What is this white fog coming from your mouth, Keel?"
"I don’t know. It started weeks ago when we were having prayer to heal Allister’s pimples." The girls giggled and jabbed each other. It sounded so silly to hear it out-loud.
The Sister didn’t flinch, "I always wondered why God didn’t heal a lot of things, pimples being one of them. Sickness is sickness, and conditions are conditions. What difference is it whether it’s pimples or cancer? Did it work?"
Keel responded, "Yes, in fact, none of us have had a speck or blemish since. How did you get involved with helping the kids?"
"That angel right there, the real big guy." She pointed to Aaron talking with the helicopter captain and the lieutenant at the bottom of the mountain.
Aaron was discussing how the captain and lieutenant were going to explain what happened. The commander was not as puzzled by it as the lieutenant, then said, "As a participant, not an observer." He looked sarcastically at the lieutenant, who seemed oblivious to the slam, "I’m going to tell the truth. I was shoved out of my helicopter by a dark angel and caught by a good one who ran my helicopter through with a sword while we both watched it crash and burn from 1500 feet in mid-air. After, I’m going to take early retirement before they commit me."
The captain wasn’t at all intimidated by the truth but more humored by it. He had seen too much action and been in the service too long to start making up things to keep from being criticized now. Although, he was smart enough to avoid excessive abuse, as he called it, from severe official investigations.
Aaron injected, "Captain, I appreciate your honesty. I can even appreciate your response when being ordered to drive the children down the mountain. Your rebellion against killing them made quite a difference. We’re thankful. I’ll be more than happy to make an appearance at any inquiry on your behalf. Lieutenant, I’m willing to do it for you too."
The lieutenant seemed to be daydreaming and spoke flatly, "It won’t be necessary. I was only asked to provide police action, nothing less, nothing more. I’m not going to tell them anything. I didn’t see or hear anything. If a question comes up about my airman being hurt, I’m going to point to Larry and his men. I got too much of a career in front of me to mess it up with all this fantasy."
Aaron frowned, "Lieutenant, I might suggest you reconsider. Talk to Larry and his guys about your salvation or lack of it. The next time you get involved in any police action, we might not be around to protect you. In fact, we might find ourselves side-tracked with knitting or something else more important than saving your rear end. Do you get my drift?"
The lieutenant looked shocked. He knew he had said the wrong thing. He knew Larry and his men had a faith strong enough to make them put their lives on the line for others and felt embarrassed for being such a weasel, and he knew that he’d been given an ultimatum. He wanted to believe, although he wanted to deny this whole experience but wanted to believe that the angels were on his side when he really needed it.
He remised, "I’m sorry Aaron. You’re right. Larry and his men really have the right stuff. Maybe, I’ll take some time to learn about it. It’s obvious that I can’t deny that you or God exists. Look at me, I’m talking to one of His angels," he commented, then smiled sheepishly.
He thought, "What are the chances of keeping a lid on this, with 500 of my own men seeing it and even making bets on the winners. Add, one of my own men being seriously injured, even though Aaron healed his arm back to normal. It’s going to take less than five minutes back on base before the world knows. I don’t have a chance of keeping it quiet."
Keel looked to where the Sister pointed, then said, "Oh, you mean, Aaron?" Keel recognized him from the lake and his encounter with him in the woods behind the car lot.
"Yes, that’s the guy. I was in prayer when I got this mind picture of him speaking to me. He showed me an image, like a video, of the children climbing up the mountain. He showed me other images of the dark angels trying to keep the kids from reaching the top. When I got here, that’s what was happening." The Sister looked lovingly at Aaron as she spoke.
Anne and Carey were looking at the number of kids around them. They kept looking at the buses in the distance as hundreds of kids were playing around them, altogether thousands. They wondered together, "Where are they going to put all these kids?" Then, they saw Irish walking towards them. This time she was in full-dress wings. The rainbow colors around her were outstanding, and they couldn’t get over her dazzling rainbow eyes and marveled at how beautiful she was. She was coming their direction up behind the Sister. They all stopped looking and listening to the Sister, and she noticed and turned around.
She gasped, "Oh my. Oh my. When I die, oh Lord, please make me like her. Like Irish!" She immediately recognized her and reached over to hug her affectionately.
Irish hugged back saying, "You remembered me?"
"Honey, how could I ever forget you. It must have been ten years since you left. You left Sean’s family right after he remarried, didn’t you?"
The kids felt like outsiders for a minute while watching these two catch up on old times. They didn’t know that Irish was instrumental in Keel’s own father coming back to the Lord the year he was born. Irish was asked of God to make sure a book called
"Forgiveness" was finished by Sean Jacobs and put in the campus
bookstore.
Robert Cramer dropped by Sewanee on the way to Nashville 16 years ago and picked up a copy, and it changed his life. So much so, that it paved the way in him realizing his true calling to youth evangelism. Irish stayed another six years taking care of the Jacob’s family while Sean finished seminary and another eight books.
Irish answered the Sister’s first question in her heavy Celtic tongue, "It’s a New Jerusalem promise. We’d love to have you among us."
Irish knew that the New Jerusalem was to be made up of angels and humans alike that lived in harmony as immortals. The new bodies of believers are to be likened to angels. It was a promise she knew was to be kept, eventually.
Keel was even more impressed by Irish’s appearance than Aaron’s. A great sense of peace came over him as he reached out to hold her hand. He wanted to touch her, be near her. He felt compelled to feel the colors around her, not just look at them. Anne and Carey moved closer to Keel, then put their hands on his arm and shoulder. They also wanted to be part of this experience. When they did, there was a rush of warmth, an inner light that flooded all of them, including the Sister, who took Irish’s other hand. They were receiving clear images about Irish, pictures of heaven, information about the children. They saw her ministering to ancient Hebrew families, then helping some of the Apostles of Acts and many more—hundreds of families, thousands of lives, all touched by her. The families were missionaries in the 20’s, an ev
angelist in the 40’s, a priest in the 60’s, and the Jacob’s family in the late 80’s, even about Keel's father, and God's plan to have Keel here. They saw the Mission and Cole’s church. They saw the preparations as everyone worked to get the kids to the mountain. They saw Enya holding infants while comforting a multitude of children. They saw Ernie with his gas truck with Cole’s church filling buckets of gasoline for the trip. She shared the times, their experiences and emotions. They came to
know more about Irish than any other person or angel they had ever known.
"Wow!" exclaimed Keel.
The others chimed in, "Wow! What a ride!" said Carey.
"Outstanding trip!" said Anne.
"Thank you," said the Sister. Immediately, Sister Bernard felt no pain in her injured hip. She rubbed it to make sure and knew Irish’s presence had touched it as well.
"Thanks guys for helping us out. We knew we could count of each of you. Keel, your battle with Malicisis will be talked about for eons. You have shown what the anointing of God in believers can do. You have given all dark angels reason to hesitate before attacking any believer. We want you all to join us and help lead these children through to the end of times. Sister, we know you'll have some small battles of your own to contend with. Do what you can to help us. Encourage others to do the same."
The Sister spoke plainly, "What kind of problems can I possibly have?"
Irish pointed to a group of priests standing at the far end of the woods near All Saints, almost out of sight.
"The Sanhedrin. You know, your own Sewanee hierarchy. Every denomination has them. Episcopalians aren’t any different."
The priests were pointing at the children and shaking their heads. They were already discussing these angels as illusions and calculating the event as mass hysteria brought about too much excitement.
Father Scott Brannon said, "We know the times of miracles are over, don’t we? This is the church age of the intellect, controlled by the educated, not a bunch of emotional kids. God would never use silly kids to do anything. Don’t you agree?" They nodded in agreement
They also agreed to watch the kids carefully. They didn’t want anything upsetting their community’s fragile, well-balanced order.
Irish said, "We don’t want the children to stay around here long. We need to get to Sanctuary as fast as possible. God won’t allow any restrictions to be placed on the power of the Holy Spirit at Sanctuary. It’s to be a place where the presence of God flows freely in great abundance. Where there is sickness, there will be healing. Where there is sadness, there will be comfort. Where there is need, there will be provision. Where there is worship, there will be great celebration filled with the power and praise of God. All these children, including these three, will be filled with more of the power of God than has ever been seen on this earth from its foundation. God’s refuges all over America are places where the palm of God rests in full force."
Anne, Carey, and Keel hugged each other in excitement, saying almost in unison, "We’d love to join you. Tell us what to do, anything!"
The Sister answered Irish with stubbornness, "I can handle those old buzzards," pointing to the priests. "You get the kids to Sanctuary, and I’ll raise an army of believers to provide your needs. There’s a mountain full of Baptists and Pentecostals who'd love to help. Leave it to me. Now, which way is Sanctuary?”
Irish pointed south, "It’s only five miles from here down Highway 156 towards Chattanooga. It’s where the Boy Scouts have their Jamborees."
Children of the Sanctuary Page 21
