A Time To Every Purpose

by Ian Andrew

  “Can we have the lights on please?” she called and Francine obliged. They struggled to come back on and held only a fraction of their normal output.

  “What is going on with this power Leigh?”

  “I don’t know but I’m glad you’re here to help,” she said and smiled over at her friend. Then she pushed the image Projection down and into the small structure.

  They were back in the room and Heinrich could see that it was slightly better illuminated. The single oil lamp had been supplemented with two more and a few candles. In the extra light he could clearly see the young girl lying deathly still on the bed. The Messiah was standing much where he had been. Heinrich looked back at Leigh and noticed Francine standing transfixed by the image. Leigh nodded at him and flipped the microphones onto transmit.

  Chapter 50

  “Yeshua?”

  “Greetings my children.”

  “Have we been gone long?” Heinrich needed to ask because he had lost all sense of time when they had been looking for the house.

  “Only a few minutes, but long enough for me to talk to my most trusted advisors. I want them to be involved in our discussions but will they be able to hear you?”

  “Yes Yeshua. If they are near to you then they will hear us,” Leigh said before quickly adding, “but will they be able to understand us?”

  “I shall have to hope that the Lord’s miracles extend to all who need it. I cannot imagine that he would make you capable of talking to me and not open the ears of those who should hear. I shall go get them.” He walked from the room and Heinrich turned around to look back at Leigh.

  “We’re back!” she said and gave him the biggest grin. They both looked round to Francine and were surprised to see her staring wide-eyed at the image Projection of the room in Capernaum.

  “Franci, are you okay?”

  “I’m... eh...” She stopped and sat down in the nearest chair.

  “Franci?” Leigh repeated.

  “I, um, I, uh...”

  “Franci, what is it?” asked Heinrich.

  “This is him, on the screen, right?” she finally managed to ask.

  “Yes.” Leigh and Heinrich said almost simultaneously.

  “I can understand him.”

  “Ah ha!” Leigh cried out in triumph, “So now you believe me?”

  “Oh yes, I believe you.”

  “Aww, we should have been watching you. I wonder if you had the same aura?”

  Before Francine got the chance to ask what aura Leigh was talking about Heinrich interrupted, “What are you hearing Him in, English?”

  “Mmm no, not English. I speak French, English and German. But I used to love speaking Mandarin at home with my father. That’s what I’m hearing. Mandarin as clear and precise as if it was my father speaking to me.”

  “That is good child, for it is as it should be and it is your heavenly Father speaking to you through His gift.” Yeshua had made his way back into the room and overheard Francine. “And who are you my child?”

  She sat dumbstruck for a moment before Leigh leant over to her and whispered, “Go on, don’t be shy. You’ve never been shy in all the years I’ve known you.”

  “I’m Francine.”

  “And did you come to help Leigh and Heinrich, Francine?”

  “Yes, um uh, I’m sorry, what do I call you?”

  “Yeshua, just call me Yeshua.”

  “Then please, call me Franci.” She was beginning to recover slightly from the enormity of what she was doing.

  “Good, well we have more introductions.” He turned and beckoned. A man and a woman came and stood next to him. Leigh slewed the Window to bring the three into the centre of the screen.

  “I trust that as Franci can hear and understand then the gift will be bestowed on all who come.” He turned to the woman beside him. She was slightly built, stood as tall as his shoulder, had a light olive complexion, refined cheekbones, a straight, slender nose and heavy-lidded eyes that looked up at Yeshua. Her long black hair was tied up in a braid.

  “I am Miriam of Magdala.”

  There was silence for a few moments. It was finally Leigh that spoke up, “Welcome Miriam, we know you.”

  The woman nodded to Yeshua, “Yes, I can understand the voice. May I ask, how do you know of me, I am but a follower?”

  Heinrich answered, “You are known in the Gospels as the first woman to follow the way of the Messiah. It is written that Miriam was fair of face, with a fair voice and a fair heart. You relinquished your wealth and titles to live a simple life in the service of the Messiah and of the poor. You are known to us as the Magdalene.”

  Her light complexion was shaded by the depth of her blush, easily visible in the candle and lamplight of the room. Yeshua smiled down at her and patted her arm. Then he turned to the man on his right. He stood a fraction taller than Yeshua and had much darker olive skin. His dark hair and beard were short and neatly trimmed and his keen features were framed by a wide forehead and a square jaw. He seemed to exude an air of intelligence and purpose.

  “With Miriam, this man is my counsel and my conscience, my strength and my support. He is my friend.” Yeshua prompted the man to speak.

  “My name is Judas of Kerioth. I too can understand your speech.”

  This time it was Leigh who spoke in answer, “Judas, you are also well known to us.”

  “May I ask how?”

  “You are one who Yeshua counts on within the Holy City when He is heralded. You are the one He sends to speak to Pilate. The one He calls the Rock of the Church. “

  “I am pleased to know that my friend and my Master can count on me. But what of you?”

  Francine and Leigh looked to Heinrich.

  “I’m Heinrich,” he hesitated and tried to drag a memory from some of the old Roman maps and documents he had studied, “umm, from Germania Magna.” He quickly scribbled on a piece of paper and walked back to Leigh.

  “I’m Leigh,” she glanced down, “from Britannia.”

  “And I’m Franci from,” she looked at Heinrich and held her hands up in a shrug. Under her breath she said, “Go on then, what’s ancient worldy for Canada?”

  Heinrich said, “She is Franci whose mother was from Gallia Lugdunensis and whose father was from Sinae.”

  Yeshua spoke, “So, we gather from distant lands and from a time removed. We have much to discuss. You say that the woman Mary said everyone believes what I teach?”

  “Yes,” said Heinrich. “Because your teachings and miracles were performed in the open the crowds believed without question or doubt. You encouraged them to tell what they had seen and to spread the word. By the time you come to enter Jerusalem all Judea is with you. When the Pharisees take you in front of the Sanhedrin you answer their questions and demonstrate your gifts when they test you. They herald you unanimously. Your ministry continues for nearly forty years and each challenge is met with openness and demonstrations of your calling and place in God’s world.

  “I cannot see how that is bad. Is this not what we want for the Master?” Judas asked.

  “It is Judas, but it doesn’t last. Imagine a Judea without the Roman army of occupation.”

  “I would see that as a great thing. To live peacefully with no oppression.”

  “I agree, but would you still have the weapons of war?”

  “Of course,” said Judas, “for there are more threats than the Romans in this world.”

  “Exactly, but imagine a time when there is peace for generations. Imagine a time when there is no war or conflict. When even the Legions of Rome lay down their weapons. How would the people become?”

  “They would grow and thrive and prosper,” Miriam interjected.

  Leigh responded, “Yes they would and they did. But they also became soft in the ways of war. They grew out of the need for weapons; of how to make them and how to use them. This lasted for generation after generation so, in the end, they knew nothing of how to wage war. They were like children in the cr
ib.”

  Heinrich had struggled earlier trying to think of a way he could explain the magnitude of the losses. He said, “An evil rose in the midst of these children and rained down death. It swept all before it like the Parthians at Carrhae but a thousandfold worse.” He paused and drew a breath, “The destruction was a thousand, thousand times that of Carthage. Millions suffered, were enslaved, died. Are still suffering and dying. Yeshua, we have lost more since the rise of this evil than all the souls on the earth in your time.”

  There was a silence as they reflected on what had been said. Leigh and Heinrich watched the changing expressions of the three companions in Capernaum as the reality of the future world settled on their shoulders. Yeshua and Judas sat on the floor and Miriam took the seat next to the child’s bed. Leigh adjusted the Projection’s width to include them all. As she did that Francine looked across at another control screen and then scooted her chair over next to Leigh’s. The lights dipped markedly and then returned to a dim glow. There was an audible hum from some of the equipment in the room. Heinrich turned and frowned in their direction and got a shrug in reply.

  Judas spoke first, “If this came to pass, how did the evil rise? If the world was at peace how did it make war?”

  Heinrich looked to Leigh but she pointed to the screens in front of her and gave him an ‘I’m going to have to focus on this’ look.

  He took a deep breath. “We had almost two millennium of peace. The world still had famine, disease, earthquakes, fires, floods. But for most of this time, like in your time, the news of such things spread slowly. Others may not have heard of them for weeks, months, years. The effects of these disasters were evened out, over time and distance.” He studied the faces on the image and could see they were listening intently to him. He checked over his shoulder and saw that Leigh and Francine were huddled together over another control panel. He decided to press on, “But almost exactly nineteen hundred years from when you are now there is a way to communicate that spreads news very rapidly. I know it may be difficult to comprehend but it is like being able to tell Rome and Constantinople and Jerusalem the same message in the same hour.” He watched as Miriam and Judas shook their heads slightly as if in disbelief. He couldn’t really blame them.

  Yeshua spoke, “Heinrich, if you can speak to us as you are doing now then Rome to Jerusalem seems a simple task. Continue.”

  “There was a series of bad winters and bad summers and the crops and food supplies began to falter. Then there was a sequence of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and,” he paused and wondered how to phrase it properly, “big tidal waves that swept the coastlines of many countries. These, it was said, caused blights and pestilence to thrive and the food supplies began to fail completely. Shortages became noticeable and soon that led to rationing. It was not long before there was famine. Throughout the world people suffered and grew weak and many died. When they were at their lowest a disease began to spread. Like a fever but much more severe. It killed millions more. Finally, with the populations of the world weakened by hunger and disease and not able to work properly, the economies failed as well. Because of fast communication everyone knew about these misfortunes collectively. They felt the impact of them all, even those far away. The man who rose to power promised to rid the world of its ills.”

  Yeshua stood again and said, “In this time he rose through the misery of death and despair, famine and disease, flood and quake. Like charging horses he swept humanity before him.”

  “Yes Messiah,” Leigh said through a voice choked with emotion. She came to stand next to Heinrich again and said, “Everything that went before was a slight with what came next. We couldn’t stop him or his followers. We’d no arms to resist him and no way to protect ourselves that wouldn’t have gone against our Creed. To keep our belief was our guiding principle. So he eradicated your believers as they offered him love and kindness.”

  “You said he and his followers?” asked Miriam.

  “Yes.”

  “How could the whole world have followed this man? How can the whole world be turned away from the Messiah’s way?”

  As Leigh and Heinrich looked to each other to see who would answer, it was Francine that spoke up, “They didn’t all follow him. The world didn’t turn away from good toward evil. It’s simply that the ones who would have stood against him and maybe led by example were killed first. They’re still being killed.”

  “Go on,” Miriam encouraged, “we need to know.”

  “The man who started all this, his followers and his successors are simply bullies and thugs. They are still bent on eradicating those that don’t fit their ideal. They’re more concerned with their power and their money and their appearance than the terrible things being done on their orders. But, every time one stood up to them they were cut down. Eventually people learnt not to stand up. So they came to do nothing against the regime. Just as we still do nothing. Like the majority. We’re not evil. We’re just not good enough.”

  “You are today,” Yeshua said.

  Leigh and Heinrich turned to see Francine smiling the widest smile. “Maybe we are,” she said quietly.

  Yeshua continued, “So I was too well loved and as no evil can stand against me so no good can stand against him. It is as if we have both removed the free choice of the people. That was never the aim. It is not my place to dictate to the people. They must have free choice. What are we to do?”

  “If faith is fragile Master, then alternative opinions will prevail. With those choices comes discord,” Judas said the words as he was standing back up again.

  Miriam said, “It is not written that mistrust, disbelief, and fear cause the tribes of Israel to prosper.”

  “No, but not one of those tribes became all-powerful and ruled the whole of them,” Judas countered before continuing, “So the question is how do we make your message fragile but strong enough to survive?”

  “What did Mary say about this?” Yeshua asked.

  “She suggested that you keep your own counsel. Don’t reveal your miracles in the broad light of day or in the gaze of the crowds. Have those that know about them say nothing. That way it would require faith to believe that you are who you say.

  “She is wise,” he paused, “and what of you and Leigh and Franci, what think you?”

  “We think as Judas said. If faith is fragile then separate churches will compete,” Heinrich offered.

  Yeshua turned to Miriam, “Your thoughts?”

  “If we do this, it would not mean abandoning all we hold true. Just because the religions of our world would not unite, it doesn’t mean they would not be there. Good people would still follow their path of choice. Good people would still be following in God’s way.”

  Yeshua placed his hand on her arm, smiled down at her, then turned to Judas.

  “Preaching your message to the crowds in less forthright terms will not dissuade them Master. The influencers in our time are still the same. For you to be heralded needs Annas and Caiaphas. For you to be renounced would need them to be convinced you are not who we know you to be. We may need to start speaking with them in the shadows.”

  “Ah, my friend, you are my consummate political advisor,” Yeshua said before continuing, “Heinrich, why have you come to me. There are prophets before and after me?”

  “That is true. But Moses, Noah and Abraham didn’t unite the peoples. The prophets who come after you build on your foundations. The last Holy Prophet solidified the great union of the Peoples of the Old Book. He honoured you and strengthened the peace. But you are the beginning.”

  “And so you come full circle. You have come to me to end it before it begins,” Yeshua said it not as a question but as a realisation of the truth.

  “Leigh, Heinrich!” it was Francine and she sounded panicked. “The power supply’s just spiked off the scale and I can’t offload the system. We need to shut this down or risk losing it again.” Leigh hurried back to the consoles to help.

  “Heinrich,” Yeshua
called out to him, “we have enough to go forward with. We will seek guidance from our Lord through prayer and meditation. But we will not know if this has worked for some time. If it hasn’t we shall need to talk again for I will not leave you to the fates of a devil.”

  “But I don’t know where and when to find you other than here,” Heinrich said.

  “And I don’t know where we will be in the future,” Yeshua said.

  Heinrich leafed rapidly through his note pages. The lights were dipping and brightening with an increasing frequency. Scouring his memory for a time and place that he could be certain about was yielding nothing until he finally realised he didn’t need to know the details precisely, because they could tell him.

  “Wait, wait! They lead you in triumphant procession into Jerusalem on the Sunday before Passover, not next year but the year after. I just don’t know when on the day or where they bring you into the city or where you go to.”

  “Heinrich we’re going to lose this,” Leigh called to him but in an unnervingly calm tone.

  “I need a time and place, quickly?”

  Judas spoke, “On that Sunday, one week before Passover, two years hence. At midday. East of the Temple, in the valley of Josaphat, are vineyards and a garden. It falls to the north-west of the old cemetery on the Mount of Olives. It’s a garden of great beauty called Gethsemane, do you know it?”

  Heinrich thought hard to recognise the name.

  “We have seconds now Heinrich!” called Francine.

  “No, I’ve never heard of it before.”

  “It lays on the Jericho Road. You found here, then find there!” Judas said emphatically.

  Heinrich turned to Leigh and Francine and nodded. Francine reached out and hit the emergency shutdown. The Window collapsed and the image Projection went blank.

  Chapter 51

  13:30 Friday 22nd May 2020 – London