Angel of the Abyss: A Novel of the Great Tribulation (The Days of Elijah Book 3)

by Mark Goodwin

  Everett understood that his lame explanation fell flat. “From what I hear, if you reported everyone with my problem, you wouldn’t have many customers left.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver one-ounce coin he’d bought from Sadat. He slid it towards the man. “I just want four coffees and some breakfast.”

  The man looked around once more before scooping the coin off the counter. “I have lox, cream cheese, and bagels. It’s okay?”

  “And coffee?”

  “Yes, and coffee.”

  “That’ll be fine.” Everett smiled and waited as the man prepared his order. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen a couple of old Jewish men, very eccentric, long gray beards.”

  “You’ve just described twenty percent of the population in this part of the city.”

  Everett added one more descriptor. “Messianic.”

  The man stopped what he was doing for a moment. “I don’t have a very good memory.” He turned and handed a white bag to Everett. He placed the four coffees in a cardboard carrier. “I’m sure you’d appreciate my forgetfulness if someone were asking about you.”

  Everett took his order. “Yes. I suppose I would.”

  “Good day, sir.” The man returned to setting up his shop for the day.

  Everett took the food outside and sat at the table.

  Courtney dug in. “Smoked salmon! No way! I haven’t had this in years.”

  “These are fresh bagels.” Sarah smelled them.

  Ali found the cream cheese. “No fish for me. But coffee smells good.”

  “Hopefully it’s not as strong as what you brought us.” Everett took the lid off his coffee. “Let’s thank God for bringing us here safely and ask him to bless the food.” Everett bowed his head and said a quick prayer, then they began eating.

  “I cannot deny, the bug don’t sting you. Your God, He must be real.” Ali bit into his bagel.

  “Oh, He is.” Everett began to describe how God had reached out to him over and over before the rapture, but how he’d avoided thinking about it. Starting with the fall of man in Genesis, Everett explained how everyone on Earth had sinned against God one way or another. He told how the blood of Christ provided the perfect sacrifice, which purified the believer, granting him access to heaven.”

  “What must you do to be believer?”

  “Tell God you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, that He was crucified and raised from the dead. Then repent of your sin. That just means that you’ll study the Bible to see how God expects you to live, then ask Him for the power to live that way.”

  “What if you don’t get it right? Misunderstand, or maybe sin again.” Ali crossed his arms.

  Everett chuckled. “Ali, we all mess up. I sin, Sarah sins, Courtney still sins . . .”

  “Not as much as Everett.” Courtney covered a mouth full of bagel with her hand as she interrupted.

  Everett let the joke go without a retaliation. “But there’s grace. Grace, grace, and more grace. God knows we won’t be perfect, he just wants us to be in relationship with him. John 15 says I’m the vine and you’re the branches. If a man remains in Me, and I remain in him, he’ll bear much fruit.

  “All I have to do is stay connected to the vine by worshiping Him through song, by speaking to Him through prayer, and by letting Him speak to me by reading the Bible. According to that, I’ll naturally start living a life that is more pleasing to God.”

  Ali took a sip of coffee, then crossed his arms tightly again. “Sounds too easy.”

  “Well, God expects me to be involved, and it’s my responsibility to stay connected to the Vine, but you’re right. Jesus has done the heavy lifting.”

  “So, Jesus forgive me, then I can live any way I want, kill people, rob people, and still go to heaven?”

  Everett chuckled. “Not at all. Hebrews 10 says if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.

  “Unfortunately, tons of American so-called Christians skipped over that section of scripture. That’s why so many of them were left behind in the disappearances. The Book of First John says that if we walk in darkness, we aren’t really Christians, but if we walk in the light, even though we fall short, and we all fall short, we can ask for forgiveness and receive it. We could never earn our salvation by being good enough, but as long as we stay in the light of Jesus, we can know that we’re going to heaven.”

  “Nobody else say this. In Islam, you never know for sure you go to heaven. Only if you die as a martyr.” Ali finished his bagel. “Sounds too good to be real. But I will think about it.”

  “I hope you will,” Everett said.

  Courtney spoke softly. “Don’t look, but I know this guy that just sat down at the table on the end.”

  “Where?” Everett looked down the row of café tables.

  Courtney closed her eyes and sighed. “I said, don’t look!”

  “Sorry. One of the two middle-aged men at the last table?” Everett turned away from the person she referred to.

  “Yeah, the one facing the building.”

  “Where could you possibly know him from?” Sarah inquired curiously.

  “I had his file when I was at NSA. Operation Guardian. We kept an eye on the activities of all our allies’ intelligence agents.”

  Sarah sounded sarcastic. “That was nice of us. Let me guess, Mossad?”

  Courtney pressed her lips together and nodded. “Yeah. Tobias, I think.”

  “So, go say hi,” Sarah joked.

  “I think I will.” Courtney stood up.

  “Nope.” Everett shook his head adamantly.

  “He’s here for a reason. I think this is a God thing.” Courtney walked off before Everett could stop her.

  “This is faith?” Ali asked.

  “Or stupidity.” Everett sipped his coffee and kept his hand close to his pistol.

  Courtney spoke loud enough to be heard by the team. “Tobias, hi! Courtney, we met years ago. How have you been?”

  The man shook his head, looking around suspiciously. He waved his hands and spoke much lower than Courtney who continued to attempt to strike up a conversation. She failed to win his confidence and returned to the table.

  “How was your date?” Everett quipped.

  She rolled her eyes and took her seat. “He didn’t ask me to cook for him, if that’s what you mean. So, I guess I’ve had worse first dates.”

  Everett huffed as he watched the two men get up and leave. “You spooked them. They were up to something.” He collected the empty cups and placed them in the empty bakery bag. “Let’s get to the Western Wall. If we’re going to find Elijah anywhere, it’ll be there.”

  The team loaded up the bags and proceeded toward the Temple Mount. They made their way down yet another narrow passageway. When they emerged into the light of the other side, a man with a pistol drawn jumped out. “Don’t move!”

  It was Courtney’s friend, Tobias. “Who are you? What do you want? Why are you here on this day?”

  Everett calculated his odds of drawing a weapon before a highly trained Mossad operative could gun them all down. He concluded his chances weren’t favorable.

  “I thought I went to school with you in America. George Washington University. It was only a mistake. I’m sorry!” Courtney pleaded. “Please don’t kill us.”

  Tobias looked the team over. He shook his finger at Courtney as he thought. Then he stared at Everett. “I know who you are. But I don’t know why you would come here. Your government, your agency, does not exist anymore. You should go back to America. Or at least what’s left of it.”

  Everett gritted his teeth wishing he could take back what his wife said next as he heard Courtney push the envelope.

  “Your agency doesn’t exist either.” Courtney kept her hands up.

  “Oh yeah? And what agency is that, my American college friend?”


  Everett shook his head. “She says crazy stuff like that. We don’t want any trouble. I’m sure you don’t either.”

  “No. No trouble. I just want to know what non-existent agency my friend thinks I work for. Come on. You can tell me. After all, we’re old friends.”

  “Mossad.”

  As badly as Everett wanted to will her not to say it, she did. The genie was out of the bottle.

  Tobias laughed. “Ah, that’s good. Listen. I don’t know why you are here, especially today, but you need to leave. Leave the city now. Consider it professional courtesy, from one non-existent intelligence agent to another.”

  Everett nodded politely. “Okay, thank you. You won’t see us again.” He ushered Courtney past Tobias when he stepped out of the way to let them pass.

  “Not cool. We are not here to make waves. We want to blend in, find Elijah and fly under the radar. That was the polar opposite of what you just pulled,” Everett lectured.

  “Something big is about to go down today. I was just looking for a clue,” she rebutted.

  Everett kept the team moving quickly until they reached the Western Wall. He looked up at the famous landmark in awe. Recalling his mission, Everett scanned the people standing around the wall to see if he could identify Elijah or Moses. No one looked familiar. He looked up. The sun shone over top of the Western Wall. He shielded his eyes. “I wonder if we can get up to the Temple.”

  Sarah pointed at a group of peacekeepers at the top of an iron spiral staircase on the adjacent wall. “We’d have to go through them.”

  “Maybe the bugs will come around,” Courtney said.

  “Let’s hope not!” Ali replied.

  Everett stared at the wall for a while, thinking of what the next move should be.

  A man walked up to him from behind and passed him a folded piece of paper. “This is where you will find the prophets.”

  Everett opened the note to reveal a map. The street names were clearly marked with a building identified as the destination. “Second floor. Room three.”

  “What’s that?” Courtney looked on.

  “A map.”

  “I can see that. Where to?”

  “The place where Elijah is staying.”

  “Where did you get it?”

  “That guy gave it to me.” Everett studied the map.

  “What guy?”

  He looked up and behind him, but the man was gone. “I don’t know.”

  “Could have been Mossad.” Sarah scanned the area for anyone walking away from them. “It might be a trap.”

  “I don’t think so.” Everett kept looking for the man. “He said the prophets. Tobias didn’t have any idea why we were here. I said something to the guy at the deli. It could have been him.”

  “Maybe Elijah had someone out here looking for us,” Courtney said.

  “Yeah, could be.” Everett led the way to the building on the map.

  CHAPTER 19

  And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

  Revelation 13:11-15

  Everett stood atop an ancient stone staircase and knocked on the old wooden door. He looked down to the narrow alleyway to see if the team had been followed.

  “Everett! Come in, come in.” Elijah held the door open for the team.

  Moses didn’t get up from the couch but offered a polite nod.

  “This is Ali. Ali, this is Elijah and Moses.” Everett closed the door behind Courtney and Sarah.

  “Pleasure to meet you.” Ali shook Elijah’s hand. Moses looked less hospitable, so Ali merely waved and gave the uneasy smile that an uninvited guest might give.

  “Please, put your bags here. Might I offer you something to eat?” Elijah placed his hands together.

  “We just ate, thank you.” Courtney embraced the old prophet with a warm hug.

  Sarah unzipped her duffle and retrieved the wooden staff. “We brought this for you.” She handed it to Moses.

  His surly expression melted into one that bordered on being cordial. “Thank you. But I left it for you. I hope you didn’t come all this way over this.”

  Elijah’s forehead frowned. “You know why they are here. You shouldn’t tease them.”

  A betraying look of mischief preceded a slight grin beneath Moses’ heavy beard.

  Everett couldn’t help feeling that he’d missed the joke.

  Elijah ushered the team into the salon and brought out two chairs from the dining area. “Tell me, how did you find us?”

  “A man handed me a note with directions. We thought you probably had him waiting for us.” Everett took a seat on the couch adjacent to the one where Moses sat.

  Elijah shook his head and turned to Moses. “We didn’t send anyone.”

  “Maybe it was the man at the deli near the Temple Institute. I asked if he’d seen a couple of Messianic men who might fit your description.”

  Moses shook his head. “No one knows we’re here.”

  “Well, somebody gave me this note.” Everett stuck his hand in his pocket to retrieve the directions. The paper wasn’t there. His hair stood on end as he realized his encounter had most likely been with a being from another realm.

  Courtney looked at him curiously, then turned to Moses. “Someone must know. How did you get this apartment?”

  Moses crossed his arms. “Airbnb. We used fake names and online check in. No one saw us.”

  Questions began piling up in Everett’s head. The bizarreness of the entire situation was giving him a peculiar feeling in the pit of his stomach. He decided no further inquisition would explain the unexplainable and made a conscious effort to let his questions go.

  Elijah held out his arms for Sarah. “I see Kevin is not with you.”

  She opened her mouth as if she were about to explain why, but her face shifted into a look of unfathomable sorrow, and she began to weep.

  Elijah pulled her close and let her cry into his shoulder. He looked at Everett. “Tell me about your trip.”

  Everett provided the details of the ship, the comet, meeting Ali, and the locusts. Even Moses seemed to enjoy the lengthy telling of the great adventure.

  All of a sudden, a loud pop echoed in the distance.

  “Was that a gun?” Sarah asked.

  “Could be. There’s been a lot of that in this city over the decades.” Moses’ answer held a hint of sarcasm.

  Elijah stood up from his chair. “Moses, we must be going.” He turned to Everett. “We must be on our way, but please, make yourselves at home. We are going to the Temple Institute to reason with the rabbis. We have spent the last several days explaining why Yeshua is indeed the Messiah who was prophesied of in the Hebrew Scriptures.”

  Moses stood. “And that Luz is the anti-messiah who was prophesied of in the Greek Scriptures.”

  “How’s that going, anyway?” Courtney asked.

  “Could be better, could be worse.” Elijah placed a Hebrew Bible as well as a King James Bible in his shoulder bag.

  “Do they . . . know who you are?” Sarah asked cautiously.

  “Not a clue.” Moses fought back a grin.

  “Who is this Yeshua that Elijah spoke of?” Ali whispered to Everett.

  “It’s the way the Jews pronounce Joshua. It means God saves. Jesus is Greek for Joshua.”


  Ali nodded. “Ah, okay. I know there is Father, Son, and Spirit, but all are One. I thought maybe I am missing somebody.”

  Elijah opened the door and stopped short of walking out.

  Everett heard the sound of GR peacekeeper sirens. He stood up from the couch.

  Moses put his hand on Elijah’s shoulder. With the other hand, he pointed to the sky. “Helicopters.”

  Everett heard the noise to which the prophet referred. “Sounds like it’s coming from above the Temple Mount.”

  Moses pointed to Ali. “Get the remote. Turn on the idiot box.”

  “Sorry?” Ali looked confused as if he were not familiar with the moniker.

  Moses explained gruffly, “The television. It is a box which consists of idiots, talking about idiots, directed by idiots, and consumed by idiots.”

  Ali fumbled with the remote and found the power button.

  Elijah closed the door and returned to his seat, as did Moses.

  GRBN reporter Heather Smith was speaking between sobs, with heavy mascara running down her cheeks, making her look like some vile female version of the Joker. “I repeat, His High and Most Prepotent Majesty has been shot. Our beloved leader was here, on the Temple Mount before the altar of the new Temple. Animal sacrifices by the Jewish rabbis had been postponed until today.”

  She paused to take a cloth from someone off camera. She wiped her face with the damp towel and handed it back to the person off screen. She sniffed, nodded, and said to that person, “Just give me a minute.”

  Smith took a bottle from the mystery person, had a drink, then passed the bottle back. She sniffed again, then turned her attention back to the camera. She composed herself. “I apologize, but this is the most devastating event I’ve experienced not only in my career as a news anchor but in my entire life.

  “As I was saying, animal sacrifice had been suspended until today. This morning, animal sacrifices were to resume at the altar with the understanding that all such sacrifices and worship were to be directed at His Majesty, naming him by his full name rather than in the manner he’d previously accepted them with compassion toward those who ignorantly referred to him as God, The Almighty, or Hashem.