by Miller, Tim
While many churches like my own had a Pentacostal or Charismatic bent to our faith, meaning we believed in miracles, healings, or supernatural events, most Baptists are what are called cessationists, meaning they believe all the miracles and supernatural happenings ended when the last of the original apostles died in the first century. I often wondered if they were the smart ones. Seems like a few times a year there’s some new “prophet” or someone coming along doing miracles. The Bishop is the only one I’ve been sure is the real thing. I’d seen enough supernatural in the past week to last me a lifetime.
“Did you see his revival last week?” I asked. “Pretty intense stuff.”
“So I heard. I don’t know what he is up to, but any minister who has thugs like that working for him is up to no good if you ask me. Talk about wolves in sheep’s clothing.” The Bible uses a lot of imagery and metaphor using a flock of sheep and their shepherd to protect them. That’s why Jesus is referred to as the Good Shepherd.
“Did he say anything else?”
“Yeah he did. He said if we refuse, then we will reap God’s judgment, and something about some wolves being stronger than the shepherd. I’m telling you, the Bishop and his ex-convict goons are nuts. They’re not what they seem. Why are you interested in all this? They threaten you too?”
“Not in so many words, but yes. I have a calling of sorts in this matter as well.”
He looked at me cocking his head to the side as he took a sip of coffee.
“Calling? What sort?”
“God wants me to stop the Bishop.”
“Well good for you,” he said. “Someone needs to. Just be careful. These guys look pretty tough.”
“I agree. I’d step up your security around here just to be safe for now.” I said. “I’ve had a few run-ins with the Bishop and his goons myself. They mean business and I have no doubt they will carry out their threats.”
Carl looked concerned but not frightened. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked down.
“What do you think he’ll do?” He asked.
“No telling, but I don’t put anything past him. I know you don’t believe in his miracles, but I was there. I saw them. He’s for real, whatever he is.”
“You might be right about security. It can’t hurt to be too careful. You told me your name, but who are you exactly?”
“I’m a pastor, but I’m also the Hand of God. And I will destroy the Bishop.”
Chapter 23
My years in South Texas Bible College were mostly uneventful. I’d known I was special since I was a kid. The pace at which I learned in school only confirmed it. Many of my professors were impressed with my biblical knowledge and my skills at exegesis. I didn’t date or have much of a social life. My focus was on my studies and pleasing God.
The college name was a bit of a joke to the local folks. Many called it South Texas Bridal College since most parents sent their daughters there to find good Christian husbands. While it had a lot of strict rules in force, the scene on weekends wasn’t a whole lot different than you’d see at a secular college. Though students didn’t party at the dorms, they’d go into town and get a hotel room and drink until they puked or passed out, or both.
Sex was just as rampant on campus as it was at any other college. The administration would have parents believe otherwise and, of course, premarital sex was strictly against the rules. Even having a girl in your dorm was cause for expulsion. The rules didn’t keep it from happening, or stop kids from hooking up at hotels in town or wherever they could sneak away to. Unfortunately since sex was strictly forbidden, so was any form of birth control. So when girls did have sex, they would often end up pregnant. This got them a quick bus ticket back home.
This brought out the injustice of the whole thing. The girl usually would not say who the dad was. So she would get sent home, but the guy was free to finish his education, since there was no way to determine who the father was. Most girls figured they were already expelled, so there was no reason to rat anyone else out.
I took interest when it happened to one girl in particular, Irene Torres. She was a pretty Latina girl. She had olive skin, deep brown eyes and long, dark hair. Her major was elementary education. Unlike most girls, she hadn’t found a husband by our senior year. She had gone on some dates, but nothing serious. For a few guys, she had become somewhat of a challenge. Some men who took the Bible a little too literally, felt she was a rebellious woman who needed a man to tame her. I never thought she was rebellious. She was her own person, that was for sure. We worked in some study groups together in a few classes. I liked her because she was one of the few people in college who didn’t act like I gave her the creeps. Everything for Irene changed a few months before graduation. Irene went to campus security to report she had been raped. She said it was her roommate’s boyfriend, Todd Sheffield. Todd was the son of Hank Sheffield, a big-time pastor in Los Angeles. Hank had a church with thirty-thousand members, plus his own syndicated TV show. Todd had been dating Irene’s roommate, Leslie since their freshman year. Even though it was forbidden, Leslie had given him a key to their dorm. Many around campus had also known that Todd had made a few passes at Irene over the years, all of which she turned down.
According to Irene’s report, Todd came by late on a Saturday night and let himself in. Leslie was still out working her waitressing job while Irene was alone reading. Todd came in and forced himself on Irene. He was much bigger and stronger than Irene, so she said she didn’t fight too much because he threatened to really hurt her. Security took her report, then took her to see the dean. At first the dean tried to deny anything even happened. After all, Todd Sheffield, the son of the great Hank Sheffield, who also happened to be a huge donor to the school, would never do such a thing. After some pleading from Irene, the dean finally said he’d “look into it.”
Two months later, Todd Sheffield was still enrolled at the college. Irene hadn’t been the same. She walked around with this dead look on her face. It was as if someone had turned off the light in her eyes. I had known something was wrong, but at that moment I didn’t know what exactly had happened. I soon would, however. A few weeks before graduation, word got out that Irene Torres was pregnant. In her case, though, she once again stated who the father was. She told the dean and anyone who would listen that it was Todd Sheffield. This got her nowhere. The dean basically called her a liar, and other students, including her roommate, Leslie, called her a whore. Irene didn’t hear the insults for very long, though. She was on a bus home within a few days.
Todd strolled around campus with the same stupid grin on his face his dad carried on TV. I was coming back from class when it happened. Todd walked by me and nodded as he spoke.
“How’s it goin’ Chuck?” No one ever called me Chuck. I should have killed him just for that. Once he went by, it happened. I got lightheaded, and the whole world began to spin. I went to my knees and into a trance. From there, I saw everything that Todd did to Irene. I saw him in her dorm, forcing his body on her, her screams turning into tears. Todd being questioned by the dean, only to laugh it off with him as if they were old buddies. The sickening feeling came over me that one day Todd would inherit his dad’s ministry. He would be on TV preaching God’s love to people, while he himself was a sexual predator. Unfortunately for him, I was higher up the predatory food chain. It was in that vision that God, or whoever, showed me what needed to be done.
Todd was a star on the basketball team. So that night, I sat down the road from the gym and waited in my 1990 Ford Taurus. I wouldn’t be using the car as part of my plan though. Security on campus was lax since it was a private, Christian campus. There hadn’t been a violent crime reported there in its fifty year existence. As I’d suspected, Todd left his car doors unlocked. I climbed into the back seat and lie down across the seat. After an hour, Todd came strolling out of the gymnasium carrying a bright colored duffle bag. He was much bigger than me, but the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes I’d been taking last few yea
rs would come in handy. That, and the hunting knife I got at the Army-Navy store.
Fortunately, Todd threw the duffel bag into the front passenger seat instead of on top of me. He put his key in the ignition and started the car. At that point, I sat up and put him in a choke hold.
“What’s up, Chuck?” I said through my gritted teeth.
“What the hell?” he grunted as he slammed his head back against me, catching me right in the nose. I was lucky he didn’t break it. Todd leaned back against me and pushed his feet up on the dash and hit the horn with his knee. The sound of his car’s horn filled the air. This was great. He knew who I was. There was no turning back now.
“Stop it or I’ll kill you!” I said.
“Fuck you, freak!” he yelled as my grip loosened. I was about to lose him then it would be over for me for sure.
“I know what you did to Irene. I won’t let you get away with it.”
“I didn’t do anything to that crazy bitch. She is a liar.”
“You’re the liar!” I said, getting my grip back around his neck. “You raped her! She got expelled right before graduation, and you go on like it’s nothing.”
“Look, I didn’t rape her okay? She wanted it. She was a hot spicy little piece of ass too. She struts around here like she’s too good for everyone. The bitch needed to be shown her place. At least she’s pregnant. That’s all women are really put here for anyway. Look at the women in the Bible. It’s what God meant them to be. Hell, I did her a favor.” He struggled against my grip. “Will you please let me go? I promise I won’t report you. I might beat your ass on my own, but I won’t get you kicked out.”
“Not a chance,” I said. With that, he put his knee back up on the horn and pressed it. That thing going off would attract all kinds of attention. By this point, I was so blind with rage it didn’t matter. I reached into my jacket and took out the knife. He never saw it coming. Even in the choke hold, he kept grinning as he pressed on the horn. The smile disappeared when he saw the flash of the blade in the dim light. I thrust the blade into his chest, then pulled it out and did it again. Blood sprayed the inside of the car, my face, clothes and everywhere. I kept stabbing his chest and stomach over and over. He began to make a gurgling sound as his body twitched and writhed.
Finally, he slumped down, lifeless. That sure hadn’t gone according to plan at all. I made a huge mess in the process. I spent the rest of the night taking his car out to a field and torching it, with him inside. I changed into his clothes from the duffel bag and threw mine into a dumpster a few miles from where the car was torched. From there, I took a cab back to campus and drove back to my dorm where I managed a few hours of sleep before class. It may have been sloppy, but I’d completed my first mission as the hand of God.
Chapter 24
Wednesday night I arrived at the AT&T center to find people lined up outside. Some had tents and sleeping bags, as if they’d been camping out there. I arrived around five, a few hours before the service was set to begin. There were people in wheelchairs, amputees and I could swear I saw a few hearses sitting in the parking lot. Unfortunately for most of these folks, they will hand over a lot of money and come away with nothing. I had no idea what the source of the Bishop’s power was, but it couldn’t be from God. My own power wasn’t from God; I was still having trouble accepting that much.
After a long wait, I got inside and found my seat. There was a giant cross surrounded by lights behind the stage. The lights were off at the moment, but I was sure they’d be shining brightly once the show started. Not wanting to sit for another hour, I headed back outside to stretch my legs. I was walking around the building when I saw a caravan of huge RVs come pulling into the arena. The biggest one said I Am the Way Ministries on the side. The others were smaller and plain on the sides. I figured it was the Bishop and his entourage.
There was a large parking area blocked off by several barricades. The RVs pulled into that section and sat for a good twenty minutes or longer. Finally the Bishop emerged with a group of men wearing suits. As he walked toward the arena, people shouted and waved for his attention. Some held out sick or disabled children, hoping he would touch and heal them. The whole scene was rather depressing. He did walk over and greet some of the fans, avoiding any of the sick children.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming out. God bless each of you. Thank you.” He said as he walked along the row, shaking hands. Then he got to me.
“Well, Pastor Charlie, what a pleasant surprise!” He said, smiling. I wasn’t in a smiling sort of mood.
“Well, thank you, Bishop.”
“I gather you’ve done some thinking after our talk?”
“A bit.”
“Well why don’t you join me a bit before our service? I’d like to talk to you more, now that you’re calm.” He gestured to one of his security guards, who opened the barricade enough for me to get through. I stepped inside and walked alongside him.
“I’m always calm.”
“But of course you are.” He looked around, smiled and waved some more as we entered the building. “Oh, by the way, have you seen my former associate, Jesus?”
“I think you know the answer to that.”
He laughed as we strolled down the long tunnel.
“Yes, I’m afraid I do.” He said.
“And you didn’t resurrect him?”
“I tried. You did quite a number on him. Whatever you did, his brains were far too scrambled. Some impressive work, that’s why I could use you.”
We arrived at his dressing room where another security guard held the door for us as we went in. The dressing room was plain and unremarkable. It just had some furniture, and a mirror with a closet nearby. At least he didn’t have some extravagant rider for his events.
“Use me for what?” I asked.
“On my ministry. You’ve seen our work. You’ve experienced it!” He gestured wildly. “Can’t you see? The Lord is doing amazing things here! He’s been using you, despite your appetite for blood. He found a way to use that for His purpose. Don’t you see? I am His messenger, His prophet. You are His hand, His Angel of Death. God put His plan in motion and you carry it out. You have no idea what you are capable of, Charlie.” His smile faded. “There are things happening in this world I cannot tell you about; things in the spiritual realm. It’s all going to end soon. Whose team do you want to be on? Be on the winning team! Join me!”
I had to admit, he was sounding a bit like me, except crazier.
“Okay, so why is it I hear you are out to destroy the church, and you’re not of God and you send goons around to kill preachers.”
He rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively.
“Oh, nonsense. That’s just Satan trying to plant seeds of doubt to confuse God’s people. We should work together. Imagine the things we could accomplish! Oh, and that preacher you think you saw me kill? He was not a preacher. He was a demon pretending to be a preacher. I merely sent him back to the spirit realm.”
He was convincing, I had to give him that. Still, something didn’t feel right. He’d had me tied to a chair and beaten. That was hard for me to let go.
“While it all sounds so tempting, God has always called me to work alone.” I said. “Not to mention, you may have all this leading from God to have me join you. Yet when I’m around you, I feel this weird, creeped out feeling.”
“That’s just your Nephilim nature. You naturally want to oppose anything good.”
“I don’t think that’s it. Everything in my body screams for me to run as fast as I can from you.”
His look hardened as he glared at me.
“Charlie, don’t do this.”
“I’m not doing anything. It’s what I’m not doing.”
“You think you’re pretty clever don’t you? Jesus said, “He who is not with me, is against me, and he who is not with me is scattered abroad.” Knowing you the way I do, being scattered abroad takes on a whole new meaning.”
“Threats are
unbecoming of you Bishop. You’ve always been so charming.”
“Oh, I assure you, it’s not a threat. I must go begin the service, Charlie. Time is running out for all of you. I beg you to reconsider. If not, you’ll be hearing from me soon enough.” He placed his hand on my shoulder, the smile returning. “Now, why don’t you go enjoy the service, and be blessed.”
Chapter 25
The Bishop had really outdone himself on this service. I stayed for a little while so I could see the bigger stage, more lights, louder music and bigger crowd. He even had Angels among us playing, one of the most popular contemporary Christian bands in the country. Though the highlight of the service was about halfway through, when the band played I Surrender All as some men came out of the tunnel pushing a casket on a large dolly. They guided it up a ramp and onto the stage. A collective breath went out of the crowd when the casket made its appearance.
The Bishop smiled as they opened the casket, revealing a woman lying inside, wearing a blue dress. She appeared to be in her early forties, had brown wavy hair and her hands were folded across her stomach. I had to look at the Jumbotron to get a good look. The crowd watched with anticipation while I had a good idea what was coming. The music had stopped and the arena had grown silent. The Bishop put his hand on her forehead and stroked her hair lightly as he spoke.
“No my brothers and sisters, this is not a funeral service. Quite the opposite, actually.” He stepped away and motioned to the woman in the casket. “Here we have Emily Carter. She died last night of cancer. She was only forty-two.” The crowd let out a low murmur that sounded like “awe.”
“However,” the Bishop continued. “The Lord still has work for her to do. He wants to use her for His glory.” A few random “Amens” were shouted from the crowd. He placed his hand back over her forehead. “Dear Father God and our Lord Jesus Christ, we know You and only You have power over death. Only you have conquered death. Please Father, conquer death for Emily today. Raise up our sister so that You might be glorified. I ask these things in Your name, Amen.”
