by Tim LaHaye
Enoch ran back to where he had met with the people, but he was alone now. He sat on a concrete bench and watched the show. Mostly he listened. Had he been a caveman, he would have believed the sky was falling, that the stars would all eventually hit the earth.
If anything, the rate of incoming reports of Jewish people turning to the Messiah increased dramatically over the next half hour. Chang beckoned Naomi to his side and sat with his arm around her waist as she stood. They couldn't decide what was more entertaining—the myriad camera feeds from all over the dark world, or the racing meter giving evidence of the fulfilling of the prophecy that a third of the Jewish remnant would come to believe in Jesus as their Messiah by the time of the end.
Chang could only think back to the horrific scenes he had monitored when Carpathia was at the height of his murderous fury against the Jews. He had had them rounded up, put in death camps, starved, tortured, beaten, humiliated with psychological warfare—you name it. That any survived was a miracle. That many became believers was something else.
"This is sure different from the last time Jesus came, " Naomi said. "Besides that we weren't ready, it happened in the twinkling of an eye. Apparently God's going to play this one out for all it's worth. "
Mac had the strangest sensation. He had been trained to fly by instruments, of course, but still he found it disconcerting to see nothing above. And the only light on the ground was man-produced. Gradually he picked up boat lights, lights on other planes, headlights of cars and trucks and military vehicles. He heard the scream of falling meteorites over the usually deafening thwock-thwock-thwock of the blades and even heard the explosions when they blasted the earth. That was new. Mac had never been able to hear anything inside the chopper cockpit, especially with his earphones on.
Now, even above the cacophony of GC aviators demanding to know what was going on, the earth resounded with the wrath of God, with the literal falling of the heavens. A meteor at least ten feet in diameter fell within a hundred feet of Mac's helicopter. His lights picked it up, and he followed it until it hit a building, sending a shower of fire and sparks into the air. He had no idea what the building might have been, but it gave him pause. Was he protected from these free-falling monsters of stone or metal? Even a small one would demolish a chopper, and now they began to fall all around him. People on the ground, particularly Unity Army troops, had to be terrified. Mac wondered how many wished they could change their marks of loyalty now.
He was fairly certain he would be protected, as believers had been since the judgments began seven years before. But fairly certain wasn't enough for him to follow through with his plan. Mac made for Petra, knowing that airspace was secure. He could have been killed there many times over, but he had been miraculously spared every time.
Rayford was having the time of his life. The news about Buck had set him back, of course, and despite what he knew about the future, it gave him that ache in the pit of his stomach, as had his loss of Chloe. But to lie in his bed watching the heavens shake as they had been prophesied to do thousands of years before...
And to have his old friend, Chaim Rosenzweig, the one God had chosen to be a modern-day Moses, standing there quoting those prophecies from memory, well, it almost made him forget his grief and his wounds.
"'I saw another angel coming down from heaven, '" Chaim said, " 'having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury. "'
"That is what has Carpathia so enraged today, Ray-ford. It was one thing to lose his beloved city and to see the rest of the kings of the earth and the merchant moguls weeping crocodile tears over her. But to have it rubbed in like this, to have an angel pronounce it, to know that it was the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy by his archenemy... no wonder he is on the rampage now. He has a plan, a scheme he thinks is foolproof, even though he is no fool and has read the Book. But he will fail, and we will witness it. "
"I so wish I could be out there right now," Rayford said. "Why did this have to happen today, of all days?"
He could not see Chaim, but he heard the smile in his voice. "The leader of the Tribulation Force is not going to start questioning God now, is he? You of all people. You have been delivered by His hand as many times as I have. You walked through the fire just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when the GC launched their bombs on Petra, and you are going to whine about having to play inside on a rainy day?"
Rayford had to laugh.
"Listen to this from the prophet Joel, " Chaim said. "I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. '"
"I saw that, " Rayford said. "When the moon was turned to blood. That was not long before I lost Amanda. "
"I know," Chaim said after a pause. "We have all lost so much. And yet so much will be restored. Here is the best part, also from Joel: 'And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls.
" 'For behold, in those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations. '"
All Rayford could do was grunt. Sometimes Scripture had that effect on him. There was nothing more to say. At least not by him.
"We are those captives," Chaim said. "My brothers and sisters, the children of Israel. "
"Makes me wish I were," Rayford said. "Oh, you are, of course, by adoption. Gentile believers are His adopted sons and daughters."
"But you all are His chosen people." "Not that we have proved worthy. Maybe that is why we are always referred to as the children of Israel."
"What's that reference to the Valley of Jehoshaphat?"
"Oh, that is where the judgment will take place, in a valley created by the splitting of the Mount of Olives when He sets foot on it. Jesus Himself will judge all men, and prophecy states it will be right there. The Bible says more about Him than that He is just the returning King and victorious Warrior. It also calls Him the Judge. The Gospel of Mark says, 'Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. ' And Revelation says, 'Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. '"
Sebastian stood next to his Hummer with Otto and Razor, straining his eyes to see what he could see. Meteors were raining upon the enemy, and the sounds of panicking soldiers and horses washed over him. Was it possible the hundreds of thousands of steeds would stampede, and what would that do to the plans the Unity Army had for Petra?
Vehicles were smashed, exploding into flames and offering the only light to give him a clue how far back the front lines had been driven. It seemed they were still virtually atop him, but Sebastian needed to know.
EIGHT
"Do WE KNOW the timing?" Rayford said. "I know we know what comes next, but do we know when?"
"We never have," Chaim said. "I was one who thought the Glorious Appearing would be exactly seven years from the signing of the covenant between Antichrist and Israel, but clearly we were wrong about that. We know that following the phenomena in the sky comes the sign of His coming, but nothing tells us whether that will be immediate. God has His own timetable. "
"A thousand years is as a day, and all that," R
ayford said.
"And vice versa."
The booming of the meteorites shook Rayford's little shelter, and as they increased in frequency, his bed moved. He felt every injury. The anesthetic in his temple had long since worn off, and the pain pierced and throbbed. His chin bothered him too, though he had considered that the least of his wounds. Every nick and scrape and gash was sensitive, and the aching ankle, which had caused his foot to swell, made his muscles tense. He felt it in both legs, all the way to his hip.
Rayford spread his pillow flat and laid his head back, stretching. He had no idea what was keeping him awake. On the other hand, of course he did.
Mac overflew Buseirah, where he saw little but scattered lights on the ground, and was soon at the edge of Petra. He checked in with Chang to let him know he would be putting down. The last thing he wanted was to be mistaken for enemy aircraft and be fired upon by Big Dog One and his own people. Would God protect him even from them?
"Hey!" Mac shouted into the phone. "What's that? What's Sebastian doing?"
"Using his big torches to light up the sky," Chang said. "He wants to know how much damage the meteorites are doing to the Unity Army."
"Looks like he's more fascinated with the clouds."
"So am I."
"I hear you, Chang. Me too. If you're in touch with Sebastian, tell him to leave those babies pointing straight up. "
Sebastian wouldn't have dreamed of doing anything else. The searchlights had the enemy looking up too. The clouds blanketed the entire sky, bubbling and roiling and joining one another to form a ceiling unlike anything anyone had ever seen. Far in the distance Sebastian heard the low rumble of long, echoing explosions and finally deduced it was thunder. Did that mean lightning was striking somewhere? Or was it just streaking through the heavens among the clouds?
"Cut the lights a minute," he radioed, eliminating the possibility that they would cost him a view of the lightning. Sure enough, above the clouds—and who knew how thick they were?—tiny pulsating bursts of light seemed to try to peek through. Suddenly the artificial light lost its allure. If a storm was coming his way, Sebastian wanted to see it in all its natural glory.
Mac landed and hurried to Rayford's quarters, surprised to find them dark as midnight. He considered refueling and heading out again. Regardless of Rayford's view, if he was here after all, nothing would compare with watching from overhead when the Antichrist got his due. He knocked lightly. "Anybody in here?" "Mac!" he heard. It was Rayford, but Chaim greeted him when the door opened.
After embraces all around in the dark and a quick retelling of both men's day, Rayford told Mac there was another chair in the other room. Feeling about, Mac noisily banged his way back with it and sat himself in front of the window. "Nice show," he said. "But you ought to see it from a chopper. "
"You're breaking my heart," Rayford said.
"Sorry."
"No, I want every detail. You going back out?"
"Thinkin' about it, pardner. Seems risky."
"I'd think you'd be throwing caution to the wind at this point."
"I want to be alive when it happens, Ray. That's all. "
"I'll bet old Chaim here would even be tempted to go with you, once the sign appears in the sky. "
"Oh no, gentlemen, " Chaim said, chuckling. "My place is here. I want the entire remnant out in the high places, watching for the return. We must all be in place, singing, praying, ready to worship Him in spirit and in truth, and best of all, in person. "
"I've at least got to be there," Rayford said. "Mac, can you make sure of it?"
"Unless you talk me into getting back in the air, sure." All three men jumped when lightning shot from straight overhead to the ground, followed by an immediate resounding roar. The strike had to be less than half a mile away. It shook the dwelling and echoed for half a minute among the surrounding mountains and hills.
"Here we go, " Chaim said. "Keep your eyes on the heavens. "
"Don't need to tell me that," Mac said.
"Supposed to rain?" Sebastian said. "Looks like it might, but I didn't count on that. "
"Don't think so," Otto said. "I don't recall hearing that in any of the teaching, but that may say more about my attention span than the prophecies. "
"I don't want my guys out here in a downpour," Sebastian said. "'Specially if we have a choice. "
"What's the choice?"
"Got me there. We don't have nearly enough vehicles, and no one wants to be back in Petra when everything goes down. "
"Speak for yourself, Big Dog," Otto said. "I'm into creature comforts. I mean, I want to see what there is to see. But I have nothing against a poncho and an umbrella. "
Sebastian threw his head back and guffawed. "'Here am I, Lord, '" he mocked in a bad German accent." 'Put galoshes on me!'"
That made even Razor laugh, but he quickly recovered. "Begging your pardons, sirs," he said. And soon all three were howling.
After leaving Rayford's quarters, Abdullah had taken a small jet with a large Plexiglas hood over the cockpit, giving him a panoramic view. He flew over the masses assembled near Petra, then rocketed north, all the way to Jerusalem, nearly overcome by the expanse of the Unity Army. He knew. He'd heard. He'd been taught. But to see it for himself made it hard to breathe.
How far he'd come in just a few years! He'd made it a practice not to show his emotions in public. It was his culture, the way he was raised. Oh, he had been amused, mostly by Mac, and he had been prodded to anger—also by Mac. But to ride above the elements that made up the final chapter of history and realize how easy it would have been to miss it all, Abdullah couldn't stem the tears.
He had been raised in another religion altogether, and to convert to Christ was to turn his back on his family and, it seemed, his country. Yet the truth had pressed in upon him. His decision for Jesus was a towering leap of faith, yet from the beginning the Tightness of it, the truth with a capital I, had become clear. He had always been a student, after all.
Abdullah had been amused that his friends, particularly the Americans, seemed to think him intellectually limited because of his broken English. Something about his speech patterns, with his Jordanian accent, rendered his sound childlike to Americans. He could tell in how they looked at him, how they responded to him. Sometimes, he admitted, he played to it. One could garner more information by sounding young and innocent.
He was anything but, however. Abdullah had been put through the rigors of military training to where he was certified to fly jets of almost any type. Did his friends really think all Jordanians were so childlike and stupid that they would entrust a young man of limited mental capabilities to pilot fighter-bombers worth tens of millions of dinars? It was laughable. He had been a celebrated pilot, eventually a trainer himself.
Abdullah wondered what Rayford and the others thought of his serious study of prophecy under Tsion Ben-Judah and Chaim Rosenzweig. Unlike the others, he was mostly quiet and didn't ask many questions. But he put to use the same gray matter that allowed him to understand the myriad technical specifications of sophisticated modern aircraft and had made him an accomplished pilot.
Perhaps because they were humble Middle Easterners themselves, neither Ben-Judah nor Rosenzweig acted surprised at Abdullah's intellectual proclivities, evidenced in private e-mails and conversations. And while the teaching could be heavily theological and deep, the most persuasive parts of all were the almost daily fulfillments of prophecy.
Abdullah had no doubt that the ancient Scriptures were authentic, penned thousands of years before the birth of Christ. Hundreds and hundreds of prophecies had been fulfilled, many before his eyes. In spite of his grief over the loss of his family, in the midst of constant fear of being discovered without the mark of Carpathia, and yes, even with his private offense over his friends' clearly assuming he was not as bright as they, Abdullah's fledgling faith had grown more solid every day.
He knew Mac and Rayford and Buck and the rest really loved him. Per
haps he could educate them in the next chapter of this unfolding of history and then they would see that, while they no doubt did not even realize they were doing it, there was no reason to condescend to him.
The lightning had increased, and Abdullah loved it. It cast eerie, intermittent bursts of light upon the restless troops below. And it lit up the clouds, which he otherwise could not see due to the absence of moon and starlight. Oh, what a glorious, frightening scene!
Abdullah prayed, thanking God for how far he had come, for allowing such an unlikely prospect into His kingdom, for protecting him even now from the killing power of the enemy.
Over Jerusalem Abdullah noticed tiny campfires dotting the city, many at the Temple Mount. The lightning revealed Unity troops surrounding that area, which he now knew was the last stronghold of the stubborn resistance. He had to chuckle. If only they could see their plight from his vantage point. It was as if a parakeet believed he had commandeered his own cage. Still, he admired them. He was on their side. They were God's chosen people, and in the end, Jesus Christ would give them the victory.
Oh, Jerusalem was to fall, Abdullah knew. But because every one of the other prophecies he had ever studied had literally come true as it was spelled out, he also had zero doubt that Jesus would make things right again. With a full fuel tank and a lightning show to illumine the playing field, he felt he was in the prime spot for the greatest show on earth.
With a steep left bank and a flyover of the millions of troops in the great Valley of Megiddo, Abdullah turned his screaming craft back to the south. Next on the agenda was Carpathia's showing up in Edom to lead a third of his forces against Petra. Unity Army searchlights from the ground crisscrossed the sky and occasionally locked onto Abdullah's craft. But he was fearless. "Launch your surface-to-air missiles," he whispered. "They will bounce off this plane like shuttlecocks. "
