by Mark Goodwin
Lacy looked out the window. “But you bought a lot. I thought Jesus was coming to get us soon.”
Noah smiled. “He might be, but we have to prepare in case he doesn’t come back for a long time. Remember, I told you the Bible verse that says no one knows the day nor the hour. It’s in Matthew twenty-four.”
“Oh, yeah. What about Buster? Will he be in heaven?”
Noah glanced at Cassie. “I think he will be. Isaiah sixty-five talks about the new heaven and the new earth and all the animals getting along together there. God made the animals to live forever in the Garden of Eden. It was because of the sin of our species that death was brought to the earth; the animals didn’t do anything wrong. Seems to me that animals will get their chance to live forever once the old order of things is done away with. Romans eight says the creation will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into glorious freedom. Buster was part of God’s creation. When he’s brought into that glorious freedom, I think he’ll be more alive than you can imagine.”
Lacy said, “I hope Jesus comes back soon. I sure do miss Buster.”
Cassie wiped a tear from her eye and turned around to touch her daughter’s hand. “We miss him too, Lacy. He was a good dog.”
They soon arrived at Faith Church, parked, and got out. Noah waved to Elliot Rodgers, who was across the parking lot with his wife, Caroline.
Elliot and Caroline met up with the Parkers near the front door.
Noah extended his hand to Elliot. “You folks know about the big announcement today?”
Elliot shook Noah’s hand. “No, what announcement?”
Cassie said, “I’m taking Lacy to children’s church. I’ll meet you all inside.”
Noah gave her a nod to acknowledge that he’d heard her, then filled Elliot and Caroline in on the pending lawsuits.
Elliot looked at the pavement as he shook his head. “That’s terrible.”
Caroline asked, “Where will you go to church if Faith Church closes down?”
Noah told them about the Thursday night Bible study and the proposal to hold Sunday services at the Rays’ house. “You’d be welcome to attend either or both. We’d be glad to have you.”
Elliot scratched the back of his head. “Thanks for the offer. We’ll talk it over, but we’d probably like to attend both.”
Caroline nodded her approval. “We just started going back to church. It has certainly brought a lot of stability to our lives. And it’s nice to be around other likeminded folks. I was so happy to find Faith Church. I never would have anticipated that anything like this lawsuit could happen to a church in America.”
Noah held the door for the Rodgers and followed them in. “Starkey gave up coming?”
Elliot laughed. “Yeah, but as soon as he hears the church is being shut down, he’ll want to go. Even though it’s through the civil courts, he’ll see attending as an act against an oppressive state. Better save him a seat at that Bible study.”
Noah chuckled and patted Elliot on the back. “We’ll make room for Starkey.”
Cassie joined Noah and the Rodgers just before the first worship song. After four more songs, Pastor Mike Barnes walked up to the pulpit and said a prayer. Noah looked up after the prayer. The distress and disappointment was written all over Pastor Mike’s face.
The pastor held up a piece of paper. “Church, this is our 501c3 exemption. I’ve not been very outspoken politically over the years. Every time I said something political, I fretted over this precious little piece of paper. I don’t think I let it stop me from telling you the truth; although, I look back now and wonder how many times I reworded things or pulled punches because of it. Today, our federal tax exemption is still intact, but it matters little now.
“The majority of the pastors in this country have either cowered behind their tax exempt status and said nothing politically, or they have fought to force the government to define marriage in accordance with God’s Word. Since we’ve allowed our republic to be degraded into a democracy, the minority is forced to bend to the whims of the majority. Rather than defending the republic, we’ve complacently accepted the democracy so long as we enjoyed the position of the majority. However, we no longer hold a fifty-one percent interest, and this democracy has turned on us.
“God alone created the union of marriage, and He alone can define it. We had no need, whatsoever, to seek the government’s approval to confirm what the Almighty has said, nor did we grant them authority to change it. Getting a marriage license from the government makes as much sense as getting a praying license or a Bible-reading license. This is God’s business and not the business of the state.
“Don’t get me wrong; the Bible is very clear in first Corinthians chapter six that homosexuality is a sin. But if we want the government to legislate morality, they’ll have to write laws against the rest of the sins in that chapter, which include greed, sexual immorality, drunkenness, and adultery. Remember that Jesus defined adultery as looking at a woman lustfully. If there were a law against that, I wonder how many men in this congregation might be doing time.
“Now that our country has made an idol out of the legislature and put them in the place of God, the final days of Faith Church may soon be upon us.”
Pastor Mike went on to explain the pending lawsuits and the likely outcome. He laid out in detail the possible scenarios and timelines.
“Until the day comes and we have to declare bankruptcy, I’ll be here faithfully declaring the Word of God, just as it’s written. And you’ll be welcome to come. In the interest of good stewardship, we will not be accepting donations from this point forward, as they will most likely end up in the devil’s coffers. However, I don’t want to rob you of God’s blessings for tithing faithfully, so I do encourage you to find a worthy organization to continue giving to.
“Anyone who has not yet joined a small group Bible study should do so. For many of you, the small group will likely be your new church. As long as it’s informal and not registered, it doesn’t fall under the power of the civil courts to be persecuted in the manner that Faith Church has been.”
Pastor Mike began a closing prayer. Suddenly, his voice cracked, and he broke down sobbing. He left the pulpit, unable to finish the prayer.
Isaiah Brown walked up to the pulpit and prayed for the church, the individual Bible studies, and Pastor Mike and his family. “Folks, if you’re a small group leader, please line up on the back wall so anyone who isn’t connected yet can find a home Bible study to join. I’ll be back there myself. If any of us get too crowded, we’ll split up and form new groups.”
Noah squeezed his wife’s hand as she cried softly. “We’re still a church. The Church is the Body of Christ. It’s not this building.”
Cassie wiped her eyes with a tissue. “I know, but it won’t be the same. I’ll miss this little country church.”
Noah kissed her on the head. “Me too.”
Cassie went to retrieve Lacy, and Noah headed to the back of the church to see if he could do anything to help Isaiah.
David Ray caught him by the doors. “I was looking for Henry Whitaker when Pastor Mike mentioned the home groups acting as individual churches. I was worried that he might make an issue out of it with code enforcement. I’m sure there’s a limit to how many people you can have in your house at a time. Did you see him?”
Noah scanned the church. “I didn’t see him. Somehow, I don’t think that’s what Benny was talking about when he said he didn’t trust Henry. If he’s really some type of informant, like Benny said, I doubt he’d blow his cover for a code violation.”
David looked around. “You’re probably right. Did you get all the food you ordered from the Kettle put away?”
Noah snickered. “Heck, no. Did you?”
David shook his head. “No, I need to build out some shelves so I can get it organized. Right now, it’s all over the kitchen floor. We can barely walk through the room.”
Noah patted David on the back. “I think that�
��s called a first world problem.”
David smiled. “I guess we’re blessed to have such a problem.”
Noah winked. “I think we are.”
The Rodgers walked up, and Noah made introductions. “Isaiah, I think you remember Elliot from the protest at the courthouse. This is his wife, Caroline. They’ll be joining our small group.”
Isaiah shook Elliot’s hand. “Good to see you again. Caroline, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m looking forward to getting to know you both at Bible study.”
Caroline smiled. “I’m looking forward to it as well. I’m sorry the circumstances are so unpleasant.”
Isaiah shrugged. “We’ve been headed in this direction for some time. It’s been a long, slow process. Like frogs in a pot of boiling water, we’ve acclimated to the tyranny over time. Now that people are truly upset, there’s very little that we can do.”
Just then Becky arrived with Lynette, and Noah introduced the Rays to the Rodgers as well.
Becky and Caroline hit it off immediately, starting a conversation as if they’d known each other their whole lives.
David asked Elliot, “Will you be at Isaiah’s Thursday?”
Elliot nodded. “Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.”
Noah looked at Isaiah. “I’m not sure I agree with what Pastor Mike said about marriage. Don’t you need a formal marriage license for tax benefits and things of that nature?”
Isaiah chuckled. “Not if you don’t have an income tax. This country got along just fine without the IRS up until 1913. Now that we have them, government revenue is well over three trillion dollars annually. And Washington can’t perform any of its constitutional duties. They’re tasked with defending the borders and keeping us from stealing from and killing one another. But the borders are wide open, which I suspect is part of an agenda. And the most dangerous place for an American citizen is in its mother’s womb. One in four pregnancies ends in abortion, so they’re not stopping us from killing; in fact, it is a state-sanctioned, taxpayer-funded act in many cases. And the thieves in Wall Street are protected rather than prosecuted by Washington.”
David furrowed his brow. “I never figured you for the Occupy-Wall-Street type.”
Isaiah stroked his beard. “David, I’m as capitalistic as they come. But what’s going on between the banks and the government has nothing to do with capitalism. The 2008 housing market crash saw Goldman Sachs sell subprime CDOs that they knew to be garbage as triple-A-rated debt instruments. At the same time, Goldman took out massive short positions against those same CDOs. Tons of emails surfaced proving the knowledge of the fraud by Goldman traders, yet no one ever went to jail.”
David appeared to accept Isaiah’s explanation. “Back to the marriage thing—what about adoption? Don’t we need the government to officially recognize marriage as between a man and a woman, so only they can adopt?”
Isaiah smiled. “And how is that working out for us? What business does the government have in adoption? Why isn’t the Church handling that? Because the Church sat idly by while the government relieved them of that and all other duties related to welfare. I believe adoption falls under welfare, which should be the responsibility of the Church.”
Noah rubbed his forehead. “I feel like I’ve spent a huge part of my life believing the wrong things.”
Isaiah patted him on the back. “Well, it’s what you were taught. You can’t do much about the past, but you can try to educate others going forward.”
David sighed. “It seems that it might be too late.”
Isaiah took David by both shoulders and stared into his eyes. “It’s never too late, David. As long as God puts breath in your lungs, it’s never too late. We’ve lived in the freest country in all of history. We’ve been derelict in preserving it, and now most of those freedoms are perishing. But the early Church was persecuted, and they thrived.
“In the beginning of the Book of Revelation, Jesus hands out report cards. The only church to get straight As was the church of Smyrna, the persecuted church. We’re going to stand and grow and persevere so as to receive the crown of life.”
The onslaught of this financial persecution might indeed succeed in closing the doors of Faith Church, but it was also serving to strengthen the resolve of Noah’s group.
CHAPTER 6
A lion has come out of his lair; a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his place to lay waste your land. Your towns will lie in ruins without inhabitant. So put on sackcloth, lament and wail, for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away from us. “In that day,” declares the LORD, “the king and the officials will lose heart, the priests will be horrified, and the prophets will be appalled.”
Jeremiah 4:7-9
Noah reluctantly awoke to Cassie’s gentle nudges Monday morning. He’d stayed up late the night before researching conditions in the former BRICS countries, which had descended into economic and political chaos since the failure of their trade settlement bank. “What time is it?”
Cassie took a hold of his hand as he stretched. “Nine-forty-five. You need to get up. There’s been a string of terrorist attacks all across the country. You need to see the news.”
Noah generally spent some time praying before getting out of bed, but today’s prayer would be much abbreviated. Silently, Noah prayed beneath his breath: Lord, give us strength and wisdom.
Noah walked into the living room where Cassie already had the television on.
Cassie brought Noah a cup of coffee and sat next to him on the couch. “I just turned it on like fifteen minutes before I woke you up. So far, the biggest attack has been the Indian Point nuclear power plant in New York. They think the terrorists dressed like maintenance workers from the power company and brought in bombs using a company van.”
Noah shook his head. “That place is supposed to be guarded by DHS.”
Cassis sipped her coffee. “DHS subcontracted the job to a private security firm.”
“What, like Blackwater?”
“No way, some mall cop operation called Eastern Security.”
“What’s the damage so far?”
“Manhattan has no power, and panic is taking hold. Everyone is worried that it will be another Fukushima even though DHS is saying it’s contained.”
Noah took his first sip of coffee. “Yeah, that’s what they said about Fukushima. You said multiple attacks?”
“Yes, the Knoxville police department was bombed along with other law enforcement and government buildings all over the country, but the news stations are focusing on the larger attacks. Several refineries in Texas and Louisiana were attacked; also, bombs went off at LAX, and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange building was bombed.”
“Nothing in DC?”
“Yeah, the White House was attacked, and a bomb went off in the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station.”
“Widespread destruction.” Noah turned the volume up on the television.
The reporter was speaking from the newsroom with aerial footage from the Indian Point Nuclear Plant showing on the screen.
“Folks, this will be the end of the live scenes from the site of the explosion in Buchanan, New York, which is located just forty miles up the Hudson River from Manhattan. The FAA is closing all US air space, and our news chopper will be returning to the station soon.
“We have a news team in Manhattan that will be reporting live in just a few minutes, but first, we’re going to squeeze in as many live aerial shots as possible from the other attack sites.
“The massive fire you’re looking at right now used to be a string of oil refineries in Port Arthur, Texas. Together, they refined over one million barrels of oil per day. The plume of black smoke you see over Port Arthur right now is a mirror image of the scene over Corpus Christi, which was also attacked this morning. The Corpus Christi explosions and resulting fires destroyed the combined refining capabilities of eight hundred thousand barrels per day. These scenes are repeated in Galveston Bay and Baytown, Texas as well
as nearby Lake Charles and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It’s estimated that nearly five million barrels per day of refining capacity have been destroyed in these attacks.
“The president has signed an emergency order allowing the US military to assist in securing the remaining refineries across America. Particular attention has been given to the Philadelphia Refinery and the Hyperion Elk Point Refinery in South Dakota, as these two refineries are among only a fistful of those still capable of refining more than a quarter million barrels per day.
“While refineries are dotted across the country, the loss of capacity is sure to send US gas prices soaring and create a major fuel shortage. Each barrel of oil created an average of forty-two gallons of fuel. Today’s attacks have effectively removed 210 million gallons of fuel per day from the supply chain. That number represents diesel fuel and gasoline combined.
“The Department of Energy has issued a statement requesting that drivers refrain from all non-essential activities. They’ve also recommended carpooling and limiting grocery trips to once a week.
“Among the companies hardest hit by the attacks are Exxon Mobil, Marathon, Valero, and Citgo, just to name a few. It’s certain that their stock prices would be suffering the same fate as the refineries, had the SEC not decided to postpone trading this morning.
“Of course, after a truck bomb exploded and caused massive structural damage to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange building early this morning, there was no way markets could have opened. It’s unlikely that trading will resume any time soon.
“If you’re just tuning in, the White House also sustained damage after a bomb was delivered via a drone aircraft. The drone was a top-of-the line drone like those sold online or at upscale hobby stores. The president was evacuated to an undisclosed bunker, and no one in the first family or on the president’s staff was injured. The only fatalities reported from the White House drone attack were those of two Secret Service agents who were on the roof of the White House when the drone detonated.
