Hunted

by Jerry B. Jenkins

  Chaim stepped forward. “Please! You must not do this! Do you not know you are being deceived? You know of this only through the evil ruler of this world and his False Prophet. Stay here in safety. Put your trust in the Lord!”

  Another man yelled something Sam couldn’t hear. Then Tsion and Chaim continued pleading with the people. Chaim went so far as to say that these people were being used by the evil one to create chaos in the camp.

  Lev’s father raised a fist and pushed forward. “You take too much upon you. Why do you put yourselves above the congregation?”

  Sam rushed into the crowd, keeping his eyes on Lev, who was with his mother in the middle of the throng. As he hurried forward, Tsion spoke. “The Lord knows who are his and who is holy. For what cause do you and all those gathered here speak against the Lord? And why would you murmur against Chaim?”

  The shouting continued, and Sam reached Lev and caught his arm. “You have to come with me. You and your whole family.”

  “I can’t leave now,” Lev said. “Listen, my father is speaking.”

  “We will not stand with you,” Lev’s father said. “Is it a small thing that you have taken us from our motherland, our homes where we had plenty, and brought us to this rocky place where all we have to eat is bread and water, and you set yourself up as a prince over us?”

  Sam couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It was just like the children of Israel in the Old Testament, crying out to Moses in the wilderness. Sam sensed something terrible was about to happen, but he couldn’t leave his friend. He pleaded with Lev and Mrs. Taubman. “Come with me to the rocky place where you can see better.”

  Lev and his mother hesitated, then followed.

  Sam glanced at Tsion Ben-Judah. The words of Lev’s father and the others seemed to wound the man so much that he cried out to God. “Lord, forgive them, for they know not what they do. I have neither set myself over them nor demanded anything from them except respect for you.”

  Sam pulled Lev and his mother onto a ledge just as Tsion looked over the crowd and said, “God is telling Chaim and me to separate ourselves from you to save ourselves from his wrath.”

  People shouted at Tsion and Chaim. Many fell on their faces and cried out. Some stood and shook their fists. Sam couldn’t hear their words, but he had a sick feeling.

  Lev yelled for his father. The man glanced at the boy, shook his head, and glared. His sister screamed angrily at Tsion. Lev took a step toward his father, but Sam stopped him.

  Tsion quieted the crowd and spoke gravely. “Unless you agree with these, it would do well for you to depart from the presence of these wicked men, lest you be consumed in all their sins. From this point on, let it be known that the Lord has sent me to do all these works; I do not do them in my own interest. If these men do what is in their minds to do and God visits a plague of death on them, then all shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord.”

  When Tsion finished, the rocks trembled. Lev and his mother fell back, and Sam grabbed them as a great hole opened under hundreds of people. The angry men and women were swallowed immediately, falling into a deep cavern. Lev’s father and sister screamed and plunged down, their arms waving as they fell. The wails echoed from the enormous hole, and just as suddenly as the earth had opened, it closed, and the people inside disappeared.

  Thousands scattered, screaming as they ran. Lev shook with fear and his mother yelled, “Get out, before we’re killed too!”

  Before Sam could stop them, the two had crawled over another ledge and ran for their home. Tsion and Chaim prayed together at the front.

  Sam looked back again and watched Lev keep his mother from falling. “Please, God, I pray you won’t let their hearts be hardened by this. Lev and Mrs. Taubman still have a chance to believe your truth. Help Tsion as he debates Leon Fortunato. May something he says stir their hearts. And help me to reach out before it is too late.”

  27

  SAM climbed over the ledge as thousands scattered from the area. The image of people plunging to their deaths stuck with him. He heard Lev’s mother weeping when he approached their small home, so he sat outside the door and prayed for them.

  A half hour later, the door opened and Lev stepped outside and sat next to Sam. The two were silent for some time.

  Then Lev looked at Sam with tears in his eyes. “Why would God do that to my father and sister?”

  “I’m so sorry for your loss,” Sam said, his chin quivering.

  “I was just thinking about the miracle workers,” Lev said. “If my father’s and sister’s bodies were here, we could take them to the miracle workers and they could be raised. I’ve seen that happen on the reports.”

  Sam shook his head. “Those people cannot offer you or anyone else real life. They are fakes. They want you to worship Nicolae.”

  “I don’t care. I want my father back.”

  Sam closed his eyes and thought of his own father. “I know what it’s like to lose a dad. It’s painful, but your father’s choice doesn’t have to be yours. Do not harden your heart toward the one who loves you.”

  “How can God love me if he takes away my father?”

  “Your father spoke out against God’s leaders. God is cutting out those who don’t believe. You must follow him before it is too late.”

  Lev shook his head. “I have to help my mother. She is all I have now.”

  “Please, listen to the debate. Tsion will explain things.”

  “I’ll try to listen,” Lev said.

  After Lev had gone back inside, Sam lingered a few moments, praying for him. He ran to find Mr. Stein but was stopped short by the voice of Tsion Ben-Judah. Sam climbed back over a ridge and saw Tsion in front of a crowd. A camera stood before him.

  “I would ask that all pray during the broadcast that the Lord give me his wisdom and his words. And as for you who still plan to venture away from this safe place, let me plead with you one more time not to do it, not to make yourself vulnerable to the evil one. Let the Global Community and their Antichrist and his False Prophet make ridiculous claims about fake miracle workers. Do not fall into their trap.

  “Messiah himself warned his disciples of this very thing. He told them, ‘Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he who endures to the end, he shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations.’ ”

  Sam glanced at the huge screen above the stage. Was Tsion being carried over GCNN live?

  “ ‘If any man says to you, “Lo, here is Christ,” believe it not,’ ” Tsion continued. “ ‘For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and they shall show great signs and wonders—so much so that if it were possible, they would deceive even you. If they say to you, “Behold, he is in the desert,” do not go. “Behold, he is in the secret chambers,” believe it not.’ ”

  Judd and the others in the Ohio hideout huddled together to stay warm and kept the television sound low. One of the leaders led in prayer that God would give Tsion success and boldness.

  Something was wrong at the Global Community News Network. Tsion was already on the air and warning people not to follow the false Christs. A woman from New Babylon appeared on-screen and asked Dr. Ben-Judah to stand by to speak with the Most High Reverend Father Fortunato.

  “Thank you, ma’am, but rather than stand by, as you flip your switches and do whatever it is you have to do to make this work, let me begin by saying that I do not recognize Mr. Fortunato as most high anything, let alone reverend or father.”

  The screen split and Leon Fortunato appeared in one of his colorful outfits. A few people in the hideout snickered, and Judd closed his eyes. He would give anything to be back with his friends in Wisconsin, listening to their comments about Leon’s clothes.

  “Greetings, Dr. Ben-Judah, my esteemed opponent. I heard some of that and may I say I regret that you have characteristically chose
n to begin what has been intended as a cordial debate with a vicious character attack. I shall not lower myself to this and wish only to pass along my welcome and best wishes.”

  Tsion didn’t say anything, and Judd wondered if he could hear. Finally, the rabbi said, “Is it my turn, then? Shall I open by stating the case for Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living—”

  The woman broke into the conversation and tried to avoid the conflict. After a few moments of banter, Leon Fortunato began. Judd thought the man looked more composed, even gentle, as he started his remarks. “My premise is simple. I proclaim Nicolae Carpathia, risen from the dead, as the one true god, worthy of worship, and the savior of mankind. He is the one who surfaced at the time of the greatest calamity in the history of the world and has pulled together the global community in peace and harmony and love. You claim Jesus of Nazareth as both the Son of God and one with God, which makes no sense and cannot be proven. This leaves you and your followers worshiping a man who was no doubt very spiritual, very bright, perhaps enlightened, but who is now dead. If he were alive and as all-powerful as you say, I challenge him to strike me dead where I sit.”

  “I don’t believe this,” Lionel whispered. “I wish God would strike him right now.”

  But nothing happened. Leon smiled, cocked his head, and said, “Hail Carpathia, our lord and risen king.”

  Tsion Ben-Judah jumped into the debate. “I trust you will spare us the rest of the hymn written by and about the egomaniac who murders those who disagree with him. I raise up Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, fully God and fully man, born of a virgin, the perfect lamb who was worthy to be slain for the sins of the whole world. If he is but a man, his sacrificial death was only human and we who believe in him would be lost.

  “But Scripture proves him to be all that he claimed to be. His birth was foretold hundreds, yea, thousands of years before it was fulfilled in every minute detail. He himself fulfills at least 109 separate and distinct prophecies that prove he is the Messiah.”

  Judd’s heart welled up, and tears stung his eyes. Tsion’s message was as rapid-fire as a machine gun, and Judd was thrilled that people around the world could hear it.

  “The uniqueness and genius of Christianity,” Tsion continued, “is that the Virgin Birth allowed for the only begotten Son of God to identify with human beings without surrendering his godly, holy nature. Thus he could die for the sins of the whole world. His Father’s resurrecting him from the dead three days later proves that God was satisfied with his sacrifice for our sins.

  “Not only that, but I have discovered, in my exhaustive study of the Scriptures, more than 170 prophecies by Jesus himself in the four Gospels alone. Many have already been literally fulfilled, guaranteeing that those that relate to still future events will also be literally fulfilled. Only God himself could write history in advance—incredible evidence of the deity of Jesus Christ and the supernatural nature of God.”

  Leon stared into the camera. Judd wondered if Nicolae himself was watching this spectacle, and if so, how red Carpathia’s face must be.

  “But we know our king and potentate arose from the dead,” Fortunato said, “because we saw it with our own eyes. If there is one anywhere on this earth who saw Jesus resurrected, let him speak now or forever hold his peace. Where is he? Where is this Son of God, this man of miracles, this king, this Savior of mankind? If your Jesus is who you say he is, why are you hiding in the desert and living on bread and water?

  “The god of this world lives in a palace and provides good gifts to all those who worship him.”

  “Mr. Fortunato,” Tsion calmly said, “would you tell the viewers how many people have died by the guillotine because of your loving god? Would you admit that Global Community troops and equipment were swallowed by the earth near Petra, and that two bombs and a deadly missile struck here, yet no one has been injured and no structure jeopardized? Will you not also admit that Global Community Security and Intelligence Peacekeeping forces have spent millions of Nicks on attacking all traffic in and out of this place, and not one plane, flier, or volunteer has been scratched?”

  Leon ignored Tsion’s questions and praised Carpathia for his worldwide rebuilding effort. “Those who die by the blade choose this for themselves. Nicolae is not willing that any should perish but that all should be loyal and committed to him.”

  “But, sir, the population has been cut to half what it once was, the seas are dead from the curse of blood— prophesied in the Bible and sent by God. Yet the believers—his children, at least the ones who have survived the murderous persecution of the man you would enthrone as god—are provided water and food from heaven, not just here, but in many areas around the world.”

  Leon praised Nicolae as a man of peace and accused Ben-Judah followers of being the problem. At one point he criticized Tsion as one of the “disloyal Jews.”

  “Mr. Fortunato, I wear the title as a badge of honor. I am humbled beyond measure to be one of God’s chosen people. Indeed, the entire Bible is testament to his plan for us for the ages, and it is being played out for the whole world to see even as we speak.”

  Fortunato smiled. “But are you not the ones who killed Jesus?”

  “On the contrary,” Tsion said. “Jesus himself was a Jew, as you well know. And the fact is that the actual killing of Christ was at the hands of Gentiles. He stood before a Gentile judge, and Gentile soldiers put him on the cross.

  “Oh, there was an offense against him on the part of Israel that the nation and her people must bear. In the Old Testament book of Zechariah, chapter 12, verse 10 prophesies that God will ‘pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications; and they shall look unto me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him.’

  “Israel must confess a specific national sin against the Messiah before we will be blessed. In Hosea 5:15, God says he will ‘go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offense, and seek my face; in their affliction they will seek me earnestly.’

  “The offense? Rejecting the messiahship of Jesus. We repent of that by pleading for his return. He will come yet again and set up his earthly kingdom, and not only I but also the Word of God itself predicts the doom of the evil ruler of this world when that kingdom is established.”

  “Well,” Leon said, “thank you for that fascinating history lesson. But I rejoice that my lord and king is alive and well, and I see him and speak with him every day. Thank you for being a quick and worthy opponent.”

  Judd shook his head. “Fortunato never answered any of Tsion’s arguments.”

  “What did you expect?” Lionel said.

  Sam was mesmerized by the interaction between Tsion and Fortunato. Hundreds of thousands of supporters gathered, many with heads bowed in prayer.

  Leon looked into the camera and tilted his head, as if he were talking to the crowd. “I would like to greet the many citizens of the Global Community who reside with you temporarily,” he said, “and invite them to enjoy the benefits and privileges of the outside world. I trust many will join one of our prophets and teachers and workers of miracles when he ministers in your area less than an hour from now. He will—”

  Tsion interrupted, “The Scriptures tell us that many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. Such a one is a deceiver and an antichrist.”

  “If you’ll allow me to finish, sir—”

  “Whoever abides not in the doctrine of Christ, has not God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ, he has both the Father and the Son. If any come to you and bring not this doctrine, do not receive him into your house, neither bid him Godspeed, for he who bids Godspeed partakes of his evil deeds.”

  “All right then, you’ve worked in all your tiresome Bible verses. I shall be content to merely thank you and—”

  “For as long as you have me on international television, Mr. Fortunato, I feel obligated to preach the gospel of Ch
rist and to speak forth the words of Scripture. The Bible says the Word shall not return void, and so I would like to quote—”

  The screen went blank as the Global Community finally cut Tsion off. A cheer rose from the crowd for Tsion, and Sam noticed Lev Taubman a few feet behind him.

  “How long have you been here?” Sam said.

  “I saw most of it.”

  Lev looked tired or scared. Sam couldn’t tell which. Suddenly, a group of people shaking their fists at Tsion moved toward the Siq to go outside Petra. Others screamed warnings, but the people wouldn’t listen.

  “Are you leaving with them?” Sam said to Lev.

  Before Lev could respond, Tsion cried out over the noise, “ ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.’ ”

  Sam watched the people walk toward the desert. He had heard the GC had constructed a stage almost two miles from the entrance to Petra.

  Lev turned. “The Global Community is offering forgiveness for not taking the mark, even though the deadline is long passed. It’s tempting.”

  “And what do you think?”

  Lev ran a hand through his hair. “I need to stay with my mother.”

  Sam took the boy by his shoulders. “Lev, I have been praying for you nonstop. God wants you to come to him. He wants you to choose life.”

  “I am thankful that you care, and after what happened to my father and sister, believe me, I have more questions, but—”

  “Let me help you answer them. What is keeping you from believing in Jesus as your Messiah?”

  Lev shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m confused. What Dr. Ben-Judah said makes sense… .” He licked his lips. “Let’s go up to the high place. I have a pair of strong binoculars. If this is a trick by the GC, I will do as you say.”

  “Don’t put the decision off,” Sam said, but Lev was gone, running toward his house for the binoculars.