The camera shook when the angel spoke. “I come in the name of the most high God,” he began. “Hearken unto my voice and hear my words. Ignore me at your peril. ‘Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!’
“For He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness. You who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death are bound in affliction because you rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High.
“Cry out to the Lord in your trouble, and he will save you out of your distress. He will bring you out of darkness and the shadow of death and break your chains in pieces.
“Thus says the Son of the most high God: ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.’
“But woe to you who do not heed my warning this day. Thus says the Lord: ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
“ ‘And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’ ”
“Incredible,” Vicki said, as Chang switched back to the live feed.
“I was ready to pull Chloe’s execution off the air, but this is too good,” Chang said. “God is even using this terrible event to reach people.”
Chang and Naomi excused themselves and moved farther into the bowels of the center. Judd wished he could talk with Tsion Ben-Judah, but he knew this wasn’t the time or place.
“I don’t get it,” Vicki said. “If there’s an angel there, surely he could rescue Chloe. It doesn’t seem fair.”
Sam shook his head. “Why have any of us been saved or rescued? God has helped us, but others he has allowed to go through the fire. Who can know God’s purposes?”
Judd put an arm around Vicki. “And we have to trust him, no matter what happens to Chloe or to us.”
Though the leader of the executions had tried to tell the crowd not to worry about the angel, calling it a trick, the people looked frightened.
A short while later the executions continued with the deaths of what looked like seven true believers being beheaded at once. But just as the blades were about to come down, the screen filled with such a bright light that no one could see.
“We will not be delayed by this trick of the enemy!” Jock said and counted to three. The heavy blades dropped, and the people cheered, but no one could see the actual beheadings.
For the next half hour, the schedule continued and it seemed the angel had vanished. Judd, Lionel, Vicki, and Sam joined hands and prayed for Chloe.
When the others had all been executed, Judd put an arm around Vicki. “You don’t have to watch this.”
“I know, but I feel like it’s the least I can do for her.”
Suddenly the angel appeared again and Chloe grabbed the microphone. “A famous martyr once said he regretted he had but one life to give,” Chloe began softly. “That is how I feel today. On the cross, dying for the sins of the world, my own Savior, Jesus the Christ, prayed, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’
“My personal preference? My choice? I wish I could stay with my family, my loved ones, my friends, until the glorious appearing of Jesus, who is coming yet again. But if this is my lot, I accept it. I want to express my undying love to my husband and to my son. And eternal thanks to my father, who led me to Christ.
“A famous missionary statesman, eventually martyred, once wrote, ‘He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.’ He was talking about his life on earth versus eternal life with God. In my flesh I do not look forward to a death the likes of which you have already witnessed thirty-five times here today. But to tell you the truth, in my spirit, I cannot wait. For to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. And as Jesus himself said to his Father at his own death, ‘Into Your hands I commit My spirit.’
“And now, ‘according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. … For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.’
“And to my compatriots in the cause of God around the world, I say, ‘Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
“‘Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
“ ‘Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us … and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.’ ”
Vicki wiped away a tear. Judd was holding her tightly with one arm and the other he had around Lionel’s shoulder.
“Buck and our precious little one,” Chloe continued, “know that I love you and that I will be waiting just inside the Eastern Gate.”
Chloe put the microphone down and walked to one of the guillotines. The camera followed her slowly as she knelt and laid her head under the blade. Then a glow of white light shone so bright that no one saw the blade come down and end Chloe’s life on earth.
16
THE FIRST thing Vicki wanted to do after the broadcast was see Chloe’s son, Kenny. She found him with Chang’s sister, Ming Toy. Kenny came to Vicki right away, and she held him tightly for a long time. The boy was still asking where his mother was and when he would see her.
“Buck should be here tomorrow,” Ming whispered to Vicki.
Kenny reached for Vicki’s hand, and she sang him songs and helped him get to sleep that night, with the promise of exploring Petra in the morning.
When daylight came, Vicki, Judd, and Kenny walked along the rocks and watched the people gather manna.
Vicki could tell Judd was shocked by what had happened to Chloe, but they didn’t want to talk about it in front of Kenny.
Later in the morning Kenny rode with Ming to meet the plane that touched down on the runway. A man stag- gered from the aircraft, grabbed Kenny, and held him tight. Vicki grabbed binoculars and saw it was his father, Buck.
Vicki ached to hear some kind of teaching from Tsion. She couldn’t think of anything that would give more comfort than Dr. Ben-Judah, and she didn’t have to wait long. As soon as Buck, Rayford, and the others reached the camp, Tsion called them all together.
Several hundred gathered at the high place, within the sound of rushing water from the stream. Zeke, Vicki, Lionel, and Judd stood with other friends from Illinois who had known Chloe personally. Kenny’s arms were still wrapped around Buck’s neck as Buck walked forward. When he saw Vicki and Judd, he managed a slight smile and touched her shoulder. Then he sat on a rock shelf and took in the scene.
Tsion held up his Bible and talked about his study of it the past few years. He said he could see God’s fingerprints on every page. “I love this book! I love this Word! I love its author, and I love the Lord it represents. Why do I speak of the Word of God today when we have come with
heavy, heavy hearts to remember two dear comrades and loved ones?
“Because both Albie and Chloe were people of the Word. Oh, how they loved God’s love letter to them and to us! Albie would be the first to tell you he was not a scholar, hardly a reader. He was a man of street smarts, knowledgeable in the ways of the world, quick and shrewd and sharp. But whenever the occasion arose when he could sit under the teaching of the Bible, he took notes, he asked questions, he drank it in. The Word of God was worked out in his life. It changed him. It helped mold him into the man he was the day he died.
“And Chloe, our dear sister and one of the original members of the tiny Tribulation Force that has grown so large today. Who could know her and not love her spirit, her mind, her spunk? What a wife and mother she was! Young yet brilliant, she grew the International Commodity Co-op into an enterprise that literally kept alive millions around the globe who refused the mark of Antichrist and lost their legal right to buy and sell.
“In various safe-house locations over the past half-dozen years, I lived in close proximity to Chloe and to her family. It was common to find her reading her Bible, memorizing verses, trying them out on people. Often she would hand me her Bible and ask me to check her to see if she had a verse correct, word for word. And she always wanted to know exactly what it meant. It was not enough to know the text; she wanted it to come alive in her heart and mind and life.
“To those who will miss Chloe the most, the deepest, and the most painfully until we see her again in glory, I give you the only counsel that kept me sane when my own beloved were so cruelly taken from me. Hold to God’s unchanging hand. Cling to his Word. Fall in love with the Word of God anew. Grasp his promises like a puppy sinks its teeth into your pant legs, and never let go.
“Buck, Kenny, Rayford, we do not understand. We cannot. We are finite beings. The Scripture says knowledge is so fleeting that one day it will vanish. ‘For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come,’ and oh, beloved, it is coming, ‘then that which is in part will be done away.
“ ‘When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.’
“Did you hear that promise? ‘But then …’ How we can rejoice in the but thens of God’s Word! The then is coming, dear ones! The then is coming.”
Vicki wept through the rest of the service, thinking of Chloe and her family.
A few days later, Ming Toy and a pilot named Ree Woo were married. Not wanting to take away from the memorial service or Ming and Ree’s wedding, Judd and Vicki spent a few more days waiting and preparing.
When the time came, Chang Wong linked by video with the group in Wisconsin so they could see the ceremony. Judd and Vicki had chosen a beautiful spot overlooking the spring of water. Everyone said Vicki looked lovely in her dress. When Vicki saw Judd, she tried to keep from crying but couldn’t. She wished her family could have been there to share the moment. She wished she could have met Judd’s mom and dad.
They had written their own vows and both wept openly as they read their words to each other. Tsion spoke for a few minutes and challenged both Judd and Vicki to give their love to each other and their lives to God. “We do not know exactly what the next year will bring, but my prayer for you is that you would both grow in the grace of our Lord, until he comes again.”
As the ceremony ended, manna fell. For the first time, Judd showed Vicki the home he had prepared.
“It’s not much, but it’s ours,” Judd said as he picked Vicki up and carried her into the small dwelling.
17
LIONEL Washington smiled as he sat in front of a computer deep in a cave in Petra. He still couldn’t believe that Judd and Vicki were married. He had been with them just after they had first met in Mount Prospect, and he would have never guessed they would wind up together. He replayed video from the ceremony a few days earlier and shook his head. God worked this out, he thought.
Chang Wong had set Lionel up with the computer and showed him how to access the Global Community’s vast network. With a few clicks of the mouse, Lionel listened in on one of Nicolae Carpathia’s secret meetings, or heard what was going on in the control room at the Global Community News Network. Chang had even given him software to control the computer with his voice, but Lionel preferred the old-fashioned way.
Lionel touched the stump of his left arm and counted the months since his accident in Indiana. He wasn’t having nightmares as much, but he still found it hard to get to sleep. Sometimes he stayed up all night at the computer, trying to figure out what would happen next on God’s timetable.
He had renewed his friendship with Sam Goldberg and Mr. Stein, eating manna and quail with them just about every day. But Lionel had to admit he longed for his friends back in the States. It was strange. He was in the safest place on earth, supernaturally protected by God from Carpathia and his growing armies, but Lionel longed for Wisconsin.
In a way, he felt useless and pitied. When assignments were handed out, Lionel was always given the soft jobs or nothing at all. He wanted to build things or help with chores, but he often found himself back at the computer alone.
As the yellow glow of the rising sun peeked through the opening to the cave, Lionel yawned and stretched. People would gather manna soon. Little kids would run through the camp. He loved playing with them, especially Kenny Williams, but Kenny spent most of his time with Buck now, asking questions about his mother.
Instead of heading for bed, Lionel clicked on the link for the Global Community in the United North American States. Things had gotten worse there in the past few days. The GC seemed to be taking out their frustration about the darkness in New Babylon on those without the mark. Reports of people being dragged from hiding places and executed had increased.
Lionel winced as he pulled up a report from GCNN detailing another raid on what looked like a militia hideout in Minnesota, fifty miles west of the Mississippi River. These people didn’t have the mark of the believer or of Carpathia. They were hauled from their underground hiding place and herded onto trucks.
The camera focused on a smiling Commander Kruno Fulcire, head of the Rebel Apprehension Program. “We’re very pleased with the level of cooperation from the people of this community,” he said.
“How did you know they were here?” a reporter asked.
“We actually had a tip from family members of one of the unmarked. They, of course, will receive the full reward offered to those who help uncover rebels.”
“Will there be more arrests and executions in this part of the country?” the reporter said.
Fulcire squinted. “I can’t give that information, but we hope to have significant developments in the coming days.”
Lionel sat forward and pulled up a map of the region. The site of the arrests wasn’t that far from the Avery, Wisconsin, hideout. He quickly sent a warning message to Mark and the others.
Mark Eisman held his head in his hands while several people filed out of the main cabin in Wisconsin. Maggie Carlson put a hand on his shoulder before she left. Others weren’t so kind, with mean looks and whispers.
Marshall Jameson paced in front of the computer. “I understand your feelings, Mark. I’ve wanted to start a rebel radio station to tell people the truth, but some things are too dangerous.”
“Why are we so concerned about staying safe?” Mark said. “Isn’t it more important to get the message out?”
Conrad Graham slapped his hands on his knees. “If that’s your goal, I might go along with you, but you’re talking about fighting the GC. What could you possibly accomplish?”
“You saw what they did to Chloe,” Mark said. “If somebody had tried to take those Peacekeepers out before they caught her, she wouldn’t have lost her head.”
“Reports from the Trib Force say she went outside trying to protect her family and friends,” Marshall said. “But
a rescue mission would have backfired. They didn’t even know where she was.”
Conrad stood. “I hate just sitting here as much as you do, but if you go out there, we’ll be seeing your face flashed on TV.”
“You guys don’t need me,” Mark said. “We have enough people to staff the Web site twenty-four hours a day with people left over.”
“Okay, so what do you want to do?” Marshall said.
“Find those RAP people, Fulcire if I can, and give them a dose of their own medicine.” Mark glanced at Conrad, then at Marshall. “If you want to know the truth, I’ve already packed my stuff.”
Colin Dial sat in the corner. He cleared his throat and said, “What if we could find a way to get you closer to the action?” Marshall frowned but Colin held up a hand. “I don’t want to see him get into trouble, but if he could get closer to the main headquarters, south of Chicago, maybe he could do some good before this is all over.”
“What was the name of the lady and her son living near Chicago?” Marshall said. “The one Vicki and you guys met at the schoolhouse.”
“Lenore?” Conrad said.
“That’s right!” Mark said. “She was staying southwest of Chicago, wasn’t she?”
“I’ve got her number on my cell,” Conrad said, handing a phone to Mark.
Mark punched the Redial button and waited. He heard a weird noise but no dial tone. “Something’s wrong with it.”
Mark found Lenore’s e-mail address and looked through past messages to Vicki and the group. He quickly wrote her and sent the message.
Vicki awoke to sunshine peeking through the lone window of her and Judd’s small dwelling. They couldn’t call it a house, but it wasn’t a shack either. There was enough room for a nice-sized bed, a cabinet to hold their clothes, a computer desk, and a small table.
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