Vicki stayed busy over the weeks becoming an Internet counselor for young people. After intense sessions with the elders, Chang Wong, and Naomi Tiberius, Vicki took her place beside people of all nationalities who answered questions from around the world. She was excited that some of those she counseled were actually airlifted into Petra by Trib Force pilots.
Vicki knew the suffering and persecution would end, but as she heard the stories of hurting and wounded people, she longed for the return of Jesus even more. She couldn’t wait to see him and hear his voice. She knew from reading the Scriptures that there were more prophecies concerning Jesus’ seconding than his first. And this time he wouldn’t come as the lowly, humble servant but as the mighty, conquering king ready to defeat his enemies.
Vicki was amazed to see the questions that came into the Web site. She even received one from a woman who was clearly not interested in knowing God but in finding out when the plague of darkness would be lifted from New Babylon.
“How could she believe that we have answers from the Bible but not believe the truth about God?” Vicki asked Judd as they ate one night.
“She’s blind,” Judd said. “These people know there’s something to the claims of the Bible, but they follow Carpathia anyway. Those troops know how many soldiers God wiped out, but they still follow orders.”
There was a slight knock on the door, and Judd opened it to find Sam Goldberg. Sam sat and had some wafers and quail. Judd and Vicki had been secretly talking with him about a possible trip to Israel before the start of the last great battle.
“Have you found anyone yet?” Judd asked.
“My friend Lev Taubman is from Jerusalem,” Sam said quietly. “He wants to go back there badly, but his mother won’t hear of it.”
“Does he know any hiding places, any members of the resistance?” Vicki said.
“There is a man my father was acquainted with,” Sam said. “Very old. His name is Shivte. Lev says he and his sons would never take the mark of Carpathia, but they are not believers either.”
“You think they’re still in Jerusalem?”
“Lev is sure of it because he received a message from another friend saying Shivte’s wife has become a true believer. And with what I hear about …” Sam stopped and stared at them.
“What is it?” Vicki said.
“I’m not sure I should tell you what I heard about Dr. Ben-Judah.”
“What, that he’s teaching an elite group of Captain Steele’s military people?” Judd said. “We know that.”
“Did you know he has officially turned over his administrative and teaching duties for Petra to Dr. Rosenzweig?” Sam said.
“What?” Judd and Vicki said in unison.
“I can’t tell you where I heard this, but I believe Tsion wants to be part of the fighting force in Jerusalem. He’s been training to use a weapon.”
“I don’t believe it,” Vicki said.
Sam leaned closer. “This is what I have heard. Tsion believes the Bible teaches that a third of the remaining Jews will turn to Messiah before the end. That means that many will still need to be reached, and Tsion thinks if he can get to Jerusalem, he can reach them.”
Judd scratched the stubble of his beard. “It makes sense, I guess.”
“Now I don’t feel so bad wanting to get to Jerusalem to see Jesus return,” Vicki said.
“Where does Tsion get that more Jews will come to Messiah?” Judd said.
“It’s in Zechariah 13. Verses 8 and 9.”
Vicki grabbed a Bible, flipped toward the end of the Old Testament. “ ‘“And it shall come to pass in all the land,” says the Lord, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall be left in it: I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; and each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ”’ ”
As Vicki read the verses, something stirred inside her. If there were more Jews who would accept Jesus as Messiah, they had to be hiding. If she and Judd could help find them and prepare them in some way for the message … She looked at Judd and could tell he was thinking the same thing.
Lionel ate breakfast with Zeke Zuckermandel at least once a week and caught up on the latest with the Tribulation Force. Zeke was fun to talk with, and the two relived their days in Illinois and Wisconsin.
“You about ready to come out of that place with all the fancy computers and get yourself dirty?” Zeke said.
“What do you mean?” Lionel said.
“Just that I’m getting a band of people together to help out during the war.”
“Tell me about it.”
Zeke leaned forward and drew a finger through the sand. “This here is Petra with all the rocks and stuff. Here’s the desert in front of us and around us, and all the way over here is Israel. Now, most people are mixed up about the Battle of Armageddon.”
“How so?”
“This comes straight from Tsion himself. This valley of Armageddon is really just the staging area for Carpathia’s armies. You know, where they set up, eat, prepare, that kinda thing. The actual wars are gonna take place here at Petra—” he pointed to the circle in the sand—“although you have to believe God won’t let the armies have a victory here, and over here in Jerusalem. Tsion says people should call this ‘the War of the Great Day of God the Almighty.’ But I can see how sayin’ it’s Armageddon’s just plain easier.”
“I’m still confused about what’s going to happen when,” Lionel said.
“Tsion says there are going to be something like eight things happening after the Euphrates River goes dry.”
“What’s so important about that?”
“Well, you ever see an army try to get across a river that’s running? When it dries up, the kings and armies east of here will have a clear shot at us. They can come into this valley—it’s called Megiddo—and be ready for the trap.”
“What trap?”
“Well, Tsion says this is exactly what God wants. It’ll look like there’s no way anyone can stand up to the strength of all those tanks and missiles and troops, but God’s gonna zap ’em.”
“What else happens?”
“Once the river goes dry and the armies get together, Babylon will be destroyed. God’s gonna do that real quick, and then comes the fall of Jerusalem. I’m kinda hazy about how that happens, but finally Jesus will appear on a white horse with a big army of his own. He’ll be mad at old Nicolae, and there’s gonna be a lot of blood, you can bet on that. There’s gonna be a battle close to here, though Petra will be safe. And then Jesus will show up at the Mount of Olives.”
“Wish I could be there,” Lionel said.
“You and me both. But there’s plenty to do here. As a matter of fact, I’m looking for some volunteers.”
“Is this the getting myself dirty part?”
Zeke smiled. “You got it. I need people to go out and pick up weapons, uniforms, ammo—just about anything you think we could use.”
“Sounds dangerous.”
“Could be. But my guess is the GC won’t have any power over believers who are living here in Petra. God’s gonna protect us.”
“You don’t know that for sure.”
“Right. Not 100 percent, but I’m willing to chance it.
How about you?”
Judd went to the airstrip in late December and met with Mac McCullum. Mac, Abdullah Smith, and Ree Woo had become the main pilots for the Tribulation Force, and they had recruited other pilots to help fly believers to Petra from all over the world. Mac had tons of stories of miraculous things God had done to keep believers safe, but this was a short meeting.
“Found what you were looking for in Morocco,” Mac said, handing Judd a small box. “Hope the little lady enjoys it.”
Judd thanked him and raced back to their empty house. Vicki had finished her work at the tech center for the day and was spen
ding some time with little Kenny.
Judd quickly went behind their house to a rock outcropping where he had seen a small bush. After he dug the plant up by its roots and put it in a pot, he placed it on the nightstand. He cut strips of cloth and draped them around the bush, then set the wrapped box on one of the sturdy branches.
He watched for Vicki for nearly an hour. When he saw her coming, he hid in a corner of the room and waited.
“Judd?” Vicki called as she came close. “Mr. Thompson? Are you home?” She walked inside and saw the bush. “What in the world?”
Judd started humming a Christmas tune.
Vicki caught her breath. “What’s going on?”
“Just because we’re in the middle of the Tribulation doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate, right?”
“It’s December 25th! I forgot all about it.”
Judd pointed at the tiny, crudely wrapped present in the bush. Vicki just stared at it, her mouth open. Judd handed her the box and she opened it slowly, the fading sunlight twinkling off the stone in the middle of the ring.
She couldn’t say anything for a moment. Then, “It must have cost a fortune.”
“I didn’t have a chance to get you a ring when we were married. Mac found a jeweler on one of his flights, and he got a bargain. The jeweler thinks it’ll last at least a thousand years.”
Vicki smiled. “I hope we get to find out if he’s right.”
30
LIONEL awoke from another nightmare and wiped sweat from his forehead. On some nights he dreamed about dogs chasing him, barking and biting at something trapped under a rock. Other nights Lionel dreamed of a dragon chasing his friends toward a cliff. At the edge of the cliff was a huge army.
This time he had dreamed of Judd and Vicki being caught by the Global Community. He knew it had something to do with their leaving the day before. Lionel had promised he wouldn’t say anything to Chang or anyone else about their secret departure. Judd had been sure Captain Steele would have stopped them.
When Judd had discovered that Westin Jakes, Z-Van’s former pilot, had caught an airlift out of the desert near New Babylon and was again flying for the Tribulation Force, Judd had asked a favor. Lionel had seen them off to the airstrip and waved good-bye, not knowing if he would ever see his friends again.
Lionel got a glass of water and looked out the screenless window at the lightening sky. The sight of Petra in the morning never ceased to move him. The red-rocked city seemed to glow at both sunup and sundown.
Lionel quietly went to the tech center. He kept in contact with his friends in Illinois and e-mailed a new friend in New Babylon, of all places. Through Tsion’s Web site Lionel had met a young German woman named Steffi. She was with a group that had stayed in the still-darkened city. She reported that nothing much had changed. People were still screaming and chewing their tongues, and the believers were able to move through the city undetected.
Lionel, is there a way I could call your phone and talk about our airlift out of here? Steffi wrote. I know that our main connection is through Otto Weser and you probably don’t have much to do with that, but it would calm my nerves if I could talk.
Lionel wrote back, giving Steffi a number and a time. As soon as he sent the message, another message popped up.
Lionel,
We finally made it to Shivte’s house a little after four
this morning and wanted you to know we’re okay. We’re
supposed to meet with some of the resistance fighters later.
The flight out of Petra was a little scary, but Westin
found the landing strip. Then we hooked up with one of
Shivte’s sons and made the drive into Jerusalem without
being spotted by the GC.
Westin told us the most amazing story about getting
out of New Babylon. He and his friends found an abandoned
terrorist training camp and holed up there for a
while. Westin got a flight out through the Trib Force, but
Judd’s friend Zvi and some of the others decided to go
back into New Babylon.
Thanks for praying for us, and don’t worry. We’re not
planning to do any fighting, just trying to reach out to
Jewish people who haven’t accepted their Messiah.
Take care and we’ll call you soon.
Love,
Vicki
Lionel shook his head. Most people would try to stay as safe as they could during the final battle. But after all Judd and Vicki had been through, they still wanted to reach people with the message of God’s love and forgiveness.
Judd shook hands with Shivte in the dimly lit home and introduced Vicki. The elderly man shuffled to the kitchen table of their small home. He and his sons were stocky men and soft-spoken. None of them had the mark of the believer.
Shivte asked one of his sons to get his wife, then motioned for Judd and Vicki to sit. “You should know that it was my wife who arranged this,” he said. “And I only agreed to help you come here on the condition that you would not try to get us to change our beliefs.”
Judd pursed his lips. “As I wrote from Petra, we don’t want to get in the way. We just want to support the resistance effort in any way we can.”
“My son will show you to one of the underground hideouts,” Shivte said. “There are military people there who can show you what is needed.”
Shivte offered them some meager rations, which Judd and Vicki politely refused. “We brought some supplies with us,” Judd said. “It would please us if you would take them.”
Shivte nodded. “We’re grateful.”
Shivte’s wife came through the doorway, smiling. She was a large woman with heavy lines in her face, and Judd thought she looked a lot like his grandmother. When she spotted the mark of the believer on their foreheads, Judd thought she would weep. She hugged them both and thanked them for bringing food.
“How I would have liked to have experienced Petra, if only for a few days,” the woman said. “I can only imagine the teaching and fellowship you enjoyed there.” She glanced at her husband. “But there are more pressing matters here. You can see that I have not yet convinced the most important people in my life of the truth.”
Shivte stood and waved a hand at her. “I’m not staying to hear this.”
“Will you go get the people now?” she said.
Shivte nodded and left the house.
“Who is he going to get?” Judd said.
“You’ll see,” Shivte’s wife said.
“How did you become a believer?” Vicki said.
“I didn’t plan on it,” she said. “My husband and sons said they would not take Carpathia’s mark, but we had to have food. So I volunteered to take it so I could buy and sell. The idea of worshiping that statue … well, I couldn’t imagine it, but we had to survive.”
“How close did you come to taking it?” Judd said.
“I was at the Temple Mount, in line. I thought it was the only way to save my family. But then I saw a disturbance and slipped out of line. A man of God was shot— his name was Micah—but the bullets didn’t kill him. After that, I had to know more about this message. I have a young friend, the one who wrote your friend Sam, and he helped me find Tsion Ben-Judah’s Web site.”
“And your husband and sons?” Vicki said.
“We have agreed not to talk about it. They are devout Jews, and they will resist Carpathia to the end, but they are not ready for Messiah. How I pray for them every day that somehow the message will get through.”
Footsteps sounded on the street outside. Shivte’s wife stood and motioned for Judd and Vicki to follow her to the door. “I was talking with a friend about you two and where you would stay. We have very little room here. One conversation led to another, and finally I discovered that—”
The door opened and a man and a woman walked through. In the dim light, Judd couldn’t see their faces. When they moved closer, his mouth dropped open. “
I don’t believe it!”
The two hugged Judd tightly and wept. Judd turned to Vicki. “Remember Nada and Kasim? These are their parents, Jamal and Lina Ameer.”
Lina reached out and hugged Vicki. “So this is the person Judd was in love with. You’re very beautiful, my dear.”
Vicki blushed. “I’m very sorry about your son and daughter. Our group back in the States prayed for you almost every day.”
“We appreciate that more than you can know,” Jamal said.
“We couldn’t believe it when we heard you were coming,” Lina said. “We’d love to hear what God has done since we last talked. How is Lionel?”
They sat at the table and Judd explained about Lionel’s injury and how they had gotten back to the States. The two were saddened to hear about Lionel’s arm but were glad he was safe in Petra.
Judd asked if they knew anything about the rebel fighters, and Jamal pulled out a crude map. “There are underground tunnels through here. Many people have hidden in them since the GC took over. We have weapons and ammunition, even some computers to help us track the movement of the GC One World Unity Army’s troops. We can go through there as we head to our apartment. You will stay with us.”
Shivte closed the door quietly and put a finger to his lips. “We must hide. The GC are going house to house down the street.”
Judd and Vicki followed the others to a hiding place under the stairs.
“Does this happen often?” Vicki whispered to Jamal.
“All the time,” Jamal said.
Lionel took Steffi’s call and listened to her story. It was much like others he had heard from people who had already come out of New Babylon. Her father wanted to be in Carpathia’s city to fulfill prophecy, but things had become so horrible there with the plague of darkness that Steffi couldn’t imagine staying any longer.
“Fortunately, I think you’ll be out of there pretty soon,” Lionel said. “The seven-year anniversary of Carpathia’s peace treaty with Israel is coming up in only a few days.”
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