“I’ve longed for the coming of Jesus,” Steffi said. “I’ve been afraid the plague of darkness will lift and the GC will catch my father.”
“Does he spend a lot of time in GC areas?” Lionel said.
“The palace, the prison—wherever he thinks he can find information or a possible person who doesn’t have the mark of the believer. I’ve told him he should be more careful. …”
Lionel pulled the phone away from his ear. Something odd was happening in Chang Wong’s area. “Hang on a second, Steffi.”
Chang was standing and pointing to his computer screen. “It’s happened!”
Others came running.
“What’s happened?” Lionel said, but Chang didn’t hear him.
“What’s going on?” Steffi said.
“It might be something with the Euphrates River,”
Lionel said. “Chang’s been watching sensors planted there by the GC—”
Before Lionel could finish his sentence, Chang turned to Naomi Tiberius and said, “There was water in the Euphrates a minute ago, and now it is dry as a bone. You can bet tomorrow it will be on the news—someone standing in the dry, cracking riverbed, showing that you can walk across without fear of mud or quicksand.”
“That is amazing,” Naomi said. “I mean, I knew it was coming, but isn’t it just like God to do it all at once? And isn’t that a 1,500-mile river?”
“It used to be.”
Lionel explained what he had heard to Steffi, and she gave an excited shout. “This means the Lord’s return is that much closer.”
Lionel finished the conversation and joined Chang and the others.
Later a Trib Force scout plane reported vast weapons and troop movement toward the dried-up river. Lionel figured Carpathia had been reading the Bible but was too stupid to understand how the book ended.
Vicki was excited about Jamal and Lina’s spacious apartment. The two offered to give Judd and Vicki their bedroom, but instead they put down sleeping bags from Petra in the living room.
The next few weeks Judd and Vicki spent time getting to know the complex series of passageways underneath Jerusalem. It would be their job to supply ammunition to the rebel forces seeking to keep the GC away.
“We respect your wish to not be involved in the actual fighting,” Jamal said, “but your job will be just as critical to defending Jerusalem.”
After dinner one evening, Lina showed Vicki pictures of their family and pointed out Kasim and Nada. “I miss them both very much, but it won’t be long before we’re together again.”
“It might be sooner than we think,” Jamal said. “Judd just showed me an intercepted message from a top Global Community officer.”
“What did it say?” Vicki said.
“Basically, it warned all Peacekeepers and Morale Monitors throughout the world to prepare for a new assignment in the Middle East. We think it will only be a few days before hundreds of thousands join the GC One World Unity Army.”
“Which means people without Carpathia’s mark will be able to come out of hiding,” Vicki said.
“As long as they’re careful,” Judd said. “Citizens can still kill people without the mark and get a reward. But it looks like the end is close.”
Lionel was talking with Sam Goldberg when he noticed Rayford Steele running toward the helipad. Lionel and Sam walked to a rock outcropping as droves of people headed for a clearing.
“What’s going on?” Lionel said.
“Maybe it’s the evacuation of New Babylon,” Sam said. “I heard that pilots from here will fly the rescue mission as soon as word comes that believers are to move out.”
“They’d need something bigger than a helicopter, don’t you think?” Lionel said.
Many people near the chopper wept. Sam climbed down and ran to the edge of the crowd, then returned. “They’re saying good-bye to Dr. Ben-Judah. He’s going to Jerusalem.”
A few moments later, Tsion and Buck Williams moved through the crowd. Tsion pulled what looked to Lionel like a handkerchief from his pocket and waved it as Buck climbed aboard the chopper.
“People! People!” Tsion shouted. “I am overwhelmed at your kindness. Pray for me, won’t you, that I will be privileged to usher many more into the kingdom. We are just days away now from the battle, and you know what that means. Be waiting and watching. Be ready for the Glorious Appearing! If I am not back before then, we will be reunited soon thereafter.
“You will be in my thoughts and prayers, and I know I go with yours. Thank you again! You are in good hands with Chaim Rosenzweig, and so I bid you farewell!” Tsion kept waving at the people as the helicopter lifted off.
“Wish we could be going to Jerusalem,” Sam said.
“You’re part of Zeke’s brigade,” Lionel said. “There’ll be plenty of action here.”
Lionel sprinted toward the tech center. He couldn’t wait to tell Judd and Vicki that Tsion was heading their way.
31
JUDD'S head spun with Lionel’s news of Tsion’s departure from Petra. Then Chang Wong reported that hundreds of thousands of troops would arrive in the valley of Megiddo the following day. Everything was happening so fast.
“That’s going to be a nightmare to feed and equip all those soldiers,” Vicki said.
“The Global Community’s been preparing for this a long time,” Jamal said. “They’ll find a way to mass their troops.”
With the help of others, Judd and Vicki placed ammunition boxes in strategic places throughout the tunnels. When the fighting began in Jerusalem, they would be able to get ammo to rebels within minutes.
“They keep talking about a guerrilla war,” Vicki said. “What’s that mean?”
“Lots of little wars throughout the city,” Judd said. “Basically the rebels know they have no chance of beating this army head-on, so they’re going to spread out and try to make it as difficult as possible for the GC.”
Rebel leaders barked orders, and young men and women prepared for battle. Teams of workers went into the street to set up barricades.
“Chopper’s landing at the Temple Mount,” one man yelled as he ran through the tunnel to get more Uzis and grenades.
Judd grabbed the man by the arm. “Is it a GC chopper?”
“Didn’t look like it, but I didn’t stay long. There’s an angry mob out there.”
“You think that’s Tsion?” Vicki said.
“Has to be,” Judd said.
It took Judd a few minutes to get his bearings once he and Vicki had climbed out of their hiding place. Making sure there were no Global Community forces nearby, they headed for the Temple Mount.
Judd was surprised to see old men praying at the Wailing Wall, something they hadn’t been allowed to do for a long time. “I haven’t seen so many unmarked people since Masada.”
“These people must have been in hiding for years,” Vicki said. “But you can tell they’re scared.”
“They’re scared, but you have to understand. This is their city. They’ll do anything to defend it.”
“Even if it’s going to fall?” Vicki said. “You know Tsion believes it will.”
Judd took Vicki’s hand, and they ran to the place where Judd had seen the two witnesses, Eli and Moishe. He wished they would come back now and preach.
Suddenly there was a commotion when a man with a gun at his side pushed his way through the crowd at the Wailing Wall. He wore loose-fitting canvas-type clothing and a jacket. On his head was the traditional covering of the Jews, a yarmulke. “Men of Israel, hear me!” he bellowed. “I am one of you! I come with news!”
“It’s Tsion!” Judd whispered. “Come on!”
They pushed their way to the edge of the gathering, then climbed higher for a better look. Men yelled at Tsion, but Judd couldn’t tell what they were saying.
Finally, Tsion said, “What you need is Messiah!”
Some cheered, many laughed, and even more grumbled. Judd caught sight of Buck Williams.
“
Many of you know me! I am Tsion Ben-Judah. I became persona non grata when I broadcast my findings after being commissioned to study the prophecies concerning Messiah. My family was slaughtered. I was exiled. A bounty remains on my head.”
“Then why are you here, man? Do you not know the Global Community devils are coming back?”
“I do not fear them, because Messiah is coming too! Do not scoff! Do not turn your backs on me! Listen to our own Scriptures. What do you think this means?” He read Zechariah 12:8-10: “ ‘In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
“ ‘And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.’ ”
Judd felt tears coming to his eyes and glanced at Vicki. She was overwhelmed with emotion too.
“You tell us what it means!” someone yelled.
“God is saying he will make the weakest among us as strong as David,” Tsion said. “And he will destroy the nations that come against us. My dear friends, that is all the other nations of the earth!”
“We know. Carpathia has made it no secret!”
“But God says we will finally look upon ‘Me whom they pierced,’ and that we will mourn him as we would mourn the loss of a firstborn son. Messiah was pierced! And God refers to the pierced one as ‘Me’! Messiah is also God.
“Beloved, my exhaustive study of the hundreds of prophecies concerning Messiah brought me to the only logical conclusion. Messiah was born of a virgin in Bethlehem. He lived without sin. He was falsely accused. He was slain without cause. He died and was buried and was raised after three days. Those prophecies alone point to Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah. He is the one who is coming to fight for Israel. He will avenge all the wrongs that have been perpetrated upon us over the centuries.
“The time is short. The day of salvation is here. You may not have time to study this for yourselves. Messiah is God’s promise to us. Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise. He is coming. Let him find you ready!”
People shouted at Tsion, clearly offended. Some walked away, but others seemed to want to hear more. Even with all the noise and confusion the crowd grew, and Judd was worried Peacekeepers or Morale Monitors might show up.
Tsion kept talking, quoting Scripture, and explaining it. He spoke of the armies gathering to destroy them, but he urged the people not to be afraid of them but to be ready for the Messiah.
“If you want to know how to be prepared for him,” Tsion yelled, “gather here to my left and my associate will tell you. Please! Come now! Don’t delay! Now is the accepted time. Today is the day of salvation.”
Vicki looked at Judd. “Does he mean Buck?”
Judd nodded in amazement. Buck wasn’t Jewish and was a reporter, not a preacher.
But to Judd’s astonishment, Buck began speaking after a short pause. “When Jewish people such as yourselves come to see that Jesus is your long-sought Messiah, you are not converting from one religion to another, no matter what anyone tells you. You have found your Messiah, that is all. Some would say you have been completed, fulfilled. Everything you have studied and been told all your life is the foundation for your acceptance of Messiah and what he has done for you.”
Tsion bowed his head in prayer as Buck told the men how to accept God’s gift of salvation through Jesus. “He comes not only to avenge Jerusalem but to save your soul, to forgive your sins, to grant you eternal life with God.”
Lionel stared at the computer screen, now split into two sections. On one side he watched troop movement into the valley outside Jerusalem. On the other he monitored GCNN’s coverage of the pending battle. For the last several days, reporters had talked about the Euphrates River drying up.
Now they focused on Nicolae Carpathia riding a huge, black horse. The man held a long sword and grinned from ear to ear. “We have the absolute latest in technology and power at our fingertips,” Carpathia shouted. “My months of strategy are over, and we have a foolproof plan. That frees me to encourage the troops, to be flown to the battle sites, to mount up, to be a visual reminder that victory is in sight and will soon be in hand.
“It will not be long, my brothers and sisters in the Global Community, until we shall reign victorious. I shall return to rebuild my throne as conquering king. The world shall finally be as one! It is not too early to rejoice!”
Vicki couldn’t believe that she was seeing prophecy fulfilled before her eyes. As Buck prayed with people pressing toward him, Tsion Ben-Judah told others the truth about Jesus, and more Jews streamed in to hear the message. The people who had rejected Jesus for so long now believed he was their Messiah.
Crowds surged around Tsion and Buck. Soon thousands wept aloud and fell to their knees, asking God’s forgiveness.
Tsion continued his message, telling the throng that the armies gathered nearby would face another terror from God, a mighty earthquake. He said hail weighing as much as one hundred pounds would fall to the earth, crushing people.
“Do you know what will happen here, right here in Jerusalem?” Tsion said. “It will be the only city in the world spared the devastating destruction of the greatest earthquake ever known to man. The Bible says, ‘Now the great city’—that’s Jerusalem—‘was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.’
“That, my brothers, is good news. Jerusalem will be made more beautiful, more efficient. It will be prepared for its role as the new capital in Messiah’s thousand-year kingdom.”
Lionel wrote a quick report to the rest of the Young Trib Force and hoped they would see it. There was so much activity in the tech center that Lionel had to put on headphones to hear the latest from GCNN. With a click of a button, he viewed a camera mounted at the top of Petra. Below the edges of the rock walls, platoons of soldiers prepared their weapons. He clicked on GCNN, which showed an aerial picture of Nicolae’s army, and shook his head. A few thousand soldiers against that?
His phone rang and he was surprised to hear Steffi on the other end. Her voice trembled with fear. “We’ve been watching the coverage about the battle. I’m afraid we’ve waited too long to get out of here.”
Lionel explained what he knew about the rescue effort and told Steffi that Mac McCullum would fly there. “Where are you now?”
“Outside of our hiding place on the—” Steffi stopped, then gasped.
“What is it?” Lionel said.
“Something so bright that the darkness is gone!” she said. “It’s big. Very big.”
Before Lionel could ask another question, a piercing male voice sounded through the phone. “ ‘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! …’ ”
Lionel raised a fist in the air. “Steffi, that’s the angel! I’ll go tell Mr. McCullum. He’ll come get you!”
But before Lionel could hang up, another voice said, “‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.’ ”
As soon as Lionel hung up, he raced to find Mac. He finally found him at his airplane, firing up the engines.
Mac had heard the report from someone else and was on his way to New Babylon. “Got room for one more, if you’d like to come along,” he said.
Lionel climbed on board while Mac called for another plane to help evacuate believers. “With these two planes, I figure we should be able to bring up to two hundred people out of there. I hope that’s enough.”
They landed near the palace and Lionel gasped. People who had been liv
ing in darkness wandered about the runway, limping and staggering, not knowing what to do.
As soon as the plane stopped, Lionel helped Mac get the stairs down. More than 150 believers cheered outside. The other plane landed and took half of the believers who carried their belongings in sacks and boxes. Loading took only a few minutes, and they were ready to go.
Lionel looked at the faces of people as they boarded, wondering which one was Judd’s friend Zvi. Lionel saw a blonde young lady with an older woman and approached her. “Steffi?”
“Lionel?”
The two hugged, and Steffi introduced Lionel to her mom.
“No time for chitchat,” Mac said. “Let’s get out of here.”
Soon the planes raced down the runways. Before the wheels of Mac’s plane were off the ground, Lionel noticed a volley of missiles being launched from just outside the city. As the planes rose higher, black smoke engulfed the once gleaming city. Mac circled as missile after missile hit the heart of New Babylon, destroying the entire city in less than one hour.
As darkness fell, Judd and Vicki broke away from Tsion’s preaching and scurried underground. The news of Babylon’s fall had reached them through Tsion’s Web site. Believers in the underground passage were excited about Judd and Vicki’s news that thousands of Jews were turning to Christ, but unbelievers scoffed.
“If Babylon has fallen,” Vicki said, “that means there are only two prophetic events left.”
“The seventh Bowl Judgment and the Glorious Appearing,” Judd said.
Vicki nodded. “And if that’s true, should we stay here and feed ammo to a losing cause or try to convince as many people as possible that they need Christ?”
“I don’t want to let the resistance down, but a lot of people are hungry for the message. After all, once these people die, we won’t have another chance.”
Judd thought about Vicki’s idea while he found something for them to eat. A supply area had pita bread and peanut butter, but that was about it.
When he returned, Vicki was talking with a female Jewish rebel without Carpathia’s mark. Reaching more people is what this is all about, Judd thought.
Arrived Page 21
