Arrived

by Jerry B. Jenkins

  A murmur of voices rose against the rock walls. Prayers of a million people floated in the air as people joined hands and cried out to God.

  Then, with a loud scream, Carpathia ordered his troops to attack. The army surged toward the hill below Lionel and the others. Jet engines roared overhead. Machine guns rattled, cannons fired, grenades and rockets launched, and the remnant in Petra simply stared.

  Seconds after the attack came, the pulsing cross in the sky disappeared. Darkness covered the land. A strange clacking sound drifted up from the desert, and Lionel realized the GC’s weapons weren’t firing. No light came from vehicles or flash-lights.

  Thousands around Lionel whispered prayers, pleading for Jesus to return.

  When the lights went out, Vicki grabbed Judd’s arm and stood. They felt their way to the edge of the barbed-wire fence and listened to the anxious voices of the Unity Army officers. The woman Vicki had talked with had prayed with her and asked God’s forgiveness for not seeing Jesus as her Messiah. The woman immediately began talking with other prisoners.

  “Is this some kind of—?” Judd began, but he stopped.

  Light.

  Intense white light from heaven covered everything.

  It was so bright that GC officers cried out even more than from the darkness.

  Vicki glanced up at the thick cloud cover and gasped as it scrolled back. This is it! she thought. This is what we’ve been waiting for! But nothing came from her mouth. She and Judd fell to their knees in awe.

  As heaven opened, a white horse appeared. On it sat Jesus, the Messiah, Creator of the universe, Son of God.

  Vicki’s eyes were riveted on her Savior—right in front of her, his eyes flashing, his head held high. He wore a white robe that stretched to his feet. On the robe were the words: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Around his chest was a golden band. In his right hand were seven stars, and his face shone like the sun. People—a crowd so big it was impossible to count—followed him on white horses.

  An angel stepped forward, held out its arms, and beckoned to the birds saying, “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. Come and eat the flesh of kings, captains, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.”

  Then Jesus spoke with a voice that shook the earth. “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end.”

  Is everyone else seeing this? Vicki wondered. Is everyone on earth hearing what we’re hearing?

  Lionel was thrilled at the voice of Jesus. So this was why Bruce Barnes, Tsion Ben-Judah, and others called it the Glorious Appearing.

  Lionel wanted to reach out and thank the Lord for restoring his arm, for hearing his prayers, for saving him from his sins, for his love and justice—for everything!

  When Jesus spoke his first words, Lionel glanced at the Unity Army as thousands of soldiers fell like a sea of dominoes. At first, it looked like their bodies sank into the sand, but as Lionel looked closer he noticed bodies ripping open and blood pouring out.

  “I am the living one who died. Look, I am alive forever and ever!” Jesus said. “And I hold the keys of death and the grave.”

  Judd felt like he was in a dream. He had seen people play the part of Jesus, but the real Jesus didn’t look or sound like them at all. His voice spoke peace to every part of Judd’s heart.

  “I am the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Amen— the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I am the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, the one who conquered to open the scroll and break its seven seals.”

  Judd glanced at the soldiers around him. They stared, mouths open.

  “I am the Lamb that was slain and yet who lives. I am the Shepherd who leads his sheep to the springs of life-giving water. I am the God who will wipe away all your tears. I am your Salvation and Power. I am the Christ who has come for the Accuser, who accused our brothers and sisters before our God day and night, the one who has been thrown down to earth.”

  Believers looked on in awe and worship while God’s enemies whimpered.

  Conrad couldn’t take his eyes off Jesus. The moment he had waited for since he had asked God to forgive him had finally come. He fell to his knees and soaked in the Lord’s presence.

  But how was Jesus doing this? How was he appearing to him in Illinois and in the Holy Land? And for that matter, Conrad thought, to people around the globe?

  “I am the Word of God,” Jesus said. “I am Jesus. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.”

  Everyone in Enoch’s group remained quiet and listened. Conrad heard soft weeping from Shelly, and he put his arm around her. A commotion next door distracted Conrad for a second when a door opened and neighbors burst from their homes. The light from Christ blinded them, and they ran through the yard, bumping into each other.

  “I see him, Mama,” little Tolan said, reaching toward the sky.

  “That’s right,” his mother, Lenore, said. “And he sees each one of us down here.”

  “Where did he get that horse?” Tolan asked.

  Lenore smiled and put a finger to her lips, watching Jesus in the sky.

  Conrad thought it was a good question. And they had plenty of time to get answers. A thousand years, in fact.

  42

  VICKI stared at the heavenly scene, overwhelmed by the sight of Christ. She knew, deep down, that this is what she had been waiting for all her life, not just since she had become a believer. All the drinking and partying, the sneaking out on her parents, all the nights alone—abandoned by her so-called friends—the tears, the sorrow. Jesus was the answer to all her questions, and he was the source of love and everything good. His plan, his life was what she had always needed.

  She noticed the people behind Jesus and realized that somewhere back there was her family. Ryan Daley was there too and Pete Davidson and Mark. The list went on and on, and she couldn’t wait to see her friends, but that would be later. Right now she focused on the Messiah.

  “I am able, once and forever, to save everyone who comes to God through me. I live forever to plead with God on their behalf. I come from above and am above all. My Father has delivered all things to me. God has put all things under my authority, and he gave me this authority for the benefit of the church. I am the anchor of your soul, strong and trustworthy. I am the Lord’s Christ.”

  Vicki had read that Jesus appeared with a sword from his mouth and assumed this sword would be the Word of God. Was Jesus killing his enemies at Petra? What was going on there?

  Lionel tore his eyes from Jesus and picked up the high-powered binoculars on the ground. He had to see what was happening on the desert floor.

  “I am the vine; you are the branches,” Jesus said, his voice booming off the rocks above Lionel. “Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.

  “I am God’s Messenger and High Priest, appeared in the flesh, righteous by the Spirit, seen by angels, announced to the nations, believed on in the world, taken up into heaven.

  “I am the Son whom God has promised everything to as an inheritance, and through whom he made the universe and everything in it. I reflect God’s own glory, and everything about me represents God exactly. I sustain the universe by the mighty power of my command. After I died to cleanse you from the stain of sin, I sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God of heaven. I am far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave me is far greater than their names.”

  Lionel scanned the battlefield and was amazed at the amount of blood. Some soldiers saw their fallen comrades and were so upset they turned their guns on themselves. Others dug into the blood-soaked sand, trying to find a place to hide from the white light of God.

  The army—at least those still ali
ve—ran away from Jesus. But where were they going? Where could anyone go from the gaze of almighty God?

  Lionel remembered comforting words from the Psalms: “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!” Now that verse took on new meaning. Where could any enemy go to get away from God’s judgment?

  As the rest of the living fled, Lionel scanned the perimeter of Petra. For miles he saw dead and dying soldiers, holes in the sand where trucks and tanks lay buried, dead horses, and a few skeleton-like people walking in a daze. Above this awful scene circled a huge flock of birds. They flew to the bodies and began eating.

  In the lull that followed, someone began singing, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow. …” It was Mr. Stein, standing with Chaim and the elders. Soon a million others joined their song of praise.

  Conrad had imagined this moment a thousand times. He had pictured Jesus riding on a horse the size of an airplane, running about ten feet off the ground, his hair trailing in the wind. He’d also dreamed of a hundred-foot-tall Jesus walking toward Jerusalem, smashing things like monsters did in horror movies. But Conrad had never imagined anything like this. It was as if Jesus had come for Conrad alone and was looking straight at him.

  “Just fellowship with your Savior,” Enoch said quietly.

  Jesus said, “Keep your eyes on me, on whom your faith depends from start to finish. I was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy I knew would be mine afterward. Now I am seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven.

  “Now God commands everyone everywhere to turn away from idols and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising me from the dead.

  “I am Jesus Christ, the one who pleases God completely. I am the sacrifice for your sins. I take away not only your sins but the sins of all the world. God raised me to life. And you are witnesses of this fact! I am the Word that became human and lived here on earth among you. I am full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And you have seen my glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.

  “Though I am God, I did not demand and cling to my rights as God. I made myself nothing; I took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form I obediently humbled myself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross.

  “Because of this, Conrad, God raised me up to the heights of heaven and gave me a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

  People around Conrad wept.

  “Did you hear that?” Enoch said. “He used my name.”

  “He used my name too,” Conrad said, still unable to believe it.

  “He called me by name,” Josey Fogarty said.

  Charlie rushed to Conrad and Shelly. “He talked to me too!”

  Vicki glanced at Judd, and by the look on his face she could tell he had heard his name too. When Jesus had used her name, she almost blushed, almost felt guilty. Then she realized this was going on with each believer.

  “Vicki,” Jesus said, “you know my love and kindness, that though I was very rich, yet for your sake I became poor, so that by my poverty I could make you rich.

  “I have rescued you from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and I have brought you into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son. I have purchased your freedom with my blood and have forgiven all your sins.

  “I am the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. I made the things you can see and the things you can’t see—kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through me and for me. I existed before everything else began, and I hold all creation together.

  “I am the head of the church, which is my body. I am the first of all who will rise from the dead, so I am first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in me, and by me God reconciled everything to himself. I made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of my blood on the cross.”

  Vicki leaned against a post holding the barbed wire and whispered, “Jesus, I don’t deserve the things you’ve done for me.”

  “And you, Vicki, were once so far away from God. You were his enemy, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, yet now I have brought you back as his friend. I have done this through my death on the cross in my own human body. As a result, I have brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.”

  After Jesus stopped speaking, Lionel walked with Sam and found Mr. Stein. They both had many questions, and Mr. Stein tried to answer them.

  “Didn’t Dr. Rosenzweig say the remnant was supposed to go to Jerusalem, back to their home city?” Sam said.

  “He did,” Mr. Stein said.

  “But how?” Lionel said. “There’s no way to transport a million people.”

  “Ah, have you forgotten whose battle this is?” Mr. Stein said, pointing at Jesus. “If God wants us in Israel, he will make a way. Now the elders have asked us to head down the mountain—”

  Mr. Stein stopped when Jesus spoke again in a loud voice. “Someday, O Israel, I will gather the few of you who are left. I will bring you together again like sheep in a fold, like a flock in its pasture. Yes, your land will again be filled with noisy crowds!

  “I, your leader, will break out and lead you out of exile. I will bring you through the gates of your cities of captivity, back to your own land. I, your king, will lead you; I, the Lord, will guide you.”

  People rushed down the mountainside. Mr. Stein kept up with Lionel and Sam, scurrying along the rocks and pathways made over the past few months.

  Lionel paused, looking up at Petra, wondering if they were leaving it forever. In the distance dust clouds rose from the crowds. Were the people driving ATVs? Had God provided a way to Jerusalem? He turned to Mr. Stein.

  “We’re not going to Jerusalem yet,” Mr. Stein said. “The Lord is taking us to the next battle—there will be three more, according to Dr. Rosenzweig.”

  As they reached the desert floor, people around them laughed and talked about following Jesus. Were they going to walk? Many of the remnant were small children, and others were elderly.

  Lionel stared at the dust and shook his head. He had just seen thousands of the enemy killed by Jesus’ words, and he was concerned about a sixty-mile trip?

  Sam had wandered ahead and now ran back. “Come on. Run with us.”

  “What do you mean?” Lionel said, but Sam pulled at his arm, making Lionel go faster. Lionel glanced up at Jesus who looked back and smiled, seeming to urge him on.

  Lionel broke into a jog, and soon he was sprinting along with Sam, jumping over GC bodies and weapons, his feet barely touching the ground. He was moving faster than a human was supposed to run.

  Lionel had done a research project in middle school about how fast humans could run. He had come up with a maximum speed of 27 miles per hour for sprinters, and an average speed of between 15 to 20 mph for those running distances of any kind.

  But there was no way he was going 15 miles per hour now. Or even 30. Objects on the ground were a blur! And it wasn’t only healthy young people going fast—it was all ages. Youngsters just out of diapers ran next to Lionel. And Mr. Stein was not far away, grinning and laughing. God was providing the speed. All Lionel had to do was work his legs.

  “It’s like riding a bike for two!” Mr. Stein called. “The Lord is the one doing the pedaling. We just have to get on and follow!”

  The sensation of running three and maybe four times as fast as a human had ever run made Lionel laugh out loud. His feet moved faster, but his strides, instead of being a yard, took in ten feet with each step. The amazing thing was, Lionel didn’t feel out of breath. His strength kept coming like the manna that f
ell every day.

  Thirty minutes later, Lionel and his friends neared the town of Bozrah. The rest of the million inside Petra had arrived as well, drawn to the scene by Jesus himself.

  Unity Army troops stood before them, looking haggard and tired. Huge sweat stains fouled their uniforms while the people from Petra looked like they had just returned from lunch at an air-conditioned restaurant.

  “What happens now?” Lionel said.

  Mr. Stein motioned to the depleted army. “I think they’re foolish enough to attack.”

  43

  LIONEL couldn’t believe it when the Unity Army moved forward and unleashed everything they had on the unarmed men, women, and children. Soldiers at the front aimed guns and fired, while troops behind launched missiles, rockets, and mortars. The noise was deafening and the flash of fire was blinding, but every time a missile or rocket hit, even in the midst of the people, no one was hurt.

  Lionel looked to his Savior. Over the roar of the battle, Jesus’ voice could be heard clearly. “Come hear and listen, O nations of the earth. Let the world and everything in it hear my words. For the Lord is enraged against the nations. His fury is against all their armies. He will completely destroy them, bringing about their slaughter.”

  As soon as Jesus spoke, soldiers and horses exploded. Lionel grabbed a pair of binoculars and looked closer. He focused on a soldier firing his weapon toward the remnant. The man’s eyes grew wide, and he lowered his gun. Then his face bloated and turned red, as if his blood were boiling. The next second, the man’s body blew into a million pieces, as did those around him.

  “Their dead will be left unburied, and the stench of rotting bodies will fill the land. The mountains will flow with their blood. The heavens above will melt away and disappear like a rolled-up scroll. The stars will fall from the sky, just as withered leaves and fruit fall from a tree.”

  Lionel again focused on the nearest soldiers. They threw down their weapons and dropped to their knees. Some shoved fists in the air at Christ, cursing him before they died. Instead of exploding, these were sliced in two, and their insides poured onto the desert floor. When those behind them saw, they turned to run, but the same thing happened to them. They were cut in two where they stood, and their blood gushed.