by Summer Lee
“Your daughters?”
“Moved away when their jobs took them elsewhere,” I said sadly. “We try to keep in touch, but everyone is so busy.”
“Friends?” she asked.
“Passed away…the close ones anyway.”
She nodded sympathetically. “You shall see them again, the faithful.”
“I know,” I said. “I usually go to church, but most of the members are on the same cruise with my husband and son. It’s actually a mission trip to Mexico to build houses for poor people, so the church is closed for a month.”
Amanda nodded. “What else can you tell me about yourself, Martha?”
“It seems like this all began when suddenly, I saw an angel yesterday. Now, I have an assignment to tell the world about the coming tribulation. Walker told me that what I have to share is in the Bible. He said to read Revelation, approaching the book as one thought at a time.”
“That seems wise and conscientious.”
“What can you tell me that will help?”
Amanda folded her hands under her chin. “Well,” she said slowly, “the first three chapters of Revelation are to the Church. The next two seem to show the Church in heaven. There is a scene that shows God on His throne.”
“The tribulation begins with the horses.”
“I read for a while in Revelation last night. The Apostle John had a vision of heaven where he saw the Heavenly Father hand over the title deed of the Earth to the rightful owner.” While I was speaking, a gentle breeze came up, stirring the fragrance of roses.
“Jesus is the rightful owner,” Amanda said softly, “because he paid for it with his blood.”
I scrunched up my face. The thought of blood did that to me. I relaxed and then continued, “That is really going to happen, isn’t it? That is where the end of this age begins.”
“The end comes shortly after the horses come on the scene. You do know that?” Amanda asked.
“That is what I understand. My assignment is to prove the horses are real and that they come from the spirit world—from Heaven. I am to write an article about it. It will be a warning for people today as well as guidance for future citizens.” I wrinkled my brows. “That is where you come in. I need your help.”
“How you begin your piece is so important.” She sounded experienced. “Do you know yet what you’ll say?”
“I’ll start with the Heavenly Father handing the scroll to the Lamb, and he opens the first seal.” I tried to sound optimistic, as if this was a good thing. “What do you think?”
“Verily,” she started slowly, “some interpret the horses differently, though most scholars give accounts of the four riders as symbolizing these: Conquest, War, Famine, and Death, respectively. The Christian vision is that the Four Horsemen are to set a divine apocalypse upon the world as harbingers of the Last Judgment.” Amanda looked at me seriously and I wondered if she had come out of another time because she seemed to be so out of place here.
“So, the Lamb of God opens the first seal. And then what?” I asked.
“A white horse rides forth with a bow in his hand. I do not know if it is a rainbow, or if the horseman is an archer. What do you think, Martha?”
I shrugged. “He will be given a crown so he can conquer many nations,” I said, “like an international leader offering world peace.”
“Very good.” She blinked her eyes. “And then what? Do you know what is next?”
“The Lamb will open another seal and another horse will ride on the scene, a red one. And then, another that will be black. And finally a pale green one.” I sighed.
“When the first four seals on the scroll are opened, four horses will have ridden forth.”
“Then people will know the devastating violent disruption has begun.” I sat on the edge of my seat, wondering what I would learn from the prophetess.
Amanda looked into my eyes. “Much pain and destruction will be delivered on the Earth by the time the last horse gallops onto the scene.”
“I guessed as much from the descriptions in the Bible.” I felt a knot of anxiety in the pit of my stomach. “How do we know this is true?”
“Do you believe the Bible is true?” she asked gently.
“I know it is true, whether I believe it or not.”
She nodded. “The stories in Revelation are preserved in the Bible for God’s children. It was shown in a vision to the Apostle John, who had walked with Jesus for over three years, and then was pastor of the church in Ephesus for many years. Those who canonized the Bible were carefully chosen as well.” She paused. “You can trust the scholars of the past to save what God wanted our generation to know. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I think I do.”
“There is something else you need to know about me,” said Amanda.
“What is that?”
“As a prophetess who gives words of encouragement, I sometimes share truths of the future. At times, I do not even myself know the meaning until days later.”
I nodded that I understood. “How will I know which is which?”
“I will speak out words of power. And you shall know in your heart if you should act on them.”
“What am I to do in such a case?” I asked.
“Just pray silently,” said Amanda. “And fear not.”
“I can do that,” I said. “Do you have any control over your gift?”
“Oh, yes.” She explained that it was more powerful when it just flowed. “My message to the world is repentance. That is my special gift.”
“It is needed.” I thought about how cruel some people could be.
“I have also been asked to study Biblical encounters that people in the Bible had with God. I chose King Hezekiah, king of Israel. He had a gift for using words that greatly encouraged the people of Judah.” She said it as if she had known him and I began to think that perhaps she had.
“Since I am to warn the world about the coming Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, is that my portion of this assignment?” I asked.
“Certainly. We will work together and help each other,” she said with obvious enthusiasm. “I have spiritual mysteries to solve. Dost thou?”
“I’m not sure,” I replied. There she goes again with the archaic language.
Suddenly, a strong wind came up, so we went inside. Walker met us inside the door. “Greetings.” He put his hands together as if about to pray and bowed his head for a moment.
“You have unusual ways of appearing,” I said. “Did the wind blow you in?”
Walker laughed. “You could say that.”
I laughed as well. “I am still learning about the supernatural world of angels.”
“There will be more appearances of angels as the end draws nigh.” There was a glow around Walker as he talked.
The wind whistling outside soon added the pitter-patter of rain to the mix.
“It’s raining,” said Amanda. “It does not rain often in the desert where I usually dwell. Almost never.”
“Never underestimate our angel friend to bring the weather with him on his wings,” I said.
Walker laughed.
“What should we do now?” asked Amanda, as if I should know.
“It is a good time to discuss things,” I said, looking at Walker. I asked him to explain how I received my mission. He said my mission began when Jesus was on Earth.
He said, “God has always had a witness in every generation.”
“And I was chosen for my generation?”
“Yes.” He walked over to a chair and sat. “As was Amanda.”
I addressed Walker. “Tell me how it has always been.”
Amanda took a seat and I sat as well. She said, “May I make a cup of tea? I am more accustomed to tea than to coffee. Coffee tastes good but it seems to make me too wakeful.”
I smiled. “Of course. I have herbal tea bags without caffeine, right next to the bag of coffee in the cabinet. As long as you stay here, you will treat this house as your home.”
“Thank you. Does anyone else desire tea?” Amanda asked.
“Yes, please,” Walker and I said at the same time.
She went into the kitchen. “Martha, I need to make a fire,” she said. “How does this machine work?”
“Excuse me,” I said to Walker. I went into the kitchen and showed her how to turn on the electric stove and fill the teakettle from the cold-water tap in the sink. She looked at it in wonder.
“When the water boils the teakettle will whistle, so when that happens, just turn this knob to where it says OFF.” I pointed to the knob on the stove that corresponded to the burner.
She nodded.
I got out the cups and the teabags and sugar. After a moment, I took a squeeze bottle from the cupboard. “This is clover honey, and probably more to your taste than sugar.”
She nodded. “It is. How didst thou know?” She paused and said, “I meant to say, how did you know?”
“I just guessed.” I smiled, keeping her secret that she was not from here, or now. Then I went back into the living room.
“I’ll tell you how it all began. It was two thousand years ago,” Walker said. “One day after preaching in Herod’s temple, Jesus and his disciples left the temple area. His disciples directed his attention to the surrounding buildings—Herod’s gorgeous temple.”
I frowned. “What does that have to do with it?”
“Just listen,” he said. “Jesus told his disciples, ‘I tell you, not one of these stones will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down.’”
“Didn’t that already come to pass?”
“Smart girl,” he said. “That prophecy came to pass in 70 A.D. when the Romans burned the temple and melted the gold from between the temple stones. Trust me, they were not little pebbles, but huge stones. The Siege of Jerusalem in the year 70 A.D. was a decisive event in the first Jewish-Roman War. It was followed by the fall of Masada in 73 A.D.”
Amanda returned with a tray holding three cups of tea. A small dish held lemon slices, sitting beside a sugar bowl and creamer and the squeeze bottle of honey. She passed out the cups and Walker said, “The Jews did not need to sacrifice lambs anymore, so that is why the temple went down.”
“I did read about that.” I sipped my tea and listened to the rain. “I saw a program on TV that said the gold taken from the temple in Jerusalem was used to build the Coliseum in Rome. It is now in the Roman churches in Europe.”
“You’re right.” The angel seemed pleased that I knew this. “The truth about Jerusalem is that it was besieged by Emperor Titus using the Roman army,” he said. “He was assisted by Tiberius Julius Alexander, his second-in-command. They conquered the city, which had been occupied by Jewish citizens. The city and its famous Second Temple were completely demolished in 70 A.D.”
Amanda was listening. She said, “But a new one must be built to complete all prophecy concerning the end times.”
I knew that to be true, so I finally felt comfortable talking with Amanda and Walker together. They were relaxed as well, so I posed a question.
“Well, I know there is a mosque where the temple used to be. So, I was thinking, what if rebuilding the temple is not about tearing down the mosque and recreating the physical building, but about rebuilding the people?” I asked. “What if the word ‘temple’ is a metaphor, a symbol, as so many things are in the Bible? What if, this time around, rebuilding the temple means rebuilding the unity of the Jewish people?”
“Now that is an interesting concept,” Walker said. “I do not believe that any human I have ever encountered has ever spoken of this before.”
“Am I right?” I asked.
“Only God knows the answer to that, but the question is very intelligent,” Walker said.
I wanted an answer and sighed in frustration. “I just can’t see the Jews destroying the mosque to rebuild their temple in the same spot. I wish I had a disciple here to ask.”
“The disciples wanted to know the future, too,” Amanda said. “They were under Roman rule and it was very difficult for them to practice their faith in those times.”
“Exactly.” Walker continued, “After giving the prophecy to his disciples, Jesus sat down on the Mount of Olives with his disciples on the grass at his feet. While they gathered around him, they asked about the end of time.”
The angel paused. I felt his energy. It vibrated around me. His silver hair hung loosely around his muscular shoulders. His arms showed strength.
Rain still peppered the landscape outside my home. It was a perfect time for a Biblical adventure story.
“Go on,” I prompted Walker.
“You are right about the disciples, Amanda,” Walker said, beaming. “This has given scholars great concern down through the ages.”
“Tell me,” I said. “What happened in 70 A.D. that was so significant? Why was that destruction important?”
Walker opened his hands, palms up, a sorrowful look on his face. “The Jews did not accept their Messiah when he came to them. Instead, they killed him.”
“Well, they asked the Romans to kill him.” Amanda tightened her lips.
I could feel the devastation in the strange breeze blowing inside my home.
“But he arose from the dead,” I said.
“True.” Walker pointed to my Bible. “Martha, read Matthew 24.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
I opened my Bible and glanced over the chapter in Matthew. “But some people say that the destruction in 70 A.D. was the fulfillment of that prophecy in Matthew.”
“Some of what Jesus said was fulfilled at that time, Martha,” he said. “There is more to it than that, though. Take time to study it for yourself.”
“Okay.” I stopped to think. “I will do that.”
“Watch and wait.” Walker spoke in heavenly tones.
A wind came up outside as well and the door flew open, slamming against the wall. Fearfully, I yelled, “Gracious!”
He laughed and got up to close the door, then sat again. “The disciples asked Jesus, ‘When will this happen? What will be the sign of your coming? When is the end of the age?’”
“But the end of the age did not come when the temple was destroyed,” I said, feeling spooked by the door incident.
“True,” he said, smiling. “They did not know their request was two-or even threefold. What the disciples did not understand was that the destruction of the temple and the end of the age were different events.”
The door banged open again.
“Obviously, they were different events,” I said as I walked over, shut the door and locked it. “Spaced over two thousand years, but the Jews are never forgotten. They have always been under attack. Even now, they are challenged as to the very legitimacy of their existence.”
“To me, the events are more about God,” said Amanda. “The three-person God has a multiple purpose. The Father wants a relationship with Jews. Jesus wants a relationship with the Church, who is the body for the Holy Spirit.”
“Exactly. The Jews were driven out of their homeland and scattered around the world for their lack of obedience and faith,” said the angel. “They would not be led to return until the end of the age.”
“Many are back in the land now.” I bit my lower lip. “Israel is a nation once again—it has been since May 14, 1948. This must be the end of the age.”
“True.” He paused. “There are international groups that want to isolate Israel and undermine Israel’s right to exist. Christians must protect them.”
“That is why I saw you riding a providential horse.”
“Not only that particular one,” he said. “There will be more.”
“I saw three more.”
“There will be four altogether.”
“Four? Like what I saw?”
“Yes. The future riders are better known as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. They will come galloping across the pages of history into the present. They will come with great power a
nd with a final purpose. They will come . . .”
Galloping, galloping, galloping.
Chapter Three
Evening came, and the angel was still with us.
“Do you eat food?” I asked.
He laughed. “Yes.”
I made sandwiches and refilled our teacups. Amanda helped me and was very interested in the light inside the refrigerator. She opened and closed it several times to see the light come on. I smiled at her wondrous innocence.
Back in the living room with our food, we continued chatting.
“You came to Earth in the midst of a storm. It must be a sign,” I said to Walker, “that an atmospheric phenomenon at the end of the age is a supernatural sign.”
“That is right,” he said. “But there are other prophetic clues that show we are in the last days as well. You need not worry, for I have been appointed to protect you. Amanda can tell you how you can keep safe and write at the same time.”
“Give me a clue.”
“The fact that everything will be extreme will be one of the signs of the end.” Amanda spoke with confidence.
“Is that right, Walker?” I studied his facial expressions.
“Yes, dear Martha. It is all prophetic. Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel all foretell aspects of the great tribulation.”
“Jesus is our salvation from this,” said Amanda.
I watched as the angel sipped his tea just as a human would do. I was fascinated with his words. “God will let the devil try to run things his way. Satan controlling the Earth through a superman will be the worst thing ever to come on Earth. He will be evil personified.”
“The evil leader will deceive the people of the world. He will usurp, and tell untruths and conquer.” Amanda spoke calmly, like a prophetess. Or more.
“Many will think the leader is the Messiah.” Walker added to her remarks, his voice vibrating.
“Major storms and earthquakes are certain to come as part of the tribulation, aren’t they?” I asked, still feeling frightened.
