by Summer Lee
I returned to my assigned task.
“One thing confuses me,” I wrote. “I wonder why someone would not want to be a friend to God. He is so good and so kind. It is just that he is naturally and eternally pure, and we’re not. Humans enjoy sinning. We cannot deliberately walk in sin and walk with God at the same time. He did so much for us to rescue us from the claws of the evil one. Not only did he give his Son, but he gave us the Holy Spirit.
“The world is so black and white. Evil and good is so opposite. Some of the most vicious dictators are alive today. Wild animals, both large and small, are a problem. So are insects. And disease. And famine. And oppression. And killing.
“Possibly the worst dictator in the world is in North Korea right now where Kim Jong-il is the Supreme Commander of the People’s Army. He has severe restrictions on religion, travel and even opinions and thoughts. He totally manipulates his citizens, to the point that many North Koreans actually believe that Kim Jong-il and his father Kim Il-sung created the earth and can control its weather.”
“I wondered if the horse riding east had stopped by North Korea. If so, it only whimpered. The rocket they set off was a dud. Satan is so at work in lives who regard Kim Jong-il as god. As a result, an immense famine in the 1990s took the lives of over a million humans. Major flooding, severe droughts and famine overtake the land. Prison camps contain between 200,000 and 400,000 forced laborers.
“Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president, is another man of pure evil. He has a precise design to ethnically cleanse Sudan from the non-Arabs, killing between 200,000 to 400,000 citizens. He also embezzled government funds on a massive scale, as high as $9 billion.
“The former Paramount Leader of the People’s Republic of China, was the power force of China. His leadership had an immeasurable human rights record. He had total control of all media, the employment of a massive 40,000, and the Internet security agents. Now retired, the Chinese government still monitors web users and blocks news sites and search engines.
“The previous hardline approach helped the country blossom into a major player on the world stage and Xi Jinking continues his evil work. Thousands have been arrested, never to be seen again. Many have been tortured and hundreds have died within China’s prisons, and thousands have been executed every year.”
That was enough writing for now. The enormity of the evil in China was weighing on my heart.
“Good day,” said Amanda, carrying out a tray of sandwiches. “Let’s have lunch out here.”
“Is it lunchtime already?” I smiled, realizing this prophetess or angel had busied herself in my kitchen making sandwiches.
“Time passes fast when you’re having fun.” The smile on her face was almost permanent.
“If that is what you call this kind of research.”
“It has to do with our attitude toward it.”
That is for sure. I invited Amanda to go for a ride with me. She declined, saying she had plans. She had to go and feed her “cat.” I wanted so badly to ask her if this meant that she was going to see the Lion of Judah…Jerusalem…but I refrained. Somehow, I knew that I should not let this ‘cat” out of the bag.
I needed to get out anyhow. But I had to decide just where I needed to go for the best research. I wanted to go to Jerusalem with her, so badly, but I could not even begin to dare ask to hitch a ride with an angel, or prophetess, whatever she was.
She hugged me goodbye and I felt a surge of warmth from her arms that felt holy. I was almost overwhelmed by what was coming for the world, for me, for all of the angels and the horsemen and even the Jews, who had not much idea that the time was so near.
After she had gone, I decided that it would be good to get my mind off the heavenly horses for a couple of hours. I would watch a comedy movie. My thoughts went there now. I needed the laughter.
Back on my project, I realized that there will be a great purging of sin during the tribulation, beginning with the Four Horsemen riding onto the world stage.
I hear them whinnying now as they wait for the bronze gates to open. They will come:
Galloping, galloping, galloping.
Chapter Twenty-three
The next day was a new day.
I was now trying to see what made each horse different. I wondered if the effects of the red horse would be seen in the North or the East. I needed to know for sure.
I noticed that the door to Amanda’s room was open, the bed was made and she was gone. I missed her terribly. Did she never sleep? I had only seen her do so a couple of times, but never for long. When I went outside, I realized that she did not even drive a car. I supposed she was capable of coming and going as Walker did. On God’s power.
I drove to the beach. I just wanted to clear my head. Once there, I began walking barefoot on the water’s edge. I thought of a story that was not in the Bible, but one that felt sweet on my mind. The story about walking across the sand and seeing two sets of footprints, and then one set. The punch line of the story went something like, “And the Lord said, ‘Where you saw one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.’” I felt myself being carried, for I had done much in the past days than I would have ever been capable of…on my own. With God, I could do anything. It also helped that he had sent me helpers.
I had not seen the angel, Walker, for a couple of days, but like Jeremiah, I had a fire burning in my chest. I had to seek out the truth and share it with anyone who would listen.
I asked God for help, and sensed that was why he had sent Amanda to me. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on that thought.
The prophetess came to me within minutes.
“How did you know I was here at the beach?” I asked.
“I didn’t know.” Amanda laughed. “I’ve been sitting by the water for an hour, just listening to the waves crash ashore.”
Sure you were, I thought. “Well, I’m happy I found you.” I shrugged my right shoulder. “How did you get here?”
“I traveled,” she said cryptically and I realized the woman could not lie. Not even a little white lie. The cat she often spoke of fondly was surely her speaking of her connection with the Lion of Judah…Jerusalem.
“I don’t see any car in the beach parking lot, except mine,” I said. “I guess God gave you a lift to the beach.”
“You are too observant,” she replied.
I laughed and we shared a knowing smile. She knew that I knew that she was not quite human, but neither of us would say what she really was. Nor would we ever.
Amanda was a servant of the most high God. Perhaps I was not supposed to know everything about her. I refrained from interrogating her. It was enough that she knew that I assumed I knew what she was. I realized that angels did come unaware to ordinary people, and perhaps for their comfort, or the humans’, were never told what shining beings they truly were.
“Tell me,” she asked, “how is the study of the seven seals coming along?”
“It is hard,” I said. “But I am learning so much more in Scripture than I expected.”
“Isn’t that neat?” she exclaimed.
I inwardly laughed at her use of a 1970s colloquialism, as if she had studied a slang lexicon from another era. “In a strange way, it is, Amanda.”
“What have you discovered?” she asked.
“Something that is hard for me to understand,” I said. “Do you want to hear it?”
“Of course.”
“Jesus said in Matthew 24:9-10, ‘Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time, many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.’”
She cleared her throat.
I looked up. There was a serious expression on the face of the ‘prophetess.’ She said, “I believe that seeing events on earth s
imilar to what John saw is a foreshadowing to show you how serious this is.”
Well, Amanda wasn’t just throwing me a bone. She was telling me like it was.
She continued, “We need to pay attention to every verse where God leads us.”
“Of course. I do have a concern. How will I know when each seal is broken?” I asked.
“By the action of each rider on the horse,” she said. “The second and third horses will come forward with famine and war when Jesus breaks the seals. You’ll know.”
My fear was that I would have an assignment, but it would be too late. Thousands would have already died and gone to hell. I needed to turn it over in my mind. I had heard enough about the horses to be properly informed. “When?”
“When the living being thunders, ‘Come.’”
“But I don’t think people will hear his shout.”
“You may be right,” she said. “A crown will be placed on the head of the final horseman on the white horse.”
“So, he will be crowned king. Then we will know.”
“You will know by his actions,” she said. “He will win many battles and gain the victory. People will want him to be their king.”
“I have studied that,” I said. “Regarding the entire event, Haley’s Bible Handbook says: ‘The horsemen may symbolize the world power under which Christ was starting his work.’ It also says, ‘It may symbolize the beginning of the reign of the Antichrist at the time of the end.’ When one goes west, then we in the West will feel it.” I sighed. “But the red horse is more of a mystery to me. It will either go North or East.”
“What did you learn in the study of Zechariah, regarding his red horse?” asked the prophetess. I pondered that for a minute.
“The horses going east in Zechariah are flaming red,” I said. “In Revelation, the red horse is empowered to take peace from the earth, so that men will slaughter one another; and he will be given a huge sword to kill. Rulers are slaughtering their people already.”
“So, do you think the red horse is possibly running now?” she questioned, giving me a hard look, as if I did not understand that things were already in motion. “You know that there are those in the Middle East doing that now.”
“True! Yet, China is east from Israel, and it is expected to pass the United States in power by the year 2020.”
“The Soviet Republic of China is called Red China. Frightening, is it not?” Amanda said.
“Amanda,” I said, “It has not been called Red China since 1949, not officially. You are dear to me, but you are speaking of the wrong era. This is the twenty-first century right now.”
Amanda blushed, if a prophetess or angel could indeed blush. She realized that I was on to her. And I realized that some of those times when she disappeared, she may not have been going to another place, but perhaps even, another time. I would not directly confront her. It was obviously her job to conceal from me some of the powers that she held. She was here to be my helper and I loved God for sending her.
I smiled. “Never mind the year. It’s all right,” I continued, “The State Council is the chief authority of the People’s Republic of China,” I said.
“I remember that now,” she said, recovering her former poise. “It is appointed by the National People’s Congress. The three interlocking branches of power in China are: Communist Party of China, People’s Liberation Army, and People’s Republic of China. The State Council directly oversees the various subordinate People’s Governments in the provinces, and in practice maintains an interlocking membership with the top levels of the Communist Party of China and the People’s Liberation Army.”
“Wow!” I said, “They are becoming more powerful all the time.”
“I read that the cooperation of China and Russia in military technology is expanding to achieve a win-win situation between them. Chinese—Russian governments are cooperating in military technology. The two countries work together to become world leaders. They might be preparing for the tribulation in the West,” she said.
I agreed. “I learned the black horses are probably going north.”
“How did that come from your reading and analysis?”
“The black horses went north in Zechariah. Russia is in the far north of Israel. But Iran is north as well.”
“Iran?” she asked, as if stuck in a time warp. “Persia was the old name.”
“I realize that,” I said and she nodded. “Iran has plans to wipe Israel off the map. Russia hates Israel. God had chosen Israel to be his chosen people on earth. He has promised that he will rescue them from their enemies.”
“Not because of anything great they have done, but for his namesake,” Amanda said and smiled. “He has put his name there.”
“This is what I found,” I said. “Russia once had plans to rearm its Black Sea Fleet of ships. They even asked Ukraine to settle an issue they had regarding plans to deliver new weapons to the naval force. Ukraine’s defense minister said, ‘Russia’s desire is understandable. Technology is moving ahead, and the desire to rearm its fleet is fair. That is why it is necessary to solve all the issues at the legislative level.’” I hesitated for a moment. “I am taking the interests of Ukraine as a non-aligned country into account, for the things that are happening there right now are a sure mark of the end time. Russia is fighting hard to take them over.”
“They are poor, Martha. Food was really rationed under communism,” said Amanda.
“Communism in the hands of evil men can be destructive,” I said.
“What are you proposing we watch for next?” she asked, and I knew she asked, not to ensure that she understood the plan, but that I did. As the messenger, I had to understand all of the pieces and how they fit together, in order to disseminate my message.
“The pale green horse will be like the cleanup crew,” I said.
“What section of the world does it control?”
“The south,” I explained patiently, knowing that she was a guide here to keep me on track.
“Perhaps Egypt?” she asked.
“Maybe.” I tightened my lips and frowned. “I think that since the other horses represent other corners of earth, then this one has to represents military coming from the entire south. Can you agree to that?”
“I agree. There is much hatred among Muslims. Hatred will drive their world into a killing spree like no other.” Amanda had a look of death on her face. “Killing each other. It will cause much pain.”
“In John’s vision, the pale green horse looks, like a corpse.” I felt a wave of weakness. “The rider’s name is Death.” I nearly choked out the word.
Amanda said, “And there will be much death. In John’s vision, when the fifth seal was opened, martyred souls were waiting for justice under the altar. They were told to be patient.”
“Many are being martyred now.” My voice quivered. “Especially in Africa. It is horrific there, what is happening now. So many killings.”
“What about earthquakes?” Amanda frowned. “It does say something about earthquakes. Remember?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “When the next seal was opened in the vision, there was possibly the greatest earthquake ever.”
“We’ve had horrifying earthquakes lately.”
“But that big one hasn’t come yet.”
“Why do you say that?” she asked.
“It will be devastating,” I said. And then I thought of something. “Oh, no, I remember that horrific earthquake in Japan and the tsunami that killed thousands of people. Hmm, perhaps that has already happened. It was a disaster almost like no other in recorded history.”
The prophetess looked at me seriously. “The apostle John said, ‘I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was rem
oved from its place.’”
“We have had blood moons,” I said, “and many meteorite showers, even some have hit earth. That big meteorite hit Russia in 2013. In Chelyabinsk.”
She nodded. “Prophecies fulfill every day now.”
“Surely Jesus already knew this when he was on earth,” I said. “When Jesus walked with his disciples by the Sea of Galilee, he was constantly teaching them the truth about who he was and what to expect in the future. He knew every single thing that would happen.”
Amanda hesitated for a moment before saying, “The disciples asked Jesus about the last days, and Jesus answered, ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.’ He said, “There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains,’ That is in Matthew 24:4-8.”
“Well, proof after proof comes,” I said.
“I do not believe that most of us truly understand what this means,” Amanda said. “I think that we can take heed to these words of prophecy. We should diligently seek the Lord with all our hearts, especially since there is so much turmoil in the earth right now. Freedom from sin and evil is freedom indeed.”
“I have been reading commentaries about end times,” I said, feeling confident that she cared about the same things that I cared for. “I learned that wars scattering around the world do not mean that we are in the tribulation right now. Neither do the devastating famines and earthquakes. The first sign to watch out for seems to be represented by the one on the white horse who wants to control the earth. And then red, black and green will bring famine, war and death. Each represents a kingdom.”
