But Abdullah had found that most of his questions were eventually answered without anyone’s asking them.
He couldn’t get over the beauty of Jerusalem, given what had gone on in the previous several days. It looked pristine, scrubbed clean, and even the foliage seemed in full bloom and fragrant. What an impact on the world the presence of Jesus made!
Most of the remnant was made up of people from greater Jerusalem, far beyond the former walls of the Old City. The enemy had been driven out and killed, and so all the dwelling places in the Holy City were available again. People would be going back to their homes. Abdullah didn’t know what that meant for him and other Gentile members of the Tribulation Force. They could always go back to Petra, of course. There was plenty of room there.
But for himself, he wanted to be where Jesus was, and he knew that prophecy said He would rule from the throne of David. That meant that when all this public stuff was over, people would still have access to Him, but of course a million-plus would not fit inside the temple. Maybe He would have supernatural audiences with them all at the same time once again. Otherwise, that would be His headquarters for ruling the nations of the world “with an iron rod.”
Would Abdullah live with his wife? He couldn’t wait to reunite with her, but he did not know all the ramifications of life now. She would exist in her glorified body, while he would bring to the millennial kingdom his mortal frame. There was so much to learn, so much to know.
Chang and Naomi, though they stood watching hand in hand, had barely spoken for hours. The day, in fact the whole time since the Glorious Appearing, had flown by. When Jesus had held Chang, and then cupped his face in His hands and spoken to him in Chinese, Chang had realized that everything he had been through was worth it. He would have given anything for that encounter with his Savior.
Jesus had told him that He was there when Chang was born, when he was raised in a godless home and an aberrant religion. He was there when Chang was sent many miles away to school because of his intellect, and it was He Chang prayed to for strength and comfort and companionship, even though at that time he had never heard of Jesus.
“I was there, Chang,” Jesus had told him, “when you came to believe deep in your heart that no god existed, certainly not One you associated with capitalists of the West. I was there when you rebelled against your parents and tried to teach them a lesson for sending you away. I was there when you abused your body and your mind with substances not intended for your nourishment.
“I was there when your mind was deceived by philosophy and vain deceit. I was there when you were discovered by the government of this world and pressed into service for the evil one.
“I rejoiced with the angels when you learned of Me and turned to Me and were used for My glory in the lair of Antichrist.
“And I was there when the mark of the beast was forced upon you and you feared you had lost your salvation. I have loved you from eternity past with an everlasting love, and I have looked forward to this day.”
Chang was still glowing from that experience, even though he had finally figured out that everyone there had enjoyed their own personal encounter with Jesus. That it was not unique to him made it no less special. The message his Savior imparted was definitely for him alone, and the fearful, ugly things that had happened over the last few hours did nothing to temper the thrill of it.
It was time, Rayford realized. Jesus had finished His charges, and nothing was left but to carry out the sentence. Satan rocked on his knees, forcing gasping breaths through clenched teeth.
Gabriel leaned over the angel of light and shouted, “Acknowledge Jesus as Lord!”
Satan had been struck dumb, and as much as it appeared he was trying to speak, no words came out. But it was clear he had no interest in acceding to the order. He vigorously shook his head and clenched his fists before Jesus.
Jesus looked briefly to His left, and Rayford guessed thirty yards in that direction, farther from the angels and from the crowd, a great gaping hole appeared in the ground. Black smoke belched from deep within and nearly blotted out the sky. Again, no shadows were produced, because the light of day no longer came from the sun, but rather from the Lord Himself.
He nodded to Michael, who scooped up the long, heavy chain and draped it over his sinewy forearm. As he approached the condemned, Satan sprang to his feet and began to fight. Again he morphed, first into the dragon, then the snake, and finally the lion. The conflict covered the distance between the remnant and Jesus and the other angels. Every time Michael and Satan tumbled near the crowd, people backed into each other.
Rayford had no misgivings about the outcome of the tussle. Jesus seemed to look on with abject sadness and no concern. Gabriel, who had always served as a herald and not a warrior, looked every bit as capable as Michael and could have stepped in at any time. The three angels of mercy, including the preacher of the everlasting gospel, were close by as well.
Finally, in his form as the lion, Satan was strangely without a roar. Jesus had silenced him, and the curse carried over regardless of his disguise. Michael finally worked the chain about him and drew it tight, forcing the animal into a bound mass.
As he lifted the captive toward the smoking abyss, Satan altered himself yet again, back to the angel of light. With that he slipped out of the chain and made one last feeble attempt to escape. Michael swung the chain and let it slide through his hands until the extended portion was at least twenty feet long. This he flung at the devil, catching him at the midsection and causing the chain to wrap itself around him.
Michael rushed him, tackled him to the ground, completed the chain-wrapping operation, and jumped to his feet, carrying the bound devil. Just before he reached the smoldering, smoke-belching chasm, Michael left his feet and flew—Satan under his arm—about ten feet into the air and then headfirst down into the abyss.
This Jesus did not watch, though the other angelic beings did. The crowd roared and cheered and applauded, but they quieted quickly when Jesus stood and gestured with a hand.
“And now,” He said, “to My Father God, the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to Him who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever. Beloved, sin reigned in death, but even so grace reigns through righteousness to eternal life. Even the demons recognized Me as the Holy One of God. I stand before you this day as the King of Israel, He who comes in the name of the Lord.”
He gazed above, and from beyond the clouds came a chorus from those Rayford could only assume were gathered around the throne of God. They sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Still the smoke poured from the bottomless pit, and Rayford wondered if others, like he, had begun to worry about Michael. But presently he reemerged with a key in his hand. Satan and the chain were no longer to be seen.
Michael rejoined the others behind Jesus, who turned and mounted His horse. He slowly led the white stallion away from the open square and through the crowd toward the Temple Mount, where He would take His rightful place on the throne of King David.
And finally, Rayford felt a twinge of hunger and a new wave of fatigue. Without instruction or a word about it, the remnant seemed to be slowly scattering to return to their homes. Rayford would have to reconnect with his friends and see who might have room for him.
CHAPTER 18
Rayford could not think of a word to describe how he felt, other than euphoric. He knew there would be times when Jesus would not be visible, like now. It only made sense. But he had feared he would have such a longing for Him that he might be depressed, out of sorts, when Jesus was otherwise occupied. Rayford was thrilled to realize this was not the case.
His heart was still with Jesus, of course. He thought about Him constantly. And he wanted to see Him, sure. But because Rayford was so preoccupie
d with Him, eager to love and serve Him forever, he found himself free from his normal temptations. He had to wonder if this was temporary. Was he free from lust, from pride, from greed only because this was like being in church, in the presence of your pastor? Or did the binding of Satan and the death of his demons have something to do with it? Rather than being tempted by the world, the flesh, and the devil, he had to worry about only two of the three. And the world was new and ruled by Jesus.
Would the novelty of having Jesus physically present eventually wear off? I mean, a thousand years, and then eternity . . .
The way Jesus had talked to him, connected with him, made Rayford feel as if He were still right there, even though he couldn’t see Him. When he prayed, it was as if Jesus conversed with him immediately. Rayford had so many questions, so many things he would have to ask Chaim.
First, of course, was whether Chaim had any idea where Rayford might find lodging. He was amused to discover, upon reuniting with the rest of the Tribulation Force personnel who had been at Petra, that this had already been thoroughly thought through, discussed, and even decided.
Rayford and Mac and Abdullah had stayed in the public square, searching the crowd for anyone they recognized. “We had better separate,” Abdullah suggested. “If any of us finds someone, he can call the others and arrange a meeting place.”
Abdullah headed west, Mac east. Rayford stayed in the center, searching faces for the familiar. What a sight! Everywhere he looked, people looked like friends, though they were mostly strangers. He recognized some from having seen them in Petra, but when he asked if they had seen his friends and acquaintances, none had. And yet all wanted to talk. Mostly about Jesus. But about the earthquake too, and the splitting of the Mount of Olives. The slaying of the enemy. The sentencing of Carpathia, Fortunato, and Satan.
Others mentioned the weather—hot, clear, refreshing, as if they were breathing new air. A woman pointed out the trees and bushes and how suddenly full and healthy they looked. “They did not look this way twenty-four hours ago,” she said.
Something hit Rayford. He asked where she was from. “Russia,” she said.
“And what language are you speaking?”
“Russian, of course. I know only a little English. And you?”
“English. It’s all I know.”
Rayford kept moving, looking, asking. Here and there groups were praying, singing, some just lifting their hands toward heaven and smiling. Finally he got a call from Mac.
“Seems strange that these contraptions are still workin’, doesn’t it?” Mac said. “You’d think maybe we could just talk to each other without machines now.”
Rayford laughed. “Why?”
“Why not? Anyhoo, you know Christ Church, a tick southeast of David’s Tower?”
“Sure.”
“That’s where we all are.”
“Smitty too?”
“Everybody.”
The names of all the landmarks had been changed when Carpathia came to power, but the believers knew what was what. Outside Christ Church, at the southeast corner of the building, Rayford found his circle of friends from Petra. All but Otto.
Besides Abdullah and Mac, Chaim was there with Chang and Naomi and her father, Eleazar. Hannah and Leah were there. When Rayford saw Razor chatting with the Woos, he knew Sebastian and Priscilla and Beth Ann had to be close by, and that meant Kenny couldn’t be far off. And here he came.
The boy leaped into Rayford’s arms. “Grandpa! I saw Jesus! And He talked to me!”
“Isn’t that the best?”
“Yeah! Gonna see Mommy and Daddy too.”
Rayford looked at Priss. She mouthed, “Soon.”
“Yeah, pretty soon,” Rayford said.
As he held Kenny, Rayford was brought up to speed on what had been decided. “Otto has somehow secured an abandoned hotel for his people,” Chaim said.
“Already?”
“Oh, Rayford, people are eager to accommodate each other. And as you can imagine, a little over a million people will rattle around in this country. Nearly three quarters of a million used to live in greater Jerusalem alone. There are thousands of deserted residences, but most people seem to be returning to their own homes and inviting in those from other places. Eleazar and Naomi have agreed to take the single women and the married couples, and I have plenty of room for the single men.”
“Kenny,” Rayford said, “you want to stay with Grandpa at Uncle Chaim’s? Or with Beth Ann and Aunt Priscilla?”
“Where’s Mommy gonna be?”
“Probably with us,” Priss said, and Kenny wriggled down.
“Okay, Grandpa?”
“Okay, Kenny. I’ll see you a lot.”
“I’ll get the car,” Abdullah said, and he jogged off.
With Rayford crammed all the way in the back, facing the back window with his knees pulled to his chest, they somehow managed to fit Chaim, Chang, Lionel, Mac, and Razor into the Hummer, with Abdullah behind the wheel.
On the way to Chaim’s house, Chang spent the whole time on the phone with Naomi. Razor teased him that he had just been with her for days, but Rayford noticed that they weren’t talking about each other anyway. Like everyone else in the car, they were talking about Jesus.
“I have so many questions, Chaim,” Rayford called out from the back.
“Probably not as many as I do,” Chaim said, “but for those who are interested, we will open the Scriptures and try to make sense of all this.”
“Are you all seeing what I’m seeing?” Rayford said, studying the landscape and the people and the animals as Abdullah steered through the happy crowds. All the animals were docile. Sheep, dogs, wolves, critters of all types roamed everywhere. Shops had already reopened and butchers were working in the open air. Trucks delivered fresh fruits and vegetables from nearby groves. “Who’d have had time to pick these, and where are butchers getting their meat?”
“That butcher is a friend of mine,” Chaim said. “Let me find out.”
Abdullah pulled over and everyone got out, Razor heading for a produce stand. Rayford followed Chaim.
“Ezer!” Chaim shouted, embracing the tall, thin man who wielded a cleaver and wore a blood-spattered apron. “I did not know you were a believer!”
“I wasn’t,” Ezer said. “I resisted and resisted, blind, so blind. But during the fighting to hold Jerusalem I heard a rabbi in the Old City talk of Messiah. And I was spared.”
“Back to butchering already! How does this happen?”
“I was driven underground by the GC because I refused to take the mark. I lost this shop and my home. After what we just witnessed in the Old City, I wanted to see what was left. My home is intact. And my shop stood empty. You will not believe it, Chaim, but fattened animals, ready for slaughter and butchering, milled about the place as if volunteering! Cows, sheep! Imagine! I found my tools and got to work immediately. What do you need?”
“A lot of beef and lamb. I have six houseguests, all hungry grown men.”
“Take all you need. It’s on me.”
“Oh no, I couldn’t!”
“You don’t have money anyway, do you? And I wouldn’t want Nicks.”
“No, but start a bill for me, and when we discover what shape the economy takes, I will settle up.”
“You opposed Carpathia, Chaim. That is all the pay I need.”
“No, I insist. How will you live?”
“I told you! The goods cost me nothing, and look!” He pointed behind the shop and Chaim and Rayford stepped to where they could see. From miles around, the sheep and the cows kept coming. Men were already building pens. “My new employees,” Ezer said. “I pay them in meat. I have more than I need, and apparently God is providing. Please, do me the honor of taking all you need. They are the freshest, fattest, finest cuts I have ever produced.”
Chaim finally relented, and Ezer was resolute in enlisting all the houseguests to take several pounds each. “To hold in your lap on the trip home. Please, p
lease. You are doing me a favor. I have too much and nowhere to store it.”
As they returned to the car, Rayford heard Ezer shouting to the crowds in the streets, “Free meat from the hand of God! Come, please, and take all you need!”
Razor returned from the produce stand, laden with sacks of fruit and vegetables. “The woman would take nothing for these!” he said. “She claims they are falling off the trees, not just in the orchards but right here in the city.”
“Hold on,” Chang said into the phone, then covered it as Abdullah pulled away and headed for Chaim’s. “Naomi says it is a widespread miracle. They too have stopped to stock up on fresh meat and produce. She said they gathered oranges and grapefruit from beneath trees and saw the branches ripen again before their eyes.”
That evening—Rayford could tell it was evening only by his watch; the brightness of the day never changed—the men settled into Chaim’s spacious home, room assignments seeming to take care of themselves. It turned out that Razor and Abdullah considered themselves cooks and proved it by grilling the meat and preparing heaping bowls of sliced fruit and steaming vegetables.
Rayford had always been impressed with how the Trib Force and Co-op believers worked together, but he had never seen anything like this. In fact, he wondered if a thousand years with zero strife or conflict would get boring. Despite the generally good attitudes of the people under his charge over the last seven years, part of the challenge of his job had been refereeing battles of ego and turf. Now he just watched as people got along and worked together. Admittedly, it was the first day in their new home. They had just witnessed miraculous fulfillments of prophecy and had been in the physical presence of Jesus. And they had been provided the most comfortable lodging they’d had in years, not to mention they were about to eat free food—and a feast at that.