by Mark Goodwin
“You believe what?”
“Everything. Jesus is Son of God. He die for my sin. All these things, I believe.”
“Oh!” Everett was still catching his breath from multiple near-death experiences, so the topic caught him off guard. “Good. You just decided this now?”
“No. Before, but I don’t want God to think I only pray to him to get me out of the trouble.”
“That was pretty risky. We could have died back there; about eight different times. God is not Allah. You don’t have to win his favor. Jesus paid a high price for you to be able to come to him, so he’s not too picky about what motivates you to do so.”
“Yes, but what is done is done. I want to be in the Vine now. To be forgiven. To go to the heaven of Jehovah when I die.”
“Great. Why don’t you tell God what you just told me?”
“I do not know how I should speak to Him.”
“Speak to Him like a friend. The same way you speak to me. Like I said, He paid a big price and I’m sure He doesn’t want any of His precious blood to go to waste. He doesn’t care how you come to Him, as long as you come.”
Ali bowed his head and began to pour out his heart to God. He asked for forgiveness, asked for guidance, and asked that God would give him the strength to stay connected to the Vine.
Everett and Courtney hugged Ali and welcomed him to the family.
Gideon smiled and shook Ali’s hand. “Congratulations. I just accepted the Messiah myself, earlier today.”
The team exited the vehicle into the cargo bay where the rear ramp had finally been closed. Everett shook hands with several of the IDF soldiers who fought alongside him at the Zion Gate and with refugees who’d been on the bus.
Afterward, he and Courtney went back in the Golan by themselves so they could spend the rest of the flight mourning the loss of their dear friend, Sarah. They’d been unable to retrieve her body from the blast site as it would have cost them their lives to do so. But, even in their grief, they knew she was not lying on the asphalt back in Jerusalem, but that she was enjoying the rewards of heaven, reunited with her husband, Kevin, and praising her King, Jesus.
CHAPTER 23
And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Revelation 12:14
The first two weeks in Batumi were spent allocating housing to the refugees. Salvaging food, which still sat on grocery store shelves, helped provide for basic nutrition in the initial days. Just beyond the city were vineyards, orchards, corn, and wheat fields, as well as cattle, goats, and sheep, which had managed to survive on their own for the past three years.
Batumi had been home to more than 160,000 people prior to the plague that wiped them all out. Plenty of housing existed to accommodate not only the initial wave of refugees but all that were anticipated to arrive in the coming weeks and months. However, the massive and sudden die-off had left the city like a ghost town. No municipal services existed such as water or electricity. Therefore, refugees were forced to select homes with a hand pump on a well, near the Chorokhi River, or by one of the tributaries which fed into it.
Most homes had shallow graves in the front or backyards, where the initial victims of the plague had been buried. Many houses still had heavily decayed corpses lying in the beds where they’d died, the last of the fatalities with no one left to bury them.
Everett and Courtney settled in a simple two-bedroom home with a red tile roof approximately eight miles outside of the city. The quaint dwelling sat on the bank of the Acharistskali River, just above the place where it flowed into and became part of the Chorokhi River.
From their front porch, they had picturesque views of the two rivers and the mountains, which surrounded the valley on all sides like an impenetrable fortress. Fig trees grew along the back fence. Tomatoes, cucumbers, and potatoes, which sprung up voluntarily from crops planted three years earlier, grew in a large garden plot in their backyard.
Ali shared a four-bedroom house across the road with Tobias and Gideon. Ali’s home was right on the bank of the river, so it was from his backyard that Everett did most of his fishing. Many other refugee families lived along the same road. The closer one went toward Batumi, the more densely populated it became. The further one traveled up the road, the fewer people were to be found.
Four weeks after their arrival, Everett sat at the small kitchen table studying his Bible late one Monday morning. He sipped a cup of tea. Since tea had been a major crop in the district during the Soviet era, it was more available than coffee. So, Everett learned to drink tea instead of coffee.
Courtney kneaded dough to bake bread in the outdoor cook stove. “Do you know what you’re going to speak on?”
“It’s Passover. I’m going to talk about the symbolism of the lamb and the blood, how it all pointed to Yeshua. This will be these people’s first Passover as believers.”
Courtney smiled at him and continued kneading. “I can’t believe you’re a preacher now.”
“I’m not a preacher. That tiny church up the road fits like twenty people. It barely qualifies as an official Bible study group. And most of those people know the Old Testament inside and out. I’m just sharing the little bit I know about the New.”
“But it’s so romantic. You standing behind the pulpit in that chapel built with the rounded stones from the river, the orange brick portico, and the red tile roof.” She paused from her work. “It’s really like something from a fairy tale. Nothing like what I expected the apocalypse to be.”
Everett looked down at his Bible. He didn’t remember turning there, but it was opened to Second Peter 2:9. Because of its uncanny relevance to the subject of their conversation, he read it aloud. “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.”
Someone knocked on the door. Everett’s instinct to put his hand on his pistol at every noise was fading, but he still unsnapped the strap on his holster as he got up to answer the door. Courtney followed him to the door with her hands covered in flour.
Everett’s eyes lit up with joy as he opened the door. “Elijah! Moses! What are you two doing here?”
Courtney threw her white-powdered hands around Elijah, getting flour all over his back. “I’m so glad to see you.”
“Come in, please!” Everett took their bags.
Elijah looked around. “We led another wave of refugees here. Nearly 10,000 this time.”
“Seems I’m letting that become a habit.” Moses strolled in and took a seat. “I will say, this bunch moved a lot faster. Of course, we didn’t have forty years to kill either.”
Courtney noticed what she’d done. “Elijah, I’m so sorry. I’ve made a mess all over your back. Let me get you a towel.”
“It is fine, child. Don’t fret.” Elijah took a seat on the couch next to the other prophet.
Moses shook his finger at the fireplace. “You’ve put my staff over the mantle, there. I can’t say that I ever thought of it as a decorative item.”
Courtney retrieved a hand towel from the kitchen. “We like it there. It reminds us of you, and Elijah, and Sarah, of course.”
“Yes, well, maybe I’ll have to find you a nice picture of the river or the mountains.”
“How long are you staying?” Everett asked.
“We’ll leave after Passover. We must get back to the city right away,” said Elijah.
Courtney brushed the flour off Elijah’s back. “Only two days? You’ll stay here, won’t you? In our home with us? The guest room has two twin beds.”
“Yes, child. Thank you for the invitation.” Elijah smiled.
“Everett is teaching a Passover Bible study at a little chapel up the road this evening. The few people who live right around here come every Saturday to our study. You’ll be so proud to hear him.” Courtney took a seat on the a
rm of the lounge chair where Everett sat.
“That is wonderful, but I will be speaking at the big gathering on the bank of the river in the village of Khelvachuri. It is half way between here and Batumi. It is not far. Six kilometers perhaps. You may bring your friends from the area. It will be the largest gathering since the Jews came to Georgia.”
“We’ll be there. It sounds exciting.” Everett loved the location where they lived, especially compared to living in a cave. But, he also liked going to the larger communities and meeting the interesting people who’d come to the place many were starting to call Goshen.
Everett helped the prophets get settled in for their visit. Courtney finished baking her bread. Then, the two of them took their bicycles around to let everyone know of the change of plans for the evening.
They returned home at 4:00 in the afternoon. Elijah and Moses were waiting for them.
“We should go. The gathering begins at sunset.” Elijah stood.
“It’s going to be dark on the way home.” Courtney packed the bread she’d made to take to the gathering.
“Well, the sky is clear, and Passover always begins on a full moon, so we’ll be able to see just fine. It’s a good even road.” Elijah led the way out the door.
“I’m sure Ali and Gideon would lend you their bikes if you’d rather ride.” Everett locked the door on the way out.
“The short walk will take little over an hour. We’ll need the exercise; especially after a big meal.” Moses walked next to Elijah. “It helps one sleep better.”
The four of them did some catching up on the long leisurely stroll to the gathering. Elijah and Moses told of the on-going conflict between the Martyrs of the Caliphate and the Global Republic in and around Jerusalem. They also told of the multiple attempts by Angelo Luz to have them arrested. Even with Courtney’s persistence at trying to pry it out of them, neither offered any details about how they’d escaped incarceration, time after time.
The sun sank low in the sky and the four of them arrived at the gathering. Mismatch tables were lined up end-to-end in an open field. Every imaginable style of chair was included in the seating accommodations. Tiki torches would provide additional light to that of the full moon.
Moses spoke with Rabbi Weismann and Rabbi Herzog who made up the Chief Rabbinate Council, arranging to get seats for Everett and Courtney by his, near the head of the table.
Elijah took the seat at the very head of the table.
“Hmpf,” Moses grumped as he sat. “You’d think that since I was at the first Passover, if anyone were going to have a seat saved, it would be the person who actually led the Jews through the desert.”
Everett saw his point but made no comment.
Rabbi Weismann put his hand on Elijah’s shoulder. “Friend, I am sorry. But, I must ask you to move over. Even though we now believe that Yeshua is the Messiah, we still have our traditions. This seat has always customarily been reserved for the Old Testament Hebrew Prophet, Elijah.”
Courtney’s forehead puckered. “Wait, do you still not know who he is?”
Elijah smiled and pulled out his Bible and opened it to the book of Malachi. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” He took the rabbi’s hand. “I know who the chair is reserved for.”
Rabbi Weismann’s face paled. He turned to Rabbi Herzog and nodded.
Whatever had caused their slowness in understanding who Elijah actually was, disappeared when Elijah took the rabbi’s hand.
At sunset, Elijah prayed to bless the meal. Afterward, he read from the Hebrew Scriptures, opening the eyes of all in attendance to how Passover pointed to the sacrifice of Jesus. He explained how the blood of the Passover lamb smeared over the doorposts to protect against the judgment in Egypt symbolized the blood of Christ, which is spread over the doorposts of the believers’ heart to keep them from the ultimate day of judgment. He expounded on the fact that the Passover lamb had to be pure, without blemish, just as Christ had to be perfect and without sin. He explained how Christ was actually crucified on Passover, and how his blood ran down the wooden cross on the very day that the Jews commemorated the blood running down the wooden doorposts in Egypt.
Afterward, he explained the period in which they were now living, the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. “God has prepared this place to keep you. But be aware, the Anti-Christ, Angelo Luz, will not quit harassing you. Therefore, you must stay vigilant. You must continue to train for battle.
“He will continue to persecute your brothers and sisters. Many have come to this place already, but many more are coming still. Please always welcome them with open arms when they arrive in this sanctuary.
“You are being provided for by Adonai Himself, but terrible plagues are still coming against this planet. You have witnessed many adversities, earthquakes, plagues, famines, wars, and much tribulation.” Elijah held his Bible in the air. “But the worst is yet to come. When writing about these last days, John the Revelator said And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.”
Everett held Courtney’s hand tightly as he listened to the prophet. He was far too familiar with the final plagues known as the Seven Vials of God’s Wrath. Everything the Earth had experienced so far was only a warmup compared to the torment and unabated destruction that was coming next.
Don’t Panic!
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Thank you for reading
The Days of Elijah: Book Three
Angel of the Abyss
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Keep watch for
The Days of Elijah: Book Four
The Seventh Vial
If you’re enjoying The Days of Elijah, you’ll love the prequel series,
The Days of Noah
In The Days of Noah, Book One: Conspiracy, You’ll see the challenges and events that Everett and Courtney have endured to reach the point in the story that you’ve just read. You’ll read what it was like for the Christians in Kevin and Sarah’s group in their final days before the rapture, and how the once-great United States of America lost its sovereignty. You’ll have a better understanding of how the old political and monetary system were cleared away, like pieces on a chess board, to make way for the one-world kingdom of the antichrist.
And check out my EMP survival series Seven Cows Ugly a
nd Gaunt
starting with book one,
Behold, Darkness and Sorrow
Ambitious college student, Daniel Walker, has his world turned upside down when he begins having prophetic dreams about the judgment coming upon America. Through one of his dreams, Daniel learns about the imminent threat of an EMP attack which will wipe out America’s electric grid, sending the country into a technological dark age.
Living in a nation where all life-sustaining systems of support are completely dependent on electricity and computers, the odds for survival are dismal. If he wants to live through the most catastrophic period in American history, Daniel will have to race against time to get prepared, before the lights go out.
You’ll also have fun reading my first series,
The Economic Collapse Chronicles
Dealing with the challenges of being downsized during a period of surging inflation, Matt and Karen Bair face the economic realities of Main Street. Government borrowing and monetary creation have reached their limits and America is on the cusp of financial annihilation. When funds are no longer available for government programs, widespread civil unrest erupts across the country. Matt and Karen are forced to move to a more remote location, and their level of preparedness is revealed as being much less adequate than they believed prior to the crisis. Civil instability erupts into civil war, and Americans are forced to choose a side. Don’t miss this action-packed, post-apocalyptic tale about survival after the total collapse of America.
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