Acts of God

by James Beauseigneur

  "Behind me, stretching out for more than thirty kilometers, is the Jezreel Valley." The camera panned the vast expanse as the reporter continued. "It is this commanding view of the valley and the two major trade routes that passed through it that made Megiddo a point of strategic importance in the ancient Middle East, and the scene of numerous battles between 3000 and 400 B.P.E. It was here in 1460 B.P.E. that the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III led a successful preemptive strike against the princes of Megiddo and Kadesh to establish the western border of his empire at the Euphrates River.

  "And it is here that New Testament prophecy said the final battle was to be fought.

  "Ironically," the reporter continued as the camera focused again on her, "the valley beneath the mountain of Megiddo, or Har-Mageddon, does figure into what is touted as a final battle of sorts — a battle which even more ironically promises to bring to a conclusion both the religion which spawned the prophecy and even the religion that spawned the religion — but it is unlikely that either this mountain or the valley below will see any fighting. Instead the site has been chosen as the staging ground for what is expected to be the largest mobilization of international military forces in all of history, making Desert Storm of three decades ago pale by comparison. Soon military units from more than 150 member countries of the United Nations will gather here." The video feed went to a taped shot of a U.N. Corps of Engineers division marking out portions of the valley as the reporter's voice continued. "Already, advanced logistical teams are surveying the valley, and by tomorrow night, trucks will deliver mess tents and sanitary facilities for the ground troops that are expected to begin arriving within five days.

  "Although actual numbers have not yet been made available," she continued as the clip ended and the camera returned live to her, "it is estimated that within two weeks this valley will shelter well in excess of six million troops. From here, some time in mid-month, the U.N. forces will travel south past Jerusalem and will cross the border into Jordan and advance to the area around the KDT stronghold of Petra. There they will be joined by additional units coming from China, India, Korea, Thailand, Mongolia, and other countries in the east. It is at Petra that the actual battle will be fought; and fought by what Secretary-General Christopher Goodman has explained will be very unconventional methods."

  Thursday, September 10, 4 N.A. — 9 miles southwest of Babylon

  The wheels of the small truck rolled on relentlessly, bringing the two men closer with each rotation to a confrontation which, if they were discovered, would end in their deaths. Ed Blocher looked in the mirror one more time at the mark on his forehead. It looked real, so real it was difficult to tell how much of the churning in his stomach was due to nervousness and how much was the result of being sickened by the sight of it on his face. He looked over at his co-conspirator, Joel Felsberg, who was driving. Joel seemed so confident. He had done this all before. His confidence was reassuring, but it was not enough to ease Blocher's anxiety.

  Even at this distance, they could see the great city ahead of them, its walls 120 feet high and 18 feet thick, a replica of what had in the earliest accounts128 been considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, forming a perfect square fourteen miles on each side, encompassing the city. Inside the walls was everything Blocher detested, everything which his faith told him was sinful and corrupt. Joel Felsberg had warned him to be prepared to see and hear anything and everything: men, women and children selling themselves to satisfy the most perverse sado-masochistic whims of those with enough money; public displays of bestiality; widespread use of drugs; drunken parties that never ended as big screen televisions showed an uninterrupted blood feast of executions. And yet, behind those same walls there were also some who still served Yahweh — people who had come here seeking work before the mark became mandatory, and who afterward were unable to leave. A few were hidden in attics or basements by relatives who, though they had taken the mark and sworn allegiance to Christopher, were still reluctant to turn in members of their families. Most, however, slept in alleys and tunnels, hiding in sewers and recesses and behind crags along the river. They lived on scraps and garbage, insects and rats. The police caught as many as they could, but some still remained. It was to these that Blocher and Felsberg hoped to get this shipment of food and medicine.

  They approached the checkpoint right on schedule, a little before 6:00 a.m. when the guards changed. The sentinels they would encounter had been working all night and were ready to be relieved. They were less likely to perform a thorough check than the security personnel coming on duty a few minutes later.

  Joel Felsberg pulled the truck to a stop at the checkpoint and rolled down his window to hand the guard his manifest. The guard gave a cursory glance and saw that the two men inside both bore the mark on their foreheads, and took the manifest. It would have taken only a quick electronic scan of the marks to reveal that they were counterfeit, but that was an extra hassle and the guards used the scanner only if there was something suspicious. Their real responsibility was not to keep people or shipments out of the city, but to arrest anyone without the mark who tried to leave.

  "I'll need you to open up the back," the sentry said as he checked the registration of the truck and manifest on his hand-held computerized verification system. It was a good system but not so foolproof that Joel Felsberg couldn't get into the network and add a few numbers or manifest records that weren't supposed to be there.

  Joel got out and walked around to the back of the truck and opened it. The guard glanced in at the wooden crates of produce and climbed up on the bumper to have a better look. As long as he didn't make them unload the truck, there wouldn't be a problem. The medicine they carried, mostly tetracycline and metronidazole for dysentery contracted from eating spoiled food and from unsanitary living conditions, would give away their true purpose, for people in Babylon who had the mark and had taken the communion had no need for such medicines.

  "Where is this from?" the guard asked about the produce, though its origin was clearly entered on the manifest.

  "Ash-Shinafiyah," Joel Felsberg answered, referring to the city southwest of Babylon around which much of Babylon's food was grown. Inside the truck's cab, Ed Blocher tried to stay as calm as possible.

  "And where's it going?" the guard asked, though that too was on the manifest.

  "The U.N. cafeteria," Felsberg answered.

  "You think they'll miss a couple of these melons?" he asked as he picked one from the top of a crate.

  "I suppose they might not miss one or two of them," he answered.

  "Okay," the guard said, taking two of the melons. "It looks like everything is in order."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  The Gathering

  Monday, September 14,4 N.A. — northeast of Ar-Ramadi, Iraq

  On the banks of the great river Euphrates — the largest river in Southwestern Asia even before it was dredged and widened to facilitate commerce — stood the advance units of the combined Asian forces en route to Petra in Jordan. Their journey to Jordan would be greatly expedited, for neither they nor the millions that followed would need boats or pontoon bridges to cross the Euphrates. A month and a half before their arrival, on Christopher's orders, the river's waters had been redirected to flow into the Mileh Tharthdr, sixty miles northwest of Baghdad. Before them lay only dry river bed, solid enough to support the weight of their trucks and armored personnel carriers.

  5:17 a.m., Wednesday, September 16, 4 N.A. — Bojnurd, Iran

  The branches of the trees along the eastern portion of the Elburz Mountain range seemed to suddenly burst into life as countless thousands of birds awoke and took wing, flying toward the southwest.

  9:17 a.m., Thursday, September 17,4 N.A. — Babylon

  The skies above Babylon were clear and blue and there was every indication that this would be a beautiful autumn day. Then without explanation or warning, the sky began to rumble. There were no rain clouds. No aircraft flew overhead. There was only th
e rumbling.

  And then it stopped.

  For most it was just a curious phenomenon.

  But to some, perhaps a few hundred or more, it had not been a rumbling at all, but a warning.

  7:00 a.m., Friday, September 18, 4 N.A. — Megiddo, Israel

  As the camera looked down upon a crowd that seemed beyond number, a woman's voice cryptically hinted at an explanation: "Two weeks ago no one could have conceived what has taken place here." The camera continued to pan the crowd and then faded to a female reporter standing on a natural rise high above the mass. "This is Jane Reed, reporting from atop the mountain of Megiddo, looking out over the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel. Two months ago," she said, playing on the contrast to her opening sentence, "as the world reeled from the effects of the plagues of blood and heat and darkness, few gave Christopher Goodman one chance in ten of even lasting out the year as Secretary-General. Then came his dramatic speech in which he did four things: first, he made clear that as bad as things were, there was no going back; second, he promised there would be no more plagues; third, he called on world leaders to join him in a final battle against the KDT and Yahweh; and fourth, he offered three signs by which the world would know that all that he had promised about the New Age was true.

  "For anyone who has been in a cave or on some other planet," she said facetiously, "the first of those three signs occurred when, by cursing Yahweh, Humankind symbolically threw off the chains of spiritual bondage, refusing to submit to Yahweh's domination, and thus ended the plague of sores. The second sign was health and youth, a further effect of rejecting Yahweh's oppression. And the most dramatic sign of all, the third, was permanent telekinetic abilities. These abilities, which Christopher describes as evidence of Humankind's accelerated evolutionary process and a foreshadowing of things to come, figure prominently into the upcoming confrontation. The telepathic abilities of the KDT are well known and have allowed them to elude capture and avoid punishment for nearly seven years. Now, for the first time, it is possible to confront them on a level playing field, matching their abilities one-for-one.

  "Christopher's strategy for the upcoming battle has been known from the beginning: to march on Petra with as large a force as possible and, using the combined telekinetic energy of those gathered, bring down the walls of Petra, thus crushing the powers that would reenslave Humankind. Conventional weapons of attack have been rejected for two reasons: first, intelligence reports indicate that in addition to harming the environment — something that Christopher has vowed not to do — conventional weapons would likely prove futile against the KDT's own telekinetic abilities; and second, Christopher has said that as Humankind embarks upon its evolutionary journey, we must turn from our reliance upon the weapons of the past and learn instead to use the tools of the future.

  "In a few moments, Secretary-General Goodman will address those gathered here and give the word for this great mass of humanity to begin its journey to Petra.

  "There is no way to get an accurate count of those gathered here, there are simply too many: millions ... perhaps thirty million, or perhaps far more. Among them are military units representing 162 nations; but the military make up only a small minority. Surprisingly, by far the largest contingent are civilians, ordinary citizens. They have come here from everywhere, by the bus load, by the truckload, by plane, in cars, on motorcycles, in recreational vehicles; from all over Europe, from throughout the African continent, from the far east and India, from Babylon, from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, from Iceland, from the Americas, from Australia and New Zealand. It seems there is not a country in the world that does not have a contingent of at least a few thousand. And tens of thousands more are arriving every hour.

  "All have come to play a part, to have a role in this historic undertaking. Many, perhaps most, have come here in part to seek justice for their friends and family who died in the plagues, as well as for their own suffering. All have come to put an end to the KDT's reign of terror before they can strike again. An air of celebration fills the valley as they look forward to what most believe is certain victory.

  "This site was chosen for its terrain and for its proximity to sources of food and water in order to simplify the logistics of supporting such a large number of participants, but moving a multitude of this size is no easy matter. The 175-mile trek to Petra will be led by the military and the first contingent is expected to reach Petra sometime tomorrow afternoon. Their arrival is timed to coincide with the arrival of units from the far east and India, comprising a force every bit as large as the one gathered here. Because of the sheer number of people involved, it is expected to be late Sunday evening before everyone has arrived.

  Earlier there was some concern expressed by those scheduled to arrive later, that by the time they reached Petra the battle would be over. To allay those fears, Christopher has gone out of his way to stress the importance of everyone joining their mental energy together to defeat the KDT in a single blow, and he has vowed that the battle will not begin until the last of those gathered here arrives at Petra. Additionally, we are told that half of the military will remain here to bring up the rear of the formation."

  Jane Reed held her hand to her ear and placed her finger on an earphone. The motion was more to indicate to the audience that she was getting a message than it was to actually help her hear that message. "I understand that the Secretary-General has arrived along with all ten members of the Security Council, who will accompany this expedition to Petra. The Secretary-General is about to address those assembled," she relayed. "The word we are getting is that this will be a very brief statement. We'll take you there now."

  The scene changed to a temporary stage set above the valley on the side of the mount of Megiddo where Christopher was approaching the microphone. A deafening cheer erupted and continued for more than fifteen minutes. "I do not have words," Christopher began finally, speaking in the universal language the world had first heard when he spoke from the Temple in Jerusalem, "that can express the deep sense of appreciation and gratitude I feel that so many would come and join in this noble effort." Again the sound of sustained cheers echoed across the valley as those in attendance celebrated their own participation and the participation of those around them. "Today we go to Petra!" Christopher said, not waiting for the applause to entirely wane. "By noon Monday we will have forever thrown open the doors of the prison that has held us, and nailed shut for all time the coffin of our jailers: the KDT, Yahweh, and their followers." The crowd roared its approval, many sounding horns or beating drums or banging on whatever they could find to add to the din. "Onward for Humankind!" Christopher shouted. "Onward for ourselves! And onward to victory!!"

  8:00 a.m. — Petra

  Inside the walls of Petra the High Priest had called an assembly. This was the first time that all of the people of Petra — Jews, Jewish Believers, and KDT — had met together in the three and a half years they had been here. Emotions were understandably high. They were well aware of the forces which were now marching to destroy them.

  Chaim Levin had prayed and fasted and studied, and then prayed and fasted and studied some more in preparation for this day. On matters of great importance, normally he would talk with his council to seek their guidance on how to proceed. This time, he decided, was different. His decision could not be made based on majority rule: there was a right answer and a wrong answer and he would have to trust God to reveal which was which. Nor had he discussed his decision with the council after he had made it: on such a decision, he would not be swayed by the words of men. The council would learn of his decision along with everyone else. Then they, like everyone else, could decide whether he had acted correctly and what their response would be. Still, he had not anticipated that when this moment finally came it would come under such circumstances — with sixty million people coming in his direction and bent on destruction. He could not help but draw the obvious comparison to Moses as he stood on the banks of the Red Sea with Pharaoh's army in p
ursuit. He did not know how his declaration would be received by those assembled here, but as he looked out over the sea of faces he wondered if like Moses, his leadership would be challenged in the face of this impending threat. Benjamin Cohen had tried to assure him that his words would be received well: "prophecy demands it," he had said.

  It didn't really matter: he had to speak what he knew to be true.

  Sam Newberg was firmly of the opinion that most of the people of Petra had already come to the same conclusion as their High Priest. They had witnessed the same miraculous events unfolding for the past seven years. They had watched as John and Cohen were resurrected; they had eaten the daily manna; and they had witnessed the plagues falling on everyone but them. More importantly, they had lived here for nearly three and a half years, side by side with those who called themselves Jewish Believers in Messiah; they had seen the love and selfless kindness that these Jewish Believers lived out on a daily basis. They wanted what these people had, and they were only waiting for their High Priest to say it was all right to accept it. These were not the faces of those who had challenged Moses, rather they were the faces of those who had followed Joshua across the Jordan into the promised land.

  So that his address could be heard by all, Chaim Levin would speak from atop Umm Al Biyara where a sound system had been set up to amplify his words. As all the appropriate formalities were concluded, Levin looked out over the silent assembly. He was suddenly more aware than he had ever been of the awesome responsibility that rested on his shoulders as High Priest.

  Opening his Bible to the words of the prophet Isaiah, he began to read:

  Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.