by Tim LaHaye
The tight, compact, stiff-riding Hummer made its way out of the city under Abdullah's careful control. Tens of thousands of pilgrims filled the pathways and stone stairways, walking arm in arm, hand in hand, singing, praying, praising God, and gazing at Jesus in the sky.
"This had to be what the Exodus looked like," Abdullah said.
Mac laughed long and loud. "You know," Abdullah added, "the original one. The children of Israel leaving Egypt. "
"I know what the Exodus is, Smitty!" Mac said. "You think those people were happy then?"
"Well, no, I guess not. And they would have had children older than seven too, wouldn't they?"
Finally outside Petra, Rayford was impressed that Abdullah was able to find stretches where he could reach speeds of more than sixty miles an hour. Most of the time he had to be careful of rocks and ruts and craters from the meteorites, and he slowly found ways around the carcasses of horses and soldiers. But clearly he was a man on a mission, wanting to get to Bozrah soon after Carpathia did. And from what Rayford had seen of where the former potentate's convoy had stalled, he thought Smitty might just get them there first.
About four miles from Petra and flying along before a huge cloud of dust, the three of them rolled down their windows and gazed into the clouds when Jesus began speaking again.
"I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together like sheep of the fold, like a flock in the midst of their pasture; they shall make a loud noise because of so many people.
"I am the One who breaks open, and I will come up before you. You will break out of the city of refuge, pass through the gate, and go out by it. I, your King, will pass before you. I, the Lord, will be at your head. "
"He's going to lead the people to Bozrah, " Abdullah said.
"Statin' the obvious again, Smitty, " Mac said.
But within minutes, Rayford and the others understood Jesus' plan. "Look behind us, " Abdullah said.
Abdullah was in a particularly slow patch, carefully picking his way through numerous obstacles, but still a great dust cloud followed them.
"What's that?" Mac said.
"No idea, " Rayford said, studying it and becoming alarmed. Something was gaining on them. Something huge and ominous.
Seconds later Abdullah found a smooth stretch and hit the accelerator. Soon they were hurtling along at more than seventy miles an hour. Still the great dust ball caught and overcame them, and the three quickly rolled up their windows. The ground trembled and the wind shook the Hummer.
"It's people!" Rayford shouted above the din. "It's the remnant!"
"They're following the Lord!" Mac said. "Running faster than we're driving!"
"Look at them go! Smiling, laughing, singing! Even little kids!"
"We wouldn't have needed the car!" Abdullah said.
"Statin' the obvious!" Mac yelled, laughing.
It had been Hannah Palemoon's idea that the Tribulation Force try to stay together on the trek to Bozrah. She feared that with the move from Petra and the reunions of so many with loved ones, they might never be together in the same way again. No one knew how long the trip would take, and she foresaw the possibility of a very long day. All around her people had questions about how they would get all the way to Jerusalem when Bozrah itself was far enough—really too far to walk.
She didn't care. It began as fun, and everyone was so blessed and full of gratitude, looking at Jesus and seeing Him look back, seemingly directly at each one. Leah was there, and the Sebastians with their daughter and Kenny. By staying in the middle of the huge throng, the kids were spared the ugliness of what was left in the desert. And the children seemed preoccupied with Jesus anyway. Razor was along, and Lionel, Chang and Naomi, Zeke, and the Woos.
Hannah didn't know who first got the idea of walking faster, but suddenly a laughing and smiling group was pushing them. They stepped along as quickly as they could, then began jogging, trotting, and soon they were in a full sprint. Hannah felt light as air, and while it wasn't that she was actually off the ground, it felt that way. Each step carried her farther and farther, and soon she was running faster than she ever had.
To her amazement, she was not out of breath. Her strength and endurance remained, and so, apparently, did that of the old and the young alike. Ahead, George Sebastian ran faster than she, and he was carrying Beth Ann! Priscilla kept up though carrying Kenny.
When the group caught and passed a speeding Hummer, Hannah knew they were running at miraculous, supernatural, superhuman speeds. And of all things, the kids wanted to be let down so they too could run. She passed the Sebastians as they slowed to lower the children, but within minutes they had passed her again, the kids running as fast as the adults.
Half an hour later the entire mass of a million was past the Hummer and nearing Bozrah. By the time Abdullah pulled up to a narrow entryway to the mountain village, Unity Army troops had straggled in. They looked defeated before the battle began.
What was left of their vehicles and armaments was pathetic, but Rayford was surprised how many soldiers remained alive. Several thousand horses too. He had to wonder whether any of these, who were part of the original one-third of Carpathia's fighting force, would remain to join the others in the north.
How strange to see the entire remnant gathered again as Abdullah drove around the edges of the great crowd. The Lord and His white-clad heavenly army hovered over them, and despite the trip, everyone appeared fresh and clean and none the worse for wear. No one was even breathing heavily. Which was good, Rayford thought, because they still had another journey ahead of them, twice as far.
"Wonder where ol' Nick is this time, " Mac said. "We haven't heard from him in a while, have we?"
"If I were him, " Abdullah said, "I would leave this battle to someone else. "
"Me too, " Mac said. "I don't see him anywhere. "
Rayford directed Abdullah to a high place just northeast of the city. From there they could look down upon the remnant and out across the plains, where several hundred thousand troops were aligned and apparently ready for a fresh attack. Rayford studied the horizon through binoculars, and soon he heard radio transmissions from Carpathia's generals.
"Standing by for your word, Excellency. " The voice sounded weary, defeated.
There was a throat clearing. "And the southern platoons?" Carpathia's voice.
"Ready, Supreme Potentate. " Rayford detected a note of sarcasm.
"Ready, holiness. May we know your position?".
"For whatever reason?"
"So that we avoid the danger of friendly fire, great one. "
"Suffice it to say that I and my cabinet are to your northwest. "
So much for visibility and inspiration. Apparently Nicolae was fully aware how close he'd come to being bird feed at Petra. "Right behind you, boys," seemed to be his mantra for this skirmish. But it would prove to be more than a skirmish.
"It appears the entire population of Petra is here," a general broadcast.
"If you are addressing me, " Carpathia said, "you will take care to use proper approbation. "
"I'm addressing those crucial to this operation, sir. "
"Your commander in chief is crucial, General, and you would do well to remem—"
"I will remember that when this begins, you are hiding in the northwest, away from the action. "
"Identify yourself, infidel!"
"Front lines, sir, which is more than I can say for the commander in chief. "
"Dissension among the ranks!" Mac crowed. "What could be better?"
"We'd better move now, Excellency," another general weighed in. "We do ourselves no favors allowing the enemy to study us."
"They are unarmed!" Carpathia said. "This should be a walk in the park!"
"They were unarmed in Petra, Commander," the first general said. "Have you forgotten their commander in chief remains overhead? And have you questioned how they got everyone here so fast?"
&
nbsp; "Attack!" Carpathia shouted.
And what was left of the southern third of the Unity Army slowly began moving upon Bozrah.
To Rayford it appeared the operation was a suicide mission. As soon as Global Community forces came within range of the remnant of Israel, the soldiers seemed to launch every last projectile in their arsenal. He could not imagine a more earsplitting fusillade, and yet the bullets and missiles and rockets and mortars fell harmlessly, even in the midst of the mass of people. Millions and millions of rounds continued to pour from barrels of all sizes as the army slowly continued to advance.
Yet despite the din, the words of the Lord could be heard clear and plain.
"Come near, you nations, to hear; and heed, you people! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world and all things that come forth from it. For the indignation of the Lord is against all nations, and His fury against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to the slaughter. "
Rayford watched through the binocs as men and women soldiers and horses seemed to explode where they stood. It was as if the very words of the Lord had superheated their blood, causing it to burst through their veins and skin.
"Also their slain shall be thrown out; their stench shall rise from their corpses, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; all their host shall fall down as the leaf falls from the vine, and as fruit falling from a fig tree. "
Tens of thousands of foot soldiers dropped their weapons, grabbed their heads or their chests, fell to their knees, and writhed as they were invisibly sliced asunder. Their innards and entrails gushed to the desert floor, and as those around them turned to run, they too were slain, their blood pooling and rising in the unforgiving brightness of the glory of Christ.
"For My sword shall be bathed in heaven; indeed it shall come down on Edom, and on the people of My curse, for judgment.
"The sword of the Lord is filled with blood. It is made overflowing with fatness. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
"Their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust saturated with fatness. "
It was as if Antichrist's army had become the sacrificial beasts for the Lord's slaughter. Carpathia screamed, "Bring me a plane, a chopper, a jet—anything! Get me to the north! Now! Now!"
And Jesus said, "For today is the day of the Lord's vengeance, the year of recompense for the cause of Zion."
"Where's Carpathia's ride going to come from?" Rayford said.
"Ash Shawbak, " Abdullah said.
"That's right, Smitty, " Mac said. "That your hometown?"
"Hardly. Amman; you know that. "
"'Course I do. Wasn't Ash Shawbak where the dignitaries were, on their 'zecutive safari, sippin' cordials and s'posed to be watching Nicolae bring home the victory?"
"That is the place," Abdullah said. "I would love to see their faces now. "
"Lookie there," Rayford said, nodding toward the sky to the southeast. A jet helicopter was screaming to the northwest, at the edge of the decimated army.
Rayford raised the binoculars again and studied the area. "There they are," he said. "That big old Humvee is just sitting there alone. Looks like Carpathia's not going to even risk getting out until he absolutely has to. "
"His army's gone," Mac said. "'Least this part of it. Not a shot bein' fired from anywhere. "
It had grown deathly quiet. As Rayford watched, the chopper put down several yards from Carpathia's position. Only he and Leon disgorged from the vehicle. Leon held the hem of his robe at his waist and ran as fast as was possible for him. Nicolae seemed to catch his great scabbard on the way out of the Humvee, and it hung him up for a second before he angrily freed himself. He dashed to the helicopter, overtaking Leon and elbowing him out of the way to be the first one on.
As soon as Leon was aboard, having been pulled in by assisting hands, the craft lifted off and headed north. Rayford panned left and right with the field glasses and saw no movement among the wreckage of the Unity Army. Bodies were strewn for miles and the desert floor was red with blood.
"Oh, look at this, " Rayford said, scrambling to open his door and leap out. Mac and Abdullah followed and the three climbed atop the Hummer, watching as Jesus descended from the sky. His horse gracefully touched the ground in the plains to the west of Bozrah, and as the entire Jewish remnant watched from the mountain, Jesus dismounted. The army of heaven remained perhaps a hundred feet above Him, following as He strode through the battlefield, the hem of His robe turning red in the blood of the enemy.
The saints above Him began a responsive recitation, asking questions in unison that He answered for all on earth to hear. "Who," they began, "is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, this One who is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength?"
And the Lord said, "It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save. "
"Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?"
"I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, and trampled them in My fury; their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My robes.
"For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed has come.
"I looked, but there was no one to help, and I wondered that there was no one to uphold; therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me; and My own fury, it sustained Me.
"I have trodden down the peoples in My anger, made them drunk in My fury, and brought down their strength to the earth."
And the vast thousands on horseback above Him in the heavens praised Him in unison:
"We will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies, according to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses. "
And Jesus said, "Surely they are My people, children who will not lie. And so I became their Savior. "
With that He turned toward the multitude watching from Bozrah. "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her.
"For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.... Now look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. "
"What do you think is happening right now, Brother Enoch?"
Enoch wasn't sure, but he had an idea. In Illinois, as he knew was true everywhere, regardless of the hour, the day was as bright as noon without so much as a shadow. The glory of the Lord was the light of the world. But Jesus was no longer visible in the sky.
"Will we see Him again? Or do we have to go there for that?"
"I believe we will see Him again, " Enoch said. "Even today. He is probably fighting one of the battles that precede the fall of Jerusalem and His delivering of the Jews there. But the prophecies say that when He delivers Jerusalem and ascends the Mount of Olives, every eye shall see Him. Obviously, that includes us. "
"But pretty soon, like after today, we're going to have to get ourselves over there, right?"
"I sure want to," Enoch said. "But it won't be cheap. "
"Well, look at it this way: we got us a thousand years to raise the money."
"I don't want to wait that long."
"Me either. How about a car wash?"
"Head west of the Dead Sea and south of Jerusalem," Rayford told Abdullah. He settled into the backseat of the Hummer, letting Mac have the front. "Carpathia's not happy, Mac. You been listening?"
"Yeah," Mac said. "Guess he expected the northern two-thirds of his army to be ready. Sounds like they'd rather cut and run. "
"He c
ould lose a bunch of them and still have plenty.
He's trying to get them organized to annihilate the Jews at Jerusalem. "
"But Jesus won't let them get that far, will He?"
"Actually, He will, " Rayford said. "At least a lot of them. But many soldiers are going to die between here and Mount Megiddo. If I read it right and Tsion and Chaim were correct, that's next. "
As they traveled, they followed Jesus now riding horseback on the ground, His army above and behind Him, and the Jewish remnant running along en masse. Again, they covered more than seventy miles in an hour, and the whole way Jesus spoke to them as if to each individually.
"I am the King who comes in the name of the Lord, " He said. "I am the Mediator of the new covenant. I am the one who bore your sins in My own body on the tree, that you, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
"I am the Bread of God who came down from heaven and gives life to the world. Therefore keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
"I created all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Me and for Me. I have come to do the will of God. I came into the world to save sinners, not to be served, but to serve, and to give My life a ransom for many. "
Rayford had been taught over the past seven years that the Word of God was quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. He had also learned that the Word would never return void. Now, as it was being burned into his heart and soul by his Redeemer, he felt filled to overflowing and ready to burst.
What a privilege to hear the Word from the Word! He and his friends rolled through the desolate land, hearing what everyone else in the world was hearing, and yet Rayford knew each was taking it as if for him or herself. He certainly was. And just about the time he forgot that truth, Jesus would refer to him by name.
"Rayford, for this cause I was born, and for this cause I came into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice. I can do nothing of Myself, but what I see the Father do; for whatever He does, I also do in like manner. I am the stone the builders rejected, yet I have become the chief cornerstone, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. "