After some time praying, Helena led a closing prayer, asking for the Lord to bless every heart, every soul tonight.
She announced that supper was served in the catering area. Mark went with the others and Sanjay peeled off to help serve the food. The team had set up a piazza decorated with tiny lights, trees in tubs, tables and benches. On all four sides, there were serving counters with hot and cold food, and drinks.
Mark and Johnson found a table. They were hungry and gladly ate plates of fish with chips, salads, then cakes with teas and coffee. They were joined by Imogen, Rachel and Susan, the Intercessor lady. They encouraged them with what they would share later.
“I can see that the Lord has his hand on you three,” said Susan.
Mark felt the warmth of her eyes on him. “I hear him saying that he is very happy with your willingness to give yourselves wholeheartedly. When you stand up there in front of all those people, he will be right there with you.”
Sanjay and some of the catering team came and sat with them. There was excitement in the air, like just before a concert or a big match. Jasper came over to put his arm on their shoulder and tell them that he was eager to see what the Lord would do tonight.
It was time to head over to the meeting so they cleared the table and weaved their way with the rest of the party. The children chased each other in and out of the adults.
As he entered the meeting tent, Mark was astounded to see every row filled with people: families, teenagers and old people; every age was represented. The people were talking in low voices but as the mission team entered, silence fell on the whole space. Mark looked at some of the faces. They seemed to him to have shadows around the eyes and the faces were weather beaten. He felt like they carried years of pain, even the young people.
Jonathan and the leaders went straight up onto the stage. They stood together on a round section of stage that turned slowly so that they could look out at all the crowd.
Jonathan welcomed everyone. He introduced the leaders one by one, and then the team, and explained where they had come from. The Comms team was working at their desks to flash up images and footage on the screens as he spoke.
“The reason we have come is that we believe God wanted us to meet with you.”
“Our message is simple,” added Helena, stepping forward as she spoke. “God loves you very much. He wants you to know that in a new way tonight.”
“He knows what you have been through as individuals and as a country,” said Susan.
“We have to come to tell you that the waiting is over,” said Imogen.
“The Lord says that this is a new day,” said Jasper.
“I encourage you to open your heart to him tonight,” said Helena.
“God is spirit. He may touch you in a way that is new to you,” said Susan. “You will recognise it is him, because you will feel his love and know truth.”
Then one of the Icelandic leaders stepped forward and spoke in Icelandic. Words of the translation flashed up on the screen. He reminded them that at this time a year ago, there was three days of torrential rain. Many rivers were flooded. In the Bible, rain was often a symbol of the Holy Spirit. He said he hoped there would be a flood of the Spirit of God this night.
Jonathan explained that they would like to start with some music and presentations for the children. He invited onto the main stage the children from Nairnside. The leaders moved off and the children arranged themselves. Because the stage was a ring, they were spread out in a big circle.
One boy began, “we want to sing a song to tell you what the Lord is like. Come forward to the front if you would like to.”
They sang with no instruments. Mark could see the boy with the curls. As they began to sing, the Icelandic children moved forward to the front. The Comms guys brought up images of their paintings and drawings on the screens as they sang. Mark turned and noticed some of the mothers - both those from Nairnside and some from Iceland - were wiping tears from their cheeks.
At the end of the song, many of the Nairnside children were handed instruments so that the next few songs were accompanied by keyboard, guitars, violins, drums and a flute. The Comms guys flashed up the words so that the Icelandic children could join in the choruses. Some of the songs were more upbeat and so soon the children were jumping up and down, following the actions of the children on the stage.
When they were done, many of the younger children moved to the back of the meeting area where there were sofas and beanbags.
Next there was a film showing the Nairnside children in their Scottish surroundings and their school. The film was narrated by some of the children. They spoke about the Lord, and about what he meant to them.
This closed the children’s section of the evening.
Jasper and Imogen walked onto the stage with many of the musicians from Nairnside. Jasper sat on his drum stool and said that they wanted to start with some songs that might remind them of the days before the war.
They started with the song about paradise. It began with keyboards and strings. Imogen sang.
Looking up at her, Mark noticed how she seemed to be totally happy to perform for everyone, like it was what she was supposed to do.
The Comms guys showed footage of some of the Icelandic children they had shot earlier. Mark and the team joined in with the chorus. Several of the Icelandic people nearby sang with them.
Jasper introduced the next song as by a band called Of Monsters and Men. They were an Icelandic band he remembered from when he was a teenager. Jasper sang with Imogen.
As they played the song, the Comms guys projected footage and images of Iceland and its people, from before the war that they had raided from the Archive. Mark heard some gasps and murmurs from some of the people near him. He could tell that they were moved. The memories stirred up lots of emotions - some of joy, some of pain.
Jasper spoke to the crowd before the third song.
“You might remember a band from the days before the New World Order called Swedish House Mafia. We have changed some words of one of their songs to match the experience of one of our new members.”
Mark knew that he was up.
His heart was beating faster, as he climbed the steps onto the stage. From here, the space seemed even more vast now that it was filled with people and their faces were turned towards him. He remembered the words that Susan had said to him over supper. A thought came to his mind: I am with you.
He nodded to Jasper.
The keyboard player started with the first chords.
Mark stood in the spotlight and waited.
As he started on the first line, his voice sounded different in such a large space: solitary, vulnerable. The words were projected where he could see them easily. Images came onto the other screens: Mark in his bed in the unit dormitory; the canteen filled with Workers; the streets with Workers walking to their workstations. He kept his gaze on the words in front of him, to save himself from becoming distracted.
The first lines he sang just with the keyboard but then the guy on bass guitar and Jasper on the bass drum came in and he could feel the song was picking up momentum. He tapped his foot. In the corner of this eye, he could see people were responding. Some hands were raised and moving in time with the music. He felt less alone.
The song was gathering pace. He had to raise the volume of his voice. The bass line was stronger. He felt more confident now. The crowd was responding. The people of Jasper’s age were leading with arms raised.
The song was building again, as it ran into the first chorus. The louder it got, the more it seemed to fill the space. When the music reached full volume, there seemed to be a change, like a break in a dam. Suddenly, the space came alive, as the guys on lighting flashed colours and shapes in time with the beat. People were jumping up and down in time with the music. It seemed like they were free for the first time in years. Mark’s hands went up. Now he was jumping with the crowd.
There was a pause before the second verse. As Mark bl
inked and looked around; he felt alive. This is it, he thought. This is life. The change that the song talked about was so true for his life. Before, he knew no father. Now, he knew he was a son of the Father.
He sang on, carried along on the flow of the music:
“There was a time,
I was alive, but it was like a dream.
In a hard, hard place,
They looked, but they didn’t see your face.
We had to follow,
Every time we heard those three notes…”
This time, when he reached the chorus, he felt with more conviction that he was speaking the words of the Lord to these people. The Lord did not want them to worry. He had a plan for them. He was their true dad. They were children. The grief of the past was behind. It was time to move forward.
Mark pointed to the crowd. He made eye contact with individuals, as if he was telling them that God had a plan for them personally. They seemed to respond even more when he did. He ran and skipped along the stage to engage more of the audience. He made a full circuit, passing the other musicians while Jasper bashed away at the drums on the centre stage.
Mark turned to catch Jasper’s eye. They nodded at each other and they went back to repeat the first verse. Mark caught Sanjay and Johnson waving at him and grinned back. This time the whole room seemed to move together to the music. The children had come forward, and many where up close to the stage. It seemed like everyone was agreeing: The Father has a plan for us, for me. They repeated the chorus over and over. It felt like the message was sinking in.
Eventually, the music faded, and the spotlight remained on Mark.
He began to speak.
“Hi everyone, I am Mark.”
The crowd waited. The screens showed his words translated.
“Two weeks ago, that was me. I was alive, but I was numb. I had a number, but I had no idea who I was. I did not even know my own name. I did not think for myself. I asked no questions. I followed instructions. Just like all the guys in my unit. That’s all we did. We moved when we heard the notes.
“Then one night, I had a dream. I was standing in the desert. I saw a massive sandstorm in front of me. There were steel wheels, like huge saws, carried by the storm. They were spinning with incredible speed. They looked like they could destroy anything in their path. It was awesome. To me, it was a picture of God’s power.
“When I woke up, I pushed the dream to the back of my mind. I went back to being a Level Three Worker. I carried on as normal. But then the next night, I had the same dream. This time there was a man standing next to me. He called me Mark. I woke up and thought about the days when I was a child, before I went to school. That morning felt different. I could not shake the feeling that my life was about to change. I wanted to know who I was. It was like I was starting to wake up from a long sleep.
“Then I got a fright. I ran into the guy I had seen in my dream! His name was Sebastian. He asked me if I wanted to know more. I signaled that I did. From that moment, my life has changed in more ways than I can tell you. I moved to the Sick Bay. I came off the gas that they drugged us with in the unit. I joined the church.
“For a while, I thought it was all a dream. But it wasn’t. I made friends. I came to know the Lord. I got filled with the Spirit. I had brothers in faith. I discovered my love of music. I love worship. Worship is one of the main ways I love to serve the Lord. I love creativity. I love it that God has made us creative.
“After a few days, we asked the Lord what he wanted us to do. He showed us pictures of us traveling on a train to join a camp. We left the city and went to the mission base in Scotland. These guys welcomed me like I was family. I used to have many fears. I was very worried that we would be caught, but these guys prayed for me, and the Lord has already released me from many fears.
“And now I am standing in front of all of you. I feel alive. I know this is not a dream. This is the real thing. I thank God that he released me. I was a prisoner and I did not even know it. I did not know what freedom tasted like. I cannot thank God enough. I surrender my life to him. If my life ends tonight, I know that I have lived. I know the most important thing: I know who God is, and that I am with him, and he is with me. Nothing else really matters.
“I pray that God does for you what he has done for me. May he heal you and release you, so that you can worship him: worship him in spirit, in truth and with your whole heart. Thank you.”
There was a loud cheer and applause as Mark waved to the crowd. He spotted the boy with the curls waving at him. Imogen came up to him and put an arm around his shoulder.
The spotlight left Mark and highlighted Jasper.
Jasper said, “Thank you, Mark! Now, let’s sing two hymns together. Your mothers and fathers and your ancestors found encouragement in these hymns.”
Mark went to his keyboard. He was happy to see everyone joining in. The first hymn had a Celtic flavor and Mark felt it had an edge of melancholy in this place. It reminded him of the time on the train, the morning they first looked out upon the Scottish moors. The hymn seemed to be affecting the older people profoundly. Some of them became so tearful that they could not stand and sing.
The second hymn was more hopeful, and seemed to lift people’s spirits.
Next up was Johnson. The spotlight found him at the front. He walked up onto the stage. Everyone was quiet as he spoke.
“Good evening, everybody, I am Johnson. I want to talk to you about relationship. You were created for relationship, so was I. God is three people: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They know each other completely. They have unity. We are made in God’s image. He created us to know others, and be known by others. Since I came to faith, the same night as my brother Mark, the greatest joy for me is to be among friends and family. Not just that, I pray all the time. I can communicate with my God, my Creator, my Saviour, anytime: morning, noon and night. He is not far away. He is close. He hears all my prayers. He sees me. He sees me here, now. He sees you. He knows you. He wants you to know him.
“Before, in my unit, I was alone. I did not have anyone to truly relate to. I had instructions. I had Supervisors keeping an eye on me. But I had no friendship. No real relationship.
“Then I came across Sebastian. There was something different about him. He seemed to care. One day, he gave me an invitation: “there is someone who cares for you, who wants to meet you. He is God. If you want to meet him, show me…” I wanted that more than anything. The Lord had been giving me hints. Now I had a chance to respond. The journey started for me that day.
“I met Mark and Sanjay in the Sick Bay. We were looked after by a nurse called Michael. As we came off the drugs, we started to talk together. We started to get to know each other. We are now close friends and brothers. We made friends in the church. I loved the fellowship. They told me my name. They knew my name because God had told them.
“We came to the mission camp and found more friends and family. If the Lord asked me to give up my life for these guys, I would not even have to think about it. I love them. I love because he gave me love. He is teaching me how to love. He loves me, so I love others. If he did not fill me up, I would be empty - I would not have any love to give.
“Love is the greatest thing in the world. Love is what makes life worth living. God is a God of love. God is love. Love starts with God. When you experience the love of God, you are changed forever. There is no going back. God wants you to be in fellowship with him, and in fellowship with brothers and sisters. He wants you to be in his family. You are his child. He loves you. He loves all his children. He does not want you to be alone.
“I pray that you experience the love of God tonight. May God bless you. Thank you.”
There was loud cheering, applause and some whistles. Mark went over and hugged him before he went down the steps to his place next to Sanjay.
Imogen moved into the spotlight. She thanked Johnson and asked Sanjay to come up. Sanjay joined her on the stage and she withdrew.
“Hello, my name is Sanjay,” he began. “My story is similar to Johnson and Mark. I worked in my unit, just like the rest of the guys. I was asleep, just like Mark said. I am someone who wants to know truth. I wanted to know how things really are, so I had a deep dissatisfaction. I could not put it into words, but that was my need.
“Like the other two, I came across Sebastian in my set tasks. One day, he spoke to me. He told me that all truth comes from God. That shook me.
“The next day, I saw him again. He said that I could meet God. He asked me for a sign. I wanted truth so much, I gave him the sign. I got moved to the Sick Bay and met Michael. Mark and Johnson were there. I went with them to the church. I got saved. I came to God. I received forgiveness. I experienced grace. I was baptised. At last, I could learn truth.
“I am so grateful to God for releasing me. I was a captive. I was in the dark. I did not know truth. Truth is like light. He brought light into my life. There is nothing like the light of truth. The light of God shines in the darkness. This world is very dark. You know that. I know that.
“Jonathan and the team helped us understand the truth about the New Order. How the world is set up. They explained the different levels. They showed us how the world used to be before the war. I had no idea. They wanted us to know the truth. They answered lots of our questions. They even showed us our parents. I had never seen my parents. I did not know where I had come from. There is still so much to discover. We have not been long on this journey, but I am so thankful that I am here.
“The light of God is beautiful. The truth of God sets you free. I love freedom. I feel free. The feeling of freedom that God gives is like nothing else. I have joy because of that freedom. You could put me in prison, but my heart would still be free. No one can take it away.
“I pray that you know truth. I pray that God will reveal truth to you tonight. I pray he sets you free. May he give you joy. Thank you.”
2035 Revelation Page 15