2035 Revelation

by Freddy Campbell

Sanjay came over and told them that supper was served.

  They filled their plates with food from the buffet. The banter continued throughout the meal. Everyone was excited, anticipating the meeting.

  After supper, they gathered in the tent with all the team and helpers.

  Jonathan and Helena welcomed everyone, and then they called up Nathan and Caley, to introduce them.

  Different leaders shared the news of the day. They showed some recorded messages from churches across Europe. John, in New Birmingham, summed up how they felt when he said,

  “It is hard to put in words how delighted we are to see the Lord at work in you, and to see Him going after a whole nation like this.”

  Jan explained that the area would be open as a theme park for children the next day. The teams had worked hard to set up the rides. The plan was to open at eleven o’clock the next morning. They would need volunteers to look after the rides and to help in the many activities. They planned to organise all the helpers at the morning meeting, the next day.

  Susan stepped forward and called them all to pray.

  There was a mix of voices, as some prayed in English, some in Icelandic, and some in other tongues.

  Then Susan addressed the gathering and said, “Today, as Intercessors, we bathed the meeting tonight in prayer. We contacted other Intercessor groups around the world. Our belief is that tonight’s meeting is about God revealing his power to heal. Can we say ‘Amen’ to that together?”

  The reply came with passion from all the men, women and children,

  “Amen!”

  They repeated the word two more times.

  Mark felt a solid confidence in his gut that God was going to do marvelous things that night.

  They all went to the entrances to welcome people as they arrived. Mark enjoyed seeing the range of faces and ages. Many people wanted to shake hands or even give him a hug.

  He did not notice the time pass until the meeting tent was full. He went with Johnson to their place among the team, beside the stage.

  Jonathan and Helena started the meeting with a welcome.

  “Last night was one of the best nights of my life,” he announced.

  “I was so happy to see the Lord touching so many of you,” Helena added.

  The meeting got underway with some songs for the children. The Nairnside children led the worship. Mark felt like he could taste the growing excitement in the atmosphere.

  After a number of songs, Helena invited some people to come up and share what they had experienced the night before. There was a line of people at the stage; they took it in turns to tell what they had felt.

  Mark liked hearing about one boy who said that when they prayed he had seen a man surrounded by light, reaching towards him. An old man said that he had cried his eyes out for the first time for years. He thought that God had turned his back on him and his family - all Icelanders. The love of God he felt had melted his heart. A young woman said that she had always felt so much fear for people in power, and so she had cowered away from any mention of a powerful God. God had appeared to her in a way that was so gentle. As she spoke, she kept stopping to wipe away tears. Her story affected many others in the crowd. Mark felt deep sympathy for them. These people had been profoundly bruised by the New Order. Helena held the woman in her arms.

  “A beautiful thing about the Lord is that he knows all about our hurt,” encouraged Helena. “He feels for us. His empathy is like none other. If you are like bruised reed, he will not break you.”

  It was time for worship and so the team, with Archie, took their places. Someone had set up a guitar for Archie.

  Jasper and Imogen began with some gentle songs. One was about God opening eyes and giving faith. Another was about Jesus being a healer. Archie came and stood with Mark.

  The next song went, “We all need compassion,

  and love that never fails,

  let love fall on us.

  Everybody needs forgiveness,

  the mercy of a Saviour,

  A hope for all the earth.”

  These words seemed to have an uplifting effect on the way people were feeling, so they went onto some more upbeat songs. The crowd clapped along with the beat from Jasper’s drums. Mark followed on his keyboard. It was a thrill for him to be involved on the stage, where he could see the response of the crowd easily, and see the other musicians play. He loved the way Jasper and Imogen seemed so sensitive to the mood of the meeting. The last song invited the Lord to release his power so that everyone might see his glory.

  At the end of the song, the lights went down and spotlights fell on Helena, Jonathan and Susan.

  “Now we are going to ask God to give some words for you, and then we will call people to come forward for prayer,” said Jonathan. “We believe that God wants to demonstrate his power to heal tonight. When one of our team feel God speaking to them about one of you, they will come up and share it. We would like that person to come forward to receive what God wants to give you. Get ready. You are going to see some amazing things.”

  Susan then prayed, asking God to release words to the team.

  Mark was standing with Johnson and Sanjay in the team area. He closed his eyes and stretched out his hands. In his heart, he prayed for wisdom for the team.

  Rachel was the first up. She spoke slowly so that people could understand her accent.

  “I see a woman,” she said. “You have suffered loads of pain from when you was a girl. For many years you hated yourself. You thought about suicide many times. You’ve got loads of tattoos, all over your body. Each tattoo expresses your hopelessness and your despair. God wants to show you that there is hope. There is healing. He loves you. He says to you, come. Come now and receive my love. You came here tonight thinking like, ‘God would never notice me in a crowd this big.’ He knows you but. Your name is Olina. Where are you, sweetheart?”

  A woman with long dark hair was threading her way down from near the back of the crowd. Her hair fell over her face. She made her way onto the stage next to Rachel. Helena and Imogen came and stood with them.

  “Are you Olina, pet?” asked Rachel.

  The woman nodded. Mark could now see her face was already streaked with tears.

  “Well, darlin’, I have good news for you,” continued Rachel. “Can I pray for you? Because God has something special for you, pet.”

  Then, stretching out her arm, she made a declaration, with passion in her voice, “In the name of Jesus, I declare healing in your heart. Today is restoration day for you, Olina. Come Holy Spirit. Cleanse and heal this daughter of the King!”

  The woman began to shake, starting with her legs, and then it got more powerful until she was bouncing on the spot. Then, with a cry, she fell backwards. Jonathan and two other men caught her and laid her on the floor. Rachel and Imogen knelt next to her and continued to pray for her.

  “Sometimes the power of God makes us shake,” said Helena. “People used to call it, ‘slain in the spirit’ in the old days.”

  Pete was the next from the team to go up.

  “There is a man here who was injured in the fighting in the war. Your name is Hakon. Your right leg is as stiff as a post.”

  There was a man already making his way forward. He walked awkwardly, with a stick.

  “God wants to sort your leg for you tonight,” added Pete. He embraced the man as he reached the stage. He asked him a few questions - his name and how his leg had been injured. The man said that he had been shot in the fighting. He had eventually been carried away from the fighting to be treated in hospital, but by then the leg had already got infected.

  “Can I pray for you?” asked Pete.

  The man nodded. A chair was brought for the man to sit.

  “Thank you Lord for the miracle you are going to do now,” said Pete. He knelt and placed his hand on the man’s leg. “Be healed in Jesus’ name.”

  There was no shaking. The man said he could feel heat where Pete was touching him. Pete asked him to
try walking. The man started to walk. His stride was natural and easy. He stopped and jumped up with his arms up.

  The crowd burst out with cheering and clapping.

  One of the Nairnside children went up to Helena then addressed the crowd.

  “There is an old lady,” he said, “your name is Frida. You have problems breathing. Your breaths are really short.”

  An old woman with silver hair came slowly forward. She was helped up onto the stage.

  The boy laid hands on the lady.

  “Your lungs are healed in Jesus’ name. Breathe in the breath of God,” said the boy.

  “I can breathe!” called out the lady.

  There was cheering and clapping from the crowd. Some people called out her name.

  Then Mark saw Becky move up to stand beside Helena.

  “Someone called Lara is here,” she said. “You have tried to have children many times. Come down now and received healing from God.”

  A lady came up shyly.

  Becky placed one hand on her back and one on her front. She prayed for healing. The lady went over like a felled tree. She was caught, and Becky and some women prayed for her while she lay on the stage.

  The woman with Rachel was now standing with her by a tub of water.

  Rachel spoke so that all could hear, “God wants to wipe away your tattoos. If you come and be baptized, you will be washed clean in Jesus’ name.”

  They went down into the water. Rachel helped the woman as she went under. She came up with her arms raised. The woman pulled her sleeves up to show her arms.

  “The tattoos are gone!” Rachel exclaimed.

  The crowd clapped as the two women hugged.

  One of the guys in the band went up. He had a shaggy red beard. Mark knew his name - Joz. He was emotional as he spoke; his voice was unsteady.

  “There is musician here who used to play keyboard in a band a long time ago. The band was famous around the world. Your name is Kjartan. In the war, they did a terrible thing to you. You were punished for being part of the resistance. They cut off your hand so that you could not play music. They showed you in their films. They were cruel and humiliated you and your people. Can you come up please?”

  Joz had to wipe his tears. The crowd went very quiet. A lone figure was making his way up to the front. As he came closer, Mark could see that he held one arm as if he was trying to hide it.

  Joz hugged him and asked him if he could pray for him.

  “I believe God says this to you: ‘I am so sorry this happened to you. I know what it did to you. Now I want to give you back your hand.’”

  Then Joz said, “There is nothing impossible for God. Let this arm be whole in Jesus’ name!”

  The man held out his arm. There was his hand!

  He held out the other hand, as if he might be dreaming.

  The crowd gasped, then laughed with him, and then applauded.

  Mark felt like a sense of awe had come upon the meeting.

  The man was speechless. After a few moments, he spoke,

  “This is incredible! I can hardly believe it. I want to thank the Lord. He is a God who heals! þakka þér fyrir að lækna mig. Thank you for healing me.”

  The crowd erupted with cheering.

  Kjartan raised his hands. “And now,” he continued, “can I play something on a keyboard? I want to see if this hand works! If the others are here, can we play something for you maybe?”

  Jasper and Imogen beckoned the other band members, as they were making their way down. Jasper took the drummer over to the central stage with his drums, and handed him his sticks, while Joz took Kjartan to a keyboard.

  The crowd fell silent and waited.

  “This song,” said Kjartan, “was one of our best.”

  He started playing some simple notes, like a child might play.

  The crowd seemed to sigh, as one. A lady with a violin started to play, and then the bass and drums came in. The singer of the band started singing. His voice was pitched high. Mark did not understand the words; he followed the translation on the screens. The music slowed as if it was stopping then it picked up into a crescendo with more strings. The Comms guys showed some images and footage of the band’s concerts when they were younger and some clips from the original music video. Mark could see that some of the older Icelandic people could not stop from weeping. The song gathered momentum with more string and wind instruments joining in.

  The music faded and ended with Kjartan playing the same notes that started the song. He played them over and over, as if he wanted to give his hands the chance to remember what it felt like to play.

  He stopped and the whole room stood to applaud the band.

  Kjartan stood up and bowed, and waved with both hands held high.

  Helena clapped with everyone, and then as calm returned, she spoke.

  “Fantastic, thank you so much. God said he was going to flood this place with his healing power. Now, we want to pray for everyone. Our team is going to move among you now. If one of our team has a word, they will speak it out from the stage. If you hear something that is for you, come and meet our team here. We will direct from here.”

  Then Susan prayed,

  “God - Father, Spirit, Jesus - we bless you for what you are doing. Come and do more. Let every heart be touched. Let the healing flow. Come Balm of Gilead.”

  Mark teamed up with Johnson. They approached groups and families, asked them what they needed healing for, and prayed. They saw a boy with bone problems in his legs healed; a mother with a skin condition was healed in front of them; several people with old injuries were sorted; a boy who was deaf could hear, after they prayed; an old man with a bent back was straightened.

  He was delighted to see the joy on the faces of the people, when they received healing. In his heart, he kept blessing the Lord for letting him be part of this.

  Eventually, Jonathan announced that it was getting very late. He called the team onto the stage for one last, blasting prayer. They all stood around the stage, in a ring, facing out to the crowd. They all held out their hands towards the crowd.

  Jonathan asked the Spirit to come. He called for healing on the nation.

  As they prayed, many were shaking and crying out.

  The meeting was over.

  There was plenty of excited chatter on the coach on the way back into the city. People shared their experiences of praying amongst the crowd. Sanjay had teamed up with a man in the Catering team. There had been a child in a wheelchair that had climbed out and walked without help, after they prayed.

  At the train, they had a wash and fell into bed. Soon they were asleep.

  That night, in a dream, Mark saw himself sitting at a table, staring out of a window. He saw a tall and powerful angel nudge him, and tell him that God wanted him to write a song. At first, Mark asked if he knew enough about music. The Lord said that he would show him everything he needed to know.

  25th April 2035

  DAY 14

  That morning at breakfast in The Harp, Mark went over to where Jasper was sitting. He asked to sit with them. Imogen looked at him keenly from across the table. Archie sat beside her. They asked him how the meeting had gone for him, the night before. He told them about how Johnson and he had prayed for different people, and the results they had seen.

  “It’s amazing,” said Jasper, “to think you have been in this only about two weeks! Now, I am guessing you have a question. Fire away, matie.”

  Mark smiled and said, “Well I do have a question. I feel a kind of nudge from the Spirit. He says he wants me to write a song.”

  “I’m not surprised,” replied Jasper, putting a hand on his shoulder, “you are a worshipper. It’s in your spiritual DNA. It was a matter of time. Plus you have my sister praying for you day and night. She can’t seem to stop!”

  Imogen made a face at him from across the table.

  Mark told them about the dream he had had during the night.

  “Okay, I get it. Let’s pr
ay now,” said Jasper, and without hesitating, he said, “Lord, thank you for all the gifts you give us. Thank you for what you are doing in Mark. We ask you give him wisdom. Help him to hear you clearly. We say yes to the song you want to give. Bring it on, Lord.”

  After breakfast, they went into the meeting. There was news of more healings. There were messages from the churches across Europe.

  The leaders spoke of the need for helpers at the park today.

  They headed out to board the coaches and the convoy headed out to Thingvellir.

  Jan and Tomas were already there with some of the team. They split them all up into groups and took them on a tour of the park. There were lots of small stands where you threw things at targets, or fired water guns. They went to check out the rides, and everyone who wanted a go on each, did so. There were merry-go rounds, rides that lifted and spun you, and many more.

  There were slides that started high at the top of the site - faster slides were coloured black, medium were coloured red, easier slides were blue, green and yellow. Jan led Mark’s group up there to ride the slides.

  Mark tried a red slide - it was his first time. He hurtled down past the meeting tent, over a hump, and spilled out right down by the lake.

  There was a set of curious contraptions at the lakeside.

  The group gathered there.

  “What is this?” they asked Jan.

  There were six arms in a line, each with a sling.

  “Watch this!”

  He asked for a volunteer.

  Sanjay was the first to step forward.

  Jan asked him to sit on a rubber seat with a back that went up above his head.

  “Are you ready?” he asked with a wink at the others.

  “I think so,” said Sanjay.

  Jan pressed a button.

  The arm suddenly flicked forward in a blur of movement.

  Sanjay was catapulted high into the air across the lake, like a small ragdoll. The others gasped, thinking he would be hurt if he hit the water at such speed. They peered into the distance. The tiny figure of Sanjay had hit squarely on one of six enormous screens rising up from lake. The material was so light that one could easily miss it. The small black figure was sliding down to a platform in the water. The screen was angled so that it slowed his fall. He landed on inflated cushions and waved back at them. They could hear his excitement across the water.