“They haven’t. Jesus came to fulfill everything the Bible predicted.”
With that, Mr. Stein walked Aron through the many prophecies foretelling the coming Messiah. These showed clearly that Jesus had uniquely fulfilled each prophecy and was truly the Son of God. Aron focused on Mr. Stein’s words and nodded, asking questions and listening carefully. “If what you’re saying is true, my brother has no hope.”
“You are right. Once a person voluntarily takes the mark, their eternity is sealed.”
“Even if he took it to help me?”
Mr. Stein knelt before Aron. “Don’t let your brother’s choice affect your destiny. You will not be called to account for his decision. Accept the gift God is offering now.”
“Look at this!” Joel shouted from the other room.
Sam ran into the other room with the others and looked out the window. The miracle worker had moved into the crowd and held both swords high above his head. The crowd parted as he walked. “Don’t imagine that I have come to bring a sword to divide people. No, like Nicolae, I have come to bring peace.”
Instantly, the swords turned into doves, which flew over the crowd. People oohed and ahhed as the birds circled Orcus. “The enemies of our god want us to war and fight with each other. They are like snakes in our midst.” The man clapped, and the birds stopped flapping and fell, quickly turning into long, hissing snakes. The miracle worker caught both snakes and held them high so everyone could see. People moved back, some shrieking and fainting.
“There are snakes among us, but our god has helped us identify them. Anyone without the mark of loyalty to the potentate is an enemy of peace. Look around you now and make sure there are no snakes here.”
“Over there!” someone screamed. Spotlights swung wildly and stopped on a woman cowering next to a tree. Suddenly, the miracle worker was next to her, both snakes hissing in his hands.
“How did he get over there so fast?” Sam mumbled.
“Are you an enemy of the most high god?” the miracle worker screamed.
The woman trembled and people around her scattered, forming a thirty-foot human ring. Orcus held the snakes higher and asked again if she was an enemy, waving the snakes violently until they became swords again.
“I am Jewish,” the woman said, her voice shaking. “I’m not against peace, but I don’t want—”
“Silence! I don’t care what religion or creed you follow. If you are not willing to show allegiance to Nicolae Carpathia, you are an enemy. Now, will you take his mark?”
The woman fell to her knees and held out her hands, as if in prayer, begging the man. “I can see you are a great man, but please, I cannot show loyalty to a man who kills my people.”
With one motion the miracle worker swung both swords and killed the woman where she knelt. The crowd paused, then broke into wild applause, hooting and whistling approval. The man wiped her blood from the blades and turned. “The Jews and Judah-ites are enemies of world peace. They must be identified and eliminated, and you can help. Report anyone without the mark to the Global Community immediately. It doesn’t matter if they are strangers, friends, or even close family members. As long as they are living on earth without the mark, they deserve to be cut off!”
The crowd roared, some dancing around the woman’s body and spitting. Sam remembered the two witnesses, Eli and Moishe, and how their bodies were treated. He cringed at the cruelty.
“If you know of someone who does not have the mark and do not report them, you are just as guilty,” Orcus continued.
“I’ve seen enough,” Aron said, glancing at Mr. Stein. “What do I need to do?”
“Wait,” Joel said. “You’re not thinking of following these wackos, are you? Didn’t you see what just happened? I thought I was wrong, but this proves you need to take Carpathia’s mark now.”
Aron ignored him and went into the room with Mr. Stein and Sam. When the door was shut, Mr. Stein said, “Becoming a believer in Christ is simple. You recognize that you are a sinner before God. Do you acknowledge that?”
Aron nodded. “I know I’ve done wrong things, but I can’t see how God can forgive me. Don’t I have to do something to make up for it?”
Mr. Stein grabbed a Bible. “In Romans we read this. ‘When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s judgment. For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God—all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.’ ”
“So God becomes our friend simply because we ask him to forgive us?”
Mr. Stein leaned closer. “You could never do anything to wipe away your own sins. We all deserve the judgment of God. But Christ lived a perfect life and took your punishment. Now, if you ask God’s forgiveness, he looks at you not just as a person who is going to heaven, but as a person cleansed by Jesus, perfect.”
Aron sat and stared ahead. Sam had gone through this same process as Judd and Lionel tried to convince him of the truth. For some the decision was immediate. For others, especially those who were Jewish, it was a more difficult process. There were hurdles they had to overcome that others didn’t. Aron had no doubt been raised to believe Christianity was different from Judaism, and for a Jew to embrace Jesus meant that you turned your back on your faith. Sam knew that wasn’t true, but would Aron see it?
“So God accepts me just the way I am?” Aron said. “That’s almost too hard to believe. I mean, it’s too easy.”
Mr. Stein smiled. “This is the grace of God. He loved you so much, he sent his Son to die for you. Reach out to him now, Aron.”
Aron closed his eyes. “Yes. I need to do this now.”
The window in the front room opened and Joel shouted something. Sam opened the door a crack and saw Joel leaning out. “Two Judah-ites! Third floor. I’ll keep them here.”
Sam closed the door and whispered, “Your brother is telling someone we’re here.”
Aron shot up from his chair and ran to the nearest window. Mr. Stein pleaded with him to pray. “It doesn’t matter what happens to us here as long as you are washed in the blood of the lamb. Don’t put this off.”
“I’ll do it as soon as we’re safe,” Aron said. “Come on.”
The three climbed out the window onto a fire escape and made their way down. When they were nearly to the street, two uniformed GC Peacekeepers appeared. Sam tried to turn and run, but another Peacekeeper leaned out the upstairs window. They were trapped.
A Peacekeeper led Sam and Mr. Stein to a car, but they took Aron in a separate vehicle. Mr. Stein tried to shout to him what to pray in order to become a believer, but the Peacekeeper struck Mr. Stein with a nightstick and closed the back door.
Sam was terrified as they drove to the GC station. He had heard stories of people who were given the opportunity to receive the mark of Carpathia or have their heads chopped off. He had watched the concert where Z-Van had killed a Christ follower on stage. Now it was his turn.
“I guess this wasn’t God’s plan for us,” Sam said. “We’re going to be killed, and Aron won’t be able to become a believer.”
“Quiet back there,” the Peacekeeper said, rapping on the cage between the front and back seats.
“We must pray for God’s help,” Mr. Stein whispered. The man leaned close to Sam. In a very soft voice he prayed, “Father, I agree with the psalm David prayed when he was in the wilderness of Judah. ‘O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and we
ary land where there is no water.’
“Sam and I praise you for your unfailing love, and we will honor you as long as we live. Father, I would lift up my hands to you if they weren’t secured behind me, but I praise you now for leading us here and helping us explain the truth to Aron.
“I think how much you have helped me; I sing for joy in the shadow of your protecting wings. I follow close behind you; your strong right hand holds me securely.”
Mr. Stein paused and Sam took up the prayer. “Father, help Aron understand the message he’s been given and to cry out to you. All those who trust in you will give praise to you, and those who are against you will be silenced.”
The Global Community station was in an older section of town, but the building had been renovated and turned into a sparkling GC facility. The outside was made of stone, and a statue of Nicolae Carpathia towered in front. People were lined up, even at this hour, to take the mark. A few yards from the loyalty application center was the ghastly specter of the guillotine, standing like a soldier at attention.
Sam shivered and leaned close to Mr. Stein. “Will they give us a chance to take the mark, or just take us directly to the guillotine?”
Mr. Stein shrugged. “I was hoping we would be able to have some contact with Aron.”
The car stopped in front of the building, and the Peacekeeper got out and went inside the station. The other car with Aron pulled in behind them.
“O God, give us the strength for what we are about to endure,” Mr. Stein prayed softly.
Sam’s heart pounded in his chest. He couldn’t take his eyes away from the guillotine. When the Peacekeeper returned and roughly pulled him from the car, Sam knew he had only minutes and perhaps seconds to live.
7
JUDD'S favorite spot in the plantation house was what Luke called the “Yankee Computer Room” because the house had been used as a hospital for Union soldiers during the Civil War. Many had scrawled their names on walls or into the wood trim, and the owners had left the ancient marks. The room had a comfortable chair and a portable computer, and Judd had fallen asleep several times while writing Vicki.
Though the kids had been separated for quite some time, their Web site had kept going strong. With reports coming in from kids around the world, updates on Dr. Ben-Judah’s writings, The Cube, files of information, and Sam’s Petra Diaries, there was a wealth of information available to anyone.
But Judd also knew the Global Community was monitoring anything coming from suspected Judah-ites. Tsion Ben-Judah’s Web site was a popular destination for GC officials who wanted to see the latest on the “enemy camp.” Anything posted on the kids’ Web site had to be checked and rechecked to make sure it didn’t give out vital information.
Judd loved talking with Vicki, but he also liked writing his thoughts. He had changed a couple of the paragraphs when it seemed they didn’t say exactly what he wanted.
Vicki had written about their work on Colin and Becky Dial’s cottage. Judd responded:
I’ve only known you since the disappearances, but one word I’d use to describe you is giving. You were that way with Ryan Daley, giving him understanding and a big sister to look up to. You’ve been giving with Charlie. When nobody else wanted to deal with him, you did. I think you’re the most giving person I know.
Compliments did not come easy for Judd, but the more he wrote, the easier it was to encourage people. He sent the e-mail and looked through incoming messages. One from Petra caught his attention. He opened it and found it was from Naomi Tiberius. Judd had met Naomi briefly and remembered she was the main computer whiz in Petra.
Judd,
I wanted you and the others in the Young Trib Force to know about Sam. He and Mr. Stein have gone to Israel looking for the sons of a rabbi friend. We know from the pilot that they arrived safely in Tel Aviv. Sam was supposed to check in with us after he made contact with the two sons, but we haven’t heard anything.
There is a miracle fair going on in the city, so there are many people who would probably like to see Sam, Mr. Stein, and any other believer harmed. Please ask your friends to pray for him and keep praying until we hear something.
Judd wrote a quick response thanking Naomi for the alert. He checked his unread mail and found an old message from Sam. It explained where Sam was going and that he was trying to make contact with Rabbi Ben-Eliezar’s sons. We are expecting great things and are so glad the elders have approved this trip, Sam wrote.
Judd couldn’t believe he had missed Sam’s message and immediately sent an urgent request to everyone he knew. Put our friends Sam and Mr. Stein at the top of your prayer list, he wrote. He explained what he knew and included a portion of Sam’s e-mail, leaving out the specifics of the trip in case anyone in the GC might read it. Ask God to give them protection in a very dangerous situation.
Judd was curious about the reference Naomi had made to the miracle fair. He found a GC Web site that listed the fairs, and to his surprise discovered they were scheduled around the world in the next few weeks. At hundreds of locations people could watch a self-proclaimed healer do miraculous things. One Web site advertised special coverage and included a button that said, “Watch now!”
Judd clicked the button and was instantly taken to a Web site originating from somewhere in Europe. A crowd had gathered around a stage with a lone man standing at the center. A gallon of blood dipped from the sea was placed beside him on a small table. The man poured some blood into a glass and held it up. “Anyone like a drink? It’s fresh.”
The thick, red liquid repulsed the crowd, so he poured it back into the container. The camera zoomed in. “By the power given me in the name of the most high Nicolae Carpathia, I declare this so-called plague to be a fraud.”
When the man poured the liquid into a glass, out came clear water. Judd sat up quickly. The fluid in the big container was still bright red. What was poured into the glass was clear.
“Do I have any volunteers now?” the man said.
Several raised their hands. A young woman took a sip from the glass. She smiled, looked at those around her, and said, “It tastes really good.” She drained the rest.
The sun shone brightly on the crowd, and the man asked for a bigger container of blood. Like a spotlight, the rays beat down, and people began crying for relief.
“Would you like some refreshment from the sea?” the man said, pointing to the huge red container.
The crowd shouted no, but a worker grabbed the container with a mechanical arm and raised it over them. People screamed, thinking they would be soaked with blood, but when the miracle man tripped a lever, the bottom of the container opened, spilling fresh, cool water on the people.
“I will do even better than that,” the man yelled from the stage. He closed his eyes and motioned toward the sky. The sun quickly darkened, and the camera panned overhead. A cloud formed, then spread out and unleashed a gentle rain.
“Bless the name of Nicolae,” the man said. “He sends a cooling rain on those who praise him and follow peace.” He sneered. “But on those who remain his enemies, on those who refuse his goodwill and insist on their own way, he calls down fire.”
A lightning bolt struck, and the crowd squealed. No one seemed hurt, but everyone got the message. “Do not worry. If you are for Nicolae, who can be against you?”
Sam sat in the cell with Mr. Stein, surprised they had been shoved along a corridor to a processing center instead of to the guillotine. The man at the front had asked their names and Sam and Mr. Stein gave them. There was no sense trying to fool the GC about their identities. Neither of them had Nicolae’s mark, which was punishable by death.
“Are you Jewish?” the man said.
Mr. Stein nodded. “Both of us.”
The Peacekeeper had smirked and shook his head. “Two more for the transport in the morning.”
“What do you mean?” Mr. Stein said. “You’re sending us—”
The Peacekeeper had backhanded Mr. Stein so hard that
Sam thought his friend would fall to the ground. Sam tried to steady him with his body.
“Take them away,” the man said to a guard.
“It’s okay,” Sam whispered when Mr. Stein regained his balance. “Let’s go.”
The guard had led them to a long line of cells, taken off their cuffs, and shoved them into the last room. Mr. Stein wiped blood from his lip. Sam tried to turn on water from a tiny faucet in the corner, but nothing came out. The toilet in the room smelled hideous.
“What did he mean about the transport?” Sam said.
Mr. Stein shrugged.
A man across the hall slid to the front of his cell. “Are you a Jew?”
“Yes,” Sam said.
“They’re kicking all of us out of here. They said the guillotine was too good for us, so they’re shipping us off to camps.”
“Do you know how long you can live without food and water?” another man said from a cell farther away.
“No,” Sam said innocently.
“You’re about to find out,” he said. “They want to torture us for not taking Carpathia’s mark. We’re traitors and enemies of the risen potentate. Others get a quick drop of the blade, but we get weeks, maybe months, of starvation and mistreatment.”
“I knew this would happen,” Mr. Stein whispered, “but I never dreamed I would see it with my own eyes.”
The main door opened, and a guard pushed Aron through. Aron fell face-first on the concrete floor. The Peacekeeper jerked him up and threw him into an empty cell at the front and locked the door.
Sam counted seventeen others. A few with the mark of Carpathia who had no doubt broken some law, but most of them were Jews who had not taken the mark. He and Mr. Stein were the only believers.
Mr. Stein called to Aron, but the man didn’t move. When Mr. Stein shouted louder, several others told him to be quiet.
“He’s either knocked out or dead, so shut up!” a man with Carpathia’s mark said.
Mr. Stein and Sam sat on a cot and prayed quietly for Aron.
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