Mark ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t want to preach, but he didn’t want to hold back either. “My friends and I have found out that God really exists and that he cares for each of us. In fact, he cared so much that he predicted everything that’s happening right now.”
“Even this heat wave?”
Mark nodded. “He predicted there would be a ruler that would arise who would lead people away from the truth—”
“Carpathia. I think he’s the Antichrist.”
“You’re right. And the Bible predicted the worldwide earthquake, the stinging locusts—”
“I hated them things… .”
“—and even that people would reject his truth, in spite of all the miraculous signs.”
“I don’t reject anything God does. I believe we all ought to live by the Golden Rule and love others. I’ve prayed to God before.”
“What did you say?”
Clemson shrugged. “I asked him for food and to help me find a safe place to stay, that kind of thing.”
“Did he answer?”
Clemson wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. “Sure did. There’s lots of people who’ve been carted off by the GC from around here or who have turned in people without the mark for the reward. I’ve been protected.”
Mark drew closer and got down on one knee. “Clemson, it’s not enough just to believe that God exists. The Bible says that the demons believe that. Even Carpathia believes in God.”
“I don’t think God cares about an old boy like me. He’s got plenty to think about without worrying about my troubles.”
“So God’s not big enough to care for you? To help you find food and shelter?”
“I don’t know… .”
“The reason we came here was to find that little boy in the next room. But I think God had a bonus in mind.” Mark squinted. “Have you been asking God for anything lately?”
“Such as?”
“A sign? Maybe some help? Praying that if God’s real, he’d show you and send somebody?”
The man turned white. “How did you know that?”
“I didn’t. It was a guess. But since we’ve found you, I figured God had prepared the way.”
Clemson walked to the other side of the room and sat on a rickety stool. “It gets kind of lonesome. I had a dog that stayed with me, but he died about a year ago. He used to stay right beside me like he was scared of what was going on outside.” His smile faded. “Bein’ all alone gets you to thinking, and I guess over the past few months I’ve been wonderin’ whether or not God was up there and if he cared about all the people dyin’. You think he does?”
“I think the reason that all this bad stuff has happened is that God cares more than any of us can imagine. He wants people to come to know him, to ask forgiveness for their sins, even though he knows that most people will spit in his face.”
“Well, if you’re so religious why are you still here?”
“One of the reasons he’s left us here is so we could reach out to people and help them come to know Jesus personally.” Mark told his story briefly, how he had become a true believer in Jesus after the disappearances and had joined the Young Tribulation Force. “I thought I knew God before all this happened, and I thought a lot of other people were just playing church. Some were. But most of my friends who asked me to go to church with them had something I didn’t have.”
“And what was that?”
“They knew they were forgiven by God because of what Jesus did on the cross. You see, he died so that you could live forever with God and so that you could have a relationship with him right now.”
Vicki, Marshall, and Cheryl walked quietly into the room, and Clemson looked up. “And it happened the same way with you people?”
“My parents were these religious nutcases,” Vicki said. “They wanted me to go to church with them and read my Bible. I thought Christians were just people who didn’t want to have any fun. Now I know the truth, that you can have real life, something that lasts, if you give your life to God.”
Clemson stared at the floor. “From what I can gather, you people came searching for that little boy because one of you ran off with him. How did that happen?”
No one spoke for a long time. Finally, Cheryl folded her arms and her chin quivered. “Just because we believe in God doesn’t mean we’ll always make the right decisions.” She looked at Vicki and frowned. “I made a big mistake. I can see that now. And there’s nothing I can do to make up for it. But I know God is in the business of forgiving people.”
Mark looked at Clemson squarely. “Would you like to ask God to forgive you and ask him to come into your life?”
Clemson rubbed his neck with a hand. “I don’t know. This has all come on kind of sudden-like. I need some time.”
“I understand. But we have to head back, and you need to know that if you go outside during the day without God’s protection, you’ll die. It’s as simple as that.”
“I can’t make this decision just because I want to live longer.”
“Right,” Mark said. “But there’s no guarantee you’ll be alive tomorrow. Half the people in the world have already died. Most of those who were stung by locusts cursed God. But you’ve been given a second chance. All of us have, and we want to urge you to take it right now.”
Tom Fogarty came into the room with Ryan. The child was humming a crude version of “Jesus Loves Me,” and Clemson smiled. “I swear it’d be worth it just to have that kid around. There hasn’t been much to smile about the past few years.”
Mark held out his hands, and Ryan came to him. “Jesus once called a small child over to him and put the kid right in front of the people he was talking to.” Mark stood Ryan in front of Clemson, then clicked on the kids’ Web site and found the verse he was looking for. “Jesus said, ‘I assure you, unless you turn from your sins and become as little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.’ ”
“What’s that mean, exactly?” Clemson said.
“A little kid depends on others. Ryan can’t do much on his own. But he trusts us to take care of him, feed him, and help him. God wants you to put that kind of trust in him.”
“I said I didn’t want to go to church because it was a show,” Clemson said. “The truth is, most of those people in church knew what kind of things I did. Bad things. And I bet if you knew, you wouldn’t be so quick to help me.”
“Every one of us in this room has sinned,” Mark said. He glanced at Cheryl and noticed she had covered her face with her hands. “Because we’re sinners, a holy God can’t allow us into his presence. That’s why he sent his only Son, Jesus, to die for us on the cross. It was his sacrifice in our place that guarantees our forgiveness if we’ll ask for it.”
“I’ve always believed in Jesus, that he was God, you know, but I’ve never really done anything about it.”
“Do it now.” Mark showed Clemson more verses from the Bible that spoke of God’s love. The one that seemed to click with the man came from Romans:
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
“So you’re saying I can be right with God and not have to worry about any of this Carpathia stuff?”
“Becoming a believer doesn’t mean all your problems go away, but as the Bible says, if God is for you, who can be against you?”
“How do I do this faith thing? Do I have to jump through some hoops or memorize a bunch of stuff?”
“There’s another verse in Romans you’ll appreciate.” Mark called it up on the computer. “Romans 10:13 says, ‘Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ ”
“Then I want to do some callin�
� right now,” Clemson said.
Mark knelt on the dusty floor with the man. The others gathered around and put a hand on Clemson’s shoulder as he prayed along with Mark.
“Dear Jesus—”
“Jesus!” Ryan said.
Everyone laughed, and Mark and Clemson continued. “I come to you now and call on your name in faith. I believe you died in my place on the cross so I could be forgiven. I’m sorry for rejecting you so long, and I ask you now to come into my life and save me. Jesus, I’m sorry for the bad things I’ve done, and I come to you like a little child, believing that what you’ve said is true. Take control of me and teach me your ways. You said anybody who calls on your name would be saved, and I believe it. I call on you now, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Clemson stood and gawked at the others. “What’s that funny-looking thing on your foreheads?”
37
VICKI was encouraged by the change in Cheryl. Something had happened to the girl as she listened to Mark talk with Clemson. But in a heated meeting with Tom and Marshall, the group agreed Cheryl shouldn’t return with them.
Clemson gathered a few of his things and followed the others outside. As the sun rose higher, roofs of buildings curled and fires broke out around them. Vicki saw no animals, no living people, just the rising heat vapor from the charred pavement.
Miraculously, they found the van in perfect condition and began loading Clemson’s things inside. Tom had held Ryan the entire time, not even letting the boy get near Cheryl. When they were almost finished loading, Cheryl approached Vicki and asked what the group had decided.
“I don’t think going back with us is a good idea,” Vicki said. “We’ll head to Wanda’s and see if you can stay there.”
“What if I don’t want to stay with her?”
Vicki put an arm around Cheryl. “This isn’t easy for any of us. Make the most of this time away, and down the road—”
“What happens if I can’t get back down the road? Wanda could turn out to be—”
Tom passed, holding Ryan with one hand and holding the phone to his ear with the other. Ryan smiled and waved at Cheryl. She turned to Vicki. “I’ll do anything to see my little boy again.”
“Then use this time. Let God work on you.”
Cheryl nodded and everyone got in the van.
The drive to Wanda’s took thirty minutes. Vicki thought their whole ordeal was worth the look on Wanda’s face when she saw Ryan. She couldn’t believe how big and healthy he looked.
When Vicki had Wanda alone, she explained the situation with Cheryl, and Wanda gave a worried look. “There are people who depend on me. I’m always happy to help, but if this girl keeps me from doing—”
“I have a good feeling about her,” Vicki interrupted. “I think she’s turned a corner, but she needs help.”
“I can keep her busy, but it’s going to be up to her to want to change.”
They talked until the afternoon, and Vicki and the others decided to return to the cabins the next morning. As evening approached, the sun lowered, and Vicki had never seen such a sunset. Smoke from the rising fires mixed with the fading twilight and created a blend of colors that took her breath away. Fiery red clouds were tinged with purple and orange. Vicki wished she had a camera.
When they heard movement on the road, everyone retreated into Wanda’s hideout and watched the coverage by the Global Community News Network. Weather authorities tried to explain the killer heat wave, but every theory given by experts made Vicki laugh. Everyone in the world knew God had caused the heat.
Leon Fortunato spoke against Dr. Tsion Ben-Judah’s claims that the Bible predicted the plague. “The enemies of world peace will twist these ancient words to fit their own agenda,” he said. “His Excellency assures me that this change in weather is only temporary. And we reject reports that there is some god punishing innocent people for simply living their lives. That is not the kind of god I want to serve. I wish to serve the loving, generous god we have come to know, Nicolae Carpathia.”
“Interesting that Leon is speaking to us from some underground cavern,” Mark said, pointing out the background of the room.
Cameras picked up the effects of the devastation, since no one could photograph the actual burning during the middle of the day. Firefighters had to try and contain the damage to major cities at night and hope the next day things would get back to normal.
Judd was frustrated that he couldn’t reach Vicki. The group in Ohio gathered shortly after Judd and Lionel returned from exploring and tapped into a secret feed from the Tribulation Force in San Diego.
Rayford Steele appeared on-screen. “We don’t know how much time we’re going to have, so we have to work quickly to take advantage of this opportunity. I’ve spoken personally with Dr. Ben-Judah, and he’s given his blessing on our decision to go ahead with this operation.
“We’ll need volunteers throughout the country to rearrange our storehouses of goods and products we trade through the International Commodity Co-op. We believe the Global Community and their followers will focus on survival, looking for relief from the sun. From what we can tell, thousands or maybe hundreds of thousands died today. In the coming days, we’d like to hear from believers and find out what help you need. Our goal is to move resources, but if we need to, we’ll move people out of harm’s way.
“This will not be easy, and it will be dangerous. We have no idea how long the heat wave will last. But we must take advantage of it as quickly as possible.”
Judd wrote the Tribulation Force immediately and volunteered. I’m hoping to be in Wisconsin by the time you need me, but let me know how I can join the effort.
Judd and Lionel met with the leaders of the Ohio group and talked about how to proceed. Later in the evening Lionel handed Judd the phone and smiled. “The bride-to-be is on the line.”
Judd grabbed the phone, and Vicki explained the situation with Cheryl and where they were. “We’re going back to the campground in the morning, assuming the plague continues. What about you?”
“The leaders here have given the okay for us to head your way. They’re concerned that with all the fires and debris on the roads, we might not make it in a day, so we’re stopping at a midway point for the night.
“I can’t believe we’re actually going to see each other!”
“I just hope the plague doesn’t end in the morning and we run into a bunch of GC officers.”
Judd found it difficult to sleep that night. The group posted guards at the main entrance to the hideout and kept a couple of members up all night watching the property. Judd thought it was a miracle that even with the extreme heat, the group’s outside cameras hadn’t been affected.
There were tearful good-byes the next morning as the sun rose.
“Red sky at morning, GC take warning,” Lionel said.
The doctor at the hideout who had helped with Lionel’s arm examined it one more time and pronounced him healthy. Judd and Lionel thanked everyone for their help, and two men loaded enough supplies in the Humvee for a week. Another man made sure they had enough fuel, and the two sped off.
The fire’s damage shocked Judd as he crossed the old border of Ohio and drove into Indiana. Trees and crops that had been green the last time they were there lay black and scorched. Judd had seen forest fire damage, but this seemed even worse.
Judd swerved to avoid several vehicles that had burned the day before. Even worse than the dead trees, grass, and plant life were the charred bodies that littered the roadway, and Judd saw Lionel cringe several times while they drove.
“What do you miss most about the way things used to be?” Lionel said as they neared a city.
“I miss my parents and my little brother and sister,” Judd said. “I think a lot about what they’d be doing if they were here. Marc and Marci would be in high school. But I also miss little things like going to Wrigley Field for a Cubs game or grabbing a burger at a local restaurant. I had dreamed of owning my own car and being my own
boss. Going to movies—”
“Yeah, movies,” Lionel said as they passed a destroyed theater complex. “The last time I went to a theater was with my sister.”
“I know it sounds corny,” Judd said, “but I miss just going to a church service too. I didn’t like them when I was young, but now I’d give anything to be able to sing together and listen to teaching without being afraid.”
“That’s why I envy Sam for being in Petra. It must be one big church service every day.” Lionel stretched his arm, put his seat back, and smiled. “So, how are you going to court Vicki?”
“Court?” Judd smirked.
“Yeah, what are you two going to do, take a walk in the fire?”
“I’ll admit I’m a little worried about it.”
“Why?”
“We’ve been apart so long, and we’ve both changed. Plus, the last time we were together, we fought like cats and dogs.”
Lionel chuckled. “Vicki sure got ticked at you a few times.”
“Right. And how do we know we won’t keep fighting?”
“Because God’s been working on you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve told you this before. I was around you when we first started the Young Trib Force. You were … how do I say this … bossy. You knew you had the right plan, and anybody who got in your way was wrong.”
Judd smiled. “Me?”
“Over the last few months, years even, I’ve seen God knock some rough edges off. He’s humbled you.”
“You talk like I was Frankenstein’s monster.”
“No, more like Frankenstein’s selfish son.” Lionel laughed. “I’m not saying you’re perfect, and I expect you and Vicki are going to knock even more rough edges off each other, but you’ve come a long way. And I’m proud to be your friend.”
“Thanks.”
Vicki’s heart nearly broke when she watched Cheryl say good-bye to Ryan. Tom let her hold the boy before they left, and Cheryl sang a song she had made up for him. Through her tears she choked out the words and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m really sorry,” she said as she handed Ryan to Tom. “Will you tell Mrs. Fogarty that—”
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