Thomas groaned. “Daniel, come on. The plane won’t wait for us. You’ll see her in a few days.”
Yet Daniel remained, staring at her, his blue eyes so full of pain and love. Shadows consumed him from above, and he gazed up to find a bank of white clouds rolling over the sun.
No, not white… brighter than pure snow, their edges frosted in silver. They rippled when they moved—like waves crashing on shore. In the distance, darkness rose on the horizon, thick, tarry clouds boiling higher and higher.
The bodyguards, driver, and even Thomas stared up at the unusual sight.
Angelica blinked and spotted four angels standing on the steps to her right, her angel among them. His glance briefly took her in before his gaze returned to the proceedings, but she thought she spotted a tiny smile on his lips.
Releasing her hands, Daniel planted a kiss on her cheek. “He’s right. I’ll call you from D.C.” Then turning, he walked toward the limo.
“Daniel,” she called frantically, and he looked back at her. “It’s almost time. Turn away from the things of this world, the fame, the money, man’s version of the truth. Give your whole heart to God. All it takes is one turn, one step of your heart in the right direction—just one, before it’s too late.”
Thomas moaned and snapped hate-filled eyes her way. “Give me a break, Smokes. Do you know who you are talking to?” He grabbed Daniel’s arm. “Come on, you promised.”
Daniel tugged from his grip, his eyes remaining on Angelica, a battle waging within them.
Help him see, Father.
Wind blasted over them, so strong it nearly pushed Angelica from the step. But she planted her feet even more firmly.
The angels drew their swords, the eerie chime like nails on a chalkboard. Only then did Angelica see the horde of demons thundering toward them from within the church—dark, hideous creatures, some armed with knives and spears, others with only their claws, all foaming at the mouth to grab as many as they could and drag them to hell.
Above her, a brilliant speck of light appeared at the center of the sky, growing larger and larger, pushing the blue aside as it went, and circled by a rainbow of glittering colors.
Yet the horizon remained a frothing cauldron of black.
The angels engaged. The ring of metal on metal filled the air, the curses of the spirits, the wails and grunts of battle. Yet no one heard it but her.
The stench of rotting flesh and sulfur pinched her nose.
A shout thundered across the sky. A command, loving yet strong. “Beloved, come forth!”
Everyone stared at the speakers framing the front doors of the church. Everyone but Angelica. She looked up, smiling.
Her prince was calling her home.
A trumpet sounded, loud and long. The confused men looked around for its source. The bodyguards drew their guns.
For the first time, fear appeared on Thomas’ face.
“Daniel?” Angelica held out her hand. “Please!”
♦♦♦
Baliel, Nazare, Arithem, and Ethos made quick work of the putrid swarm that had attempted to pervert the will of the two yet undecided.
Baliel had been warned by the Lord of Hosts there would be great resistance in these last minutes, and hence, he and his friends had been fully armed and prepared for battle.
Now, as the holy warriors turned to face their charges, swords still drawn, they spotted the demons who had slithered through their defense—invited by those whose fates still lay at stake. Greed, Pride, Fame, Confusion, and Anger attacked Daniel, spearing him with lances and shooting him with arrows.
Nazare started to charge, but Baliel held him back. “Not until he resists them. We cannot.”
Grimacing, Nazare remained, though Baliel could see the distress on his face. He ached for his friend. He knew well the pain of watching a human that had been under one’s protection since birth struggle at the crossroads between death and life. Baliel had been there when Angelica had faced that trial. And he’d been elated when she’d chosen the right path. And kept on it.
But Nazare had been forced to endure Daniel’s constant betrayal of the One who died for him. Even now, when he’d been told the truth, when the signs were all around him, he faltered beneath his own pride and anger.
They had but minutes left.
Angelica held her hand out to Daniel.
The demons who were attacking him retreated, but only to a short distance.
Light began to spark within him. Nazare drew in a gasp of hope.
Angelica smiled and nodded her encouragement.
Thomas called to him. “What are you doing? You’ll lose everything.” He stepped toward him. “You can talk to her when we get back. But right now, you have to get in this car!”
The demons assaulted Daniel once again.
The light within him dimmed.
And slowly…ever so slowly…he turned and looked back at Thomas.
♦♦♦
No sooner had Daniel glanced at Thomas than a charge of electricity crackled the air so loudly, pain etched through his bones. Power surged through his being, and he faced Angelica again. The desperate appeal was still written on her face, luring him to abandon everything—his past, present, and future—to give all to the God he claimed to serve.
Somewhere deep within him, he desperately wanted to.
But…
A bolt of lightning struck right where Angel stood, so bright, Daniel had to turn his face away. The metallic smell of electricity charged the air, prickling his skin. Before he even opened his eyes, he groped for his phone in his pocket, intending to call 911. Dear God… Angel’s been struck by lightning!
Drawing the phone to his ear, he opened his eyes.
And blinked.
Angelica was no longer there.
He spun, scanning the stairs, the church building, the parking lot—she was nowhere in sight.
“Tank’s gone,” one of his bodyguards shouted as he combed the area, gun drawn. “What’s happening?”
Light faded. Daniel gazed up. Churning, black clouds rose from every direction, swallowing up the sun. Then it was gone and darkness covered the earth. Thunder roared, trembling the stairs beneath their feet.
Oddly, he heard weeping in the distance.
The phone slipped from Daniel’s hand.
♦♦♦
Baliel bid Nazare farewell. “He will need you now more than ever. Be strong, my friend.”
A tear spilled from Nazare’s eye.
Chapter 30
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (NKJV)
Angelica floated upward through transparent light. Through it, she could see stars, gazillions of them, galaxies, supernovas of every imaginable color. So beautiful! So clear. Perfect. The colors and shades so vibrant and alive.
Other people—many others—smiling and laughing, surrounded her.
The ache in her feet was gone, the familiar exhaustion faded, her sleep-deprived eyelids suddenly felt light, and her tummy no longer growled from hunger. She felt strong and full of energy, and she glanced down to see she had a new body—looking much like her old one, yet different, glowing, powerful, more beautiful in its strength and magnificence.
The rapture! It had actually happened! She could hardly believe it. Elation soared through her.
Her angel appeared by her side, staring down at her in approval. He looked just as he had on earth—tall, muscular, long white hair, intense eyes, and strapped with a dozen weapons. But here he looked more solid, more filled with light, more real.
“What is your name?”
“Baliel.”
“You’ve been with me from the beginning, haven’t you?”
�
��I have.”
Her thoughts shifted to her son. “Isaac!?”
“He’s well. You’ll see him soon.”
“Daniel.” She glanced behind her and saw the earth in all its blue beauty growing smaller and smaller.
Baliel shook his head.
If it was possible to feel sad in such a glorious state, Angelica felt a twinge in her heart. “I failed him. I failed the Father.”
“Never fear, little one. You did the Father’s will.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It was your job to tell him the truth, to open his eyes. Otherwise he would have fallen for the deception coming upon the entire world.” Baliel glanced down at the planet swirling through space, and she sensed his sorrow. But then he faced her again. “Because of you, he knows.” He smiled. “Never fear, he will do great things for the Father during the most difficult time the world will ever experience. He will bring thousands into the kingdom.”
Thousands? Angelica swallowed a lump of emotion she couldn’t describe. Daniel? Daniel would finally turn back to God! Such glorious news. Such wonderful news. And yet, he would endure so much tragedy, so many horrors.
“You will see him again soon.”
Just then Angelica remembered her final vision of Daniel, the only one that hadn’t yet happened—she, Daniel, and Isaac walking hand in hand through that amazing field of flowers.
Baliel ushered her onward. “When he has completed his task, he will be martyred.”
“Martyred?” Angelica gulped.
The angel nodded and gestured ahead to a light so bright, she could see nothing else. “But now, your Prince awaits.”
Turning, excitement buzzing through her, she continued upward and emerged onto an enormous platform of light floating in space. Rainbows made of more colors than she knew existed encircled the stage in a dome of vibrant light, while each step she took was upon shimmering glass. Mobs of the happiest people she’d ever seen dashed here and there, embracing, laughing, and bubbling with joy. Everything was so vivid, so real and gorgeous. It was as though a shadowy veil had been lifted from her eyes, making everything on earth now seem like a mere shadow when compared to this far greater reality.
Isaac ran into her arms. “Mom!” Embracing him tightly, she kissed the top of his head as Leigh appeared, hand in hand with Joel, huge smiles on their faces. Greg rushed up to her, then Melody, Robert and Anna, Scottie, and all the others from her church. They looked the same, yet different—so very magnificently different!—stronger, younger, better versions of themselves without the extra weight, the haggardness, the ravages of disease, and the lines of age, pain, and heartache on their faces.
More people emerged from the bustling crowd—people whose names she didn’t know, but whose faces she would always remember. People she’d told about Jesus at the Mermaid Den, people she’d thought had not listened, had not cared. One by one, they came and stood before her. Some thanked her. Others kissed her cheek. Many others had tears of joy flowing down their faces. Hundreds of them! There were hundreds of them! Humbled, Angelica could hardly believe what God had done through her.
Music danced past her ears, the sound of a full orchestra from instruments she’d never heard before. It was the sweetest melody she’d ever heard, the notes so alive and bubbling with joy, they reached down into her very soul. People began singing and swaying to the music when a light appeared near the center of the platform, brighter than the sun.
“It’s Him! It’s Jesus!” someone shouted.
Isaac looked up at her. “Mom, we’re going to finally see Him face to face.”
“Yes, we are, son. Yes, we are. And we will be with Him forever more.”
Epilogue
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
Revelation 12:11 (NKJV)
Daniel rubbed his eyes, heavy with exhaustion, and stared up at the flat-screen on the wall in his office as he’d been doing for the past few days. Scenes of chaos and mayhem paraded across his vision—riots, violence, anarchy all over the world as both citizens and governments struggled to deal with the sudden disappearance of millions.
The war in the Middle East raged on, both sides sustaining heavy casualties. A meteor had crashed into Spain, leaving half the country in flames. Others landed in the sea, sending tsunamis careening toward shore, wiping out entire cities.
And in the midst of it all, a single man stepped into the limelight. He was good-looking, tall, and as smooth as a polished gem. Behind him stood the newcomers, silent watchers of mankind. Words of “world peace” and “cooperation” slid from his lips like silk and floated over throngs of adoring crowds, entrancing them into a state of comatose adoration.
The Antichrist.
Daniel had learned all about him during the past three days. He’d not eaten. He’d not slept. Instead, he had read the entire Bible that Angel had given him. And he’d prayed. Oh, how he had prayed! Flat on his face most of the time. Sobbing and groaning in repentance of what a fool he’d been, how deceived, how selfish, ambitious, and greedy he’d become.
And sweet, sweet Angel had done her best to wake him up. Even after all the pain he’d caused her. Even after his rejection, she’d come one last time to plead for his soul.
Now, she was gone. And his son with her.
Not only her, but Marley and Isabel, and dear Mrs. Clipton, along with several of his staff.
Sometime during the second night of his agony, Jesus had appeared to Daniel. He’d walked right up to Daniel and touched his head, commanding him to rise.
“The time to grieve is past. You have work to do.” His voice was strong, yet so full of love that Daniel could only stare as tears sped down his cheeks.
“I love you, son. Be strong and courageous. I am with you always,” He’d said.
And then He was gone.
Daniel had melted into the carpet, overcome by the presence of the Holy Spirit and an intense love that had saturated his soul.
He flipped the TV off. He had read the book. He knew what would happen next.
And it wasn’t going to be pretty.
Thomas poked his head in. “Man, you look terrible.” He stepped inside. “All this because Smokes is gone?”
Daniel shook his head. Though he’d tried to explain everything to his friend, Thomas still didn’t get what was happening.
“Of course, I miss her and Isaac, but it’s not just that. I told you, they were taken in the rapture. And we are still here. Doesn’t that make you even slightly nervous?”
“Come on, the rapture?” Thomas snagged an apple from a bowl and took a bite. “You heard what they said. Those creatures—the watchers from another planet—said the missing people are perfectly fine, safe, and are being reprogrammed. You have to admit those crazy Christians were getting a bit too zealous.” He finished his bite and sat on the couch. “I mean, their archaic ideas were holding back civilization. Think of what we can do now without them? The sky’s the limit.” He pointed at Daniel with a smile. “And you’re going to be a part of it.”
Daniel squeezed the bridge of his nose. “They aren’t being reprogrammed, Thomas. They’re in heaven.”
Thomas frowned. “Don’t worry, you’ll see her and the boy again. When she’s back to normal.”
Daniel released a heavy sigh, troubled that his friend was so deceived. He’d been praying for Thomas and would continue until the man saw the light.
Thomas leaned forward on his knees. “Listen, you gotta stop this crazy talk. They’ve rescheduled the D.C. breakfast. We’re back on. Nothing’s changed.”
“Except the world has gone mad and aliens have landed.”
“I think it’s kinda cool. Makes sense. They were the ones who put Adam and Eve here and have been watching humanity evolve ever since. Man”—he whistled—“who would have thought? It’s almost too incredible to believe.”
“I’ll agree with that,”
Daniel said.
“They’re so much smarter than we are. Amazing. Besides, all they want is to help us save our planet and our people.”
How could Thomas believe such nonsense? Daniel glanced at his watch. “I better get out there.” It was Sunday, and although people had been stumbling into the church ever since the rapture—terrified and confused, begging to see Daniel—he hadn’t spoken to any of them. He first had to spend time with the One who had the answers before he could help anyone else.
Grabbing his Bible, he headed for the door.
“You’re preaching in your jeans? At least comb your hair.” Thomas followed him down the hall.
“I doubt anyone will care.” Daniel navigated through the maze of halls and finally entered the backstage area where he greeted the musicians warmly, noting the fear on their faces. He glanced at Kimberly and two of his other pastors as he climbed the steps to the stage.
Shame assaulted him. His pastors, church members—people under his discipleship—still here.
But it was out on stage where he got his biggest shock.
Half the auditorium was filled. Half of the people who had listened to his sermons week after week, half of the people he counseled and taught, had not made it.
He stood there, frozen, scanning the terrified faces of his flock as a hush fell over them. He had prepared nothing. No sermon, no message. He had no grand, eloquent words to say. But at that moment, he felt power buzz through him … the power of the Holy Spirit.
Clearing his throat, he made his way to the podium when Thomas clutched his arm and spun him around, his angry gaze focused on the book in Daniel’s hand. “Is that what I think it is?”
“If you think it’s a Bible, then yes.”
“An original one?”
“Absolutely. Angel gave it to me.” Jerking from his friend’s grip, he continued forward.
“You’ll be arrested. We’ll be ruined. What do you think you are doing?”
Grabbing a microphone, Daniel glanced at him over his shoulder and smiled. “Finally preaching the gospel.”
When Angels Cry Page 27