by Robin M Helm
~~oo~~
Xander could sense the electricity in the air as he and Elizabeth, accompanied by Gabriel and Michael, arrived at the arena that night. Her parents had ridden with them and followed an usher to the seating reserved for the counselors. The space around that section was thick with guardians and warriors, including Niall and Roark.
Thorncrown was beginning their hour-long set, and the people were already starting to fill the arena. Listening to the thoughts of those in the crowd, Xander detected several ethnic groups – Chinese, Korean, and Hispanic in large numbers among them.
After they had arrived back at the hotel earlier, Mark had moved his pitifully few articles of clothing into the room he was sharing with Xander, showered, and dressed in the best that he had. When he had come out of the bathroom looking unhappy, Xander would have loaned him some of his clothes, but he knew that they were all much too big for the six-foot tall newsman. Knowing that Mark would be on-camera and seeing his dilemma, Xander had called Dave Branard, who was about Mark’s size, and Dave had graciously offered the use of his wardrobe. Mark had gratefully accepted at once and had changed clothes before he caught a ride to the arena with Jonathan, Charlotte, and Dave, their guardians flying above the van. He had driven his own car to the hotel that morning to see the SoulFire team; therefore, his Toyota Rav4 had not been at his apartment when it had been vandalized. However, he still preferred to ride with Jonathan or Xander for the moment. He did not feel safe when he was alone, and though he hated that feeling, he had not yet been able to overcome it.
The camera crew met Mark at the arena, and they began to work immediately. Bobby and Frank were already there, and he began his interviews with them, first separately and then together, outside of the main arena in the hallway area which circled the building. He worked in a roped-off area to reduce the noise level and used the people streaming in and the workers at the tables as a backdrop. His interview technique was friendly and low-key, and the men opened up to him, following the lead of his pre-planned questions. Mark was very good at his job, and his professionalism propelled him past the anguish of the past twenty-four hours. His excitement rose as he continued to work, talking with the security personnel and EMT’s he had lined up. He also made impromptu stops at the ministry tables and video areas which were showing the different work tracks of the camp teens in Atlanta, as well as footage from the rally held the previous night. His film was a collage of color and activity, showing people joyously sharing their faith in many different ways.
Mark had already arranged interviews with Jonathan, Elizabeth, and Xander for the following day. Updates would be running all week on WAGA; he would do his on-camera spot with Jonathan at the hotel after breakfast, and then spend hours in the editing room while the couple rehearsed in the morning. He hoped that he could catch Xander and Elizabeth while they broke for lunch, and he knew he had to shop for clothes after that. He would not take advantage of Dave’s generosity any longer than was absolutely necessary. Mark was a handsome twenty-five year old blue-eyed blond whose good looks had always been an advantage in his work; he was aware that a poor appearance on his part would detract from the story, and he was determined that his SoulFire reports would be his best work. He knew that Xander and Jonathan could not babysit him forever; if he had to shop alone, he would do so. Mark had always been confident in his ability to take care of himself. He did not like to feel incapable of defending himself or helplessly dependent on others for protection.
Before coming to the arena, Xander and Elizabeth had decided to try to encourage Mark. Together they had chosen Scriptures and written them on a card which Xander then had given him as they all left the hotel. Xander had chosen II Samuel 22:2-3, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my savior, Thou dost save me from violence.” On the opposite side of the card, Elizabeth had written Psalm 27:1-3, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident.” Mark kept the card in his pants pocket, pulling it out from time to time and repeating the verses until he had nearly memorized them. He had also downloaded a complete Bible onto his iPhone that afternoon, and he read at every opportunity. He knew instinctively that his fear could be conquered only with help from God; he had to trust in God’s protection.
~~oo~~
The service had been truly amazing. From the time Thorncrown had started the pre-service music, the packed house had been completely engaged. They had come to their feet as Xander and Elizabeth played and sang the opening song and remained standing throughout their music. As the house lights dimmed for the final song before the message, the band left the stage, leaving the couple in a spotlight at the front center stage, close enough to touch the people in the front row. They both sat on stools, Michael and Gabriel behind them, each playing a guitar plaintively enough to quiet the crowd of 22,000 people, weaving countermelodies and harmonies with the instruments. Before they began to sing the duet that Elizabeth had written during those hours that she had prayed all night for Atlanta, she spoke to the people from her heart, sharing with them how God had given her the song telling of His great love for the people of that city. The words of the song were based on Zechariah 13:9, “And I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say ‘The Lord is my God.’”
As she and Xander continued to play softly, Elizabeth looked over the audience and talked to them in a clear voice which was full of emotion. “God did not send the fire that destroyed so many homes and businesses, and even took lives Sunday night, but He used it to draw many of you to Himself. As John the Baptist said in Matthew 3:11, ‘As for me, I baptize you in water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not even fit to remove His sandals; He Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.’ Satan sought to destroy you with fire, but God used it to baptize you with the Holy Spirit. God never sends us anything evil, but He always uses that evil for our good when we allow it. Many of you would never have turned to God had Satan not attacked you. He was defeated with his own weapon.”
When she was finished speaking, she nodded at Xander and they began to sing “They Are My People” together. The simple song was even more powerful because of its simplicity. By the end of their duet, when Elizabeth would sing, “They are my people,” the crowd would join Xander in answering, “The Lord is my God.” In the stillness of the moment, a sound like a mighty wind filled the building as hundreds of six-winged angels flew in through the ceiling and the walls, and the light around Elizabeth and Xander turned red and danced like fire. The couple remained in the center, their faces bathed in pure white, brilliant light, radiating the joy of the Lord, singing the words over and over while the seraphim spun and twirled like the spokes on hundreds of wheels, flooding the arena with every color of the rainbow, chasing every shadow into oblivion. People raised their hands in worship alongside thousands of guardians and warriors who lifted their faces toward heaven, humming to Elohim.
The puzzled light technicians could no more control the light than they could make the sun rise or the waves of the ocean still. One by one, they stood with the people and the angels as the light continued to shimmer, settling first in one place and then in another.
When Xander and Elizabeth stopped singing, the light faded and the technicians scrambled to make certain that the stage remained properly lit. The angels who had entered the arena during the song hovered in the air above the people, knowing that the full glory of their Master had not yet been displayed. They waited in silence and stil
lness.
Jonathan had watched from the wings, fully aware that what he was witnessing had not been created by man. It reminded him of what had happened at Elizabeth’s concert in Toronto during “The Hallelujah Chorus.” His spirit told him what his mind did not comprehend; he was seeing glimmers of angels. He shivered and shook himself before he strode onto the stage, Bible in hand, ready to speak from I Kings 18, a chapter detailing the battle of the prophet Elijah with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Lexus followed and remained behind him.
Xander and Elizabeth left the stage in the opposite direction of Jonathan’s entrance as stagehands removed their stools and placed Jonathan’s plexiglass podium where he had told them earlier that he wanted it. They, along with Michael and Gabriel, sat in the wings sipping water and listening to Jonathan.
His message was riveting, detailing how a single prophet of God, Elijah, had withstood 450 prophets of Baal, challenging the false prophets of Jezebel to pray for Baal to send fire to devour a sacrifice. Elijah had mocked them as they had leaped around for hours, cutting themselves until the blood gushed from their wounds, loudly calling on their god, yet no one answered. He told how Elijah had then requested that his sacrifice be doused with water though it was a time of drought, prayed, and “then the fire of God fell, and consumed the burnt offering and the word and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trenches.” The people who had been watching all day had fallen on their faces, declaring that “The Lord, He is God.” Afterward, they had slain Baal’s prophets and God had sent rain in abundance in answer to Elijah’s prayer.
After that great display of God’s power, Elijah had run, frightened by the threats of Jezebel, King Ahab’s wife, who sought to slay him because her prophets had been killed. He had felt sorry for himself, even as God had sent an angel to care for him. Elijah had complained loudly, outlining all that he had done for God, finishing his tale of woe with, “And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” And God had answered, “‘Go forth, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. And it came about when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’”
Jonathan continued to speak, “Elijah had seen all the pageantry of God’s might shown through creation, his prayers had been answered miraculously, God had sent an angel to minister to him, and still he whined that he had done so much for God, and he was the only one left who served him. God finally answered, ‘Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.’
“Do you ever think that you are alone? No one else around you at school or at work or in your family serves God – except for you? You are wrong if you think that. God always preserves a remnant. Satan will try and try until time ends, but he will never win; he will never defeat God. He did not defeat God Sunday night in Atlanta; he did not win last night here in the rally; he will never win this war. If you are not a child of God, there is a battle being fought for your soul. It is your choice. Who will you choose? Satan, who hates you and will ultimately be defeated, or Jehovah God, Who loves you and cannot lose?”
As Jonathan prayed, Thorncrown came onstage and began playing softly behind him. He then lifted his head and asked the hundreds of counselors to come forward. While they formed a line on the floor in front of the stage, Jonathan invited the people to come if they wanted to make a decision or ask for prayer. The counselors stood several lines deep, and Charlotte, Elizabeth, and Xander were with Jonathan at the back of them, close to the stage. As the people streamed to the front, counselors met them and led them to an area that had been designated earlier.
Finally, a Korean woman came with her elderly mother and stopped in front of Charlotte, talking to Charlotte in her native tongue. Charlotte looked at Elizabeth beside her, remembering the day at Converse when Elizabeth had spoken to the Indian students in Hindi.
“El, can you tell me what this lady is saying?” asked Charlotte, touching Elizabeth on the arm.
“Yes, she says that she and her mother want to know about God,” Elizabeth answered, perplexed that Charlotte could not understand her.
Jonathan, on the other side of Charlotte, had long suspected that Elizabeth had the gift of tongues, but he had not seen it manifested before. He had heard rumors, but he had not witnessed it himself. He smiled at Elizabeth. “She is speaking Korean, and not only can you understand her, but also you are understood by her. Go with them and talk to them, El. God is using you in a mighty way.”
Elizabeth hesitated a moment to take in what Jonathan had said, and then she took the Korean woman’s hand, turning to lead her and her mother to the counseling area. As they were walking away, a Chinese boy came to Xander, and began to speak with him. Charlotte heard Xander answer the boy in his own language.
“Xander, do you speak Chinese?” Charlotte was amazed, as was Jonathan.
Xander considered for a moment before answering, “Yes. I am able to speak any language that I try. I am something of a linguist. Languages are easy for me to learn. However, I do not have the gift of tongues that was given to Elizabeth by God. I actually learn the different languages and speak them. With her, everyone understands what she says at the same time, no matter what language they speak. She also understands everyone. If five people speaking different languages were speaking to her at the same time, she would understand them all.”
Jonathan stared at him. “You already knew this?”
Xander replied, “I have known it for quite a while now.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” asked Charlotte.
“I knew that God would reveal it when He was ready to do so.”
“And why didn’t you tell us that you could speak multitudes of languages?” queried Jonathan.
“I saw no need to do so. I knew that God would use me if He needed me. I have been waiting for Him to send someone to me who required me to use my talent. We do not want to be a sideshow that people attend for entertainment.” Xander took the boy by the hand and walked with him toward the counseling area. Gabriel walked by his side. Xander saw Elizabeth and wondered if she had been listening. Her thoughts had been quiet. From beside her, Michael looked at Xander and lifted an eyebrow.
Elizabeth, who had stopped walking when she heard Xander speak to the boy in Chinese, had indeed overheard the entire exchange. She had asked the lady to wait a moment while she listened, and she was astounded. Xander had known about her gift before she had, and he possessed a monumental talent as well. The implications for their ministry were staggering. After a moment, she recovered and smiled at the lady, asking her to continue walking with her to a place where they could talk.
He and I will discuss this later, Elizabeth thought.
Reading her mind, Xander wondered, Will she wonder what else I have kept from her?
Gabriel held his peace as did Michael. They had no answers for him.
The angels who had awaited the revelation of Elizabeth’s gift and Xander’s talent rejoiced as the harvest of more than a thousand souls was gathered for Jehovah-Yasha that night. The holy ones radiated warm, glowing light, humming as they danced, joyous in the knowledge that the combined gifts and talents of the couple, along with those of Jonathan Edwards, would lead to the gathering of masses of souls for His kingdom. All of heaven then knew that the Third Great Awakening would bring more people to their Master than the first two combined.
After the final person had accepted his place in the family of God in the arena that evening, the seraphim positioned their wings for rap
id flight and soared through the roof of the building, back to the throne room of Elohim, to offer praise and worship to the Creator of All Things.
Chapter 16
“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”
I Corinthians 13:1-2
Just as Xander had suspected she would, Elizabeth was contemplating the questions she wished to ask him while they rode back to the hotel from the rally that evening. David and Lynne Bennet had ridden with them to the arena, and, after the rally had ended, Xander had made certain to invite them to ride back to their lodgings with them, pre-empting her inquisition and allowing him time to hear her thoughts and think of appropriate answers. She was not at all fooled by the subterfuge, though she had no way of knowing the full extent of it. Maybe if she hears the facts a few at a time, she will not be as hurt when she knows it all, he thought.
Perhaps, but you are playing a dangerous game, cautioned Gabriel, flying above the SUV with Michael, Roark, Niall, and four warriors.
David leaned forward in his seat to speak to Xander. “I’ve never been a part of anything like that before. It was absolutely amazing! How many people came forward?”
“There will be no final number until the decision cards are counted, but I would estimate that there were over one thousand. It was exciting, was it not?” Xander replied.
“Yes, simply unbelievable. I’m thankful that we came. I wish we could travel with SoulFire all summer, but someone has to keep the home fires burning, no pun intended,” said David, looking out his window at the city flashing by. So many people who need the Lord, rushing around, but missing the most important thing in life. The big cities never sleep.