“Yet, we’re blessed to know that God will show and reveal things to us and make our mission strong.”
He received a small applause. He heard a few “Amens” and “Hallelujahs.”
“We have to regain our faith and hope again.”
“Trust in the One!”
“We’re focused on escaping the torture, pain, and even death from those who want to devour us. But, think about the persecutions Jesus—and his disciples thereafter had to endure. And out of it all, God delivered them all. We’ll endure hardship—we’ll reign with him.”
“Amen to that Josh.”
“Preach.” A few shouted and followed with a light applause.
“Jesus, help us!”
“All heads bow and all eyes closed. Lord, you are all-powerful and all-knowing. You created us for your purpose. You have instilled your precious gifts within us. We are humbly here to be open to your Word. We’re here to hear from you now. Speak to us. You tell us in your Word, if we don’t ask, we receive not.” Joshua began.
“Speak Lord,” several people chimed in.
“We’re asking you now for a breakthrough. We’re asking you to speak to us, to tell us what is to lie ahead. Lord, keep our friends safe from the wiles of demonic forces. We have the power and authority to put them under our feet. Only you can do it! Your Word speaks life. How we can defeat Satan and his tactics is in your Word, for it is written, and we call out to you now…” Joshua said, and then cried out in tongues.
A woman in the crowd hadn’t heard her native language spoken since she was a young girl. She spoke aloud and interpreted Joshua’s words. “Yosef is on his path. He’ll be one of the elders to preach the gospel to those in southern Africa.”
“Praise be unto God.”
The woman translated as Joshua continued speaking in her childhood tongue, “The Lord Jesus says, ‘My children need me there—in Africa. Yosef will witness great miracles,” Her eyes gleamed. “I’m putting some of you in different places to preach to those who don’t know me. They’re captives in their own country. They’re under Hindu, Buddhist, Muslims primarily, and other man-made laws and religions that are brainwashing my people.”
“Look at God!”
She continued, “Joshua, don’t worry for your friend, Yosef. Jesus says, ‘I hear your cries. Your prayers are answered.’ I allowed you to break Roya free. I’ll prepare a path for you to enter. Wait on my call. You’ll have a bizarre dream, and follow it. You’ll see what’ll happen to the others. Rest. Rest. I want you all to rest. The Holy Spirit will come over you like a dove.’”
After hearing the message interpreted, all of them bowed on their knees, laid on the floor, or fell back on their cots. A gushing wind came in the building and many were filled with the Holy Spirit.[3] God revealed who would go on particular missions to rescue Yosef in due time, and others would scatter to specific destinations.
Her voice rose, sounding like a cymbal, “Those outcries of Yahweh’s children are heard. They will receive the peace and salvation they’ve been seeking and praying for. Those who heard the voice of God will be delivered from the New World Order and their devilish schemes. They didn’t want to change to the new order of things, nor did they know Christ. God has a plan in His hand—their cries have been heard and Alliance Crusaders of Christ will speak to the nations—to those who need to be fed, clothed, and saved.”[4]
Joshua blurted, “I’m human, Lord. I’m still a bit anxious about Yosef's journey back. Keep him safe. Amen.”
CHAPTER 2
Adjustments
Isaiah Williams
Weeks passed. Roya, Sunny, Jewel and her fiancé, Lance, were invited to attend the Alliance Crusaders for Christ organizational meeting. Sondrea called Sunny to tell her that she got in touch with Lavonne and had invited her along. After Sondrea shared the bad news about Roya losing half of her family, Lavonne had flown to Florida. The family sat in the reserved seating, in the first row of the central section, in the first few seats near the right aisleway. Lavonne sat on the aisle seat, next to her sister Sunny, then Roya, and Sondrea. Jewel and Lance sat at the back of the church. The church was at its capacity. It was small congregation holding about two hundred members in all the seating, and chairs were lined up against the walls in the narthex for any late arrivals.
Isaiah stood up at the pulpit. “We are gathered here today to remember our fallen brother, Solomon Whitmore, and discuss what’s going on with a world we once knew. We’ve been getting clear warnings of the sign of the times. Prince sang a song called Sign O’ the Times, back in the 1980’s, but did we take heed even then? Have we opened our ears to hear? Opened our eyes to see? What will it take?”
“Sign of the Times. Hey, girl, that was my song by Prince,” Sondrea waved her hand.
“Shh!” Roya glared at her.
Isaiah glanced at his tablet. “Other preachers have been prophesying about what’s to come.” He stopped, put his hand behind his ear and leaned forward, raising his voice to a roar, “But did we listen?”
“Listen,” Sondrea sang. “Roya, girl! I like this style of preaching.”
“Okay, Son—drea. Just listen.” Roya shushed in an exasperated whisper.
“We’re still to preach to the nations regardless of the circumstances at hand,” Isaiah said as he threw his fist in the air.
“We have lost a few in this battle for Christ.” he said, glancing at Roya. “We’re terribly sorry for Roya’s loss.”
A few ah’s followed.
“She’s a brave warrior. But…she feels we deserted her when she needed us most.”
Roya gave him a blank stare and folded her arms as he again reiterated what they’d told her, “Please believe that we’ve tried on more than one attempt.”
Joshua shouted, “Three. Attempts.”
“Those of you who don’t know by now, Solomon was tortured to death and hung over the highway bridge, on one of the busiest streets, for display, crucifixion style.”
A few gasps filled the room.
“Roya not only witnessed her husband’s death, but also those of her three-year-old twins, Solomon Junior and Selena.”
Roya turned her head abruptly at that comment. She curved her mouth and squinted her eyes, still with her arms folded.
“We’ll lose more for what we believe in, for the sake of Christ Jesus, and for those of us that aren’t willing to take the mark. They’re trying to weed us out, so we won’t inform others of their evil schemes and plans,” he said forcefully.
“What mark is he talking about?” Sondrea nudged Roya and stared at Sunny with a quizzical look on her face.
Sunny leaned in front of Roya to whisper to Sondrea, “We’ll explain later tonight.”
Isaiah glanced at the audience, and was amazed that he had their attentive silence.
He then focused his eyes on Roya. He lifted his hand and stretched it forward. “Roya, if you’re ready to join the forces again, let us know.”
She spoke in a high-pitched tone, “Never left.”
“She’s aware of some of their devilish plans and witnessed the fruits of their lies,” he said, focusing on the congregation again.
“Who? Task Force?” a man inquired from the left side of the central section.
“We have to appoint twelve men to be in charge to preach to the nations. These twelve men will delegate where each member will go, two by two, like Jesus sought out his people in the Bible. We have to get this word out; otherwise, many will be deceived—and fooled,” Isaiah said boldly, and continued, “just as we were, only a step behind.”
“Who would “THEY” be?” the same man asked again, “If you want us on the same page, you must tell us plainly!”
“First of all, Solomon’s body is still on display.”
“Why is that?” the man fired back.
“It has been weeks since it was posted all over the airwaves and Internet. We had men scout the location and try to infiltrate the area to give the body a proper
burial, but armed guards were stationed there. Our men were either killed, injured for their attempt, or ran before they were shot.”
A woman in the back row stood and raised her voice. “Jesus! You’re telling us that Roya hasn’t been able to get her husband down and bury him?”
Isaiah nodded. “Just a couple days ago, I ran across a man who was shot in the neck, and I watched onlookers walk away. No one wanted to be involved for fear they’d be next,” Isaiah choked on his saliva.
In her fear, Lavonne yelled, “What in the world is happening?”
Isaiah continued, “I witnessed his spirit as it left his body and vanished into thin air. Not sure if anyone here would believe me, but I clearly saw with these,” he pointed to his eyes, “and I blinked several times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.”
“How is that possible?” someone in the back shouted.
Isaiah hoped that his message wasn’t choked out of the congregation. He could feel spiritual warfare occurring as he spoke.
“Will you get to the point!” Roya screamed.
Her outburst startled many in the room, as neither her nature nor her behavior gave them any hint of it.
Isaiah ignored Roya and continued, “Many are wondering if they’re possessed with demonic spirits.”
“Yes, there are people harboring demons. I witnessed it in Les!” Roya roared.
“I’d also say yes,” Isaiah agreed.
“Les is like the walking dead!” Roya shouted.
“We got it, Roya. Legion. He had many demons,” Isaiah added.
“Jesus sent the demons in the pigs that went in the sea! Get on with the message,” Roya pouted.
“However, we have God within us!” He patted his chest.
“Amen,” a few sprung up.
“Therefore, we’re not demon-possessed. Instead, we can be impressed, obsessed, or repressed by demons. Most of us are demon influenced.”
“No. No. No!” some of the congregation shouted.
“Listen! We’re impressed by the evil thoughts which come to our minds and we consider them, and sometimes—,” He cocked his head at his listeners and nodded in a knowing way.
Someone snapped their finger and others nodded.
“Right Pastor,” a man agreed.
Isaiah was glad people were responding, and continued, “—we can become obsessed with those thoughts that come to mind and be willing to obey what we hear.”
“What does this have to do with anything?” Roya blurted.
“We’re seeing many obsessed with greed, lust, and other sins where those demonic forces are lurking to get us to do evil things. Depression. PTSD. Blood lust.” He wiped his brow and noticed Roya’s frustration as she noisily crossed her feet.
He spoke with authority, “These are visions that the Holy Spirit has been showing me, I see the demons as zombies.”
He paused for a moment when Joshua yelled out Yosef’s favorite phrase, “Tell ‘em Prophet!” as they both recognized, with tears in their eyes, how much they missed him. Then Isaiah finished the prophecy; “People’ll change. Like the night of the living dead. Their eyes will seem blank, with no light in them. Some of those I see in the vision are in a deep depression, coerced into a cashless society by their overuse of technology. Clearly a forced chip implantation won’t be far behind, when their minds become numb to the assault on the freedom of the Lord.”
As the congregants felt agreement with his statement, they nodded, hummed, or shouted with affirmation.
Roya felt a stirring of caution and trembled in her seat.
“You okay, Sis?” Sunny tapped her shoulder.
Roya sat a moment, then shook it off. She gave her a slight nod.
“Sure?” Sunny asked, sounding doubtful.
“Yeah.”
“We wouldn’t be able to buy or sell anymore. It’s not official just yet since the elite, rich crew is still bartering, managing their financial reports through stocks and bonds, or precious coins.”
“So…when will this happen? Can’t buy or sell?” someone shouted.
“Soon, all this will stop, and we won’t even be able to use collectibles. All these assets will be liquidated into the computer systems and a person’s microchip implant will be scanned—reading what’s in your bank accounts, where you’ve been, what property you own or rent—it’ll all be what corporations know about your purchase habits and lifestyle,” He rambled.
“Is this a financial lesson?” Roya barked.
His voice boomed, “This is a warning. In our nation, it will come about as a ‘convenience’ offered by companies. Ultimately, it will be a way for the Antichrist to keep tabs on the entire world, over six billion people. We’re here to equip you for what’s to come. The signs are all there. Our souls given freely away for speed and convenience, just as Esau gave away his birthright.”
An elderly woman stood as the murmurs of realization came to many in the congregation. “Many of us, Christians, aren’t even prepared or equipped for a battle within ourselves,” she said.
“She’s right, we’re not ready.”
“Many of us also aren’t ready for death or persecution.”
“True.”
“It’ll be a bittersweet road. It’s bitter since we’ll be persecuted.”
“Like Sol,” someone shouted.
“But it’s sweet, since we know where we will spend our eternal life,” Isaiah tried to change the tone in the atmosphere.
“What’s so sweet about being persecuted? Tortured? Dying?” Sondrea complained as she shook her head.
“I’ll have Stuart specially train many of you in how to fight and the use of guns if it becomes necessary,” Isaiah stood upright.
“But God tells us not to kill,” a man loudly questioned Isaiah.
“You’re correct.”
“So, what ’ya saying, man?” the man quizzed.
“‘Thou shall not kill’ was written in the Ten Commandments,” He deepened his voice as he quoted the scripture. “But we face men that don’t care if we live or die. Therefore, we have a duty to protect others until the day God calls us home. If we also survive the battle, then it is God who has intervened.”
The man nodded.
“We saw it aired on satellites, cable, and Internet all over the world showing that they didn’t care about taking the lives of Solomon and his youngest children. Roya suffered a great loss.”
Roya sniffled loudly and reached in her purse for tissue, then blew her nose.
“We’re not going out to deliberately kill people, only protecting one another when the time comes. Think about it, David and his men were in battle and slew thousands. There are other stories in first and second Kings that speaks about battles handled by the men of God. Therefore, it’s not out of the norm,” Isaiah exclaimed. “Moreover, we’re chosen to heal the land.”
“Now after the battles, you’re telling us to heal the land,” Roya’s lips puckered.
“The signs are clearly before us.” He raised his hands. “The Antichrist’s reign has already made an appearance in countries that have dictators. There are elements of government being overthrown in America. However, there are still laws being made, and lawsuits to maintain freedom. Because the ACLU won the case against businesses who tried to say “cashless only,” the mint still prints money.”
“So, aren’t we going up before the Antichrist reigns?”
Isaiah kept teaching, “There’ll also be two witnesses to preach the Word to many in Israel,” He lifted two fingers.
“Two witnesses,” Roya repeated.
“Well, we’ve heard about the Ambassadors for Christ, or is it Ambassadors in Christ, in Israel.”
Some gave a slight nod. Others stared.
“There’s talk about dividing Jerusalem and Israel into two. In our planning, we decided to appoint a group to preach to those in the Middle East.”
“Who, Pastor?”
“Many will lose their life for the gospel to be preached to t
he world, but we’re seeing many evangelists vanishing without answers.”
“Yes, talk about that!” A woman yelled. “People missing?”
“What do you really think our government is doing?” he responded.
Silence gave him permission to proceed, and he nodded. “When we watch and listen to the changes of the times, we should have a clue what they are doing! Wiping us off the face of Earth to no longer preach the message?”
“Help us Lord.”
Isaiah stayed focused on the mission, “We’ll also appoint twelve people here in the states to preach to the multitude. I haven’t had it all planned out yet, but it’s in the making.”
“Figures,” Roya said snidely.
“All things are in the will of God. Joshua has the layout a little better. Now, we’ll present Joshua, our second-in-command, to come up to speak to you.”
Roya Whitmore
Roya heard ‘second in command.’ She pouted. No longer Solomon’s position and handed over to Joshua. She knew he was well-deserving, but it felt so sudden. She stepped up and cheered him on, saying, “Joshua’s second-in-command. GO AHEAD AND CLAP,” she turned to the audience and clapped, expecting them to follow. Her face crumpled with tears.
Sunny grabbed Roya’s hand to sit her down. “Come on, Roy.”
Roya threw her arm back to release Sunny’s grip.
“Only Sol calls me Roy!” She barked.
Roya strode to the restroom. She fell forward and leaned over the sink. Tears streamed from her eyes, and she watched as they formed small rivulets to the drain. How could they? She heard a click-clack against the tiled floor. She felt a presence, and saw all her sisters stepping inside the bathroom.
“What’s wrong, Roya?” Sondrea said.
“Back up. Don’t touch me!” She fired. “What do you think? Why did they?”
“They…what?” Sondrea asked.
“My emotions are still boiling inside after they died. Don’t you get it?” Roya turned back to the sink and glanced at her mascara smearing as new tears ran down her cheeks. She splashed cold water on her face to rinse away the dark streaks.
“Oh, I forget, none of you lost your husband…or do you even have one?” Roya said nastily. She cut deep—none of her sisters had a husband, or even a fiancé, to her knowledge. She refused to look at their faces, not eager to see their reactions either.
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