The Rapture: Evil Advances / Before They Were Left Behind Read online

  “I want to see Grandma and Grandpa,” Raymie said, and they appeared, youthful, lucid, no trace of the Alzheimer’s that had claimed them both.

  “Irene,” Rayford’s father said, “you led us to Jesus. We are eternally grateful.”

  “Yes,” her mother-in-law said, “and we must pray for Rayford, who is not here, is he?”

  Irene shook her head, and the four of them huddled to pray. “I don’t know what comes next, Lord,” Irene said, “but I know Rayford must endure difficult days. Give him strength to resist the evil one, and bring him to Yourself, God.”

  All around them Irene could hear cheers and squeals of delight as more reunions took place. People of all races and creeds celebrated. Irene knew they had to be speaking in their own languages, yet she understood every word.

  A Chinese woman announced for all to hear, pointing at another woman, “My daughter was in a wheelchair twenty years! Look at her now!”

  From somewhere else, a father introduced a handsome, smiling young man. “This boy was born with Down Syndrome.”

  “I can’t wait to sing to Jesus,” the boy said.

  Irene saw two women embracing and weeping. “Your child?” Irene said.

  One met Irene’s eyes and nodded. “I had her aborted sixteen years ago. She forgives me.”

  “I have both arms!” a man shouted, waving.

  “I’m whole!” came from somewhere else.

  Had they been here for an hour or only a second? Irene couldn’t tell. All she knew was that anticipation crashed over her like a waterfall. She turned to Raymie, and they said in unison, “I want to see Jesus.”

  And the entire throng from all over the world ascended yet again.

  EIGHTEEN

  EVERYTHING IN IRENE’S past paled to insignificance as she soared into the heavens, the earth shrinking from sight. She had to wonder how the billions of people in the air would ever be able to share the attention of the One they had believed in, the One who had beckoned them home.

  But then it hit her. If Jesus’ shout had been heard in the same instant by true believers all over the world as their own names, it proved yet again that He was omnipotent and omnipresent, unbound by space or time. He could do anything and everything all at once.

  As Irene’s new, glorified body was transported through Earth’s atmosphere above the clouds, she let her head fall back and spread her arms wide, closing her eyes tight. When the light of glory flooded her being, she had to peek.

  High above her was Jesus, His gleaming incandescence brighter than a million suns. With arms outstretched He welcomed His beloved, and while Irene remained vaguely aware that she was just one of so many on this same journey, His beautiful piercing eyes seemed to bore into hers alone. She wanted to cry out, to thank Him a thousand times a thousand for forgiving her, for saving her soul, for calling her to Himself. His face shone with love and compassion and welcome, as if her arrival was His highest joy.

  Irene immediately felt unworthy, and all she had wanted to express seemed to leak from her mind. She could not speak. She tried to bow, to lower herself, to hide from Jesus’ perfection, which seemed to permeate her own darkness like a beacon.

  But He reached for her, lifted her to Himself.

  “Irene,” He said as He enveloped her. “My child, My own. I praise you for believing in Me, for trusting in Me, for calling upon My name to be saved. This is what you were saved for, to be with Me. And yet it is only the beginning of a journey that has no end. Come with Me to My Father’s house, for as I promised, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.’ ”

  Irene was aware only of blinking, and in the next instant she had been transported into outer space and then into what Pastor Billings had called the third heaven, into the presence of a vast and beautiful crystal city so overwhelming that she could scarcely take it in. This made Soldier Field and Wrigley Field look like toys. From certain vantage points, even when those stadiums were full, she had been able to see almost everyone at once. With a mere turn of the head on Earth, her eyes could take in forty, fifty, sixty thousand people. But this. This was something else.

  Clearly there were hundreds of millions of others, more than a billion, maybe two. Yet without rising above their heads, Irene was aware of them all. And not just aware. It was as if, without so much as moving an eye—let alone her head—or even standing on tiptoe, she saw and recognized every one. She knew them. Their histories, their stories, were known to her. She could pause and concentrate on one or another or a thousand at a time.

  There was a reason for this, she knew. Irene had never realized how limited her mind had been until now when all things became known. Every story, every person, every insight and intuition, had a purpose. And the purpose was Jesus. Everything here was for and about and because of Him. Irene’s eternal life was for the purpose of worshiping Him. As people’s stories were revealed to her heart and mind, Irene’s entire focus was on the work Christ had done in their lives. Forgiving them. Loving them. Saving them.

  No amusement-park imitation of a real experience came close to this. There were no holograms, no 3-D, no pretending. Friends and loved ones left behind would assume her dead, but Irene knew with all of her being that she had never been more alive.

  Had Raymie had the same experience?

  He appeared next to her. “Jesus welcomed me personally,” he said. “And this is the house of God.”

  Irene was agape. It seemed that if she were able to back up a million miles into space she would not be able to see the beginning and end of this masterpiece built foursquare. Her pastor had recently reminded the congregation that if God had created the entire world in seven days by merely speaking it into existence, imagine what He could do with two thousand years to fulfill Jesus’ promise of going to prepare a place for them. The Scripture told that it was just under fourteen hundred square miles, the length, breadth, and height the same. If superimposed on the earth it would extend from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and from Colorado to the Atlantic Ocean. With the raptured saints and the resurrected dead, perhaps twenty billion people would be there, with enough room for each to inhabit a cubed space of seventy-five acres. Talk about high ceilings!

  It all lay before her in incomprehensible grandeur, radiant and delicate and yet somehow, she knew, indestructible. Gold and silver and brass and platinum complemented diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and pearls, and these were so perfectly arranged that the appearance did not offend as gaudy or extravagant. Naturally, everything looked perfect, every gate—consisting of one giant gem each and attended by angels—every wall, every pillar. And yes, its roads were as glassy as spun gold.

  Irene noticed not a shadow anywhere. None. Yet there was no sun. The light of God illumined this place from within and cast no shadow in any direction. Irene had always wondered and, frankly, worried about what heaven would look and feel like. Would it feel alien to her? Would it appear as such a great monument to God that she would be merely a spectator, a museum patron?

  This, however, immediately felt like home. It was as if she had been an alien on Earth, just waiting for the day when she could return here. In spite of its immensity and splendor, a strange intimacy radiated from it, and she felt it had indeed been prepared for her.

  Irene did not know how she knew that the next voice was of God Himself; she simply did.

  “This is the city I have prepared for those who had the faith to believe My Word and follow My will. Behold the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem where are now gathered the general assembly of the church of the firstborn and the just, whose spirits have been made perfect in the great resurrection. To this city came all the spirits of those who died in Christ and have now been resurrected. The resurrected and the living saints shall dwell here until the earth is made new, when this city shall descend to abide there forever.”

  This, Pastor Billings had taught, was the new Jerusalem that would des
cend onto the new earth after the seven-year tribulation and Jesus’ glorious appearing. So Irene would live here until Jesus’ second coming upon the earth and then would remain in this relocated city for eternity. She wondered how long the next seven years would seem from this perspective.

  And God said, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and I will dwell with them, and they shall be My people. I will be with you and be your God. And I will wipe away every tear from your eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

  Irene had read those words and heard them read, but what an unspeakable thrill to hear them from the very mouth of God. Their truth resounded and engulfed her. No more tears, death, sorrow, or pain. The former things had passed.

  In the next instant, along with everyone else, she was inside the ground floor of the cubic city where a crystalline sea led to a gleaming throne. There sat Jesus, majestic, triumphant, and again, somehow making Irene feel as if she were the only other person in the room. Her eyes riveted to the eternal embodiment of unconditional love and sacrifice, she could assume only that everyone in the vast multitude somehow had the same supernaturally unobstructed view and that Jesus was interacting with them personally as He was with her.

  Irene felt no farther from Jesus as she saw Him from what on Earth would have been hundreds of feet away than when He had pressed her against His chest. How was this possible? She would have to stop asking herself such questions. She was not aware of flying or walking or even moving, and yet she had traversed thousands of miles from her home in just moments. As she merely thought about things or conjured questions, her new body darted here and there, and everything was answered and understood.

  The entire first floor of the colossal house of God had been fashioned into a great hall, a vast beautiful gathering place where the Spirit of God dwelt and the Son of God presided. Irene was not aware of turning her head or even her eyes, yet she was aware of everything around her. Inexpressible splendor filled her senses, and while she knew she was in a place that had foundations, whose builder and maker was God, she was unaware of a floor or ceiling, and the walls seemed transparent, though the open gates were made of precious stones and attended by angels.

  She again tried to imagine this scene on Earth, as if she had gone to a great venue to see someone perform or speak. Monitors would have been set up to allow everyone to see what was really happening onstage. But here she sat, unaware of the weight of her body, in the middle of this enormous throng, yet she saw Jesus as clearly as if she were sitting at His feet. As He appeared to take in the crowd with His eyes, still it seemed His attention was solely and fully on her, and she could hear His thoughts.

  “I am so glad you are here, Irene. I chose you before the foundation of the world. I came to Earth for you, lived and died for you, forgave your sins, and claimed you as My own. Welcome to the house of God.”

  Around His throne four creatures hovered, with eyes all around their heads. The first was like a lion, the second was like a calf, the third had a face like a man’s, and the fourth was like an eagle. Each of the four had six wings and seemed to never alight. They called out, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

  As the creatures gave glory and honor and thanks to Jesus, twenty-four men in a semicircle before Him fell and worshiped Him and cast crowns before the throne, saying, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”

  Thousands upon thousands of angels appeared and surrounded the throne, joining the men and the living creatures in praising Jesus and saying with loud voices, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

  Suddenly Jesus said, “Behold, I make all things new. It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I give the fountain of the water of life freely to all who thirst.”

  Irene had no emotion from her past to compare with what she had felt from the time she heard her name and the sound of the trumpet of God and began to rise. It was as if every happy, fulfilling, thrilling moment of her life combined in one instant, never to abate, would only begin to hint at the feeling that permeated her entire being. She felt she would never again need sleep, would never be hungry or thirsty. All she wanted was to be in the presence of her Savior and to worship Him with her whole self.

  But were the stories of delicious foods in heaven merely apocryphal? Because Irene didn’t need food, did that mean she would not want it? With that mere thought came a cornucopia of delights that dwarfed anything she had ever hungered for—sizzling meats, fruit, vegetables, crystal glasses full of nectar.

  Irene wondered if she had time to partake, not wanting to miss a thing while concentrating on her own satisfaction. She found herself able to consume more food in a split second than she had ever eaten in one sitting. Yet there was not an iota of discomfort. Every bite and sip brought bursts of flavor unlike anything Irene had ever imagined, and the taste stayed with her as the foodstuffs disappeared.

  She wondered where Raymie was now, and instantly he was at her side, telling her of friends he had discovered whom he had not even known were believers.

  “How wonderful,” she said as he darted away, and immediately she had the same experience, recognizing people, some surely miles away, whom she had known on Earth but not really known. Had they had any more clue that she was a believer than she had that they were?

  Nicolae Carpathia slid from under his blankets and sat on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. Bucharest was normally quiet at dawn, but now he heard the dissonance of sirens and car horns and weather-warning alarms. He moved to the window and pulled back the drapes to reveal the mix of pastels emerging from the eastern horizon. Such a beautiful day for so much racket.

  But there was as much noise in Nicolae’s mind as in his ears. It tormented him, this mix of terrible screams and maniacal laughter, driving him to his knees before the window. He hung his head and lifted his arms. “Speak to me, spirit,” he pleaded. “Tell me!”

  “Our enemies have been rescued,” came the haunted, rasping, echoing voice. “Saved, snatched from our grasp! But all is not lost. Those who remain are ours. And we are in the vast majority!”

  “I do not understand,” Nicolae whined.

  “Are you prepared to lead those who remain?”

  “I am willing, but I do not know—”

  “Your time has come. You must merely obey.”

  “I will do your bidding, master. But what has happened? Master? Spirit? Tell me more.”

  “Obey!”

  “I am yours, but—”

  “Obey!”

  “I shall, but I—”

  “Obey!”

  “I am at your service.” Nicolae struggled to his feet, his face wet with tears. Phones were ringing all over the house. He reached for the intercom. “Gabriella!” he barked. “Who is answering the phones?”

  Another maid’s voice came back, shaken. “I’m trying. Do you know what has happened?”

  “No. Tell me.”

  “Turn on your TV.”

  “I will, but tell me first.”

  “I’m sorry, sir, but I must get these phones, and Gabriella is missing.”

  “Missing?”

  The woman had clicked off, so Nicolae grabbed the remote and flipped through a hundred channels, all reporting the same news. The greatest catastrophe in history had claimed hundreds of millions around the globe—billions when the dead were added. People had disappeared in an instant, leaving everything material behind.

  Nicolae felt his lip curling into a snarl. Had he been duped? Was this, then, what he was to inherit, to rule? A world decimated by chaos and tragedy, reeling from the vanishing of more lives than had been claimed by all the wars and plagues and natural disasters of history combined?

  All
the kingdoms of the world were to be his, and this was the shape they were in?

  Nicolae was again driven to the floor, this time from a blow to the back of his neck, just above his spine. As he teetered on all fours, trying to regain his equilibrium, the spirit again communicated to his soul. “Do you not see how we can use this to our advantage? Our soldiers do not need uniforms! Our enemies have retreated, separated themselves from the battleground. The earth and all that is in it is ours! We have won! We have driven our enemies from us and we are left with the spoils.

  “Remain alert. Remain on the offensive. Fight to maintain every soul. We must not lose even one more to the other side. This tragic day can be laid at the feet of the Enemy. Those who believe this was an act of God will hate Him for it. The terrified, the suffering, the needy, the war-weary will look for a man of peace, of compassion, of understanding, of hope. You can be that man if you can comprehend the unlimited possibilities and seize the moment. Are you that man? Can you accomplish that task?”

  “I am that man.”

  “Rise. And obey.”

  __

  When Nicolae emerged from the shower and dressed in one of his finest suits—anticipating the crush of the press—phones were still ringing all over the estate, and Gabriella’s assistant had called in even those who were supposed to be off today.

  “TV, newspapers, magazines,” she called out, covering the phone as he strode past. “What can I tell them?”

  “I am unavailable until after lunch.”

  “Do I tell them about our own losses?”

  “I am sorry?”

  “Gabriella’s uniform is on the floor where she stood. One of our drivers was checking an engine. His clothes are draped over the car under the open hood.”

  “Anyone else?”

  “Not sure yet. Some of those I’m calling are not answering.”

  Enemies on my own staff. “Tell the press that I do not anticipate being up to speaking until after lunch as I am in seclusion, grieving the losses of several on my own staff. And get someone to show you how to program those phones so that they ring directly to Ms. Ivins and Mr. Fortunato in New York.”