Glorious Appearing Page 8

  "But His power is nothing compared to yours, conquering king! We will prove it even today, will we not?"

  "We? We?"

  "You! You, exalted one!"

  "Who are you to speak? What have you to offer me when the Enemy, who calls Himself the Lord, the God of battle, has spoken—who can change His plans? When His hand moves, who can stop Him?"

  "You can, all-powerful one. I believe in you. "

  "I can. And do not forget it. Who does He think stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel, when clearly his God had forbidden it?"

  "He knows. I know He knows!"

  "Of course He knows! It is I who have gone to and fro in the earth, walking up and down in it. It was I who tested and tempted Job to nearly abandon and curse his God. When Joshua the high priest stood before the Angel of the Lord, it was I who stood at his right hand to oppose him. It was I who tempted the Enemy's own Son in the wilderness. "

  "And you nearly succeeded."

  "Success comes today."

  "I believe it, my lord."

  "I am the one who took the Enemy's Son up into the Holy City and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple. I said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: "He shall give His angels charge over You" and "In their hands they shall bear You up, lest you dash Your foot against a stone. "' But He would not! He Himself did not believe! He countered as a coward, with mere words. He tried to tell me, as if I did not know, that 'It is written again, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God. "' Well, He is not my Lord or God!"

  "Nor mine, prince of the power of the air."

  "It was I who took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. I offered Him all of these if He would but fall down and worship me. But He would not."

  "He was a fool."

  "But I did not bow to Him either."

  "And you never will."

  "I never shall. He spoke the truth and told it well when He called his own disciple Satan. I had hold of Peter for a time then. The Enemy's Son rightly accused him of not being mindful of the things of God, but of the things of men."

  "May it ever be so!" Carpathia gushed.

  "Oh, the Son knew well that when men heard His message, it was I who came immediately and took away the word that was sown in their hearts."

  "That has always been your strength."

  "It was I who entered Judas, who was numbered among the Son's disciples. And it was I who asked for Simon Peter yet again, that I might sift him as wheat. He was so weak that night."

  "I will not be weak in your hour of need, master."

  "I do not need you! I will not be weak! You, vsad one, are unteachable."

  "Forgive me, lord."

  "It was I who filled Ananias's heart to lie and keep back part of the price of his land for himself."

  "A masterpiece!"

  "Silence! I am wearying of you. I am preparing for battle with the One who calls Himself the God of peace and claims He will crush me under His feet. I, the one who takes advantage when men are ignorant of my devices. I am the god of this age, able to blind the minds of those who do not believe—as I do not—in what my Enemy calls the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. I am more than His image. I am His superior and shall be His conqueror. I was crafty enough to deceive Eve, His second creation. Am I not up to this task?"

  "You are, and the universe shall sing your praises and call you blessed."

  "You have well said that I am the prince of the power of the air. I am the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience toward the Enemy. I work among them to fulfill the lusts of their flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. None shall stand against my wiles. They do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against my principalities, against my powers, against my rulers of this age, against spiritual hosts in the heavenly places. "

  "That is you, O blessed one."

  "I have fiery darts that cannot be quenched."

  "Amen and amen!"

  "I hindered even the Enemy's favored servant, Paul, thwarting his plans time and again. And in his absence from his followers, I tempted them from their faith. I was their adversary, and they referred to me as akin to a roaring lion, seeking whom I might devour."

  "Today shall be a feast for you."

  "The Enemy who calls Himself God has decreed that His Son was manifested, that He might destroy my works."

  "Blasphemy!"

  "He called me the great dragon, called me that serpent of old, called me the devil and Satan, and acknowledged that it is I who deceives the whole world. But He erred when He cast me to the earth and my angels with me. "

  "He made an eternal blunder, lord. How excellent is your name in all the earth! Be exalted above the heavens. Let your glory be above all the earth. You, my lord, are high above all nations, and your glory above the heavens. Who is like unto you who dwells on high?"

  "I have need of your shell again for a brief season."

  "I am yours," Carpathia said.

  And with that the light disappeared and Nicolae stood, chin lifted, arrogance restored. His color returned as he buttoned his shirt and straightened his clothes. It was as if he had come back to life, his voice again crisp and sure.

  "Return to your seats, ladies and gentlemen, please. Ivins, please. Reverend Fortunato. " He deliberately moved the chair Leon had provided for him and held it as the holy man awkwardly disentangled himself from his garments and stood, then sat.

  "Sub-potentates, generals, assistants, sit, please. Soldiers, return to attention. "

  It was plain to Mac that the room was full of shocked and shaken people. Their eyes shone with fear. Their bodies were hesitant and unsure. They returned to their places fearful and stunned.

  "Your discomfort will soon cease, " Nicolae said. "When you are all in place, I shall tell you what you just witnessed and what you will remember."

  An Asian dignitary raised a hand, consternation on his face.

  "Please hold all questions, just for a moment."

  An African stood, hand also raised.

  "Please honor my request, sir," Carpathia said. "I will get to you in a moment if you will extend this courtesy. "

  The African sat, clearly troubled. Others looked at each other, eyes narrow, shaking their heads.

  "Ladies and gentlemen and soldiers," Carpathia began, but he was interrupted by a man at the door. "What is it?"

  "Because of the carnage outside, Excellency, we have been unable to find a paramedic unit for this room."

  "Thank you. No longer needed."

  "And, your grace, neither have we been able to determine the source of the heat that caused the stampede."

  "I believe that issue is moot now, is it not? Anyone uncomfortable?"

  "Not from the heat," an Aussie said, "but I have some serious questions about what just—"

  "I shall ask you too, sir, to hold all questions and comments for another moment. Thank you. And, sir?" he added, addressing the one in the archway. "Would you mind staying as I offer an explanation?"

  The man moved past Mac and stood behind those seated at the far end of the table from Carpathia.

  "Ladies and gentlemen," Nicolae began in his most mellow, persuasive tone, slowly scanning the room and looking briefly but directly into the eyes of everyone. "Do not feel obligated to look away this time. I am choosing to connect with you visually. You have just been privileged to enjoy a unique experience. You were present when I left this mortal body and took on my divine form. I charged you with all the rights and privileges that attend your station as loyal followers and encouraged you in the battle to come.

  "You shall become aware as we leave this place and mount up to ride into our glorious victory that the enemy has succeeded in penetrating the ground above, essentially our ceiling. I divinely protected myself, you included, but they caused a stampede that has caused many casualties among our troops and our
livestock, which, as you know, we value as highly as our human resources. But do not be alarmed. Do not fear. Our resources are limitless. I shall lead you up and out, and there will be enough mounts for all. Now, there were some comments and questions?"

  The Asian stood, bowing. "I just wanted to thank you, Excellency, for the privilege you have extended to me and my party. To have been here for this most momentous and historic moment will become the memory of a lifetime, and we are most grateful."

  "Thank you. Yes, sir?"

  The African stood. "I would like to echo that sentiment, your holiness, on behalf of my staff. You are most worthy to be praised, and we look forward to joining you in your ultimate victory, after which the world shall see you for who you truly are."

  Mac wanted to shout an amen. If he was the only believer in the room—and he couldn't imagine otherwise—he was the only one not hypnotically hoodwinked by Carpathia.

  The exit to the surface was surreal. The men and women were led and followed by contingents of the soldiers, giving Mac a perfect view of their response to what had befallen everyone else. The place was worse than any war zone. Hundreds of horses and even more men and women lay dead in hideous repose, broken, trampled, crushed, torn to pieces. The stench of the stables was nothing compared to the steaming entrails of human and beast, and yet the men and women from the meeting room stepped on and over the remains as if traipsing through a meadow.

  No one made a face, held his nose, or had a comment. It was as if they could not see the slaughter that soaked their shoes and caused dirt to adhere to the blood. As they reached the surface they blithely stamped their feet and thanked the soldiers for their assistance. The mood was festive as great steeds were moved into line for them and each was helped into the saddle.

  Bound for Armageddon, they smiled and laughed and chatted as if on their way to a day at the races. Mac noticed for the first time that day that puffy, fluffy clouds had begun to dot the sky. The sun was still visible, turning orange on the horizon. All he wanted was to slip away and be with his brothers and sisters in Christ when the end came.

  Rayford had his misgivings about both the vehicles. There was room on Abdullah's for the both of them, but not much. And it was a thin, whiny, violent machine built for speed, hardly comfort. Leah's ATV was wider and sturdier and slower, but unless they left her supplies behind there would not be room for two people. As the second rider, Rayford needed stability. And speed would be his enemy. The angles, the inclines, the acceleration, the turns and bounces and jostling would be torture.

  The alternative was not acceptable. He didn't want to stay in the barren, rocky hills any longer. Who knew what the global earthquake would do out there? He didn't expect to die in it, but he hadn't expected to be pitched off his ATV either.

  His ATV. Now there was a solution. Not his, of course. It lay in ruins. But there were more where that came from. They called Sebastian.

  "Camel Jockey to Big Dog, " Smitty said.

  "This's Dog, Jockey. Go. "

  "Can you get us an ATV to transport Captain Steele to Petra?"

  "If I can drive it."

  "Affirmative, but should you leave your troops?"

  "Kidding, Smitty. I'll send Razor."

  "You know our position?"

  "Affirmative. Chang zeroed you in for me. Rayford going to make it?"

  "If he survives the trip. How does Razor drive?"

  "I think he knows what's at stake. What do you make of the clouds?"

  "First ones all day, Big Dog. I think Somebody's coming. "

  "I've got to get out of here," Chang said, rubbing his eyes.

  "That's all I need to hear," Naomi said, virtually lifting him from his chair.

  "Let me log off first," he said, resisting.

  "Not on your life. Now let's go. Nobody's going to suffer if you don't log off. This is supposed to be a spectacular sunset."

  "With no clouds? How do you figure?"

  "You'll see. You've been so busy, you don't even know what's going on. "

  When they got outside, Chang was stunned. The sun was dropping, big and wide, and there were indeed clouds. They seemed to appear from nowhere, more and more by the minute. There was something festive about them—bouncy, fleecy, and yet moving quickly as if there were strong winds high in the atmosphere. Before long they were joining each other, making shadow-forming canopies south of the sun while individual clouds continued to form to the north.

  These, too, soon began to join. Chang and Naomi went to their favorite high spot and lay on their backs, hands behind their heads. "I've never seen that before," Chang said, pointing straight up. Clouds seemed to be forming directly above, not on the horizon as usual. They began as long, narrow formations in the stratosphere, quickly forming into stratocumulus.

  "We're getting high-, mid-, and low-level formations all at the same time, " Chang said.

  "They're gorgeous."

  "Yeah, now. Wait till they start developing vertically. They can reach heights of more than seven miles and generate incredible energy. "

  "How do you know all this?" she said. "All I know is computers."

  "I know everything," Chang said.

  Naomi punched him. "Hey," she said, turning on her side and gazing at his face. "You're going to fall asleep."

  "Not likely," he said. "Too much happening up there. Too much to look forward to. "

  SIX

  "BROTHER ENOCH," a Hispanic man said, "if you can concentrate, we can concentrate."

  "I don't follow," Enoch said, again looking through trees and windows at the edge of the mall's courtyard to be sure the GC had not found them out.

  "You seem distracted, brother. I mean, we're all waiting for the same thing. We want to be ready. We want to be here when Jesus conies. But in the meantime we want you to teach us. You keep saying you're no scholar, but you've been our pastor for years. Something's working. "

  "Yeah," another chimed in. "I don't feel like I've got a handle on what all's happened and what's going to happen. I know we'll soon be with Jesus—or anyway, He'll be with us—but I wouldn't mind going into all this with more understanding. You got more for us?"

  Enoch had to smile. "I do," he said. "I just didn't expect to have the time to cover it, and I certainly didn't expect you to have the patience for it. "

  "Beats waitin' around. I can't wait till Jesus gets here, but the clock moves slow when nothin's happening. "

  "Fair enough. I've got my Bible and my notes, if you're game. "

  "We're game. But, Pastor, have you looked up lately?" It was coming up on noon in the Midwest, and the sun was riding high. Enoch shielded his eyes. "Clouds," he said.

  "Clouds that weren't there an hour ago. If I'm not mistaken, we woke up to blue skies."

  "Totally blue."

  "They're not threatening clouds," Enoch said. "I don't expect we'll get rained on."

  A woman laughed. "I just wanna see clouds Jesus can ride in on."

  Razor showed up on a 750cc ATV plenty big enough to accommodate Rayford if he were healthy. But he had not been sitting up long, let alone standing or bouncing along on a vehicle.

  "You didn't happen to bring any food, did you?" Rayford said.

  "Sir, yes, sir, " Razor said in the maddening military formality of which Rayford had been trying to break him.

  "Miz Leah here didn't care if I starved to death."

  "Hydration was most important," she said. "And I didn't expect you to be stuck here this long. "

  "I'm kidding, Leah. You saved my life. Now what've you got, Razor?"

  "An energy bar, sir."

  "One of those Styrofoam jobs that tastes like cardboard?"

  "One and the same."

  "Flavor?"

  "Corrugated chocolate, I believe, sir."

  Kidding aside, Rayford was famished. He tore open the wrapper and took a huge bite.

  "Easy there, cowboy, " Leah said. "Your system's been traumatized. "

  "Well, this ought to help,
" Rayford said, following orders and slowing down. He was stalling. Climbing aboard an ATV was going to be an ordeal, but that would be the least of it. The path back to Petra, such as it was, looked like a sheer cliff from his vantage point. "It's going to be a beautiful sunset," he said idly.

  "And probably the last one before Jesus comes," Leah said.

  Sebastian sat on the hood of a Hummer that had been idle for hours, but whose metal had only just cooled enough to allow him there. The Unity Army seemed distracted, if that characteristic could be applied to such an expansive gathering. Ever since they had advanced half a mile and stopped, they had sat staring menacingly at him and his troops.

  George had decided not to antagonize them with directed energy weapons or fifty-caliber fire, and in the last half hour they had grown, well, somehow less threatening. It was as if they had lost focus. Earlier, the hundreds of thousands of mounted troops alone had seemed to act in concert to stare him down, and now he heard their squeaky saddles in the distance. They had stopped staring and had begun wheeling in their saddles, chatting with each other.

  Was it possible the rumors had reached the battlefield? Did these soldiers know that they might not be spelled by reinforcements or that, even if they were, it was unlikely they would be paid on time, if at all? The grapevine was remarkably accurate, quick, and—if this proved true—resilient enough to reach across the desert sands.

  Could Big Dog One take advantage of this lapse? He couldn't imagine how. A volley of shells or DEW rays would succeed only in getting the enemy re-engaged, setting them back on course. For now, hopelessly outnumbered as he was, Sebastian liked his adversary just the way it was. If he could choose, he'd have moved them back about a mile and a half. But they couldn't pull that off even if they wanted to, even if they were ordered to. Backing up the front lines meant backing up the rear, and coordinating that would take weeks. This was a fighting force that could go only one way, and Sebastian and his excuse for a defending force were directly in their path.