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of the everlasting gospel, were close by as well.
Finally, in his form as the lion, Satan was strangely without a roar. Jesus
had silenced him, and the curse carried over regardless of his disguise.
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Michael finally worked the chain about him and drew it tight, forcing the
animal into a bound mass.
As he lifted the captive toward the smoking abyss, Satan altered himself yet
again, back to the angel of light. With that he slipped out of the chain and
made one last feeble attempt to escape.
Michael swung the chain and let it slide through his hands until the extended
portion was at least twenty feet long. This he flung at the devil, catching
him at the midsection and causing the chain to wrap itself around him.
Michael rushed him, tackled him to the ground, completed the chain-wrapping
operation, and jumped to his feet, carrying the bound devil. Just before he
reached the smoldering, smoke-
belching chasm, Michael left his feet and flew Satan under his arm about ten
feet into the air and then headfirst down into the abyss.
This Jesus did not watch, though the other angelic beings did. The crowd
roared and cheered and applauded, but they quieted quickly when Jesus stood
and gestured with a hand.
"And now, " He said, "to My Father God, the King eternal, immortal, invisible,
to Him who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever. Beloved, sin reigned in
death, but even so grace reigns through righteousness to eternal life. Even
the demons recognized Me as the Holy One of God. I stand before you this day
as the King of Israel, He who comes in the name of the Lord. "
He gazed above, and from beyond the clouds came a chorus from those Rayford
could only assume were gathered around the throne of God. They sang the song
of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: "Great and
marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O
King of the saints! And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of
His kingdom there will be no end. "
Still the smoke poured from the bottomless pit, and Rayford wondered if
others, like he, had begun to worry about Michael. But presently he reemerged
with a key in his hand. Satan and the chain were no longer to be seen.
Michael rejoined the others behind Jesus, who turned and mounted His horse. He
slowly led the white stallion away from the open square and through the crowd
toward the Temple Mount, where
He would take His rightful place on the throne of King David.
And finally, Rayford felt a twinge of hunger and a new wave of fatigue.
Without instruction or a word about it, the remnant seemed to be slowly
scattering to return to their homes. Rayford would have to reconnect with his
friends and see who might have room for him.
EIGHTEEN
RAYFORD COULD not think of a word to describe how he felt, other than
euphoric. He knew there would be times when Jesus would not be visible, like
now. It only made sense. But he had feared he would have such a longing for
Him that he might be depressed, out of sorts, when Jesus was otherwise
occupied. Rayford was thrilled to realize this was not the case.
His heart was still with Jesus, of course. He thought about Him constantly.
And he wanted to see
Him, sure. But because Rayford was so preoccupied with Him, eager to love and
serve Him forever, he found himself free from his normal temptations. He had
to wonder if this was temporary. Was he free from lust, from pride, from greed
only because this was like being in church, in the presence of your pastor? Or
did the binding of Satan and the death of his demons have something to do with
it? Rather than being tempted by the world, the flesh, and the devil, he had
to worry about only two of the three. And the world was new and ruled by
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Jesus.
Would the novelty of having Jesus physically present eventually wear off? I
mean, a thousand years, and then eternity...
The way Jesus had talked to him, connected with him, made Rayford feel as if
He were still right there, even though he couldn't see Him. When he prayed, it
was as if Jesus conversed with him immediately. Rayford had so many questions,
so many things he would have to ask Chaim.
First, of course, was whether Chaim had any idea where Rayford might find
lodging. He was amused to discover, upon reuniting with the rest of the
Tribulation Force personnel who had been at Petra, that this had already been
thoroughly thought through, discussed, and even decided.
Rayford and Mac and Abdullah had stayed in the public square, searching the
crowd for anyone they recognized. "We had better separate, " Abdullah
suggested. "If any of us finds someone, he can call the others and arrange a
meeting place. "
Abdullah headed west, Mac east. Rayford stayed in the center, searching faces
for the familiar.
What a sight! Everywhere he looked, people looked like friends, though they
were mostly strangers. He recognized some from having seen them in Petra, but
when he asked if they had seen his friends and acquaintances, none had. And
yet all wanted to talk. Mostly about Jesus. But about the earthquake too, and
the splitting of the Mount of Olives. The slaying of the enemy. The sentencing
of Carpathia, Fortunato, and Satan.
Others mentioned the weather hot, clear, refreshing, as if they were breathing
new air. A woman pointed out the trees and bushes and how suddenly full and
healthy they looked. "They did not look this way twenty-four hours ago, " she
said.
Something hit Rayford. He asked where she was from. "Russia, " she said.
"And what language are you speaking?"
"Russian, of course. I know only a little English. And you?"
"English. It's all I know. "
Rayford kept moving, looking, asking. Here and there groups were praying,
singing, some just lifting their hands toward heaven and smiling. Finally he
got a call from Mac.
"Seems strange that these contraptions are still workin', doesn't it?" Mac
said. "You'd think maybe we could just talk to each other without machines
now. "
Rayford laughed. "Why?"
"Why not? Anyhoo, you know Christ Church, a tick southeast of David's Tower?"
"Sure. "
"That's where we all are. "
"Smitty too?"
"Everybody. "
The names of all the landmarks had been changed when Carpathia came to power,
but the believers knew what was what. Outside Christ Church, at the southeast
corner of the building, Rayford found his circle of friends from Petra. All
but Otto.
Besides Abdullah and Mac, Chaim was there with Chang and Naomi and her father,
Eleazar.
Hannah and Leah were there. When Rayford saw Razor chatting with the Woos, he
knew Sebastian and Priscilla and Beth Ann had to be close by, and that meant
Kenny couldn't be far off. And here he came.
The boy leaped into Rayford's arms. "Grandpa! I saw Jesus! And He talked to
me!"
"Isn't that the best?"
"Yeah! Gonna see Mommy and Daddy too. "
Rayford looked at Priss. She mouthed, "Soon. "
"Yeah, pretty soon, " Rayford said.
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As he held Kenny, Rayford was brought up to speed on what had been decided.
"Otto has somehow secured an abandoned hotel for his people, " Chaim said.
"Already?"
"Oh, Rayford, people are eager to accommodate each other. And as you can
imagine, a little over a million people will rattle around in this country.
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