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Abaddon! it called out, and the tiny but gravelly voice echoed in the
hallway.
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Buck kicked the parlor door shut and helped Chaim into his bedroom. There Buck
peeled the rest of the beekeeper garb off Chaim and helped him lie back atop
the covers on his bed. Convulsions racked him again, and Buck noticed swelling
in his hands and neck and face. C-c-could y-y-you g-g-g-et me some w-water,
p-please!
It won't help, Buck said, but he got it anyway. Parched himself, he poured
into a
glass some from the bottle he found in the refrigerator and quenched his own
thirst.
He grabbed a clean glass and returned. He set the bottle and the glass on a
stand next to the bed. Chaim appeared unconscious. He had rolled on his side,
covering his ears with a pillow, as the haunting cries continued from the
parlor.
Abaddon! Abaddon! Abaddon!
Buck laid a hand on the old man's shoulder. Can you hear me, Chaim? Chaim?
Rosenzweig pulled the pillow away from his ear. Huh? What?
Don't drink the water. It's turned to blood.
Rayford and T. M. Delanty stood outside the empty reception area at the base
of the
Palwaukee Airport tower, peering in at Bo and Ernie, who cursed each other as
they writhed on the floor.
Is there nothing we can do for them? T asked.
Rayford shook his head. I feel sorry for them and for anybody who has to
endure this. If they had only listened! The message has been out there since
before the
Rapture. What's their story, anyway? Ernie had me convinced he was a
believer" the mark and everything.
had
I was shocked to see him attacked, T said, but part of that had to have
been my fault. For days he sounded interested, said Ken was urging him to log
on and check out what Tsion Ben-Judah was teaching. He asked so many
questions, especially about the mark, that between what he learned from Tsion
and what Ken and I said about it, he was able to fake it.
Rayford looked out. The sky was still filled with the locusts, but all but a
few had moved away from the door. I never thought about anyone being able to
counterfeit the mark. I figured the mark, distinguishable only by another
believer, was a foolproof test of who was with us and who wasn't. What do we
do now" the smudge test on anybody who's bearing the mark?
try
Nope, T said. Don't have to.
Why's that?
You're not testing my mark, are you? Why do you assume I'm legit?
Because you weren't attacked.
Bingo. For the next ten months, that is our litmus test.
Where are you getting ten months?
You haven't read Dr. Ben-Judah today?
Rayford shook his head.
He says the locusts have five months to find their prey and sting them and
that the victims suffer for five months. He also believes, though he admitted
it was just
conjecture, that the locusts bite a person once, and then they move on.
Have you taken a look at these things? Rayford said, studying one on the
other side of the window.
Do I want to? T said, approaching. I didn't even like reading about them in
Dr.
Ben-Judah's lessons. Oh, boy, look at that! That is one ugly monstrosity.
Be glad they're on our side.
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Talk about irony, T said. Ben-Judah says they're demons.
Yeah, but they're moonlighting for God for a while.
Both men cocked their heads. What's that sound? Rayford said. Tsion said
their flight would sound like horses and chariots riding into battle, but I
hear something else.
Are they chanting? T said.
They cracked the door an inch or so, and a locust tried to squeeze through.
Rayford shut the door on it, and it squirmed and flailed. He released the
pressure, and it flew back out. That's it! Rayford said. They're chanting
something.
The men stood still. The cloud of locusts, on its way to fresh targets, called
out in unison, Apollyon, Apollyon, Apollyon!
Why would God do this to me? Chaim whined. What did I ever do to him? You
know me, Cameron! I am not a bad man!
He did not do this, Dr. Rosenzweig. You did it to yourself.
What did I do that was so wrong? What was my sin?
Pride for one, Buck said, pulling up a chair. He knew there was nothing he
could do for his friend but keep him company, but he was past gentility.
Proud? I am proud?
Maybe not intentionally, Doctor, but you have ignored everything Tsion has
told you about how to connect with God. You have counted on your charm, your
own value, your being a good person to carry you through. You get around all
the evidence for Jesus being the Messiah by reverting to your educational
training, your confidence only in what you can see and hear and feel. How many
times have you heard Tsion quote Titus 3:5 and Ephesians 2:8-9? And yet you"
Chaim cried out in pain. Quote them to me again, Cameron, would you?
'Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His
mercy
He saved us. ... For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not
of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.'
Chaim nodded miserably. Cameron, this is so painful!
Sad to say, it will get worse. The Bible says you will want to die and won't
be able
to commit suicide.
Chaim rocked and cried in anguish. Would God accept me if I relent only to
ease my torture?
God knows everything, Doctor. Even your heart. If you knew you would still
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