Arrived (34 page)

Hundreds of rebels moved toward Herod's Gate. Judd was out of breath when Vicki caught his arm. “I have an idea,” she said, sprinting to the side as gunfire erupted.

What in the world is she thinking?
Judd thought.

Lionel closed his eyes and said a quick prayer. Rayford Steele had made it through seven years of plagues and now this. Zeke whooped and Lionel opened his eyes. “What happened?”

“Missile went right through the chopper and came out the other side,” Zeke yelled, laughing. “Looks like they might have hit some of their own troops. How do you like that? God's letting the GC take themselves out of this war.”

An order came to open fire with the DEWs, and Zeke aimed his weapon. Lionel picked up binoculars and watched the perfect line of horses fall apart. Horses galloped in all directions, some knocking each other to the ground.

“Yahoo!” Zeke hollered. “Look at 'em go!”

Vicki knelt by a wounded soldier who had been shot in the leg. Judd dropped his ammo and tied a tourniquet above the wound.

A few years earlier, God had caused a cross to form on believers' foreheads, a supernatural sign that they were true followers of Christ. This man had neither the mark of Carpathia nor the mark of God.

“Take my weapon,” the man groaned. “They need more fighters.”

“We want to help you,” Vicki said. “The Global Community is going to be defeated by God's power—”

“Leave me alone!” the man screamed, using his gun to help him stand. “I have to get back to my brothers!”

Vicki and Judd tried to stop him, but the man limped off with the crowd. Her heart ached for him and the others fighting against the overwhelming army.

Someone put a hand on her shoulder and she turned. A man carrying a gun stood behind her.

“Dr. Ben-Judah!” Vicki gasped.

“No time to talk,” Tsion said, out of breath. It was strange seeing the teacher in battle dress, carrying a gun. “Keep reaching out—many still need to hear the message.”

“No one wants to listen,” Vicki said, but Tsion was already gone, pushed along by the crowd.

A man grabbed Tsion by the shoulders and yelled, “Hail to Ben-Judah, fearless leader of the remnant!” Another man raised Tsion off the ground and soon he was on their shoulders, people shouting his praises. As the crowd rounded the corner, Tsion was above their heads, bobbing like a parade balloon.

“This is crazy,” Judd said over the noise.

“This is great,” Vicki said.

They moved forward, looking for more wounded. A short time later shots fired down the street as the Unity Army came over Herod's Gate. Judd raced a few yards ahead, then came back to report that the rebels had fallen and were retreating. Judd and Vicki ducked into a doorway.

“You think Dr. Ben-Judah will be protected?” Judd said.

“I hope so,” Vicki said.

“We've got to get out of here before the Unity Army comes,” Judd said.

They slipped into the street and ran with the crowd.

Judd found an entrance to the tunnels and plunged down with others searching for ammunition or a place to hide. Some younger soldiers cowered in a corner, shaking and whimpering.

A man with the mark of the believer walked up to Judd and Vicki. He was armed with an Uzi and had a string of grenades strapped around his belt. “Any news of Messiah?”

“Not yet,” Judd said, “but he's coming.”

A Jewish woman in her twenties wiped tears from her eyes. She wore fatigues and black boots and reminded Judd of Nada, Jamal's daughter.

“Why are you talking about legends at a time like this?” the woman said. She did not have the mark of the believer.

Vicki approached her. “Surely you've heard that a Messiah is coming.”

“Yes, I've heard that all my life, but I've always thought it was a myth created by people who didn't want to deal with reality. And reality now is that we're all going to die. A fairy tale is not going to change that.”

“It's no fairy tale,” Vicki said, “any more than the disappearances and the earthquake and everything else that's happened during the past seven years. Jesus is coming back—at any moment—and you need to be ready.”

“I'm ready to die for my country. I want to rid the earth of Nicolae Carpathia, but I won't turn my back on my religion. Get away from me.”

“Please, just listen to—”

“Go!”

Judd felt bad for Vicki and even worse for the woman who seemed closed to the truth.

Another rebel nearby waved a hand, so Vicki and Judd walked over. “I heard what you said,” the young man said. “And I heard Dr. Ben-Judah last night. I almost prayed, but I was with my father and he cursed the man.”

“We can help you,” Judd said. “What do you need to know?”

The man looked around the darkened hallway. Several people listened. “I always thought the talk about Jesus was blasphemy. A story made up to make people hate Jews. Now I think I might have been wrong. I've been wondering if he could be the Messiah.”

“We all rejected him,” Judd said. “Everyone who's living now missed him. But the good news is you can be forgiven.”

Judd and Vicki shared Bible verses showing that Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. Some in the hallway scoffed and kept going, but others stayed.

“Paul was a famous Jewish person from the first century,” Judd said. “He studied under the best teachers and even persecuted followers of Jesus. Then something happened and this is what he wrote.”

Judd held out a small Bible for the man. He read aloud, “ ‘I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—Jews first and also Gentiles.' ”

Judd flipped a few pages and read from Romans chapter 15. “ ‘Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors.' Jesus came and fulfilled everything predicted about him—that he would suffer and die a cruel death, that he would save his people, that he would—”

“But what about the verses that say Messiah will be a king,” the young rebel said, “a ruler of the people who will establish righteousness?”

Vicki smiled. “Jesus is a descendant of King David. He is going to sit on David's throne, just like the prophecies said. And he's going to do it when he returns to conquer Satan and those who serve him.”

“It seems so … foreign to me,” the man said.

“There's a verse in Corinthians that says we can't find God through human wisdom,” Vicki said. “That God used the cross and the foolishness of preaching to draw people to himself. And that's what we're saying to you, as foolish as it might sound. Jesus died so your sins could be forgiven. He gave his life and paid the penalty so you could be a true child of God. And he offers you the chance to believe in him right now.”

“We believe Jesus could come back any second,” Judd said. He looked around at the others who had gathered. “Don't wait any longer to give your lives to him and serve him.”

“What do we have to do?” a man said.

Judd nodded at Vicki and she understood. “Pray with me,” she said. “Give your lives to God right now.”

Judd glanced around the tunnel and saw several people bow their heads.

“Dear God, I'm sorry for rejecting you and the Son you sent to die for me. I do believe that Jesus is the Messiah and that he gave himself for me on the cross. I believe he rose again and made a way for me to spend eternity with you. I ask you right now to come into my life, forgive me, and make me a new person. Show me what you want me to do before Jesus returns. In his name I pray. Amen.”

The people looked up as a new group of rebels ran through the tunnel. The rebel Vicki had first spoken with stood.

“What's that on your forehead?” a man said.

“You have something on yours too,” the young rebel said.

Judd looked through tears at the scene. What would have happened to these people if he and Vicki hadn't come to Jerusalem? And what would happen to them now?

34

JUDD
helped Vicki gather the new believers and prayed with them, asking God to help them spread the message of Christ's return even in the middle of the war. A few rebels ran through the tunnel passing on rumors that the Unity Army was retreating in confusion. Others said it was a trick.

“The rabbi said it is true,” a newcomer said. “Something from Zechariah about God striking horses and riders.”

“Where is the rabbi?” Judd said.

“I didn't see him. I was just told about—”

“Where do you
think
he is?” Judd interrupted.

“Someone said he was near Herod's Gate, but don't go unless you want to hear more about Messiah.”

Judd grabbed Vicki's arm, and they climbed out of the tunnel into the street. The silence was eerie. No gunfire, no hum of GC vehicles or crash of battering rams against gates.

As they ran for Herod's Gate, the unmistakable voice of Nicolae Carpathia blasted over a giant bullhorn. “Attention, people of Jerusalem! This is your supreme potentate!”

A crowd shouted ahead of them, and Judd and Vicki kept moving.

“Please listen, citizens,” Carpathia said. “I come in peace.”

More shouting.

“Come, let us reason together!” Carpathia paused. “I come to offer pardon. I am willing to compromise. I wish you no ill. If you are willing to serve me and be obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword. I will rid myself of my adversaries and take vengeance on my enemies. I will turn my hand against you and thoroughly purge you.

“But it does not have to be this way, citizens of the Global Community. If you will lay down your arms and welcome me into your city, I will guarantee your peace and safety.”

Judd and Vicki had made it to the edge of the crowd at Herod's Gate and looked for Tsion.

“This will be your sign to me,” Carpathia said. “If at the count of three I hear silence for fifteen seconds, I will assume you are willing to accede to my requests. A single gunshot into the air during that time will be your signal that you would rather oppose me. But I warn you, half of Jerusalem is in captivity already. The entire city could be overthrown easily within an hour. The choice is yours at the count of three.”

Judd wished he had a gun, but before Carpathia could even count to one, thousands of weapons fired.

When the shooting stopped, Judd noticed someone moving on a wall above the crowd. It was Tsion Ben-Judah!

“It is not too late!” Tsion said. “Make your stand for Messiah now! Repent, choose, and be saved!”

As Tsion spoke, the mark of the true believer appeared on forehead after forehead. Even at this late hour, God was working in people's hearts.

Judd looked at Vicki, who stared at the scene, fascinated. Suddenly Judd felt they should get to safety. Was it God telling him or his own fears? He wasn't about to take a chance, so he pulled her away from the gathering and to the entrance of another tunnel.