CHAPTER 66 

Journal Entry: Sunday, September 18, 2022

Something is wrong. It’s already been three weeks past the latest estimated time for them to return. I’m trying to keep hope in their safety alive, but I can admit, at least here in private, that I’ve more than halfway expected something like this all along – since even before they left. Of course, they still could be okay. Any number of things could have held them up, preventing them from making it back on time. They could be out at the farm with Jet Reese. They could have gathered such a huge haul that the problem is the logistics of how to best get everything back safely. It could be taking longer than they expected searching the outlying houses on the town’s perimeter, or…they could, as I greatly fear, have run into real trouble and are having to lay low…or worse. Uri’s story he told us the night before they left keeps coming back to my mind more and more often.

Trail and Sarah are worried too. I can see it in their eyes as I know they can in mine. Izzy has become even more quiet than she usually is. In her sixties now, she’s not as spry as she used to be. Hard physical labor, worry, and never enough food to eat has taken a toll on her. The rest of us, particularly Sarah, have begun to shoulder more and more of Izzy’s tremendous load now that the others are gone, but I think what is really slowing her down, weighing on her, is that she too fears that something we don’t dare think about might have happened.

It’s time to go haul water and see to the 7 remaining hens we have left. I’ll write again in a while, Journal. Maybe tomorrow there’ll be something to report besides my worry.

CHAPTER 67 

Journal Entry: Tuesday, October 4, 2020

Today is my birthday. I’m twenty-nine years old today. So much has happened since the day of the rapture on October 3, 2019 – one day before my birthday. Way back then, I was on the cusp of turning twenty-six. On the evening of my birthday, my friends and I had planned to meet in town for a birthday celebration at our favorite restaurant, the Mellow Onion, the only pizza joint in Norrisville. That celebration never happened because the rapture happened first. Our best friend David Johnson, among other loved ones who were believers in Christ, part of His true Church, were taken to Heaven ‘in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye’ when the rapture occurred. The rest of us who were unbelievers, we who were lost were left behind. There’s been a lot of water that has flowed under that fabled bridge since that event in the early morning hours of October 3, 2019. Now here I am three years older, almost out of my twenties. After a year living in Norrisville, I’m back at home on Yellow Top, married to the love of my life. But like that birthday three years ago, I am once again waiting for a reunion with my friends; another much anticipated reunion that I now know will also never come; not on this sin-blighted earth again; not until Jesus returns and inaugurates His thousand-year kingdom on a renovated and regenerated earth.

I should have written this down before now, but I just couldn’t; not immediately. Now I sense it’s time for me to tell the story.

The only thing that keeps the rest of us going is knowing that in three- and one-half years’ time, we will all be together again. But, for the short term, our number is now down to only four.

We’ve known what happened to our Tribulation family who were on an expedition to find food, ever since the day after my last journal entry, but I’ve just not had the courage or the heart to set it all down. I must do that now, though, even if I’m not at all ready to relive in memory all that we learned about what they endured.

Nevertheless, I must record what we now know because that is what I am meant to do. We know what happened – exactly what happened, to our family. Until Jesus returns, we’ve lost them all in one way or another, and now, Uri has left us too. Our Izzy is still with us in body, but ever since Mitch and the others left in July, over the past twelve weeks, our dear Izzy’s mind has begun to… I don’t know… to slip? to shut down? I’m not sure which it is. Now, though, ever since we’ve learned what happened to all of our Tribulation family, the light has gone out of her eyes, although she is still as hard-working and devoted to the rest of us as she’s ever been. But there’s something missing in her or perhaps it’s just that her heart has grown tired.

Most of the time she remains our calm, dependable Izzy, but there are moments, more and more often now it seems, when we see her pause, confusion in her dear old eyes as her once sharp mind seems to cloud over for a minute or so.

Alright, enough stalling, Bobby. Get it down. 

Here is what happened.

CHAPTER 68

Very early in the morning, the day after my last Journal entry, I was sitting by the fire early in the predawn hour around 5AM. I hadn’t been able to sleep. In truth, I’d not really slept well since before Clyde and the others left. Anyway, I’d been up for about an hour. I got up as quietly as I could, leaving Sarah sleeping, not wanting my constant thrashing around to awaken her. In the quiet solitude of the early morning while the others lay sleeping, I got up to sit in the darkness of the great room, rocking by the banked fire, watching the glow of the embers wax and wane. I sat there thinking and mulling over in my mind all the possible issues and dangers that Mitch and the others might be facing. I knew that in less than an hour or so the household would begin to awaken, but I wasn’t quite ready to desecrate this quiet solitude just yet. Within about a half hour after I’d been up, though, I was surprised to see Uri coming in from outside.

In mid-September on the mountain, especially now that the skies stay dark almost all the time, the temperature stays below freezing during the night and early morning hours, yet here Uri was coming in from the porch. I started to greet him to ask if he wanted a cup of coffee. We have an old-fashioned campfire coffee pot that we use for the rare times we make coffee. Clyde and I are the only two real coffeeholics here, so our coffee stores have held out pretty well. But since the fire hadn’t yet been built up, all I could offer to make was instant. I didn’t get the words out of my mouth before the look on Uri’s face stopped me cold.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, feeling my insides go to jelly and my heart begin to hammer.

“Bobby, my brother, …we need to talk,” Uri replied, for the first time ever refusing to meet my eyes.

“Right now? Alone?” I asked.

“No. I need to speak with everyone – all together,” he replied. At that moment, I saw Sarah coming out of our room, and it wasn’t but a minute or so later that Trail and Izzy came downstairs too. Trail and Uri had taken to bunking in the girls’ rooms while they were gone, getting a chance to sleep in real beds instead of mattresses on the floor.

Within an hours’ time after we’d fed the chickens, brought in more wood from the wood pile in the shop, built up the fire, and eaten a small breakfast of oatmeal with honey that Sarah made, we took our places in the great room. The four of us looked at Uri expectantly. Sarah, sitting on one of the couches beside me, was gripping my hand hard. Trail sat next to Izzy on the other couch. Uri took his seat in his favorite rocking chair by the fire facing us. We knew that whatever he had to say was going to be something we didn’t want to hear, but we couldn’t imagine what it might be.

“There is no easy way to say what I need to say, my dear friends, so I will just tell it outright. God has given me a vision. It was not a dream, for I was wide awake sitting outside on the porch when I was given this vision.

I awoke very early this morning around three o’clock, I think. Bobby, you are not the only one who has had a heavy heart and worrying mind that robs the body of sleep. I could not sleep either. My heart has been heavy for the past several months. To be honest, ever since summer began in June, I have felt a heaviness of heart; a restlessness stirring inside me. I have prayed and prayed and gotten no clear answer until this morning.

As I said, I awoke around 3AM. I arose and dressed warmly, sensing a strong prompting in my spirit that I should go outside to sit on the porch where it was quiet and where I could be away from everyone should anyone awaken early.” Here he paused, smiling at me. “As I sat there,” Uri resumed, “dressed warmly and wrapped in my quilt, I felt none of the freezing cold I should have experienced. But I was not cold; I felt warm and comfortable. I sat praying; for how long I do not know. At some point, I heard in my spirit the voice of the Lord. It was exactly like the time when the Lord spoke to me at the signing of the covenant. Yeshua spoke to me clearly,

‘Uri Benjamin, My brother. I have heard your prayers and the prayers of My fellow brethren. I will show you now what has happened and reveal to you what you must do next. Behold’:

“Before me, the surroundings of where I was dropped away, and I saw as if I were an observer, the town of Norrisville. I saw that our friends had made it safely into town. I was given to know that they had been only slightly successful in finding food and other provisions because the entire town had been… what is the word? ransacked already.

There was no one left in town; not in the outlying areas, nor at the farm of Amos Brazeale. The entire town lay barren and desolate as if it had been abandoned for a long time.

What I will say to you next, the Lord Yeshua impressed upon me to tell you verbatim. I will tell you what I saw and what I heard so that your hearts may be comforted. I was given to know by the Lord many things that I myself did not know and could not have known about your lives when you lived in town, and of the people you knew. I am to relate to you exactly what occurred.

After our brethren made it into town, as I said, they saw that the town was empty. Not merely empty and devoid of people, but ransacked; homes and businesses defaced, and in some cases, destroyed. Houses and businesses had been broken into with windows smashed, locks broken off of doors, debris strewn everywhere. As I said, the Lord showed me places and gave me to know and understand things I could not have known. Bobby, the home where you and Mitch lived with Trail; the one that had also been the clinic, had been broken into; the clinic and pharmacy gutted. Sarah, the home where you girls lived, it too had been trashed; furniture smashed and broken. As they moved together through town, they saw this kind of damage everywhere. Sitting in the upstairs living area of what had once been Dr. Barnett’s home and clinic, where later Trail, Bobby, and Mitch had lived, they gathered to discuss what they should do next…

“I don’t like this. I don’t like this nary a bit,” said Clyde. “My hinky meters jumpin’ off’n the scale. Sumpin’ here ain’t right. This whole place don’t feel right.”

“I agree,” said Mitch. “It’s one thing to have the town abandoned, but having it… ripped open; gutted is something else. There’s a feeling of anger, maybe even rage in what we’re seeing.”

“What’s eerie is that nobody’s here,” said Byllie.

“Even the farm was abandoned. In fact, it appeared that Jet left in a hurry. Did you notice that his place at the table was set as if for a meal; as if he’d been prepared to eat but something or someone interrupted him?” asked Little-John.

“Everywhere we’ve been looks and feels… off,” said Lilly. “I don’t mind admitting it; I’m spooked.”

“From now on till we git outta here, I want everbody ta stay alert an’ stay tight together. I don’t want none o’ y’all goin’ off ahead o’ t’others. I thank we ought to cut our losses and head home, but first I’d like ta check out the PD to see if Rod is still around,” said Clyde. “We already know Pete Grey’s gone an’ Jet Reese is gone too. Thar ain’t nobody aroun’. I dunno know iff’n their bein’ gone is jest a normal consequence of everthang that’s happened; I guess it could be, but this tearin’ up o’ th’ whole town ain’t a’tall normal in my book. I smell sumpin’ savage, but not with my nose.” replied Clyde. “I want ta check two more places iff’n y’all thank we should. After we look in on Rod, I thank we oughta check out Mike’s Store. I’d like ta look fer sum lamp oil, an some o’ t’other stuff Izzy wanted. Does everyone agree? Iff’n ya don’t, then say so. I ain’t the boss. We all git equal say,” replied Clyde.

“I agree on one condition. If there’s nothing wrong at the police department, then I say we check out Big Mike’s store, but if we get to the PD and anything’s wrong or even just off like at the farm, then I say we leave straight off,” said Mitch.

“Fair ‘nough.” said Clyde as the others nodded in agreement.

As they made their way to the police station, there was evidence of gunfire in many of the buildings downtown.

“Y’all stay with us, but let me’n the Chief go in first, girls. Y’all stay behind us. Mitchell, you bring up th’ rear. You three cover us from behind. We’ll go upstairs first to check out th’ courthouse, an th’ mayor’s office an’ sech first, then we’ll make our way down an’ check out th’ PD, an’ the jail cells afore we head over ta Mike’s,” said Clyde.

All was empty upstairs, but as they reached the police department, Chief Little-John called back.

“Mitch, come take a look, but you girls hold back. Don’t bother coming in. There’s no use.”

“Is Rod in there?” asked Mitch.

“He’s there, but he’s not alive,” answered Little-John.

After several minutes, Clyde came back out. His color was high and his jaw set. When he came out, he was as angry as I’ve ever seen him.

“Chiefs right. Rod’s in thar awright; his throat’s been cut – from behind; an’ from th’ look o’ thangs, he ain’t been dead more’n a couple o’ days. I thank we ought ta make tracks right now an’ head home. I dunno what’s happened in this town, but we ain’t safe stayin’ here no longer,” said Clyde, tersely.

As they began to move away from the police department onto Main Street proper, Little-John spoke in a quiet voice.

“I agree with Clyde. Let’s go, but stay in line one behind the other all together. Stay close but not too close. Give yourselves room to move. Walk as quietly as you can. Keep your ears wide open and your necks on a swivel. Mitch, you be point man. I’ll go behind you; you girls stay in the middle. Clyde will have our six. Have your guns at the ready, but keep the safety on. From here, we’ll head straight to Catherine Street, going the back way around towards Highway 29 into Briarwood, then from Briarwood on towards Lickskillet Road, then out to Old Mill Road and back up the mountain. Alright, let’s go.” Little-John whispered.

As they moved into the street, all at once from the doorway of Mike’s General Store, a man stepped out facing Mitch. He was wearing a side arm, but the weapon remained holstered.

“Well my, my. Look who the cat dragged in. Hello, Mitch. Long time no see,” said the young man, affably.

“Jack? Jack Harper?!,” asked Mitch, in total astonishment.

“In the flesh and at your service,” replied Jack Harper, wearing an easy grin. “Finally made it back, and wouldn’t you know it, nobody’s home – anywhere.” 

“We thought you were dead! Big Mike thought you were dead! Where’ve you been for the past nearly four years?” asked Mitch.

“Oh, that’s a story that needs telling, Mitch old man. Let’s all go into Nan’s Diner and sit a spell. I’ll tell you all about it. Hello to you too, Clyde. By the way, who are these two fine-looking female warriors you got traveling with you, and who’s the Indian Mountain there?” asked Jack.

“At this point,” said Uri, interrupting his narrative, “the Lord made me to know what Mitchell was thinking and what was in his heart. He was at first both astonished and glad to see his friend, but the Lord quickly impressed upon Mitch’s spirit very strongly not to trust this man who had once been his lifelong friend, and not to tell him anything at all about the rest of us or where we were. The Lord impressed this warning upon Clyde’s heart as well.” Taking up his narrative again, Uri continued.

“These ladies,” Mitch said, a harder edge to his voice, and giving the word ladies a slight stress, “are friends of mine. In fact, they are both like sisters to me; and the gentleman beside me is Chief Little-John Redfern, who is also a dear friend of mine, so I’ll ask you to address them with respect, Jack. You know, the way your parents and Big Mike taught you to speak when addressing other people,” said Mitch, straightening his stance and dropping any semblance of friendliness in his tone of voice.

A fleeting flash of hardness and anger flickered across Jack’s face, but was gone in an instant, replaced by a derisive smile. Giving a mocking half bow, Jack replied,

“My apologies, ladies; Chief, I meant no disrespect. Mitch, I’m surprised Bobby and Trail aren’t with you. Where are they? I’m guessing I already know what happened to David,” said Jack.

“Haven’t seen Bobby or Trail either in a while,” said Mitch, smoothly evading Jack’s question.

“Well now, I’d like to hear all about what’s happened. Whatdaya say we go into the diner where we can sit and be more comfortable,” said Jack, sweeping his hand in the direction of the diner.

“Thanks, but no,” said Clyde. “We got ta be on our way, young master Harper. Were ya by any chance wonderin’ whar yer parents an’ Big Mike might be? Well, I’ll tell ya anyways. Yer parents went in th’ rapture along with David Johnson in October o’ 2019, and we buried Mikey, yer granddad, out t’ Amos’ farm. Big Mike died from th’ flu epidemic that hit th’ town early in 2020.” said Clyde.

“What a pity,” said Jack, with no feeling at all.

“What is wrong with you, Jack?” asked Mitch, hotly. “You’re acting like a total jerk! This pompous, I-don’t-give-a-hoot attitude isn’t like you at all! You act like you don’t care that your parents and David are gone or that Big Mike is dead! Do you care that he worried about you till the day he died?! We buried him, you know. Clyde and I dug his grave with our own hands! What’s wrong with you? Just where have you been for almost four years, and why are you back in Norrisville now, after all this time?”

“It’s a long story, Mitch. Let’s just say that I managed to survive Asheville when it burned. Then I made my way into South Carolina to Greenville where I met up with a few friends of mine. Once Lucius Draken came to power, things began to shape up and civility be restored. President Draken has set up an EP proviso government in Colorado here in the US just as he has done in other countries. Since there is no Washington DC any longer, and since all the disasters that have hit this country, there is no longer any functional American government left either. In truth, there is no longer any America or any other once sovereign nation since President Draken dissolved all the old archaic national borders and national boundaries. The world is at last united and is finally under the command of a true global leader. My new friends and I joined the EP Global Peace Protection Force earlier this year as soon as we were able. I’m a lieutenant in the GPPF. We proudly serve under Global President Draken,” said Jack, proudly.

“I don’t recall any of us Americans deciding we wanted to disband our country to become a cog in a globalist dictatorship,” said Mitch, with disdain. “So, you’re in the army now, huh Jack? Made rank kinda fast, didn’t you? You aren’t in uniform. Is Draken such a loser and a tightwad that he hands out ranks for junior grade officers like M&M’s? Can’t he afford to get you guys uniforms? ” observed Mitch, drily. Again, that flash of rage flitted across Jack’s face, but he strove to keep his temper in the face of Mitch’s goading.

“Lucius Draken has done what no one else has been able to do – not Charlemagne, not Napoleon, not Hitler. Draken is the one who has at long last united the world! And just so you know, we have quite nice uniforms. I’m just not in mine today. We’ve been sent to do recon in some of the smaller mountain towns. Today, before we leave the area for good, I wanted to have one final look at my old stomping grounds, before heading back to our headquarters in SC.”

“Who tore up the town, Jack?” asked Mitch, quietly.

“Aww, the boys were just letting off a little steam. Besides, what do you care? The town was practically deserted anyway,” replied Jack, shrugging.

“Obviously, it wasn’t completely deserted. What happened to Orson Reese, or Pete Grey, or the Riddles out on Mountain Laurel Road? Where’s Bill Rogers, or Jim Casey, or Leroy Whitten? What happened to the Police Chief, Rod Weaver? How’d he end up with his throat cut from behind?! How’d that happen, Jack?!” roared Mitch, now stepping in nose to nose with Jack Harper. Backing up a step, Jack shrugged and said,

“Well, one of the boys did get a little out of hand. He’s a new recruit, and I guess he just got a bit nervous seeing as how the officer was armed,” replied Jack, matter of factly.

“Armed?” roared Mitch, losing all control. “Armed? Of course, he was armed, you snake! He was the Chief of Police! His throat was cut from behind, Jack! What on earth has happened to you?! You’re not the same Jack who was my friend!!” yelled Mitch, now red-faced and panting.

“No, I am not the same old Jack” yelled Harper, finally losing his cool. “I am Lt. Harper of the GPPF now. Even long-time friendship has its limits, Mitch, so don’t goad me and don’t cross that line any further! Why are you so bent out of shape anyway? As I recall, you’ve never been that passionate about the old red, white, and blue flag, country, Mom, and apple pie before; nor has Norrisville ever been that high on your priority list, as I recall,” said Harper.

“I’ve always loved my country, Jack, and my town; but before Rapture Day happened, I was a clueless fool, as were all of us who got left behind,” said Mitch.

“Rapture Day,” said Jack, with utter disdain. “Wait a minute, you haven’t become one of those christians, have you?” He spat the word from his mouth as if he had bitten into a piece of offal. “Oh. My. Word. You have! And you too, Clyde? You have too, haven’t you?” asked Jack, understanding dawning and open contempt dripping from his words.

“Yes.” replied both Clyde and Mitch in sync.

“We are all believers,” said Mitch, now calm and in control of his temper again. “I can see that you’re not the Jack I grew up with. I also see that you’ve bought into the lie of the Antichrist Draken hook, line, and sinker.”

Suddenly, Jack’s right fist shot out, hitting Mitch in the face. Mitch staggered under the blow, but he kept his balance and remained calm, not attempting to reach for his weapon. As one, though, all of the others raised their weapons, pointing them at Jack, but Mitch raised his hand to stop them.

“Sorry about that, Mitch,” said Jack, struggling to regain his composure. “Look, we’re all a bit tense; let’s go inside the diner and talk this out. What do you say?”

“No. We’re leaving now. Just go on back to wherever you came from, and we’ll be on our way,” said Mitch.

“Well, suit yourselves. I tried,” said Jack, shrugging his shoulders, “but I’m afraid we can’t allow you to leave. See, our orders are to round up and take with us anyone who is a traitor to Euro-Phoenicia and President Draken. Now, don’t worry Mitch; this unpleasantness and misunderstanding doesn’t have to turn into a situation. You can still have a chance to join the new Order of the Phoenix – all of you can still have that chance. President Draken will very shortly be initiating the Mark of the Phoenix all around the earth, but it’s available now on a voluntary basis to anyone who will willingly join the Order of the Phoenix in some capacity. When we get to South Carolina, all of you will be given the chance to take the mark and join us by pledging your loyalty to President Draken and the Order. I’ve already taken the mark. It was a piece of cake. It’s just a little… okay… a big sting in the flesh of your right hand where a little chip is inserted, then it’s done. Or you can opt for the tattoo that is also a biometric interface placed into your forehead. That option is pretty popular; but either place, hand or forehead, will work. Besides, I understand that soon the Global Mark of the Phoenix will not just be available, but required for everyone sometime next year anyway. Why not get ahead of the curve and get yours now?” smiled Jack.

“Oh Jack,” said Mitch, staring at Jack Harper with a look of both horror and infinite sadness.” Now you’re eternally lost. How I pity you. But you might as well know this right now; we, none of us, will ever take that mark.”

“I see. In that case,” said Harper, coldly, “I strongly advise you all to very slowly and carefully take your fingers away from the triggers of your guns and lay your weapons on the ground slowly and carefully. Do it right now; you’re surrounded.”

From doorways in front of and behind them came a squad of heavily armed and uniformed EP soldiers.

“Well, I tried, old buddy,” said Jack Harper in mock sadness. “See, Mitch; the thing is, we’ve known you were in town. From the minute you set foot on David’s property, we’ve been following you, keeping tabs on where you went and what you were doing. I can guess where you’ve all been staying,” Jack smiled, sardonically.

Turning to speak to the soldier beside him, Jack said, “Take them all and put them with the others to be transported to SC; all but him,” he said, jerking his head back towards Mitch. “I need to talk to him about the whereabouts of a couple of other mutual friends we have in common.”

“Now, let’s see,” said Jack, “where might Bobby and Trail be? Let me think. Oh, I know,” he said in a mocking tone, taking a couple of steps back and to the side of Mitch and the others. “I bet I know exactly where I’ll find my other old buddies and anyone else who may be hiding out with them.” Looking around at the men surrounding Clyde and the girls, Jack said,

“I told you guys I’d eventually let you in on that little secret I’ve been keeping. I know exactly where we’re likely to find some other people hiding out; I’ll take y’all t…”

“But,” said Uri, “Jack never finished his sentence. At that moment, Clyde jerked up his shotgun and blew Jack Harper’s head off. Clyde was immediately fired on and went down. Before they could move, both girls were fired on and hit, instantly killing them too. Amazingly, Mitch was not hit, but Little-John was grazed in the arm by a bullet. Both he and Mitch were quickly surrounded and knocked out with the butts of rifles, then handcuffed. When they came around, they were in a troop transport alongside a handcuffed Jet Reese and Pete Grey and a few others whose names I do not know. They were being taken to one of the big detention centers in Greenville, South Carolina,” said Uri.

“What I saw next, I was not given to know the exact time of when it took place, but I get the impression that what I saw happened only a week or two ago.” Here Uri paused, looking down; and when he lifted his head, tears were streaming down his face.

“What I saw was an armed compound encased in barbed razor wire. The place looked to be what was once called a big box store, like a Walmart or a Lowes? I do not know these places, but I see from your faces that you do. At any rate, this place and many others like it all over the inhabited areas of America have been adapted to be holding pens for prisoners. Some of them are still used as large distribution centers, and some of them serve as…” here he paused”… as execution centers.”

At the place where Mitch and Little John were held, there were large containers stacked ten to fifteen feet high. These containers are being used as multiple person, disposable coffins because there were… guillotines there as well.

In that place lined up before a jeering crowd of EP soldiers and other people in civilian clothing, I saw men whose names I heard to be Orson or Jet Reese and Pete Grey. There were many, many others with them, both men and a few women, but I was not given to know who they were or where they were from. Among the throng, I saw Mitch with Chief Little-John standing beside him. All the men of Norrisville stood together; their faces were calm.

They bore absolutely no sign of fear or panic in their eyes or in their demeanor. Their countenances shone with perfect peace and joy. I saw that they were at peace, and as I watched them, I also felt their peace and joy. In fact, the Lord let me hear what they were saying to each other. They were giving praise to God and encouraging each other as the executions began.

Mercifully, Lord Yeshua spared me having to… to watch them die. I did not see that, but as the vision faded, the Lord spoke clearly to me and said, “Uri, tell my brethren this: they were faithful unto death.” 

Here, Uri halted for a moment, then resumed.

“The final thing my vision revealed to me was that my time among you has come to an end. I am to be ready to go very soon. Yeshua did not tell me when I would be leaving or where I will be going, but I feel strongly that I may be heading home – to Israel. There are no words to tell each of you how much I love you. You have become to me as part of my very own heart. Our Lord will bless you greatly. All that you have done for me, you have surely also done for Him. I do not think that we will see each other again in this dying world, but we will all – all be together in the Kingdom,” Uri finished.

By this time, Journal, Sarah was sobbing openly, great heaving sobs that racked her body. Trail, Uri, and Izzy were weeping, and I was both weeping and raging on the inside. I wanted to run, to yell, to hit something; to vent my fury. I wanted to go into Norrisville right now, find that lying, Judas betrayer Jack Harper and shoot his dead body again and again until he was nothing but a bloody pulp. I was pacing the cabin like a caged lion. Finally, Trail grabbed me and shook me like a rag doll.

“Go outside and yell if you need to. Go take a long walk in the woods if you need to. Go throw rocks in the river if you need to, but for goodness sake Bobby calm down! Don’t you go doing something stupid like trying to put your fists or your feet through any tree trunks or barn doors. I can’t fix any broken hands or feet, and you’d better stop right now and think about Sarah! She needs you and I need you. You can’t afford to go off half-cocked, acting like a fool!” he said, more sternly and with more intensity than he’s ever spoken to me before. Then his old gentle nature kicked in. Trail grabbed me and hugged me and said with infinite tenderness, “I know, Bobby. I know.”

I laid my head on his big shoulder and wept as I have rarely wept before except in childhood. In a few moments, all five of us were huddled together, weeping and praying. After some unknown amount of time, we gathered ourselves together and carried on. We went on in obedience to our Lord, and in honor of our family: Clyde Norris, Chief Little-John Redfern, Lilly and Byllie Duncan, and Mitch Graham; those of us who have gone on ahead into Glory to await the coming Kingdom.

Three days later, we called Uri to breakfast but he didn’t come. Neither was there any sign of him anywhere outside. When we went to check his room, we found this note:

“My dearest family, it is time for me to leave. I want to tell you again how much I love you all. Do not be discouraged and do not be afraid no matter what lies ahead. Yeshua is returning, and with Him will come the kingdom. Shalom, my dearest family in the Lord. I will see you all in the Kingdom. Remain faithful, even unto death. 

Your brother, 

Uri”

I know that all that has happened is part of God’s perfect will and plan. We each recognize this and are coming to acceptance of it; heartrending as it is at times. There are still times when despair threatens to overtake me like being hit from behind by an unexpected rogue wave. I know this is true for Sarah, Trail, and Izzy as well as for me. How hollow we, I, sometimes feel. How quiet and empty the cabin is now. Even in the chasm of our loss – a well of pain so deep that at times it feels it’s as if we have been sucked underwater, unable to resurface to catch our breath – even in those times, Jesus is here, bringing His peace that passes all understanding. Even in the worst of our despair, we have the hope – no, that’s not right – we have the certainty that all of our believing family whom we love and have temporarily lost are not really lost to us at all. We know exactly where they are, and we know that in a little over three and a half years’ time, we will be with them again. This time for forever. That is our certainty.

Those debilitating, paralyzing spasms of despair come upon us less and less, though, as time moves on. We remind ourselves daily that these attacks come straight from the enemy of our souls. I know this; we all do, yet regardless of the depth of pain and loss we have endured or may yet endure, we no longer give in to despair. We are not destitute or defeated! When our hearts break, there are three words that immediately lift our spirits – not because they are magical or incantatory, but because they are absolute truth! Those words are ‘It is written!’

Because God has told us the end from the beginning through His infallible Word, we already know that for all who love and believe on Jesus, even the darkest valley leads to Christ’s soon coming glorious kingdom. Through all of the pain, our Good Shepherd is indeed leading, oftentimes carrying us, through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. We fear no evil. 

We are now very close to the midpoint of the Tribulation. We have lived through nearly half of these last seven years, yet the worst of it still lies before us. Amazingly though, our Lord is gently leading us to the place where we can rejoice in the knowledge that our beloved Tribulation family who have died or been killed are now forever past suffering. They are forever past starvation. They are forever past sickness, pain, and fear; forever past the reach of the evil one. Death holds no terror for them. Satan holds no power over them. They are safe. They are free. They are Home. They are at rest before the emerald encircled throne of God. This is our peace, our joy, and our comfort. Whatever lies before us, we rejoice. As our brother Uri so often reminded us, ‘Our Good Shepherd is leading us all the way.’

END OF BOOK 1 –

TO BE CONTINUED…

alice.joan.childs@gmail.com

CHAPTER 62

Journal Entry: Monday, July 4, 2022

Our food situation is becoming serious. We aren’t quite at the critical stage – yet, but if we don’t make a hard decision soon, it soon will be. Whatever we decide to do, we need to do while it’s still summer, before fall and winter set in. As I’ve said before, our sunlight is greatly diminished which means that, in addition to less sunlight, light that we need to grow food for us and a sufficient amount of sunlight needed to grow vegetation for foraging animals, the diminished sunlight also means that it stays much cooler in summers now (not an unpleasant condition in itself), but fall and especially winters are growing much colder and last longer. If we don’t act now during the relatively easy conditions of summer while it’s still here, then we will not be able to do anything until next summer or possibly late spring, if it would be warm enough then.

We continue to pray, weighing carefully our options. Do we make our move now, or do we hold off and risk possibly being forced to wait almost another year until warm enough weather comes again – if it comes? If we opt to wait, there’s no guarantee that conditions weather-wise or conditions in general won’t be worse than they are right now. In fact, it’s a certainty that everything will get worse, including the weather. Nothing is stable and will only deteriorate as we move towards the time of Christ’s return to earth in a little over three and one-half years from now. The salient questions are whether there will even be a brief interim or respite should we wait to make a move; or if there is a brief window of opportunity, would we get another chance? Might another chance come next year, and if it does, how long a possible reprieve might it be if there is one? In fact, how long will this opportunity to reconnoiter remain if we delay making a decision any longer? These questions are unanswerable.

The greatest danger is that next summer will mark the midpoint of these last seven years; the point that will signal the beginning of the Great Tribulation. That is the point beyond which none of us may survive. We’ve not fully discussed this as a family yet, but Clyde and the Chief have both been telling us that we aren’t going to be able to put off our decision any longer. So, later this evening after we finish our chores of hauling water, gathering firewood, and clearing up after dinner, Clyde has called a family meeting to discuss the decision none of us want to face. That decision, of course, comes down to three choices:

(1) Do we keep going as we are with dwindling resources until we can’t go on any more?

(2) Do we all leave Yellow Top now together and go further up into the hills with no guarantee of any more food available there and no shelter, or

(3) do we send a ‘scouting party’ back into Norrisville to see if we can find any food that may have been left there that we might find in the empty houses; and if there’s any to be had, bring back here whatever we might be able to procure. Of course, we fully recognize that there will likely be few if any people left in N’ville. There were very few left in town back in October of 2020 after the big earthquake when Chief Little-John, Will, and Uri headed up to Yellow Top. Those are our choices. Lord, please give us wisdom and discernment to know what You would have us do. 

If we send a scouting party, and if Rod Weaver, Pete Grey or Jet Reese are still around, they could tell us where to look or whether to even bother trying. If the town is as cleaned out as we fear it may well be, then our recon party can return to the mountain and we’ll face the last three and one-half years together, surviving for as long as we can, knowing that we will have done everything possible. After all, our lives, as they have always been, rest in the nail-scarred hands of our Lord. Whatever He in His infinite love and wisdom allows to happen will be for our good and His glory.

Making this journey used to be a trip that in my former pre-rapture life I made at least three to four times a week with no thought; jumping into Bertha or the delivery van, be-bopping down the mountain into town in 30 minutes time; eating lunch at Nan’s Kitchen with Eva, or maybe grabbing a pizza with one of the guys at the Mellow Onion, then swinging by Mike’s to grab some groceries and top off my gas tank before heading back up the mountain. That jaunt that used to be a no-brainer run-into-town has now become as potentially dangerous as the journey the early settlers faced when they headed west in their horse-drawn Conestoga wagons.

The perils we face are just as real: unpredictable weather, storms, traversing rockslides, little to no food, ash-contaminated water, injuries or falls; little cuts that might get infected with no antibiotics, no doctors, and no medical help available, and no way of communicating with our loved ones. Then, of course, there’s our biggest worry: Draken’s EP forces. We know they are in the US setting up distribution centers, for when they roll out the coming ‘mark’ that will be mandated, and worse – detention centers to imprison and execute all believers who will refuse to take that mark, thereby sealing their deaths by beheading. So, yes, Journal, the decision we must make tonight really is a matter of life and death for all of us; for those who go, and for those who will remain behind.

Gotta go for a bit. It’s time to do our chores while our daylight holds. I’ll catch you up later tonight after we’ve all talked, Lord willing.

CHAPTER 63

DECISION

After our dinner of fish and squash, we all settled in the great room as Clyde began our meeting.

“Alright y’all,” began Clyde, “we got ta make sum decisions. First off, I wanna ask Izzy ta give us a rundown on exactly what our food stores are. Izzy, be as exact as ya kin be. We need ta know how long we kin carry on with two meals a day an’ how long it might be afore we need ta cut down ta one meal a day.”

“Izzy, looking down at her hands for a moment and gathering her thoughts, finally looked up and around the room at each of us and said,

“Our stores o’ smoked meat are holdin’ out okay. We’ve got enough smoked ham, fish, an’ venison to last fer prob’ly six months eatin’ at th’ two meals a day we get now, but that’s about it if we can’t git more meat. If we could kill a bear or trap some more feral hogs, that along with the fish an’ fowl that we kin still catch, at least so far as we kin still catch ’em, that should take us well into summer next – ‘specially if we could get a mess o’ bear meat. Now our vegetable situation is a whole other story. We’ve jest about et up all the produce we canned from our garden last year. We got enough canned produce fer another few months; at least till December, but no longer’n that; an’ the wild greens are gettin’ harder ta find now too. The canned food from Amos’ farm and what Ellen had left in the root cellar has been long gone. We got 6 quarts o’ honey and 8 pints o’ molasses left but we’re down to less than 10 lbs o’ corn meal an’ 5lbs o’ buckwheat flour fer bread. If we could catch a brace or two o’ hogs, we’d have enough fat to render fer lard fer a while. Now we are also startin’ ta run low on soap: bath soap, laundry soap, and dish soap. We got enough o’ those fer another six months or so, I reckon. Oh, an’ I’d sure like to have some more vinegar if I could git some – any kind’ll do, but apple cider’d be my preference. A’course that’s purty low on the list.

“Now something we ain’t yet considered,” Izzy continued, “is lamp oil. I been savin’ some back, an’ I reckon we got enough ta last us fer another year, maybe longer as long as we don’t use no more’n we do now; but if we were ta go lookin’ fer food, we oughta think about bringin’ back some lamp oil too if there’s any to be found. We could use some thread, sewing needles, and more buttons of all sizes too if they can be found. We got plenty o’ matches since Bobby an’ the men here kin start a fire without ’em; an’ since we keep the fireplace goin’ or banked all the time, we just light th’ lamps from the fireplace, so we’re good on those. We could use some new fishin’ line, twine an’, Lord, wouldn’t I love ta get ahold o’ some real flour an’ more salt…an’ a mess o’ bear meat” Izzy said wistfully.

“Thank you, Izzy. Okay Chief, you got anythin’ ta add ta what we need?” asked Clyde.

“No. I agree that we could use more fishing line. Tool-wise we are in good shape. Besides, I have a whetstone, so I keep our knives and scissor blades and arrowheads sharp, but we could use another axe; and like Miss Izzy says, more lamp oil,” replied Little-John.

“Alright, let’s list in order o’ importance what we need ta look fer,” said Clyde:

1. Food – vegetables in particular but as much food as we kin carry
2. Flour, salt, cornmeal an’ sugar
3. Fishin’ line, thread, needles, buttons
4. An axe, bars of soap, laundry soap, possibly more lamp oil, and matches, and extra batteries for the flashlights we have but rarely use.

“That’s a reasonable list,” said Clyde. “We have ta remember that we gon’ have ta be carryin’ all this on our backs. Th’ most critical thang is food, so iff’n anything gits top priority it’s th’ food. Agreed?” asked Clyde, looking around the room at all of us. We all nodded in agreement.

“Now, here’s th’ 65-million-dollar question: do we stay here as we are now takin’ our chances? Do we go on a scoutin’ expedition ta Norrisville? An’ if so, who goes an’ how many? Or do we all leave t’gether an head up inta th’ hills? I thank we’re all prutty much in agreement on what ta do, but let’s vote anyways,” he said.

“All in favor o’ us jest stayin’ on here fer as long as we kin? All in favor say, ‘Aye.'” There were no ‘ayes.’

“Alright, all in favor of leavin’ Yellow Top now and headin’ further up inta th’ hills, say ‘Aye.'” Again, no one voted to do that.

“Alright, all in favor o’ sending a scoutin’ party into Norrisville ta do some reconnaissance and bring back food if there’s any ta be had, say “Aye.'”

The vote was unanimous. We would send a group back to Norrisville to discover what was left of the town to scavenge for food and whatever other necessities we might find.

Immediately after the vote, Mitch spoke up and said,

“I’m going to volunteer to go. I already know where Will kept some stores of what he called emergency food in a sort of hidden place in the cellar of the Church. Of course, it might have already been found and plundered, but it was hidden pretty well, and the hiding place is clever enough that it may still be intact. He showed it to me once and said he was going to fill it with food and other stuff such as ammunition and batteries and such. It could be a huge haul, or it may not be depending on how much he was able to store. But however much there is, if there’s any at all, will help. Besides, I know some out-of-the-way houses where maybe others might not have thought to look that we can check out.”

“I want to go too,” said Byllie. “I’m sure that I could find the stuff like thread, needles, buttons, lamp oil and soap in the RR store and in the storage room at the school. Even if it’s been ransacked, as I’m sure it has, there might still be a chance that some of the things we need are there if the store itself is still standing,” she finished.

“Alright, good,” said Clyde. “There’s 10 o’ us in all. I suggest that we split up even-steven; five ta go an’ five ta stay here to keep fishin’, huntin’ an pertectin’ the cabin.

“So there’s me an’ the Chief who’re goin’, along with Mitchell an’ Byllie. Now we need jest one more….” Here Lilly spoke up.

“Look, if Byllie’s going, I am too. We can pair up to search so no one goes anywhere alone. Besides, those who go really do need at least one medic along just in case. I’ll be checking houses for any kinds of medications, prescription and otc meds that might have been left. I know what to look for and where to look because I know who the sick and elderly were and where they lived. If they’re no longer there, they may have left meds in their homes,” she said.

I felt like I should go too and said so, but both Clyde and the Chief nixed that quickly.

“Bobby,” said Little-John, “you know this land, plus you are the hunter. You and Sarah need to stay here and keep hunting with the bow. We still need meat here too. Trail and Uri can fish the river, and Izzy can fish, forage, and keep the house running. If for any reason we should fail to find anything, we must have you all here to continue trying to build up our food reserves. Sarah and Trail will be here in case of any medical emergencies, just as we will have Lilly with us. Both Lilly and Byllie, having lived in and Lilly having worked in town, know Norrisville better than you or Sarah or even Trail does, so they can search quicker and smarter because they know where to look. The same goes for Mitch.

He knows what Will had, and Clyde knows the whole town inside and out better than anyone. He knows who stayed and who left. Young Mitch and Clyde will be the brains; I will be the brawn,” he said, smiling.

“And so, it was decided. Mitch, Clyde, Little-John, Lilly and Byllie would be our scouting party. Trail, Sarah, Izzy, Uri, and I would remain here continuing to fish, hunt, and forage for food; doing our best to build up our food reserves until they could return; hopefully with the food we so desperately needed – at least enough to get us through one more winter when we will again be forced by necessity to make an even more drastic decision, such as leaving Yellow Top to head further up into the mountains towards Tennessee.

After much deliberation, Clyde and Little-John decided that they should leave as soon as possible while it was still summer. They allotted 8 weeks in all: two weeks to go, giving plenty of time to maneuver over and around rockslides or anything unfortunately seen. Even though two weeks was much longer than it should take, we decided to err on the side of being overly cautious; we wanted to set wide parameters.

That would leave four weeks maximum to go two by two throughout the town and outlying areas to scavenge for food and to meet up with Rod, Jet, or Pete. They could bike through town and out to the farm and to Lickskillet Road. Then we allotted another two weeks to head back home. Coming back would be harder and more treacherous since they would hopefully be hauling back food and other essentials, having to re-cross the rockslides. So, the timeframe we allotted was anywhere from four to eight weeks. While there, they were also going to do their best to talk Rod, Jet, and Pete into coming back with them. More people meant more mouths to feed, but it also meant more hunters and more protection too. Besides, those men had helped us so many times, we truly wanted to help them if we could.

They’ve settled on the departure date of Sunday, July 10, a little less than a week from tonight, with the expected date of return being Sunday August 14; earlier if there was nothing to get or if there were signs of trouble. The absolute latest date of return was set for Sunday, September 4. Anything past that date meant that there had been trouble, in which case we all decided that no one else would leave the mountain to go into Norrisville. Those left here would remain here and survive as best as we could for as long as we could. If for any reason any or all of them could not return by September 4 and if they were still alive, then they would winter in N’ville and head home next spring if they were able. That was not anything we wanted to consider – the possibility of them being gone so long and none of us knowing how each group was faring, but it was the best we could do.

Mitch decided to leave the laptop with us. The iPad had long since died, and we were judicious about doing our best to keep the laptop’s batteries solar-charged and being on it as little as possible. This meant that, once they left, we would have no way of communicating with them. Besides, now that Draken’s EP forces were in the US, they were already in the process of reestablishing 5G towers and restoring the grids. We wanted to run no risk of doing anything that might make them aware of our presence, either in town or on the mountain.

Truth was, Clyde said that, barring any unforeseen problems, the entire trip should be completed within four weeks’ time; there and back.

Tomorrow, after our morning hunt, we will gather what they will need to travel, divide up the food they will need for the start of the journey, and prepare for their departure. I don’t know how I feel about this, Journal. I know we must do something, but my heart is uneasy. My sense of unease is probably because I just never handle change well. I’ve always been that way. I miss them already.

CHAPTER 64 

Journal Entry: Sunday, July 10, 2022

Well, we saw them off today. Mitch jokingly refers to themselves as the New Lewis and Clark Expedition of the 21st century. It was heart-rending to say goodbye to those whom we love so dearly; especially since it could be a month, possibly two before we see them again. It also makes me highly uneasy to know that we will have no way of knowing how they are faring; whether they are well or in trouble. We are all in God’s great hands now. I know they will be praying for us as we certainly will be for them. The house feels very lonely now. How could I ever have stood to live here alone all those years after Grandpa died? I cannot wait until the house is crowded again; the walls ringing with the laughter of the girls as they work; with Mitch and Trail’s lighthearted banter as we work or play games in the evenings; and with the quiet good nature of Clyde and Little-John as they sit stringing bows or just sitting by the fire sometimes napping.

All week long we gathered the materials that the new Lewis and Clark expedition would need to carry with them: one six-man tent which they would all have to share together for safety, expediency, and for warmth. They packed a 15′ coil of rope, bed rolls or sleeping bags for each person, jackets, and one cane fishing pole with hook, sinker, and line. One large backpack was filled with items such as matches, flashlights, extra batteries, tissues, and any personal items such as their toothbrushes, two bars of soap – one for the guys and one for the girls, and toothpaste made from baking soda and coconut oil. In another backpack they carried two pots: one big one for cooking, and a small pot with which to boil water. They took several bottles of water we’d boiled and bottled at home, along with an equal division of our family’s provisions consisting of salt pork, dried fish, dried venison, and a couple of jars of canned carrots and green beans. They carried their half of the dried figs, biscuits made from the last of the buckwheat flour, a jar of honey and one of molasses. Also, with them they each carried an empty backpack or bag rolled up to put in them whatever they might find to bring back.

They were purposefully traveling as light as possible. Their plan was to make camp on this side of the first rockslide; the one where Uri and Will fell. Then, as early as was safe, they’d move over the rocks and on down the mountain until they got to the other rockslide on Old Mill Road that was only four miles out from the outskirts of N’ville. There, up on the hillside on the side away from the drop-off, they planned to store the bed rolls, tent, and other big and bulky items, hiding them away where they could pick them up on the way back or, more likely, where some of us would come back and get them later once they returned. They were planning to keep the pot for boiling water with them though.

They would approach N’ville from the outlying areas first, moving in a pattern of concentric circles until they reached the town-proper, making downtown their epicenter and the last place they would check before heading back. Approaching this way, the Chief and Clyde felt that they might be safer and less easily spotted by any unknown people who might be around now, if there were any. Also, they could load up any supplies that they might find as they went.

Each one of them took one or more weapons: Clyde had his shotgun, and the Chief had a rifle. Both carried a handgun apiece with the Chief also carrying his bow and quiver of arrows. Mitch had his 30.06; Lilly had her quiver and bow plus David’s side arm, and Byllie had an over/under. They all carried extra ammunition.

We debated about them carrying their Bibles or even just a Bible, but Uri cautioned against it, and we all eventually concurred. He said if the group should, by any chance, run into any of Draken’s EP forces, being in possession of a Bible would be an automatic death sentence.

After dinner we all gathered together for one last Bible study and prayer time together. Uri led the worship. His choice of scripture this evening was such a familiar and comforting passage that it eased and comforted all our hearts. He spoke from the 23rd Psalm.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” (Psalms 23:1-6, KJV)

Uri reminded us that, regardless of where the Lord leads us, we never walk alone. He reminded us that our ‘Good Shepherd’ always goes before us. He knows hunger because he has been hungry. He understands pain because he felt the rip of the lash across His back, and the excruciating tearing and splitting of tendons and ligaments as his hands and feet were nailed to a rough-hewn wooden cross. He knows loneliness when even His closest friends deserted Him. He understands betrayal when one of His inner circle betrayed Him to His enemies with a liar’s kiss. And He knows death, because He has already trodden that ‘valley of the shadow of death’ before us and come out the other side, having defeated Death by His victorious bodily resurrection. He reminded us as he always does, that very soon, come what may, we will all “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

We were so very close during and after that worship service. The presence of the Lord was strong among us. Afterward, as we sat together, not wanting to break the fellowship but knowing that soon we would all need to go to bed, Mitch looked over at Uri and asked him a question that had been on my mind as well, but one I’d never asked him.

“Uri,” Mitch said, “in all the time you’ve been here, there’s something I’ve always wanted to ask you, but never have.”

“What do you want to know, my brother Mitchell? Anything that I can tell you, I gladly will,” said Uri.

“Your English is perfect even if your grasp of idioms needs a little work,” said Mitch, smiling, giving Uri what looked like a knowing scrutiny.

“May I ask where you learned to speak such excellent English? Also, when you were in Africa and Ecuador, were you able to speak those dialects as well? especially since you didn’t become a believer until Jesus called you after the Antichrist signed the covenant? So how did you learn to speak Spanish or any of the multitude of African and Ecuadorian dialects along with English? You were only twenty-three when Bobby and I pulled you off the side of the mountain!”

Uri looked at Mitch for several seconds, unsmiling and serious. He let his gaze rest on each one of us. Then his face erupted into the infectious grin that always split his face and sent his dark eyes dancing.

“Why, I thought you all knew,” he said. “I cannot speak English at all! Neither do I speak or understand Spanish, or any other language. When I speak, I am speaking Hebrew, my native tongue; and when you answer me, I hear you all in Hebrew as well; just as I know you are hearing me in English!”

We sat there dumbfounded; all of us except Mitch who was nodding his head in assent.

“I thought it was something like that,” said Mitch. “For nearly two years we’ve been living and experiencing exactly what happened in scripture in Acts chapter two! THIS is what the true ‘gift of tongues’ means, and we’ve been experiencing it without ever knowing!”

” Whoa!” said Trail, that’s a real mind blower, or, as you would say, Uri, “You have blown my brain!” Uri threw back his head and laughed as did we all. That particular malapropism from Uri had become one of our favorite sayings – one of our favorite ‘Uri-isms.’

“Uri” asked Lilly, “would you tell us some of what you’ve been through? I mean, we know where God sent you, and you’ve told us many times about some of the people you met who became believers from your witness; but what experiences did you have, if you don’t mind telling us?

“I do not mind at all telling you, my sister Lilly,” but since it is late and those of you going must arise early to set off, I will tell you of one experience in particular that I had when I was in Ecuador. It is a very good example of the mercy and grace of God and of the faithfulness and love of one who was willing to lay down his life to save mine.

URI’S STORY

Everywhere Yeshua sent me there were those who were so hungry for the hope salvation brings. The Lord sent them to me in droves or else sent me to them. There were also many more who hated the truth of the gospel; those who belonged to Satan because they wanted the power of the Evil One or because their hearts were already hardened to the truth. I dealt with many such people, both in the jungles and wastelands of Africa and the rainforests of Ecuador as well. I ran into many with hardened hearts even here, within the so-called ‘civilized’ nation of America. Many times, I was forced to hide to keep from being captured. Once, in a village in Africa, I was beaten and left for dead because the local leader of one of the towns there was a rabid follower of Lucius Draken. He would have killed me had he found me, but one of the new believers there found me, hid and nursed me to health, and warned me to leave quickly.

The minute I was strong enough, I left. I fled in the middle of the night with nothing but the clothes upon my back. The Holy Spirit led me through many towns and villages where Draken’s Euro-Phoenicia troops were already beginning to purge political opponents as well as believers by bringing in the guillotines. One time, I made it out of a small town in Africa only an hour before Draken’s forces arrived. In another village, the Lord led me away from that area because the entire village was riddled with the Ebola virus. But it was in a tiny village among a very primitive tribe in Ecuador that I experienced what it meant firsthand to have a brother in the Lord lay down his life for me.

When the Lord sent me to Ecuador, He placed me in the heart of the Ecuadorian rainforest among the Huaorani – a primitive and sometimes savage people. There had been some believers there before, but they, of course, went in the rapture. However, there were many left who were lost. These people remained very tribal and often hostile, particularly to outsiders. These people still hunted in the old ways of their ancestors, using spears and blow pipes to hunt monkeys, toucans, and pecari. It was among these people that God placed me. I had absolutely no knowledge of their customs or beliefs or of their language, but I made a friend of one of the tribal elders, a man named Mancayi. I began to speak to him about Yeshua; and to my surprise, he listened patiently and intently. After I had finished giving him the gospel, Mancayi told me that he had known other Huaorani people who had become Christians from many years back when white missionaries came to Ecuador. He said,

“In that time, several of the Huaorani warriors ambushed the missionaries and killed them, but afterward, many of the tribe became believers – even some of the very ones who had ambushed and killed the missionaries. From that time, the Huaorani believers did their best to tell others about the God of the Bible. They told them that one day their God who had died for them and now lives again would come to take all believers to His great home in the heavens. When all the believers disappeared,” Mancayi said, “I remembered what the believers told me. I wanted to learn what this meant since I did not know about this God, nor did I know who to ask now that all the believing people were gone.”

For several hours I taught Mancayi about Yeshua. The next day, three more men of the village joined him at the hut where I was staying. I told them what I had told Mancayi, then we spent the hours until sunset as I answered their many questions. Over the following days, I spoke to the entire village. By the end of two weeks’ time, almost all of them there – men, women, and children – became believers. One man who had been the village outcast became a believer. His name was Nenquihui.

Nen, as I called him, was an outcast because he had been born with horribly deformed feet. He was persecuted among the tribe because of his affliction. In anger, one of the tribal elders had cut out his tongue when he was a young boy. Nen could hear, however, and as I found out, he had a quick and agile mind. He could understand everything I said; he just could not speak. When I explained the gospel, Nen became a believer. I spoke with all the village, telling them that Nenquihui was now a brother to them in Yeshua and that they must love him as they now loved Yeshua and treat Nenquihui as a brother with them in Christ, which I am proud to say that they did. I read to them from the Bible what the Apostle Paul said about the slave Onesimus who stole from his master, then afterward became a believer. I told them that God told Paul to tell the other believers that Onesimus was now their brother; that Paul pleaded with Onesimus’ former owner who had been wronged by Onesimus, to forgive him. I told them that Paul taught that God expected the former owner to receive his former slave back, not as a thieving slave, but as a fellow brother in Christ.

“I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:  Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me: Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels: Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel: But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly. For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever; Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord? If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account; I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.” (Philemon 1:10-19, KJV).

These precious people took to heart what scripture said, and this they did.

Then, one day as I was walking in the jungle alone, two members from a neighboring tribe – a tribe who were a vicious and bloodthirsty group of people, very hostile to the gospel and haters of the village where I was staying, captured me and took me to their village which was about five miles away. Unknown to me, Nenquihui had followed me on my walk to keep watch over me. He followed us to the place where I was taken, then he went back, and by using hand signs which he used often and the others could follow, Nen told them what had happened. The entire village all gathered to pray for me and to seek God’s direction as to what they should do. After dark, as the others prayed, Nenquihui slipped away and came back to the village where I was being held. One by one, he… how do you say… he knocked out the two men who were standing guard over me. He tied them up, and gagged them so they could not cry out, and dragged them into the jungle. He led me out and back into the jungle, leading me back to his village.

The next day, many other men of the hostile tribe came to hunt for me. Before dawn, however, Mancayi, Nenquihui, and several other men of the village said that a ‘shining man with a sword’ had told them where to hide me. They took me into the jungle and hid me in a cave far out from the village. When the warrior tribe arrived in our village, they said that they would kill every member of the village if the man who helped the white man escape did not step forth immediately. Without hesitation, Nenquihui stepped forward. After ransacking the village and setting fire to the huts, the warriors of the other village carried Nen back to their village. I wanted to go after him, but Mancayi told me that Nen wanted me to remember some Bible verses I had taught him. They were these:

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:12-13, KJV)

Three days later, the warrior tribe dumped Nenquihui’s broken and battered body on the trail coming into our village. Nenquihui had indeed laid down his life for me and for his fellow brethren. His sacrifice for Christ and for his own brethren was a much more powerful testimony than any words I could ever say,” finished Uri, quietly.

” That’s amazing,” I said, both awed and ashamed of my own doubts and worries.

“I still don’t see how you can get from one continent to another so quickly though,” I said, shaking my head.

“Oh, my always curious brother Bobby,” said Uri, winking at me. “Go read Acts chapter 8.”

After that, we all went to bed, each of us pondering the story Uri had told us.

CHAPTER 65 

Journal Entry: Thursday, August 4, 2022

It’s been almost four weeks now since Mitch and the others left to go into N’ville. I can’t put into words how much we miss them. Sarah puts on a brave face, but I see the glint of tears in her eyes every now and then as she works around the house helping Izzy. She perks up more when we are out in the woods hunting, but even there she misses the Chief who was always giving her, Lilly, Mitch, and me tips on improving our bow-hunting techniques. Trail misses Mitch especially. Mitch and Trail always have a friendly rivalry going. They constantly play adversarial roles in checkers or chess: games they have ongoing in the evenings. We all make up games of trivia from scripture, history, geography, or sports that we play together in the evenings after supper before our Bible study and worship time. Being without modern conveniences has reshaped us all. We are much closer now than we’ve ever been, and in truth, much happier overall even amidst the increasing hardships. Izzy never says anything because it’s just her nature to be stoic and silent, but I can tell she misses ‘her girls’ tremendously.

Strangely, it is Uri who seems most affected, though he’s the same Uri we know and love. He still smiles a lot and works just as hard as ever, but there seems to be a restlessness about him; not in any outward way that we can see, but an inner restlessness that we can sense. More and more often now, his expression carries a pensive look. When we are working or talking together, he’s the same old Uri: happy, smiling, relaxed and laughing. But in the evenings when things settle down, his times of quiet reflection seem deeper and… oh, I don’t know, more intense. He’s both quieter and more inwardly restless at the same time. I know that makes no sense and seems contradictory, but it’s the only way I know how to explain it. It’s like the quieter he is at times, the more wound up inwardly he seems to be. At least that is the impression I get. Maybe it’s just that he is missing Mitch and all the rest as much as we are, or maybe there’s something else going on. I think we all sense change coming; and change is coming. We’re moving inexorably toward the events that will mark the beginning of the last three and one-half years before Jesus returns to earth.

While Mitch is gone, Uri is the one who checks the deep web, since Draken’s forces are now in every country on earth, including America. We don’t check the web but once a week now on Mitch’s laptop; always on different days, and at different times. We never stay on long. Uri is trying to teach Trail and me how to change up and reroute our VPN’s or use TOR or other methods of rerouting our whereabouts every so often. Will, Mitch, and now Uri had set up more firewalls and rerouted and redirected our VPNs and protection encryptions than Trail or I will ever understand. Of course, Trail understands a lot more than I do. I’m totally clueless about this stuff. Uri continues to warn us that once we see the 2 witnesses killed, and once Draken defies the Temple, that we should throw the laptop into the river because the beast system technology will be fully up and operational, and no amount of encryption or rerouting or shielding antics might be adequate to protect our location. It’s likely not entirely safe now.

“Besides,” Uri said, “after Draken recovers from his prophesied head wound; when he desecrates the Temple, and after God’s witnesses Moshe and Elias have been killed and resurrected, what more is there that you will need to know that scripture hasn’t already told you?” He is right. Once we get to that point, it will be sheer survival, if that’s possible and if the Lord allows it.

At any rate, when we checked in today, we caught a video of Jaakobah Gulden and a much frailer Pope Francis as they gave a virtual tour of the Temple of the World in Neo-Babylon.

Gulden began in that oily, condescending manner of his. He has the same arrogant, look-down-the-nose manner that Draken has.

Why, oh why can’t people see through this charade? Why don’t they see how phony and evil both Draken and Gulden are? Francis too, for that matter. The great delusion that God has sent upon those who are reprobates is the reason, I guess. 

Gulden spoke in glowing tones about how all religions held parts of the truth, all that is except for the “trinitarians and Jesus followers” as he derisively calls us Tribulation believers. His great speech was nothing more than the same old rehash of panentheistic twaddle that has always existed ever since Satan hissed to Eve, “Yea, hath God said…?”

He went on in his false, saccharine-sweet voice telling how the ancient mysteries that originated right there on the plains of Shinar had been for centuries veiled in secrecy, protected and housed in Rome – how the divine woman who rules as ‘Queen of Heaven’ in the heart of Rome was and always had been the veiled and hidden Semiramis, “mother” of all religions. He praised the aging and now frail Pope Francis for being the one who championed true ecumenicism; for his ‘farsighted and effective efforts’ in ‘paving the road’ for this new global religious unity by his (Francis’) championing and forging the process of ‘uniting all religions under his leadership of the Church of Rome.’

As I’ve said before, it is patently clear to those of us with eyes to see and ears to hear that both Gulden and Francis hate each other. Gulden especially is a viper who is beneath contempt, and Francis has always been a dangerous, lying, ecumenical wolf. Of course, it is the Holy Spirit that opens our eyes to this great deception because we are believers, else we too would be just as deceived as those who follow Draken and Gulden. Their end is coming soon though; both Rome’s and Babylon’s.

The birthplace of all false religions began at the Tower of Babel on the ancient plains of Shinar. Nimrod who scripture says ‘became’ a mighty man of renown, was the word’s first attempted dictator. God, of course, put an end to that Himself when he confused the languages. That same evil and repository of wickedness that began in Babel merely moved to Rome where it continued to flourish. There, ensconced within the Church of Rome, the same pagan ‘gods’ and ‘goddesses’ – the very same false deities of ancient Babylon, went ‘underground,’ so to speak, where they flourished with only the names of the false deities changed. In the doctrines and rituals of Rome, the same pagan beliefs and practices hid under the guise of the scarlet and purple clad “Queen of Heaven” within the Church of Rome. Both Rome and Babylon have protected and propagated the worship of pagan false gods for thousands of years. It’s just that now, in these end days, the wickedness of all false worship is, metaphorically and in reality, returning to her birthplace – Babylon; the place from which all false religions sprang.

The Vatican has ‘gifted’ (has been ordered by Draken and Gulden to be given to Gulden’s Temple) the great throne upon which the Pope used to sit inside the Vatican. This throne is now placed in the rotunda of the Temple of the World where it sits in front of the returned and reconstructed Temple of the Altar of Zeus in the newly built Temple in Babylon.

All around the great rotunda were multitudes of statues, friezes, paintings, and myriad depictions of all manner of pagan ‘gods’ and ‘goddesses.’ There were Buddhas, Marys, Krishnas and Shinto shrines; icons and paintings of Native and Mezzo-American ‘deities’ such as Quetzaquatil. There were stone ‘gods’ from Africa, icons and artifacts from the various Voodoo cults of the islands. There was a gigantic statue of the Baphomet on the left side of the Altar of Zeus. There were Egyptian and Assyrian statuary, including treasures from the Temple of Set and the artifacts of King Tutankhamen.

There were statues depicting Grecian and Roman ‘gods and goddesses,’ along with depictions in stone of pagan ‘gods’ such as Molech, along with Dagon, the ancient Mesopotamian ‘fish god’ of the Phoenicians. All of these were ensconced within the giant rotunda encircling the two main objects. At the very back as one would enter into the Great Hall of the Temple rotunda, placed where it would be seen immediately upon entering, sat the rebuilt Altar of Zeus from the Temple of Pergamon. And standing before it, in the very center of the room, sat the gigantic throne that the Vatican had “gifted” to the Temple of the World. The throne, Gulden had placed before the Altar of Zeus. It was such an evil and blasphemous site, it made our skin crawl to look at it. We could not imagine actually entering such a place!

We knew, though, because both Will and Uri had taught us, that this was the fulfillment of what had always been an obscure, little known, and even less understood prophecy by the Old Testament prophet Zechariah. The prophecy stated that, during the end times, all pagan belief systems would eventually return to the place where they originated – Babylon on the plains of Shinar. Of course, the meaning of that prophecy is clear now. It meant that Babylon would once again, in the end days, become ‘home’ to all of the pagan/occult false religions which sprang from ancient Babylon in the first place. In Zechariah’s prophecy, ‘Wickedness’ was represented by a woman who was placed inside an ‘ephah’ which was a basket or container of measurement, like, say, a bushel basket is a container of measurement, or a two- liter bottle is a container of measurement.

In this prophecy, ‘Wickedness,’ personified as a woman, is placed inside an ephah (think large jar or basket of measurement like a bushel basket). A leaden weight is placed atop, sealing her in. Then two winged ‘women’ with wings like storks (a metaphor for evil entities because, in the Bible, storks are unclean birds), carry off the ephah containing ‘Wickedness.’ These evil entities pick up the ephah in which the woman – ‘Wickedness’ – is contained. The ephah is carried by these evil beings back to Babylon from whence she came.

The prophecy was saying, in a metaphorical way, that all false and pagan religious practices and belief systems have their origins in ancient Babylon; and that in the end times, all of them will return to the place from whence they originated – Babylon. 

Of course, scripture also records God’s judgment on both Rome, the repository of pagan religions ever since Constantine, and upon Babylon itself, the geographical origin of all paganism.

Journal, I will copy Zechariah’s prophecy and the 17th and 18th chapters of Revelation that deal with God’s destruction of both Rome and Babylon. I sense they need to be recorded here, and as I have the time to do so now, I’ll finish up this entry with them.

I continue to be mystified as to why God is having me keep these journals (12 now in all!), but I know that this is exactly what He is calling me to do for however long I live. Anyway, the following passages tell of Zechariah’s prophecy regarding the return to Babylon of all the world’s pagan religions: of God’s judgments on Rome (ecclesiastical Babylon), and upon Babylon itself, the wellspring from which all this evil originated, there upon the ruins of the Tower of Babel on the plains of Shinar.

“Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.  And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.  And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base” (Zechariah 5:5-11, KJV).

“And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

“And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

“And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of Lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:1-18, KJV).

“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

“And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

“And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

“Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.  And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth” (Revelation 18:1-24, KJV).

As Will constantly reminded us, God will judge Babylon – both the Babylonian religious system housed for so long in Rome, and the city and environs of ancient Babylon from where all the evil wickedness originated and now has returned. God’s judgment is coming.