23. The Rapture
Rayford reached Jerusalem on Thursday morning. He hitchhiked through Europe and the Middle East.
On the way, he learned of Chaim's capture, so he headed for the palace on arrival in the holy city.
In Europe, only two people had recognised him, and they were not a problem.
But everywhere in Jerusalem people pointed and whispered.
A crowd soon followed him.
Someone phoned the media, who were waiting for him at the palace.
Strangely, no one came close as Rayford walked. His gait hinted that nothing was going to stop him.
At the wide steps leading to the palace, he faced a huge media and military welcome.
Cameras caught Dangchao at the top of the steps, flanked by more than a dozen armed guards.
UN snipers were perched everywhere.
"Welcome! Welcome!" shouted Dangchao magnanimously, for the benefit of the public.
"I'm here for Chaim Rosenberg!" shouted Rayford. "Bring him out here!"
"He's inside. Please come in!" Dangchao descended the steps to get closer.
Rayford sat on the pavement below the steps.
His seat touched the ground as a rumble shook the area.
Everyone fell over, except Dangchao, who barely maintained his balance.
Snipers fell from their perches, some of them seriously injured.
Others retrieved weapons and scrambled back to their feet.
"Bring Chaim here," Rayford said again, pointing to the ground near him. "Now!"
Another tremor sent people back to the ground. This time Dangchao fell too.
Cameramen who had stayed on the ground, caught pictures of the General Secretary.
He was spread-eagled in front of Rayford, who sat regally, his legs folded in front of him.
"All right! All right" said Dangchao, who assumed a position, facing Rayford.
"Bring the prisoner!" he said to one of his guards.
"You'll get your chance," Rayford said. "Soon.
"For now, you will only make things worse "if you don't turn Chaim over to me."
"Shoot him!" Dangchao shouted loudly.
Rayford breathed out and a jet of flame shot straight toward Dangchao.
The Antichrist ducked at lightning speed. The flame split into different directions.
Faster than any human could react, tongues of flame found each soldier who had a gun aimed at Rayford.
They were each engulfed in flames before they had could pull a trigger.
"You shouldn't make me do that," Rayford said calmly.
"What are your plans?" Dangchao asked.
"Promise not to leave the city, and I'll let your friend go with you."
"He'll come with me regardless," Rayford said.
"But if it makes you feel better, "we won't be leaving for the next 10 days."
Just then, Chaim appeared at the top of the steps.
Dangchao submitted to their demands, but a press release later said the men were "free on bail pending a trial".
There was outrage that a killer was roaming free; but Dangchao insisted all was under control.
And it was… but he wasn't the one holding the controls.
For 6 days Chaim and Rayford stayed near the Temple Mount, where they addressed large crowds.
It was early December, and the weather was cold. The Two Witnesses slept in shifts on the streets.
They found a few rags, bits of firewood, and other materials to keep out the cold.
They kept a campfire going through the night, on the pavement where they slept.
One or the other was always awake to mind the fire and address the crowds.
Through the night curious onlookers listened to talks against faith in Dangchao's government.
Twice someone tried to attack them, and twice the attacker was destroyed by fire.
Word spread quickly. People barely dared to ask questions after that…
until late the following Wednesday night.
Rayford and Chaim had no contact with the saints since they had left for Jerusalem 10 days earlier.
They ate little and prayed much in those final days. The Christians knew their demise was near.
Many members had died or defected in the past 10 days too.
Irene and Elaine were caught and executed a week after Rayford left London.
Saints in Jerusalem sneaked messages to the two during that final week.
News of Irene's death added to Rayford's strain, but he did not stop preaching.
Matthew was in charge after Irene was taken; but in general everything was falling apart.
There were 4 days left before the return… if their calculations were correct.
Some wondered if they could last even that long without their beloved leaders.
Then, on Wednesday night of the final week, one of 2 UN guards keeping watch aimed his rifle at Rayford, just for fun.
He could not be seen by Rayford, and Chaim was sleeping beside the fire.
But his companion bumped him, and the gun went off.
Rayford fell to the ground with a quiet thud.
"You've killed him!" whispered the other guard. "Look, you've killed him!"
Chaim began to stir. "Get the other one before he burns you!"
"It's him or me, isn't it?" the soldier said as he pulled the trigger a second time.
Chaim too slumped over next to Rayford. He had also been shot in the head.
Rayford had just finished speaking before the shooting occurred.
The audience was moving away when the shot rang out.
Those still present to see Rayford and Chaim fall could not believe their eyes.
After 3 1/2 years of fruitless tracking, and equally fruitless attempts to destroy them,
one foolhardy soldier had killed them both, half by accident, in a few seconds, with two bullets!
The soldiers raced to establish that they really had killed the Two Witnesses.
Then they notified their superiors. A military ambulance arrived and took the bodies and the two soldiers away.
The Press were told: The world had been saved. The Two Aliens (as Pius called them) were dead.
Dangchao was up all night, addressing the media and making other arrangements.
The next morning he unveiled a cyclone fence around the bodies of the Two Witnesses.
They were returned to where they had died. Embers of a campfire were still there.
Things the men had collected to stay warm were scattered around inside the enclosure.
The public was invited to view the bodies.
Soldiers who had been watching the two men were now being used to control the crowd.
Dangchao's display was to challenge any resurrection story, as happened with Jesus.
He also wanted people to know that the Two Witnesses really were dead.
But he went one step further.
Now was a good time to change the date for Christmas (renamed Winterfest years ago).
He announced the next day, Friday, as the new date for celebrating Winterfest.
Stores would stay open for last minute shopping; but non-essential businesses would be closed.
People had two days to spend before celebrating. It was the biggest two-day shopping spree ever.
The human race had turned the corner. Peace and prosperity were going to return!
They shopped with reckless abandon to celebrate victory over the "Aliens".
Festivities began that day, and grew more wild over the next 2 days.
By Saturday, when the shops had closed, the world was one big drunken, drug-crazed orgy.
But on Sunday morning, something startling happened in the Middle East.
Over an area reaching as far as Baghdad, Cairo, and Ankara,
a glass ceiling appeared miles above the earth, stretching from horizon to horizon.
Light filtered through the glass, revealing structures and movement on the other side.
Planes flying above 25,000 feet were forced to descend or to turn back in this part of the earth.
Dangchao's advisers were convinced it was an alien star ship the size of a small planet.
But were the aliens manning it friendly? Dangchao knew, and the military prepared for war.
Then, shortly after noon, someone reported movement in the hand of one of the Witnesses.
Dangchao hurried to the site, with his advisers and representatives of the Press.
Everyone watched for a full 5 minutes without any sign of movement.
They assumed it was just someone's imagination when a very slight tremor shook Chaim's body.
"Did you see that?" someone shouted. Indeed, Dangchao had, and he was worried.
"Shoot him!" he shouted, pointing at Chaim. "But he's already dead!" his guard argued.
He, too, was scared. He knew what happened if anyone tried to kill the Two Witnesses.
"I don't care if he's dead or not. Shoot him!" Dangchao grabbed the gun from the guard's hand.
He pointed it at Chaim and pulled the trigger. But as he did, the earth dropped from under him.
He threw his hands (and the gun) into the air to catch his balance.
The ground began to shake, and the two dead bodies shook with it.
An earthquake! thought Dangchao. That's all. The bodies hadn't moved! The earth had moved.
But a moment later Chaim's and Rayford's arms and legs moved simultaneously.
Their bodies straightened. In unison, they moved up onto their knees.
Then they opened their eyes and looked straight into the face of the Antichrist.
The wound to each of their heads disappeared before Dangchao's eyes.
Their hair became thicker. Grey disappeared. Wrinkles vanished.
They appeared to be no more than 30 years old. Rags fell off, revealing shimmering white robes.
The men stood up, as a voice boomed out: "Come up here!" Everyone looked up.
From the glass ceiling above the Temple Mount a big round opening appeared.
White smoke shot down from the opening. The "smoke" became millions of tiny beings, all dressed in white.
In the middle, light radiated from One whose appearance was almost blinding.
The other beings circled him as he dropped lower and lower.
Chaim and Rayford rose up to meet Him in the air.
As they rose, they saw others ascending and converging toward the Being of Light.
Most were dressed in shimmering white, but a few wore everyday dress.
These were the living saints. They, too, had returned to their youth.
Deformities and blemishes disappeared. Everyone experienced a sense of healthy fitness. Best for many was there were no missing limbs.
On the ground, the earth shook violently.
Jerusalem trembled in obeisance to a city infinitely more powerful in the air above it.
Buildings began to collapse. The saints witnessed a 10th of the city falling in slow motion.
On the ground was a deadly shower of glass, concrete, bricks and steel girders.
People recovering from the weekend celebrations were crushed in buildings all over Jerusalem.
The saints were too high to survive without heat and oxygen masks.
But they did not feel the cold, nor were they struggling for breath.
Their supernatural bodies moved toward the Being of Light.
Rayford, Chaim and the others knew who it was. It was their Saviour. It was their Jesus!
Someone started to sing, and others joined in.
Each person sang in their own language, but they knew they were singing the same words.
It was from the Hallelujah Chorus of Handel's Messiah.
"King of kings! Lord of lords! "He shall reign forever and ever!"
They repeated it over and over Each time, the volume increased, until it seemed the whole earth could hear them.
This was it! This was the moment that all of history had been waiting for.
This was the culmination of the great Creator's plan for his creation.
He had, indeed, returned to judge the earth!
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