Left Behind Series - The Remnant Part 42

Messiah referred to this period as the Tribulation, and

the second half of it in which we now find ourselves

as the Great Tribulation.

"How can I say this judging, avenging G.o.d is loving and merciful? Remember that during this period he is working in people to get them to make a decision. Why? The millennium is coming. When Jesus makes his final glorious appearing, he will come in power and great glory. He will set up his kingdom exclusively for those who have made the right decision. That decision? To call on the name of the Lord.

"Does that sound exclusivistic? Understand this: The Bible makes clear that the will of G.o.d is that all men be saved. Second Peter : says, 'The Lord is not slack concerning his promise . . . but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.'

"G.o.d promised in Joel that he would 'show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pa.s.s that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls.'

"Dear people, you are that remnant! Do you see what G.o.d is saying? He is still calling men to faith in Christ. He has raised up , evangelists, from the twelve tribes, to plead with men and women all over the world to decide for Christ. Who but a loving, gracious, merciful, long suffering G.o.d could plan in advance that during this time of chaos he would send so many out in power to preach his message? "Remember the two supernatural witnesses who preached the Word of G.o.d in Jerusalem and on global television? After three and a half years they were murdered in full view of the whole world. And then after their bodies lay in the streets for three days, G.o.d called them to heaven. Why? Because as a loving and merciful G.o.d he wanted to manifest his power and glory so men and women could see and make the right decision about him.

"Here we have the supernatural G.o.d of heaven fulfilling his promises of ages past, preserving the children of Israel while Antichrist tries to persecute you.

"Whom will you serve? Will you obey the ruler of this world, or will you call on the name of the Lord?

"G.o.d has done all these great and mighty things because he wants to save mankind. Many will still rebel, even here, even after all they have seen and experienced. Do not let it be you, my friend.

Our G.o.d is merciful. Our G.o.d is gracious. He is long suffering and wants all to be saved.

"If you agree that G.o.d is using the period we now live in to get people ready for the millennial kingdom and for eternity, what will you do with your life? Turn it over to Messiah. Worship Jesus, the Christ. Receive him as the one and only Lamb of G.o.d that takes away the sins of the world. Receive him into your life and then live in obedience to him. He wants you. And a G.o.d who will go to such lengths to save to the uttermost anyone who will call on him is one worth trusting. Will you trust a G.o.d like that? Can you love a G.o.d like that? "Messiah was born in human flesh. He came again. And he is coming one more time. I want you to be ready. We were left behind at the Rapture. Let us be ready for the Glorious Appearing. The Holy Spirit of G.o.d is moving all over the world. Jesus is building his church during this darkest period in history because he is gracious, loving, long suffering, and merciful."

All around Rayford, people had bowed their heads, and many began praying. They prayed for friends and loved ones in Petra and in other places in the world. They had to have heard, as Rayford did, the emotion in Tsion's voice as he pleaded once again for all to make the decision to follow Christ.

"The time is short," Tsion cried out, "and salvation is a personal decision. Admit to G.o.d that you are a sinner.

Acknowledge that you cannot save yourself. Throw yourself on the mercy of G.o.d and receive the gift of his Son, who died on the cross for your sin. Receive him and thank him for the gift of your salvation."

"Major, major problem," Aurelio Figueroa said, steepling his fingers as he leaned back in his chair. Chang sat across the desk from him, praying silently. "It's not just the bogus entries in the palace database, the phony personnel and checks and balances that have allowed the enemies of the GC to fool local leaders.

Now we clearly have bugs in offices as high as the director of Security and Intelligence. Do you know that earlier today, while the potentate was trying to properly mourn our dead pilots, someone superseded the feed with a bogus conversation Director Akbar was supposed to have had with the pilots? "

"Bet you're glad it was bogus."

"I don't follow, Wong."

"If it was real, it could have been catastrophic. We all heard it, sir. Akbar lecturing the pilots, their disagreeing, and his having them executed."

The tall, bony Mexican studied Chang. "Where would someone have gotten that kind of a recording?"

"You're asking me?"

"I don't see anyone else in the room."

"I'm sorry. I should have said, 'Why are you asking me"

This was zero hour. If Figueroa accused him, Chang might have to be out of New Babylon within hours to avoid execution.

"I'm asking everyone, of course. Don't take it personally. You wouldn't believe what's been planted on the main database."

"Tell me."

Figueroa stood. "I'm not telling everyone this, but Akbar himself began to suspect something shaky in Chicago. You know the place was. .h.i.t more than once during the war. The city was evacuated and declared off limits, and we have virtually ignored it for months.

Years."

Chang nodded.

"We didn't fly reconnaissance planes over it, didn't take pictures, didn't check heat sensors, anything." "Because? "

"Because someone planted on the computer that the place had been nuked and would be radioactive for years. Akbar didn't remember it that way. He thought the city had been virtually destroyed, but not by nukes. Every time he had somebody check, they went straight to the database, checked the current levels, and said, 'Yup, it's radioactive all right.' Not until recently did anybody check the archives to find out if the readings could be right. Of course, they can't. The place is clean."

"Wow. "

"Wow is right. You know as well as I do that there is only one reason someone would plant such information: to have the city to themselves. We've been able to bypa.s.s the phony readings, finally, and have tried to get a bead on what's happening there.

Precious little, of course, because everyone else was getting the same info we were. But there has been activity. Water and power usage. Planes, choppers, coming and going. Jets from an airstrip on the lake. That would be Lake Michigan. "

"Really? "

"Yes. There is evidence of both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

Very little, of course, but there could be up to three dozen people in the city."

"Hardly enough to worry about," Chang said.

"Oh, on the contrary," Figueroa said. "These people are going to wish they'd never been born."

Chang was dying to ask but desperate to appear remote. He waited. "You'd think we'd just send a team of Peacekeepers sweeping in there and round them up, wouldn't you?"

Chang shrugged. "Something like that, sure."

"Akbar has a better idea. He says if somebody wants it to appear radioactive, let's nuke it."

"You can't be serious."

"Totally."

"Waste technology like that at a time like this?"

"It's brilliant, Chang.))

"It's a solution, I'll say that. But has he thought of the freshwater that flows through there?"

"We're harvesting Lake Michigan from northern Wisconsin. We don't have to worry about the Chicago River. "

"People living downstream from it do."

"Well, anyway, word is the big boss loves the idea."

"Really. "

"You kidding? Carpathia uh, the potentate loves stuff like this."

"We've got an atomic bomb we can spare?"