20.
As the interview continues the TV people all around the world, stop what they are doing to watch. After all, this is Jonathan Bale, and if he is hosting a special broadcast, it must be something spectacular and not too be missed.
As the interview progresses worldwide panic slowly ensues as people realize how wrong they have been and that there is, in fact, a God, and He has given a definite command for entry into Heaven, written in His Word the Bible.
Jonathan crumbled at the exit door begging Satan to let him go. He hears a click and stops sobbing enough to hear Satan say to him ‘Go!’ Satan throws out his outrageous laughter and vanishes from sight and sound.
Jonathan scrambles to his feet; they are like jelly, and he struggles to walk let alone run. He leans against the walls of the building to get to his car. It is a struggle for him to press even the button of the electronic remote to open his car door. As he tries to get the key into the ignition he yells at himself to calm down; he is too out of control to even obey himself. By sheer luck, he gets the key in and starts the car. His legs are shaking so shoddily changing gears is almost impossible. He has no co-ordination and in desperation, he pulls out of his parking lot in whatever gear he found first. He crashes his car into the cars alongside him but cares not and speeds out of the parking garage.
He races down the road shouting ‘Get out the way! Help me! Where is a Church! Oh please help me, God!’
His phone vibrates in his pocket, and the call appears on the radio. It is Cassia.
‘Babe where are you, we are watching this interview, we are so scared; please come home. Please, babe, come home.’ Cassia sobs as she begs her husband to go home to her and their children.
‘Save yourself.’ Jonathan cries back to the radio still racing down the road.
As he flings the car around one corner after another desperately looking for a church that is open, he is aware that there are now hoards of people running about the streets yelling and screaming. They have clearly been watching the show and have realized their fate. Jonathan sees a small church down a side alley and pulls up on the sidewalk. He jumps out the car forgetting to lock or even close the door. He runs up to the entrance and sees a crowd of people begging a man to baptize them. He refuses. They beg even louder. His car is gone. Stolen, he screams at the sky and runs colliding with others with the same purpose.
As Jonathan runs past businesses and stores he has to dodge others streaming out of the entrance doors; they too are looking to find God. Every church he passes has people banging on the doors, smashing windows to get in, kneeling in front of the church praying. Churches are preaching half-truths and whole lies!
Pandemonium had set in all over the world. Chaos was extreme and panic, terror and fear were rampant.
Jonathan was exhausted and running out of sheer adrenalin, crying and begging anyone to help him.
He bashes into a church, pushes his way through the crowd to the front not caring if he hurt anyone in the process or the verbal abuse flung at him. He sees they are sprinkling water on the people in a hurry to get them all done. ‘That’s wrong.’ He yells
‘It’s all we can do in the mayhem.’ Replied the man in desperation.
‘It’s wrong. It’s wrong. Didn’t you hear what Satan said?’ Jonathan shouted as he turned and bolted out of the church.
Every church he went too was overcrowded with people on the same mission. He found a church baptizing people fast and furiously; it was the Church of Christ, but the line of people was so long. He ran on looking for another church of the same name.
He stopped to take a breath and looked across the road toward a shop that had TVs in the window playing the last few minutes of the interview. Jonathan looked at Satan and crumbled to the ground. The reminder was too much for him to bear. An urge of energy overcame him, and he managed to get up and continue his search amongst the thousands of others for the same reprieve.
He came to several churches with Church of Christ bolded written on them, and each one had hundreds of people waiting to get baptized. Jonathan again forced his way to the front receiving the same violent reaction from the people each time. At one church, he stood in front of the minister and pleaded. “I am Jonathan Bale I know you recognize me. I did that interview. I should get baptized first. I should get priority treatment. Baptize me now then you can carry on with the others.’
The people shouted the objections at his demands. For the first time, Jonathan Bale was unable to use his name or fame to get what he wanted. For the first time since “The Bale Show” started he was treated like the enemy. No one cared who he was anymore. He was now just like any other human being.
‘I’m afraid you will have to get into the line like everyone else. We are all equal in the eyes of God, and you are no exception.’
‘But I…’ He started to raise his objections when the line of people quickly became a mob and physically forced him out the church. Jonathan cursed and objected in vain.
He was panicking that he was unable to use his fame for self-gain and continued to search for someone to baptize him.
He staggered in and out of so many churches, the ones open were inundated with scrambling panicking people waiting in a line as long as a mile.
He ran past a park noticing a woman sitting peacefully on the ground smiling. He looked at her intently confused as to why she acted so differently to everyone else. Wanting to go and speak to her curious as to why she acted so differently he slowed his pace and made his way to her. As he turned a mob of hysterical people knocked him over in their pursuit to find salvation. Jonathan stood up cursing them in loud, obscene profanity. Still in the process of yelling; another group of anxious people came pouring past him, dragging him with them. There was no way to turn around or change direction as groups of people became masses. The wailing, crying, screaming, reached such intensity it was impossible to hear their thoughts.
Jonathan ran around aimlessly reduced to the stature of a normal person begging for mercy.
He thought of his family and cried. But his selfish, arrogant nature had now left him alone amongst strangers while his beautiful wife held her children in her bosom.
Cassia sobbed uncontrollably.
The woman sitting on the grass in the park somehow void of being run over by the mobs of people sat peacefully with her eyes closed looking up to Heaven. She prayed continually smiling. Her face was a light of joy.