CHAPTER 13
Humbling herself before the Lord, Jesse became acutely aware of her position as a sinner approaching the perfect creator of the universe. Her study of God’s characteristics and names gave her a renewed sense of reverence for the God she was desperate to reach. She whispered the name that came to mind, “El-Elyon, Lord Most High.”
When the Pastor and Olivia joined them in prayer a few hours later, Jesse didn’t look up. A sense of urgency kept them on their knees throughout the night and it was early morning before the Pastor rose to his feet to say, “We are to tell the world that Satan is deceiving the nations. God’s saints are confused and lifting up frantic prayers, asking for answers and direction.”
Jesse’s eyes fixed on the sofa across the room. She couldn’t remember ever feeling more tired than she was right then. On the sofa, she blinked, trying to focus blurry eyes on the Pastor who was walking the floor and mumbling.
Sitting down next to Jesse, Gabriel asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she answered, trying to focus on the Pastor.
The Pastor stopped pacing to say, “Now, I remember.” Picking up the Bible, he flipped through pages. “Here it is, in the book of Daniel.”
Watching Jesse cover a yawn, Gabriel turned to the Pastor. “Maybe we should get some rest, Jonas.”
The Pastor didn’t respond but kept reading. He held up a finger to say, “Listen to this. When Daniel interprets King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, he says different sections of the statue represent different kingdoms and eras. The feet of clay mixed with iron represents the last age, this age. Clay is mixed with iron.”
Lines around her grandmother’s eyes were more pronounced than usual. She sounded drained when she said, “Different people interpret those verses differently.”
The Pastor sat down across the room with the Bible resting on his lap. When he found the passage he was looking for in the book of Daniel, he started to read, “And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men.”
“They,” Gabriel said. “Do you think they could be fallen angels posing as aliens?”
“Yes,” the Pastor said. “Clay represents man but we’re not told who or what they are. It sounds like fallen angels will somehow try to genetically mingle with humans again.”
“You may be right, Jonas, but we already know the aliens are fallen angels,” Gabriel said.
“Yes,” the Pastor said. “We know who Arakiel is, but others don’t. Christians are the only ones who might listen to us. We have to make a convincing argument based on the Bible.” He stared across the room with weary eyes. “You know, passages I thought I understood are taking on new meaning. The Lord said to take share the message but there was no instruction on how.”
Sitting back, Gabriel rubbed his chin, thinking. “The Bible says Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light so I’m not surprised that Arakiel comes across as charming and self-assured. Most of the world views him as some kind of hero, a savior, and would never believe he’s a fallen angel.” He clasped his fingers behind his head to stare at the ceiling. “On the other hand, millions of Christians have to be outraged. I think Christians may listen to what we have to say. We need some way to broadcast. Television would reach the most people.”
The Pastor shook his head. “Television would be too expensive.”
Not responding to the Pastor, Gabriel said, “I know a man, a media buyer with experience in direct marketing. He can give us information on production companies.” Getting to his feet, he held out a hand to Jesse. “We’ll talk about this later, Jonas,” he said, helping Jesse to her feet.
In their bedroom, Jesse curled into the window seat. Sighing, she pulled a finger down the windowpane. The sun blazed in the morning sky but the scene outside seemed dull, remote. She felt drained, as if she had been unplugged.
Crossing the room, Gabriel said, “To bed with you, Mrs. James.” She was too exhausted to protest being treated like a child as he helped her into a nightgown. Tucking her in, he kissed her forehead. “I’m going to talk to Jonas.”
“Okay,” she said, sighing drowsily before drifting off to sleep.
Jesse squinted at the clock’s display. “Gabriel, it’s late,” she said, sitting straight up. She looked around the empty room before calling his name. No answer. Dressing quickly, she pulled her hair into a ponytail and hurried downstairs.
“Grammy,” Jesse called as she entered the living room, “have you seen Gabriel?”
Muting the news, she said, “Gabriel and Jonas left earlier this morning to meet a man in Nashville.”
“Nashville?” she said, surprised. “That’s over six hours away. Did Gabriel say why he left without waking me?”
“He said you were exhausted and he’d call later.”
Jesse was dialing Gabriel’s number before her grandmother finished the sentence.
His answering service activated on the first ring. “He must be out of range,” she said, replacing the receiver.
“I’m sure he’ll call the first chance he gets,” her grandmother said.
“I know, Grammy. I’m just surprised that he left without telling me.”
A few hours later, Jesse set a glass of tea on the kitchen table in front of Olivia. “Did you know Jonas and Gabriel were leaving?”
“No,” she said gloomily. “I was asleep. Jonas left a note on the nightstand.”
Jesse studied Olivia’s downcast face. Taking a guess, Jesse asked, “Has Jonas ever gone on a trip without you before?”
“No, she said, propping her cheek on a fist. “We’ve never spent a night apart. Not since we’ve been married.”
Jesse sat down at the table. Hoping to lighten Olivia’s mood, she said, “You know what? With the guys gone, we can have a girls’ night.”
“Girls’ night?” Olivia questioned, looking doubtful. “I don’t know if we should go out.”
Jesse laughed. “Of course not. We’ll have a girls’ night in. We can eat junk food, fix each other’s hair, makeup, watch movies, whatever we want.” Pulling her ponytail around to look at it, she said, “I’m tired of brown hair. Maybe you can help me bleach it.”
Olivia’s eyes rounded with a gasp. “You wouldn’t.”
“No,” Jesse said, laughing, “I wouldn’t. But the look on your face was priceless.”
“I bet the look on Gabriel’s face would be priceless, too.” In a better mood, Olivia said, “Do you want to hear a joke?”
A little surprised, Jesse said, “Sure, I’d love to.”
“Okay,” Olivia said, smiling. “Which one of God’s servants was the most flagrant law breaker?”
After a few seconds, Jesse said, “I don’t know, which one?”
“Moses, because he broke all ten commandments at once,” she said, smiling.
Jesse laughed as much at Olivia’s amusement as she did over the joke. “That’s a good one, Olivia. Can I borrow that?”
“Sure. I borrowed it myself. I can’t remember from who though.”
Jesse got up from the table. “Let’s go invite Grammy to our girls’ night in party.”
Later that evening, Jesse lounged on the loveseat nibbling her third chocolate chip cookie. She glanced over at her grandmother on the sofa before sitting up to say, “Alright, Grammy, spill it. I’ve got to know.”
Pausing the movie, her grandmother smiled sweetly. “And what’s that, Jesse? What do you need to know?”
“Don’t play coy, Grammy. You know what I want to know. Where did you learn to waltz, tango and, um—"
“Foxtrot,” Olivia provided the name.
“That’s it, foxtrot. Thanks, Olivia.” Looking back at her grandmother, she said, “How is it that I didn’t know you can dance and fox trot?” Her eyes narrowed in mock suspicion. “What other super powers do you have, Grammy? Do you know martial arts? Were you a secret agent?”
With a flair of drama, her grandmother lifted her chin as she looked away. “I’ll never tell. What kind of foxtrotting, black-belt, secret agent would I be if I told all my secrets?”
Olivia fell back on the sofa laughing. Before Jesse could respond, the telephone rang. Jesse and Olivia jumped to their feet at the same time but Jesse beat her to the phone. Gabriel, she mouthed the name to her grandmother and Olivia before walking into the kitchen.
Gabriel started to explain why he left without waking her but she interrupted. “You don’t have to explain, Gabriel. Olivia and I talked it over. We know that you and Jonas need to concentrate on what you’re doing.”
He sounded relieved. “Thank you for understanding. I really thought you’d be upset.”
“Well then, I guess you don’t always know what I’m thinking,” she said, smiling at the soft laughter she heard on the other end.
After talking to Gabriel a few minutes, Jesse took the telephone into the living room and handed the handset to Olivia. “Jonas wants to talk to you.”
While Gabriel and the Pastor were away, Nick divided his days between the shelter and the house, spending nights in Gabriel’s old room. Jesse suspected Gabriel asked him to keep a close watch on the house. With Nick around so often, Jesse didn’t pay much attention when his truck pulled into the drive. Sweeping leaves over the edge of the porch, she called hello as Nick came up the steps.
“Just need to grab my work boots,” he said, crossing the porch and going into the house.
Picking up the welcome mat, Jesse stopped at the edge of the porch. Rachel was in the passenger side of Nick’s truck. She turned around and took a step toward the door but stopped. Deciding that she shouldn’t be rude, she dropped the mat and started down the steps toward the truck. With a forced smile, she concentrated on sounding cheerful. “I haven’t seen you in a while, Rachel. Would you like to come in, maybe have some tea?”
Turning her head slowly, Rachel looked at Jesse as if she’d just been invited to drink poison. “Are you for real?”
Confused by the question, Jesse said, “I don’t know what you mean.”
Noting Jesse’s bewildered expression, Rachel’s face began to relax. “You are for real. And all this time, I thought you’d won the game, but now I’m not even sure you were ever playing.”
“The game? I don’t understand,” Jesse said, looking as baffled as she felt.
Rachel shook her head, laughing. “You really don’t know what I’m talking about, do you? Looking amused, she asked, “Did you think I was in love with Gabriel?” Seeing Jesse’s surprised look, she said, “You did. Silly girl, chess players don’t fall in love with the pawns, they’re in love with the game.”
“You were never in love with Gabriel?” Jesse asked.
“In love? You really are naive,” she said, laughing. “You’ll be shocked to know that Gabriel is just a side game I amuse myself with when I’m in town. Here’s a news flash for you, Jesse. There’s no shortage of men in the world. I know plenty of men who are rich and handsome. Men who wouldn’t bore a woman to death.”
The question fell out of Jesse’s mouth. “Why were you so angry then?”
Rachel rolled her eyes at having to explain something so obvious. “No cat will give up their mouse without a fight. I thought you were a scheming—” Catching herself, she stopped. “Well, let’s just say I thought you were trying to steal my toy.” Her face tightened at the memory before saying, “I was furious when Gabriel took me out for the talk. Yeah, I was angry. I played the helpless card and thought you’d trumped with innocence.” Amused by the thought, she said, “Innocence had been played from my hand years ago.”
Without thinking, Jesse blurted out, “I’ve always loved him.”
Rachel’s head fell back with a throaty laugh. “That’s the same silly comment he made about you.” She crossed her arms in the truck window and watched Jesse a few seconds. “Look, Jesse, Gabriel flipped out when you went missing and ordered me to the shelter. I was ticked at first, but I’m not the kind of girl to hold a grudge. If you want to let bygones be bygones, we’ll call a truce. When things get back to normal, I’ll be more than happy to go back out to my playground, but right now this is the safest place.” Her eyes moved past Jesse and her voice lowered to say, “Gabriel did me a favor, really.”
Looking over her shoulder, Jesse saw Nick coming down the steps. She looked back at Rachel. “You and Nick?”
“Why not? That man loves to play games. He’s actually a worthy opponent.” Her voice rose just enough to make sure Nick overheard her next comment. “Maybe some other time,” she said before flashing an alluring smile at Nick as he approached. “Jesse asked me in for tea, but I told her I don’t want to hold you up, Nicky. I did say we might come to supper sometime though.”
Rounding the truck, Nick dropped his boots into the back. “Sounds good. Just let us know when.” As the truck started, Rachel turned to wink at Jesse and offer an impish smile before scooting across the seat next to Nick.
“We’ll take you up on that offer soon,” Nick called before backing out of the drive.
Jesse walked into the living room to look at her grandmother. “Did you know Rachel and Nick are dating?”
“No, but I figured they might get around to it eventually. Don’t you think they make a good couple?”
“It’s not that, Grammy. It’s just that Nick is Gabriel’s friend and I’m sure he wouldn’t want to see Nick get hurt.”
“Oh, I doubt that’ll happen,” her grandmother said, chuckling. “I wouldn’t worry about Nick if I were you. Rachel will have her hands full with that man.” She patted the cushion next to her. “The Pope is about to speak. Sit down and watch.”
Interested to hear what the pope might say about Arakiel, she took a seat next to her grandmother on the sofa. The news was exploding with debate and open argument over statements Arakiel had made earlier. Worldwide, people were eager to voice opinions but no prominent political or religious figure had stepped forward to make an official statement.
The Pope stood in front of a large bundle of microphones as he prepared to speak. Looking into the camera, he greeted the world before offering a hand in friendship to everyone around the globe. The Pope had a lot to say. He talked about the Christian message being an integral part of many cultures before discussing truth, justice, mercy, charity and characteristics shared by all humanity.”
Jesse’s eyes were beginning to glaze over when the Pope finally said something that caught her attention. “The time has come for monotheistic religions across the world to focus on commonalities rather than differences.” Jesse’s eyes shifted to the right to see her grandmother’s lips tighten as the Pope went on to credit differences in many religions to nothing more than linguistics and tradition. When he encouraged the world to come together in response to God’s revelations through Arakiel, her grandmother lifted the remote. Jesse thought she was going to adjust the volume but instead the Pope’s face disappeared from the screen.
She turned to her grandmother. “Aren’t you going to watch the rest of the Pope’s speech?”
Her grandmother didn’t answer right away. When she finally did, her voice was tightly controlled. “I think I’ve heard enough to know the Pope’s opinion on the matter, but if you want to watch I’ll turn it back on.”
Jesse had to admit, her grandmother was practicing the advice she’d often given about not speaking when angry. Without a doubt, her grandmother was angry. “No, Grammy,” she said, getting up from the sofa, “I believe I heard enough myself.
Later that evening, Jesse started up the stairs when she heard her grandmother call to her from the living room. “Did you want something?” Jesse asked from the doorway.
“Anthony Evans is going to talk about the Pope’s comments,” she said, crossing her arms with a nod as if waiting on her favorite sports team to take on a top rival. “I thought you might want to watch. This should be interesting.”
Sitting down next to her grandmother, Jesse studied the two men in dark suits facing each other in upholstered armchairs. So, which one is Anthony Evans and who is he?”
“He’s the older man with the blue tie, a well-known Evangelical.” After introducing his guest, the younger host asked Mr. Evans if he agrees with the Pope’s assertion that Muslims and Christians are more alike than different.
Mr. Evans couldn’t hide his disdain. “Absolutely not. Christians and Muslims agree on one thing, that God exists. That’s where the similarity ends,” he said, starting to list fundamental differences between the two religions. “Muslims deny the very foundation of Christian theology by rejecting the truth that Jesus came to Earth as God in self-revelation.
Relaxing back, the host crossed one leg over the other. “What do you say to Arakiel’s claim that Jesus was a human who performed miracles by unleashing mental processes?”
Mr. Evan’s forced smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Arakiel’s claim contradicts the Bible that I and millions of other Christians adhere to as the inspired Word of God.”
The host looked innocently puzzled. “Don’t most religions have their own writings, or type of Bible?” He picked up a piece of paper from a nearby table to read down the list. “Christians have the Bible, Muslims the Quran, Jews the Torah, Hindus the Rig, Buddhists the Dhammapada—”
Mr. Evans’ eyes widened. “Yes, yes, but—”
“Look, Mr. Evans,” the Younger man interrupted. “Followers of every faith believe their religion is the one true religion. Every religion has its own version of truth and some type of scripture, all written by men. Why should the world think Christianity is better than Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, or any other religion for that matter?”
“Because Christianity is the true religion,” Mr. Evans answered gruffly. “Jesus said He is the way, the truth and the life.”
The host waved his hand dismissively. “Jesus says, Buddha says, Muhammad says. Every religion has some major figure. Tell me, Mr. Evans, if Arakiel is not what and who he says he is, then who is he? And if he is who and what he says he is, shouldn’t we believe what he says?”
Mr. Evan’s eyes flashed angrily in his heated face. “I don’t know what or who Arakiel is, but true Christians will not believe his lies.”
The reporter’s expression turned mildly scornful. “That sounds rather dogmatic, Mr. Evans. After all, we have no reason to doubt Arakiel’s claims. He came to Earth peacefully to make an offer of assistance that we are free to accept or decline.”
As the interview progressed, the host nettled the older man and succeeded in painting him as angry and intolerant. Jesse patted her grandmother’s arm. “People are confused and scared, Grammy. They want to believe Arakiel has come to help, but they’ll start to see through him soon enough.”
Sighing, her Grandmother shook her head. “I hope so.”
Jesse sighed as well, secretly wondering if the interview was a preview of the world’s response to the Pastor’s message.
Jesse turned in early that night. Hugging Gabriel’s pillow, she breathed deeply to inhale his scent as her mind floated dreamily along. Just as she was dozing off, her eyes flew open as scenes began to flash through her mind. Racing down the hall to the Glory room, she fell to her knees in front of the cross as mental images of Gabriel fighting to maintain control of the Jeep began to play out. She could see and hear everything—a narrow road, tires screeching over pavement, the sound of crunching metal as two vehicles raced down a winding mountain road. The black SUV rammed the back of Gabriel’s Jeep causing it to skid to the edge of the pavement before swerving away from the vertical drop.
“Oh, God, please, help them,” Jesse begged, covering her face as the scenario continued to unfold. As the terrain began to level out, the Jeep managed to pull ahead of the SUV. At an intersection, Gabriel turned quickly to the right but the SUV stopped completely before turning left.
Holding onto the banister, Jesse made it downstairs on quivering legs. Gabriel has to come home, and he would if her grandmother ordered him to. She stopped suddenly, her focus on the telephone. Quickly crossing the room, she pulled the handset from its base to punch in numbers with shaking fingers. She needed to hear Gabriel’s voice, to know he was okay. She would ask him to come home herself. He would listen to her. He had to. On her second attempt, the phone rang but his answering service picked up on the first ring. She latched on to the explanation that she wanted to believe. He’s just out of range.
Sitting on the sofa, Jesse dropped her face into her hands, trying to make sense of what she’d seen. She didn’t know if it was a waking nightmare or some kind of vision. The images had been so real. At the sound of footsteps, she looked up to see her grandmother walking into the room.
She sat down on the sofa. “What’s wrong, Jesse?”
She grabbed her grandmother’s hand. “You’ve got to do something, Grammy. Gabriel and Jonas are in danger.”
“Yes,” she said, nodding, “they are. Satan is trying to stop them. Fierce battles are being fought in the physical and spiritual realm, but Gabriel and Jonas walk under the ordered protection of angels.”
Jesse’s eyes begged her grandmother to understand. “I saw something—someone trying to push them off the road over the side of a mountain. I know they’re not safe. They could be killed, Grammy. Please, call Gabriel and tell him to come home.”
“No. I can’t do that. They have to finish what they set out to do.”
Jesse’s voice was strained with emotion. “I’ll ask him myself, then, Grammy. He’ll listen to me. You have to know that if something happened to him, it would kill me.”
Her grandmother stared ahead. The uncomfortable silence stretched out before she finally spoke. “You’re right, Jesse. Gabriel will listen to you. There’s no doubt that Gabriel loves you. But you know that he loves God, too. Will you ask Gabriel to choose?”
“I’d never ask that,” she said quickly. “I just want him to…” Her voice trailed off as she realized what she was saying. Everything she said had been about her and what she wants. Her concern for Gabriel was real but at the core was something else, selfishness. What does God want? What does Gabriel want? Would she only put God first when it was easy?
Her grandmother patted her hand. “I know what it’s like to love a man that much. It’s a wonderful blessing, but it can also be an awful curse.”
Turning to wipe tears away, Jesse picked up the handset. She pressed redial before hanging up. “He’s still out of range.” Turning to her grandmother she said, “You’re right, Grammy. I won’t ask him to come home.”
In her room, Jesse paced the floor. She turned to check the time again. Two hours since she last tried to call. Falling back onto the bed, she pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes. Waiting was torture. Getting up, she crossed the room to the phone. Just as she reached to pick it up, it started to ring.
Before she could speak, Gabriel asked, “Is everyone okay?”
“They talked over each other a few seconds before Gabriel said, “Jesse, stop.”
“Okay,” she said, closing her eyes and taking a breath. Talking slowly, she said, “Everyone here is okay. Are you and the Pastor alright?”
“We’re fine,” he said. “Now tell me what has you so frantic.”
Her accurate description of the car chase forced him, although reluctantly, to admit that they were having problems. He seemed unwilling to offer details and Jesse fought the desire to ask questions. Covering the mouthpiece, she took a steadying breath before saying, “I know that you and Jonas will find a way to finish what you’ve set out to do.”
“Jesse,” he said quietly, “I know what you want to say. Thank you, for not putting me in that position.”
Her hand tightened on the handset. “Please, Gabriel, just be careful. I love you.”
____________________
Jesse absently drummed her fingers on the coffee table before stopping to look at the clock over the mantle. She released a long breath. Gabriel and the Pastor had been gone six days but were expected to return home anytime. Jesse looked over to see Olivia staring at the front window. “They should be home soon,” Jesse said, getting up to walk around the room and look at photographs. She sat back down to tap out a tune with her fingertips on the coffee table. Her eyes slid to the clock again. Time seemed to be standing still. She felt like they were stuck in a time warp or suspended animation.
Hearing her name, Jesse turned. “Sorry, Grammy. Did you say something?”
“I asked if Gabriel said he and Jonas are pleased with the final results.”
Glad to have something to take her mind off the clock, she thought back to conversations with Gabriel over the last few days. “He said once production got underway everything went well. The production managers edited very little.” Her eyes lifted, thinking, trying to remember what else he’d said. “Oh, and he also said a media buyer is getting clearance to air the program nationally.”
Her grandmother shook her head. “Well, no wonder it took so long. That all sounds complicated.”
Seeing Olivia stand, Jesse followed her gaze to the window to see the flash of headlights through the front window. “They’re home,” Olivia said, hurrying to the front door.
Meeting Gabriel as he came up the porch steps, Jesse fell into his open arms. Lifting her in a long embrace, he said, “I didn’t know it was possible to miss someone so much.” He lowered her onto her feet before whispering, “I see I’m not the only who missed his wife while we were away.”
Jesse turned to see the Pastor and Olivia sharing an ardent kiss. Her fingertips came up to press against a smile. “I think you’re right.”
“I guess we should go in and talk to Florence,” Gabriel said, loud enough for the Pastor and Olivia to hear.
The Pastor stepped back with a sheepish grin to take Olivia’s hand and lead her inside.
Her grandmother was waiting for them in the living room. “Thank God you made it back safe,” she said, giving Gabriel and then the Pastor a hug. “I heard you had some problems while you were away.”
A veiled look passed between Gabriel and the Pastor. “Nothing we didn’t survive,” Gabriel said before changing the subject to say the Pastor received a revelation while they were away.
Anxious to hear the news, they gathered around the kitchen table, where everyone, except Jesse, focused on the Pastor. Resting her chin on her hand, she gazed contentedly at Gabriel’s face, noting the way his eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled back at her. He nodded, signaling for her to look at the opposite end of the table. When she did, heat filled her cheeks. Three amused faces were watching her. Gabriel reached over to cover her hand with his own before saying, “Go ahead, Jonas, tell them what we learned.”
The Pastor looked around at expectant faces. “Do you remember when Arakiel said the Golan Heights is very important to the Uronian mission? Well, I had a chance to do some research on the marker that Arakiel claims they built. In ancient days, the monument was probably used for tribal gatherings, pagan worship of idols and maybe even fallen angels. The same root of the word Refaim is used in the Hebrew Bible to refer to Nephilim.”
Jesse turned to Gabriel. “I never heard of Gilgal Refaim before it was mentioned by Arakiel. Had you?”
“No,” he said. “I don’t think many people in the West had. I saw pictures. From the air, it looks like a huge bull’s-eye, circles within circles. It was supposedly built around 3000 BCE; some say as early as 5000 BCE. Just one stone can weigh twenty tons and the total structure is estimated to weigh over 37,000 tons.
Jesse shook her head in disbelief. “Thirty-seven thousand tons. How could humans possibly move rocks that big without machines?”
“Humans couldn’t,” Gabriel said, “but giants with superhuman strength and fallen angels might. According to legend, Refaim was a race of giants who lived in the area thousands of years ago. Jonas and I talked about reasons the structure might have been built and why Arakiel says it’s so important now.”
“That’s right,” the Pastor said. “Arakiel says they’re watchers and have been monitoring the Earth for thousands of years. By saying they built the structure that many years ago, I think he’s suggesting they have a right to the area. It’s probably not a coincidence that it’s located in the Golan Heights, an area used for artillery attacks against Israel in the past.”
Jesse sat back, thinking. “I wonder what will happen if Israel doesn’t turn the area over?”
“It doesn’t matter now,” Gabriel said, “but I think Arakiel was hoping to put Israel in a bad situation. He thought if Israel refused to cooperate the world would turn on the them. But if they did turn it over, it would give Israel’s enemy a strategic advantage.”
Her grandmother looked puzzled. “Why do you say it doesn’t matter now?”
The Pastor’s face brightened. “It doesn’t matter now because God is going to destroy the whole thing.”
Olivia looked at her husband with rounding eyes. “How do you know that, Jonas?”
“Because God said so,” the Pastor said. He leaned forward, eager to tell what happened. “Late one night, I was praying in my room when I heard a voice that sounded like a rushing wind call my name. Suddenly, I was on my fee