Far more importantly, though, he shuddered to think of how desperate and alone he would be if Katya had not chosen to follow Yeshua in the same moment he had, the very instant they had watched President James disappear before their eyes. Their boys thought they were crazy, and that broke their hearts. The senior executives of Medexco — those who were left, at leasT — also thought they had lost their senses. But it did not matter, Galishnikov realized. Not anymore. Everything they believed in, everything they valued, had changed in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye. He was only beginning to grasp the horrors that lay ahead. But at least he no longer had any doubt about where the two of them would spend eternity — and the friends that would be waiting for them there — and somehow that gave him a peace he couldn’t explain to face what was coming.
Galishnikov took one of the piping hot mugs from his dear wife’s hands and asked her to sit down. They had decisions to make, he said, and not much time to make them. He summarized Doron’s call and then picked up off his desk the leather Hebrew-Greek study Bible that Jon and Erin had given him at their wedding. He opened to a passage of Scripture he had just studied and underlined a few hours earlier, put on his glasses, and explained to Katya it was from the apostle Peter’s second letter to the believers, the third chapter, talking about “the last days” and the coming judgments of God.
“‘The day of the Lord will come like a thief,’” Galishnikov began to read. “‘The heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be?’”
He paused for a moment, then looked up and took off his glasses.
“This is the only question we really need to answer, my love,” he said at last. “What kind of people ought we to be? Peter goes on to encourage us to live holy and godly lives. A few verses later, he tells us to be ‘spotless and blameless’ and to be ‘diligent to be found by Him in peace.’ That’s all I want now, Katya. I want to be spotless and blameless before our Lord when we finally see Him face-to-face. I don’t want Him to be ashamed of us. I don’t want to shrink away from Him when we are bowing before Him in heaven.”
“Me too,” Katya said, tears now streaming down her cheeks.
Galishnikov took her in his arms and held her tight. “I love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you too, Dmitri.”
“Are you ready for all this?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she conceded, her voice catching. “I want to be, but I’m so scared.”
“I am too, darling — I am too,” he said, and then added, “Someday — maybe soon — I would love to have the awesome privilege of watching our Yeshua, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, say to you, ‘Well done, Katya, my good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your Master.’ And I’d love for you to see Him say the same thing to me.”
“Then we cannot go to Rome tomorrow,” Katya said, as the tears flowed faster. “Or Babylon thereafter.”
“Then what are we supposed to do?” he cried, his body shaking now. “What are we supposed to do?”
“Preach the gospel, I think,” she replied, holding him tightly. “Preach and pray and use the money He’s given us to lift up His name in the time we have left.”
“This old Russian Jew ain’t much of a preacher, I’m afraid,” he said, wiping his wife’s tears away. “That was Eli’s calling, not my own.”
“Who knows, Dmitri?” she replied, a twinkle coming back to her otherwise bloodshot eyes. “We might both be surprised by how the Lord chooses to use us in these final days.”
“Maybe so,” he sighed. “But where should I start?”
Katya turned and looked at the laptop on the desk behind them. “How about with an e-mail?” she said.
And a moment later, they were composing their first e-pistle, side by side.
TO: The 9,214 employees of Medexco worldwide
FROM: Dmitri and Katya Galishnikov
SUBJECT: Discovering the things that matter most
Dear friends, we have a story to tell you — good news amid all the bad — and we hope you will indulge us for a moment while we tell you something that has changed our lives. Exactly nine days ago today, as the world began spinning out of control, the two of us discovered just how much G-d loves us and what an amazing plan and purpose He has for our lives, and we would love nothing more than for you to discover the G-d who loves you, too….
Is It True?
To learn more about the research used for Dead Heat; to track the latest political, economic, and military developments in the Middle East and around the world; to learn more about the Joshua Fund’s mission “to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, according to Genesis 12:1–3” and our “Operation Epicenter” humanitarian relief strategy, please visit:
www.joelrosenberg.com
www.joshuafund.net
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Acknowledgments
When you write your first novel, you just hope your parents can find it at a bookstore within a hundred miles of their house. Anything beyond this is a miracle, and I find myself stunned by the miracle of having the privilege of writing not just one novel but five.
Time and space do not even begin to make it possible to thank everyone who has made The Last Jihad series so special and accessible to readers in the U.S. and Canada and around the globe. But to all I have named in my previous acknowledgments, please let me say thank you again from the bottom of my heart, especially the entire Tyndale publishing and PR family and Scott Miller of Trident Media Group, my literary agent extraordinaire.
Many, many thanks to our Joshua Fund team for translating our small initial vision to bless Israel and her neighbors into a vibrant and ever-expanding reality: Edward and Kailea Hunt, Tim and Carolyn Lugbill, Steve and Barb Klemke, Amy Knapp, John and Cheryl Moser, and June “Bubbe” Meyers. Thanks to our many strategic allies and silent partners throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Thanks to everyone in the Calvary Chapel family — especially those in Rio Rancho and Albuquerque, New Mexico — for all you’ve done to help us this year. Words cannot begin to adequately express how much we love and appreciate you all.
Finally, and most importantly, I want to express my deepest gratitude to Lynn, the love of my life and God’s greatest gift to me, apart from salvation itself; to my four wonderful sons and prayer warriors — Caleb, Jacob, Jonah, and Noah; to Lynn’s entire family; and to my parents, Len and Mary Rosenberg, and the entire Rosenberg team. May we never forget how blessed we are by God’s rich mercy and love or cease to do everything we possibly can to bless others in His matchless name.