Gibbeah change. And time come for everybody to pick a side. This old man, who was fool to people one time, make sense now. Soon, two more join them outside. People who know people who know people who is the cousin twice removed of one of them, say that she out in the sun because church just don’t feel right no more. But everybody else think it feel right so that mean it right to them. See here, the Apostle tell the pickneys in Sunday school that if anything happen to them, they must tell their spiritual father first, who is he.
And him tell people other things. First him saying that Jesus used to walk with money and that if the Devil come to steal, kill, and destroy, we must steal, kill, and destroy back. And how we not to say Jesus name in church no more. And how we need to explore deeply what was really goin on between David and Jonathan. People who know people who know one of the men who gone outside say that the man decide to leave when him hear them things. Him didn’t like them things the Apostle was saying. That did sound like some queer business. Some pervert business. Him say the final straw was when the Apostle get into Onan and say that him sin was not backing him fist, but wasting him seed. The man never like that at all. Him say a man must feel shame if he ever back him fist. The man leave and go outside cause him no understand why man would want to jerk him own cocky and go blind when all around you see pretty girl who pum-pum tight. The Apostle shaking up things too much, him say, and the people just take what him say without even a grumble. We make him go. Him not washed in the true blood of the lamb. Many are called but few are chosen.
The Apostle on fire. Him tell the church that to heal the sick we have to exterminate the sickness. Nobody know what exterminate mean, but we sure it mean bringing down Hellfire and damnation. Him saying new things and old things too fast for some people. Them don’t know if him talking to God or the Devil, so they go outside too.
The Apostle warn bout this thing that hit Kingston like the Plague in Egypt in Bible Chapter Exodus. Some call it television and some call it TV. Is a box that show picture. The box not bigger than a banana box, but the evil! Him say it right to name the thing TV, cause TV stand for Totally Vile! Or Terrible Vice! Or Trash and Violence! Him say nobody in Gibbeah should ever buy a TV cause it soon go out of style and people goin back to redifusion. Him say that even radio allow straightway for demons, and one day soon and very soon God’s holy purging fire will consume the movie theater.
Him say God’s people must lean on God’s people and Gibbeah should watch who we let in from now on, cause the Devil people can take human form and demons are already among us.
Some people can’t deal with this so them gone outside to hear Pastor tell them bout the good news that God anoint him to tell the poor. People who know people who ask people heard from people that Bligh telling his little congregation what them need to hear even if it’s not what them want. Them say that if Hector Bligh can stand this Hellfire sun to talk bout righteousness, then they can stand it too.
It came to pass when nobody could remember what happened to the Majestic Cinema. From the start, the story was fraught with an incomplete ending, an unsolved mystery. While the who’s and why’s were often discussed, answers were tentative and the truth was never forthcoming. This much was known, even though not much was repeated. The Apostle York had said that God’s holy fire would consume the cinema and consume it did, even though not many were convinced of the fire’s divine source. After all, the Majestic was several miles away. That the proprietor was burnt to ash raised doubts. That two sneaky children from a neighboring village were also burnt to ash raised more. “The Lord was merciful, but also vengeful,” the Apostle said. His justice was swift and terrible to those who disobeyed Him and caused His people to sin.
That Sunday, the Apostle York recited eight woes of which the last was the first.
“Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! Don’t be foolish, church. You know who this scripture is speaking about. He torments us even today. God is looking for people who will stand up in faith. God is looking for people who will carry out His command no matter how Holy, no matter how brutal, no matter how violent they may be. Who’s ready to be violent for the Lord?
“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. Church, right now we have a problem. A problem of two heads, and one head is causing us to sin. He’s already lured three of you out into the wide road that leads to damnation. Beloved! A body with two heads is not twice as intelligent. He’s a monster! An aberration. The other head isn’t a head, it’s an abscess! The Lord says cut it out! Cut it out! Cut it out! Come now, church, who is ready to be violent for the Lord?”
Is the Sunday after Easter Sunday and the Apostle dealing with we hard. We no feel this fair. Things did hard enough searching the hymnal for hymn that don’t say Jesus. Now the Apostle say we not to have nothing to do with the things of this world cause everything is permit for the Devil. Some people start mumble. But the Apostle don’t say nothing that didn’t come out of God mouth first. Me not goin to be in the way when God come back to judge the quick and the dead. From me is little girl, the Bible say don’t cross with God cause Him would expose we and then Him would punish we. Plenty girl in Hell now feeling fire all the way up to them pokie cause them cross God. God knock down the wall of Jericho and kill every little boy baby in Egypt. God make river stink with blood and Him send Him own people to Babylon fi suffer hard. God kill all of Job pickney and fling Joseph in prison. Is six people outside now a listen to Pastor Bligh and God goin burn them up with Holy fire, just like him burn down the Majestic. You just watch and see.
Hector Bligh think him on fire for the Lord; him just a blaze up the street. Sun did hot but him extra hot. We no know what goin happen to church if anybody else start blaze. But the Apostle a deal with we hard. Him ask we question that nobody can answer. Him ask if we truly ready to follow God, cause all Jamaican people have is mouth. Him ask we again if we really, really, really ready to follow God, cause Christianity is not no play-play religion. Him say to follow God we have to move with God and you can’t move with God if you staying where you be. This is why God can’t bless Gibbeah. This is why there is a plague on the village and evil rising to flourish. The Devil re-staking him claim on Gibbeah but we must resist and stand up for God. Then him get harder, a fling scripture give we like cat o nine pon field negro backside.
“He who has ears, let him hear! If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. He who has ears, let him hear.”
Him say that is a special word for Gibbeah’s people of God. The word could be for one person or it could be for the whole church. Some of we have to get rid of the thing keeping we down so that we can fly high for God. We have to get rid of sin. The skirts that getting short and shorter. Them Little Richard and Tennessee Ernie Ford and Elvis records, even Peace in the Valley. The ganja, the friend who don’t come to church. The drinking, the fornication, the tobacco; we have to give up everything. Even husband have to give up wife, and mother give up pickney, cause them is the things that we turn into idol the most. Anything that have nothing to do with God have nothing to do with we and we must hate them things. We must hate anybody who don’t worship God the way we worship God, in spirit and truth every day and night. We must hate anybody who don’t see say that when God come to Earth Him was a man who did hard-up and hot and feel the burden of temptation just like we. Anything that God don’t have nothing to do with, we must hate it. Anybody who don’t come to church, we must hate like poison, that is what God say somewhere in the Bible. It don’t matter if is we own mother. The Apostle say that God say that Gibbeah must cut itself off from the sin that so easily entangle. That’s what him say. Him say we need to throw down everything and pick up the cross. Him say we need to hate father and mother and pastor who call themself father. Pastor who out in the street and right now dragging a precious few straight down to Hell. “We need to cut it out, church; we need to cut it out! Cut it out! Cut it out! We can’t serve God and the Devil,” the Apostle say.