Bennett shuddered at the implications and was suddenly overcome with thoughts of Erin. He was desperate to see her, to hold her, to comfort her.
He needed fresh air. He needed to stretch his legs and clear his head.
He got up and excused himself, stepped onto the stone porch, and stared out over the twinkling lights of Jerusalem. His mind raced through a million disparate thoughts, but all of them came back to this: Could any of this be true? And if so, what did it mean for Erin? What did it mean for him?
39
McCoy awoke in a filthy shower stall.
She was naked and shivering, her body bruised and bleeding.
Her left eye was nearly swollen shut. She tried to shield her face from the searing pressure of the frigid water raining down upon her only to have fierce pain shoot through her right arm. It, too, was swollen and discolored. McCoy feared it was broken.
She shifted her legs — the skin was ripped open in several places, and she was losing quite a bit of blood, but she could still feel them, and she took that as a good sign.
How long had she been here? She had no idea.
The skin on her fingers was wrinkled and slightly blue. She used her left arm to prop herself up against the back of the stall, looking down toward the drain so her face would be protected, if only a little, and suddenly she realized how good the cold water tasted to her parched lips and throat.
It was a blessing, she decided — a small one, but a blessing just the same.
But what about Jon? She couldn’t bear to imagine him suffering what she was. He wouldn’t survive. She wasn’t sure she could.
Maybe it was better just to tell Jibril what he wanted to know and pray that Langley was not so stupid as to have left those codes unchanged. If she ever survived this nightmare and got back to America, she could face the consequences then. For though it made her sick to her stomach to admit it, Jibril was right — she would never forgive herself for causing Bennett to suffer. It had been less than twenty-four hours, and it was already eating away at her.
Bennett awoke unrested.
He forced himself to shower, shave, and dress, then checked his voice mail before joining Dr. Mordechai out on the stone porch. The sky was a pale, cloudless blue. The air was cool for September, and there was a light breeze blowing from the north. It was the kind of glorious day for which Erin McCoy lived, and once again he could think of nothing but her.
“Morning,” he said to Mordechai, almost in a whisper, as he sat down at the table.
“Good morning, Jonathan. How did you sleep?”
“Like a baby,” Bennett admitted. “Woke up every few hours and cried.”
And then, somewhat awkwardly, he said, “If you’ll forgive me, Dr. Mordechai, I’ll be right back.” Then he bowed his head, folded his hands, and prayed silently.
Good morning, Father. I love you so much, and I thank you for your mercy, for saving my life, and saving my soul, and being a God of second chances. And Lord, I beg you this morning to forgive me — for the selfishness that’s been consuming me, for the thoughts of revenge I’ve been harboring, for not spending time with you these past few weeks, for not being as faithful in prayer for Erin as I know she’s been for me.
Lord Jesus, please have mercy on Erin this morning. Wherever she is — whatever she’s going through — please take care of her, Father. Protect her. Give her peace. Give her courage. And bring her back to me, Lord Jesus, please. I know I don’t deserve her. But your Word says it’s not good for a man to be alone, and I don’t believe you brought us together just to rip us apart forever. Did you? Is that what you’re asking of me? I can’t believe that. And I don’t think I could handle that. But not my will, Lord, but yours be done. Thank you so much for this food, for this home, for Dr. Mordechai’s friendship. I pray that you would lead me and guide me in the way I should go, and please counsel me, Lord, with your eye upon me. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Bennett took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and looked up.
“Welcome back,” said Mordechai.
“Thanks, it’s good to be back,” Bennett sighed, and somehow the heaviness began to lift. His worries about Erin, at least for the moment, seemed to fade.
A breakfast of eggs, hash browns, and fresh fruit awaited him, and he suddenly realized he was famished.
“Well, Jonathan, what do you think about our conversation last night now that you have had a chance to reflect on it a bit?” Mordechai asked as he poured Bennett a cup of Turkish coffee.
“You’ve got to admit, it’s pretty hard to swallow,” said Bennett.
“What, that God is about to punish His enemies with earthquakes, hailstones, hellfire, and brimstone?”
“It sounds like something out of Independence Day or Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
“I picture Tolkien’s Return of the King, but yes, it is going to be dramatic, to say the least.”
“And you really believe all this is about to happen?”
“I do,” said Mordechai, looking out over the city he loved. “I am not going to lie to you and say it was not a leap for me at first. It was. But I no longer have any doubt that we are living in the last days before the return of the King of kings and the Lord of lords.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I am an old man, Jonathan. I have seen wars and rumors of wars. Revolutions, famines, earthquakes, tsunamis, persecution of unimaginable proportions. The Holocaust. The rebirth of the State of Israel. The Jewish people pouring back into the Holy Land from all over the world. Jerusalem back in the hands of the Jewish people. The rise of a dictator in Russia. A Russian alliance with Iran. It is happening, Jonathan. All around us, every day, the ancient Scriptures are coming alive.”
“But you’re talking about an apocalypse on the order of Sodom and Gomorrah.”
“No, no. Much bigger — and far more visible. Sodom and Gomorrah were two small cities in the Jordan Valley. Ezekiel 38 speaks of the most dramatic day in human history since the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
“The beginning of the judgment against God’s enemies.”
“Yes, it is about judgment, to be sure, but it is about more than that. Do you remember the last verse of Ezekiel 38? God says, ‘I will magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the LORD.’ ”
Mordechai looked Bennett in the eye. “Do you see it, Jonathan? Can you hear the heart of God calling to us through the centuries? Yes, He will judge His enemies, those who have killed and persecuted Jews and Christians and waged war against His name. But for the first time since Yeshua HaMaschiach walked this earth, the God of the universe is about to reveal Himself to a world that has long forgotten Him.
“The apostle Peter said, ‘In the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?”… But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.’
“Judgment is just one part of God’s plan. But so is salvation. God wants to catch people’s attention, Jonathan. He wants to awaken them from their slumber. I have no doubt a day of great terror is coming. But a great spiritual awakening is coming as well. And it is possible that more people could become followers of Christ through this single event than at any other time in history. Millions. Possibly tens of millions, if not more.