“I’m good, Mum. I had a visitor last night.”
On any other day, that line would have got her worried. But not today. She knew who had visited Johnny.
“We’re going soon?” Johnny said.
“Where?”
“To meet the Lord.”
“In the sky?”
“That’s what the Bible says.”
“Bit frightening, hey?”
“Exciting more than frightening. The Lord is returning. The King is returning, just like he said he would. And the world needs him.”
She admired Johnny’s faith. The simple faith of one who’s heart was uncluttered by the world.
“I do think of Dad.”
Yes. Erica had been thinking of Jack for some time. She knew there would be no tears in heaven but the thought of leaving loved ones behind brought tears to her eyes. She had prayed and prayed for understanding.
“So do I, love. So do I.” She gave him a hug. “Only God knows what’s in a man’s heart. We don’t. I believe your dad believes in God, but I don’t think he’s connected the dots. God knows these things.’
“Maybe that will be enough, and he can connect the dots in the New Jerusalem.”
“Not heaven?”
He pointed up. “Yes, the new heaven, the new earth, I think we’ll be up there soon. I believe God is going to make all things new, the way it was meant to be.”
She loved the simplicity of youth, not burdened by the weight of the world. Johnny was right. God never planned for this world to continue down the path it had chosen. The virus of sin had spread through mankind. Now it was to be stopped and the nations healed.
Johnny walked over to the kitchen sink and poured himself a glass of water. He stared into the glass and swirled the water around. “I had a vision, a dream that I watched Adventus coming down out of heaven—strange, how we call the sky heaven. As it descended, parts of it broke away. Like it was shredding a skin.”
“Like a Kinder Surprise.” Erica smiled. Johnny had loved those chocolates when he was younger. She could still visualise the look on his face when he found the surprise hidden in the chocolate shell.
He chuckled. “Yes. Good example. It was like what I read in Revelation. Maybe that was the trigger for the dream.”
“Could be. I struggle with that book. There are so many different views and interpretations.”
“I know, Mum. Lots of strange ideas. But our youth pastor keeps it simple and says Jesus is coming back. Our pastor doesn’t have a wispy view of heaven, like so many believers do.”
“Wispy?”
“Yeah. Fluffy. Like we’ll all be floating on clouds and playing harps.”
She laughed but feelings of guilt lingered. She felt unprepared, like the bridesmaids who took their lamps out to greet the Lord but didn’t take any oil. They were considered foolish. That was her.
“The pastor believes there’s a city enclosed in Adventus. Once it’s revealed. it’ll be where the Lord will rule. His base. He’ll rule the nations.”
“Yes.” She felt his excitement, his enthusiasm. “A perfect leader. One we can trust.”
“Mum, about Dad. If he’s not there yet, maybe he’ll get a second chance.”
“Maybe.”
Erica wasn’t sure. She’d heard the sermons, attended the Bible studies, read the Bible. But she wasn’t sure.
“Mum, it’s all so obvious. The pastor told us. People think Easter is about chocolate eggs, but really it’s about the Passover, about deliverance. The Israelites painted the blood of the lamb on the sides and doorframes of the homes, and that saved them as death passed over.”
“Yes, we’re now covered by the blood of the lamb.”
A splash of contrast caught Erica’s attention on the screen. She turned to see large white letters against a dramatic red background. Breaking news.
“Reports are coming from the Middle East that the two bodies have vanished. An eyewitness says he saw their bodies rise, take a few steps, stretch, then raise their arms to the heavens and vanish.” The female newsreader was a clone of every other newsreader Erica could remember.
The local studio crossed to the Middle East, showing a magnificent sunrise in the background. The news anchors were an attractive couple. News was all about image. That was the world.
They showed a video of the two witnesses rising and vanishing in a cloud.
“There are suggestions this has been staged as a stunt. After the break, we’ll be chatting with a pyrotechnics expert to explain how fireworks can be used to create the cloud effect.” The newsreader gave a plastic smile.
Yes, the sceptics will come.
But something was happening in the studio. Both newsreaders were wide-eyed with fear. The man looked up, as if concerned with the ceiling.
“We may need to take a break, as I believe we’re experiencing an earthquake.” The woman grabbed her colleague’s arm.
