Chapter 9 - A Battle Worth Fighting
Eli then assembled The Warriors, The Healers, and The Watchers for a crucial final briefing.
“Papa has spoken,” said the powerful holy warrior, “and Prince Michael has issued new orders. General Victor, Triumphant Ones have been reassigned. They are to proceed directly to the construction site and permanently secure the entire arena. No dark thing is to remain or return. The need for warriors in Tel Aviv and the other targeted areas previously discussed has been confirmed. Dispatch your troops at once as recorded.”
Jasmine then addressed the heavenly armies assembled before the throne. “Lieutenant Galen, your Healing Ones are to take up their positions near the Eastern Gate, as it is written. Have my sisters in place by nightfall.”
“May I suggest Healers for the intercessors as well, Esteemed One?” Galen asked respectfully.
“Papa said you would offer. Their prayers are our strength. As you have stated, let it be done,” ordered Jasmine.
Eli concluded the briefing. “Elite Forces, you have been sent to strategic locations around the King David and the Mount of the Lord as planned. Once in place, you are to await Papa’s perfect timing.”
Heaven’s unseen armies were immediately deployed to secure the salvation of one man’s soul according to the words written in the Books of Life. Everyone understood Papa’s heart. All knew what was at stake.
“Mr. Collins. I’ve been expecting your call. I know I have a lot of explaining to do. Could we meet somewhere this evening to talk, somewhere quiet?” requested a humbled Peter Massad.
“Of course. Is the hotel restaurant alright?” replied Micah. “I could reserve a corner booth for shall we say, 6:00pm?”
“That will be fine. I’ll meet you at the front desk at 6:00pm. Thank you, sir.”
“Sir, Lieutenant Galen’s forces successfully withstood our troops at the Massad home,” reported Captain Lyar. “We were not allowed to lay a finger on the human.”
“No! He must not meet the prophet! How many times need I explain the threat?” roared an angry Prince Roz.
“Idiots! Incompetent fools! Must I personally fight every single battle to ensure the dominion of my kingdom in this world? Deobolas, blow the ram’s horn! Send the call to arms throughout my ranks and release those in waiting. I am no longer interested in slaves or prisoners. Kill them all!” commanded the vicious Prince of Destruction.
“The holy command has come!” Eli announced to the waiting armies of heaven. “Seize the moment on behalf of Beloved!”
Immediately, twelve brilliant doorways appeared in a circle in the skies above the future Rapha Children’s Hospital. Blinding light rained down on every square inch of the site, from the main entrance above to the depths of the pit below. Legions of radiant, winged unicorns of every shape, size and color poured out the heavenly doorways in a surprise attack.
As Triumphant Ones descended, thousands of glistening hooves sliced into the flesh of the unsuspecting demons. From inside trailers and concrete pilings; from dump trucks to bull dozers; from the bottom of the hole to the top of large gravel mountains, razor sharp horse teeth ripped apart the bodies of hell’s soldiers. Powerful holy legs violently kicked the adversaries of heaven from one end of the construction site to the other.
Without mercy, shimmering single horns of steel were thrust again and again into the sides of dark warriors. Suffering wound after wound, bloody and broken creatures of hell fell to the ground by the hundreds. Instantly, their mortally injured bodies dissolved into puddles of black ink. Their thick liquid remains slowly oozed through the dirt, descending into prepared prison cells at the center of the earth.
Realizing the magnitude of his defeat, Commander Deobolas ordered what few troops remained to withdraw and regroup at Amir’s office. Severely injured, the creatures fled to the skies in retreat. Hoping to strengthen his battered army with troops already in position inside the building, Deobolas began his search for reinforcements. But when his ragtag army arrived, Deobolas discovered Triumphant Ones had just taken control of the area. None of his comrades had survived the attack.
Desperate to escape the siege, Deobolas turned and led his troops north of the city, but to no avail. Heaven’s warriors easily overtook the retreating army, forcing them to fly south back over the city. The defeated army was then driven more than thirty miles south to the high mountains near Masada.
A battalion of Triumphant Ones were waiting. One-by-one, the fleeing soldiers were kicked through the air and down towards the edge of the Dead Sea. Greeted by yet another contingent of holy unicorns, the dark soldiers were immediately skewered, lifted off the ground and thrown into the salty sea. As their bodies touched the lifeless water, each one was instantly transformed into a unicorn-shaped pillar of salt. By the end of the battle, the shore of the Dead Sea was littered with hundreds of newly formed statues of grotesque-looking winged creatures.
In the heat of battle, Commander Deobolas somehow managed to slip away. Convinced he had successfully eluded his enemy, the escaping warrior found a secluded cave high above the desert valley floor in which to hide. Once majority of the Holy Ones had withdrawn from the battlefield, he then decided it was safe to seek more permanent shelter. Extending his massive unicorn wings, Deobolas cautiously began his descent down the rocky cliffs only to discover the powerful General Victor himself had been waiting.
The two mighty warriors faced off in a fight to the death. Soaring through the skies high above the salt flats the epic battle continued. With heads down and horns carefully aimed, the two soldiers charged. Sparks of light exploded like fireworks as their sword-like horns collided.
Positioning himself for yet another assault, Deobolas suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right hind-quarter. Turning to investigate, he saw the gaping wound and the black blood running down his side. Seizing the momentary hesitation of his severely injured adversary, General Victor turned his rear end towards Deobolas. And with a single kick of his muscular hind legs, the dark commander was rocketed into the hot desert skies above.
Unable to regain his stability, the wicked creature tumbled through the air then plummeted to the earth landing about nine miles south of Jerusalem, near Bethlehem. Without giving his opponent a moment’s rest, General Victor advanced for yet another assault. Again and again he kicked. His razor sharp hooves repeatedly sliced into the dark flesh of his enemy, inflicting wound after wound.
Then forcing Deobolas eastwards back towards the Dead Sea, the defeated warrior saw the bodies of his fallen comrades lining the southwestern shore. Mortally wounded, unable to mount a defense, the once-mighty Deobolas lay helpless as General Victor moved in for a final attack. Plunging his massive horn straight into the middle section of the dark unicorn, Victor then flung the creature into the middle of the salty waters. Commander Deobolas sank to his grave at the bottom of the inky, dead sea 2,300 miles below sea level, never to rise again.
“Sir, the hospital site has been recovered,” reported the victorious General. “Triumphant Ones also confirm they have defeated Captain Lyar’s army in Tel Aviv, however the wicked captain has escaped. In addition, Radiant ones eliminated two snipers, one near Nazareth and the other in a cave in Bethlehem. All cities are now secure.”
“Well done my faithful brothers,” stated Eli to his courageous comrades.
Meanwhile, Jasmine’s sisters surrounded the homes of both the Collins families in the United States. Healers stood watch as Micah’s wife and his parents continued their all-night prayer vigil.
Lieutenant Galen also dispatched two additional battalions of Healers to the Kidron Valley, stationing them on either side of the city’s massive Eastern Gate. No counter-offensive was recorded.
“So you see, Mr. Collins,” Peter concluded as the two men were finishing dessert, “Tobias Amir was directly responsible for the collapse of that parking garage in Tel Aviv. And I don’t know exactly how, but he is planning something similar for the children’s hospital. His m
en stole the rebar and started the fire at the project site. But believe me when I tell you, I don’t have a clue how they managed to move that equipment.”
“Tobias threatened to hurt my son if I did not get the money from you,” Peter continued. “I had no choice. I had to take Jason somewhere he would be safe. He’s staying with friends in Nazareth. I also explained the situation to my father. As a precaution, he and mom have gone to the coast for a few days.”
There was a long pause in the conversation as each man pondered the gravity of the situation they now faced. Finally, Micah broke the uncomfortable silence.
“Peter, it took a great deal of courage to come forward with this information. We’ll contact the police and make sure Mr. Amir and his accomplices are arrested. I’m sure when the authorities understand your willingness to cooperate with this investigation no charges will be filed against you. I’ll contact Zuriel. CEI will do everything in our power to keep you and your family safe until Amir and his men are in custody.”
“Mr. Collins, I was wrong to participate with such illegal activities. I know that now. If I had gone through with my end of the deal, I may well have been a party to murder. I could never have lived with myself if that happened. My selfish decisions have already hurt the people I love the most. I want to make my life better, but I don’t know how. You are a man of faith. Please, tell me what do,” pleaded the broken man.
“Let’s take a walk,” Micah suggested.
The two men left the hotel and quietly walked around the old city wall. Micah led the way, taking the same path he had followed his first night in Jerusalem. Once on top of the wall, Micah found the same rest station where he had wept.
“Let’s rest here for a while.”Micah said to Peter.
The two men sat down together only this time, instead of facing west, the men sat facing east looking out towards the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane.
“Peter, I have a confession to make. All my life I have studied, prayed, and tried to live by the teachings of the God of the Bible, by the words of the same God who revealed himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But since I have been in Jerusalem, God has personally taught me more about His heart for both Jews and Gentiles than I have learned in all my years of study. And you have been a part of my holy education. God brought the two of us together to teach us both a lesson about His great love, not just for nations but for individuals like you and me.
Jerusalem lay quiet and heaven listened as the prophet spoke the Father’s heart.
“Peter, hear the words of Jehovah, the LORD God, Maker of heaven and earth to you:
‘I am mercy. I am not some unfeeling deity as you have imagined me to be, detached, remote, never feeling the pain of your afflictions. I am not a casual observer in your world.
‘I was with you as you argued with your wife in the car before the accident. I was right beside you as the paramedics respectfully placed her body in the ambulance and drove away. I was there as my holy angels carried your beloved friend to her eternal home with me. I held you in my arms as you wept by her grave side. I heard your groans and personally felt your grief within my own heart.
‘I was there to comfort your son when he learned he was blind. I heard his prayers for your comfort and salvation.
I was mercy to you when you called me hateful names, accused me of cruel actions and swore you would never follow me.’
‘It is a great mystery, but Mercy was once in anguish just as you have been. There was a night I stood in a garden in the midst of the Mount of Olives and wept for my friends. I extended mercy, but they chose hate. Their hearts were hardened like yours.
‘Mercy was betrayed by close friends. Jealous leaders condemned Mercy to die in a phony trial of justice. Barbaric thorns and broken glass ripped open the flesh of my back. Mercy was nailed to a splintery, rugged cross. Holy blood spilled out onto the dirt beneath my pierced feet. I could have easily saved myself. I am God. I chose to save you.’
‘I am mercy and through my death, the full and just penalty for your sin has been completely and forever paid in full. No one else could pay your debt but me because I alone am God. Besides me, there is no other.’
‘My son, I did not abandon you. You abandoned me. In mercy I come to you now. I come to seek, to deliver, to rescue you from the fruit of your own bitterness. I come to set you free from the prison of your selfish ambitions and self-centered greed. Israel missed the Merciful One. Do not you miss me, Peter. Will you trust me to heal your heart? Will you come home before it’s too late?’”
Peter stared at the Mount of Olives in absolute silence trying to comprehend the words of the prophecy. All of the sudden his mind was flooded with a tidal wave of images, memories, voices, and choices. It was like a dam had burst inside his soul. In rapid succession, he remembered hearing his wife scream and the doctor saying Jason was permanently blind. He remembered the arguments with his father and rejecting the love of his son.
Peter remembered the ATM message, the radio voice and words in his book. He remembered the awful fear, the dead serpent and that all-consuming darkness. He remembered the handshake in the pit, the fire and the threats. He remembered the TV images and the pigs. And he remembered his name carved into the flesh of those nail pierced hands.
After several moments Peter turned to Micah and said, “The events of my life have not been a series of random coincidences. And they are not the result of a guilty conscious or an overactive imagination. These are supernatural events. God is here right now. He is with me. He has always been with me. I understand that now. I’m not angry any more. I’m not afraid any more. I want to stop running away from God and simply come to Him if He will have me.”
With that confession of faith, Peter surrendered his life to the redeeming love of Jesus Christ. Overcome with emotion, he buried his head in his hand and wept like he had never wept before. Cleansing, healing tears streamed down his face. Micah sat humbly next to the prodigal and prayed. So did heaven.
It was very late when Micah and Peter decided to head back to the King David Hotel. They still had about twenty minutes of walking ahead of them when Peter said,
“I know a short cut not far from here. There is an alleyway up ahead that will take us around to the back side of the YMCA. We’ll be at the hotel in half the time.”
“Sounds good to me,” smiled Micah. “Lead the way.”
The two men were just coming out of the alley behind the YMCA when Tobias and three of his employees stepped out from the shadows. Standing directly in front of the tired men Tobias said menacingly,
“Kind of late to be walking through dark alleys, isn’t it gentlemen? You never know what kind of trouble you might run into at this hour of the night.”
“You mean what kind of rats might come crawling out from under a rock, don’t you? What do you want Amir?” demanded Peter.
“Massad! Massad! Is that any way to treat a business partner?” scoffed Tobias as he firmly put his arm around Peter’s shoulder. “My men and I have been looking all over town for you. I don’t like double-crossers. Some associates of mine are anxious to see you. We came to give you a ride. So why don’t you and your boss just walk nice and slow towards that black sedan across the street and…”
Unseen to human eyes, four demonic soldiers stood beside Amir and his men. Having escaped the earlier slaughter of their comrades, the four surviving warriors were still in full control of their willing captives. Thrilled at the opportunity now before them, the demons danced about wildly, roaring in unison,
“At last! We are the victors! While heaven sings, we will crush their precious beloved. Then we’ll see what kind of song the saints will sing.”
But their hopes were short lived. As the dark warriors moved towards Peter and Micah, Elite Forces materialized directly in front of Amir and his three companions. Instantly the radiant beings, with the legs of a horse, the upper torso of a human male, and wings more like iron bars than feathers, encircled the startled w
arriors. Hopelessly surrounded hell’s would-be victors were trapped.
In a flash of blinding holy light, the earth beneath the demonic hooves gave way revealing a bottomless shaft. Screaming in agony as they fell, all four creatures plummeted down the shaft into fiery prison cells in the bowels of the earth, there to remain until the time of final judgment. Then as quickly as shaft had opened, the entrance to hell closed and the battle was over.
“I don’t think so! Everybody, hands in the air, now!” shouted a commanding male voice. Spinning around, Tobias discovered he and his men were surrounded by policemen with pistols in hand, aimed directly at Amir’s men.
Zuriel ben-Hadar stepped out from behind one of the officers, saying, “Shalom my friend! Good thing I got your text message in time.”
Walking over to shake Zuriel’s hand, a relieved Micah said, “Boy am I ever glad to see you! I wasn’t sure you’d still be up.”
As Tobias and his men were handcuffed and put into the squad cars, Micah, Zuriel and Peter walked together across the boulevard to the King David. It was well after midnight when they entered the hotel lobby. Peter and Zuriel said their final ‘goodbyes’ and both headed home. Micah checked the front desk for his mail then took the elevator up to his room. Closing the door behind him, Micah heard the YMCA clock chime 1:00am. All of the sudden he was overwhelmed with a sense of divine peace.
“And all is well,” he said out loud.
Eli and Jasmine stood reverently beside the prophet as holy love filled the room.
The Zelphi humbly recorded the words of life in the prophet’s book of life.
Prince Michael and his Elite Forces watched from the alleyway across the street, giving thanks to the Father above.
General Victor and Lieutenant Galen watched from atop the YMCA clock tower rejoicing with their holy brethren.