He was walking through the crowd at the commons, yelling, “The time is nigh! Prepare yourselves for the second coming. Throw off these chains and prepare your hearts!” He would then walk on and repeat the same words over and over again.
Susan finally approached the man and asked, “What are you yelling about?”
The man looked at her and started yelling again, “Prepare for the second coming of Christ!”
He turned to yell at the crowd and Susan put herself in front of him again. “Stop this!”
“You have no authority to stop the work of God!” yelled the man.
“You say you speak with the authority of God then?” Susan asked.
“I am his mouth piece. As in the prophets of old.” the man explained.
“Then why did you not go to the elders first.” Asked Susan.
“They have no authority over God!” said the man.
“No, but they have authority over you.” Susan said, “Go before them and preach your message.”
“Those den of vipers would not listen!” the man shouted to the crowd.
“You're drunk!” Said Susan.
The man turned to Susan, a woman that barely stood five feet tall, “You Harlot of the Devil!” and charged toward her when suddenly two farmers grabbed him.
The security guards that were outside were called and the man was put in their mig-shift detention cell.
He continued to yell as loud as he could. Saying that this village would be raised to the ground. That we were all sinning against the will of God. He quoted a few scriptures from the old testament and yelled more and more.
Most ignored him. When the Elders were finally assembled they determined that they would wait till morning to deal with him. Most likely he would yell himself out, get some sleep and be somewhat reasonable in the morning. The man yelled all night. By morning he was worn out. He was brought to the assembly of elders.
Both Alan and Mike had been ministers at one time, so they took the lead. Alan first, “What is your message?”
The man did not look at him or speak.
Mike was not as patient as Alan and broke in, “You had so much to say last night, so why not tell us?”
Again silence.
Alan then realized what the man was doing, “You are no Christ and you don’t stand accused here. Speak your mind because we will not make a martyr of you.”
The man stayed silent for the next minute, then two.
“Fine, we will put you back in your cage and let you think about this for a day or two.”
At this the man’s head rose. “You are a den of vipers and God will smite you for this.”
“Really.” Alan said. “For what?”
“You have placed your throne above that of God.” said the man.
“And how did we do that?” asked Alan.
“By not giving him credit for preserving you.” Said the man.
“Oh.” Mike said. “And just who do you think we sing to and speak of on Sunday, And where have you been on Sunday?.”
The man looked at him, “I commune with God on the day of rest, unlike the rest of you who toil in the fields when you should be contemplating and giving thanks to God!”
“The old Testament is gone, the law was fulfilled.” said Mike.
“You fools!” The man yelled.
Alan waited for the man to stop then asked, “What is your name?”
“I am a prophet.” Said the man.
“Isaiah… Jeremiah, Ezekiel, or maybe one of the minor prophets.. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi or some un-named one?” Alan asked.
“You mock me.” The man said.
“No, I’m simply asking your name.” Alan said smoothly, ”And trying to determine if you are one of the prophets that will return.”
The man looked at Alan and said nothing. Alan continued, “There are two that are to return to us. They have not died and God was to put them back on Earth during the last days. Are you one of them?” Alan turned to Mike then said, “If so, which one?”
The man said nothing
Mike stepped in, “Are you one of them?” He did not mention either by name. Mike knew where Alan was heading. If the man was as he said, he should know the names of the two that have not died.
Then Alan asked, “And why are you here and not in Israel? At the Temple?”
The man looked at the crowd. “You are the ones that are unholy. You allow non believers to inhabit your dwellings. Sit on your thrones.” and he pointed to Kan Ho and Mr. Walk.
Alan didn’t take the bait. This was not about God or spirituality. This man had something that was lost and he wants it back. Alan went up and sat in his chair beside Kan. “Yes, this man sits at an elders chair. And what’s worse is the man sitting in my chair. I’m no spiritual leader, nor do I claim to be. This is a… for lack of a better word. A State. A Political government and the only structure of its kind around here anymore. We do not claim to act… No. We have acted in accordance with our beliefs, but do not profess them here in this assembly. This assembly is of man and its govenous. Nothing more. Our churches and commons buildings have services for faith.
The man interrupted Alan, “You are neither warm nor cold and I will spit you out of my mouth!” he than spat on the floor.
“Enough!” Alan yelled. “You will not take the word out of context while I breathe. That worn out statement and many others have been used to manipulate people for centuries. Do you even know where in the world that phrase originated from and what it’s true meaning is?”
The man glared at Alan, “You will have a millstone wrapped around your neck and will be cast into the depth.”
“WOW, really. That’s your comeback.” Alan mocked him. “And I suppose that we are to give up all our Earthly goods to the church and devote our hands to his work as you see fit?”
“You are to prepare yourself for his coming, yes.” The man looked at the people, he did not look at the council. “He is coming…”
Alan cut him off. “No one knows when?”
“He is coming!” The man yelled.
“When!” Alan demanded.
“The Tribulations have started…” the man said.
“And what of the rapture? Did that happen and we… Didn’t make it?” Alan asked.
Alan let the question go unanswered for about thirty seconds, “You didn’t make it?”
The man looked at him.
Alan said, “You don’t know. No one has ever.. known. When. It’s just a fantasy made up by men to scare people into doing what they wanted.” Alan Stood. “Please excuse me.” He looked at the other members of the council. “In my faith, God is real. Christ came and died for us. Then left to return at the end of days. No one knows when this day will happen. No one but the Father. Not even Christ.” Alan looked at the man, “I will not preach to you here. This is not the place. If you have questions on faith then come break bread with me or join me on Sunday. But today, we look at motivations. The phase he uttered about warm and cold is a new testament concept that many have misused. Again. If you have questions on theology and faith, join me after this council meeting. This is not the place.”
“God should be at the center of all you do.” Yelled the man.
Alan turned to him, “He is, or you would be dead by now.”
In a low tone, Mike asked, “What is your name?”
The man hesitated, then said, “Calvin.”
“Okay. Calvin.” Mike stood. “Now, Calvin. Where do you live?”
Calvin did not answer.
“Calvin?” Mike said louder.
Calvin was looking about. Maybe he thought he would find someone sympathetic to his cause. By the look on everyone's face, he did not. He looked at Mike who was approaching him, “Down by the Puyallup River.”
“In Orting?” Mike asked.
“Yes.”
“In one of those really nice homes that were abandoned?”
“Yes.”
“And what preparations have you made for this winter? Or did God tell you that Christ was coming back and you didn’t have to do anything….” Mike turned away.
“You mock God. He is coming back!” Yelled Calvin.
Mike swung around, “Before winter?”
Calvin did not answer.
“So, if not before winter, what preparations have you made?” Mike turned to the crowd, “What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a minister and prophet.” Calvin said.
“NO. What do you do during the week? Not what you are on the weekend.” Mike was driving his point.
“I minister.” Calvin stated.
“Did you know that Paul was a minister?” Mike stated. “And a tent maker. And he cooked. And for lack of a better word, was a custodian. He made his own way in this world while taking nothing from the church.”
“Paul was a missionary.” Calvin started.
“True. And he was single with no earthly bonds. No family to feed. No Home to maintain. He made his way in this world, just to preach the Good News of the gospel and strived not to be a burden to anyone.” Mike stated, then turned to Calvin, “What have you done to prepare for this winter?”
Calvin said nothing.
“So, You were demanding that we give our things to the church and prepare for the coming of… Christ.” Mike turned to the crowd, “Just where was all that STUFF going?”
“It would be used to minister to..”
Mike didn’t let him finish, “TO WHO? Christ is coming, who was going to be left?”
Kan stood up.
Mike realized he was getting off the subject. “My apologies.” He said to the council.
He turned back to Calvin, “This council is not the church, we are.” He patted himself on the chest as he turned to the people filling the room, “We minister to each other. Hold our brothers accountable and hold them up when they are weak or have an infirmity. We preach to each other what God has taught us and together we sharpen each other as a file sharpens the sword. Iron sharpening Iron.” Mike turned back to Calvin, “We don't need another drain on our society. We don’t need you.”
“You need those that dedicate themselves to the word, study it as the first apostles did.” Calvin shot back.
“No. We don’t.” Kan said from his chair.
Susan shook her head in agreement, then Walk, Lorance and Lopez. Alan was already standing at the end of the table. Mike looked at Calvin, “You are not welcomed up here. Go back to Orting. And Calvin, get a day job.”
Susan spoke to the council, “I will start a motion: You, Calvin, will be banished to Orting. You will not preach your twisted faith here, nor will you disturb the peace of this area. Doing so will cause this council to exile you to the South, both you and whatever family you may have.”
Kan said, “I second.”
The Elders all agreed and motion was pasted.
Mike leaned into Calvin’s personal space and in a low voice, “I know what you're thinking. You have God on your side. But I think not. I would listen to her, she might be short, but I wouldn’t dare to cross her.” Mike indicated to Susan, “You might want to get ready for winter. And don’t let us catch you trying to incite the people with your lies. I will personally escort you to Olympia with only a pocket knife and a week's ration…” Leaning back and In a louder voice, “Now leave.”
Calvin turned and left without another word.
Alan came up beside Mike, “You know this isn’t over.”
“I know.” Mike said, “When he gets hungry he’ll be back. Hey aren’t you supposed to have a millstone tied around your neck.”
Alan just walked away.
If you want to order the books, see below.
Book 2 is available in paperback or Kindle: "Graham Heights"
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