and at what cost. Churches had to decide whether they wanted to have services on Friday where people were to gather and confess sins. The word “sin” had become the most unpopular word in modern American Christianity. Who could lead such a service since those who called themselves Christians were not in agreement on what was sin? But then again, many of them weren’t born again, so how could they know? Those without the guidance of the light inside argued over what was acceptable, ignoring what the Bible called sin. For them, confession would be impossible because they didn’t consider their conduct to be wrong.
The battle in the invisible world centered in America, for the forces of darkness recognized the opportunity to turn America further away from God. The hoard of Keepers and Tempters were released in all directions in an attempt to influence every person in America to reject the president’s call as unimportant and inconvenient. He was pictured as a “good man” who was becoming a little fanatical about his religion. After all, hadn’t the so-called leader of the enemy offered to meet and discuss peace? There was really no need to call out to God to help America. He was obviously already helping.
Likewise, Guardians and Providers acted to draw every person in America to join with the president, or at least make a reasonable choice whether to stand before the Lord with some understanding of its importance. The battle raged person by person; dividing homes, families, and friends. It was like oil and water as the two views found no place to compromise. Either it was important to stand before God and seek forgiveness for offenses to God, or it was neither important nor necessary. There was no middle ground.
Turning to Barnabas as they had gathered over Williams with others of the forces of light, Lucius observed, “This is one of those moments of choice which Jesus warned would come when He walked the earth. Do you remember?”
“Yes,” Barnabas answered, “these people — although made in His image — have never really understood the reality of choice. They have fallen for the Dark Master’s deception that Jesus was a man of tolerance, peace, and love and thus they should expect to be able to live as they wish in complete harmony with others who live as they wish, all under the blessing of God. And when they die, so the fable goes, they will all go to ‘a better place.’
“They think they don’t have to make a choice; that God accepts them where they are and as they are. I have difficulty understanding how they can be so foolish. God would not be God if that were true. The people would be God because they could dictate what was is right and wrong.”
“There is nothing worse than the result of people not reading the Bible,” Lucius answered. “The deception and half-truths are more dangerous than the lies. The teachings of Jesus are taken out of context, and thus He is pictured falsely. Jesus didn’t call Himself a man of peace, although in Him is peace. What He actually said was that He was God1 and therefore you must choose who you will follow and obey. He warned that the wrong choice would bring conflict into every part of the life of those who made the wrong choice. He said:
Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law–a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.2
“For centuries, nations and societies have sought to hide the sword — the division of choice — in secrecy and increasingly in the modern idea of tolerance and compromise, to maintain ‘peace and unity’ at any price,” Lucius continued soberly. “It is sad what that deception has produced as God’s word is ignored and people are encouraged to live their lives in direct rebellion to God’s teachings. They have had their way these past decades, but the choice now hangs over America, and this time they will not escape making that choice.”
Below the celestial gathering in the city proper, a small group met in Chaplain Forrest’s office. It was the chaplain, Pastor Wilson, Pastor Scribes, the Bookseller, and Paul Phillips. As they prayed together, the light within each of them burned brightly as the Holy Spirit sought to unite them with the will of the Father. Their eyes had been opened to the significance of Friday’s call, and they sought God’s wisdom to know what they were to do in order to share what they had been shown.
This little band had not been spared the Dark Master’s attacks. God had placed limits, but within those limits, every possible means had been used by the forces of darkness to discourage, tempt, divide, and deceive. The Bookseller had been approached by other networks and publishing companies that offered him a quick fortune for a signature that would have made him their exclusive property and enabled them to control his access to the world stage. The forces of darkness had orchestrated this effort, and they followed up by flooding his mind with the deception of all “the good” that could be accomplished for God’s service with the millions he was being offered. Fortunately for America, the Bookseller responded even as Jesus did when tempted by Satan and rejected the lie as a lie.3
“Mr. White,” Pastor Wilson spoke quietly when there was a pause in their prayers. “I sense that God wants to use you further to open people’s eyes to the importance of Friday and to draw people to Him. We have this website that is available worldwide and through which God has been working amazingly.4 We have reports from numerous nations that when believers go to this website, they have been able to understand it even though it’s not in their own language. God is working mightily! Perhaps posting a message from you is what God would have us do. After all, from the first day, you understood that the issue is for believers to decide. The question is whether they will return to the Lord so that He may bless and protect America. He has made communication with believers possible through this website, and has called you to be His spokesman.”
“Why me?” the Bookseller asked, sincerely humbled, much like Moses.5 “I am nothing, just an old man who has struggled with his faith at times just like other people. I have no great following, and for the most part, I have been rejected throughout my ministry. There are so many others who appear much more capable than I to be out-front calling the people back to the Lord. No one on earth wants to be used by God more than me, but I am not special.”
“That is true,” Pastor Scribes observed, “it is true for all of us, but the Lord does not look on a man as we do. God looks at the heart, and as He took David as a simple shepherd from the hills of Judea to become the great king,6 He has obviously called you. The key is for you to keep the heart of David. Remember what God said about David’s heart? ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’7 He knows your heart, and thus He can and will use you.
“I agree that God wants us to put something out on the website. Let me pray, and then I will write. Perhaps God will provide me another opportunity on ITN to speak to the nation before Friday. I sense that is a possibility. Whatever He wants.”
“Then call them, Mr. White. They have made it very clear that they would be glad to have you on again anytime,” Paul said excitedly.
“No, no. It is not for me to seek an opportunity to speak,” the Bookseller responded quickly. “That is God’s providence. If he wants me to have that opportunity, He will provide it. My place is to be ready to speak what He gives me to say boldly if He gives me the opportunity.”
“I am confused by how God works and how I am to work for Him,” Paul answered.
“Good, welcome to the crowd,” Chaplain Forrest answered. “I am fifty-two years old, and I don’t know either. He acts as He will simply because He is God and we are not.”
“Listen, Paul, often the most active place for us is not in doing something, but in waiting for God to show us what He would have us do and how He wants it done. His work is too important to simply do something that seems logical or reasonable based on our knowledge and experience. God is not limited by logic,
