The Mark

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"They're not much good to us anymore," answered Charlie. "And they're not going to be worth much money either. What do you think, Dave? Do we just shut off the utilities and lock it up?"

"Well, anything that we could use at the compound should be brought over. Larger items will be easier to bring in through the stairs underneath the farmhouse, but we don't want to draw attention. Per haps we could do some unpacking at night, in the dark, because our other option is to park at our tunnel entrances and no one is going to want to carry a couch through a tunnel." The group chuckled nervously at that one. "As for selling our goods to get cash, that will soon be useless. Once the new currency system is up and running, our dollars will be obsolete. And we won't be able to exchange them without the mark. Unless we work a deal where someone with a mark exchanges our cash, I doubt we'll be able to do it at all. And that doesn't seem too safe to me. The plan is to have our supplies complete and not need to purchase anything else. So I guess now is the time to sell and buy."

A thought came to Henry. "What about medicine? What if some one gets sick or comes with an existing condition?"

"Good question, Henry. Make sure the people who you bring get a couple years worth of their prescriptions. We have a good supply of over the counter meds already, and Andy's wife is going to run the infirmary, but individual daily meds will be up to each person. If or when we run out, we'll just have to hope the Lord comes quickly."

It wasn't meant to be a joke but for the second time that evening

most of the men smiled.

"It's just shocking. I mean, imagine that," said Charlie, shaking his head as if in disbelief. "He's coming soon. This is so amazing. I mean... He really is. He's coming. Exactly like He said He would. This is all just... well..."

"We know, Charlie, it's shocking," answered Henry. Then the men did laugh.

Dave was still standing by the fireplace. He walked over to an empty chair next to Henry and sat down. As the men quieted again, all eyes stayed on Dave.

"I've got to tell you, I'm still back on the house question. Most of you have been with us for a couple of years now and you know that as a group we have committed to living debt-free lives for this very rea son. For some of us, that was easy. For others, I've watched you hone your lifestyles down to the bare minimum to get rid of your debt. At this point, I don't like disappearing without clear accounts, so once our storage areas are full, any left over money should go to paying off your debt."

One of the men on Henry's left broke in. "Come on, Dave. Do you really think our debt is an issue now? We're three and a half years from the end of the world!"

Dave reached up and rubbed his forehead, as if he was still pro cessing information. "I just think we need to be above reproach. We can't do anything to tarnish the name of Christ, so as best we can, we need to leave with a clean slate. If you owe on your house, the day you leave, take your mortgage papers, anything you have regarding the house and give it to the bank that holds your loan. Sign it over to them and go. Same with your car. You're not going to need it."

"Will that look suspicious? I thought we don't want to draw atten tion to ourselves when we leave."

Dave looked at Henry. "There's enough craziness going on in the world right now, I doubt anyone will put a tail on you. Just tell them you can't make any more payments, so you're giving them the house. As to drawing attention to ourselves," he turned back to the rest of the men, "we have to be careful now. Those who you have shared your beliefs with, go to them and see if they will come-family, friends but be wary of strangers. Christ said in Matthew 24 that people are going to turn on each other pretty quickly here, and for the good of those we are hiding with, we have to be careful."

"That's a good point," said Charlie from across the room. "As ob vious as we see this turn of events, there is still going to be a lot of denial out there. Be careful what you share and don't take anyone to the compound until they commit to staying. We know this is group trustworthy so let's keep it at that."

Dave added, "Our preparations are good, but even more impor tant than our plans right now is the necessity to share Jesus with anyone and everyone we meet. Tell them that this is a prophesied, all out attack that won't end well for them if they take the mark. Our time is short and we have to be discerning. This doesn't change our message, though and right now more than ever it needs to be shared But the time is quickly running out. Once a mark is taken, there is no turning back."

For the first time that day, Henry began to feel uneasy. Oh, he had run the gamut of emotions during the day: anxious, nervous, shocked, angry, but not uneasy. What he was feeling was not unpre pared, but uneasy. There was something unsettling about the tone of the conversation, and though he knew the persecution was going to be unbelievable, he had never thought that someone from within could possibly betray them.

Dave stood and walked into the kitchen, returning with a stack of papers in his hand. Henry jumped up, took them from Dave, and handed them out to the other men.

"Here's a list of supplies that we still need. It also has all our phone numbers on it so that we can be reached, as well as e-mail addresses. Strange that in a few months, they'll be obsolete. I'm going to try to prepay a couple of years on the phone service we get out at the farm, so that possibly we could get Internet for a while but I am worried about being traced. We'll have to think that through and make a de cision later." He stopped a moment and glanced around the room. "I think we should talk to the Lord before I send you all out of here. Char, would you mind?"

Dave moved to the center of the room and got on his knees. Henry stood and the rest of the men followed suit and gathered around Dave, also on their knees. This was a tradition of the fellowship to end their nights in this position before the Lord. Henry made his way around the group and knelt by Charlie, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Gracious Father, I don't even know how to enter Your presence tonight but on my knees. In humility, I praise You for our salvation and for Your Word. Without Your Son, we would all be lost. Lord, it is with a heavy heart that we come to You, knowing that the days are short before our faith will become sight. We are sober, not out of fear, but out of concern for what is about to befall the world, our town, and the church in general. Please use Your faithful servants in this hour of testing to spare the lives of Your children. Please open the ears and give understanding to our families and friends. Please stretch our supplies and give us enough room at the compound. Keep our tun nels open and our location a secret. We lay all our concerns at Your throne and worship You as the Author and Finisher of our faith. We love You, Lord, and we ask that You send Jesus quickly for Your chil dren. It is in His precious name we pray, Father, Amen."

One by one the men left, and rather quietly, Henry thought to himself. When the time came for him to go, he shook Dave's hand and followed Charlie to the car.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow night," Dave called to Charlie from his open doorway.

Charlie stopped at his car door and looked back at the house. "It's going to go fast, Dave. I'm going to quit my job tomorrow. I think we have one or two catering events in the next two weeks that he may need me to work at, but then I will be done."

As Charlie spoke, Henry shook his head. He hadn't even thought about what to do with work. All he could think about was talking to Anna. He checked his cell again and was relieved to see her call back number in his recent calls. He would call her when he got home.

Henry and Charlie sat quietly in the car on the way home. Henry didn't even realize how quiet it was until Charlie spoke as he pulled into Henry's driveway.

"Mind racing?"

"No kidding," answered Henry. "There's a part of me that doubts things will get bad here. Is it possible that Christ was only telling the Jews to hide who were in Jerusalem during this time? I mean, come on... realistically, can Satan really pull something like this off in a worldwide setting?"

Charlie put the car in park, as Henry waited for an answer. "Jesus did say to go hide and He was addressing the disciples in Jerusalem.

But remember, Henry, He also said the whole world would see and be amazed at the appearing of this risen leader. He also said the Anti christ would demand the worship of the world, which is what we saw today, and He said that if He doesn't cut this time short, none of the elect would survive. It's a global event. Satan knows his time is short and he's not going to sit around and wait for man to respond. He's sending his legions to do his bidding. Nope, Jesus wasn't just talking to the Jews. He was warning us. Right here, right now."

"I just know my family is going to think I'm nuts."

"Even after what happened today?"

"I'm hoping seeing Hitler was a wake-up call." "How can it not be? Honestly, I'm scared to death we're going to

try to put two thousand people in a space for two hundred!"

Henry smiled and put a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "Don't worry if that really happens, God will provide. I've got to call Anna." He opened the door and added, "Pray for me."

"I'll call you tomorrow."

Henry hurried into his house, hoping to finally connect with Anna. He flipped on the front hall light and hung his coat on the hook by the door. He would check his phone messages and then call her. Walking down the hallway he heard a noise behind him and turned. There was movement at the front door, then a knock. He glanced at his watch. It was nine fifteen. Thinking it was most likely Charlie, he walked back to the door and looked out the window. A man about Henry's height stood at the door, wearing a black jacket, jeans, and a baseball cap on his head that cast a shadow over his face. Henry cautiously opened the door.

"Can I help you?"

"Hi, Henry." The man raised his head a bit and extended his hand. Now Henry had a clear shot at his face, but still didn't recognize him. Surprised that this man knew his name, he hesitated before taking his hand.

"Do I know you?" Henry asked, trying to place the face.

The man locked eyes with Henry, and he couldn't turn away. His deep blue eyes fastened on to his own and Henry tried to pull his hand away, but the grip was too strong. Then he spoke.

"I know you, Henry. I have been with you for a long time." Henry wanted to respond, but his voice wouldn't come.

"I have a message for you from Yahweh."