Left Behind: A Novel Of Earth's Last Days (19 page)

“So,” Chloe said, “this believing and receiving stuff, this living for Christ or letting him live through you, that’s what my mother meant when she talked about salvation, getting saved?”

Bruce nodded. “From sin and hell and judgment.”

“Meantime, we’re not saved from all that.”

“That’s right.”

“You really believe this.”

“I do.”

“It’s pretty freaky stuff, you have to admit.”

“Not to me. Not anymore.”

Rayford, always one for precision and order, asked, “So, what did you do? What did my wife do? What made her more of a Christian, or, ah … what, uh—”

“Saved her?” Bruce said.

“Yes,” Rayford said. “That’s exactly what I want to know. If you’re right, and I’ve already told Chloe that I think I see this now, we need to know how it works.

“How it goes. How does a person get from one situation to the other? Obviously, we were not saved from being left, and we’re here to face life without our loved ones who were true Christians. So, how do we become true Christians?”

“I’m going to walk you through that,” Bruce said. “And I’m going to send you home with the tape. And I’m going to go through this all in detail tomorrow morning at ten for whoever shows up. I’ll probably do the same lesson every Sunday morning for as long as people need to know. One thing I’m sure of, as important as all the other sermons and lessons are, nothing matters like this one.”

While Chloe stood with her back to the wall, arms still folded, watching and listening, Bruce turned to Rayford. “It’s really quite simple. God made it easy. That doesn’t mean it’s not a supernatural transaction or that we can pick and choose the good parts—as I tried to do. But if we see the truth and act on it, God won’t withhold salvation from us.

“First, we have to see ourselves as God sees us. The Bible says all have sinned, that there is none righteous, no not one. It also says we can’t save ourselves. Lots of people thought they could earn their way to God or to heaven by doing good things, but that’s probably the biggest misconception ever. Ask anyone on the street what they think the Bible or the church says about getting to heaven, and nine of ten would say it has something to do with doing good and living right.

“We’re to do that, of course, but not so we can earn our salvation. We’re to do that in response to our salvation. The Bible says that it’s not by works of righteousness that we have done, but by his mercy God saved us. It also says that we are saved by grace through Christ, not of ourselves, so we can’t brag about our goodness.

“Jesus took our sins and paid the penalty for them so we wouldn’t have to. The payment is death, and he died in our place because he loved us. When we tell Christ that we acknowledge ourselves as sinners and lost, and receive his gift of salvation, he saves us. A transaction takes place. We go from darkness to light, from lost to found; we’re saved. The Bible says that to those who receive him, he gives the power to become sons of God. That’s what Jesus is—the Son of God. When we become sons of God, we have what Jesus has: a relationship with God, eternal life, and because Jesus paid our penalty, we also have forgiveness for our sins.”

Rayford sat stunned. He sneaked a peek at Chloe. She looked frozen, but she didn’t appear antagonistic. Rayford felt he had found exactly what he was looking for. It was what he had suspected and had heard bits and pieces of over the years, but he had never put it all together. In spite of himself, he was still reserved enough to want to mull it over, to see and hear the tape, and to discuss it with Chloe.

“I have to ask you,” Bruce said, “something I never wanted to ask people before. I want to know if you’re ready to receive Christ right now. I would be happy to pray with you and lead you in how to talk to God about this.

“No?” Bruce was clearly surprised.

“Need more time?”

“That’s all I can ask,” Bruce said.

“But let me leave you with one little reminder of urgency. You may have little time.”

“At least,” Chloe said. “Surely this isn’t something you rush into.”

“But then who would tell us about this?” Rayford “About him because you waited too long?” asked.

“Oh, I’m grateful for that opportunity,” Bruce said. “But it has cost me dearly.”

“I understand.” Rayford could feel Bruce’s eyes burning into him as if the young man knew Rayford was nearly ready to make a commitment. But he had never rushed into anything in his life. And while he didn’t put this on the same scale as dealing with a salesman, he needed time to think, a cooling-off period. He was analytical, and while this suddenly made a world of sense to him and he didn’t doubt at all Bruce’s theory of the disappearances, he would not act immediately. “I’d appreciate the tape, and I can guarantee you, I will be back tomorrow.”

Bruce looked at Chloe. “No guarantees from me,” she said, “but I appreciate your time and I will watch the tape.”

“That’s all I can ask,” Bruce said. “But let me leave you with one little reminder of urgency. You may have heard this off and on your whole lives, the way I did. Maybe you haven’t. But I need to tell you that you don’t have any guarantees. It’s too late for you to disappear like your loved ones did a few days ago. But people die every day in car accidents, plane crashes—oh, sorry, I’m sure you’re a good pilot—all kinds of tragedies. I’m not going to push you into something you’re not ready for, but just let me encourage you that if God impresses upon you that this is true, don’t put it off. What would be worse than finally finding God and then dying without him because you waited too long?”

BUCK
checked into the Frankfurt Hilton at the airport under his phony name, knowing he had to call the States before his family and his colleagues heard he was dead. He started by finding a pay phone in the lobby and dialing his father’s number in Arizona. With the time difference, it was shortly after noon on Saturday there.

“I’m really sorry about this, Dad, but you’re going to hear I was killed in some sort of a car bombing, terrorist attack, that kind of thing.”

“What the devil is going on, Cameron?”

“I can’t get into it now, Dad. I just want you to know I’m all right. I’m calling from overseas, but I’d rather not say where. I’ll be back tomorrow, but I’m going to have to lay low for a while.”

“Your sister-in-law and niece and nephew’s memorial services are tomorrow evening,” Mr. Williams said.

“Oh, no. Dad, it would really be obvious if I showed up there. I’m sorry. Tell Jeff how really sorry I am.”

“Well, do we have to play this charade out? I mean should we make it a memorial for you, too?”

“No, I’m not going to be able to play dead that long. Once the people at the Global find out I’m all right, the secret won’t hold for long.”

“Are you going to be in danger when whoever thinks they killed you finds out?”

“Probably, but Dad, I’ve got to get off now. Tell Jeff for me, huh?”

“I will. Be careful.”

Buck switched to another phone and called the Global. Disguising his voice, he asked the receptionist to plug him into Steve Plank’s after-hours voice mail. “Steve, you know who this is. No matter what you hear in the next twenty-four hours, I’m all right. I will call you tomorrow and we can meet. Let the others believe what they hear for now. I’m going to need to remain incognito until I can find someone who can really help. Talk to you soon, Steve.”

Chloe was silent in the car. Rayford fought the urge to jabber. That was not his nature, but he felt the same urgency he had sensed in Bruce Barnes. He wanted to remain sensible, yes, analytical. He wanted to study, to pray, to be sure. But wasn’t that just insurance? Could he be more sure?

What had he done in his raising of Chloe that could make her so cautious, so careful, that she might look down her nose at what was so obvious to him? He had found the truth, and Bruce was right. They needed to act on it before anything happened to them.

The news was full of crime, looting, people taking advantage of the chaos. People were being shot, maimed, raped, killed. The roadways were more dangerous than ever. Emergency units were understaffed, fewer air and ground traffic controllers manned the airports, fewer qualified pilots and crews flew the planes.

People checked the graves of loved ones to see if their corpses had disappeared, and unscrupulous types pretended to do the same while looking for valuables that might have been buried with the wealthy. It had become an ugly world overnight, and Rayford was worried about his and Chloe’s safety. He didn’t want to go much longer without watching the tape and making good on the decision he had already made.

“Can we watch it together?” he suggested.

“I’d really rather not, Dad. I can see where you’re going with this, and I’m not comfortable with it yet. This is very personal. It isn’t a group or family thing.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

“Well, don’t push me. You deal with it on your own, and I will later.”

“You know I’m just worried about you and that I love you and care about you, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Will you watch it before the church meeting tomorrow?”

“Daddy, please. You’re going to push me away if you keep bugging me about it. I’m not sure I even want to go to that. I heard his pitch today and he said himself it’s going to be the same thing tomorrow.”

“Well, what if I decide to become a Christian tomorrow? I’d kind of like you there.”

Chloe looked at him. “I don’t know, Dad. It’s not like graduation or something.”

“Maybe it is. I feel like your mother and your brother got promoted and I didn’t.”

“Gross.”

“I’m serious. They qualified for heaven. I didn’t.”

“I don’t want to talk about this now.”

“OK, but let me just say one more thing. If you don’t go tomorrow, I wish you’d watch the tape while I’m gone.”

“Oh.”

“Because I’d really like to have you settle this thing before our flight Monday. Air travel is becoming more dangerous, and you never know what might happen.”

“Daddy, come on! All my life all I’ve heard you do is set people straight about how safe flying is. Every time there’s a crash, someone asks if you aren’t afraid or if you’ve ever had a close call, and you rattle off all these statistics about how flying is so many times safer than riding in a car. So don’t start with that.”

Rayford gave up. He would deal with his own soul and pray for his daughter, but clearly there would be no badgering her into the faith.

Chloe went to bed early Saturday night while Rayford settled in front of the television and popped in the video. “Hello,” came the pleasant voice of the pastor Rayford had met several times. As he spoke he sat on the edge of the desk in the very office Rayford had just visited. “My name is Vernon Billings, and I’m pastor of the New Hope Village Church of Mount Prospect, Illinois. As you watch this tape, I can only imagine the fear and despair you face, for this is being recorded for viewing only after the disappearance of God’s people from the earth.

“That you are watching indicates you have been. You are no doubt stunned, shocked, afraid, and remorseful. I would like you to consider what I have to say here as instructions for life following Christ’s rapture of his church. That is what has happened. Anyone you know or knew of who had placed his or her trust in Christ alone for salvation has been taken to heaven by Christ.

“Let me show you from the Bible exactly what has happened. You won’t need this proof by now, because you will have experienced the most shocking event of history. But as this tape was made beforehand and I am confident that I will be gone, ask yourself, how did he know? Here’s how, from Corinthians 18:81-87.”

The screen began to scroll with the passage of Scripture. Rayford hit the pause button and ran to get Irene’s Bible. It took him a while to find Corinthians, and though it was slightly different in her translation, the meaning was the same.

The pastor said, “Let me read to you what the great missionary evangelist, the apostle Paul, wrote to the Christians at the church in the city of Corinth:

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Rayford was confused. He could follow some of that, but the rest was like gibberish to him. He let the tape roll. Pastor Billings continued, “Let me paraphrase some of that so you’ll understand it clearly. When Paul says we shall not all sleep, he means that we shall not all die. And he’s saying that this corruptible being must put on an incorruptible body which is to last for all of eternity. When these things have happened, when the Christians who have already died and those that are still living receive their immortal bodies, the Rapture of the church will have taken place.

“Every person who believed in and accepted the sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ anticipated his coming again for them. As you see this tape, all those will have already seen the fulfillment of the promise of Christ when he said, ‘I will come again and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

“I believe that all such people were literally taken from the earth, leaving everything material behind. If you have discovered that millions of people are missing and that babies and children have vanished, you know what I am saying is true. Up to a certain age, which is probably different for each individual, we believe God will not hold a child accountable for a decision that must be made with heart and mind, fully cognizant of the ramifications. You may also find that unborn children have disappeared from their mothers’ wombs. I can only imagine the pain and heartache of a world without precious children, and the deep despair of parents who will miss them so.