《Crossroads》
Part 1
¡°Six of the Bowls have been poured, Lucifer¡¯s army is massing, and our team estimates we barely have a week until the Second Coming. Everyone, we are running out of time.¡±
At the Coalition for the Preservation of Humanity¡¯s conference table, Dr. Alex McKenzie, the lead Applied Theology researcher, presented their team¡¯s findings.
¡°Our efforts at defying prophecy have been growing more strained. While the supernatural disasters have been occurring as Revelation predicted, during the early years the population at large seemed to be resistant to prophetic inertia¡ªthe Red Horse¡¯s effect was largely nullified due to the people¡¯s general reluctance to fight each other in the face of a greater enemy. Since the Bowl Judgements began, though, that desire is being twisted. The Antichrist¡¯s claims of waging open warfare on Yahweh have been drawing people to his cause¡ªa cause all evidence suggests is futile. If Revelation is to be believed, which we have little reason to doubt by now, Yahweh is going to annihilate everyone who joins him¡ªa death toll that will dwarf every war we¡¯ve ever fought.
¡°You know all of this. But the open question is why. We had initially assumed the Antichrist simply seized the opportunity, jumping on the people¡¯s desires for revenge for his own ends. But we¡¯ve found that might not be the only factor. Our research suggests Yahweh is taking a more direct role, in the face of His plan being derailed, influencing the people to join the opposing force.¡±
There was a general sound of assent throughout the room. Everyone there had been briefed on basic theological knowledge, and the story of Pharaoh rang in their minds.
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¡±Perhaps the more important question, however, has been how is our group still in existence, rather than having been smote by providence. We believe we have found out why.¡±
Another murmur went through the assembly. Humanity was strapped for advantages, and knowing what was keeping them alive seemed as good of one as any.
¡°We theorize that Yahweh is bound by prophecy as much as He makes it. Yahweh hasn¡¯t struck us with lightning because He never said He would.¡±
That got a reaction from everyone in attendance, with the crowd erupting into gasps and shouts.
¡°Never said He would?!¡± One member spluttered, ¡°Half of the Book is Him declaring the fate of his enemies!¡±
¡°Not quite,¡± McKenzie replied. ¡°Yahweh talks at length about the fate of the followers of the Antichrist and Lucifer, but it¡¯s always been that simple Us vs. Them dichotomy. He never accounted for a third party stepping in, and that keeps us from being obliterated or turned to the Antichrist¡¯s side.¡±
Another member spoke up, ¡°That¡¯s all well and good to keep us alive, but how does this help us win?¡±
¡°What happens when you give a computer input it doesn¡¯t expect?¡±
¡°It crashes,¡± he said automatically, before the realization hit him. ¡°You¡¯re saying¡ we¡¯re going to BRICK Yahweh?
¡°Exactly. Yahweh isn¡¯t like a simple computer program¡ªHe exhibits too much agency for that. Rather, think of Him as the most advanced AI in the universe¡ªHe can rewrite His own ¡°programming,¡± which in this case is prophecy, but He¡¯s still bound by it until He does. So we¡¯re not going to give Him a chance to do so.¡±
¡°Why will this work? We¡¯ve been trying to throw off prophecy for the last 7 years, and everything is still happening more or less on schedule.¡±
¡°Because this time, we¡¯re not allowing for an interpretation of our actions as fulfilling the prophecies. We¡¯re going to do something that disrupts the script completely and irreparably, and that will give us the opening we need.¡±
At that, McKenzie finally grinned.
¡°We¡¯re going to kill the devil.¡±
Part 2
¡°So, we¡¯re doing Big G¡¯s job for him? How does that help us?¡±
The away team¡ª¡±Adam¡±, ¡°Eve¡±, ¡°Job¡±, and ¡°Canaanite¡±¡ªprepared their gear while Dr. McKenzie briefed them on the mission.
¡°The whole point of everything that¡¯s happened is for Yahweh to finally impose His will onto the world. A central part of that is Lucifer¡¯s condemnation to the Abyss. We make that impossible, and the Divine Plan should unravel.¡±
Eve, whom they had agreed would take the shot, hefted her rifle. ¡°Not a problem, boss. But what happens then?¡±
¡°We anticipate that such a severe disruption in His Plan should, in some sense, disrupt Jesus¡¯ connection to Yahweh¡ªand His divine powers.¡±
¡°He¡¯ll be mortal?¡± Job asked, incredulous. ¡°Why ain¡¯t we taking a shot at Him, then?¡±
¡°You want to be the one to come at the King of Kings and miss?¡± Eve shot back.
¡°In part that,¡± McKenzie replied. ¡°Also, while He won¡¯t be able to strike us down as he would before, even if lethal force was successful, we expect He would simply be resurrected shortly after¡ªand would finally bring His full attention on our group. Our strike needs to be non-lethal if we want it to stick.¡±
¡°What about the angels? They won¡¯t stand around staring while we take out their King.¡±
¡°Actually, they might. As far as we can tell, angels are physical manifestations of Yahweh¡¯s will, with little agency of their own, a state presumably implemented after Lucifer¡¯s fall. With Yahweh ¡®shorted out,¡¯ the angels should be little more than floating light posts.¡±
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The team looked over their gear once more. Among an assortment of weapons and tools, the essentials were laid out in the center: A Barrett M82, Eve¡¯s weapon of choice for angelic foes; a propelled set of bolas, meant to immobilize Jesus long enough to use their main tool; a specialized mask, developed by the CPH with as many noise cancellation methods built into it as possible, all to prevent its wearer from speaking a word¡ªor a Word. Applied Theology had determined that, in order to use His divine power, Jesus needed to speak it into being. The team¡¯s mission was to prevent Him from doing so by any means necessary.
¡°Now, once we¡¯ve taken the shot, you¡¯ll only have a few moments where Jesus¡¯ connection is broken, so you need to take Him captive fast. Once He¡¯s incapacitated, prophecy should be so derailed that it becomes self-sustaining. We just need to make sure He isn¡¯t able to issue a new prophecy once we have Him in containment.¡±
¡°Why is this going to work?¡± Canaanite asked. Everyone in the group paused and looked at her. She faltered, but stood her ground. ¡°God is omniscient¡ªwon¡¯t He know our plan? Won¡¯t He be able to stop us?¡±
Adam spoke up first. ¡°We have to assume not. This is our, er, Hail Mary pass. If this fails, countless people will die in agony, never mind what comes next. We are Humanity and the world¡¯s last hope.¡±
¡°And if He were going to stop us, I¡¯d say He¡¯d have done it by now. What the Doc said sounds right,¡± Job added.
Doctor McKenzie was last. ¡°I am right. All our research has supported it. Yahweh can¡¯t act outside His word, so we make sure He can¡¯t give new ones.¡±
Canaanite was one of the few members of the CPH who maintained some level of faith. She hesitated. Am I really doing this? She thought of the lessons from her youth. Then she thought of the fire, the earthquakes, the countless dead she had seen, and she resolved herself. Yes¡ªI am* ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s do this.¡±
¡°Then it¡¯s time,¡± Adam said. ¡°Team, tonight we fight for something bigger than any cause before. Tonight, we fight for the fate of our world! Our people! Tonight, we defend Humanity!¡±
¡°FUCK YEAH!¡± Came the reply.
Part 3
The army stretched as far as the eye could see. It was a force out of time, with horseback riders, modern tanks, and everything in between. So too, were the troops a mix of people: trained soldiers stood among average people. At the head of the army was the Antichrist, the human who had turned on his species in a doomed attempt to challenge Yahweh. He sat on a black horse, proud and defiant, and his shadow seemed a bit too large, a bit too dark behind him.
Unbeknownst to the army, the away team had embedded themselves near the front of the host, in a position with a clear line of sight to the Antichrist¡ªand Lucifer, influencing his actions from within in the Immaterial. While the two were together, Lucifer would be able to heal any assassination attempts on the Antichrist, while shielded from any attacks himself. The team¡¯s mission was to take the shot against Lucifer as soon as he was brought into the physical world. No one looked twice at them, one more heavily armed group was nothing here.
"I can''t believe he''s turned this many people to this. Don''t they know what''s coming?" Canaanite remarked.
¡°It¡¯s Yahweh. He¡¯s influencing them, pushing them to follow the Antichrist. Yahweh needs an enemy for His prophecy, so He¡¯s making sure he gets it.¡±
¡°That, and the Antichrist has better PR than us," Job muttered. ¡°These people must be itchin¡¯ for revenge against Big G, all the Antichrist had to do was say he could give it to ¡®em.¡±
¡°Let them distract Him. I¡¯ll take the advantage,¡± Eve put in.
The army marched towards Jerusalem, where the Antichrist claimed was the lynchpin for his conquest. At the Kidron Valley, Jesus would come out to do battle, and there his army would give him his revenge.
¡°People of the nations!¡± called the Antichrist. ¡°The time has come for us to have our revenge on this so-called God and his people! And when he is defeated, I shall reign as the true king of this world!¡±
¡°Doesn¡¯t he ever shut up? He¡¯s been making these boasts since we started.¡±
¡°Fits the expectations. Lucifer¡¯s sin was pride¡ªdon¡¯t expect him to drop it anytime soon.¡±
At last the army arrived at the Valley. The Antichrist¡¯s horse came to a halt, and he turned to address the assembly. Before he could, though, there was a voice from heaven.
IT IS DONE!
¡°Shit! We¡¯re running out of time¡ªYahweh¡¯s set to destroy them any minute now!¡±The assembly began to scream, as lightning and thunder began to crack across the sky. The Antichrist¡¯s voice could barely be heard over the commotion, calling out. ¡°My loyal subjects! Do not fear this Christ. For my power shall protect you, as I assume my rightful place on his throne!¡±
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At that moment, there was light.
A blaze of pure white light came from the heavens, brighter than the noonday sun. There was a deafening crack of thunder, and the clouds seemed to roll back like a scroll. When it cleared, there was a horse with a gleaming white coat, before the open Gates of Heaven above. On it sat Jesus Christ, incarnate again as the Word of God.
¡°We have visual! He¡¯s here!¡± Eve called.
¡°I see Him. Is everyone in position?
The Antichrist faltered for a moment, a brief lapse in certainty, before the utterly self-assured smirk returned to his face. ¡°It is time, my subjects! CHA¡ª¡±
SERVANTS OF THE EVIL ONE, came the voice of Jesus. It rang out like a bell across the assembly, unmistakable and unmissable. YOU HAVE TURNED FROM ME AND MY FATHER. As His Word traveled over the army, there came the sound of screams and gasps, with several falling to the ground with blood dripping from their ears.
¡°Damn it! We were supposed to have more time¡ªwe need the other guy to make an appearance, fast.¡±
¡°At the rate things are going, he isn¡¯t going to before Yahweh¡¯s attack. You¡¯re going to have to lure Lucifer out into the open.¡±
Jesus¡¯ mount galloped down to Earth, as though running on smooth land. He came to a halt some feet away from the Antichrist.
¡°And exactly how do you suggest we trick the Prince of Lies?¡±Canaanite stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea, but it¡¯ll have to be me. If this doesn¡¯t work¡¡± She took a breath. ¡°I suggest you all convert fast. I¡¯ll look up at you when you do.¡±
Canaanite looked up at Jesus. Her family had taught her since she was young about His love. The events of the last 7 years had clarified what that meant. If this was His love, she would have no part of it. She steeled her nerves, and thought of the horrors she had seen as she put on her facade, looking to all present as a perfectly devoted subject of the Antichrist. ¡°You cannot harm us. Our lord will shield us from you,¡± putting as much contempt as she could muster into the last word.
The Antichrist¡¯s grin could not have been wider. He approached Canaanite, and placed a hand on her shoulder, who fought the urge to stiffen. ¡°Yes, my subject, yes.¡±
Jesus turned his eyes on the Antichrist, gaze filled with fury.
YOU HAVE TURNED MY LOYAL CHILDREN AGAINST ME. LUCIFER, LEAVE THIS MAN.
At once the Antichrist¡¯s shadow seemed to shrink to its proper size. He blinked for a moment, and suddenly reeled back, away from the wrath of Jesus. There was a sharp crack, and an angel appeared where the Antichrist had stood, glowing with brilliant light.
At last Lucifer, the ancient serpent, stood in his angelic form before Jesus, the Risen King. As the ancient enemies faced each other, Humanity¡¯s last hope took their positions.
EVIL ONE. YOU WERE BELOVED IN MY SIGHT, BLESSED ABOVE ALL MY ANGELS. YET THERE WAS PRIDE WITHIN YOU, AND I CAST YOU OUT. FOR ALL YOUR DAYS ON EARTH, YOU HAVE DECEIVED MY CHILDREN¡ª
¡°NOW!¡±
Canaanite hurled herself to the side just as Eve¡¯s rifle went off.
Lucifer fell to the ground, golden ichor spilling from the wound in his head.
The King of Kings turned at once to the shooter. Every member of the team held the breath that might well be their last. He pointed a finger at them, preparing to speak a Word that would condemn them for their usurpation of Divine justice...
Part 4
¡°I Am Who I Am."
The name was spoken short and swift, with the conviction of absolute authority. It hung in the air for a brief moment before being drowned out by the rolling thunder.
And that was all.
Jesus blinked, uncomprehending of what had just happened. The power of His Name should have brought these usurpers to meet justice, but it just¡hadn¡¯t.
While He was facing confusion for the first time in eternity, the team members cried out in triumph, even Canaanite.
Everything happened in an instant.
Adam launched the bolas, ensnaring the white horse¡¯s legs and knocking its rider to the ground. Eve dropped her rifle and surged forward with Job, seizing the fallen Jesus by each arm before He could react. And Canaanite rushed over with the silencing mask, stopping to stand over Him as the others held him still. Jesus attempted to struggle, but He was still reeling from the shock of separation from Yahweh. The two fastened a pair of cuffs around His arms, and Canaanite looked down at Him.
"For all of us," she whispered, and strapped the mask over His mouth.
As she fastened the clasp, the thunder and lightning cut out. The rising earthquake abruptly died away, as quickly as it had come. The assembled army, who had been stunned between the assassination of their leader and the power of the Word of God, collectively shuddered and looked around in shock and confusion.
¡°What¡ happened?¡± One woman asked blearily. ¡°Did our lord,¡± she paused and shook her head, ¡°¡ Did the Antichrist win? What happened with Jesus?¡±
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The team took a moment to respond. All of them stood around the captive Jesus, stunned at the outcome. Then they let out an utterly joyous shout of victory, of determination, of hope.
Eve turned to the woman that had spoken. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what happened! WE GOT HIM!¡± She extended her hand. ¡°CPH Field Operative. Call me Eve.¡±
The woman blinked again, still in a daze, and took her hand. ¡°¡Nicole.¡± She looked towards Jesus, and her eyes widened. ¡°Him?! How did you possibly¡ª¡±
Canaanite turned to them, gaze firm and resolute. ¡°We chose a different path.¡±
The next few days were filled with decisions, but chief among them was what to do with Jesus. The Messiah had been taken to a soundless chamber the CPH had constructed to keep Him in, as well as to keep the masses wanting revenge out. Despite their reminders that Jesus could and would resurrect, free and empowered again, upon His death, many people still called for His head. For His part, Jesus had struggled against His captors, but all He could access was his human carpenter¡¯s strength, which the team had made sure to neutralize through binding His hands. The UN held an emergency meeting, and the decision was made to hold a trial for Jesus, for crimes against Humanity in the most literal sense. The sentence was life in prison, which for now meant continued containment in the chamber, although there was talk of containing Him in a specialized satellite for extra certainty.
The CPH headquarters was in an uproar. Everyone present was cheering in triumph, hailing the away team as heroes. Champagne was popped, teammates hugged, and the entire building shook with the sound of music.
¡°So what happens now?¡± Canaanite asked Dr. McKenzie as the celebration raged.
¡°With prophecy derailed, and no means of issuing a new one, Yahweh should be neutralized, although we¡¯ll need to watch for any signs of a new prophet arising. In the meantime, we pick up the pieces of our world, and start building a new one.¡±
Canaanite looked troubled. ¡°This is¡ I always thought the Second Coming would be a wonderful thing. Seeing it happen, though, maybe this was for the best.¡±
McKenzie put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I know it¡¯s surreal. I never expected this before it all started either. But we¡¯ve got a chance now to fix things for all of us.¡±
Canaanite nodded. She looked out at the celebration. ¡°For all of us.¡±