Brink of Chaos (33 page)
Authors: Tim LaHaye
Joshua’s face on the screen leaned forward just a bit. Ethan stared back. For that instant, it seemed almost as if a holographic, three-dimensional image of Joshua was there in the room with him.
No
, Ethan thought to himself,
even more real than that
. As Joshua spoke, Ethan sensed that what he was hearing now was the truest thing that ever existed.
“Let’s start with the facts,” Joshua said. “Jesus died on a cross in Jerusalem. Now Ethan, I don’t know where you are right now as you are listening and watching this, but maybe you are still in Israel. The landmarks of the miraculous life of Jesus the Christ, the Promised One, are all over the Galilee and Jerusalem. I’ve shown you many of them myself. But just knowing that isn’t enough. You need to face up to your status as a sinner, a man who has fallen short of God’s design for you, just as I had to do. You and I are alike in many ways, you know. Including this — when we measure up our lives with the specs of God’s moral plan for us, we know that we’ve blown it. Time and time again.”
Ethan nodded at that, even though he was humbled to think of himself in the same category as his mentor. But there it was, the plain
fact that Ethan — headstrong, both ruthlessly sure of himself at times and yet, beneath it all, also insecure as well — now had to face up to the same reality that Joshua had.
“Okay,” Ethan said. “I got it. I guess I can’t deny it. Proud. Selfish. Arrogant at times. Always looking out for myself. I could go on and on … yeah …”
But then something happened. Ethan was no longer addressing the image on the screen. He knew that what he had to say had to be said to God Himself, and to His Son Jesus.
Ethan’s voice trembled. “Okay, God, yes. I admit I’m a sinner.”
On the screen, Joshua kept talking, “Jesus didn’t just die on the cross, Ethan. He was the sinless Son of God, willingly dying on the cross for your sins. Yours, Ethan. The same as mine. As the perfect sacrifice — the only sacrifice that would satisfy God’s perfect sense of justice.”
“Yes, God,” Ethan murmured. “I know that’s true. For some time I’ve been convinced of that, down deep, but I just didn’t want to come out with it … until now … which I guess makes me a kind of coward …” Ethan’s voice was beginning to crack.
“And then,” Joshua continued, “to prove to the whole world that He was God in the flesh, Jesus defied the grave and walked out of that tomb three days later …”
“Yes,” Ethan said. His eyes were cloudy now. Moist with tears. “I remember the stories. Jesus raised others from death. He was God. Walking around, right here in Israel. Looking out for other folks. Never for Himself … Perfect … Of course Jesus rose from the grave …”
Joshua added, “And the only remaining thing, after acknowledging all of that, is to open your heart, invite Christ in, as Lord and Savior …”
“Don’t know why,” Ethan said, breaking down once more, “why, oh God, why You’d want Your Son to live inside of a guy like me, selfish, scheming, lying …”
Ethan was weeping, his head in his hands. “But God, I’m asking if Jesus could come into my heart. Right now … Savior and Lord. No more escape plans for me … no more dodging it, trying to weasel out of it … no, Sir. Please, Jesus, come into me …”
Reaching out through his tears, Ethan hit the Pause button once again. He sat for a while in silence, not knowing how much time had passed.
Finally he asked a question out loud.
“Okay, Ethan … now what?”
He found himself staring at the ugly shag carpet on the floor of Joshua’s little Tel Aviv apartment, and he couldn’t help but laugh loudly at Joshua’s bad taste in carpeting.
That’s why you needed Abby — she always was a better interior decorator.
Right then, sitting on the couch in Josh’s apartment, Ethan was able to reflect. He was beginning to figure something out. Like why Joshua had invested so much into him. Keeping him close. Talking endlessly about preparation. Yes, as it turned out, Joshua had figured Ethan out pretty well. Joshua must have known he would probably miss the first train when it came roaring past, and after the rapture he would be left back on the platform of the station with the rest of the human race.
He hit Resume.
Joshua’s face appeared again. And what he had to say was hard and tough to hear. But Ethan wanted it all, the good and the bad. And that’s what he got.
“Ethan, I hope you’ve accepted Jesus Christ into your heart. If so, you’ve been born again. So now, what you have to do next will be up to you. The world is about to start exploding around you. The forces of hell are going to be mounted against you. I guarantee it. That’s what you’re up against.”
Then the image of Joshua’s face on the screen broke into the kind of smile that Ethan recognized. Some people might even think it was a look that was a little brash on the surface. But Ethan knew better. Deep down Joshua had been a man who simply knew who he was and what he had to do.
“In the beginning you’ll feel pretty much alone, Ethan. You’ll have to stand strong.” Joshua said, “I’ll walk you through things in this video log as much as I can. But that’s just the start. After a while you’ll
be able to handle things on your own. You’ll be able to decipher for yourself what God has already described about the last dark night of the world that is coming, even if you can’t see it yet, because you’ll have His road map. So when the very worst comes — when the enemy tries to cripple you and destroy you, there won’t be any surprises.”
Ethan had been bracing himself, but now he muttered back to the screen, “Hey, Josh, thanks for the good news.”
On the screen, an ever-widening grin spread over Joshua’s face. It was the look of a man who had been gripped with an amazing story, and because he knew down to his soul that it was all true, he couldn’t wait to tell it.
“But listen, Ethan, it’s not all gloom and doom. There’s the rest of the story, and it’s magnificent. I’m going to share that with you too. Just wait until I tell you exactly what’s going to happen at the end. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I’m going to lay this out for you. The same as if you were being given a pre-mission flight check. But, Ethan, this is going to require that you take each step as a walk of faith.”
Ethan found himself nodding at the screen. “Okay, Josh. What you got for me?”
Joshua’s image continued to speak. “You need to know two things. First, I believe in my heart that God has picked you to shake things up down there on earth. To help lead an incredible, worldwide spiritual revival. There’s still hope for folks down there. And you’re the one to tell them that.”
Ethan shook his head. “Oh, man. Are you sure you’ve got the right guy, Josh?”
“Second thing, Ethan,” Joshua continued. “You may feel alone, but you’re not. God will bring you into contact with an army of people who are ready to claim Christ for themselves — and to stand fast against the darkness. Against the Evil One. The hideous force that will temporarily be running things down there. You need to start searching for fellow compatriots to help you with this mission.”
Ethan hit the Pause button, shook his head, and spoke out loud. “And where am I supposed to find them?” He thought about that for a few minutes. Joshua’s words
walk of faith
rang in his ears.
“Okay, God,” Ethan said. “Where do I start?” Then there was another minute of thinking. That is when Ethan became aware of his Allfone that he had put back in his pocket. He pulled it out and flipped it open. Then he hit the Display button for Captain Louder’s email that he had received just minutes earlier. Ethan began to read it. It said:
Ethan — Captain Jimmy Louder here. I wanted to connect with Joshua Jordan. But things being as they are — I guess that isn’t in the cards now. So I’d like to talk to you. If you’re still here, that is. It’s about something that Josh had told me during the rescue over in North Korea. And a few things too that my grandfather used to tell me. Why do I get the feeling that things in this old world are never going to be the same? I think I know what is going on, and I want to make sure that I line up with the right side on all of this. Time to make some mission-critical decisions. Can we talk? Here’s my cell number, and you’ve already got my email …”
Ethan March smiled. Then he laughed out loud and kept laughing. It felt good to let loose. Yes, Ethan decided, in a little while, right after finishing the video message from Joshua, he would make contact with Jimmy Louder. Maybe he would be his very first partner in his new mission.
Things were already happening quickly. For a guy who had always maintained an outward bravado while inwardly grappling with the fear of losing control — whether it was pitching a fastball, keeping a girlfriend, or flying the newest Air Force fighter — Ethan realized that he had now chosen a different path. A few minutes ago he had just told God that it would be God, not Ethan, who would be in charge of his life and directing the trajectory. If that was true, then his future was strangely settled, even if he didn’t know exactly what that meant or what his life was going to look like.
Yet somewhere inside, Ethan already felt a newfound sense of certainty, as if he were about to launch a flight into the turbulent center of something dark, dangerous, and unfamiliar. But he was okay with that. Only this time there would be no computerized flight deck in front of him. And while it might be his hand grasping the side-stick in
the cockpit, Ethan was already sensing that it would be the power of God within him that would have to control the flight pattern.
So he returned to the video player and hit the Resume button again. The image of Joshua’s face came to life again on the screen. When that happened, Ethan spoke out loud from a heart that had been humbled, yet his voice was also decisive and immovable, like chiseled rock.
“All right. I’m here. And I’m listening now. I’m ready for my orders.”
TIM LAHAYE
is a
New York Times
bestselling author of more than seventy nonfiction books, many on biblical prophecy and end times. He is the coauthor of the record-shattering Left Behind Series and is considered one of America’s foremost authorities on biblical end-times prophecy.
CRAIG PARSHALL
serves as senior vice president and general counsel for the National Religious Broadcasters and has authored seven bestselling suspense novels.
www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
When one adds up the total number of all the books in circulation that have been authored by Tim LaHaye, you quickly see that he is one of the most read authors in the entire world! Few can compare. There is a reason for that. What he writes, matters. Once again, he has written a compelling novel on the end times. Fast-paced, filled with action and adventure, and an accurate biblical portrayal, you won’t be able to put it down.
Jim Garlow, pastor, Skyline Church, San Diego
and chairman of ReAL, Washington, DC
Praise for Other Books in The End Series
Dr. Tim LaHaye writes about the future with the kind of gripping detail that others would use to describe the past. I’ve been reading Tim LaHaye’s books for over thirty years, but
Thunder of Heaven
may be his best yet!
Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor
Tim LaHaye’s books always entertain, educate, and thrill, but
Thunder of Heaven
takes it to a new level. I never thought the End of Days would cost me so much sleep!
Glenn Beck, number one
New York Times
bestselling author
Tim LaHaye writes about the prophetic future with such accuracy and passion that once you get started reading what he has written, you do not put the book away until it is finished! In our generation, he has led the way back to a proper appreciation of the prophetic writings of Scripture. Everywhere I go, I meet someone who has read one of Tim’s books and been blessed by it. This book will continue that tradition!
Dr. David Jeremiah, senior pastor of Shadow Mountain
Community Church, founder and CEO of Turning Point
The End Series
Edge of Apocalypse
Thunder of Heaven
Brink of Chaos
Revelation Unveiled
Finding the Will of God in a Crazy, Mixed-Up World
How to Win Over Depression
Anger Is a Choice (Tim LaHaye and Bob Phillips)
The Act of Marriage: The Beauty of Sexual Love
(Tim and Beverly LaHaye)
The Act of Marriage after 40: Making Love for Life
(Tim and Beverly LaHaye with Mike Yorkey)
Are We Living in the End Times?
Charting the End Times
Charting the End Times Study Guide
Revelation Unveiled
The Popular Bible Prophecy Commentary
The Popular Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy The Rapture:
Who Will Face the Tribulation?
Tim LaHaye Prophecy Study Bible
Understanding Bible Prophecy for Yourself
These and other LaHaye resources are available at:
www.timlahaye.com
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR
BRINK OF CHAOS
by Craig Parshall
1. Joshua has been separated from his country, his wife, and his children, for two years since the end of the preceding novel,
Thunder of Heaven
. He has been living in exile, primarily in Israel, a nation that has given him sanctuary while unjust criminal charges are being pursued against him by a corrupt White House administration. His wife, Abigail, has counseled him to stay abroad — out of the jurisdiction of the U.S. courts until she can prove his innocence. Do you think that was good advice?
2. In
Thunder of Heaven
, and the preceding novel,
Edge of Apocalypse
, the risks of nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists or rogue nations is presented. Now, in
Brink of Chaos
, we see the threat of a horrendous biological weapon under the control of a terror cell. Which threat do you believe is a greater risk?
3. The lives of Ethan March and Rivka, the Israeli spy, keep intersecting. Where do you envision their relationship going in the future? What impediments would there be to a romantic relationship?
4. In the futuristic view of America in this novel, the government is exercising a surprising amount of electronic surveillance over its citizens. How close, or far away, are we from that kind of scenario actually happening? What are both the arguments for and those against this kind of electronic surveillance of citizens that are mentioned in the novel?
5.
Brink of Chaos
presents one possible picture of a future rapture of Christians off the earth. If God were to remove His church from
the world today, what kinds of repercussions do you think would occur for those “left behind” on the earth?
6. Alexander Coliquin’s ambition for global power is expanding in
Brink of Chaos
. Do you see any roadblocks to his goal?
7.
Brink of Chaos
begins with a startling dream. Do you think that God speaks to his followers today in dreams? Has He done so in the past? Is there any support in the Bible for this to occur in the future?
8. Was Abigail Jordan wise or unwise, right or wrong, in refusing to receive the government mandated BIDTag? How does that square with the Bible’s mandate for Christians to obey the government? Does the Bible give examples of exceptions to the general rule of obedience to rulers?
9. Of the five main characters in the novel, Joshua Jordan, Abigail Jordan, Deborah Jordan, Cal Jordan, and Ethan March, with which character do you most closely associate? Why?
10. How do you visualize God’s “heavenly realm” now, before the coming of Christ to the earth? What parts of the Bible would support that image?
