Rising Darkness (42 page)

“Praying,” said Serus. “As always.”

Serus moved to protect the man should it come to it. Nathan looked at Serus and laughed at him.

“Don’t be a fool, Serus,” he said. “I am not here to attack the man. Merely to speak to him.”

“It won’t do you any good,” said Serus. “He has the Lord’s mind in this.”

“Let’s see if he can lose his mind,” said Nathan, who then began to whisper into Daniel’s mind.

“Daniel, you must not resist any more. You have done well and now, someday, the revelation will be given to you. Therefore rest from this…”

Daniel looked up, perceiving the voice that was speaking to him. He then continued in prayer. Nathan looked at Serus, who only smirked back.

“Daniel! You are esteemed in my eyes. Therefore, you must stop praying for, behold, I shall answer thee in another time…”

Daniel looked up once more. This time he started to address the voice. Nathan looked confidently at Serus, when suddenly Daniel burst out with, “You are not the Lord! I know the Lord would have me pray until I hear from Him. Now begone in the name of my Most High God!”

Nathan was suddenly blown out of the room as if a sudden gust of wind had picked up a piece of cloth. Daniel immediately sensed the presence was gone and continued with his praying.

Both Rugio and Gabriel also sensed something breaking forth in the heavenlies. Something had happened. Had Nathan gotten through? Had Daniel indeed given up? Rugio began to smile, and the devils howled louder than ever.

“Well, Archangel, it looks as if one of us will have to leave the contest,” he said.

“My thoughts exactly, Rugio,” came a strong voice breaking in from the sky.

It was Michael.

Rugio looked at Gabriel and Michael with fear in his eyes. The devils in the sky scattered quickly at the other archangel’s appearance. Michael only had to step into the battle and it was over. Weakened from the previous 21 days of warfare with Gabriel, Rugio was knocked away easily by one thrust of Michael’s sword. The prince of Persia disappeared into the ground.

Gabriel found Daniel by the banks of the Tigris, still praying as he walked with a couple of servants. Daniel, whose eyes had been low, looked up and saw a man towering above him. The man was dressed in linen with a belt of fine gold around his waist. He had eyes of lightning, and his arms were like bronze.

Daniel’s servants did not see the vision, but they sensed something uncanny and fled into the woods. Daniel continued looking at the man and then, what with the fast of 21 days and the shock of this visitation, suddenly felt very weak. He fell to the ground in a faint.

Gabriel looked at Daniel and touched him, waking him up. Daniel sat up and saw that the man was still standing there. He rubbed his tired eyes in disbelief. Then the angel spoke.

“Daniel, you are esteemed of the Lord. Now listen carefully, for the Lord has sent me to you to give you these words…”

Daniel swallowed hard and stood up, trembling all the while. He looked about to see if anybody else was nearby—but they were alone.

“Do not be afraid. Since the very first day that you began to pray I have tried to come to you. But I was resisted by the enemy, the prince over the land, for these twenty-one days. And then the Archangel Michael came and supported me so that I might come to you. And now I shall explain the meaning of the vision that concerned you…”

Daniel bowed low in the face of such a visitation, but he was crippled of tongue and could not answer. The angel touched Daniel’s mouth and he summoned the courage to speak.

“This vision, my lord,” Daniel began. “It is frightening. I am overcome with grief because of it. And my strength is gone. How can I bear it?”

The angel then touched Daniel once more and imparted to him strength. Daniel felt a rush of energy and vigor flowing into his body, coursing into him like a warm substance. The angel then stepped back and began speaking:

“Daniel, I must tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. I must tell you what the vision meant…”

Thus Gabriel began explaining what the vision meant; what the future held for Israel; of the wars of the king of the North and the king of the South; of the Abomination of Desolation; of a great leader who would oppose the Throne of God; of the destruction of nations; of times of great distress and great deliverance.

Gabriel spoke of these events and then told Daniel to seal up the revelation, for these were for later times, and not his own. Daniel then looked up and saw two more angels—one on the opposite side of the river and one on his own side. One of the angels called out to Gabriel, saying:

“How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”

Gabriel, who had spoken with Daniel and was now rising above the river, lifted his hands to Heaven and said:

“It shall be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things shall be completed!”

Daniel, now completely himself, ran down the riverbank calling out to the angel. “But what will the outcome be? How shall it all end?”

The angel looked down at Daniel and said:

“Go on, Daniel. Live a blessed life. The words are closed up and sealed until the end of time. But when the Abomination of Desolation is set up, there shall be only one thousand two hundred ninety days remaining. Go now and live the remainder of your days in peace!”

Daniel never fully understood the words of the angel. He only knew that at the appointed time—in the endtimes—something both terrible and glorious would occur. He glanced up and down the riverbank and saw that once more he was alone. So Daniel lived out his life in Babylon, respected, blessed, and assured a great inheritance one day.

Bethlehem, 4 B.C.

“That terrible seal has yet to be broken,” said Gabriel. “Those and other words spoken to Daniel have not yet been fulfilled. Those things cannot happen until Messiah has come. The message to Daniel is like the words I spoke to Zechariah—of a vision of the Angel of the Lord who encouraged the people to continue building the temple that Ezra had begun. I said that they should not be discouraged that Messiah did not appear immediately when they completed it. Messiah could not appear until the times were full.”

Bakka looked at Serus and Gabriel, realizing suddenly the significance of this evening; the importance of his mission to Daniel; the momentous event that was unfolding in Bethlehem.

“Tonight is the night,” he almost whispered. “The Child that Micah spoke of. This is the Coming One…the Seed of the woman!”

Gabriel looked at Bakka with compassion.

“Yes, Bakka,” he said. “Tonight is the night. That is why the Host is gathered. Soon we shall announce to the world that a Savior has been born to them in Bethlehem.”

Joseph found Mary where he had left her, near one of the inns that had rejected them. He was having trouble finding a place to stay, because so many people were in town for the census. She was becoming more and more discouraged; and the labor was becoming more and more intense. They needed a place, and fast.

“Mary! Mary!”

Joseph came bounding excitedly to his love. He pointed behind him as he ran to where she sat on the donkey that had brought her on this long journey.

“The man over there at the inn,” he panted, out of breath from running. “He said we may use the stable area. There is clean straw and we may bed down in it. He said we might even drink fresh milk if the animals will give.”

Mary was relieved. She smiled at her husband and indicated that they had better be moving along. Joseph grabbed the rein and led the donkey through the little street to the back of a small inn. The stable was more cave than building, but it would do nicely at this point and Mary was grateful to get off the animal that had romped her around for so long.

Joseph gently lifted the girl off the animal and set her down in a soft bedding of clean straw. He found an old cloak that would serve as a cover and Mary lay down upon the straw bed. The moo of a cow, who was disturbed by the activity, caused Mary and Joseph to laugh at their situation.

“Here we are,” he said. “You are about to give birth to the Savior of His people and you have to share the room with a fussy cow! I’m sorry it could not have been somewhere more fitting.”

Mary smiled.

“Anywhere that the Savior is born is fitting indeed.”

“The woman’s time draws near,” said Lucifer, as they looked down upon the little stable area.

Kara and Pellecus were with Lucifer, looking at the innumerable holy angels in and around Bethlehem. Nobody seemed to pay any attention to Lucifer—all focus was upon Joseph and Mary.

“I have not seen so many angels gathered together in one place in a long time,” said Kara. “Not since the days that I was an elder in Heaven.”

“Yes, well, those glory days are over,” said Pellecus, who then proceeded to set the bait. “But you led us well in Heaven.”

“Thank you, Pellecus,” said Kara, surprised by praise from a usual critic.

“Yes,” continued Pellecus slyly. “You led us right to disaster here on earth. Now this accursed Seed is about to become a reality!”

“I did my best in Heaven,” said Kara. “It was I who persuaded the elders to have Lucifer named steward of the earth. I did my part in this plot. If you seek out blame, look to yourself! You and your obvious disdain for the Academy. It was your blatant opposition in the classroom that opened us up to suspicion in the first place!”

“Enough!” screamed Lucifer.

Several holy angels nearby looked in Lucifer’s direction following his outburst.

“We already look like we are defeated,” he said. “Must we also look like fools?”

Pellecus looked at the stable below. “Whatever the outcome—below, in the womb of that woman, is the future thrust of the war,” he said. “Eve’s curse.”

“Eve,” muttered Lucifer hatefully. “I shall bruise His heel; and He shall break my crown. Provided He lives so long.”

Mary’s labor had passed the point of soon—the baby was now imminent. Joseph had helped deliver his cousin’s baby, but helping with his own child made him a bit nervous. The angels in the room comforted him and Mary, laying their hands on them and helping them along.