And with All Your Mind: A Novel About Evangelical Theology

Table of Contents

PROLOGUE: THEY THAT ARE IN THE FLESH

PART ONE – COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM

PART TWO – PREPARING FOR HIS COMING

PART THREE – THE LAST GENERATION?

PART FOUR – THE CHURCH AGE

PART FIVE – IN THE WORLD

EPILOGUE: WELL DONE, THOU GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lovingly and respectfully dedicated to all spiritual seekers in the world;

And to all Christians and followers of Jesus—evangelical, or otherwise…

(Although my own opinions are usually more aligned with my character Martin Loftus, than with Silas Baker.)

As always, this book is offered with love and gratitude for the help and support of:

My beautiful wife and soul mate Nancy;

The loving Nana of our grandkids;

And the light and love of my life,

Forever, and for always.

Our wonderful grandkids: Devonte, Joseph, Dominic, Kayla, Mariah, and Brea.

My brother-in-law Darrel Buzynski;

My wonderful, loving (and now retired!) big sister Susan;

My niece Jennifer and her husband Brade;

My favorite nephew (and college graduate!) Jason.

All the rest of Nancy’s and my diverse, evolving, and always loving family.

To all of my friends and readers at work, and my other readers everywhere.

NOTE: In this book, the Evangelical Free Will Church is a fictitious denomination of my own creation, and is not intended to represent any genuine denomination or church with a similar name.

PROLOGUE: THEY THAT ARE IN THE FLESH

(Rom 8:8)

(November 1971)

Wasn’t that a great movie? Julia asked, as the other five high school seniors looked expectantly at Silas, who remained silent, as the group left the movie theater, and headed to the parking lot.

It would have been ‘greater’ if I could have sat next to you in the theater, instead of Mandy, Silas thought. You’re a lot prettier than she is; smarter, too.

Julia added, "The Cross and the Switchblade—along with The Sound of Music—is one of my favorite movies; I saw it three times when it came out last year. I’m glad this theater owner decided to show it again, so that you were able to see it, Silas."

The owner of this theater is a Christian, Glen explained to Silas. He shows Christian movies on Sunday afternoons one weekend a month, even if he’s shown them before.

Julia said with a smile, You didn’t answer my question, Silas. When he still didn’t reply, she went on, The movie is a true story, you know; there really is a minister named David Wilkerson who went to New York City and started the Teen Challenge ministry to work with teenagers who are joining street gangs. The Lord has been using him mightily.

That’s nice, Silas said, trying to suppress a smile. As he arrived at his car, he said to the group, Well, thanks for inviting me to the movie. I guess I’ll see some of you guys at school tomorrow…

Oh, come on, Silas; it’s too early to call it a night, Edward said. Why don’t you come along with us? We’re going over to a friend’s house, and then out for ice cream later.

Silas demurred, saying, Well, I really need to go to the basketball court and work on my jump shot for a while; the coach says I might get a chance to start, if I keep working on…

Oh, come on, Silas; you play basketball enough as it is, Julia said with a beautiful smile. You like music, don’t you? Silas nodded, and she added quickly, We always have a couple of people that play the guitar, and all of us sing; it’s lots of fun! Everyone in the group enthusiastically agreed with her.

Glen said, If you need to call your folks to let them know you’ll be home later, there’s a phone right over…

Silas shook his head, and said, No, I told them I didn’t know when I would be back; they won’t care.

Then let’s go! Julia concluded, which brought a chorus of agreement from the group. With pretended innocence, she addressed the other female in the group, Mandy, why don’t you ride with Silas, so you can show him how to get there? Mandy agreed immediately, so the others headed to their own car. Silas (feeling like he’d been tricked) reluctantly opened his car door for Mandy.

Go down Riordan Way, and then turn left on Falconcrest; then turn right on Elm Circle, she explained, as she put her seat belt on. He started the car, and they drove away.

As they drove in silence, Silas noticed a large textbook-sized case with a handle that Mandy kept on her lap; her hands rested protectively on it, as if it contained something very precious.

What’s that you’re holding? Silas asked her, trying to make conversation.

She immediately opened it, and pulled out a thick book; as they waited at a stop light, she showed it to him—it had pictures of several smiling youths on the cover.

"The Way? What kind of book is that?" he asked, as the light changed, and he drove the car forward.

It’s God’s Word, of course; it’s practically the only book I read, outside of school, she replied. I was brought up reading only the King James Version, but that’s kind of like reading Shakespeare in English class, you know? This translation is written in everyday English, so it’s really easy to understand. She opened the book, and said enthusiastically, Want me to read some parts aloud, to show you?

That’s okay, Silas said, sighing silently. I might have known that Mandy was one of those Bible thumpers; that’s probably why she doesn’t wear any makeup, and why Julia is so much prettier than her. He said, I don’t read the Bible; I quit going to church when I was twelve, right after my older brother Tim stopped going. To me, the whole thing was boring, and a waste of time. He thought for a moment, and then added, But I still believe in God and everything, though.

Have you ever read the Bible? she asked.

He shrugged, and then replied, I tried to read it once, but I stopped once it got into a whole lot of ‘begats.’

Mandy said, Let me read something to you from this translation: ‘Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God. He has always been alive and is himself God. He created everything there is—nothing exists that he didn’t make. Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to all mankind. His life is the light that shines through the darkness—and the darkness can never extinguish it.’ That was the gospel of John, chapter one, verses one to five. She looked over at him, and asked, Now, wasn’t that a lot easier to understand?

Uhh, yeah; I guess, he said, slowing down as they came to a stop sign. Didn’t you say I was supposed to turn on Falconcrest? Which way?

Oh, sorry, she said apologetically. Turn left. He made the turn, and they drove in silence for a little while.

Mandy said, Let me read you another part; this is from chapter three of the gospel of John. You see, there was a religious leader of Jesus’ time named Nicodemus, who was interested in Jesus’ message, but would only come see him after dark, so that no one else would know. Jesus told him this: ‘Unless you are born again, you can never get into the Kingdom of God.’ Well, Nicodemus didn’t understand, so he asked Jesus what he meant, and Jesus explained, ‘Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.’ What Jesus meant by this, is…

Silas pointed urgently at a street sign, and asked, Where do I turn?

Sorry again, Mandy said sheepishly. Turn right. After Silas made the turn, she pointed ahead, and said, It’s the white house at the end of the cul-de-sac; just park any place you can find.

If I can find any place, Silas said doubtfully, looking up and down both sides of the street. He finally parked in a space that was rather close to a fire hydrant. I hope I don’t get a ticket for parking here, he said nervously, as he turned off the motor, and got out of the car.

You won’t, Mandy said confidently, not moving from her seat. Silas looked back, and then realized that she was expecting him to open the door for her, so he quickly walked back and held the door open for her. As she got out of the car, she said primly, Thank you. They began walking toward the white house.

Mandy began, Anyway, as I said, Nicodemus didn’t understand what Jesus meant by being ‘born again,’ so Jesus explained in verse 16, ‘For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ So this means that all of us need to believe in Jesus, if we want to…

There’s Julia and the others! Silas interrupted, pointing to a car that was just arriving. Silas was surprised to see them park directly in the driveway of an adjoining house, blocking the cars parked there.

As Glen (the driver) got out of the car, Silas called out to him, If you block their driveway, they might have your car towed.

Glen shook his head, and replied, We always park there; their two kids go to the meeting, too.

What kind of ‘meeting’ is this, anyway? Silas asked, growing apprehensive, as the other kids walked over to join them.

It’s a Campus Life meeting, Mandy explained. One Sunday a month we have ‘Outreach Night,’ and hold our meeting at our Youth Pastor’s house, instead of at our church.

Oh, great, Silas thought with trepidation. This is going to be some religious thing. He glumly fell into step behind the others as they walked up the steps to the house. Glen didn’t bother to knock on the front door, but simply opened it and entered, and the others followed. They walked to a large living room, which was filled with other young people.

Silas casually maneuvered it so that he was standing next to Julia, and they all sat down on one of a large number of pillows that were spread all over the floor of the living room; except for a single chair in front of the fireplace, there was no other furniture in the room.

Edward stood up, indicated Silas with his hand, and then announced to the entire group, Praise the Lord, everybody; this is Silas, a friend of ours from school. Silas blushed as the group responded with warm applause, as well as exclamations such as Welcome! and Praise the Lord!

At that point, a young man (in his late twenties, Silas estimated) of medium height with curly dark brown hair, as well as long sideburns and a well-trimmed mustache, wearing a flowered print shirt and light-blue bellbottoms, entered the room, and looked all around it.

Pastor Dan! Over here! Edward said, gesturing with his hand. After the newcomer arrived, Edward pointed to Silas and said, Pastor Dan, this is Silas Baker; he goes to our school.

The pastor held out his hand to Silas, and said in a vigorous tone, It’s good to meet you, Silas! I’m Daniel Blackwood; but just call me Dan.

Uhh … okay, Silas replied, wincing slightly from the firmness of Dan’s handshake.

Dan called out to the whole group, Any other newcomers? When no one replied, he turned and walked away, taking a seat on the chair in front of the fireplace. He held up his hands, and all the conversation in the room immediately ceased. Dan said, Let’s begin with a word or prayer; Glen, would you ask the Lord’s blessing, please?

Silas was surprised as Julia reached over and took his hand in hers; he smiled, and squeezed her hand in response. But his smile turned to an annoyed frown as Edward took his other hand. Silas was about to yank his hand away, until he looked around and realized that everyone in the room was holding hands, regardless of whether the person sitting next to them was male or female.

Glen cleared his throat, and said in a firm, full voice, Lord Jesus, we ask for your blessing on our meeting this evening. And Lord, for anyone here tonight who doesn’t know you personally, we just pray that you will touch their heart, so that they too can come to know you in a deeply personal way. Remove any doubts lingering in their spirits, Lord, and fill them with the gift of faith, and the knowledge of what you did for us on the cross. We ask these things in your name: Amen.

Amen! the group responded fervently, and everyone immediately let go of the hands they were holding. Several people started strumming their guitars, and the group joined them in a song. Silas had never heard the song before, but the chorus was easy enough that he had learned it by the second verse; he didn’t sing, however, but just remained silently watching all of the others.

Come on, Silas; sing! Julia urged him.

I’m not a good singer, he demurred.

That doesn’t matter; just sing out with your whole heart! she encouraged, and he began singing half-heartedly, gradually feeling his inhibitions drop away. Soon, he was singing as vigorously and unselfconsciously as anyone else in the room, and Julia smiled warmly at him.

After about an hour, they all took a break for cookies and punch. As Silas stood in-between Julia and Mandy (Mandy had immediately established herself next to Silas as soon as they all stood up for the break), Pastor Dan approached him, holding his hand out once again.

It’s good to have you with us, Silas; I’m glad to see you enjoying the singing, Dan said, as they shook hands. Does your church’s Youth Group participate in Campus Life?

Umm … I, uhh, don’t really go to church any more, Silas said, suddenly feeling very self-conscious, as if every eye in the room was upon him. He explained, I used to go to a Congregational Church with my family, but … I stopped about five years ago.

The Congregational Church merged into the United Church of Christ some years ago, Dan observed, adding in a grave tone, "It’s a very liberal denomination; they don’t believe in the Bible as God’s inerrant Word."

Oh, Silas said with embarrassment, adding, Well, like I said, I don’t go there anymore.

You should come to our church: the Grace Evangelical Free Will Church, on the corner of South Pinecrest and Loma Lista, Dan said enthusiastically. "I’m the Youth Pastor, and our Senior Pastor is Warren Maxwell; at Grace, we really preach the Word!" Silas just nodded, but didn’t say anything. Dan patted Silas’s shoulder robustly several times, and then went to talk with someone else.

A thin guy with thick glasses and shoulder-length hair (who was part of the group that Silas had gone to the movie with) approached him quietly, and said, Hey, look, man; I know a lot of these people can seem pretty intense—especially when you first meet them. But try not to let them bother you; no one here is trying to get you to do or believe anything you don’t want to—so if anyone gets too far up in your face, just tell them to back off! and both he and Silas laughed.

What was your name, again? Silas asked the newcomer. I know we’re in the same grade, but I don’t think we’ve ever had any classes together…

I’m Desmond Maria; or just Des, for short, he replied. And look, I know this is a Christian thing, and probably no one warned you in advance, so I apologize for that. He jerked his thumb in the direction of Edward, and added, Some of these people are almost like ‘headhunters’—especially Ed; Rick and Julia are the only semi-mellow people in the group. But like I said, no one’s trying to pressure you into anything. It’s your life, brother, and you’re the one who’s got to live it.

Thanks, Silas said, with relief. So you’re not a Christian?

"Actually, I am a Christian, Desmond replied evenly. I even go to the same church that most of these other kids do; but I just have a completely different style from nearly all of them. I’m not going to try and cram Jesus down somebody’s throat just because it’s ‘Outreach Night,’ or some other stupid reason like that. Things work in the Lord’s time, not ours."

Silas nodded, and then Dan called the meeting back to order again; so there was a clink of glasses as young people began putting their empty cups of punch back on the serving trays, and returned to their seats.

After Silas sat down on his pillow, he frowned as Mandy sat down where Julia had previously been. Mandy said cheerily, So how do you like the meeting?

Fine, he said noncommittally, as he made himself comfortable on the pillow. Before Mandy could say anything else, the guitar players began strumming again, so she fell silent.

They sang only a few more songs (ending with the soulful tune, They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love), when Pastor Dan gave a hand signal to the guitar players, who immediately began quietly strumming a different song. The young people (except for Silas) all began singing softly:

Just as I am, without one plea.

But that thy blood was shed for me.

And that thou bidst me come to thee,

Oh, Lamb of God, I come; I come…

Pastor Dan raised his hand, and the guitar players began playing even more softly, and the assembled young people began humming the melody to the song, repeating it over and over, as Pastor Dan solemnly requested, Every head bowed, and every eye closed, please. Then he said fervently: Lord Jesus, we feel your presence here with us this evening, and we can also feel the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Your Word tells us in Romans 3:10 that ‘There is none righteous, no, not one.’ Lord, we know that we are sinners, and that you died on the cross to save us from the consequences of our sins, and to enable us to have eternal life with you in Heaven. We also know that it takes more than just going to church, or trying to be a ‘good person,’ to be a Christian; it’s only by believing in you, and in what you did for us at Calvary, that we can be saved, and born again into a new life in you, Lord. At this point, Silas felt Mandy’s hand reach over and firmly grasp his own.

Dan’s voice because even more intense and emotional, as he said, "Lord Jesus, you said that whosoever repents and believes in you will receive the gift of everlasting life. Lord, we just pray right now that if there is anyone here who does not know you personally, as their very own Saviour and Redeemer, that he or she would just open up their heart right now, and invite you to come in, and give them new life. As you said in Revelation 3:20, ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him…" Silas felt Mandy squeezing his hand more firmly, which made him nervous. He shut his eyes even more tightly, fervently wishing this evening would end soon…

Pastor Dan went on, his voice beseeching, For anyone here who doesn’t know Jesus personally, I would ask you to silently pray this prayer along with me: ‘Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and right now I turn away from all my sins. I believe that you died to save me from my sins, and I ask you to come into my heart, and be my personal Saviour. Thank you for coming in and saving me, Lord, and for giving me eternal life; I know by faith and by your Word that I am now born again, praise God.’ He paused for a moment, and then said quietly, Now, for anyone who just prayed that prayer with me, I want you to raise your hand, and hold it up. Silas felt Mandy release his hand, as if inviting him to raise it; but he thought to himself cynically, Don’t hold your breath waiting…

Pastor Dan continued, Lord, you said in Matthew 10:32 that ‘Whosoever will confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father in heaven.’ That’s why I ask anyone who prayed that prayer with me to raise their hands, and… praise the Lord! I see that hand; and yes, I see that hand, too; please keep them raised… Is there anyone else? The room was silent, except for the soft guitars and humming voices. Silas opened his eyelids slightly, and was surprised to see that there were indeed two young men sitting across the room who had raised their hands in response to Pastor Dan’s invitation. Pastor Dan added with a note of urgency, "Is there anyone else? If Jesus is knocking at the door to your heart, please don’t turn him away… remember that he gave his very life for you, on that cross at Calvary…"

Silas’s stomach was queasy as he thought, He can’t be talking about me, can he? Because I don’t feel anything like what he’s saying … or at least, I don’t think I do … but maybe … well, what would it feel like if God was touching my heart, anyhow? I really don’t know…

Pastor Dan went on, "Anyone who prayed that prayer with me, or who now wants to acknowledge that prayer in their heart, now is the time to raise your hand, and accept the free gift of eternal life that Jesus is offering to you. His voice was filled with passion, as he added, Don’t turn Jesus away, because Second Corinthians 6:2 says that ‘now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.’ Don’t be like the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21, who thought that he could just go on with his life, and eat, drink, and be merry, until the day God told him, ‘You fool! This very night you will die! Then who will get all your riches?’ The room was silent, and even the guitars stopped their playing. Suddenly, a feminine sob was heard, and Dan said, Yes, I see that hand… Praise the Lord! Luke 15:7 tells us that there is joy in heaven whenever a soul is saved…"

Through his squinting eyes, Silas saw that a teenaged female had now raised her hand, and that there were tears on her cheeks, as the two people on either side of her had their arms around her, and were comforting her as she began to weep. (Silas felt strangely moved by this sight, and he swallowed nervously.)

Suddenly, Pastor Dan said in his normal vigorous tone, Praise God! and he got up from the chair and quickly came forward, motioning for the three young persons who had raised their hands to come forward, and join him in the center of the group. He gathered them into a tight circle and whispered something to them, as the guitar players began strumming vigorously again, and the whole group (except Silas, of course) began joyfully singing a song whose chorus proclaimed triumphantly, All the angels in heaven above, rejoice when there’s a soul saved, and they repeated this song several times, as Pastor Dan prayed with the three young people. Then he smiled broadly, had them stand in a line next to him, and exclaimed loudly to the entire group, Hallelujah! Let’s welcome our new sister and brothers to the family of God! and the group began cheering and applauding vigorously, as a number of people came forward to give congratulatory hugs to the new Christians.

After a few more songs, the meeting ended, and people began leaving. Pastor Dan strode forward and once again held out his hand to Silas; as they shook hands, he said warmly, Silas, it was great to meet you! I hope you’ll visit our church next Sunday morning; I’ll be delivering a special message to the whole congregation about biblical prophecy, and how it’s being fulfilled in our own time—you won’t want to miss it! Silas nodded, but didn’t reply. Silas’s six high school companions were now standing around him.

Ready to go get some ice cream? Julia said invitingly, and six voices (including Silas’s) agreed vigorously.

This time, Edward rode with Silas as well as Mandy, as they drove to the ice cream parlor. Edward asked, So, Silas: how did you like Dan’s message?

Fine, I guess, he replied noncommittally.

Do you remember those Scriptures from the gospel of John that I was reading to you on the drive over? Mandy asked. And do you see how the Scriptures that Pastor Dan quoted fit right along with them? About how we all need to be born again? Silas shrugged, and tried to focus on his driving.

Mandy turned around to look at Edward in the back seat, and asked, What is Pastor Dan’s message going to be about, next Sunday?

About Bible prophecy, Edward replied, enthusiastically. He said, Silas, the fulfillment of Bible prophecy is the most exciting topic that I know about to study these days. It’s just so amazing to see how God is literally fulfilling all of these Scriptures that were written thousands of years ago—and it’s all happening in our own time!

Just what do you mean, ‘Bible prophecy’? Silas asked, as he pulled into the parking lot of the ice cream parlor.

Prophecy is the communication of a divine message from God through a human messenger, Edward replied immediately. There was a whole series of prophets in the Old Testament, such as Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and many others. After Silas parked the car, Edward added, Bible prophecy is the most remarkable proof I know of that the Bible is truly God’s Word. They all got out of the car, and waited for their friends to arrive.

What do you mean, ‘proof’? Silas asked with curiosity, as they watched the other four walk over to join them.

Edward said expansively, Well, Silas, suppose that I had told you before the Presidential election in 1968 that Richard Nixon was definitely going to win?

I’d say that was a pretty good guess, Silas replied, as they all went inside the ice cream parlor. They found an empty table, and seated themselves; Silas was sitting in-between Mandy and Edward. Then Silas said to Edward, But since there were only two serious candidates for President in 1968, you had about a 50-50 chance of guessing right, anyway. The waiter immediately arrived to take their orders.

After the waiter departed, Edward said, I agree with you; but suppose I told you that instead of making that prediction in 1968, someone had actually made that prediction, say, two thousand years ago?

I’d say you were nuts, Silas replied with a smile, as he took a sip of his ice water. No one could have predicted Richard Nixon two thousand years ago; I mean, shoot—this country didn’t even exist two thousand years ago.

That’s true, Edward agreed. But suppose I could show you that something even more unlikely had been predicted more than two thousand years ago?

In that case, I’d probably doubt that the prediction was really made two thousand years ago, Silas said, with a laugh.

Do you know that the Bible was completed nearly two thousand years ago? Edward countered.

Silas was surprised by this question, then replied hesitantly, Well, uhh … sure; I guess so.

Edward added, "In fact, some parts of it were written more than four thousand years ago."

Silas frowned, and asked, But what kind of ‘unlikely prediction’ did it make thousands of years ago…

Did you know that in the year 70 A.D., the Roman government destroyed the Jewish nation of Israel in a war? And that this destruction included the Jews’ famous Temple in Jerusalem? Edward asked pointedly. And did you know that almost forty years earlier in Matthew 24:2, Jesus Christ had predicted that the Jewish Temple would be completely destroyed?

Defensively, Silas said, Well, I don’t know anything about…

Edward continued pressing his point vigorously, saying, And starting with the destruction of the Temple, the Jews were scattered among all the nations of the world, with only a tiny, tiny remnant of them remaining in the ancient land of Israel, which later came under Moslem control, until… and he paused dramatically, before adding, Until the Jews established the State of Israel in 1948, just as the Bible had predicted in Ezekiel 37 and 38! He looked directly into Silas’s eyes, and said, So you see, the prophet Ezekiel had predicted 2,500 years ago that after having been scattered, the Jewish people would be regathered from all the lands they had been dispersed to, and in the ‘latter years’ be brought back into their own land. He smiled and added triumphantly, "Now, if that isn’t a miracle of biblical prophecy, I don’t know what is!" Silas was unable to reply.

Glen nodded, and said, And Jesus in Matthew 24 made a lot of other predictions that the Christian church mostly ignored throughout its history, because the events Jesus predicted seemed so unlikely; so they tried to ‘spiritualize’ the Bible, instead of interpreting his words literally.

At that point, the waiter brought their orders, so the conversation ceased. Silas picked up his spoon and began to dig into his ice cream, but he stopped as he realized with embarrassment that everyone else had bowed their heads; he waited until after Glen said a short prayer for the group. After Glen finished, they all looked up and smiled, and began to eat their ice cream with gusto.

It’s remarkable, isn’t it? Julia said, smiling across the table at Silas. And yet the Bible predicts everything, to the letter.

Well, all of this stuff is kind of hard to digest in one day, Silas said uncomfortably, digging into his ice cream with his spoon.

I know it’s hard to understand, Mandy said to Silas sympathetically. "You really need to read a fantastic book written by a cool young Bible Prophecy teacher named Hal Lindsey; the book is called The Late Great Planet Earth. She patted his shoulder sympathetically, and said, A lot of books about biblical prophecy are really hard to understand, but Hal Lindsey puts it so clearly that anyone can understand it. She added helpfully, I’d be glad to lend you my own copy at school tomorrow, if you promise to read it."

Okay; sure, I’ll read it, Silas promised, and Mandy beamed. They all ate their ice cream, and talk gradually drifted off to more mundane matters.

After everyone had finished eating, Glen said, Well, tomorrow’s a school day, so I guess we’d better call it an evening. Since we’ve only got two cars, we need to team up to get everyone home; where do you live, Silas?

Over on Palm Tree Drive, behind the Jumbo Max supermarket, he replied.

Glen thought for a moment, and then said, In that case, can you give Desmond and Julia a ride home? Edward, Rick, Mandy and I live on the other side of the school.

Mandy looked disappointed, and protested, But I don’t live that much farther away…

Sure, I’ll give Julia and Desmond a ride home, Silas said quickly (trying not to show his relief at not being paired with Mandy again).

Great, Glen said, smiling. He gave a signal to the rest of the group, and they all joined hands, and bowed their heads again. As Mandy and Edward took his hands, Silas thought, Boy, these people are really serious about their religion; they not only pray in church, they pray everywhere they’re at—notwithstanding that people are probably looking at us like we’re strange.

Glen prayed softly, Father, thank you for all the blessings we have received this evening, and for the joy of fellowship with our friend Silas; we ask you to open all of our hearts to receive your Word, and we ask this in Jesus’ name; Amen.

Amen, the rest of the group said, and they released each others’ hands, and got up, then began heading out to the parking lot.

Once he was driving away with Julia and Desmond, Silas asked Desmond, So how come I never see you in school? What kind of classes do you take? Are in any clubs, or anything?

Mostly, I’m taking math and engineering classes, he replied. The only club I’ve ever belonged to is the Chess Club; but at lunch time the six of us hang out together.

During lunchtime, we all study the Bible, or read Christian books, and then discuss them, Julia explained. "We just finished reading The Late Great Planet Earth, which is the book that Mandy’s going to loan you."

Turn up here at the light, Desmond instructed, and Silas followed the directions. It’s that green house on the left. Silas made a U-turn, and parked in front of the house.

Desmond hopped out of the car and said, Hey, thanks for the ride, man; Julia, I’ll see you tomorrow, sister. Peace in Jesus.

Peace in Jesus, Desmond, she replied. They waited until after Desmond had unlocked his front door and gone inside, before Silas drove away.

Finally, I get the chance to be alone with Julia, Silas thought eagerly. He immediately asked her, Do you ever go to our basketball games at school?

No, never, she replied.

You ought to go; we play every Tuesday and Friday night, he said enthusiastically. I’m a reserve guard on the varsity Stentoria High team; but the coach said that I might get to start, if I work on my jump shot some more. She didn’t respond, and he added, Our team’s doing really good this year; we’re almost definitely going to make the playoffs, and…

Tuesdays I have Bible Study at our church, and Friday night is Prayer Meeting, she said primly.

Oh, he said, trying to hide his disappointment. Casually, he said, Well, Friday nights after the game, there’s always a party; just beer—no hard stuff, and no weed. I could come by and pick you up, if you’d like to come…

She shook her head vigorously, and said, I don’t drink.

He stopped at a light, and then looked over at her with disbelief. You don’t drink? Not even beer?

She said, Ephesians 5:18 tells us, ‘be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.’

With some frustration in his voice, Silas said, "I’m not talking about getting drunk; I just mean having a couple of beers to relax at the end of a long week, and…"

She shook her head again, and said, Proverbs 23:32 says that wine ‘biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.’ And Proverbs 20:1 says, ‘Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.’

Okay, I get the idea, he said, disappointed. Well, then; next Saturday, would you like to maybe go to a movie, or something?

I can’t date anyone who isn’t a Christian, she replied softly, but firmly.

Huh? he replied, astonished by this answer.

I don’t date boys just to date, she explained. I can only date someone who I might potentially marry.

Marry? he said, genuinely bewildered. I’m only seventeen; can’t you go out with someone just to have fun, or…

She shook her head, and said, Saint Paul said in Second Corinthians 6:14 that we are not to be ‘unequally yoked together with unbelievers.’ Since a Christian can’t marry a non-Christian, there’s no way that I ever could date a non-Christian. She looked at him, and then said sympathetically, I’m sorry, Silas, but I follow the standard of God’s Word.

Oh; I … didn’t know that, he replied, his voice glum.

Turn left here, she instructed, and Silas followed her directions. She added, Just let me off in the parking lot.

Silas blinked as he pulled to a stop, and then said with surprise, "You live here? In these apartments?" He was appalled at the rundown condition of the apartment complex.

She didn’t reply, but just opened the car door. Once she was out of the car, she smiled at Silas and said, Thanks for the ride, Silas; and I really hope you’ll come with us to church next Sunday—Pastor Dan will have an exciting message.

Okay; well, maybe, he replied.

I’ll pray for you, she said earnestly.

Uhh… okay, thanks, he said, as she turned and walked over to entrance to the apartments, past four black or Hispanic teenagers who were laughing loudly and smoking cigarettes. Several of them looked at her insolently as she neared them, but she just walked right past them without any hesitation. Dang, she’s brave, Silas thought. Even I wouldn’t have walked right in front of those guys like that. He continued to watch her until she had safely unlocked her apartment door, and was inside.

As he was driving away, he thought, Julia is the prettiest girl that I’ve ever had in my car, but she won’t even consider going out with me, because she doesn’t think I’m a Christian—not according to her standards, at least.

He frowned, as he thought more deeply, But am I a Christian? I quit going to church when I was twelve, but that was just because I thought church was boring; it’s not because I don’t believe in God, or Jesus, or anything like that. I still believe in obeying the Ten Commandments, and everything.

As he waited at a stoplight, he thought, It kind of freaks me out how these kids are always holding hands and praying, and it’s kind of embarrassing to hear people talking and joking about them, like some people were at the ice cream parlor. But still, I’ve got to give them a lot of credit: they have something they believe in, and they stand up for it, no matter what anyone else says. And Julia just walked right past those black and Mexican guys, like she wasn’t afraid of anything. They’ve got guts—that’s for sure.

As the light changed, he pressed his foot on the accelerator, and thought very soberly, Do I have anything I really believe in? Do I even have any idea of what I want to do with my life? Basketball takes up a lot of my time, but I’m nowhere near good enough to play in college, if I even go to college; I’m a senior, but I haven’t even applied to any college yet. The fact is that I don’t even know what I want to do with my life—whether I want to get a job after high school, or go to college, or what. He shook his head, and thought with reluctant admiration, Whatever else people say about these Christian kids, they sure seem to have it together in terms of knowing what they want to do in life: they go to church, read the Bible, read books about the Bible, and do all kinds of stuff together. By comparison, my friends from the team and school are just wandering around, partying on the weekends, but accomplishing absolutely nothing. He parked the car in front of his parents’ house.

After he entered the house, he quickly told his parents good night and then went straight to his room. Lying on his back on the bed, he thought deeply about all that had happened that afternoon and evening.

An idea suddenly occurred to him, and he jumped up and went over to his bookshelf, which was crammed with popular adventure novels, science fiction, and books about leading sports figures. He searched impatiently, and finally found what he was looking for: a paperback copy of the Bible, stuffed carelessly underneath another stack of books. He carefully removed the Bible from the shelf, and then went back to his bed, and opened it.

He flipped through it until he found a page labeled, Books of the Bible, but saw with dismay that it listed dozens of separate ‘books.’ Oh, man, he thought, What was the part that Mandy was reading to me in the car? He read through the titles of the biblical books hopelessly, until his eyes finally lighted on one title: John—that’s it! That’s what Mandy was reading…

He sat on his bed with his back against the wall, and turned to the page where the book of John began, and then began reading it, softly saying the words aloud as he read: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men…

PART ONE – COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM

1. YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN (John 3:7) (November 1971, the following Sunday morning)

The organ and piano music stopped, and Pastor Dan got up from his chair on the raised platform and walked solemnly to the pulpit, carrying a black Bible; unlike the casual clothes he had worn the previous Sunday evening, this morning he was wearing a well-tailored dark gray suit. The church was jam-packed, and there was a spirit of expectancy in the air. Silas looked around and thought with wonder, Man, there must be five hundred people in here; I’ve never seen a church with so many people in it… He was sitting in one of the front pews, with Julia on one side of him, and Mandy on the other.

Let us pray, Pastor Dan requested, raising his hand, and the entire congregation bowed their heads, as Pastor Dan said, "Lord Jesus, I ask that you give me strength to preach the message that you want the people to hear; use me, Lord, so that it is not my words, but your words that are said today, and I pray that you will use them to touch the hearts and minds of each and every person in this building today, as they hear this prophetic message, and realize the gravity and seriousness of the times we are living in. We ask this in your holy name, Jesus; Amen."

Amen! responded the congregation. There were a few muffled coughs from among the audience, as they looked at Pastor Dan with anticipation.

Pastor Dan looked out on his listeners, and then said soberly, Brethren and visitors, these are indeed exciting times that we are living in—where we are literally witnessing the fulfillment of prophecies that were made thousands of years ago, in God’s holy and infallible Word. He paused, then added, "Much of what I am telling you this morning I have learned from reading the books of respected Bible Prophecy teachers such as Hal Lindsey, whose book The Late Great Planet Earth I would strongly recommend to all of you. I have personally taken Hal Lindsey’s book and carefully looked up every single Scripture reference in it—and believe me, they all check out, 100%! He picked up his own copy of the Bible from the pulpit, and held it up before the congregation, saying, However, this morning I am not going to be quoting anything to you from Hal Lindsey’s book, or from any other Bible Prophecy teachers that I have studied; my message this morning is based on the Bible, and only the Bible. There were some scattered Amen!" exclamations from the congregation.

Pastor Dan continued, One of the most remarkable prophets in the entire Bible is Daniel; in chapters 7-12 of his book, Daniel was basically given a vision of the entire future, in prophetic terms. He was shown how Jesus would present himself as the Messiah of the Jewish people; then he saw the destruction of the Jewish Temple by the Romans in 70 A.D.—an event that had been predicted by Jesus himself in Matthew 24:2—and he saw the Jews being forced to leave the Holy Land, and being scattered all over the world. But even more amazingly, Daniel was also given a vision of the events that would take place at the end of the world; and Daniel was actually allowed to see and write about events that are happening today, as well as other events that will take place in the near future.

Pastor Dan opened his Bible, and said, "In Daniel 9:24, the prophet was told, ‘Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.’ These ‘weeks’ actually mean weeks of years, so that ‘seventy weeks’ means a total of 490 years. Now, only sixty-nine of those weeks of years had been completed at the time of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem; so that left one ‘week,’ or seven years, remaining to be fulfilled. You might say that God’s ‘prophetic stopwatch’ had been stopped, just after the sixty-ninth week. But since it’s like a stopwatch, you know that one day God will start the stopwatch up again, and the seventieth week will begin.

So what’s going to happen during that last seven-year period? Well, the last book in the Bible, the Book of Revelation, gives us a great deal of detailed information about what will happen during this final seven-year period that is called the ‘Great Tribulation’ in Revelation 7:14 and in Matthew 24:21. There will be a terrible, satanic world leader during this seven-year period, who is known as the ‘Antichrist.’ It is at the end of this seven-year period that Jesus’ Second Coming will occur, when he will return visibly to earth; as Revelation 1:7 tells us, ‘Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him.’ In fact, Zechariah 14:4 and Acts 1:11-12 tell us that when he returns, Jesus will first set foot on the Mount of Olives, in Jerusalem.

Pastor Dan looked out upon the congregation again, and then said, Now, obviously, we would all like to know just when this seven-year period is going to take place; Jesus’ own disciples also wanted to know when he would return, so they asked him in Matthew 24:3, ‘Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?’ Christians throughout time have asked the same questions, and some of them actually thought that they were living during this final period of history. He paused briefly, then continued, "We’ve all seen cartoons making fun of a crazy-looking old man who’s carrying a sign that says, ‘The End is Near.’ And to the average nonchristian, someone who thinks the end of the world is at hand is some kind of nut. Well, what I want to suggest to you this morning is that the Christians of the past who expected the end of the world were not so much ‘mistaken’ as they were premature. You see, this seven-year period of Tribulation couldn’t begin until after a particular triggering event occurred.

What is this triggering event, you ask me? Pastor Dan said rhetorically. Well, it’s quite simple: The Jewish people had to return to live in their ancient homeland of Israel, just as the Bible had predicted in Ezekiel 37:21 and 38:8, where it says, ‘Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land,’ and ‘in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations...’ He looked out over the congregation again, and said earnestly, And as we all know, the State of Israel was reconstituted in 1948. So therefore, any speculations that Christians made about when the end of the world would occur—that were made prior to the reestablishment of the State of Israel in 1948—were premature, because God’s prophetic stopwatch hadn’t started ticking again, yet. With great seriousness, he added, "However, that prophetic stopwatch has now once again started ticking, which means that the end is getting closer every second."

Pastor Dan scowled, and then said, "Now, prior to the reestablishment of the State of Israel, scoffers and skeptics mocked the Bible’s prophecies about the end of the world. They would read in Matthew 24:16 how Jesus told his followers that when the end of the world came, ‘let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains’; the skeptics would say, ‘Why would Jesus tell his followers to flee from Judea if the land of Israel was going to be inhabited only by the Romans, and then later by the Moslems?’ The mockers would quote Jesus in Matthew 24:20, where he said, ‘pray ye that your flight be not … on the Sabbath day’; the scoffers laughed, since neither the Romans nor the Moslems observe the Sabbath. Pastor Dan paused dramatically, and then thundered, Jesus said this because he knew that the Jews were going to return to their land in what the Bible calls the ‘Last Days’!" The entire congregation was hushed in awe after this last statement.

He continued, "The Jews are truly a miracle of history! There is no other people from the ancient world that still exists in modern times! Do any of the other ancient peoples mentioned in the Old Testament still exist? The Amalekites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Midianites, the Philistines, and so on, have all disappeared from history—and only the Jews are left as a distinct people! Do even the Greeks or the Romans still exist? No! Can we not therefore, brethren, see the protective hand of God watching over the Jewish people throughout the ages? This remark generated some excited cries of Amen!" from the congregation.

Pastor Dan went on, "Now, there are some Christians who would reject the interpretations of the Bible that I’m presenting to you this morning on the grounds that, ‘The great Bible teachers of the past, such as Augustine, or Luther, or John Wesley, didn’t teach them.’ But the fact is that those earlier Bible teachers couldn’t have properly understood these interpretations, because they weren’t meant to be understood back then! God told Daniel in Daniel 9:24 to ‘seal up the vision and prophecy’; and so, these prophecies remained ‘sealed books’ until our own times, when their proper interpretation would finally become clear."