The War in Heaven (50 page)

A
t the edge of the forest, Michael and his lieutenants evaluated their situation and their options. They were now five hours into the battle for Zion. They had fully anticipated battling on the rooftop of the Hall of Angels at this point. That hadn’t happened. The battle was raging in the streets of Zion and in the air above, scarcely a quarter mile within the walls, and that battle had virtually leveled the northern regions of the city. Indeed, much of it was in flames, and the fires were spreading. Michael had hoped to take the city virtually intact. It wasn’t working out that way.

Overhead, ever more angels were gating in to join the battle, but that influx was nearly at an end. They were sending in reserves at this point, and that resource was nearly tapped. Still they weren’t making headway. In fact, during the last two hours they had been pushed back.

Angels who had fallen into enemy territory were quickly stripped of their wings and shackled hand and foot, to be picked up later and imprisoned. Since the beginning of the war, over 150 million angels had gone missing. Where they were was anyone’s guess. Certainly they couldn’t all be held prisoner in the Hall of Angels.

“We’ve held eleven million of our best warriors in reserve, according to your command,” said one of Michael’s lieutenants.

“We want to open up a new front right here,” said Michael, pointing to the far western fringe of the city on the map. “If Satan is slow to respond, we might drive deep into the city, perhaps all of the way to the Hall of Angels.”

Colonel Borst, commanding the last 5,000 human reserve troops, looked at the plan and scowled. “I suppose you’ll be asking me to throw my troops into the city in advance of your forces?”

“I doubt that our plan will succeed without ground support,” said Michael.

“May I remind you that General Washington suffered a nearly fifty percent loss supporting your forces,” countered the colonel. “Who can say what Satan’s minions did with them. I can’t condone turning my men and women into fireball fodder.”

“Your superiors agreed to this plan,” countered Michael.

“I’m aware of that,” replied the colonel, “I just wish to enter my protest for the record. My people will be ready when called upon.” The colonel walked away from the table.

“The humans and their weapons have not been as effective or reliable as they have been in previous engagements,” noted one of Michael’s lieutenants.

“Don’t be so critical of them,” replied Michael. “The colonel happens to be right. They are taking heavy casualties, often gating into regions of fierce resistance unaware. This whole operation is going badly. I believe Satan has been studying our tactics and has adapted. Even if we do turn the tide, I fear Zion will be reduced to little more than a pile of rubble before this operation is complete. Unless things begin to improve, and quickly, we may be forced to withdraw.”

“It is the uncanny resilience of Satan’s troops that has disturbed me,” noted Gabriel. “They were not created by the Father to be warriors, yet they seem to have more stamina, more strength, than our most seasoned veterans.”

“I am at a loss to explain it,” replied Michael, but I am not willing to withdraw, not yet. Let us see how this new attack goes before we make such decisions.”

Gabriel nodded. Yet he was beginning to lose hope that this battle could be won.

Thirty minutes later, the new offensive began—the results were little better. The battle lines ground to a halt less than a mile into the city, and the casualties, especially on the human side, were appalling. Best estimates indicated that the angelic forces had lost over 5 million of their own, and nearly a third of their human allies. They could ill afford to continue the fight, yet they could not afford to withdraw either. Their hopes of ever regaining control of Heaven were fading before their eyes.

None of the combatants had noticed the woman who had just materialized at the Manasseh Gate. It was here that Elizabeth had always materialized when she came to Zion. This war would not cause her to change her habits.

Passing through the gate, Elizabeth looked on in horror at the damage that had been done to the most beautiful city in the universe. It first brought tears to her eyes, but her grief was slowly being transformed into anger.

She made her way around the rubble as the battle raged on over her head. It was about ten minutes before she came upon a wounded angel, his right wing sliced nearly in half by the sword of a demon. She rushed to lend assistance, and helped him from the street to the shelter of a still standing awning in front of a bombed-out business.

Then she heard movement behind her. Turning, she found a demon approaching her, his sword drawn.

“You are aiding the enemy,” he said. “That makes you an enemy. I will shackle both of you and take you back to the master.”

“Run,” bid the angel, doing his best to stand up.

“I will not,” replied Elizabeth, growing anger in her voice. She walked toward the demon as the angel looked on. “Leave my presence at once,” she demanded.

“What gives you the authority to make such a demand of me?” asked the demon.

“I am a child of God, sanctified by the blood of his Son, Jesus,” she replied.

“I am not impressed,” retorted the demon, pointing his sword at the apparently unarmed woman.

“You should be,” replied Elizabeth. “This is my last warning.”

The demon only laughed. “Or you’ll do what, wench?”

“Or I’ll reduce thee to a pile of ashes here and now. I assure thee, that it is a most painful experience … I’ve done it to others of your kind. Be thankful that I am giving you a choice. Now, go.”

Again the demon laughed. He was becoming weary of this woman. “I believe it is time to teach you some manners before I send you on to Satan.”

That was it. Instinctively, she stretched out her hand toward the demon. Instantly, he was engulfed in a sphere of pure fire. So great was the heat that Elizabeth was compelled to pull back a good 20 feet. A minute later, her threat had been made good.

The angel looked on incredulously. “How did you do that?”

“The power of the Holy Spirit,” she replied.

“But you used neither sword nor rifle,” objected the angel.

“I have not the time to explain,” said Elizabeth, helping the angel find cover. “Remain here. Fly to safety once you have healed. I fear I must be on my way to the Holy Place.”

Elizabeth did not wait for the angel to respond. She moved on. Though this time she made an effort to stay under cover as much as she could. What had just happened had been a leap of faith. She hadn’t been certain what would happen, only that God would protect her, as He had with Daniel in the lion’s den.

Along her route the sounds of fighting overhead, of explosions and weapons fire, filled the air. Elizabeth had reached the Via de Gloria when she was confronted with yet another horror. Here, men and women in military attire, hundreds of them, were shackled hand and foot in groups, thrown into the center of the street like garbage set out for collection.

They were bound in such a way that they could hardly move. The logic was clear. If they were bound together, if they couldn’t move, they couldn’t gate out. She approached the first group—three men and two women—their heavy ankle and wrist shackles intertwined in such a way as to render them a helpless pile of flesh.

“Help us, please,” pleaded a man on the top of the pile. His arms were shackled behind his back, intertwined with those about the ankles of another, while his ankle shackles were looped around the wrist shackles of still another. It forced him into a most unnatural bent back position.

Elizabeth examined the shackles. They had no release point, not so much as a seam. She could think of only one thing to do. She touched the shackles with her hand. “In the name of Jesus, be released,” she said.

Immediately the shackle cracked in half, as did every shackle that held the soldiers within the pile. They rolled apart, and then helped each other to their feet.

“Remove thee from here,” warned Elizabeth. “You’ve suffered enough.”

The soldiers didn’t have to be told twice. They quickly gated away.

She proceeded to another pile of humanity and repeated the act that freed the first. She offered them the same warning.

Again and again the miracle was repeated as she continued her journey to the Holy Place. She praised God for His mercy and His Son for the act that had brought humanity salvation. Amazingly, the demons overhead were too preoccupied to give the acts of this lone woman any heed, at least for the moment.

Not long after she moved on, demons dispatched to gather up the captured humans were surprised to find that their helpless captives on the Via de Gloria had vanished without a trace. The search was on for the person or persons responsible for the theft of prisoners who were rightfully the property of the master.

Elizabeth was not far from the Holy Place when the demons overhead took note of the lone human wandering through the city. When she was scarcely 100 yards from the Holy Place, three of them descended to intercept her.

“You are trespassing in territory that is rightfully ours,” announced the first demon who had landed about a dozen feet in front of her.

“This is not thy territory,” replied Elizabeth, not the slightest sign of fear on her countenance. “This is the kingdom of the Father and of His children. You gave up your rights to it long ago.”

Anger flared in the demon’s eyes. He was not accustomed to humans speaking to him in such a manner. He took a step toward this bold woman. “It belongs to us now, wench.”

“So you say,” was the reply.

“You would doubt it?” asked the demon to the first one’s left. “It isn’t a matter of doubt, but of record,” retorted Elizabeth. “She is the bold one,” said the third demon, amusement in his voice.

“Perhaps she needs to be taught a lesson in humility,” said the second.

The demons continued their verbal assault on this slight woman as she stood in silence. It had become a game to them, one to pass the time of day.

As the confrontation continued, it had drawn the attention of David Bonner and several of Thecla’s female followers at the threshold of the Holy Place. The incident stoked the fires of their anger.

“These demons are such pigs,” said one of the women. “They choose to confront those smaller and weaker than themselves.”

“Don’t underestimate them,” warned David. “They can be formidable opponents.”

The confrontation beyond the Holy Place was quickly escalating as more and more demons surrounded the young woman. Elizabeth had felt it best to pursue a policy of silence up to this point, yet the odds were turning against her. Then the demons’ conversation took a new and more threatening direction.

“Someone has stolen prisoners of war from the master,” said one of the demons. “I believe that someone is you.”

Elizabeth considered her options, sought guidance, and then answered the demons’ accusations. “You have trespassed into Heaven, brought down this city with your foul warfare; now you complain of stolen prisoners, prisoners you have no right to in the first place. I tell you this: depart this place while you still can, seek God’s pardon for this transgression. For I tell you now—if you do not, your existence shall come to an end this very day. The saints shall judge you, and you shall be found wanting.”

The demon stepped forward and forcefully struck Elizabeth, knocking her to the ground. For a moment she was stunned.

“Answer the question wench,” demanded the demon. “Did you aid the enemies of Satan?”

“Of course,” said Elizabeth, “I could do nothing less.”

At the threshold of the Holy Place, Thecla, June, and Jennifer had joined the mounting crowd. Thecla watched as the demon struck Elizabeth. For her, it was the last straw. She had been known to take incredible leaps of faith during her life on Earth. Now she was prepared to take the greatest one of all.

“Enough!” she roared. “It ends here. We have cowered from those demons long enough! I am going out there, even if no one else follows.”

“I’ll go with you,” cried more than a dozen of her followers with one voice.

David was surprised to hear the voice of his mother and Jennifer among them. He turned to Don and the others.

“We’re with you if you go out there,” said Don.

The others nodded in agreement. Thecla was right—the time was now.

“I have a few spare weapons,” said David. “It would only take a moment to teach you how to use one.”

“Thank you for your offer,” said Thecla, “but I don’t need your weapon.”

David looked at her incredulously. “You can’t go out there unarmed.”

“I can do nothing less,” said Thecla. “I will place my life in the hands of the Father as I always have. He has never abandoned me in the past…He will not abandon me now.”

There was no further discussion, not even a plan. Thecla and over 30 of her followers, mostly women, stepped from the safety of the Holy Place and into harm’s way.

“It’s going to be one of those days,” said Don, charging his rifle. “Tell me about it,” replied David, doing the same.