21. Apollyon
War between Dangchao and the Christians was fierce and open now.
It stayed that way right up to the end.
It was 2 years since sacrifices had stopped, and Dangchao had moved into the Temple.
Countless millions had rejected the Mark, and countless more died to appease Dangchao.
Pius was more sane than Dangchao, but he too was affected by the sick pleasure that came with such an Inquisition.
The thrill of pure power attracted them both, but their evil abuse had made it very impure.
Dangchao and Pius killed many more people than Rayford and Chaim had converted.
But the Christians were winning spiritually.
People joining the Tribulation Force grew every day in spite of the killings.
The asteroid and meteorites left millions dead and terrible destruction.
Neither the U.N. nor local governments were coping with the effects of the disasters.
The world was returning to the Dark Ages, and Dangchao's popularity was slipping.
But dissatisfaction was not the main reason people were choosing to follow Jesus.
Recruits were moved by the testimonies of others who had died for their faith.
There must be something after this life, and these followers of Jesus had found it!
The Two Witnesses showed no fear of Dangchao and Pius' cruelty.
They even announced two press conferences, one in Sydney and one in London.
The media response showed that Dangchao was losing control of the Press as well.
Troops were sent to stop both conferences and to arrest or kill Rayford and Chaim.
In both cases, the troops were destroyed.
The Witnesses spoke and soldiers fell, their insides eaten out by maggots.
At the end of each press conference, everyone present became temporarily blind.
In the confusion, the Two Witnesses merely walked away, unnoticed.
The press conferences were an overwhelming success for the Christians.
The Witnesses were so calm and confident that the whole world was impressed.
What they said, from both sides of the world, was almost the same.
They said that God wants people to give him the honour he deserves as their Creator.
They said Dangchao and Pius were God's puppets, put here to test our faith.
They asked people to turn from serving the Antichrist, to faith in God and his Son.
They promised another curse, but did not say what it would be.
"You will wish for death to escape it," Rayford said. "I do not wish it on anyone.
"But it will happen. Believe me. "You have a very short time to repent.
"Please, for your own good, turn now. "Cutting your hand off is much easier."
The press conference, with live broadcasts, brought more converts than ever.
There were too many for the Tribes to handle; so other amputees assisted with operations.
Increased support for the Christians was becoming clear everywhere.
Dangchao was out of his mind. "Puppets, are we?" he shouted.
He threw yet another newspaper down after reading the hated word.
"Puppets? How dare they!" He raised his hands in the air in frustration.
The media loved the word 'puppet', using it in many of their reports after that.
Dangchao rampaged through his living room, kicking furniture and knocking things over.
He smashed a heavy vase into a big mirror. Pius looked on almost indifferently.
He was getting used to Dangchao's rages. He even had a few himself.
"I'll show them puppets! I'll show them! "Apollyon! Get up here! Apollyon!"
"Yes, Master!" At Dangchao's right hand was a creature that could only be a demon.
Its face was uglier than anything except Dangchao's other face.
Pius shrunk into a corner, hoping to escape notice.
"Apollyon, bring up your troops!" "Up here?" Apollyon asked in disbelief.
"Yes, here!" Dangchao shouted. His face became the one that Pius so feared.
"I want the world to see my power. "They will taste what I can do to them.
"I will teach those Christians a lesson."
"But they will hurt our people too, Master. "Do we want to do that now? Before time?"
"I know what I'm doing!" Dangchao shouted.
"If I can't send them to hell, "I can bring hell to them!"
He was amused at his turn of phrase.
"They're taking people from me. "But I can torment them before they die!"
Pius doubted the wisdom of tormenting their own people, but if they could make the aliens suffer…
(Pius never called them Christians. It reminded him of what he had once been.)
If Dangchao's plan would bring them suffering, it was worth the "collateral damage".
"Now, Apollyon! Now!" Dangchao bellowed. His demon face lit up as he waited.
The floor split, tearing carpet and splintering floorboards.
Dense, black smoke came out. It filled the room, the palace, the street.
Eventually it filled nearly all of Jerusalem. People could barely breathe.
Out of the smoke came the sound of troops, a beating of hooves, and bumping of armour.
It sounded distant at first, but grew in intensity.
Those at the edge of the smoke were the first to see.
They instinctively turned to run.
It was a cloud of locust-like creatures. But they were mutants.
Their armoured bodies and metallic wings sounded like knights on horseback.
On their tails were scorpion-like stingers.
They did not attack crops or grass or trees. They attacked people!
Their tiny teeth held the skin while they struck with their stingers.
The pain was unbearable… worse than the pain of childbirth.
The poison paralysed limbs. Victims could only roll on the ground in agony.
The pain lasted for hours. Pain-killers were useless, and there was no antidote.
Many were stung over and over, despite attempts to escape.
Locusts came out of the cloud all that day.
They left Jerusalem in hordes, each in a different direction.
They worked their way around the world, stinging all who were in their way.
All, that is, except members of the 12 Tribes. Perhaps the Mark itself attracted them.
Or perhaps it was divine intervention. In any case, the media saw the irony.
Dangchao had fallen for a trap.
Rayford and Chaim had predicted it… suffering to make people wish they could die.
But Dangchao himself was the "puppet" through which it had become reality!
His creatures were the instrument God used to give the world a taste of hell.
And God had protected the real targets of Dangchao's hate!
The Tribulation Force were not totally immune, but their pain was little more than a bee sting.
Christians offered comfort, prayer, and practical assistance as they were able.
It did not take away the pain, but it was a powerful testimony…
of God's protection for his own, and of Christian love, even for their enemies.
Those who did not convert became more and more evil.... more and more enemies of God.
Every kindness from the Christians only increased their hatred.
Despite millions of converts to faith in Jesus, the majority continued to support Dangchao.
They believed the lie that the Two Witnesses were the cause of all the earth's problems.
They expressed extreme hatred for God.
Only one year remained of the Tribulation by the time the locust plague had ceased.
Five months after they left, the locusts returned to Jerusalem.
It was like a rewind of their arrival. Another cloud of smoke into which they flew.
The cloud disappeared with the locusts, down the hole in Dangchao's palace.
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