(ML #3547, GN 1140)

FD/MM/FM June 2005

(This file is for those of you who no longer have the book available.)

VICTORY IN BABYLON—PART ONE

[Chapters 1-4]

Based on the true adventures of God's Children! God's miraculous care, protection, leading, guidance & help in difficult circumstances!

(Words followed by asterisks [*] in the text are defined at the bottom of each page. Meanings given are only for the use of the word in the story, and do not cover every meaning of the word.)

CHAPTER ONE: CAPTURED BY BABYLON!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Young Daniel stirred sleepily.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Who could be knocking at the door at this time of the morning?" yawned Daniel as he sleepily opened one eye. Outside it was still dark.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! "OPEN UP THIS DOOR OR WE'LL BATTER IT DOWN!" yelled a gruff voice with a foreign accent.

Suddenly Daniel was wide awake, his heart thumping. "Babylonians*?" he gasped. "Uh-oh. What do they want with us?"

Downstairs he could hear the bolts to the big front door being opened, then more voices, followed by the tramp tramp of soldiers' heavy feet, first in the front entrance, then on the stairs‚ and finally stopping outside his bedroom door!

"Dear God, please protect me!" was all Daniel had time to pray before the door was kicked open and the rough bearded face of a Babylonian soldier peered in.

"He's in here!" the soldier yelled. Three more soldiers quickly piled into his bedroom, followed by a burly* sergeant‚ who gruffly ordered Daniel to get out of bed.

"Stand over here, lad, and let's have a look at you!"

It was obviously useless to try to resist, so Daniel felt the wisest thing to do was to quietly obey. As he got out of bed and stood before the fearsome gaze of the Babylonian invaders, he was amazed at how peaceful and calm he felt inside. "I should be feeling scared‚" he thought, "but I'm not!" Then he realized, "The God Whom I love must be helping me! He will let nothing bad happen to me, so why should I be afraid of these men?"

Calmly Daniel looked into the eyes of the man who was looking him up and down and asked, "Excuse me‚ Sir, but what do you want with us? We have done nothing wrong! And why are you breaking into our house before dawn?"

"On the orders of the great King Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon and ruler of the World!" the sergeant snapped.

"He'll only rule as long as the God of Israel allows him to!" Daniel couldn't help but reply.

"Why you...!" One of the soldiers raised his hand to smite Daniel, but the sergeant stopped him.

"No!...I like this boy. He has courage, and is strong and smart! Just the kind we're looking for! Take him!"

At this point Daniel's mother‚ who had managed to push her way into the room, let out a sob.

"Take him? No, please! He is hardly more than a child!"

"Quiet, woman. I have my orders! You have five minutes to help the boy get ready. Make sure he has good sandals. It's a long march to Babylon!—900 miles!"

* * * * * * * *

As Daniel was hustled outside and marched down the narrow Jerusalem streets, the parting words of his mother still rang in his ears. "My son! The Lord our God will always be with you! Keep His commandments and His ways that we have taught you! And pray! Always, my son, remember to pray!"

Soon they came to a central square where the Babylonian army was assembling, getting ready for the long march back to Babylon. Daniel was taken over to join the rest of the Hebrew captives.

"Take good care of this one!" said the sergeant as he handed Daniel over to the captain of the prison guards. "He's a nobleman's* son!"

Suddenly Daniel heard familiar voices calling him, "Daniel! Daniel! Over here!"

"Hananiah!...Mishael!...And Azariah! So they got you too!"

"Ask if we can travel together!"

"Please, can we?" Daniel politely asked the captain. "The four of us are old friends, you see!"

The huge man hemmed and hawed for a moment, but then couldn't resist Daniel's winsome smile. "Well, alright then. I can't see any harm in that. But if I catch you boys misbehavin', I'll put a rod to your backs, you hear?!"

* * * * * * * *

The captain of the prison guards needn't have worried. The Hebrew children behaved themselves on the journey far better than any children he had ever seen! In fact, they didn't behave like children at all, but more like mature and responsible young men! Despite the hardships of the long march, they remained positive and cheerful, and were a big help and encouragement to their fellow-prisoners!

"I wish the little brats* we have in Babylon could be half as well-behaved as you boys have been!" the captain complimented them as they camped for the night near the end of their journey.

"They would be if they had had the same upbringing* as we have had!" smiled Daniel, who was always looking for an opportunity to be a witness. "And if they worshipped the same God!"

"That's enough talk about your God!" chided the captain. "Let me give you boys some advice! We too are a very religious people. In Babylon we worship many great gods! However, your Hebrew God isn't one of them! So if you want to stay out of trouble and keep your young heads fastened to your shoulders, I'd forget your God, if I were you! He didn't stop us from carrying away the treasures from His Temple in Jerusalem‚ did He?—And from carrying you away as slaves! So which god is greater, huh?" taunted* the captain triumphantly. "Your God or ours? Ha, ha!"

And with that, he lumbered* off into the dark to check on some other prisoners.

For a moment the four Hebrew children sat discouraged, gazing silently into the camp fire. Then Mishael muttered despairingly, "But why did God allow this to happen to us, I wonder?"

"I don't know," replied Daniel. "But, you know what I was thinking?—How do you think Joseph felt when he was being carried away captive as a slave into Egypt? And how did Jochabed feel when Moses had to leave his family & go live in the Pharaoh's palace? Boy, it must have been hard for them! They just had to have faith that God had not forsaken them! But when we think of Moses & Joseph, what is the main thing we think of?—We think of how they were so used of God! Even though the trials & tests were so great, it was worth it, because God did so many mighty works through them!"

"Yes, that's right!" agreed Mishael‚ the light of faith brightening his handsome young face once again. "Although we cannot see it now‚ it could be that the Lord has some great work in store for us that will glorify His Name!"

"I believe it!" grinned Azariah.

"Me too!" echoed Hananiah.

"Dear Lord," prayed Daniel, "even though the way seems dark right now, please give us faith to trust that You are right here beside us‚ and leading us every step of our way. As You inspired King David to write 400 years ago, 'When my father and my mother forsake me‚ then the Lord will take me up.'—Psalm 27:10. We're Thy children, O Lord, and we know that You will be a Father to us, 'a very present help in trouble!'—Psalm 46:1. Protect us from the ungodly men of Babylon, their false religions, their evil influences and wicked ways! Help us be true to Thy ways and Thy Word no matter how we may have to suffer for it! Help us to be as shining lights in the midst of this dark and foreign land!"

The four boys then sang the 23rd Psalm together, with some of the other captives joining in. After this, with their spirits strengthened and comforted‚ they curled up beside the glowing campfire and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

* * * * * * * *

There it was! Babylon! The first sight of the huge city took young Daniel's breath away! It was an awesome* sight! The city's huge double walls seemed to dwarf* the surrounding countryside. Daniel had already found out the city itself covered an area of six square miles, and the wall surrounding it was 14 miles long! The top of the wall was so wide that chariots with full teams of horses could race each other along the top!

The walls were decorated here and there with different colored bricks, as well as with the fearsome faces of dragons and lions and bulls. As the prisoners were herded through the main "Ishtar" gate and into the actual city, Daniel was almost overwhelmed by the sheer size and magnificence of the mammoth buildings and temples, many of which were still under construction.

"As you can see," boasted one of the Babylonian guards‚ "our great King Nebuchadnezzar has as many ideas for new building projects as a dog has fleas! That great golden temple that you see up ahead is being built for Marduk, the great god who first built our city. And over there, to the northwest of the Royal Palace, is the Hanging Gardens! (See Childcare Handbook 3, pages 118, 119.) The king was concerned that one of his foreign wives might be missing the scenery of her home country, so he's having this made for her as a little surprise.—Thousands of slaves have been working on the building of that one! So as you can see, there's plenty of work for you to do here in Babylon! Ha! Ha!"

Daniel and his three friends looked on with pity as they watched the huge teams of foreign slaves toiling under the sweltering* sun. Like themselves, they had been captured by the Babylonians during their various conquests‚ and brought to Babylon to help make the city into the greatest ever built by Man!

After marching a mile or so into the city, they reached a detention centre*. The prisoners were to be held here while waiting to be divided up and sent to various work assignments.

"What do you think they'll do with us?" asked Azariah, wondering if he'd be strong enough to carry huge rocks up to the top of the Hanging Gardens.

"I don't know‚" replied Daniel. "But I do know that God is with us, and that we have nothing to worry about!"

* * * * * * * *

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah hadn't been in the detention centre for very long before the next exciting part of their adventure began!

"You four boys are to follow me!" ordered the captain of the guard.

"Where are you taking us?" asked Daniel.

"You'll see!"

For a few anxious minutes it looked as if they were heading for the construction site of the Hanging Gardens, but then to their relief and surprise they turned up the beautiful arched boulevard* that led directly to the king's palace!

"It looks like your God is with you after all‚" smiled the Captain, as he left them at the main gate.

The boys were then escorted by the palace guards into one of the outer buildings of the palace complex*. Here they were brought before a Babylonian officer richly dressed in fine robes.

"Greetings!" he said, in a high voice. "I am Ashpenaz, Master of the king's eunuchs! King Nebuchadnezzar has decreed that any captives of the children of Israel who are of noble birth, should be given a chance to try out for positions in the king's court*!"

"However, I want to warn you," Ashpenaz continued, "only the smartest and strongest can pass our tests! Please sit at these tables. The examinations will begin immediately."

Nervously Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah took their seats and were given parchments* and writing instruments. "What kind of questions will they ask us?" they wondered. "And what will happen to us if we fail?"

"Well, dear friends," whispered Daniel, "we can only do our best, and then God will have to do the rest. Please, Lord," he prayed quietly, "give us wisdom and understanding so that we can answer these questions correctly. Make us a testimony of how much better trained Your children are, than the children of Babylon!"

The examinations were quite grueling* and went on for days. Not only were they tested scholastically, but also their physical and mental health‚ and every aspect of their upbringing was closely examined. Some of the questions were easy, and some more difficult. However, as they prayed and asked God to give them the right answers, they could feel His sweet Presence gently helping, leading and guiding them. A few times Daniel felt almost certain that he actually could hear the answer being whispered in his ear!

At the end of it all they waited nervously for Ashpenaz to announce the results.

"Well, boys, I have to admit, those responsible for bringing you up, your parents and your teachers, have done a wonderful job! I have never seen children who are as smart, healthy, mature and well-educated as you!...You have all made excellent grades!"

"GOD BE PRAISED!" Daniel and his friends couldn't help but leap up and down for joy!

"However," continued Ashpenaz, "these tests are only the beginning. Now you will be given three years of special training. During this time you will learn our Babylonian language and literature, and will study under our wise men. You will, of course, also be instructed in the ways of our religion. After that the king himself will choose those whom he feels are best qualified* to be in his court.

Ashpenaz then showed them to a comfortable dormitory* which they would be sharing with some of the Babylonian boys who had also been chosen for the training program. He also introduced them to Melzar, a court official who from now on would be directly responsible for their care.

"Oh, one more thing," Ashpenaz announced before leaving. "To help you feel more 'at home' in Babylon, I have given you each a Babylonian name!—Hananiah, you shall be called Shadrach, Mishael will be called Meshach, Azariah will be called Abednego, and you, Daniel, will be named Belteshazzar!"

* * * * * * * *

(Note: From now on, we will refer to the four boys by the names we are most familiar with: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. However, you will notice that Daniel will occasionally be called Belteshazzar by the Babylonians.)

That night, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego joyously met together at one end of the dormitory. They sang Psalms and praised God for the wonderful way that He was already working on their behalf! Even though a couple of Babylonian boys came in and were snickering at them, they didn't care!

Before sleep, Daniel knelt before the open window to pray. Up above the silhouettes* of strange heathen* temples, the Moon shone, beautiful and serene*. The same Moon that he loved to gaze at as he knelt before his bedroom window in Jerusalem!

He thought about his parents‚ and how much he missed them. He prayed that they weren't worried about him, and prayed that the Lord would help him not to think about his parents too much, but to trust the Lord to comfort their hearts about his being taken from them. "If only they knew the miracles that God is doing for us!" he thought.

How often he had remembered his mother's parting words to him, "My son! The Lord our God will always be with you!" And how true it was! Even though he was now far away from home in a strange and pagan* land, he could feel the Lord as close to him as ever!

"O, God," Daniel prayed‚ "thank You for helping us make it this far! Please help us pass the new tests that lie ahead and stay faithful to You!"

CHAPTER TWO: THE GREAT FOOD TRIAL!

The first test came in the dining hall the very next morning. In front of them lay a huge spread of all kinds of expensive foods and luscious* looking sweets and dainties*. Daniel and his three friends had never seen so much food at one time on one table.—And this was only breakfast!

"Eat all you want!" beamed Melzar‚ generously waving his hand towards the huge table. "Compliments of the king himself!—Who has ordered that from now on you should all be fed with food from his very own table!"

Greedily, the rest of the youths who were part of the training program ran to their places and began to dig in. At first they were too busy stuffing themselves to notice that the four Hebrew children were quietly sitting in their places with their heads bowed in prayer.

"Well, what do you think?" Daniel asked after they had finished praying for guidance in this tricky situation.

"Well, I am hungry, and those sweets especially look very tempting‚" sighed Meshach‚ "but if we eat these strange Babylonian foods we'll be breaking the health rules that God gave us by Moses."

"I agree," said Shadrach. "If we eat everything the Babylonians eat‚ and do everything the Babylonians do, it won't be long before we'll be Babylonians! We committed ourselves to live by the laws of our God, so let's obey and do it, no matter what the cost!"

"Yes," agreed Abednego. "If we stand by God, He will surely stand by us!"

Just then Melzar came over to see what was going on.

"Is something the matter, boys? Aren't you hungry? Eat up!" he said heartily‚ slapping Meshach on the back. "Eat up, before all the finest dainties are gone! Here...why don't you try these oysters stewed in pig's blood? They're delightful! They were sanctified by our great god Marduk only this morning...."

"Excuse me, Sir...." Daniel interrupted respectfully, "but would you mind if we had a word with you in private...."

"Why...er...yes, of course," agreed Melzar, wondering what on Earth could be the matter. Daniel, Shadrach and Melzar walked together over to the other side of the dining hall.

"What???" choked Melzar, scarcely believing his ears, after Daniel had explained their request. "No one has ever even dreamed of doing such a thing! Come with me! I will take you to see Ashpenaz!"

* * * * * * * *

Ashpenaz had a special liking for Daniel. Over the years he had been in charge of the training of many young men, but none had ever behaved themselves so well as Daniel and his three Hebrew friends!

"After a little time of retraining they will make excellent Babylonians!" he thought. Just then Melzar and Daniel were shown in.

"Ah, Belteshazzar!" he beamed. "I was just thinking of you! Tell me, are you excited about your upcoming studies? Do you and your friends have everything you need?"

"Oh yes indeed, Sir! We want to thank you for how kind you have been! You have given us the very best of everything—and now even food from the king's table! However, our Hebrew laws forbid us to eat these kinds of foods.—And for a very good reason, we don't believe they are healthful! So we hope that you won't be offended if we ask you to please just serve us plain food and water!"

Ashpenaz was silent for a moment. He couldn't help but admire the young Hebrew's conviction. If Daniel's religion had anything to do with what a fine boy he had grown up to be, then there must be something good about it, even if some of its rules did seem crazy to a Babylonian.

"Belteshazzar‚" Ashpenaz patiently explained, "I would be happy to grant your request if I could. But what will happen when King Nebuchadnezzar sees that you four boys don't look as strong and healthy as the rest of the students‚ and then finds out that I have disobeyed his royal command?—I'd lose my head! And you wouldn't want that to happen, would you? So I'm sure that your God won't mind if you compromise your beliefs just a little. Now please go back and try eating the king's food for a few days—and I'll bet you'll soon develop a taste for it!"

Daniel returned with Melzar to the dining hall and sat down beside Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who were still sitting quietly in front of their empty plates. Desperately he prayed about what to do next.

Some of the other boys were taunting them. "What's wrong with the king's food? Is it not good enough for you? What kind of God do you serve that won't let you eat from a king's table?"

These Babylonian boys knew that they were competing with Daniel and his friends for a position in the king's court, and they were already jealous of them. So they took every opportunity they could to make fun of them and try to put them down. However, rather than getting upset at them, Daniel and his friends pitied them and prayed for them. They knew that the Godly way in which they had been raised in Jerusalem was far superior to all the weirdness and deviltry that these boys had been raised with in Babylon.

Suddenly, in answer to his prayer, an idea flashed into Daniel's mind, which he just knew had come directly from the Lord! It would solve the problem of their diet, and at the same time be a witness to these heathen boys of the power of the one true God!

The room fell silent as Daniel excitedly stood up!

"Melzar, I'd like to propose a test! My friends and I will eat and drink nothing but pulse* and water for ten days! At the end of that time, you yourself can be the judge of who looks healthier—we—or these other young men! If we win, then let us eat our own food. But if they win‚ then we will eat yours!"

"Very well!" consented Melzar, happy for a solution that would put an end to the matter. "Then let the trial begin!"

* * * * * * * *

From day one of the ten-day trial period, Melzar carefully watched the four Hebrew children to see if he could see any signs of their health weakening.

"No one can keep up with our rigorous schedule of study and exercise on a diet of pulse and water," he chuckled. "Those poor boys and their God are going to be put to shame!"

However, to his growing astonishment‚ instead of getting weaker, the four boys only seemed to look stronger day by day! Not only did they look stronger, they were stronger! They could run faster, jump higher, throw further, and after sports they still seemed to have plenty of energy, while the others were huffing and puffing for breath! In their studies they were still bright and alert during the evening classes, while the other boys were yawning and having trouble keeping awake.

Not only that, but some of the Babylonian boys were starting to report sick with serious tummy aches and other problems. Others began to look a little pudgy and white-faced, and were developing acne and pimples, and some had begun to complain of toothaches.

By the end of the 10 days there was no question in anybody's minds as to who were the winners!—The four Hebrew boys with the bright eyes, the broad, cheery smiles and the rosy cheeks! (Read Daniel 1:15.)

* * * * * * * *

The great city of Babylon had everything that the World had to offer. There was every type of worldly vice* and pleasure. Often at the palace there were drunken parties with all kinds of vile* entertainment* and evil goings-on.

Because Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were young and strong and now growing up to be handsome teens, the Babylonian girls were constantly making eyes at them and trying to get their attention by letting their legs show through folds in their robes, and walking in a sensual* way. They were beautiful, yes, but it was a different kind of beauty than the lovely sweet-spirited Hebrew girls they had grown up with in Jerusalem. It was a cold and shallow, worldly kind of beauty.

The Lord gave Daniel and his friends discernment* so that they could see that these girls' interest in them was purely selfish, and that they were a temptation sent by the Enemy to try to get them distracted from the ways of the Lord and from the extremely important mission that He was counting on them to fulfill!

Even more disgusting were the Sodomites* and perverts* who would often smile at them with a sickening "come hither" look in their eyes.

"It's going to take a miracle for us to be able to keep our minds and hearts pure while living in this evil cesspool!" Daniel would sometimes despair.

But most of the time their attitude was victorious, and the four boys looked on it as a challenge and as an adventure to be able to hold fast to their faith, and stand up for their beliefs‚ and be loyal to the Lord, no matter what the cost!

Often‚ especially during times of weakness and temptation, the Lord would quicken Scripture to the boys that they had memorized when they were younger. "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path" was one of their favorites.—Psalm 119:105.

They wrote down all the Scripture that they could remember onto parchments, and then read God's Word together as often as they could. They made it a habit to have a special prayer time with the Lord at least three times a day. And as they were faithful day by day to pray and read and obey God's Word and to do what they could do to stay close to the Lord‚ then the Lord was faithful to strengthen and uphold them and protect them from all the evil influences that surrounded them.

The Lord even gave them extra encouragement and guidance by speaking to them directly through visions and dreams‚ and He gave Daniel the gift of being able to interpret* them.

And so the three years of testing and training quickly passed, and at last the great day came when Ashpenaz announced that they should get dressed in their best robes—the time had come for them to be presented before the king!

"I'm feeling really nervous!" confessed Abednego, as they waited for their turn to be summoned into the Great Throne Room.

"M..Me too!" stammered Meshach, his legs feeling all wobbly around the knees.

"My mind's gone completely blank! I feel like everything I've learned has been erased!" worried Shadrach.

"Don't worry," Daniel encouraged them, "if this is the Lord's plan for us, to be in the king's court, and so be able to influence him with the ways of the true God, then God Himself will be with us to give us wisdom and courage, just as He has been for these past years! Our parents must have been praying for us, as we have for them. Thank the Lord for taking care of us!"

* * * * * * * *

"BELTESHAZZAR! SHADRACH! MESHACH! ABEDNEGO!" boomed the voice of the king's herald. "KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR, KING OF BABYLON AND OF ALL THE WORLD‚ SUMMONS YOU THIS DAY TO STAND BEFORE HIM!" With a final whispered prayer, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stepped into the Great Throne Room.

It was the largest room the boys had ever seen!—And the most lavishly* decorated! Huge pillars of pure white marble supported a giant golden roof covered with beautiful carvings of ivory and silver.

Along the walls hung gorgeous woven tapestries* showing the stories of past Babylonian kings and conquests*. On the far side of the room, covered with all kinds of sparkling precious jewels and stones, was the king's throne. It was raised up on a huge golden platform, and on both sides were gigantic black idols of the most powerful Babylonian gods. Their ugly faces seemed to glare down at the four Hebrew boys as if to say, "This kingdom is ours! How dare you intrude* upon it!"

Here and there, whispering and muttering together, stood small groups of colorfully dressed magicians, seers*, astrologers* and holy men. These were the king's "wise men," whom he kept on hand as advisers or to perform some enchantment*.

As Ashpenaz led the four children of Israel up the long rich red velvet-looking carpet towards the king's throne, the whispering suddenly ceased, as the wise men stared curiously at the young Hebrews.

"GET OUT!" Nebuchadnezzar suddenly roared at his wise men. "I wish to talk to these young men alone!"

The king's wise men, knowing how unpredictable* and dangerous the king's temper could be, scurried out as fast they could.

"Wise men? Huh! Every king should have good advisers, and I've been cursed with a bunch of crackpots* and manpleasers*, full of meaningless proverbs and cheap magicians' tricks! Ashpenaz, I've been counting on your training program to raise up new blood!"

"I trust that you will not be disappointed, O king! These four young Hebrew boys are the last left for you to interview."

"Very well, let them approach!"

Normally it was a fearful experience for anyone to stand in the presence of the mighty king of Babylon. It was usually done with much bowing and trembling. However, as Ashpenaz watched King Nebuchadnezzar commune with the four boys, he was amazed at how relaxed and natural they seemed. Rather than showing fear of the king, they were friendly and outgoing towards him, showing a genuine interest in him and sympathy for the heavy responsibilities he had to bear!

As the four boys answered the various questions the king asked them, Ashpenaz oftentimes could overhear the king exclaiming in astonishment, "Really? I never knew that!" or, "Why has nobody else ever told me that?" or, "Great thunderbolts! You're right!"

After an hour or so of lively and deep discussion, the king was ready to make his decision.

"I have chosen these four—Belteshazzar‚ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—to serve as my advisers! You are to be commended*, Ashpenaz, for your good training program."

Ashpenaz could plainly see that the king was delighted with the boys, and he could see that the boys were delighted too! "There is none to equal them, O king!" he proudly agreed.

The king's wise men were then ushered* back in, and the king announced that from now on these four young men would be serving with them.

"But wisdom comes with age, O king," the chief magician tried to advise him. "These are hardly more than children!"

"I don't care about their age!" thundered the king! "In all matters of wisdom and understanding, I have found them ten times better than all of YOU!" (Read Daniel 1:20.)

CHAPTER THREE: THE FORGOTTEN DREAM!

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Daniel stirred sleepily.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! "OPEN UP IN THE NAME OF KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR!"

Daniel yawned as he awoke from his mid-day nap. His eyes widened as he heard voices and soldier boots downstairs! Then for the second time in his young life, Babylonian soldiers piled into his room! This time they were led by Arioch, captain of the king's guard.

"I'm sorry‚ but you and your three Hebrew friends are under arrest! The king has ordered that you be put to death!"

"But why? What have we done?" asked Daniel in astonishment.

"You're one of his wise men, aren't you? My orders are to put to death every wise man in Babylon! Alright, men, take him!"

"Wait!" pleaded Daniel, who was desperately praying for wisdom on how to handle this situation. "Why did the king hastily make such a harsh decree*?"

"Because he's so mad! He's fed up with the lot of you! A bunch of manpleasers, phony tricksters and charlatans* he called you!"

"Look, Arioch, my friends and I have barely begun our service as wise men, and we were not even in court this morning!—So please at least tell me what happened!"

"Well, apparently the king had a dream last night that disturbed him deeply‚ and he called his oldest, most senior advisers to interpret it. The only problem was he couldn't remember the dream! He promised them that if they could remember the dream for him, and tell him what it means, then they would receive gifts and rewards and great honor! But if they couldn't, then they would be killed!—That's how desperate the king is to know the meaning of the dream!"

"I see," said Daniel thoughtfully, beginning to sense that this could be one of the Lord's set–ups. "So what did the wise men tell him?"

"They insisted that there was not a man on Earth who could do what the king asked! No king, however great and mighty had ever asked such a thing of a magician, enchanter* or astrologer! They protested that what the king was asking was much too difficult, and that no one could reveal the dream to the king except the gods‚ and they do not live among men! This put the king into such a rage‚ that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon—and I'm sorry‚ young Belteshazzar, but that includes you!"

"Wait!" insisted Daniel, as the guards came forward once again to take him. "Arioch, please allow me to speak to the king! I want him to know that the God whom I serve is able to show me his dream and to interpret it for him!" (Read Daniel 2:14-16.)

* * * * * * * *

The king was still sulking and fuming as Daniel was escorted in.

"What good are wise men if they're not wise enough to tell me what I want to know!" he bellowed*‚ slamming his wine goblet down in frustration. "Well, Arioch? Is it done?"

"Er...not quite, O king," said Arioch, a little nervously. "There is here one of the captives of Judah who says that he is able to tell the king what his dream means!"

"Please give me time and I will tell you what you dreamed!" requested Daniel.

"Time? Why should I give you time?!" shouted the king. "I've already asked all of the magicians, enchanters and astrologers, and they couldn't help me, so how can you?"

"O king, I have only just heard of this matter!" explained Daniel.

The king's countenance softened a little as he recognized Daniel as being one of the four Hebrew boys that had so impressed him. "Oh‚ very well then!" he said reluctantly. "You have until tomorrow at this hour.—But not one minute more!"

* * * * * * * *

Daniel rushed back to his house to tell Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego the good news!

"But Daniel!" exclaimed Meshach. "No man on Earth can do what you have promised to do!"

"You're right! No man can do it, but God can! And we will ask Him to give us the answer! We must pray desperately that He will reveal this mystery to us! He has to do it, otherwise tomorrow at this time we will be executed along with the rest of the wise men of Babylon!"

After this the four of them got on their hands and knees and cried out to the Lord with all their hearts in desperate prayer!

* * * * * * * *

Daniel had a hard time getting to sleep that night. Restlessly he tossed to and fro, trying not to worry about whether and when the Lord was going to show him the dream. Even after managing to get to sleep, he kept waking up again and then trying desperately to remember whether he had dreamed anything during the short time that he had been asleep!

"Oh, God," he finally prayed, "please help me to relax and trust that You know what You're doing even if You don't reveal the king's dream!"

No sooner had Daniel surrendered himself to the Will of God whatever it might be, when suddenly he saw it!—A brilliant, shining vision appeared, glowing amidst the surrounding darkness of the night! Daniel gasped in wonder as the astonishing* vision unfolded* and the mystery of its meaning became clear!

As the vision faded, Daniel shouted for joy, and praised and worshipped God for His wonderful and unending faithfulness!

"I thank Thee, and praise Thee, O Thou God of my fathers, Who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of Thee! For Thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter!"—Dan.2:23.

* * * * * * * *

"So what was it?" asked Nebuchadnezzar a little skeptically*‚ as Daniel excitedly appeared before him early the next morning. "Remember, you need to tell me both the dream and the interpretation!"

Daniel rejoiced at this opportunity that God had given him to testify of His greatness and power!

"There is not a wise man, seer, enchanter, or magician on this Earth who is able to explain to the king this mystery! However‚ there is a God in Heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has revealed this mystery to me, not because I am any wiser than other men, but so that you‚ O king, may understand the meaning of your dream, and know what will happen in days to come!" (Read Daniel 2:19–30.)

King Nebuchadnezzar sat upright in his throne, his interest aroused. He was amazed by the authority and quiet assurance with which young Daniel spoke. Looking at his scribe, he said, "Don't miss one word of what he says!"

"Go on," he said softly.

"You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling, awesome-looking statue! The head of the statue was made of pure gold! Its chest and arms were made of silver!—Its belly and thighs of brass!—Its legs were made of iron!—And its feet were partly made of iron and partly of clay!"

"Y..Yes!" stammered Nebuchadnezzar‚ his eyes almost bugging out in astonishment as the vision started coming back to him! "Yes, I remember that was it exactly! But then something happened...."

"While you were watching," Daniel continued, "a Rock was cut out of a Mountain, but not by human hands! It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them! At the same time the whole statue crumbled to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor* in the Summer! The wind swept the chaff away without leaving a trace!—But the Rock that struck the statue became a huge Mountain and filled the whole Earth!"

Nebuchadnezzar sat speechless as Daniel continued‚ "This was the dream, and now this is the interpretation that God gave me for the king!"

"You, O king, are the king of all kings! The God of Heaven has given you great power and might and glory! He has made you ruler of all Mankind, as well as the beasts of the field and the birds of the air! Wherever they live He has made you ruler of all! You are that head of gold!"

"Excellent! Excellent!" exclaimed the king, his chest swelling with pride. "Please tell me more!"

"After you, another kingdom will arise, represented by the breast and arms of silver, not as great a kingdom as yours, of course!—After that‚ a third kingdom, one of brass, will rule over the whole Earth!—And finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron!—And just as iron breaks and smashes everything in pieces, so this kingdom will crush and break all others!"

"And what about the feet and the toes...and the Rock...?" the king asked breathlessly, leaning forward on the edge of his throne.

"Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of clay and partly of iron‚ so this final kingdom will be a divided kingdom! It will be partly strong and partly weak! The people of this kingdom will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay!—And in the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed! And the Kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever!—This is the meaning of the vision of the Rock cut out of a Mountain, but not by human hands—the Rock that broke the iron, the clay, the brass‚ the silver and the gold to pieces!" (Read Daniel 2:44.)

The king looked deep in thought again as Daniel concluded, "The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future! I can assure you that the dream is true and the interpretation is correct!"

There was a long silence as King Nebuchadnezzar pondered* all that had been told him. Arioch, who well knew how unpredictable the king's reactions to things could be, held his breath. Then at last the king rose slowly from his throne, and descended to where Daniel was standing. Then those present in the court let out a great gasp of astonishment as they watched the unthinkable happen! The great and mighty king Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of Babylon and the whole World, sank slowly down to his knees before Daniel, and then lay prostrate* before him on the floor!

"Surely your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries‚" the great ruler acknowledged, "for you were able to reveal this secret!"

King Nebuchadnezzar then announced, "You, O Belteshazzar, shall be the ruler of the entire province of Babylon!—And over all the wise men whose lives you saved this day!"

CHAPTER FOUR: TRIAL BY FIRE!

The wise men's thankfulness to Daniel for saving them from the wrath of the king did not last long!—It soon turned to bitter jealousy, especially when they heard the news that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had also been promoted by the king to important government positions at Daniel's request!

"It is almost unbelievable that the king would put this young foreigner over us!" murmured one of oldest magicians. "We must get rid of him!"

"That's easier said than done," muttered an astrologer, "he's too powerful!"

"But," whispered another, his eyes darting quickly this way and that to make sure that no one was close who could overhear their plotting, "if we can turn the king against Daniel's friends, we might be able to bring down Daniel!"

Their chance was soon to come!

* * * * * * *

One fine day, King Nebuchadnezzar came bursting into his royal throne room bubbling over with a new idea!

"I'm going to have a giant image made!" he proudly announced. "Something like the one I saw in my dream! Only this image will be even greater! It will be all gold! I want it to be 90 feet high, and 9 feet wide and set up on the plain of Dura for all to see!"

"And what would be the purpose of this great image, O king" inquired Daniel‚ who was present in court.

"To worship it, of course!"

"But are there not enough gods already in Babylon?" Daniel tactfully* suggested.

"Enough gods? How can we ever have enough gods? The more gods we have to bless us the better! Don't be so narrow–minded, my dear Daniel. Now please summon* my chief craftsmen! I want them to start work on this immediately!"

Daniel sighed. Although the king had acknowledged and respected the true God, because of his pride, he still wanted this image of himself built to be worshipped.

* * * * * * *

And so, on the orders of King Nebuchadnezzar, a great golden image was soon erected* on the plains of Dura in the province of Babylon. When it was finished, the king invited princes and governors, captains and judges‚ treasurers and counselors, sheriffs and all the rulers of the provinces, to the grand opening ceremony and dedication of the image!—This included Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but not Daniel, who couldn't attend as the king had sent him on other business that day.

When the huge crowd had finished assembling in front of the great image, the king's herald* stepped forward and loudly proclaimed:

"HEAR THE DECREE OF THE KING!—TO YOU IT IS COMMANDED, O PEOPLE, NATIONS, AND LANGUAGES‚ THAT AT WHAT TIME YE HEAR THE SOUND OF THE CORNET‚ FLUTE, HARP, SACKBUT*, PSALTERY*, DULCIMER*‚ AND ALL KINDS OF MUSIC, YE SHALL FALL DOWN AND WORSHIP THE GOLDEN IMAGE THAT NEBUCHADNEZZAR THE KING HATH SET UP!"

Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego looked at each other with concern, but there was even worse to come! The herald continued,

"AND WHOSO FALLETH NOT DOWN AND WORSHIPPETH‚ SHALL THE SAME HOUR BE CAST INTO THE MIDST OF A BURNING FIERY FURNACE!"

"Uh-oh. What shall we do?" whispered Meshach to the other two. "We can't bow down and worship that abomination*!"

"We could try to quietly leave and hope that nobody notices!" suggested Shadrach.

"No chance of that!" replied Abednego. "Look!—The musicians are picking up their instruments!"

"O God," Meshach desperately prayed‚ "we know that You'll stand by us, Lord, as we make this stand for You! Please use this situation for Thy Glory!"

Suddenly a blast of cornets, flutes‚ harps, sackbuts, psalteries, and all kinds of other musical instruments rang out over the sandy plains of Dura. Not wishing to be fuel for the king's furnace, thousands of people quickly hit the dirt, and obediently groveled* before the great golden image!—All, that is, except Meshach‚ Abednego and Shadrach, who remained defiantly* on their feet!

As the last notes of the music died away, the huge crowd of idolaters* rose once again to their feet.

"Praise God‚" whispered Shadrach, "because everybody else had their heads bowed to the ground, I don't think anybody noticed we were still standing up!"

However, they were wrong!

* * * * * * *

"We've got them!" cackled one of the magicians, as the jealous advisers eagerly rushed back to the palace to report what they had seen to the king!

"We couldn't have set a better trap for them if we had planned it ourselves!" said another gleefully*. "The king will be furious to know that these Hebrews will worship only their one God!"

"I can hardly wait to tell on them!" snickered another. "They're as good as dead!"

By the time Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego arrived back at the city, there were armed guards waiting for them at the gate.

"The king is furious," warned Arioch, as they were marched towards the palace. "You're going to have to do some fast talking to get out of this one alive!—And I'm afraid your friend Daniel isn't around to help you!"

"Well, it's going to take a miracle!" replied Meshach, amazed at how courageous he was feeling. "But our God is a God of miracles, as you have already seen, Arioch!"

"Yes," agreed Shadrach, "I believe that God allowed us to be brought here to Babylon for such an hour as this!"

"Even if it is His Will that we die for our faith," Abednego whispered to the others, "it will be a tremendous testimony that we would rather die than worship other gods!—So whether we live or die, God will be glorified!"

Now that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego found themselves in a situation where they might actually be martyred* for their faith, they were encouraged to find that they weren't scared of dying at all! After all, what could be more wonderful than to go this very day to Heaven to be with the Lord? But somehow they felt that the Lord had something else in mind, something special that He wanted to do with them this day! All of them could feel the Presence of the Lord right there with them, and a few times they even felt as if a fourth Prisoner was walking alongside them!

As they came closer and closer to the palace and the confrontation* with the king, it seemed as if their faith grew stronger and stronger, and their handsome faces shone bolder and brighter, until by the time they were marched into the king's judgment hall they felt as if there were no power on Earth that could stop them!

* * * * * * *

King Nebuchadnezzar was still boiling mad as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were brought before him.

"Is it true‚ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego," he roared, "that in spite of all the favor I have bestowed upon you, that you refuse to serve our gods, and to bow down and worship my golden image?"

"It is definitely so‚ your Magnificence," piped up one of the jealous wise men. "We saw them standing there with our own eyes!—Even after hearing your commandment that anyone who does not fall down and worship the image will be thrown into the midst of a burning fiery furnace!"

The king brooded* silently for a few seconds, trying to control his anger. He remembered how impressed he had been with the young Hebrews at their first meeting. They were smart and intelligent and some of the most talented boys he had ever seen. He needed such leadership in Babylon.

"Listen," he said, deciding to give them one more chance. "I have shown respect for your God, so why can't you show some respect for ours? After all I've done for you, can't you do this for me? Where's your gratitude? If the next time you hear the sound of the musical instruments you fall down and worship the image which I have made, then very good!—But if you still refuse to worship my image, then into the furnace you will go!—And tell me‚ what God can save you from that?"

"O Nebuchadnezzar," Meshach stepped forward boldly, the power of God shining in his eyes, "we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter! Even if we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and rescue us from your hand, O king!"

"That's right!" agreed Shadrach and Abednego enthusiastically. "But if not, we want you to know that even if He doesn't rescue us, O king, that we will not serve your gods nor worship the golden image you have set up!" (Read Daniel 3:16–18.)

Arioch winced*. No one had ever stood up to the king and defied him to his face like this before! He held his breath as the proud king sat stupefied* for a few moments in a state of shock, his face turning rapidly from red to crimson to purple, before exploding in a thunderous roar!

"THROW THEM IN! THROW THEM IN IMMEDIATELY! BIND THEM WITH ROPES! USE THE STRONGEST MEN IN MY ARMY! AND HEAT THE FURNACE SEVEN TIMES HOTTER THAN IT HAS EVER BEEN HEATED BEFORE! AND I WANT IT DONE NOW, DO YOU HEAR? NOW!"

* * * * * * * *

"Ouch!" exclaimed Abednego, as he landed with a thump on the furnace's brick floor. "Ooof!" he exclaimed again, as Shadrach landed on top of him, followed closely behind by Meshach! Shouts and screams could be heard above the roar of the blazing inferno* into which they had just been thrown. The fire was so hot and the flames so fierce, that the soldiers couldn't get close enough to the opening of the furnace to throw them in without themselves getting caught on fire! Then they realized...

"Hey, we're in the furnace, but we're not getting burned!" yelled Shadrach in amazement over the noise of the flames.

"This is incredible!" shouted Meshach. "We're in the middle of a white hot fire, but we're not feeling the flames!"

"And look! The ropes! They've fallen off us!" exclaimed Abednego. "PRAISE GOD! THIS IS A MIRACLE! PRAISE GOD! PRAISE GOD!"

"MY DEAR FAITHFUL CHILDREN," said a Voice as soothing as a cool and gentle breeze on a Summer day. To their astonishment they then realized that a fourth Person was with them in the flames!—A Person with a face so pure, so lovely, so powerful‚ so radiant, so full of love and peace and comfort and tenderness, that they knew that this was......

* * * * * * * *

(Scene changes to present day in Heaven.)

"Jesus!" whispered Meshach‚ his voice quivering with emotion. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were watching the scene from the Spirit World. Meshach put the 3-D Heavenly Communicator on "pause." "Let's just look at Him for a little while!" he suggested. Abednego and Shadrach agreed, tears welling up in their eyes as they gazed at His dear face.

They had been in Heaven now for over two and a half thousand years!—But they could never watch the history of their adventures in Babylon without being overcome with emotion at that wonderful moment‚ the most precious in their earthly lives, when Jesus, the Son of God, had appeared to them in Person to comfort them and deliver them from their fiery trial! They couldn't help but weep as they remembered the priceless Words of love and encouragement that He had given to each of them, reminding them that He was always that close to each one of His children, and especially during their times of need! What a marvelous, glorious, wonderful time of sweet and Heavenly fellowship that had been!

"Would you like to stop there, or go on?" asked Meshach after they had stopped to meditate upon and appreciate all that the Lord had done for them.

"Let's at least watch the expression on Nebuchadnezzar's face when he saw us and the Lord walking around in the fire!" laughed Abednego. "It was priceless!"

"Boy, was he shaking in his boots! They all were! It was such an outstanding miracle when we walked out of there without even the smell of smoke on our clothes!"

Meshach put the Communicator back on "play," and they watched as Nebuchadnezzar frantically called them to come back out of the fire, and then declared,

"PRAISE BE TO THE GOD OF SHADRACH, MESHACH AND ABEDNEGO!—Who has sent His Angel and rescued His servants! They trusted in Him and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God! Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego shall be destroyed and their houses made into dunghills*, for no other God can save like this!"

"What an amazing change Nebuchadnezzar had!" smiled Meshach, shaking his head in amazement as the king's face faded within the crystal 3-D globe of the blue and gold Heavenly Communicator. "Now he's such a sweet, funny and gentle old Saint. You'd never recognize him as being the same person! Maybe later we can watch the story of how he got saved!" (NOTE: For the rest of the story of Nebuchadnezzar, and its happy ending, see "The Insane King!" in the Good Thots, pg. 278.)

"Well, I think it's almost time for the Council Meeting!" said Abednego. "We were asked to mainly review the lessons we learned during the early days of our captivity in Babylon, while we were still children and teens."

"Yes, Joseph told me that he's been asked to do the same thing!" remarked Shadrach. "Remember, he was also taken captive as a boy!"

"Yes," added Meshach, "and look how the Lord used him!"

At that moment Daniel, who was now one of the Lord's closest counselors in the Courts of Heaven‚ appeared within the Communicator!

"Greetings, my dear old friends!" he smiled. "You are requested to fly over to the main Council Chamber in the Royal Palace right away! The Lord is ready to start the meeting!"

"This is so exciting!" said Shadrach, as they quickly got ready to leave. "A council meeting with the Lord Himself!—I wonder what it's all about?"

"I hear it has something to do with the Children of David and Endtime events on Earth!" were Meshach's last words as the three of them vanished from sight!

TO BE CONTINUED!....

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KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S DREAM —DANIEL 2

King Nebuchadnezzar's dream was one of the most amazing prophecies ever given to Man! In this astonishing vision‚ each of the different parts of this "great, bright, terrible" image symbolizes a different Empire that God predicted would rule the World! This is how the dream came true!

THE "HEAD OF FINE GOLD"! —Daniel 2:32

Daniel himself told King Nebuchadnezzar, "Thou art this head of gold!"—Daniel 2:38.

The Lord considered Nebuchadnezzar the best king of all the World Empires, because he proclaimed God as the most high God above all other gods (see Daniel 2:47), & he commanded all of his people to respect and honor the Lord! (See Daniel 3:29.) He later even got saved! (See Daniel 4:37.)

Also, the great kingdom of Babylon was known as the "golden city" in ancient times‚ and is even called that in the Bible! (See Isaiah 14:4.)

Another amazing thing about this dream is that even the different parts of the image's body are symbolic*! Like the head, the Babylonians were great thinkers, and were very clever & smart! They knew astronomy, astrology, & they were scientists & very wise men.

THE "BREAST AND ARMS OF SILVER"!—Daniel 2:32

Just as the image had two arms‚ so the next World Empire was ruled by an alliance* of two kingdoms, the Medes and the Persians. We know from history, as well as the Bible, that the dual kingdom of Medo-Persia followed Babylon‚ conquering it in 538 B.C.! (See Daniel 5:30-31; Jeremiah 51:11,28.)

Also, it is interesting that the Medes and the Persians were very clever with their hands, being experts at handicrafts* & with building!

THE "BELLY AND THIGHS OF BRASS"!—Daniel 2:32

In a later Chapter, Daniel prophesies that Greece will be the conqueror of Medo-Persia. (See Daniel 8:21,22.) History tells us that this was fulfilled in 333 B.C.!—219 years after the prophecy was given!

The Greeks, whom the Lord likened to the belly of the image, really liked to eat & feast and stuff their bellies with fine food! They also made lots of beautiful statues of the human body which are famous for their nude bellies and thighs!

The Greeks were also very interested in philosophy*, religion & spiritual things.—And it is believed by almost all religions that the physical seat of the spirit is in the belly. As Jesus Himself said‚ "Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (This spoke He of the Spirit.)"—John 7:38,39.

THE "LEGS OF IRON"!—Daniel 2:33

After Greece, the next World Empire was Rome! Rome is symbolized in the vision by the image's two legs of iron!—Was Rome ever divided into two parts? Yes! In its last years it was divided into an Eastern & Western Empire! The Western Empire had its capital at Rome, & the Eastern Empire, called the Byzantine Empire, had its capital at Constantinople.

If you look at a map you'll see that Italy‚ which was the heart of the Roman Empire, is even shaped like a leg!

Rome was the strongest of all the World Empires.—That's why it is symbolized by iron. They ruled the World with an iron fist!

Also, like a pair of legs‚ the Romans were great on marching! They were the first World Empire to build paved roads and big stone highways‚ so the Roman legions could march quickly to conquer any country that would rebel or cause them any trouble.

What is the longest part of the image?—The legs! And of all those Empires—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece & Rome—which of those Empires ruled the longest?—Rome!—For nearly 1000 years!

THE "FEET, PART OF IRON AND PART OF CLAY"!—Daniel 2:33

"Iron" & "clay" represent the two types of governments the World has known since the fall of Rome: Dictatorships & democracies.

Government by the people, called "democracy," is a "clay" government. They are a weaker form of government than dictatorships, in which the country is usually ruled by a military dictator, often called a "strongman" or "iron man."

Since the fall of Rome, the World has been divided into various other Empires. There have been other strong Empires, such as the British, French, Spanish and Portuguese Empires, but since Rome no one Empire has been strong enough to rule the whole known World of its time.

THE "TOES OF THE FEET WERE PART OF IRON, & PART OF CLAY"!—Daniel 2:42

The 10 toes of the image symbolize 10 of the leading nations of the World who unite together under the Antichrist to help him form Man's final World Empire!

These 10 nations will be a mixture of "iron" countries (dictatorships), and "clay" countries (democracies), but for a short time the Antichrist is going to make them pretty much all iron, uniting them all with his iron hand! (See also Daniel 7:24 and Revelation 17:12–13.)

"And in the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven set up a Kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: & the Kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces & consume all these kingdoms, & it shall stand forever."—Daniel 2:44.

Do you remember in Nebuchadnezzar's dream how a "Stone was cut out of the Mountain without hands" and that it smote* the image on the toes‚ and it smashed the whole image to pieces?—Daniel 2:34,35. The "Stone" or Rock is Jesus, and God was the Mountain that Jesus was "cut out of"! (Matthew 21:42-44; 1 Peter 2:6)

In the end of the days of these last 10 kings, when the Antichrist has finally united them, then Jesus will come & will destroy all Man's kingdoms. He will crush them & just sweep them all away to where there's no government of Man left any more at all! (See Revelation 17:12-14.) Jesus' Kingdom will then "fill the whole Earth," instead of all these Empires of Man! This "great Mountain that filled the whole Earth" (Daniel 2:35) is Christ's Kingdom on Earth during the Millennium! (See Micah 4:1-3; Revelation 19:11-21.)

(If you wish to study Daniel Chapter 2 in more detail, see "Daniel 2" in "Treasures," Page 102. Also MLs 343‚ 975, 2168, 2172.)

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GLOSSARY:

Babylonians — people who lived in Babylon

burly — with a strong heavy body

nobleman — someone who is from the nobility (usually the relatives of the king)

brats — naughty children

upbringing — training as one grows up

taunted — teased in a mean way

lumbered — moved slowly

awesome — amazing, causing wonder

dwarf — cause things in comparison to seem small

sweltering — very hot

detention centre — a place to hold prisoners

boulevard — a broad street

complex — a group of buildings

court — people assembled together to help the king

parchments — skins of a sheep or goat, dried & used like paper for writing on

grueling — hard, exhausting

qualified — suited or proven capable to do a certain job

dormitory — a place where many people sleep

silhouettes — outlines filled in with solid color

heathen — unbelievers in God

serene — peaceful‚ calm, tranquil

pagan — heathen, idolatrous, not believing in God

luscious — very nice to taste

dainties — something supposedly delicious to eat

pulse — peas, beans & lentils

vice — wicked practice

vile — evil

entertainment — a show; a public performance

sensual — of the senses‚ or in a sexy way

discernment — insight; understanding of something that is not so clear

Sodomites — men who‚ against God's laws, practice sex with other men

perverts — bad people with corrupted minds

interpret — give the meaning

lavishly — expensively, extravagantly, luxuriously, richly

tapestries — picture made by sewing thread in material

conquests — battles that have been won

intrude — come in when not welcome

seers — prophets

astrologers — those who study how the stars & planets affect people's lives

enchantment — a magical spell

unpredictable — unexpected, can't be foretold

crackpots — people who are thought to be crazy or have crazy ideas

manpleasers — those who do or say things just to try to impress others

commended — praised

ushered — led

decree — a law or pronouncement

charlatan — a fake, a swindler, an imposter

enchanter — someone who uses magic

bellowed — shouted powerfully

astonishing — amazing, shocking

unfolded — developed

skeptically — doubtfully, unbelievingly threshing floor — an area where grain is separated from the rest of the plant

symbolic — representing

alliance — union

handicrafts — articles made by hand

philosophy — love of wisdom & search for it

pondered — thought on

prostrate, to lie — to lie face down flat on the floor

tactfully — to say something without offending or hurting the other person

summon — call to come erected — built

herald — one who makes announcements

sackbut — ancient musical instrument like a trombone

psaltery — musical stringed instrument

dulcimer — a type of bagpipe

abomination — something vile or evil

groveled — lay face down before something or someone; be overly submissive

defiantly — refusing to obey, opposing force or authority

idolaters — idol worshippers

gleefully — delightedly

martyred — to be killed rather than give up their faith in God

confrontation — face-to–face meeting

brooded — worried anxiously

winced — moved back as though in pain

stupefied — too shocked to speak

inferno — very hot fire

dunghills — piles of manure

VICTORY IN BABYLON—PART TWO[Chapters 5-8]

THE STORY SO FAR!—In 605 B.C.‚ young Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego were taken from their homes in Jerusalem by the invading army of King Nebuchadnezzar, & carried away as captives to Babylon. Because of their excellent upbringing they were chosen to be in the king's court. Now in Heaven over 2,500 years later, they have been looking back at all the mighty miracles that the Lord did for them during their time in captivity—as well as the precious lessons of desperate prayer, trusting the Lord, & standing up for the Truth that they learned! This is in preparation for a top level Council Meeting with Jesus Himself, to which they have been invited.

CHAPTER FIVE: THE MASTER'S PLAN!

To see Jesus seated on His Throne in all of His Majesty & Power & Heavenly Glory is such an incredibly awe-inspiring experience that, like the 24 elders, you can only fall down & worship before Him, pouring out your heart in ardent* love & praise & adoration*! (See Rev. Chapters 4 & 5.)

However, to meet the Lord face–to-face in a Heavenly council meeting‚ a fun fellowship time, or a personal talk-time, is a very different experience! He welcomes you as a friend (see Jn.15:15) & helps you to feel totally relaxed, loved & at ease!

"Ah, My dear friends! Please do come on in!" the Lord said to Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego as they entered the Main Council Chamber at the Royal Palace. He arose from His seat to give them each a hearty embrace. "Daniel is already here‚ as you can see, as well as Joseph [Jacob's son], & quite a few others!"

"I'll show you to your seats," said a beautiful smiling female attending Angel.

Shadrach‚ Meshach & Abednego took their places beside Daniel at the huge round conference table, made of the most beautiful Heavenly mahogany*.

Seated around the table were about 40 different Saints* from many different time periods of Earth's history, including a few of the early Christian martyrs. They also noticed some former members of the famous "Children's Crusade"*, along with a couple who had been Gypsy children in Abrahim's band. Also present were a couple of more recent arrivals—Abner & Phoebe & a few other graduated Family Members! Because of their background as members of David's Endtime Family, they were often invited to meetings in which "Family" matters were being discussed.

Besides the 40 Saints, there were about an equal number of Angels of various ranks* & powers. The Archangel Michael was expected to arrive soon. He was not much seen in Space City these days, as he was one of the chief protectors & overseers of the children of David on Earth.

While waiting for Michael to arrive, Jesus took the opportunity to help everyone feel at ease by sharing inspiring tidbits of Heavenly news! Then they "oohed" & "aahed" as He gave them a thrilling little preview of exciting new plans & projects & creations that He had in the works! As the pretty little attending Angels served delightful drinks & mouth–watering snacks, they all enjoyed this special little time of precious fellowship with the Lord!

Suddenly the trumpets of the Herald Angels in front of the Palace sounded, which usually signified* the approach of some very important visitor! Sure enough, a few moments later the Archangel Michael himself was shown into the Conference Room! He was still wearing his battle robe, & looked very rugged & strong, & extremely handsome.

"Lucifer knows that every time I am called away from the battlefield, it must be for some very important reason!" Michael explained, as he took his place at the table. "So he hurled everything he could at me, which wasn't much, thanks to the power of Your Spirit & the wisdom You give.—But it did manage to delay me a little!"

As Jesus thanked & commended Michael for his great faithfulness in defending His children on Earth, Daniel smiled as he remembered back so many years ago!—How the Lord had sent a mighty angelic messenger to deliver a very important Endtime prophecy to him in Babylon. However‚ the demon prince of Persia had managed to delay the Angel for three weeks, until finally the Lord sent Michael to help him in the fight to get the message through!

How Daniel's heart thrilled that the hidden meanings of those mysterious prophecies, which the Lord had kept locked & sealed for thousands of years, had now been revealed to the great Endtime Prophet David‚ & were even at this moment being fulfilled! (See Daniel Chapters 10-12.)

"The Devil, the Enemy of God, is very busy with his wicked activities on Earth right now‚" Michael reported, "particularly against the children of David! The Devil knows that they are the greatest threat to his diabolical* plans to set up his Satanic One World Empire!—So he is trying to get at them in any way that he can! The other Angels on my team are having to work harder than usual to keep the little devils within their bounds! Not that they mind! In fact, it makes guard duty a little more challenging for them! But it does seem that Lucifer is realizing that his time now is very short, so he's trying to stir up all the trouble that he can!" (See Rev.12:12.)

"Yes," smiled the Lord. "And I also know about his upcoming plans against My children, because he does nothing without My knowledge.—Which brings Me to the reason that I called you all together for this meeting!"

Jesus then activated* the large round viewing glass that was set into the middle of the conference table. Through this they could gaze down at any country‚ city, town, neighborhood‚ house or person on Earth! On the screen appeared a large house in a pleasant neighborhood with a nicely kept garden surrounded by beautiful green trees. In the garden, about 18 children of various ages were enjoying a game of dodge-ball. Immediately the members of the Heavenly Council could sense that this was a Family Home!

"You're right!" said the Lord, reading their thoughts. "This is the 'Green Trees' Home! Now let's take a closer look at My beautiful children!"

Everyone smiled as the picture zoomed in to show close-ups of the happy smiling teens, JETTs & younger children, & some of their dear parents & Shepherds!

"Look, there's David & Sharon!" exclaimed one of the Angels. "They used to be in the Home I was assigned to guard in the Philippines. Now they're teens!"

"And is that Peter & Praise?" exclaimed another. "I helped Praise witness to Peter in 1973 & win him to the Family!"

"They're a beautiful couple!" the Lord beamed. "I've blessed them with six children! That's their oldest boy, Danny, who is throwing the ball right now! He's 16. Then there's Love—14, Martin—11, Jesse—8, Precious—4, & Jamie who is 3!"

"What's that little one's name?" chuckled Abednego. "He's so cute!"

"That's Brian," Jesus smiled, "the youngest son of Jeremy & Jerusha!"

Looking every bit like a proud Father, the Lord then went on to introduce His other children in the Home! First, little Brian's older brother & sisters, Naomi—15, Paul—10, Clara—9‚ & Suzy—5.

Then there was Bart & his Japanese wife Angel, with their twin girls Aiko & Nina, who were both 6.

Also in the Home were Tommy—9, & Lily—3, who were the children of Bathsheba, a single mom.

"Oh, over there is Gabriella," said the Lord, as He pointed to her in the garden. "She's the 11-year-old sister of David & Sharon."

Then Jesus went on to announce‚ "I have chosen these children to be a very important part of a very important plan, through which the entire nation in which they are living will be reached with the Gospel! Satan is always trying to attack My children. He's angry about their witnessing, but he'll be trapped himself through this plan."

Then the Lord, Who always loves to make things a little bit of a guessing game or mystery, added, "Would any of you like to guess what the plan may be?"

"Well‚ Sir," volunteered Meshach, "knowing the backgrounds of some of the people present at this meeting, & since Abednego, Shadrach & I were asked to review the victories that You helped us to win as captives in Babylon, could it be that You are planning on allowing something similar to happen with these children?"

"Exactly!" confirmed Jesus. "However, I will allow these children to be captives of this World's System for only a short time! Michael‚ you are almost as familiar as I am with the personnel in each one of My Family's Homes!—How do you think this particular Home would do if I were to allow them to suffer persecution?"

"Well, Sir," the Archangel replied, "You've made sure that the Family has been very well prepared spiritually for any future persecution with a wealth of recent strengthening Word, victorious testimonies & triumphant* prophecies on the subject! These powerful publications have greatly strengthened the Family's faith, & have radically changed their attitude towards being persecuted! Even the children have been encouraged by the prophecies they have read about Lamb's children & Pearl's baby. Recent victories in Japan, Australia & various other countries of the World have made most of the teens & JETTs actually look forward to persecution as a thrilling challenge!—A time to be able to boldly stand up for the Truth & witness like the Endtime soldiers of the Lord that they've always dreamed of being! My only suggestion is that You may want to consider waiting until some of the children are a little older, & are a little stronger in the Word."

"Thank you‚ Michael, for your very good counsel," replied Jesus. "However, in this case I want to prove that, with My help‚ any of My children in the Family are strong enough right now to overcome the worst that the Devil has to throw at them! Indeed, this experience will greatly strengthen & sober them—especially some of the children in their Home who tend to be rather shallow & foolish—& turn them into the fiery young Endtime soldiers that I have created them to be!"

After a round of enthusiastic "Amens!" the Lord again drew their attention to the viewing glass. This time they could see not only the Home‚ but also the activity in the Spiritual World around it! The Home was surrounded by a glowing circle of many powerful policemen Angels! (See Job 1:10; Psa.34:7.) Beyond them was an even larger circle of devils, imps & demons, who were shouting & screaming in frustration & anger at all that the Family Members were doing for the Lord!—They were also screaming in pain when they foolishly approached too close to the Angels & got whacked or singed*!

"As you can see," said the Lord, "the Family in this Home are very powerfully protected. However, for the battle that lies ahead, they are going to need a lot more help. Now here's the master plan!"

All eyes were fastened on Jesus, excitedly wondering what He had in mind.

"As you know, except for My King David & his Queen Maria‚ there is nobody on Earth that the Devil fears as much as My disciples in David's Family & the children that have been raised to serve Me! These children are a generation that has been raised nearly unpolluted by the Devil's System! They are pure & innocent in heart, honest & true, & strong in the Word & Spirit, & Satan knows how greatly I plan to use them to defy* & destroy his Antichrist System! Therefore he will not be able to resist the opportunity that I will allow him, to seize* some of My little ones & place them in one of his ungodly institutions*, hoping to be able to corrupt them with his vile* & worldly ways! However, I will see to it that his whole wicked plan backfires, that the children are released‚ & that their story & sample reach the people in that nation through the newspapers, radio & television!"

There was a buzz of excitement around the table, as the different Saints & Angels wondered what their part was going to be in the Lord's big plan!

"As you can imagine," Jesus continued, "this could be quite a shocking experience for My dear children to be suddenly separated from the Family for the first time in their lives! So, Michael, I want you to make sure that the Home is warned in advance of the Enemy's intentions with dreams & checks in the spirit, & that the children are thoroughly prepared."

"Yes, my Lord‚ it will be done."

"Also I want to provide these little ones with the very best help possible from My Heavenly helpers & Angels! Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego, I am appointing you three as a teamwork to oversee the children during the time they are held captive in the institution! You can work with their present guardian Angels & spirit helpers, as well as have as many other helpers as you think you will need!"

"Yes, Sir. Thank You, Sir!"

"You will report directly to Daniel‚ who will remain here at the Royal Palace in his present position as one of My chief advisers & Elders. Daniel will be working in teamwork with Joseph to help oversee the entire operation & will be reporting directly to Me! This is a very important mission, & nothing shall happen to any of My precious little ones that will not be for their own good, & so that My Gospel can be preached! I Myself plan to be very‚ very close to them during this entire battle!"

The Lord then explained to the other Saints & Angels that they would be assigned to give extra help to the various Family Members, friends & lawyers who would be playing key roles in the drama, & that Daniel, Joseph & Michael would give these Saints & Angels their orders directly after the meeting.

Jesus then asked if there were any questions. Joseph raised his hand & asked how long the children would be held in captivity.

"Well, a lot will depend on the prayers of the children & of the Family," the Lord replied, "but I have every confidence that enough desperate prayer power will be generated for Me to be able to work miracles on their behalf, & have the children released within a short time!"

There were many enthusiastic reactions to the Lord's plan! Daniel brought up another important "Romans 8:28" that would surely result from this situation.—The children who hadn't yet learned to rely on the power of prayer would learn to do so through this experience! As a result they would in the future be able to benefit from all of the spiritual power & gifts that Jesus was waiting to bestow upon them, if they would only learn to pray more! To depend on prayer was one of the main lessons that Daniel & his friends had learned as captives in Babylon. Daniel was sure that being taken into captivity would be as much of a turning point in these children's spiritual lives, as it had been for him & his friends!

The meeting then wound up with the Lord having each one then pray to the Father for the families & children involved.

"The Devil never seems to learn from his mistakes!" Daniel commented. "Whenever he was allowed to persecute God's children, it ended in a humiliating defeat for his evil kingdom!"

"Yes‚" Michael replied, "his attacks only cause the Lord's children to grow even stronger, & the Gospel to be preached to far more of the World than if he hadn't persecuted them in the first place!"

Finally a time & place was set at which the whole team would assemble*. A flying saucer, big enough to comfortably accommodate their whole party, would be made available to transport them to their mission.

With the meeting over, Shadrach‚ Meshach & Abednego took time for a leisurely* stroll through the breathtaking beauty of the Palace Gardens, talking excitedly together about the mission ahead! Then they soared gracefully into the air, flying together towards their Heavenly mansions!

On the way they passed tier* upon tier of the most gorgeous mansions imaginable! Many of them were newly built & vacant*, waiting to be occupied by Saints who presently were still "running the race" on Earth! (See Heb.12:1.)

"If only those children of David could see what the Lord has waiting for them," said Meshach, "their trials on Earth would seem like nothing in comparison!" (See Romans 8:18.)

The three of them then flew into their neighboring mansions‚ to tie up any unfinished business, & say goodbye to their sweethearts & children & friends.

CHAPTER SIX: "HELL'S CHILDREN!"

In a plush executive office on the top floor of a downtown skyscraper, the lights were burning late. Outside the weather was cold & icy, & snow was falling. The armed security guards, who were patrolling the outside hallway, nervously fingered their sub–machine guns*. Their leader‚ who normally had a very smooth & charming manner‚ took on a whole different personality, especially when he was upset.—And tonight he sounded mad about something! They could hear him ranting & raving behind the closed door of the office, in which he was huddled together in an emergency meeting with his closest aides*.

"I WANT SOMETHING DONE ABOUT THESE PEOPLE, DO YOU HEAR ME?" he bellowed*, squeezing a paperweight so hard in his fist that his knuckles turned white.

"Here I am‚ almost ready to save the World from the mess we've helped it get into, & be heralded* as its Supreme Lord & savior, & my plans are being exposed by this tiny, but extremely dangerous little group of Christians! LOOK AT THIS!" he choked with rage, slamming the paperweight down on top of a copy of a "Watch Out for 666!" Poster. "And this & this & this!" On his desk were a wide variety of Endtime Posters & Videos. "How many times have I given orders to stamp these people out!"

"We've done all that we can, Sir!" muttered one of the aides apologetically. "But under the present World system it's very difficult. None of the false charges we've accused them of have ever stuck. Each time they manage to get out of it."

"What about the smear campaigns* in the newspapers & the media, haven't they turned the people against them?"

"Well, Sir, for awhile we thought that our campaign of lies & false accusations had forced them underground*.—They no longer seemed to be exposing our future plans as vigorously as they used to! However, it seems that they purposely changed their priorities* during this time to concentrate on the education & training of their children."

"Yes," another aide carried on, "and unhappily for us, the young people & children of this group are now as great if not even a greater threat to us than their parents were! That's not to say that their parents have become any less zealous*. In fact, now both the parents and their teenagers are launching a major new offensive* against us & distributing millions of these Christian Posters worldwide!"

"I tell you these people are even a greater threat to us than terrorists*!" growled the Antichrist. "They are one of the only groups in this World that know the details of our plans who are broadcasting it worldwide. This secret conspiracy* has taken many generations to engineer*, & I will not have it exposed by this little flea-size group of religious fanatics*!"

Suddenly he fell quiet & brooded* awhile in silence. "That's it!" he muttered at last, an evil gleam coming into his eye. "We'll hit them where it hurts them the most!—Their children!"

"With due respect, Sir, we've already tried that a few times. We've had the children taken into custody* & cooked up* many false charges of child abuse*, but it hasn't worked. We've never won a single case against them."

"Then make it work‚ do you hear me? If we can just win one case anywhere in the World, then that will make it easier to win other cases & have their children taken away from them. I want you to start on this right away! I don't care how much money it takes! Bribe* & pay off whoever you need to get them on our side! Oh, yes, & contact our people who are running the intelligence agencies* & the anti-cult network*, & tell them to rake up as much filth, muck & lies as they can to sling at them in the media & in court! Are you getting all of this?"

" Y ... Yes, Sir!"

"Also try to get the help & approval of those Christian churches that we've managed to dupe* into siding with us, thinking they do God service! (See John 16:2.) And finally, I want you to work especially hard at subverting* any of the group's former Members who can be deceived into distorting the truth & telling lies against them. Pay their plane fares, their hotel fees & whatever money it takes to encourage these backsliders to witness against them! Maybe some weak Members will backslide, turn traitor & help us! Choose one of the group's Homes that we already have under surveillance*, & persuade the local authorities to move against them as soon as you can."

"Yes‚ Sir! Right away, Sir!" said the aides, already scrambling into action.

Meanwhile their leader walked over to the window. Silently he gazed out over the glittering lights of the city below, & into the darkness beyond.

"Soon, this will be mine‚ all mine!" he whispered. "I will show the World that no one is powerful enough to stand up against me!"

* * * * * * *

Meanwhile, Joseph & Daniel had been monitoring the Antichrist's secret meeting on a Heavenly Communicator at the Palace.

"It makes me so mad to see him up to his old tricks again!" said Joseph. "He's always after the children! Look at how he tried to wipe out Moses when he was a baby! (See Exo.2:1-10.) Also Jesus! (See Mat.2:13–23.) Really‚ I don't know why he keeps trying!—He knows how jealously the Lord guards His children!"

"Yes, is he going to really be upset when he sees the victory that the Lord is going to get out of this!"

"Well, would you like to watch the AC's men contact the media & the anti-cult organizations?"

"No, I think I've seen enough evil for one day!"

"Me too! I'm in the mood for some refreshing Word time! Would you like to join me‚ Daniel?"

"Oh‚ yes, thank you, Joseph, that would be good! And after that how about dropping by to pray for the team that is leaving on the mission?"

"Praise the Lord! A splendid idea!"

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE ANNOUNCEMENT! —Amos 3:7

(At the Green Trees Family Home)

"I just have one more announcement!" said Uncle Peter towards the end of an inspiring devotions on "Faith & Trust," attended by the adults, teens & JETTs at Green Trees Home. "Are you tuned in, Martin?"

"Er ... yes, Sir!" replied JETT Martin, whose attention had been sidetracked by the task of trying to scrape some dirt out from under one of his fingernails.

"Good, because what I am about to share is very important!"

Martin straightened up in his chair.

"Within the last week‚" Uncle Peter continued, "two adults in this Home, as well as one of the JETTs, have received very similar dreams! When we prayed about them we got the verse‚ 'Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the Prophets.'—Amos 3:7. So we believe that the Lord is trying to warn us in advance of something that may happen!—He is warning us & helping us prepare, so we can know that we shouldn't be fearful or worried about it!"

The teens & JETTs' hearts started to beat a little faster! This sounded exciting!

"Well," continued Uncle Peter, "in one of these dreams we received a visit from the police & social workers, who were very rough & rude to us. Someone else dreamed about a big court battle in which our enemies told a lot of evil lies about us to the judge! Someone else dreamed you children were separated from us. Thank the Lord that each of the dreams had a very happy ending & the Lord got a wonderful victory!

"Amen!" said the teens & JETTs enthusiastically.

"Anyway‚" continued Uncle Peter, "God bless you for being faithful to pass those dreams on to us!—Especially as the Lord has spared us from having to suffer any serious persecution in this country for many years! However‚ what does 2 Timothy 3:12 say?"

"Yea, & all that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution!" everyone chorused.

"Right! And are we trying our best to live Godly in Christ Jesus?"

"Yes!"

"So God's Word promises us that we will suffer persecution! We can count on it! But should we be nervous & fearful about it?"

"No!" said teen Danny. "The Lord tells us, 'Rejoice ye in that day‚ & leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in Heaven!'—Lk.6:23. And that we should 'rejoice & be exceeding glad ... for so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you!'"—Mat.5:12.

"Amen! Hallelujah, praise the Lord!" said Uncle Peter. "Okay, let's read what Grandpa & Mama have already said in the Word about situations like this‚ shall we?"

"(Maria: Almost every real Christian sometime in his life does suffer some persecution.) Oh, the Scripture proves it! It says, 'They that live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.’—2Tim.3:12. I was really praying & asking the Lord why, 'Why do You let Your Own children go through such suffering as this sometimes? Why?' And it came to me as clearly as anything, the main thing, it is a testimony to others. Another thing, it's a test. It's a test of you & your own faith & how much you love the Lord.

"It's good for you! Persecution, even some of these threats & threatenings, don't they make you pray harder? Doesn't it make you get close to the Lord & get down to business with God, get serious with your work & work harder & try harder to get your job done before they stop you? Amen? So don't worry about it! Even if you do get some persecution‚ it's good for you, it makes you stronger, more ardent, love the Lord more, pray more & work harder & faster for Jesus!—Amen?"—ML#1141:64; 1889:131.

"Amen!" everyone agreed.

"Well, after praying about it with Praise & Mary, we felt that the Lord definitely wanted us to take these warnings seriously & do all that we can to be prepared. Yes, Uncle Martin?"

"As a confirmation, a couple of times recently I've felt that I was being followed on the way back from outreach. I'm sorry I didn't mention it. Afterwards I thought maybe it was just my imagination, but at the time I had a definite check* about it!"

"And something else," added Ben, the handyman. "I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but a number of times recently there's been a suspicious* van with tinted windows parked on the opposite side of the street! The neighbors are gone on holiday, but someone comes there each day anyway. There could be somebody inside watching us."

"Well‚ praise the Lord," Peter encouraged everyone, "let's all be on the lookout, & mind any checks that the Lord may be giving you!—And please do mention anything you think may be suspicious! But most of all let's be sure to stay in the Word & prayer, & desperately seek the Lord for His help & protection! We have done absolutely nothing wrong, have broken no laws‚ & have nothing to hide."

"Uncle Peter," asked teen David, "if it looks like this persecution is really going to happen, maybe we should just move. Wouldn't it be safer just to not be here?"

"That's a good question, David," Uncle Peter answered soberly‚ "and something we have considered & prayed about. But we do have a very fruitful ministry here. We are winning lots of souls, & our follow-up meetings are going very well. When we prayed about it we didn't think we should abandon this harvest field just because the Devil says 'boo!’ Do you agree?"

"Yes, amen!" agreed the Home.

"There's a good quote about that in the MOP‚" added Uncle Bart. "'Just because you get a little persecution & endure a little suffering or get a few little boos & scares from the Devil, doesn't necessarily mean you're to run right away‚ as long as you can keep on witnessing & litnessing & preaching the Gospel.'"—MOP 92:77.

"I didn't think of it that way before. Thanks for explaining it, Uncle Peter," said David.

"Besides," Uncle Peter added, "the Lord may want to give us a chance to witness more openly and to more people. The Lord often uses persecution to expose the evil lies of those who attack us and who are trying to stop our work for Jesus. So, with the Lord's help, this could turn into a real witnessing opportunity!"

The Home then discussed together how best to prepare the younger children for persecution, & even for the possibility that the children might be separated from their parents for a short while. Of course, it was a trial for both the parents & the JETTs & teens to even have to think of such a thing happening!—However, everyone agreed that the children did need to be prepared, & be encouraged, no matter what happened, to keep in prayer‚ be honest & be a good witness & sample. The most important thing was to pump them full of the Word on the subject! They needed to see from the Bible that the Lord had allowed the Devil to try to attack His children many times before!—But from such seeming defeats He always brought wonderful victories! "Maybe for a starter the groups could review 'Jesus Cares for His Own!' in Kidz Mag No.76," suggested Auntie Praise.

The Home then pow-wowed some practical preparations that could be made. Mary mentioned that, although the main purpose for flee bags was so that in the event of a fire, or earthquake or flood, or other such emergency, they would have sufficient clothing, personal supplies & essential papers handy, this was also a good reminder to make sure that each child had a flee bag or travel bag packed, so they would have what they needed in the event that they were taken away from their Home. They made a list of what could go in each flee bag.

Uncle Peter also said that he would work it out for each of the children to have an envelope that they could hide in their flee bag, in which would be the telephone number of the Home, as well as the number of their lawyer*. It would also contain a little emergency money for telephone calls, & for whatever else they might need it.

They also discussed with the teens & JETTS why it might not be best to talk about the possible persecution in front of the younger ones. They were encouraged to be very prayerful about any comments they might make or discussion they might have with the little ones.

They then committed the situation to the Lord in desperate prayer, praying against the devices of the Enemy, & asking the Lord, if it was His Will, to turn back this possible attack. They then received some very encouraging verses & faith-building prophecies:

"Ye are of God, little children, & have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the World!"—1Jn.4:4.

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the World: and this is the victory that overcometh the World, even our faith!"—1Jn.5:4.

"Put on the whole amour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil."—Eph.6:11.

"Be strong & of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee!"—Deut.31:6.

After a few of the teens & JETTs had received these verses, Uncle Ben got a prophecy, "Fear not this persecution that shall come upon thee! For I shall turn it unto thy good! Every device of Man shall be turned back upon his own head, & many people shall hear of thee & I shall show them I am with thee & none shall dare touch thee except by My permission! For I am thy God & thy great fortress round about thee which is in the Heavenlies, & which no human power can touch, which is above all earthly powers‚ & none can stand against thee, for thou art My children, & thy enemies are but specks that shall be blown away!"

As Uncle Ben was giving the above prophecy, teen Sharon, who knew that she had the gift of prophecy, but was often shy about exercising it, felt really pressed in the Spirit. The first words of a prophecy came into her mind, & she knew that she would be failing the Lord if she didn't step out by faith & give it!—Even though she didn't know what the Lord would give her next after the first few words. As soon as Uncle Ben finished she decided to "go for it" before she had a chance to think twice & change her mind.

"When ye pass through the waters I will be with you," she suddenly burst out, "and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you, & the fire, it shall not be upon you, but I shall bring you forth as gold—yea, as much fine gold in this trial that is soon to come upon you! And many shall say‚ 'This is the Lord's doing, is it not marvelous in our eyes?' For I shall be with you to deliver you, saith the Lord!

"So therefore fear not the things which shall rise up out of the darkness against you, for all the forces of the Devil shall be as ridiculous little pieces of trash which shall be blown away by the mighty Spirit of God! And all those that do lift even a finger against one of the hairs of your head shall perish, for I am your Father & ye are My beloved children, & I have loved you with an everlasting love‚ & I have promised that I will never leave you nor forsake you‚ but will be with you always, even unto the end of the World!"

Auntie Angel also remembered an encouraging prophecy that had been given at another time for some other Family Members who were being persecuted: "It is a battle, for the forces of the Enemy are unleashed on these, My weak children. For they know that if they attack here they have greater chance of success, but I will smite them! In My wrath, I will smite them. For they shall be brought to nought, & every one that riseth up in anger against My children shall be brought low. Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place & it shall be no more!"

A number of the parents had been having trials wondering if they or their children would be strong enough to go through such an ordeal*, but these personal Words from the Lord Himself were a great comfort & encouragement!—Precious promises they could now type out & give to everyone to claim & cling to throughout the battles ahead!

Uncle Peter then asked if anyone else had received anything that they wanted to share. Teen Naomi put up her hand, her eyes moist & shining from hearing the Lord speak through Sharon‚ & from the beautiful vision that she had seen! "While Sharon was giving the part about us going through the fire & coming forth as gold, I saw a vision of Shadrach‚ Meshach & Abednego! They were right here in this room! They had these great, big, beautiful, cheery, heavenly smiles, & were trying to encourage us that there was absolutely nothing to worry about! There were a lot of other Angels & spirit helpers around us too!—But I had the impression these three had been sent especially to help the children, as they were just teens themselves when they were taken as captives to Babylon!"

Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego had in fact just flown in on the flying saucer that very morning‚ along with the rest of their party of extra Angels & spirit helpers! No doubt Naomi & Sharon would have been greatly encouraged if they could have heard what they were saying right at that very moment!

"Praise God!" said Meshach. "We've got some good clear channels amongst the teens that we'll be able to work through! Naomi had no trouble seeing that vision of us, & Sharon repeated that special message from the Lord that we brought for them!"

"What's your first impression of the rest of the teens & JETTs?" Shadrach asked Abednego.

"Well, during the prayers & prophecies‚ I was monitoring the thoughts in their minds, & the feelings in their hearts. Most of them were taking it very seriously, & were turned on that there are such exciting days ahead!"

"Yes!" agreed Shadrach. "After all, the Lord created them for such a time as this, & it seems that they can sense it in the Spirit that the hour of their destiny* has finally arrived, & that the exciting Endtime warfare, for which the Lord has been training them for their whole lives, is beginning!"

"Hallelujah! However," continued Abednego, "I noticed that some of the JETTs, Martin & Gabriella‚ were not entering in so much, & we'll have to do our best to wake them up to the reality that these things are really going to happen, & that they need to be prepared!"

"Would you like to see the OCs & the younger children now?" asked Moonstone‚ one of the female Angels who worked with the younger ones.

"Yes‚ please," said Shadrach. "We're particularly concerned about the OCs, because if the Lord allows the System to divide the children into a Senior & Junior group, then the OCs will be the ones whom the Lord will have to raise up to inspire & shepherd the younger ones!"

* * * * * * *

(In the OC classroom:)

"Jesse, I'm sorry, but if I catch you acting foolishly again & distracting others," said Auntie Jerusha firmly, "I'm going to have to ask you to miss one hour of our special activity time today. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am," mumbled Jesse, almost inaudibly*.

"And that goes for you too, Paul! In fact, I thought I asked you two boys not to sit together. Now, will you please help me by giving me your attention? This is a very important class. Will you make it easier for me by tuning in? I really need your help."

The vision Naomi had received of Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego had given the teachers a fun idea! They would make a list of all God's heroes in the Bible who were also just children when the Lord first called them for some special job that He had for them to do.

The OCs had already come up with quite a few:

David was just a young boy when the Lord asked him to leave home to live in the palace of King Saul! Although David was only a shepherd boy‚ through his trust in the Lord and wholehearted praises, the Lord gave him great power to overcome both physical & spiritual enemies! Not only did the Lord help him slay a lion, a bear, & the giant Goliath, but his music of love & praise to the Lord was so heartfelt & anointed that every time he played his harp, the evil spirit that was tormenting King Saul had to leave him quickly!(See 1Sam.16:14-17:58; Treasures‚ pages 157–158, 620-622.)

Samuel was barely weaned from his mommy's breast, when she "lent him to the Lord" & brought him to the Temple to live with Eli, the High Priest. (See Treasures, pages 414-417.) Although Eli's sons were very bad boys, who said & did all kinds of wicked things, Samuel stayed true to the Lord & His high calling! He refused to be dragged down by the bad boys' horrible sample, or mimic* their foul language, or be influenced by their worldly ways.

One day the Lord Himself came & visited Samuel, & spoke to him in an audible voice. Even though he was still just a young lad, the Lord gave him a very "heavy" prophecy to give to Eli. He said it would make everyone's "ears tingle" who heard it! God bless little Samuel! He was faithful to speak the Words of the Lord to Eli, the High Priest!—Even though it was the "bad news" that Eli & his sons would have to suffer because he hadn't disciplined his boys, & had allowed them to grow up to be such bad samples & "rotten apples." (See 1Sam. Chapters 1-3.)

Also there was Moses, who had to forsake a happy home-life with his Hebrew family, & be brought up in a pagan* palace as the son of Pharaoh's daughter! However, God was with him, & all that Moses went through turned out to be just the training he needed to eventually become one of God's greatest leaders of all time. (See Exo. Chapters 1-2.)

Josiah was only 8 years old when he was crowned the boy king of Judah. His father, Amon, & his grandfather, Manasseh, had been very bad kings & had led Judah into terrible witchcraft & fiendish* idolatry. However, little Josiah determined that no matter how bad everybody else was being, he would try to do his very best to do "that which was right in the sight of the Lord, & turn not aside to the right hand or to the left."—2Kgs.22:2.

King Josiah became one of God's idol-smashers! He wiped out all the Devil's wicked priests & completely devastated* all their vile temples & idols! The Lord Himself said that out of all of His kings, young Josiah was one of the greatest!—"Like unto him was there no king before him‚ that turned to the Lord with all his heart & with all his soul‚ & with all his might ... neither after him arose there any like him."—2Kgs.23:25.

"Wow!" said Tommy. "I never realized that there were so many kids that God used in the Bible!"

"Oh, yes," said Auntie Jerusha‚ "and I'm sure that we could think of a lot more! Even JETT Jesus had to leave His parents for a short while when he was twelve 'to be about His Father's business'! Remember when they found Him discussing the Word with the elders in the Temple?" (See Lk.2:41-52.)

"Oh, I just thought of another one!" said 9-year-old Clara enthusiastically*. "What about the little Hebrew girl who was the servant of Naaman's wife?"

"Yes, that's right!" replied Auntie Jerusha. "Who can remember that story?"

No one could remember the story better than the Hebrew girl herself—who‚ unseen by the children, was right there with them in the room! (For this story, we will call her Ruthie.) The Lord had suggested that Ruthie be added to the teamwork to be responsible for the special needs of the girls that were in the group.

Yes, how well dear Ruthie could remember that day when the marauding* band of Syrian soldiers had broken into her happy home & carried her captive back to their country! It had seemed like the end of her world at the time!—And oh‚ how she had fought & begged & cried to go home!

However, when the wife of Naaman, the commander of the king's army, chose the little Hebrew girl to be her personal maid servant, Ruthie began to have the faith that maybe the Lord had a very good reason behind it all—although she couldn't yet see what it could be.

How dearly she now cherished* the memories of how her trials in captivity had driven her close to the Lord! How sweet were the precious times of prayer & fellowship she enjoyed in her lonely little attic room with Him! It was not easy to worship the Lord in the midst of an evil nation of idol-worshippers. But the Lord had given her the courage not to compromise when her masters invited her to join them in their idol worship. She even learned to pray for the ones who had captured her, that they would turn away from their heathen* idols & worship the one true God.

And how many times she remembered crying out to the Lord to heal Naaman from the dreadful* disease of leprosy with which he was afflicted, & also praying that he & her mistress would find faith in Him!

Her sweet & loving ways, & the cheerfulness with which she went about her duties, soon won the hearts of Naaman & his wife, who began to respect both her & her faith.

Then came the hour of her destiny!—The day when her desperate prayers were answered, & the reason for all that she had suffered became so wonderfully clear!

Now it was plain to see that all of the unexpected & unexplained changes that the Lord had brought in her life had been leading up to this.—To put her in the right place at the right time to say the right words to the right person!

One evening, as she was helping her mistress get ready for dinner, Ruthie had noticed that she was looking very discouraged & distressed.

"Poor lady!" she thought to herself‚ sympathizing* with the woman. "How sad that her husband can't hug her or that she can't hug him because of that disease he has."

Suddenly Ruthie felt the Spirit of God urging her to tell her mistress about God's Prophet Elisha & the miracles he had performed!

"I wish to God that my master would see the Prophet who is in Samaria," she mentioned, "for he could cure him of his leprosy!"—2Kgs.5:3.

How surprised & overjoyed she was when she found out that the Lord had used her to inspire Naaman's faith! He had decided to act on her advice! In fact, the king of Syria himself had given him permission to go to Israel to look for the Prophet that could heal him.

And it was the most thrilling day of her life when, by & by, Naaman returned from his pilgrimage* with the reward for his faith! Taking his beloved wife in his arms, he was now able to love & kiss her!—His unsightly & leprous skin was now as clean & ruddy* & healthy as a fresh-faced young boy's! Oh, how happy Ruthie was when that night both Naaman & her mistress joined her in thankful prayer & praise to God!

And so, a few wise & loving words of concern & comfort by one of God's precious little ones sparked the fire of faith, & started a mighty chain of events that led to Naaman's miraculous healing & Salvation, with his testimony being a powerful witness to the whole nation of Syria. Furthermore, the Lord rewarded His faithful captive child Ruthie by recording the whole wonderful story in the Bible, to inspire the faith of countless millions more of God's children throughout all time. (Read 2 Kings 5 for the full story of Naaman's remarkable healing adventure in Israel!)

"Dear Jesus, I pray that You'll really use these stories to inspire your precious Endtime children also," prayed Ruthie. "Help them to see that if You could use us that much in olden times, with as little Word & training as we had, it is awesome* to think of the power & anointing You could give these children, who have been soaked in the Word since birth. Help them to do their part, Jesus, to be sober, to be vigilant, to hold fast to their crowns, & to be doers of all the Word that they've learned, & not hearers only!" (See 1Pet.5:8; Rev.3:11; Jam.1:22.)

* * * * * * *

"Hello, this is Daniel at Heavenly Headquarters with a message to all those at Green Trees!"

"We're hearing you loud, & seeing you clear!" replied Meshach excitedly on behalf of the rest of the crew. Everyone eagerly crowded around the Heavenly Communicator. They were always hungry to receive any counsel, news or direction from Above!

"Well‚ Team, this is it! We see that the Enemy is planning to go ahead with his plan to raid the Home tomorrow morning at 5:30 a.m. Unless you feel that it should be delayed for any reason‚ then the Lord is going to give His final approval for the raid to be allowed to take place!"

"Good! Please go ahead!"

"Wonderful!" smiled Daniel. "Also, good news! The Lord has asked the Archangel Michael himself to be present during the raid to oversee the children's physical protection & spiritual security. He wants to make sure that the Old Boy doesn't try to overstep his limits & pull any fast ones. And‚ of course, the Lord Himself‚ as always, will be tuned in to each one of His dear children's prayers‚ & will be ready to personally intercede*."

Right at that very moment the Lord was listening to His children's prayers as they settled down for the night in their bunk beds. Knowing that the children were going to be up earlier than usual in the morning, their guardian Angels were doing their best to help the children calm down & get their minds on the Lord, so that they could get a good night's sleep!

Sparkles, a little comforter Angel, was busy floating around spreading happy thoughts! She flew into Peter & Praise's room, where Naomi had just finished praying with two-year-old Brian.

"Goodnight, Brian!" said Naomi, as she gave him a final kiss on his darling little cherub* cheeks. Sparkles waved her wand & Brian felt a warm & comforting golden glow. "I love you, Naomi!" he whispered, as he fell asleep.

In the younger girl's room, Aiko, Nina, Suzy‚ Precious & Lily‚ who had just returned after Parent Time, were praying for the night with Teen Sharon, who was going to be sleeping in their room that night.

Meanwhile, in the boys' room, Uncle Jeremy was trying to settle an argument between Jesse & Paul as to what Tape should be put on. Finally, Uncle Jeremy let Tommy decide.

After a final warning from Uncle Jeremy‚ the boys settled down.

As 9-year-old Tommy lay quietly listening to the beautiful "Fear Not!" Tape, the gorgeous song for Romans 8:18 came on! Tommy softly sang along,

"For I reckon that the sufferings

Of this present time

Are not worthy to be compared with the glory ...

The glory which shall be revealed in us! ... "

Suddenly, out of the blue‚ a verse came to him. "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ‚ not only to believe on Him but also to suffer for His sake!" —Phil.1:29.

"I wonder what it's like to really suffer for You, Jesus?" Tommy half wondered & half prayed. Then he was almost startled as he heard a still small voice speaking clearly in his mind, "If you suffer with Me, you shall also reign with Me."—2Tim.2:12.

Tommy lay quietly & thought this over for a moment, & then prayed, "Oh, Jesus, I've never really had to suffer for You at all! You've put me in such a wonderful Family, the best in the World! I've never been cold or hungry; I've never felt lost or alone. I haven't suffered like lots of children in the World do.—A lot of them are hungry, or sick or poor or lonely. And worst of all, they don't even know You, Jesus. Forgive me, Jesus, for taking Your blessings for granted, & not being as thankful for them as I should!

"It looks like You're preparing us for bigger battles than the ones we've had so far! I love You, Jesus, & I want to prove it to You! Lord, please help me to be willing to fight & suffer & even die for You! There are not many years left to live now before You come & the Millennium begins, & I know that it will be a lot easier to serve You then—because we'll have our super bodies! Dear Jesus, I want to be willing to do whatever You need me to do & I don't want to give unto You that which has cost me nothing! (See 2Sam.24:24.) So please take these years that I have, even if it is not very many‚ & use me how You know is best, even if it means I have to suffer. Because I know You promised that if I suffer for you, I will reign with You & enjoy Heaven with You!"

Jesus wiped a tear from His eye, He was so touched by Tommy's heartfelt prayer!

"And so you shall reign with Me, my dear one," Jesus whispered tenderly, "so you shall! But My yoke is easy‚ & My burden is light, & you shall not suffer the slightest bit more than you are able to bear!—Yes, My son, you shall suffer with Me a little, but you shall reign with Me forever!"

CHAPTER EIGHT: THE RAID!

RING! RING! RINGGGGGGGGGG!

Teen Sharon stirred sleepily.

RING! RING! RING! RINGGGGG!

"Who could be ringing at the door at this time in the morning?" she yawned, as she cracked one eye open. Outside it was still dark.

RING! RING! RING! "OPEN UP! IT'S THE POLICE!" yelled a gruff voice.

Suddenly Sharon was wide awake, her heart thumping. "Police?—Wow! This is it! The dream! It's happening!"

Downstairs she heard a loud THUMP, followed by the sound of splintering wood, as the front door was forced open. Then strange voices in the front hallway, followed by the clump, clump, clump of heavy shoes, first on the stairs‚ then on the landing, & finally stopping outside the girl's room!

"Dear Jesus, please help the little ones not to be frightened!" was all Sharon had time to pray before the door was rudely opened & the stern face of a policeman looked in.

"Excuse me, officer*," said Sharon firmly, "but this is a girl's room, & you have no business being in here!"

"Oh ... er ... sorry," hesitated the policeman, stopped in his tracks by Sharon's determined look. "I'll ... er ... send a woman officer."

"Sharon, what's happening?" asked the younger girls, who by now were all awake.

"PTL, it looks like we may be going witnessing!" Sharon said, as she gathered the little ones around her. "I'm not sure what is happening, but we know Jesus is with us, & even if we don't understand, He does!"

Naomi, Love, Gabriella & Clara, hearing all the commotion, came in from the adjoining older girls' room. "Come on, let's get together quickly & pray!" said Naomi.

Aiko, Nina‚ Suzy, Precious & Lily jumped up & held hands with the older girls in the centre of the room! Right at that moment the bedroom door swung open again & in stomped a large, middle-aged lady.

"I am Miss Rottweiler* from the Children's ... "

"Excuse me‚ Ma'am!" interrupted Sharon, "but we are praying!"

She remembered what Grandpa had said about the power of prayer!—That there was hardly anybody who wouldn't be convicted by the power of the Holy Spirit through it! Before the lady had a chance to utter another word, Sharon launched the children into an on-fire prayer!

Desperately she asked the Lord to take complete control of the situation, & that none of the children would be alarmed* or afraid. Sure enough, as long as the children were praying & claiming verses, Miss Rottweiler could do nothing except stand there fuming* uncomfortably, waiting for the girls to finish!

"As I was saying," she continued, "I am Miss Rottweiler, from the Children's Welfare Department. We'll be taking you into our care. There's nothing for you to worry about. We just want to ask you a few questions to make sure you're okay. We have a nice bus waiting for you outside, & it will be leaving very shortly, so please hurry up & get dressed & come downstairs ... hey, hey ... girls! ... What are you doing?"

Sharon, Aiko & Nina were already diving under the bunk beds & pulling out their flee bags, so they could check if they had the clothing‚ toiletries & reading material they would need! Naomi & Clara slipped back into their room to get the older girls' bags, while Gabriella & Love stayed to help Sharon & the little ones.

"Pack your Word books first!" whispered Sharon. "This may be our only chance to get them! Then use the time left to get dressed & pack any extra clothes! Love, please help Aiko & Nina! Gabriella, you help Suzy, & I'll help Precious & Lily!"

"Thank the Lord that our flee bags are already packed!" whispered Love, as she stuffed in a Bible, Treasures‚ Daily Might‚ & a Bible Flannelgraph set & Bible story book, as well as a Life with Grandpa Vol. 4 and Kidz True Komix Vol. 1 for the little ones!

"We can also take our Good Thots & Word Basics!" Sharon reminded them. "Plus, very important, don't forget your review system!"

"Will they let me take my guitar‚ Sharon?" asked Gabriella.

"We'll insist on it! Also bring your songbook! I'll remind the boys to bring their guitars too!—Oh, & also let's bring the tape recorder & Tapes ... "

Sharon overheard another lady who had gone into the older girls' room telling them they could not pack any of those books—& that other books would be provided for them where they were going. Sharon's heart sank, but when she glanced up to see if Miss Rottweiler was going to say the same thing, the woman was busy looking out into the hallway at whatever was happening out there. Sharon was glad she had obeyed the check to pack their little books first, & she quickly closed up her bag, praying that she would have a chance to read them. She thought about the class Uncle Peter had had with the teens the other day. "Teens," he had said, "I hope you know your Bibles—because one day that may be all you have left!"

"Wow," thought Sharon, "I sure didn't think that day could come this soon!"

At that point two more ladies came in to help hurry them along. As the eight girls were ushered towards the bedroom door, clutching their flee bags, guitar, tape recorder & teddy bears, four-year-old Precious turned & waved goodbye to her favorite picture of Jesus, which hung by her bed.

"Bye, bye Jesus ... " she said.

"Wait!" exclaimed Sharon, as she ran back in & unstuck the picture from the wall & gave it to Precious. "It's hello, Jesus! Jesus is coming right along with us! Remember what Matthew 28:20 says, "Lo, I am ... "

"Lo‚ I am with you always," continued Precious, "even unto the End of the World!"

As she gently took the picture of Jesus in her tender little hands, it seemed as if the sweet smile on His dear face was beaming at her bigger & brighter than she had ever seen it before!

* * * * * * *

Downstairs, it was quite a shock to see their Heavenly Home crowded with about 30 different police & workers from the Children's Welfare Department.

By the time Sharon & the younger girls arrived, the rest of the OCs, JETTs & teens had already been rounded up & were sitting in the main room, also clutching their Word-stuffed flee bags! The JETTs gathered the younger children, who began to be a bit tearful, & put their arms around them to comfort them, while the teens were already on the attack as they talked with the police & social workers:

"We want to see the warrant* that authorizes* you to do this to us!"

"Before we go anywhere with you we have a right to phone our lawyer!"

"Our parents have broken no laws & have done nothing wrong! Can't you see, this is religious persecution!"

"Where are our parents? We want to see them‚ right now!"

A lot of the policemen, & even some of the social workers, looked quite nervous. They didn't seem to have much confidence that they were doing the right thing! The only reply they could give to the teens' demands was that they were just "following orders" & "doing their jobs."

Then little two-year–old Brian & three-year-old Jamie were brought in. They were too young to be able to understand what was happening to them, so they were crying for their mommies. Danny & Naomi immediately insisted on taking them. The two tiny tots soon calmed down when they were held in the arms of their older brother & sister, who prayed with them & assured them that Jesus was not going to let these people hurt or harm them in any way.

While all this was going on‚ Teen David was speaking to Sergeant* Biggs, the police officer in charge of the raid. David insisted that they be allowed to see their parents. Meanwhile the parents, who were being held under guard in one of the bedrooms‚ could be overheard angrily demanding to see their children!

Finally, Uncle Peter & Auntie Praise were allowed to come in, but only for a few minutes. They & the other parents were, of course, extremely upset, but they had prayed & asked the Lord to help them be as encouraging as possible to the children.

"Well, children, this is it," said Uncle Peter, "the day for which we were preparing!"

"Oh, yeah? How come you were expecting this?" interrupted Sgt.* Biggs. "Did someone tip you off?"

Uncle Peter nodded at the children to "sock it to him" with the answer!

"Yes! Jesus did!"

"He told us in some dreams!"

"Oh, baloney!" scoffed Sgt. Biggs. "I don't believe that!"

"Then how did we know?" piped up Tommy.

Sgt. Biggs fell silent.

"Children," Auntie Praise reassured them, "you have absolutely nothing to worry about! Remember, the Lord has allowed this to happen because in some way He is going to use it as a mighty witness so the Gospel can be preached!" It was hard for her to hold back her tears. The children were trying to put on such brave little faces, even though she knew their little hearts must be breaking inside.

"Although ... although you'll be apart from us for a little while," Auntie Praise continued, "Jesus & all of your guardian Angels are going to be right there with you, & they will take the best possible care of you, as long as you are faithful to stay in the Word, stay united‚ & pray ... "

"Alright, that's long enough!" cut in Sgt. Biggs, who couldn't stand too much talk about Jesus—especially when he was in a hurry to get this raid over & done with.

Auntie Praise quickly motioned to the children that they were going to pray, as she bowed her head & began, "Jesus, please go with the children ... "

"Wait, I said that's enough," Sgt. Biggs tried to interrupt. But Auntie Praise kept right on praying.

"Lord, we trust You to be with them‚ to hallow them under Your wings & protect them wherever they go. Please give them the faith, conviction & strength they will need‚ & help them to keep looking to You for your leading & guidance. We know that You will care for Your Own, & they are Your children, so we ask You to take care of them. In Jesus' name—amen."

As Auntie Praise reached down to give one of the little ones a hug, Sgt. Biggs said gruffly, "That's it! On to the bus!"

"But we want to see our daddies & mommies before we go!" insisted Gabriella.

"Yes!" echoed the other children.

"We'll allow them out to the bus to say goodbye to you once you are all on board!" smirked* Miss Rottweiler as she motioned for the children to start heading in that direction.

"Don't worry, Jesus will be right with you!" Uncle Peter called after them. "And remember, no matter what they tell you, we will be fighting to get you out!"

Once outside, they were startled to see that their Home was surrounded by newspaper reporters & camera crews from all the different television stations.

"Boy, we're big news!" said David to Danny. "The police must have tipped off* the media that this was going to happen!"

The Family kids were ordered to line up, & then give their names & ages. Then, with the TV cameras rolling‚ they climbed up one by one onto the bus.

"It beats me why we're doing this!" one policeman mentioned to another‚ as they watched little Precious clamber up onto the bus, her picture of Jesus clasped tightly to her. "I've never seen such a bunch of nice-looking kids!"

"Yeah, if you ask me, there's more to this than meets the eye!" replied the other police officer. "I know that Biggs & Rottweiler have been called to some pretty high-level* meetings recently. It's my guess that there's some pretty 'big boys'* behind all this, who have been putting on the pressure to see this done!"

As soon as all of the 18 precious Family children had taken their seats on the bus‚ Sgt. Biggs signaled the driver to shut the doors & pull out.

"Hey‚ wait!" shouted David, as he realized what was happening! He ran down the aisle to talk to the police driver & the guard. "Wait! They promised that our parents could come out & say goodbye to us!"

The younger children began to softly sob a bit, but were immediately comforted as the older ones cuddled their smaller brothers & sisters‚ & held them in their arms.

"I'm sorry, son," mumbled the driver, as he quickly shifted up to second gear‚ "but I'm just following orders!"

David turned to the rest of the teens. "What liars!" he said in disgust. "I can't believe that Rottweiler woman could smile to our face & lie like that!"

"I guess that's what we can expect from the System!" said Naomi.

"Boy, it makes me fighting mad!" fumed Danny.

"Good!" said David, as he realized the need to encourage everyone's faith & reached up to the luggage rack to grab his guitar. "Come on, let's get everybody fighting!"

Suddenly the driver & guard's eyebrows shot up as the bus exploded with, "We're going forth to conquer, conquer! We're going forth to conquer the World!"

"I've seen & heard a lot of things in my time," the police guard said‚ as he shook his head in amazement, "but never anything like this!"

That was nothing compared to how absolutely flabbergasted the poor men would have been if, at that very moment‚ they could have seen Michael the mighty Archangel flying directly in front of the bus, flanked* on each side by a dazzling* formation* of police Angels! And the driver probably would have shrieked* & driven into a ditch, if he could have seen the colorful array of Bible characters & departed Saints, who were filling up the aisle & all the empty seats! And what would their reaction have been if they had known that Jesus Himself was at that very moment looking down with a look of such Fatherly pride at the faith & courage & fight of His valiant* Endtime children!

"The Devil is going to curse the day he decided to tangle with that bunch!" Jesus laughed. "Look at how a little persecution has already stirred up their fight & fire!"

He watched Sharon‚ who was opening her Bible to find some fighting Psalms that they could all review together.

"Hmmm! I know just the right verse to encourage them!" Jesus smiled.

"Hey everybody!" yelled Sharon, as the song finished. "Listen to this! The Lord had me open my Bible right on these verses!—They're Deuteronomy 20:3 & 4! "Ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies! Let not your hearts faint! Fear not, & do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them! For the Lord your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you!"

"Praise God! Hallelujah! Amen!" everyone shouted, & then went into singing,

"Keep on fighting, fighters! Keep on fighting for the Lord! Keep on fighting, fighters, & you're bound to win the war!"

"So you want a fight, do you, you Devil!" Sharon challenged the Enemy in prayer, as she felt the Spirit of God rise up angrily within her! She narrowed her eyes & clenched* her teeth. "Well, you've got it! But let me warn you, you puny little Devil, you're going to be mighty sorry you ever messed with God's children!"

TO BE CONTINUED!....

GLOSSARY:

"big boys" — people in high positions of leadership in the System

activated — turned on

adoration — great love‚ admiration & devotion

aides — assistants

alarmed — suddenly afraid of danger

anti-cult network — a group of organizations whose goal is to destroy new religious movements

ardent — fervent, impassioned, very enthusiastic

assemble — come together

authorizes — gives permission

awesome — very inspiring

bellowed — shouted

bribe — give money, favors or gifts to someone to get them to do something which may be wrong or dishonest

brooded — thought gloomily or moodily

check — a gentle hint or reminder by the "still, small voice" of God

cherished — held dear in one's heart

cherub — a beautiful child with chubby cheeks; a baby Angel

child abuse — treating children badly

Children's Crusade — A religious movement of children, ages 10 to 18, which took place in Europe during the Summer of 1212. It was during the time of the Crusades, when soldiers from Europe fought the Muslims in the Holy Land (Israel). Thousands of French & German children marched across Europe, setting out to win the Holy Land back from the Muslims by love instead of by force. Many of the children didn't make it to the Holy Land, but they succeeded in being a testimony against the indifference of their elders.

clenched — closed tightly

conspiracy — an agreement to perform together an illegal, treacherous or evil act

cooked up — made up, usually a fictitious tale

custody — confinement under guard

dazzling — very beautiful, shining

defy — challenge or resist the power of

destiny — a specific plan for one's life

devastated — destroyed

diabolical — very wicked

dreadful — terrible

dupe — deceive; convince to believe a lie

engineer — plan

enthusiastically — eagerly; with much interest

fiendish — very cruel and wicked

flanked — were at the side

formation — the pattern in which the Angels flew together

fuming — filled with rage or irritation

heathen — someone who doesn't believe in the true God

heralded — announced; proclaimed

high-level — top leadership

inaudibly — can barely be heard

institutions — buildings of established organizations, such as schools, prisons, hospitals etc.

intelligence agencies — government spies

intercede — to enter a difficulty in order to help; to plead or ask a favor from someone for another

lawyer — a man or woman who has studied the laws of a country. Lawyers are needed to represent people when they have been accused in a court of law. If we have been falsely accused of breaking laws, our lawyer can help prove that we have not broken any laws.

leisurely — relaxed

mahogany — reddish-brown hard wood that comes from tropical trees

marauding — invading to take goods & lands

mimic — imitate; repeat

offensive — attack

officer — a respectful name to call a policeman

ordeal — a difficult situation

pagan — someone who doesn't believe in the one true God; one who worships other gods or idols

pilgrimage — a journey made to a holy place

priorities — items or plans considered most important

ranks — positions or grades; for example, an Archangel is the highest ranking Angel

religious fanatics — those who are very enthusiastic & wholehearted about their religion. The word "fanatic" usually implies too much zeal or enthusiasm

Rottweiler — (pronounced: rot-why-ler)

ruddy — having a healthy glow; rosy

Saints — people who love and serve Jesus

seize — to take hold of suddenly and forcibly

Sergeant — (pronounced: sar–jent) a rank in the police or military

Sgt. — abbreviation for "Sergeant"

shrieked — yelled loudly in surprise

signified — showed, or made known by a sign

singed — slightly burnt

smear campaigns — organized plan to spread lies

smirked — gave a phony or fake smile

sub-machine guns — guns that fire rapidly & repeatedly

subverting — causing them to turn against their beliefs; corrupting

suspicious — causing distrust

sympathizing — feeling the sorrow of another

terrorists — those who threaten & use violence to frighten others, or to get their way

tier — rows placed one above another

tipped off — told in advance

triumphant — victorious

under surveillance — being watched

underground — to work in secret, not in plain sight of others

vacant — empty; with no people living in them

valiant — strong & courageous

vile — evil; wicked; disgusting; filthy

warrant — a legal paper that authorizes the police to take action

zealous — very enthusiastic

VICTORY IN BABYLON—PART THREE [Chapters 9-12]

The Story So Far:

At a top level Council Meeting in Heaven‚ Jesus has revealed a master plan! He will allow 18 children from the Green Trees Home to be seized by the System and held against their will in an institution for a short time. The resulting fight between the Lord's children and their vicious enemies would make such big news that the whole nation would be reached with the Family's sample and Message!

A huge team of Angels and spirit helpers, including the Archangel Michael, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego‚ and Naaman's servant girl, Ruthie, are sent to Earth to look after the children during their captivity. They warn the Home through dreams to prepare the children spiritually and physically for the coming persecution. And so, when at 5:30 one morning Green Trees is raided by police and social workers, the children are ready for the most exciting and challenging adventure of their lives! Loaded into a police bus, they are driven away to an unknown destination!

Throughout the story, the prayers by Grandpa and Mama Maria are actual prayers they prayed during a real life situation similar to this story. All prophecies in the story are real prophecies which were received by our Family during that same time.

CHAPTER 9: "MORFIELD!"

"OUCH!" yelped Clarence, as a sharp poke in the ribs rudely woke him from a restless night's sleep.

"It's time to rise and shine, Clarence!"

It was "Spud" Baker, bullying the underdog* as usual.

"Oh no ... another day! And Spud's picking on me already!" groaned ten–year-old Clarence, as he dragged himself out of bed to face another day.

As institutions go, it wasn't that Morfield was so bad. What was bad was to live in a World where nobody cared if he existed. Even his mom had made him feel that she wished he had never been born.

Clarence's mother was a drug addict, who had become a prostitute in order to support her drug habit*. Because of his mother's lifestyle, Clarence had suffered terribly from neglect and from a very sad life with no love. Most evenings after school he was dumped at the apartment of his alcoholic grandparents. There he would try to escape their drunken fights and endless arguments by gluing himself to the TV for hours on end.

Clarence had grown up on a diet of junk food and sweets. Nobody had ever taken the time to properly cook for him, so it was no wonder that he was weakly and often sick‚ as well as kind of small for his age. He had gone to one of the worst inner city* schools, where he was constantly picked on and tormented by the bigger kids.

Then one day Clarence came home and found a note on his pillow. It was from his mom. She said that she was dying of AIDS* and wanted to go away and spend the last few years of her life on her own. "Go to your grandparents," she wrote him.

His grandparents took Clarence in‚ not because they wanted to, but because he had nowhere else to go. Often his grandfather would get very drunk, angry and mean, hitting and smacking him for no reason. Then some neighbors complained to the police about the way that Clarence was being treated, and some social workers came and took him away.

As Clarence struggled into his clothes, he looked around at the nine other boys in the same dormitory. His life had been actually better than some of the other boys who had even much worse stories to tell about their lives.

Suddenly he felt a slap on the side of his head. It was Spud again.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" choked Clarence, trying not to cry.

"And why don't you shut your mouth, Clarence!" Spud snickered cruelly. "Unless you want a fight!"

Suddenly the boys' attention was distracted by something happening outside.

"What in the world is that?" they wondered, as they heard the faint sound of children singing.

The boys ran over to the window and stared curiously outside. The institution's big iron front gates were slowly swinging open to allow a police bus to pass through. From the bus they could hear,

"If Jesus goes with me, I'll go anywhere!

'Tis Heaven to me, where'er I may be,

If He is there!

I count it a privilege here, His cross to bear!

If Jesus goes with me, I'll go anywhere!"

"Who's them kids?" asked Spud‚ as the bus pulled into the front courtyard and 18 children of various ages climbed off.

"They must be the reason why we had to clear out of 'A' Block!" said another boy.

"Yeah, look! They're being taken to the 'A' Block entrance!"

"Boy, did you see all the neat stuff they've been putting in there? New furniture, sports equipment, everything!"

"They must be planning to keep those kids there for some time!"

"Hey, neat! They're carrying guitars and stuff!"

At that moment Miss Grimes, the social worker in charge of the "B" Block dormitories‚ looked in.

"Who are those kids, Miss Grimes?" asked one of the boys.

"Oh, they are the poor abused children of some terrible cult*! We'll be doing our best to make them feel 'at home' here at Morfield! Now come down to the dining hall, it's time for breakfast."

Clarence took a last peek at the children, before they disappeared into "A" Block.

"Funny, they don't look very 'abused' to me!" he thought, as he watched one of the teens lovingly pick up one of the little ones and give him a reassuring hug.

Clarence felt a little knot of excitement building up in his tummy. He didn't know why, but he felt that he just had to meet those kids!

* * * * * * *

The bus ride from the Green Trees Home to the institution took 45 minutes, and the Family kids used every minute of it singing fighting songs, quoting Psalms and Scriptures and getting pumped up in the Spirit for the combat* ahead! Already they could feel the Holy Spirit sheltering, comforting and empowering them in a way that they'd never experienced before. In their hour of desperate need they felt Her just as the Word promises in Isaiah 43:2, "When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee."

"Wow! What is going to happen to us?" teen David wondered. He felt a tremor of fear and uncertainty run through his body. He was shaking a bit, but wanted to be a brave soldier to prove his loyalty to the Lord, and to be a fighter for Grandpa and the Family! The Lord was already showing him that as the main inspirationalist he needed to stay on fire and keep everyone's minds on the Lord and the Word, and keep the inspirational level running high.

As he sat on the bus‚ OC Tommy was thinking back to his sweet fellowship with the Lord the night before. He had asked the Lord to help him to be willing to suffer for Jesus, so that he could be found worthy to reign with Him during the Millennium. (See 2Tim.2:12.) Little did Tommy expect that his prayer would be so quickly answered! He marveled at how the Lord had so lovingly prepared his heart for what He knew was going to happen the next morning! With Jesus watching so closely over him, Tommy knew that there was absolutely no reason for him to be worried or afraid!

After 15 minutes, the bus left the outskirts of the city and started to wind up through the beautiful hills and mountains beyond. At one point the road passed through a long dark tunnel, then came out again into the sunshine.

"Wow! That's a good illustration to share with the kids!" Naomi thought. She turned to the other children and began to explain, "You never stay in a tunnel! You know that it leads somewhere! Right now we're entering one of God's tunnels! We may have to walk by faith through the darkness for a little while!—But soon we're sure to come bursting out the other side into the Heavenly sunshine!"

"Amen! That's right!" encouraged David as he led the kids in the song "New Beginnings":

"There's always a light at the end of every tunnel,

And a new sunrise when new days are born.

With everything that ends there is a new beginning,

And the sun will return after every storm.

Mountains you can climb, they take a little time

Before you reach the top.

With everything that ends there is a new beginning,

And the sun will return after every storm."

Finally, the bus turned up a side lane which wound up to the top of a rocky hill. The children broke off their singing and stared silently at their destination. On top of the hill were a number of grim looking buildings enclosed by a high wall topped with barbed–wire.

"Excuse me, but is that where you're taking us?" Danny asked the police driver. "It looks like a prison!"

"That's Morfield," the driver informed him. "It used to be a prison for delinquent* boys, but now it's used by the Children's Welfare Department to house kids that are in need of special care. Don't worry, it's not as bad as it looks!"

The driver shifted down to the lowest gear, and the bus groaned as it labored up the final steep slope that led to Morfield's massive front gates. The children watched in silence as a tough-looking security guard pushed a button in the guard house, and the huge iron gates started to swing slowly open.

Little five-year-old Suzy started to cry for her mommy. All that was happening was so strange and different. Some of the younger ones also looked very worried and on the verge of tears. Little Precious was clasping her favorite picture of Jesus so close that it was in danger of getting badly crumpled.

"Children!" said Naomi to the younger ones. "Let's imagine that you are holding on to little Brian's hand, and you're leading him along in the darkness where it's hard for him to find his way! You wouldn't think of letting go of his little hand so that he would stumble and fall‚ would you?"

"No!" sniffed Suzy‚ trying to be brave and hold back her sobs.

"Well, Jesus is not going to let us fall either! Jesus is holding onto our hands very tightly! Jesus is going right through these gates with us, and He is going to be leading and guiding us every step of our way!"

"That's right!" said David. "Let's march through these gates like mighty Endtime Christian soldiers! Let's conquer this place for Jesus!"

"AMEN!" shouted the rest of the teens.

"If Jesus goes with me, I'll go anywhere!" Sharon sang, as the bus started to move forward through the gates and into the courtyard. Everyone joined in.

"'Tis Heaven to me, where'er I may be,

If He is there!

I count it a privilege here‚ His cross to bear!

If Jesus goes with me, I'll go anywhere!"

* * * * * * *

As they got off the bus, the Family kids were met by Mrs. Sharp, who escorted them into a building that had "A" BLOCK chiseled* into the red stone wall above the door. They were then led down an echoey green corridor and into an old gymnasium*.

"Please wait here!" announced Mrs. Sharp. "If you need to use the toilet‚ ask permission."

"Excuse me," said David, "I believe we have a right to telephone our lawyer! We'd also like to call our parents, to let them know how we are!"

Mrs. Sharp pretended not to hear. "Please just wait here until we can finish setting up your quarters." With that she left. A policeman and a social worker lady unfolded a couple of metal chairs and sat by the gymnasium door to watch over them.

At first there was an uncomfortable silence. This would have been a good time to have an on-fire united devotions and desperate prayer with the children. However, the teens felt a little awkward with these two total strangers sitting there gawking* at them!

Suddenly a young man dressed in a track suit and sneakers poked his head through the swing doors.

"Oh, hi there!" he waved. "My name is Simon! You guys look bored. Here, I'll show you where the balls are kept!"

He jogged over to a cupboard and brought out a couple of brand new basketballs.

"Do you play?" he asked, as he dribbled the ball down to one of the baskets and tossed it in.

"Er ... sure!" said the older boys, thankful that somebody had eased the tension a little.

"Well, let's have a game then!"

While the boys started playing basketball down at one end of the gym, the teen girls took the younger ones down to the other end to play with whatever they could find that would keep their interest.

"Hey, this Simon guy seems different than the rest!" whispered David‚ as he hovered around Danny trying to get the ball.

Just then Danny passed the ball to Simon, who took a shot at the basket. He missed. Then both he and David jumped up to try to catch the ball on the rebound. David managed to grab it, but as they landed, Simon lost his balance and fell to the floor.

"OUCH!" he yelped clutching his left ankle. "Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"Are you all right, Simon?" asked David as he and the other boys quickly gathered around.

"Ow, it hurts! I think I must have twisted or sprained it!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry," apologized David, feeling that he was to blame. "Would you like us to pray for it?"

"Oh‚ yes‚ please do!" groaned Simon. "I believe in prayer. I'm a Christian too!"

The girls came over, and all the Family children joined in praying for Simon's ankle. Then he staggered to his feet, and leaning on David's shoulder, limped over to the gym door. The police guard pulled out his walkie-talkie and radioed for someone to help get Simon to the clinic.

"Don't worry, David, it wasn't your fault!" smiled Simon as he hobbled out. "I'll get this taken care of‚ and then maybe catch you guys again later. Bye now!"

* * * * * * *

"That was smart to give Graham Pratt a Bible name!" grinned Sgt. Biggs. "Calling him 'Simon' should help the teens feel more comfortable around him, even though he's one of us!"

"Terrific!" Miss Rottweiler rubbed her hands together in satisfaction. "It's all going according to plan!" Miss Rottweiler and Sgt. Biggs had been watching the children on a video monitor in the main office. There was a camera hidden at one end of the gymnasium.

"I'd like to go over the staff list one more time," requested Sgt. Biggs. "We need to be sure that none of our people could be won over by these kids."

Miss Rottweiler pulled out her glasses and looked over her list.

"I've put Mrs. Sharp in charge of the day-to-day care of the sect* children. She's worked with problem cases for years, and is as tough as nails."

"Look," interrupted Sgt. Biggs, "we can't be too hard on these kids. We need to act 'sweet and friendly', otherwise they're not going to cooperate with us."

"I know that!" snapped Miss Rottweiler. "Our business is kids! Our people are trained to win their trust. Anyway," she continued, "I know that all the social workers from my department are outraged* at all they've heard about the Family in the media*, and are very keen to help these children become a normal part of society."

"What about the volunteer youth workers?"

"They are Christians from a mainstream denomination*. To tell you the truth‚ I was surprised that these church people have such a bitter hatred against the Family. They jumped at the chance to be a part of this operation."

"Who's on the team to interview the children?"

"Three of the best! First of all there's Ted Roach from an anti-cult organization*. He has been fighting against the Family and other religious groups for many years. Then there's Jill Anderson. She's a former member of the Family who has now turned bitterly against them. She knows a lot about the group and their literature, and their Family words and expressions, so we can take what she tells us and try to use it against the Family. And thirdly, there is Hilary Sidewinder. She is our Department's top interrogator*!"

Miss Rottweiler switched on the TV to catch the morning news. "What about your boys?"

"Policemen are trained to follow orders and do their job!" replied Sgt. Biggs. "If they have any personal feelings about the way we're handling these children‚ they'll try to keep it to themselves."

"Good morning‚ this is the 8 o'clock 'Breakfast News'! In a pre-dawn raid this morning, 18 children of the religious sect, the Children of God, more recently known as 'The Family'‚ were seized from their home by the police and the Children's Welfare Department (CWD)! Justifying their action, Geraldine Rottweiler, head of the CWD, said, 'We have had many disturbing reports that the members of this group practice child abuse* and brainwashing*, therefore we felt that it was in the children's best interests to remove them from the cult as soon as possible!'

"A spokesman for the police said, 'We consider this group to be an evil menace* to society, and the most dangerous cult in the World today!' He confirmed that prior to the raid the police had had the group under surveillance* for one year.

"The children were taken away in a police bus to an unknown destination, where Miss Rottweiler said they would be given proper love and care for the first time in their lives!"

"Excellent!" smirked Miss Rottweiler, as she flicked off the TV. "We're going to have the Family condemned and crucified by the media before the case even comes to court!"

"Yes!" chuckled Sgt. Biggs. "And every newspaper has been given a file of the dirtiest old anti-Family smut* that we've managed to rake up! I can hardly wait to see the headlines! It should make the public so angry at the Family that the judge will feel forced to give the children into your care! All we need now is for your interviewers to come up with enough real evidence to make our charges stick."

Miss Rottweiler's jaw almost dropped onto the table. "Wait a minute, Biggs! Are you telling me that the police don't have enough real evidence? You've had them under surveillance for one year! You must have spent millions on it!"

Sgt. Biggs swallowed uncomfortably. "Well .. er ... yes, well .. we didn't turn up anything that we could actually use against them in court."

"My God, then why were we in such a hurry to take away the children?" Miss Rottweiler burst out angrily. "Do you realize, Biggs‚ what could happen if we lose this case? If we can't prove that we had a mighty good reason to grab 18 children away from their parents, this whole thing could blow up in our faces! It would be a national scandal*! A lot of people could lose their jobs‚ including you and me!"

Sgt. Biggs lowered his voice to a whisper, "Listen‚ Rottweiler! You and I are the only ones in this building who know why this was done in a hurry!—Because our 'friends in high government places' ordered us to! They want a complete stop put to this group!"

Miss Rottweiler sank into a worried silence. She flicked the top of her ball-point pen in and out nervously. On the monitor they could see the Family kids being led out of the gymnasium on their way to breakfast in the dining hall.

"Don't worry, Biggs, we'll get the evidence we need!" she said firmly. "We'll get it‚ whatever it takes!"

* * * * * * *

Little did Miss Rottweiler and Sgt. Biggs know‚ but they were also being closely monitored and watched!—Not only by the Archangel Michael, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were standing right there with them in the room, but also by Daniel, Joseph and the Lord Himself, who were monitoring the situation on a Communicator in the Heavenly Palace!

"Michael, no!" The Lord softly chided.

"Forgive me for the thought‚ my Lord!"

Michael had been thinking how with just a flick of his eyebrow he could put a swift and fiery end to Rottweiler and Biggs' wretched existence! But then the great Archangel smiled at the wisdom of the Lord! A sudden death would be too good for such evil villains*‚ who had dared to lift their hands against his Lord's precious and holy children. He must be patient and trust that the Lord had a far greater punishment and humiliation in store for them than any he could carry out now!

They watched as Miss Rottweiler called in some of her staff for a planning meeting. Meshach and Abednego decided to stay and check the people out. Shadrach flew off to help Ruthie and the other spirit helpers oversee the children.

"Michael!" It was the Lord again. "You've done a terrific job with the children's security arrangements! Unless some emergency comes up, I think the team there can handle it now. I need you back at the King and Queen's house, as I'd like you to be there when David and Maria hear news of this. I plan to give them some powerful prayers‚ prophecies and directions that will help turn the tide of battle! As usual, the spiritual warfare will be hot and heavy to try to hinder My Words from getting through!"

"Yes, my Lord! I shall leave at once!"

Michael handed over command of the Angelic Hosts to Valiant, a mighty Angel entrusted with awesome power! Then, after saying a farewell prayer with Shadrach, Meshach‚ Abednego and Valiant, Michael rose up majestically through the institution's roof and high into the air. The light of his glory bathed the surrounding fields and hills in radiant light! His penetrating* blue eyes, much sharper than any eagle's‚ scanned* the countryside in a final thorough double-check that everything was as the Lord would want it to be.

The entire area for miles around Morfield was circled by the Angelic forces. Enormous "watcher" Angels stood vigil on the summit* of each of the surrounding hills, their huge flaming swords of light flashing this way and that!

On the nearby hills, spread over the sloping green fields, was a heart-warming sight! It was "the camp of the Saints" for all the spirit helpers who needed to be on call to step in and help the children whenever needed! Michael wished that he could be allowed to open the children's eyes in the spirit so that they could see the hillsides covered with beautiful colored tents and bright waving banners!

Then, standing almost shoulder to shoulder around "A" Block, where the Family children were being held, was an inner circle of mighty Angels, who formed a shining force field that completely encircled and protected them!

Each child also had their own personal escort of two powerful guardian Angels who were with them at all times, one on each side!

When the Heavenly forces had first secured the area, their first task had been to cleanse it of all devils, imps and fiends who didn't need to be there. Actually, most of them had run screaming at the first sight of Michael and Valiant and the Angelic legions! However‚ some demons had been allowed by the Lord to tempt, pester and torment some of the wicked staff and System children at Morfield. This was either as part of their judgment for rejecting Jesus, or in some cases to help make them desperate enough to turn to the Lord and be saved!

These demons had been rounded up and confined within a restricted area, where their movements were closely monitored and controlled. A lot of them were trying to huddle pitifully together for protection, and were whining and whimpering at the brilliant Heavenly Light that was all around them!

"Well, dear children," thought Michael, "the forces of Heaven wait at your command! Their almighty power can be unlocked by your prayers, by your obedience, by the right decisions you make! They wait to serve you, to shield you‚ to do battle for you‚ to do whatsoever you command! You have the forces of Heaven at your command my children!"

Then Michael activated his force field bubble and streaked across the sky towards his next destination! And if the old farmer plowing in the fields below had happened to look up, he would have sworn that he saw a flying saucer!

CHAPTER 10: "IN THE PRESENCE OF MINE ENEMIES!"

Breakfast was still not ready when the Family kids were shown into the dining hall. They were asked to sit down at the tables and wait.

"Boy, I feel bad about Simon," David told Danny.

"It wasn't your fault. I saw the whole thing, you didn't push him or anything."

"Still‚ I don't think the Lord's too happy that we spent our first moments in this place playing basketball. We should have all prayed together and gotten in the Word!"

"Well, come on, let's do it now!" encouraged Sharon. "Don't let the Devil use this to get you down, David! Come on, let's sing and pray and get in the Word and fight!"

"But what about all these people looking at us?" whispered 14-year-old Love, who was a little shy. A number of youth workers were standing around observing them with great interest.

"No doubt we're going to have people watching us the whole time we're here," said Sharon, "so we might as well get used to it! But are we going to let that quench our fire?"

"No!" said David. "Let's make our way of life a witness! Let's show'm what the Family is all about! Who knows, we may even get some of them saved!"

"Right!" agreed the others, happy that David was back on the attack. "And let's be ourselves."

"Hey, I just got a neat idea!" said Naomi. "These people are probably familiar with the famous Christian hymns that Grandpa suggested we learn.—It could be quite a testimony for them to hear the conviction and feeling with which we can sing them! David‚ do you know 'A Mighty Fortress Is Our God'?"

"Well, I don't know the chords to that one, but let's just sing it anyway!"

"A mighty fortress is our God!

A bulwark never failing! ... "

It took the first verse to get everyone out of themselves, but by the time they hit the 2nd verse they were in full swing!

"And though this World with devils filled,

Should threaten to undo us!

We will not fear, for God hath willed,

His Truth to triumph through us!

The Prince of Darkness grim,

We tremble not for him!

His rage we can endure,

For lo, his doom is sure!

One little Word shall fell him!—Jesus!"

After this, Sharon had the younger children stand up and they all sang "Stand up, stand up for Jesus!" with marching, hand motions and lots of action. Then they did a few more fun action songs to the amazement and amusement of those watching! This was followed by some "loving Jesus" songs, which had never meant so much to them before!

"We know the Lord will make a way for us!

We know the Lord will make a way for us!

If we trust and never doubt,

He will surely bring us out!

We know the Lord will make a way for us!"

Some of the youth workers looked quite touched, and Sharon prayed that the Lord would show them that they were real missionary kids, and that their sample would speak louder than all the garbage and lies that the workers had probably been told about the Family!

The children's Word books were in their bags downstairs, so they decided to quote some of the many Psalms and Chapters they had memorized. They were just starting to rattle off Psalm 2, when Shadrach, who was right there with the children in the dining hall‚ received a message from Heavenly Headquarters. He began to see the face of Daniel in the spirit:

"Shadrach, this is Daniel. The Lord has an important point that He wants me to pass on to you!"

"Go ahead, Sir, I'm reading you!" replied Shadrach. It was wonderful to see his old friend's wise and shining face! Then Shadrach felt a little twinge of homesickness as he caught a tiny glimpse of the incredible splendor of the Royal Palace in the background!

"The Lord is just thrilled at how faithful His Family children have been to diligently memorize and study His Word!" said Daniel. "However, He's a little concerned that many of them haven't learned to activate the power that lies within the Word. A lot of it is just stored in their heads. They need to learn how to apply the Word to different situations and find direction and answers from it!"

"Yes‚ Sir, that's a very good point!" agreed Shadrach, as he watched the Family kids racing through Psalm 27. "This Psalm in particular could be very feeding and strengthening for them if they slowed down and let the Lord really speak to them and comfort them and empower them through each verse!"

"Exactly! So I wonder if you could try and get that point across through one of them?"

"Yes, Naomi, God bless her‚ is really staying in prayer! I was able to get the Christian hymn idea through to her with no problem!"

"Good! And don't worry if the kids make a few mistakes today! This is all very different for them, so it may take'm awhile to get adjusted. Okay‚ I'll sign off now. Everyone Up Here sends lots of love! You're all doing a great job, and you have the whole of Heaven praying for you!"

At this point breakfast arrived. The teens and JETTs jumped up to help pass it out to the younger children. Their breakfast was eggs and bacon, white bread and raspberry jam, and a big steaming pot of tea.

"What are those?" asked Lily.

"Those are sugar cubes, Dear!" said Mrs. Sharp‚ sounding a little shocked that Lily had never seen a sugar lump before. "They're to put in the tea. When I was your age I used to like to suck on them."

"Is it made of white sugar?" asked Lily, picking it up and looking at it closely.

"Yes, but don't worry, child, here you can eat anything you want to!"

"Thank you," intervened Sharon. "But actually, there's a very good reason why we don't eat certain foods! It's not that we've been deprived of anything! White sugar, for example, not only rots your teeth, but it also robs your blood of the calcium it needs to repair them. We are thankful for this nice breakfast, but do you think it would be possible to have natural brown sugar or honey instead?"

"I'll see what can be arranged," grunted Mrs. Sharp. What she wanted to say was, "Eat what we give you, my girl, or else!" But Miss Rottweiler had ordered her to make the children "feel at home" by providing them with whatever they asked.

"Thank you so much! We'd also appreciate whole wheat bread instead of white."

"That should be no problem," muttered Mrs. Sharp.

"Also, none of us are usually caffeine tea drinkers, are we?" Sharon said, glancing over at David and Danny‚ who had both quietly poured themselves a cup. It was hard for her to say it to the boys, but she felt they couldn't afford to let the camel's nose in and start making any unnecessary compromises with the Family's high and healthy good food standard.

"Er ... no ... that's right‚" the boys said sheepishly, a little shocked that Sharon had just corrected them in public. They pushed the cups away.

Not one of the JETTs and OCs had missed the significance of David and Danny's cup of tea. For Paul and Jesse, seeing the teen boys pour their cups had been a clear signal that they might be able to enjoy a few "forbidden treats" here that they couldn't get away with at Home. However, Sharon's correction quickly changed that! And everybody admired her conviction!

The children by now were very hungry. The teens were mature enough to know that eating white bread and the sugary jam once wouldn't hurt the children, so they decided to pray and eat what was set before them. (See Luk.10:8 and 1Cor.10:27.) Some of the youth workers were quite impressed by the teens' attitude, seeing that they had refused to compromise their convictions‚ and yet they weren't so bound by rules that they'd let the children go hungry!

After breakfast, Sharon led them in prayer and they all cried out desperately for the Lord to protect and deliver them.

Then Naomi got something exciting from the Lord. "While you were praying, I kept getting Psalm 35! I looked it up in my little pocket witnessing Bible. It's titled, 'A Prayer for Rescue from Enemies'! Then I remembered what Mama Maria wrote about the power of written prayers, and I realized that many of the Psalms are powerful written prayers! I feel really burdened to pray against our enemies, and Psalm 35 says it so much better than I can!"

"Wow, that's neat!" said David. "Go ahead and pray the Psalm, Naomi. We'll pray with you."

"Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.

"Take hold of shield and buckler*‚ and stand up for mine help.

"Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.

"Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.

"Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the Angel of the Lord chase them.

"Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the Angel of the Lord persecute them.

"For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul.

"Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.

"And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in His salvation."—Psa.35:1-9.

Jesus smiled warmly and lifted his arms as Psalm 35 rose up before Him. He inhaled it deeply. Nothing smelled so sweet and had more power to so greatly rouse Him to action, than the promises in His Word claimed in prayer!

The Lord rejoiced that Psalm 35 had so many specific requests for Him to fulfill! As Naomi prayed, the Lord made careful note of each one of the judgments that He was being asked to carry out. He gave immediate orders that every single one should be executed in His perfect time, when they would have the maximum effect and glorify Him the most!

The Lord smiled happily as the prayer ended and His children thanked and praised Him! He watched in interest to see who would manage to receive the different points that Shadrach, Ruthie and the other spirit helpers were trying to get through to them.

"Wow," said Love, "as Naomi was praying I got a picture of King David in the Bible! He was kneeling at his throne, desperately praying Psalm 35! What a blessing to take our prayers straight from God's Word in the Bible!"

"Amen!" agreed Tommy. "It's hard for me sometimes to find the right words to pray, so it's great to be able to pray the prayers that King David himself prayed against his enemies! It's really powerful when you pray the Word!"

"Yes, amen!" encouraged Sharon. "Did anybody else get anything?"

"Yes," said David, "I realized that God's judgments are God's business, and the Lord is the One Who is going to fight for us and avenge* us and deliver us from our enemies! All we can really do is pray! And thank the Lord that there are such powerful prayers already written down for us in the Bible!"

"Amen! Anything else?" asked Sharon.

"Yes! Let's claim some verses from Psalm 23," said Love, who was sitting next to some of the little ones.

"Good! You go ahead, Love‚" said Sharon.

"What does the first verse say?" Love asked. "The Lord is my ... "

"Shepherd!" cried out Suzy and Aiko together.

"Yes!" said Love. "'I shall not want.' That means the Lord will give us everything we need! 'He maketh me ... ’"

"To lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters," chorused the little children.

"That's right! Does Jesus take good care of His sheep?" asked Love.

"Yes!"

"Are we Jesus' sheep?

"Yes!"

"Amen! So He's going to take good care of us! Thank You Jesus! Even if things happen that are quite scary, like being brought to this place, we don't need to be afraid, because ... can you say this verse? 'Yea though I walk ... '"

" ... through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me," quoted the younger children boldly.

"That's right! Jesus will protect us! And did the Lord supply us with breakfast?" asked Love.

"Yes!"

"What does the next verse say?" Love continued. "Thou preparest ... "

" ... a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over!"

"Jesus," prayed Love, "we thank You for Your Word, and we pray and claim that You will continue to take good care of Your sheep. Let's pray the last verse together. 'Surely goodness and mercy ... ’"

" ... shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Amen!" chorused all the children and teens as they praised the Lord and thanked Him for providing and caring for them.

At this point Mrs. Sharp announced that she was ready to show them to their living quarters. The Family kids left the dining hall greatly encouraged. Even though they were "captives in Babylon" they could feel the Lord right there with them‚ "preparing a table before them in the presence of their enemies," faithfully feeding and strengthening and encouraging them with His Word!

CHAPTER 11: "YOUR RIGHT TO FIGHT!"

Meshach and Abednego were watching Miss Rottweiler's planning meeting, and were pleased to see that not everyone in the meeting approved of what was going on. A few were already very impressed with the behavior of the children.

"These children seem like angels compared to some of the little monsters we usually take care of!" commented Mrs. Fields, one of the social workers.

"Yes," explained Miss Rottweiler. "That's because they're trained not to show that they've been abused! And that's why we must win their trust so that they'll tell us what really goes on behind the closed doors of this sinister* sect!"

Miss Rottweiler was anxious to close the meeting and find out what on earth all the commotion was in the corridors outside.

"Finally, please take note of this very important point. As you know, our plan is to keep these children in our care. However, the judge will go a lot by what the children themselves want! So let's try to make life more fun for them at Morfield than in their Family Home. Whatever they ask for—toys, clothes, sports gear‚ rock music, anything—we'll buy it for them!"

Miss Rottweiler and her team had obtained most of their so-called "information" about the Family from organizations and people who were working against the Family‚ but who did not really know what Family life was like. They didn't know that the children were well cared for‚ and in fact already had many of the items they were planning on tempting them with.

* * * * * * *

The meeting over, Miss Rottweiler went out to see what the hubbub of activity was in the dormitory, bathroom and kitchen areas. She was amazed to find Family children of all ages, sweeping, scrubbing, washing and cleaning almost everything in sight!

"CHILDREN!!" she bellowed. Everyone stopped cleaning, as well as their united review of Hebrews 11.

"Children!" she continued more sweetly, pleased that they had so quickly given her their attention. "Thank you all so much for cleaning. However, we have a staff here at Morfield to do that for you. Nobody's going to make you do such hard labor here, you know. Why don't you all go back to your dormitories and we'll bring you some new comic books and toys."

"Thank you," said Sharon, "but we like to work hard and to keep things clean! It's part of our Christian training. Did you personally check the cleanliness of our living quarters, Miss Rottweiler?"

"Er ... yes, well ... no ... why, is something the matter?" asked Miss Rottweiler defensively*.

"I'm sorry," continued Sharon, "but we find things quite dirty and not up to the standard we are used to living. So we would all like to continue cleaning as there are cobwebs in the corners and things are very dusty. The bathroom also is quite grimy and smells really awful. Also, the kitchen isn't sanitary and could sure use a good scrubbing. Since you are forcing us to live here, please let us at least try to get things closer to the high standard of cleanliness that we're used to keeping in our Homes!"

"Very well," replied Miss Rottweiler reluctantly‚ "you may spend the rest of the morning cleaning, if you so wish. Are there any other 'complaints'?"

"Yes! When can we go back to our parents?" asked Danny. All the younger children began to chime in, "I want to see my mommy and daddy! I don't want to be here! When can we go home?"

"In good time, in good time!" smiled Miss Rottweiler reassuringly, trying to calm the younger children down.

David shot up a desperate prayer and stepped forward. "I think now would be a good time for you to allow us to phone our lawyer!"

"I'm sorry, young man, but that won't be possible," she replied firmly.

"Are you denying us our lawful rights?"

"Er ... no, it's just that the phone is out of order at the moment."

"I heard one ringing in your office!"

"The office is out of bounds for everyone except staff."

"Miss Rottweiler," said David firmly, "I am going into your office right now, and I am going to exercise my legal right to phone a lawyer. If you want to stop me, you'll have to do so by force!—And how would you be able to explain that in court?"

Without waiting for a reply, David marched down the corridor toward the office! The rest of the Family kids prayed and held their breath. There was a big burly security guard between David and the office door!

Miss Rottweiler reluctantly signaled for him to let David pass.

* * * * * * *

RING, RING! ... RING, RING! ... RING, RING ... click ... "Hello, Mr. Wilder's office. ... No, Mr. Wilder is not in, this is his secretary. Who am I speaking to‚ please? ... Oh, you're one of the Family children? ... Yes, of course I've heard about it! The story is all over the newspapers and television! Listen, David‚ I'm sorry, but this has happened at a bad time. Mr. Wilder just left for his Summer vacation, and Mr. Thompson, who will be replacing him won't be in until next week. ... Yes, I'll be glad to phone your parents and let them know you're okay. ... Yes, go ahead, please give me their number ... 3 ... 6 ... David? Hello‚ David? ... "

* * * * * * *

"That's enough!" Miss Rottweiler grabbed the phone away from David. "I said you could contact your lawyer, not your parents!"

"No matter. She's sure to have their number on file, so she'll be able to contact them anyway! Well, thank you, Miss Rottweiler," smiled David. "I'll get back to cleaning now!"

Miss Rottweiler managed to keep her cool until David and the security guard left the office. Then she cursed and kicked the trash can under her desk in frustration. She was finding out that these Family teens were a force to be reckoned with! She picked up the phone.

"Hello, get me Ted Roach, please. ... Oh, hello‚ Ted! The children are trying to get in touch with their parents. I'd like your team to start interrogating* the children as soon as possible!"

* * * * * * *

The Green Trees Home seemed very empty and quiet without the children's happy voices and smiling faces, and without the home school running!

After the children were driven away, the police made a thorough room by room search. They were trying to rake up any tiny little shred of supposed evidence that could be used against the Family in court. After a few hours they left, taking with them a few books, tapes and papers to examine more closely.

Finally, the adults of the Home were able to unite for desperate prayer! They were very concerned for the kids and desperate with the Lord for their deliverance. At first they were tempted to fret and worry, but then they quickly turned to the Word and claimed the Lord's promises for the children's protection, and for themselves to have real peace and keep looking unto Jesus. The Lord had told them to "stand back and see Me fight‚ for the battle is not yours but Mine," and they knew that all things were in the Lord's hands.—He was in absolute and total control! They prayed that the Lord would comfort the children and let them know that they were praying and fighting for them, and doing everything possible to get them home!

They had already found out that their lawyer, Mr. Wilder, was on vacation, so one of the most urgent requests was for the Lord to raise up another lawyer, who would be a real fighter on their behalf. Also that they would be able to find out where the children were being held.

The adults also prayed that the children wouldn't be worried about them! They had heard that on past occasions when some Family children had been separated from their parents for a short time by the authorities, one of their main worries was how their parents were taking it. (Sweet kids!)

Afterwards, the Lord gave many encouraging verses and prophecies that He was going to powerfully protect and keep His precious children and quickly deliver them!

Uncle Jeremy, Naomi's father, received the following prophecy, "Woe, I say, unto the wicked! Woe, I say, unto those who tribulate My children! Woe, I say, unto those who touch My little ones, for they touch the apple of Mine eye! Thinkest thou that I cannot keep My little ones, that I do not overshadow them with My wings? Knowest thou not that I am with them? That I will comfort them and keep them in their day of tribulation? Yea, I will lead them‚ I will guide them with Mine eye‚ and I will speak unto them.

"My voice will whisper in their ear and I will tell them what to say. For they will have wisdom that no man shall be able to gainsay. And I will tribulate* them that tribulate you. I will tribulate them that tribulate My children, and I will liberate my children and I will deliver them. I will keep them in their hour of trial. For all things work together for good to them that love Me, and I will bring forth a great victory!"

Then sweet Auntie Mary, who was very concerned about how the younger children were doing, got the following encouraging prophecy, "Yea, through these purgings and these tryings, their faith is being strengthened and they shall rise up with such an anointing of My Spirit that no man or woman shall be able to stand against it!

"For I am greater, much greater than these empty winds! For I shall triumph through thy children and win the victory and it shall be a testimony of your teaching and training and love that you have poured into them! For they shall shine as lights and as bright stars that no man can quench because of the power of Love and My Spirit that shall empower them!

"And I shall give them boldness to perform My Will because of your faithfulness to feed them and to give them My Word!"

This also came with a reminder that how soon they would win total victory over their enemies would depend on their desperate prayers, as well as those of the children and the Family worldwide!

"Beloved, pray for your children," prophesied Uncle Bart. "Pray without ceasing, for this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. For the battle is not only theirs, but yours too, and most of all Mine. Stand back and see Me fight. Stand back in the power of My Spirit. Stand fast in My Spirit, in prayer, praying always with all prayer and supplication* for all Saints. For so much depends upon your prayers and how concerned you are‚ for when you stir yourselves up, then I will stir Myself up. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears are open unto their cry. And none of them that trust in Him shall be desolate."

"Praise the Lord! Thank You Jesus! Did anyone get anything else?" asked Uncle Peter.

"I did," said Jerusha‚ a little shyly. "I saw a vision of two hands, God's hands‚ like on the Poster, 'Peace in the Midst of Storm'. He was holding all of the kids in His hands, and wherever they are, He will still have them in His hands, and nothing can harm them."

"I received the story from 1Samuel 5 and 6," added Uncle Ben, "about when the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, how it kept giving them trouble wherever they sent it until they gave it back." (See 1Sam.5; 6:1-18.)

"That's similar to what I got!" Bathsheba said excitedly. "I had a vision of people coming and stealing the children from the Home. It was as if somebody came to an atomic power plant and stole uranium from the reactor and ran away with it without realizing what they had. The children were all glowing powerfully‚ which to me meant their glowing and powerful testimony. Our enemies don't know what they have in their hands. It burns their hands when they touch it."

"Did you get something, Angel?" Uncle Peter asked.

"Yes," answered Auntie Angel‚ "I kept getting a picture of the kids just running around and praising the Lord and happy and there was nothing our enemies could do to stop it. All the children were standing together, very strong, smiling and very happy."

"What I got goes along with that," added Uncle Martin. "I saw a picture of our children like emeralds, shining with light, pink light, yellow light—like the Lord's jewels. Somebody was trying to cover them up with a dark cloth but they couldn't, because not only were they radiating light, but heat too. They couldn't cover up the light and those precious jewels."

Right as the prayer meeting ended, the phone rang! It was Mr. Wilder's secretary passing on David's message that the Family kids were doing fine. Everyone rejoiced and thanked and praised the Lord that their desperate prayers were being so quickly answered! (David had not realized that the children's location was being kept secret from the parents, so had not passed that information on. So the parents still did not know where the children were.)

* * * * * * *

"Hi‚ guys! How's it going?"

"Oh, hi‚ Simon!" replied David. "Oh my, I'm so sorry about your foot!"

"Well‚ the doctor says I'll only have to use the crutch for a week. Until then I guess I'll be able to hobble around okay!"

It was after lunch. The younger children were having an extra long nap, because they had been up so early that morning. The teen girls and JETT Gabriella had been asked to report to the interview room for questioning, while the teen boys and JETT Martin had been encouraged to go outside for exercise.

"Simon, who are those kids?" asked Danny. A rough looking assortment of about 50 children were streaming out of "B" Block and heading towards the football field.

"You can be very thankful they didn't throw you in with that group! Those are the kind of kids we normally have to put up with! You guys are so different! Really‚ I don't think it's right that they brought you here!"

"You don't?" asked David, lowering his voice to a whisper. There were social workers standing around everywhere. The Family kids couldn't even go to the toilet, or wander a few yards away without someone closely following.

"No, I think it's terrible what they're doing to you!" whispered Simon. "Listen, I'd like to help you guys in any way that I can. You can talk to me. I'm your friend!"

"Simon, if I wrote a letter to my parents, could you get it to them?"

"Sure, Dave, just slip it to me and I'll smuggle* it out for you!"

Just then Sharon came out. David and Danny excused themselves and went over to see how her interview had gone.

"Thank You Jesus, it wasn't so difficult! They just asked me some questions about our Family life, our schooling‚ about some of our different beliefs. They seemed quite sweet actually. I really, really prayed before I went in‚ and asked the Lord to help me answer in a way that would be very clear and understandable. With each question I answered I tried to share why we felt that way from the Bible, so I was able to share a lot of Bible verses. That seemed to really amaze them, because the Word is so powerful and it's hard to say anything against it!"

Sharon lowered her voice. She eyed Simon, who was sitting close-by with his crutch. She could tell that he was trying to tune in to what they were saying.

"Boys," she whispered, "I want to warn you of something that just happened! After the interview, I was taken to the dining hall to catch up on lunch, as I had missed it. A couple of really 'sweet' youth worker girls came and sat on either side of me. It seemed that they just wanted to fellowship and be friendly. I started to witness to them and they seemed to be very interested in the Family and our way of life and all. However, then I heard a little 'click', and I saw one of the girls sneak her hand in her pocket. By her movements I could tell that she was turning over the tape in a micro tape recorder. Talk about sheep in wolves clothing! They were pretending to be so 'sheepy' hoping that I would tell them something about our way of life that they wouldn't agree with and could use against us in court!"

"My goodness!" said David. "Lord help us not to be deceived by such snakes!"

"Exactly!" whispered Sharon, putting her mouth almost up to David's ear. "That's why I think you should watch out for this Simon guy! He's trying to be a little bit too buddy-buddy if you ask me!"

"Listen‚ Sharon," whispered David, a little peeved*. "You're not the only one who has the gift of discernment, you know! I'm sure that if Simon is a snake the Lord will show me! But so far he seems to be a pretty nice guy!"

Right then teen Naomi and JETT Gabriella came out. Naomi had a similar testimony to Sharon's. But Gabriella was in tears.

"They were so mean to me!" sobbed Gabriella. "They kept trying to put words in my mouth and get me to admit to things that never happened! They'd ask things like, 'When was the last time you watched adults making love?' I'd say, 'I've never watched adults making love!’ Then they'd say, 'You're lying! Who taught you to lie to us? You'd better tell us the truth!'"

"It makes me so mad!" fumed Naomi, "What's happening is they know that we teens are strong enough to stand up to them and not be fooled by their sneaky questions. So they're picking on the younger ones and trying to pressure them and confuse them so they'll say something to support this garbage that they falsely accuse the Family of!"

"God damn them!" said Sharon. She gave Gabriella a hug. "Don't worry, Gabriella. I'm sure that you did just great!"

"Uh-oh, I just thought of something!" said Danny. "Maybe that's why they encouraged us to take our get-out, so that they could whisk away the little guys for questioning as soon as they wake up from their nap!"

"Hey, where are you all going?" shouted Simon, as the teens suddenly sprinted off.

"To the dormitories! We want to be there when our little brothers and sisters wake up!"

* * * * * * *

The children were just waking up from their nap when the teens dashed in. Their escort of youth and social workers lagged way behind.

"Oh, I'm so glad you've come back!" said Love, who had been permitted to stay behind and watch over little Jamie, Lily and Brian. "Miss Rottweiler just came in and asked me to get the children ready for their interviews!"

"I don't want to be interviewed!" sobbed Aiko.

"Neither do I!" said Suzy. "I don't know what to say!"

"Listen, children," said Sharon, "I have a testimony! I just had an interview, and it was so exciting because I know Jesus was right there with me and helping me. It happened to me just like the Lord promises in His Word:

"And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for My sake‚ for a testimony against them! ... But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak!—For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you!"—Mat.10:18-20.

Sharon continued, "So if you ask the Lord to help you, He will make it a real witness and a testimony! Thank You Jesus! And remember that funny thing that Grandpa said one time?—'I can answer any question that you ask me, only most of my answers will be ... '"

"I DON'T KNOW!" the children chorused.

"Right! So any question that you don't understand or you don't know the answer to‚ all you have to say is ... what?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" the children repeated.

"So that makes it easy, doesn't it? And remember‚ children, because we don't have a lawyer here to help protect us from sneaky questions, we don't have to answer any question that we don't want to! Isn't that right, Miss Rottweiler?"

Miss Rottweiler had just come in to try to stop what was going on.

"How dare you try to brainwash the children and tell them what to say!" she protested.

"I'm not brainwashing them! I'm merely trying to inform them of their legal rights, which you have failed to do, and for which I intend to report you!"

"That's enough lip from you, my girl!" Miss Rottweiler snorted, trying to stop Sharon passing on any more advice or encouragement. "It's time now for the children to come to the interview rooms."

"Could we please just say a short prayer with them first?"

Knowing that some of the other staff present were Christians, Miss Rottweiler didn't feel she could deny a child the right to pray‚ so she begrudgingly agreed.

Sharon included the rest of what she wanted to say to the children in the prayer.

"Dear Jesus‚ please bless and keep the children now as they go to be interviewed. Give them perfect peace and faith. Help them to be real excited for this chance to really witness and shine for You, and to testify of their wonderful life in Your Family! Help them to remember that all they have to do is three simple things: Keep in prayer! Be honest! Be a good witness and sample! And help them not to feel like they have to answer any questions that are too hard for them! In Jesus' name‚ amen!"

Relieved of the pressure of thinking that they had to know all the "right" answers, and realizing that all they had to do was pray, be honest, witness and be a good sample, the children marched off on their mission like brave little soldiers!

* * * * * * *

Grandpa was out with John doing his daily check of the property when news of the raid reached Grandpa and Mama Maria's house.

Mama Maria was in the middle of prayerfully going over the next Kidz Mag‚ but when Peter read the message with the news of the raid, he thought that the situation was urgent enough to disturb the Queen and inform her of what had taken place.

"Lord, do be with our children and their parents, and encourage and comfort them that You will get the victory!" she prayed, after listening carefully to all the details. "This just makes me furious at our enemies! But at the same time it really excites me to see how the Lord means business and is serious about getting His Message out. He wasn't kidding when He said our children are going to 'speak with the enemies in the gate'!—Psa.127:5. He didn't just mean one or two or three, but obviously He meant many of them, since that's what they're going to be doing now."

"The Area Shepherds say that Green Trees is a normal field Home," Peter explained. "They say that the teens there are pretty on the ball. But they're a little concerned about how the younger ones will do!"

Mama prayed for a moment and then said, "Well, we may have all kinds of worries and concerns that our kids are not ready or that they may not be good witnesses, but obviously the Lord isn't too concerned about that! Otherwise He wouldn't have let this happen! He knows the children better than we do and He will protect them and keep them, and lead and guide them. Hallelujah! The Lord's obviously more interested in getting out His Message and in filling our enemies' cups of iniquity and in putting them on trial, rather than worrying if our children will be able to stand up for the Truth."

Mama then asked Peter to get the staff together for desperate prayer, and to really hear from the Lord. "Please ask them to really pray for those children now, that the Lord will protect and keep them under the shadow of His Wings, and that He'll give them a mouth and wisdom that no one will be able to gainsay nor resist (see Luke 21:15) and that He'll raise up good lawyers for them that will be interested in taking our case. How can we have a great victory unless we have a great battle? Our enemies have pushed us into this and they've asked for a fight, and now they're going to get it!"

Mama's graceful right hand tightened into a fighter's fist! "Lord, help us to give them a good fight!" she prayed. "Anoint and inspire those kids and their parents and help them to be wiser and more filled with Thy Words and Thy wisdom than ever before! Help them to rise up in judgment and condemn our enemies! Show Thy strong and mighty arm in defense of Thy little ones!—And make our enemies tremble and quake, all of them, Lord!

"Bring down our enemies—defeat them, smash them, destroy them!—And all those that are fighting against Thy little ones. Make it a scandal! Make it a nation-wide scandal! Make them ashamed, make them humiliated, make them embarrassed for what they've done! Make them lose their jobs! Make them lose their children! Bring great forces to our side!

"Create such a stir that those who have dared to touch us will turn tail and run to get out of the horrible mess that they have created for themselves! Divide the sheep from the goats, Lord! Do it right now! Make the whole country take sides and make them side with us, if they're at all concerned about their children and their religious freedoms and their human rights! Give us the lawyers we need and anoint them for the job!

"Give the children wisdom and help them to be released back to their parents as quickly as possible. Give the parents peace in the midst of the storm. Send Your Angels from far and wide to surround and protect Your children and keep them from evil! Make it a great witness, a great testimony!

"Expose the whole System! Bring it down! Destroy faith in it! Destroy the perpetrators of these crimes! Show Thy mighty power! Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus! Fulfill Your many promises to keep Thy little ones and make them a great witness to the World, in Jesus' name!"

Grandpa came in from his rounds happy that everything was ship-shape, and inspired about some new ideas he had. He settled back down in his chair with his work papers, while John buzzed the kitchen on the intercom to ask someone to bring Grandpa's juice. At that point Mama came in, gave Grandpa a hug and kiss, and then broke the news to him about the raid.

"On their local news they came out and said that they consider us to be the most dangerous sect in the whole World!" Mama added.

"Of course we are!" agreed Grandpa. "Of course we're the most dangerous in the World to the Devil, to Satan and his forces, because we are winning souls right out from his kingdom to the Lord's Kingdom! (Prays:) Now, Lord, You've promised to deliver Thy children. Make it a testimony! Make it a testimony that will defy Satan and all of his forces! Bless the children. Bless Thy precious little children‚ and give them courage and strength to defy the Enemy! Make Thy children a testimony against them! We know You will, Lord. You're going to turn a seeming defeat into great victory! You cannot fail! It's impossible for You to fail!

"Hallelujah! Thank You for answering our prayers! We know You'll do it, they're Your children and You will deliver them and You will make them a testimony against our evil enemies. Hallelujah! Thank You Lord! Amen! Praise You Lord! Thank You Jesus!

"Do it soon‚ to encourage Thy children and their faith. It's a testing time to strengthen the faith of Thy children, even Thy little children. Strengthen them, comfort them and help them to know that You will deliver them. Thank You Jesus!

"The Enemy cannot win! The Enemy will be defeated and it will be a great testimony to Thy children, and even to the World to show them that they cannot defeat You! Thank You Lord! Deliver Thy children‚ and make it a testimony. Thank You Jesus! Praise You Lord!

"We know that You allow these things to be a testimony before judges and magistrates* and kings and princes—to rebuke them and to deliver Thy children and make it a testimony. (See Mark 13:9.)

"Lord, rebuke them in the name of Jesus! Rebuke the Enemy! We resist you‚ Satan, in the name of Jesus! Deliver Thy children, Lord!—And make it a testimony. It will be, so it will be. Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus! It will be a great testimony of how You have delivered Thy Saints! We know You cannot fail, Lord. You never have. 'All things work together for good.'

"Lord, I have prayed for Thy children, and I have delivered Thy children in prayer, Thy special children. Now You finish it, Lord. I cannot do more than this. I am powerless but to pray, and that is everything because You will do it! Amen! Thank You Jesus! Praise You Lord! Hallelujah!—In Jesus' name‚ amen!"

A little later Grandpa commented, "These guys who persecute us want to keep their dirty business a secret, but the thing to do is call in the media and publicize* it! Call a press conference*. Go on the attack! Expose them! They think they're exposing us—we ought to expose them! That's one thing the Devil doesn't like, he doesn't like his dirty tricks exposed. We need to go on the attack and call in the media and complain, and the media is always glad to hear anything that makes news. They especially love a controversy or a fight.

"Encourage our children, Lord‚ bless and help them. Thank You that they know You, Jesus. The parents too, Lord. Help them to have faith that You're going to deliver. You expose our enemies, Lord! Don't let them get away with these dirty tricks without being exposed. It's all in Your hands. Give Thy children wisdom and give them inspiration to fight‚ and the courage to be a witness and a testimony. Lord‚ defeat Thy enemies!"

"Amen!" agreed Mama Maria. "Lord, You're taking care of Your children! We know You're just as close to them now and taking care of each of them as You always have been. You're with them and You're comforting them‚ and even though we can't be there to care for them, we know You're caring for them. You promised that if their mothers and their fathers have to forsake them, then You will take them up. (See Psa.27:10.) You will love them and care for them. Strengthen them, encourage them and help them to stand strong‚ in Jesus' name! Amen!"

Later a message was sent out to all the Homes worldwide requesting the whole Family to unite in prayer for the children of the Green Trees Home!

CHAPTER 12: "SPACE CAMP!"

After dinner the Family kids were taken to a living room where there was a video set-up. Mrs. Sharp opened a cabinet in which there was an assortment of different videos and told them that they could watch whatever they wanted.

Sharon prayed that there would be something suitable for the younger ones, as she felt they really deserved a shiner prize for being such good little soldiers during their interviews that afternoon! A few had gotten a little upset‚ but on the whole it seemed that everything had gone very well‚ and that the Lord had really helped them with their answers!

Little Aiko even had an inspiring testimony which she had shared with everyone at dinner! "I really prayed that they wouldn't ask anything too hard for me. Then the lady said, 'Oh dear, there was something really important that I wanted to ask you ... but it suddenly popped out of my mind.' And she couldn't remember what she was going to ask me!"

Other children also had inspiring testimonies of how the Lord gave them just the right words to say!

There were hardly any suitable videos for the little children in the cabinet, except "Heidi."

"Oh, no, not 'Heidi'!" groaned Danny. "I've seen that at least three times!"

"Danny!" whispered Naomi. "This is for the younger children, not you! The teens can watch another video later."

As it turned out‚ "Heidi" was very inspiring for the children, as it was the story of a little girl who, like themselves, was suddenly snatched away from her heavenly home!

Heidi had been very happy living with her grandpa in the mountains. Then suddenly her mean and cruel auntie kidnaps her and takes her to the big city and puts her in the house of some rich people. Here Heidi befriends the little crippled girl, Clara, and has a tremendous, positive influence on her! This is a very good sample to Clara's rich daddy and the whole household. Heidi ends up changing the whole house by her happy spirit, much like Naaman's little maid did!

However, Heidi suffers some pretty heavy persecution, as she's put under a very cruel and mean teacher who belittles her and punishes her cruelly. She's again kidnapped and nearly sold to the Gypsies. Her Grandpa feverishly tries to look for Heidi and really lays down his life to rescue her!

"Wow, I never realized this movie had so many good lessons on persecution and being kidnapped!" remarked Sharon when the movie was over. "Heidi was a good sample of adapting and making the best of a bad situation, wasn't she? She really helped change her little part of the World!"

"Her cheerfulness and her good sample and witness really touched the hearts of her overseers and won their favor!" added Naomi. "And in the end it all turned out to be a Romans 8:28 and everything worked together for good! So let's all try to model ourselves after this happy little girl in the movie, Heidi, shall we children? Lets try to make the best of our bad situation here at Morfield!"

"Pollyanna was another little girl who was a good sample!" remembered Suzy.

"That's right!" smiled Sharon. "She was also without her parents, wasn't she? Remember how she was so loving and cheerful and such a good sample that she changed the lives of all the grumpy people in the town! Hey, let's play the 'Glad Game', shall we?"

"I'm glad for this adventure!" said Clara. "It's like actually being in an exciting movie!"

"Amen!" said Sharon. "We're starring in one of God's adventure movies, and God's movies always have a happy ending, right? Thank You Jesus! Praise the Lord!"

The children kept playing the "Glad Game" as they headed off to the dormitories. Danny supervised the boys, while Sharon, Love and Naomi helped the younger girls, plus little Brian and Jamie, who were staying in their room. They took some special time to pray with each one, and David sat in the hallway between the two rooms with his guitar. "What a Friend we have in Jesus ... ," he sang, as the children settled into a sweet sleep, knowing that Jesus was with them and His Angels were around them, no matter where they were.

After the younger children were in bed, a little bit of contention arose as to which of the teens would forego watching a video to stay back and watch the kids.

"It shouldn't be me!" Love pointed out. "I watched the children after lunch."

"Why don't all of you go and watch the video, and I'll stay," offered Naomi, hoping that someone would say the same thing in return.

"No, you go and I'll stay," replied Sharon, not very enthusiastically.

"Well, okay‚" said Naomi, "if you insist! Thanks so much!"

"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own‚ Sharon?" asked Love.

"Yes, I'll also have Gabriella and Martin here to help me. Okay, have fun. But please pick something that's uplifting and edifying!"

As the four teens headed back towards the video room, David was going through a trial. "Sharon's really getting bossy!" he thought. "She's acting like our leader or something. She doesn't even trust us to pick a good video!"

Looking through the cabinet, the teens could see that most of the videos were full of violence and garbage, and were mostly just junk. There were movies like "Terminator Two," "Batman," various war movies, as well as some Michael Jackson music videos.

"Oh, praise the Lord, there's 'Space Camp'‚" said Naomi. "Let's watch that!"

"But we just saw it recently!" moaned Danny. "How about 'Star Trek Two'?"

"Well, we've seen some other Star Treks, and they've been okay. Maybe we could try this one and see what it's like‚" suggested David.

Just then Simon stuck his head around the door. "Hi guys, how's it going?" He lowered his voice to a whisper so the guard outside couldn't overhear. "Do you have that letter that you wanted me to send for you?"

"Oh, er ... sure!" said David getting up and slipping it to him. "Thanks so much, Simon!"

"No problem!" smiled Simon, as he hobbled off down the corridor.

"David‚ I think you should have counseled with us before entrusting him with that!" said Naomi, a little shocked.

"Why? He's only trying to help us get in touch with our parents!"

Meanwhile Danny had been busy putting 'Star Trek II' in the machine and getting the video ready to view. "Okay, everybody ready?" he asked.

"Let's just watch a few minutes of it," suggested Love, "and if there's anything too weird then we can turn it off!"

The other teens agreed, and they prayed together that the Lord would help them to have discernment, and to choose the good and eschew the evil. Ten minutes later they turned the video off! It was more like a horror movie, and the teens saw a few things that they wished they hadn't.

"Boy," said Naomi, "something like that sure makes you glad that our movies are usually checked out first. You can sure see why!"

"What shall we do? Shall we try another one?" asked Love.

"Well, let's watch 'Space Camp', then," said Danny sullenly. He felt responsible for putting on the Star Trek and too "out of it" to say he was sorry.

"I told you 'Space Camp' would be a good one to watch," said Naomi.

There was an uncomfortable silence, then Love said, "What's happening to us? This morning on the bus we were all so united‚ but now ... but now .... " She couldn't say any more. She didn't need to. Naomi, David and Danny were deeply convicted.

"I'm sorry, Naomi," mumbled Danny meekly. "Actually, I think 'Space Camp' would be a very good movie for us to see right now."

"No, I'm sorry‚ Danny," apologized Naomi. "I wasn't being loving at all! I was totally in my own spirit."

"Listen," said David, "why don't you all go ahead and pray and start. I need to use the toilet."

* * * * * * *

Standing at the urinal, David cried out to the Lord in whispered but desperate tongues. Love was right! The day had started out so victorious and in the Spirit! They had entered the battle like conquerors! But now he felt so weak, like he was lying face down in the mud with the Enemy tromping all over him.

"Oh, Jesus," he prayed, "what is it that's troubling me? Why am I having all these bitter and critical thoughts towards Sharon and Naomi?"

Just then he happened to look up and out of the tiny toilet window that overlooked the car park.

"What???!" he whispered incredulously. "I don't believe it!"

David walked back to the video room stunned!

* * * * * * *

"How was the video?" asked Sharon cheerfully as David, Naomi, Danny and Love returned to the dormitory a couple of hours later.

The teens looked at each other sheepishly.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Well ... er ... we started out watching 'Star Trek Two', but that didn't last very long," explained Danny. "It had some really icky scenes right at the beginning, so it was pretty easy to see that it was not very edifying—and it sure didn't seem to be what we needed. Anyways‚ at least we learned 'where it ain't'. So then we watched 'Space Camp', and it was really the Lord, because if you remember it's about some teenagers who accidentally get shot into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle*. At first it doesn't look like they'll survive, because they're disunited and each trying to do each other's job! The only way they manage to get down to Earth again safely is because they learn to recognize each others' strengths and admit their own weaknesses! So in the end they manage to land the Shuttle by learning to work together as a team!"

David took a deep breath‚ and then blurted out, "I've got a big apology to make! I've been like the pilot in the movie who wanted so badly to be the commander! It's been too hard on my pride, Sharon, to admit that the Lord has really been anointing you and Naomi to uphold the standard and lead our group, especially as you're both girls and a little younger than I am."

"For me too!" confessed Danny meekly.

"I need to tell you what happened when I went to the toilet‚" continued David. "The Lord used it to wake me up to how out of tune I've been! This evening I gave a letter to Simon to smuggle out to our parents. I knew that you and Naomi had been receiving checks about him, so I didn't want to counsel with you about it. Anyway, when I looked through the toilet widow I was stunned to see Simon striding across the car park to his car!—There was absolutely nothing wrong with his foot at all!"

The others were wide-eyed! "You mean he faked that whole accident?"

"Yes! Can you believe it? Just so we'd feel sorry for him, and let down our guard! Well, I'm ashamed to say that I fell for it. I really believed that he sympathized with us and wanted to help!"

"Unbelievable!" said Danny, shaking his head. "He's as sneaky as that guy in the movie 'Firestarter'. Remember when he pretended to be a janitor and used some sob story to win the little girl's trust?"

"Well," said Naomi, "maybe the Lord allowed it to show us to what depths the Enemy is willing to sink, and to be more on guard in the future! No doubt some of the social workers really are sheep, but it's safer if we don't rely too much on any of them at this point!"

"Don't feel bad, David!" said Sharon. "We all have fallen way short of the mark today! I'd like to apologize for coming across so bossy and self-righteous and acting like 'the leader'! I don't blame you for going through trials about it. Frankly, rather than any one or two of us being the 'leaders', I think the Lord is showing us that we all need to work tightly together as a teamwork!

"That's right!" the others agreed.

"I was just getting that illustration of the bundle of sticks‚" said Naomi. "When the sticks are bound tightly together, you can't break them! But if the sticks are separate from one another, then it's easy to break them, one at a time. Also remember the Aesop's fable about the bulls? United together as a herd they were too strong for the lion! But when they wandered away from the herd, then the lion was able to pick them off one by one!"

"Well, it's so true!" said David. "The Devil's really been attacking our unity. He knows that 'united we stand, but divided we fall!' So I vote we completely lay aside our pride and our personal desires and differences, and really lay down our lives to shepherd our younger brothers and sisters. The Lord has now entrusted them into our care, and He's going to hold us responsible for them!"

The teens then held hands and poured out their hearts to the Lord in desperate prayer, asking Him to forgive and help and unify them! As always, they were being watched, but the teens didn't care. It was like the social workers were peering in at them from another World. Nothing else mattered at that moment, except getting back in tune with the Lord and His Love and His Spirit and the revolutionary standard of God's Endtime Army!

Afterwards the Lord gave them some very encouraging prophecies:

First Naomi spoke out‚ "I will never leave you nor forsake you! As I was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace, so shall I be with you and will deliver you without even the smell of smoke!" Thank You Jesus!

Then David received the following prophecy, "You must stand up for your faith! Had not Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego been willing to stand up, I would not have been able to do the miracle which I did. Stand up, stand up for your faith! Stand up, stand up for Jesus!"

"Fear not, little children, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom," prophesied Danny. "Fear not‚ stand strong! Put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day! Cut the Devil to the heart! Hit him where it hurts the most! Hit him with the Word! Stand up! Speak the Truth! Do not hold back! Fight him with the Word! Fight them with the Words of Life! Be proud to be My children! Do not cower! Stand up and be counted! Fight! Fight, children, fight! And I will give you a crown of life!"

The Lord confirmed the extreme importance of their unity.—That they shouldn't make any compromises with the standard they had been taught.—That they needed to really love and care for each other, and especially the children! Plus they really needed to fight to stay in the Word and prayer!

Love then shared a vision she had, "While we were praying I had a vision of that little birdie that was sitting peacefully in her nest above the raging cataract! The birdie had peace and faith even though all around her it was stormy. I got the verse‚ 'And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.'—Phil.4:7."

At the end they hugged and encouraged each other to keep up the fight!

"Boy!" chuckled David‚ his fight and fire restored. "Am I going to sock it to that Simon guy‚ when he comes hobbling up on his crutch tomorrow!"

"Ha! I want to be there to see that!" laughed Sharon.

"I volunteer to stay up and plan a really feeding devotions for the kids tomorrow morning!" said Naomi.

"Yes‚ and let's do some skits for them!" suggested Danny.

"Good idea!" everyone agreed.

"What do you say we have a teamwork meeting together now and decide some ground rules to share with the rest of the kids tomorrow?"

"Great! Let's do it!"

Shadrach, Meshach‚ Abednego and Ruthie were thrilled at how the teens had come through this first major battle as victors! They were now even stronger and better able to meet the many new challenges that still lay ahead.

However‚ even for the spirit helpers, who no longer lived within the boundaries of Time, it had seemed like a long day! Shadrach glanced down at the next day's schedule.

"Has anybody any ideas on how to get these firebrands* to bed on time?—It looks like the Lord has planned tomorrow to be another BIG day!"

TO BE CONTINUED!....

GLOSSARY:

underdog — one who is expected to lose a contest or a struggle; one who is at a disadvantage

drug habit — a habit of using a narcotic or a drug regularly; a great desire or need for a habit-forming drug

inner city — the central part of a large city, usually crowded and poor; the city slums

AIDS — a condition where the body's immune system breaks down, leading to serious and usually fatal infections; mainly strikes Sodomites, drug users & some recipients of blood transfusions

cult — a religion or a religious group generally considered to be different or extremist

combat — fight or battle

delinquent — a person guilty of a fault or an offense; wrongdoer

chiseled — cut or shaped with a chisel (a metal tool with a sharp edge)

gymnasium — a large room used for various indoor sports

gawking — staring openly & rudely

sect — a religious group separated from an established church

outraged — resentfully angry

media — a term which is currently used to refer to different means of mass communication, such as newspapers, radio & TV

mainstream denomination — popular or traditional religious group

anti-cult organization — a group of people who fight against cults, or against those whose religious beliefs are different from the larger more established denominations

interrogator — an interviewer, someone who asks questions to try to find out information

child abuse — harmful treatment of a child or children

brainwashing — forcibly indoctrinating or instructing to try to change someone's beliefs or attitude

menace — a threat; something that is troublesome, annoying or threatening

surveillance — close watch kept over someone or something

smut — offensive, disgusting speech or writing

scandal — an act or circumstance that brings disgrace, shame or shock

villains — wicked or evil people, scoundrels

penetrating — piercing, sharp

scanned — examined closely

summit — the highest point or part

buckler — a small round shield used for defense

avenge — take vengeance on behalf of someone; punish or repay a wrongdoer

sinister — suggesting or threatening evil

defensively — on the defense or prepared for an attack

interrogating — questioning

tribulate — to cause problems & suffering

supplication — a humble, serious request

smuggle — to bring in or take out secretly

peeved — annoyed‚ irritated

magistrates — officials with power to administer & enforce the law

publicize — give publicity to, advertise to gain public attention & support

press conference — a meeting where a politician, celebrity or newsworthy person invites the press to hear their side of the story, by giving a speech and/or answering the press' questions

Space Shuttle — a space vehicle carried aloft by rockets, which orbits (circles) the Earth

firebrands — people who stir up activity or change

VICTORY IN BABYLON—PART FOUR [Chapters 13-18]

Throughout the story, the prayers by Grandpa and Mama Maria are actual prayers they prayed during a real life situation similar to this story. All prophecies in the story are real prophecies which were received by our Family during that same time.

The Story so Far:

Eighteen Family teens and children have been taken from their Home by police and social workers in a pre-dawn raid to an institution called Morfield where they are being closely observed and interrogated. The Children's Welfare Department's goal is to try to prove that Family life is not good for the children so that the court will allow them to keep the children permanently in their care. The Enemy's plan is to use raids like this to try to smash the Family's whole worldwide Work. However, unknown to their enemies, an Army of Heavenly forces is at the children's side‚ taking care of them and fighting for them. Instead of bringing defeat, the Enemy's actions will help strengthen God's children and reach the whole nation with the Family's sample and Message!

During their first day at Morfield the teens and children stood up boldly for Jesus and were a good testimony to those around them. They also learned many precious lessons, including the importance of upholding the Family standard and laying aside their pride and personal differences to work together in unity as a team!

Meanwhile their parents, Grandpa and Mama, and the whole worldwide Family have come together as one before the Lord to desperately fight for them in prayer!

Let's join the Green Trees kids again at Morfield now as their Heavenly helpers wait for them to awaken for what they know will be another BIG day!

CHAPTER 13: "GOOD MORNING, GOD'S CHILDREN!"

"Cheep, cheery, cheep!" (Being interpreted, "Good morning, God's children!") "Cheep cheep, cheery, cheep!" ("Jesus loves you, little Brian!") "Cheery cheery, cheep cheep!" ("It's a beautiful day!")

Brian sleepily opened his eyes and smiled at the cheerful little sparrows chirping outside the window.

Then his smile turned upside down—he remembered that he was at Morfield.

Then it turned right side up again‚ as his big sister Naomi leaned over and gave him a big kiss on his dimpled cheek!

"Good morning, sweet boy!" she said, as she tenderly lifted him into her arms. "Let's be real quiet so that we don't wake up the others!"

Naomi carried Brian over to look at the cute little birdies twittering and fluttering around outside the window.

"Isn't that sweet of Jesus to send the birdies to sing for us?" whispered Naomi in little Brian's ear. "Yesterday I didn't see any birdies here, only a few ugly old crows!"

"Cheep, cheery, cheep, cheep!" ("That's right! Jesus loves you!") chirped one of the little sparrows. Some of the little Angels had guided a small flock of sparrows over to the dormitory window to give the children a bright and cheerful wake up!

Naomi's first night at Morfield had been quite restless. She hadn't slept so well. The beds were lumpy and not as comfortable as at home, the night light was too bright, and it was hard to stop thinking about all that had happened the day before. Also, there was a lady sitting right there in the dormitory watching them all night long.

Around 2 a.m. the lady had invited Naomi into the night watchman's little office and made her a cup of warm milk and honey to help her sleep. Her name was Sandra. Naomi found out that she didn't know much about what was happening‚ but was just there doing her job. She turned out to be quite sheepy, and after witnessing to her for a time, Naomi prayed with her and Sandra got saved!

Naomi went back to bed inspired! Another soul was going to live forever and ever and ever and ever in Heaven! (See Jn.5:24.) What could be more wonderful? It was worth being brought to Morfield‚ even if only for that!

Still unable to sleep, Naomi decided to not just lie there thinking all kinds of sleepy thoughts, but to redeem the time by turning the thoughts into prayers, by reviewing her memory work, and by loving and praising the Lord! Soon afterwards she fell asleep.

Naomi and Brian watched as the morning sun peeked its happy face over the crest of one of the hills. Its early morning rays splashed the pine trees with flashes of glistening silver light. High above, an eagle soared majestically in the blue heavens. Naomi looked at Morfield's cold grey concrete walls, topped with ugly brown coils of rusty barbed wire‚ then back up at the eagle.

"The Devil may put prison walls around you," she thought‚ "but he can't put a roof on your spirit!" Naomi felt a thrill deep inside of her as she realized that her spirit was as free as that eagle to soar up to God on the wings of prayer! She sang softly as she cuddled Brian:

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings as eagles;

They shall run, and not be weary,

They shall walk, and not faint! (Isa.40:31.)

Teach me Lord, teach me Lord, to wait!"

Suddenly she heard another voice cheerfully singing: "It's a new morning, a new morning . . . !"

"Oh, thank You Jesus! Good for you‚ David!" thought Naomi. "I'll ask Sandra if he can do reveille in the girl's dorm too! I'll get all the girls to hold hands in a circle and we'll get ready for the battle today by mounting up on the wings of prayer!"

("That's right! Pray!") "Cheep cheep!" ("Pray!") chirped the birdies.

* * * * * * *

At breakfast, everyone was encouraged to hear Naomi's testimony of leading Sandra to the Lord!

"Most of these people were just doing what they were told when they took us away from our Home," Sharon explained to the younger ones. "They think our Family is bad because our enemies have lied to them about us. But when they see our sample and witness, some of them can be won over. So let's not be bitter or hateful towards them, but let's 'love our enemies' and 'pray for them which despitefully use us and persecute us' (Mat.5:44)‚ that we can win them to the Lord!"

"Amen!" agreed David. "But, let's also make it very clear that we are not happy to be here, and keep asking to phone our parents and be allowed to go home!"

Mrs. Sharp came in to announce that another round of interviews would begin shortly after breakfast. The teens quickly changed plans and decided that Naomi would take the little ones for a flannelgraph for the first part of devotions, while the others researched in the concordance of their Bibles for some verses to claim before being interviewed. The Lord led them to some really good ones, which the teens explained to the JETTs and OCs and claimed for the upcoming interviews. (See "Promises to Claim before Being Interviewed" on page 4.) They all eagerly copied down the references in the back of their Bibles!

Promises to Claim before Being Interviewed

(Class with the teens)

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear [carefulness]."—1 Pet.3:15. (See also 1Pet.3:13,14.) Be a witness in your answers, with meekness and carefulness speak of the hope in you, which is Jesus.

"So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth [blames, rebukes] me: for I trust in Thy Word."—Psa.119: 42. Pray and claim that the Holy Spirit will bring the Lord's Word to your remembrance as you need it to stand on and to witness.

"And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say."—Luk.12:11,12. We don't need to worry about what we'll say. As long as we pray, the Holy Spirit will help us to speak clearly, honestly and with conviction.

"Settle it therefore in your hearts‚ not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist."—Luk.21:14, 15. Trust in the Lord's Word and His help and guidance, and our adversaries, which are our enemies or those who are working against us, will not be able to stand against us.

"The preparations of the heart in Man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord."—Pro.16:1. If we pray, the Lord will prepare our hearts and help us to answer boldly and with conviction!

(See also: Pro.15:1 and 28; Pro.24:26; Jn.19:9; Col.4:6; Acts 26:2.)

Naomi and the younger ones then joined the others as Sharon reviewed the three main points to remember when being interviewed:

1. BE PRAYERFUL! Don't be pressured into answering questions before you are ready. Give yourself time to "pause and pray" before you answer! Stand on a verse and claim the Lord's help.

2. BE HONEST!—We've nothing to hide, so speak with conviction so that they can see that you are telling the truth! Also don't be afraid to say, "I don't know!" if you don't know the answer!—For example, if you don't understand the question, or there are a lot of questions all together that confuse you. And remember that you don't have to answer any question that you don't want to!

3. BE A GOOD WITNESS AND SAMPLE!—Speak carefully and clearly, so the people listening will understand exactly what we are saying! Remember when we had our "Be clear" push last month so we'd learn to speak more clearly and not mumble? That's what we need to do so they can understand everything we say.

JETT Gabriella had a question. "Yesterday‚ when they asked my name, I hemmed and hawed a bit, because I didn't know which one to use, my Bible name‚ or my legal name, the one on my passport. Also, as you know, I've just recently chosen to take a new Bible name, so when I hesitated, it seemed like I wasn't even sure of my own name!"

"In these situations‚ it's probably best to use your legal name," replied Sharon. "But if your legal name is different than the name you're usually called, you might want to also say something like, 'Most people call me --—.' That way they'll understand why you have two names."

At this point Mrs. Sharp returned.

"Could Miss Price please report to the interview room!"

Love swallowed a little nervously and got up from the breakfast table. She had missed being interviewed with the teen girls the day before as she had been looking after the little kids.

"Sock it to 'em, Love!" encouraged Danny. "We'll be praying for you!"

"I'll show you the way, Dear!" said a social worker lady. Love followed her down the corridor. "My name is Pat, what's yours?"

"Love."

"Oh‚ Love, I like that!" Pat gave her arm a little encouraging squeeze as they arrived outside the interview room. "Don't you worry‚ Dear! Ted, Jill and Hilary are very nice people! They won't bite! You can tell them anything."

"Oh, Jesus!" Love prayed silently. "I want to be a good testimony, but I don't know if I can speak as well as Sharon, David and the others. But You promised that 'in that same hour it shall be given you what to say.'—Mat.10:19. I know sometimes questioners try to trick us or make us upset or confused. Please help me not to be afraid, and to boldly stand up for the truth. You said in Your Word, 'I will give you a mouth and wisdom that all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay or resist!'—Luk.21:15. I claim that verse, Lord!"

Right then she heard a burst of praise coming from the dining hall, as her brothers and sisters fought for her in prayer. "Thank You Jesus for our Family!" she thought, as she stepped into the interview room.

* * * * * * *

"Wow! Isn't that exciting!" said Sharon, as they finished having prayer for Love and for their whole situation. "The Lord just spoke to us! Isn't that an honor?"

"I wrote down the beginning of each verse‚ so we could go over them," said Tommy.

"That's wonderful, Tommy! God bless you!" encouraged Sharon. "Let's go over the promises that the Lord just gave and see what He's trying to say to us!"

Tommy read from his notes, while the others pitched in to finish quoting the verses, "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king."—Dan.3:17.

"Thank you, Tommy! So the Lord is telling us that He is able to deliver! Good! What was another one?"

"Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord."—Jer.1:8.

"Thank You Jesus! Maybe later we can see how many other verses we could find where the Lord promises to deliver us!" suggested Sharon. "What was next?"

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him."—Jam.1:12.

"The Lord is encouraging us to endure these trials, because in Heaven He is going to give us a very big reward!"

"Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."—Deut.31:6.

"Praise the Lord! The Lord has told us we don't have to fear! Hallelujah! The Lord is right here with us, so what have we to be afraid of? Thank You Jesus!"

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."—1 Pet.1:7.

"This is a trial of our faith‚ isn't it? But when Jesus comes we will find out that it was worth it!—In fact, it was even worth much more than gold! Thank You Jesus! I think there was one more verse the Lord gave us. Good‚ Tommy! Thanks so much for writing them down!"

"He shall give His Angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways."—Psa.91:11.

"Hallelujah! Think how many Angels the Lord must have put in charge of us, to preserve and keep us!"

"I have an idea!" said Naomi enthusiastically. "Whenever we have time throughout the day, let's find as many cross references as we can to all the different verses that the Lord just gave! Then we can share them at our vespers* this evening!" (See "Verses on Protection in Persecution" on page 7, which you might like to photocopy and put in the back of your Bible.)

Everyone eagerly agreed!

Verses on Protection in Persecution

Have a Bible study and look up some of the verses the teens found:

He Is Able

Jos.23:14b

2Chr.32:8a

Psa.46:1

Psa.98:1

Isa.59:1

Jer.32:27

Dan.3:17

Zec.4:6b

Luk.1:37

Rom.4:21

Rom.8:31b

Rom.8:38,39

1Cor.10:13

Eph.3:20

Eph.6:10-18

2Tim.1:11‚12

Heb.7:25

Deliver

2Sam.22:2

2Ki.17:39b

Psa.30:5b

Psa.34:6

Psa.37:40

Psa.50:15

Psa.56:13

Psa.91:14

Psa.97:10b

Isa.54:17a

Jer.1:19

Dan.6:27

Col.1:13

2Tim.4:18

Endure

Gal.6:9

Phi.1:29

Jam.1:12

Rev.3:8

Rev.3:10,11

Freedom from Fear

Exo.14:13a

Deut.20:3,4

Deu.31:6

Psa.27:1

Psa.34:4

Psa.46:1,2

Psa.56:3,4

Psa.91:5-7

Isa.26:3

Isa.35:4

Isa.41:10

Isa.41:13

Mk.5:36b

Luk.12:32

Jn.14:27

Have Faith

Mk.9:23

Jn.14:12

Heb.10:35

Heb.11:6

1Jn.5:4

Trials of Faith

Rom.8:18

Jam.1:2-4

1Pet.1:7

1Pet.4:12,13

Preserve / Keep

Isa.43:2

Psa.37:28

Psa.91:11

Psa.121:8

Pro.6:22

Pro.14:26

Rom.8:31

Little Ones' Protection

Isa.40:11

Mat.18:6

Mat.18:10

Mat.18:12-14

1Jn.4:4

Stand Up for Your Rights

Jer.1:8

Zec.4:6b

Mat.10:20

Luk.21:15

Act.4:13

2Tim.1:7

* * * * * * *

"This is ridiculous!" thought Love, as she entered the interview room and sat on a wooden chair facing the three inquisitors. "Our Family are the sweetest, most loving and innocent people in the World! What right have they to treat us like criminals?!"

Suddenly her nervousness was gone. Suddenly she just wanted to stand up for the Truth, as she knew the Lord wanted her to!

"Great!" smiled Shadrach to a very special spirit helper, who had been brought in especially to help Love. "She's ready! Go for it!"

Joan of Arc glided gracefully over to where Love was sitting. Gently she sat on the chair with Love, her beautiful spirit body blending together with Love's earthly one! Since standing trial and being martyred for her faith in 1431 A.D., the Lord had called upon her many times to help others stand up for their faith! She felt honored that she was now defending one of God's Endtime children!

Love, of course, was unaware that something so wonderful had happened! But she did feel strengthened in the spirit. Her senses felt sharper. Her mind more alert.

"Good morning! My name is Ted Roach‚ and this is Jill Anderson and Hilary Sidewinder. We just want to ask you a few easy questions that will help give us a better understanding of your group!"

The first set of questions were straightforward, and Love found the Lord leading her to give simple, short answers.

"What is your full name?"—"Love Virginia Price."

"Who is your mother and father?"—"John and Julia Price."

"Do you like living in your home?"—"Yes, very much!"

"Do you like living communally?"—"Yes, I love it! That's how the Bible teaches us to live! And that is how the early Christians lived. Didn't you know?"

"What do you do after dinner?"—We have parent time."

"What do you do at parent time?"—"Spend time with my parents!"

"Do you enjoy parent time?"—"Of course! I love my parents!"

"What are your favorite school subjects?"—"Home economics and math."

"Wouldn't you like a chance to go to a public school and mix with normal teens your age?"—"No‚ I'd rather be schooled at home."

Love relaxed a little in her chair. "These questions are easy," she thought, "and these people seem quite sweet and friendly."

Suddenly‚ like a red warning light, a verse flashed in her mind. "The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords."—Psa.55:21.

Love looked up from Ted's smile to his eyes. His eyes weren't smiling. They were as chilling as ice.

"Excuse me, but would you mind repeating that last question?" Love asked. She had just received a check in the spirit.

"Wouldn't you like a chance to go to a public school and mix with normal teens your age?" Ted Roach repeated.

Love realized that she needed to keep up her guard and be in prayer about every question. This one was real sneaky, and she had almost let it slip past.

"I think it's very unfair the way you worded that last question!" Love protested. "You're suggesting that I've been deprived of some 'great opportunity' by not going to public school, and that I am not a 'normal' teen!"

With this question Love felt the Lord leading her to give a longer answer and to "earnestly contend for the faith"!—Jude 3.

"No, I don't want a chance to go to public school, thank you! And perhaps you could tell me what you feel a 'normal' teen is? Just because most teens have experimented with sex, drinking liquor‚ or taking drugs, and I haven't, does that mean I'm not 'normal'? Or if the average teen watches hours of violent horror movies and demonic music videos every day, and I don't, am I not 'normal'? Is the 'normal' devilish behavior of today's youth what you would like your children to imitate, just because so many other kids are doing it? Sorry, but looking at the state of the World today, I don't want to be 'normal' as you mean it! I want to be above normal!"

The three interviewers fumbled uncomfortably with their papers, put to silence by her conviction and fire. Love was surprised at herself!

"This is great!" she thought. "I'm just opening my mouth wide and the Lord is filling it!" (See Psa.81:10.) Love felt a little voice inside of her urging her to, "Attack! Attack! Attack!" She cracked open her witnessing Bible. She decided to use the Word to drive the point home!

"You see, in the Family we try to model our behavior after the example that Jesus and His disciples set in the New Testament!—And these are the values that my parents have tried to pass on to me! Values like what Jesus said, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself' (Mat.22:39)‚ and look here in the 15th Chapter of John!—Can you read verse 12, Mrs. Sidewinder?" Love passed the Bible to her.

She reluctantly mumbled,"This is My commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you."—Jn.15:12.

Love continued, "The Apostle Paul also told us to 'Be kindly affectioned one to another, with brotherly love, in honor preferring one another,' and 'Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.’—Rom.12:10; Eph.4:32. There are many other Scriptures on the subject which I would be happy to share with you‚ if you would like to know more!"

"No, no, that's more than enough, thank you!" grunted Ted Roach.

"Well, I'm just trying to show you that the Bible is the standard by which we are raised as children! And to me that is how a 'normal' child should be raised—not unhappy, destructive, disrespectful, misguided, unloved and uncared for, like so many children are today, because people have so little time to properly care for them!"

The third interviewer, Jill Anderson, had said nothing so far. Love didn't know it, but she was actually a backslidden Family Member, who had now turned into a vicious enemy. (See Pro.14:14a.) She had been hired by Miss Rottweiler to help "deprogram*" the children‚ and to testify against the Family in court. Years ago she had lost her position as a Home Shepherdess for being unloving to her flock, and for wanting to be a big "leader." Unwilling to be a "little person" and receive correction, she had then backslidden with her two children.

Having turned her back on the Lord's service, the Devil had big plans for Jill Anderson to serve him! It wasn't long before some other backsliders and enemies got in touch with her. At first she knew that their lies about the Family were ridiculous. However, because she no longer loved the Truth, God sent her strong delusion that she should believe a lie! (See 2Thes.2:10,11.) And, sure enough, the more she eagerly listened to the lies of the Enemy, the more she did believe them, until it wasn't long before she had forgotten what the Truth really was!

The enemies' next task was to persuade Jill to join them in their fight against the Family. If she did so, she could have their fellowship and support and be treated like an important "somebody" who would get interviewed by newspapers and television. They would even pay her and fly her from place to place to help "deprogram" Family Members, or testify against the Family in court. This seemed a much more glamorous and important life than just being an ordinary everyday mom with two kids.

As soon as she yielded to the Devil and made the decision to become an active enemy of the Family, Jill Anderson became "driven" by an insane and irrational* hatred for Grandpa and the Family. Soon Jill lived for nothing else but to try to harm, hinder and destroy the Lord's Work in any way that she could. Within a year she had become a completely different person. She had cut her beautiful, long, flowing hair into a short artificially curled style. Her attractive face became mean-looking and bitter. Her pitiful attempt to use make-up to make her more attractive only served to accentuate her ragged and bitter features. Love didn't recognize that Jill was actually "Auntie Rosy," who had loved her and taught her as a child.

But Jill Anderson remembered Love. She remembered a cute, freckled-faced, four–year-old child handing her a picture she had drawn of Jesus on which was written "I love you, Auntie Rosy!" Suddenly memories of the Family, which she had tried so hard to suppress*, came flooding back into her mind. Happy memories. She saw sunshine and smiles and happy laughing faces‚ hugs and kisses and prayer and hands raised in praise. "Days of Heaven!" a voice inside her whispered.

"NO!" She thought as she slammed the memories shut! "No, no, no!" She couldn't stand the conviction of looking at Love's sweet‚ innocent, bright–eyed face a moment longer. Her own two teens were on drugs and a total mess.

"Forget it!" she whispered to her two partners. "We're obviously not going to get anything out of this girl. We'll save the sex questions for the younger ones."

"For a moment she remembered!" lamented one of the Angels who had helped minister to Jill Anderson when she was 'Rosy'. "For a moment she longed again for her Days of Heaven in David's Family!—Days of joy and happiness and goodness and beauty! But alas, alas! She hath rejected the Spirit of God! For her those days are gone and never again shall be! There is nothing left for her but a fearful and terrible looking forward to of judgment!" (See Heb.10:26,27.)

"Thank you, Miss Price. You may go now‚" said Jill Anderson coldly, as if she had never known her.

* * * * * * *

Devotions in the dining room had gone on for two good, solid, fun and feeding hours. The younger children felt happy and secure to be in familiar surroundings.—Surrounded by inspiration and the Spirit and the Word just like at home!

They had started the inspiration by singing some of the children's favorites, like "I'm in the Lord's Army!" and "Jump Down, Turn Around!" Then they swung in to some of the newer Bible songs like‚ "Baby in a Basket!" and "Daniel, Brave Daniel!" They finished off with "Jesus Train!" and even some of the stuffy social workers found themselves pulled "on board," chugging and "whooo–whoooing" around the dining hall tables!

Then came the skits! One of them was the "Fiery Furnace" skit, and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had a lot of fun joining in and inspiring the kids with the right words to say! Abednego, who had always loved skits, had a great time helping Danny play King Nebuchadnezzar!

"IF IT BE SO, OUR GOD WHOM WE SERVE IS ABLE TO DELIVER US FROM THE BURNING FIERY FURNACE, AND HE WILL DELIVER US OUT OF THINE HAND‚ O KING!" said David and Meshach defiantly.

The persecution skits were a warm-up to a feeding Word study! Naomi had looked up the word "persecution" in the Index at the back of her Treasures, and was thrilled to find a whole gold mine of exciting Bible stories, articles and 'Food for Thought' on the subject!

Danny took the little ones aside for some play time and coloring while the others read "Persecution—Yesterday and Today!" which explains all the reasons why Jesus was persecuted. Naomi read portions of it slowly and clearly, and stopped to explain to the younger ones anything that they didn't understand. It was really comforting for them to read Jesus' Words, that, "The servant is not greater than his Lord, and if they have persecuted Me‚ they will also persecute you!"—Jn.15:20.

The class was also simple enough for their captors to understand!—And some of the churchy Christian youth workers were "cut to the heart" (see Acts 5:33) when Naomi wrapped up the class by saying,"And so when they persecute us and fight us and accuse us, who are they really doing it to?"

"JESUS!" everyone replied.

"Right! It's not us, it's Jesus they're fighting! So Who's going to fight them back?"

"JESUS!"

"'Vengeance is Mine, saith the Lord, I will repay! Stand back and see Me fight! It is not thy battle but Mine! He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of Mine eye!' (See Rom.12:19; 2Chr.20:15; Zech.2:8.) So, we don't have to worry, Jesus will take care of our enemies! Praise the Lord!"

After united Word time, Sharon had a few announcements before they closed in prayer:

"Last night, we teens had a 'teenwork meeting'—ha!—and the Lord gave us some neat ideas that will really help us stay in unity‚ in the Word, and in prayer‚ and make sure that everyone is well taken care of! Praise the Lord!"

Mrs. Sharp looked on in amazement. In all her years of looking after children she had never seen anything like this!

Sharon continued. "Each of us teens will closely shepherd and be responsible for a group. David is going to be with the JETTs—Martin and Gabriella. Danny will be with Jesse, Paul, Clara and Tommy. Naomi is going to oversee the YCs—Nina, Aiko and Suzy and Precious. And Love is going to be with the little ones—Lily, Jamie and Brian. I'll be available to help wherever most needed.

At this point Mrs. Sharp decided to go and get Miss Rottweiler. She just had to see this!

"We're going to keep a high standard and a good schedule with plenty of Word and prayer time, and united memory work! Also, we'll be doing activities and get-outs together as much as possible! And we'll be scheduling partners for half–hour prayer vigils each day. The Lord has clearly shown us that prayer is our first line of defense! The more we get desperate in prayer, the quicker the Lord can work out His plan in all this, and the sooner we can go home!"

"Go home?" frowned Miss Rottweiler, who had just arrived with Mrs. Sharp. "Not if I can help it!"

"Really, Geraldine," worried Mrs. Sharp, "these teens are taking over this place! I've never seen children organize themselves like this! They're starting one of their Family 'Homes' right here within Morfield!"

"They are, are they?" growled Miss Rottweiler. "Hmmmph! We'll soon see about that!"

CHAPTER 14: "THE LORD'S WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN OUR WAYS!"—Isa.55:9

Jesus did much of His day-to-day shepherding of the Universe from within the magnificent but "homey" chambers of His Royal Palace, at the very top of Space City! However, there were special occasions when the Lord held Court in the vast arena under the Heavenly City! The City's great Golden Pyramid was enclosed within an enormous blue-crystal globe, described in the Bible as the "sea of glass." (See Rev.4:6; 21:18.) The bottom of this sparkling blue globe formed a natural bowl-shaped amphitheater, where these Heavenly Court Sessions took place!

Whereas access to the Royal Palace was limited mainly to the Lord's top Saints and Angels, these Court Sessions were open to more Heavenly citizens. Attendance always ran into the millions, as to see the full Heavenly Court in session was one of the most majestic and breathtaking spectacles in the entire Universe! It was also terrific training to witness the wisdom of the Lord in action, as He counseled with His "Teamwork" of 24 Elders, and passed judgment on the various questions that were brought before Him!

There was only one thing that sometimes slightly soiled this wonderful occasion!—Satan was also within his "rights" to attend. In fact, this was another reason why these sessions were held under the Heavenly City, because of course the Devil was not allowed within the City itself.

Capable of many guises*, the Old Boy was required to put on his "best face" if he wished to attend‚ so that his hated presence wouldn't be too disturbing.

"Satan, the accuser of the Saints, requests permission to approach the Throne, my Lord!" boomed the voice of a mighty Herald Angel.

The Lord signaled His consent.

The Devil strutted towards the Throne, trying to look as proud and as "mighty" as he could! But he looked pretty pitiful and measly* compared to the two huge magnificent Angels in charge of security who were escorting him!

As he arrived in front of the Throne, the two great adversaries exchanged their traditional greeting. (See Job 1:7; 2:2.)

"FROM WHENCE COMEST THOU, LUCIFER?" the Lord's Voice thundered.

"From going to and fro in the Earth and walking up and down in it!" the Devil nervously replied. He was eyeing the Four Beasts, the Lord's mighty watchdogs! Every one of their eyes were intently watching his every move—and they had lots of eyes! (See Rev.4:6.)

"Hast thou considered the children of My servant David, that there is none like them in all the Earth?" the Lord asked him. He knew that the Devil had never feared any children as much as these little ones that the Lord was going to use to help bring about the final downfall of the Devil and his Antichrist World empire. (See Psa.8:2.)

"Yessss!" hissed the Devil in displeasure. "And I've esssspecially been thinking about Your children at Morfield!"

Daniel and Joseph's ears pricked up, as they were the ones whom the Lord had put in overall charge of the children at Morfield and the whole operation. They were also two of the Elders present.

"Now what's the Old Boy up to?" whispered Daniel.

"What about My children at Morfield?" the Lord asked. Of course He already knew what the Devil had in mind, but He wanted the whole Heavenly Court to hear.

"You've given the children at Morfield too much protection! You've hedged them about with legions of Angels and coddled* them like babies! (See Job 1:10.) I can hardly get a trial through to them!" His lip curled up into a sneer. "You boast about them being so wonderful and strong, but allow me to throw them in with some of the other children at Morfield, my children—and then You'll see what a bunch of weaklings they are!"

"I am not giving My children any more special treatment than they deserve‚" the Lord calmly explained. "They have earned the level of protection that they are receiving through their prayers, their faith, their obedience, their love for Me, and their desire to fight for the Truth! They are also being upheld in prayer by David and Maria, as well as by their parents and the whole worldwide Family! Therefore they are entitled to the spiritual security they are receiving! As for your request that they be mixed in with the worldly children, I would like to hear what My counselors think about this."

Daniel and Joseph were against the idea. They pointed out that the main purpose in allowing this persecution was not to test the children's faith. It was to create a lot of public interest in the Family, that would enable them to preach the Gospel to the whole country through the television and newspapers.

However‚ another of the Elders, the Apostle Paul, presented an opposite view. He felt that this experience would only strengthen the children. When they saw what awful lives the poor worldly children had to suffer, it would make them honor and cherish their place in the Family even more! Also, it would give the Family kids an opportunity to witness to these sad, confused and lonely worldly kids at Morfield and win them to the Lord!

There was an expectant hush over the whole huge Assembly, as they waited for the Lord's judgment on the matter.

As was often the case‚ the Lord's decision surprised everybody! (See Isa.55:9.) He not only decided in favor of the counsel of Paul, but the Lord even went a step further than the Devil had the nerve to ask for, so sure was He that even His younger children had the Word, conviction‚ faith and fight needed to come out victors in such a situation!

"Your request is granted, Lucifer, but for My good purposes, not yours! I will allow My children to be mixed in with the worldly children at Morfield! I will also allow the younger children to be separated from the older ones!"

Daniel and Joseph looked at each other with eyebrows raised. "Do you remember at our first meeting how the Lord said He was concerned about the spiritual maturity of the OCs?" whispered Joseph. "Well, I believe He's doing this to force them to shape up and take their service for the Lord more seriously! Now they are going to have to help shepherd and be responsible for the little ones!"

The Devil was sent on his way and the next item of business was brought before the Court. Daniel and Joseph communicated what had happened with Shadrach‚ Meshach and Abednego, the teamwork at Morfield, so that they could start to prepare the Family kids for what was going to be a very dramatic and unexpected turn of events!

CHAPTER 15: "THE APPEAL!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Rottweiler is the only one who can give information about the children‚ and she's not here right now."

"But you said that she would be in her office this morning!"

"Er ... yes ... well, she was in the office, but you've just missed her again, sorry!" Click.

It had been 24 hours since Mr. Wilder's secretary had rung the Green Trees Home to pass on David's message. Uncle Peter, the Shepherd of the Home, had been desperately trying to find out where they were.

"Boy, they're really giving us the runaround!" said Peter, as he put down the phone for the tenth time. "It's obvious they're trying to stop us from having any contact with the children."

"But they don't have a right to do that, do they?" asked Praise.

"Listen‚ these people don't care anything about our rights! All they care about is persecuting us and our children!"

"I can see why we really need the Lord to raise us up good lawyers, otherwise we don't even properly know what our legal rights are!"

"Well, we've prayed desperately for them, and Jeremy and Jerusha have been calling one law office after another. Also, soon most of the Family will receive the urgent prayer request. Just think, we'll have our whole worldwide Family fighting for us in prayer!"

"Praise God! Yes, isn't that encouraging? We can expect miracles!"

Knowing that a prayer request would be sent out to the entire Family for them and the children was an enormous encouragement and faith-builder for them! They were just a small, ordinary Home, and yet they knew that now in their time of trial, Grandpa and Mama and the entire Family would rally to their side to support them and fight for them in prayer!

"What a wonderful Family!" whispered Praise, her eyes moist with tears of joy and gratitude as she read through the treasured message that they had just received:

Dear Family,

We ask that you please join with us in prayer for the Green Trees Home, which the police have just raided, taking 18 of our children into custody! Please pray that they will be returned to their parents soon. Please also pray that the Lord will raise up powerful lawyers and supporters to help fight for us.

The Lord has promised to keep our children within the Family, but He didn't say that they wouldn't temporarily be brought before judges and magistrates as a testimony against them, and to "speak to our enemies in the gate." (See Mat. 10:18 and Psa.127:5.)

Thanks so much! We love you and are praying for a major victory against these vicious enemies. We have all the promises in His Word to stand on and we know that the Lord and His children will come out victorious in the end!—Without a battle there can be no victory!—And we know that this battle will be won, for the Lord is fighting for us! Praise the Lord!

Love,

Peter for Dad and Mama

The front doorbell rang. A minute later Jeremy knocked on Peter and Praise's bedroom door to let them know that camera crews from two television stations were outside.

Previously the Family had not been very eager to be interviewed by the reporters, since so far the newspaper and TV reports about the raid had been terribly one-sided and full of slanderous* lies. However, after receiving Grandpa's counsel to go on the attack with the media (see chapter 11), they felt that the Lord might want them to take advantage of this opportunity to tell the country the truth of what really had happened! Peter, Praise and Jeremy quickly and desperately brought the decision before the Lord, and they all felt He was leading them to invite the press in and sock it to them!

Peter, Praise and Mary had been elected earlier to be the "media team" who would do most of the talking to the reporters. But all the other members of the Home were also nicely dressed and prayed up, just in case they too might suddenly find themselves "on camera" and being a witness to millions across the nation!

Peter's heart went thump, thump, as he strode towards the front door.

* * * * * * *

"Hey, Mark and Linda, come and see this!"

"Something interesting?"

"Yeah‚ it's about that raid yesterday, when those 18 kids were taken. I'm interested in this case!"

Mark Pearse and Linda Phelps joined their boss Robert O'Riley, who had just switched on the mid-day news.

"The way they talk about these guys in the media, you would think they were a bunch of weirdoes and criminals. But they look like perfectly normal, decent folks to me!"

On the TV they could see Peter and Praise showing the reporters around the Green Trees Home.

Peter: "Look, even if you've heard all these lies about us and you think we're guilty—which we're not!—that still does not alter the fact that our rights have been violated! The police broke down the door and came in like the Gestapo*! Look! Here you can see the empty beds out of which they yanked our poor little toddlers at 5:30 in the morning!—And they didn't even let their parents say good-bye to them, they just took them away!"

Commentator: "Praise, you are the mother of 6 of the 18 children that the Children's Welfare Department have taken into their care—how are you feeling right now?"

Praise: "Outraged! How would you feel if your children were taken away from you! (She starts to sob.) They've taken all my children away! I don't know what they've done with them, and day and night I think about them and what they must be going through without me, not knowing where their mommy is! I'm praying every moment for them, that the Lord will return them quickly to us!"

Peter: "Quite frankly, we don't know how anybody in their right minds could ever do such a thing, to cause such grief and pain and suffering not only to us, but to all of our children! We don't see how this could ever happen in a democratic country! And if this could happen to us, it could happen to anybody! I'd like to appeal to the fair-minded people in this country to help us and support us in any way that you can! We are desperately in need of legal assistance. If we have lost our rights, then everyone could lose theirs, and you may be next!"

Commentator: "The head of the CWD (Children's Welfare Department), Miss Geraldine Rottweiler, defended her department's action, saying ... " click ...

Robert O'Riley sat in silence for a moment. He had been deeply touched by Peter and Praise's emotional appeal. Something inside him told him that he needed to help.

"It seems to me," he said to Mark and Linda, "that a serious wrong has been done! If the police and the CWD get away with this, they could start taking away the children of any religious group with whom the government doesn't agree. Linda‚ could you please ring the TV station and find out the phone number of these people. I'd like you to invite them to come and see me in my office!"

* * * * * * *

"Oh, dear," said Praise, embarrassed that she had been crying on TV. "I hope I wasn't too emotional—but I just couldn't help it—I feel so terrible!" The Green Trees adults had just finished watching the mid-day news.

"Don't worry," said Peter, giving her an encouraging hug. "I think it's just fine. How else are we going to get through to them about what a terrible thing they have done! I was trying to be as calm as I could, but of course anyone would expect us to be upset. And it probably wouldn't have hurt if I had shown more how really angry I am!"

"That's right!" added Jerusha tearfully. "They've taken our children! Of course we're upset. I know we need to keep doing our best to hang onto the Lord and His promises, and we know He will deliver them—but it's not very easy to be calm about it."

"When they were taking the children, I sure didn't feel very calm about it!" exclaimed Jeremy. "I would have done anything I could to stop them. But they had us locked up in that one room, and we couldn't do anything!"

"We were plenty upset, and the police and the social workers sure knew that we were!" said Bathsheba.

"Yes," added Mary, "even though we were concerned that it might upset the children if they heard us screaming and yelling at the police, I think the kids knew that we were doing our best to fight for them!"

"But it sure would be good if we could let more people know about it who could do something!" Martin suggested.

"Well, now we've got our chance! When we're in front of the media or officials, I don't think we need to stay calm," said Bart. "They probably wouldn't understand at all that Jesus gives us a peace that passeth understanding. (SeePhil.4:7.) But they will understand heartbroken, angry parents who want their children back!"

"Amen‚" said Praise. "Lord, please help this TV interview to bear good fruit, and help anyone who sees it to be sympathetic and to realize what a terrible wrong has been done! Thank You Jesus!"

RING‚ RING! RING, RING! ...

Peter dashed to the phone in his bedroom.

He returned a few minutes later raising his arms in praise and thanksgiving.

"Thank You Jesus! Praise God, praise God, PRAISE GOD!"

"What???" asked everybody, shifting onto the edge of their seats in excitement.

"That was a call from the office of Robert O'Riley!"

"Who's he?" asked Japanese Angel.

"He's one of the most famous lawyers in the country!—A real champion of the underdog! Praise God! Can you believe it? He wants to help us, and he's willing to take our case for free! We have an appointment to see him this afternoon!"

"Thank You Jesus!" they all shouted!

CHAPTER 16: "BY THEIR FRUITS!"—Mat.7:17–20

"Hi, guys! How's it going?"

The teens watched as Simon hobbled towards them across the tennis court with his "sprained" ankle. They were wondering how to break the news to him that they knew he was putting on an act.

"This is going to be awfully humbling for him‚" whispered David. "Lord please help and anoint us and give us the right words to say."

It was early afternoon on their second day at Morfield. The Family kids were having a fun united get-out, playing some of their favorite games that everyone could join in and enjoy. Danny was over at the side doing games with the little ones. David and Sharon left the others and invited Simon to sit with them on a nearby bench.

"It's nice to see you guys again!" grinned Simon. "Hey, I posted your letter, David. If you have anything else ... "

"Simon!" David interrupted him gently but firmly. "Would you mind if we are completely 'up front' and honest with each other?"

"Er ... sure‚ Dave, you can tell me anything!"

"Well, we'd like you to be honest with us about something. It's about the accident with your leg—we know that you faked it."

Simon looked surprised and pretended to be offended.

David continued, "We know the reason why you're trying to be our friend.—You're hoping that we will tell you things that you'll be able to use against our Family in court."

"Do you think it's right what you are doing, Simon?" asked Sharon quietly.

Simon was unable to say anything for awhile. Then he stammered‚ "It's because ... because ... I'm only trying to help you guys!"

"Help us, Simon? How could you think you were helping us by deceiving us and lying to us?" asked David patiently.

"Well, I've been told the Family is bad and harmful, and I want to help free you from that."

At that moment there was a peal of happy laughter from the Family kids having fun with their game.

"Look at our sweet kids playing," said Sharon. "And now look at that bunch of ruffians* running riot way over there on the 'B' Block football field!—Do you see any difference?"

"Yes, of course. You guys are great kids! I told you that yesterday and I meant it. It's just the group you belong to that's bad!"

"Simon, look at these verses," said Sharon, finding Matthew 7:17-20 in her Bible. "Jesus Himself said 'Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit‚ neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.'"—Mat.7:17,18‚20.

"Yeah, I know that one. I'm a Christian. I do read the Bible, you know."

"But can't you see it, Simon? You yourself admit that we are good fruit! Therefore, according to God's Word, our parents, the Family and Moses David must be a good tree, 'for the tree is known by his fruit'!"—Mat.12:33.

Simon was at a loss for words—"unable to resist the wisdom and the conviction with which they spoke."—Acts 6:10.

"Do you believe in Eternal Salvation, Simon?" asked David.

"Yes, I believe in Salvation, healing, the gifts of the Spirit."

"Just like we do!"

"Yes‚ but you also believe in sex and free love."

"Oh, Simon, there's nothing wrong with sex—God made it! I'm not sure I know what you mean by free love, but there's nothing wrong with adults who love each other having sex as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. But you know what? I don't think that's the real reason that certain big Christian groups persecute the Family. They're persecuting us for exactly the same reasons the church of the day persecuted the Early Christians, Martin Luther, John Huss, Wycliffe, Tyndale‚ St. Francis, George Fox* and others! They all tried to break free from the traditions of the Church and obey God rather than Man! (Acts 5:29.) Can't you see that you yourself are trying to catch us in our words, just like the Pharisees did with Jesus?" (See Mark 12:13 and Luke 20:20.)

"That's right!" said Sharon. "Can't you see how clever the Devil has been? He's managed to get Christian groups to fight amongst themselves, rather than fighting him, and winning lost souls! Right outside this building, there is a World full of lost people with serious problems who really need Jesus!—People that we both should be helping right now!—Instead of sitting here in this prison! Instead of spending your time and energy persecuting us, why not join us in trying to bring Salvation to the millions who really need it?"

Simon didn't know what to say. He felt deeply convicted. He weakly mumbled, "Oh, I ... just don't know what to think."

"Well, then wouldn't it just be safer to leave our group alone?" suggested David. "Wouldn't it be safer to take the advice of the wise Rabbi Gamaliel when he told the Sanhedrin*, 'Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God‚ ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.'" (See Acts 5:38,39.)

At this point David and Sharon had to leave‚ as Mrs. Sharp was calling them all inside.

"By the way," Simon found himself admitting as they left him, "my name isn't Simon, it's Graham Pratt. And, I'm sorry, David, I never posted your letter."

Graham Pratt sat in silence for a long while thinking on these things. How could he admit the teens were right, when that would mean that he was so very, very, very wrong!

Finally, he shook his head, "No, I don't believe it! There's no way we could be that wrong," he muttered as he swung his crutch over his shoulder, and strode defiantly away.

CHAPTER 17: "THE GIFT GIVING!"—Prov.17:23

"Come this way, children!" beckoned Mrs. Sharp, as she led them towards the dining hall. "I have a big surprise for you!"

"Now what are they up to?" whispered Naomi to Sharon. "It isn't like Mrs. Sharp to act so jolly!"

A few seconds later they found out. There, spread out over the dining hall tables were all sorts of bags and packages.

"We've been doing a little shopping!" smiled Mrs. Sharp. "This is from Miss Rottweiler, myself and all the staff here at Morfield!"

The Family kids stood there silently, unsure how to react to this sudden burst of generosity.

"Well, don't just stand there! Open them up! There are lots of goodies for everyone!"

By now the social workers were already helping the younger children to open up their "presents." Like all little kids, they were eager to find out what was inside.

"Wots dis?" asked little Jamie.

"Oh, that's Robo-Killer!" smiled the youth worker who had just unwrapped it for him. "See‚ you wind the robot up, and then he walks along firing his little laser gun! Isn't that fun?"

"Oh, yuck!" whispered Sharon to the rest of the teens. "Now they're trying to win the kids over by buying them all the worldly junk and violent and hurtful toys they think they were 'deprived' of in the Family!"

"And for you teens, we bought these!" announced a young social worker in "trendy*" clothes. She brought over all kinds of fancy shopping bags. "No doubt they're more stylish than you're used to! But these are the latest teen styles!"

"My goodness!" exclaimed Sharon, as the teens began opening up the different bags. "There must be several hundred dollars worth of stuff here! These people are obviously willing to go to any lengths to try to 'corrupt our minds from the simplicity that is in Christ' (2Cor.11:3) and get us to conform to the fashions of this World!" (See Rom.12:2 and 1Cor.7:31.)

However, some of them did have some personal needs, and so the teens decided to open all the packages, and then separate what they really needed, and was good for them, from what was just unnecessary worldly junk.

"Thank You Jesus! This sweater is quite nice!" said Naomi. "I know Love needs one at the moment, and was going to get one this week anyhow! By the way, where is Love?"

"She had to go to the bathroom‚" replied Danny. "That lady named Pat took her."

"Yes, but that was awhile ago! She should be back by now! Lord, please do protect and keep Love and bring her back safely, in Jesus' name! Should someone go and check on her?

"You don't need to worry about her," answered Mrs. Sharp. "She'll be just fine. Pat is taking care of her."

The teens helped the children decide about a few simple coloring books, crayon sets and toys that they could keep to use. The children had been quite shocked at the kinds of toys they had been offered and most were perfectly willing to give back their guns, monsters and other horrible "toys," and just keep the little cars and dolls. However, Jesse had picked up a little robot fighting soldier and he really wanted to hold on to it!

"It's super neat, Sharon! Look, he points his gun like that and pow! I could pretend he's in the Lord's Army. There's nothing wrong with that‚ is there?"

"Well‚ Jesse, I don't think there's any reason why you should play at shooting someone," Sharon explained. "And besides that, another thing that's really wrong with a gift like that is the sneaky reason why they gave you such an expensive toy!—To try to make you think that they treat you better than the Family, and to tempt you to think that ungodly System toys like that are nicer than all the toys and things you have in the Family. But also‚ Jesse, this is a time of serious spiritual warfare, and the Lord wants you to behave like a real soldier of the Lord‚ and be on guard, and in prayer and in unity with the rest of us!"

"Of course you can keep it‚ young man!" butted in Mrs. Sharp, who had been listening in from a distance. "This is our gift to you! You don't have to do what this girl says!"

Jesse looked at Mrs. Sharp. Then at Sharon. Then at the robot. With a sigh he put it back in the box. He knew in his heart that Sharon was right, but still he felt resentful that she should tell him what to do.

"After all, Sharon's just a teen!" he murmured to himself. "She's acting like she's an adult or something!"

Just then Love came marching back into the dining hall‚ red-faced and looking very upset about something.

"Boy, and they accuse us of child abuse!" she blurted to the other teens. "You won't believe what just happened to me!"

CHAPTER 18: "INTO THE LIONS' DEN!"

"By the way, I've got bad news!" said a grim-faced Sgt. Biggs‚ who had dropped by Morfield to check how things were going. "Guess who the children are going to have defending them in court?—Robert O'Riley!"

The police had tapped* the phone at Green Trees—so they had listened in when Robert O'Riley rang that morning.

"Drat!" cursed Miss Rottweiler. She feared Robert O'Riley more than any other lawyer in the country. He had already won a couple of cases against the Children's Welfare Department, and had exposed some of their dirty tricks.

"No doubt he'll show up here to see the children before long," she worried, "and then its going to be a lot harder for us to get them to talk!"

Sgt. Biggs switched off the monitor that was connected to the hidden cameras. He and Miss Rottweiler had been watching the Family kids' reaction to the "gifts."

"I'm getting concerned, Rottweiler, very concerned!" growled Sgt. Biggs, as he went through the transcripts* of the children's interviews again. "So far these kids have said nothing that we can use against the Family in court! It's the law in this country that the children have to be returned to their parents after a week, unless we can prove that they've been abused. If we fail‚ it will look very bad for both the police and the CWD—not to mention the trouble we're going to be in with the 'big boys' who want us to win custody* of these children at all costs! This is the first step in their plan to wipe out this cult completely!"

"I know, I know‚ but what more can we do? It's those teens!" grumbled Miss Rottweiler bitterly. "The younger children listen to them and not to us! Did you see how they gave back those expensive toys, just because the teens asked them to?"

"Huh!" scoffed Sgt. Biggs. "And the teens were the ones you were most anxious to get your hands on! You thought they'd be the most messed up and 'abused' of all the Family kids‚ as they had been in the group the longest! The truth is, Rottweiler, that they're proving too hot for you to handle! They're really looking after the younger ones!"

Miss Rottweiler brooded in silence for a few moments. Then an evil gleam flickered in her eyes, as she received the message that the Devil had sent one of his little minions* to "inspire" her with. Because the Lord had approved the idea, the minion had been allowed through the angelic security zone that surrounded Morfield, and given access to Miss Rottweiler. But now that its dirty work was done, the Archangel Valiant quickly hustled the little demon out‚ and with a good whack of his sword, sent it spinning back into the darkness.

"Biggs, I've just had a brilliant idea!" announced Miss Rottweiler triumphantly. "Obviously we'll never be able to destroy the younger children's faith in the Family as long as the teens are around to inspire them and organize them and tell them what to do."

"So what do you suggest?" asked Sgt. Biggs.

"We'll take the younger ones away from the teens and throw them into the lions' den!" she grinned cruelly. "Those little monsters in 'B' Block will tear their religion apart!"

Suddenly there was a commotion* in the corridor outside. The teens were arguing with the guard, insisting that they be allowed into the office.

"Ah, good, I'm so glad that you're here, Sgt. Biggs!" said Love, as the teens came bursting in. "I'd like to report a case of sexual abuse of a minor*!—Me!"

Sgt. Biggs raised his eyebrows. "Go on!"

"A very 'friendly' lady called Pat escorted me from the dining hall to the toilet. On the way back she told me that she needed to drop by her room to get something, if I didn't mind coming with her. Once inside her room, she invited me to sit on her bed while she looked for something in a drawer. She pulled out this magazine and then sat down on the bed beside me. The magazine was full of pictures of lesbians*. She asked me if I'd like to look at the magazine, and I said absolutely not. She then put her arm around me and started touching my breasts. I pulled away in disgust and left the room and then told my brothers and sisters what had happened!"

Alarm bells started ringing in Miss Rottweiler's head. This could mean trouble if it leaked out to the Press!

"We demand that we be allowed to go home to our parents at once!" David angrily spoke up. "This place is where we are being abused, not in our wonderful Family! Don't you fear God? How do you think He feels about you kidnapping His children? And now we're even being abused sexually! You are the real child abusers! ... "

"I assure you we will investigate this matter immediately!" interrupted Miss Rottweiler, hoping that would bring an end to the matter.

"Also‚ about the gifts," said Sharon, "we'd like to keep a few things that we really need, but the rest we'd like to donate to the children over in 'B' Block, who would probably appreciate them more than we."

"Your little brothers and sisters can give the gifts to the 'B' Block kids themselves!" snapped Miss Rottweiler spitefully‚ happy to be able to "get back at them" by breaking the bad news.

The teens were stunned.

"What ... what do you mean?" asked Sharon.

"What I mean is that it is no longer convenient for us to keep your group isolated from the other children here at Morfield. Therefore the younger children will be moved to 'B' Block to socialize* with the other children there."

"But ... but ... we protest ... "

"You've done enough protesting for one day! Now, you have two hours before dinner to help them pack their bags and be ready to go!"

"Miss Rottweiler!" said Danny firmly. "They're our brothers and sisters, and we need to be with them!"

"You can't take them away!" exclaimed Naomi. "How can you be so cruel? They're just little kids!"

"You have no right to do this!" "We want to stay with them!" "Isn't it enough that you have us in this horrible place, without doing this?" chorused the other teens.

"Biggs!" shouted Miss Rottweiler above the teens' protests. "Get them out of here! I mean what I said and that's final!"

Biggs and a security guard steered the angry teens out of the office.

* * * * * * *

Back outside in the corridor, the teens looked at each other in shock. Then, without a word being spoken, they all trooped into the video room. They knew that they needed to desperately, desperately pray. The thought of their precious little brothers and sisters having to fend for themselves, as sheep among wolves, was almost too much to bear. With strong tongues and tears they poured out their hearts to the Lord! (See Psa.62:8.)

Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and Ruthie had received Daniel and Joseph's communication about the change in the Lord's plan earlier in the day. It had been a surprise, but by this time they knew without a doubt that the Lord's plans always worked out best. (See Isa.55:9.)

They then had a teamwork meeting with Valiant to discuss how best to manage the children's safety and security under this change of plans. They also held an emergency meeting with their entire team of Angels and spirit helpers. They had given out fresh assignments, and encouraged everyone to give the children as much extra comfort and support as possible to help them through this trying time.

"Can you believe the cruelty of that Rottweiler woman!" exclaimed Shadrach in disgust. "She actually enjoys the thought of throwing God's children into a lions' den—hoping they'll get beat up by the System kids and that their faith will be weakened!"

"She must have forgotten the rest of the story," said Valiant. "The Angel shut the mouths of the lions and delivered Daniel, just as these children will be delivered!" (See Daniel 6.)

"Also the ending!" added Abednego. "Daniel's accusers got thrown into the lions' den themselves, just like Rottweiler, Biggs, and their evil cohorts* are going to get thrown into the darkest, lowest pit in Hell!"

As the teens finished desperately praying for wisdom and guidance on how to react to the situation, and for the Lord to protect and keep their younger brothers and sisters, the spirit helpers and Angels moved closer to speak through them some encouraging personal messages from the Lord!

Danny: "Even as I delivered the three Hebrew children from the burning fiery furnace, so will I deliver these little ones from the fiery trial which has come upon them. For all things work together for good to them that love God‚ for they are the called according to His purpose. If these children had not been cast into the fiery furnace, I would not have been able to prove the impossible and the miracle of delivering them without even the smell of smoke."

Naomi: "Fear not for these little ones, for My grace shall fall upon them and My comfort and My peace. They too have been called, even these little ones so small. When I put forth My sheep I go before them, and I will comfort them, and I shall be their Shepherd, and I shall give them rest and sleep. They shall know that I am with them and they will know Me as they have never known Me before. I will become so real to them and so near to them, and they shall be strengthened, and I will carry these little ones in My hand."

David: "Woe, I say‚ unto the wicked! Woe, I say, unto those who tribulate My children! Woe, I say, unto those who touch My little ones, for they touch the apple of Mine eye! Thinkest thou that I cannot keep My little ones, that I do not overshadow them with My wings? Thinkest thou not that I am with them? That I will comfort them and keep them in their day of tribulation? Yea, I will lead them, I will guide them with Mine eye‚ and I will speak unto them. I will tribulate them that tribulate My children and I will liberate My children and I will deliver them. I will keep them in their hour of trial. For all things work together for good to them that love Me, and I will bring forth a great victory!"

Naomi: "I saw a vision of two hands, God's hands‚ like on the Poster, 'Peace in the Midst of Storm'. He was holding all of the little children in His hands‚ and wherever they are‚ He will still have them in His hands."

Love: "Do not be afraid and fear for them, but rejoice and be exceeding glad‚ for behold, their spirits shall rejoice and their Angels leap for joy at this chance that they will have to testify for Me and to get a glorious victory. For behold, there is no testimony without a test and no triumph without a trial. Do not fear, but see it rather as I see it. See it as a joy, as a chance to show their boldness and show that they have been with Jesus, that they may show the fruits of all they have learned."

The five teens, although still very upset and heartbroken at the thought of being separated from their beloved little brothers and sisters, were greatly reassured to receive these strengthening Words of guidance, comfort and encouragement from the Lord.

"Thank You Jesus!" said Naomi, who had been doing her best to write down as much as she could of the Lord's precious promises to them. "The Lord told us that He has to allow the children to go through these battles, otherwise how can He deliver them without the smell of smoke? Also, He said that they have been called for His purpose, and He is going to bring a glorious victory out of it. The Lord also said, 'When I put forth My sheep I go before them.'—So it is obviously the Lord that is allowing this to happen!"

"We're ... we're just going to have to trust that the Lord knows what He's doing!" said Sharon, trying to be brave and hold back her tears. "The Lord has promised us time and time again that He's going to protect us, and quickly deliver us out of the hands of our enemies. So we can't let this 'seeming defeat' discourage us or cause us to doubt that the victory is just around the corner!"

"Hey‚ we'd better get back to the kids," suggested Danny. "They've been on their own for the past half-hour!"

The other teens looked at him and said nothing. He knew what they were thinking.

"Yes, right," he sighed. "From now on they're going to be on their own anyway."

* * * * * * *

When the teens arrived back in the dining hall they were encouraged to find the kids sitting quietly writing letters to their parents. Even the three little ones, Lily, Jamie and Brian, were happily coloring in pictures of their guardian Angels that Gabriella had drawn for them.

"God bless you, Martin and Gabriella!" David encouraged the JETTs. "You've really done a good job in organizing the children and keeping them happy."

"Well, we had a bit of a problem with Paul and Jesse!" reported Martin. "They've been acting rowdy and foolish. They've also been teasing Tommy again."

The teens were relieved that at least the OCs and younger children would have Martin and Gabriella to shepherd them.

The younger children took the news as well as could be expected. The teens read the prophecies that the Lord had just given them, and encouraged the children to keep praying and holding on to the Lord's promises and not to doubt for a moment that the Lord was going to reunite them with their parents very shortly.

They appointed Martin and Gabriella to be the Shepherds, and encouraged them all to stay united, to be their brother's keepers, and to all stick together as much as possible. They also encouraged them to have a good devotions together in the morning, to do their memory and review, to keep in the Word and prayer as much as possible throughout the day, to witness to the other children, and be faithful to the Revolutionary standard that they had been taught.

"And don't forget, we teens will still be right here in 'A' Block, and we're going to fight to come over and see you as often as we can!" said David.

Just then little Suzy began to cry, as she looked down at her unfinished letter to her parents.

"When am I going to see Mommy and Daddy?" she sniffled. Some of the other children's little lips also began to quiver.

Sharon shot up a desperate prayer, asking the Lord to give her just the right answer to encourage the children.

"Suzy‚ do you remember a few months ago when you and some of the other children here had chicken pox? Remember how you were so discouraged that you couldn't go on the excursion, and that you had to be isolated from the rest of the Home? I bet at that time you felt like the sickness would last forever and ever and that you'd never be well again! But what was that 'Life with Grandpa' story we read together?"

"The Fight of Faith!" whispered Suzy, swallowing back her tears.

"Right! And remember how Grandpa encouraged David, Techi and Davida to just fight‚ fight, fight and quote the Word and have a positive praising attitude while they were sick? Didn't you learn to endure that time of sickness? And didn't you learn that the Lord and His Word did not fail you, once you obeyed and got on the attack?—Even though it was a test of your faith and took longer than you expected, the victory did come, and you did get better and the Lord did heal and deliver you‚ didn't He?"

"Yes!" said Suzy, wondering how this would apply to being separated from her parents.

"I know you learned some good lessons during that time, and it increased and strengthened your faith in the Word to know that even in the worst time of 'fiery trial' the Lord did not fail you! He didn't fail you then, did He, Suzy?"

"No!"

"Well, He's not going to fail us now during this fiery trial either! The victory is coming! The Lord has promised it! We just have to stand on His Word, and fight, fight‚ fight, like brave little soldiers, and keep praying the victory through! And soon this battle will be all over, just like the chicken pox!—And we'll have thrilling testimonies to tell of mighty victories won and precious lessons learned, and how Jesus did not fail us in our time of need!"

Right then Mrs. Sharp came in to say that the children needed to get their bags ready. She clarified that the three toddlers, Lily, Jamie and Brian, could stay with the teens for the time being, as they had not yet decided who was going to take care of them. That was the good news. The bad news was that the JETTs, Martin and Gabriella, would not be going with the younger group. They would be staying with the teens.

The teens looked at each other in dismay. Tommy and Clara were the most responsible of the OCs, but they weren't strong enough to handle Paul and Jesse and keep them in line.

"This will be a new experience for you, won't it, my dears?" smirked Mrs. Sharp. "The first time you'll be mixing with 'normal' children!"

Suddenly the Lord brought back to Naomi a very fitting story that she had recently read in one of Grandpa's Letters! ("It's Time to Fight‚" ML 2464:109-110—GN335 or Vol.18.) She told it to the kids as the teens helped them to pack their bags.

"It was about the little Dauphin of France, the son of King Louis the Sixteenth!"

"What's a 'Dauphin'?" asked Aiko.

"The Dauphin was the prince and heir to the throne of France. He was going to be the next king. But during the French Revolution the people didn't want to be ruled by kings and queens any more. They took the little 9-year-old Dauphin and made him live in a whorehouse! An old prostitute was given charge over him, and told to teach him all kinds of bad language and evil things, to try to corrupt him so he couldn't be the king! But do you know what the little prince did? Every time the old woman would try to get him to say bad words and do wicked things‚ he would shake his head and stomp his foot and say, 'I won't say it! I won't do it! I won't! I won't! I won't! I was born to be a king! I was born to be a king!’"

The children had stopped their packing, they were so fascinated by the story.

"And that, children, is the real reason why they are mixing you in with these kids! They hope they'll corrupt you by their bad sample and evil ways. But the Bible says 'be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good!’—Rom.12:21. Be a good sample, and try to teach these children how to live for Jesus! And always remember that you are God's little princes and princesses of His Kingdom of Heaven!—And every time you're tempted to say or do evil, just pray and take a stand and shake your head and say to yourself‚ 'I won't say it! I won't do it! I was born to be a king!' or 'I was born to be a queen!'"

* * * * * * *

Jesus tenderly watched as Tommy, Clara, Paul, Jesse, Nina, Aiko, Suzy and Precious were led by Mrs. Sharp over to 'B' Block. Their hearts were trusting Him, but were beating fast, as they stepped out by faith into the unknown! The older ones were reflecting on how they were now even more responsible to help care for their younger brothers and sisters.

In their hands they clutched their flee bags, containing the few earthly possessions they had with them at the time. Precious' greatest earthly treasure was her picture of Jesus, which once again she held tightly to her. Jesus smiled as He looked at the beautiful protecting Angels that hovered about them, waiting to attend to their slightest prayer! Also gliding along beside them were a variety of spirit helpers who were looking for any opportunity to encourage the children with positive thoughts of faith and courage and trusting the Lord!

Daniel and Joseph, who were watching all this with the Lord on His huge central Heavenly Communicator‚ wiped the tears from their eyes. They knew exactly what the children were feeling. They too had had similar earthly tests and trials when they were taken captives as children in Bible times! But they also knew what a tremendous victory was yet to come.

At that moment the trumpets of the herald Angels sounded and the Archangel Michael was shown in! He was proudly bearing a large scroll. He approached the Lord and knelt before Him.

"My Lord and my King! As You know, this day the entire worldwide Family of Thy Endtime Prophet David have prayed most earnestly for the protection and quick release of Thy captive children at Morfield! I have gathered these prayers together to present to You in this petition*!"

"Thank you, Michael!" said the Lord, taking the scroll. He had already heard every prayer, but this petition would be an everlasting record of the battles that had been fought in prayer for His children that day. United worldwide prayer always stirs the Lord to quick and powerful action!

The Lord glanced up from reading the petition to watch the Communicator. At that moment the Family kids were being shown their beds in one of the 'B' Block dorms. They were being gawked* at by Spud and some of the other boys.

"In answer to the Family's prayers I'm going to work it out for the children to be released two days earlier than originally planned!"

"Thank You, my Lord!"

Suddenly an adventuresome twinkle appeared in the Lord's sparkling eyes.

"Michael! I'll need My Royal Guard of Angels!"

"Yes, My Lord! I shall summon them at once!"

"Come, Daniel and Joseph! To the horses! Let's mount up and be off!"

"Er ... where are we going, my Lord?" inquired Daniel and Joseph, as they followed Him out of the Palace and towards the Royal stables.

The Lord smiled. He had thought of something very special that He could do to answer the prayers of His children.

"Where else? To Morfield, of course!"

TO BE CONTINUED!....

GLOSSARY:

vespers — a worship service held in the evening or late afternoon

deprogram — to try to turn a person from a set of ideas or beliefs‚ often by forceful means

irrational — unreasonable; unable to think & reason clearly

suppress — not to think about; overcome; hide

guises — outward appearances

measly — puny; contemptibly small

coddled — pampered; babied

slanderous — false reports about somebody meant to make them look bad

Gestapo — the secret police in Germany during the time of Hitler. The word is also used to describe any organization which mercilessly or cruelly crushes all opposition to carry out its plans.

ruffians — tough or rowdy fellows

George Fox (1624-1691) — founder of the Quakers who suffered much persecution for his beliefs

Sanhedrin — in the time of Jesus, the supreme council & court of the Jews, headed by a High Priest

trendy — popular in the World; stylish

tapped — If your phone is tapped, it means that the police have been listening in to your telephone conversations.

transcripts — typed or written copies

custody — charge & control exercised by a person or authority; the right of caring for or guarding

minions — a follower; a servant

commotion— disturbance; unrest; a stir

minor — a young person who is not yet legal age or the age at which a person has full legal rights

lesbians — homosexual women; women who prefer to have sexual relations with women instead of men

socialize — to take part in activities with others

cohorts — companions

petition — request

gawked — stared

VICTORY IN BABYLON—PART FIVE [Chapters 19-23]

NOTE TO PARENTS, TEACHERS AND ALL:

Throughout the chapters of Victory in Babylon, you will find many Bible verse references. We believe these verses are an important addition to the story and that the children (especially OCs and older) should look them up and/or read them, as they show that the story is based on the Bible. Also, the application of the verses to the story teaches the children how to apply the Word, not only to the story, but to real life situations. However, when reading each chapter of Victory in Babylon for the first time with children, in order to keep the excitement of the story flowing, it may be better not to stop and look up each Bible reference as you read the story. You could instead (1) look them up as an assigned project afterwards; or (2) do it when reading the story through the second time around; or (3) look up the verses when talking about and discussing the story later. God bless you! Happy reading!

(Words followed by asterisks [*] in the text are defined at the bottom of each page. Meanings given are only for the use of the word in the story, and do not cover every meaning of the word.)

(VERSES INCLUDED IN BOXES THROUGHOUT THE TEXT:)

"What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee. In God have I put my trust; I will not fear what flesh [Man] can do unto me." Psa.56:3,4.

"I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." Heb.13:5b.

"Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." Jn.14:27b.

"... but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits." Dan.11:32b.

"Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of Thy wings." Psa.17:8.

"In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Pro.3:6

"Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Eph.4:3.

"Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." Col.3:16.

THE STORY SO FAR:

The 18 teens, JETTs and children from the Green Trees Home are in the midst of the most exciting adventure of their lives! After being snatched from their beds in a pre-dawn raid‚ they have been taken away from their loving Homes to Morfield, an institution run by the Children's Welfare Department. Under the leadership of the teens, the Family kids have stood strong against attempts to deprogram them.

Determined to break their unity and strength, Miss Rottweiler has separated the younger children from the teens and JETTs and put them together with System kids‚ many of whom had no respect for the law or police. Although it looks like a defeat, the Lord has permitted this to happen for His Own good purposes.

Later, in the Royal Palace of Heaven‚ the Archangel Michael has presented Jesus with a petition of the Family's desperate prayers from their Worldwide prayer day. This has inspired the Lord to do something extra special for His precious little "captives in Babylon"!

CHAPTER 19: A HEAVENLY VISITOR

It was a stormy night around Morfield! The rain lashed furiously against the "B" Block dormitory windows as the Family children lay in their beds trying to sleep.

"This is the most awful time I've ever had!" despaired OC Tommy, as he stared gloomily at the cold, iron frame of his lumpy bed. "First we were taken away from our parents‚ and now we've been separated from the teens and we're with all these other boys!" He looked around at the sleeping shapes of ten other boys with whom he and Paul and Jesse were now sharing a crowded dorm.

They had only been separated from the teens and JETTs for a few hours‚ and already Tommy felt totally discouraged. He, Paul and Jesse hadn't prayed together before lights out. It had been so strange to suddenly be thrown in with ten rough and rowdy boys. Tommy just hadn't been able to muster up the courage to pray openly in front of them.

"I'm just a failure!" Tommy groaned, as the wind moaned outside. "If I don't even have the guts to pray in front of these boys, how will I ever be bold enough to witness in the Great Tribulation?"

Then he started to worry about the next day. What if the bullies started picking on him? Should he fight back? What if they were served white sugar and white bread and pork sausages for breakfast? Should he refuse to eat it? What if they weren't allowed to have devotions together? How would they get their Word time?

"Oh, dear!" Tommy fretted. "And I'll never be able to lead the little kids in on-fire inspirations and do everything like the teens did!"

He tossed restlessly on his bed, unable to get comfortable. His mind then wandered back to a question he had asked Mrs. Sharp:

"Excuse me, Ma'am. Do you know if our parents have phoned?"

"No, child, we haven't heard a word from any of them! You poor boy! Your parents must not really love or care for you, otherwise they would have phoned, wouldn't they? Never mind‚ we want you to feel like this is your home now!"

"Mrs. Sharp, I don't believe that's true!" Tommy answered angrily. "I know my parents love me very much! I know there must be some other reason why they can't call us, or why they haven't come to see us!"

"Well, why haven't they, then?" asked Mrs. Sharp‚ not sounding quite so sweet and understanding. "If they were good parents and if they loved you, they'd be here, wouldn't they?"

A sudden thought came to Tommy. At first he didn't think it could be possible ... but maybe it was. "Mrs. Sharp, do our parents know where we are?"

"Uh ... um ... well, that's not really my department," she stumbled.

Tommy's eyes opened wide in surprise as he realized he was right! He could hardly believe it! How could these people be so mean!

Tommy lay on his bed thinking about Mrs. Sharp's reaction. He remembered Uncle Peter's words just before they were taken away: "Remember, no matter what they tell you, we love you and will be fighting to get you back!"

"This really is a spiritual battle!" Tommy thought. "They're trying all kinds of ways to weaken us and make us give in to them. Jesus‚ please help me!"

He realized this was no time to get down and discouraged. He had to fight! He buried his face in his hands, and tried to focus his mind on the Lord.

"Rebuke the Devil!" he whispered fiercely, furrowing* his forehead in determination. "I rebuke these lying vanities, and discouraging thoughts! I hate vain thoughts, but Thy law do I love! Jesus, Thou wilt keep me in perfect peace when my mind is stayed on Thee because I trust in Thee!"— Jon.2:8; Psa.119:113; Isa.26:3.

Tommy repeated Isaiah 26:3 over and over as he fought to pull his mind off the Devil's wavelength of doubts and fears and on to the Lord and the promises in His Word. It took real effort, but he knew that he just had to pray and fight, or else he would sink even deeper into the Devil's doubts and discouragement.

"Resist the Devil and he will flee from you."—Jam.4:7b. Tommy began to quote every fighting and trusting Scripture he could think of. "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee. In God have I put my trust; I will not be afraid what Man can do unto me."—Psa.56:3,4. "Let not your heart be troubled‚ neither let it be afraid."—Jn.14:27b. He thought of many of the songs from the "Fear Not" Tape, and the Lord began to run those tunes through his head one after another. "My peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the World giveth, give I unto you.... We are troubled on every side yet not distressed, yet not distressed; ... For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."—Jn.14:27; 2Cor.4:8-9; Rom.8:18.

From the depths of his heart he desperately prayed Psalm 27, clinging to the Word and promises‚ and making them his own!

As the Word filled his thoughts and heart‚ his faith and trust in the Lord grew. He knew Jesus would never leave nor forsake him (Heb.13:5b), and he felt a beautiful peace and comfort. "Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on His gentle breast, here no fears can alarm me‚ here can my soul find rest." It was such a beautiful feeling! Such a supernatural peace! (See Phil.4:6 and 7.)

"Thank You Jesus! Praise You Lord!" he prayed and praised as he opened his eyes. Outside too, all was calm. The storm had passed!

* * * * * * *

Clara, Aiko, Nina, Suzy and Precious were in the "B" Block girls' dorm‚ along with seven other girls of various ages.

As four-year-old Precious lay in bed, she watched as the big, beautiful, silvery moon slid out from behind the storm clouds and magically turned the raindrops on the windows into pearls!

There were also little teardrops on her cheeks. Mrs. Sharp had refused to allow her to put up her picture of Jesus.

Then suddenly it was as if the moonbeam had kissed her with a cheery thought! Even without the picture, she knew what Jesus' sweet face looked like, and she remembered the verse Sharon had told her the other day‚ "Lo, I am with you always."—Mat.28:20b. All she had to do was close her eyes and look at Jesus ... and yes—there He was, smiling down at her with such tender love and concern!

"My beloved Precious!" smiled Jesus, as He knelt by her bed. Gently, from the Spirit, He stroked her darling little head. "Just a few more days, My precious one, and this big storm will be past‚ and you'll laugh and play again with your loved ones!"

The Lord turned to Daniel, Joseph, the Archangel Michael, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and Ruthie, who were standing right behind Him in the girls' dorm. "This little oneshall be one of My great Queens in the Millennium and the Great Age beyond!"

The Lord had been deeply moved by the Family's fervent prayers, and by His Own tender love for His children, to want to do something extra special for His little ones in their time of trial!

Throughout the Bible Jesus had made special trips to Earth a number of times, even appearing in Person to Abraham, Jacob and Moses, and to His Disciples and friends after He had been resurrected from the dead. (See Gen.17:1; 18:1; 32:30;Exo.33:11; Deut.34:10; Acts 1:2,3.) After all, the World was His Creation, and He could visit it whenever He pleased.—And this was an occasion when it did please Him to want to personally visit these little "captives in Babylon," just as He had visited others of His children in times past. (See Dan.3:25.)

For His Grand Tours of the Universe, the Lord liked to use His incredible "Spacemobile"!—The one that Ezekiel saw, powered by gigantic cherubim Angels and mysterious Spirit-filled wheels! (See Eze. 1 and 10.) But when on more informal business‚ the Lord loved to ride bareback on His magnificent white stallion! This enormous battle horse, especially designed and created by the Lord to carry Him into the Battle of Armageddon, was standing right at that moment in Morfield's courtyard, being "ooohed and aaahed over" by a number of admiring Angels and spirit helpers.

It had been one of the biggest thrills yet in their eternal lives for Daniel and Joseph to gallop with the Lord through one of the pearly gates and "fly" their Heavenly horses through space‚ escorted by the Lord's Royal Guard of Angels! It had given them a thrilling taste of what it was going to be like to ride down to Earth in the upcoming Battle of Armageddon! (See Rev.19:11–21.)

As soon as the Devil got wind that they were coming, he threw a temper tantrum and tried to "spoil" things by whipping up a storm. It was actually only a token* protest, because he well knew that even the winds and waves obey the Lord. Sure enough‚ as the Lord and His entourage* approached Morfield, Jesus commanded the storm to cease, and there was a great calm. (See Mat.8:26,27.)

Now the Good Shepherd was taking great delight in personally visiting the bedsides of His precious little lambs! He blessed and kissed and spoke words of encouragement over each and every one.

"These two shall turn many to righteousness and be called great in My Kingdom!" He said of Aiko and Nina. The Lord smiled as He remembered when He first had the idea of creating them. He had been relaxing by His favorite waterfall in the Palace Gardens. "So shalt thou bring the Water of Life to many!" the Lord promised as He bent over and kissed each of the twins.

After visiting the younger girls, the Lord walked on down the corridor to the boys' dorm. On the way, He passed a sour-faced Mrs. Sharp.

"As soon as any of the children pray that this woman be removed from her position, I want it done immediately!" He commanded.

"With pleasure, my Lord!" replied Valiant.

"Make sure that she is replaced with someone who will treat My children with love and respect."

"Yes, My Lord! As You have spoken, so it shall be done!"

Entering the boys' dorm‚ the Lord first went over and knelt by the bed occupied by Tommy. He was resting peacefully with his arms around his pillow, gazing up at the moon outside the window. Jesus noticed a hair from Tommy's head that had fallen onto his pillow.

"Number thirty-four thousand and seven!" He smiled. "You see, My dear child‚ even the very hairs of your head are all numbered, and no evil shall befall you!"—Mat.10:30; Psa.91:10a. (See also Psa.23:4 and Job 5:19.)

Right then Spud, who was a couple of beds down from Tommy‚ snored and turned in his sleep. The Lord knew Tommy was thinking how much Spud looked like "Huck" in "Comstock." (Read "Comstock!"—"Life of Grandpa!" Vol.1, page 271.) He whispered a verse which Tommy heard clearer and sweeter than he had ever heard before.

"Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee!"—Jer.1:8. The Lord then stretched out His Hand, and placed it over Tommy's heart.

"Out of the depths you have cried unto Me, and I have answered thee and strengthened thee with strength in thy soul! (Psa.130:1; Psa.138:3.) Out of weakness shall this little one be made strong. He shall wax valiant in fight, and do exploits for Me in the Great days of Tribulation to come!" (See 2Cor.12:9; Dan.11:32b.)

Next the Lord visited the bedsides of Paul and Jesse. "Behold, these are two of My mighty men of Kingdom Come! But even now they must learn to put away childish things and put on the whole armor of God and fight, so that they may stand in this evil day! (See 1Cor.13:11; Eph.6:10-18.) All the powers of Heaven are on your side, My sons, to strengthen, help and fight for you! But you must choose to walk in My paths, and not turn to the right side or the left. (See Deut.5:32; 28:14; Josh.1:7; 2Ki.22:2; Pro.4:27.) You must choose to be obedient. You must choose to stay close to Me through prayer, like little chicks under the shadow of My wings. (See Psa.17:8,9; Psa.57:1; Psa.91:1; Mat.23:37.) You must eschew the evil and choose the good. (See 1Pet.3:11.) Otherwise I cannot bless or prosper you or use you as I would! I can do everything else for you, but the majesty of choice is yours!" (See Deut.30:19,20; Josh.24:15.)

The Lord then laid His hands on the boys and prayed for them, that the battles of the next couple of days would help them to make the right choice to want to love and serve Him with their whole hearts, and would be a wonderful turning point in their lives. (See Luk.22:31,32.)

He then went over to "A" Block for another special and very moving visit, this time with His precious teens and JETTs and the little ones!—After which‚ accompanied by His top officers‚ He inspected the security forces who were watching over the Lord's children, and made sure that everything was as He expected it to be. As usual, He was not disappointed, and the Lord commended* the entire body of Angels and spirit helpers for their excellent job.

"However, the battle is not over yet," He warned. "In fact, we've only just begun to fight!"

CHAPTER 20: THE PORK SAUSAGE! To eat or not to eat? —That is the question!

The next morning everything that Tommy feared would happen the night before did happen. There were pork sausages for breakfast, as well as frosted flakes with white sugar, white bread and jam. Also, they weren't allowed to have devotions together, and Spud had already started to pick on them.

"You must be those kids from that sex cult!" Spud sneered* at breakfast. "I saw it on TV! Sex, sex, sex! That's all you do, huh?"

The rest of the boys snickered.*

"You can't believe everything you see on TV," replied Tommy. "We're Christians and we tell other people about Jesus. If you lived with us, you would know that we're not a sex cult, in fact, not a cult at all."

Tommy was wondering if he should try to explain more to Spud, when three powerful verses immediately came to mind: "Answer not a fool according to his folly!" "Turn the other cheek!" and "Cast not your pearls before swine!"—Pro.26:4; Mat.5:39; Mat.7:6.

Clarence was impressed at how Tommy didn't get upset at Spud's comment. He had felt there was something special about these children ever since he watched them arrive at Morfield. Now he could more closely check them out.

"Aren't you going to eat your breakfast, young man?" asked Mrs. Sharp.

Tommy remembered how teen Sharon had stood up for their "rights" and demanded healthful food. It had worked, and the next day they had been given brown bread and honey. "Excuse me, Mrs. Sharp, but I thought you had agreed to give us more healthful food."

"I'm sorry‚ but you'll have no special privileges here!" snapped Mrs. Sharp. "This is a government institution with a limited budget*. You'll have to eat what the other children eat or go hungry!"

Tommy looked over at Paul and Jesse, and the girls. Most of them had eaten their frosted flakes and were now starting on their eggs and sausages.

Tommy ate his eggs, but still felt very hungry. As he reluctantly took a bite of the sausage, he prayed, "Oh, Jesus, please bless and sanctify this unclean food, as You said to eat what's set before us giving thanks!" (See 1Cor.10:27; Luk.10:8.)

* * * * * * *

Back in "A" Block:

"I had a really wonderful dream last night!" Love told the others at breakfast. "Jesus came down on a white horse and visited us while we were sleeping! He walked through the dormitories, like Florence Nightingale, and visited each of our bedsides!"

"Wow!" said Danny. "Who knows? Maybe it wasn't a dream! Maybe it really happened!"

Another social worker whom they had not yet met walked in.

"Good morning, everybody!"

"Good morning, Ma'am!"

"My name is Miss Grimes. Miss Rottweiler has asked me to take care of you from now on."

The teens breathed a sigh of relief. They could immediately tell she was an improvement on Mrs. Sharp.

"What happened to Mrs. Sharp?" asked David curiously.

"Oh, she's been transferred to 'B' Block."

The teens moaned in sympathy for their younger brothers and sisters.

"Miss Rottweiler also asked me to tell you that from now on the three infants will be looked after in the Toddler Room in 'C' Block."

"No‚ absolutely not!" said Sharon impulsively*. "We refuse to be separated from Lily, Jamie and Brian under any circumstances!"

"But why not, my dear? They have excellent facilities and the lady in charge has a very tender heart for little ones. They'll be in very good hands! I'll also arrange it so that you can visit them at bedtime!"

"No way!" said Sharon. "If you try to take the little kiddos away from us, we'll go on a hunger strike!"

While they were talking, the sound of heavy metal rock music could be heard coming closer and closer down the hallway. Then a teen girl with huge purple earrings and glittering eye makeup sauntered* in.

"So you must be the cult kids!" she slurred*, as she lit up a cigarette.

She was followed close behind by nine other teens. One of whom was carrying the "boom box" from which the rock music was blaring.

"COULD YOU SWITCH THAT OFF FOR A FEW MOMENTS, PLEASE?" shouted Miss Grimes. "I'd like to introduce you to your new roommates."

* * * * * * *

In "B" Block dining hall:

"Sweet Tommy!" smiled Ruthie, as she comforted him in the Spirit, and helped him not to feel condemned about eating the pork sausage. "I know how you feel!"

She turned to Shadrach, with whom she was overseeing the younger group. "You know, when I was a captive maid in Naaman's house, I had to eat what was set before me giving thanks, otherwise I would have starved! I could never have gotten away with what you boys did in Babylon!"

"Well, it seems to me," said Shadrach, "that our ministry in Babylon was much more of an open ministry. The Lord wanted us Hebrew boys to stand up for our convictions and to demonstrate to the King, and the whole of Babylon, the power and wisdom of God and give them a sample of our whole way of life."

"Hmmm, yes‚" pondered Ruthie. "Mine was much more of a hidden ministry. The Lord called me to mostly be a sample of God's Love!—To be there at the right time to comfort and help Naaman and his wife and point them to the answer."

"That's right!" said Shadrach. "And it was your sweet sample of showing love for your captors, instead of bitterness and hatred, that convinced Naaman and his wife of the power of the God of Israel!"

"Yes! Praise the Lord!" said Ruthie. "So the Lord definitely does work in different ways at different times and in different situations!"

They were interrupted by Meshach and Abednego, who were looking after the teens and JETTs in "A" Block. "Sorry to bother you, but something has come up!—The teens are planning to go on a hunger strike to protest the little ones being taken to the Toddler Room. Also, they've just been asked to take scholastic tests, in preparation for System schooling. They're refusing to do that too!"

"Ha! Those guys are on-fire radicals, like we were!" chuckled Shadrach. "However, just like we did, I think they're going to have to learn to 'give and take' a little on some of these things!"

"Yes," agreed Abednego. "Remember how we wanted to stubbornly hold on to our old Hebrew names? But after we prayed about it, the Lord showed us it would be better to 'give' on some things, because we were going to have to be absolutely uncompromising on others! We had to decide which were the really important things that we just had to stand up for our convictions on‚ the things that were worth dying for!—Like refusing to deny our faith‚ or refusing to bow down and worship their pagan* idols! Then we had to decide which were the more minor, unimportant things, that it wasn't worth creating a big stir over and that we could just let go! And I think the Family kids will have to learn to do the same!"

"I agree!" said Ruthie. "Now that Miss Rottweiler is no longer allowing them special food or privileges, they're going to have to back down a little on some things, like Tommy did this morning. God bless him, he did his part! He requested a healthier diet. Since they refused, the Lord certainly doesn't expect him to go hungry or feel under condemnation about it! The Lord is able to cleanse and sanctify the food and make it healthful!"

"However, the 'B' Block kids get Coca-Colas and chocolate bars for their morning snack!" pointed out Abednego. "So somewhere they are going to have to draw the line! They'll have to decide, 'We will eat this, if we have to, but not that. We will watch this video, if we're compelled to‚ but that one is too violent.’ They'll have to ask the Lord to lead and guide them in each individual situation!"

"Actually," said Meshach, "even if the kids do have to eat junk food, or are forced to watch System TV, the Lord can turn those things into testimonies! He can miraculously keep them strong and healthy in spite of a poorer diet than what they have at Home! He can even use bad things that they see on TV to convince them how much better their way of life in the Family is, compared to how shallow and sickening and horrible the System is! We can inspire the children to pow-wow those things and draw good meaningful lessons out of them!"

"All right. Well, we'd better get back to the kids," suggested Shadrach. "We're going to have a full day helping them to handle all these different situations! Lord, please help the teens and children to continue to uphold the Family standard as best they can and fight for what they know to be right! Help them to know that as long as they pray and ask You what to do, then of course You are going to give them wisdom to draw the line between what they should and shouldn't do!—Just as You have so far!" (See Pro.3:5,6; Mat.7:7.)

* * * * * * *

Miss Rottweiler had not informed the Family teens that they also would be mixed in with the other teens at Morfield! So it had come as a shock when nine other teens—four boys and five girls—joined them at breakfast!

In order to try to stop the Family teens from witnessing to them, Miss Rottweiler had told these teens from System backgrounds that the Family teens might try to "hypnotize*" or "brainwash" them. So the other teens kept to themselves and didn't want to get into any conversations. Besides, it was impossible to talk over the blaring rock music. Sharon tried to get them to put on a "Come Fly with Me" tape, which she had in her bag, but they weren't interested.

Poor little Lily, Jamie and Brian couldn't figure out what was going on, or who these strange youths were, with their hard, unhappy faces, their "tough" looking jackets, and their faces painted with lots of ugly makeup!—Not to mention the stinky, smoky things in their mouths, and the awful, confusing, painful, screaming, violent noise booming out of the tape recorder! Lily and Jamie looked very upset, and Brian began to cry.

"Maybe they would be better off in the Toddler Room after all," Sharon suggested to the others. "I'll ask if Naomi and I can go over there and check it out."

Naomi and Sharon were pleasantly surprised to find that the Toddler Room was much nicer than they had expected. The lady in charge, Miss Price, was playing a game with two other little children. She stopped for a moment to talk with the girls and show them around. "We have lots of toys for them to play with. And we have some cartoon videos and story books I read to them."

The girls thanked Miss Price, and headed back to "A" Block‚ escorted by Mrs. Fields, who had taken them over to the Toddler Room. "Boy, this is a tough decision to make," said Naomi. "It's a calmer atmosphere there than being with the teens, that's for sure! But, they won't get any spiritual feeding there. Just toys and cartoons and stories—and we don't know what the stories will be like. And we don't know what those other kids are like."

"Yes‚" agreed Sharon. "Miss Price seems like a sweet lady—but then quite a few of these people seem to be sweet at first. I'm sure some really are, but at this stage we don't know‚ do we? No matter how bad it is with the teens, I still don't want to let the kids out of our care. Who knows when we'll get to see them again, and who will take care of them?"

"Yes, that's true," added Naomi, "but they are pretty scared and unhappy with those wild teens around. I think we're going to have to ask the Lord for the answer. He said we should not lean to our own understanding, but acknowledge Him in all our ways, and He will direct our path."

"You're right. But it will be pretty hard to pray in that noisy room with the other teens," said Sharon. By this time the two girls had arrived back outside the entrance to "A" Block. They stopped to pray before going inside. Mrs. Fields didn't seem to mind, but stood respectfully a short distance away.

"Dear Jesus‚" prayed Naomi, "You promised, 'I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye.' (Psa.32:8.) 'Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.' (Pro.3:5‚6) We claim those verses, that You will direct our paths and show us what is the right thing to do about the little ones. They're Your precious little children, Lord, and we want to do our best to take care of them. Please show us if this Toddler Room will be a safe and good place for them to be. Amen, thank You Jesus!"

"Praise the Lord! The Lord just gave me some really encouraging verses for the little ones!" exclaimed Sharon. "'He shall feed His flock like a Shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arms, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.' (Isa.40:11), and, 'Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in Heaven their Angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in Heaven.' (Mat.18:10.) Hallelujah! I think the Lord is trying to encourage us that they are His children, and they are in His care most of all! We can't take very good care of them in the teen dorm, so I think the best we can do for them is take them to the Toddler Room, and really pray for them and trust that the Lord will take care of them."

"Yes, I agree," said Naomi. "But I think we should insist that we be able to sleep with them at night."

"Jesus, thank You so much for those encouraging promises that You are going to protect Your precious little ones," prayed Sharon. "We claim and stand on those promises, and rebuke the Devil from trying to get us discouraged or worried about their situation. Keep us trusting You, dear Jesus‚ that You will keep them from any evil or accidents. Also, please work it out for us to be allowed to sleep with the little ones at night. I claim the verse, 'And whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do!'"—Jn.14:13a.

* * * * * * *

"Oh‚ aren't they absolutely darling!" exclaimed Miss Price, as the girls arrived at the Toddler Room a little later with Lily, Jamie and Brian. "Don't you worry, dears! They'll be quite all right with me!"

Sharon and Naomi were not allowed to stay with the little ones, but had to return right away to "A" Block. Rather than have a big emotional parting, Sharon explained to the children that the nice lady had lots of fun things for them to do, and that they would be back to see them later. She then said a short prayer for their safekeeping‚ that they'd have a fun time, and be a good sample.

"Children, come and see the cute little hamsters we have over here!" Miss Price said cheerily, distracting them to make it easier for Sharon and Naomi to leave. Lily, Jamie and Brian looked back a little nervously at Sharon and Naomi‚ but when the teens smiled and encouraged them, the little ones seemed happy to go and meet their new little furry friends.

"Well‚ I guess we'll call off the hunger strike," Sharon suggested, as she and Naomi walked back over to "A" Block. "And Lord forgive us‚ we also didn't pray before we refused to take the scholastic tests. We just didn't want to cooperate with anything they suggested. But I'm learning that we just can't lean to our own understanding in any situation. We have to pray, and follow the Lord! I definitely feel that the Lord placed that lady there to help take care of the little ones. That Toddler Room is much more like what they're used to at home. I think they'll be happier there than being in 'A' Block surrounded by that bunch of rowdy teens!"

"Maybe we'd better take advantage of being away from the System teens to pray about the scholastic tests," suggested Naomi.

"Oh, yes‚" agreed Sharon. "Dear Jesus, You promised that 'If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God‚ that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.' (Jam.1:5.) So, I ask You to please instruct us, direct us and give us wisdom about whether we should take the scholastic tests or not!"

"Yes, please help us to make the right decision," continued Naomi. "Also, Jesus, please help our parents to be able to get in touch with us! And rebuke Mrs. Sharp for lying to us that our parents haven't phoned because they don't care about us. You said, 'Let the lying lips be put to silence!' (Psa.31:18), and‚ 'Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.' (Mat.18:6.) Jesus, You are He that 'putteth down one, and setteth up another.' (Psa.75:7.) I claim that verse that You will somehow get rid of Mrs. Sharp and replace her with some sweet lady who will treat Your children with respect, and give them proper loving care!"

"Whew! Those prayers were great!" exclaimed Meshach. "It's so powerful when they use the Word as a weapon like that! It really enables the Lord to beam down some quick and powerful answers!" (See Heb.4:12.)

"Yes!" agreed Ruthie. "That's a lesson that even a lot of the adults in the Family are now just starting to catch onto as well!—The importance of really quoting and claiming God's promises and standing on the Word in time of need! It really brings results!"

"It sure does!" smiled Shadrach, who had just received a message from Jesus. "Things are really moving! The Lord just gave us the go–ahead to answer all of the girls' prayers right away! And one He's already given permission for!"

"Great!" grinned Valiant, unfolding his wings. "Goodbye, Mrs. Sharp! That was the prayer I was waiting for!"

"How are you going to remove her?" asked Abednego curiously.

But Valiant was already streaking* towards town, accompanied by a squad of judgment Angels.

"Praise the Lord! I just got something encouraging about the scholastic tests!" said Naomi, as they stood listening to the Lord after praying. "Do you remember the vision the Lord gave me at Green Trees that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would be helping us? Well, I saw them again! They were waving and smiling and encouraging us and cheering us on! Then suddenly it came to me how they had to take scholastic tests in Babylon! And they were taught 'the learning and tongue of the Chaldeans.' (See Dan.1:4.) But the Lord blessed it and used it for His Glory‚ so that they ended up ten times smarter and wiser than anyone else in the Empire!—So, I think the Lord does want us to take the test!"

"Yes," agreed Sharon, "let's go for it! Let's ask the Lord to turn the test into a testimony of how superior our home schooling Family education is! I was also getting that if we cooperate on some of these things that are important to them, then they might be willing to cooperate on some of the things that are even more important to us, like being allowed to sleep with the little ones at night."

"Excuse me, girls! There's something I want to tell you!"

Sharon and Naomi turned to look at Mrs. Fields, who this whole time had been standing by patiently waiting for them to finish. She had tears in her eyes. "I ... I want you to know that I personally am very sorry about what has happened to you. I wish I could do more to help you, but I have to be careful, or I'll lose my job. However, I will tell you that I know that your parents have been phoning Miss Rottweiler's office in town many times a day, and trying to get in touch with you. But I don't think they know where you are! I've also heard that one of the most famous lawyers in this country has volunteered to help you!

"I myself used to go to church regularly, but I stopped some years ago. However, after seeing the conviction of you young people, my faith has been rekindled*! I've heard lots of wild tales about your group, but I no longer believe a word of it! I can see for myself that you are truly dedicated and wonderfully sincere Christians, and I want you to know that I'll be praying for you!"

"Oh, God bless you, and thank you, Mrs. Fields!" The girls each gave her a hug. "You have no idea what an encouragement and answer to prayer you are!"

Sharon and Naomi almost flew into the dining room to share the good news with the rest of the teens! "Oh, wait!" Naomi stopped suddenly just as they entered the room. "We'd better be careful how we tell everyone that our parents have been calling," she whispered to Sharon. "We could get poor Mrs. Fields in trouble if the other workers or Miss Rottweiler find out that she told us!"

"You're right! Lord help us! That would have been a big mistake!" answered Sharon, as they quietly entered the room. "Let's just tell each of the teens individually, so the System kids don't hear us."

CHAPTER 21: THE TEDDY BEAR!

After breakfast Tommy, Clara, Paul and Jesse were taken to one classroom in "B" Block, while the worldly kids went to another.

"Children, we'd like to see how much you've learned in the Family!" announced Mrs. Sharp, as she handed out some test sheets and pens.

Tommy started to look over the questions, but he was distracted by thoughts of Suzy, Nina, Aiko and Precious, who had been taken over to the interview room for questioning. Surprising even himself, Tommy suddenly found himself praying out loud for the little girls: "Jesus, Your Word says, 'Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou ordained strength because of Thine enemies, that Thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.'—Psa.8:2. Lord, please help Your strength to be made perfect in their weakness (2Cor.12:9), and give them 'a mouth and wisdom that all their adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.'—Luk.21:15. Jesus, please also make a way for us to be able to have devotions together! Please anoint us now to take this test and use it for Thy glory!"

"Amen! Yes, Jesus!" responded Clara.

"Amen," mumbled Paul and Jesse.

"Ssssssh!" interrupted Mrs. Sharp. "That's enough! No talking please! You have one-and-a-half hours to do the test!"

* * * * * * *

Meanwhile in the interview room with Aiko ...

"What's your name, dear?"

"Aiko Anderson!"

"And how old are you, Aiko?"

"Six. But‚ I'm almost seven!"

"My name is Auntie Hilary, and this is Uncle Ted and Auntie Janet. We're very interested to know all about the fun things that you do at your Home."

Aiko looked at the three of them. "These aren't my aunties or uncle!" she thought. "They're just trying to make me feel like they're my friends. But I don't like them. I want to go home!"

"When can I go home?" asked Aiko. "I want to see my mommy and daddy!"

"Well, if you answer these questions truthfully, and tell us what we want to know, then maybe you can go home very soon," lied Ted Roach.

"What kind of games do you play at your Home, Aiko?" asked Hilary Sidewinder.

"Oh, all kinds of games.—Hide and Seek ... Freeze Tag ... Takin' the Bacon ...."

"What about inside games? Do you like to play dress-up?"

"Sometimes for birthday parties we come in our fancy dresses, or have a Gypsy Night."

"What happens on Gypsy Night?"

"We all gypsy dance together."

"Do the little gypsy girls ever take off their clothes for the gypsy boys?"

"No, of course not!" Aiko answered‚ puzzled. "We just have inspiration and sing gypsy songs. If it's a birthday party‚ then maybe we'll have cake and ice cream."

"Then what happens?"

"We pray together for the night, and then we go to bed."

"Does anybody go to bed with you?"

"Sometimes Mommy cuddles in bed with me for story time."

"Do you sleep in the same room as your parents?"

"Not all the time, just on parent nights‚ and on sleep-over nights."

"Does anybody else besides your daddy ever sleep in your mommy's bed?"

"Sometimes Nina and I do, when Daddy's on a witnessing trip."

Aiko was small for a six-year-old, but very smart. She was answering the questions honestly, but didn't quite understand why they were asking her these things. Then she remembered what Sharon had explained to Nina, Precious, Suzy and her the day before.

"You see, in the World today they have a real problem with some bad, wicked adults and parents who hurt their own children or don't take good care of them. That is called child abuse. When you go for your interview, they'll probably ask you questions to see if that has ever happened to you. Aren't you glad that your mommies and daddies and aunties and uncles are so sweet and loving, and take such good care of you?

"If people who neglect or hurt or abuse children are caught‚ they can be sent to jail. Their children might be taken away so somebody else can take care of them. That's the reason why many of these other children are here at Morfield!

"Because these things happen to quite a few children in the World today, they have made a law that says the police and social workers are allowed to take children away from their parents even if they only think that they may have been hurt. Then a judge has to decide whether anything bad actually did happen to the children, and whether it is safe for them to return to their parents.

"This law has helped protect a lot of children who were being hurt by their parents or other adults. But, unfortunately, the Devil and our enemies have also used this law to attack our Family. They have lied in the newspapers and to the authorities that our parents have been abusing and mistreating us! Can you imagine? We know how sweet and loving our parents are, and we know they would never do anything to harm or hurt us! So we know what a terrible lie of the Devil this is!

"But do you know why they are doing that? The Devil is causing it because he wants to stop us from telling people about Jesus! He wants to take our parents away and put them in jail so they can't go witnessing—just like they kept doing to the Apostles in the Book of Acts. And he's trying to take the Family children away from their parents so they won't get the Godly upbringing and the training in the Word that they need to be strong witnesses for Jesus. The Devil is afraid of our parents being witnesses and he's also afraid of you children being witnesses, because he knows we're going to win many many people to Jesus! So he's trying to stop us by using the ridiculous charges of child abuse. And do you know that every single time our enemies have examined our Family children and tried to prove that they are abused, they have instead proved that the children are healthy and well cared-for and not abused!

"Anyway, accusing our parents of child abuse is the excuse they used to break into our Home and bring us here to Morfield. And that's why we're being interviewed and asked all these questions.—They're trying to get us to say things that never happened. They want us to say that our parents have been abusing us in some way. But, don't worry! Our parents haven't done anything wrong and neither have we. So when they're asking you questions, just remember: Keep praying and be a good witness and sample! We have the best and most Godly upbringing in the whole World!"

Hilary Sidewinder continued, "Now the next thing we'd like to talk about is touching. You know, sometimes your mom or dad might hold your hand or give you a kiss good night. Do you do that sort of thing in your house?"

"Yes," answered Aiko.

"That's nice," said Mrs. Sidewinder. "That is good touching. Now, do you know what bad touching is?"

"Well, I guess it's when someone hurts you."

"Yes, that's right, Aiko. But sometimes a bad touch doesn't hurt right away, but it might hurt you inside, in your feelings, because you know that it is wrong. Have your parents or aunties and uncles ever touched you in a bad way?"

"No!" Aiko thought this was a very strange question, it was so ridiculous!

"Aiko‚ I'd like for you to tell us the truth," butted in Janet Thompson. "I know that someone has taught you how to answer these questions!"

"I am telling the truth!" replied Aiko, close to tears. "The only time anybody's ever hurt me is when the police came and brought me here! They were mean to do that! And you are mean‚ too‚ to make me stay here! I want to go home!"

"Aiko‚ there's no need to lie to us," said Hilary Sidewinder gently. "If you just tell us the truth, then we're going to buy you a big teddy bear. But if you don't tell us the truth‚ then I'm afraid we might have to punish you by keeping you apart from the rest of the children."

"I am telling the truth!" Aiko repeated‚ tears running down her face. "And I don't want your teddy bear! My parents and my aunties and uncles have never hurt me! They always take good care of me and I want to go back home! I don't want to answer any more of your questions! I don't have to, and I won't!"

The three inquisitors* looked at each other in frustration.

"All right, Aiko, you may go now," sighed Ted Roach.

He picked up the telephone.

"Hello, could you put me through to Miss Rottweiler, please. Oh, hello, Geraldine. Yes, we finished the last of the interviews. ... No, nothing, I'm afraid."

CHAPTER 22: JESSE'S ORDEAL!

Except for a few questions about evolution, the OCs found the scholastic tests fairly easy, and had no trouble finishing up in time.

Then they were taken to the dining hall for snack. They were happy to be reunited with Aiko, Nina, Suzy and Precious, who were back from their interviews.

The cook brought out Coca-Colas and chocolate bars.

"Excuse me, Ma'am, do you have anything else?" Tommy asked politely. "We're used to eating more healthy snacks."

"Aw‚ come on, Tommy!" pleaded Jesse. "We already ate the pork sausages and frosted flakes with white sugar this morning."

"Yes, but we didn't have any choice. However, we don't have to eat these. Especially when we know how they'll rot our teeth and are bad for us."

"Sorry, if you don't want Cokes then you'll have to drink water," said the cook. "But you can have bread and jam if you like."

"Let's just skip snack," suggested Clara.

"But I'm hungry," said Nina.

"Well, I think it's okay to have a little white bread and jam then," responded Clara. "But I don't think we should start drinking Cokes and eating chocolate bars. You know what they would do to our teeth!"

After snack, Mrs. Sharp took the children to an activity room where there were lots of books and toys.

"You can play here until lunchtime," she said.

"Excuse me, Ma'am," asked Tommy. "Can we first go to our dormitories and get our books from our bags?"

"Certainly not!" snapped Mrs. Sharp. "Why don't you try reading these books for a change?" she said, pointing to the bookshelf. "They'll do you a lot more good." Then she left, leaving the children in the room on their own.

"Thank You Jesus! That's an answer to prayer," testified Tommy. "I prayed that the Lord would work it out for us to have some Word time together!"

"But how can we?" asked Paul. "We don't have our little books."

"Well, that's one of the reasons why we've been memorizing all of our lives, to prepare us for such a day as this!"

"Hey, neat!" exclaimed Clara. "That's right! Think of all the Word we have memorized between us! All the Bible verses, Chapters and Daily Mights! Let's just pray and pick a topic and then quote all the Word that we've memorized on that subject. Won't that be fun?"

"Yes‚" mumbled Jesse. "But first I need to go to the toilet."

* * * * * * *

Passing through the dining hall on his way to the toilet‚ Jesse noticed that the Cokes and chocolate bars were still out on the table.

"Hmmm!" thought Jesse. "What's to stop me from taking one?"

He quickly stuffed a can of Coke and a chocolate bar into one of his jacket pockets. "Well‚ I'm only going to do this once, so why not take two of each!" he reasoned, stuffing the same into the other pocket. He looked around to see if anyone had noticed. "That's funny," he thought, "we're not being watched as closely as before!"

Jesse was wrong! It was true that the staff were no longer overseeing them so closely, because they wanted to give the bullies a chance to pick on them. But Jesse was being watched very closely indeed by Sunray and Banner, his two personal Guardian Angels, as well as his other spirit helpers. He was also being watched by a lot of little devils. Up until now they had not been able to break through the Angels' shining force field of protection and seriously influence the children in any way. However, because of Jesse's outright rebelliousness and willful disobedience there was now a chink in his armor that the Enemy was allowed to get through, and one of the little fiends was now able to get closer to him. Reluctantly the Angels allowed him to hop up and perch on Jesse's shoulder.

"Hee, hee, hee!" the filthy little demon tittered*. "Quick, Jesse! To the toilet! You can eat your goodies in there!"

As Jesse entered the toilet he noticed Julian, one of the male social workers who was always very sweet to him, using one of the urinals.

"Oh, hi there!" smiled Julian. "Fancy meeting you here! It's ... er ... Jesse, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is‚" replied Jesse, as he went into one of the toilet cubicles and shut the door.

Then he heard Julian's footsteps walking over from the urinal to the cubicle next to his, and the sound of the door being closed.

"Uh-oh. That's strange," thought Jesse. "Why would he follow me into the next toilet?"

Then he noticed a little movement on the partition that separated the two toilets. He had noticed before that someone had bored little peep–holes between some of the toilet walls. They were usually stuffed up with little bits of toilet paper so that no one could see through, but Julian had poked the little piece of paper out, and Jesse knew that he was peeking through at him.

"GET OUT OF THERE, JESSE!" yelled Sunray. "He's a Sodomite! He's like that Sodomite priest in Israel that Grandpa tells about in 'Now It Can Be Told'!" (See ML #2759:15–20 in GN 505.)

"No, no‚ stay‚ Jesse, stay!" crooned* the dirty demon. "Julian won't do you any harm! He likes little boys!"

"Yuk!" whispered Jesse to himself as he got out of there fast.

His heart was also beating fast as he walked quickly down the corridor back to the dining-hall. He knew he had stepped outside the charmed circle of God's protection.

"I'll put back the Cokes and chocolate bars, and then sneak back into devotions," he thought. "The others will never know what happened!"

However, that wasn't the kind of repentance that the Lord was going to bless! To Jesse's dismay, the cook was clearing the Cokes and chocolate bars away.

"Oh no, too late!" he groaned, as he ducked back into the corridor. "And I can't go back to the other kids with my pockets heavy and bulging. I'll have to find somewhere to eat them quick."

"How about out back by the garbage cans?" the little imp suggested. "Nobody ever goes back there!"

Jesse slunk quickly down the passage that led to the back door. Then he snuck outside to an enclosed area behind the garbage cans.

"What are you doing here?"

Jesse almost jumped out of his skin! Then he saw that Spud and three of his cronies* were already there secretly smoking cigarettes.

"It's one of the new kids!" Spud grinned. "I bet he snuck out for a smoke!"

"I ... uh ... you see ... uh ...." Poor Jesse was caught completely off guard. He didn't know what to say.

"You'll have to say yes!" cackled the demon. "It would be ridiculous to say you snuck out to secretly eat the morning snack!"

"Uh ... yes‚ I did ...." Jesse stuttered. "But ... umm ... I forgot them ... well, I'll go back in."

"Here, have one of mine," offered one of the boys, holding out his pack.

"Hee, hee, hee!" giggled the demon. "Now you'll have to take it!"

Knowing that he was doing the unthinkable, but too weak to back out, Jesse fumblingly pulled a cigarette out of the pack. Awkwardly he put it in his mouth, as one of the boys lit a match.

"No, you have to suck in to get it to light," sneered Spud. "You've never smoked before, have you? ... No, not like that! ... Inhale the smoke right deep down into your lungs!"

COUGH! COUGH! COUGH! COUGH! GASP! CHOKE! SPLUTTER!

The boys mocked and laughed as Jesse doubled over, blue in the face.

"Hey, we better get out of here‚" Spud said to the others. "Break time is over. We better get back to class."

Jesse had never tasted anything so foul, nor had such an awful, humiliating experience. With a moan he sank down to sit with his back against the cold grey concrete wall.

"The Lord is through with me!" he despaired, as he stared miserably at the garbage. "I don't think He could ever forgive me for this."

"That's for sure!" agreed the imp on his shoulder. "So why just sit there? You might as well drink the Cokes and eat the chocolate bars!"

* * * * * * *

Tommy, Clara, Paul, Aiko, Nina, Suzy and Precious were amazed. They had been taught that this might happen some day—having no other Word for devotions except what they had stored in their hearts. Now it had actually happened to them, and they were so thankful that their teachers had faithfully insisted that they do their daily memory and review work, even when they hadn't felt so enthusiastic about it at times. (See Col.3:16.)

The children were also encouraged at how the Holy Spirit was even able to bring back to their remembrance Word that they thought they had forgotten! (See Jn.14:26.) They also felt that the Lord was really happy that they were making this effort to unite, pray and read the Word together, even though it was difficult for them to do so. (See Eph.4:3; Psa.138:3.) The Lord blessed and anointed their efforts and strengthened them through the Word they were sharing, giving them a real boost of inspiration!

They had chosen God's Care and Protection as their topic, and they had already quoted Psalms 1, 2, 23 and 27. They were now asking the Lord to help them remember some Daily Mights on the subject.

"Oh‚ I know a good one!" exclaimed Nina. "Come on, Aiko and Suzy! You memorized this one too. Let's quote it together!"

Abednego helped the girls remember it, but at the same time he was thinking sadly, "This is just the Word that dear Jesse needs right now. How sad that he is missing it!"

Stay in God's Will!

The safest place in the World for you is in the centre of God's Will. No matter where you are, or how you are, or what you are, or what's against you, the Lord will keep you if you are in the centre of His Will! It's a charmed circle where you live a charmed life. "The name of the Lord is a strong tower: The righteous runneth into it, and is safe."—Pro.18:10.

So don't get disobedient, don't run outside of God's Will and His protection. Walk within the Will of God, or Satan may be allowed to give you problems. You can suffer sometimes for your sins, your carelessness, prayerlessness, haste and disobedience to the Lord. In a sense, He is bound by His Own rules, and His Own laws, and He can't protect you when you violate the rules! When you're out of His Will He may even allow you to fall prey to the snares of the Enemy.

Help us to stay close to You‚ Jesus, in the center of Thy Will, then we know we're in the center of Thy provision, and protection and blessing and usefulness, where we have nothing to worry about. We can trust You utterly by faith because we know we're being obedient and doing Thy Will.—GP DM:325.

"Thank you Jesus!" said Clara. "That was really feeding. Now let's try to think of some more Scriptures on God's protection."

"Psalm 91:1 is one of my favorites," said Tommy. "'He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.’ I remember how Grandpa explained that if you're outside and it's very hot and sunny and a big cloud comes along to protect you from the hot sun, then you're under the shadow of the cloud.—And that's what it's like when the Lord is protecting you. It's like you're under His shadow!" (See "Psalms for Kids" ML #2390:6,7, GN 317 or Vol.18.)

"Wow, yes!" remembered Clara. "And Grandpa also said that when the Children of Israel were out in the hot desert, God sent along a special cloud which protected them from the sun. And at night there was a cloud of fire over them to keep them warm." (See Exo.13:21,22.)

"That's right!" Tommy explained to the younger ones. "So the Lord is able to protect and keep us in whatever situation we're in. But we have to do our part and stay under the shadow of God's protection. How do we do that, Nina? Do we have to be safely at home at Green Trees?"

"No‚ we just have to pray and stay in God's Will! Then Jesus will take care of us anywhere!"

"I memorized some quotes that tell what happens when you don't stay close to the Lord," piped up Paul.

This was Paul's first contribution to the devotions. So far he hadn't entered in with his whole heart. It was hard on his pride that Tommy and Clara, whom he normally tended to tease and look down on because they were younger, had taken the initiative to try to shepherd the group. Also he had been wondering what Jesse was up to. However, the quotes he had recently memorized were so fitting, that he felt he just had to share them.

"God cannot protect you, prosper or bless you when you are out of His Will and running around outside of the secret place and from under His shadow, His wings, and the fortress of perfect fellowship with Him! When you do this, you can no longer claim the protection and defenses of Psalm 91, and He may even let you fall prey to the Enemy‚ because you're playing around with fire and living so close to Enemy territory!

"We are engaged in a spiritual warfare with Satan himself, and if you want to win the battles and stay free to serve the Lord, you'd better keep in tune and in touch with the Holy Spirit and on God's territory all the time and close to His Word and in the right spirit and constantly in prayer, seeking the Lord and praying for His protection and His help and thanking Him constantly for His blessings‚ and staying mighty close to the Lord!—Or you're going to be singed* by that old fire-breathing Dragon! If you go running around outside of the tower of God's protection and the holy place of His Will, that old Devil's going to be on your trail and try to give you all kinds of trouble!"—"Fear Thou Not, for I Am with Thee," ML #2591:48‚50.

These quotes, in fact the whole devotions, were just the Word that Jesse desperately needed, but missed, due to his goofing off and playing around on the Enemy's territory. Too late, Jesse slunk back in.

"I'm sorry I was on the toilet so long," he apologized. "I was feeling sick."

"Oh, poor Jesse! Yes, you do look sick," said Clara. "Would you like us to pray for you?"

"Uh ... yes, please," muttered Jesse weakly.

As Tommy, Clara, Paul and the little girls laid hands on Jesse they noticed that he smelled funny. He smelled like some of the staff who smoked cigarettes. He also had chocolate stains around his mouth.

"Jesse, is there anything else you want prayer for?" asked Clara.

"Uh ... no ...."

Suddenly, Jesse groaned and heaved and threw up the contents of two cans of Coca-Cola mixed with chocolate onto the floor! "Oh, Jesus!" Jesse moaned to himself, as Paul and Tommy ran off to get help. "This is the worst, most humbling moment of my life!"

CHAPTER 23: VICTORY OUT OF DEFEAT!

When Mrs. Sharp heard that Jesse had thrown up, she ordered him to bed for the rest of the day. He gratefully followed her up to the dorm. He felt he really needed some time alone to think and pray.

However, he was annoyed to find that Clarence was also sick, and was lying in the bed opposite his.

"What's the matter with you?" asked Jesse, after he was settled in bed and Mrs. Sharp had left.

"I don't really know," wheezed* Clarence feebly. "I often have these dizzy spells and get sick. I think it's because my mom was using drugs like cocaine when she was pregnant with me."

"Where is your mom?" asked Jesse curiously.

"I don't know."

"Where do you live?" Jesse's heart was beginning to get touched by poor Clarence's story.

"We had an apartment. But because of my mom's work—it's true, she's a prostitute, like Spud said—she left me with my grandparents most of the time. They drank a lot, and would get into fights with each other. Then after my mom left, I went to live with them. That's when my grandfather started beating me." Clarence pointed to a mark on his face. "I've still got the bruises, see? Then when the social workers found out, they brought me to Morfield."

"But what happened to your mom?" Jesse gently asked.

Clarence's voice began to choke up as he explained‚ "Well ... one day I came home and the apartment was empty. I found a note from my mom. She said that she was dying of AIDS and wanted to go away and spend the last few years of her life on her own. And so that's why ... " he started crying, " ... that's why I don't have a mom any more."

Jesse was crying too, as the story had so touched him. Clarence had disappeared beneath his bed covers and was sobbing his heart out.

"Oh, Jesus," Jesse wept, as he prayed, "I'm so sorry. I have so much to be thankful for. You've given me such a wonderful Family‚ such a wonderful life! And poor Clarence has hardly had anything. Please forgive me for not appreciating my place in Your Family like I should. Forgive me for being so selfish. Instead of being loyal and faithful, I goofed off and played around on the Devil's territory.

"I REBUKE YOU, SATAN! I resist you in Jesus' name! I'm a child of God! I belong to You, Jesus! I'm so sorry, Jesus! Please forgive me! You said, 'Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.'-Jam.4:7. Jesus, please forgive me and help me to get out of the mess I've gotten myself into, and give me a new start. Help me to be the child of God that You want me to be. Help me to live for others, and not just always selfishly think about myself. And Jesus, please help Clarence to find You and get saved!"

"THAT'S WHY YOU'RE HERE, JESSE!"

Jesse wiped his eyes and looked over at Clarence under the bed covers. He had never heard the voice of the Lord so clearly before.

"Clarence ... "

"Yes?" replied Clarence, peeking out. He was surprised that Jesse still wanted to talk to him.

Jesse had not had much experience with personal witnessing. He wasn't sure he would know what to say, or how to show someone that Jesus could save them. But right now none of that crossed his mind. All he wanted with all his heart was to give Clarence Jesus!

"Clarence, I want you to meet my Best Friend. He's a Friend that will always be there when you need Him! He'll stick by you through thick and thin. He'll be closer to you than a brother. (See Pro.18:24.) He'll also be the Father to you that you never had! In fact, He's the best Dad in the whole Universe! Do you know Who I'm talking about?"

Clarence was silent for a moment, and then replied, "You're talking about God, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm talking about God and about His Son‚ Jesus. In the Bible it says, 'For God so loved the World (and that includes you, Clarence, because you're part of the World, right?) that He gave His only begotten Son (that's Jesus!), that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' (That means your spirit will never die! Even if your body dies, you'll live forever and ever in Heaven, Clarence!)"

Clarence pondered for a minute. The local church had tried to get him to come to Sunday School once‚ but he hadn't been interested. However, he could see that these kids were different from them. From the very first time he set eyes on them, he knew that there was something special about them. He had never seen children show such love and concern for each other. And now, for the first time in his life, someone was showing that they cared about him!

"Please, receive Jesus, Clarence!" Jesse pleaded. "It's so easy! Jesus says in the Bible, 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock! (That's the door of your heart!) If any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him.’"—Rev.3:20.

"So what do I do then?"

"Do you want to say this little prayer after me?"

* * * * * * *

The very instant Jesse yielded to the Lord and cried out for forgiveness and resisted and rebuked the Devil‚ Sunray reached out and grabbed the hindering imp around its scrawny little neck!

"Yes, Sir, I'm leaving!" gulped the terrified imp, as Sunray held him up between two fingers and threw him away!

And the very moment that Jesse stepped out by faith to tell Clarence about Jesus, all of Jesse's Guardian Angels and spirit helpers rushed to his side to give him all the boldness and wisdom and love that he needed, and the right words to say!

Then they held their breath as Clarence made his decision. Watching the salvation of a human soul was always an awe-inspiring experience for the Angels.

As Clarence bowed his head and repeated the Salvation prayer after Jesse‚ the Guardian Angels and spirit helpers whooped and hollered for joy! Word quickly spread throughout the entire Heavenly Host at Morfield! Singing and dancing broke out in the camp of the Saints on the hillside, and everyone took time to praise God and have a good old shoutin' hallelujah time! (See Luk. 15:7,10.)

The news also quickly spread throughout all the different levels of Heaven. As the great Custodian* Angel wrote Clarence's name permanently in the Book of Life‚ the "Morning Stars," a magnificent Heavenly choir of Angels‚ sang an anthem* of joy and praise to the Lord that yet another precious soul had been born into His everlasting Kingdom.

Jesus Himself was overjoyed! As far as He was concerned, winning new souls to His Kingdom was what the mission at Morfield was all about! One of the main reasons why He had allowed the raid to take place was to strengthen His children and make them the witnesses He needed them to be, so that through personal witnessing, and newspaper and radio and TV articles, and the witnessing of those who just got saved, like Clarence, thousands of new souls would be saved for all Eternity! Clarence was just one of the first of many souls that were going to be won as a result of the Green Trees children being taken into captivity.

The Lord ordered that from this moment on, Clarence should be given full Angelic protection, and free access to all the powers and privileges that were the basic rights of every child of God and citizen of Heaven.

Jesus was just as happy about Jesse! He smiled with great pleasure as he watched Jesse jump out of bed, rummage* in his flee bag to find his Bible‚ and then go over and sit by Clarence's bedside to give him a class on Salvation and the Holy Spirit.

"Hey, Clarence!" exclaimed Jesse, as he showed him his Bible. "I can see Jesus shining in your eyes. I never saw you smile before!"

"No wonder! I've never felt so happy before!"

Jesse suddenly realized that he didn't feel sick any more. He also felt older and more grown up. He felt like a sold-out, on-fire, witnessing, Endtime disciple of Jesus!

"Me too, Clarence! This is the happiest moment of my life!"

TO BE CONTINUED!...

GLOSSARY:

furrowing — making wrinkles in

token — an outward sign, not genuine & sincere

entourage — the people accompanying Him

commended — praised; spoke well of; showed approval of

sneered — spoke in a scornful jeering manner, making fun of someone

snickered — laughed nastily with mouth partly covered

budget — the amount of money available to pay for certain things

impulsively — hastily‚ without thinking or praying

sauntered — walked in a very casual or idle way

slurred — spoke indistinctly or not clearly

pagan — heathen, not worshipping God

hypnotize — to put in an artificial sleep-like condition; to dazzle or overcome

streaking — moving very fast at top speed

rekindled — stirred up again

inquisitors — people asking questions harshly or severely

tittered — laughed or giggled nervously

crooned — spoke with a soothing tone

cronies — buddies; friends

singed — (pronounced "sinj'd") burned a little

wheezed — breathed with difficulty

custodian — guardian; person in charge

anthem — song or hymn of gladness or praise

rummage — search through

VICTORY IN BABYLON—PART SIX [Chapters 24-28]

THE STORY SO FAR:

In a pre–dawn raid the teens, JETTs and children from the Green Trees Home have been taken away by police and social workers. After two days at Morfield, the institution where they are being held, the Family kids have been separated into older and younger groups and integrated with the other rough and rowdy children who were already at Morfield. However, this plan to break the children's faith has already backfired. The Lord is using the situation to bring about a real turning point in the OCs' lives and is teaching all of the Family kids many precious and life-changing lessons!

Meanwhile, back at Green Trees the adults are also on the attack ...

(Words followed by asterisks [*] in the text are defined at the bottom of each page. Meanings given are only for the use of the word in the story, and do not cover every meaning of the word.)

CHAPTER 24: "A BIG MORNING!"

It had been a big morning at Green Trees! Praise's tearful testimony on TV of how it felt to have the police and social workers break into their Home and snatch away their children had shocked the public and stirred up quite a bit of sympathy* and support.

Now across the nation, in bars, at dinner tables, during coffee breaks at the office‚ the Family was becoming the hottest topic of discussion! The phone at Green Trees was ringing all day with calls from concerned friends, grandparents‚ contacts and supporters who knew the Family personally and were horrified by what had happened. Even people who didn't know the Family personally were shocked that anybody could be treated in such a cruel and heartless manner.

Camera crews from five television stations and six newspapers had phoned requesting interviews, or had arrived uninvited on the doorstep. Eager to obey Grandpa's counsel to use this opportunity to fight back and really witness and get out the Message, the Home had felt led to hold a press conference* to answer the media's questions.

The quiet little neighborhood around Green Trees had never seen so much excitement! A lot of the neighbors came out to stare at all the TV vans arriving, and the crews unloading their cameras, lights and equipment.

While waiting for the press conference to begin, some camera crews filmed all around the outside of the Home and the tall pine trees that gave the Home its name. Ben, the handyman, wished that the children could have been there to see it! After the snow had melted this year, they had started a gardening project. Each child had been responsible for his own little area of the garden, to keep it weeded and tidy and looking cheerful and a good testimony. Little had they known that their labors of love and faithful stewardship would be a wonderful witness, not just to their neighbors and visitors, but to the whole country!

As Uncle Peter was giving his hair a final comb, he noticed out of his bedroom window that some reporters were interviewing the neighbors. He smiled as he remembered all the love the children had put into making beautiful cards and useful little handmade gifts for them at Christmas, and how the kids were always faithful to give the neighbors a happy smile and a cheery greeting whenever they passed by. Uncle Peter prayed fervently that the Lord would anoint the neighbors to stand up for the Family and say good and positive things about them. By the expressions on their faces, it looked like they were! How thankful Uncle Peter was now that they had taken time to "love thy neighbor."—Mat.5:43.

Earlier that morning‚ the Home had prayed together desperately for their "media team" of Peter, Praise and Mary. They had been up since the crack of dawn reviewing the various Family Statements‚ so that they could be ready to answer the questions and speak from a full heart. (See 1Pet.3:15; Psa.119:42; Pro.15:28, 22:20,21.) The Lord had encouraged them with some faith-building prophecies:

"This is your day! This is the time for you to stand and to proclaim the liberty of the Lord! Stand back and see Me fight, for we shall wage this war and we shall win the victory!"

"I have let these things happen so it could be a witness to many people and My Gospel shall be spread. Have I not called you a city that is set on a high hill? And behold, now I bring forth people to see thy light, that they may glorify Me and that many may come to Me!"

When the press conference began‚ Green Trees was not only packed out with journalists* and cameramen, but also Angels and spirit helpers! The Archangel Valiant was there to organize the spiritual security, working in direct communication with Daniel and Joseph who, along with the Lord Himself, were closely watching the action from Heavenly HQ (headquarters)!

When the TV crew from Channel 8 started "misbehaving" and asking rude questions, Valiant immediately stepped in and gave Peter the boldness and authority to ask them to leave. This sobered the rest of the reporters up, and they realized that they would have to treat the Family with politeness and respect if they wanted to get their stories.

One of the reporters asked sweet Mary, "Why does The Family have enemies if you are not guilty of the things you are accused of?"

Dear Mary had been very nervous that she'd blow it for everybody by stuttering and stammering and not having the faintest idea what to say! But the Lord humorously reminded her that if He could use a dumb ass to speak His Words, then He could certainly use her! (See Num.22:28.) Sure enough, now that she was on the spot, the Lord was faithful to quicken a good answer to her!

Mary smiled, "The Family is probably following the Bible and the teachings of Jesus closer than many other Christian groups in the World! Jesus warned His followers, just before His enemies crucified Him‚ 'The servant is not greater than his lord! If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you! All these things will they do unto you for My Name's sake.' (Jn.15:20,21.) We have enemies for the same reasons that Jesus had enemies! When they attack us, they are really attacking Jesus, and once again trying to stamp out the Truth that He taught! All this nonsense about 'child abuse' is nothing more than an excuse for them to try to wipe out our Christian way of life! Did you know that some of these accusations are very similar to those brought against the Early Christians almost 2,000 years ago? This is nothing more than old-fashioned religious persecution once again raising its ugly head!"

The Lord wonderfully answered their prayers, and with the help of His spirit helpers‚ inspired Peter, Praise and Mary to give good, honest, feeding and on-fire* answers to all of the questions! They were also able to give the Salvation Message, as well as explain about upcoming Endtime events and warn the country not to follow the Antichrist and take his mark!

They then showed excerpts from the "New Worlds" teen Video and the Kiddie Viddies‚ and many of the reporters commented that they had never seen such beautiful and dynamic teens and children. They were also very touched to see photos of the Green Trees children. The parents had gathered together photos which had been taken during the past couple of years before the raids, and put them together into a little display. Peter brought out the point that the Family must be a good tree if it has brought forth such good fruit. After seeing for themselves the photos of the bright happy shining faces of the Family children, it was hard for anyone to disagree!

* * * * * * *

Jack Robbins, a young reporter with the Evening Standard, held his breath as his boss, Harry Greenstein, read through his article.

"Nicely written, my boy!" Mr. Greenstein congratulated him. "But it's not going to make us any money! Where's the sex? Where's the scandal? Where are the shocking tales of parents abusing their children?"

"Well, Sir," answered Jack‚ "when I went to the press conference at the Family's Home this morning, I expected to meet a bunch of weirdoes! But they turned out to be very normal‚ likable, friendly people! They seemed very open and honest and up front, and were more than willing to answer any question we asked them. They spoke with such sincerity and conviction that, quite frankly, I believe them!"

"That's very nice, Jack!" Mr. Greenstein replied. "But the public doesn't want to read about 'nice' people! They want to read about sex and scandal and child abuse! What happened to that big file of anti–Family literature I gave you? There's a lot of juicy, sensational stuff in there that we haven't published yet!"

"Mr. Greenstein," Jack mentioned, "do you remember that story we ran about the baby that was taken away by the Children's Welfare Department (CWD)? A neighbor saw a father innocently changing his baby's diaper through a bedroom window. He phoned the CWD and complained that the baby was being 'abused'! A few hours later the CWD were at his front door to take away the baby!"

"Yes, what of it?" asked Mr. Greenstein.

Jack continued, "The public has been horrified by stories of perfectly innocent people having their children taken away by the CWD without a good reason! Therefore, I think our readers will be very interested to hear the Family's side of the story!"

"Hmmmm, you do, do you?" Mr. Greenstein thought for a moment.

What Jack didn't know was that the Evening Standard had been paid a large sum of money by an anti-cult organization to print the anti-Family smut in the folder. But what Harry Greenstein didn't know was that‚ in answer to the Family's prayers, Valiant had just flown into his office to make sure that the Truth was published!

Valiant beamed a thought into Harry's mind: "If publishing the Family's side of the story will also sell newspapers and make money, then why not publish that too? After all, 'business is business', as you always say!"

Mr. Greenstein puffed on his cigar and leaned back importantly in his editor's chair. "Alright, Jack, we'll go ahead and print your article!"

"Thank you, Sir!" smiled Jack‚ who had gotten saved when Bathsheba had personally witnessed to him at the end of the press conference.

"However, I also want you to mention the shocking, scandalous things the Family are accused of!" Mr. Greenstein ordered. "And be sure that the headline has the word 'sex' in it!"

"How about, 'SEX CULT FIGHTS BACK?' suggested Jack.

"Great! I like it! Okay, roll it! I want it front page in this evening's edition!"

* * * * * * *

"Hello, Valiant, this is Shadrach!" communicated Shadrach in the spirit.

"Yes, I hear you!"

"Where are you now, Valiant?"

"I'm still in town! After the press conference I flew by the police headquarters to see what Sgt.* Biggs was up to. Unfortunately, in the raid they took the Home's computer and managed to open the file with all the names and phone numbers of the Green Trees' provisioning contacts. The police are phoning each contact and trying to persuade them not to donate any more food or supplies!"

"What a dirty trick!" said Shadrach in disgust. "What hypocrites! They pretend to be interested in the children's welfare, and then they try to cut off their food supply! They think they can stop the Lord's Work this way, and stop the Family from helping others.—But how ridiculous to think that they could ever cut off the Lord's supply to His children!"

"That's right!" agreed Valiant. "Anyway, I counseled with Daniel and Joseph at HQ about what to do, and they took the matter before the Lord. He said that He had been a little disappointed that up until now the Green Trees Family seemed to only have the faith for Him to provide their needs through provisioning and video distribution. The Lord said He would like to provide their needs much more abundantly, and that now in answer to their desperate prayers and as they look totally to Him for outright miracles to supply their needs, He would be able to open up new avenues* of supply!"

"Praise You Jesus!" exclaimed Shadrach. "So that's going to turn into another Romans 8:28!"

"Yes!" Valiant continued. "After that I flew around to some of the newspaper offices, to make sure that the Message gets out! They're still going to use the usual 'Sex Cult' headlines, but at least more of the Truth will be in there this time!"

"The Devil thinks he's hurting the Family with all these headlines about them being a 'Sex Cult'!" Shadrach chuckled. "But the Lord is using it for good, because it makes the public interested in the Family and their Message!"

"Exactly! Give him enough rope, and the Devil always manages to hang himself! By the way, Shadrach‚ what's happening at Morfield?"

"Lots! Jesse had a tremendous victory out of seeming defeat! A real turning point in his spiritual life and walk with the Lord!"

"Yes, praise God!" exclaimed Valiant, "I heard the news from Heavenly HQ! I also heard that he led Clarence to the Lord!"

"Wonderful, isn't it? However, Valiant, we do have a critical situation coming up! It looks like Paul and Tommy are headed for a showdown with Spud and his gang on the soccer field!—It might be good if you could be here!"

Valiant closed his deep blue Angel eyes and imagined himself back at Morfield! The next second he was standing in their midst!

"Yes, Sir! I'm back!"

CHAPTER 25: "THE SHOWDOWN!"

It was 2:30 in the afternoon on the Family children's third day at Morfield. It had been drizzling with rain all morning, but at lunchtime a few of the Angels had soared up into the heavens and shoved the clouds out of the way, allowing the nice warm friendly sun to shine through!

"Thank You‚ Jesus, for answering our prayer that we can get some fresh air and exercise!" praised Tommy. He knew that it was another precious sign from the Lord that He was still watching closely over them and hearing their every prayer!

Tommy and Paul were in the boys locker room, putting on the brand new track suits and running shoes that Mrs. Sharp had given them. Clara, Aiko, Nina‚ Suzy and Precious had been taken over to the playground area to skip rope and play birdie.

"Could you two please hurry up!" barked Mrs. Sharp impatiently. The rest of the 'B' Block boys were already on the soccer field kicking a ball around.

As Tommy and Paul walked over to the soccer field, they prayed together, "Lord, please protect and keep us, and use us somehow to be a witness to these poor boys!"

"Hey, you!" Spud called out to Tommy as they approached. "You can be on my team! Your friend can be on the other team!"

"Oh, thank you!" smiled Tommy.

"You can be the goalie*!" Spud told Tommy. "But you better not let any balls through! You see this?" He held up his clenched fist. "I'll give you two punches for every goal you miss!"

Spud had made sure most of the best players were on his team, so most of the action was down at the other end of the field. As Tommy stood alone in the goal, he watched the afternoon sun gleaming on the barbed wire that topped the cold grey prison walls that surrounded them. Only a few days ago‚ in the wonderful security of his heavenly Home, he never could have dreamed that this could so suddenly happen!—If he had dreamed it, it would have been a nightmare! Yet here he was! Surrounded by prison walls! Torn apart from his parents and precious Family! And now even being threatened with physical violence!

"Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus! Praise the Lord! I love You, Jesus!" praised Tommy, keeping his mind off the waves and on the Lord. The wonderful thing was that he didn't feel scared. Inside he felt calm. Inside he felt at peace. Inside he felt a beautiful kind of inner strength and trust that he knew was totally supernatural and from the Lord! He got the verse, "Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound" (Rom.5:20) and "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble."—Psa.46:1.

"Wow!" he thought. "What a privilege to be persecuted! What a privilege to actually experience these things. Jesus, You said that we are called not only to believe on You, but also to suffer for Your sake.—Phil.1:29. And you also said if we suffer we shall also reign with You!—2Tim.2:12. Thank You Lord! Hallelujah!"

Just as Tommy was "encouraging himself in the Lord" (1Sam.30:6) and praying and thinking these positive and faith-building thoughts, Paul hit the dirt! He had tried to maneuver* the ball past Spud. The bully had stuck out his foot and tripped Paul, sending him sprawling face first in the mud. The other boys roared with laughter.

Paul was furious. He had already been purposely kicked in the shins four times, and felt like he had run out of "cheeks" to turn!—Mat.5:39. He sprang to his feet and dove at Spud, sending them both rolling in the mud. The rest of the boys quickly gathered around, eager to watch a fight.

"Now, break it up! Break it up, do you hear!" Mrs. Sharp, who had been keeping her eye on the game from a distance‚ came running over.

"Mrs. Sharp! He hit me, he hit me!" wailed Spud.

"It's true!" said Gus, one of Spud's pals. "I saw it! The cult kid hit Spud first!"

Suddenly an old rusty loudspeaker on top of one of Morfield's prison watchtowers crackled to life.

"MRS. SHARP! YOU HAVE AN IMPORTANT TELEPHONE CALL! COULD YOU PLEASE COME TO THE OFFICE! A TELEPHONE CALL FOR MRS. SHARP!"

"Okay, I'll deal with you later, Paul!" Mrs. Sharp glowered. "Sit on that bench over there until I come back!"

As Paul left the field, Tommy went with him. They sat together on the bench. Discouraged, Paul buried his face in his hands.

"Ohhh!" he groaned. "I shouldn't have lost my temper!"

"Don't feel bad, Paul! Remember how Grandpa stood up to those bullies at Comstock?"

Tommy laid his hand on Paul's shoulder and desperately prayed, "Lord Jesus, you promised that 'all things work together for good to them that love You!' (Rom.8:28.) We pray that somehow You'll turn this situation around and ... "

"Okay, boys! Get'm!"

Tommy and Paul opened their eyes to see Spud and his buddies on their way over to clobber them. Mrs. Sharp had disappeared from sight‚ and there was no other adult around to protect them.

"I remember something else that Grandpa learned at Comstock!" gulped Paul. "He that fights and runs away‚ lives to fight another day!"

However, Paul and Tommy weren't as fast on their feet as Grandpa was! As they took off across the field towards 'B' Block, they could hear the thud-thud-thud of the bullies' feet coming up closer and closer behind them! There was no way that they could make it to safety in time!

They only had time to desperately pray, "Jesus! We're Your children, and You've got to protect us right now!"

Suddenly, the cover of the "Big Dog Story" flashed in Paul's mind! Skidding to a halt‚ he turned to face down the oncoming boys, yelling, "I REBUKE YOU IN THE NAME OF JESUS!"

The next instant Spud's legs buckled under him and he fell clumsily to the ground!

"OW! OW! OW!" the bully yelled in agony. "MY ANKLE! MY ANKLE! Ohhhhhhh!"

Paul and Tommy looked at each other in amazement. Then they ran over to see what had happened to Spud. As they knelt by him the rest of the boys backed away nervously.

"Are you okay, Spud?" asked Paul apologetically, feeling bad that the poor boy was rolling around in such pain.

"Owwww!" he groaned. "My ankle! I broke my ankle! It really hurts!"

Paul spoke to the group of wide-eyed boys with authority. "Somebody go and get help! Quickly!" Two of the stunned boys snapped back to their senses and ran off to find Mrs. Sharp.

Paul got the verse, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."—Mat.5:44. Paul and Tommy laid their hands on Spud and prayed‚ "Jesus, we pray that You'll please touch and heal this ankle! Take away the pain and help Spud to be able to walk again!"

As Paul prayed for him‚ Spud stopped groaning and relaxed. Tommy took off his track suit top and put it under Spud's head so that he could lie back and be more comfortable.

The doctor from Morfield's clinic came running up. "What happened, son?" he asked.

"I slipped and broke my ankle!" replied Spud.

The doctor delicately probed and examined Spud's foot.

"You're lucky! I think you just badly twisted it, that's all! I'll go get the stretcher and we'll go to the clinic to take care of it. Then I want you to rest it in bed and we'll see how it is tomorrow."

As the doctor helped him to the clinic, Spud knew that something very extraordinary had happened. He felt like he had broken his ankle. It had been very painful, but the pain had eased when Paul prayed.

Meanwhile Paul and Tommy were praising the Lord for the miracle of protection that had just taken place!

"Praise God! Do we have a testimony to tell the teens!" said Paul.

"Wow‚ yes!" said Tommy. "Thank You Jesus!"

The boys discussed how wonderfully the Lord always took care of them. "I bet lots more miracles happen every day that we don't even know about!" commented Paul. "We really noticed this one because we could see the danger, and we knew when the Lord delivered us."

"That's right," agreed Tommy. "What about all the times He delivers us from danger or troubles that we don't even see? Like maybe we're around sick people, and we don't get sick."

"Or maybe someone was planning to hurt us, but they didn't!" added Paul. "Or what about when we go in the van on a road trip, and the Lord keeps us safe when we're driving?"

"That's a good one!" exclaimed Tommy. "Lots of accidents happen on the road every day! Wow! Thank You Lord for Your protection! 'The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them!’ (Psa.34:7.) Hallelujah!"

* * * * * * *

The spirit helpers and Angels were thrilled at the victories that the OCs were winning! It was wonderful how the boys had claimed the Word and called out to the Lord, so Angels were able to do these miracles to inspire their faith! It had been such a tiny‚ tiny thing for Blaze, Paul's guardian Angel, to let Spud break his ankle. Then it had been the easiest thing in the World, with the Lord's permission, to bathe Spud's ankle with the magical healing Elixir of the Holy Spirit and make it whole!

"Ha! They think that was 'heavy'!" chuckled Blaze, who with one touch could shatter the stone walls of Morfield into dust finer than flour, or who could with one glance fell an army! "Wait until they see the miracles of protection that we will be doing for them in the exciting Tribulation days ahead!"

"It's such a shame that quite a few Family children are afraid of what might happen to them in the Great Tribulation!" exclaimed Shadrach. "Some of them are afraid that they'll be weak Christians and not have enough faith or power to stand up against the AC, or they'll be forced to take the 666 Mark! The Old Boy has been up to his dirty tricks, trying to make these Endtime children of David fear what they should be looking forward to!"

"That's right!" agreed Meshach. "Maybe it's good that they feel weak and incapable—because that will make them desperately look to the Lord for His strength and His power and His protection, and they'll give Him all the glory when He gives it to them!"

"Boy, and is He ever going to give it to them!" chuckled Valiant. "If only they could see and believe how the Lord plans to use even the 'weakest' of them during that time! My goodness, these kids have been stockpiling* His Word in their hearts since birth!—And let me tell you, when the Lord fully activates* it, the World will hear about it!"

"Wow, isn't that the truth!" added Meshach. "And one reason the kids will one day look back at the Great Tribulation as being great will be because of the great witness the Lord will get out through them!"

Their discussion was interrupted by the huge watcher Angel‚ the one who was watching over Morfield from the top of the hill.

"There's a car approaching!" he alerted them. "And it's accompanied by a squadron of Angels! It looks like we have an important visitor!"

CHAPTER 26: "THE VISITOR!"

As the teens and JETTS came in from playing volleyball they passed Mrs. Fields, who was on her way over to 'B' Block.

"Good news, my dears!" she smiled. "Miss Rottweiler has just asked me to replace Mrs. Sharp as the officer in charge of 'B' Block! I'll be able to make sure that your younger brothers and sisters are well taken care of!"

"Oh, thank You Jesus! That's a wonderful answer to prayer!" exclaimed Sharon. It was only that morning that she and Naomi had asked the Lord to get rid of Mrs. Sharp and replace her with someone sweeter. "Please give the kids a big hug and kiss from each of us, and tell them we love them and are praying for them!"

"Oh, yes," remembered Mrs. Fields, "and it's okay for one of you to sleep in the Toddler Room with Lily, Jamie and Brian, as you requested! Miss Rottweiler was pleased that you were willing to take the scholastic tests, so she was willing to give a little on that one."

"Oh, praise God!" smiled Naomi. "That's really encouraging! Another answer to prayer!"

* * * * * * *

"By the way‚ Valiant, how did you get rid of Mrs. Sharp?" asked Abednego curiously, as the Teamwork waited in the courtyard for the arrival of the visitor.

"Mrs. Sharp had no idea that her own teenage son was the main drug dealer at his high school!" answered Valiant. "He was driving to school and was stopped for speeding. I gave the policeman a check to search him‚ and he was carrying enough drugs to put him in a detention home for a couple of years. Mrs. Sharp is with him down at the police station right now!"

"Praise God!" said Abednego. "The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether!"—Psa.19:9.

"Yes, they are!" nodded Valiant. "Now she'll see what it's like to have her son put in an institution!"

"What a bunch of sickening hypocrites these people are!" exclaimed Shadrach in disgust. "They say the Family children are in danger living in the Family, but look at the dangers theirs are in!—From drugs, crime, child abuse and more!"

"Like so many of the other poor teens here at Morfield!" remarked Ruthie. "Any ideas on how we can help the teens and JETTs to reach them?"

* * * * * * *

The Family teens and JETTs had the rest of the afternoon to themselves, while the other teens had school time. They were told that they could use the gym to play basketball, birdie or whatever they wanted. However, as they had already had a good Get Out, they decided to have some extra united Word time instead.

The teens had come up with a neat idea! Each of them discreetly carried a different "little book" with them at all times! Then whenever they could grab an opportunity to read or pray together‚ they always had a good variety of Word between them! So‚ as they sat together in a circle on the gym floor, they were able to quickly produce a Bible, Treasures, Basic MOP, Daily Might, Good Thots and Word Basics! They knew it was a special blessing that they had managed to smuggle their books in with them when they came to Morfield, and every chance they had to read them was precious. They had an inspiring Word study on "Redeem the Time!"

At Morfield they found themselves with a lot of free time. This was a big change from the fun, action-packed daily Home schedule that they were used to.

"It's been great to be able to have so much extra Word and prayer time!" said Naomi. "It's giving us the extra spiritual strength and wisdom and umph that we need to keep the victory in 'Babylon!' However, I'm having a battle knowing what to do with the rest of the time!"

"Me too!" confessed Love. "It makes me so thankful for our exciting lives in the Family, where there's never a dull moment!"

"I agree!" responded Danny. "If I don't have something constructive* to keep me busy, then it's easier to let down my guard and start daydreaming, worrying or having discouraging thoughts!"

"Let's pow-wow ways to stay positive, busy and on the attack!" proposed Sharon.

"One thing we could do," suggested David‚ "is volunteer to help in the kitchen, or do handyman jobs‚ or tidy up the grounds! It would be a good testimony, and looking at the state of this place, it sure looks like they need the help!"

"Good idea!" everyone agreed.

"How about spending a little time each day writing a personal log*?" suggested Sharon. "The experiences we're going through, and the lessons we're learning, could be a big blessing to other Family children, if they were ever to be in a similar situation! Also, when we go to court‚ or when we tell our story to the newspapers, we will find our logs very useful to help us remember all the details of what happened to us!"

"Another thing I'd like to do is spend more personal prayer time with the Lord!" said David. "Let's make a prayer list of everything we need to pray for each day during our vigils and personal prayer times!"

"Great idea!" agreed Naomi. "Also let's take time to fight in prayer for each other, as well as to encourage each other, sharing verses and lessons!"

The teens and JETTs looked up as the gym doors swung open and a long-faced*Miss Rottweiler looked in.

"Your lawyer is here to see you," she announced unhappily.

The teens and JETTs cheered and praised the Lord!

"He's meeting with your younger brothers and sisters right now in 'B' Block and will be over to see you shortly."

* * * * * * *

Robert O'Riley was famous for standing up for the underdog and fighting against the injustices*of the System. He was not yet saved, which made it more difficult for the spirit helpers to work through him‚ but he was a sincere man whom the Lord loved. Although he didn't know it, the Lord had been preparing Robert his whole life to defend His children in this case!

"How have they been treating you?" he asked the OCs and MCs, as they met together in one of the 'B' Block classrooms.

"Okay ... I guess," replied Clara. "But we want to go home to our parents!"

"Yes, yes!" chorused the rest of the children. "We want to go home!"

"And that's why I am here!" Mr. O'Riley smiled. "I am your lawyer, and I'm going to help get you back to your parents as soon as possible!"

The children praised and cheered!

"But for me to be able to do that I need to ask you all a few questions!"

"Are they like the icky questions the mean people asked?" sighed Suzy. She had been interviewed twice already and was fed up with it.

"No, these are good questions! I want you to tell me about the raid, and about all the things that have happened to you at Morfield. And then I want you to tell me about your life in the Family. That will help me defend you in court!"

After chatting with the children and taking notes on all the things that they told him, Robert O'Riley tore some pages out of his notebook and gave each child his personal phone number.

"Now‚ if anything comes up, or if they mistreat you in any way‚ you can call me at this number at any time of the day or night! Don't let them tell you no! It's your legal right!"

"Also," he added, "the police and social workers had no right to ask you any questions without me being there to help you. That was very wrong of them and I am going to complain about it in court! So from now on, if they want to ask you any questions you can just tell them, 'I'm sorry, but not without my lawyer present!'"

Ruthie, from the Spirit, inspired the children to ask Robert O'Riley if he'd like to hear a song before he left.

"Sure!" he said in surprise. "That'll be a first! None of my clients have ever sung for me before."

They sang "This Little Light of Mine" which he really enjoyed. It was so touching to see dear little Precious hold up her tiny finger and bravely sing "I won't let Satan BLOW it out, I'm gonna let it shine! Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!" He had never seen such a bunch of fiery little fighters!

"You're the nicest bunch of kids I ever saw!" Robert O'Riley chuckled as they finished. "Don't worry, I think things are going to go very well for you tomorrow in court!"

"Tomorrow?!" echoed the children excitedly.

"Yes! The first court hearing is tomorrow. And you are all going to be there!"

* * * * * * *

The teens and JETTs were also very excited to meet with Robert O'Riley! The teens could tell that he did not yet know a whole lot about the Family, so they felt led to help strengthen his convictions that he was indeed fighting for a righteous cause. They explained all about their wonderful upbringing in the Family and assured him that any bad things he'd heard were either absolute lies, or the truth had been twisted to make it sound bad. They made it very clear to him that they loved their lives in the Family, and wanted to go home as soon as possible!

They also gave their lawyer all the ammunition that they could think of to fire against their enemies in court. They told him about all that had happened to them at Morfield: the grueling*interview sessions, the denial of their legal rights, the cruel separation from their younger brothers and sisters, the lies about their parents not loving them or wanting to contact them. Mr. O'Riley was especially disgusted to hear about sweet innocent Love being bothered by a lesbian social worker.

"Boy, am I going to tear those people apart in court tomorrow!" he fumed.

The teens laughed, happy to see that Robert O'Riley was a fighter!

"We sure do want to fight back!" Sharon encouraged him. "We and our whole Family will be praying for you! So you can be sure that the Lord is going to help you."

CHAPTER 27: "THE CIRCUIT-BREAKER!"

"Wow! We'll be out of this place tomorrow!" the teens and JETTs rejoiced, after Robert O'Riley had left.

"At least for the day, that is! We'll probably come back here in the evening, as the court hearing could go on for a few days," explained Sharon.

"You know, I've been thinking about the other teens that are here at Morfield!" said Danny. "I think we should make a special effort to reach them. I must admit‚ I find them a little scary‚ but when I prayed about it I got 'Be not afraid of their faces.' (Jer.1:8), and 'Man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh upon the heart.'"—1Sam.16:7.

"You know, David, that poor boy Daryl looks quite like you!" remarked Naomi. "Or rather how you could have looked‚ if you were as sad and lonely as he is and hadn't been born into the Family! Only the Lord knows why we were born in the Family and they weren't. But 'unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required!' (Luk.12:48b) and I know that their blood will be upon our hands if we don't do everything we can to reach them!" (See Eze.3:17-19.)

The teens were convicted that they hadn't done more to reach out to the other teens at Morfield, and they asked the Lord to show them the best way to go about it.

"You know, tomorrow is your birthday, Martin," said Naomi. "We could ask if we can throw a little party for you! I'm sure the other teens would come, especially if we made a cake and had ice cream."

"Good idea!" agreed David. "We could sing songs, do skits and maybe even do some of our dance routines."

"But who knows if we'll even be here tomorrow night?" said Sharon. "Martin, I'm getting a strong feeling that we should celebrate your birthday tonight!"

Everyone excitedly agreed.

"Okay, let's go for it!" said David. "We're going to have to pray and get busy, if we're going to pull this thing off in time."

* * * * * * *

Miss Grimes approved the birthday party idea, and the girls, Sharon, Naomi, Love and Gabriella, were allowed in the kitchen to make a cake. The teen boys‚ David and Danny, and JETT Martin, stayed in the gym to get together a skit.

The social worker who was monitoring them was a studious looking man named Mr. Keith Perkins. He had also supervised their scholastic tests that morning. The teens thought that he was quite a nice man, but he seemed quite proud that he'd graduated from university with a degree in physics.

At 5:30 p.m. Miss Rottweiler contacted Keith on his walkie-talkie. "Mr. Perkins‚ the electricity is off in the kitchen! Could you try to fix it? Over."

"Sure!" replied Keith. "I'll go and check it out. It's probably just the circuit-breaker. Over and out."

The main electric box was at the other end of the building in the basement. "Sorry‚ boys," Keith apologized‚ "you'll have to come with me, as I shouldn't leave you here unsupervised."

As the boys followed him with a flashlight down into the cold and dirty basement, Danny asked him, "By the way, Sir, how did we do on our scholastic tests?"

"Very good in the basics!" Keith replied, as he brushed off the cobwebs from the main electric box. "But intelligent boys like you could be learning more advanced subjects like trigonometry*, chemistry*, physics* and calculus*."

"But why?" asked Danny, as he watched Keith peering at the row of circuit–breakers in the electric box. "Those subjects are for people who want to become engineers, doctors and scientists. I've already decided that I want to be a missionary!"

"Is that all you want to do with your life?" asked Keith somewhat scornfully. He flicked up one of the circuit-breakers, but it just snapped back down again. "Wouldn't you like to go to university like I did?"

"What do you mean 'Is that all'?" replied Danny indignantly*. "I want to be a missionary, just like David Livingstone was! That's what I've chosen to be! There's no greater calling in life than to become a missionary!"

"That's right!" agreed David. "There's a story I read once about an old lady whose son was appointed to be the American ambassador* to England. But when they told her the great news, she nearly wept! She shook her head and said, 'And to think that he might have become an ambassador of the Gospel! But instead of that he dwindled* down to nothing but an ambassador to England.'" (See Treasures, page 463.)

"I don't get it," said Keith.

"See, to be a missionary is to be an ambassador of the Kingdom of Heaven.—God's personal representative to a World that desperately needs spiritual leadership! So that's the high position which the Lord offered me, and which I was very proud to accept.—And for which I am receiving excellent training! Other kids are at a great disadvantage! They don't know what they were created for, or what they want to do with their lives. So they waste years studying different subjects that really aren't necessary or useful."

While David and Danny were talking, Keith had been trying unsuccessfully to switch the circuit-breaker back on.

"I don't know what's wrong with it," he despaired. "Usually when I switch it up, the electricity comes back on. But it's not working. It keeps clicking back down again."

"That's probably because the circuit is overloaded‚" explained Danny, who had been doing handyman with Uncle Ben for years. "Or there could be something short-circuiting* the electricity somewhere!"

"Oh ... I see," Keith Perkins sighed. "That's a bit beyond me! I guess we'll have to call an electrician from town to fix it."

"Would you mind if I have a little look, Sir?"

Danny took the flashlight from Keith and peered inside the box.

"No problem. See, the circuit-breaker that has clicked off is labeled 'kitchen'. So we know that that's where the problem is!

"It actually might not be too complicated," said Danny. "Do you think there is an electrical tester available?"

"Our maintenance man is not here, but he probably has one in his workshop. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we used it," answered Keith.

The boys and Mr. Perkins walked together to the workshop.

"So how many years did you spend at school, Sir?" inquired Danny.

"Er ... 12."

"And at university?"

"Five."

"And why did you become a social worker instead of a physicist*?"

"Physicist jobs are hard to get because of the recession*. So I got a job as a teacher. Then later this job opened up with the Children's Welfare Department."

"Do you think your physics degree from university has been much use to you?" questioned Danny.

"Well, not much so far."

"And how much of the stuff that you learned during your 17 years at school do you actually use in your work today?"

"Er ... I guess not much‚" Keith had to admit.

"I'm really thankful that in our Family schooling nothing that I learn is wasted! said Danny. It is all valuable training that gives me practical experience for many different ministries for the Lord! I don't spend a whole lot of time sitting at a desk compared to all the studying you must have done, but I do get a lot of practical, hands-on experience. I go witnessing, do counseling, interviewing, traveling‚ public speaking, performing, childcare, office and computer training, handyman and much more!"

"That's still not what I would call a 'proper' education!" muttered Keith.

"I guess that's where we're different," responded Danny. "I don't think a proper education is just stuffing my head with a lot of facts and figures. Lots of other things I learn‚ like how to work with people, how to communicate‚ how to make decisions‚ and how to see a job through until it's finished, are all an important part of education too! I believe the education I receive in the Family is the most practical, well-rounded‚ useful education in the World! It's fantastic! The best!"

They found the electrical tester in the workshop, and then headed up to the kitchen. The Family girls waiting in the hallway near the kitchen were surprised to see the boys coming to help with the electricity, with Mr. Perkins following behind. "Hi, girls!" said Danny. "What were you using in the kitchen when the electricity went off?"

"I just turned the blender on," answered Sharon.

"Okay, let's check that first." David held the flashlight while Danny tested the blender. "Here's the problem, all right! The tester reads that the blender has a short. This is probably why the breaker tripped!" exclaimed Danny‚ as he unplugged the blender. "Sorry, girls, but you won't be able to use it until it gets fixed."

Danny turned to Mr. Perkins. "We should be able to switch the circuit breaker back on now‚ Sir. Maybe David could go and do it‚ while we wait here to see if it works."

"No, that's okay. You boys wait here and I'll go and switch it," replied Keith.

A few minutes later the lights came on. The girls cheered, "Praise the Lord! We'll be able to make the cake after all!"

When Keith returned to the kitchen, David asked him, "We're having a birthday party tonight, Sir. Would you like to come?"

"Yes, I'll try to drop by," smiled Keith. "Oh, and thanks for finding the problem with the electricity!"

"Oh, thank the Lord! I learned about it at home. ... By the way," grinned Danny, with a twinkle in his eye, "what good is a degree in physics‚ if it doesn't help you fix a little old circuit-breaker?!"

"You just might have something there!" laughed Keith, as they walked back to the gym together.

CHAPTER 28: "THE BIRTHDAY PARTY!"

The Morfield staff had helped the teens prepare a big campfire and barbecue outside. They were very happy that the Family teens seemed to want to "socialize" with the other teens, and were eager to help make Martin's birthday party a success. Little did they realize that the teens' motive was not only to "socialize" but also to witness!

The Family teens were a little concerned with the way the evening began. It wasn't how they had planned at all! Sid brought out his boom box, and heavy metal music started blaring out across the yard. Then Conan and Mac started to fight over something—the teens didn't know what the fight was about. Two security guards stepped in right away and threatened them with solitary confinement* if they didn't stop. Then Babs and Darlene joined in and started shouting at the guards. "Hey, settle down," called Sid. "You know what solitary's like!"

Mac and Conan glared at each other and sat on opposite sides of the yard. Babs joined Mac, and Darlene went and sat with Conan. The tape that Sid had been playing came to the end, and a cold silence settled over the yard. The atmosphere was tense.

The Family teens quickly counseled together. They all agreed that they shouldn't go ahead with the lively song and dance routines that they had planned. Something needed to be done to calm the spirit of the situation, or they'd never be able to witness to the teens.

"Lord, please help us!" they prayed desperately.

* * * * * * *

Back in "B" Block with the OC boys:

Jesse had spent the afternoon in the "B" Block boys dorm talking to Clarence and feeding him the Word.

Around 3 o'clock Spud had been brought in with his twisted ankle and told to rest it in bed. Jesse noticed that he seemed unusually subdued and quiet. He said hardly anything the whole afternoon and just lay quietly in bed. A few times Jesse brought him a book, a drink of water‚ or whatever Spud was unable to get, and he seemed thankful for the help.

Later that evening, when the rest of the boys came to bed, Spud's buddies began to tease Clarence when they noticed a Bible on his bed.

"You shut up!" said Spud. "I've been lying here listening to Jesse read him some neat stuff out of that Book!"

The boys were surprised. If it had gotten Spud's interest, then it must be interesting!

"See," explained Jesse, "this Book is not a normal book like the other books on the shelves over there! It contains Words that can work wonders!"

"Huh!" said Spud's best buddy, Gus. "I don't believe that!"

"That's the secret of the Book! You've got to believe that the Words will work miracles, and then they will!"

"So what kind of wonders can it do, then?"

"Oh, anything! The Words in this Book can help heal you when you are sick, protect you if you're in danger, give you power when you are weak‚ make you happy when you are sad, give you wisdom when you feel stupid, help you be nice to others instead of mean, help you do good things when usually you can't stop yourself from being bad!—It can even tell you the future!"

"What do you think‚ Spud?" Gus asked. "You don't believe all this 'wonder' stuff, do you?"

Spud was silent for a few moments and then said, "All I know is what happened to me on the football field today! Believe me, I really think I broke my ankle. You all saw how much it hurt! Then these guys prayed for it and it felt much better after that. And right now it doesn't even hurt! If that's not a miracle, what is?"

The boys were amazed. Whether they believed it or not, they could tell that Spud believed it, and that was enough to make them want to listen to the rest of what Jesse had to say.

Jesse was amazed at what the Lord was doing. This was one of the most wonderful moments of his life to feel the Holy Spirit witnessing to these boys through him and giving him the words to say. He glanced over at Paul and Tommy who were smiling encouragingly at him. He could tell that they were praying for him, and for the boys, that they would receive Jesus.

"See‚ in the Bible," Jesse went on, "God's wonders are called 'miracles'. And do you know what His best and greatest miracle of all is? It's when Jesus comes into your heart and changes you into a whole new person! He takes away your sad old heart and gives you a happy new one!"

"It's true!" Clarence piped up. The boys turned to look at him. There was no denying that there was something different about Clarence. His eyes were bright and shining, and no one could remember ever seeing him smile before!

"And if you ask Jesus to come into your heart," continued Jesse, "He promises that you'll live forever in a Heavenly Wonderworld where you'll be able to fly, have X–ray eyes, and have even greater powers than Superman*!"

"Wow! That sounds neat!" said one of the boys. "But how do we know you're not making all this up?"

"Because I've read it in God's Word," answered Jesse. Now here's how you'll get to be one of God's Supermen!"

As Jesse read them John 3:16 and Revelation 3:20, Mrs. Fields came quietly in. She stood by the door and listened.

"So would you like to ask Jesus to come into your heart?" Jesse asked the boys. "It's very simple! I'll say a little prayer‚ and you can repeat it after me."

All the boys looked like they wanted to, but hesitated as they watched to see what the others would do.

"Now come on, boys!" dear Mrs. Fields encouraged them. "A little religion is not going to do you any harm."

The boys looked at Spud‚ who thought a moment, and then respectfully took out his chewing gum and stuck it on his bedside table.

"Sure, let's pray. Come on, you guys! Do you want to be like Superman or not?! If it's that simple‚ what have we got to lose?"

* * * * * * *

At the campfire with the teens:

"Let's try a few songs quick before they put that tape back on," David whispered, as he picked up the guitar one of the staff had found for him in a closet at Morfield. "Jesus, please help these songs to get through to them somehow!"

As David started to sing "It's Gonna Take a Lot of Love!" followed by "You Can Change the World!" and "What Have I Done with My Life?" Sharon, Naomi and Love served everyone barbecued chicken. The atmosphere gradually changed.

Babs, Darlene‚ Cara, Trish and Frizzy's eyes were locked on David‚ as he sang with such love, sincerity and conviction! It wasn't that he was so good-looking that made him so attractive. It was his maturity, his boldness, his gentleness, his clear, clean, shining spirit‚ his straightforwardness, his being everything that the teen boys they knew weren't!

Conan, Daryl, Mac and Sid were stealing glances at the Family girls. It seemed that the beautiful clear starry sky and the warm flickering glow of the campfire highlighted their free‚ happy spirits. The boys were fascinated by their natural charm, their simplicity in dress and manner, their flashing eyes and loving smiles, their cheerful chuckles that seemed to bubble up constantly from hearts flowing over with joy and happiness! As Sharon, Naomi and Love cheerfully and humbly served them dinner, the boys felt comforted by their motherliness and concern.

What the teens didn't realize was that they were being charmed by the Holy Spirit Herself. She was pouring through the Family teens in full measure, attracting them, entrancing them, captivating them, yearning after them, like a mother would for her long lost children. She longed to hold them, comfort them, mother them, cleanse them, love them, save them, so that they could be the Lord's forever!

By the time David finished singing‚ the Spirit had soothed, softened and opened the teens' hearts to where they were hungry to meet and talk with the Family teens personally.

* * * * * * *

Sharon and Love were witnessing to Frizzy. They found out that her mom and dad were into illegal drugs‚ and she'd been virtually abandoned since birth. The atmosphere in her house had been that of one long party, with people coming and going at all hours, and loud, demonic music played virtually non-stop. Sharon explained to Frizzy the spiritual principles of "Musical Key" (ML #326) and the terrible effects that science has proven that hard rock music can have on people.

"Music can be a blessing, and yet it can also be dangerous!" Sharon explained. "Certain kinds of music will turn you on for certain kinds of things.—It's spiritual! It's almost as though it links the heart of the hearer with the heart of the composer—like the composer becomes a medium* and his music is his crystal ball. When you listen to his music you gaze with him into his crystal ball, and all of a sudden your spirits are united and you both see the same pictures!"

Then Sharon went on to explain about the good effects of Godly music, and Love's heart skipped a beat as Sharon reached for the guitar! Sharon didn't play, but Love did—very occasionally. She was very shy and self-conscious about her guitar-playing, as she knew that she couldn't sing and play as well as a lot of the other teens.

"Oh, Sharon, please don't ask me to sing!" Love worried to herself.

"Love, why don't you sing Frizzy a song?" asked Sharon.

"Well ... I ..."

"Oh, yes, please do!" said Frizzy. "It's true, your music really does something special to me, and makes me feel good in a nice way!"

Love prayed desperately, as she fumbled around with the guitar‚ trying to get it comfortably positioned on her lap. Silently she prayed to herself, "Okay, Jesus! You've put me on the spot, so You're going to have to take over and do it!"

And sure enough, as she launched out by faith, she suddenly found herself not worrying about the chords or her voice any more! All she wanted to do was reach out and win this poor girl to Jesus, to share His wonderful love with her in all of its sweetness and power!

"How long you been waitin' for somebody to love you?

"How long you been waitin' for somebody to care?

"How long you been waitin' for somebody to tell you?

"How long you been waitin' for someone to be there?

"All you gotta do is ask that lovin' Man in (Jesus)!

"All you gotta do is ask that lovin' Man in!"

Frizzy sat motionless during the whole song, staring thoughtfully into the fire. When she turned back to look at Love, her eye make-up had been smudged* by tears.

"Thank you!" she choked. "That was beautiful! If everyone had as much love as you all have, the World would be a heaven instead of a hell!"

"That's how the World will be one day very soon, Frizzy, when Jesus comes back!" Love softly said. "But you don't have to wait until then! You can have Heaven's love in your life right now‚ if you ask the King of Love, Jesus‚ to come into your heart! Would you like that?"

Frizzy nodded, as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Love opened her Bible.

"It's very simple! I'll show you how!"

* * * * * * *

David was witnessing to Daryl. Learning how sad and lonely Daryl was had made David even more thankful for the one-in-a-million opportunity that he had done nothing to deserve when he was born into the Family.

Daryl was a sad case. He had gone to one of the worst inner city schools and had been taking drugs since he was 11. He didn't have many friends, and he moped around by himself most of the time. Now he seemed thankful to have someone to talk to. David listened patiently as Daryl poured out the whole pitiful story of his life.

"This World is in such a mess! Two guys from my school were shot last month. And who knows, maybe I'll be next when I go back there," he despaired. "It's a weird feeling knowing that you might not get much older than 18!"

"Yes, I understand," sympathized David. "But did you know Jesus is coming back soon? Maybe even in the next few years!"

"Really?" exclaimed Daryl in surprise.

"So you probably have as much time to do something with your life as we do with ours!"

David cracked open his Bible and thumbed quickly through to find Matthew 24. "Here, I'll show you some neat verses that will show you that we're living in the Last Days!"

* * * * * * *

Naomi was witnessing to Mac and Babs.

"Hey, you guys are really different!" smiled Mac. "That old bag Rottweiler told us you were the innocent victims of some child-abusing sex cult!"

"Yeah, that's what they said on TV!" said Babs.

"Oh, Babs!" scoffed Mac. "You don't believe everything you see on TV, do you?"

"Most of what has been on TV about us is wrong!" said Naomi. "We've been in the Family all of our lives, so we know all that stuff is just a bunch of lies and garbage!"

"Then how come they brought you to Morfield?" asked Babs.

"I bet you won't believe me if I told you!" teased Naomi. "It's too far out!"

Now their curiosity was really aroused. "No‚ come on!" begged Babs. "Tell us!"

"We're here because there are anti-God forces in the World that are trying to stamp out Christianity in general, and our group in particular!

"But why you?" asked Babs.

"Because no one is doing as much as we are to expose these dark forces' secret plans to take over the World, and put their Devil-possessed World leader, the Antichrist‚ in power!

"Whoa!" exclaimed Mac. "A World leader? That's pretty far out!"

"The anti-christ Big Money Boys who are financing this evil plan already own most of the TV networks and newspapers. So it's easy for them to publish horrible lies about us that they know will infuriate the public and give them an excuse to persecute us and raid our Homes!—Just as they have done with us, and which is why I'm here at Morfield talking to you right now!"

"But how do you know this is all happening right now?" asked Babs.

"We see it happening—and besides there are lots of prophecies in the Bible about the Antichrist coming to power in the Endtime," explained Naomi.

"But do you really believe its the End of the World?" asked Mac, looking doubtful.

"I can believe that!" said Babs. "It can't go on much longer! Anyone can see it's a hell of a mess!"

"No, thankfully it's not going to go on much longer!" explained Naomi. "It won't be long before Jesus is going to step in and rescue the World before Man completely destroys it! Jesus will then rule the World for 1000 years during the wonderful Golden Age of love and peace called the Millennium! All those who believe and receive Jesus in this life, will help Him rule and reign in the Next! We will help Jesus clean up and reorganize the World, and run it the way it should have been run if Man hadn't made such a disastrous mess out of it!"

"But how can you be so sure that all this is going to happen?" asked Mac.

"I sure didn't read it in the newspapers!" answered Naomi. "They only tell you things that already happened! So they're not really news papers, they're history papers! But the Bible tells you of things that are going to happen in the future! It also contains hundreds of predictions about things that later were proven true by history! So we know that the prophecies about the Endtime that are yet to be fulfilled will also be right on! Here, I'll show you some of them in my newspaper, the Bible!"

* * * * * * *

"How come you guys are so into pushing your trip on others?" Darlene asked Danny, who was witnessing to Conan and her.

"I'm not trying to push my trip on anybody," smiled Danny, "but I am very enthusiastic about sharing what I have with others! If we had a way to stop all the car accidents in the World, and we just kept it selfishly to ourselves and didn't tell the World about it, what would you think of us?"

Conan and Darlene nodded, understanding his point.

"Well‚ we have the solution for things much worse than car accidents! We have the cure for unhappiness, for loneliness, for misery‚ for fear, for sicknesses of the heart that afflict millions and millions more people than will ever have car accidents! And if we didn't share this cure with people, what would you think of us? We would be failing you‚ failing God‚ failing others and we couldn't live with ourselves! This wonderful cure is Jesus!"

"Jesus could never forgive me for some of the stuff I've been into!" sighed Conan, who had been a member of a violent street gang.

"I bet you've never murdered anybody, have you?" asked Danny.

"Not quite, but almost as bad!"

"Did you know that two of the greatest heroes in the Bible‚ King David and the Apostle Paul, both were responsible for the murder of innocent people? (See 2Sam.11; Acts 8:1-3.) But, because they were truly sorry, God forgave them. If you come to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you, it says in the Bible that "the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin." (1Jn.1:7.) He'll forgive you for all of your past, no matter what you've done, and give you love and happiness and Everlasting Life! In fact‚ He's knocking at your heart's door right at this very moment. Would you like to ask Him in?"

* * * * * * *

Martin had been witnessing to Trish and Cara, who were young teen girls, not much older than he. Cara's parents were drug dealers* who had been put in jail, and Trish's parents were "crack*" addicts. Both teens had all kinds of worries and problems and complications in their lives. They had all kinds of questions about whether they should do this, or whether they should do that, and poor Martin didn't know what advice to give! After he had shot up a desperate prayer for "HELP!" Abednego quickened to him Mama's wise witnessing counsel in "Personal Witnessing Made Simple!" (See GN516, ML #2788.)

"Girls, I'm sorry, but I just don't know the answers to all of your questions! But I know Someone who does have the answers and I can introduce you to Him if you like!"

"Who's that then?" asked Cara.

"He's the 'Answer Man'—Jesus! He's promised in His Word that 'If you'll cast all your care upon Him, He'll take care of you!' (1Pet.5:7.) If you ask Jesus into your life, He will give you a brand new life full of so much happiness and joy. He'll forgive you for every bad thing that you've ever done and give you a brand new start!"

"And then we won't have any more problems?" asked Trish.

"Sure, you'll still have problems—everybody does!" smiled Martin, "But the big difference will be that you'll have a Best Friend always close by to help you with your problems. Jesus will help you carry them, help you bear them, help you to solve them! And the ones that He doesn't take away completely, He'll make them so much easier to bear!"

"Wow! I never thought much about God or Jesus before, but you make Him sound so neat!" said Cara.

"Oh‚ He is," Martin assured them, "He's really neat! Listen, I'm going to say a little prayer, and you can repeat it after me and ask Jesus to come into your hearts!"

As the girls looked up after praying, Martin could see that the sweet light of faith had dawned on their hard and painted faces! It was the first beautiful ray of an eternal sunrise that would slowly melt away forever the Devil's darkness from their lives. Under their make up‚ their eyes, once so dead and cold, were now alive and warmly glowing with the Lovelight of the Lord!

Martin caught his breath as his whole being tingled with the greatest thrill of all!—The thrill of being used by Jesus to woo and win priceless, immortal, everlasting souls into His Heavenly Kingdom!—Souls that would enter into the joy of the Lord‚ to live happily forever with Him!

TO BE CONTINUED!....

GLOSSARY:

sympathy — a feeling of compassion, pity or a desire to help

press conference — a meeting where a politician, celebrity or newsworthy person invites the press to hear their side of the story, by giving a speech and/or answering the press' questions

journalists — reporters for a newspaper or news organization

on-fire — inspired

Sgt. — abbreviation for "Sergeant"

avenues — manners in which to obtain or get something

goalie — in soccer, the player whose job is to stop the ball from passing over the goal for a score

maneuver — skillfully move

stockpiling — storing up

activates — makes active

constructive — useful; helpful

log — diary

long-faced — sad–looking

injustices — wrongdoings

grueling — long and tiring

trigonometry — an advanced form of math that deals with triangles

chemistry — the study of the substances that the World is made of

physics — the study of motion, matter and energy

calculus — an advanced form of math that studies relationships of quantities

indignantly — in an offended manner

ambassador — an important representative sent by one government to another

dwindled — shrunk

short-circuiting — one wire on an electrical circuit is not connected where it should be connected

physicist — a scientist who studies physics

recession — bad economic times when a lot of people are out of work

solitary confinement — to be held in a room apart from others as a punishment

Superman — a comic book "super hero"

medium — a person through whom messages from the spirit world are passed on to this World

smudged — smeared

drug dealers — people who sell illegal drugs

crack — a cheap but very addictive & dangerous drug now widely used in the U.S.

VICTORY IN BABYLON—PART SEVEN [Chapters 29-34]

THE STORY SO FAR!

18 Family kids from the Green Trees Home have been held in captivity for three days at Morfield‚ an institution run by the Children's Welfare Department. Here they have learned many precious and life-changing lessons, and have led many of the System teens and children at the institution to the Lord!

Now the next round of the battle is about to begin‚ as the Family faces its vicious enemies in court in an all-out fight for the freedom of their children!

Throughout the story, the prayers by Grandpa and Mama Maria are actual prayers they prayed during a real–life situation similar to this story. All prophecies in the story are real prophecies which were received by our Family during that same time.

CHAPTER 29: "THE DREAM!"

"Sharon ... Sharon...."

Sharon tossed restlessly on her bed.

"Sharon ... Sharon...."

Sharon awoke. It took her a few moments to remember where she was. She had just wakened from a dream in which she was living with a family known as "the Barkers." Thankfully she realized she wasn't at the Barkers' house! She was at Morfield, sleeping with Lily, Jamie and Brian in the "C" Block Toddler Room.

"Sharon ... I'm scared!" a young voice whimpered.

So it was 2-year–old Jamie who had awakened her! Sharon slid quickly out of bed.

"What's the matter‚ Jamie?" whispered Sharon, as she knelt by his cot and stroked his hand.

"Jesus is not here!" Jamie sniffled.

"Oh, Jamie, of course He is!" Sharon tenderly assured him. "Jesus is right here with you!"

"No, He's not."

"But remember we prayed and asked Jesus to take care of you‚ and you had such a happy time playing with the hamsters and the toys and sweet Miss Price? Jesus took such good care of you the whole day, didn't He? So of course He's going to be here with you the whole night too!"

"No, Jesus is gone!"

Sharon saw that her own words of comfort and reassurance were not going to do the trick. It was going to take the Word to convince him.

"Jamie, Jesus promised in His Word, 'Fear thou not, for I am with thee!'—Isa.41:10a. 'I will never leave thee nor forsake thee!'—Heb.13:5b. 'I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you.'—Jn.14:18. 'Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the World!’—Mat.28:20b. And let's whisper Psalm 23 together, shall we?" (See also Gen.28:15a; Deu.33:27a; Psa.9:10; 91:15; 139:7-12; Isa.43:2 and Jer.1:19.)

Sharon reviewed all the simple, comforting, reassuring verses she could think of, and as the Lord spoke directly to his young heart, Jamie began to grasp a wonderful truth!

"Jesus says He is here! So Jesus is here!"

Jamie began to feel soothed and comforted‚ as he received faith from the Word to believe that Jesus was very close to him after all. (See Rom.10:17.) Sparkles, the little comforter Angel, waved her wand and a beautiful, calming, comforting glow spread out over the little boy like a heavenly blanket, helping him to feel protected and loved and safe and secure.

"Jesus is always with me!" was Jamie's last thought, as he drifted peacefully back to sleep.

Sharon crawled back into bed. She lay awake for awhile, praying about her dream. She could only remember a few parts of it.

In the dream—how it happened she couldn't remember—she had been taken away from her parents and the Family and placed in government foster care*. Her foster parents were the Barkers. Mr. Barker was a successful businessman, very much involved with making money and keeping his business going. Mrs. Barker was a plump middle-aged lady with short red hair. Their 16-year-old daughter, Nancy, was not friendly to Sharon at all. She seemed angry that Sharon had come, and often did mean things to make Sharon uncomfortable. One time she even threatened Sharon with a knife.

The Barkers tried to be kind to Sharon by giving her things they thought a teen girl would want. But they were very cold in the way they treated Sharon, and did not even have a very loving or close relationship with their own daughter, Nancy. They thought they were being good to Sharon by trying to turn her into a "normal" worldly girl like their daughter. The social workers that had placed Sharon in this home had told the Barkers that she had been "deprived" of normal teen activities‚ so they gave Sharon her own room stuffed full of all kinds of teenage junk. Their TV was always blaring with programs that were occasionally interesting, but more often senseless and violent. At first some of the things had been interesting to Sharon, but it soon became clear that it was all "husks"—nothing to satisfy her spiritual hunger or feed her soul. And rather than developing a taste for the System‚ Sharon was seeing more and more how dead end it all was.

Every day she was dropped off by Mrs. Barker at the local high school. Sharon felt like she was being thrown to the lions!—Rowdy, unruly kids, with unkind and often boring teachers who couldn't control their classes. There were crowds and crowds of kids in the hallways, pushing, shoving, shouting, swearing—what could she do?

The whole dream was a nightmare! It was bad enough being at Morfield, but at least she was still with her precious brothers and sisters. But to be virtually* a prisoner alone in the System!—What a despairing thought!

There was nowhere to look but up to Jesus, for His strength and leading in a very difficult time. Sharon didn't have any Family lit with her, but she had been given a Bible, which she would read at every opportunity. Then she started a project each night of writing out the quotes she remembered from Grandpa and Mama Maria in a little booklet. She would often refer to this little booklet and read the strengthening, inspiring tidbits she had written down.

Two quotes that she remembered and which especially spoke to her were, "The greatest work in the World is to witness the Words of God, to preach the Gospel, to tell people about God's Love, to show them the Love of Jesus!" (Memory Book, "Our Job" #19)‚ and, "To love them is to weep with them that weep, to suffer with them that suffer, and to feel the agony of heart with them whose hearts are broken!" (Memory Book‚ "Our Job" #34.)

Sharon began to feel very sorry for Nancy. Here was a girl who had never had the wonderful opportunity Sharon had had of growing up in the Family, of being surrounded by loving brothers and sisters, and of living a wonderful life of faith, feeding on the Word of God through the Bible and Grandpa's Letters. She prayed that the Lord would work in Nancy's heart and make a way for Sharon to get closer to her and be a witness to her.

Mr. and Mrs. Barker and Nancy were not at all receptive to Sharon sharing her faith with them. They had attended church in the past‚ but didn't any more. And since they thought of Sharon as a child brought up in a "cult," they certainly didn't want any preaching from her. Sharon remembered Grandpa's words, "Show them the Love of Jesus," and did her best to be a loving sample, and show the Barkers the good fruit of being brought up in the Family. She wasn't sure, but she thought she caught Mrs. Barker looking at her in quite an admiring way one day as she tidied the kitchen. And one night Nancy even came to Sharon's room crying, after breaking up with her boyfriend. She only stayed a few minutes and the next day acted as cold and mean as ever, but Sharon was encouraged that maybe the Lord was gradually getting through to her.

It was a very difficult time for Sharon, but she knew that Jesus was always near. The Lord wonderfully supplied her with all the extra grace and power she needed to stand strong against the influences of the System and keep the victory‚ even though she was alone in "Babylon"! She even enjoyed the challenge of staying true to her convictions and all that she had learned in the Family!

The last part of the dream was the most exciting! There had been some kind of terrible natural disaster, and the Lord was using her to be a wonderful witness and comfort to the survivors in this time of great crisis. She had been separated from the Barkers in the catastrophe*‚ and somehow she just knew that she was going to meet up with her parents and the Family again! But just at that moment Jamie woke her up.

"Jesus, why did You let me dream all that?" Sharon asked the Lord.

Then she remembered that before falling to sleep she had been worrying a little about the upcoming court battle. What would happen if they lost? What if the children couldn't go back to their Family Homes? But now she felt reassured. Whatever the outcome, the Lord would always be there to comfort and take care of His children, and help them to be a witness and a testimony!

"Dear Jesus, please help us win the court battle!" prayed Sharon. "We really want to be back with our parents and the Family. Please answer our prayers and do miracles for us in court tomorrow! We're praying! Our parents are praying! Our worldwide Family is praying! And Grandpa and Mama are praying! So Jesus, please defeat our enemies in answer to our prayers!"

CHAPTER 30: "THE COURT HEARING!"

Peter Amsterdam approached Grandpa and Mama Maria's room. As he drew closer he heard Grandpa's rich, deep voice rumbling on the other side of the door, crying out to the Lord in desperate prayer! Respectfully, Peter tip–toed back down the hallway.

There was also a holy hush within the chamber of the King of kings at the top of Space City. Jesus was listening intently to His servant David's fervent prayers!

"Rebuke the Devourer and the Enemy!" Grandpa prayed. "Jesus, You deal with the persecutors! You deal with the liars and the enemies who hate us because we are defying their Godless System! In their hypocritical self-righteousness they're attacking us because of jealousy, envy, and because we have proven that their System is so vile and wicked!

"May this court case expose* them to the public, Lord! May it reveal their horrible, evil wickedness, how wrong they are to persecute the helpless and the innocent and the righteous! Expose their wickedness and their cruelty! Use this case to expose them, Lord! Use it to broadcast our Message‚ Thy Message of Love, Light, hope and goodness, and to expose the Devil's lies about us!

"Reveal the Truth to the ignorant public about how evil the authorities and the System have become, using these laws that are supposed to protect children, to instead attack them and their parents. Turn it back on their own heads as a witness against them! For they do fight against Thee, O God, and do lift up evil hands against Thyself and Thy Holy Child Jesus!"

Grandpa began to weep as he explained to Mama Maria, "It's Jesus they're persecuting! It's like they're trying to reach up for the Lord Himself, and get a hold of Him‚ and destroy Him!"

Then the wrath of God rose up within His Prophet, as Grandpa pounded the arm of the chair with his fist, crying out to the Lord in desperation with all of his heart, "Silence the lying tongues of the accusers of Thy Saints, in the Name of Jesus‚ we ask Thee! Raise now Thy mighty sword, Lord! We cannot deliver ourselves! We are hopeless and helpless without Thee! Deliver Thy children, Lord! Defend and protect us from them that persecute us! Show now Thy mighty arm, O God! Show Thy strength, O Lord, Thy love, Thy concern‚ Thy care for Thy little ones!

"O Jesus‚ my God, deliver those that love Thee from them that hate Thee! Deliver Thy children, in the Name of Jesus!"

Then the Holy Spirit moved Grandpa to weep softly and beautifully in tongues, as the Lord gave Grandpa a message for all of His children.

"Oh, to think they could try to raise their hand against the forces of God and the forces of Heaven that side with My David! How can they expect to overcome the children of David, for they have not got the power to do this thing! For I am with My children and I will go with them against all their enemies, and overcome all evil, and there is none that can stand against Me! I am with My people and I am with My children and I will overcome the gates of Hell and all opposition, and all the enemies are as nothing to the children of God, the children of Jesus, and the children of David! They shall overcome all the enemies and none can stand against them or stop them!"

* * * * * * *

More powerful than any spacecraft ever dreamed of in Man's space movies, the flying saucer lifted off from its launching pad and soared gracefully away from its gigantic Mother Ship‚ Space City! Then‚ passing through the silvery crust of the Moon, within which the Heavenly City was secretly enclosed, the saucer hurtled down towards the planet Earth, which shone like a glimmering blue jewel against the great blackness of Space!

Inside the saucer the atmosphere was electric with excitement! It was always an adventure to go on an Earth mission. But this assignment was particularly special because of its great importance to the Lord!

"This is such a great honor!" smiled William Gladstone*. (See page 7.)

"Yes!" agreed William Jennings Bryan*. "I feel completely unworthy."

Both of these great historical figures had been asked by the Lord to be spirit helpers to help Robert O'Riley defend the Lord's children in court. Although they were a little nervous about this big responsibility, they also were greatly encouraged by the prophecies that the Lord had just given, promising victory in the court battles ahead. The Family around the World was desperately praying and the Lord poured out hundreds of beautiful‚ faith-building prophecies.

The Archangel Michael was already in town helping Valiant and his boys set up the security around the court house.

Suddenly Auberon, the Angel piloting the flying saucer, warned that enemy saucers were approaching!

"Just as we expected," said Auberon, as he activated the flying saucer's defense shield. "The Enemy is going to try to delay us from coming to the aid of the children in their time of need!"

William Gladstone and William Jennings Bryan watched calmly as a large formation of evil black saucers rose up to meet them from the World below. They knew that thanks to all the prayer power that the Family on Earth had been sending up‚ the Lord had given them extra firepower to make sure there were no delays in getting to their destination.

The enemy saucers split in different directions and then began to attack from all sides.

Whsssssssssshhht! Whsssssssssshhht! Whsssssssssshhht!

They fired their death guns, and dark rays of evil energy zapped through space, harmlessly fizzling out as they hit the flying saucer's glowing defense shield of Heavenly light.

Whssssssssssshht! Whssssssssssssht! Whsssssssssssht!

Auberon zapped back! Laser beams of intense brilliant light shot out and locked onto the enemy spacecraft. Their demonic adversaries tried desperately to swerve out of the light rays. But in vain! In rapid succession, their black saucers exploded in a shower of fireworks, and their demon pilots tumbled back down into Hell from whence they had come!

Streaking down into the Earth's atmosphere‚ Auberon piloted the saucer to the country of their destination. Finally, as they descended through cloud level, they could see the city and the surrounding countryside below.

"That's Morfield on that hill over there," Auberon pointed out to the two Williams. "And look at how many Angels are escorting that bus! That must be the children on their way to court!"

* * * * * * *

Oh, what a joyful reunion! The older and younger groups of Family kids had met in the gym, as they waited for the bus that would drive them to court. After they had hugged and kissed and prayed, both groups had exciting testimonies to tell.

Everyone was amazed to hear the miracles the Lord had done to help Jesse and Paul lead Spud, Clarence and their whole dorm to the Lord! No one had ever seen such light and fire and conviction shining in the OC boys' eyes!

"I'm sorry that I've been so foolish and such a problem," Jesse apologized to all. "I was like the foolish man whose house was not built on the foundation of the Rock or the Word!" (See Mat.7:24-27.)

Paul also humbly apologized for his past foolishness and off-guard behavior.

"If only I had been less selfish, less self-centered and had a closer walk with the Lord," Paul said, "I could have been a bellwether and not a burden, a blessing to the younger children instead of a bad sample."

Everyone was touched by Paul and Jesse's confession. It was yet another beautiful Romans 8:28 that might not have happened if they were all still tucked safely away at Green Trees.

The bus arrived, and as the Family kids climbed on they were still bubbling over with excitement at all the Lord had done, just in the very short time that they had been apart.

The OC and MC girls, Clara, Nina, Aiko, Suzy and Precious, also had a beautiful testimony of leading four of the little girls in their quarters to the Lord!

Then the teens shared their witnessing adventures from Martin's birthday party the night before! As David was telling how he had prayed with Daryl, Sharon noticed that Gabriella was looking down in the dumps.

"Are you okay, Gabby?" she asked, sitting beside her.

"Oh, Sharon! I feel like such a dumbo. Sid was the only one who didn't get saved last night. He seemed like such a sheep, but I couldn't even lead him to the Lord!"

"Well, Grandpa and Mama Maria have said that it's only our job to witness and give people a chance to be saved. I know you were a good witness‚ and you shared your heart with Sid. And the Lord will give you just as much credit as if he had gotten saved! Maybe he will keep thinking about it and pray later—lots of people do that."(See "Witnessing Is Never Wasted!"—ML #2793, GN 516.)

"Yes, that's right‚" Gabriella agreed.

"Is there anything else on your heart‚ Gabby?"

"Well ... I'm a little worried about the court hearing. I won't have to say anything, will I? I'm just so bad at speaking in public! I'm sure I'd blow it for everybody!"

"Don't worry, you won't have to‚" Sharon assured her, "at least not today. Maybe I better explain that to everyone."

Sharon stood up in the aisle of the bus.

"PLEASE LISTEN UP, EVERYBODY! Before we all pray together, I'd like to explain that we kids will probably not have to say anything in court today, as this is not the main court battle. This first court hearing is only to decide who will take care of us right now—our parents and precious Family ... "

"YES!" all the kids shouted.

" ... Or Miss Rottweiler at Morfield?"

"NO!" everyone booed.

"Okay then, so we need to stay in desperate prayer throughout the whole day as we sit in the courtroom. We need to pray for the Lord to confound every word that our enemies try to speak against us. We need to pray for the judge‚ that the Lord will open his heart and mind to the truth and be able to judge righteous judgment. And we need to 'pray without ceasing' for our dear lawyers. They are fighting for us in court, and it is our responsibility to fight for them in prayer!"

* * * * * * *

As the bus pulled into the court house car park, they were met by Mark Pierce and Linda Mason.

"We're Robert O'Riley's legal assistants," Linda explained. "He asked us to meet you and show you into court!"

The court house was quite a busy place, with various lawyers and officials hurrying around with their hands full of papers. Sitting in the front lobby were a number of nervous-looking children and parents who were involved in other cases.

"This is Courtroom D where your case is being heard," Mark explained quietly, as they paused outside some large polished wooden doors with shiny brass knobs. "I'll show you to your seats."

The children's hearts went pitter-pat as the big courtroom doors swung open. Then their nervousness was quickly replaced by joy!

"MOMMY! DADDY!" Suzy's loud little voice rang through the echoey wooden courtroom. A buzz of excitement followed, as reporters and newsmen spun around to witness this dramatic and newsworthy moment.—The first time the children and parents had set eyes on each other since the early morning raid four days ago!

"Mommy! Daddy!" the other children excitedly exclaimed, as they started to run over to the area where their parents were sitting.

"ORDER! ORDER!" The judge demanded. The teens quickly grabbed the hands of the younger children and turned them to face the judge.

The Honorable Samuel Jeffries peered at them over the top of his spectacles.

"Very well," he smiled, "I will allow the children a few minutes to greet their parents before we begin!"

It was hard for the hardest heart not to be moved as the children rushed into the open arms of their beloved mommies and daddies! It was obvious to everyone from their emotional greetings, hugs, kisses‚ and words of love and encouragement that both the children and parents were overjoyed to see each other!

Then some of the children went up to greet Robert O'Riley, whom they recognized as the kind man who had visited them at Morfield, and showered him with hugs and kisses too!

The CWD's lawyer, Patricia Snell, looked on in dismay.

"Uh-oh. I can see that the judge and the reporters are getting drawn in by the children being so lovey dovey‚" she whispered to Sgt. Biggs and Miss Rottweiler.

"Drat!" snarled Miss Rottweiler. "We're not off to a very good start. They look so genuine!"

CHAPTER 31: "THE RELEASE!"

In a home in a plush suburb far away from the courtroom, another drama was unfolding with 14-year-old Janet Walters. She came home from school, ran upstairs and threw herself on her bed, "I just can't take another day at school!"

That very day a gang of boys at school had had a terrible fight, and two of them were taken off in an ambulance. Last week someone in her class had been shot in an argument. Gangs and drug dealers roamed the corridors and the playgrounds.

"Everything is so awful!" she despaired. "This whole World is so evil and violent and crazy and falling apart. I wish I could talk to someone, but Mom's always too busy. God, if there is a God, please help me! I can't see anything in this World that's worth living for!"

Suddenly she heard a car outside. "Mom is home already! I can't tell her what I'm thinking. She'll never understand."

She dried her tears and ran quickly downstairs into the living room and switched on the TV. As her mom came in, Janet pretended that she had been watching it the whole time.

"This is Pat Donaldson with 'News Hour'!"

"Hi, Mom. You're home early."

"Yes, I wasn't feeling so well. I've brought us dinner from MacDonalds again. I hope you don't mind."

Pat: "And our main story on 'News Hour' today: The children of 'The Family' religious sect are released!"

"That's unlike you to watch the news, Janet."

"Yes, well ... er ... I'm interested in this story. Look! There are the kids that were taken in that raid!"

Pat: "These scenes of joyful reunion are coming to us live from the steps of the court house where Judge Samuel Jeffries has just announced his decision to release the children of the Family into the custody of their parents. This has followed three days of lively court hearings in which the Children's Welfare Department and police failed to convince the judge that the Family were guilty of any of the serious allegations* that had been brought against them. Our reporter on the scene is Kevin Harris."

"WE'VE GOT A LOT, WE'VE GOT A LOT, WE'VE GOT A LOT TO BE THANKFUL FOR! ... "

Kevin Harris: "Behind me some of the parents and children are singing and praising God for their victory in round one of their court battle with the CWD (Children's Welfare Department) and police. We can't show the children's faces, because they are involved in this legal battle, but you can hear their happy voices ... "

"WE'VE GOT OUR FAMILY, WE'VE GOT OUR FAMILY, WE'VE GOT OUR FAMILY TO BE THANKFUL FOR!"

Kevin Harris: "Here with me are some of the teens and children, along with their lawyer‚ Robert O'Riley."

Teens David, Sharon and Love, eight-year-old Jesse‚ and four-year-old Precious: "Hi‚ everybody!"

Kevin: "Mr. O'Riley, some say that you have been risking your reputation by defending the Family in this case."

Robert O'Riley: "Not at all!—Because I am so convinced of the Family's sincerity and innocence. In fact, Kevin, this is one of the most moving and rewarding experiences of my entire life to see these wonderful children released. I think it's outrageous the way they've been treated! It's the biggest bungle* the police and the social services in this country have ever made."

Kevin: (Pointing his microphone at the Family kids.) "Just how have you been treated by the CWD in the week that you've been in their custody?"

David: "Well, when we first arrived at the institution where we were imprisoned we were shocked‚ to say the least! The toilets were dirty! The kitchen was filthy! We had to do a major clean–up of the bathrooms and the dormitories before we could even let our younger brothers and sisters use them. We found it quite revolting actually, as our own Home is always kept very clean‚ and we have never lived in such conditions before."

Kevin: "You said that you were 'imprisoned'. Surely the CWD would say that you were under their protection and care!"

Love: "Ha! That's a laugh! Here the CWD were supposed to be protecting us from child abuse, and almost as soon as I got there I was harassed by one of their lesbian social workers!"

David: "We were treated worse than prisoners, because they even denied us our basic legal rights. They refused to let us contact our lawyer or parents, and wouldn't even tell us why we were being held!"

Sharon: "That's right! They repeatedly lied to us and tried to trick us into saying things they could use against us! After two days they cruelly separated the younger children from us teens, so that they could more easily interrogate and try to deprogram the little ones!"

Precious: "And they wouldn't even let me put up my picture of Jesus!"

Janet and her mother glanced at each other and smiled.

"Cute!"

Then their gaze quickly returned to the TV. They were both fascinated. They had never heard teens or children like these!

Kevin: "So you've obviously no regrets about leaving the institution!"

Sharon: "No regrets whatsoever! My heart goes out to the other teens and children who have to continue staying there. We're so thankful we were able to help them and lead them to Jesus."

Kevin: "What do you think about the stories in the newspapers that say that you children are forced to do what you are doing, and are severely punished if you don't?"

Jesse: "Those are just lies made up by the people who are trying to hurt our parents because of their religious beliefs. We have a wonderful Family, and the sweetest, most loving parents in the World! We're very happy, and we don't want to do anything else with our lives but live the way we do now!"

Kevin: "Our station has received information which says just the opposite about life within the Family."

David: "Well, I'm sorry, we don't know anything about that, but it doesn't surprise us to hear about these slanderous lies! It is not the first time vicious allegations have been brought against us by our enemies and disgruntled* ex-Members! They are trying to destroy our good work, so of course they'll cook up the most horrible stories they can imagine to try to slander us."

Sharon: "But despite what some disgruntled ex-members may say about the Family, we know that the Lord has used Father David to bring us God's Message and to teach us how to love and serve Jesus, and we have been able to bring thousands and thousands of others to know Jesus too!"

David: "In fact, Mr. Harris, you or anybody watching can receive Jesus and His free gift of Eternal Life right now, simply by praying and asking Him into your heart! Why don't you ask Him in right now?" (David spoke boldly.)

Kevin Harris: (A little embarrassed) "Er ... yes, well, I can certainly tell that you young people do have sincere religious beliefs."

David: "You bet we do! And that's why we are being persecuted! In fact, we see this vicious attack against the Family as just the beginning of the worldwide persecution that the Bible predicts will come upon all peoples of faith in the Last Days‚ the days we are now living in. The Bible prophecies about the rise of an anti-Christ one-world government are coming to pass now! (See Dan.11:21-45; 2Thes.2:1-12; Rev.13:1-18.)

Kevin Harris: (Tries to cut David off) "Well, thank you very much, kids ... "

David: "I'd like to say one final thing to the freedom-loving citizens of this country, if I may! How soon and how easily these anti-God forces take over the World has a lot to do with how you, the general public, react when the rights and freedoms of people like us are trampled upon! If such things can happen to us today, who will be the victims tomorrow? Will you? Or your children?

"So we appeal to you, whether your personal beliefs are the same as ours or not, to stand up and to speak out against such outrageous religious persecution as we are having to endure. Your prayers and support will not only be greatly appreciated, but are greatly needed! God bless you!"

Others: (Waving) "We love you!"

Sharon: "And remember that Jesus is the only answer to your problems and the whole World's problems! Just take Jesus!"

All: "Bye!"

Kevin Harris: Now with me is Miss Snell, lawyer for the Children's Welfare Department ... "

Click.

Janet and her mother sat in silence for a moment. Then Janet threw her arms around her mom for the first time in what seemed like years.

"I love you, Mom," she whispered, nestling her head on her mom's shoulder.

"I love you too, Janet," replied her mom, "so much! I'm sorry I haven't shown you enough love, my dear."

"Oh, I understand, Mom. I know you're busy."

Her mother tenderly stroked Janet's hair.

"I tell you what. How about we do something fun together tonight? That is, after I've cooked you a decent meal, for a change!"

"Oh yeah, sure, Mom!" Janet grinned. "That would be great!"

The mother and daughter lingered* on in their embrace for another precious minute. They couldn't explain it, but both felt it. Something had changed inside of them.

Janet felt she had the courage to go on living after all!

* * * * * * *

Janet and her mom were not the only two people in the country who had silently asked Jesus to come into their heart when David slipped in the Salvation message during the TV interview.

Only the Lord, and the Bookkeeper Angel who faithfully recorded every Salvation in the Book of Life knew the exact number, but it was in the hundreds, if not thousands! Tens of thousands more had seen the sample and had gotten the warning message!

Daniel and Joseph‚ at Heavenly Headquarters, were flipped! The Lord's plan was working, as always, and was already bearing much fruit!

"Praise God! It's terrific!" Daniel rejoiced, as he playfully did a hop‚ skip and somersault. Then he passed on the Lord's congratulations to the team on Earth.

"All that fruit from just the first court hearing! And the big court battle is yet to begin!"

* * * * * * *

Senator J.W. Green, chairman of the government's powerful Finance Committee, quickly threw a robe over his pajamas and hurried down to his private study. Nervously he approached the ringing special red security phone. Only one person would phone him on this phone at this time of night.

"Hello‚ Senator Green speaking. ... Oh, hello, Sir ... "

Even though it was a chilly night, the senator's palms began to sweat. He was right. It was "the Commander."—Not of the senator's country, but of the secret World government, and Senator Green was one of the few in his nation who were "in the know" about this international organization.

"Oh, you heard ... " the senator gulped nervously. "I'm very, very sorry, Sir ... er, however Rottweiler and Biggs have assured me that we'll do better in the main court case. We've tried to make sure things will go our way ... Yes, Sir, I realize how important it is that we win this case ... Yes, Sir, I agree that we have to smash this organization whatever the cost ... yes, Sir ... all power to you and the 666 World government! ... Goodnight!"

CHAPTER 32: "HOME SWEET HOME!"

Oh, what a wonderful homecoming! Oh, what a beautiful feeling to be back safe and secure with their beloved parents and Family at Green Trees! Oh, what a time of rejoicing and joy and praise and thanksgiving! The court hearings had lasted three days, which meant they had been at Morfield for a total of seven days. One week as "captives in Babylon" had helped the children appreciate their "heaven on earth" so much more.

But as Uncle Peter had explained‚ the battle was not over yet. Powerful enemy forces were still arrayed against them! The big court case was still to come! But at least they were now no longer at Morfield! They were Home, sweet Home!

"Can you imagine‚" testified Martin‚ "as we were leaving Morfield‚ Miss Rottweiler ordered us to give back everything that the CWD had bought for us!—Track suits, sports shoes, new clothes. I even had to give back the Walkman they gave me for my birthday! It really exposed to us how those people were not concerned at all about our welfare. They had just been trying to tempt us with the System's goodies."

Even though the Family kids were now all safely home, their contact with the Children's Welfare Department was not entirely over. The judge had allowed the CWD social workers to make regular visits to Green Trees to check on the children.

At first the children acted very cold towards these unwelcome intruders. This was quite understandable considering what these people had done to them. It was also good in that it clearly showed the CWD that the children loved their parents and they didn't want to be with the CWD!

But then, after a few tense and uncomfortable visits, Auntie Praise got the children together for a little pow-wow.

"It's true," she explained, "that these people are trying to stop us from witnessing and doing the Lord's Work. But we mustn't get bitter towards them! Jesus told us to 'Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.'—Mat.5:44. (See also Pro.25:21,22; Mat.5:43-47 and Luk.6:32–35.) Who knows? Maybe we can win them to Jesus if we talk to them about the Lord, quote our verses, sing to them, and are kind to them and show them God's Love. Of course, if they don't respond to our witness‚ then we don't have to keep on loving and trying to help them forever, but we should at least try!"

As it turned out, most of the social workers weren't sheepy. They were obviously just using their visits to spy on the children and parents, to try to find further "evidence" to use against the Family in the upcoming court case. However, a couple of them did get saved and became very friendly, thank the Lord!

A young policeman had also become a good friend of the Family. His name was Bill. Jeremy and Angel had witnessed to him at the time of the raid while he was searching through their things. He had an 18-month-old son of his own, so they had told him about how the Family teaches the younger children Bible stories, and uses word cards and math dots. He then started coming over to the Home when he was off duty to learn more and to fellowship. He was a very precious fellow‚ and a good example to the children of a good Godly policeman, doing what the Lord intended policemen to do. ("For he is the minister of God to thee for good."—Rom.13:4a.)

The legal battle and having friends, social workers, newspaper reporters, and their lawyers visiting Green Trees at all times‚ had helped unite their Home like never before! Parents‚ teens and children prayed and worked together to be a living, loving sample of their Family life and Message that they were preaching to the media and in court.

Then there were the prophecies! The children were deeply moved when they found out that thousands of Family Members they'd never met‚ scattered over the whole World, had come together as one before the Lord to fight and agonize for them in prayer, as their very own beloved children!

Every precious promise that the Lord had spoken in the prophecies was a wonderful source of faith, strength and encouragement!—To know that the Lord and His Heavenly Hosts were in total control of the whole situation, and that a glorious victory was assured!

However‚ even victors in the battle have a few battle wounds, and their week at Morfield had had an effect on some of the younger children's behavior, and they had a little trouble settling back into their normal routines. Some of them also had a few bad dreams. One night Suzy was talking in her sleep, groaning, "Please don't ask me any more questions!"

This was heartbreaking for the parents to think that this experience might have a lasting bad effect on the little ones, who were too young to fully understand what had happened.

They then pow-wowed with the children all the good things that had come out of this experience.—How it could become a good memory because of all the wonderful lessons they had learned from it. They should be happy and rejoice because they had a chance to suffer for Jesus, and that He was so proud of them! (See Acts 5:41 and Heb.11:16.)

Sure enough, after a good cleansing prayer over the spiritual effects that the raid and Morfield might have had on the kids, and with lots of extra Word and prayer and hugs and kisses and tender loving care, the children began getting healed from their battle wounds.

Then came an unexpected and wonderful surprise!—A personal letter to the children from their loving and concerned Shepherdess, Mama Maria herself, giving them just the comfort they needed:

Dear Children,

My heart goes out to you, and as you know, Grandpa and I have prayed desperately for you. We are so thankful that the Lord has brought you home again to your families.

You've been in the battle, and the Lord is going to reward you because you've suffered for His sake! But because of the battle, you have some battle wounds like every soldier gets who really fights! What are some of your wounds? Some of you are having nightmares, some of you aren't getting along so well with your brothers and sisters, some of you are fearful and clinging to your parents, you're being rowdy, and you're having to learn again how to communicate lovingly with others and trust your Shepherds and teachers. These are some of the results of the experience you went through. These are your battle wounds. But what do you do with wounds? Do you do nothing about them and wait and see if they get better? No, you tend them‚ you clean and bandage them, and you take good care of them.—And in time they heal! Wounds are something that every soldier gets, but they heal. Jesus promised, "I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds."—Jer.30:17a.

You don't have to be fearful. You don't have to worry. Because if a situation like that happens again, you know that the Lord will see you through!—And you'll receive double reward! It's not something to fear or worry about. From your own experience as well as from the Word, you know that Jesus will take care of you. You can look back and remember that the Lord delivered you safely, just as He's told you He always will.—And He was with you in all your troubles, just as He promised: "Lo, I am with you alway."—Mat.28:20b. The Lord has promised that you're His children, and you're going to be His witnesses to the End! No matter what you're doing or where you are, He is with you. You've always got Him, and you're going to be accomplishing His purpose! Hallelujah!

God bless you for being wonderful soldiers and shining examples for Jesus! Soldiers in men's armies who are wounded in battle get special medals. When soldiers in the Lord's Army are wounded, they get eternal Heavenly rewards which are much better. "If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him!"—2Tim.2:12a. "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne...."—Rev.3:21. Hallelujah!

Keep looking to the Lord and the Word, and we know the Lord will pull you through—shining more brightly than ever! We love you!

Love, Mama Maria

* * * * * * *

"Guess who's coming over to visit us today?" Auntie Praise asked the children.

"Who, Auntie Praise? Please tell us!"

"Our dear friend, Mr. O'Riley, our lawyer!"

"Oh, goodie!"

All of the children and teens were very impressed with Robert O'Riley, and were so thankful that the Lord had raised up such a good, and famous, fiery lawyer to defend them. In preparation for the big court case, each one of the children had been to see Mr. O'Riley for a personal interview at his office. This dear man had taken the extra step of wanting to get to know the children individually, so that he could speak from a full heart about each one of them in court.

"Is Mr. O'Riley feeling better now?" asked little Suzy‚ who remembered that a week ago the children had been asked to make some "get well" cards for him, in which they wrote lots of healing verses.

"I sure hope so!" Auntie Praise answered her. "We've really been praying for him!"

Robert O'Riley's visit to the Green Trees Home went very well indeed. He was so impressed with the setup of the house and how the children were cared for and schooled. He commented‚ "This is such a pleasant and peaceful atmosphere for the children to be brought up in. Now I understand why you like to live communally! The CWD make it sound like you're living in a dirty, over-crowded home‚ which isn't the case at all. I'm so glad I came‚ because I never imagined it would be so nice!"

After a tour of the Home, Robert O'Riley sat down in the living room area and the children came in group by group and did a little performance for him. The YCs, Precious, Suzy‚ Aiko and Nina, recited a poem about love and consideration for others, and the OCs and JETTs sang a song each.

"Thank you so much!" he beamed. "It's a real privilege to be able to sit and listen to you. You're all such wonderful children!"

Then, just as Love was about to sing a song, Robert O'Riley clutched his side and gasped in pain. He looked a little embarrassed as he explained to the children, "It's okay ... I get a pain there sometimes. But don't worry, I'll be alright."

Uncle Peter looked concerned. "Would you like us to pray for you?" he asked.

"Well, I don't believe like you all do," Robert O'Riley confessed, "but, yes, please do pray for me."

As the children gathered around and lay hands on him and earnestly asked the Lord to heal the pain in his side, Robert O'Riley looked very touched.

"Thank you so much!" he smiled, as the prayers ended. "I appreciate your concern, I really do!"

Later, as Uncle Peter walked him to his car, Robert O'Riley confessed, "Peter, I didn't want to worry the children, but it's only fair to tell you that I've got cancer! I'm having radiation treatment*, and I feel much better than I did, so I'm sure I'll pull through!"

"I'm so sorry to hear that!" said Peter sympathetically. "We'll be praying every day for the Lord to heal you, and I know He'll answer and give you the strength needed for the task ahead. But‚ please, get all the rest you need, and don't wear yourself out working on our case."

"No, that's what's keeping me alive and kicking!" smiled Robert O'Riley. "I'm going to keep those beautiful kids free from the clutches of the CWD, if it's the last thing I do!"

CHAPTER 33: "ROTTWEILER ON THE STAND!"

"I'd like to call the first witness! ... Miss Geraldine Rottweiler!"

Two months had passed since the children had been released from Morfield. And now the day had finally arrived! The big court battle had begun!

On one side of the courtroom sat the Family's lawyers, Robert O'Riley, Mark Pierce and Linda Mason. Behind them sat the parents and children.

On the other side of the courtroom sat the lawyer for the Children's Welfare Department, Patricia Snell, and her assistants.

Judge Thomas Walker was presiding over the case. He was sitting behind a raised desk at the front.

The rest of the courtroom was packed with newspaper and television reporters.—Not to mention the Angels and spirit helpers!

Imagine if the newsmen could have peeked into the Spirit World and seen the host of holy ghosts who were sitting around them.—That would have made headlines for sure! What an honor to be brushing shoulders with such famous Biblical personalities as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego! Also present were the two Williams, William Gladstone and William Jennings Bryan. They were sitting on either side of Robert O'Riley.

The television news people would also have been amazed at the heavenly communication system that was broadcasting this exciting courtroom drama live to every mansion in Space City. Millions of Heavenly citizens were rooting and cheering and praying for the children, as they tuned into the action on channel 7 of their Heavenly Communicators.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" Miss Rottweiler was asked, as she placed her hand on a Bible.

"I do," she replied.

Patricia Snell then proceeded to question Miss Rottweiler about why the CWD felt they needed to take the children from their Family Homes, using the question and answer session in such a way as to slander* the Family.

The Family kids had heard about false witnesses who lie against the Family‚ but this was their first time to see one in action. It was almost unbelievable how anybody could spout off so much bad about so much good! It was all the teens could do to stop themselves from jumping up and calling Miss Rottweiler a liar to her face.

"There's one thing we can do!" Sharon reminded them. "Pray! And claim Scriptures!"

"That's right!" whispered Jesse. "'The Lord shall fight for you‚ and ye shall hold your peace!'—Ex.14:14. (See also Deu.1:30; 3:22 and 20:4.) 'Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous!' —Psa.31:18. (See also Psa.27:12; 109:1-4; 120:2 and 1Pet.3:16.) Thank You Jesus, that praying is not the least we can do, it's the most we can do!"

"Hey‚ remember some of those prophecies?" Paul whispered excitedly. "The Lord said we could expect miracles to happen in the courtroom!—Our enemies saying things they don't mean to, and being confused on the witness stand!"

"That's right!" remembered Danny. "Yes, Lord, we claim that for Miss Rottweiler!"

Valiant looked thoughtfully at the other Heavenly Helpers and smiled.

* * * * * * *

"Your witness, Mr. O'Riley!"

Miss Snell smiled smugly, as she finished questioning Miss Rottweiler. She had helped make the Family sound like the most wicked and sinister* group in the World. The press was eating it up.

There was an expectant hush as Robert O'Riley arose from his defense lawyer's table. His footsteps echoed dramatically on the wooden courtroom floor as he approached Miss Rottweiler in the witness box.

"Miss Rottweiler, what exactly do you have against the Family? What are your concerns?"

"Er ... well, one of our main concerns is that they have been, or will be abused. When the children turn 12 they are considered adults and are forced to have sex."

"Did the children tell you this in their interviews?"

"Well ... er ... no ... they all denied being involved in any sexual activity."

"Then why do you think they had been abused?"

"Number one, the Family literature said so. Number two, the ex-members told us, and number three‚ we read police reports."

"Well, what do you know about the literature? How much have you read?"

"Um ... er ... well, I admit not much."

"Is what you've read 'bad' enough to cause you to want to take these 18 children away from their parents?"

"On its own, no. But there were also the ex-members' stories."

"But didn't you consider that their stories might be rather one-sided and exaggerated?—A bit like when marriages break up and there are bitter feelings involved?"

"No, we didn't take that into consideration."

"So you believed all that the ex–members told you?"

"Yes."

"And you believed the police reports?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you believe the children when they said they weren't abused?"

"Um ... I ... "

"Miss Rottweiler, please name which of these 18 children who are before the court were sexually abused, and by whom."

"Well ... er ... I admit that we don't have any definite information that proves that any of them were sexually abused."

There was a buzz of surprise among the newsmen in the courtroom. The CWD had justified the raid to the public by saying that all of the children had been sexually abused. But now they were admitting the opposite.

Miss Rottweiler continued, "Er ... but there are other forms of abuse that cause us great concern!"

"And what are these 'concerns', may I ask?"

"The children are kept isolated from mainstream* society. They are not able to socialize with other children outside the Family. We're very concerned about that."

"I see. But did you notice that any of the children had a drug abuse problem?"

"No."

"Did you notice any violence amongst them?"

"No."

"Any drinking problems?"

"No."

"So it seems that a certain amount of isolation from the evils of society has been good for these children! How about within the Family? Don't you feel that the children have good communication and socialization within the group?"

"Yes, I can't deny that."

"Then how do you know that they don't have good socialization outside the group as well?"

"Well ... um ... "

Miss Rottweiler put her hand to her head. For some reason her mind just wasn't as clear as usual. And no wonder! Valiant had stepped into the witness box with her and was fuzzing up her thinking! Robert O'Riley continued his attack.

"You talk about the Family keeping their children separate from the rest of society.—But what about those of some of the orthodox* Jewish groups, who encourage their children not to mix with Gentiles? Are you also planning to take away their children? And what about the fundamentalist* Muslims, who call all non-Muslims 'infidels'? Will you also take away their kids? And what's to stop you from busting down the door of every Quaker, or Jehovah's Witness, or Seventh-day Adventist, or Mormon, or Hindu, or any religion with which you do not agree, and taking their children away too?!"

Unlike Miss Rottweiler, Robert O'Riley had never been able to think so clearly. His extra "umph" was being fuelled not only by the desperate prayers of the children and parents in court, but also by the prayers of Grandpa, Mama Maria and the worldwide Family. He also had the help of the two Williams, who were in great form! William Gladstone inspired Robert to point his finger dramatically at Miss Rottweiler, as he slammed the next point home.

"Miss Rottweiler! I put it to you that your department has no genuine love or concern for the well-being of these children! Is it not true that your final goal is to crush and disband the entire Family and take their children away completely so that you can brainwash and deprogram them from their religious beliefs?"

"Objection!" Miss Snell called out. "It's not Miss Rottweiler that's on trial today!"

"Objection sustained*!" Justice Walker decided. "Please stick to the point, Mr. O'Riley."

"Very well, your Honor. The point is this: These children were cruelly torn apart from their parents purely on rumors that they had been abused.—Rumors provided by bitter and disgruntled enemies! Yet after thoroughly testing and examining and interrogating the children, the CWD have not been able to find one shred of evidence of child abuse or neglect of any kind—sexual‚ physical, mental, or emotional! In fact, Miss Rottweiler, isn't it true that you found just the opposite?—That far from being abused or neglected, these children are happy, healthy‚ emotionally stable, intelligent, articulate*, and well cared for?"

The eyes of everyone in court turned to look at the Family children.

"They sure don't look like abused children to me!" whispered one reporter to another. "They look alert and happy and well cared for. They've been sitting in court like Angels!"

* * * * * * *

After five days of intense cross-examination*, Miss Rottweiler was still in the witness box. Robert O'Riley wanted to keep her on the hot seat for as long as possible so that they could expose her wicked motives, and show clearly that she did not have the best interests of the children in mind.

From then on, as the Family lawyers continued to relentlessly expose the shameful injustices that her department had committed, Miss Rottweiler began to crack up under the pressure. It took her longer and longer to answer questions, and she began to get confused and blurt out things that she didn't even mean to say!

The big shocker came when she unexpectedly admitted that the raid had been "incorrect," and that her department was no longer seeking the full-time care of the children. This latest bombshell was headlines in every major newspaper!

Miss Rottweiler's daily humiliation in court was being followed with great interest by the general public.

As Robert O'Riley continued to cross–examine her, she began to look more and more on the verge of a complete breakdown. Finally, at the beginning of her tenth day in the witness box, she completely "lost it" and broke down in tears‚ jabbering hysterically, "Leave me alone ... I can't stand coming back here day after day ... I can't think properly ... there's nothing going on inside my mind .... Please don't make me go back in that box ... I go dizzy ... I just can't take it any more ... no, please, not the box...."

All this, of course, was eagerly lapped up by the hungry news hounds, who described her breakdown in dramatic detail!

CHAPTER 34: "ROBERT'S REWARD!—The Ultimate Trip!"

Robert O'Riley lay in bed listening to the beautiful Tape of Family music. He had felt fine up until a couple of days ago, but then he had suddenly collapsed at his office and been rushed to the hospital. Apparently the radiation treatment had not been working and his cancer had gotten worse. He still felt sure that he would recover, though. He had to, for the Family children's sake. He had to get back to court.

"That was nice of the Family to bring me these Tapes," he thought. He relaxed and closed his eyes and listened deeply to the soothing sound of the sweet music. "Wow‚ just listen to those heavenly bells! It's so gorgeous!"

Then suddenly Robert realized that the bells were not part of the music coming from the tape-recorder. He opened his eyes. "Then where are they coming from?" he wondered. "They're getting louder and louder!" He got out of bed to investigate.

"Hey, I feel great!" he thought. "What am I doing in bed? I need to get back to court to defend the children!" He looked at all the cute little "get well" cards that they had made for him, which were standing cheerfully on his bedside table. "Their prayers for me must have worked! I've never felt so good!"

Just then a nurse came in.

"Excuse me, nurse, but where are those bells coming from? ... Nurse ... nurse!"

The nurse didn't seem to hear him. Robert O'Riley followed her over to his bed trying to get her attention. Suddenly he couldn't believe his eyes! He was watching the nurse bending over his sleeping body trying to wake him up.

"But how can I be standing here looking at myself in the bed?" he wondered.

Then suddenly it began to dawn on him.

"If I'm standing here looking at my own body‚ then that means I must be ... am I ... could I be ... dead?"

His first thought was, "Why was I ever afraid of death, or imagined that it was some terrible thing? I didn't even know I had died until it had already happened. Wow, this is fantastic!" he thought, as he enjoyed the wonderful, delightful‚ exhilarating feeling of weightlessness and being free from his tired old sick body.

By this time the nurse had shouted for a doctor, who was pounding on his chest trying to revive him. Robert O'Riley tried to yell at them that he was fine and standing right behind them, but they couldn't hear him.

Then suddenly he was hit by a great feeling of loneliness and isolation.

"Oh, my goodness‚" he began to despair, "I can't even get their attention! I'm cut off from the whole World! They don't even know that I still exist! I'm here all alone!"

Suddenly, Robert O'Riley remembered the time that Peter and Praise had visited him in his office and asked him about his beliefs. He told them he respected everybody's right to believe in whatever they wanted, and that was the reason why he took the Family's case. But he had made it clear to them that he didn't have any beliefs himself and that he didn't want to be preached to. The truth was, he now realized, he had been too proud to humble himself in front of them to receive Jesus.

"Oh, Jesus," he prayed, "is it too late to receive You now?"

Suddenly a beautiful voice called his name. He turned to see a gorgeous girl with wavy blonde hair and a shimmering white gossamer* gown of glistening light.

"Hi, Robert!" smiled the girl. "I was sent to greet you!"

"Are you one of the Family?" asked Robert‚ so relieved to see someone who had the same kind of shining eyes and smiling face as theirs.

"Yes," she smiled. "My name is Phoebe."

Now Robert could tell where the sweet heavenly sound of the bells was coming from. They were coming from Above, as though they were calling him to come Upward!

"Come! Hold my hand!" beamed Phoebe.

"Where are we going?" smiled Robert. He had never felt so loved, relaxed, and completely at ease.

"We'll be flying out of Earth's atmosphere through a long dark tunnel to a place more wonderful than anywhere you ever imagined! Hold tight! This is the Ultimate Trip!"

* * * * * * *

"Is something the matter, Honey?" asked Praise, as Uncle Peter soberly put down the phone receiver.

"Er ... yes." Peter sat down by Praise. "Jesus, please be with us and help us as I share this news‚" he prayed. "That was Mark Pierce," he told Praise. He called to tell us that at 3:30 this afternoon Robert O'Riley died in the hospital."

Both Peter and Praise were silent for a few moments‚ stunned by this shocking news.

Then Praise reached for Peter's hand and they prayed together, "Dear Jesus," prayed Praise, "we know Your ways are not our ways, and we don't understand why this happened. But we pray that you will bear Robert up in Your arms. You said that he that receiveth us, receiveth You, and we claim that for dear Robert."

"Yes, Lord," continued Peter, "and please comfort his loved ones. Thank You that it doesn't seem that he had to suffer too much‚ but that You relieved him of that."

"And thank You that he has been such a blessing to us in our case," continued Praise. "We know and we trust that You do all things well, so we pray that You will continue to be with us and fill in the gap that Robert has left."

"And Lord," added Peter, "please help us as we share this news with the others and with the children. Amen."

Peter squeezed Praise's hand. "I must admit, I have a hard time understanding why the Lord would have allowed this to happen. We prayed for him to get better, and I don't know how we can carry on the court case without him."

"Well, Honey, I'm sure the Lord must have a very good reason. 'His ways are not our ways.' (See Isa.55:8 and 9.) Let's call a Home meeting and pray and ask the Lord why."

PRAYER AND PROPHECIES REGARDING ROBERT O'RILEY

(Uncle Peter prays:) "Lord, we are coming before You now with a question. We know that you do all things well, yet it is a mystery to us why You took Robert O'Riley Home at this time and why You didn't heal him. Because to us, in our carnal minds, it seems like he was so very important to our case, and he put his heart into it. He had a love for us, a love for Your Family, and it just seems strange to us that You didn't heal him at this time. Jesus, Your Word does promise that You would reveal Your secrets to Your servants the Prophets and that the hidden things will be revealed. (See Amos 3:7 and Mat.10:26.) We pray now that You would speak to us and show us clearly why this happened, in Your name we pray."

After speaking in tongues and then getting quiet, Uncle Peter also prayed that the Lord would help the Green Trees Family not to fear to "step out on the waters" and give whatever He gave them.

(Note: The following prophecies are ones actually received when one of our main lawyers for one case died.)

Mary: "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in Man. For I sent thee to this man to be a witness unto him, that through your witness I might bring him into My Kingdom. Rejoice with this man, for he hath entered into an eternal reward. For he that receiveth you receiveth Me. Now he knows what it is to know joy unspeakable."

Ben: "For I have yet many people to raise up for you. I have yet many people in this country to win. Fear not! Have I let you down this far? Have ye not gone from strength to strength and from victory to victory? Ye were despised and hated of all men, yet I have raised you up to where you are now admired by many! The Word is gone forth into all the land. Rejoice with Me!—For My children do hear the Word and are gathered to Me!

"I will never leave you nor forsake you. You are Mine. I guard you jealously. I will raise up for you a new advocate. I will do a new thing in the land, that you might glorify Me and praise Me more!"

Sharon: "You have an advocate with the Father‚ for he is with Me. Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die‚ it abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. For he hath planted himself into the Work. He hath received the words and testimonies of My children into his heart. He shall aid and help those that fight for you! For My Word hath not returned void. That which hath been invested and planted in him shall prosper and grow, and he shall be a help to many, an advocate, a helper‚ a present help in time of trouble. For ye have need of many that shall fight for you and defend you, and I shall work through many. For I have need of many helpers‚ just as I have Abner and Phoebe. Lo, I shall have many to help you, and he is one of them."

David: "Lest the people say, 'Robert O'Riley has defended us!' It is I the Lord that must deliver you. I am the Lord, the God of all strength. Hope in God, and I shall deliver you."

Jeremy: "I have taken him from the few‚ that he might be a blessing unto the many. For now he can help in many places, whereas before he could only help in one. Behold, I say unto you, the people of this nation seek after a sign, but no sign shall be given unto them except the sign of My children. If I had miraculously healed him, it would have been a sign that all would have feared and known that I was on thy side. But I seek those who seek after Truth, not those who seek after miracles. I seek those who would believe My Words and accept them and rejoice, not those who would come merely for loaves and fishes, for healing.

"So I worked My Work in his life, I brought him low that he might be brought to Me. Now that he is Home, rejoice with Me‚ for this son who once was lost is now found, and is Home forever!"

Peter: "Did anyone else get something?"

Jesse: "God doesn't take away anything without giving you something better in return."

Bathsheba: "The example came to me several times of Elijah on Mount Carmel pouring water on the sacrifice. (See 1Kgs.18:33-39.) The Lord took away our best lawyer, but He will give us the victory anyway."

Gabriella: "I got the Letter, 'Stand in the Gap' about Abner. It was like Robert O'Riley was going to stand in the gap for us on the Other Side."

Sharon: "I got a picture of Pandita Ramabai‚ how she gave not half, but all that was left of her life to the cause. I also got a picture of Robert O'Riley still defending the Family, even when he was really sick and in pain. I got the impression that it really touched the Lord's heart."

Peter: "I was getting how this could be one of the main reasons for our involvement with the courts, to give us an opportunity to reach these men, who normally we would probably not come in contact with. Looking at it this way, it certainly makes the long drawn-out process of a court battle much easier to bear, and makes us see the wonderful witnessing opportunities the Lord has forced us into. Praise the Lord!"

(From Naomi: I missed the meeting, because I was helping to look after the younger children. But later, as I was listening to the tape of the meeting, the Lord started to give me a prophecy, which I wrote down:)

"Thou art in need of an advocate. For this warfare is not fought in the flesh, but in the spirit. What better representative could I have to fight for My children than one who has touched the heart and soul of thy little ones? For this warfare is not carnal, it is not of the Earth and earthly, but it is a spiritual warfare and I need an advocate for My children.

"I raised him up, knowing that his time was short. I trained him‚ I put it within his heart to have a burden for the children, to know them, to love them, to care for them, to see their pure hearts and their love for Me. I could have chosen one who was strong, one who was healthy, one who had a long life and successful career ahead of him‚ but I chose this one who was broken in health and broken in spirit.

"He knew his time was short, he knew this was his last case, that is why he put his heart into it, because he knew his time was at hand and he did it for Me. In his heart of hearts, he knew he was doing it for Me. He loved Me through the children. Now he is My advocate, fighting for you in the Spirit. He is thy Heavenly representative to help fight the forces of evil that would seek to destroy you."

(Note: A transcript of the above prophecies was sent to Grandpa, and upon reading them he received the following from the Lord: "These Words that I have spoken are true and faithful as I have given them unto them that have received them and believed them, and for the encouragement of thy father.")

"What a wonderful miracle that the Lord gave us such beautiful answers about Robert," commented Peter to Praise later that evening. "It's wonderful that the Lord confirmed that Robert is with Him in Heaven!"

"Yes," agreed Praise. "And how exciting that Robert is standing in the gap for us! We can certainly use his help! Thank You Jesus!"

TO BE CONTINUED!...

[GLOSSARY:]

foster care — a situation in which children are given parental care by people who are not their own parents

virtually — practically; in almost every way

catastrophe — a great and sudden disaster

expose — show openly; uncover

William Gladstone — (1809-1898) English statesman and orator (a person who can speak very well in public and who speaks with emotion) who served as prime minister of Great Britain four times during his lifetime! A devout Christian and personal witness, he once said‚ "All that I think‚ all that I hope, all that I write, all that I live for, is based upon the divinity of Jesus Christ, the central joy of my poor‚ wayward life. I have known 95 of the World's greatest men in my life, and of these, 87 were followers of the Bible." (See also his illustrated witnessing adventure in KTK Book 3, "The Little Newsboy and the English Orator!")—Good Thots 2, pg.1787.

William Jennings Bryan — (1860-1925) American political leader, a Christian, who ran for President three times but was defeated. He was a firm advocate of peace‚ not war. Shortly before his death he faced Clarence Darrow in the 1925 Scopes' Monkey Trial against Evolution. Dad said of him, "He was a great politician, as well as a Christian statesman. And he looked through the telescope at the stars of God's great Universe and he was just stunned to silence! He shook his head and said those famous words, 'I guess it really doesn't matter who wins the election after all!' And he lost it too, ha! But God's plan went on. I'm sure one reason he lost the election was because he was too good a man to win it, too honest, too Christian, too outspoken in his opposition to Evolution and the Devil and the anti-Christ spirit of the age." (One of Dad's counselors!—See ML #102:7.)—Good Thots 2‚ pg.1764.

allegations — accusations

bungle — blunder‚ a big mistake

disgruntled — discontented

lingered — continued a little longer

radiation treatment — a medical treatment where doctors use radioactive rays to treat cancer

slander — spreading a false report about a person or group with the purpose of doing harm

sinister — bad; evil

mainstream — the popular or current direction people are taking

orthodox — holding to traditional or established beliefs

fundamentalist — strictly holding to a set of basic principles

sustained — allowed‚ agreed with

articulate — able to express themselves well

cross-examination — being questioned in court by a lawyer of the opposition

gossamer — very thin, light cloth; filmy

VICTORY IN BABYLON—PART Eight [Chapters 35–39 (end)]

THE STORY SO FAR!—The 18 teens and children from the Green Trees Home have been released from Morfield, the institution in which they were being held, pending* the outcome of a court case in which the Family has been outrageously accused of child abuse. Now, as the Family Members face their enemies in court in an all-out fight for the continued freedom of their children, the Lord unexpectedly takes their main lawyer, Robert O'Riley, Home to Heaven to be with Him! This causes the Green Trees Family to lean on the Lord even harder, knowing that only Jesus can give them the victory!

CHAPTER 35: OUR FRIENDS STAND UP!

The Lord was wonderfully answering the Family's prayers for the court case, and marvelously fulfilling all the prophecies and promises! It was all turning out the way that Grandpa, Mama Maria and the whole Family had prayed it would! The wickedness of those fighting against them was being exposed to the whole nation and the Message was getting out like never before!

It was now the CWD (Children's Welfare Department) and the police who were on trial! Desperately they tried to justify their behavior to an angry public, who were getting more and more upset that hundreds of thousands of dollars of their tax money was being spent on cruelly persecuting a small group of Christians.

Out on the streets, the teens and JETTs were on the attack, distributing the "Religious Persecution" Tract by the thousands. As they gave them out to people, they would say, "This is about those kids who got taken away.—And we were some of them! This is about religious persecution of Christians standing up for their faith!"

Many people showed their immediate support with comments like, "I'm glad you're giving these out! People need to hear this!" and‚ "It's about time the truth was told!"

The teens and children were thrilled to see how much the Lord had used all that they had been through to affect people's lives and open their hearts to the truth.

In court, the on-fire team of Heavenly Helpers were having a great time anointing His children and confounding those fighting against them!

Miss Snell had located a small number of discontented ex-members of the Family who were willing to testify against the Family. Most of these ex-members' pride had been hurt by not getting things their way when they were in the Family‚ or they had been asked to leave because they wouldn't abide by Family rules, so they wanted to strike out and hurt the Family now. Others were paid by the opposition or the anti-cult movement to speak against the Family and thereby "make a name for themselves."

After the court had sat through their murmurings, gripings, lies and gross exaggerations, it was Mark Pierce's turn to cross examine them. Even though he was only a junior barrister*, Mark had bravely stepped into Robert O'Riley's shoes and taken over the case! Although he wasn't as dramatic as Robert O'Riley in court, it was plain to see that the Lord was wonderfully anointing him. Little did Mark know that he was being helped not only by the "two Williams," but also by Robert O'Riley himself, who after a short but glorious vacation in Heaven was granted permission by the Lord to return to Earth to join this spirit helper team. They helped Mark do a terrific job! Mark clearly showed that these pitiful people had hypocritically accused the Family of the very "crimes" of which they themselves were guilty!—And for which some of them had been excommunicated*!

The prosecution* had planned to use these backsliders' testimonies to turn the judge and the public against the Family, but instead "their weapons of war" were "turned back" against them, and they fell into the very pit which they had digged.... (See Jer.21:4a; Psa.7:15 and 57:6.)

Finally, when Miss Snell had finished calling all of the prosecution's witnesses, it was Mark Pierce's turn to call witnesses for the defense—witnesses who would stand up for the Family!

* * * * * * *

"I'd like to call Mrs. Susan Pryers to take the witness stand!"

Susan Pryers was head of the city's Home Schooling Association. The prosecution had attacked the Family's home schooling, saying that the children were being deprived of a good education by not attending System schools. Susan gave facts and figures that proved the home is an excellent place for children to learn, and that most home-schooled kids receive superior training!

"But one of my main concerns is that the Family moves around a lot," Judge Walker commented. "Surely this must have a bad effect on their education?"

"Actually, in the case of the Family children the opposite is true." Susan assured him. "Usually when children move, it's very difficult for them to adjust to a new school. But the Family provides the same schooling course and the same atmosphere in each of their homes. This makes it much easier for the children to move from one place to the other."

"Do you personally know any of these Family children?" asked Mark Pierce.

"Oh, yes!" replied Susan. She smiled and waved at the children‚ who smiled and waved back as they silently supported her in prayer. "Sometimes the parents bring the children with them to Home Schooling meetings and I've found them very bright and outgoing and they get along with the other children very well! Personally, I don't see any problems with these kids at all!"

* * * * * * *

Next to take the stand was dear Mr. Kokonis. He was from a Greek background, and had been a long-time Family friend and supporter. The prosecution had been criticizing the Family's attitude towards outsiders, and also the way the Family raised support. Mr. Kokonis' simple and sweet testimony shot their accusations down in flames!

Mark Pierce asked Mr. Kokonis questions that he knew would help him get out the truth about Family life.

"How did you first come in contact with the Family?"

"Seven or eight years ago‚ my business started to do extremely well. I went to church and prayed for divine guidance on how to put my extra money to use in a good cause. Then, right after that, as I was driving home, I met a man and a woman hitchhiking*. They told me about Jesus and said they were missionaries. I knew about Jesus from church, but when I prayed with them to ask Jesus to come into my heart, I came to know Him in a more personal way. I invited them to lunch the following Monday. At this meeting I asked them more about their work and then offered to help them financially, as I believed it was an answer to my prayer."

"What do you give the Family money for?"

"To help with their rent, or when tickets are needed for Family missionaries going abroad.—Whenever I hear about a need."

"But doesn't it bother you that they want financial help from you?" the judge asked.

"Not at all! All churches need support. I've always told them that's what I was there for. I've always believed that's what God wanted me to do."

"How has the Family helped you?" asked Mark Pierce.

"Spiritually. They've given me literature that has helped strengthen my faith in God and given me guidance to be a better Christian."

"Was any of this literature written by Father David?"

"Oh yes. And I feel that all of his teachings are absolutely from the Bible. I already believed in the Bible, but I was never able to understand it so well until I met the Family and read the Letters of Father David."

Peter and Praise looked at each other and smiled. It was beautiful to see their dear friend standing up for Grandpa and the Family like this. It was the pay-off for all their faithful follow–up. It had sometimes seemed a sacrifice to take time to visit their supporters and friends and give them Word classes, but here was the fruit!

"Mr. Kokonis, have you ever been invited to the Family Home?"

"Oh yes, many times!"

"And what were your impressions of the children?"

"That they were happy and healthy and often smiling!"

"Did they ever treat you as an enemy or an evil person?"

"Absolutely not! Everything is very Godly in their Home." He looked down and smiled at Precious, who was faithfully praying for her dear Uncle Kokonis. "The little children call me 'Uncle Coconuts' and I always feel welcomed by all!"

"In all your visits to the Home have you ever noticed anything unusual that would cause you to be concerned about the children?"

"No, absolutely not. I've never noticed anything at all."

"What is the most unusual thing that you've noticed about the Family?"

"Well ... the fact that so many people can live harmoniously* together has always amazed me and still does. I think it's wonderful, but I couldn't personally live like that!"

"What do you mean by living harmoniously together?"

"When my three kids were growing up‚ they fought a lot among themselves and it made me upset. I've never noticed this in Family Homes."

"Would you call this group a 'sex cult'?"

"No, that's ridiculous!"

"Have the stories in the media about this case changed your view of the Family?"

"No, absolutely not!"

"Are you going to continue contact with the Family?"

"Yes, of course! I look on them as my church. They have forsaken everything to preach the Gospel‚ and the Lord has called me to help support them. For me that is a great privilege!"

* * * * * * *

Next in the witness box was Steven Whitaker. He was a Christian theologian* who was considered to be the country's leading expert on "cults."

The Children's Welfare Department had tried everything to persuade Steven to speak against the Family, but he refused. He said that his research had shown that the Family was a Christian organization with a high regard for family integrity*. To the opposition's dismay, he instead began to speak out publicly for the Family on radio and TV!

When the Family contacted Steven to thank him for his support, he said, "I've been hearing this still small voice in my heart telling me to help you! Don't worry, this is all going to work out for the best! Just remember what you joined the Family for and let nothing shake those ideals! That is what I admire about you people, you've got such conviction and faith! You question and contradict all the things that you feel are wrong in society, and because of it they are trying to get you! The Children's Welfare Department are jealous of your beautiful children and strong family life, because that's what they are supposed to achieve, but can't!"

Steven Whitaker was another wonderful answer to prayer! The worldwide Family had been asked to specifically pray that the Lord would raise up a sympathetic theologian who would be able to positively explain the Family's beliefs in court.

Mark Pierce asked Steven questions that would help him do just that.

"Mr. Whitaker, you are considered to be a cult expert‚ is that correct?"

"Yes, I've written a number of books on the subject."

"Would you consider the Family to be a cult?"

"No. I'd like to make it clear that the Family is definitely not a cult! They have no fear, they have freedom to differ and discuss ideas, they are open, and this is in no way the same as a cult!"

"Mr. Whitaker, from your studies of the Family, what would you say is the main motive* for their existence?"

"They see themselves as being a prophetic group of the Endtime, and witnessing is their main desire and motive. That was the reason their members joined the Family, and that is still their main motive today."

"Do you consider them to be genuine Christians?"

"Oh, absolutely! They are an evangelical* Christian group who have a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. They believe in Creation, and are definitely against evolution. Their message about the Endtime and Eternal Salvation are the same as many other Christian denominations. Their dedication and commitment is similar to a Benedictine monk*, or a Franciscan friar*. As for their forsaking all and separating themselves from the World, many Catholic orders do the same."

"What is your opinion of Father David?"

"An important point that I'd like to bring out about Father David that further distinguishes the Family from a cult is that unlike most cult leaders he believes that he makes mistakes and he readily admits them. He does not try to pretend to his people that he is infallible*."

"So his followers are not 'mindless robots'‚ as some would suggest‚ obeying without question everything he says?"

"No, because Father David backs up his teachings with Scripture, and he encourages the Family to weigh what he says with the standard of the Word."

"Do you think that any members of this group have been brainwashed*?"

"No‚ absolutely not! Modern brainwashing is pretty much like what the Children's Welfare Department tried to do to these children! They take them away from their normal surroundings, bombard them with questions until they are confused, and question their beliefs."

The parents and children silently praised God for this slam against the Children's Welfare Department, and were happy to see that the reporters were eagerly writing it down!

"Praise the Lord, he's doing great!" Sharon whispered to the children. "I've noticed that when we tune in and fight for the witnesses in prayer, their answers are more powerful! Thank You Jesus!"

After Mark Pierce had questioned Steven for much of the morning, it was Miss Snell's turn to cross-examine him.

"Don't you think it's unhealthy for the children to be so isolated from what they call 'the System'?"

"Not at all! There are many people in this country who feel that things in society are wrong, and limit their children's access to them. Considering the evils of society I think that it is an advantage to protect the children the way they do!"

"But don't you feel that parents in the group have a duty to encourage their teenagers to go on to university?"

"No, there are lots of other people in this country who feel that university isn't the only means to getting a good education, and not just the Family."

"What is your impression of the Family children you have met?" asked Judge Walker.

"They are very confident. They have a lot of openness between them, and I think that they could relate to society very well. They act towards others in love and have great personalities! Frankly, I find their children very impressive!"

"What do you think about the way that the Family supports themselves?"

"They get tithes and donations and food, like many mainstream Christian* churches do, which is normal and acceptable. They also support themselves from sales of videos and tapes."

"Why is all the literature of the group so sexual?"

"You must not have read much of their literature, Miss Snell, because it's not all sexy. Only some of the MO Letters deal with the subject of sex, and I'd like to point out very strongly that the Family is totally against any sex between adults and minors. However, they rightly believe that according to the Bible, sex is not a sin, but a beautiful God-created act that He intended to be enjoyed by people. Take the Song of Solomon in the Bible. It is about a man wooing a woman, and her responses."

"That's not what the nuns taught me in the Catholic school I went to!" remarked Miss Snell.

"It's a pity that they didn't!" Steven shot back.

Poor Miss Snell went bright red as the whole court roared with laughter!

CHAPTER 36: THE CONSPIRACY*!

Eleven-year-old Gabriella was so nervous she felt sick in her tummy. The day she had dreaded had finally arrived—the day that she was going to testify in court!

Yesterday teen David had been in the witness stand and Gabriella had marveled how anointed he had been! In fact all of the teens had done a terrific job of showing the court that they were not "brainwashed zombies*" like their enemies said. They were normal teens with teen hopes and ideals, independence, humor, enthusiasm and zest for life. They were in the Family because they loved it. They were getting the love, attention, parenting, training, recognition, fulfillment, challenge, change and opportunity to be of service to others, that every teen desperately wants and needs!

Gabriella came out of the washroom for the third time and sat down with the rest of the Family in the lobby, where they were waiting for the afternoon session to begin.

"Oh, Uncle Peter!" Gabriella despaired. "I know I'll be the one who will put my foot in my mouth and mess things up! I'm not as smart as Sharon and David and those guys. I can't speak as well!"

"It's natural to wish that we're more than we are at times and that we could express ourselves better!" Uncle Peter encouraged her. "But what did the crowd that beheld Peter and John say?"

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled and took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus!" Gabriella quoted. (Acts 4:13.)

"Right!" said Uncle Peter. "They were only simple fishermen who were willing to do God's Will and to be used by Him! Then what about Jeremiah?—Remember how he said, 'Ah, Lord God‚ behold, I cannot speak, for I am but a child!’ But then what did the Lord tell him?"

"Say not, I am a child: for whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak." answered Gabriella. (See Jer. 1:6,7.)

"Exactly!" continued Uncle Peter. "And remember when Moses questioned the Lord, saying, 'Who am I to lead Thy people, I cannot speak to Pharaoh.’—Exo.3:11; 4:10. But God told him, 'I will be with thy mouth and teach thee what to say.'—Exo.4:12. So you see, you're in good company! Many of God's 'greats' felt very inadequate and incapable of testifying and speaking in public! In fact, did you know that many of the great evangelists of past years whom you read about in the Good Thots and the Letters‚ like Dwight L. Moody and William Branham, were ignorant, uneducated folks whose words were certainly anything but polished or refined? But the Lord used them by His Spirit to preach the Message to millions and give them Jesus!" (See 1Cor.1:26-29.)

"Wow, praise the Lord!" exclaimed Gabriella. "That's encouraging! Thanks‚ Uncle Peter!"

Uncle Peter gave her a hug, "Don't worry, sweetheart! We've had desperate prayer for you, haven't we? So don't worry about what you're going to say, or whether you're going to get in trouble if you say this or that! Keep on praying‚ step out by faith, and let Jesus speak through you, and you'll shine beautifully! (See Mat.10:18-20; Psa.81:10 and 1Cor. 2:4‚5.) And remember, it is not by our own might or courage that we win the victory! It is our prayers and our confidence in Jesus, the Victor, that wins!"

Uncle Peter stood up to greet Mark Pierce as he walked over to where they were sitting.

"Are you ready‚ Gabriella?" Mark smiled. "You'll be the first in the witness box this afternoon."

"It's certainly going to have to be the Lord!" Gabriella smiled back bravely. "But, let's go for it!"

Right then‚ Linda Phelps hurried in the front door carrying a large yellow folder.

"Mark, I've got the police files! I had a quick peek inside and some of it looks very interesting!"

"Good!" replied Mark. "Linda‚ why don't you and Peter find somewhere quiet to look through it. Meanwhile, it's time for the rest of us to go into court."

* * * * * * *

It looked like something out of a spy movie! Linda and Peter were huddled together around a back table in a nearby coffee shop, examining the contents of the thick yellow folder that Linda had picked up from the police headquarters.

"Look at this!" whispered Linda. "These records show that the police have been tapping your phones, following your cars, spying on you from vans and helicopters, and videoing you from the house across the street. They've got records on your vehicles, bank accounts‚ immigrations records...."

"But why have we been allowed to see these?" asked Peter.

"The police have to let the defense lawyers see any records that have anything to do with the case," Linda explained. "However, they are allowed to keep back any documents that they think would reveal their methods of surveillance, so I don't know why we were able to get these ones! ... Wow, look at this one! It shows they've been working with international police agencies as well as anti-cult groups in France, Britain, Rome, Argentina, Brazil, Hong Kong, Spain, Washington. ... My goodness, Peter, you were right! There is an international conspiracy against the Family!"

"It must have cost millions to gather all of this information," said Peter, "and they still haven't been able to bring one charge against us! This should prove to those who have been doubting it that this case against us is religious persecution and a real abuse of power*!"

"Peter, all of you must have been praying!" exclaimed Linda. "It's nothing short of a miracle that this information has fallen into our hands!"

CHAPTER 37: MY DAY IN COURT!

"Do you swear to tell the truth‚ the whole truth‚ and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do!" replied Gabriella with conviction.

As Gabriella climbed into the witness box she silently reviewed one of the prophecies she had memorized to strengthen her for her "day in court."

"This is not your battle, but Mine, saith the Lord, and I will fight for you and I will vindicate My children! For My hand is upon you and upon your mouth, and I will vindicate you before the World. Therefore, fear not and be not afraid of the Enemy, for I am there to protect you and to lead you and to guide you. Follow Me and hear My voice‚ for I will stand by you and I will fight for you!"

Miss Snell arose from her table and approached Gabriella in the witness stand.

"Tell me about witnessing. How much involvement do you have in witnessing?"

"I usually go once a week."

"And what do you do when you go witnessing?"

"Last time we went we handed out Posters and sometimes prayed with people."

"What do the Posters say?"

"They're mostly about Salvation and the Endtime."

"But isn't it true that you are sent out to earn money?"

"No."

"Then how do you pay your rent?"

"We live by faith!"

"But faith does not pay your rent!"

"Oh‚ yes it does! God promises in the Bible to provide all of our needs according to His riches in glory! (Phil.4:19.) For example, a couple of weeks ago one of our vans ran out of gas. We prayed for the Lord to help and provide for us, and right then a car came speeding by and three $20 bills came flying out and fluttered down at our feet! It was a miracle! But also, many people like us and help us with our work."

"But why do you witness?" asked Judge Walker.

"Because Jesus told us to! In Mark 16:15 He says, 'Go ye into all the World and preach the Gospel to every creature.' The Gospel means the 'Good News' that if you ask Jesus into your heart you can be saved and go to Heaven."

"And do you like witnessing?" continued the judge.

"Oh yes, I like it very much! There is so much sadness in this World and I like to help make people happy. Just the other day I met two teen girls who had run away from home, and I was able to pray with them and help them and be a comfort to them. Sometimes we go to old folks homes and sing for them, and this makes me very happy to do something for these old people who have no one!"

"Let's go on to your schooling," said Miss Snell. "Tell me about that."

"We usually have school from around nine in the morning until one‚ and this includes Bible class, reading, writing, math and different scholastics."

"Do you have school five days a week?"

"Yes."

"But only from nine to one!"

"No, I did not say that! In the afternoon we do activities like art projects, science, history and current events, vocational training, or go on excursions and educational outings."

The children's outings were especially interesting to the judge, as he had the mistaken idea that the children did not have enough contact with the outside world. Gabriella gave him a long list of places she had been, like the zoo, a dairy farm, the fire station, a guitar factory, and told him what she had learned at these places.

Miss Snell continued her cross-examination, "What do you want to do when you grow up?"

"I want to stay in the Family."

"But don't you want to become 'somebody' or be something?"

"Sure, in the Family we can be anything we want! We can be artists, secretaries, teachers, carpenters or study whatever we're interested in."

"But aren't you denied the opportunity to go on to higher education?"

"No, I could if I wanted to, but I don't believe I need to go on to higher education if I don't want to. The most important thing to me is that I'm happy and doing what's right. I want to be a missionary."

At this point the judge butted in and asked, "Are you not taught to be a mother and have lots of children, and taught about how babies are made?"

"Yes, your Honor, I know how babies are made. But I've never been told that I need to be a mother and have a lot of children. Maybe I will, but no one told me I have to."

"Do you like communal living?" Miss Snell continued.

"Oh, yes, Ma'am. It's fun to live with my friends. I like communal living! I feel sorry for those who have to live on their own."

"But isn't it true that you children aren't allowed to go into the fridge and eat what you want?"

"Our parents try to give us what we like to eat. We have three good meals a day‚ and we have snacks during the day if we get hungry. But you can't have 18 children going into the fridge whenever they please. Things are just a little different when you live communally."

"Are you allowed to watch television?"

"Of course, we watch all kinds of good movies and documentaries that are suitable for our age. Our parents prerecord them, and then when we watch these videos we are able to fast forward over the violent scenes."

"But don't they keep stopping it all the time?"

"No, only if we don't understand something."

"Isn't it true that your leaders don't allow you to spend much time with your parents?"

"I can see them any time I ask! I see them daily at parent time, and often now and then throughout the day, and once a week we have a whole day for parent day. We probably spend more time with our parents than a lot of other children do."

"Isn't it true that you are beaten and disciplined harshly within the group?"

"That's absolute nonsense! I don't get disciplined much at all. And if I do, it's mainly a talk, to talk over the problem."

"Do you feel isolated in the Family?"

"No."

"Are you allowed to walk down to the corner shop by yourself if you want to, or go to the movies or to a concert?"

"We usually have times scheduled when we can watch a movie, or go for an outing."

"But can you go on an outing without an adult?"

"No, not usually."

"But don't you feel that's wrong?"

"No, because there are too many weirdoes around today, and you hear of missing children."

"But don't you ever think of doing things on your own without the group?" Judge Walker asked.

"No, because I am very happy with my Family!"

"Are you kept away from relatives outside the group?"

"No, the only relatives we stay away from are the ones who want to hurt our Family. Most relatives are favorable and friendly and fun to see."

"Let's talk about Father David. What does he mean to you?"

"He teaches me about the Bible and how to live for Jesus."

"What kind of things does he teach you?"

"He teaches me how to take care of my pets, and how to make sure we keep clean and healthy‚ and how to have love and kindness for one another."

"But doesn't he interpret the Bible for you?"

"Yes‚ he helps me to understand it, because it's pretty hard to understand sometimes. He makes it really simple."

"Do you believe you are living in the time of the End of the World?"

"Yes, and we're not the only ones. There are a whole lot of other Christians who believe this way too. We don't yet know exactly when, but I can show you from the Bible that Jesus is coming back very soon. I think most people today realize that the World can't go on much longer the way that it is."

"What about all these allegations of sexual abuse?"

"I've never seen anything like that in the Family."

"Has anyone told you what to say in court?"

"Only to be honest and stick up for the truth."

"What is your opinion of the Children's Welfare Department and the way they've treated you?" asked the judge.

"I think they've been deceived by people who have told them lies about us. I've never been abused by anybody in my life, except by them!"

"Wow! Gabriella is so anointed!" marveled Martin, as he and the other Family kids watched and prayed as Gabriella earnestly contended for the faith. (Jude 3.)

* * * * * * *

The next morning there was a wonderful surprise for all the Green Trees teens, JETTs and children!—A personal letter written especially to them from dear Mama Maria!

(Note: Following is an actual Letter that Mama Maria sent to some Family children who stood up for the Family in court.)

Dear Children,

Grandpa and I and Techi and David are so proud of you for the wonderful sample you are to all of us! We love you very much and we're praying for you during your time on the witness stand! We're very encouraged with how the Lord has anointed you all and given you wisdom to answer the questions and to stand up for your faith! God bless you! With a new generation like you coming up, it's a great reassurance to us, as well as a witness to outsiders, of the tremendous training you have received in this wonderful Family!

We're sorry that you've had to endure such a difficult trial for Jesus' and the Family's sake. We're sorry it's been so rough for you, but we've heard that you've done wonderfully.—You really let Jesus shine through! You were our stars and you shone so brightly! Jesus and all the Heavenly witnesses who were watching and all of us who have heard what took place are applauding you!

You certainly were brave soldiers and you fought a good fight! "Henceforth there is laid up for you a crown of righteousness‚ which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give you at that day."—2Tim.4:7,8. You've suffered for Him and you will also reign with Him! You may not have a crown yet and your throne in the courtroom isn't exactly what you would like, but some day all of this that you have had to go through will be worth it and Jesus will make it up to you for all you've had to suffer for His sake! We all stopped today and had very special prayer for you‚ that the Lord would continue to strengthen you and give you wisdom.

We are praying daily for your mommies and daddies and for our lawyers and for the judge, that the Lord will show him the truth. Isn't it exciting to see the Endtime being fulfilled right before your eyes‚ and to actually be major participants in it? It may not be easy but it sure is exciting! You're good fighters, children, and we're proud of you! God bless you and keep you and all your loved ones!

Love, Mama Maria

CHAPTER 38: " ... AND HE SHALL EXALT HIMSELF!"—Dan.11:36

The lights were burning late as usual on the top floors of the downtown skyscraper that temporarily housed the Antichrist's secret World Headquarters.

The Commander's fierce countenance relaxed somewhat as he strode by the security guards outside his office. (See Dan.8:23.) The guards relaxed and nodded to each other. Their Leader was in a good mood. The great occasion of his "revelation" to the World was getting closer by the day. (See 2Thes.2:3‚8.)

He took the elevator to his luxury penthouse office, where he was to meet with his top scientific advisors. They were huddled around his desk, looking over some blueprints.

"What will this computer be able to do?"

"It will hold all of the World's knowledge, plus information on every person in it?"

"Oh, yes indeed, Sir! It will also be able to speak and perform the other special duties that you asked for." (See Rev.13:15.)

Suddenly the phone rang, the red phone that was the AC's secret hotline to his top officers in other countries. Impatiently he picked it up.

"Ah, Senator Greenbaum!" he snapped, annoyed at the interruption. "Yes, what is it?"

His aides glanced at each other nervously. Their Commander's countenance was rapidly changing from fierce to downright ferocious! Anticipating an explosion, they discreetly stepped away to a safer distance.

"WHAT?!!" the Commander roared, after he had heard the awful news. "You fools! You idiots! Just when my plans were going so well, you tell me this! How did the notes from that meeting ever get into their hands? Who was responsible? ... Biggs? I want him dealt with most severely, do you hear? ... And I want you to stop that court case right now! This could lead to a public enquiry* and endanger our whole operation there! Back out the best way you can‚ but stop the case now before you imbeciles* do any more damage to my World Plan!"

"Curses!" The AC slammed down the phone in frustration. "The Family is a continual thorn in my side! But not for much longer. It's time to move on to the final solution. Then my word will be law! Then I will be the World's religion!" He slapped his hand down decisively on the plans on his desk. "And this will help wipe out all those who dare to stand against me!" He turned to his chief scientist. "How soon can you have this computer ready?"

"Sir, the computer chips, circuit boards and so on are all assembled. You now need to tell us how you'd like the outside of the computer to look."

Deep in thought, the Antichrist strode over to the big office window and gazed out over the sleeping city.

"Hmmmm ... that's a good question. How should the computer look?"

Suddenly the AC's eyes refocused from looking at the city below to the reflection of his own image in the window. He looked himself up and down admiringly.

"Of course," he smirked, "how else?"

CHAPTER 39: HALLELUJAH FOR HEAVEN!

Several years later ...

"So how does the story end?"

Sharon was telling Jamie the story of Morfield and the court case—their victory in "Babylon"! Jamie had been very young at the time, so he didn't remember that well what had happened.

Jamie, now an OC, had also been too young to fight in the Battle of Armageddon, which had finished only a few days before! He had asked Sharon to take him to see where one of the greatest of all historical events had taken place! So they had flown down from Space City, which, enclosed within the beautiful blue orb* of the Crystal Sea, now shone in the heavens more beautifully than the moon or the sun, and was plainly visible for all on Earth to see! (See Isa.24:23.)

Sharon and Jamie had started off in Jerusalem searching through the rubble of the Temple. Jamie was curious to see what, if anything, remained of the AC's giant Image of the Beast. (See Dan.11:31; 12:11; Mat.24:15; Rev. 13:14,15.) But all they could find was a few melted scraps of mangled metal, as the entire Abomination had been completely obliterated*!

They then flew northwest from Jerusalem up the Valley of Megiddo. Jamie wanted to see the actual spot where the Antichrist had been defeated by the KING OF KINGS, and LORD OF LORDS! The Antichrist had been captured in the midst of the battle and sent to the Lake of Fire. The remnant of the Antichrist's forces were slain by the Sword of the Lord. (See Rev.19:20,21.)

Below them, scattered along the Megiddo Valley all the way up to the port city of Haifa, lay the twisted, smoking wrecks of thousands upon thousands of tanks, field guns, missile batteries and crashed fighter planes. Also strewn along the valley‚ "cut down like the grass," lay the remains of hundreds of thousands of AC soldiers. (See Psa.37:1,2.)

"My goodness, that's some JJT!" exclaimed Jamie. "No wonder it's going to take 7 months to bury the bodies and 7 years to burn and clear the junk!" (See Eze.39:9-15.)

Already various teams of millennial survivors were toiling in the mammoth* job of mopping up the massive mess.

"At the end," Sharon said, "it was like the story Grandpa tells of Farmer Brown! Farmer Brown was sitting on his porch when a neighbor ran to tell him that his wife was in the pasture being attacked by a bear! Farmer Brown puffed on his pipe and said, 'Well, that old bear got himself into it, and so he can get himself out of it the best way he knows how!'"

"Ha!" led Jamie.

"See‚ our enemies had gotten themselves into the fight with us," continued Sharon, "and they didn't know how to get out of it without admitting that the raid had been a terrible mistake! And yet the longer the fight in court dragged on‚ the worse they were getting humiliated and exposed, and the more Message we were broadcasting to the whole nation!—The very Message that they had persecuted us for in the first place!"

"So what happened next?" asked Jamie, as he and Sharon left the Earth's atmosphere and headed off into Space.

"It seemed that they then decided to back down before we exposed them even further!" Sharon explained. "The Children's Welfare Department decided it would be better to have someone mediate the case."

"What does 'mediate' mean?" asked Jamie.

"That's when someone helps to resolve a conflict outside of court‚" said Sharon. The Children's Welfare Department admitted publicly that we were not guilty of child abuse or any of their ridiculous accusations, and gave us a written apology for all the wrong they'd done to us. They also had to agree not to further interfere with our Home or with our children or with our freedom to witness and travel and do our work for the Lord!"

"Did we agree to give them anything?"

"That was the big question! Should we agree to make any agreements with the Children's Welfare Department when we had done nothing wrong? When we Family kids were first taken to Morfield, our parents were tempted to agree to the conditions the Children's Welfare Department were demanding in order to get us back. But then the Lord showed them to fight and not to make any agreements with the Enemy, and Grandpa and Mama Maria encouraged them in their stand of faith. (See GN 526, ML #2811:48-66.) But later, in the middle of the court case when the Children's Welfare Department wanted to mediate, this was a different situation. Again Grandpa and Mama Maria encouraged us to look to the Lord in desperate prayer for fresh guidance. And the Lord told us through prophecy that in this case we should go ahead with the Mediation and be willing to make some small concessions* that would allow the Children's Welfare Department to save face and back down, so we could get back to our important work of witnessing and not spend all our time in court.

"Grandpa and Mama Maria commended us for being Spirit-led with our decision. They pointed out that neither did Naaman's little maid do anything wrong, nor Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and Daniel, and quite a few others who were taken into captivity and had to obey their captors. While on Earth all of God's children had to obey earthly governments to some degree.—That was the price we had to pay to be in the World so that we could rescue others from the Enemy's clutches. (See Rom.13:1-7.) We could never be entirely free in the former World, or be completely vindicated* in our former life.

"However, the settlement that we came to with the Children's Welfare Department did give us a clear public vindication, and allowed us to get most of what we wanted! One of the concessions that the Family agreed to make was to take the teens and older children to some outside classes such as arts and crafts, dancing, music class or swimming lessons etc. We had fun at the classes learning these different skills, and they turned out to be super fruitful witnessing outings! Also the court appointed our lawyers to come once a month to visit our home. The lawyers really liked this, as they were then paid by the court to come and see us‚ and get to know us better, and they grew to love us even more."

"Ha!" laughed Jamie. "So the end result of our enemies' whole attack was we learned new skills to use for the Lord, and we kept witnessing!"

"Exactly! Beautiful, isn't it?"

By now Sharon and Jamie had arrived at the Heavenly City, and as they entered through one of the huge white shimmering pearls, the giant Gatekeeper Angel respectfully saluted them.

Only now that they were in Heaven along with the billions of other Christians from all ages, did Sharon and Jamie fully appreciate how special their calling had been! Other Heavenly citizens smiled and waved as they recognized Sharon and Jamie as being some of the famous few who been part of the Lord's revolutionary Endtime Army!

Sharon and Jamie felt such recognition was much more than they deserved! In fact, now they wished that they had taken their high calling even more seriously while on Earth, and tried to do even more for the Lord. (See Luk.17:10.) One time Sharon had even been tempted to leave the Family when her vision got dim and the going got tough. Now Sharon wept as she praised Jesus for giving her the grace to run the race and finish the course and keep the faith. (See Heb.12:1 and 2Tim 4:7,8.) For she had received the crown of being able to enjoy this fantastic Forever World to the full! (See Jam.1:12; 1Pet.5:4; Rev.2:10.)

As Sharon and Jamie entered the City they gasped in wonder at the indescribable beauty that lay within. Oh what joy!—To know that this incredible Wonder World was now their Home to enjoy forever and ever! The joys and delights and unending pleasures that the Lord had richly prepared for them that love Him were beyond anything that any man on Earth had ever dreamed! (See 1Cor.2:9.)

How ridiculous past Earthly problems and trials seemed now! Nothing they had done or suffered for the Lord made Sharon or Jamie feel even the teensy-weensiest bit worthy to receive a prize like this. (See Luk.17:10.) The riches in glory that Jesus had laid up as a reward for those who had received Him‚ served Him, loved Him, suffered for Him and had been willing to die for Him were without measure. (See Eph.1:18.)

There was the Fair Ground—looking almost exactly like dear Grandpa had envisioned it! And there, rising for seven miles above the Fair, was the Family Corner.—Just as Grandpa had desired.

As Sharon and Jamie began to sail up towards their Heavenly mansion, they heard a voice calling.

"Hi, Sharon!"

A tall, queenly woman with a golden crown of gorgeous frizzy hair was waving to them from the front lawn of a nearby mansion. Sharon squealed in delight.

"Frizzy, is that you?! My goodness, you look absolutely beautiful!"

"So do you, Sharon! Oh‚ wow! Isn't this wonderful! How can I ever thank you enough for telling me about Jesus! That time at Morfield might have been a little rough for you, but I'm so thankful you came, otherwise I might never have met Jesus!"

"Hey, Frizzy," Sharon exclaimed, "the Lord sure prepared a gorgeous place for you! (See Jn.14:2.) You must have gone on to do something for the Lord."

"Sure," laughed Frizzy, "I joined the Family, didn't you know?"

"Really!" Sharon gave another squeal of delight. "No, I never heard. Shortly after the court case ended I went to help with the 'consider the poor' ministries overseas!"

"Yes, sweet Danny was faithful to follow up on me at Morfield through the mail!" explained Frizzy. "Then a couple of years later I bumped into the Family in another city. They convinced me from the Word that Jesus was coming back very shortly and so there wasn't any future in doing anything else with my life except serving Him!"

"Oh, that's great! Listen‚Frizzy, Peter and Praise are going to be having a reunion at their place for everyone that was at Green Trees! I'm sure that Danny and the whole Green Trees Family will be there! Why don't you come along?"

* * * * * * *

Peter and Praise's mansion rang with long and happy peals of laughter! There was no sweeter bliss in Heaven than the joy of being reunited with Family and loved ones!

Of course, there are no disappointments in Heaven, and so everyone that everybody hoped would be there was there!—The whole Green Trees crew!—Everyone looked great in their new heavenly super bodies! Even mama kitty was there!

"Hello, Jamie!" she purred playfully, in her cute little kitty-cat voice. "You were always so faithful to feed me and wash my bowl on Earth. Now I'm going to love you forever in Heaven!"

Precious, and the other Heavenly JETTs and teens, Suzy, Aiko and Nina were serving a Tree of Life fruit punch which they'd had great fun creating with their wands!

"We've called it the 'Heavenly Taste Explosion'!" smiled Precious, as she offered a glass to Sharon. "I dare you to try it!"

"Ha! Thanks, sweet Precious! I bet Frizzy would like one too ... er ... where is Frizzy?"

"I saw her out on the terrace smelling roses with Danny! They both had that dreamy look in their eyes."

"Hallelujah for Heaven!" exclaimed Sharon.

"Excuse me, Sharon," it was Naomi, accompanied by a very handsome young man. "I'd like you to meet some more fruit from our Morfield experience. This is Stevie."

"Hi there!" smiled Stevie.

"Remember those weekly classes we agreed to go to as a result of the Mediation?" asked Naomi.

"Yes," replied Sharon. "I was just telling Jamie about it! We had a little trial about making any compromise with the Children's Welfare Department, but it turned out to be the Lord."

"That's for sure!" smiled Stevie gratefully. "I might never have met the Family if Jesse and Paul hadn't attended our swimming lessons. Right away I was convicted by their sample, as they were so mature for their age! The rest of us boys were rather foolish. God bless'm, they were so faithful to witness to us about Jesus and the Endtime, even though some of the boys made fun of them. I shrugged it off and didn't believe it—until it actually happened! Then when the Antichrist introduced the 666 Mark, I decided to split the System and find the Family. Miraculously‚ the Lord gave me a dream showing me exactly where I could find them, and I did!"

"Wow, thank You Jesus! That's amazing!" exclaimed Sharon. "We've just lived through an Age of Miracles, that's for sure!"

A lot of the excited talk and testimonies around the room was about the great things the Lord had done for them during the Great Tribulation. The Bible had not been exaggerating in its description of the plagues, monsters, disasters and gruesome horrors that were sent to tribulate the wicked. (See Rev.8,9 and 16.) But for God's children it had been their time of greatest power and glory and supernatural worldwide witness, just as Grandpa said it would be. (See MLs #1665, 1689 and 1703.)

This was the glorious destiny* that the Family's younger generation had been in training for all their lives. And their expectation was not cut off. (See Prov.23:18.)

Morfield was only the beginning of even greater persecutions in the future, not only against the Family, but against all Christians. But the more fiercely the winds of the Antichrist's persecution blew, the higher the Lord's children flew! Zapping, freezing‚ fire from Heaven—God set no limits on the miracles He did to empower and protect His children and keep them exploding with the Gospel right up until the very End!

Suddenly Uncle Peter's voice called out, "WOULD EVERYONE LIKE TO WELCOME OUR SPECIAL GUESTS?"

The cheerful chit–chat ceased as everyone looked to see who the new arrivals were. Sometimes it took a few moments to recognize people in their new glorified bodies and resurrection robes. It was Danny who recognized them first.

"Hey! It's Robert O'Riley, Mark and Linda!"

Everyone joyfully crowded around their beloved lawyer friends, showering them with heartfelt hugs, kisses, and loving words of welcome.

"It's so, so wonderful to be Here with you all!" choked Mark and Linda, almost crying with happiness.

"Yes," smiled Robert O'Riley, who since his graduation had helped Family lawyers in a number of very important cases around the World. "Helping you all was one of the greatest things that we ever did for anybody in our lives! But what you gave us in return was so much more. Your sample—and especially the sample of the beautiful teens and children—affected our lives so deeply. Thank you!"

"And thank you most of all‚" added Linda‚ "for giving us Jesus!"

Everyone was just raising their glasses of "Heavenly Taste Explosion" to toast Robert, Mark and Linda when Tommy noticed something happening out of the window.

"Oh, wow, look!" he exclaimed.

There, headed for their front garden, were four gorgeous gleaming golden gondolas*! At the helm of each gondola stood a majestic figure in flowing white robes of heavenly light!

"Who on earth ... I mean‚ who in Heaven are they?" wondered Clara excitedly, as everyone piled out to the terrace to watch their arrival.

One by one the beautiful flying boats sailed in and landed next to the swimming pool on the front lawn. Then one of the figures stepped down from his gondola and walked over to greet the amazed Green Trees Family. By his royal bearing and brilliant shining countenance they could tell that he was a top City official.

"Greetings in the Name of our dear Lord!" he beamed. "My name is Daniel, and these are my old friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego." He winked at the children. "You may have heard of us!"

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego smiled and waved, beckoning everyone to come and jump aboard their gondolas. A fun twinkle gleamed in Daniel's eyes.

"I gather that this is not the first time that you've been taken away by unexpected visitors to your Home!" he grinned. "But this time I think you'll find your destination a lot more enjoyable!"

* * * * * * *

Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego's lips were sealed! They gave their passengers no clues where they were taking them, as they gracefully piloted the four golden gondolas over breathtaking City scenery towards some mysterious destination.

The Family kids and adults were speechless with excitement as by and by they landed in front of one of the most stunningly beautiful buildings they had ever seen.

"Oooh!" exclaimed Aiko. "I wonder what's goes on in there?"

They soon found out! Their distinguished hosts ushered them through the building's fabulous foyer* and into a massive banquet hall. Inside thousands of guests were already seated at long golden tables on which was spread an incredible feast!

"Please follow us," beckoned their four hosts‚ as they escorted them to their seats.

"Hey, look Sharon, isn't that Conan and Darlene over there?" exclaimed David. "And Daryl? ... Yes, look! They're waving at us! It's all the teens that got saved at Morfield!"

When the Green Trees team reached the head table, a number of distinguished-looking Saints and Angels rose to greet them! And chief among them were dear Grandpa and Mama Maria!

After Grandpa and Mama Maria had hugged and kissed and welcomed their beloved children‚ Daniel introduced them to the other important guests who came to greet them!

"You don't know us," smiled Ruthie, as she hugged Gabriella, "but we know you very well!"

"This is the team of Heavenly Helpers that looked after you at Morfield!" Daniel explained. "I'm sure you've heard of Joseph, and this is Valiant!"

The girls went weak in the knees as the gorgeous Archangel graciously kissed their hands. "I've kept watch over thousands of my Lord's children since the very dawn of Time‚" Valiant beamed, "but few were as easy to take care of as you!—Thanks to your obedience, yieldedness and desperation in prayer!"

When the general greetings and introductions were over, everyone was shown to their place.

"Love‚ why don't you come and sit next to me!" smiled Joan of Arc. "Do you remember your interrogation at Morfield? It was a real thrill for me to be called on to help you!" (See Chapter 13.)

"Hi, Brian!" said Sparkles, the little comforter Angel, as she perched playfully on his knee. "I helped to cheer and comfort you when you were still a little boy."

Mark and Linda were overjoyed to meet the two Williams, who invited them to sit next to them and Robert O'Riley!

"I wonder who is going to sit at the head of the main table?" wondered Precious, as she looked at the large empty chair next to Grandpa and Mama Maria.

Suddenly, a royal fanfare! Everyone swiftly rose to their feet as the glory of the Lord filled the giant banquet hall and Jesus Himself appeared in their midst, accompanied by the Archangel Michael!

"Please relax, everyone, and be seated!"

All of the heavenly little birdies that were flitting merrily around outside the windows hushed their singing so they could listen to the sound of His sweet voice!

Precious was in ecstasy as Jesus seated Himself in the empty chair at the head table. How many times she had looked at her Poster and yearned for this day—the day when she could gaze full and long into her dear Lord's wonderful face!

The Green Trees team were completely flabbergasted*! As they looked around at the other tables they saw others of the Family who had also been through times of major persecution during the last years on Earth before Jesus' return. There were the brethren from Spain, France‚ Argentina, England and many other countries where the Family had stood up for the truth in the face of persecution, all sitting at their tables of honor before the King! The Lord had thrown a surprise party to reward them for their faithful fight in the Endtime!

The Lord swept His hand towards the sea of shining, smiling faces at the second row of banquet tables.

"These are My sheep who saw you on the television or read about you in the newspapers, or met you at the institutions‚ prisons or homes you had stayed in, or on the street! Some believed and received Me at the time, others later as times waxed worse and worse! This, My children, is the fruit of what you suffered for My sake!"

The great crowd rose to its feet and burst into shouts of praise to the Lord and thanks to the members of the Family.

"Great battles have been won because of prayer!" the Lord continued. "And others have been lost because men did not pray! But these Endtime battles were won through the prayers of David's Family!"

The celebration was also honoring those of the Family who had been so personally involved in the battles through their many prayer vigils for their brethren. It was to these unsung* heroes of prayer that the Lord now gave great credit!

"You came together before Me as one from the corners of the Earth in prayer and supplication for My children! In this you did take part in the battle! In this you did take up the sword! In this you did fight for the right, as you interceded* with your prayers. For in praying for My children you did strengthen them. In praying for them, you did release the forces of Heaven on their behalf. For as you did persevere and hold on and pray without ceasing, so was I able to send these Angels and ministering spirits to help, to fight, to comfort, to guide, to lead, to give wisdom, to give understanding, to conquer the Enemy and to win the victory!

"For your part was to pray!—To pray and pray and pray again! Your part was to fall down before Me in utter desperation and strong tongues and crying and weeping for My children in the hour of their need! The tide of battle* was turned according to your prayers, and the devices of your enemies were brought to naught! It was through prayer that you accomplished these great victories!"

"For in your sacrifice to pray was I well pleased! And I did delight Myself in your prayers as if breathing in the beautiful fragrance of a lovely rose!—For I dwell in the praises and prayers of My children!"

Then the Archangel Michael loudly proclaimed,

"LET ALL OF HEAVEN REJOICE IN THE POWER OF PRAYER! FOR BEHOLD, THE LORD HATH WROUGHT* A GREAT VICTORY IN ANSWER TO OUR PRAYERS!"

The whole building exploded again with shouts of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord! It went on and on and on, until finally the Lord quieted everybody by raising His glass for a toast! Everyone followed His lead and held high their shining golden goblets of sparkling heavenly elixir!

"TO OUR VICTORY!" Jesus proclaimed. "TO OUR VICTORY IN BABYLON!"

Oh, what a glorious time of heavenly fun, feasting and fellowship followed! After the feast, everyone moved into the grand ballroom to fellowship or to dance! The younger children scampered outside with Abednego‚ who had organized some fun tiger rides and flying games!

"Hey, look, Paul! Isn't that Spud and Clarence over there with Clara?" exclaimed Jesse. "Don't they look great! Come on, let's go over and join them!"

As Sharon swirled and twirled to the incredible music, she felt like she was in Heaven!

"Ha! I am in Heaven!" she rejoiced. But even more thrilling than celebrating the victories of the past was the anticipation of all that lay ahead in the immediate Future! Soon the Lord would be appointing them to their positions in His Millennial Government! A whole new beginning had dawned‚ and slowly memories from the former World would fade and vanish away and seem like a dream. (See Ecc.1:11 and Isa.43:18-21.) But all that the Family children had learned in the World of there and then had prepared them for Here and Now, and would be the everlasting foundation for everything that they were yet to become in the eternal Future...

Sharon's thoughts were interrupted by a Voice behind her.

"May I have the next dance, Sharon?"

"Oh ... y ... yes ... of course, my Lord!" she stammered.

As she sank into the arms of Jesus and lay her head on His gentle breast‚ she no longer could think of anything except Him! Then she looked up into His wonderful Face and told Him what she had told Him countless thousands of times before,

"I love You, Jesus!"

"I love you too, My precious child," He whispered tenderly, as He held her tightly to Him. "You have always been this close to Me, and you always will be!"

THE HAPPY BEGINNING!

(—Of the rest of their eternal lives‚ and yours!)

[Glossary]

pending — awaiting

junior barrister — a junior lawyer in some countries who helps the senior lawyer or barrister argue cases in court

excommunicated — asked to leave the Family, and cut off from fellowship

prosecution — lawyers who are trying to prove wrong-doing

hitchhiking — traveling by walking along the side of the road and getting free rides from vehicles that are passing by

harmoniously — agreeably

theologian — someone who studies religions

integrity — honesty and sincerity

motive — reason, purpose

evangelical — beliefs are based on the New Testament

Benedictine monk — a man who has taken religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and lives in a Benedictine Monastery, which is a part of the Catholic Church

Franciscan friar — a man who is a member of the Franciscan order, a part of the Catholic church whose members depend on gifts for their living

infallible — faultless, never makes mistakes

brainwashed — forcibly indoctrinated or instructed to try to change one's beliefs or attitude

mainstream Christian — popular or traditional Christian

conspiracy — an agreement to perform together an illegal, treacherous or evil act

brainwashed zombies — someone who only does what he has been forcibly taught to do

abuse of power — misusing one's power or authority

public enquiry — official investigation of wrongdoing

imbeciles — foolish or stupid people

orb — sphere; round like a ball

obliterated — wiped out; thoroughly destroyed

mammoth — very large; gigantic

concessions — acts of granting or yielding

vindicated — cleared of accusations or suspicions of wrong-doing

destiny — what becomes of a person in the end

gondolas — long narrow boats like the ones used on the canals in Venice, Italy

foyer — entrance room or hallway of a building

flabbergasted — astounded; amazed; overwhelmed

unsung — not previously honored or praised

interceded — pleaded on behalf of another

tide of battle — the direction that the battle is going

wrought — worked; brought about