My brother, Isaac, and I were in the National Guard and served in the first Gulf War. That is why we were asked to head up camp security. The security group is mostly made up of hunters and outdoorsmen. Life in the Utah desert can be rough. The daytime heat will take its toll on you and then the night comes and you freeze. We are nomadic. We have to move every few days so we don’t use up all the resources. We may need to double back and stay here again. The herds need to still be plentiful. We live light. All our gear has to be portable and able to move quickly. Tents are our shelters and sleeping bags our beds. We have fled due to convenience not out of fear. Since the plagues have started, the cities are no place to be. People have been thrown into mass chaos. The electricity went out 7 months ago. Food spoiled, radios and TVs stopped broadcasting, no more phones or Internet, and the lights went out. When the lights went out the world slipped into fear. The hysteria was everywhere. That is why we chose exile. You see, believers weren’t directly affected by the plagues. It was the consequences of others that hurt us. Somebody had to drive the buses, fly the planes, work at the power plant, and keep the peace. It just was simpler to get out of the path of destruction. We are a peaceful tribe and do the best to protect each other.
From my vantage point I can see fires burning in the distant city. Smoke is still rising from burned out buildings and unattended homes. The night watch leads to soul searching. The stillness and quiet invite a man to reflect on his life. That life seems so far away. It seems like normality has been gone forever. Eight months ago I had a wife, Sara, a baby girl, Lucy, a good job and life in small town America. The recession in the economy wiped that out. Middle class America became extinct. So many people were unemployed and desperate; the collapse of society wasn’t a surprise. People didn’t need a big push to go over the edge. At first the crimes were small and focused mostly on the establishment. Banks were robbed, grocery stores looted, government offices vandalized. The frustrations of the people were centered on what they felt put them in their situation. Once the line had been crossed, it wasn’t hard for them to justify going farther. The inhibitions of the law were tossed aside. Murder rates rose, home invasions were rampant, and rapes became everyday occurrences. People had lost their way and weren’t looking for the way back. That’s when I sent my wife to be with her family in Sacramento. I would join them as soon as I could get our belongings packed up and Isaac home from the service. That’s when the first woe, the wrath of God was poured out. Many people died that day and the days to follow. The Abyss was opened and the smoke blacked out the sun and stars. All ground transportation screeched to a halt. Accidents were everywhere. Air traffic controllers were useless. Helicopters and planes fell from the sky. People in the air and on the ground became victims. I never heard if Sara’s plane had landed. I never spoke to them again. I believe that in one way or another, they were safely taken home. As the plague worsened, life became unbearable in the city. The mass chaos it brought was horrific. The Damned, what we called the unbelievers, were cursed with the pain. Although they weren’t allowed to die that didn’t stop them from attempting suicide. The bugs and vermin that feasted on the squalor made it inhabitable. The sights and sounds that echoed from the streets made the choice to relocate an easy one. Our tribe had been meeting at the library in the old town hall. Unanimously we voted to seek the safety and openness of the nearby desert. Safety. Not from God, but from the uncontrolled civilization that was lashing out at the uninflected. Our God will provide and in Him we shall trust. Our goal, God willing, was to be present at The Glorious Appearing.
The night air is frigid, but that helps keep me alert. I shift my weight and reposition my rifle. It seems so odd that just short while ago this would be considered “camping,” rather than every day life. I used to manage a building materials warehouse in South Salt Lake. After a long maternity leave, Sara was getting back to her secretarial job. We lived in a big house in the suburbs with two cats and a sneaky little dog. We were living the American dream. We met in college. I was tailgating before a Utah football game when a flag football game got out of hand. On a touchdown catch my shirt was ripped. I hurried and ran into the Red Zone store. Sara was working the register. She had only a partial scholarship and had to work to make ends meet. We flirted and I asked her to come hang out after the game. She met me in the tailgate lot and we talked the night away. We began dating, by spring we were engaged, and early the next fall on a bye-week, we wed. Our marriage was like any other. It had its ups and downs. We struggled to get used to each other’s quirks and odd habits. We found it difficult to make our mark on the world at first. Several dead-end jobs found their way to my résumé. I was able to find work driving a truck for a local supply house. The housing market was booming and the economy flourished. I quickly moved my way up the company ranks. It wasn’t long before I was running the warehouse and making good money. We enjoyed our youth and developed a desire to spend our newfound fortune. Every toy imaginable found its way into our garage. We were living the life. Spending money like we had our own printing press. For a while, that seemed like enough. We thought we were happy. Soon we found ourselves wanting more; “never satisfied!” was the motto. Every purchase only deepened the void. It didn’t fill the hole we felt inside. We became unhappy. Dissatisfied with our lives, jobs, and even each other. We knew people who were truly happy and had nothing. They lived in small cramped houses barely scraping by. Yet, they were happy with what they had. They seemed at peace. We found that odd. How was that possible? Why them? That’s when Sara’s boss invited us to his church picnic. We saw every stereotype imaginable crumble before our eyes. These people weren’t stuffy fun haters. They were normal everyday people. They were having a blast and that feeling was contagious. We needed to know more. We became sponges as to what they had to say. The joy that was filling their lives was the void we were trying to fill. Our lives were forever altered on that day.
Roaring thunder pierced the stillness of the night. In the distance I can hear a Blackhawk making circles around the city’s perimeter. The new government is up and running. No power or fuel shortages for them. Their peacekeeping patrols keep the inmates from destroying what’s left of the civilized world. Most believers have either left the decaying cities or are staying to try and witness. We knew from the bible that this wasn’t even close to being over. The locusts were just the beginning. The second woe to befall the earth was coming. It called for a third of earth’s population to be destroyed. It didn’t take much for us to see that that was going to be bad. The dead would be lining the city and the smell would be awful. These people aren’t our enemies. They are those foretold by scripture as the damned. They are the people that didn’t accept Christ and still refuse. They are stubborn. They refuse to change. After seeing the power and wrath of God, they will not repent. Their hearts have become hardened and they have chosen their path. Revelations tells us that after all they have seen and been through, no one repented, not one. Knowing that God protects the righteous and we are not meant for His wrath, we made our exodus. That was two months ago.
All that I have left is Isaac and this tribe. This is the family that I was chosen to enter eternity with. I no longer fear the trappings of everyday life. My finances. My job. All gone. No need to worry about possessions. I had inflated their importance before and clouded myself from my true calling. When we accept Christ, we put aside those obstacles and pick up the cross. Sara and I had to learn all our lessons the hard way. We lived a fabulous life with all the luxuries that modern society could offer. A big house, fast boat, money in the bank, all had the makings of stumbling blocks. Having them wasn’t a sin. Being successful wasn’t a sin. It was when I placed more importance on them instead of Him. We couldn’t fill the hole in our lives, only He could. We hit rock bottom. It wasn’t until we were at our lowest that we could see that He was reaching out to us. He had been all along. It’s such a simple concept. We were so arrogant thinking we could save ourselves, when it was only by His sacrifice and grace that it was accomplished.
The camp dogs are stirring and have taken off into the brush! I can hear a patrol cautiously rolling across the desert. Although we are safe from the second woe, we aren’t necessarily safe from persecution. My heart pounds in my chest. What, Oh Lord, do I do? Are we to run? Are we to fight? Do we take our turn and have the courage to testify for you? I raise my binoculars and gauge the distance. Within a few minutes they will see our refuge! The decision has to be made! The adults are prepared for prison or whatever consequences that may come, but we still have children here. I raise my rifle. Thou shall not kill, flashes in my mind. I flick off the safety. Vengeance is mine so saith the Lord, blares in my head. I locate the driver in my sights. A quick shot should take the driver out causing the hummer to roll. Did they spot us? Did they radio any details to others? I command my angels to protect you, crashes into my memory. My finger is on the trigger and I feel the tension on the spring. I breathe in slowly and hold my breath. A roar above the city erupts and the sky ignites! The Blackhawk falls to the earth! The hummer immediately changes course and races to the crash! Insurgents from the city must have lost their patience with the new government. My heart seemed to stop and I am out of breath. It seems even in the end of days the Lord is still teaching me lessons.
The dawn will soon be breaking and I am exhausted. Today we move and rest will be short. We need to move deeper into the desert. It is about to get worse. Retaliation against the believers is inevitable. If we hope to be at The Glorious Appearing, we must take flight. What is to come is beyond our control. His will and plan for us supersedes our will.
The sun has risen and my replacement arrives. My day ends and begins all within the same minute. Someday soon I will rest. What a great day that will be! I will be joined with my family and all this life will be gone from our memories. The night watch is a perfect time to reflect.
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