the truth for today

The Russian izba cabin, where Sergey lived, was not empty while he was gone. Sergey’s brown cat sat on its favorite seat, a rocking chair a short distance from a green potbelly stove. A fire crackled in the stove, warming the home in preparation for soon-to-arrive travelers. A bearded man, dressed in white, stood in the room. He wore a white, long sleeve shirt, white trousers, and sand-colored boots. He appeared to be in his early thirties and had toned muscles and brown hair. The cat would not have known that an angel had been taking care of it while its owner was gone.

Suddenly, the angel vanished right as the cat’s eyes closed shut. A few minutes passed before the animal peered out from its comfortable seat and listened to the ambient sounds in the room: the crackling fire in the stove, the hum of light bulbs in a ceiling fixture, and the sound of the wind blowing gently against the windows outside.

The cat hopped down to the ground and looked around the room while its ears shifted positions, listening for the man dressed in white. The cat knew its owner had not turned up yet. It knew that a man (named Vasily), who was staying at its owner’s house, was forcibly removed from the home by Russian soldiers, who arrested him. It had no idea that the soldiers had come to the home to arrest its owner Sergey.

The soldiers had arrested Vasily because they thought he had helped Sergey and his Christian guests escape, even though he hadn’t, for Vasily had called in the raid by reporting the Christians to the authorities. Many hours after Vasily was gone and the house was empty of humans, a man dressed in white had appeared in the home. The cat did not see the man materialize from thin air, but it saw him come from the second story down the staircase. The man had fed the cat and had kept the house warm while the cat’s owner, Sergey, was gone.

Now, as the cat looked around for the kind man who was dressed in white, it suddenly jumped several feet into the air, surprised, and ran to a corner of the room, terrified at what had just happened.

For, in that moment, five people had suddenly appeared in the living room. Sergey, Jason, Alexei, Steven, and Sarah looked around at their new surroundings, remembering Sergey’s old cabin home. They had just been translated by invisible angels to the izba cabin and were a little shocked at seeing the sudden change of surroundings.

“Wow,” Sergey said. “We’re here, just where God said He’d take us. Every time I’m translated, I have a little of the feeling you get after you step out of a roller coaster once it comes to the end. I don’t know what to describe it like.”

“It is exhilarating,” Sarah said, tucking some strands of hair behind an ear.

“It is God’s awesome power that I can never stop feeling … awe over,” Jason said, looking around the cabin, somewhat dazed by the sudden shift from his home in the Eurasian city of refuge to the Russian izba.

The brown cat curiously poked its head out from behind the couch and looked at the people. In its memory it thought it was sure it had seen those same people earlier, some weeks ago, it seemed.

After the group got adjusted to the cabin again, Sergey walked into his kitchen, opened his ice chest, which could act as a refrigerator or an ice chest, and pulled out some smoked meat. When the power was out, it was kept cold by ice taken from a small lake.

“I can’t expect you all to just stand around and not eat anything,” Sergey said. “Let’s have some breakfast, shall we?”

Then, Sergey picked up a metal cooking pot and slipped out his back door. Tromping through the snow, he approached a small building beside his storage shed where he kept his snowmobiles. It was a homemade, wooden, insulated, chicken coop in the middle of a yard enclosed by a chicken wire fence to give the chickens space for recreation.

A long nesting box protruded from the side of the large coop to provide easy access to the chicken eggs. Reaching over to the protruding nesting box, Sergey opened a flap to see a small pile of eggs. He removed them gently, placing each one carefully into his cooking pot.

“Sergey,” a man’s voice said from a short distance away, “it looks like you’ve returned home.”

Sergey turned to see his neighbor, Egor Aminev. It felt like a long time since he last saw him. The man didn’t know that he was a non-conformist Christian, and Sergey had liked it that way. But now, being translated back to his home, Sergey knew he was there for a reason.

Egor, who was a fairly slim man in his mid-forties, with slicked-back blond hair, was smoking a cigarette, as usual. His sunken cheeks and pale skin made him look rather ghostly and a little gaunt. Sergey knew that Egor was a heavy smoker who sometimes suffered from not having enough to eat for his body size, since he gambled much of it away on internet casinos. And, the cost of cigarettes certainly cut into his food budget. Sergey felt bad for him.

“When did you get back from your trip, Sergey?” Egor asked, blowing some harmful smoke from his lungs. “Where did you go?”

“I got back today from a long trip in Eurasia,” Sergey said. “How would you like to have breakfast with me? I have some guests.”

The sun was just barely starting to rise in the distance, lighting distant clouds with hints of orange. Wolves howled in distant parts of the nearby evergreen forest, which was frosted with white powder.

“You want to give me breakfast?” Egor said. He looked like he was thinking hard about something. Finally, he said, “I, I… sure. I’d be happy to have breakfast. I have some potatoes and soup from my dinner last night. I could bring those over.”

“Oh,” Sergey said, “there is no need. Just come over.”

“You probably don’t want my smoke in your house,” Egor said.

“You could just leave the cigarette in a tray outside and pick it up on your way out,” Sergey said, warmly, knowing the harm of tobacco smoke.

“Okay,” Egor said. Then, he looked furtively left and right before he said in a low voice, “Sergey, did you realize that while you were gone on your trip, soldiers broke into your house. Your front door is damaged. Once they were gone, I shut your door and tried to keep an eye on your house, but I got really busy the next few days and couldn’t look after your house. So, I couldn’t take care of your cat or chickens, just to let you know.”

“They were fine. And, I didn’t notice any damage on my front door. So, don’t worry,” Sergey said, trying to remain calm. He was concerned where the conversation was headed.

“I have to ask you a question. Why were soldiers breaking into your house?” Egor said, looking left and right nervously as he drew on his cigarette. “Are you wanted by the government or something? Could I be in trouble for just talking with you?”

“Egor,” Sergey said calmly, feeling God’s peace enter his soul, “I am a Christian and a follower of Jesus Christ. He is protecting me from the communists. I am safe from harm. It was God who sent me away from my home before the soldiers arrived to arrest me. He is taking care of me and He will take care of you, if you turn to Jesus Christ for salvation.”

Egor backed away and squinted at Sergey. “I just realized that I need to get ready for work, and that I will have to be at my job an hour early. Yeah. It was nice talking. Good bye.”

With that, Egor turned around and headed toward his front door. He disappeared into his house, shutting the door tightly behind him. Sergey felt a feeling of dread begin to fill his heart and tug at his chest. ‘Egor could report me to the police in just a few minutes from now,’ Sergey thought. ‘While I and my guests are eating, the police could arrive to arrest me. What should I do? Should I attach a trailer to a snowmobile, and have two others take the second snowmobile, and then head off into the forest? But, we don’t have provisions for living in the woods.’ The thoughts raced through his mind.

Sergey set the cooking pot full of eggs down into the snow and hurried back toward his house. Pulling the back door open, he closed it quickly behind him and looked at the four others with alarm in his face.

Steve and Sarah were talking with Jason while Alexei was petting the brown cat and scratching under its chin.

“Friends, I believe we have been identified as enemies of the state,” Sergey said, trembling.

The four others turned toward him, concerned.

“Shortly after we left this home and were translated to China, a team of Russian soldiers, seen by my neighbor, broke into this house. This neighbor of mine now knows I am a true Christian and that the soldiers were hunting me down for my faith in God.”

“How did your neighbor know that about you?” Steve asked.

“Egor, my neighbor, saw the soldiers break into my house,” Sergey said, “and I told him that they were coming for me because I was a Christian. But, I shouldn’t have told him that because right after I did, he made up an excuse to leave and vanished inside his house. I think he may be calling the police as I speak. The Russian government is offering money and extra rations to anyone who will turn in a non-conformist Christian. We should get out of here as soon as we can.”

“Sergey,” Steve said calmly, “didn’t God protect us from the Chinese soldiers when God translated us to China?”

Sergey inhaled deeply and sighed. “Yes,” he said.

“Didn’t God protect you from the Russians that were about to arrest you when you had new Christians staying in your home?” Steve said. “He translated you away from the soldiers, didn’t He?”

A pause followed Steve’s words. Sergey frowned in thought and pursed his lips.

“That is right,” Sergey said half a minute later. “That is right,” he said more strongly. “God did protect me, didn’t He?”

“And, God will continue to protect us, Sergey,” Alexei piped up.

“Excuse me,” Sergey said as he headed toward the back door.

“What is he doing?” Sarah said right before the door closed behind the burly Russian.

Back outside, Sergey retrieved the cooking pot with the eggs. Then, after returning to the kitchen, he fired up a propane burner and fried them in a metal pan. He threw in sliced pieces of smoked meat and some herbs. After they were thoroughly cooked, he turned the burner off and, leaving the pan atop it, he headed toward a cabinet where he stored his plates and bowls. As he was reaching for a plate, a loud knocking sound shot through the air. Rap. Rap. Rap.

It had issued from the front door. Hearing it, everyone froze.

Rap. Rap. Rap. The knocking continued. “Dear Father God,” Sergey said quietly with fear in his heart, “what should I do? Who is that?”

“Go and answer the door, My son. I will never leave you, nor forsake you,” God’s voice replied calmly.

Finally, Sergey headed toward the door, struggling with fearful thoughts, but trying to maintain his composure.

He opened the door to see a man dressed in a warm, dark-blue jacket with a wide, furry collar; a ushanka hat; wool trousers; and shiny, black boots.

“Are you Sergey Ulanov?” the police officer asked coldly.

A black leather belt strapped around his waist held gun magazines, a pistol holster, a flashlight, a truncheon, a two-way radio, handcuffs, and other police gear. Sergey felt his heart sink into his stomach, but he silently began giving his fears to God, and a sense of peace slowly returned to him.

“Yes, I am,” Sergey said. “What is this about?”

“I hereby place you under arrest for conducting illegal activities in your home,” the officer said, reaching for his handcuffs.

“What?” Sergey said, dumbfounded. He wondered to himself how God could allow this to happen.

“Please stand against the wall with your hands raised,” the officer said.

Then, Sergey noticed two black police GAZ Tiger trucks* with three additional officers either in the street or in his yard. One of them was approaching Sergey’s front door from behind the first police officer. [*Or "GAZ Tigr" trucks. Tigr is Russian for tiger.]

Reluctantly, Sergey backed up against the door and raised his hands, wondering what God was going to do now. He knew that if those police officers put him in prison, he would be sent to a concentration camp. And, his guests would be interrogated by the police and subsequently arrested.

“Turn around,” the officer ordered gruffly.

Then, Sergey heard God the Father’s loving voice speak to his spirit and soul: “My son, I will have you call on My power to blind these men. Elisha called on My power to blind the men who sought after his life, and so it will be with you. Call on My power, and you will see a miracle happen.”

Then, Sergey, still facing the police officer, said calmly and with a new sense of supernatural peace: “I command your eyes to be blinded, that you will not see, and your feet to turn around and head back where you came from, in the Name of Jesus Christ, My God, and Lord, and Savior.”

The police officer squinted at Sergey, holding the handcuffs in his hands, and reached for his pistol in its holster, but then, he stopped. Breaths of vapor shot from his nose into the cold air. It seemed like minutes passed. Sergey’s heartbeat seemed to thump in his ears. Then, the officer stretched out his right hand and moved it through the air as if feeling for something, and he said, “I can’t see. What did you do to me? I’m blind!”

He groped and stumbled down the steps toward the snow-covered yard. Then, he walked back and forth, shouting, “I’m blind. Someone help me.”

The three other police officers walked over to him, baffled by his antics. 

“Ivan,” an officer said to the blind man, raising three fingers, “how many fingers am I holding up?”

“Don’t you get it?” the blind officer said angrily. “I can’t see. That man did something to my eyes. It’s like magic. He did something to me.”

“I’m going to put a stop to this,” another officer said, reaching for his pistol, but that moment, his hand stopped and hovered over the holster.

He rubbed both eyes, blinked several times, and squinted. Then, he said, “I can’t see anything. What happened to the sun?”

“You can’t see either?” a different officer said, astonished.

“Let’s get out of here. This place is cursed,” a police officer said, grabbing one of the blind men by the hand and pulling him toward a police truck.

The other seeing officer directed his blind friend into the other police truck. Once the doors were shut, the black GAZ Tiger trucks roared to life and drove quickly through the streets, away from Sergey’s cabin. Less than two minutes later, the loud hum of the truck engines faded into the distance.

Sergey breathed a sigh of relief, gazing out at the town and the tire tracks in the snow near his yard. He had been spared arrest by another miracle of God, and Sergey was very grateful. Lifting up his arms, he praised God, rejoicing in Abba God’s love and power, and then he turned and slipped back into his house.

“What happened?” Sarah asked, approaching him with curiosity and surprise on her face.

“The police attempted to arrest me,” Sergey said with joy in his face, “but God told me to call for blindness on the officer arresting me. The man became as blind as if he were in a dark cave. He couldn’t see where he was going. Another officer reached for his gun, but God struck him with blindness so that he could not see where he was going either. The seeing officers pulled the blind ones into their police trucks and drove off. Praise God!”

“Wow,” Steve said, amazed. “I am just struck by how God works to protect us from all harm. Praise His Holy Name!”

“God spoke to me while they were about to arrest me and reminded me of how Elisha prayed for all the soldiers, who sought to arrest him, to be blinded, by the power of God. And, it happened. I can’t remember where that was in the Bible.”

“That is from 2 Kings, chapter 6,” Sarah said, remembering what she had read in her daily Bible reading.

“What does the verse say?” Sergey asked.

“Let me find it,” Sarah said, reaching for a backpack God had translated (or moved) with her. She pulled out a Bible and flipped through the pages. Then, she found her place and began reading, “It says in 2 Kings, chapter 6, verse 18: ‘And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.’” [Bold font was added.]

“Praise God for His awesome love and power! He did for us what He did for Elisha,” Jason said, lifting both hands Heavenward. “Praise God that He does not respect one person above another! As He was in the Old Testament, God is today in this New Covenant, in which we live, working the same miracles as He did in the book of Acts and in the Old Testament.”

The five people began rejoicing and praising God. After a while, they turned back to their breakfast, which was now cold, sitting in the frying pan. But, all agreed in their hearts that the food was nothing compared to the miracle of deliverance God had just done for them.

____________________

“Fire”

“Mark, come quick,” Sizwe said, motioning for Mark to come. Sizwe had been working in his large garage while Mark Mzembi had gone on a walk around the farm. As Mark passed by the garage, Sizwe, wearing grease-stained overalls, had come running out the wide open double door of the garage with a look of concern on his face.

“What is it?” Mark said as Sizwe approached with a concerned look on his face.

“Something big is happening to South Africa, my country,” Sizwe said. “Come, listen to the radio.”

Sizwe led Mark into the garage where a tractor was sitting on the concrete floor with its hood open, exposing the diesel engine within. Beside it rested a large tool box.

“Listen,” Sizwe said, pointing to a radio sitting on a work table, in a corner of the garage.

“We are getting reports,” said the broadcaster, “that armed men dressed in military fatigues and wearing black scarves over their faces are attacking residential neighborhoods of Cape Town and Bloemfontein. In Johannesburg car bombs went off in a crowded mall. The military and special police units are now actively engaged in fighting these terrorists as I speak. People have reported multiple gunshots and machine gun fire throughout Cape Town, Bloemfontein, and Johannesburg. We do not know how many people have been killed or injured because this is a developing situation.”

Mark looked at Sizwe and they exchanged glances.

“My dad lives in Johannesburg,” Mark said as the broadcaster began talking about who might be responsible for the attacks. “I tried calling him the other day, but I couldn’t reach him.”

“I’ll pray for him to be safe,” Sizwe said. “Perhaps, your dad would like to come to my farm. We are far from any city, except for a small town a few miles away. And, God is protecting us.”

Mark pursed his lip in thought as he walked away from the radio. He was concerned about his dad and mom. Both were in dangerous areas. As the news revealed, South Africa was becoming more dangerous than ever. It seemed it was actually falling apart while terrorists were striking at towns and large cities, killing many people. Something had to happen to put an end to the violence.

“My son,” God’s loving voice spoke to Mark, “I am with you. I love you very much. You are precious to Me. I want you to know that I have a plan for you. You will go to Johannesburg to see your father and tell him to come with you to the farm you are staying at right now. Then, you, and the Mahlangus, and their friends will travel to a place I will show you. For, the farm will only be a temporary resting place for you. It will not be your permanent base.

“I know that your dad says he’s a Christian, but he has never accepted Me as his personal Savior and Lord. He went to church, and he took communion, and he sometimes read his Bible, but he did not trust in Me to save him. Only I can save people and only I can give them life. Now, tell Sizwe what I am showing you. And, I the Lord your God and Abba Father have spoken.”

“What’s wrong, Mark?” Sizwe said with concern, looking at the 32-year-old Zimbabwean.

“God just spoke to me,” Mark said. “He told me that He would like me to bring my dad to your farm, if that would be okay with you.”

“That would be perfectly fine,” Sizwe said. “I have plenty of bedrooms in the house for him to have a place to stay. There are rooms on the top floor and in the basement that are still unused. Or, he could stay with you in the motor home.”

“Also,” Mark said, “God showed me that this farm is a temporary resting place. He showed me that He will have us go to a new place, where I am sure He will also provide for us.”

Hearing that, Sizwe looked at the ground, knitting his brows in thought. “I have a lot of equity in this house and land. And, most of my new farm equipment is still being paid off on a monthly basis. I suppose I will have to sell the equipment so that I will not be liable for the debt. This is tough, very tough. I don’t want to just leave it all behind. Farming has been very successful in the last five years, and Africa needs the food.”

“Sizwe, My son,” God’s kind voice said to the ethnic Zulu.

“Yes, Father God,” Sizwe said. “That must be you.”

“I want you to know that I love you very much,” Abba God said lovingly. “Don’t be concerned about the tractors and the land. I will provide for all your needs. Regarding selling the property, I will show you what to do later. But, seek to know Me and I will bless you greatly. You know Me, but you can grow in your walk with Me. I will guide you in all things. I have a place prepared for you to go to. It will not be in South Africa. It will be in the center of Africa, in a remote region. I will protect you and provide for you there. There will be no harm come to you or your family. Trust Me. I shall keep you all safe from harm and bring other people to join your group. And, I the LORD your GOD and Abba Father have spoken.”

“Thank you, Heavenly Father,” Sizwe whispered. “I will trust you. Thank you that you will provide for me, and my family, and the guests. I praise your awesome Name! You will never leave us, nor forsake us!”

“What happened?” Mark asked.

“Abba Father God spoke to me,” Sizwe said, excitedly. “He told me that He will provide for all our needs and that He will bring us to a safe place in the center of Africa, in a remote region. It will not be in South Africa. I don’t know how we’ll get there, but God will show us. God will provide!”

“Praise God!” Mark said, happily.

Right after he spoke, the crunching sound of gravel being pressed under a car came from the driveway leading up to the Mahlangus’ two-story house. Mark’s heart seemed to freeze, and his breath caught in his throat. It was the same silver Nissan Titan pickup truck that the thugs had driven when they stole Mark’s Honda motorcycle from him some days ago. Right behind it, another pickup truck crunched up the driveway. This one was a dark red Nissan Titan. The red truck drove straight toward Mark and Sizwe, who both stood in the open door of the repair garage.

The truck pulled up in front of the double door and the four doors flung open. Five armed men wearing scarves over their faces and carrying uzi automatic pistols poured out of the cab and trained their guns on Mark and Sizwe.

“What are you doing here?” Mark said, feeling boldness begin to penetrate his heart as he remembered God’s words to him.

The armed men wore camouflage trousers and khaki shirts or green T-shirts. Ammo clips and grenades sprouted from their tactical belts. Almost all of them wore expensive dark sunglasses.

Menacingly pointing their uzis at Mark and Sizwe, they scowled. One of them, who had a green scarf over his face to conceal his identity, said, “Are you followers of Jesus?”

“Yes,” Sizwe said, piping up. “We serve the living God.”

“We are here to teach you Christians a lesson you will never forget as you suffer in the flames of Hell,” the armed man said, coldly.

Sizwe glanced toward the house in the distance, and was relieved to see that the men in the silver truck were just standing around the truck or beside the front door of the house, apparently waiting for their leader to order the attack.

Mark felt peace come into his soul like he’d never felt before. “My son,” God said to him, “I want you to call fire and brimstone down upon these wicked men. Their hearts are very hardened against Me, and they will not repent from their sins because of the hardness of their hearts. Like Elijah did in the book of 2 Kings, in sending fire from heaven upon the wicked men who sought to take his life, I will have you call fire from heaven upon these wicked men who seek your life and the lives of those who dwell in this place.”

The clicking sound of machine guns being cocked came from a short distance away.

Mark returned his attention to the five armed men. With boldness and peace in his heart, he said: “In the Name of Jesus Christ, My Savior and Lord, I command fire to fall from heaven upon you because you are not going to repent from your wicked deeds.”

The men glanced at each other and laughed. Then, they returned their attention to Sizwe and Mark. “Die, Christians!” one shouted as he took aim with his machine gun and placed his finger against the trigger.

Whoosh! A powerful rushing sound thundered through the air as a bright, orange column of fire, eighteen feet wide, suddenly shot through a gap in the clouds and struck the ground where the thugs and their pickup were. Within the time it took Mark to blink his eyes, the entire truck and all five men were vaporized into dust. No metal frame, engine parts, or drive shaft could be found. No machine guns, or belt buckles, or any item could be seen. The only thing that existed where the five men had been standing was a black, shallow crater in the grass. It was over eighteen feet in diameter.

Mark fell to his knees completely shocked by the magnitude of the destruction. He was unscathed and perfectly whole and well, but the sight took his breath away. “Oh, Lord God, what happened?” Mark said to His Abba Father. “Dear God, what happened? What happened? What happened?”

He kept repeating the phrase over and over, inhaling in short, quick breaths. Sizwe also dropped to his knees and prayed to God, shedding tears of sorrow mingled with joy. He was glad God had spared his and Mark’s lives, but was grieved with the realization that the men who just died were now in Hell.

But, Mark continued to repeat his question. Finally, he stopped repeating it, and began to breath more deeply. The fear was starting to fade as he realized that God had protected him.

“My son, there is no need to be afraid,” God’s kind voice spoke to Mark’s spirit. “What you just witnessed was My power to fulfill My Word and to protect you from all harm. Those wicked men were going to kill you and rape the women. They were going to kill the children and dismember their bodies. I want you to know that I protected your family in Christ from harm. I protected you.

“I will show you greater things than these. You do not need to be concerned about the police. The police have no knowledge of the whereabouts of these criminals. They had no idea the criminals had come to your friend’s house. You are safe. You did not commit any murder because it was My power that brought the fire from heaven and consumed these wicked men who sought to kill you. I love you very much. And, I the LORD your GOD and Abba Father have spoken.”

“Thank you dear Abba Father for protecting us and keeping your Word,” Mark said. “Thank you.”

Sizwe stood to his feet, remembering the other Titan truck, which was silver. He gazed at his house in the distance, and again let out a sigh of relief. The truck was gone. A black patch appeared where the truck had last been parked. There was no sign of the armed men who had been standing beside it. Two columns of fire must have struck the earth simultaneously, he realized. Now, as Sizwe gazed at the house, he thought he remembered seeing a second column strike the earth near the house at the same moment that the one directly in front of him had struck the red pickup truck with its crew.

‘This is amazing,’ Sizwe thought. ‘The God of the Bible was showing Himself powerful and strong, just as He had in the days of the book of Acts and in the Old Testament. He hadn’t changed one bit ever since the last book of the Bible was written.’ “Lord Jesus, you are the same today as you were in Bible times,” Sizwe said. Then, a verse came to him, which was in Hebrews chapter 13, verse 8: ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.’

____________________

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... Kun put on noise-cancelling headphones with an attached microphone. Then, he spoke to the pilot and copilot. “We need to turn around,” Kun said. “There are Christians in this jungle. We passed over human heat signatures fifteen minutes ago. Over.”

“Copy,” the pilot said. “We will turn around and head back. Over.”