Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

Plattsville, Missouri
Monday, November 9
7:30 p.m. Local Time

“Did you see it Marty?” Josh Herndon asked angrily. “The President threw Israel under the bus. All they’re doing is defending their nation, and this guy orders them to stop their aggressive actions and submit to the peace-keeping coalition.”
Marty Schoenberg nodded his head, but he was obviously having trouble believing what he’d heard.
Pastor Ty sat in his chair and let the conversation play out between his three remaining deacons. He tried not to let it be seen in his expression, but he was amused. The same guys who had nearly run him out of town two weeks earlier with accusations of fear mongering were now hashing out the finer points of the end time events. But, fortunately for Ty, things didn’t go the way they’d originally planned. He’d predicted the destruction of Damascus, as well as a renewed round of terrorist attacks on the United States, and those beliefs had ended up being prophetic. Now, after his vindication, they had little choice but to understand God was using him. Their acceptance of his leadership was set in stone.
“It makes no sense!” Marty retorted, “Why would Yangton abandon Israel? They need us now more than ever. I still can’t believe he actually meant they should bow to the Russians.” As a school teacher, Marty was used to dealing with situations by thinking logically.
Cal Fisher piped up. He too was beginning to see truth in terms of black and white instead of gray. “Marty, you should’ve seen the man. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He won’t stand up to the Russians, or even the Iranians for that matter. He’s afraid he’ll trigger another war. If you ask me, I’d say he’s spineless!”
“What do you think, Ty? What’s coming next?” Josh asked.
Ty reached for his soda and took a sip. It was nice having the meeting in his home. This was his comfort zone. He was also encouraged to see that his deacons were jumping onto the same page as he. Old ruler, Jack Halford, was gone, though the pain caused by his exit had pushed Ty to the limits of what he could bear. Still, having his men show such an interest in the Word of God and its relationship to current events was extremely satisfying.
“Several things actually,” Ty responded, “Though in which order they occur I can’t be sure. From Ezekiel 38:13, we know that the western world will only offer a diplomatic protest to Russia’s threat against Israel. That’s how America will respond, and it only makes sense when you analyze the direction Yangton is taking. In my opinion, the forsaking of Israel will only lead to the demise of the United States. So, look for Russia to go further than its UN mandate. They are beginning to see that our government won’t lift a finger to stop them. When they move to attack Israel, Ezekiel says God is going to get royally ticked off.”
“So, you’re saying things are going to get worse,” Josh stated.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” answered Ty. “We’re turning our back on God’s covenant blessing. As it is now, the bombings have torn the country apart. The economy is dead. People are going wild in the cities, and the government is caving in on itself. If you’ve ever had a worse-case-scenario, this is it. Still, we need to keep doing what we’re doing and be prepared to take it to another level, even if our government is going to hell in a hand basket. No matter how hard it gets for us, people are ready to hear the gospel. We’ve got to come through.”
The men nodded and were lost in thought when Marty changed the direction of the conversation. “What about you, Ty? What are your plans?” The question was point blank.
Ty looked him in the eye. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, with everything that’s happened, what do you need to do?” Marty restated his question. “You’ve been so wrapped up in this mess I’m not sure you’ve thought about your personal priorities. Listen, everything you’ve been doing shows an incredible level of love and leadership, and it’s more than commendable. But, I’m wondering if there isn’t something more.” He let the statement hang in the air.
“Just say it Marty,” Josh broke the momentary silence. He was smiling.
Ty intuitively understood what was behind Marty’s question. He was touched by the men’s genuine concern. The guys were obviously thinking he must be at his breaking point. They couldn’t see how a man could remain sane after suffering the loss of his brother, being practically defrocked by his church, witnessing a national holocaust, and tragically losing his mother, all within a span of three weeks.
“I think I know where you’re going, Marty. Blake and I had already decided to get married before mom was killed.” It was hard for him to say without his mother’s last moments being vividly replayed in his memory. Jack Halford’s bullet had missed him, only to administer a mortal wound to her.
The men could see his emotional struggle. They had enough sense to allow him to work his way through it.
“She expressed her desire with her last words. She didn’t want us to hesitate, no matter what happened with her. There’s no doubt that Blake and I are meant for each other, it’s just a question of when. We both agreed that I should talk it over with you guys as trusted friends.”
“Well,” Josh’ grin widened, “I have my opinion.”
“Before you say it, you need to hear something else.”
“What more could there be. It’s all pretty cut and dried, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s not, Josh. Not two hours ago, I received a call from Israel, from the same man who gave us the tent. His name is Ben Sherett, and as you all probably know, he is the pastor of a Messianic Jewish congregation in Haifa. The poor guy is knee deep in his own disaster.”
“Why’d he call?” Josh was puzzled.
“He claimed God spoke to him and told him to get in touch with me.” Ty rubbed his forehead as he crafted the right words to convey the bizarre. “Evidently, I’ve been on his mind lately, and it’s because of a strange connection between us. Get this. It seems that his dad was an itinerant evangelist who held crusades around the mid-west. One was right down in Kansas City. Guys, my mom and dad were present at that meeting a little more than thirty-two years ago. Ben recalled that his dad prophesied over a pregnant woman during one of those services.”
“No way!” Josh exclaimed.
Ty shook his head, still having a hard time believing it was all true. He told them the story, and then what his mother had said as she lay dying. By the end, their eyes were wide.
“Whoa!” Cal blurted.
“Anyway, Ben believes that connection meant something. As, a result, he’s invited me to visit Israel to help him minister to his people for a few weeks.”
“No way!” stated Marty, echoing Josh’s earlier sentiment, “right in the middle of a possible invasion? That’s incredible! You’d better tell me you said yes! Tell me you are going to marry Blake and make that your honeymoon.”
“No kidding, man. We don’t necessarily like losing you, even for the short term, but you’ve got to go with this,” said Josh.
“Wait, wait, wait,” interjected Cal, “The airports are still in lock down. And do you even have a passport?”
“Nope,” answered Ty.
“Then it looks pretty impossible to me.”
“Cal, you’re right, but Ben said it wouldn’t be a problem—something about the government of Israel making it happen by calling this a diplomatic matter. He said everything would be handled through the State Department. My only concern is for Faith Community Church.”
“It shouldn’t be,” Josh said firmly. “This thing will take care of itself. The people are handling the refugee workload, and we can keep up the memorial services without you. We’ve all learned how to share the gospel, and Marty here is a pretty fair public speaker. Plus, it’s going to be a long time before we get back to normal church life, if ever. So, honestly, I think we can get by without you for a few weeks. You really need to get out of here and get restored.”
Cal asked, “Have you told Blake about the call yet?”
“No, I haven’t,” Ty responded. “I wanted you guys to have the full picture and get your input.”
“Listen Ty,” chuckled Josh, “you’ve got a lot to learn about who you should be talking to first. Let me give you a hint. From now on, talk to your wife. It’ll save you skin.”
Ty smiled, “Point taken.” He was sensing a clarity that had been eluding him. “But that leads me to another little problem.”
“What’s that?” Cal asked. “I’d say if you can get to Israel without a passport, God can take care of any other problems you have.”
“Well, it’s like this,” said Ty, “The county offices are shut down until further notice, and I think that means indefinitely. In other words, we can’t get a marriage license.”
Josh looked from Marty to Cal, and then back to Ty. “Don’t see the problem.”
“I do,” Ty responded. “We don’t want to bring reproach to Christ in any way. We won’t tolerate even the appearance of immorality.”
“Let me ask you this, who married Isaac and Rebecca? Who married Jacob and Rachel? Who married...”
“Okay, okay, I get the picture,” interrupted Ty. “Are you guys okay with just a spiritual ceremony until a license can be obtained? Technically, we won’t be legal.”
“Can’t be helped,” said Josh. “As far as I’m concerned, God is the one you want to please. And you can count on us as being the spiritual witnesses. I say get married.”
“Ditto for me,” Marty agreed, and before Ty could say another word, “all in favor, say aye!”
The consensus was reached. Josh spoke for all of them. “Go, and congratulations!”
Thirty minutes later, with the meeting adjourned and his friends gone from his house, Ty realized there was still one more thing that needed to be done. A visit to the Clay County jail where Jack Halford was being housed had to happen, and soon. Forgiveness may not be easy, but it had to happen, and soon.

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