HEAVY METAL MIRACLES

PART 2

CHAPTER 20

ARLO ALDO

THE LORD YOUR GOD IN YOUR MIDST, THE MIGHTY ONE, WILL SAVE; HE WILL REJOICE OVER YOU WITH GLADNESS, HE WILL QUIET YOU WITH HIS LOVE, HE WILL REJOICE OVER YOU WITH SINGING. (Zephaniah 3:17)

            When Nancy and Drew arrived back in Iowa, it was on the back of my son’s mind to read Izzy’s suicide note. What he wasn’t expecting to read was a goodbye note from the woman he was supposed to marry. My normally even keel son was angry, and I felt his rebuke keenly when he slapped down her note on my kitchen table.

            “My Dearest Andrew,” Nancy’s note began. “I’ve never loved anyone more deeply in my life than you. Yet I never felt worthy of you. Recently you convinced me that I am in fact worthy, not only of your love, but of God’s. Thank you for introducing me to my Lord and Savior. However, I cannot join your family without your father’s blessing. Even if he were to recant, he made his true feelings known. When you read this I will be on my way back to California to stay with my mother for a while and hopefully, prayerfully get some direction for my life.  I’m sorry for this act of cowardice in giving you a Dear John letter instead of telling you in person. But to be perfectly honest, it would have been too painful. I know you will do great things in life. Please forgive me for breaking your heart but believe me when I say mine is even more shattered. With all my love, Nancy.”

            The paper rattled in my trembling fingers and my own heart broke when I saw the pain in my son’s countenance. I said, “I truly did recant.”

            “Too late, she’s gone,” he replied icily.

            “Not quite,” my wife said as she briskly walked into the kitchen.

            A couple of minutes earlier as I made my way to the breakfast table, she had ignored my greeting of  ‘good morning’ as she glared at me. I had hoped her coldness was due to her not being a morning person and her silence because of the phone to her ear.

            As she grabbed her purse she said, “I was just informed by Destiny Knight-Storm that Nancy spent the night with Sevenia Sallie. I’m gonna convince her that my blessing cancels out your idiocy.”

            “I’m coming with,” Drew declared passionately.

            “No,” I barked as I stood.  “You’re right. I was a complete idiot…”

            “Ya think!” my wife interjected fiercely.

            “No, apparently I don’t think very well. That’s how I created this mess.”

            “I’m coming with,” Drew repeated.

            “I am too,” my wife insisted. Then she added, “In case I have to pull your great big foot out of your mouth.”

            We were greeted at the door by Seven Sallie, Sevenia’s father. His eyebrows rose at the sight of our eager trio looking for admittance to his home. I told him the reason why we were standing on his doorstep.

            “My daughter took Nancy to the airport about a half hour ago,” he informed us.

            I had only met Seven a couple times before our encounter on his stoop. He, his wife Zella, and Sevenia went to a sister church of ours on the other side of the Cedar Rapids metropolitan area. He was a podcaster, well known as a religious liberty activist.

            After we apologized and turned to walk away, my wife with clenched jaw did one of those sideways kicks and the side of her foot smacked me on the seat of my pants. As I clutched my behind, my son normally would have laughed at something like this. But instead his gaze was somber as he stared at the sidewalk in front of him.

            I heard the bling of a phone, and after a few seconds, Seven calling after us. “I just got a text from Sevenia. Nancy missed her flight, and they are on their way back here.”

            When the two young ladies returned, Nancy looked surprised at the little group waiting to meet her. Remembering what had transpired between my wife and herself not all that long ago; I repeated the method my wife used in seeking her forgiveness.

            I knelt in front of Nancy, took one of her hands in both of mine. “Nancy, please forgive me. I know in the note you said that even if I recanted that I had made my true feelings known. But that is not the case. True, I was shocked to find out Izzy was your father. And in that shock I responded like a superstitious fool. But in the aftermath I was rebuked by the Holy Spirit. And it is the Spirit that matters, not the flesh. I fully believe God orchestrated your relationship with my son. If you refuse to marry him, I will have to live with the biggest mistake of my life.”

            “Even bigger than joining ‘The Sons of Molech’?” she asked with a little smile. That little grin told me everything I needed to know.

            I grinned back. “I’m gonna have to say yes. I was a foolish kid who didn’t know any better back then. But when Drew and I talked on the phone the other day, I should have known better. So what do you say? Do you forgive me?”

            Nancy knelt in front of me, hugged me, kissed my cheek and said, “Yes.”

THE END

WRITER’S NOTE

            A bit of a strange coincidence has occurred that I’ll get to in a bit. After doing 20 chapters of Heavy Metal Miracles Part 1. It was a goal of mine to do 20 chapters of part 2. Then my plan was to begin a new story, coming full circle from the start of this blog, by using its namesake, Seven Sallie, once again.

            So a couple months ago when I was thinking and praying about what direction to go next, I felt compelled to write about a scenario based on the last piece of the Biblical prophetic puzzle to be fulfilled. In particular, the mark of the beast. Many think that the mark of the beast is a literal chip in your hand and forehead. Who knows, maybe that will be a small factor. But the main characteristic of the mark of the beast is your behavior. What you think (forehead) and what you do (Hand).

            This last piece of the prophetic puzzle actually has to do with the law of God, the Ten Commandments. In particular the fourth commandment, right in the middle, the Sabbath. Which, contrary to popular belief, is the seventh day of the week, not the first. The seventh day is Biblical, the first day, or Sunday was created by man. Most prominently by Emperor Constantine in the fourth century AD.

            What role will the Sabbath play in the last days you might ask? At some point, possibly in the near future, there will be a push for Sunday laws. There have already been summits between political, religious, and environmental leaders about implementing “green Sundays.” A day of the week for the planet to rest. There has also been a push for the Ten Commandments in the classroom. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it is, however, a subtle joining of church and state.

            At first it will likely be business closures that will ultimately evolve into mandatory worship. The question is what exactly will transpire to bring this about? Will it be war? Even a possible WW III? Will it be economic? Something of a supernatural or miraculous nature? And also how long between simple closures and mandatory worship? All this only God knows, so ultimately we are in good hands.

            If you have followed my blog for any length of time, you have already read about some of these prophetic occurrences that have taken place in history. Prophecy has mostly been fulfilled. It is not something off in the future with a secret rapture to take place first. If you want to learn about who the anti-Christ is and what the mark of the beast is, I suggest looking up one of my favorite presentations. David Asscherick’s ‘Five Good Reasons’ series on YouTube. Or probably the most popular preacher who holds the correct Biblical interpretation is Doug Batchelor, President of ‘Amazing Facts’ ministry. He too is easily found on YouTube.

            It has been my desire to write a futuristic tale of what I imagine could possibly happen. That said, I’ve never done a futuristic story before in all of my writing endeavors. Also, because the Bible teaches we don’t know the day or the hour of Christ’s second coming (Matthew 24:26), I am in no way at all predicting His second coming, or when exactly all of this will go down.

            But I will say this. I believe a secret rapture is Biblically false. I’m actually baffled by popular religious leaders, some of them with the title of doctor, claiming such theology. The rapture theory is not even two hundred years old, and you will not find the word rapture anywhere in the Bible.

            Yet most who boldly preach such a false teaching belittle the Sabbath which was established at Creation. (See Genesis 2:2:3) Then WRITTEN IN STONE in the Ten Commandments. (See Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15). The Sabbath is the sign and seal of God that recognizes Him as not only as our Creator but also our Redeemer. By the way, the sign and seal of God is the opposite of the mark of the beast.

            We are saved by grace modern religious leaders say. One hundred percent true! Therefore we don’t need to keep the law, they say. One hundred percent false! (See Romans 6:15 for one example) So which one is okay to break, Doctor’s of Theology? Is it okay to worship idols? Is it okay to steal? Is it okay to lie? Is it okay to cheat on your wife? No, of course not! The one problem most religionists have with the ten is the fourth. The Sabbath. The one that acknowledges Him as our Creator and Redeemer.

            The dark ages are over, and we can all read the Bible for ourselves. The small percentage of us that actually study it every day, with prayerful guidance from the Holy Spirit can see that the law of God is perfect, converting the soul! (See Psalm 19:7).

            So, to sum this up and explain the coincidence I mentioned. The following idea for the next story I have been thinking about and even discussed with several close friends months ago, was and is going to be called ‘Black Sabbath’. God as my witness, I had this planned before the passing of Ozzy Osbourne last week. May God be with his family as they grieve their loss!

            One more thing. I have a day job, so if you have any theological questions, please contact the ministries I have previously mentioned. Plus a couple more suggestions. ‘It Is Written’ with John Bradshaw and Shawn Boonstra, Amazing Discoveries, or 3ABN.

            Thank you for your interest!