The Marriage Supper Parable - A Cartoon with Sound Effects, Music, and Scripture - A Teaching of Jesus in Matthew 22

(See the PDF file here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-l2aOUz80mv-LIyzzPpySegRgZDMaDLT/view?usp=sharing .) The Marriage...

Thursday, March 8, 2018

■ Steven’s Amazing Adventures, and the Future of the World ■ (PART 45) - ➤ "Communist Soldiers Are Closing In." - (A STORY about the END TIMES, with Messages from God) (PART 45)



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Steven’s Amazing Adventures,
and the Future of the World

(A Story about the End Times 

with Messages from God)

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(Click to Read PART 1)
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(This story chronicles the adventures of Steven O'Neill, his wife Sarah, and their friends during the End Times. Judgment has already struck the U.S., and Steve and his friends have reached the vast continent of Asia. Witness the amazing things God will reveal about the coming kingdom of the Beast (or the Antichrist), the Mark of the Beast, and the Tribulation period. This story should keep you fascinated, as a realistic account of the future unfolds in the form of a fictional story.


(Click here to read this story in a PDF format.)
But, this story is not just a story. It contains messages from God and prophecies that actually shall happen. It is written as fiction with fictional characters, but the message of the story is very real, and the cataclysmic events, touched on in this story, will actually impact this earth as God’s Holy Bible and its prophecies unfold. The world will soon enter a time much like that portrayed in this story. I encourage you to seek God about this to see what He will show you.)



Miracles will abound and awesome sights will astonish people in these last days.

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Chapter Forty-Five

P
ART 45: 
➤ “Communist Soldiers Are Closing In."

- Vietnam -

____________________


A Recap of What Has Happened in Vietnam so Far


Earlier, Sheng, a new Chinese Christian, and his friends Hu, Quang, and Cheng Yuan had traveled through a Vietnamese jungle until they had found an entrance to an old, underground Vietcong base. Quang, a Vietnamese man, had located the entrance from memory and had brought the small group into an underground world of tunnels and natural caverns. Down there, the group joined an encampment of underground Christians, who were both coming and going from the old Vietcong base as they traveled from one safe “house” to another, on their journeys toward cities of refuge.

(A cavern. Pixabay. Free images.)
These cities were founded by God to be safe locations for Christians to live in during the tribulation period and just prior to that. When the Antichrist comes, he will seek to kill many Christians, and God will send His people to safe locations in the wilderness, where He will supernaturally protect and provide for His children in special ways. Sadly, some will not make it to the cities of refuge, and they will be killed for their faith in Jesus Christ. But, their spirits will be brought up to Heaven and they will be given the reward of a martyr for their faithfulness to Jesus Christ.

While in the cavern, Sheng had desired to get fresh air. Against God’s leading, he had returned to the surface and had begun to explore some jungle trails when he was spotted by an imperial Chinese soldier. The soldier had immediately arrested Sheng with the help of another soldier. The young Chinese man was taken to a group of prisoners who were carefully guarded by PLA soldiers.

But, by a miracle, God had miraculously delivered them from their captors. After the deliverance, a Chinese soldier, who had been impressed by God’s miraculous intervention, had defected and joined their group. Sheng then had led the group of Christians back toward the secret entrance to the old, underground Vietcong tunnel system.

But, unknown to him, Vietnamese pathfinders, who were employed by the PLA, had spotted Sheng and his group. We now will begin this chapter with Sheng’s group walking down a trail through the jungle.


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“Communist Soldiers Are Closing In.”


Eight Asian Christians walked down a jungle trail heading toward a secret entrance to an underground Vietcong base, which Sheng had come from sometime earlier. Following behind Sheng came seven men: Sommat and Bounkong from Laos; Sonthi from Thailand; Long, Minh, and Tien from Vietnam; and Wu, a former PLA soldier from China.



The men talked with one another and laughed good-naturedly as they enjoyed brotherly fellowship with each other. For some, it had been a months since they had had such fellowship.

“There is no God like our God,” Tien said. “That must have been a real blessing, Minh, when your uncle came in with two chickens and asked if you’d like to have them for free. And, you said you were very low on food at that time?”

“I had only a handful of rice left, and I was asking God to provide for the next meal,” Minh said. “I had lost my job as a cook when the boss found out I was a Christian.”

“That’s too bad,” Sonthi said.

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“But, God never stopped providing for me, even though I had no way of supporting myself,” Minh said. “After a short time, God had me make a trek through the jungle to a small village. I stayed their awhile before moving back into the jungle, since persecution against me had greatly increased. And, you know how Jesus said in Matthew 10:23: ‘[23] But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

“So, I fled and followed the Holy Spirit’s direction in avoiding soldiers. But, after walking for some time in the jungle, I began forgetting to keep my focus on God, and I started feeling lonely and discouraged, wondering when I will reach other Christians. That’s when I began to let my mind wonder.”

Minh ducked to avoid a low-hanging branch and continued his narrative: “My fellowship with Abba Father God became more distant, until one day I happened upon a trail that looked like it was well used and good to travel on. I didn’t consult God about it. I just walked down it for some miles, hoping it would take me into a village or something like that. But, I ran into a platoon of PLA soldiers, who immediately arrested me and locked me up to a chain of other prisoners. That’s how you met me.”

Sheng turned back toward his friends.

“I also got out of God’s best will,” Sheng said, “when I wandered away from my friends, who had just arrived at an underground base. I had felt claustrophobic down there and wanted to get some sunlight, but I wandered away down some trails and ignored God’s prompting to turn back.”

As Sheng spoke, a Vietnamese man hidden in the bushes peered through his leafy hiding place and made some mental notes about the Christians walking down the trail. Then, as the Christians faded from his view, he waited half a minute before moving forward through the jungle. ‘There is no way that these naive Christians will be able to escape my employers,’ he thought gloatingly.

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“Guang Yan Reads from Daniel Chapter Three.”

- Vietnam -


“Now, King Nebuchadnezzar was giving an order to Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that they should bow down and worship an idol,” Guang Yan said to the small group, which was surrounding a warm, crackling campfire.

“If they didn’t bow to the statue, these three Jewish men would be cast alive into a fiery furnace,” Guang Yan continued.

A little Vietnamese boy, holding a thin twig, tossed it into the fire, and it quickly began to burn with bright flames quickly licking it up.

“But, what did they tell Nebuchadnezzar? Daniel chapter 3 continues to say:

‘[16] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. [17] 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. [18] But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

[19] Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. [20] And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.’”

The small group was gathered around a crackling fire and listening attentively to an elderly Chinese man, who was a underground Christian pastor. They were deep under the earth in a cavern the size of one and a half American football fields. The cavern was riddled with long, tooth-like stalactites in the ceiling and stalagmites thrusting skyward from the floor. Winding, underground, natural air vents brought fresh air into the cavern from the surface of the jungle above.

While Guang Yan spoke, some elementary-school-age children, who were listening, gasped and one said, “What happened to Shadrach and his friends? Did they die?”

“Well,” Guang Yan said, “the soldiers, who tied them up and who threw them into the fiery furnace, were killed by the heat of the flames. The fire in that furnace was so hot that no one could survive its intense flames, but God did a special miracle for those three friends of Daniel.”

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 “Finding the Underground Tunnel”

- Vietnam -


“Here it is. This is an entrance to the underground base I was telling you about earlier,” Sheng said, pointing toward the place where the concealed hatch lay. He remembered the pile of three rocks, which had been stacked one atop another. Earlier, he had tossed the two upper ones off and he could see them where he had cast them.

Sheng walked briskly up to the grass-covered, square hatch and grunted slightly as he shoved it away. The underground, earthen staircase appeared before him, leading deep into the earth and into darkness.

“Wow, one would never expect that that was a hatch until you moved it aside,” Sonthi said, smiling excitedly.

“Do you want to take a look around the underground base?” Sheng said.

“That would be fascinating,” Bounkong said as he looked down the square hole.

Sheng pulled an LED flashlight from a pocket in his camouflage trousers and clicked it on. The blue flashlight beam revealed the descending earthen steps and … spiders. The arachnids were climbing the sides of the sloping tunnel when the hatch had come off. Now, they were startled by the flashlight. They began scurrying down the tunnel and searching for dark corners to hide in.

Tien gulped before saying, “Are there poisonous spiders and snakes in the tunnels?”

“There is no need to be concerned, brother,” Sonthi said, patting Tien on the back. “God will protect us from poisonous snakes and other animals. Jesus said in Mark 16:17-18: ‘[17] And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; [18] They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.’ There is no need to be worried. God has made us believers immune to poison by His power. He is watching over us.”

“You’re right. Like you said, Jesus did say ‘… any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them…’ I choose to believe that,” Tien said. But, he still felt a little nervous as he eyed the spiders crawling along the sides of the tunnel.

Sheng was the first to enter the tunnel. He kept his flashlight on the brown, earthen steps before him. Soon, the other men followed. Some distance behind Sheng, Wu pulled out a flashlight and switched it on.

As the last man, Tien, nervously entered the tunnel. He looked around at the jungle surroundings while his head was above ground. Everything seemed normal enough. A light breeze was ruffling leaves and gently swaying thin branches in nearby trees and bushes. Then, he descended a few more steps before he took the hatch cover and pulled it shut, blocking out all sunlight.

Thankfully, the spiders were not interested in him. They seemed frightened of him and scrambled out of his way as he walked. Some distance ahead of him were the flashlight beams of the two former Chinese soldiers, Wu and Sheng.

But, unknown to Tien, above the ground, hidden in the jungle, a Vietnamese pathfinder or scout had observed with his binoculars the Christians entering the underground tunnel. The pathfinder lowered the binoculars from his face and slid them into a pouch on his belt. Then, confident that no one was listening, he pulled out an encrypted two-way radio from a holster and contacted his commanders, who were in the jungle half a mile away.

____________________


“Guang Yan Teaches About the Fourth Man”

- Vietnam -

“I’m going to read verses 23 to 25,” Guang Yan said. “We skipped a few verses since I want to get to the point. Daniel chapter 3, starting at verse 23, says: ‘[23] And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

[24] Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellers, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. [25] He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.’”

Looking up from his Bible, Guang Yan said, “I can tell you that that fourth person in the fiery furnace was Jesus Christ before He was born of a virgin. So, that was God the Son in the fire with those three men. Just as God never forsook Daniel’s three believing friends, so God will never forsake us. He will deliver us through all difficulties we face. Faith in God will make it much easier for us to receive His great love, power, and Presence. And, faith is a choice, not a feeling.”

‘I want more of God’s Presence,’ Hu Zheng, a young Chinese man, thought to himself as he listened to the elderly Christian man teach the scriptures.

Guang Yan continued, saying: “Now, the scripture goes on to say in verses 26 to 28 of Daniel 3: ‘[26] Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. [27] And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellers, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

[28] Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.'”

Guang Yan paused and let half a minute pass before he spoke. Then, with a voice that was filled with awe and marvel at the power of God, Guang Yan said: “Notice how the fire, a literal fire, had no power to kill or harm these three men? Their bodies didn’t even smell like smoke and their hair wasn’t even singed. But, as verse 22 said, the soldiers who cast them into the fire were killed by the heat. Jesus saved them from the flames. Precious Jesus, glory be to your name!”


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“The PLA Finds the Tunnel Entrance”


“There it is,” a communist PLA soldier said, pointing at the hatch through which Sheng and the other Christians had entered the old Vietcong base. A portion of the dirt covering the square hatch had broken off, revealing corrugated metal underneath.

Another soldier beside him mashed a talk button on his personal two-way radio headset. He informed his commander, Lieutenant Wei, of the hatch. The lieutenant, just fifty feet away, emerged from dense, jungle foliage, and hurried over to the hatch. Then, seeing it with his own eyes, Lt. Wei sent out a radio signal to all his troops and ordered them to the hatch.

Five soldiers were to stay back about twenty-five feet from the hatch, and guard it, and watch for any human activity. They were mostly hidden in the bushes. And, the other fifteen soldiers were given orders to accompany their commander into the tunnel and search for Christians.

Lt. Wei radioed Lt. Zhao, the commander of another nearby platoon, and requested that they search for other entrances in the woods surrounding the location the hatch was discovered. Lt. Wei sent GPS coordinates for the hatch, via an encrypted channel, to a rugged computer tablet which the other platoon commander had with him at all times. 

Without any hesitation, Lt. Zhao agreed to have his men scour the jungle in the vicinity of the hatch coordinates for any other signs of recent human activity.

Lieutenant Wei relished the thought of capturing more Christians. ‘We will make them suffer for their betrayal of their ancestors and people,’ he thought as he approached the now opened hatch in the ground.

He descended the steps first and his men followed behind him in single file. Lt. Wei snapped infrared optics, mounted to the front of his helmet, down over his eyes. These were better than the optics which the U.S. had during the Gulf War. They gave a high-definition image of the features in the tunnel that a bright flashlight could also give. His men behind him also flipped their helmet-mounted infrared optics down. The dark tunnel, to them, was now as clear as day.

Lt. Wei switched the safety tab to the off position on his Type 95 machine gun and prepared to unleash his ammo on anyone who presented a challenge to his authority. He would tolerate no nonsense from the Christians. ‘There will be no more prisoner escapes,’ he thought coldly as he descended the earthen steps and down into darkness.

After descending a long flight of steps, Lt. Wei reached the tunnel which intersected the staircase tunnel he had just passed through. Looking both ways carefully, and seeing no one, he and his men fanned out and began carefully searching through the tunnel and briefly examined each of the small chambers located in the side of the tunnel opposite the stairs. After two minutes of searching, his men quietly confirmed to him that the small chambers were vacant.

Then, the group continued down the tunnel toward the left of the stairs. Lt. Wei’s high-definition optics picked up pieces of grass and clumps of dirt, which had come from someone’s shoes just a short time ago. He knew the grass hadn’t come from his men because the faint trail followed a straight path down the tunnel, which none of his men had taken.

At the end of the tunnel, he reached an intersection. He had two options. He could go to the left branch or to the right. The question of where the Christians went did not bother him. His high-definition listening technology will come in handy for this situation. The lieutenant took his backpack off, unzipped it, and reached in with both hands. Then, he pulled out a rugged, black, plastic box. He flipped a few switches and the box opened.

Inside was an expensive listening device, which he drew from the box. He unfolded a black, collapsible, parabolic dish, which was attached to a high-definition microphone. The microphone could wirelessly connect to a rugged, computer tablet.

Being highly sensitive, the microphone, with the help of the parabolic dish and computer software, could detect distinct sounds, such as footfalls, at a great distance. Using the computer tablet, he selected the option for detecting footfalls or heavy breathing. Then, he plugged some earbuds into the tablet and inserted the miniature speakers in his ears.  He pointed the  parabolic microphone toward the right branch of the tunnel.

Having a special microphone and noise-cancelling software, the sound amplification device could detect sounds as faint as a squirrel gnawing on an almond from a quarter of a mile away.* As Lt. Wei listened, he could hear no sounds coming from the right, so he turned the device toward the left end of the intersecting tunnel. As he did, his eyes lit up. Wei could hear footfalls. He pressed another option on the screen and the earbuds reproduced the sound of people talking in Mandarin Chinese.

[* Or, 402 meters.]

“You will like Guang Yan,” Sheng’s voice said through Lt. Wei’s earbuds. “He seems to really love God from what I’ve seen of him. And, you will like to meet my friend Hu Zheng.”

Elated that he had so soon located his prey, Lt. Wei pressed the talk button on his two-way radio headset and said, “The Christians are down that way, to our left. According to the parabolic microphone, they are about 122 meters* away from us.”

[* Or, about 400 feet.]

Then, with a diabolic grin on his face, he said, “Today, we are going to break them out of their superstition, and we will make sure they recant their beliefs in their God.”

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“Fear in the Tunnel”


“We will just need to squeeze our way through this narrow passageway and we will be inside a cavern. You will be amazed at what you see there,” Sheng said, looking back at his new friends.

Sheng stood in a man-made tunnel, which was braced by wooden support beams. His bluish-white LED flashlight beam played on the dirt floor of the tunnel and caught particles of airborne dust in its bright beam. Behind him, a dark, narrow entrance opened into a winding, natural passageway through solid rock. Sheng knew that the narrow passageway opened into a cavern, which connected to a larger cavern. In the larger cavern, a sizeable group of Christians lived, on a temporary basis, as they traveled from one “safe house” to another.

The men accompanying Sheng were: Sommat and Bounkong from Laos; Sonthi from Thailand; Long, Minh, and Tien from Vietnam; and Wu, a former PLA soldier from China. They looked at Sheng with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. Some were eager to see what awaited them on the other side of the narrow passageway, but others were unsure about how safe the cavern would be.

Tien, feeling nervous about his safety said, “Brothers, should we really go into this cavern Sheng speaks of? I am concerned about a cave-in collapsing the roof on us or blocking our escape route.”

“That would be devastating,” Long said, rubbing his chin, in thought. “We shouldn’t be putting ourselves at risk. I vote that we leave for the surface. Who is with me?”

“Wait a minute,” Sheng said. “We are not the only ones down here. There are underground Christians who have been living here for a long time. And, they are literally underground. They have not suffered from cave-ins or being trapped.”

“There’s always a first,” Long countered as he glanced at Sheng before turning back to the other men.

“But, Sheng has a point,” Sonthi said, looking at Long.

The men began debating about where they should go and what they should do. Finally, Tien spoke up and said, “Brothers, we should not be arguing with each other. Let us seek the Almighty, loving God, our Abba Father,* and find out from Him what we should do.”

[* See Galatians 4:6-7 and Romans 8:14-17. God is a true believer’s Abba Father and God.]

“You’re right, Tien,” Bounkong said. “Let’s have a moment of silence to seek God about this matter.”

Stillness settled over the group, and many closed their eyes to seek God and hear from His still, small voice* and guidance. After a couple minutes passed, Tien said, “God is showing me that it would be good to follow Sheng into the cavern. And, He is telling me that we should hurry.”

[* See 1 Kings 19:12-13. This passage mentions how God often speaks in a still, small voice.]

“Is this to keep us afraid, or something?” Long said with a trace of annoyance. “Are you sure God was speaking to you, Tien?”

“God is not about making us afraid,*” Tien said calmly, “but I felt a strong sense, as I sought God, that we should be moving quickly.”

[* See 2 Timothy 1:7. God does not give us a spirit of fear.]

“I was hearing God tell me the same thing,” Bounkong said.

A couple others chimed in, saying they heard the same.

“Let’s go then,” Sheng said.

“Are you sure all of you are hearing from God?” Long said. “I think some of you might be manipulated into hearing a voice that confirms what the others are saying.”

“Okay, that is fair enough,” Tien said evenly as he glanced at Long. “Let’s seek God again about this, and give Him all our fears. If we have any un-confessed sin, let’s seek God to show us so we can repent from it and get it cleared from our consciences.”

The group agreed and sought God about their concern once more. But, after a couple more minutes passed, they all again said that God had showed them to go forward into the cavern.

“You’re all wanting to go forward,” Long said, pointing, with a swift motion, toward the entrance. “That’s why you’re hearing a voice tell you all to go deeper into this labyrinth. Use your common sense, brothers. Tunnel systems have been known to collapse. We are not safe down here.”

“But, God is protecting us,” Tien said calmly, studying Long’s worried face.

To Tien, Long appeared to be uptight, worried, and a little irritable. He could tell something was wrong with Long, but he didn’t know if he should mention it right then.

“And, God has protected all the Christians that have been here,” Sheng said. “It will be fine. Come and follow me.”

Hearing that, Long sighed and frowned. He muttered quietly to himself, “This is a bad idea. Why do you let yourself get talked into foolish things?”

Sheng then stepped forward toward the narrow opening and squeezed into the rocky passageway. The group followed and made their way awkwardly through the winding gallery. Soon, they reached the cavern Sheng had told them about.

A rocky slope gently declined from the wall of the cavern toward a stream of water running through a low area in the center of the cavern. Sheng and the others began descending the slope toward the depression where the water flowed. The stream babbled and gurgled as it passed over round rocks and around stalagmites. Marching down the slope were large, conical, teeth-like stalagmites, which cast long shadows in Sheng and Wu’s flashlight beams. Some stalagmites were 2 meters* wide. Others were slightly smaller, since they likely had been formed more recently. Some had formed over a period of three thousand years and others had formed over hundreds of years.**

[* Or, 6.56 feet. ** Note: All geology and all life forms on planet earth and in the cosmos were created by God in seven days of creation. Each had a morning and an evening, and were literal days.]

The group followed Sheng down the hill and close to the underground stream. 

As they walked, Sonthi suddenly pointed at the ceiling and his mouth hung open with incredulity before he swallowed and said, "Look at the ceiling."

The men gazed up at the cavern ceiling and were amazed to see glowing, blue lights which resembled a field of stars.

“What are those?” Wu, a former PLA soldier, said as he tapped Sheng on the shoulder and pointed at a thick cluster of glowing, blue dots congregated near a stalactite in the ceiling. [Read more about Wu at this link on the characters in this story.]

“A friend of mine, named Quang, told me those were the bioluminescent larvae of fungus gnats,” Sheng said.

“This is a miracle of God,” Minh said as he stared at the ceiling with wide-open eyes. “It looks much like the night sky, but there is no moon, of course.”

Clack. Clap. Click. To their left, the sound of a small rock striking other rocks echoed through the cavern. As Sheng turned to see what was making the sounds, his eyes caught sight of a rock the size of a pineapple tumbling down the slope they had just descended. It clapped against one stone and then another as it clattered and bounced down the slope.

Finally, it landed against a stalagmite and came to a stop. Sheng’s eyes fled from the distraction and locked onto the passage entrance at the top of the slope. A camouflaged figure had just emerged from the egress. It was a PLA soldier wearing night-vision optics over his eyes. ‘He must have inadvertently dislodged a loose stone,’ Sheng thought quickly.

In two seconds, the soldier’s head snapped toward Sheng and he shouted, “Halt! Raise your hands!”

Hearing his voice, the group of Christians felt fear attack them like a battering ram. Without any delay, Sheng ran toward the wall of the cavern. He had just spotted the entrance to a narrow gallery, which led into a larger cavern. The others followed him hot on his heels.

“Stop!” another soldier shouted at the fleeing men.

But, the group did not stop running, zigzagging as they did to avoid obstacles and pitfalls.

Burrrp! A loud, angry roar suddenly filled the cavern and echoed off all stone surfaces to intensify its terrifying effect.

The Christians wanted to avoid getting hit by bullets or accidentally running into a stalagmite, but they did not slacken their running speed. Small boulders and rocks also presented obstacles they had to maneuver around. But, adrenaline and the power of God kept them from hurting themselves on the many obstacles.

Burrrrp! The machine guns were now unleashing lead toward the retreating Christians, but the bullets were missing by several feet. Many smacked against stalagmites and overhanging stalactites. The impacting bullets sent small rock shards flying as they made contact with the mineral surfaces.

“Hold your fire,” Lieutenant Wei said over his two-way radio. “We are going to have to pursue the Christians, but they are trapped. There is no way of escape for them.”

As Lt. Wei spoke to his men, Sheng reached the gallery entrance which connected the cavern with the larger cavern where dozens of Christians lived in tents. He knew that fleeing his pursuers was pointless, especially since he had no idea how all the Christians would be able to escape from the wrath of the PLA.

In the next cavern, men, women, and children lived in tents on several acres of land. They camped underground for a period of time before moving on to other safe locations. Most were on journeys toward cities of refuge. None of them likely knew of the communist threat that was approaching them from their neighboring cavern. Within a couple minutes, the PLA would reach the second cavern and have the Christians in their gun sights.

The thought of torturing Christians and sending them to harsh prison camps gave Lt. Wei a perverse sense of elation and euphoria. He would certainly be promoted for his service to the new Chinese government. And, his family back in China would be proud of his achievement. With those thoughts in his mind, Lt. Wei advanced his troops through the cavern at a fast walking pace. If the Christians put up a fight, he would make sure there would be no survivors.

____________________





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(If you would like to know more about Jesus Christclick here.)


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[Footnote: The Chinese are not the enemy, neither are the Russians. Both are people just like you and me. But, God will use Russia and China to judge wicked nations, which will not repent from their rebellion against Him. And, the devil will seek to stir up men to persecute the Church. But, God will deliver all who seek Him and trust in Him.]






... ‘These Christians have no weapons,’ Lt. Wei thought smugly as he scanned over the large group of people and makeshift structures. ‘They are sitting ducks waiting to be caught,’ he thought as he pressed the talk button on his two-way, helmet-mounted radio. ... (Read all of Part 46.)











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