The Vanishing (The End of Time Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  The man stood on the floor of the valley, boldly facing the Israelite army above. He was dressed as a warrior, wearing a bronze helmet and a coat made of overlapping plates of bronze sewn on leather. He carried a spear in his hand and a sword in its sheath. Next to him was a much smaller man, known as a shield-bearer, carrying a large oblong shield. The shield itself was almost the entire length of the shield-bearer’s body.

  The giant Philistine suddenly cried out in a loud voice, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he’s able to fight me and kill me, then we’ll be your servants. But if I prevail and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us. I defy the armies of Israel this day! Give me a man that we may fight together!”

  When the Philistine had finished issuing the challenge, Shiloh noticed that the Israelite army was cowering in fear. They referred to the giant as Goliath, a name that Shiloh instantly remembered from his youth. Scenes from the cartoon David and Goliath began flashing through his brain. According to the soldiers around him the Philistine had been presenting himself now for forty days, both morning and evening. The king of Israel was a man named Saul and although he had offered a great reward to any man that could kill Goliath, none had come forward to accept the challenge.

  Suddenly, Shiloh heard a commotion coming from a nearby group of men. They were scoffing and teasing a boy by the name of David. A moment later the group parted and the young shepherd emerged. He wore no armor of any kind and carried no visible weapon. In one hand he carried a long staff used for herding sheep and in the other, a sling. David bent down by a nearby brook and chose five smooth stones which he put into his bag. Shiloh watched as the boy began to make his way down the hill toward the bottom of the valley, where the giant waited.

  “Why are they sending a boy to fight that giant?” Shiloh asked Gabriel. “Why don’t they send a man experienced in battle?”

  “The boy needs only faith to prevail,” answered Gabriel. “God will do the rest.”

  When the shepherd reached the bottom of the valley, Goliath looked on him with disbelief. David was a good looking young man and lacked the signs of age and the scars that one would expect of a battle-seasoned champion, such as the Philistine was. David was not even old enough to have grown a beard.

  The large Philistine cursed David by his gods and asked David, “Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks? Come to me and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”

  David then responded saying, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day, I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth; so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then, all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.”

  Goliath grabbed his shield from the shield-bearer and started toward David. At the same time, David began to run toward the giant. The shepherd put his hand into his bag and took out a stone, which he put into the pouch of his sling. David then began to whirl it around his head to build up momentum as he ran forward. He suddenly released one of the cords and the stone hurled toward its target.

  The stone struck the Philistine in the head so hard that the stone itself sank into his forehead and Goliath fell forward onto is face. David continued to run toward Goliath, until at last he stood over the giant. He bent down and drew the Philistines sword from its sheath and cut off his head.

  When the Philistine army saw that their champion was dead, they turned and fled in hysteria. The army of Israel arose, shouting and cheering. They charged after the Philistines pursuing them north and out of their territory.

  Suddenly, the wind began to kick up dirt and dust and Shiloh once again found himself at the center of a small tornado. When the wind stopped and the dust settled, he looked around inspecting his new surroundings. In front of him there was a large crowd of people, weeping uncontrollably.

  “Where are we now?” asked Shiloh, completely confused.

  “We’re outside the city of Jerusalem at a place known as Calvary,” answered Gabriel.

  “Why are they crying?” whispered Shiloh.

  “Why don’t you go find out?” suggested Gabriel. “And you don’t have to whisper Shiloh, remember they can’t hear us.”

  Shiloh turned and started making his way through the mourners. Finally, he reached the front of the crowd. At the top of the hill he could see what they were looking at and why they were crying. There in front of him were three different men, nailed to three separate crosses. Only the man in the center had a sign nailed above him and it read, ‘THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.’ Shiloh instantly realized that he was looking at the face of Jesus Christ. All around him, women were wailing and men stood with their heads bowed in prayer.

  Shiloh felt such sorrow and guilt for what was happening to Jesus that he immediately dropped to his knees before him, his eyes swelling with tears. All of a sudden he could feel Jesus looking down at him and smiling, although no one else could see Shiloh. When their eyes connected, a feeling of love, warmth and happiness washed over him and Shiloh felt a peace that he’d never experienced before. He no longer felt like this was a tragedy. He knew it was a priceless gift. He didn’t want to leave the presence of Jesus, when he felt Gabriel’s hand on his shoulder a moment later.

  “It’s time to go Shiloh,” said the angel.

  Shiloh closed his eyes and felt his body lifting into the air. He felt the cool wind on his face as he rose higher and higher, until he was floating above the clouds. He opened his eyes and looked around. Gabriel was floating right there beside him, with the same pleasant smile on his face. The sky was bright blue and the sun felt warm on his skin. Below him, Shiloh could see only white, fluffy clouds.

  “What am I supposed to be seeing?” he asked of Gabriel, who merely gestured down.

  Underneath Shiloh the clouds began to separate, creating a large window to the earth below. He could now see a town destroyed by fire. Several thin tendrils of smoke rose from the charred embers of burnt buildings and the ground was dotted with bodies. Marching west out of the town was a large army of men, wearing red sashes tied around their right arms.

  “What’s this?” asked Shiloh. “Is this the future that I’m seeing?”

  When Gabriel didn’t answer he asked, “What town is that?”

  Again, the angel gave no answer. Shiloh was beginning to become frustrated with the lack of response, “Listen here, I…”

  Shiloh suddenly felt himself falling. As he passed through the clouds everything turned white and he couldn’t see anything anymore. In a split second, he was all alone and in front of him was the Jewish Temple in Israel. It had been rebuilt to its former glory and standing there in front of a podium was a good looking, blonde haired man with blue eyes. He was smiling and giving a speech to a captivated audience. The man was charismatic and spoke with such eloquence that Shiloh found it easy to listen. The handsome man raised his hand into the air and the people dropped to their knees and began to worship him. This immediately shocked Shiloh out of the man’s hypnotic trance.

  Then in the sky above, Shiloh began to see visions flash before him as though he was at a drive-in movie and the sky was the screen. He saw soldiers fighting and waving numerous different flags. The screen then flashed to pictures of widespread famine, showing fields and crops destroyed by drought, insects and storms. The next vision was possibly the most disturbing, as pictures of people struck by horrible diseases flashed in the sky above. Shiloh closed his eyes to hide from the ferocious sights and when he once again opened them, he was standing in a dark room.
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  There in front of him was the same good looking man who was being worshiped just a moment before. Hundreds of people were lined up in front of him and forced onto their knees. They’d refused to worship him and as punishment, their heads were shoved into guillotines. When the blonde man raised his hand and let it drop, so did the blades of the guillotines. Shiloh was closely watching the man as the heads rolled and witnessed an evil grin spread across his face.

  Suddenly, Gabriel was at Shiloh’s side and he was once again holding out his hand. Shiloh instinctively reached out and accepted it. The dark room around him began to slowly vanish and he found himself floating in the sky once again, this time with a beautiful valley below.

  “Where are we?” asked Shiloh.

  “A place called Armageddon,” replied Gabriel.

  Without warning the ground below began to shake and rumble. At first Shiloh thought it was an earthquake, until he saw them coming over the hill. In the distance there were millions of soldiers marching toward him, both men and women alike. They carried all manner of modern weapons and were accompanied by thousands of tanks and armored vehicles.

  Shiloh felt himself begin to ascend higher into the sky as the millions of armed soldiers took the field below. Flags and banners were carried at the front of the columns and on them was a picture of the same blonde man from before, along with a symbol that Shiloh couldn’t make out. A moment later, he saw the man standing at the head of his army giving orders.

  From out of nowhere a blinding, bright light appeared and washed away everything. When Shiloh opened his eyes again he was laying on the couch in his living room and he was all alone. He sat up and looked around but there was no sign of Gabriel. For the first time in a long time, Shiloh felt well rested and completely at peace.

  Standing up he wondered if it had all been a dream. He stood there for a moment thinking back on the vision’s that he’d witnessed and remembered something that Rupert had said about the rapture. He’d said that Christ had taken the bodies of those who believed in him, both living and dead.

  Shiloh immediately walked outside picking up a shovel on his way out. He climbed into his truck and drove out to his secret valley and the small village that he’d built. Leaving the truck parked in front of the event hall, he turned and headed down a narrow dirt path that led through the thick brush and trees. The path wound up and around to the top of a hill providing a clear view of the small village in the valley below. After a moment, he came to a fork in the path where he could either continue straight or veer off to the right. Going straight would take him to the top of the hill, but he turned right.

  The second path led to a small clearing with a meadow, currently covered in melting snow. In the center of the meadow there was a small, white picket fence surrounded by several pine trees. The fence was in the shape of a square and at its center there was a small family cemetery.

  Shiloh stopped at the first grave and without hesitation began digging. He didn’t stop until he’d completely uncovered the coffin below. Dropping the shovel he bent down on his knees, took a deep breath, held it in and pulled the lid up. To his surprise the casket, which belonged to his son Jacob, was empty and didn’t even smell. Jacob’s body was nowhere to be seen. All that remained were the clothes that he’d been buried in. Shiloh quickly dug up the two remaining caskets, only to find the same results. They were empty! With the exception of clothing, his family was gone! Their bodies had vanished along with so many others.

  Shiloh retrieved his wife’s wedding band from the empty box and placed it in his pocket, with the golden cross necklace that his daughter wore. He climbed out of his wife’s empty grave and headed back the way that he’d come. He now knew the truth. He would join his family in Heaven one day. He felt rejuvenated and happy for the first time in a long time. “I’ll see them again,” he thought.

  Warnings of Giants

  The Vanishing – Day 14

  Clearview, Nevada

  When Shiloh got back to his house he quickly changed into fresh clothes and felt like a new man. He went and woke up Lex and Cleo, telling them to get dressed quickly. He wanted to return to town immediately and share with his friends what he’d seen.

  An hour later they pulled up in front of the library and climbed the steps to the entrance. Inside he found a group of people gathered together talking, Rupert was leading the discussion.

  “Good morning Shiloh, Lex, Cleo, and of course Kassie,” greeted Rupert, when he saw them enter the library.

  “Good morning,” responded Lex and Cleo in unison.

  “Good morning,” smiled Shiloh, “how’s everyone doing?”

  “Great!” Rupert returned the smile. “We were just discussing the future of Clearview. Would you like to join us?”

  “Sure,” Shiloh pulled up a chair and sat down, with Lex and Cleo joining him. Kassie lay down under Lex’s feet.

  “You seem to have something on your mind Shiloh,” observed Rupert. “What is it?”

  “Well,” Shiloh was not sure where to begin, “I had a dream last night and…well…I believe it was a warning from God.”

  “Here we go again,” mumbled Mason, as Savannah put her hand on his trying to quiet him. “What’s up with everyone in this town?”

  “Please continue,” said Rupert, ignoring Mason’s comment. “Tell us about your dream.”

  Shiloh began to tell them how he’d been awoken by the angel Gabriel and taken with him on a journey. The description of the battle he witnessed between David and Goliath had everyone hanging on his every word. When his story came to the part with Christ’s crucifixion his eyes filled with tears at the memory. He then told them of the town he’d seen burning at the hands of the raiders.

  Shiloh described the blonde haired man, his rise to power and his rule over everyone. He also mentioned the beheadings that he’d seen and the visions of war, famine and disease which flashed across the sky. At the end of the story, Shiloh recounted the battle that he’d witnessed at a place called Armageddon.

  “How very interesting,” said Rupert, when Shiloh was finished telling the story.

  “What does it mean?” asked Savannah.

  “It sounds like a warning that may come in handy in the near future,” guessed Rupert.

  “What about the town that was burning lad?” Asked Sam. “Was it our town?”

  “I couldn’t tell for sure,” answered Shiloh. “But I think it was another town.”

  “So, who’s the blonde guy supposed to be?” inquired Ian.

  “The antichrist,” answered Rupert. “Just as God took the form of a human to save us from our sins so will Satan, only when he does, it will be in an attempt to deceive the people of the world.”

  “What about the battle at the end?” Jessie asked, with some concern.

  “The battle of Armageddon will mark the end of Satan’s rule and will introduce the beginning of the millennium, one thousand years of Christ’s rule on Earth,” explained Rupert. “Was the battle the last thing that happened Shiloh?”

  “After the battle there was a blinding, bright light and then I woke up, but for just an instant…” Shiloh hesitated for a moment.

  “Yes,” asked Rupert, overwhelmed with curiosity.

  “For just an instant, I thought I glimpsed,” Shiloh paused again, “well I guess it looked like paradise and then I woke up. It happened so briefly that I wasn’t sure if it had been my imagination.”

  “What makes you so certain your vision is true?” asked Mason, skeptically.

  “Rupert said that both the living and the dead were raptured when everyone vanished,” replied Shiloh.

  “So what?” Mumbled Mason, with little hope of a rational answer.

  “So, I dug up my families’ graves and their bodies have vanished!”

  “Wait…you what?” asked Mason, looking shocked.

  “Not to mention their clothes were still there, along with this necklace and my wife’s wedding ring,” Shiloh held up the cross that
he’d recovered.

  “But why would God allow death?” asked Dr. July.

  “God didn’t bring death and suffering into the world, sin did. He even warned us, but we didn’t listen. The rest was put in our hands,” explained Rupert.

  “Then why did God kill everyone in a flood?” asked Lex.

  “The great flood was necessary to wash all of the corrupt DNA and evil from the earth, to preserve man. Jesus Christ was prophesized to be born of a pure line, traced down from Adam. At that time Noah and his family were the only righteous people left of pure blood. God saved them so that they could repopulate the earth in preparation for the birth of Jesus, two thousand years later.”

  “What do you mean when you say that Jesus must be born of pure blood?” asked Mason.

  “Lucifer and the other fallen angels were breeding with human women,” answered Rupert. “The seed from the fallen angels created Nephilim offspring.”

  “Nephi-what?” asked Sam.

  “Nephilim, or in some translations, Giants,” repeated Rupert. “They’re half human and half angel, which is why they have such power and strength. All of you have heard of them before. You probably just don’t realize it. Achilles, Atlas, Hercules and Perseus just to name a few, were all demigods, or the heroes of men as the Bible describes them. In Greek Mythology gods like Zeus, who is really just a fallen angel, mated with women who gave birth to these so called heroes.”

  “So was Goliath a Nephilim?” asked Savannah.

  “Kind of,” smiled Rupert, “some believe he was the offspring of a Nephilim named Anark. Before the flood the Earth was overrun with the descendants of these creatures. This is why God cleansed the earth with the Great Flood.”

  “I don’t believe you’re all buying into this,” complained Mason. “It was just a dream. Giants don’t really exist.”