My Brother's Keeper_ **2** _Birds of a Feather_ **3** _A Deadly Game_ **4** _The Black Book_ **5** _The Big Gamble_ **6** _The Rules of the Game_ **7** _Blood and Sand_ **8** _A Cold Day in Hell_ **9** _Dirty Work_ **10** _A King's Ransom_ **11** _The Edge of the World_ **12** _Rules of the Game_ **13** _Reap the Whirlwind_ **14** _Cross the Line_ **15** _Curtain Call_ **16** _The Verdict_ **17** _Showdown_ About the Author _Acknowledgments_ I love making a new novel, and when I start writing I can't wait for someone to read it. That's the one thing I look forward to the most. I work with an incredible group of people at HarperCollins Christian Publishing. A special thanks to my manager, Jaret (whose name reminds me of a character in a Jack Reacher book), and to my editor for this project, Kate Seaver. My gratitude to John Scognamiglio, Jodi Hughes, and Susan Nelson. Also thanks to John Rutherford, my agent. Many thanks also to family, friends, and fellow writers for their support and encouragement. Many thanks to my wife, Melody, and our wonderful kids, Jake, Taylor, and Alexis. God bless you all! _For more information about Josh McDowell and his books, visit:_ www.harpercollins.com/mcdowell # ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To my wife, Melody, and my kids, Jake, Taylor, and Alexis—Thank you for allowing me the freedom to write this book, as well as for your support. To John Scognamiglio, who's made himself more than a fine publisher. Thanks to Kate Seaver for being a great agent. And thanks to my friends: —Dan and Debbie Lunsford for your encouragement and support. —Mike Haines, who's always in my corner. —Jim Miller, a great writer and one helluva pitcher of beer. —Lisa Harris of _Victory Journal_ magazine, a great writer and a great supporter of our ministry. —Jack Pesch, a good friend and a great writer. —The _Courier_ (Columbia, S.C.), the _Eagle_ (West Columbia, S.C.), and the _Messenger_ (Charleston, S.C.). Thank you all for your support. —Bill and Nancy Puckett, for your help in my children's ministry. —Bill Puckett, for providing the best food around. —Cathy and Jeff Dye, for your help. —Gary and Julie Lunsford, for the hospitality, and a nice lunch. —Andy and Nancy Harris, for being on the right side. —Dr. Mike Smith, my colleague in ministry, and Dr. Jeff Dye, a friend in ministry, two great men of God. # _Prologue_ _"This is the word of God."_ The words of Nostradamus were scrawled in red ink on a black poster. Next to the poster, a Bible lay open to Revelations. The book of Revelations is full of images of a bloody apocalypse and images of war and death. A man looked out the window of the plane, seeing nothing but fog. The fog began to clear a little, and as he watched, he realized the plane had dropped below its cruising altitude. He tried to relax as he looked out the window, but his heart raced, his stomach twisted. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. _There's no point in worrying about it_ , he thought. _The Lord is in charge, and the Lord will take care of it_. But still, he couldn't shake the fear, a fear that had been with him for a long time. The foggy mountainous area below was called Elk Mountain in north-central Idaho. A war had erupted in the airspace above it. The war had begun after the Rapture of the Christian church. But what's a Rapture, and who are we fighting? I hope this book answers these questions. # 1 **_The war began with a murder._** The man sat on the edge of a motel room bed. He reached for the TV remote, turning on a newscast. He watched the footage as he drank beer, looking bored and indifferent. He didn't turn up the volume until he was ready to hear the story. The reporter's voice was calm and steady, and then he described the discovery of a car in the middle of a field. The car was surrounded by law enforcement, medical personnel, and FBI. A man, a young boy, and a little girl had been killed, shot to death. Nowhere was mentioned what group was involved in the incident. It was assumed that the car had been involved in a bank robbery. That was enough information for the man. He turned up the volume on the television to hear what the police said about the incident. He couldn't believe his ears. The man was stunned as the police tried to work out what had happened. Was this something to do with the Church of Christ? Was this church responsible for the murder? The man rose from his bed. He didn't know what to think, but he decided to fly to Idaho and find out. He finished his beer and tossed the can in the garbage. He grabbed a bottle of bourbon and a bottle of water. He walked down to his truck and began the two-hour drive. # 2 **_Just after midnight_** LUCIA CROUCHED OUTSIDE THE CAVE'S ENTRANCE. DANNY SAT ON HIS HORSE a few yards away. They were staring at the cave, waiting for Nessa O'Connor to emerge. Danny was holding a lantern, shining it into the cave. A few minutes earlier, he'd climbed the hill, found the hole in the cave's entrance, and went inside. Now he was waiting for Nessa to join him. "Nessa's in there?" Danny nodded. "Are you sure?" Danny nodded again. "She might just be in there for protection. I don't know. She could be in there for other reasons. Just be ready to run." Danny nodded. "Yeah. I know." He took another swig of whiskey. "Damn." He shook his head, thinking, _Why do the good ones always have to die first?_ Lucia was standing beside him, arms crossed, an old green blanket around her shoulders. "He's still dead, Danny." "I know. We had a deal. He knew the truth." Lucia was quiet for a moment. "How can he die again?" Danny stared at her, confused for a second, and then he just said, "Life is strange." Lucia nodded, though she was confused. She said, "What happens now?" "You and me," he said. # 3 **_The man driving the van turned off his road in Colorado into a valley_** where he wouldn't be seen by anyone until the next day. He pulled to the side of the road, put on his safety lights, turned off the engine, and got out of the van. The night was cold, the stars were out, and a faint glow from a passing car's headlights illuminated the trees behind the van. He got back inside and turned the engine back on. Then he waited. He was watching for two things: a blue SUV and a black truck. He was watching for a red Ford F-150 with Florida license plates. He wasn't sure what kind of truck or SUV or car would drive into the Valley of the Shadow, but he knew one would be coming soon. It was almost midnight. He knew the night would be a long one. He turned on the van's interior light, pulled a bottle of water and a pistol from under the seat, and started to drink the water. As he was drinking, he began to hear movement behind him. He put the bottle down and looked in the rearview mirror. A black figure was in the back of the van. He walked slowly toward the man, keeping behind the van. The man was staring into the van's interior lights, and then he slowly reached for a gun, a pistol. He waited until he saw the gun. He raised his own weapon and fired it at point-blank range into the man's chest. The bullets entered through his sternum and ribs and pierced his heart and lungs. The man slumped to the ground. The man quickly retrieved the pistol from the ground and then went to the driver's seat and put his seat belt on, not to go anywhere