But first, you and I must come to an agreement. I know your nature and am willing to share the pain, but it will not be without conditions." "What conditions?" "You must trust me with your children. They may die, and I will not kill them." "If that is so," she said, and then paused as she sought to find the appropriate words. She finally said, "In this time of great sickness and great strife, my people have turned their back on their Maker. They have lost sight of Him and His grace. My children are His lost lambs, and I shall always protect them." He stared at her, unable to understand. She repeated, "They may die." "You're not in control of what will happen." She seemed to look beyond him. Then, with some emotion he couldn't understand, she turned her back and walked away. The angel stayed behind, watching her, as she entered her tent and began to speak with the children. In the night, the angel flew off to find the others, returning quickly with the reports of sickness and starvation. They took the dead angel to the healer. "She will help us, but you must help her heal them." "But they are sinners." "We are God's servants. We cannot let our nature, nor can we stand idly by when a soul is doomed to the fiery furnace. The time for this to begin has come. We will not let these ones die, but we will help you save them." The angel returned to the tent, and the healer began praying over the sick and dying. "Lord, hear their cries, help them, and I shall be merciful." She was weeping. "Let them be healed, and I shall never take their lives," she whispered as the healer worked. The sick children were in a feverish sleep. Soon, the healer finished working and left the tent. Her tears continued. Inside, the healer called to the children, "Awake. Your God is good and healing." She spoke to them lovingly. The angels watched the healer enter the tent, and they saw that the children were healed, as if by a miracle. They gathered around the dying angel and the healer. They were astonished that the children were alive. "Lord God," the angel cried, "help these children, and we shall always serve you." The healer said, "I have not healed them. You will do that. I will wait." The children woke from their fevers. They were amazed to find their bodies whole and healthy. The healer left the tent. A noise in the distance drew the attention of the angel. They were aware that the others of the host, whom the children had been healing, were also returning. They gathered at the entrance of the tent. The angel was distressed, knowing that all of the children would be healed. She looked for the healer, and then saw the angel's tent. She flew inside. "She must die," the angel said, "because she has already done the work that God called her to do. Her life has been taken, but all of her children are safe." He watched the healer with the children. She had the appearance of a loving mother who cared for her children, which made him sad. "The children will be healed again," the angel said, "and then they will be killed." The angel left the tent. ## [Chapter 10 The Battle](contents.html#ch010) A messenger ran into the camp announcing that the battle had begun. People quickly looked to see what was happening. Many of them were terrified. The battle seemed to be everywhere, and they knew they couldn't win. A tall man stood and called for everyone to fight to the death. The people ran outside. When the angel appeared, the children were running to and fro in confusion. They followed the angel and the other angels out of the tent. They saw the dead angel. The angels explained what they were seeing. "The battle is a fight between God's hosts," the angel said. "And it is only the children of God's saints who will come out on top." The children were frightened, and they began to cry. The angel stood nearby, comforting them, while the angels looked at the people from their high place on the hill. The people were yelling and yelling. "The people who have rebelled," the angels said, "must die. Because they have chosen to serve the enemy of God." The people shouted as they saw the death angel in the tent. "It's not fair!" A man cried out, "It's not fair. We must have mercy!" "God is just!" someone else shouted. "God doesn't play!" a third man shouted. The children ran to hide in the tent, and the angels comforted them. "Listen to me," an angel called out. "I am a man of God. I come from one of the host of God's saints. I come to tell you that God has spoken. The dead angel is His holy servant. In this battle, there will be no mercy for the rebellious." Someone shouted, "We have to do something." An angel called out, "God calls you to follow Him. As God's saints are killed, their spirits will rise to fight for God. God calls you to join with Him." The angels stayed behind while the people went to the battle. They didn't find any of the saints; instead they found the enemy's forces, and fought them hand to hand, killing many. The battle went on and on. "Where is the Lord of Hosts?" one of the saints cried out. "We must fight, and fight to the death," someone yelled out. "The enemy has taken our Lord's city!" "It's not fair," someone else yelled. "The others won't fight us." "The angels don't fight," the angel called out, "and no one else can fight." In the end, the saints were overwhelmed. The dead were stacked high along the wall. The people began to cry and pray. The children sat with the saints. One of the saints came out of the city and looked down on the people. "Those who serve the Most High God, are we not also your enemies?" he asked. "God is fighting the enemy, and He has delivered His people from slavery," one of the saints said. The angel called out, "God has chosen those who will live, and He has chosen those who will die." A man raised his voice and shouted, "We must kill these people, for they are traitors, and they deserve to die." "You cannot stop God's plan," an angel called out, "and if you fight, you will die." The saints looked to the angels. "We cannot fight the holy angels," one of the saints said. "The Lord's people are not able to fight the holy angels," an angel said. "The angel is saying that God's people should fight the angels," a saint called out. "God's people cannot fight angels. God's people must love God, and they will be delivered, as God fights for His people." The saints were terrified. They knew that God had delivered them from slavery, and yet God's people were calling for their own death. The children sat with the saints, praying. The angels watched. Soon, God came to deliver His people. The children watched as God appeared to deliver them. God's host descended, walking among the saints. The angels were with them. God told the people that they were going to be delivered, and that they were going to win. He called for the dead to be buried in the desert. Then, God told the saints to go back to the city and take what they had left. They went to the tent where they had hidden their supplies. There were bags, supplies, tools, all of the things that they needed to rebuild their city. As they loaded the bags, the children could hear the cries of the children of the enemy, still trapped in the city. They cried out in terror, calling for help. Soon, the people left for their new home. God's angels followed them, and all of the children were safe. ## [Chapter 11 The End](contents.html#ch011) The Lord took the children to live with him. The angels stayed behind in the desert. One of the angels was watching the children. He was not sad; he was glad. He saw the children live, and grow up in a land where they were safe from sickness and hunger. He wondered about them. "When we left this world, we promised to serve our Maker," he said to himself, "but now we must wonder about the children." He left to find the others. When he saw them, he knew that his job was done. He rejoiced in what God had done. One day, the angel found an old man sitting by himself. "May I talk with you?" the angel asked. The man looked up at him. "I have been away for a long time, and I have no family," the angel said. The man looked up at him, and then looked down at the ground. "The people told me to not tell you," the man said. The angel said, "Why do you hide your name?" "You won't understand." "I want to," the angel said. "When I was young, I fought against the enemy," the man said. "I killed men, and I loved to fight." "Do you still love to fight?" the angel asked. "No, I'm old now," the man said. "Why did you come back to this place? Do you have family?" "No," the man said. "When you were fighting the enemy, did you ever wonder about the children?" "What do you mean?" the man asked. "If you had been thinking, you would have realized that they were God's people," the angel said. "God's children are supposed to love God, and they do not serve the devil," the man said. "God will save His children, if they will learn to love Him." "He will forgive them if they believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, and live a good life." The angel said, "They will live forever." The angel sat with the man for a long time. "Tell me about the children," the angel said. "They were just like us," the man said. "They lived in a city where they had no sickness, no hunger, no tears, no sorrow. They could play all day long and have no work to do. They were happy." "What happened to them?" the angel asked. "They were just like you. They decided to hate the Lord of Hosts, and they fought the armies of God. God rescued them, but He took their children away from them." The angel listened. "I want you to tell me their names," the angel said. "Their name was Joshua, just like the one I just told you. He was a man just like you, and he was a soldier of God. He took his family with him when he fought, and he fought until he was killed." The angel listened, and his heart ached. "I am glad for their sake that they have found peace," the angel said. "Do you really know what happened to them?" "We will never know," the angel said. "Do you really know why they killed the saints? Did they really do it because they wanted to, or were they acting on God's orders?" "God would never send His people to die," the angel said. "But they were fighting the children," the man said. "What is the difference?" "You would have to tell God to see, for I am a man of God," the angel said. "What does God want to do?" "God has called us to love Him, and God tells us to serve Him," the angel said. "So, the children are still with Him, and they are living forever." "The saints have no home, but God is their home." "Why did the children go into a city that had no people, to fight against God?" "God sent them there to be killed, so that God's people would be brought to their senses and stop fighting God," the angel said. "When will they be brought home?" "The children will live forever." The angel went to live with his people. He rejoiced in their happiness. He had no wish to leave. In a little while, God sent the man back. "The children will be home," the man said. "They will be free." ## [Chapter 12 The End](contents.html#ch012) They arrived in the city. The children looked around at their city. They were glad. They went back to the tent where the older boys lived. They were in their late teens, and they looked after the younger ones. The older boys took the younger boys out and taught them to fight. They taught them how to throw a spear and shoot an arrow. "You must learn to fight," the boys said. "Where will we go, if we can't fight?" the children asked. "We will leave," the older boys said. "We don't want to leave," the children said. "We are taking the best of you, the young ones. You will have a chance to be happy. You will be given a land where you will no longer be hungry. You will be free." The older boys took them from the tent. They walked until they came to a stream that was filled with fish. They fished and caught fish to eat. They looked across the stream. A great city was there. They heard the noise of soldiers, and they saw that a great army was marching toward them. "The Lord's people have come," the older boys told the children. "It is not the Lord's people who are coming," the children said. "We will never fight," the children said. "What would you do if you did not fight?" the boys asked. "We would live forever," the children said. "No, you would become slaves." "We are His children," the children said. "Then, you will fight for Him," the boys said. "We will help you. You will no longer be lonely. You will not be hungry." They were with the army of the Lord. The Lord brought them to the city where they were to live. There was a great deal of fighting. The enemy tried to fight the army of the Lord. The older boys were given weapons. They fought the army of the Lord. They were fearless. "Your people will never escape," the enemy said. "You will die." "You will die," the children said. "You would rather die than be slaves," the older boys told the children. "Yes," the children said. "You will never leave here," the enemy said. "You will not be allowed to leave," the older boys said. "They will kill us, because they hate us," the children said. The army fought for two days. The soldiers were tired, but they continued to fight. "You have no chance," the enemy said. "You will all be killed." The soldiers had run out of arrows. They threw rocks at the army of the Lord. The children threw stones at the enemy. They had spears, but the enemy's soldiers were many, and they had many weapons. They tried to attack the army of the Lord, but the army was so great. They knew that they were defeated. A soldier of the Lord walked up to the older boys. "God has given you victory," the soldier said. "We want to live," the older boys said. "God will take care of you," the soldier said. "We would rather die fighting for God than live being slaves," the boys said. The older boys were free. The Lord was pleased with them. "When you live as slaves, you will never leave," the Lord said. "But now you are free," the Lord said. They lived in the city for many years. They prayed to God to send them back to their people. "I will never leave," the children said. "If you are going back to your people," the older boys said, "we will not be happy." "You must go back," the Lord said. "Why must we go back?" the children asked. "Because you are His people," the Lord said. "But we will never leave here," the children said. "I will never let you leave here," the Lord said. They walked back to the tent where they had lived. The old men were happy that they had been free. They were free. They could pray to God, and they could sing songs of praise. The Lord prepared a way for the children to leave. They told the older men that they would never leave. The older men were sorry. "The Lord is willing to forgive you," the older men told the children. "God will give you a home." "There are no houses," the children said. "The Lord will make you a home," the older men said. "But we are not going to leave," the children said. "I am not asking you to leave," the older men said. "God has sent His angel to talk with you." The children looked at the angel. "God has asked you