As A Thief In The Night

There was at once a great fury of wind and torrential rains. Beneath the sky, the sons of men hid their faces, for they were heavy with shame at their misdeeds.
- This is your fault.
- I know.
- Why must things be this way?
- It had to be. There was no way around the suffering. You are stronger for it.
- I am broken.
- You must be.
- So how stronger?
- It must be so.
- I don't understand.
- I know.

There are things that men such as these cannot - no - WILL not understand as long as they inhabit this earth. Driven by fear, they will cower before the face of the Lord; before the face of man and beast they will be afraid.

- I do not wish to fear
- Then do not.
- It is not as simple as this.
- It is.

The earth brought forth a great trembling. Man and beast were crushed beneath the fury of the Lord God in Heaven. Amen. And one third of all the water in the rivers and lakes was turned to blood. And one third of all water in the oceans and the seas was turned to blood.

- I am always alone.
- This is true.
- Why must it be?
- Because this is the plight of man.
- Lonely are the rich.
- Yes.

And man and beast cried out in their thirst. "Oh LORD! Why have you forsaken us? Have we not pleased you with our offering? Have we not lived in accordance to your law?" And the Angel of the Lord felt a deep sadness for the beasts of the fields and for the men of the land.

- I cannot see the sky.
- For you are blind.
- For what crimes have I lost my eyesight?
- It is not a punishment.
- Is it not?
- You know the answer to this.

And with a voice that akin to thunder, the Angel of the Lord proclaimed, " Glory to the Lord God on high, The King of Heaven and Earth forever and ever. Amen." And with the sword, the Angel destroyed a third of the crops of men, a third of all the flowering plants, a third of the birds of the air and a third of all things that bring joy to the hearts of men.

- For this I am thankful.
- You have known this to be true for some time now.
- Yes.

And there was a great gnashing of tongues. For the wages of sin is death, the path of the righteous narrow, and the pain of the wicked...


- There is a great peace in this.
- And a great terror.
- Yes. For the wages of sin is death. And the love of money is the root of the iniquity of man.
- This we know to be true.
- Yes.

"When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me."

And the fires consumed the land and all that would grow upon them. And the Lord sayeth: "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."