Your loved ones who have been called to what the world would call an ignoble and gory end shall return with Christ at his Glorious Appearing! They shall live and reign with him for a thousand years! Glory be to God the Father and his Son, Jesus the Christ!

And as for you and me, my friend: might we be among those? Oh, the privilege!

Revelation 14:12-13: "Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, 'Write: "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on."' 'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.' "

And what of those who enjoy for a season the favor of the ruler of this world? What of those who avoid the guillotine and seem to prosper? As rousing as the Scriptures can be for those who are washed in the blood of the Lamb, look how fearful it can be for those who choose their own way. In Revelation 14:9-11, John quotes an angel, "saying with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.' "

You don't have to be a Bible scholar to understand that.

Now, precious brothers and sisters, let me try to make plain some passages that have resulted in questions from many of you. In Psalm 69:28, the psalmist pleads with the Lord concerning his enemies: "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous."

Exodus 32:33 says, "And the Lord said to Moses, 'Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.' "

These references naturally have caused some to fear that they can lose their salvation. But my contention is that the book referred to in those is the book of God the Father, into which are written the names of every person he created.

The New Testament refers to the Book of Life of the Lamb, and we know that the Lamb is Jesus, for he is the one John the Baptist was referring to (John 1:29) when he said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

Jesus the Christ came into the world to save sinners, and thus the Book of Life of the Lamb is the one in which are entered the names of those who have received his gift of eternal life.

The most important difference between these two books is that it is clear a person can have his name blotted out of the Book of the Living. But in Revelation 3:5, Jesus himself promises, "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels."

The overcomers he is referring to are those clothed in the white garments of Christ himself, guaranteeing that their names cannot be blotted out of the Book of Life of the Lamb.

To me the Book of the Living is a picture of the mercy of God. It is as if in loving anticipation of our salvation, he writes every person's name in that book. If one dies without trusting Christ for salvation, his name is blotted out, because he is no longer among the living. But those who have trusted Christ have been written in the Lamb's Book of Life, so that when they die physically, they remain alive spiritually and are never blotted out.

Rayford had to admit to himself that he had also worried about his own response if he were to face the guillotine. He wanted to be true and faithful to the one who died for him, and he wanted to see his family again. But if he failed and proved a coward, he had wondered whether he would lose his standing before God.

"Tsion," he said, "I wouldn't change a word. This will uplift and comfort millions. It sure helped me."

TWENTY

David couldn't sit still. How was he going to pull this off? Maybe he should act uninterested in Chang as an employee. Would anybody fall for that? He stood and paced, straightening his tie and buttoning his uniform jacket.

When Moon, Mr. Wong, and Chang finally arrived, David was disconcerted at Chang's appearance. A slight, fair-skinned seventeen-year-old, he wore khakis, a plain shirt, a light jacket zipped to the neck, and a red baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. He was clearly angry, his eyes darting everywhere but at David.

Moon and Mr. Wong were giddy, laughing, talking loudly. "Ever see a boy so afraid?" Mr. Wong said. "Can't say I have!"

Tiffany ushered them in, and David shook hands, first with Walter, then Mr. Wong, who said, "Hat off for meeting, Chang."

For the first time since he had seen them interact at the Carpathia funeral, David saw Chang ignore his father. The elder reddened and lost his smile, then faked one, pumping David's hand. "Made hat come off for picture!"

Moon laughed at the memory of it, whatever it was.

David thrust his hand toward Chang, who ignored it. He stood looking down. His father nearly exploded. "Shake hands with boss, Chang!"

The boy lazily reached out, but he did not grip when David did, and it was like shaking a fish. David thought he saw a tear slide next to the boy's mouth. Maybe this was for the best. If David were to try to bust him out of the place in a few days, it would be better if they didn't act civil to each other.

Walter Moon said, "He is risen."

Mr. Wong and David responded, "He is risen indeed." David was startled to hear Chang mutter, "Christ is risen indeed."

Chang may have considered that godly courage, but David saw it as teenage recklessness. No one else seemed to have heard it.

"Sit, please, gentlemen," David said. "I'd like to spend time alone with the candidate, but it's probably just as well you're both here, Chief Moon and Mr. Wong. I've been studying the personnel manual, and frankly, I don't see any way around the age issue."

"Age issue?" Mr. Wong said, looking stricken. "What's that?"

"Good," Chang said and rose to leave.

"Sit! Mind manners! You guest here and interview for position!"

Chang slowly plopped back, slouching and crossing his feet.

Moon dismissed David's concern with a gesture. "His Excellency has already waived that, and-"

"The policy allows no exceptions," David pressed.

"David," Walter said slowly, reminding him of the way he had just heard Carpathia speak to Moon, "the potentate is policy. If he determines that this young man and his off-the-charts intellect and computer savvy will be valuable to the Global Community, then it's a done deal."

David took a breath, deciding to go on the offensive.

But Moon wasn't finished. "You're aware that Potentate Carpathia has already cleared Chang to finish his last year of high school here, and of course we then offer college classes as well."

"I was under the impression the school here was for the benefit of the children of employees," David tried.

"I don't think the teachers care who the students' parents are. Tell Mr. Wong what you are envisioning for Chang, David."

Mr. Wong, grinning, leaned forward to drink it in.

Here goes nothing, David thought. "I envision him finishing high school in China and at least beginning his career anywhere but here."

Mr. Wong's smile disappeared. "What?" he said, turning to Moon.

"David!" Walter said. "What the-"

"Look at him," David said, and both men turned to see Chang staring at the floor, hands in his pockets.

"Sit up, boy. You know better. You shame me."