Tamika desperately wanted to feel the way her passenger now looked. She wanted to believe her two boys and mother were in Heaven, and that she, too, could have a personal relationship with a Savior of sorts, as Charles kept proclaiming.

  But something kept pulling her away from his words. Besides, she was still too bitter over the loss of her family to allow her icy heart to melt enough to drink it all in. If there was a God, Tamika blamed Him for her current predicament.

  She was mad, hurt, scared and confused, all wrapped up into one.

  In her mind, it was all His fault.

  27

  TAMIKA MOSELEY DROPPED BRIAN Mulrooney off at the Fifth Avenue front entrance of the hotel. Much like he did with Jacquelyn Swindell, Brian gave Tamika his cell phone number in case she ever needed him for anything.

  Tamika was grateful. It made her feel a little less lonely.

  Like most people visiting the Waldorf for the first time, Mulrooney was instantly impressed. It made the hotel he worked at, nice as it was, look like a shack. But Brian wasn’t here to compare hotels. He was on a mission. Just last night, he doubted if there were any true Christians left on the planet to talk to.

  “Thank you, God, for answered prayer.”

  Mulrooney was suddenly nervous knowing he was about to meet someone who claimed to know the deepest secrets of life. How will I ever explain this to Renate? My parents? Craig?

  First things first. He needed to take care of his own soul before thinking of anyone else. Brian texted Charles to inform him of his arrival.

  Charles replied: Come on up!

  Exiting the elevator car on the ninth floor, Mulrooney walked the long corridor looking for room #917. His mind was focused on one person: Jacquelyn Swindell. Though he barely knew the woman, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

  Sensing in his spirit that she too was soul-searching, he wanted her to be with him. He sent her a quick text message: Something amazing’s about to happen!

  Brian found Charles’ room and gently knocked on the door.

  “You made it! Praise the Lord!” Charles Calloway said. “Please, come in, my friend. Can I get you anything? Coffee?”

  “No thanks,” Mulrooney said, staring at the bandage on his head. “Still full from breakfast.”

  “Did Tamika tell you how we met?”

  “Yeah. She said you were in her cab when it happened, and you lost your wife and kids in the Rapture. Sorry to hear that, Charles.”

  Calloway sighed, then hesitated a moment before he could finally speak. “Haven’t had final confirmation, but I know in my heart they’re gone. Otherwise I would have heard something by now.”

  “When did you finally figure it out?”

  “After I was finally alone in my room.” Charles took a deep breath. “My daddy was a preacher and a true follower of Jesus Christ. He often warned about the Rapture. My wife did too. I just never listened…”

  Brian saw the blank look on Charles’ face and the tears in his eyes. “Sorry for asking.”

  “It’s okay. Why don’t you tell me about your experience last Saturday?”

  Brian told Charles how Justin disappeared at the football game, and how he came to learn the next day he was a born-again Christian. “He even left me a Bible wrapped as a Christmas Gift.”

  Looking Brian square in the eye, Charles said, “Do you think God’s been showing you these signs to get your attention?”

  “If you were me, what would you think?”

  “There’d be no doubt in my mind. It’s truly remarkable how God used Tamika to bring us together!”

  Brian took a deep breath. “That’s what I keep thinking. A New York City taxicab driver and a cell phone left in her cab by one of my childhood best friends led to all of this.”

  “What? Really? Your friend was the one who left his cell phone in her cab? She thought it was my phone at first.”

  “Yup. Craig got out of her cab just before you got in. Of the thousands of taxi drivers in New York City, God chose her to unite us all. It’s mind-boggling!”

  “We humans could never choreograph something so amazing. It has to be God.”

  “Indeed.”

  “Before we pray, I want you to know there are no magical words to recite that will get you right with God. My father wasn’t fond of altar calls or repeating a sinner’s prayer. He believed many good-intentioned individuals were actually praying others straight into hell by making them believe a quick decision for Christ, without having a full understanding of the Gospel, could save their souls from hell.”

  Brian shot Charles a sideways look, “Sinner’s prayer? Not sure I follow you. I was raised Catholic.” Mulrooney was clearly confused.

  “Let me put it this way; just like you Catholics don’t need to confess your sins to a priest, no one needs to pray with someone else to have salvation from Jesus.”

  Charles could see that his visitor was still confused. He backpedaled. “Romans chapter ten, verses nine and ten says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

  “I believe that.”

  “I believed it too, Brian, even long before the Rapture. Yet here I am.” Calloway grimaced, “What I failed to realize was true repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of heart which leads to a change of actions. This change involves both a turning from sin and a turning to God. That’s when we can know for sure we are saved. That’s the part I missed.”

  “That’s deep, Charles.”

  “If someone’s truly converted, they’ll constantly seek God’s ways for their lives. If not, like me, they’ll talk a good game and make others think they’re saved, but they’ll eventually fall back into their old lives, only to suffer the eternal consequences. It’s not that they lost their salvation, they never had it to begin with.”

  Charles’ voice lowered, “Shoot, I can’t tell you how many times I prayed to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. The reason it never took was that my heart wasn’t right with God. Wouldn’t be surprised if millions of others who prayed some kind of sinner’s prayer before the Rapture were also left behind.

  “My father always said we don’t choose God. God chooses us. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, the moment we were born we were separated from God. Physically we’re alive, but spiritually we’re as dead as the frozen ground in the dead of winter. We’re nothing more than walking corpses, deserving of eternal punishment from the Most High Judge.

  “Daddy always said if God doesn’t first open our spiritual eyes and ears and soften our wickedly sinful hearts through the power of regeneration, we’ll remain condemned sinners. And that, my friend, is why we must be born again through Christ Jesus. The first birth is physical. The second is spiritual.”

  “Never thought of it that way.”

  “What brought me to my knees last weekend was more than just losing my family. With my pride shattered and my heart softened, God showed me just how lost and sinful I really was, and how I deserved to be thrown into hell for my sins. For the first time ever, I felt completely powerless in His presence and totally deserving of His eternal condemnation.”

  Calloway’s voice trailed off. “With my sin laid bare before me, God led me to Revelation, chapter seven.” Calloway took a moment to find it in the Bible. “I will read verses nine and ten for you, ‘After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’”

  “Is that us?” Mulrooney’s heart throbbed with anticipation.

  Charles nodded yes. “Let me prove it to you by reading verses thirteen and fourteen, “‘Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’”

  Calloway smiled, “I can assure you, Brian, that true conversion took place in this hotel suite last weekend. To think that the Sovereign Creator of the universe would still have mercy on despicable ol’ me and blot out all my transgressions according to His steadfast love, filled my heart with great joy.

  “Jesus cleansed my heart and renewed the spirit within me. I did nothing to obtain it. It was God’s grace and forgiveness that brought me to sincere repentance. Nothing more. And so I ask you, Brian, do you feel something stirring deep inside?”

  “I do. Like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”

  “Praise God. Do you think it’s God’s Holy Spirit trying to get your attention?”

  “No doubt in my mind.”

  “Good, because the only soul God sees as just and holy in His sight are those that have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. It’s impossible to come to the Father any other way. Bottom line: come Judgment Day, if God sees you standing before Him, you’re doomed. But if He sees Jesus standing in your place, you’ll be justified and blameless in His sight. It’s that simple!”

  Calloway was starting to sound like his father. The words he always tried to suppress were now flowing like a fountain. It was amazing. “Do you believe Jesus was sent by God and that He has the power to save your soul from eternal damnation?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Do you admit you’re a sinner in need of a Savior, and the only way you can be eternally forgiven is by receiving Jesus as the Lord of your life?”

  Brian started trembling inside. “There’s nothing I want more, Charles.”

  “Very good then.” Charles took Brian’s sweaty hands into his own and both men closed their eyes. “Time to let your heart cry out to Jesus. Forget I’m even here. Tell Him what you want, even if only in a whisper. I can assure you He is listening.”

  Mulrooney was taken aback. He gave Calloway a sideways look, “I thought you were going to pray for me?”

  “No sir. This is your big moment with the Most High. I’m here only as a joyful witness...”

  “What should I say?”

  “Whatever’s on your heart, my friend.”

  Hmm. With trembling hands, Brian took a deep breath and lowered his head, “Heavenly Father, I humbly acknowledge that I’m a sinner who deserves Your eternal judgment, as Charles just alluded to. Lord Jesus, now that I have a better understanding of Your Word, with all my heart I believe You and You alone can redeem me.

  “Please save me and be my Lord and Savior. I surrender my life to You repenting of my many sins. Please guide my every step from this moment on and use me any way You want. I am willing, Amen.”

  Charles eyeballed Brian. Both men were teary-eyed. “Did you mean what you just said from your heart?”

  “Every word of it!”

  Charles smiled and prayed, “Dear Father God, Your Word states that when a sinner sincerely repents of his sins and trusts in Jesus as Lord and Savior, that person shall be saved. Thanks for rescuing us both from eternal damnation. Please guide our steps from here on out.

  “We know Satan’s gonna do all he can to keep us from reaching others for You. Train us both to be mighty warriors in Your end times Army, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

  “Amen,” Brian repeated with a grateful heart.

  “Welcome to God’s Family, brother!” The two men embraced.

  “I feel so different. It’s like the weight of thirty-three years of sinful living was just lifted off my shoulders...” Brian stiffened up. “Thank you, Charles.”

  “Don’t thank me. All I did was share the Word of God with you. God did the rest. Scripture says His grace was at work in your life even before we prayed.”

  “Thanks, anyway.”

  Charles looked deep into Brian’s eyes and saw the sincerity there. “You’re welcome, my brother.” Leading his first person to faith in Christ was an indescribable sensation.

  “Now that my spiritual eyes have been opened, I can see how many Catholics who thought they knew Jesus before last Saturday, didn’t really know Him at all. They only knew of Him, just like me.

  “Now it makes perfect sense. And despite what the Pope thinks, I’m convinced those who vanished last weekend were the true believers. They’re with Jesus now, including my friend, Justin.”

  “As surely as I’m holding this Bible in my hand,” Calloway said in reply, “that’s what happened last Saturday.”

  “What about those who died that day?”

  “Where do you think they are?”

  “Hell?” Brian asked.

  “Close,” Calloway said. “As far as I know, like all who die still in their sins, they’re in a place called Hades awaiting God’s Judgment. I can assure you they’re very much alive and totally aware of their tragic predicament.

  “Soon they’ll be forced to account for everything they did in the flesh, before being sentenced to an eternity in hell with no hope of redemption. Scary stuff, indeed.”

  Every hair on the back of Mulrooney’s neck stood at full attention. To think that Jacquelyn’s husband, Tom, Justin’s parents, and Craig Rubin’s mother, Selma, all died that day, and were doomed for all time frightened Brian to the core. His heart ached for them. “And the young children?”

  “They’re in Heaven. Every last one of them, including my five babies!” Calloway stuttered a bit, something he never did. Seeing the guilt on his visitor’s face for asking, Charles waved it off, “It’s okay, my brother. They couldn’t be in a better place. Now that I’m a real believer, I know I’ll see them again someday. Just not sure in what capacity. But I trust God will make it clear to me in His Word someday. What a glorious day that’ll be!”

  Both men smiled wearily.

  “How much time do we have left?”

  “I thought it was seven years until I stumbled onto this website that was just launched into cyberspace the other day.”

  “What site?”

  “It’s www.lsarglobal.org. Stands for Last Shot At Redemption. What I like most is that it was created by former fake Christians like us. I can assure you they’re fake no more.”

  “Really?” Mulrooney typed the URL onto his mobile device. “Got it.”

  Calloway continued, “One thing I learned that helped put the time aspect into proper perspective was that the seven-year Tribulation period won’t begin until Antichrist signs a peace treaty with Israel. Once that happens, this planet’s really in trouble. Not a single man-made structure will be left standing at the end of the Tribulation period.”

  “I’m not following you, Charles. This is all foreign to me.”

  “It’s all in the Book of Revelation. Now that I’m saved, my goal from this point forward is to learn everything I can about future events in the Book of Revelation and on that website.”

  Charles rose from his seat and paced the floor. “All I want to do is win souls for Jesus. With my family gone, there’s nothing holding me back. I’ll go wherever He sends me.”

  “Sounds like a good plan,” said Mulrooney.

  “Now that you’re finally on the Righteous path, never be ashamed to tell others about what Jesus did for you today. Scripture says if we don’t acknowledge Jesus to others, He won’t acknowledge us to His Father in Heaven.

  “Jesus also said in Luke chapter twelve that He came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. He said a person’s enemies will be those of his own household, and whoever loves his earthly family more than Him isn’t worthy of Him.”

  Mulrooney gulped hard when his father and Renate flooded his mind. He jotted Luke chapter twelve down on a piece of Waldorf-Astoria stationery. He would read it later at home.

  “Indeed, it is. The time is short, my brother. As God’s end times servants, we must be prepared to go anywhere He sends us on a moment’s notice, forsaking all others and all other things. Are you willing to do that, Brian?”

  “I am. But I don’t think I can do it alone. I’ll need your help.”

  “Two by two, right?” Calloway replied.

  Brian nodded agreement.

  In the six hours Brian Mulrooney spent at the Waldorf-Astoria with Charles Calloway, an immediate bond was formed between them that no worldly power would ever break.

  They were stronger than blood brothers.

  They were brothers in Christ.

  28

  BRIAN MULROONEY WAITED MORE than an hour before finally securing a cab ride home. Usually there were plenty of taxis parked outside the Waldorf-Astoria, waiting for good-tipping customers in need of rides to Manhattan’s many world-class attractions, but not this night. Brian was lucky to get a cab at all.

  With so much uncertainty in the air, the one thing he was certain of was that he didn’t leave the Waldorf-Astoria the same man he was just a few short hours ago. Not even close. He was a new creature in Christ Jesus.

  By the time he got home, it was well after 10 p.m.

  “What’s up with you, son?” Dick Mulrooney asked, noticing Brian’s countenance had changed.

  “Had a good day, Pop.”

 

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