Jacob's Trouble

Chapter Six Burn, Burn, Burn

Many people were walking on the streets of Tel Aviv at this time. Many of them were leaving the synagogues after services. Their faces showed deep concern as they continued to watch the flames burn all around them.

Suddenly, the air was filled with hail and lightning. Someone yelled out, "Hailstones! Fireballs! Save yourselves! Don't stand there! Get out of here now!"

People ran to their cars and drove away as fast as they could. Once inside their vehicles, they quickly switched on their headlights to increase their visibility. Within minutes, the area became nearly pitch black. There was smoke everywhere. Cars parked next to the buildings were on fire. Firefighters struggled to put out the blazes but failed to achieve significant progress.

Reports came from all over the world. Volcanoes were erupting from Hawaii to Italy all at the same time. Another of God's judgments had begun to fall upon mankind. Many people believed that all of this activity was part of the final stage of the tribulation period, but this was only the beginning. Unfortunately, most people didn't realize the severity of the situation. With their minds preoccupied with their own problems, they missed the bigger picture. It was easy to look the other way when faced with trials, tribulations, natural disasters, disease, wars, famines, and other horrific events.

As news spread of these catastrophic events, rumors started spreading that it was God's wrath being poured out upon the sinful nations. Others argued that these calamities were the result of the atomic bomb tests being conducted by rogue nations. Still others thought that these disastrous occurrences were God's punishment for human sin.

Joseph was at his wit's end when the meteor fireballs littered the sky. Fires surrounded their new headquarters in the City of David.

In the midst of the leader's frustration, his little brother, Eli made a suggestion. "Joseph, have you checked out the underground cellars in the old city? Remember we used to go down there when I was really young?"

Joseph recalled that in the old city there were rooms with plenty of space for hundreds of people. He quickly called his mentor, Eliyahu. "Eliyahu, are you familiar with the caves under the old city?"

Eliyahu responded, "Yes, of course! What do you need?"

Joseph said, "The roads outside are blocked. Raging fires surround us. Our new headquarters is surrounded by flames, and it is being threatened. Do you think we could use those caves as a temporary meeting place for our services and refuge from the fires and hail?"

Eliyahu replied, "Sure. You can use the caves. But you need to prepare food and drink supplies. You'll have to send some people there to set up a makeshift kitchen. Can you arrange that?"

"I'll talk to my people and see what we can do," Joseph answered.

Later that afternoon, Joseph's disciples were getting tired. There were 20 sealed ones and over a hundred non-sealed individuals gathered in their compound. They were exhausted. No one had eaten or slept since the fires erupted and hail started falling earlier that morning. Some people went to bed to catch a few hours of sleep. But others went straight to work setting up the necessary infrastructure for feeding everyone.

Joseph assigned the task of making meals to Reuven, Eliakim, Uri, Hananel, Chana, Uri's family, Yona, and Hananel's family. They immediately began preparing their meal plans and started cooking. The followers of Yoshua came from all over Israel. Each family brought special dishes that were enjoyed by all. Everyone ate together.

No one doubted who was responsible for this delicious meal. They remembered the words that Yoshua spoke during his last meal with his friends. They all realized that, once again, Yoshua had come through for them in a miraculous manner. This was another sign of God's blessing on their efforts.