It had been too long since I had been to the New Life Church. Almost everyone in town would be there on Sundays and Wednesdays, and if someone did not attend, everyone would know about it. I assumed that is why I was disliked by many in the town. Me and Nathan approached the big, dark brown wooden church. The stairs looked like it had been re-painted. The two long doors in the front now had quotes from the bible on them.
"I know it's been a while since you've been here. But really, nothing's changed except for the decorations and the weekly paintings. I come around hear every week along with some other folks and we paint this building top to bottom. It just makes me smile knowing all those people in there can come together for just one day, it makes this all better." Explained Nathan happily as we walked up the stairs when suddenly, we paused. Looking directly at each other asking the same question by our facial expressions. Both of us heard it, but we did not know if what we heard was real. The voice of Logan. It almost sounded as if he were preaching in the church.
When we entered the church, we indeed saw what our ears had heard. Logan was in the front of the church standing on the stage preaching to the people in the church and the Pastor sat on the side of the stage next to the piano. He looked upset.
"Something big is coming, and you all sit back and read these bibles and worship this man that was never resurrected! Jesus was a false prophet. He was never the true son of God. He did not rise; He was nailed to a cross and left to die, but God would never let that happen to me, or my children. You are all sheep! You believe whatever your master tells you!"
"I ask you this, who has ever read the real bible? None of you! These false prophets named priests changed the bible so that you can worship them! Look around you! When you step outside what do you see? Do you feel safe, or do you feel like one day you will be that missing person on the news or one day you will be that dead body found in the woods? This is the time of reckoning; the rapture is upon us people. Your world is no longer filled with just normal citizens. Demons in human flesh walk among us! This is not the beginning of a new world, it's the end! People fight and battle over religion when none of them are right! I want you people to think about this, if I were wrong why hasn't my father, God stopped me? Why hasn't your Pastor stopped me? Because your Pastor has led you down the wrong path. You are all sheep you cannot lead yourselves you must be led. For I am here to find the person to lead you all to salvation. But this pastor, he is killing you all off one by one and you don't even know it. You all can be saved by the Red River before the revelation begins. The end is upon us people, do not let your soul burn. God has not forsaken you, neither have I."
A while later when the church service was over, I had a talk with Brain. I found him sitting in the front row of the church reading the holy bible.
"Brain, if you are a man of your religion, why did you let him say all that in your church?!" I asked sternly, demanding an answer. The Brain looked over at me with a look of stress in his eyes.
"The truth is, I wanted to stop him, and I was, but then... I... He got to my head. I started believing his words. I asked the Lord to forgive me, but I fear there is more to be done than that. And it may be true that the bible has been changed over the years, but I will not lose my faith! I'm going to tell you this now Stephen as I friend, sometimes the man can lead his cattle into the safe direction, but sometimes the cattle may stray off and follow the one that looks just like them, and that's when all hell breaks loose. If I cannot lead my cattle in the right direction, then the Lord does right not to answer me. Now that they follow the false prophet, it may be too late to change some of them, the ones that choose to follow a false idol are no longer my children or the Lord's."
With that, Brain left the church leaving me guessing for answers. I bowed my head, not to pray but to listen. I heard the leaves bristle outside, I heard friendly chatter from people as they walked by on the outside, but nothing else. I did not hear a God or a Prophet. I lifted my head up and started my way out of the church when I familiar voice stopped me.
YOU ARE READING
The Red River
Mystery / ThrillerI was once like you. Innocent, oblivious to what the world had to offer. I could not see what goals God had set for me, I could not see the damage in the world. I, like you, thought the world was filled with good. I thought everyone had some good in...
