The End of Days, Part 8

The End of Days, Part 8:
Days passed. David was surprised by how quickly the world returned to normal. Mere days ago, tens of thousands of people were killed in an instant and a man claiming to be the Son of God appeared with miracles. He then tells everyone to go about their daily lives and most people just did. A crowd of zealous individuals swarmed around the church where ’Jesus’ chose as his residence. They slept on the ground and eagerly awaited any chance to catch even a glimpse of their lord. News cameras were ever present as well. There was not a time of day that you couldn’t see the church and the surrounding crowd on TV. At least once a day the robed man would exit the church and issue some proclamation, encouraging people to continue working or condemning some violence done in his name. Always he was surrounded by the four police officers who had first met him, still in their uniforms but without their badges.

 The internet was ablaze with rumours. People claiming that touching their TV or computer screens when the robed man was shown resulted in miraculous healing from all manner of diseases and ailments. Many events were attributed to his power as well. Violent criminals being struck down by lightning when people invoked the name of Jesus, the weather changing suddenly at the sound of his name, and things of that nature. David wasn’t sure whether or not to believe most of these stories as they were conveniently lacking any sort of corroboration. 
Some enterprising individuals had even collected jars of the dust from the explosion and were selling it online, claiming that it was infused with divine power. The same day the jars started selling, the robed man strongly condemned them for making money by fraud and deceiving the gullible. 

 While people in many places settled back into their monotonous routines, it was not the case everywhere. Religious violence broke out in places. Self-proclaimed disciples of Jesus were usually the instigators, attacking atheists, members of other religions, and even other Christians who refused to declare the robed man to truly be Jesus. Almost daily he would appear on TV condemning this violence, stating that the time for judgement and punishment would come later and now is the time for all to be called to repentance.  

 David fell into a new routine. He spent his mornings in quiet prayer and scripture reading before going to work. Every evening that week he would meet with members of his church. They would all bring some food and eat together. There was little structure to their time together, alternating between singing hymns both old and modern, taking turns reading sections of the Bible, and praying. Laying in bed one evening, David was amazed to see how different his life had become in so short a time. He used to take every chance he could get to indulge in his hobbies but since that church service a week ago he hadn’t watched any TV, played games, or scoured the internet for useless trivia. Strangest of all, he didn’t miss those things. There were times in the past when he would attempt to cut down on his leisures to make more time for reading his Bible and praying. Religious fervor might grip him few a few days or weeks but he had always slipped gradually back into his old habits. What was different this time was he had cut his entertainment completely out of his life instead of simply reducing how much time he spent on leisure.

 Religious leaders from around the world had begin arriving in Toronto and staying at hotels near the church. The robed man had forbidden them from meeting with him until Saturday when they would all be invited into the church to learn his will. Pastors and priests from churches of all sizes and denominations were arriving along with theologians, seminary professors, and authors of popular Christian books. Some members of the clergy of other religions arrived as well, eager to see if this man was a fraud or if their entire lives had been serving a lie. 

 David spent much of his Saturday tidying the house. He was preparing for Leah and the children to return home. The unrest and violence that had sprung up in this messiah’s name around the world did not make an appearance in Canada. Assuming that whatever came of the meeting did not incite riots, Leah would come home the next day.

 Hours dragged on slowly. David did his best to occupy himself productively. He was eager to know what new teachings would be announced after this meeting. The morning went by without word from the church, then the afternoon. The sun was low in the sky and David was beginning to wonder if he would have to wait until the morning to learn what went on when the great double doors opened and people began pouring out. 

 Reportes swarmed them immediately. Famous authors and megachurch pastors were surrounded by crowds shoving microphones in their faces. A few reporters sought out the lesser known individuals on the outskirts. Some had beaming grins on their faces, others had frowns and scowls. David sat on his couch and turned the volume up.