Early in 2012, Rick Wiles of Trunews sponsored a roundtable of Watchman from all over the country. The meeting lasted three days and the men interceded and shared their hearts. To a man, they all said that the hour was very, very late.
Listening to their frustration about the years of combined warning for America made me weep because God had sent His representatives and they were ignored. This short story, “The Watchman” was birthed through my painful understanding that regardless of the warnings, people “chose” to not listen.
Day is almost past and night is upon us. This story is more timely now than ever before.
I pray you use the remaining time to prepare your hearts before the Lord.
The Watchman
by
Daniel Holdings
The Watchman stood on the ancient wall, his hand shielding his eyes from the burning sunlight. In the distance he saw dark swirling angry clouds. A storm was coming… a storm of war and disaster.
As he looked at the clouds, the images changed into recognizable shapes, both known and unknown. He saw chariots of fire, birds of prey and what looked like mushrooms in the distance.
The biting wind, which had been steadily blowing in his face, became fiercer and his body swayed under its power. Suddenly the smell of the wind became putrid and sulfury. It smelled like death. The storm grew closer and larger and the ill wind stronger with the stench of death.
Then, as if walking through a wall of protection of the dark clouds, a multitude of the enemy, as far as the eye could see, emerged from the dark cloud – The Watchman knew that they were evil with murder in their hearts.
The time was at hand. God’s judgment was near.
The Watchman reached to his side where the shofar, a ram’s horn, hung. He pulled it to his lips and blew it with all of his breath, again and again. It was the sound of warning, the sound of danger.
When he was done blowing, he took one last look at the advancing enemy, too numerous to count. After a long gaze, he slowly turned with resignation.
Below him, behind the city walls of perceived safety, the people gathered in mass, looking up at him to hear what his warning was about. He let out a tired breath. He had been standing watch for so long. He had tried to tell the people that this day would come, but they would not listen. Now it was too late.
With a loud carrying voice, he cried out to the humanity below,
“People! The time has come. The hour that I have been telling you about is here. The enemy is at the gate. And he is too numerous for you to stop. Judgment has come to our land. Make right your hearts before our God!”
The crowd below him murmured:
“How can this be? Our walls, our defenses, will surely protect us!” And another said: “He is only trying to scare us. Our God would not forsake us! Come let us go back to our houses to sleep.” And still another said: “What kind of god would abandon his people. Surely he does not exist!” And another: “Come let us reason with the enemy, that they might share in some of our food and goods and leave us alone!”
The Watchman listened with glistening eyes. Even with the proof of judgment right outside of the gate, the people would not listen… not repent.
He said, “As surely as I live, I tell you the truth. I have tried to warn you that these walls and this land could not protect you from the sin you have committed and even now try to deny. Not one of you shall be preserved, lest the Lord of the Universe test his heart, find him worthy and come to his aid. Repent, for the time of judgment is at hand!”
But the people, thinking him irrational, turned away from and went back to their houses, denying the pain that was about to come upon them. Turning slowly back around, he saw the multitude of murder marching closer. There were far too many of them to fight.
Turning his eyes toward Heavens, the Watchman said, “Oh Lord God! I tried to warn your people, but they would not listen. They laughed and scoffed at your servant. They would not believe me because the cost of your judgment was too fearful to believe. Have mercy on them oh God!”
But in his heart, the Watchman knew: Because of the people’s hard hearts – mercy would not find them.