Revelation of the Way of Heaven

Chapter 156 Revelation

The first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail mixed with fire and blood was thrown onto the earth. A third of the earth and a third of the trees were burned, and all the green grass was burned.

The second angel sounded his trumpet, and a mountain like a burning mountain was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood.

One-third of the living creatures in the sea died. One-third of the ships were also destroyed.

The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great, burning star, like a torch, fell down from heaven onto a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.

This star is called Artemisia. A third of the waters turned to Artemisia. Because the water became bitter, many people died.

The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were struck. So that a third of the sun, the moon, and the stars were plunged into darkness, and a third of the day was without light, and the same was true of the night.

Then I saw an eagle flying in the air and heard it say in a loud voice, “Woe to you people who dwell on the earth, the three angels will blow the rest of their trumpets.”

The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star fall from the sky to the earth. And the key to the bottomless pit was given to him.

He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke rose from it like the smoke from a great furnace. The sun and the sky were dimmed by the smoke.

Locusts emerged from the smoke and flew to the ground. Power was given to them, as the power of scorpions on the ground is given to them.

And he commanded them, saying, “Do not harm the grass of the ground, or any green thing, or any tree, but harm those who do not have the mark of God on their foreheads.”

But the locusts must not be allowed to kill them; they must only be allowed to suffer for five months. This suffering is like the pain of a scorpion stinging a person.

In those days, people wanted to die, but could not. They longed to die, but death avoided them.

......

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors; teach us to deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever."

"Amen." The pastor made the sign of the cross in front of him.

"Amen." After a chorus of pious voices, the people in the church stood up and walked towards the door of the main hall. The man remained seated in his place, motionless. The pastor closed his Bible and tidied up the things on the pulpit.

The worshippers in the church quickly left, leaving only the man in black, who had already been noticed by the pastor.

The man was wearing a black down jacket and a brown knitted hat, his arms crossed, seemingly deep in thought. The pastor was familiar with the local parishioners and was certain this man was not a local.

"Brother, is there anything I can help you with?" the pastor asked kindly, looking at the strange man before him.

"Does God really exist?" the man asked casually, his gaze fixed ahead, not even glancing at the priest. It was as if he wasn't asking the priest at all.

At that moment, besides the men, only the pastor remained in the church.

The pastor had clearly encountered this situation before. He looked the man in front of him up again, as if trying to figure out why the man was asking this question, but the man's face remained indifferent.

The pastor stopped what he was doing, thought for a moment, and then replied, "Actually, when I first became a pastor, I didn't know either. At that time, I was very busy, setting up many rules and regulations, frequently organizing large-scale events, and giving grand and passionate speeches to them every Sunday. But deep down, I didn't quite believe what I was saying, and I even felt a little lost."

"At that time, I felt like a liar, the biggest liar, but I didn't dare to give up because most of my relatives and friends were believers, and I didn't want to become an outcast."

"Until one day," the pastor paused, "I was giving a speech as usual, the same things people always say. I told them we are all children of God, brothers and sisters, so we should help each other. You know these simple truths are always right, and no one will argue with them." The pastor shrugged, and the man listened quietly without saying a word.

"After the service that day, a little girl, about five or six years old, was standing below the pulpit. She said to me, 'Uncle, I also want to help others.'"

"That's great," I said to her. "You're such a good girl."

"But how do I do it?" she asked. I was stunned. Yes, I had always told them to love and help each other, but how exactly did I help someone, especially when the other person was just a child? After thinking for a moment, I told her, "You're still young, don't think about these things. Just listen to your mom and dad and live happily."

"Oh." The little girl looked a little disappointed after hearing what I said. I felt a pang of sympathy, and suddenly an idea flashed into my mind. I said, "Oh dear, next week is Christmas. I hope I can receive a present then."

"'It will.' The girl's eyes lit up immediately. When I saw her sparkling eyes, I knew I had finally made contact with the Lord, and sure enough, I received candy from the little girl a week later at Christmas."

"Is it the heart of a child?" the man murmured.

"No, it's my own heart. Whether the Lord exists or not isn't something you hear from others, but something you have to do yourself. Sometimes you don't even need to take any real action. When your heart expresses its desire, we can return to His side. Faith is the only bond that connects us to Him." The pastor looked deeply at the man before him.

The man remained silent, but his expression was no longer indifferent; he seemed to be deep in thought.

He remembered asking another man the same question a long time ago, but that man always answered affirmatively, unlike the pastor in front of him.

"The Son of Man is almost here, he's at the door." This was the man's favorite saying. He also kept emphasizing that when the Son of Man arrived, it would be the beginning of a new era, the coming of God's Kingdom.

"Thank you," the man said softly after a long pause.

"May you return to the Lord soon." The pastor made the sign of the cross, closed his eyes and prayed devoutly. When he opened his eyes again, the man was already standing outside the church.

"By the way, is the Qi family's old house over there?" The man looked to the southwest, where there was a dense forest. Because it was early spring, the leaves had all fallen and the new green leaves had not yet grown. Through the layers of branches, a country path could be vaguely seen leading into the depths.

"That's right," the pastor replied, then added uneasily, "Are you going there? I advise you to give up, because there are rumors circulating in town that a monster has appeared near that old house, and it's very aggressive."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't be here," the man said nonchalantly. "I specialize in dealing with those monsters." He then walked towards a car parked on the side of the road.

The pastor stared in astonishment at the man's retreating figure, and after a long while, he realized what was happening and made the sign of the cross on himself.