His Love In Time: Volume I

EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE FALLING IN LINE NICE. To see a smile on Sarah’s face. She has already hated herself for forcing Abraham to have a son with Hagar. Abraham was a gracious host to God and me. He prepares a meal that is fit for a king. Abraham cooks the fattest lamb and Sarah makes the best tasting bread. Abraham offers to wash His feet. God smiles at them and stands up.

God says to them, “Thank you so much for your hospitality. If you do not mind, I need to speak with Jacob for a moment.” Sarah and Abraham smiles at God. He escorts me outside to have a talk.

“Yes, God?” I ask.

“I want you to come with me to Sodom. There we will meet with Gabriel and, together, you will find out their fate. Knock on doors, determine who is willing to take you in. Should anyone close their door on you, rub your hand on their door and move on. I will take care of the rest.”

“But God, what if I find someone that is willing to take us in?”

“You must fight to save them, and carry on. But be warned, should anyone you save looks back, they too will have the same fate as Sodom.”

“I understand,” I respond. I re-enter the house to grab my belt. The belt has my halo on it, and I do not want to go anywhere without it.

“Lord,” Abraham says as he exits the house. “Where are you two off to at this hour?”

God looks at me and nods, giving me permission to tell Abraham.

“We are going to determine the fate of Sodom,” I respond. I adjust my belt and was ready for battle.

Abraham stands there, like a deer in headlights, completely speechless. “Is everything alright, Abraham?” God asks.

“May I come?” Abraham asks.

“Please!” God says with joy.

Abraham turns around and went inside to grab a sword and a small shield. Once he returned, we were on our way.

Sarah stands at the door with her arms crossed, from the chilly night. She looks like a concerned wife, worried about her husband’s safety, as any wife would.

The three of us began our walk to Sodom to determine the fate of the city. Abraham, during the walk, was nervous at what Gabriel and I will find. Even my short time with Abraham, I feel like I got to know Lot. I do not think that Lot is the problem. His wife, on the other hand.

Arriving at the mountain, Gabriel was there waiting as predicted.

Greeting us with open arms, this was far from the same Gabriel I fought so long ago. He seems to be more personable. Although, it could also be because of God next to us.

I was adjusting my belt, and my armor of God appears on me. Underneath the breastplate of righteousness, I could feel the cloak of the humility dress over my whole body. If this was not going to protect me, nothing will.

We have strict instructions to make sure that only those who allow us inside, are saved from the rain of fire that God will send down.

We arrive at the city gate of Sodom. It is dark outside, but the desert is far from sleeping. Approaching the gate, we get the smell of urine in the air. I notice Lot sitting outside the walls. Lot knows me, he has seen my face before. It is better for Gabriel to approach Lot.

We continue through the city gates, as we will save the best for last. The city is filled with sin. Men and women are doing unspeakable things in the alleyways. Drunks are passed out from too much of partying, and the thieves taking advantage of the passed out individuals.

Lot notices us, and before he caught up, I make sure that I hide my face from his mortal eyes. A gift that angels have. Lot greets us in the hope that he is not the only God-fearing man in Sodom. “You two look lost,” he says. “Welcome, please come to my home. Let me wash your feet and treat you to a nice meal. You will stay with us, tonight.”

“That is not necessary, my good friend,” Gabriel continues. “We will stay in the square this evening.

“I insist!” Lot urges.

The three of us enter his home and are welcomed with a nice feast. Nothing too large, but filling. Lot shows us where we will be sleeping for the night. The dim light from the oil lamps helps enhance the welcoming ambiance.

Lot, his family, Gabriel, and I are startled by large banging at the door. “Open up!” An angry man says from behind the door.

“What do you want?!” Lot responds.

“The two men that went inside your home, send them out and no one will be harmed!”

“What for?! They are guests in my home, you have no purpose here!”

“Send them out now!”

Lot decides to do a foolish and brave thing. He opens the door to stand up for us. It takes great courage to face whatever was outside that door, and even more, the courage to not turn us over to them.

“You are not welcome here!” Lot says, trying to push the man aside.

Lot pushes the man as hard as he can, forcing him outside the home. Lot accomplishes the goal but is face-to-face with dozens of angry men. Facing the mob was not part of the plan.

Realizing that he is no match for the entire mob, he grabs his shepherd’s staff to fight them all off. He is trying to protect us like we were part of his sheep. The two of us were shocked, at the courage this man was developing, for two strangers.

Lot began to smack the men, with his staff, wielding it flawlessly. His fighting spirit is something that is being developed as he continues, with the help of God. However, the man that he pushed out of the doorway catches the staff. “Get out of our way,” he says. He throws Lot across the room, breaking a table.

Lot starts to stand up, but Gabriel and I have seen enough. Before he could regain his strength, Gabriel says, “You’ve done well. Allow us to help.” The two of us forcefully walk out the home, pushing the mob out. While walking, thunder rolls with each step. Putting fear in the men that were swarming the home.

I put my face down and glare into the leaders’ eyes. Curious, Lot follows, and the leader begins to bleed from the eyes. Before long, the entire mob is bleeding from the eyes, causing them to scream in horror. Not really sure what to do.

Walking through the streets, looking for more righteous men, like Lot, to fight for us. All we were receiving were attacks. We are getting fed up with everything. A bright light shines over our clothes, and our armor is revealed. We look like a pair of Roman soldiers, ready for battle. Gabriel with his fists of fury, grabbing blades as they swing at him, and putting the blade in their gut. I look back at Lot and yell, “You and your family must follow us!”

Lot pulls his family out and makes sure that they follow us. Gabriel yells, “Do not stop, not even to look back!” Gabriel was guarding the front, and I was guarding them against those from behind. Swords swinging, trying to injure any of us. I block each attempt and return the favor. The clouds above begin to glow with bright orange.

While we were running, rain of fire began to fall from the skies. The mob does not stop trying to stop us, but as one gets close, the fire hits them. We fight our way out of the gates, just in time for the entire city to be engulfed in flames. Stone buildings were falling over, and the walls were collapsing. We stopped for the children to breathe. Gabriel says to Lot, “Because you showed kindness, God too is showing His kindness. Thank you for your hospitality. Now, run far from the city and do not look back, no matter what!”

We begin to run away from the city, and enter a portal, leaving Lot and his family. We are instantly at the mountaintop, with Abraham and God. We watched the city in flames. The two of us give God a smile and a nod, and He was gone.

Time has passed in Abraham’s village. Sarah is in their tent giving birth to a new baby. The same baby that she once thought was impossible. Abraham was walking around nervously for the new arrival in their village.

The screaming in their tent stops. After a few seconds, the cry of a newborn baby fills the air. Little Isaac was screaming loudly, the proof of a strong young boy.

Hagar and Ishmael are sitting down, near the tent, with a worried look on their face. They both know that now that a direct heir, their fate is no longer genuinely safe. Ishmael looks a lot like Abraham, but the beauty of Hagar in his eyes. That same look of disappointment that my wife gives me, whenever I mess up.

Abraham enters the tent, and all we can hear was laughter.

Abraham emerges from the tent, holding a brand-new baby. He raises his son up and yells, “A son! Just as the Lord promised us.” He brings the baby down and cradles him, “My little Isaac.”

Sarah, asleep in their home, is found laughing in her sleep. But on the other side of their house, Hagar is seen holding her son. They know, now more than ever, that their time here is limited.

The next morning, I am at Hagar’s house, helping where I can. I cannot pretend to not know what was going to happen to these two unfortunate souls, any longer. I want to make sure that Ishmael knew how to defend himself.

The three of us were like a family, and I still have a hard time not noticing that Hagar looks just like Lynn and Eve. She was the same height, the same build, and even had the same Israeli eyes. Her smile that was often hidden looks like an Amazonian. Her skin, was flawless, just as God created her out of clay. But I had my own family to think about. Still, with Abraham focused on the new baby, Hagar will need my help.

With a sigh, I turned to Ishmael, after carving a wooden sword for him, and handed it to him.

“It is for training,” I said.

He took the wooden sword with pride.

“Will you teach me how to use it?” the young boy asks me.

“Of course I will, right away!” With Cain’s vampire clan out there, this wooden sword will come to good use. The two of us went to where the sacrifices took place, high up on the mountain. “That sword is more than just for practice.”

“What do you mean, Jacob?”

“It will kill vampires, too.”

“Vampires?”

“Yes, vampires. They were born long before you were. Not long after Adam and Eve had their two sons, Cain and Abel, one of them became so obsessed with power. Cain, the older brother, decided to take Abel’s life. This caused him to be stuck with a mighty curse. A curse that means he is to live a life, forever, with blood his only form of nutrition.”

I continue, “During the great flood, the only blood he could consume, was the animals in the waters. Once the waters dried up, he and a few other survivors, created a new clan. As Noah and his family helped repopulate the earth, so did they. Before long, Cain’s vampires were everywhere!”

Ishmael was staring at me with confusion. He was not sure if what I was telling him was fact or false. He asks, “How do you know all of this?”

I wanted to tell him to ask his mother if I was lying. There was something about her that reminded me of Eve so much, that I was willing to call her out on it. But I withheld my thought. “Because I was there!”

“You were?!”

“I’m an angel, Ishmael. But you must not tell anyone!”

I knew that trusting a secret like that to a young boy was dangerous, but I also knew that no one would believe him.

For the remainder of the day, we were practicing how to hold the swords. I had to show him how to loosen the grip on some of the lunges but tighten on others. He was attentive, but he was bored too. I had to remind myself that he was not a young Jacob. He was a young Abraham. It was hard, at times, because he was like family to me.

I read him carefully and decided to change it up a little. We were no longer learning about the handle, we started to pretend to actually fight. He would swing, I would block. I would swing, and not allow myself to actually hit him.

We lost track of time, having so much fun, and the sun was beginning to set. I toyed with him, “We better leave before the vampires come out.”

We walked down the hill, and he responded with, “Jacob, they wouldn’t come here. It is holy ground.”

I laughed as we kept walking.

It was nice to see Abraham greet Ishmael with open arms, but it was scary to see Sarah staring with disappointment. Sarah never seemed to like Ishmael, because he was born out of Sarah and Abraham’s impatience. If they had waited just a little while longer, Isaac would be here.

And yet, I understand too. He is playing and loving on a boy that is the result of adultery. Though I do not feel that it was entirely on Abraham, it is hard.

Annoyed by the whole situation, I decided to go to sleep early. The last thing I would want is to get involved. As I lay there, in my part of the home, I begin to wish I was in my house. When I close my eyes, I can smell the fresh paint off when we moved in. I can feel all of the Egyptian cotton that Lynn was obsessed with. I can even smell Lynn’s perfume if I focus really hard. Though, at times I swear that Hagar had the same smell. It made me wonder if Lynn is some sort of distant relative. But I could not dwell on that, I need to try and get some sleep.

The next morning, I was woken up by an argument outside. It was Sarah, Abraham, and Hagar.

“Abraham, you have to figure this out!” Sarah demanded.

“But Ishmael is my son,” Abraham argues.

“I understand that, but does she think that her son will inherit what God promised to Isaac?!”

“Excuse me? I never wanted to take anything from Isaac!” Hagar argues.

“Shut your face you little whore!” Sarah screams out.

“Sarah, we don’t need to decide on this right now!”

“You need to figure it out, right now. Is it going to me, Ishmael or Isaac? Her son or our son?”

“Sarah, don’t make me choose between –“

“Now!”

She looks at her son, who is becoming a young man himself, and smiles. She pets his hair and looks at Ishmael with a jealous glare. “If you cannot decide, then maybe we should let God decide for you.”

She turns around, and storms away, angry.

It was mid-day, and Abraham was trying to figure out the best course of action. On the one hand, he makes his wife angry and allows Ishmael to stay. On the other hand, he makes her happy and has them leave. I was doing my best to stay out of it and just observe. But I ultimately knew what the outcome was supposed to be. My being there, however, might change everything. Perhaps it was time I stepped in.

“Abraham,” I said calmly, escorting him by his arm. “Do not forget, that although Ishmael is your son, Isaac is the promised child.”

“But is it God’s will to allow me to send my son into the wilderness?” he asked me, with a very concerned and valuable look on his face.

The decision was almost too hard to live with. To determine the fate between two of his flesh and blood.

The rest of the day he was quiet, distant. I decided to take Ishmael to the mountain one last time, before the decision was made, to train him on the importance of killing vampires. Meanwhile, back in the village, Abraham was making the decision. Without much deliberation, he had decided.

Ishmael and I returned from the mountain, after about an hour. Hagar was on her knees in tears, begging Sarah, “Please ma’am. Where will we go? How will we live?”

“Abraham has made his choice, take your offspring and leave these lands!” Sarah demanded.

Ishmael ran up to his mother and helped her up. He is taller than she is and far stronger. He whispers in her ears, “God has promised land to the son of Abraham, He will keep his promise. I too am the son of Abraham.” Ishmael looks at Abraham and his half-brother, “Though I will miss it here, I understand. Isaac was the promised son of Father and Sarah. I was the promised son of Sarah and you, Mother.”

The two of them packed up their belongings. Ishmael hugged me first, “Thank you for showing me how to protect my mother.” He then walked to his father and says, “I will always love you, Father.”

“And I you, Ishmael,” Abraham says with a sincere hug.

Hagar walks up to me, gives me a hug and says, “Thank you for showing him how to fight, hunt, and be a man.” She looked around to see if anyone was nearby and continues with, “Adam and Noah always had a soft spot for you.” She kissed my cheek, and they were on their way.

My eyes were wide, as she just confirmed who she was. But the how is the question at hand.

I walk to Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac and place my hand on little Isaac’s head. “Will they be alright, Jacob?”

I nod my head and head to my, now empty, hut. I smiled at the little trio of a family and turned in for the night.

In the middle of the night, I heard a familiar voice. It was Gabriel, talking to Abraham in his sleep.

“Abraham, do not be afraid. I bring good tidings of great joy. Your son, Ishmael, God will make into a great nation. Justifiable the Lord is.” Gabriel says.

I stood up and walked, quietly to Abraham and Gabriel. I noticed a bright light, and dove in just before it closed. It was a portal to heaven.

“Gabriel!” I yelled, to get his attention.

“Jacob?!” he responds. “What are you doing here?”

“I came here for a little guidance, my friend.”

“This isn’t just a place for answers,” Gabriel said. But he wasn’t too sure of the answer he gave me. I’m in a place of peace, and the home of God. Not a place for answers didn’t really make sense.

I look at him with a small smile running away from my face. “Do you expect me to believe that?”

“Oh yeah – I almost forgot you’re an angel, too.”

“Right, I’m an angel, too.”

“Sorry,” he says as he helps me off the ground. “We don’t get too many visitors from earth, that are able to see the divine, up here.” He looks down. “I was going to go praise God if you want to come.”

“Oh?” I got curious. I had never seen the praise team in action, other than a couple of times in the beginning.

“Yeah, every night we like to sing our praises to the holy creator of the heavens and all of us.”

“That’s nice to know, yes I would love to come.”

Gabriel and I flew up high and headed to the Palace of the Lord. I was excited to see what actually happens.

We arrive at the palace doors and help ourselves inside. Looking around, nothing had changed from before. The walls are white with gold trim. In the distance, I can hear the other angels singing. The most amazing songs that I know.

I am looking at the angel David playing the piano with every angel singing along.

God is sitting on his throne, smiling. I join in with the choir.

It is indeed the most beautiful site I have ever seen. Even more beautiful than Lynn. To just be in His presence giving him worship.

God stands up and walks to me. The singing does not stop, the angels only sing louder.

“Thank you for coming, Jacob,” God says to me.

“You’re welcome, God.”

“However, the most important task for Abraham is about to begin.”

“What task?”

“I am testing his faith, one last time. I told him to take his son to the altar and offer him as a sacrifice to me.”

“That’s going on right now?!” I say in shock.

God smiles at me and offers a friendly nod. I look around for his portal, in the throne room. Just as before, the bright white light is standing in place.

I hurry to the portal and step through it. The portal has me step out on top of the mountain. There I see Abraham and Isaac walking up the mountain, carrying sticks.

“Father?” Isaac says to Abraham. “Where is the lamb?”

“God will provide,” Abraham says to Isaac. “No matter how crazy the request is. You must always do as the Lord requests.”

“I understand father.”

I watch the two of them bond while making the sacrificial altar. The two of them place enough stones, tall enough and flat enough to lay a lamb down. The pieces of wood stuck out from the bottom for Abraham and Isaac to spark a flame.

The altar was finished, and Abraham had tears running down his face. He looks at Isaac and kneels down to look at him in his eyes. “Isaac, I am sorry.”

“For what father?”

“I am sorry for not telling you sooner, you are the lamb today.”

“I am the lamb?”

“Yes, God has commanded me to sacrifice you to him.”

“If God has commanded this, I will be honored to be sacrificed.”

Abraham started to cry and gave his son a hug. He begins to wrap his feet and hands in rope, just as he would with a baby lamb.

Abraham then picks up his son and lays him down on the altar. He pulls the sacrificial knife out of his belt, raises it high.

Meanwhile, I am waiting for God to chime in to tell him to stop. Abraham and Isaac are both crying, loud. Making it hard to hear anything. He swings the blade down and pierces Isaacs’ heart. I never heard from God.

The blood was streaming down the rocks, and Abraham was crying hard.

“No!” I yelled. I pulled out my halo, as I know this is the source of my time traveling powers. If only I knew how to control.

I too began to cry, angrily, staring at the halo. “This is all your fault!” I screamed. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” I continue. “Fix this!” I say towards my halo. “Fix this now!” The halo begins to shake in my hand, like a phone vibrating for a phone call. The halo swallows me, and I have traveled in time, once again. However, I have arrived at a few moments before the altar is built.

I watch the two of them bond while making the sacrificial altar, again. The two of them place enough stones, tall enough and flat enough to lay a lamb down. The pieces of wood stuck out from the bottom for Abraham and Isaac to spark a flame.

The altar was finished, and Abraham had tears running down his face. He looks at Isaac and kneels down to look at him in his eyes. “Isaac, I am sorry.”

“For what father?”

Was I getting a second chance? I wondered if God wanted me to stop Abraham before he kills his son.

“I am sorry for not telling you sooner, you are the lamb today.”

“I am the lamb?”

“Yes, God has commanded me to sacrifice you to him.”

That’s it! That is why God sent me here. I am to make sure that he follows through, but I stop it from happening.

“If God has commanded this, I will be honored to be sacrificed.”

Abraham started to cry and gave his son a hug. He begins to wrap his feet and hands in rope, just as he would with a baby lamb.

Abraham then picks up his son and lays him down on the altar. He pulls the sacrificial knife out of his belt, raises it high.

Meanwhile, I am waiting for God to chime in to tell him to stop. Abraham and Isaac are both crying, loud. Making it hard to hear anything. Abraham raises the sacrificial blade above his head. Just as he lowers the knife towards his heart, I scream, “Stop!”

Abraham quickly turns the blade to the side and lays it flat on Isaac’s chest. He turns to look at me.

“God has seen your obedience with him. You have passed the test that He has laid before you. Take your son off the altar, and hold him.” He begins to cry tears of joy and does as I command.

After he unwraps the rope from his bonded ankles and wrists, a small lamb is crying for help in the corner of the sacrificial area. The lamb was beautiful. Abraham looks at Isaac and says, “See the Lord will provide!”

Isaac gives Abraham a hug and runs to the baby lamb. Isaac lays the lamb down, binds the feet, and picks it up. Abraham moves aside while Isaac lays the lamb down. They sacrifice the lamb. In flames, a familiar voice to me comes through. “Abraham, because you did as I instructed, and I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring, all nations on earth will be blessed because you have obeyed me.”

Abraham smiles and says, “Thank you, Lord!”

I sigh with belief and see a portal appear next to me. No one is coming out, so I step through.

Hoping my task is complete, but doubting it as well. I step through the portal, as I figured I am supposed to

I step out on a body of water and look around. In the distance, I see a large triangle. It is hard to make out, just how many I can see, but I know without a shred of a doubt.

Egypt!