The Children of Eternity Read Online Free PDF

retreat on all sides. They’re keeping the pressure on them, not allowing them to get organized.”
    “But still, don’t the angels have something like a two-to-one numerical advantage over the demons?” asked Jerry.
    “Something like that,” replied Bill, sitting down on the porch swing. “The thing is, nearly half of the angels are on Earth right now, and they have no way of getting back with all of the gates controlled by the demons.” Bill paused. “No, that’s not quite true. I heard that the angels managed to hang onto control of a few of the gates. In fact, I heard that they have managed to keep the demons completely out of the second level of Heaven. It’s become a sort of fortress, and humans have been helping angels get there so they can regroup.
    “We heard that a legion of the angels had finally managed to make a stand at a place called Ceranda, not far from Zion, but that they were quickly being overwhelmed by huge numbers of demons. A group of humans helped wounded angels by the tens of thousands to gate from there over to the second level of Heaven and safety. They created their own gate, then led the angels hand in hand through it, hundreds at a time. While they did that, others held the demons off for a time with some kind of new weapon that they had fashioned. Word of their resistance is spreading. All over Heaven humans are joining the angels in their fight against the demons.”
    “That’s why the demons are threatening us,” reasoned Sarah. “They don’t want us to get into the fight.”
    “That’s about right,” confirmed Bill. “But we can’t just stand by and let this happen. The angels are going to lose this war unless we get involved. A meeting has been called at the church this evening. We’re going to try and get the whole community together and see what we can do. We’re sending out runners to let everyone know. The meeting starts in less than two hours. We need to get ready.”
    Sarah nodded as Bill headed off into the mists to spread the word to their neighbors. “Well, let’s get ready. It sounds to me like we’re going to have a long night ahead of us,” she said.
    As Sarah entered the house to prepare, Jerry turned toward Christopher. “That meeting at the church may be a good place to let the people know that we have authority over these demons. You could tell them what you’ve done. Some of the others have to have that same power. Maybe we all do—we just have to realize it, that’s all.”
    Christopher hesitated. “Are you ready to bet everything on that?” he asked. “Are you willing to bet the eternities of this entire community on one isolated event in the woods? That’s what we would be doing. Jerry, I don’t even know exactly how I managed to do it. I was angry and frustrated, and I just acted. Maybe when the people of God are backed into a corner, they will find the power to do just what I did. But your father didn’t return with stories of that kind of thing. No, he mentioned that some people were able to come up with some kind of weapon—a gun I guess, by the sound of it.”
    “People need to know,” insisted Jerry.
    “We’ve been all over this before,” objected Christopher. “Plausible deniability, remember?”
    “I haven’t forgotten,” said Jerry. “I just figure that we need to do something, that’s all.”
    “We will,” confirmed Christopher, “just not now. Right now we need to listen and plan. Before we jump in, we need to have all of the facts. We really don’t know anything yet. Maybe we’ll know more after the meeting tonight.”
    A bit over an hour later, the three entered the glowing mists and emerged in front of their community church. Their church looked very much like the picture book example of a small town, community church with its white exterior, large stained glass windows, and high steeple. It was the main gathering place for their far-flung, yet close-knit community. The building sat in the middle of a