Forbidden Love in Christs Millennium

By Patricia Backora

An excerpt from my e-book:

Cult leader Bruce Hansen lives in the 24 th century, during Christs 1000year-reign on earth. He has seduced beautiful Lydia Savage away from her wealthy husband. She has fallen under the spell of Bruce, a financiallystrapped artist who has grandiose plans for their future. The couple are shacking up together at Bruces apartment. They are waiting for their comrades to evacuate them to a rebel colony in faraway Magog. Bruce has ordered Firefly, an elderly disciple, to be their maid until they leave. Sadistic Bruce uses the Bible to punish Firefly for insubordination after she ruins a load of laundry. Bruce acts so scary Lydia has just fainted from horror. But this only encourages more meanness from Bruce. Firefly ran, but Bruce pressed a couple buttons on a remote kept in his shirt pocket. It signaled both house doors to lock. Firefly struggled with the door in vain. She wished she had her PINphone so she could call a friend, but it was in her purse on her sleeping bag, in the same kitchen pantry where Festers cat bed and Sanitronic Kitty Box were stored. Bruces spare bedroom was heaped high with pet supplies, drop cloths, wire sculptures, scaffolding, boxes, rags, tools, old easels and practice paintings, and he hadnt bothered to clean it out for her use. Knowing Firefly was trapped, Bruce leisurely picked Lydia up and carried her to their bed. Good thing she didnt hit that hard coffee table when she fell, he thought. But he wasnt ready for her to wake up just yet. An expert herbalist, he got out his medicine kit and took out a cotton ball and a bottle of aromatic knockout drops. He wet the wad with a good dose and held it under Lydias nostrils for a few seconds. Her fluttering eyelids closed completely. Brucie knows whats best, sweetheart, he whispered, fondling the blond tendrils on her forehead. Brucies gonna take real good care of you, doll, and no ones ever gonna split us up again. Satisfied that she was in dreamland, Bruce covered her and kissed her downy temple. Now to deal with someone he loved a whole lot less. Firefly cowered behind the couch, but knew there was nowhere to hide if she couldnt get out. She heard Bruce gently close the bedroom door. He was coming back, and she knew he was mad. Her blood chilled. Fearfully she faced her worst nightmare, arms raised to fend off blows. Bruce, please! I didnt mean to burn Lady Lydias negligee, she blubbered. Bruces mouth curled up like a pitbull ready to strike. He advanced, ever so slowly. So now youve learned a few manners, eh, and its Lady Lydia, eh? Dont you get it, you dirty old ho-bag? This isnt about the damn negligee and you and I both know it. Its about your stinking attitude toward authority! Whatre you gonna do to me, Bruce? Firefly whimpered, ducking lower on the floor. Dont touch me, Bruce! Ill scream! Bruce was still stung by Fireflys insinuation that the emperor had no clothes, and he was no mighty Liberator after all, just a financially strapped mediocre artist who needed a rich trophy blond and fawning followers to keep from feeling crummy about himself. But Bruce took a deep breath and put his fist down. Hed promised Lydia. And these walls werent soundproof. If Firefly screamed, God-fearing neighbors might come pounding on the door, eager to save somebody. Or worse yet, call for divine intervention, only a prayer away. The cult leader faced a dilemma. If he backed off and just let it go, it would make him look wimpy to followers who might defect from his cause. Christian clemency had no place in the Liberators rebel colonies, especially when authority was challenged. To save face Firefly must be severely punished. But Bruce must not appear guilty of harming her. Bruce leered. So who are you gonna scream to, Firefly?

Lord Stephen will get you if you hurt me! I doubt hed save you, Bruce shrugged coolly. Youre a turncoat. So far as hes concerned, you betrayed his Savior, so youre just a dead dog walking. But youve got a point. Im a rebel but Im no murderer. I wont lay a finger on you, Firefly, on one condition. Wh..what? she gasped. That you shut up and listen. If you refuse to answer my questions or try to drown me out with screams, Ill report you to General Apollyon and hell turn you over to his torture squad. Okay. Shoot. By now Bruces own conscience was so seared his withering words would not faze his own insensitive soul. But he knew it was only recently that Firefly had fallen for his spell-binding rhetoric and joined his cause. There just might be a faint regret in her heart he could pick at. Firefly had renounced all ties to Christ as she took a vile, unrepeatable, unprintable oath and drank a cup of blood, the consumption of which was forbidden by Kingdom law. She had burnt all bridges behind her so completely that repentance was now impossible. Gods Spirit had departed from her forever. Even evil Bruce knew Firefly was utterly doomed, because hed never forgotten sobering scriptures hed been taught as a boy. Firefly, dont you dare scream. Were all in the same boat here. You know that, dont you? Fearfully she nodded, still convulsing and heaving. Firefly, what made you come to Jesus? Well, after the Rapture took all the believers away, I got scared and did something I wished Id done earlier. I repented of my sins and asked Christ to come into my life as my Lord and Savior. I could feel His love saturate my soul. Do you still feel Gods love, Firefly? Bruce asked, casually. Her wrinkled face screwed up. No, Lord Liberator, I cant even remember what it felt like to be loved by Jesus. Thats all dead to me now. Why do you think that wonderful feeling inside you died? he probed. Becausebecause she choked, YOU convinced me you had something better. How did I convince you of that, Firefly? Bruce asked, his glassy eyes staring into her soul. You said Jesus was only using us for His own ego gratification, that He and his cloned followers were manipulating our minds and robbing us of the power to reason for ourselves. You said that even though He may have resurrected a few of His favorites, He had no intention of doing that for unimportant people like me, and God would let me grow so old and feeble Id be a burden to everyone. You told me you stood for the little guy. You said I was still beautiful inside, and that you would make me a consort for one of your top men in the colony after your doctor gave me a youth serum to make me young and beautiful again. You promised me immortality, Lord Liberator. You promised to promote me if I served you well. Bruce blinked and rubbed his chin. What I said was, Dr. Ho can make you healthier. I dont exactly remember saying he could reverse your aging process. Apollyon has something in common with you, Firefly. Hes an old guy who used to be a believer in Christ but outgrew Him. Apollyon doesnt look as pretty as people here in Joystar. The Lord isnt keeping him young and healthy. Apollyons hair is gone from continuous exposure to low-grade radiation. Hes got garlic breath. And hes got a beer gut like you wouldnt believe. If our dentist didnt keep reimplanting new teeth in his head, Apollyon would have none left. Apollyon is such an ugly monster beggars cant be choosers. If I gave him orders to take you to bed, hed

have no choice but to obey. And since hes your superior officer youd have no choice but to yield your body to his tender caresses. After all I gave up for you, you lied to me! Firefly wept. Her wrinkled face contorted in anguish. No, I just colored the truth a little. Dr. Ho is a wonder worker but I dont know if he can turn back your biological clock. And as for promoting you, thats out of the question now. So how do you feel right now, Firefly? Like part of me has died and Im a stranger to myself. Bruce asked, more pointedly, How do you think it made your Savior feel when you renounced Him in that ceremony? When words failed Firefly, Bruce said, Have you even once considered how horrible Jesus sufferings must have been, Firefly? He was stripped naked, beaten with a nail-studded whip and had rusty spikes driven through His hands and feet. Christ the King of Glory suffered all that for you, yet you let Him down. You traded Jesus for what you just called a poverty-stricken, third-rate artist. Who are you to put a guilt trip on me! Firefly snapped. Jesus suffered for the sins of the whole world, but you never accepted him even once! Far better an honest rejection than a half-baked commitment, Bruce shrugged with a greasy smirk. At least He knows where He stands with Brucie Boy. He saw you safely through the Tribulation period, long before I even existed. He let you enter His Millennial Kingdom in your natural body. You married a wonderful man but you turned your back on him because you wanted no further part of Christ, and he did. As the Scripture says, Can two people walk the same path if they dont agree? Firefly wrung her hands. It was you I wanted, Lord Liberator, not Coley. I wanted you to make me young again so I could be your bride. Shes already in my bedroom, Bruce said, smirking. Man, she heats up the sheets. But now for some even hotter stuff. In a sepulchral voice, Bruce intoned solemnly: You, Firefly, have hurt Jesus infinitely more than Judas Iscariot was ever capable of doing. You have treated with utter contempt the salvation He so freely bestowed upon you. And you cant say The devil made me do it, because Old Scratch got kicked off this earth a long, long time ago. What about Draco? Firefly asked, skeptically. Arent Lucifer and Draco one and the same? Not really. The Biblical Lucifer is a mythical picture of Gods true adversary because only the sinister side of his nature is revealed and his final doom is prophesied in Revelation. Draco is a serpent god who rules his own constellation in the heavenlies. But his earthly headquarters is underground, beneath the mountains. When colony members pray, we look downward because our gods activities are centered down there. Right now hes furious with you, Firefly, for calling him a dummy god I fabricated to get what I want out of people. Ive got nothing to lose, Firefly said defiantly. If I go back to the colony with you I die. If I escape and go to Lord Stephen he can pray with me to help me want to repent again. And even if I cant and I die there, Ive lost nothing. Theres a blockage in my soul, Bruce, and maybe Lord Stephen can fix it. Every time I try to pray to turn back into the other me, my throat tightens up and I cant squeeze a single word out. And a creeping fear comes on me. All I can do is not think about what I did. Wanna know what that creeping fear is, Firefly? Bruce didnt own a Bible, but there was the InfoNet Relay on the Nerve-plex, where he found an online concordance. Bruce spoke a search phrase to the terminal which brought up the passage he wanted. He read Hebrews 6, verses 4 to 8:

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they turn away from the faith, to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinks in the rain which falls often upon it, and brings forth herbs for the use of those who grow them, receives blessing from God: But whatever grows thorns and briars is rejected, and is destined to be cursed and finally burned. When you took the Seal of Draco, Firefly, you turned your back on the Savior Who spared you at the Judgment of the Sheep and Goats, when Jesus divided the righteous from the wicked. Dont you know theres people in hell right now whod give their right eye to have had your privilege? Girl, I kinda suspect you sold your soul for a bowl of soup. Firefly glowered. Unless you kill me first, you rat, Im gonna tell Lydia what you just told me. Then well see how much she values your love. Bruce laughed devilishly. You just try and tell her. Shell be asleep for three solid hours. Do you seriously think Im gonna let anybody take away the only treasure left in my life? He gripped both Fireflys wrists and hissed threateningly, Well, do you? She lowered her eyes. No, Lord Liberator, she whispered. Just for that Im gonna read you some more Bible. Bruce released her and shoved her roughly onto the couch. He looked up Mark 14:21 where Jesus somberly declared that it would have been better for traitorous Judas if hed never been born. Bruce read about the terrifying torture chamber in the heart of the earth prepared for damned souls, where furious flames billow and where worms eat departed souls but never consume them, just eat them over and over and over again. He read in Luke 16 about the rich man who had it made in this world, but wasnt grateful enough to God to help his poor hungry neighbor. He read of the rich man dying and being thrown into hell, a place of eternal torments where he was still pining away for a drop of water and roasting in unquenchable flames. Bruce read in Hebrews about Esau, who sold his inheritance for a bowl of stew and found no place of repentance, though he sought it with bitter tears. Do you know what youve done, Firefly? Bruce asked in his beguiling, oily voice. You cant repent. You dont even want to repent. Not really. All you want is to save your own sorry skin. You feel nothing for the Jesus Who saved you before the Millennium. You just want to use Him, same as I use other people because theyre too trusting and stupid to know the difference. Lord Stephen can help me repent, Firefly insisted, as her mouth dried in terror and anxiety burned in her bowels. He can help me get back that part of me you killed. Bruce curled his lip. Never, girl, not in a thousand years. Know why? Because taking the Oath and the Seal of Draco was just as bad a sin as if youd taken the Mark of the Beast. No, Im definitely not the Antichrist of Revelation. But he and I are kindred spirits. Im just too noble a spirit to let somebody else tell me what to do, even God. When you traded Jesus for me, you pledged allegiance to me INSTEAD OF CHRIST. Thats the meaning of the term antichrist. Bruce remembered a centuries-old sermon hed had to study in Spiritual Ed class as a schoolboy: Sinners: Reserved for Everlasting Burnings. Firefly, you cut off your nose to spite your face. God hates you infinitely more than youd hate a loathsome disease. You drank the cup of devils when you drank the Cup of the Sacred Oath. Because of this you shall drink the dreadful cup of the everlasting

wrath of Almighty God, just as surely as if youd chickened out and taken the Mark of the Beast during the Tribulation. No! Firefly moaned. Oh, angels of God, come help me! Unimpressed, Bruce dismissed her plea with a greasy smirk. Uh-uh, they wont. If there were still hope for you, theyd have helped you by now. But you tempted me! Firefly screamed. If I go to hell you do too! Bruce gave her a vacant look. What do I care? Just as long as Ive got these few fleeting moments with my Golden Girl, this whole stinkin world can go to hell for all I care! Not shut your trap or the neighbors might hear. Oh, please, Bruce, give me something, anything! I ran out of miri jing! Do you have any drugs on you? Please show me that much mercy! Ill fix you a potion to calm your nerves, Bruce said. Youve been punished enough, at least for now. He went to the kitchen and whipped her up a triple dose of herbal sedative in a rum cocktail, sweetened with cherry syrup. Firefly was still sobbing when Bruce returned. He knelt down beside her and gently patted her on the back. There, there, now, Brucie-boy wont hurt you. Drink this, Firefly. Well just bury the hatchet for now. A horrible foreboding filled Fireflys heart. Her pulse pounded in her ears. A dry, hot feeling crept over her arms and legs. She shook all over. Her eyes bulged in terror. She felt exposed to Gods white-hot wrath. Because of her unforgivable sin Jesus no longer protected her as her Advocate as Hed done in those bygone days when she loved and served Him. Gratefully she chugged down the drink and begged for more. Obligingly Bruce went to make her another, stronger one. As angry as he was, he felt sorry for her. Even if he could find an honorable way out of punishing Firefly further, she was dead meat in a world like this. Firefly managed a weak smile. With trembling hands she took the second drink and sipped it more slowly. She never finished it. ****** FORBIDDEN LOVE IN CHRISTS MILLENNIUM is available through these links: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Forbidden-Love-Christs-Millenium-ebook/dp/B007HAEU34 http://www.amazon.com/Forbidden-Love-Christs-Milleniumebook/dp/B007HAEU34/ref=la_B009GKD9LM_1_4/180-5405116-2286458? s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380042443&sr=1-4 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forbidden-love-in-christs-millenium-patriciabakora/1109328651?ean=2940013910416 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forbidden-love-in-christs-millenium-patriciabakora/1109328651