Glorious Appearing: The End Of Days by Tim Lahaye, Jerry B. Jenkins Page A

mood was festive as great steeds were moved into line for them and each was helped into the saddle.
    Bound for Armageddon, they smiled and laughed and chatted as if on their way to a day at the races. Mac noticed for the first time that day that puffy, fluffy clouds had begun to dot the sky. The sun was still visible, turning orange on the horizon. All he wanted was to slip away and be with his brothers and sisters in Christ when the end came.
    Rayford had his misgivings about both the vehicles. There was room on Abdullah’s for the both of them, but not much. And it was a thin, whiny, violent machine built for speed, hardly comfort. Leah’s ATV was wider and sturdier and slower, but unless they left her supplies behind there would not be room for two people. As the second rider, Rayford needed stability. And speed would be his enemy. The angles, the inclines, the acceleration, the turns and bounces and jostling would be torture.
    The alternative was not acceptable. He didn’t want to stay in the barren, rocky hills any longer. Who knew what the global earthquake would do out there? He didn’t expect to die in it, but he hadn’t expected to be pitched off his ATV either.
    His ATV . Now there was a solution. Not his, of course. It lay in ruins. But there were more where that came from. They called Sebastian.
    “Camel Jockey to Big Dog, ” Smitty said.
    “This’s Dog, Jockey. Go. ”
    “Can you get us an ATV to transport Captain Steele to Petra?”
    “If I can drive it.”
    “Affirmative, but should you leave your troops?”
    “Kidding, Smitty. I’ll send Razor.”
    “You know our position?”
    “Affirmative. Chang zeroed you in for me. Rayford going to make it?”
    “If he survives the trip. How does Mr. Razor drive?”
    “I think he knows what’s at stake. What do you make of the clouds?”
    “First ones all day, Big Dog. I think Somebody’s coming. ”
    “I’ve got to get out of here,” Chang said, rubbing his eyes.
    “That’s all I need to hear,” Naomi said, virtually lifting him from his chair.
    “Let me log off first,” he said, resisting.
    “Not on your life. Now let’s go. Nobody’s going to suffer if you don’t log off. This is supposed to be a spectacular sunset.”
    “With no clouds? How do you figure?”
    “You’ll see. You’ve been so busy, you don’t even know what’s going on. ”
    When they got outside, Chang was stunned. The sun was dropping, big and wide, and there were indeed clouds. They seemed to appear from nowhere, more and more by the minute. There was something festive about them—bouncy, fleecy, and yet moving quickly as if there were strong winds high in the atmosphere. Before long they were joining each other, making shadow-forming canopies south of the sun while individual clouds continued to form to the north.
    These, too, soon began to join. Chang and Naomi went to their favorite high spot and lay on their backs, hands behind their heads. “I’ve never seen that before,” Chang said, pointing straight up. Clouds seemed to be forming directly above, not on the horizon as usual. They began as long, narrow formations in the stratosphere, quickly forming into stratocumulus.
    “We’re getting high-, mid-, and low-level formations all at the same time, ” Chang said.
    “They’re gorgeous.”
    “Yeah, now. Wait till they start developing vertically. They can reach heights of more than seven miles and generate incredible energy. ”
    “How do you know all this?” she said. “All I know is computers.”
    “I know everything,” Chang said.
    Naomi punched him. “Hey,” she said, turning on her side and gazing at his face. “You’re going to fall asleep.”
    “Not likely,” he said. “Too much happening up there. Too much to look forward to. ”

SIX

    “ BROTHER ENOCH ,” a Hispanic man said, “if you can concentrate, we can concentrate.”
    “I don’t follow,” Enoch said, again looking through trees and windows at the edge of the mall’s