Transfigured to Serve Chapter 8

My staff was divinely chosen for me when we were provided our earthly assignments, so I knew that everyone would be perfectly suited for their careers.  My executive secretary was Donna Dunning, an energetic, smart, consummate professional with great administrative and interpersonal skills.  I also had support staff including our Director of Non-transfigured Relations, Communications Director, Public Utilities Director, Public Safety Director, Public Transportation Director, Food and Supply Distribution Director, Maintenance Manager, and a Housekeeping Manager, who each had small support staffs.  As we settled into our respective rolls, Archangels spread the word about what was happening and what would happen next.  They worked tirelessly spreading the word as we solidified our leadership positions.

Transfigured to Serve Chapter 8

My Lieutenant Governors went to work establishing each of their staff members into the leadership positions they would hold.  Small town governors, town mayors, city councilmen, town councilmen, and others were put in place over a period of a couple of hours.  Each of them had angels watching over them, even though they were impervious and immortal because any policing or disciplinary action needed to be carried out by someone outside of the governing body.  This would help everyone understand that the leaders were benevolent law givers, governors and managers, not enemies.

The world had quickly become a new place.  New governments were established, with powerful angels as our defense force, our leadership of these new territories, provinces, states, and counties went virtually unopposed.  Most people realized the advantages of having our leadership and protection, as well as the food, goods, and services we were providing.  We also reestablished the freedoms that were lost during the tyrannical reign of the Antichrist.  Not all of the people used those freedoms for making good rational choices though.  Those people that were rabble rousers or criminals were justly captured, tried, convicted and imprisoned, but that was a very small minority.   

Over a period of about 3 months, everything started falling into place and the people started falling into comfortable and healthy routines.  The health of the populous was improving rapidly, due to an ample food supply and new health services.  The infrastructure took about 6 months to solidify into reliable communications networks, power and water supplies, sanitation services, emergency services, and food and goods transportation and distribution.  Everything was going as planned, to the glory of our precious Lord Jesus.

Time marched on.  We were doing well, with just a few minor problems that intermittently occurred during that first year, that eventually were solved.  Our province was now doing great.  The populous prospered and a new age of plenty developed; that was a welcome change from the torturous events of the tribulation, with its starvation, thirst, pestilence, persecution and natural disasters.  The trauma of the tribulation was still forever etched on the hearts of the survivors, but they were recovering.  Eventually, this generation would die out, and the next generation would not have those horrific tribulation memories.  They would only have the memories of the stories that came out of the tribulation that were shared with them by their parents and others.

The seven years of tribulation and the War of Armageddon decimated the population of all areas of the Earth.  From an estimated 7.5 billion people at the time of the tribulation, the Earth’s population dropped down to about 282 million people.  The loss of life was staggering!  Plant and animal life were decimated too, through fires, explosions (including nuclear explosions) and contamination of habitat and water supplies.  I praise the Lord that I didn’t have to live through that horrific time in history!  I also praise the Lord for removing most of the nuclear contamination, the day we arrived, after He restored Jerusalem.  He only removed the contamination from those places grossly contaminated, so that Earth could have a head start in repairing itself.  Thank you, Jesus! 

When I started serving in my province, I requested permission to take an annual census and permission was granted.  My province had just under 6 million people when I started serving, and a year later, during our second census, the population went over the 6 million people mark.  I didn’t add the transfigured people or angels to the census since our numbers would not change until the second resurrection.  We had come a long way.  Life was just about back to normal worldwide.  It was an amazing time to live on Earth and every day got better.  The people that lived through the tribulation and survived were grateful for the leadership of our Lord and His governors and the peace that came with it.

I took some time after the second census to visit many of the smaller towns and cities that I was normally unable to visit because my leadership was needed in the large metropolitan areas of my province.  On my trip, I visited the city of Taccoa, Georgia.  It was a beautiful city that escaped much of the destruction of the tribulation.  I met with Mayor Doug Jenson and toured his city.  It was small, but beautiful and picturesque with a small-town feel.  Doug was a cook in an assisted living facility before the rapture.  He assisted in the preparation of meals for about 50 people, 3 meals per day.  He was a devout Christian and was raptured out of his church, just like I was.  After the tribulation, he was assigned to lead Taccoa, Georgia back to being a thriving city again, and he had been doing an outstanding job.  He and I became good friends, and we spoke telepathically often, and we visited each other whenever we could.  God had a place of leadership chosen for all of his Saints and Doug was doing an outstanding job in his leadership position.

Transfigured to Serve Chapter 8

I visited Geneva Florida; a town devastated by the natural disasters of the tribulation.  It was a coastal town now with beaches running through what was the eastern 20 percent of what used to be the town limits.  Lake Harney was gone and the Atlantic Ocean was in its place.  Mayor Brenda Duffy was assigned by God into her position and was doing an outstanding job.  The destroyed homes and businesses were cleaned up and swept away to make room for new construction and restoration of the buildings that survived.  The beachside development was well on its way with shops, restaurants and beach homes beginning to line the beautiful beachfront.  Under the leadership of her governor, Abby, Brenda had helped Geneva blossom into a beautiful coastal village.

After the second census, I also took a trip to my old home in the mountains, to Banner Elk, North Carolina.  It was Sunday, so I decided to visit my old church; the church I was worshiping in when the raptured occurred.  I arrived in time for the 11:00 a.m. service.  There were only 8 people there, and 7 of them had been members of our church during the rapture.  Their regrets for not accepting Christ in time for the rapture were profound.  Unfortunately, membership in a church doesn’t mean much without believing that Jesus is the Christ and accepting Jesus as the Lord of your life.  Without that personal relationship with Christ, many good people were left behind.  It was a shame for them, but it was not too late. 

“Hey folks,” I said.  “I’m Sam the Governor of our Province of Carolina.  I used to serve our Lord right here in this church.  Some of you may remember me…Samuel Gideon.”

“Sam, why sure, I remember you, I didn’t recognize you in your new body.  I remember!  Wow, I recognized the name, when I heard you were governor, but I didn’t realize you were that same Sam Gideon.  You were the Sam Gideon that attended this church and taught Sunday school,” my old friend Bill Wilson exclaimed.

“Yep, it’s me and I’ve come back to visit my old church and any of my friends that still attend.  How has everyone been?”  I asked.  They said that they were doing very well now.  All the efforts of our Lord and His governors were making their lives better each day.  Then they started sharing with me about the horrible day of Jesus’ return when they were left behind.  Many were angry with God, others just fell on their knees and prayed for another chance, still, others went into a state of shock with the delusion that they were accidentally forgotten, and the Lord would return for them at any moment.  Some people went crazy and killed themselves, others became bitter, but a very few gradually, over time, turned back to the Lord, repented and accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Of the 22 members of our church that were left behind, these 7 were the only members that returned to our church for services, and they were fortunate to have one new member.  Our conversations eventually turned to lighter subjects as we continued our discussions and testimonies.

I preached to them that day, sharing God’s Word and the plan of salvation.  We sang hymns and prayed and shouted praises to the Lord.  Of the 8 people in attendance that survived the tribulation, all accepted Christ, 6 after the tribulation and two more after I preached.  Praise the Lord!  At the end of the millennial reign, during the second resurrection, they will be resurrected and transfigured to live out eternity with the Lord, the Saints and the Angels.  Praise the Lord for His grace, wisdom, and power!

I sat and spoke with all that wanted to stay behind after the service.  We sat and shared life stories, tribulations, triumphs, and I shared my experiences in Heaven.  Bill shared with me that it took 3 years for him to finally give his life over to the Lord and be born again.  Bill had the key to the church because he was the church grounds keeper, so he started opening the church for services every Sunday.  He invited those parishioners that were left and willing to return to church and became their makeshift pastor.  During that time, they had to be very secretive due to persecution, but they were so far up in the mountains that they were usually safe to worship.  From those humble beginnings, Bill amassed his congregation of 8 total people.  It was a great accomplishment in that horrible tribulation environment, and there were other amazing stories shared that day too.  It was a wonderful time of fellowship, but it was finally time to go.  It was supper time and they missed lunch staying behind to talk to me.  We departed after sharing our farewells, and I bid them goodnight.

It was about 5:00 p.m. and the light of the sun still blazed forth low in the sky.  I walked over to where I left Astrid tied up.  I untied the reins, put my left foot in the stirrup and climbed into the saddle.  I took a long hard look at my old church.  It looked so old and unkempt but cared for in a rudimentary fashion.  At least the grass was mowed and the hedges trimmed.  I took a long deep breath and let it out in a melancholy sigh, then turned my horse and started walking her down the drive that led away from the church.  As I reached the main road I vanished, teleporting myself to Greensboro, North Carolina.

I reappeared outside of Lieutenant Governor Matthew Barrow’s North Carolina capital building.  I tied Astrid’s rein to a fence rail out front and I walked up to the building, greeting people as I went.  I was easily recognizable to his staff, due to my periodic visits to his capital.  I entered the front door and headed for Matthew’s office.  When I arrived, Matthew was in his office with the door opened, so I tapped on the open door as I entered.

“Well Hey, Governor, I didn’t know you were dropping by for a visit today.  What can I do for you?”

“Well Matthew, I’m sorry for not telling you that I was visiting, but quite frankly it wasn’t planned.  It was a last-minute decision.  I visited my old church in the High Country of your beautiful state and spoke to some of my old friends and preached for them too,” I replied in a melancholy tone.

“Are you alright Sam?”

“Sure, it was just hard listening to their stories about the tribulation.  It was a horrible time for them.  It was especially hard for them because of being left behind in the Rapture.  They all understand that it was their own fault that they were left behind, but it is still sad that they had to live through that horrible time,”.

“I know what you mean; I visited my old church in Reno, Nevada a few months ago.  Unfortunately, my experience was not as good as yours.  Many of the people I saw that were left behind were like the people you met.  They readily admitted that it was their fault that they were left behind, but I had a few that were still filled with animosity.  One still downright hates the Lord for leaving her behind.  I’ve talked to her at length, but it just hasn’t helped her yet.”

“Well, it’s her decision, Matthew, but keep trying to explain it to her and keep praying for her.”

“Oh, trust me, I won’t stop trying,” Matthew insisted.

“Good, good…Matthew, could you help me out with something?”  I asked.

“Sure, what can I do for you?” 

“Matthew, could you periodically check on my old church and give them any help they might need.  They need new paint for the church and a few other touches that would really improve the appearance of the church.  Maybe set up some special guest preachers too.  I think it might bring in more members.  They only have 8 in attendance currently in a church that has a 250-person capacity.  I didn’t want to step into your state and start making decisions for you that would affect your budget, so I came to you directly.  I believed that it was the appropriate thing to do.”

“Sam, I would be honored to help them and thank you for coming to me about this.  It means a lot to me.”

“Thanks, Matthew, I appreciate it,” I said.  “My old friends mean a lot to me and I want them to have a chance to grow their church and grow in the wisdom of our Lord and His precious Word.”

“Governor, I’ll send them one of my best transfigured preachers and get them the help they need to grow and prosper, so they can win souls for our Lord.”   

“Thanks, Matthew, I am humbly grateful.”  We chatted for a little while until the sun drifted over the horizon yielding to dusk.  Then we had supper together, exchanged pleasantries, and I departed for home.

Transfigured to Serve Chapter 8

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