A Land Divided

A Land Divided

The New Landowner

Nestled within the rolling hills and winding dirt paths of a rural town was an expansive estate known to the locals as Stonegate Manor. Once a community landmark of modest charm, the manor had been purchased by a man named Samuel Callister—a figure whose reputation for cunning and calculated cruelty had already cast a shadow before him.

Samuel was no ordinary landowner; he was a firm believer in social Darwinism, convinced that only the strongest should survive and thrive, while the weak were destined to perish. His estate wasn’t merely a home but a laboratory where he tested his beliefs, pitting neighbors against each other through rumors, manipulation, and strategic land leasing. To Samuel, Darwinism wasn’t just a biological theory—it was a philosophy of power. Unbeknownst to him, the seeds he sowed were part of something larger, echoing the destructive ideologies of history.

The Faithful Neighbor

Among the residents near Stonegate was Elijah Briggs, a quiet, hardworking farmer known for his unwavering Christian faith. Elijah was a King James Version believer, carrying his Bible wherever he went and sharing verses with those willing to listen. Though his farm was small, it sustained him, his wife Hannah, and their two young children, Isaac and Miriam.

Elijah’s devotion to his faith and commitment to kindness made him a target in Samuel Callister’s twisted game. To Samuel, Elijah’s compassion for the downtrodden was a sign of weakness—a liability in a world where only the ruthless survived.

Whispers in the Wind

It began subtly. Samuel spread whispers among the farmers, suggesting that Elijah was hoarding resources. He implied that Elijah’s generosity to struggling neighbors was merely a strategy to gain influence over their land. The lies took root, and soon, former friends began viewing Elijah with suspicion.

“I heard he gave old Mr. Harris seeds for free,” one farmer said.

“Probably expects to take Harris’ farm when he fails,” another replied.

Even Elijah’s closest neighbor, Jacob Tanner, began keeping his distance. Jacob, once a friend who shared morning coffee over fence posts, now stared coldly whenever Elijah waved.

The Weakening Struggle

The pressure mounted when Samuel offered struggling farmers deals they couldn’t refuse—loans with hidden clauses, agreements that ensured their dependence on him. As neighbors fell into debt and lost their land, Samuel consolidated his power.

Elijah, despite his troubles, continued to hold fast to his faith. He prayed every morning in his small chapel, reading verses from the KJV. One morning, as he turned to Romans 12:21, he read aloud, Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

But good deeds did not stop the tide of calamity. Jacob Tanner, now embittered, accused Elijah of sabotaging his crops. The town council, heavily influenced by Samuel, fined Elijah, draining what little savings he had.

Hannah tried to remain strong, but tears often filled her eyes at night as she held their children. “Why would God allow this?” she asked one evening.

Elijah, holding her hand, replied softly, “We are tried in the furnace of affliction. But our faith is not in this world.”

Despair and Hope

As the seasons changed, Elijah’s farm began to wither. Crops failed, and livestock sickened. Desperate, he sought work outside the farm, but Samuel had already ensured no one would hire him.

Then, the unthinkable happened. Samuel Callister orchestrated a final blow—Jacob Tanner’s property was foreclosed, and Jacob was evicted. Destitute and vengeful, Jacob confronted Elijah, believing him responsible.

“You destroyed me!” Jacob shouted, tears streaming down his face. “I have nothing!”

“Jacob, please,” Elijah pleaded. “This isn’t what you think. Let’s pray together.”

But Jacob, consumed by despair, attacked Elijah. The scuffle ended with Jacob fleeing into the night, leaving Elijah bruised and battered.

Darwin’s Shadow

The ideology that fueled Samuel Callister’s actions was not new; its roots stretched back to the social Darwinism that had justified atrocities in history. Elijah, familiar with such thinking, had once reflected on its dangers while reading about the Nazi and Communist regimes. He knew that Darwinism, when applied to society, had been twisted into an excuse for genocide and mass oppression.

In one of his Bible studies, Elijah had discussed how Romans 8:8 warns, So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. He believed that Darwinism, in its social and political forms, was an expression of flesh working—human pride and self-reliance seeking power without God. To Elijah, Samuel’s manipulation was a small part of a larger pattern of history, where ideologies rooted in human ambition led to suffering.

Elijah also believed that those who followed the path of Darwinism and rejected God were among the lost. As described in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16, they would suffer torment in hell before being cast into the lake of fire for eternity. The rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments—Elijah knew that, like the rich man, those who pursued the works of the flesh without repentance would face the same fate. To him, Darwinists were spiritually blind, chasing after worldly power only to be condemned by a righteous God.

Elijah believed this applied to Charles Darwin himself. Charles Darwin was of his father, the devil, he would say, knowing that Darwin’s rejection of God had sealed his fate. Elijah believed that even now, Darwin was burning in hell, suffering like the rich man in torment, awaiting the final judgment when he would be cast into the lake of fire.

In his meditations, Elijah often thought of two allegories that resonated with the dilemma of those trapped in worldly power. The first was from Jesus’ parable of the vineyard in Matthew 21:33-41. The tenants, entrusted with a vineyard, grew greedy and killed the landowner’s servants and son, hoping to seize the inheritance. Their fate was destruction, a reminder that rebellion against God’s rightful authority leads to judgment. Elijah saw the Darwinist as one of these tenants—living in defiance of God, seeking to control what was not theirs, only to face condemnation.

The second allegory was from a secular source: Ted Kaczynski’s story of the strong and weak neighbors. When the strong neighbor grows sick, the weak neighbor faces the question of whether to reclaim his stolen land or eliminate the strong man entirely. To Elijah, this parable illustrated the cycles of human conflict and domination that Darwinism justified—one group oppressing another, followed by endless retaliation. But unlike Kaczynski, Elijah knew that the answer was not violent overthrow but salvation through Christ. The cycles of human sin could only be broken by the power of God’s grace.

More importantly, Elijah knew that salvation was only through the cross of Christ. As Paul declared in 1 Corinthians 2:2, For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. Darwinists had not been saved by Christ’s crosswork, and thus they remained children of their father, the devil. He often warned others that without repentance and faith in the finished work of the cross, they would share the fate described in Revelation 20:15, And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

However, Elijah also saw hope. Unlike the parable of the tenants, where destruction was final, the gospel offered redemption through grace. Even the most hardened Darwinist could repent and be saved. This eternal truth gave Elijah strength to remain steadfast in his faith, knowing that judgment would come upon those who sought destruction and rebellion against God, but that salvation awaited those who trusted in Christ alone.

The Collapse of Civilization

Months later, the world around them began to change in catastrophic ways. Famine, war, and natural disasters gripped the land. What Elijah had read about in Matthew 24 unfolded before his eyes—wars and rumors of wars, nations rising against nations, and the earth quaking beneath their feet.

As society crumbled, Stonegate Manor fell into disrepair. Samuel Callister, once the master manipulator, was left isolated, his wealth meaningless in a world devoid of order.

Elijah and his family retreated to the hills, living off the land as best they could. In their nightly prayers, they asked for strength to endure the tribulation.

One evening, Elijah sat with Isaac and Miriam by a small fire. He opened his Bible to Revelation 7:14 and read, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. His voice trembled, but his resolve did not.

Though the world around them was collapsing, Elijah knew that the tribulation, as devastating as it was, had a purpose beyond their understanding. He did not expect the Second Coming within his lifetime, but he trusted that God’s plan was unfolding exactly as foretold.

The Final Lesson

One fateful night, as the winds howled and distant gunfire echoed through the hills, Elijah knelt in prayer. He prayed not for deliverance from suffering but for the strength to endure it.

Samuel Callister, now a broken man, wandered aimlessly, seeking refuge. By chance, he stumbled upon Elijah’s camp. Starving and shivering, he collapsed at their feet.

Without hesitation, Elijah offered him food and warmth.

“Why would you help me?” Samuel asked, tears streaming down his face. “After everything I’ve done?”

Elijah, gazing at the man who had caused his downfall, replied, “Because our Savior taught us to love our enemies.”

Samuel wept, but Elijah knew that redemption was not his to grant—it was between Samuel and God.

As the tribulation worsened, Elijah’s family continued their journey through hardship. They had no illusions of earthly rescue, but their faith remained unshaken, for they knew that endurance was their calling.

And so, their story was not one of triumph over the world but of perseverance through it.