A Thorn Among the Righteous
A Thorn Among the Righteous
Chapter 1
The skies were an ashen gray, a perpetual reminder of the world’s fall. Thick, suffocating silence blanketed the town of Ardent Hollow, broken only by the occasional crackle of static from an old, battery-powered radio. The Great Tribulation had begun, and the undersea cables that once connected the world lay severed in the depths of the ocean. What remained of humanity now relied on local communities for communication—a fragile network of survival and despair.
In the dim light of the town square, Amos stood with a small group of believers, their Bibles worn and pages marked with trembling fingers. He clung to the King James Version, the words of life that had sustained him through persecution and fear. A man of quiet faith, Amos spoke sparingly but lived boldly, his every action reflecting his trust in Christ alone.
Across the square, another figure loomed. His name was Marcus Cain, a saved man and a self-proclaimed prophet, who had amassed a cult-like following. Though Marcus believed himself to be working for righteousness, his actions often clashed with Amos's convictions, sparking tension between the two believers. To his devotees, Marcus was a man of power and vision. To Amos, he was a wolf among the sheep—a hypocrite driven by envy, greed, and a hunger for dominance.
Marcus’s voice rang out, commanding the attention of all who dared to listen. “Brethren, the time has come for true justice! I have been shown by God that the trials we face are the fault of the weak, the double-minded, the hypocrites who claim faith but bring only ruin!” His eyes burned with fervor as he gestured toward Amos and his group. “And some among us are guilty of leading others astray!”
Amos felt the weight of Marcus’s gaze, but he did not flinch. Instead, he prayed silently, trusting in the Lord to be his shield and defender. Around him, the faithful murmured in concern. They knew Marcus’s accusations were baseless, but fear of reprisal kept many silent.
Chapter 2
The weeks that followed were dark. Marcus’s rhetoric grew increasingly confrontational, his words reflecting a misguided zeal to correct what he perceived as Amos’s errors. Despite being saved, his approach stirred division among the believers. “God has called me to stand against error among believers,” Marcus declared in one of his rallies. "If we allow compromise, we will devour each other, as the Scripture warns." “Their suffering is His justice, and I am but His instrument!”
His followers cheered, their loyalty to Marcus blinding them to his hypocrisy. Behind closed doors, Marcus demanded offerings of money, food, and loyalty. “The Lord has chosen me,” he would say, his voice dripping with false humility. “And those who question me question God Himself.”
Amos and his group continued to meet in secret, their faith a lifeline in a world gone mad. They shared food, prayers, and Scriptures, encouraging one another to endure. Though their lives were marked by scarcity and fear, they clung to the promise of grace through faith in Christ alone. They knew that salvation was not earned, but given—a truth that stood in stark contrast to Marcus’s teachings.
Chapter 3
As the Great Tribulation intensified, the mark of the beast became a grim reality. Without it, one could neither buy nor sell. Those who refused the mark lived as outcasts, hunted and despised. Marcus, however, refused the mark, believing it was an affront to God’s sovereignty. Though his earlier actions had caused strife, he could not abandon his faith entirely. This decision left him an outcast, hunted and despised like many others.
One night, as Amos and his group huddled in the ruins of an old chapel, they were ambushed. Marcus’s followers burst in, armed with crude weapons and zealotry. “This ends tonight!” Marcus shouted, his face contorted with rage. “You have defied me for the last time!”
Amos stood his ground, his voice calm but firm. “We serve Christ, not man. Let us not bite and devour one another, lest we be consumed by one another, as the Scripture says.”
Marcus sneered. “Your defiance is misguided! God demands unity, yet you persist in division!”
The room erupted into chaos as Marcus’s followers attacked. Amos and his group resisted, not with violence but with unyielding faith. Though outnumbered and overwhelmed, they prayed aloud, their voices rising above the din.
Chapter 4
As dawn broke, the battle ended. Amos and his group were bruised and bloodied, but alive. Marcus, however, was gone. His followers, shaken by the events, began to question the man they had revered. One by one, they approached Amos, seeking forgiveness and truth.
“Why did you not fight back?” one of them asked, tears streaming down her face.
“Because vengeance is the Lord’s,” Amos replied. “We are called to love, even our enemies. Salvation is a gift of grace, not something we can earn or take by force.”
Chapter 5
Months passed, and the community began to rebuild. The internet remained severed, and the mark of the beast loomed over every decision, but Amos and his group continued to share the gospel. Though they lived in constant danger, their faith grew stronger, a light in the encroaching darkness.
Marcus’s fate remained uncertain, though many came to know of his decision to refuse the mark. Whispers spread that he had sought refuge, hiding from both the system and those he had once misled, clinging to the grace he had so often misused.
For Amos, it did not matter. His focus was on the Lord and the mission to share the truth. As he opened his Bible one evening, the words of Psalm 55:12-13 came to him once more: “For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it... But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.”
Tears filled his eyes as he prayed for strength, not just for himself but for all who endured the trials of the Great Tribulation. The darkness was great, but he knew the light of Christ was greater still.