Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

The Lord is a warrior;
    the Lord is his name.

• Exodus 15:3

“I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this.
“So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’
“Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.
“He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.

• Daniel 7:15-23

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
        King Of Kings And Lord Of Lords.
And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”

• Revelation 19:11-18

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

• 1 John 4:7-8

Boilerplate

I’m Harold Dykstra.  I’m retired, but I go to food bank distributions all over Tracy and talk to people that need someone who will listen to their story.  My time is well spent.  A police lieutenant suggested that I write down the conversations that I had with an angel.  I did not know she was an angel at the time.  The angel, for a little over a year, indwelled a life-sized posable action figure my children bought me, so that I would not be perceived as travelling alone.  And in a way, she was training me for what I do while talking to the needy.  She probed my heart to find out what I believed and how I express love for others.  She changed my life.  Oh, excuse me, angels have no gender, but the angel indwelled a doll named Bountiful Babs.  After seeing the angel in that form for over a year, I cannot see her in my mind in any other form.

In the last episode, we talked about turning the other cheek.  Babs had been kissing me on one cheek and then tricking me into looking the other way so she could kiss me on the other cheek.  When I told her Jesus did not mean it that way, she demanded that I explain what He meant.  In the process, she asked about why there were so many wars in the Old Testament and then Jesus speaks of future wars and rumors of wars.  And note, she still kisses me on both cheeks to symbolize God’s blessing on my work endeavors, and I do not mind that at all.  And somehow lately, her lips have become more supple, but maybe I am imagining that.

The next day while driving to the next hotel where I had a few customers within an hour or two drive, Babs suddenly put her hand on my shoulder.  “Harold, watch out for that truck you are passing.”

I began to slow down so I could keep an eye on the truck.

Babs calmly patted my arm. “No, get in front of him and quickly, Sweetie!”

“Yes, Dear.”  I pushed the pedal down and quickly got in front of the trucker.  When I looked in my rearview mirror, the truck suddenly veered into the lane where I had been.  He drove into the median and finally came to a stop.

Babs breathed a breath of relief.  “That was close.  Didn’t you see that the driver was asleep?  He could have killed us.”

I replied, “Babs, to see him, I would have to have x-ray vision.  I would have to look up through the roof of the car.”

Babs shook her head, “But if I tell you to watch out, you should not slow down!”

I shrugged, “But slowing down is the only way I could keep an eye on the driver.”

Babs shook her hands, “But do what I mean, not what I say!”

“Yes, dear.”

Babs asked, “Are you patronizing me?”

“Yes, dear, umm, I mean, No, dear.”

Babs grumbled, “You shouldn’t do that.  I try very hard to be a good travel buddy.”

“Yes, dear.”

Babs growled, “There you go again.  Harold Dykstra, you are impossible!”

“No, Babs, I am here.  Therefore, I cannot be impossible.  Improbable, maybe, but I am possible.  Otherwise, I would not be here.”

Babs gasped, “Harold, now you are mocking me!  That is what I told you every day for the first couple of weeks we were together.  Patronizing, then mocking?!  Harold! Rest Area in one mile.  Pull over, we did not get our Bible study last night.  We will do it at a picnic table.  Men!  You and your football game!  You needed more sleep than what you got, and for what?  The team you rooted for lost the game.”

“But, Babs, the quarterback was from my alma mater.  I got into it.  Is that why that trucker fell asleep?”

Babs again shrugged, “Sort of.  He was rooting for the other team and then he had a couple of beers in celebration after the win.  He isn’t technically drunk, but he got a lot less sleep than you did.  Good thing he was able to stop without hitting anything or anyone.  He probably woke up when he hit those rumble strips.  You said your wife called them ‘rump-rumps’ because that’s the sound they make.  It will take a heavy rescue or two to get him out of the ditch.”

Note: Babs always seemed to know why other drivers were not attentive. I used to get angry in such situations, but now I pray for them. I asked, “What is our Bible study on?”

Babs snarled, “War!  Which is what you will have if you miss the exit to the rest area.”

“Yes, Dear.”

“Aaaaagh!” She growled.  I just laughed.

With us safely stopped and sitting at a covered picnic table under the trees, Babs asked, “Why is there so much war in the Old Testament and Jesus even talking about wars and rumors of wars in the New Testament, but then Jesus said to love everyone?”

I shrugged, ‘What does Exodus 15:3 say?” I knew she had the entire Bible memorized.

Babs recited, “‘The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.’  Wait. God is a warrior?”

I nodded, “And when we look at Revelation 19, starting about verse eleven?”  She was about to recite, but I waved her off. “We see the return of Jesus, not as a huggable teddy bear, but a warrior who will destroy entire nations with His tongue.  People today have no idea what the word ‘Lord’ really means.  At least, they do not act like they do.  Jesus is our supreme ruler.  He will return, but we probably won’t be around to see it, unless we are among the Saints that meet Him in the air.”

Babs shrunk a little and said, “Does that mean God is going to lead an Army against the people of the earth?”

I nodded, “In the End Times, Jesus is going to finally deal with the evil on earth, maybe not all the evil people at that point.  But that is when all of the elect of God have been secured and safe.  None who truly know what the word ‘Lord’ means and have a saving knowledge that Jesus is indeed their Lord will be lost.  None will fall from His grasp.  This final war will be applauded by believers.  This is good news that brings with it the end of sin, death, suffering, pain, and even tears.”

Babs nodded, “Like when I get broken and liquid leaks out of my eyes?”

I laughed, “None of that ever again.”

Babs asked, “But what about all those wars in the Old Testament?”

I nodded, “First, what was the biggest war that ever happened?”

Babs shrugged. “1, 2, 3.”  That was her signal for us to sing her answer to the question together. We sang “I don’t know.”

“How about the fourth chapter of Genesis?” I asked.

Babs said, “But that’s just when Cain killed Abel.”

“Yeah,” I replied. “There was at least five people on the earth at the time because Cain left with his wife, but if that is all, then Cain killing Abel wiped out twenty percent of the people on earth, one died out of the total of five.  And why?  Jealousy!”

“But then why did Moses and Miriam say God was a great warrior?” Babs questioned.

I smiled, “We have to see what happens in the first 14 chapters of Exodus.  He brings ten plagues on Egypt and then as the waters of the Red Sea part and the Israelites go across on dry ground, the Egyptians follow and their chariots find mud that the Israelites did not have.  The waters came over the army and wiped it out.  Now that is a great warrior.  But the entire package of plagues and miracles proved God’s power, God’s love for His chosen people, and God’s ability to protect them.  Yet, the people rebelled and worshipped other gods.”

Babs shook her head, “But there are so many more wars.”

I sighed, “Yes, there are.  Joshua leads the army to kill the Canaanites.  The Canaanites had been cursed in the time of Noah and they settled in the land that was promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  This was the punishment of Canaan.  Joshua’s army and the twelve tribes were unsuccessful in ridding themselves of the Canaanites.  Then the people would worship other gods.  God would send an evil nation to punish them.  Then the Israelites would repent.  Then a judge arose to go to war against that evil nation.  After all, that evil nation was messing with God’s chosen people.  Then Saul and David did a lot to finish off most of the Canaanites.  So, we have the curse of Canaan pretty well handled.  And we have nations punished for subjecting bad things on the Israelites, although the Israelites deserved the punishment.  Who wiped out the northern tribes?”

Babs beamed, “Assyria!”

I asked, “What happened to them?”

Babs answered, “Babylon defeated them.”

“Right,” I said.  “That is where Daniel 7 comes in.  Assyria was punished for messing with the northern tribes, again, giving them what they deserved.  Then Babylon is destroyed by the Medes who absorbed Persia.  Then the Greeks under Alexander the Great destroys the Persian-Mede empire.  Then the Greek empire is divided into four pieces.  The daughter of the Syrian king is given to the Egyptian Pharoah.  That is Cleopatra.  Then eventually the Romans took over the Greek empire that had been divided.”

“And God prophesied this would happen?”

“Yes, Babs, but the thing is, each nation was essentially punished for having destroyed the previous nation, but at the same time, it got a remnant of Jews in the Promised Land at just the right time for these barbaric Romans to invent the cross as a means of scaring everyone into submission, just in time for Jesus to be here on earth.  But as for war, war feeds upon war.  We will always have wars and rumors of wars because every time there is a war, there is a winner and a loser.  And innocent people are killed.  Therefore, more wars are fought to avenge the innocent or take revenge on the previous war’s winner, creating a new winner, new loser, and new innocent people being harmed. And then you have other motivations, like greed or hubris.  And even the United Nations has never been able to stop wars.”

“But 1 John 4 says that God is Love!”

“Yes, Babs, we cannot change one nation fighting another nation, but I can love you, and you can love those people at the next picnic table.  Sooner or later, this whole rest area will be loving one another, but those people that we elect into office will make mistakes that cause wars to start, and, right here on this interstate, the people at the next rest area will get jealous that this rest area is getting all the love…  We live in a broken world, Babs, and until Jesus returns, the world will remain broken.”

Babs giggled.  She leaned across the picnic table and kissed me on the forehead.  “Let the love at this rest area officially begin.”

Credits

I don’t think I had anything that needs a Credit this time, but we know, and Harold will eventually know, that Babs is his guardian angel.  She almost broke into a sweat keeping that truck from switching lanes before it eventually did so.  And why does Babs ask him all these questions?  To prepare him to be ready to answer the questions offered at all those food banks across the big city of Tracy – questions asked by people who are hurting.

But even that is not the only reason they had these conversations.  I hope I live long enough to give answers to a few unanswered questions of my own.  Yet, I have made Babs playful in these stories with a touch of innocence.  In some ways, it mirrors many of the conversations that I had with my wife over the past 48 years.

And if you have noticed, each episode title has “Babs” in the title.  All the Mr. Moto novels by John P. Marquand have “Mr. Moto” somewhere in each title.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.