Facing the Future by Tim Lahaye, Jerry B. Jenkins Read Free Book Online

station house.
    “She’s not up for bail yet, son. Anyway, how old are you?”
    “His age is not relevant,” Bruce interrupted. “He’s related to her former fiancé, who has died.”
    “I thought it was her former fiancé she was accused of murderin’,” the desk sergeant said.
    “She’s not been accused of murder,” Bruce said. “Now—”
    “He’d have to be accompanied by an adult. Would that be you, Mr. Attorney?”
    “I’m not an attorney. I’m clergy.”
    “Oh, why didn’t you tell me, Father?”
    “I’m not a pr—”
    “Right this way. You weren’t wearin’ your collar, so I didn’t even . . . I mean, you know. . . .”
    The desk sergeant asked someone to cover for him while he led Lionel and Bruce into the bowels of the tiny jailhouse. “I don’t know if you’ve been here before, Father, but we have only three men’s cells and two women’s.”
    “Thank you, Sergeant. So, is there a meeting room or . . . ?”
    “Nothing sophisticated like Plexiglas walls or nothin’, no. Just this little room over here, and we’ll have a guy hanging around outside the door if you need anything. Now, I’m sorry but I have to pat you down for weapons and contraband. Rules, you know.”
    As helpless and panicky as Talia sounded on the phone, Lionel was surprised to see that she had slipped back into her more normal sassy and sarcastic tones. As she was led out of her cell by the matron and delivered to the desk sergeant, who walked her down the hall to the interview room, she said, “You all won’t be seeing me much more in here, I’ll tell you that right now! I got my people coming to get me out!”
    The matron must have smiled or shook her head or something, because Talia immediately responded with, “Don’t you be looking at me that way now! You just watch me! I’ll be out of here soon!”
    The desk sergeant told her to watch her mouth and manners and to behave herself in front of her company. Talia just cackled. “You don’t have to be telling me what to do. Just mind your business.”
    Talia maintained her attitude until the desk sergeant left and someone else was assigned to stand in the hall. The door was shut behind her, and she quickly sat down and acted like a schoolgirl again. “I’m so glad you came,” she said. “I had no one else to call. And this here, who’s he?”
    “This is my pastor, Bruce Barnes,” Lionel said. “I think you should talk to him about your questions about heaven and all that.”
    “I already told you, Lionel, I don’t have any more questions about heaven.”
    “Why don’t we sit down, Lionel?” Bruce said.
    Once they were seated, Talia started right in again. “I’m going to need you to find me a lawyer, preacher man,” she said.
    “I’ll do what I can,” Bruce said, “but mostly I’m here to support Lionel and to answer any questions you might have.”
    “And what makes Lionel think I have questions?” she said.
    “You said you thought your mother was in heaven,” Lionel said. “But you were afraid you had no more hope for some reason.”
    “I was always told that after the church got raptured, the Holy Ghost would be gone. No Holy Ghost, no salvation.”
    Bruce pulled a small New Testament from his pocket and opened it on the table before them. “Did you ever hear of a teaching from Revelation that says that during the time of the seven-year Tribulation God would raise up 144,000 witnesses who would go about the world evangelizing?”
    “Yes,” Talia said, “I think I did hear something about that somewhere along the line. Yes.”
    “Let me ask you something, Talia. What need would there be for evangelizing during the Tribulation if no one could come to Christ?”
    Talia looked up and raised her eyebrows. “I never thought of that,” she said. “How do these people get saved if the Holy Spirit is no longer here?”
    “I’m not sure I agree that the Holy Spirit is gone,” Bruce said. “I don’t see that in