The Vanishment

By Robert Firth

The VANISHMENT describes a fictional account of a modern day visitation by the late great Jesus Christ. The appearance of the spirit in the personage of the son of God or God himself, with all his miraculous powers, in the back yard of a middle class white guy, begins an astounding series of happenings that change mankind and the world forever.

The book relates the authors rather wry and at times hilarious and wishful account of the "second coming" as has been predicted for two thousand years. Why Jesus decides to visit humanity in 2011 and why he returns to a poolside patio in Boca Raton Florida is left to the imagination of the writer and the reader.

Equally, it remains for the reader to comprehend Jesus' actions as he goes about his business. Most certainly there are echoes of the day of Judgment, so colorfully described in the Book of Revelations, the last chapter in the Christian Bible, dealing with the prophetic visions John, a servant of Jesus, received from God.

The author, in imagining the reasoning and actions of JC as he goes about "cleaning up" the mess mankind has made of his lovely world, delivers to the reader a vision of God's vision of a perfect world, with all its poisonous influences surgically removed by 'miraculous intervention.' Nothing, but nothing, can top God when it comes to removing "stains" from the carpet of history.

From one problem to the other, God, who knows the hearts of all men, makes decisions to improve his world and preserve his chosen people, which, as it turns out, aren't entirety and solely the Jews.

In the end, a perfect world remains, cleansed of all 'evil' influences...... The question for the reader is this: Is the world "fixed" by Jesus Christ a better one?

• Language: English
• Publisher: eBookIt.com
• Release date: Apr 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9781456603472

Book preview

UK

CHAPTER 1

JESUS CAME BACK

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.   But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.   So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Matthew 24:42-44

He always said he would but, what I couldn’t understand was why he decided to show up in my back yard? I still can’t… but, in case you never knew how all this started, you have to hear the story…

It was Easter Sunday, the 24th of April, 2011. I was reading in my hammock, like always, and thinking how I could possibly make a buck… it was getting harder and harder since obama started squatting in the White House.

Suddenly, there was this shining white light….. It looked like a pillar of brightness, perhaps thirty feet high……….I never saw anything like it or anything to compare it to.

So, there it was, on the edge of my pool maybe fifteen feet from me. A foot appeared from the edge of the light followed by a leg and then He stepped out onto the patio.

I remember being surprised how much he looked like his pictures… I mean, I knew who he was right away…… Jesus Christ himself……..right here in my back yard!

I stood up and faced him … I was going to drop to my knees when he said, in the plainest possible English, Hey, old fellow, it’s all right, hold on, don’t get too excited.   He stepped over to me, the light behind him vanished and-   there he was… wearing a white T-shirt and jeans with leather sandals,, but his face, his beard, they were just like I thought he would look…….(later, I learned he does that on purpose, gauging his looks to match expectations )

I managed to say what……what, is it you? Are you really Jesus. I know , that was lame   and he was probably thinking why did I pick this imbecile… of course, he was Jesus, how the hell   (heck, sorry,) could he be anyone else,, how many people pop out of a pillar of light… for God’s sake…upps,   sorry, I mean for gosh sakes,   he could probably read my thoughts…   good grief.,.. !

He sat down at the outdoor table and motioned for me to sit…. I remember thinking how glad I was that Alyona, my wife, had bought the nice new chairs…At the time I didn’t… Good Grief, more money!   That’s what I thought at the time…

He said, no worries old man, I can hear your words and your thoughts… just relax and be calm.. Yes, I’m Jesus and yes, I have come back as I said I would and so, here I am…

He touched my arm and, My God! His hand was warm and felt perfectly normal…

I managed to ask him if he would like something to drink? Boy was I stupid, but anyway, amazingly, he said yes, that would be nice, what do you have I said, how about iced tea or a beer? I thought, what the hell, upps, sorry again, what the heck.. I have to watch my thoughts.. I could see him smiling… Good grief, what am I doing offering the Son of God a beer… I can’t believe all this.. maybe   I’m just dreaming..?

He said, Look Robert, calm down, a beer would be just great. he knew my name.   He smiled at me and said, Of course, I know your name… I know everybody’s name. and yes, I see   your thoughts too, so, look, forget the bad language worries, believe me, I’ve heard worse. Just be yourself."

I went into the kitchen and got two cold beers from the fridge… I looked out the window over the sink, he was still there… Holly shit!, this wasn’t a freeken dream.. Jesus was on my patio and we were about to have a beer together…Noway!

I got him a glass, in case, he didn’t want to drink from the can…I heard that rats crap on the cans, so I always use a glass… He took a long drink and, wiping the foam from his beard, said, that’s good, it’s been a long trip. I’ll bet!

I asked him if I could ask a question? Sure, he said smiling, what’s on your mind besides a million things? Well, stammering, I managed to say, I was wondering what you want and why me? Why not visit the Pope, or the president or someone important? I mean no ones seen you for two thousand years, so why now, why me?"

Well, Robert, let’s say that I was saving the moment for when my presence might really be needed and this seems to be it… We have been carefully watching you all here on earth, very carefully. We saw what a great job you did in creating America and we knew you would do OK in the world wars, of course, we helped a bit here and there but, there was never any doubt…   Now, today, things are not going well and we decided that this was the time, so, here I am."

I think I understood him. After all, from my knowledge of history and current events, I too felt that maybe this time, things were really out of control and we didn’t have any one steering the boat who had the faintest clue of what to do…..

Jesus, said, finishing the beer, look, I’m a bit tired and would like a shower a shave and little rest, would it put you out to let me use your bath and guest room?   No, no, of course not, come this way?   Then, I thought, oh shit! The bloody dogs, oh, oh, I mean darn, I forgot about the dogs.. they’ll bark their heads off…Jesus, said, reading my thoughts, Robert, no worries about the language…and I’ll take care of the dogs." And he did…….. He opened the sliding glass door and both of the German Shepherds came up to him wagging their tails and licked his hand.. no barking… They plainly loved him… Of course, how stupid, he’s Jesus, of course they love him.

I showed him the bathroom and bedroom and gave him some towels. He didn’t have a suitcase… I asked him, Do you want to borrow some clean clothes, we’re about the same size? Sure, thanks that would be great.

He disappeared into the bathroom and, in minutes, I heard the shower running. I went back outside and sat, thinking about what was happening to me and why.

Jesus had showed up about noon. I was still sitting pondering his arrival when, about six thirty, he walked out sitting down at the table. He looked completely different. He had shaved his beard and trimmed his hair. He looked just like anyone else.. I had given him a blue long sleeved shirt and a pair of chinos. Both fit perfectly…His sandals looked OK with the outfit. Jesus, as he appeared to me, was a good-looking guy. Just under six feet, maybe 180 pounds, well built, with deep blue eyes. If you passed him on the street, you would never know who he was…   I guess that was the way he wanted it..

He said Robert, let’s talk a bit about why I’m here and what’ we’re planning for man kind and the earth. I nodded and he started in….. First, You can call me by my first Jesus, there are thousands of us with the same name, just leave the last part off and things will be OK.

He continued, Robert, look, things are in an awful mess down here and it doesn’t look like you all have the right people to fix it. In fact, the people you have running things are making it all far worse and it’s reached the point where it’s not going to get fixed unless ‘we’ step in. We don’t like to get involved, and, in fact, we generally stay out of the way and let you all make you’re own mistakes. Most of the time you learn from them and don’t make the same ones twice.…

He said, I know you understand because we read your books. Your discussions and arguments in The Battle of Tours and The Enemy Within were too right, very astute and that’s when we understood that you had to be our guy on earth. I said, But Jesus, very few have read my books and fewer still agree with my findings. I know, Robert, but that’s going to change and, in fact, it’s changing as were discussing it.. In a few minutes, you’ll get a call from a New York Publisher who’s very interested in both books. Whatever he says, just agree, and let’s get this business in operation.

Well, it does tend to keep mindless conversation off the table…

The phone rang. I picked it up and a woman said, please hold for Mr. Sterling. A gravely voice said is this the Robert Firth who wrote The Battle of Tours under the name of John C. Scott I said yes, who wants to know? The voice on the other end of the phone, said, Sorry, let me introduce myself, I’m Bill Sterling, the editor at Sterling Books, we’d like to talk to you about publishing both Tours and The Enemy Within.   Sure, I said, let’s talk.

Jesus, sat across the table sipping another beer, He must have found the fridge by himself. He was smiling, his crystal blue eyes seemed very knowing and kind. Over time, I was to learn that God can be many things but kindly wasn’t always one of them… What he did just had to be done. He did what needed doing, and many times, doing the right thing wasn’t always the kindest thing…

Six months passed. Jesus lived with us. My wife Alyona came to know him well. She, at first, like me, couldn’t believe he was real… I was the one who saw the pillar of light, so I didn’t need much convincing… Alyona needed convincing… First, she thought he was just a friend of mine trying to pull off a big joke… She was funny and playful.. She said, OK, Jesus could walk on water, if you’re Jesus, for real, let’s see you walk across the pool?

Jesus, said, Alyona, normally we never do silly things to play tricks on humans but, since I came to your home uninvited and, since you both have been very kind to me I’ll do something to help you believe.   Saying that, he took her hand and led her to the edge of the pool. She looked at him a bit frightened and he said, come and both of them stepped onto the water. Jesus led her across the pool, with only the soles of their feet touching the surface. She turned white and almost fainted… Jesus held her up and they stepped out onto the patio. She said You really are Jesus, you really are!

I was invited to many book signings and began appearing on the talk shows. I never mentioned Jesus who remained at my home for a few months. The liberal state run press attacked me and my views, viciously and at every opportunity. Obama was even speaking out against me and his guard dogs were trying in every way to bring me down. My books became worldwide best sellers and millions were sold. Many government leaders read them and, over the world, liberalism itself was dying.

CHAPTER 2

JESUS BEHIND THE SCENES

"The darkness drops again but now I know- That twenty centuries of stony sleep

Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?" Yeats

Jesus and I talked many times. Mostly, it was me listening while he explained what he was planning and when and why these things would happen. He explained that man had been given great intelligence and it was always thought that we, meaning mankind, would learn right from wrong and act accordingly.

Of course, we had been given the Ten Commandants, the Torah and later, the Christian bible.   He explained that the story of God casting out a dark angel, knowing he would sow discord and evil, was true……..God understood that, with the gift of free will, man needed to learn the difference between good and evil. Without this knowledge, how could he discern the right path when both might look the same?

I had made this argument in my books so, was familiar with the existence of evil and understood the battle between the forces of good and those of the darkness. The power shifted back and forth between the two. In Germany, for example, under the Nazis, evil had triumphed. This victory of the darkness didn’t last for long but it did cause many to lose their faith..   In the end, however, the Nazis’ were destroyed, never again to threaten the world.

Jesus understood the bad side of the collective movements, he castigated all socialist movements as being counter to his teachings and corrosive to the individualistic creative and expressive nature of mankind. I understood this and, of course, knew how bitterly all communist, secular and socialists leaders hate, fear and despise religion in any form.

Jesus chose this time to come to us because the collective movement in America had grown too strong and pervasive. He understood that there was a dark weak side to human nature that bade it choose forms of ‘collective social justice’ which were, in all manifestations, enemies of the human spirit. He said that mankind was given two feet and a brain and he expected us to use both. He wished his people to stand and not lean on those who promised the good life in exchange for their souls and their spirits.

Why America I asked?   Jesus explained that America was indeed the most favored nation in the eyes of God. He had given America everything needed to succeed and he wanted only the best for us. Jesus wanted America to be the shining example for