Chapter 5 – Revelations
The bell had been ringing for at least ten minutes. Everyone in the compound had heard it. They were all hurrying to the Worship Hall. A nondescript twentyish blond woman named Annabeth scurried along too. She didn’t want to be late. The rule was strict. Every adult member of the Blessed Nephilim who could be spared must answer the summons immediately.
It had to be something very important for the diviner to call them together in the middle of the week. She could hear voices around her speculating, but nobody seemed to know what this was about. Annabeth tried to catch her breath and smooth her hair when she entered the hall. Nearly everyone but she had already found a place.
The men in their black suits and white shirts sat together in the forward rows. Behind them sat rows of women clad all alike in grey dresses and white aprons, their hair chastely braided and coiled around their heads. Annabeth dove for the first open seat toward the back of the room. She stammered an apology as she stepped on someone’s toe before sinking into a chair. She didn’t like to stand out. Nobody wanted to be singled out for the diviner’s attention.
The whispers in the room all died when he entered. Father Abraham was a daunting figure. With his mane of white hair and carefully trimmed beard, he looked like a patriarch straight from the pages of the Bible. He strode to the pulpit and rested his hands on the stand. Leaning forward, he began to speak. “My children, I called you together today to give you news of great joy.”
Whispers of speculation rippled around the hall.
“Before I do, let me remind you who you are.”
Annabeth didn’t know what the diviner meant. She looked at the women around her. They were all staring forward blankly.
“More than two hundred years ago Jedediah Proctor was granted a vision. A vision of God’s plan for the Blessed Nephilim. If we kept ourselves blameless in his sight and waited patiently for the Day of Judgment, then we would be restored to the ranks of the angels from whence we sprang.”
Annabeth could see some of the men in the front rows nodding in agreement.
“My children, you know you are God’s chosen ones. Set apart. Pure. The only bright light in a vast sea of darkness.”
“We are the chosen ones,” they echoed approvingly.
“Two hundred years ago God’s will for us was revealed.” The diviner paused to stare out at the congregation, holding his eyes locked on theirs. “But two centuries, my brethren, is a very long time.”
A hush fell over the crowd.
The diviner stepped in front of the podium and began to pace. “For two hundred years we have suffered the scorn of the Fallen in our efforts to keep ourselves sinless.”
“That’s right!” A few of the men muttered.
“Two hundred years we have watched as the world became ever more corrupt, yet we kept the faith.”
“Yes, we did,” other voices affirmed.
“You know how we have been mocked by the ungodly. Made to appear foolish in the eyes of men for what they call our outlandish beliefs. Where is the savior of the Nephilim? They laugh at us and claim he is nowhere to be found!”
“Speak, diviner!” another male voice shouted.
“It must have seemed to many of you that the Lord has forgotten his promise to us. I know how you have prayed that God would give us a sign that he still remembers our plight.”
Annabeth stirred uneasily in her seat. She couldn’t see where all this talk was leading.
“I am here to tell you, my children, that the Lord has answered your prayers!”
The congregation sat forward, their curiosity piqued. Annabeth had to crane her neck to see the diviner.
“Do not believe the whispers of the outside world, my children! They spread lies. I bear witness that the Lord has not forsaken us!” Father Abraham punched the air with his fist for emphasis. “Indeed, he has not! I have received a sign from above that the Lord is with us still.”
“A sign. A sign!” Dozens of voices chanted.
The diviner nodded and paused until the chanting died down. “Yes, my children. A sign! A sign as sure as the signs which God gave to the prophets of old. As sure as the signs He showed to our founder, Jedediah Proctor all those long years ago.”
The murmurs rose again.
He raised his hand for silence. “Last night, the Lord granted me a revelation. He sent an angel to me in a dream.”
Annabeth’s attention was caught by the woman seated next to her who was rocking forward and back in her chair with eyes shut, a secret prayer on her lips.
“The angel showed me clearly that the Lord has prepared a glorious future for the Blessed Nephilim. His works are mighty, and he is mindful of his children. Let us praise his name!”
“Praise his name! Praise his name,” they echoed, filled with the spirit of the Lord.
Annabeth watched several women fall to their knees, whispering prayers of gratitude.
“The Blessed Nephilim shall be raised high in glory above the heads of the Fallen. This mighty day will come long before the Final Judgment, my children. I have God’s word that the Nephilim are meant to lead the world through the darkness of the next millennium. In preparation for that glorious time of our ascendency, the Lord has selected my successor to carry our pure faith forward unto the next generation. Today I name him. My son Daniel is God’s own choice as scion of the Blessed Nephilim.” Father Abraham pointed to the back of the room. “Let all here present bear witness that he will ascend to the title of diviner once I have gone
