Joseph stood in silence for a few seconds after Ben left, unable to make himself move.

"Joseph, you've got to pack," his mother said as she came back into the room. Joe ran to his room and threw a few things in his suitcase. It was hard to think what would be necessary.

"Stop them, stop them," Dictator shouted the order to the harassing demons who hovered around the Kahns.

Grungy sat on the suitcase lid; it fell on Debbie Kahn's hand.

"Ouch," she cried and Grungy laughed with pleasure. He was barely able to jump back before the blade of a huge shining angel sliced at him.

"How careless of me," Debbie said as she rubbed her hand.

"Is that the best you can do?" Dictator asked. He grabbed Grungy who had backed into a corner and threw him back towards Debbie. "Get in there and fight, you coward," he spit sulfuric acid at the weaker Grungy Angel.

"But Dictator, the guardian angels outnumber us," Grungy whined.

"I don't care," Dictator shouted, "Stop them."

"But how can I get close to them?" Grungy stepped back but not fast enough to avoid Dictator's slap in the head.

"Find a way." Dictator turned to a sniveling demon that crouched nearby and kicked at him. "A lot of help you are, you ugly toad." Dictator had lost control of his temper. "Get over there and help, you sniveling idiot."

"But master, how can I help?" whined Demon of Discouragement. "I can't get inside of these humans now. Something is blocking me."

"Just do it, no excuses," Dictator yelled.

"But Dictator," the Demon's ugly yellow eyes crossed, "The Spirit of God is in them. I can't inhabit humans who have the Spirit in them."

"I know that." Dictator drooled as his anger grew. "But you can oppress them and help instead of hiding in the corner."

"Yes, Dictator," whined Discouragement.

"I must follow that fool and try to get something to fall on him," Dictator snapped. "Oh, why can't I be everywhere at once, like the enemy?" He complained. He started out of the house.

"I'll meet you at the airport. Try to get something to fall on these people so they can't get away," he ordered. "Use your brain for a change."

Dictator flew down the street, flexing his muscles as he glided. He pulled to a screeching stop, right in front of Ben and pushed at the old stone building. Already weak from the earthquake, the stones began to crumble. Dictator pushed with all of his strength, a few of those stones would put Ben out of commission --forever.

"Your days are numbered you fool," he sneered as several of the stones fell right in Ben's path.

Dictator gasped as a bright streak grabbed Ben and pulled him out of the way of the falling stones.

"Boy," Ben unaware of the invisible hands that had tried to hurt him or the hands that had carried him to safety, looked back, "That was too close for comfort. Thank you Jesus for your protection," he prayed as he hurried on to the next house.

Ben's guardian angel stuck his sword in Dictator's face. "Having fun little fellow?" He grinned as Dictator jumped back and grabbed his sword. Ben hurried on unaware of the clash of gleaming swords, not seeing the gray Dictator who turned to fly away from the bigger and cleaner angel.

"And stay away," Guardian Angel laughed as he watched Dictator take off. He knew he wasted his breath, Dictator would be back.

"It was a nice house," Joseph's mother sighed as she looked for the last time at the gleaming white kitchen and the comfortable front porch. "I always hoped Cindy, and the boys would come home."

"We'll join them someday." Joseph felt the lump in his throat as he thought of the brothers and sister that he hadn't seen for over three years now. First them and R.J. and now Ben wouldn't be there anymore. Why was it that so many people he loved were gone?

They didn't see the unseen escorts who were with them constantly as they met other believers on the broken streets of Jerusalem in the dark of the night, the bright, shining white angels who formed a guard in front of the contemptible gray group of the unseen force who tried to block their passage.

The Kahns hurried as fast as possible to the outskirts of the city. The walk was long and the women had to stop periodically in spite of themselves to catch their breaths. They were all tired when they finally saw the lights of the airport.

"Where did they get those planes?" Satan stormed, as he flew around in circles over the airport. His dirty army was trying to delay the planes until the trucks full of soldiers could get there to blow the planes out of the sky.

"Stop them, stop them. That idiot helper of mine, why didn't he act faster? I should have done it myself." Satan found that when he inhabited the body of King Arams, he lost some of his powers. It was very hard to move in and out of a human body. Michael and his army flew directly above the Jews, keeping them away from the Christians.

"Some of our members own planes," a man explained to the Israelites. "They have already airlifted many of our people into Petra."

The planes cast their lights on the refugees as they stood in long lines waiting to board. The line moved slowly. Finally Joseph and his family got on the plane. He had just sat down when he heard the howling of sirens, and lights came into view in the darkness of the night.

"It's soldiers," Mr. Kahn said as he leaned forward to look out of the window.

The planes were still warming up. Joseph saw one plane fly like a big bird into the air but just at that time a truck drove onto the airport landing strip, soldiers climbed out of it. The demons that inhabited the bodies of the soldiers tried to force them to move faster, knowing how angry their master would be if they let the planes get away. The soldiers fell to the ground and pointed their guns toward the planes.

"Get down," a man in the plane ordered. Joseph crouched low, but he knew that if shooting started the airplane would blow up.

"What's that?" Mrs. Kahn cried as the plane suddenly lurched. Joseph glanced out the window just in time to see the earth open up and swallow the soldiers and their trucks.

"Another earthquake," he cried as they disappeared into the earth. Fire broke out where the trucks had been and only minutes later the airplane started moving slowly.

"Curse it, curse it," cried Satan as he joined the other fallen angels who watched as the demons were leaving the dead bodies of the soldiers. "He's done it again, He's stood in my way. And you have failed me." He swatted his long arms at any fallen angel who was unfortunate enough to be near him.

He flew in circles over the planes and shouted orders to his army. "Follow them, follow them," he commanded. "I shall go back to that worthless human helper and give him a beating he'll never forget." Just the thought of it made him smile.

Joseph could see the burning trucks and the dying soldiers as the airplane slowly rose into the heavens.

"Another miracle," his mother, breathing an uneasy sigh, sat back in her seat and buckled her seat belts.

"We're taking off," Mr. Kahn said as the plane started to rise up into the air.

"It looks so peaceful" Joseph's mother leaned forward to look out the small window. "And it's so wicked and full of strife."

"Yes." Joseph watched the City of Jerusalem that looked like a toy town beneath them. The buildings and cars became smaller and smaller and the lights got dimmer. He wondered if they would ever see the city again. "It's hard to believe all of the evil that is in that temple," he said as he saw the great building that soon faded. And then there was nothing but clouds around them. He couldn't see the forces of good that surrounded each plane and kept back the wicked forces that followed them.

Joseph leaned back. Both of his parents had their eyes closed. He was too upset to sleep so he picked up the magazines that he found in the pocket of the seat before him, flipped the pages and then put them back. He looked at his watch; it was 5:00 a.m. They would be there by 6:00. He watched as the fingers of light slowly spread across the sky. What a big sky it was and how small the planes were. Joseph closed his eyes and thought of Ben back in Jerusalem. He prayed that God would take care of him.

"Fasten your seat belts," a voice announced over the loudspeaker. "We are coming to Wadi Musa."

Joseph opened his eyes. He had been dreaming of Ben and he shook his head as reality came to him. He could see a little town of flat roofed houses below them, as he felt the plane begin to descend. Miniature people with scarves on their heads walked around and soon the plane bumped to a landing.

"As a big eagle He has given us wings," Joseph said as they stood and filed out of the plane. He wished Ben had come with them.

A tall man with a loud but gentle voice greeted them.

"Welcome to your new country," The man said. "My name is Allee and I will be your guide into Petra. First you might want to stretch your legs. The gift shop is opened early this morning in celebration of this occasion, and you can get something to drink there."

The sun had lit up the sky now, just as Jesus had lit up Joseph's life. If only Ben's parents would let Him light up their life too, before it was too late.