The bells of Heaven were ringing and the family knew from what Jesus had told them that it was time for the seven angels and the plagues that would be used on the inhabitants of earth.

Cindy looked at the smoke that filled the temple of God. How glad she was that Joseph and her parents were safe in Petra now.

"Oh, why don't the people on earth repent before it is too late?" She asked. "Jesus is so wonderful and kind, but He's also very powerful."

"Because He died for all of us they expect him to be always loving," Grandmother said as they took their places so they could watch the seven angels who were standing on the edge of the Heavens, holding their bowls. "They forget that He also wants people to obey Him."

"He gives us rules for our own good," David sat down in Heaven's arena. "Satan wants people to hurt themselves."

"Or others," Ricky added.

Just then a loud voice hushed the watching crowd.

"Go," the voice said. "Pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth."

The first angel took the bowl, he tipped it and the liquid that poured out of the bowl fell on the earth.

"Look at the demons," Ricky cried. "They look like locusts and they're stinging humans."

"Ouch." The man slapped at his arm. "Something just bit me."

"Me, too." The woman next to him shrieked as she slapped at the unseen demon that continued stinging her all over her body. The land was filled with screaming and cursing as humans who had received the mark of the beast fell on the ground in misery. The demons stung until every person who had taken the mark had ugly boils covering his body. Their filthy words filled the air as the demons laughed.

"That's more fun than I've had in centuries," Dungy demon laughed. "Look at the human cattle throwing themselves on the ground, and calling God dirty names. Keep it up." He cheered.

Satan flew angrily around. Something had gone wrong with his plans. "Not them, you fools," he screeched. "Persecute those men who haven't got the mark on them," Satan shouted as the demons wildly flew from one person to another.

"Get him," Satan pointed at Ben who stood in hiding behind the building as he watched the people with the ugly red marks on their arms and legs. But no matter how hard Satan shouted he couldn't get the demons to attack Ben.

One woman rolled toward Ben and he could see the sores on her body, they looked like teeth marks. He stepped back in horror as he saw her face.

"Sally," Ben cried. "Repent, God might change his mind."

"Curse God," Sally screamed swear words and shook her fist at the Heavens and then at Ben, "And you too Ben, you cursed preacher."

"Please Sally." Tears came to Ben's eyes as he saw her misery. "God is loving and forgiving."

"Who cares?" She cried. "I don't want to be forgiven. Leave me alone, blast you." She struck at Ben. "I just want God to leave me alone and let me do what I want to do."

Ben turned away and went down the street to the food supply building. The place was filled with people who hadn't received the mark. They were helping themselves as the suffering workers moaned in misery, helpless to stop the stealing of food. Some of the other witnesses were there and they filled their arms with boxes of food.

"I hate to steal," Ben said. "But we must survive."

"I don't like to steal either," John said. "But if it'll keep us alive long enough to preach to those who don't have the sores on them it'll be worth it."

They carried the food back to the caves, opened a box of peanut butter crackers, ate a few and started out to find those humans who weren't shouting obscenities to Heaven.

In spite of himself Satan was laughing and rolling on the ground as he watched the suffering people rolling in the dirt in misery. The demons were stinging the wrong humans but he enjoyed human suffering of any kind.

The sight of Ben and John heading towards a couple who stood hand in hand in the shadow of a building made him stop laughing and fly to their side.

"He's wicked," Satan yelled in the man's ear, but he was ignored. He yelled vile things into the woman's ear but she too ignored him.

"Do you know Jesus?" Ben asked the woman.

"No." She looked at Ben with tired eyes.

Ben and John talked to the couple and the pair, tired of running accepted Jesus gladly as Satan cursed God and wondered what had gone wrong.

All eyes were on the second angel as he flew toward earth and tipped over his bowl. The liquid ran out, a red liquid that fell on all of the seas on earth.

"It looks like blood," David said.

"It is blood," Grandfather looked closer at the crimson water. All the seas on earth had turned to blood.

Then the third angel took his place and poured a similar bowl of liquid on the earth, only this time it hit the rivers and springs of earth. They watched as Sally put her robe and slippers on and stumbled to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. She turned the water on and screamed when she saw what came out of the faucet.

"Tom, Tom," she called to the soldier she was living with. "Something's wrong with the water." She watched the red stream.

"Well, I'll be *()@#$%," Tom said, standing in the doorway. "It looks like blood."

"It is, it's blood," Sally cried. "I'm going to call the water department and complain."