Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 132 When the Prophet Prophesied

This is a rare plateau in Europe, closer to the sky than Frank and the Holy City.

In such a vast and boundless land, Balian witnessed the prophet's miracles with his own eyes.

The familiar young man was walking on the ground. He seemed to be moving slowly, but with every step he took, he appeared ten feet away.

Sometimes he appeared far away, sometimes he was right next to him.

[The Prophet, the brother of Messiah, walks in the four corners of the earth, appears by sun and by moon.]

【He is everywhere, for all things are subject to His will.】

— Transjordan 3:58
Under the pale sky, Balian witnessed the true miracle and heard the prophet's prophecy.

For a moment, I could no longer control my emotions. Sorrow filled my heart. I knelt down on the plateau and burst into tears.

The words that Garys said were not original to Garys, he just reiterated them.

In the Bible, when Jesus came to the temple with his disciples and saw the magnificence of the temple, he made this prophecy.

40 years later, the prophecy of Jesus in the Bible came true.
It was the 1st century, and there were two factions among the Jews ruled by the Roman Empire.

One is the radical party called the Zealots, and the other is the conservative party called the Dagger Party.
The radical Zealots emphasized armed resistance to Rome and the Jews must reject any foreign rule. Many of Jesus' relatives or disciples belonged to this party.

The conservative Dagger Party felt that the Zealots were too conservative because they did not join them in killing the Jewish traitors!

The Gladius Party got its name from the weapon they used, a small curved sword that was easy to hide and assassinate. They used violence and assassination as their main means to open up the Romans and the Jews who cooperated with Rome.

Thanks to these two parties, the Jews successfully captured a Roman military base in 66 AD and killed all the Roman legion soldiers stationed in Israel.

Then, these two factions also took the opportunity to label the moderates in Jerusalem as traitors.

And then... the future Roman Augustus, Lord Titus, personally led the Roman legions and arrived at the city of Jerusalem at the Passover of that year.

During the siege, Jerusalem's food reserves were destroyed and the whole city was suffering from famine. While resisting the Roman invasion, the Jews continued to fight among themselves.

It can be said that thugs are rampant, preying on innocent people, and the smell of death is everywhere.

Five months later, Jerusalem fell, and the Roman legions completed the demolition mission, thoroughly cleansing the place with another round of massacres.

Josephus wrote: "The fortifications and tower blocks surrounding the city were so completely levelled that a visitor could not believe that the place had ever been inhabited."

It is said that because Jesus made a prophecy 40 years ago, Christians acted early when they discovered that something was wrong.

This story has a very special meaning in Christianity, as it announces to believers that the end of the world is inevitable.

Since this prophecy of Jesus came true, are the other prophecies true?
This also laid the foundation for faith.

On this plateau, Balian, who heard Gellis' words, naturally knew why Gellis repeated these words.

When the two emotional cries ended, Balian asked with a little hope: "When?"

“This year…”

For Balian, the prophecy spoken by Garys is already within reach...

“I was born and raised here, and I have long been separated from the land of Canaan. Palestine, this land soaked in blood, is my homeland.”

"What should I do?!"

If the prophecy comes true, it means that Balian's life of the past forty years will become a thing of the past, and if he himself is still alive, he may become a rootless duckweed.

Suddenly, Balian felt a shadow passing by his head. He looked up and saw Garys standing quietly in front of him.

At this moment, Gailis's figure was so majestic, like a mountain standing between heaven and earth.

As he stared intently, he saw a halo behind Gellis's head, even though Balian knew very well that it was just the setting sun over the plateau.

But, in his heart, Gailis was already a saint who came to the world and conveyed the will of the Lord.

Garys placed a hand on Balian's forehead and spoke in a deep voice.

"The establishment of ancient Israel was a struggle with God. The prophet Samuel continued to oppose it, but he could not resist the pleadings of the tribal elders. They deviated from the right path, so my father destroyed them."

"The Franks used the name of God, claiming that they fought for God, but they were just doing what ordinary people do. In fact, they greedily seized the wealth and land of others, and established a new 'Israel' through massacre and slavery, that is, the Kingdom of Jerusalem."

"So just as Israel was doomed to perish, so too was the Jerusalem of the Crusaders bound to fall."

The Holy Spirit was surging, and warm revelations were transmitted into Garys' heart through the prophet's hands and words, guiding Balian to face his mission.

"You will go on an expedition and fight against tens of thousands of enemies. This expedition is not to defeat Saladin, but to defend Jerusalem."

"Instead, you must fight the Four Horsemen, snatch living people from them, and survive with tens of thousands of people."

"Don't make unnecessary sacrifices like the Jews did. Remember that it is the people who own the land, not the land that owns the people." "A country that only owns the land is not worthy of being called a country, and a country that is supported by the people is a king even if he has never been crowned."

"Remember, an isolated city cannot be defended, because there is no reinforcement outside and no arable land inside. However, Saladin is not a bloodthirsty person. You can negotiate with him."

"If he asks for a ransom, give it to him. If he refuses, you can pretend to threaten him and take the Muslims in the holy city and their holy places as hostages, but remember not to actually kill them, because there should not be more hatred in the world."

Gellis spoke slowly and carefully, without any exciting emotion. He was simply explaining the truth of the world: if the people survive and the land is lost, both the people and the land survive; if the land survives and the people disappear, both the people and the land are lost.

This is a true teaching, and it is the Holy Spirit that conveys God's will through the mouth of the prophet.

"What about the future?" Balian couldn't help but ask again?
"That's another prophecy. Do you want to hear it?"

"Ah."

Garys withdrew the hand that was on Balian's forehead, helped him to stand up, took his hand, and led him to look in the direction of the holy city.

Gellis pointed to the distance, and his tone was no longer calm, but slightly excited.

"The visible temple cannot withstand the ravages of time and will eventually collapse."

“But the invisible temple will be rebuilt in the hearts of believers and passed down from generation to generation.”

"My Father has told me that on this broken land, a bright pearl will shine, illuminating every corner of the world."

"My father has told me that a great nation will rise on this land. It will no longer be a place for the princes and nobles of the past, but a precursor to the coming of the kingdom of heaven."

"This nation will be dedicated to cleansing the world of evil, and when it becomes corrupt and deviates from the right path, it will also collapse."

"But before that, we will push open the door of heaven and show the world a generation where everyone is well fed, cured of diseases and free from plague!"

Behind them, the wind howled, stirring up dust and dead grass.

……

When Garys brought Balian back to the town, Balian had already calmed down his emotions and behaved as usual, as if he had not witnessed the miracle before.

He was not in a hurry to leave, but wanted to have a good chat with Isabella, his stepdaughter.

Balian and Isabella strolled along the street, chatting with each other bit by bit, but the topics lacked a systematic context.

It contains interesting stories about Isabella's childhood and the development of the town where she lives.

They witnessed together the Arab merchant's surprise when he saw the ice, and they couldn't help but burst out laughing together.

Although, in the area north of the Arnon River, craftsmen are gathering towards the village of Skar.

But it did not affect the development of the town. Instead, it ushered in another round of expansion due to the rise of the service industry.

At least there is no longer just one street, but there is an additional intersection, which then extends in the north-south direction.

Although this town is still small, it shows a unique vitality.

Sitting on a bench on the street, Isabella chatted a lot with Balian.

"Gailis once told me that a country's industries can actually be divided into three categories: agriculture, manufacturing, and commerce."

"In the manor system, agriculture and manufacturing are actually combined. Although such small-scale coordination can be self-sufficient, it is actually only for the convenience of the lord to draw resources and manpower. There is a limit to the development of farmers."

"Gailis thinks differently. He told me that the world is not stagnant, but that we can move towards heaven step by step and then push open the door to heaven."

"The land here is much more fertile than in Western Europe. We can grow wheat and get seven or eight out of every one we grow."

"If we can build irrigation systems in those valleys, we can grow sorghum even in the dry summers of Palestine."

"When we can get more output from fewer farmers, we can free up more people to work in other industries."

“Craftsmen with ingenuity and skill will create many new things that we have never heard of or seen before, and those things will make our lives better.”

“Merchants will also connect the world and make it more convenient for different groups of people to exchange goods.”

"When the output of everyone in this world increases, even if the tax rate is reduced, it will still be an increase in the total amount for the country. At that time, we can open hospitals and clinics in every town and schools in every village."

“Educated people will bring more changes, until we, through the wisdom given by Heavenly Father, transform our earthly land into a scene that is indistinguishable from the Kingdom of Heaven.”

“By then, the Day of Judgment will be near. It will not be the Lord himself who will create a new heaven and a new earth, but He will personally descend to the mortal world and walk with us.”

"Behold! The tabernacle of the Lord is with men, and God himself will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God."

"There will be no more crying or mourning; death will be no more; old things have passed away; all things are new..."

(End of this chapter)