Chapter 9: THE WARRIORS

I called a quick conference with the leaders of both groups of eagles. They, too, had already seen our situation-we were now as closed in behind as we were in front, but we were also ready to keep going forward. I asked them to fly as high and as far ahead as they could and report back anything of significance that they saw just as quickly as possible.

As we moved ahead, we grew steadily closer to the clamor of a great battle. It was not long before one of the eagles came to report what they were seeing.

There was a group of about two hundred people with small swords and small lamps. Some of the swords were little more than knives, but they were brave and skilled in using them. They were fighting to hold back what appeared to be a mob, which consisted of thousands.

This little band who was fighting the mob had barely enough light to see, and the air they were breathing was thick with death and depression. They had built barricades and were courageously holding their ground as the mob threw the rotten, poisonous fruit at them. This fruit was so toxic that it would kill or severely wound anyone who was hit by it.

This little band was dodging it skillfully, but it was obvious that they were weary and could not hold out much longer. I was not sure what our little group could do to help against such a horde, but I knew we had to do something.

The old eagle and I approached the scene. Before they saw us, we were able to get very close to the mob because their vision was so poor. When they did see us, they began throwing the fruit at us.

They were too far away to hit us, so some of them started to run toward us. The young eagles swooped down in front of them, and they stopped in their tracks, obviously terrified by the eagles.

I then took just a few steps toward them, hoping the fresh air and light from the sword and torch would awaken them from the darkness. As soon as the light and fresh air touched them, they started fleeing back into the darkness in a great panic.

One of the eagles from above dropped down to tell us the mob was just out of sight and was regrouping. For some reason they were enraged, and it was obvious that they were not going to stop trying to destroy the little band.

I walked over and approached the barricade. A man and a woman who were evidently leaders stepped forward. They seemed glad to see us, but wary at the same time. I told them my name and how impressed we were with their great courage.

"We know who you are," the woman replied. "Your books have helped us." "If they have helped you, why do you feel so wary of me?" I asked.

"We are not so wary of you as much as we are of those pigeons who are with you. We're wondering why they would be with you," the man explained, obviously trying to hide his irritation, but not doing it very well.

"Those are not pigeons-they're eagles!" I shot back, trying to control my own irritation. The man and the woman both looked at me with disbelief. I could tell they were wrestling with not wanting to insult me, but wanting very much to show their scorn for the eagles. The old eagle drew me aside before I could say anything else.

"That they called us pigeons was actually a little gracious. They really wanted to call us vultures. To be honest with you, I can hardly blame them. Young eagles can make a bigger mess of things than pigeons, and even old eagles like me are very hard to be around. I think some of our younger friends here have made problems for these people before. Be patient and gentle."

"I understand," I said. "What will they think when they find out they can blame my foolishness and immaturity for this tree?"

"We have all made a bigger mess of things than most of us will ever realize in this life," the eagle responded. "Even the great saints in Scripture like Abraham, David, and even Paul the Apostle, also released some great problems in the world because of their foolishness or immaturity. We are not better than they, are we?"

"No, of course not," I responded. Realizing how true this was gave me some encouragement.

"The Apostle Paul released an attitude against the church which he himself had to contend with for the rest of his life. It is by the Lord's grace that He also gives us a chance to confront and destroy the evils that we are responsible for releasing," the old eagle continued. "This is your chance with this tree. Our young eagle friends are being given another chance with these people because, like it or not, they will not survive without our help."

"This is true, but for us to get to the place where we can work together could take longer than we have, especially the way the violence is increasing out there and this tree is still growing," I lamented.

"They don't have to call us eagles. I don't even care if they call us pigeons, but we must find a way to work together," the old eagle replied.

As I turned back toward the couple, they seemed a little more at ease. I could tell that the waving of my sword had cleared the air some, and the torch had brightened up the whole area. As I looked at the rest of the people, they were all looking at the eagles who were soaring nearby.

"We did not know that they were real eagles," the man and woman both stated. "I'm afraid that we did much to hurt them and drove them off because we thought they were... well... I'm very ashamed, but we actually thought that they were vultures."

The old eagle began to speak when one of the younger ones who had landed interjected, "We are eagles, but we know what a mess we made when we were with you. We do not blame you for thinking what you did about us or for driving us away. In fact, you did the right thing. We are the ones who should be apologizing. We're all very sorry for the trouble we caused you and what we did to your congregation."

I just kept waving the sword, holding up the torch and watching. "This is really what it means to clear the air," I thought. It was very touching, but I was still surprised when I turned to the old eagle and saw tears running down his face. When he saw me he was a bit embarrassed but apparently too happy to care very much.

"I have waited to see this for many years. Few things are more beautiful than this," he offered.

"I understand," I said, trying to make both of us feel a little more comfortable. "I suppose if I knew the whole story here I would be as moved as you are."

"If you knew the whole story, you would know that we are witnessing a great miracle. In fact, it is such a miracle that it gives me confidence for this battle that we have gotten ourselves into."

"What do you mean 'we'? I think I am really the one who got us into this."

"If we're going to win, we must stand together and cover each other's mistakes," the old eagle stated. "There was an eagle present with you when you did what you did, so we are all in this together. I, too, knew that it could happen but did not go to warn you. No, we are all responsible."

The atmosphere around the little band and their barricades had obviously changed. I was surprised by how quickly the wariness I felt at first had been changed into trust with just a few apologies and a little humility.

It was obvious that we could not face what was ahead if we were fighting among ourselves, and this reconciliation had to happen. I would have never dreamed it could have happened this fast. If the eagles had been offended by what they were called at first, I knew there was no way we would survive the coming battle. In fact, we could well have been fighting in two directions at once, which was sure to lead to a quick defeat.

Finally, we all turned to look toward the darkness. The falling fruit was now coming down at such a rate that it sounded like distant thunder. It seemed the darkness beyond our little area was getting darker, if that was possible. I looked at the old eagle, and we both knew that we had to get going again soon.

I turned to the couple and said, "As wonderful as it has been to meet you and for you to be reconciled with my friends here, we do not have much time. We must try to destroy the root of this tree soon or the city will be lost."

"Please, you must not leave us!" the woman cried, who was quickly followed by a chorus of many others. "You have brought us such hope and vision again. We need you and the eagles."

I looked at the old eagle and knew we were thinking the same thing. If we left these people, the hoard beyond the light would come sweeping back upon them. They were almost overwhelmed when we came to them, and they would not last long after we left.

"What can we do for them?" I asked the eagle.

"If we do not get to the root of this tree to cut it off soon, these and all of the others in this city who are fighting will be destroyed anyway. We must go on, but we can help them. Gather all of your leaders quickly!" the eagle demanded of the couple.

While the leaders of the group were gathering, the man and woman who I had first addressed drew me aside and began to admonish me.

"You cannot make it to the root of the tree. Just a few years ago we could walk freely anywhere in this city. Even those who hated us treated us with a little respect, but now they are all trying to either make us eat the fruit of the tree or kill us.

"There used to be many other congregations in this city like ours-some had thousands of people. There were whole movements based here with congregations all over the world. Now we are the only ones left.

"If you stay with us, we can hold out; we may even take some ground back and continue to be a light to this city until the Lord returns. If you go, you will perish and so will we, and there will be no witness at all in this city."

"Are you sure that you are the only congregation left in the city?" I asked.

"Quite sure. We were in fact one of the largest and strongest churches in the city. We have been reduced down to this, so I do not think that there could be any others left. If there are any others left, we would have at least heard their battle. We have not heard anything in a long time, and we have not had any more join us from any of the other groups for a long time."

"We must be all who are left in this city," the woman stated. "Other churches used to be an irritation to us, but now we would give anything to know that there were others. Believe me! We just don't think that there are now."

"Let's see what the old eagle has in mind," I replied. "I know eagles quite well now, and they will not do well staying in one place like this, fighting behind a barricade. They would become pigeons, or worse, if they are made to do that kind of thing. If they are not allowed to fly, they will not be any good to you and may be just another problem, which you sure do not need right now."

"Then let them go and attack the root of the tree, and you stay with us," the woman said.

I thought about this. As I looked out into the darkness, it was not very appealing to think about going out into it again. I also knew that the eagles would not be able to get far at all without the light and sword which I was carrying. There did not seem to be a solution.

"I could not let the eagles go alone," I began to explain. "They would not make it. I learned a long time ago that I could not make it far without them, and, in spite of the trouble they sometimes are, I no longer want to be where they are not close. I'm afraid that the eagles and I are a package deal."

"You're right," the man said. "You belong with the eagles."

"I'm sorry for even trying to separate you from them," the woman also offered, very sincerely.

I turned to the old eagle, wondering if he had any kind of solution to our dilemma. When the couple turned to him, obviously wanting to know what he thought, he began to speak.

"There is only one solution," he said. "We must all fight together until we get to the root of the tree and destroy it."

I immediately saw the wisdom in this, but I did not expect the little group to take it well. As expected, some immediately began to protest.

"We've fought for this ground for many years," one man blurted out. "You don't expect us to just leave all of this behind to follow you and the eagles, do you?"

There was silence for a few moments, as everyone seemed to consider this. Then one of the young eagles interjected.

"When we first saw the fight you were in, I had never seen such courage. I can understand how you must feel. You have fought long and hard for this ground and have obviously lost many in its defense. I certainly do not blame you for not wanting to leave.

"However, from what we can see, you would not survive another assault from the evil horde which is now surrounding you, not to mention the continued growth of this tree. There is not much left of your barricades either. I don't think any of us have a choice but to go forward. Our only hope is to put an ax to the root of that tree."

The old eagle then continued, "It is true. You could not have lasted any longer had we not come along, and we could not have gone much farther without some help. It seems that the Lord has brought us together at this time. We need each other, and there seems to be only one possible choice as to what we must do."

"Of course you are right," the leader finally said. "It is going to be the hardest thing we have ever done to leave this place behind. We have paid so dearly for it, but it is obvious that we must now fight for something bigger than our little place. We must fight for the whole city and attack the root of this tree or we will have no chance to survive. We will leave our little place to follow you and the eagles."