Chapters 8 and 9 Summary

In chapter eight, Chang meets other members of the community at Petra, including Chaim Rosenzweig who is a renowned teacher and Tsion Ben-Judah who is the accepted Biblical scholar. Tsion broadcasts a daily message that provides home to many Christians and has helped many accept Christianity as a way of life. His teachings are also the basis for many of the activities of the Tribulation Force as they seek to do what's necessary while anticipating what will happen next. Chang tells Tsion he is embarrassed and upset because he has the number "30" on his forehead, a mark required by Carpathia to denote Chang's origin, and the line indicating the place where a biochip was inserted. Chang says he wants it removed. Tsion calls together some of the elders and they pray that the mark disappears. When they are finished, Chang is...