Westin Jakes is a tribulation saint and the former pilot of singer Z-Van. Westin became a believer in book 26 after meeting Judd Thompson Jr. and Lionel Washington for the first time.
Biography[]
After the Rapture[]
For many years, Westin Jakes worked as the pilot for The Four Horsemen. He flew Z-Van and his friends to various venues and wild parties all over the world, that had all sorts of booze and drugs. Westin claimed that he had "killed so many brain cells with those guys it's not funny," but when he became a believer, he wanted to leave all that behind. Lionel Washington encouraged him to stay a little longer with Z-Van because he could potentially reach him and the other band members.
He became intrigued with Christianity when he overheard the conversation that Judd Thompson Jr. and Lionel Washington had with Z-Van where Judd and Lionel said that the scriptures prophesied that the assassinated Nicolae Carpathia would soon rise from the dead. While they were flying to New Babylon to Nicolae Carpathia's funeral, Westin asked them whether they really believe that Carpathia would come back from the dead, and Lionel said that Carpathia may already be resurrected. Westin said he say the live video of Eli and Moishe coming back to life. In the Dramatic Audio, Westin asked if Carpathia would be resurrected, would the Bible be bigger for predicting it or Carpathia for doing it. When Nicolae Carpathia was resurrected, Westin Jakes was impressed that he wanted to become a believer, while in contrast, the resurrection also impressed Z-Van but it only convinced him of the supposed divinity of Nicolae Carpathia. Lionel gave him a brief presentation of the gospel, emphasizing that all humans are sinners and that they cannot save themselves. Lionel then led Westin to the sinner's prayer, which Westin sincerely prayed. The mark of the believer then appeared on Westin's forehead.
In Escape to Masada, while Z-Van was afflicted with the plague of boils, Westin drove some refugees to Masada as a part of Operation Eagle in a Hummer. When they returned to Jerusalem, the Four Horsemen's plane was destroyed by a Global Community chopper that was trying to perform an emergency landing after it was damaged during Operation Eagle.
In Attack on Petra, Z-Van and everyone else on The Four Horsemen's staff received the Mark of the Beast, but Westin did not take the mark. Z-Van suspected him to be a Judah-ite, so he planned to have him publicly executed at a concert in Paris with an on-stage guillotine (to "make a sacrifice to our king") unless Westin took the mark of loyalty. During the flight to Paris, Z-Van replaced Westin Jakes with Gabrielle, a "backup pilot" who had the mark of Carpathia on her forehead. Since Z-Van did not need a "backup pilot" before, this portended that something bad would happen to Westin. After they landed, Z-Van tried to convince Westin to come with him, but when Westin refused, Z-Van had two burly men take him away. Westin was drugged before he was about to be executed at the concert. The stowaways, Judd and Lionel, were able to rescue him from Z-Van.
Jacques Madeleine found Westin, Judd, and Lionel in proximity to The Four Horsemen concert while he was driving around looking for his son. Unfortunately, Jacques would soon find out that after Westin escaped, Z-Van was irate that he was not able to sacrifice Westin, so he was determined to have the unmarked among the audience receive it or be executed on stage. His son, Perryn, was discovered without the mark of loyalty and executed with the national razor, but not before using that as an opportunity to preach to those who are watching the broadcast of the concert to reject Carpathia's mark and to ask forgiveness for their sins. Westin, Judd, and Lionel were able to stay for a few days at a chateau where Jacques housed believers for his Tribulation ministry while they mourned Perryn's death. Judd and Lionel rejected Jacques' offer to stay with them for the remainder of the Tribulation since they wanted to return to the states. Westin, Judd, and Lionel went to Saarbrücken, Germany to take a Co-op flight to Petra. Their pilot, Jerry Kingston, offered Westin work for the Co-op as a pilot, which Westin accepted. Judd and Lionel then went back to the states on another flight.
In Ominous Choices, it is mentioned that Westin wrote many e-mails about the harrowing experiences of the various missions he had, but that God delivered him from "certain death". When Westin saw Judd again, Westin told him that while he was working with the Co-op on a mission to deliver supplies to believers, he heard about a The Four Horsemen concert that was going to perform near the event. (In the dramatic audio, this concert was in Amsterdam.) Westin could not help himself but show up at the concert and see his former colleagues. He was disguised as Global Community personnel and kept his distance. Z-Van was performing late in the morning, but he does not usually perform in the daytime. The concert happened during the onset of the forth Bowl Judgment. Before the show was scheduled to start, he saw the crowd restless and sweating profusely, while Westin was just feeling a little warm. When Z-Van appeared, the crowd was screaming. Z-Van picked up a microphone and immediately dropped it because it was too hot. Soon, everything on the stage melted and thousands were incinerated and reduced to ash due to the heat.
During the forth Bowl Judgment, Judd Thompson Jr. briefly stayed with believers hiding library in Indiana. The Tribulation Force was not able to contact the group after Judd left, so they requested that Judd meet with them again. At that point, Judd and had successfully reunited with the Vicki Byrne and the Young Tribulation Force in Wisconsin. A Tribulation Force plan arrived at an airstrip near them. When the plane landed, to the pleasant surprise of Judd, Westin Jakes emerged. Westin flew them to Indiana so that they can investigate the situation and provide guidance to the believers there. When they arrived, the Global Community forces took it over as they sought shelter from the sun. Judd and Vicki rescued a believer named Howard who was trapped in the library, while Westin only gave them an hour to perform the rescue because that would allow them enough time so they can fly west and maximize the amount of day light to protect them from the GC. Westin would be waiting at the airstrip.
Judd, Vicki, and Howard arrived late, and Westin's waiting aircraft already took off with the other believers who had been hiding in the library. Westin flew them to an airfield in Kansas before the sun had set on them, but they initially planned to fly the believers to Wisconsin. There was a flight coming from Wyoming in a few hours, so the believers would go there. Westin said that he would fly back with Howard's mother, and they would go to Wisconsin together. When the Tribulation Force was informed about this, Westin claimed that it was his own idea in order to deflect blame from Judd who suggested to rescue Howard and took valuable time away. Rayford Steele "chewed him out" saying that he was "playing hot with people's lives". When Judd heard about this, he objected by saying, "but that's not true".
Personality[]
Westin seemed to be a party animal when he was with Z-Van and The Four Horsemen, but when be became a believer, he wanted to cease that. In the Dramatic Audio, Judd says that based on Westin's appearance, he is not into the "gothic sex, drugs, and rock and roll thing". He was not immediately dismissive of the gospel and claims of Bible prophecy, as he was willing to hear out Judd and Lionel when they claimed that Nicolae would be resurrected. Upon hearing Carpathia's resurrected, he asked Judd and Lionel how to be saved because Westin thought they must be right about Jesus. He believed Lionel's preaching from the epistle of Romans that everyone had sinned and sin separates one from God.
While they were in New Babylon during the plague of darkness in The Perils of Love, Judd had some misgivings over Westin because Westin had no problem lying to the GC or members of the Tribulation Force, such as Rayford Steele. Even then, Westin lied, saying that it was his own idea to deviate from the plan to fly the believers back to Wisconsin, in order to protect his friend Judd and maintain his good standing with the Tribulation Force. Westin justified this because they are at war with an enemy who is willing to chop off their heads and pretty soon "gunning for us with nukes".
He cursed when his plane blew up after they flew to New Babylon because the Global Community attached a bomb to it and it went off prematurely. He then uttered, "forgive me".
Appearances[]
- 26. The Beast Arises (first appearance, becomes a believer)
- 27. Wildfire!
- 28. The Mark of the Beast
- 29. Breakout!
- 30. Murder in the Holy Place
- 31. Escape to Masada
- 32. War of the Dragon
- 33. Attack on Petra
- 34. Bounty Hunters
- 37. Heat Wave
- 38. The Perils of Love
- 39. The Road to War (last appearance)
Trivia[]
- Westin's first appearance is in book 26.
- Westin's last appearance is in book 39.
- Z-Van originally planned to execute Westin during a concert in France. When Westin escaped, Z-Van was enraged and had a believer named Perryn Madeleine executed instead of Westin.
- Westin had a major role in Judd Thompson Jr. and Lionel Washington returning safely to the United States.
- Westin survived to the Glorious Appearing, but was not seen in Triumphant Return.