by Tim LaHaye
“Yes, I’m aware of that.”
“For some time we haven’t been getting along, and I’ve been observing how he conducts his business. I became suspicious. He’s made a number of quick flights out of the country in the past few months. I sometimes use the same jet for news stories. In passing one day, the pilot mentioned that Mr. Barrington sure made a lot of trips to Switzerland. And in one of our conversations, Shane mentioned that he was working for a group of people who were the financial backers behind Barrington Communications.”
“A group of people?”
“Yes. I don’t know who they are or how many people are in the group; all I know is they are very, very powerful. They have to be to be able to control someone like Shane Barrington.”
“What does this have to do with me?”
“One night he said to me, ‘You see, these people I work for, these people who own me, are hell-bent on establishing a one-world government. And a one-world religion too. And people like Murphy, they see it all coming, in the Bible. So they have to be stopped. Before they can persuade others to resist.’ I think that when he said ‘have to be stopped,’ he was talking about eliminating you permanently. You must be very careful.”
Murphy paused while he was processing what she had said. “Stephanie, I appreciate you alerting me. I’ll be on my guard… but something concerns me. What if Barrington finds out that you’ve talked to me? What kind of danger does that put you in?”
“I don’t know for sure. All I know is that I’ve been going against my conscience too long. I have to take a stand for what I know is right. The attempted bombing of the George Washington Bridge challenged me to join with those who stand against evil of every kind. I hope that God will give me the strength.”
“I know He will. I have to leave town today, but let me encourage you. Do you have a Bible?”
“No.”
“When you get a chance, go to the bookstore and pick up a copy. A good place to start reading is in the Gospel of John. It helps you to understand who Jesus really is. Then try to find a church where you can go and be encouraged and grow in your new faith. And keep on praying. Prayer will become a real source of comfort for you during tough times.”
“Thank you, Dr. Murphy. I appreciate your patience with me. And thank you for sharing with me about Christ. It’s changed my life.”
“Stephanie, you be very careful. I’ll try to touch base with you when I return.”
FIFTY-TWO
MURPHY COULD FEEL a mixture of emotions as he approached the security checkin station. Security at Dulles International Airport had tightened dramatically since the attempted bombing of the George Washington Bridge. More airport security staff had been added, and the U.S. National Guard was stationed there, fully armed and alert.
I thought security was bad after 9/11 I can’t believe we’ve had to get here three hours earlier than the flight.
As he looked at Isis, he could tell that she was apprehensive. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“I guess. I was just hoping that I wouldn’t have to go through one of those pat-down searches. I’ve only had one, and it was humiliating and embarrassing. It was done before they made the screeners use the back of their hands instead of the front of their hands. As a woman you almost feel violated. It’s hard to explain to a man. It’s just plain awful.”
————
Murphy began to survey the crowd, imagining what he would look for if he were a security guard. Would it be a little old woman with a knitting bag, or would he be drawn to someone of Middle Eastern descent? After the bombing of the bridge, racial profiling had increased rather than decreased. Everyone was on edge, and many innocent people were being questioned. Tensions were running high.
“I almost feel sorry for those of other cultures who are being looked at as potential terrorists,” Murphy began, “but I think there’s no way to stop that. Look at us. We’re innocent passengers, yet we have to stand in line and be treated like potential terrorists. Everyone is in the same boat. We’re just going to have to get used to it. Life will never be the same as it was before 9/11.”
As he looked over the crowd, he saw Wilfred Bingman toward the end of the line. Murphy smiled and nodded. I’m looking forward to getting better acquainted with him.
While Murphy was putting their luggage in the overhead bins, Isis slid over to the window seat and began to get comfortable. She looked out the window and watched the men loading the plane from below. Murphy sat down in the aisle seat next to her. He didn’t like window seats. They were too confining. Besides, he liked to get up and walk around every now and then without climbing over people. He enjoyed traveling to foreign countries and meeting new people, but he hated the long plane flights to get there. Soon Bingman arrived and sat in the aisle seat across from Murphy.
“This has already been a long day, Michael. Can you believe that it’s already eleven P.M.? I sure hope we can get some sleep on the way over.”
Before attempting to get some sleep, Isis turned to Murphy. “Michael, do you ever think about Noah’s Ark?”
“Actually, I think about it a lot. It was the dream of a lifetime to be able to see it and explore it. I’m so angry that Talon covered it with an avalanche and killed some good people in the process.”
At his words, Isis thought back to nursing him back to health in the cave.
“I long for the day that I have some time and can get the financial backing to go back to the Black Sea and look for the backpack,” Murphy continued. “Those bronze plates and crystals could be a great source of inexpensive energy.”
“I think about it too. Growing up, I thought the story of Noah’s Ark was a good child’s story,” Isis said. “I had no idea that it was real. And then to see it in person and to walk on the deck—it was almost beyond description. What scares me is the judgment of God on the wickedness of men. What you say about the Bible seems to be accurate.”
“The ark proves it is real, just as the Handwriting on the Wall will.”
Isis was quiet for a while. Murphy could tell she was thinking. “Michael, do you think there will ever be an end to all these horrible terrorist bombings? When I think of the thousands of people who could have died at the George Washington Bridge bombing, I’m so saddened.”
“I wish I could say yes, but in all honesty I think they will get worse.”
“Why do you say that?”
“For several reasons, I guess,” Murphy explained. “The nature of man is selfish and often cruel. All you have to do is look at human history to prove that. It’s punctuated with war as far back as you can look. In fact, I’ve read that there have only been three hundred twenty years of recorded human history where no wars were mentioned. There are always men and women who want to control other people.”
“Don’t you think that the peace talks will do any good?”
“Perhaps. They seem to delay conflict or prevent it for a period of time, but eventually it returns. As we draw closer to the end of days, the Bible suggests that trouble will increase.”
“What do you mean, ‘the end of days’?” Isis asked, curious.
“It refers to a conversation that Jesus had with his disciples. He told them that one day there would be a judgment for sin and that He would come again to rule the world. I could show you something from the Bible that talks about this if you’re interested.”
“Yes, Michael, I would like to know more about the end days.”
Murphy opened his briefcase and took out a Bible. “Let me show you the conversation. It’s found in the Book of Matthew, Chapter Twenty-four. It reads as follows:
Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rum
ors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
“That sounds sort of bleak,” Isis concluded.
“Yes and no. The wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes are not pleasant at all. Nor is being hated by people or betrayed. The point is that one day all of the evil in the world will come to an end. That will be a great day for those who are ready to see God. You see, it’s possible to have peace and hope in the midst of a world filled with turmoil.”
“Michael, you keep talking about the judgment of God. You talked about it when we were on Ararat looking for Noah’s Ark. You said that the worldwide flood was God’s judgment against the wickedness of man. And you’ve talked about God judging Belshazzar for his evil with the Handwriting on the Wall. That’s pretty scary stuff.”
“Yes, it is, Isis. You see, most people think that war is terrible. They think that terrorist bombings are hideous … and they are. War can cause shortages of food in a country, which creates widespread famine. Most developing nations barely have enough food for their people. It is estimated that half a billion people on earth are seriously malnourished. Famine can also be caused by cyclones, floods, droughts, pests, plant disease, or even tsunamis. We saw this in the Indian Ocean earthquake that created a hundred-foot tidal wave. The findings suggest that it was an earthquake of a 93 magnitude.”
“It was terrible! I had to stop watching the news for weeks afterward,” Isis put in. “It was too emotionally draining. I heard the estimates for loss of life could reach 310,000 people.”
“That’s true. Earthquakes have killed a lot of people. The earthquake in Syria in A.D. 1201 claimed the lives of more than a million people. The one in Hausien, China, in 1556 killed 850,000. The Great Chilean earthquake was a 9.5 quake. In fact, the top twenty-five earthquakes have killed more than six million people over the years. Scientists tell us that eighty-one percent of the world’s earthquakes take place in what is called the Ring of Fire tectonic plate.”
“Why are you telling me all of this?” Isis asked.
“I’ll explain in a moment. Let me just mention one more thing. The Bible talks about wars and rumors of wars, famine, and earthquakes. It also talks about pestilences. That doesn’t refer to just crop damage. It includes all kinds of diseases. What do you think is the biggest and most devastating disease today?”
“HIV/AIDS.”
“Right. It’s killed millions, especially in Africa. In Malawi it’s estimated that almost twenty percent of the population is afflicted with HIV/AIDS. But have you heard about the new ‘super strain’ of AIDS called 3-DCRHIV? It was found recently in a forty-year-old man who was a drug user and had hundreds of partners in the past several months. This particular strain has never been seen before. It’s unimaginably aggressive and resistant to almost all treatments. Nineteen of the twenty drugs in use today are ineffective against it. But here’s the real kicker. In the past, most HIV infections didn’t turn into AIDS until nine or ten years later. This new virulent strain moves at lightning speed. From the onset of the HIV infection, it only takes two to three months to develop into a full-blown AIDS case. Another man in San Diego has been diagnosed with this new strain. The news is causing a panic in the gay community.”
“I can see why.”
“You asked me what was the point of all of this. All of these things are terrible. They unnecessarily destroy human life, and they are of great concern. The question is, if we are overwhelmed by these tragedies… shouldn’t we be even more concerned with sin, which destroys the human soul and separates us from a holy God? Jesus stated it this way in Matthew, Chapter Ten: ‘And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’”
“I need to think that through, Michael,” Isis murmured. “As you know, I don’t have a Christian background. All this is new to me.”
Murphy nodded. He was falling in love with Isis, and she had not yet come to the point of faith in her life. He did not want to lose her or have her meet God without settling the issue of receiving Christ into her life.
Isis closed her eyes and laid her head on Murphy’s shoulder. She felt safe, comfortable, and protected next to him. She had never met anyone quite like him.
What if all he was saying about the end times were true? What if the judgment of God is a reality? I don’t think I’m ready for that.
As Isis tried to sleep, Murphy closed his eyes and began to pray.
Murphy was starting to drift off when he heard Bingman speak.
“Michael, have you been to Baghdad before?”
“On one other occasion,” Murphy said, shaking himself awake.
“What’s it like?”
“Well, it is a large city of about five to six million people. It’s the transportation hub for Iraq. It is probably the richest and most economically solid city there. It is the headquarters for the Central Bank of Iraq and the center of financial operations for the country.”
“Will it be dangerous for us?”
“It could be, but we’ll be escorted by the military, which will provide protection.”
“My experience from Desert Shield is that they’ll also provide a target for the enemy to shoot at,” Bingman said.
“That could happen too. However, I don’t think that the military will be taking us into the more dangerous sections of the city. One of the things you’ll notice is the wide streets. They make moving around the city easier.”
“What did you think of all the National Guard at Dulles?” Bingman changed the subject.
“They did look impressive.”
“Yes, I think the president has the right idea in calling in the Guard and closing all the borders into the United States. However, I think he should have done it earlier. It’s sort of like closing the barn door after the cows are already out.”
“I think we’ll see that his decision is not temporary, Will. Closed borders may very well become part of our national policy in the future. People may demand protection, and the politicians will have to respond.”
“To be honest with you, Michael, I think I’d prefer a closed border to having to watch out for terrorists all the time. Does that sound awful?”
“No. A closed border can give better control and a feeling of security. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“It won’t make us the most popular country by other nations if we do make it more difficult for people to visit,” Bingman said pensively.
“Well, a lot of them haven’t liked us when we’ve had an open door policy,” Murphy replied. “They like our money and our freedom, and want to live here, yet they hate us at the same time. It is a strange situation.”
“I know what you mean. If I were to move to another country, like, say, Romania, I could become a citizen but I would never be a Romanian. But when people come from other countries to the U.S. and become citizens, they become Americans. America is made up of people from hundreds of countries who have blended together. It has truly become the land of the free and those who seek freedom. That’s what our Statue of Liberty is all about. It sure makes me feel proud to be an American.”
“You’re right, Will. It’s the blending together of cultures as one nation that has made us strong. One of the things that will destroy America the fastest is when people from other
countries come here and attempt to recreate their own country on American soil. That type of multiculturalism will cause division. President Theodore Roosevelt had strong convictions about that when he said: ‘There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americans The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of continuing to be a nation at all would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities.’”
“Cultural division does increase tension,” Bingman agreed. “Just look at where we’re going. Look at the infighting and vying for control in Iraq. There’s so much tension among the Kurds, the Sunni, and the Shi’i. If democracy is going to work there, they’ll have to begin to think of themselves as one nation rather than three cultures fighting for power. Do you think moving the United Nations headquarters to Babylon would help to unite them?”
“It probably will in the short run. But in the long run, I think it’s part of a move for a one-world government to be led by the Anti-Christ. The world will be looking for a leader who will promise to lead countries away from war and terrorism. Words of peace will sound very attractive. If you put that together with the hope of eliminating famine, decreasing poverty, protecting the environment, reducing corruption, and instilling universal spiritual harmony among people… he could win the world with that message.”
“You’re probably right, Michael. I wonder how we fit into the picture.”
“I think our role is to try to sound a warning about future judgment and share the good news that God has provided a solution to the problems of the world through Jesus. He is the only one who can lead us to peace with God and harmony with our fellow man—not the Anti-Christ. We live in exciting days, Will, and I think they’re going to get even more exciting as we draw closer to His return.”
There was silence for a while as both men thought about their own roles and responsibilities. Finally Murphy broke the silence.
“Will, tell me a little about yourself. Do you have children?”