The Countering

by Patrick Higgins

  “To further protect from outside danger, all e-mails and text messages sent to ETSM members will first be read by trusted leaders of the group before being passed on to the original recipient. Not debatable!

  “As time marches on, we’ll eventually be forced to live off grid. Which is why we must begin at once reconstructing all properties to be totally self-sufficient regarding energy. We will rely heavily upon air and solar power.

  “But more on that a later time. Once we acquire land, most of the crops we grow will be done hydroponically on the inside. Growing crops out in the open will be extremely risky. All it would take is one low flying drone or airplane; the use of satellite imagery, or even a passerby to know someone resides there.

  “We also plan to build indoor hatcheries, so we can harvest freshwater fish and raise farm animals for meat, eggs and milk. If everything goes according to plan, we’ll build makeshift hospitals at most locations. One requirement for all ETSM members is that you must agree to give blood once a week, unless, of course, you can’t due to health issues.

  “As time goes on, our biggest concern will be fresh water supplies. As God’s judgments continue to bombard the planet, the poisoning of the world’s freshwater supplies will surely happen.

  “Even rainwater will be severely affected, which means we’ll need to rely on the desalination of salt water. That is, if we can even get to the oceans and they aren’t polluted to the point of no return. I can assure you many future wars will be waged over water.”

  Seeing many squirming in their seats before him, Hartings said, “Brothers and sisters, this isn’t a cause for celebration, but for preparation. As great an effort as we’ve already put forth this weekend, billions of dollars still need to be raised as quickly as possible. We must pool our money and precious metals now while money and precious metals are still worth something.

  “We can’t afford to have huge cash reserves go awry, simply because we didn’t act quickly enough when our money was still good. Once the money’s been raised, it cannot be deposited into banks. Too risky. It would lead the enemy right to our front doors. No, banks are entirely out of the question.”

  Travis Hartings looked at his watch. It was time to end. “In closing, the one email we keep getting more than any other has to do with whether Christ followers should have children or not.

  “The answer is an astounding yes! After all, if we don’t repopulate the Earth, who will populate the Kingdom when Christ returns for His millennial reign? But I must caution you women that it will not be a favorable time to be with child.”

  Hartings opened his Bible to Matthew 24:19-22: “‘And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.’

  “Sobering, I know. If any of you ladies decide to give birth, despite all that, the rest of us must see that your child is cared for to the best of our ability and protected from the evil clutches of Salvador Romanero.”

  Hartings cleared his throat. “Finally, those of you who are among the first twenty-five hundred selected as full-time members of the End Times Salvation Movement, you must know that no salaries will be offered now, or at any point in the future. But at least you’ll have food and shelter. Lord willing, that is.

  “The days of having salaries and bank accounts will soon become a thing of the past. Like Nigel Jones said earlier, each dollar raised from here on out must be spent on spreading the Gospel, and on our collective survival needs—nothing more!

  “While our fate in the flesh certainly isn’t a cause for optimism, it’s better for us to know what awaits us than to not know at all. This way, we’ll be better prepared.

  “Naturally, our biggest challenge will be choosing the right people to help with the monumental task at hand. That’s where God must always lead the way!

  “That’s all I have to say for now. In thirty seconds, our satellite transmission will be turned off and Clayton will conclude his extensive study of the Book of Revelation, and all other Bible prophecies found in the Word of God. This will take up the remainder of the evening. Thanks for listening. God Bless us all!”

  Travis Hartings left the pulpit and notebooks were opened.

  29

  AT 11:30 P.M. EST, the End Times Salvation Movement was about to break camp.

  Thankfully, everything went smoothly without a single glitch. Though completely exhausted, everyone was jubilant. Which was good. And expected. But if 25,000 people went back home totally fired-up, outsiders would take notice and red flags would go up.

  Knowing this, Holmes was about to bring everyone back down a few notches. Said he, “In closing this meeting, I must warn you all again to harness your excitement and enthusiasm before heading back home. Having gained so much knowledge of the ETSM, and our future plans, we must be extremely careful from here on out.

  “As per God’s promise, believers will continue to be on the vast increase. Even so, we must never forget that we’ll always be greatly outnumbered. Compared to Salvador Romanero and his rapidly growing number of international allies, we’re a blip on the screen.

  “You think the hatred toward us is bad now? We ain’t seen nothing yet! Once the peace treaty is signed in a couple of weeks, and we officially become Tribulation Saints, many of us will die horrible, gruesome deaths for the Cause.

  “Some of us will lose fingers, toes, arms, legs, and other body parts—including our heads—due to our insubordination. Many will be told if we only denounce Jesus and pledge our allegiance to Salvador Romanero, we’ll be spared other delicate body parts.

  “As time goes on the torture inflicted upon us will only get worse. Especially if we’re successful with our plans and word gets out that we’re planting safe houses all over the world.

  “If captured, the information we’ll be forced to divulge to the enemy will be damaging to the ETSM. Salvador’s evildoers will devise new methods of torture to get us to speak.

  “It will be enough to rival or even surpass the gruesome torturous deaths Jesus’ Disciples suffered for their belief in Him. Many of us will beg to be put out of our misery, but our torturers will do everything in their power to keep us alive. At least until we speak up.

  “Even those who ultimately betray the Movement will be considered worthless dogs by the enemy and put to death like the rest of us. In other words, regardless of whether you spill your guts or you remain silent, your fate will remain unchanged—you’ll still be killed. Guess you can say this will be where the rubber meets the road.

  “As for me, despite any agony I’ll suffer if caught, I can assure you I’ll never give the enemy a single shred of information on the ETSM. I’ll gladly become a martyr for the Cause. By dying for Christ, I will surely live.

  Brothers and sisters, the next seven years won’t be easy for us. Even in exile, the Disciple John—the writer of Revelation—must have thought of his situation as mild, even comfortable, when compared to his vision of what we Tribulation Saints will be forced to endure.

  Nevertheless, I will remain true to my God at all costs. If you decide to jump ship and join the enemy in the future, I promise you won’t do nearly as much damage to the ETSM as to yourself.

  To paraphrase second Peter two, verses twenty and twenty-one, ‘Those who escape the corruption of this world by trusting in Christ Jesus, but later become entangled in sin once again—and are overcome by the evil one—will be worse off at the end than they were in the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, then to have known it and later turn their backs on it.’”

  Clayton Holm
es steadied his gaze into the camera trained on him, “By no means does this mean they lost their salvation. It means they were never saved to begin with.”

  Many in attendance silently prayed they would remain loyal at all times, and that God would spare them the horrific persecution many believers were sure to suffer. Those caught would need every ounce of God’s strength to endure it all.

  “I’ll end on this: From a worldly standpoint, it’s gonna get ugly. The author of confusion will try his best to disrupt all that is good. The enemy can burn down our churches, but it’s not the building that houses us that matters most; it’s the Spirit that indwells us! Though we’ll suffer mightily as Tribulation Saints, always be mindful that the enemy can kill our bodies, but not the spirit living within us!

  “Brothers and sisters, may we never lose sight that our faith in Christ isn’t a blind leap into a dark abyss, hoping that God would be there on the other end waiting for us. Rather it’s faith founded on fact. Our faith isn’t merely an intellectual assent, but a total transformation, a total surrender of our hearts and minds based on the overwhelming evidence of Christ’s life, death and resurrection, that are found within the written pages of the Word of God. The Most High God we worship will soon crush Satan under our feet.

  “But before that great and wonderful day comes, many things still need to happen, many of them bad—especially for us Christ followers! With that in mind, much money still needs to be raised.

  “Much land needs to be purchased, and much constructing needs to take place. That and a million other things need to be done. And everything must be done inconspicuously, which, of course, will be our greatest challenge, especially when there are children to care for.

  “If we are to succeed, we will need God’s favor shining on us at all times. If we rely solely on ourselves, we will surely fail. The odds are already stacked way against us. Which is why we must take everything to God in prayer.”

  Holmes gazed out at the crowd before him. “I want to thank you all again for attending the formation of the End Times Salvation Movement. Before we’re dismissed, let’s all stand and sing two timeless classics together, Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art.”

  Afterwards, Holmes blessed everyone, and the meeting officially came to a close.

  THANKFULLY, THE GUARDS PROTECTING each location did so without incident. Not a trace of violence was reported from any of the 250 locations. Never once was a gun drawn or poison-tipped arrow fired. Everything went smoothly on all fronts.

  Or so they thought…

  What they didn’t know was that their counter surveillance equipment had been totally outsmarted without ever being detected. The entire event was secretly monitored by hundreds of carefully chosen men and women.

  Each word spoken was captured on tape.

  Emails and satellite transmissions were intercepted.

  Thousands of photographs were taken of everyone entering and leaving each location, both above ground and below.

  No one involved in the ETSM had any idea…

  30

  ONE MONTH BEFORE THE PEACE TREATY SIGNING

  THE PLACE LISTED FOR sale was part of a vast network of properties. Many real estate agents and brokers were working in concert to sell the 500 properties as part of a huge package deal.

  With the real estate market dreadful at best, numerous properties just sat there completely empty, totally devoid of life. Everyone was selling. But only a few were buying.

  Members of the End Times Salvation Movement would do their best to bridge the gap, even if only slightly. As for the asking price, it wasn’t listed. Interested buyers were urged to contact a myriad of brokers, either by phone, email or text message.

  Brian Mulrooney was viewing one of the properties located in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. Why Pennsylvania? Brian hadn’t a clue. All he knew was that he felt drawn to this particular location.

  To say he was thrilled that both he and Jacquelyn were chosen as two of the first 2,500 full-time members of the ETSM was a huge understatement.

  After reviewing his impressive test scores, conducting a thorough background check and eavesdropping on his meeting with the Catholic priest—thanks to Braxton Rice—Clayton Holmes and Travis Hartings had every reason to believe Brian Mulrooney was the real deal. His dream got his foot in the door. His business talent would help him climb the ladder very quickly.

  Even so, they spent hours on their knees in prayer on Brian’s behalf, just to be sure. Both got the same answer from above; yes. They called Brian saying they were eager to utilize his much-needed managerial skills and placed him at the top of the list of possible candidates to manage a property someday.

  A find like this would all but guarantee it, Mulrooney thought, knowing it was more wishful thinking than anything else.

  Twelve similar locations dotted the Keystone State countryside and were part of the stable of properties for sale. But right now, Mulrooney was mostly interested in the property staring back at him on his laptop computer screen.

  For whatever reason, it felt right. Chadds Ford was situated 25 miles southwest of Philadelphia, and nine miles north of Wilmington, Delaware; making it more a suburb to Wilmington than to Philadelphia.

  Mulrooney wondered if the sellers would be willing to break up the properties and sell them individually? With the market on the brink of total collapse, it would come as a complete shock to him if they wouldn’t be willing to accommodate their needs.

  Then again, if they could purchase all 500 properties in one fell swoop, hundreds of safe houses could be planted all across the United States and Canada almost immediately. The bad news was that it might generate unwanted publicity, which, in turn, could bring a world of trouble upon their growing organization.

  Mulrooney commanded his computer to print out the portfolio on the property. As his printer spit out page after page, he took his time carefully skimming over everything. From what he could read, everyone living there had vanished during the Rapture. Clothing littered the entire property, leading investigators to conclude that every person living there had disappeared.

  Everyone was listed as without bodies.

  Authorities discovered this place a month and a half after the Rapture. But it wasn’t until State Police in Vermont discovered a similar location just outside the Capital City of Montpellier, that the property in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, appeared on their radar screen.

  During their extensive search of the property, investigators were eager to question someone, anyone, but there was no one to question. They were all gone.

  “Praise the Lord!” Brian said to himself. “They’re in a much better place!”

  Vermont authorities swept the grounds looking for more clues. Sorting through an old filing cabinet in the main office, they found what appeared to be a master list linking 350 locations in the U.S., and 150 others in Canada. To a certain degree, each location bore a similar resemblance and landscape.

  After looking for real estate on the internet all day, this was the best possibility so far. Even without making a phone call or shooting off an e-mail or text message, Brian sensed this place might be a major blessing from God Almighty Himself.

  The fact that Christians had previously inhabited those properties heightened his senses all the more. The possibilities were seemingly endless. Suddenly, the term “Pockets of Peace” came to mind. That’s it. We can call them ‘Pockets of Peace! Mulrooney thought. It had a solemn, yet comforting ring to it.

  With the onslaught of God’s judgments still to come, as sure as the sun rose, new believers, especially, were walking on kegs of dynamite. Having properties like these could become perfect safe-houses for sheltering believers in the future, offering an inkling of peace in a topsy-turvy world.

  Brian couldn’t wait to share this latest find with Charles Calloway and Jacquelyn Swindell.

  As long as the properties were still inhabitable and weren’t in need of a complete demolition, they could easily be reconstructed to
mirror the blueprints Travis Hartings had briefly outlined at last month’s meeting. The fact that Christians had occupied the 500 locations meant they were probably well maintained.

  Brian felt certain that gaining approval from those at the top of the organization for the funds needed wouldn’t be a problem. After all, money was starting to pour in.

  Since the formation of the ETSM, nearly a half-billion dollars had been raised, with the promise of billions more to come. And like Travis Hartings said, it needed to be spent quickly while their money was still worth something.

  No, obtaining the necessary funding wouldn’t pose a challenge. Explaining to the Realtors why they wanted to purchase so many properties all at once, was altogether different.

  The property in Chadds Ford was situated on 20 acres of land. Quietly nestled in the woods, it resembled your basic campsite, with its huge private entrance, community pool and 270 cottages scattered about the property.

  If purchased, Brian knew the pool would never be used for swimming. Days of swimming and lounging by the pool were forever gone. If purchased, this place would become a place of survival, nothing more.

  Perusing the specs, Mulrooney learned that seven of the 270 cottages had burned to the ground on the day of the Rapture. Someone was obviously cooking or doing something involving fire or electricity when they were suddenly taken away to be with the Lord. Surely, they could be rebuilt, Brian thought.

  Yes, they’d have to be leveled and rebuilt. Every inch of space obtained by the ETSM would need to be fully maximized.

  Two-hundred and seventy cottages were nothing when potentially dealing with swarms of exiled believers looking for safe havens in the future. Each cottage still structurally sound would need to be completely retrofitted.

  Instead of sleeping four to eight people, like most had in the past, each would have to sleep 50 to as many as 100 per cottage. Cots and beds would take up every last inch of living space. They might even be forced to pitch tents on land upon which they couldn’t build or grow crops.