Digital Winter
Page 29
“More Bible prophecy?”
He nodded. “The Bible doesn’t tell us everything, but it tells us enough. There is more darkness on the horizon. Something is going on. Something in the spiritual world I don’t understand.”
“I wish we could believe it was all just the work of an innocent savant.”
“Me too—”
The front door opened and closed with a bang. Cody burst on the scene like an artillery shell. “Come on or we’ll be late for chapel.”
“That sounded like an order, General.”
“I believe it was, Doctor.” Jeremy took Roni’s mug and set it on a small table next to one of the porch chairs. He picked up two Bibles, handed Roni’s to her, and offered his arm. She took it as they stepped from the porch.
A few steps into the short walk, Jeremy called to Cody, who was making his way along the sidewalk by leaping over every crack and joint in the concrete. “Hey, kid, I’ve got a question for you…”
Dr. Sean Scotcher returned to his small, cluttered office in the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, found a recent biomedical journal, and threw it on the floor. “Shot down again. What’s wrong with me? I must be hideous.”
He wasn’t hideous. Short, sure. Pencil thin, okay. Balding more than a thirty-two-year-old man should be, admittedly. But none of those are horrible, so why did yet one more woman politely tell him to get lost when he asked her out? He didn’t understand. What he lacked in some areas, he made up for in brains.
To make things worse, there were few women to pick from. Only the most-needed scientists, researchers, and administrators were allowed in the facility. Theirs was one of the few that received immediate attention when the power went out. Rightly so. Confined in the building were strains of the most deadly viruses, spores, and bacteria known to humanity. Ebola and its variants, altered malaria, dengue fever, military-grade anthrax, and a hundred more. Just one mistake or one unhappy employee could unleash invisible murderers. Millions would die.
Precautions had been taken to make sure such a thing could never happen. That was before the events of this last year.
At night, Scotcher fabricated tales of a man who released a plague on the world. It was just a way to pass the lonely hours. Maybe he would write a novel or movie script. Hollywood liked a good tale of destruction by disease. Boy, could he teach them a few things. Of course, no one was publishing books or making movies anymore. Maybe someday.
The door to his office creaked open.
“Go away. I’m busy.”
It opened anyway, and an odd-looking man in a black coat and hat entered. “I’m sorry to bother you, Dr. Scotcher. My name is Eli Shade, and I wonder if I might have a word with you.”
Reader Questions
1. Jeremy is a Christian man married to an unbelieving wife, yet they have a happy marriage. What qualities did they exhibit that made this possible?
2. Although not a person of faith, Dr. Roni Matisse goes to great trouble to help the patients who come to her hospital, even to the point of refusing an opportunity to leave for a safer place. What makes her so giving?
3. Before the Event, life was good for Jeremy and Roni. After the lights go out, each is challenged to be something they never expected. What challenges did they face? How did they face them? What sacrifices did they make?
4. Cody is a ten-year-old boy who has lost everything. As a doctor, Roni has seen such things before. Why does she bond with Cody?
5. Cody changes Roni in subtle ways. How did his arrival in her life alter her?
6. Roni’s view of Christians is changed by the actions of several people, including her husband, Dr. Southwell (a Baptist preacher), and Jose (a Christian patient). How did they exemplify the gospel?
7. Donny Elton is a savant, extremely gifted in one area of life yet unable to care for himself. His disorder, which empowers him but also brings about great damage, changes the world forever. Was he just a tool of Eli Shade? Why would God allow such a thing to take place? Is Donny guilty?
8. Eli Shade is unlike any other antagonist, yet he is familiar in many ways. Whom does he remind you of?
9. Jeremy faces the fact that something is going on he can’t explain. All his knowledge about computers and digital warfare isn’t enough to explain all that he sees. In the book, he never gets the answers he wants. Is this true to our life experiences? Do you have questions that go unanswered?
10. This story doesn’t end “happily ever after.” It is meant to replicate life. What do you think happens after this?
11. Jeremy makes clear that he is no prophecy expert, but he knows a great deal. Nonetheless, we get the idea that things are unfolding a little differently that he guessed they would. Is that likely with our understanding of prophecy? Are there things we don’t know? What questions about the end times do you have? Do you think we humans have it all figured out, or are there still mysteries about the days to come?
12. In your view, who is Liam Burr?
13. Who is Fred Pierce?
A Word from the Authors
During a radio interview recently, one of us was asked what, beyond the obvious, is the difference between fiction and nonfiction. The answer? Nonfiction is education; fiction is exploration. In this book, we describe events that might fit the biblical narrative about the days leading to the end times. What is presented is the outcome of a series of what-if questions. That is how fiction works. It is not meant to replace scholarly works on the subject but to put a face on what might happen.
Our goal is to entertain in a way that prompts you to wonder and think. With a topic like this, entertainment is not the ultimate goal. We hope that this work will whet your appetite for the prophetic material of the Bible. Much of God’s plan about the future is still hidden, and we have tried to respect that. What is presented here is a creative scenario of what could happen, not what will. Only God knows those details.
Thank you for reading, and may God bless you.
Dr. Mark Hitchcock
Alton Gansky
About the Publisher
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To learn more about Harvest House books and to read sample chapters, log on to our website:
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
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