by Mark Goodwin
Lacy and Lynette put the cookies down and came over to comfort Sharon as well. Becky and Cassie also gathered around.
The group hug lasted for several minutes; then Sharon smiled and said, “Let’s get these cookies iced.”
Noah sighed. Her smile looked sincere. He thought that it was probably the first step in what would be a very long healing process. None of them would ever forget Isaiah, but they would honor his memory by living a life filled with joy and happiness, as best they could.
After the cookies were finished, Noah read the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke to the entire group. Then Caroline Rodgers, who had a beautiful voice, led them in several Christmas carols that focused on the birth of Christ.
When the carols were finished, Sandy Taylor said, “Who’s ready for cookies and appetizers?”
The two young girls were the first to jump up and head to the kitchen. Noah and Jim were close behind them. Rather than a sit-down dinner, the group had decided on a buffet-style, informal meal of finger foods. At Elliot’s request, Caroline Rodgers had used the last of the cheddar cheese to put together a batch of sausage and cheese balls. She’d substituted minced venison for sausage, and the venison balls turned out great. Sandy’s venison chili was also a big hit. Since dried beans, canned tomato sauce, and venison were all readily available, chili was becoming one of the favorite staples for the group.
Cassie’s contribution to the feast was her crispy corn bread. She had found a way to take cornmeal, another of the well-stocked food items, and thin it out on a sheet pan to make something that resembled corn chips. It went perfectly with Sandy’s homemade bean dip.
“I’d say we’re in pretty good shape. The group is very blessed to have some very creative folks.” Jim dipped one of the thin triangles of crispy cornbread in the bean dip.
Noah grinned big. “We could be a lot worse off.”
Jim finished chewing. “The pope’s Midnight Mass is being broadcast live from St. Peter’s Basilica in a few minutes.”
When they first bought the cabin, they’d been able to pick up three local television channels. It was now down to one, due to station closures. The station still broadcasting out of Knoxville was PBS and continued to be a going concern only because of assistance from FEMA, who still had a few outposts trying to manage the flow of information. FEMA was also propping up several AM and FM radio stations for the purpose of telling the public that all was not lost and a solution was right around the corner. Noah’s group listened only to compare the propaganda being put out by the remnants of the Federal Government with what they were hearing from the ham operators around the country.
Noah lowered his eyebrows and chided Jim. “I didn’t know you were such a devout Catholic. How long has it been since your last confession?”
Jim chuckled. “I try to keep a short account with my high priest. As best I can, I confess to Jesus every morning.”
“Alright, no punitive Hail Marys this time, but I’ll be watching.” Noah winked.
Jim rolled his eyes at Noah’s silly comment. “But seriously, Benny seems to think we’ll want to hear what the pope has to say.”
“Okay. How are Benny and the others?”
“Good, he sounded really upbeat. He said Kevin was making a special meal tonight. They’ve been playing a lot of cards to pass the long winter nights. They haven’t seen any action or heard of any looting around Sevierville.”
Noah nodded. “Boring is better than the alternative.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Should I tell the others about Pope Peter’s message?”
“I suppose so. I know Cassie will want to hear it. She’s been following him since his inauguration.”
“Oh really?”
Noah pursed his lips. “Yeah, he’s said some pretty crazy stuff since he’s been pope. He actually said you don’t have to believe in God to go to heaven. And he is from the Jesuit order.”
“So? Aren’t they the Society of Jesus? What’s wrong with that?”
“Cassie can tell you all about it, but some people think the Jesuits are a cover organization for the long lost Knights Templar.”
“But the Templars fought during the crusades to keep Jerusalem out of the hands of the Muslims. That doesn’t sound like a bad thing to me.”
“That’s not the whole story. While the Templars held Jerusalem, they got involved in all sorts of Jewish and Pagan mysticism. They were officially sanctioned by the Church and answered only to the pope, who turned a blind eye to their outright heretical practices. Through gifts made by private donors to the order, the Templars grew wealthy and more powerful until they became a perceived threat to European Kings and even the pope. In the early 1300s, the pope disbanded them, and their grand master was burned at the stake. They went underground and took most of their wealth with them. They formed the Jesuits as a means of infiltrating the Catholic Church, and now, through Pope Peter, have gained control of it.”
“Wow. You’re pretty well-versed on the subject.”
“All of those years of half-listening to Cassie go on about it; I guess some of it stuck.”
“And they’re connected to the Masons and the Illuminati?”
“You’d have to ask her to explain the details, but Weishaupt, the guy who started the Illuminati, he was a Jesuit.”
Cassie walked up. “What are you guys talking about?”
“The pope is supposed to make some big announcement in tonight’s Christmas Mass. I was trying to fill Jim in on the history of the Jesuits, and he wanted to know how they were connected to the Masons.” Noah took a bite of his cookie.
Cassie’s eyes lit up. “Noah told you how the Jesuits came to be, out of the Templars?”
Jim was very attentive. “Yes.”
“Another name for the Templars was the Order of Solomon’s Temple. One of the key themes in Masonry is Solomon’s Temple. Masonic initiates participate in a ritual where they reenact the murder of Hiram Abiff, the man they claim was the lead architect of Solomon’s Temple. Masonic lodges often have Templar symbols, such as the horse with two riders and the double-headed eagle which is associated with thirty-second degree Masons.
“But on the subject of Pope Peter, have you noticed that the cross he carries has the lamb carrying a cross? That’s another Templar symbol. And while we’re on the subject, his miter, the tall pointy hat he wears, that is inspired by the priests of the Philistines, who dressed as fish in worship of Dagon, the fish god.”
Jim said, “Wow, that’s pretty creepy. Should we go see what the Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Catholic Church has to tell us?”
Cassie giggled and led the way to the living room. “I can hardly wait.”
Jim went to invite the others to come watch while Cassie and Noah found a comfortable place to sit together. Noah clicked on the television. A stoic choir sang solemn songs in Latin.
Cassie asked, “What do you think they’re singing about.”
“It’s a very reverent version of ‘Here Comes Santa
Clause.’ ”
Cassie laughed. “Stop it!”
“No, I’m serious. There’s even a cathedral where you can go and pet Santa’s bones for good luck.”
David walked in and looked at Cassie. “He’s joking, right?”
She curled her mouth to one side. “Yes and no. You can’t pet his bones. But there is a basilica in Bari, Italy, where people can visit the crypt containing the remains of St. Nicholas and pray to him.”
“That is so wrong.” David shook his head.
Cassie shrugged. “It’s not much different than Protestants letting their children pray to him for toys at Christmas.”
David nodded. “We decided not to keep the Santa lie going in our family.”
“Good,” Cassie said. “At best, it can cause confusion about some of the divine attributes of God, such as his omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence. At worst, it can cause children to doubt their belief in God. When kids get older, they find out that San
ta was just a fairy tale. Parents ship them off to public schools that teach them atheism through evolution. The schools have them for most of the day; then the television takes over until bed time. After all of that programming, kids start to wonder if maybe God is a fairy tale as well. In our day and age, there’s enough confusion going around without adding more.”
Elliot came in a bit later and found a seat. “Did I miss anything?”
“Yeah, but you’ll sleep better. Cassie is in here telling spooky stories that will keep the rest of us up all night,” Jim said with a wink.
After several more minutes of ceremonial proceedings, the pope finally began speaking. For this particular Christmas Mass, subtitles were provided in English.
“It is said that all roads lead to Rome. I might be a bit biased, but I think the saying would have been more accurate had it said all roads lead to Vatican City. And likewise, all forms of worship lead to God. Regardless of what your individual name for God may be, he is the same, and we all worship the same being. Some say Allah, others say Jesus, still others have many names and many gods, which individually represent the qualities and attributes of the same being. Among us are those who chose not to recognize a spiritual force outside of themselves. We cannot say they are wrong. They understand God in a different way, as being a force inside themselves.
“In this season, we would do well to remember this. For it is this time of year which has always been a unifying force to bring us together. Christians and pagans have long worshiped together on this holy day, and much of our symbolism is intertwined through tradition. The twenty-fifth day of December was celebrated at the end of Saturnalia as the day of Sol Invictus, or the Unconquerable Sun for centuries before Christians sought to recognize the birth of Christ on that day. Are those who worship the sun god really so different than those who worship the Son of God? We must all share this earth and seek to find common ground.
“When you visit St. Peter’s square, just beyond the doors of this basilica, you see the beautiful Christmas tree, adorned with lights and topped with the eight-pointed star. To the Christian, it is the star of Bethlehem; to the pagan, it is the star of Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of fertility who is worshiped in the spring at the same time as our Easter. Also in the square is a towering obelisk, which has been a symbol of Baal worship and the Egyptian worship of the Sun. If all this is so, then why are we still killing each other in the name of religion?
“Likewise, in many countries, the Queen of Heaven is recognized as the Virgin Mary, in the ancient African religions, she is Yemaya. Voodoo priests and Santeria devotees alike understand that they are one in the same. Why, then, is there so much controversy?”
“What we have endured over the past seven weeks has been the result of hatred disguised as religious piety. When zealots, who professed to be servants of Christ, launched the attacks in America, they set in motion the greatest man-made catastrophe our planet has ever seen. These acts are not acts of Christians, but of those who Christ said belong to the darkness. We poor fellow soldiers of Christ fight not with swords, but with love, compassion, religious tolerance, and unity, and we recognize the worship of other humans as valid. We are all equal, regardless of the name we use for God or the way we choose to live our lives.”
Cassie held up a finger. “Did you catch that?”
Caroline had come in the room and was sitting next to Elliot. “Yeah, every word out of his mouth sounds like it came straight from the pit of hell.”
“That’s true, but it’s not what I was referring to. ‘Poor fellow soldiers of Christ,’ that was another name of the Knights Templar. And they were about as ‘poor’ as the Vatican.”
David shook his head. “I can’t believe the pope is blaming the collapse of the world on American Christians!”
Cassie focused on the subtitles and bit her fingernail. “I can.”
They continued to listen to the pope speak in Italian while they quietly read the subtitles.
“As a symbol of reconciliation between all religions, I have met with spiritual leaders from around the world. Working with the World Council of Churches, I have met with leaders from the Hindu faith, the Dalai Lama, and American pastors who have stood up in condemnation of the hatred and intolerance expressed by those who falsely profess to follow the words of Jesus. Among the American denominations that have vowed to enact policies of religious tolerance are the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church, and The Presbyterian Church. With their leadership, we pray that other denominations will follow. But if they do not, these ecclesiastical organizations will provide a safe haven for the congregants of the apostate denominations to seek true worship.
“The UN, the World Council of Churches, and the Vatican are co-laboring to create a set of global standards, which will bring peace and security to a hurting world. Enforcement of these standards will ensure that religion can never again be used to inflict the kind of pain and suffering that this planet is going through because of the blasphemous acts of these violent people.
“Let us move on to more positive news. I have met with leading Imams and Rabbis from Jerusalem. The Vatican has arranged for the Jewish Temple to be rebuilt on the Temple Mount, in Jerusalem, to stand side by side with the Dome of the Rock. The Vatican will work closely with the Temple Institute to supply funds for the reconstruction of the third temple. Masonic Lodges around the globe have long studied the secrets of Solomon’s Temple and are well-equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to erect a magnificent structure that will be built for a hurting world as inspiration for peace and unity.”
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” Jim said. “What do you think he means by enforcement of the new global standards?”
Noah sighed. “Enforcement of global standards can only mean one thing. Global governance.”
“How would they do that?” Elliot leaned forward.
David crossed his arms. “You need a global police force.”
Cassie shook her head. “I think we’re getting ready to hear about a lot more changes than just what qualifies as religious tolerance. This was a soft announcement of the complete roll out of the New World Order. Why else would the UN be involved in the affairs of the Church? Everything that has happened so far, the collapse of the financial system, the attacks being blamed on Christians, it has all been part of the plan.”
Caroline put her hand on top of Elliot’s hand. “You think this plan is still in play? When the US Military started collapsing and DHS lost control, I thought that meant we had won.”
Cassie raised her eyebrows. “I’m not so sure about that. It could have been part of the plan all along. We might be playing checkers while the globalists are playing three-level-space chess.”
“Then what do you think their plan is for a global police force?” Caroline asked.
Cassie bit her fingernail again. “I’m afraid we’re about to find out.”
Sandy, Becky, and Sharon had all walked into the room at some point. Noah wasn’t sure when. He braced himself for Sharon’s inevitable comment. Denial had been her traditional coping mechanism for dealing with this type of information. He was surprised at what she said. For once, it wasn’t an absolute dismissal of the threat.
Sharon looked to Cassie. “So, do you think the pope is the antichrist?”
Cassie turned around to face Sharon, who was standing behind her. “I doubt it. He seems to fit the role of the false prophet. Although, I think we’re are getting ready to find out who the real Son of Perdition is.”
Becky looked confused. “But Pastor Mike always taught that the antichrist wouldn’t be revealed until after the rapture. Doesn’t he represent the rider on the white horse in Revelation six? When the four horsemen show up, Pastor Mike said that marks the beginning of the Tribulation. He gave us verses about all of that. One says that we are not appointed for wrath, and the other says the antichrist won’t be revealed until the Church is taken out of the way, which means the rapture.”
Cassie looked at Noah. “Do you want to take that one?”
Noah didn’t want to take that one. As a matter of fact, he found the whole thing very confusing when trying to interpret a timeline for the last days. He shrugged and reluctantly said, “Sure. Well, I’ll tell you what I learned from Isaiah. Differentiating between the word wrath and tribulation is key. They’re very different in the original Greek. The word for wrath means ‘violent passion,’ while the word tribulation means ‘a pressing together or pressure.’ Sort of like a wine press. While first Thessalonians five says we are not appointed unto wrath, Jesus guaranteed in John sixteen, that we would have tribulation. Unfortunately, the word Jesus used in Matthew twenty-four to describe the period of time we’re talking about is tribulation. The first time we see the word wrath in Revelation is in chapter six, after the sixth seal is opened.”
Sandy asked, “And what about what she said about the Church having to be taken out of the way before the antichrist could be revealed?”
Noah nodded. “Like I said, this is what I learned from Isaiah. Becky was referring to second Thessalonians chapter two. Paul says specifically that the day of the Lord will not come until the man of lawlessness is revealed. A few verses later, Paul says he is being held back so he can be revealed at the proper time.”
Noah picked up the Bible lying on the bottom shelf of the coffee table and turned to the passage in question. “Verse seven says, ‘For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.’ Pastor Mike is interpreting that verse to say the Holy Spirit will be removed from the earth so the antichrist can rule. If that were the case, how could people come to the saving knowledge of Christ after that event? Jesus says in John six that no one can come to him unless the Father calls him. How can God call sinners to salvation if there is no Holy Spirit? Isaiah interpreted that verse as saying the Holy Spirit is removed from holding the antichrist back, but not from the earth entirely.”