Times of Tribulation: Christian End Times Thriller (The End Times Saga, #7)

by Cliff Ball

  “I think that’s an interesting idea, Administrator. I’ll have to study on it a bit, run some scenarios before I have my people do anything about it, but I do think it’ll ramp up the feeling of hopelessness these prisoners might feel, and it might cause them to do anything to be part of our community again. Do you have a time table when you’d like this done, sir?”

  “No, just let me know when you begin to implement the idea. Peace and blessings, Director Stephens.”

  “To you too, Administrator.”

  At the courthouse, a reporter for UETN’s North America division intercepted Dave and his guards before they went in the courtroom. “Mr. Abbott, I’m Tyler Sizemore from UETN. Do you plan on recanting your beliefs so you can join the global community in peace, harmony, and unity?”

  “No,”

  “Why not?”

  “You’ll find out when they put me on the stand, Mr. Sizemore.” The guards escorted Dave into the courtroom before Sizemore could ask anything else.

  The guards escorted Dave to his chair and forced him to sit. Looking around, the gallery was partially filled with onlookers, there was no jury, and he could see that the prosecutor was fully ready. Not having a jury of his peers bothered him, but Dave also realized he had no lawyer to defend him, so he asked his guards, “Don’t I get a lawyer?”

  The four men looked at each other with questioning looks, but before they could reply, the prosecutor came over, and said, “This isn’t United States law, Mr. Abbott. As far as the authorities are concerned, you’ve already been found guilty. My superiors just want me to interrogate, I mean interview, you on live television, so all the region can see what nutty beliefs you have. I’m sure the uninformed are probably curious to see if you’ll recant, but you and I both know that you won’t. Any two bit prosecutor could do this, but they wanted me to do it, so I’ll give the powers-that-be what they want.” He glanced at his old fashioned pocket watch for the time. “I wish the judge would hurry up, I have other things to do.”

  The judge came out of his chambers five minutes later, the bailiff told everyone to stand, and when the judge sat down, so did everyone else. The judge looked like he was reading something from the sound of shuffling paper, then he looked up, and said, “Okay, this looks like a fairly straightforward trial. Prosecutor Kirkpatrick, you may proceed.”

  “Thank you, Your Honor. We’re here today to ask this man, Dave Abbott, why he doesn’t support the global community and why he doesn’t follow Patriarch Karimi as his leader. Whether he gets beheaded depends on him, but the outcome is clear, since we all know what his answer will be. Time after time, this man has been given every opportunity to recant, but he hasn’t, and this time appears to be no different. Now, though, in this court, he will give us his reasons for not recanting. Mr. Abbott, please take the stand,”

  Dave got up, went to the stand, and waited to be sworn in, but no one approached him to swear him in. Kirkpatrick approached the stand, and said, “We all know your name, so what I want to know is why you resist joining the global community,”

  “I resist because of what the Bible says. In the book of Revelation, it describes world events and the man who will lead the world during these events. I also resist because Christ is my Savior and He died for my sins. If I had known before this period of time about Christ, I would’ve asked Him into my heart to save me so I could avoid the disasters and the oncoming disasters that we’ll see in the years to come. Make no mistake about it, the Patriarch will be responsible for billions of deaths over the next six years and there will be war the likes of which this planet has never seen,”

  “So, you’re telling us that you’re basing your immovability on following the Patriarch because of what some book tells you? A book, may I remind the audience, that’s more than likely a collection of fairy tales,”

  “Well, yes and no. The Bible is not a collection of fairy tales, its actual history, mostly of the Jews, plus prophecy. The prophecy says that in the end times, a beast, called the Anti-Christ, and a false prophet will come and claim they can save the world by making peace with everyone, which includes Israel. I believe this beast to be Patriarch Karimi. As you can see, he’s already making all sorts of promises, but I can guarantee he’ll break each and every one before the seven years are up. He won’t be able to prevent a single disaster or judgment and will only make things worse,”

  “So you say, Mr. Abbott. If the Patriarch is responsible for whatever disasters you say he’s responsible for, does the near destruction of North America from volcanoes and the destruction of one-third of the Pacific and its life make him responsible? After all, while the Patriarch is a powerful man, where would he have the power to make a volcano come to life that was eventually supposed to go off anyway? I also recall that the Chinese were the ones bringing that asteroid to Earth so it could be parked in orbit, not the Patriarch. Why aren’t they at fault for that disaster?”

  “God used the Chinese to bring the asteroid to Earth to fulfill the prophecy in Revelation. Yellowstone finally blew up to fulfill prophecy, since the beast, Patriarch Karimi, divided the world into ten regions and says he’s bringing peace to our world. The God of Heaven wants to show everyone on Earth who has the power, and it’s definitely not Patriarch Karimi,”

  “If your God is so powerful, why is He not here defending you or even removing you from this situation? Surely He can spare someone to send down here to defend you, like himself, for instance. Where is He, Mr. Abbott?”

  “Where is He? He’s everywhere, Mr. Kirkpatrick. Just because you can’t see God, doesn’t mean He’s not there or here. During this time, He will show his power through natural disasters and then through judgments on mankind itself. He helps me speak, but He doesn’t need to be here physically to help me. Even if He were to appear, it says in the Bible that many will refuse to listen and will continue to curse Him. You may try to shake my faith, but you will not succeed, Mr. Kirkpatrick,”

  “Yes, yes, I see your faith is unshakable. So, am I correct in assuming you’ll die for your beliefs?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I see. Very well. Your Honor, since it would be of no use to continue to question this witness, I’m done here.”

  “Hmm, that didn’t take long. Mr. Abbott, you do understand the consequences of what’ll happen to you if you don’t recant, correct?”

  “Sure I do. I accept whatever punishment the powers-that-be decide to put me through. God is my rock and I’ll lean on Him through whatever happens.”

  “Uh, right. Okay, there is only one punishment for the crimes Mr. Abbott has been charged with – death by beheading. Mr. Abbott will be put to death before the week is out. This trial is over.” The judge banged his gavel and left for his chambers.

  The guards indicated to Dave to go with them out of the courtroom. While walking out to the parking lot, Dave was met by the reporter, who asked, “So, Mr. Abbot, you’re completely okay with being beheaded? That seems kind of nuts to me,”

  “Yes, I’m okay with it, because the Lord Jesus Christ is my rock, and with Him in charge I don’t need to be afraid. In fact, being put to death because I believe in Him is an honor. I can see by your tattoos that you’re committed to the global community, so you wouldn’t understand now if I tried. Are you curious about anything else, Mr. Sizemore?”

  “No, thank you for taking the time to speak with me. In spite of your sentence, I wish peace and blessings on you, Mr. Abbott. Good day.” Sizemore extended his hand and Dave shook it, and then the reporter left.

  Two days later, Dave was escorted to the Alamo Dome, where his execution would take place in front of another thousand or so people and would be broadcast again across the region. He found out they were having a pre-execution concert with assorted rock bands, including his daughter’s favorite singer, Justin Riggs. Before the announcement was made for Dave to be escorted to the field for his beheading, Priestess Edwards came to him to talk to him about something. “Hey, Mr. Abbott, you’ll nev
er guess who we have here who will watch your execution in person,”

  “Oh, I don’t know, Lucifer himself?”

  Her eyes widened, not expecting sarcasm from the condemned man, but she replied, “No, silly, Patriarch Karimi has decided to attend, including High Priest Josten. Isn’t that an honor?”

  “Maybe for you, but I could do without the so-called honor,”

  She made what sounded to Dave like a growling sound, and then replied, “Contrarians like you is what was wrong with the world the way it was, but the Patriarch is remaking the world for the better. Well, anyway, looks like it’s time to bring you out for your execution.” Edwards quickly left Dave’s side so she could begin the proceedings.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, before we begin, I’d like to introduce two special guests who decided to make a personal appearance. One of them is the leader of the global community of the Union of United Earth, Patriarch Karimi. The other is High Priest Josten of the Universal Congregation Church. Join me in welcoming them to our special event.”

  The crowd, even though it didn’t fill the stands to the rafters, stood up and cheered as loudly as they possibly could. Patriarch Karimi and High Priest Josten stood up and waved to the crowd, taking in the adulation of this adoring crowd. When both of them finally sat down, Priestess Edwards began speaking again, “Now, join me in welcoming the condemned, Dave Abbott. Gentlemen, please escort him to the guillotine.”

  As soon as the crowd saw Dave, they rained down boos on him, some even had tomatoes and other vegetables with them, and attempted to hit him with the produce, but they missed. Dave was more amused by the reactions than he was frightened by them. He saw the guillotine, all cleaned up with a spotlight shining down on it, and he wondered why the Patriarch wanted to go with such a low tech killing machine when there were so many more other creative ways to kill people nowadays. But, John said in Revelation that the beast would use beheading as punishment, so Dave decided he shouldn’t question God’s plan.

  The guards put Dave on the guillotine, face up, and he assumed that he was supposed to be more frightened by the prospect of seeing the blade behead him. Instead, he prayed and leaned on God for support. He heard Priestess Edwards talking, but didn’t really hear what she said, and then the next thing he knew, he was dead. Now, all his soul had to do was wait for the end of the Tribulation and Christ’s return.

  Pete Robertson, his wife, and the other Preppers in Big Bend watched the beheadings, appalled with what they were seeing. “What gives them the right to do that, including the gall to make the whole spectacle as if it’s entertainment?” asked Janet the night of Dave’s beheading.

  “I haven’t the slightest idea, but we’re going to resist if they ever show up here. I am not going to submit to any government that will kill people for having a different opinion than the government. Those religious folk seem to really believe what they’re saying, but I don’t know enough about what they believe to make an informed decision. Maybe we’ll have someone show up here who can help us learn all we can about their beliefs so we can decide what or who we should follow. In the meantime, we’ll do what we need to do to survive this mess.”

  Chapter 12

  Four months later, the world learned about a comet, called Wormwood, which would impact the Earth around Europe and North Africa. The talking heads on UETN began asking questions, even though a lot of the remaining people on Earth hardly ever watched the news, even when the Patriarch had suggested doing so was mandatory.

  “We’re here today with a Doctor William Barrett, Professor of Astronomy at Oxford. Earlier in the day, he spoke to Patriarch Karimi about this asteroid. What can you tell us about this asteroid, Doctor, and what will happen when it impacts the atmosphere?”

  “Well, Wormwood is a comet that usually passes our planet every other decade, but for reasons my colleagues and I can’t explain, its course has been altered and will impact our planet in three days,”

  “Any guesses as to where it might come down when and if it gets through the atmosphere?”

  “I don’t know, but I do know the chemical makeup of the comet will be harmful wherever the comet breaks up in the atmosphere,”

  “Care to explain, Doctor?”

  “Yes, of course. As I told our esteemed leader, the meteor has cyanogen gas as part of its makeup. When the meteor interacts with our atmosphere, it’ll produce hydrogen cyanide when mixed with the water in the atmosphere and any surface water. This gas will cause the water to taste bitter and smell like almonds. If one were to try to drink water with the gas laced throughout it, they’ll die,”

  “Is there any way to stop the comet from impacting our planet?”

  “I’m afraid there isn’t, we’ll just have to wait to see what happens.”

  “Thank you, Doctor Barrett, for your insight. Stay with UETN for further updates on Wormwood. Next on UETN Primetime, a man tries to figure which of his four wives do the best at fulfilling all of his needs. Who will he pick to be his main wife? Find out next. Peace and blessings on all who are watching and we here at United Earth Television News wish you a good night.”

  Millions around the planet watched the meteor through telescopes for the next few days, utterly fascinated by the prospect of it hitting Earth. Some people were worried about what impact it would have, others not so much, and most figured that if Patriarch Karimi wasn’t upset about it, they wouldn’t be either.

  The comet broke up over Europe when it hit the atmosphere, affecting all water on the continent and also affected the waters of North Africa. Millions died who tried drinking the water, mostly because the authorities had ignored the problem, and hadn’t informed the people that drinking the water would kill them. Some blamed the two men who were witnessing in Jerusalem, even though they weren’t at fault, but many still tried to blame them for causing the problems.

  There were some, however, who wanted to blame Patriarch Karimi for everything. A small group of environmentalists in their twenties, who were all for the global community, and were some of the first to take the marks, were upset over the volcanoes, the asteroid, and now the comet causing untold damage to the planet and its defenseless animal citizens.

  “We need to demand to see the Patriarch, tell him to get those Centurions to stop harming our precious Mother Earth. Surely there must be some other way for our planet and its residents to cleanse itself of the impurities before it joins the galactic community?”

  “You’re our leader, Xander, we’ll go with you wherever you want to go. Can I suggest we go to Babylon so we can address our concerns with the Patriarch?”

  “Rose, I think that’s a very good idea. We tell him our concerns in person and he’ll tell the Centurions to back off and figure out some other way to bring us into their global community. Come, my brothers and sisters, let’s make a trip to Babylon.”

  The eight arrived in Babylon two days later and went straight to the office of the Patriarch. They stood in front of the Patriarch’s secretary, while Xander said, “I demand to see the Patriarch. He must know what we think!”

  Calmly, the secretary replied, “Do you have an appointment? He’ll see you if you have an appointment.”

  “An appointment? What I have to say is far too important to wait. I demand to be seen. Where is he?” Xander’s voice kept getting louder and louder.

  The door to the Patriarch’s office opened, and the group heard the world leader demand, “What’s the meaning of this?”

  Xander boldly walked over to the Patriarch, stood face to face with him, and demanded, “We demand you do something about these environmental disasters. Our planet and its animal friends are suffering from being severely harmed and they’re crying out for justice. Can you talk to those aliens, the Centurions, and ask them to help us in our planet’s time of suffering? If they’re supposed to be so benevolent, then why do they need to hurt us?”

  “What do you mean, ‘you demand’? You have no power over me and your demands mean nothing. Why should I
bother our friends from Alpha Centauri, who do care for us, with such trivial matters? You want the children back, don’t you?”

  “Well, I don’t know. We were doing all right until you took over, then all this insane stuff started happening. Seems to me you have no real control....”

  “Silence!” bellowed Karimi in a louder voice than anyone was used to hearing from him. The young environmentalists in the room were intimidated and looked at the leader of the world in fear. “You will not question me. I brought the world together in peace, unity, and harmony, no one else has done that. You dare question my control? I can have you and your friends locked up in a deep, dark cell and none of you would ever see the light of day again. Or, better yet, have you beheaded for your insolence. I’m sure none of you want that,”

  “No, Patriarch,” Xander weakly replied.

  “Good, then we’re back on the same page. Why don’t you and your friends do something constructive, like help the regions that have problems? I’m sure all of you would like to be contributing to the needs of our world, am I correct?”

  “Yes, of course, Your Excellency. We’ll do what you ask us to do.” mumbled the young man.

  “I’m glad to hear that you’ll do what I ask. Now, if there’s no need to bother me further, you can leave.” Karimi went back into his office, slamming the door behind him.

  The group walked out of the building with their egos deflated some. Rose turned to Xander, saying, “I kind of feel like my parents had just disciplined me. Meeting the Patriarch wasn’t as pleasant an experience as I had imagined it might be,”