by Justin Price
There was a buzz throughout the crowd at that comment. Most of them were shouting praise to him while a few quietly digested the information before joining in support. There were chants in the crowd of “Moshiach” and “Mahdi”!
Assad smiled and raised his hand as he continued…“It has been prophesied in your books that at my coming, there will be a time of peace. This is that time. I have already pronounced judgment on our enemies. Our enemy in many cases were wolves in sheep’s clothing. They claimed religion, but had hatred in their heart. We could not continue into the new age and the time of peace with them. The many years that it has taken to accomplish this task has been well worth it. Today, we sign the most important document in world history and begin a covenant of peace that will last in the Middle East for seven years and beyond! I will be the first to sign it and in keeping with tradition, I will seal it with blood.”
Assad took a dagger from the table and slid it across the palm of his hand. As he held it over the treaty, he said, “This is my blood of the new covenant. No person or nation shall cross it or violate the terms of this pact that we make today. Any who attempt to do so will be cursed and cut off from this world. They will be remembered no more. For all who accept and live in this covenant, you are my children and you will live as citizens of the new age of peace and prosperity.”
He let the blood run down to the tip of his fingers and sprinkled it on the paper before signing his name to it. When he was finished, he passed it around and all who were present signed it as well.
“Now I have a surprise for all of you”, said Assad gleefully. “Behold, the new temple.”
With the wave of his hand, a huge hologram image came up next to the Dome of the Rock. It was exactly to scale and looked as though it were already there. The sound of the shofar was blown one more time as dark clouds quickly rolled in to cover the area where they all stood.
―――――
Javier and Noah braced themselves for the impact as the drone flew directly at them. They closed their eyes and then heard a crash and an explosion behind them. They looked back and saw what was left of the drone; on fire in the middle of the street. They looked at each other and took a deep breath. They couldn’t even say anything in that moment. They just knew that they came within feet of death.
As they continued on their way to Bakersfield to pick up Joanna and Ryan, the scene at the hideout in old downtown Los Angeles was becoming increasingly chaotic. The control room had successfully scrambled the electronics on the drones. As people ran to the vans that were waiting in the bottom of the old abandoned parking garage a couple of blocks away, the aircraft were falling out of the sky left and right.
There was no doubt that many lives had been saved, but there was still carnage as drones crashed into some of the people below; in many cases, taking out groups at a time. Commander Joshua Ramsey poked his head out of the manhole to see what was taking place outside. He could feel the heat from the fires on his face as he saw what had happened. ‘If only we could have brought those drones down sooner’, he thought.
Several of the vans carrying believers were already pulling out and heading toward Joshua Tree National Park. They were leaving in five minute increments and taking alternative routes in order to avoid drawing attention to themselves by grouping together on the road. Once the last of them were out, Commander Ramsey and the remaining leaders emerged from the underground.
They all quickly walked to the parking garage to get in a vehicle. As they stepped into their vehicles, they could hear the roaring sound of jets overhead. “I’m ready”, whispered Ramsey under his breath. Within a few seconds, a bomb was dropped that destroyed the entire area and everyone in it.
Noah and Javier felt the ground shake and saw the massive mushroom cloud behind them swell as they struggled to get through the cluttered, abandoned streets. “Help them Jesus”, said Javier in distress. “This isn’t good at all bro. Not good at all. I hope that all of them could get out before that bomb hit.”
“I couldn’t imagine being in the middle of all of that. We got out just in time. Kind of makes me feel guilty”, said Noah.
“We did what we could; warn them. By acting on the message that the angel gave us, we saved probably dozens of lives. Now, we need to focus on getting your family.”
“You’re right. I need to be more positive”, said Noah. “It’s just hard to see this happen to so many people when I have been saved from death more than once.”
“When it’s your time, it’s your time bro. We just need to live what we have to the fullest and obey our God until he comes”, said Javier.
“He is coming back? God?” asked Noah.
“Well, yea… Jesus. It’s all in the book man”, said Javier.
“I’ve got a lot to learn and not a lot of time to do it!” said Noah.
“Well, did you hear about what Assad is doing in Israel today?” asked Javier.
“No. I’ve been a little bit out of the loop on current world affairs lately. What’s going on?” asked Noah.
“He is there to sign a seven year peace treaty involving Israel and the rest of the Middle East. It is something that we believe was prophesied centuries ago in the bible.”
“What’s so bad about peace? That part of the world has been fighting for a long time.”
“Nothing is wrong with peace. It’s just that there is something wrong with him. We feel like he is setting himself up as the Messiah and will eventually claim to be God. This act is only the beginning of that.”
“I knew there was something that wasn’t right about that guy”, said Noah. “He is way too powerful and influential. I mean, anyone who could convince the United States to surrender their independence has got to be powerful.”
“That power is counterfeit”, said Javier. “It comes from Satan. He fell from heaven and has been wanting revenge against God and His people ever since. This is his time on the earth to attempt a takeover, but in the end he will fail miserably. Jesus will return and defeat him and his armies.”
“I can’t wait to learn more about all of this. It all seems so exciting to me. Like we are living out prophecy as its happening.”
“Yes it is. I won’t lie to you though man. The persecution of believers will get much worse. We also believe though that the church will be restored to its former glory and there will be signs and wonders being done by God’s elect to prepare the way for the coming of our Lord. I feel like that is going to begin soon. Assad has made his move, but the bible says that when the enemy comes in like a flood then God will raise a standard against him. He is about to raise that standard my friend.”
CHAPTER 8
Maggie and DeShawn arrived at base that afternoon. They made the dangerous walk to the entrance in broad daylight; thankfully not seeing a soul on their way to the old abandoned building. DeShawn had lost a lot of blood and was in need of medical attention quickly.
After what seemed like a long journey, they were finally among their comrades. A few from the medical team attended to DeShawn as they wheeled him into a room where they would check out the extent of the wound. As they took him back, he was telling them about what had happened and warning them that everyone needed to be on high alert because they could be in danger of an attack.
In the control room, eleven men and women sat around a conference table having a meeting. Maggie was able to get in due to the nature of the news and intelligence she had to share. As she walked in, all of them looked up at her. The man at the head of the table stood up and asked, “May I help you, Maggie?”
“I have unfortunate news”, she said. “Bo is dead and Chaim is presumed dead as well. My husband was kidnapped by the government and DeShawn was rushed back to surgery. We didn’t see anyone follow us back, but we could be compromised. I just thought you all should be aware.”
He looked at her for a moment; trying to find the right balance of condolence, comfort, and assurance. This wasn’t the first time that he had to deal with new
s like this. In the few years that he had been in charge of this underground community, he had been faced with tragedy many times.
“How do you know my name?” asked Maggie.
“Oh, I have to know everyone that comes here by name. Allow me to introduce myself to you. I’m Chad Murray.” He reached out and shook her hand. “I am so very sorry to hear of your husband being taken. It’s a real shame what has happened. In the matter of a week we have lost three of our finest men.”
Maggie hung her head as tears ran down to the tip of her nose and dripped to the carpet. Chad handed her a tissue and put his arm around her. “You are a strong woman Maggie. We really wanted to see your husband come to know our God. David had such a passion for him. He knew what your husband had faced in war and could relate to him. I am sorry that you have had to be separated from him once again and that you have seen so much loss. Please rest assured Mrs. Robertson that we will do what we can to get him back. I can’t make any guarantees though. This is the United States federal government we are talking about. He is going to be in the middle of a very high security facility.”
“I understand”, said Maggie. “I don’t really want more lives risked for this if it is that much of a long shot. David was already killed while helping John save me and now two more are gone just because they wanted to give their friend a proper burial. There is just too much risk involved.”
“I am glad that you understand the gravity of the situation Maggie. It could take a miracle to get him out of there. But, if it’s a miracle we need, then that’s exactly what we will pray for. Until then, we are going to take good care of you here.”
“I can’t thank you enough for your kindness”, said Maggie. “This has been the craziest week I have ever had by far. I can tell you this though. If I never see John again, I will be thankful for at least having a few days with him. When I thought he was dead, that’s all I ever wished for. The fact that I got to have that is a miracle to me in itself.”
As they were standing there talking, a woman in fatigues quickly walked up to them. “Sir, I am sorry to interrupt. We have aircraft coming in from the north rather quickly. It could be just a military drill, but we should probably go on full lock down. What do you think?”
Commander Murray’s demeanor completely changed at the news. “Yes, let’s announce it immediately. Nobody goes in or comes out. Have scrambling devices ready and let’s get everyone down to the bunkers. We don’t want them picking up heat signatures down here.”
“Yes sir”, she said as she walked away to carry out the orders.
Murray looked around the table and nodded. “This meeting is adjourned. Everyone please go to your respective quadrants to make sure everyone gets where they need to go. I will take Mrs. Robertson with me.”
They all got up from the table and walked out of the control room. As they were walking, fear gripped Maggie. She wondered if they had inadvertently led them here. ‘We should have just drove somewhere else and disappeared for a little while’, she thought. ‘We didn’t really have a choice though. DeShawn needed medical attention and we couldn’t go to a hospital. He is off the grid and I am probably on the wanted list now.’
Just as they reached the opening that went down into the bunkers, a loud crash shook the entire underground facility. Screams could be heard as they picked up the pace to go further underground. Maggie felt sick as she thought about DeShawn being in surgery. “Mr. Murray, what about DeShawn? He is being operated on right now. If they stay up here, they could die.”
“I am sorry. I couldn’t tell you what will happen there. Let’s just hope and pray that it won’t be long and they can get him finished and stabilized in time to take him down to the bunkers. This entire subway system could collapse if we are being bombed.”
Another loud crash was followed by pieces of concrete crumbling from the ceiling, hitting people over the head. One was knocked unconscious and a few others were bleeding. The lights flickered as the bombing raid continued. After what seemed like an eternity, everyone was safe inside of the bunker.
Maggie pulled one of the first aid kits off of the wall and attended to a couple of injured people. She was shaking uncontrollably as she pulled the bandages from the box. She wondered what was going to happen. ‘DeShawn has to be dead and we could be buried alive in here’, she thought. She could feel another panic attack coming on until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and stood there in disbelief.
―――――
The wind was picking up on the temple mount in Jerusalem and dark clouds converged over Assad and the crowd. He looked up and rolled his eyes. ‘Yes, I know you are still there’, he thought. ‘You have to play within your own rules. You know it’s my time now and I intend on taking full advantage of it.’
Just as he began to speak, a bolt of lightning struck one of the big screens where his image was being projected to the inhabitants of the city below. The screen was blacked out and Assad’s face turned red. He stood up and said, “Please stay calm. I have this under control. We won’t let a little thunder and lightning ruin our big day.”
The crowd laughed and applauded. Assad began speaking again. “I wanted to take this opportunity to announce measures that will help us to keep the freedom that we have worked so hard to attain. We are developing a marking system in which all people will use one currency through a chip implanted in your hand or forehead. It will be microscopic, but it will allow you to buy and sell food and other goods. In order to receive this mark, and with it your right to eat, I will require everyone to report to the worship center in your region and bow down to my image as a show of allegiance to myself and the ideal of global unity. Anyone who refuses this will be removed.”
“I want to make it very clear to anyone who rebels against this new world order that you will not be tolerated. If you continue to choose your religion over the good of the world community and be divisive in your beliefs, then you will lose your head. The future of our world is at stake and I will protect it by any means necessary.”
This statement sent chills down the spine of Israeli Prime Minister Levi Rosenbaum. He had stood behind Assad; especially after he revealed that he would be rebuilding the Jewish temple. He remained skeptical while also remaining hopeful that Assad could be the real Messiah that the Jews had waited for. Levi’s skepticism had only grown while listening to Assad speak. He was becoming too absorbed in his own power and his willingness to kill anyone who stood against him was troubling.
Still, despite his reservations, Levi knew that the Messiah would sit in the temple and rule from Jerusalem. He also remembered reading about the Messiah making his enemies his footstool and that he would destroy them at his coming. ‘Maybe this is what that looks like’, he thought.
As Levi was pondering these things, Assad raised his hands and spoke. “…and just so there is no confusion as to who I am and what I am capable of…” He kept both hands in the air and seemed to mutter something under his breath. Suddenly, the clouds dissipated and the sun came out to the delight of the crowd. “Let that be a sign to you and everyone watching around the world that I am who I am.”
―――――
President Cain and Speaker William Bernhart embraced in the oval office. They were filled with joy over the fact that they were both believers and that they could now openly speak to one another about the things of God. Although they had shared many of the same beliefs about the course of the government and foreign policy after Cain’s conversion, neither one of them could speak about their faith out of fear of retaliation. A huge wall had come down that stood between them.
“You don’t know how relieved I am”, said William. “When you suddenly changed your stance on Assad and the World Council, I wondered to myself if you had found Christ. I was just too fearful to ask.”
“I had actually always wondered the same about you”, said Cain. “Even before my experience, I had thought that you may have those beliefs considering how protective you were
to the free exercise of religious faith.”
“You would have been right. I have been a believer for twelve years. A senator from Alabama had shared the good news about Jesus with me and after much thought, I accepted. I’ve never looked back since then, although it definitely isn’t easy in today’s world and it’s only going to get worse I’m afraid.”
“I think you are right William. In fact, I am glad that you brought that up. I have been thinking long and hard about the ramifications of our decision to pull out of the World Council and defy Assad. There are going to be many opinions here in this country about that decision as you well know. The motivation behind those opinions will be very telling. What I am basically saying is that I am wondering if we should tell the country our religious stance and encourage others to come out of the closet so to speak or if we should take that out of the equation and make this only about the independence of our country.”