THE WARNING A Novel of America in the Last Days (The End of America Series Book 2)

by John Price

  25

  Small Group Bible Study, Home of Hannah & Gary

  Birmingham, Alabama

  Scott had come down with the flu, so Beau agreed to lead tonight’s Bible study, “Welcome, folks. Except for Scott, I think we’re all here. Sally, tell Scott that we’re thinking about him….praying for him.”

  “Great. I will, Beau, he needs it….he’s a pretty sick puppy right now.”

  Beau opened with prayer, “Lord, give us wisdom as we study what you want us to learn from prophecy, particularly on the question of betraying Israel. In Jesus’ name, amen. Who has Genesis 12:3 they can read to us?”

  Liz responded, “I’ve got it…here it is….‘I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’”

  Beau asked, “Any question anyone has as to the meaning of that verse? Fairly clear, huh? Countries and empires that cursed Israel always paid for it. God keeps His promises. We read in the Bible that God promises that the end times nation which betrays Israel, which acts treacherously against Israel, which refuses to come to Israel’s aid when it cries out for help, that nation will be destroyed in one day, one hour and one moment. Isaiah in 21:12 refers to this nation that betrays Israel as a ‘traitor’. Jeremiah in 51:24 tell us that ‘I will repay Babylon and all who live in Babylonia for all the wrong they have done in Zion, declares the Lord’, then a few verses later in verse 35 Jeremiah says, ‘May the violence done to our flesh be upon Babylon, say the inhabitants of Zion. May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia, says Jerusalem.’ ”

  “Beau”, Tom interjected, “In the next verse, verse 36, God says ‘I will avenge’ Israel. I don’t want to go down a rabbit trail, Beau, if you’d rather not, but two verses later in 38 he says ‘her people all roar like young lions, they growl like lion cubs’ Isn’t that exactly what we’ve been seeing in the US. We’ve become a violent nation. Just like Jeremiah said, right?”

  “True, Tom, but coming back to Israel, the Psalmist makes a striking statement in 137:8 which says, ‘O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is He who repays you for what you have done to us’, that is, to Israel. The most striking verse, in many ways is in Lamentations 4:17. Here’s how it reads in The Message translation – ‘We watched and watched, wore our eyes out looking for help. And nothing. We mounted our lookouts and looked for the help that never showed up.’ So, what is Israel looking for? How does the Daughter of Babylon betray Israel? What’s this all about?”

  Hannah jumped in, “Beau, there are two big military invasions of Israel prophesied in the end times. The last one, at Armageddon, is the final battle and that involves the whole world, then Jesus returns and all that. Before that final battle, though, Ezekiel in 38 and 39 prophesies that there will be an invasion of Israel by a handful of listed countries, including Russia, Iran and Libya. Ezekiel sees a bloody land invasion from the north of Israel, while Israel is at peace. Israel cries out for help to the Daughter of Babylon, which treacherously betrays Israel by refusing to come to its aid, and many in Israel die because of it.”

  “That’s the reason why the Daughter of Babylon, which is described as doomed to destruction, is itself destroyed,” Tom added. “You started this study with Genesis 12:3. This appears to be another illustration of what happens to people….and nations….that curse Israel. They are themselves cursed. With the way we’ve been treating Israel I wouldn’t be at all surprised that we would betray our only ally in the Middle East.”

  Liz asked, “But, doesn’t this prophecy from Ezekiel say that the invasion happens when Israel is at peace? They’re not at peace today. So, what do you make of….”

  “Yes, Liz, it apparently means that Israel will be at peace prior to the invasion. The Prime Minister of Israel himself said recently that Israel would in the short term enter into a two state peace agreement, giving up some of its land.”

  “Tom, I think I remember that, but doesn’t God tell Israel throughout His Word not to give up the land?”

  “He sure does, Liz, but, as we all know, Israel hasn’t always done what the Lord told them to do….unlike us, of course, because we always….obey….Oh, I’m being sarcastic, again. But, yes, Israel isn’t supposed to give up the land.”

  Max noted that, “Don’t forget that the US is the only nation on the globe that has a military defense agreement promising to help Israel on an urgent need basis should there be an armed attack on Israel. That sure helps me to see that the Daughter of Babylon prophecies apply to the US, and to no other nation. President Carter signed an agreement in March, 1979 as an inducement to Israel to enter into the Camp David Accords with Egypt.”

  Hannah observed, “Well, I don’t even want to think about the US being destroyed, so this study has been particularly difficult for me. But….I can see that God is a God of justice, a God who keeps His word and His promises to Israel. With fifty six million dead babies’ blood calling out from the ground, I can see how our betrayal of Israel could be the final straw with a God of justice. The death toll initially, I’m just guessing, could be the same number of innocents that have been slaughtered in the womb in America, all created in God’s image. Plus who knows how many will die later as the country disintegrates?

  Beau decided that it was time to conclude the study, “With that cheery thought, let’s all do our reading for next week. We’ll look at who could be used to destroy the Daughter of Babylon and how they would do it. Don’t forget to pray for Scott’s healing.”

  26

  White House - Oval Office

  Washington, DC

  Later, the six participants in the late evening meeting convened by the President had widely different memories of exactly who said what. What all did agree upon, however, was that at the conclusion of the meeting the President described what was about to happen in America as a “perfect storm for fundamental change and we do need to change….the subject”. The House Government Reform and Oversight Committee had just that morning passed on a party line vote seven Articles Impeachment of the President, sending it to the full House, where it was expected to pass handily.

  Brief reports were given at the 11 PM gathering to the President by five federal department heads. The Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reported that several million firearms had now been voluntarily turned in for cash under the McAlister Act and the brief amnesty period. The President rubbed his chin, looked around the room and then asked, “Pat, what’s your estimate of the number of firearms that weren’t turned in under McAlister, that are still out there buried….hidden….that the right wingers are still clinging to?”

  Director Patrick Humless thought he knew what the President wanted to hear, that the ATF had retired as many guns as possible. “Mister President, we know there must be some firearms, of course, that are still out there, but we’re convinced….that is….our agency believes that we have secured and melted down the maximum numb….”

  “Stop, Pat,” the President interjected, “I don’t want government speak and I’m not interested in glowing, puffed up numbers. Give me a rough, reasonably accurate projection of how many firearms are still out there?”

  “Well….based on the sales records of gun manufacturers that we were able to seize under your executive order, many of which only went back to the middle of the last century….and taking into account that some firearms came from overseas manufacturers that wouldn’t respond to your executive order….we estimate that there are between seventy to ninety million firearms hidden in the country. Give or take ten million either way.” Director Humless said the final words rapidly, expecting an angry reaction from the nation’s Chief Executive. He was wrong.

  “Good. Very good.,” the President responded, leaning back in his dark maroon leather chair. “Just what I wanted to hear.”

  Humless was taken aback by the President’s reaction, “Seriously, Mister President. You’re not upset? I mean we know there are million
s who refused to….”

  “Pat. You can’t have a good gunfight if only one side has a gun, know what I mean? Those numbers sound just about right to me. DHS is here, you can give us your view, but based on our projections and models, that sounds good. Thanks, Pat. OK….Next, let’s hear from FEMA. Roberto, how’s it going with the clergy?”

  “Well….very well….Mister President. We’ve now completed our Romans 13 Patriotic Training programs in every state, every major community and we’re finishing up now in the smaller towns. You know, where there may be only five or ten pastors or priests, max.”

  “Any kick back, signs of resistance? Surely some of those pastors didn’t like your training emphasis on obeying governmental authorities as a Biblical mandate?”

  “Naturally, we had some of that. A few walked out. Some tried to go to the media, but we had a tight lid on any reporting of what we’re doing, so no problem there. The best thing we did, if I may say so, sir, was to take your idea of not even approaching the known strong evangelical churches and parishes. Before we started, we identified all of the red list churches and parishes and we never approached them. So, basically, sir, America is now made up of two kinds of religious institutions. The law-obeying, subservience to Caesar types and the law-disobeying anti-government types. The latter group comprises between a third to a fourth of the total number of churches.”

  “Perfect….Perfect….The clergy you trained to control their flocks, preaching subservience to the government….they won’t likely wake up to how they’ve been used until….well….until it’s too late. With the budget as it is we’ve got to get rid of tax deductions for religious and charitable donations as soon as the street battles increase, maybe sooner. Good report, Roberto, Thanks. Next….Let’s see….Health and Human Services. What’s the food supply going to look like once the Perfect Storm is in full strength?”

  The Secretary of HHS then informed the President that once the dollar was no longer the world’s reserve currency that their studies showed that the prices of virtually everything would jump dramatically. Oil had been priced in dollars for decades. He said that once oil is priced in a basket currency composed of the currencies of the EU, Russia and India, along with gold, the price of food will increase sharply. People will start hoarding food, afraid that it will soon increase in cost even more. Food would then go into short supply within a matter of thirty to forty-five days.

  HHS anticipated that street rioting and other transportation disruptions would soon choke the food supply chain, resulting in empty shelves in virtually every area of the country, with some limited exceptions in remote rural communities. The Secretary reported that HHS was studying what percentage of gun-owners might be willing to trade in their hidden firearms for food, once the food crisis worsened. The President expressed his pleasure at the depth and significance of the HHS report. He next asked the Secretary of the Treasury to describe the prospects for replacing the dollar as the world’s reserve currency.

  “Sir, everything is in place. The national debt has never been higher. As you know, you’ve added more debt than all of the prior Presidents of the US, combined. Quite an achievement, actually. Real unemployment, not our released numbers, has crept up every month, except for one, since you’ve been in this office. Consumer confidence numbers are in the toilet. We’ve exceeded all of the goals that we agreed we would have to meet before the death of the dollar as the currency the world uses for international trade. I’m informed by our G-8 buddies that they are nearly ready, Mister President. They will make the announcement whenever you say….all they need is your final word to go.”

  “Sounds good, Tom. I….hope….everybody here has….how should I say it….taken the appropriate financial measures? When the dollar is ditched, you don’t want to have a lot of your money in dollars, or for that matter, in a retirement account. Don’t leave anything in a safety deposit box. I’m sure you know that my executive orders allow DHS to open and seize their contents. Tom may I assume that Treasury is ready to seize retirement accounts, 401(K), IRA, Roth, all those fat dollar accounts just sitting out there not doing anyone any good?”

  “Yes, Mr. President. We are ready to solve the federal debt problem that the Republicans in the House are always carping about. We estimate that once we seize the retirement accounts, and re-title them in the name of the U.S. government, the federal balance sheet will look better….a lot better.”

  “They’ll be a lot of whining….naturally. The same thing happened when Argentina seized their people’s retirement accounts, but what’s a broke country to do? The rich and not so rich potential retirees have the money and Uncle Sam needs it. We’ll agree, of course, to pay 3% on the seized funds, though we all know that inflation will far exceed that, so we come out with a double win. We get the retirement funds and we don’t lose anything on the promised interest payments.”

  “Yeah,” smiled the Treasury Secretary, “it’s a big win for everybody….well, almost everybody.”

  “Well,” said the President, “that leaves us with DHS….Janis, is everything ready at the Department of Homeland Security?”

  “Yes, sir, Mister President. Looking forward to the coming financial storm. We’re ready. All of the FEMA camps are available and ready for inmates….excuse me….ready for our guests. The interstate highway traffic control booths are all pre-positioned, the booths can be in place within a matter of hours from the go signal. We’ll control the interstates. Fifty miles is the longest stretch any motorist will be able to move, without coming to a DHS traffic control booth, except the rural, western states where the distances will vary. All of the booths have bullet resistant glass, air conditioning, links to our facial recognition face scanners, you name it. Our people will be able to monitor movement. General Allen at the Pentagon will have the troops available to protect the booths, if we get any local resisters. Security and morale at DHS improved internally a lot at the end of last year once we retired out from DHS the identified Second Amendment and religious sympathizers. Made things easier.

  “Lastly, I’ll report on the fuse for this coming firestorm. Operation Four Winds is totally ready to go. We’ve identified the religious and conservative leaders whose motor vehicles we’ll pick up and retrofit with explosives. Six car bombs, one here in DC, and the others as listed in the report you have. WE’ll make sure that there are some flyers scattered around near the car bombs calling for your conviction by the US Senate on the Articles Impeachment passed by the House. That’ll fill the streets with your angry supporters. As I said, Mister President, we’re ready. Waiting on your orders, sir.”

  “It’s getting late, folks. I think we’re done. I just wanted to hear first-hand from each of you that we’re ready. It will soon be time for me to keep my word to the American people. It would appear, thank you very much, that what is about to happen in America will be the perfect storm for fundamental change….and we do need to change the subject from impeachment to surviving America’s new civil war.” His five guests reacted in laughter, then applause, as they stood to leave this most historic meeting.

  27

  CCC Headquarters

  Department of Homeland Security

  Nebraska Avenue Complex

  Washington, DC

  Director Manton Mortman had been in charge of the Civilian Conservation Corps since its creation by executive order of the President. The number of CCC Conservators now exceeded nine hundred thousand, though still short of the more than two million hired by President Franklin Roosevelt to work in the nation’s original CCC. The newly re-created CCC functioned under the Department of Homeland Security. Director Mortman’s responsibilities accorded to him by executive order from the President were threefold. First, CCC Conservators were assigned to attend each Sunday the nation’s designated ‘evangelical churches’, recording what is said by the pastors of the churches under agency surveillance for compliance with federal hate speech laws. Secondly, Conservators attended, monitored and recorded all meetings o
f gun rights groups, Tea Party meetings, pro-life groups, veterans associations, Constitutionalists and other conservative assemblies considered to be ‘right wing’ by the administration. Thirdly, Conservators were tasked to enforce the nation’s laws, including interrogating Americans considered by the CCC to be domestic terrorists. All Conservators were given arrest powers and were all also armed with handguns, along with large quantities of ammunition.

  Director Mortman had been given a corner office in DHS’s Nebraska Avenue Complex, which was located in Northwest DC, far from official Washington. The building had formerly been an all-girls school and then used by U.S. Navy code breaking offices in WWII. DHS had been in the facilities for ten years, yet many employees referred to the offices as ‘the dump’ due to its decrepit condition. Mortman was one of the few executives who actually liked the facilities. Some at DHS who had heard Mortman praise their offices opined that the dingy offices were a good match for Director Mortman, given his personality and personal traits.

  Each day the Director dressed the same - black dress shirt, black suit and black tie. He told his staff that he spent most of each weekend watching WWII videos on the History channel and his vast collection of videos dealing with the years that Hitler was in power. Director Mortman had been heard telling staff members how excited he became when he watched footage of Nazi soldiers, brown shirts and Gestapo officers ‘administering justice to Jewish rebels’. It was said within DHS and CCC offices that Mortman was picked to be the Director of the CCC due to his close personal friendship with Presidential Advisor Vivian Higgins. It was rumored that Mortman and Higgins had both been members of a Marxist cell during their college years. Mortman’s secretary had let it be known in the DHS cafeteria to her lunch buddies that the Director received calls from the White House, usually from Advisor Higgins, on a daily basis.