by Len du Randt
The people stared at the dot in the sky, and gasped again when they noticed that it became larger very quickly. They all flinched as the burning prophet hit the ground with a sickening crunch. He hit the ground so hard that a cloud of dust sprayed into the air. When the dust settled, there lay a lifeless man in a shallow ditch created by the force of the impact.
The people cheered and clapped, but no one dared step any closer.
Victor turned to the older man. ‘Your turn,’ he said as he patted Antonio on the shoulder. Antonio took the cue and raised both his hands into the air, and at once the older prophet shot up into the air as the first one had, and when Victor thought the time was right, he had Antonio yank back both his arms as suddenly as he could.
The older prophet returned to Earth and crashed into the first prophet a split second later.
The crowd couldn’t contain themselves any longer. They cheered, applauded, whistled, and shouted their approval at Victor. Their Messiah had ended years of tyranny by these men in mere seconds. He soaked in the praise and glory for a few minutes, and then raised his hands to calm the crowd.
‘Do you agree that it’s been way too long since we had any rains here in Jerusalem?’ he asked.
The crowd agreed enthusiastically.
‘Well,’ he said and motioned toward Antonio. ‘Let’s change that then, shall we?’
The Pope raised his hands into the air again, ‘Oh great keeper of rain,’ he shouted into the sky. ‘Please hear the command from our Messiah and shed the rains down upon us as a sign of your approval.’
For a few seconds nothing happened. Then the crowd spotted the first flickers in the clouds. Within minutes the entire skyline was coated in purple, and people rejoiced when the first rumble of thunder rolled along the valley.
‘Give me your camera,’ Victor ordered one of the cameramen. The man gave up his camera without hesitation. ‘Thank you all for your presence here today.’
The people watched in bewilderment as Victor walked up the stairs toward the Temple entrance. At the top of the stairs, Victor turned and waved at the crowd, then disappeared into the Temple courtyard.
‘President Yoshe,’ a Rabbi greeted Victor. ‘To what do we owe the honour—?’
‘To me, Rabbi Moshe,’ Victor said without looking at the Rabbi. ‘You owe the honour to me.’
He walked undeterred toward his destination: the Holy of Holies.
‘Sir,’ the Rabbi protested. ‘You cannot go in there...’
‘Yeah?’ Victor said and stopped short at the entrance. ‘And who is going to stop me?’
‘HaShem will stop you, sir,’ the Rabbi said. ‘If you enter in there, you will surely die.’
Victor rolled his eyes and continued walking. The Rabbi reached out to him in a futile attempt to grab hold of him, but it was too late.
Victor had already disappeared into the Holy of Holies.
.XI.
Abomination
So when you see standing in the Holy Place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel, let the reader understand - then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
- Matthew 24:15-16
Malcolm sat up straight in his chair. He couldn’t believe what he was witnessing live on GMN. So many people had confronted the prophets before, and all of them had lost their lives. No one thought that it would be possible to ever get rid of them, and in walked Victor Yoshe and disposed of them without even putting up a fight. Even Benny the Fist wanted nothing to do with them after his initial call out. Malcolm smiled broadly. Simply brilliant!
‘Do you agree that it’s been a while since we had any rains here in Jerusalem?’ Victor asked the crowd.
Malcolm jumped from his seat and rushed towards the door.
‘What’s the matter, dear?’ Mary asked as he was about to leave.
‘Nothing, Love,’ he answered her excitedly and kissed her on the cheek as he left. ‘Just watch GMN for the next few minutes. I can’t talk now; I have to be there.’
Mary watched as he sped off, and took a seat in front of the television. She considered changing the channel to watch a soap opera instead, but decided against it. The handsome face of Victor caught and held her attention as thunder rumbled softly in the distance.
- - -* * *- - -
‘They’re gone!’ Trevor cheered and pulled René out of her chair. ‘They’re gone for good!’ The two of them did a little dance and fell back into the sofa, laughing.
‘I cannot believe it,’ he said while trying to catch his breath. ‘Yoshe made it appear so easy.’
‘Messiah Yoshe,’ René corrected him with a smile.
‘Oh yeah,’ Trevor chuckled. ‘Messiah Yoshe.’
He had been following the agonizing reports about these two men since they first made their appearance around three and a half years ago, and was just as annoyed at them and their plagues as the rest of the world. If the plagues hadn’t spread to South Africa and disrupted the weather and economic conditions, he might have been more lenient towards them.
‘Did you see the facial expression of that second one as he took a nose dive?’ René said between giggles.
‘Yeah,’ Trevor said and chuckled. ‘They should air it on ‘The World’s most Funniest Deaths,’ and pause on his face just before he smacks into the ground.’
The two of them continued to mock and rejoice as Victor made his way up the Temple steps.
- - -* * *- - -
When Malcolm arrived, most of the crowd had scattered to get shelter from the coming rain. The wind carried the moisture of the rain, and instantly filled his nostrils as he got out of his car.
‘What are we going to do with the bodies?’ one of the GMN cameramen asked as he pointed to the two lifeless prophets.
‘Leave them out to rot!’ someone from within the crowd yelled.
‘Yeah,’ someone else confirmed. ‘Let them be an example to those who think that they can defy the Empire!’
Malcolm made his way through the crowd and knelt down beside the two bodies, making sure that they were dead indeed. There was no doubt in his mind when he saw their physical appearances. He stood up and addressed the crowd: ‘It is decided,’ he said with as much authority as he could manage, ‘that they will rot here in the streets as a warning to those who would dare defy the Empire.’
The enthusiastic crowd eagerly agreed.
‘Where’s President Yoshe?’ Malcolm asked a Rabbi running down the Temple steps.
‘Approaching the Holy of Holies,’ the Rabbi answered and pointed toward a television screen that one of the GMN crew members brought from the van.
‘He cannot do that!’ Malcolm said in a frantic state of panic. ‘Holy men have been killed by just walking into that place!’
The Rabbi just shrugged.
‘I hope he knows what he’s doing,’ Malcolm said as the live feed showed Victor entering the Holy of Holies, ‘for his sake, and for the Empire.’
- - -* * *- - -
Victor positioned the live recording camera on top of the Ark of the Covenant. He had to break off one of the golden Cherubim on the lid to make space for the camera. He took three steps back and cleared his throat as he stared into the depths of the camera.
‘Citizens of the Empire,’ he began. ‘Citizens of United Earth; I have decided to put things into perspective for you.’
He waited before continuing: ‘For those who do not have access to televisions or radios, you will receive this message in the same telepathic manner you have on the day that the aliens attacked.’
He waited again, allowing most people across the world to bring their vehicles to a standstill or get comfortable. ‘As most of you know by now,’ he began, ‘the two men in Jerusalem known as ‘The Two Prophets,’ have just been slain on live television. I urge this as a warning to anyone who thinks that they can disrupt the peace that I have established over the past three years.
‘One cannot allow anarchy to run
amok on one hand, while trying to maintain Peace and Safety on the other. It is also the general consensus of everyone here that these men’s bodies rot in the streets as an example of those who wish to continue the works of evil that these two had started.
‘For long have I worked behind the scenes to ensure peace. I was the one who created the European Empire. I was there, guiding international forces in the war against Aliens little more than three years ago. I alone managed to ensure peace between the Jew and the Muslim. I have proven worthy of being the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish Messiah. I am Victor Yoshe; I am Victor Christ.
‘There is no other beside me. All historical leaders were merely foreshadows of the one to come; all of them only a glimmer...of me. Many have tried to establish peace in the Middle East, and all have failed miserably. Many have tried to rebuild the Third Jewish Temple, and failed in that also. World leaders could not accomplish in two hundred years what I have done in only two. Am I gifted? Perhaps. But my real power and strength does not lie in the fact that I am merely gifted; the real power lies in the fact that I am more than just a mere man. I have elevated myself to the position of king, ruling over many kings in the empire. I am the King of kings. The hierarchy of the European Empire is divided into kings and Lords. I am the Lord of lords. I am the one who holds everything together. Many call me President; some call me Christ; but I am so much more. I’m not just a President; not just an Emperor. I am not just the Christ. I am in all. All is in me.
‘I—AM—GOD!’
- - -* * *- - -
There was a ghostly silence among the crowd standing outside the Temple. Everyone stared at the monitor in disbelief, no one dared to make a sound louder than that of breath being inhaled or exhaled.
Malcolm was speechless. He didn’t know what to think, and for a second, thought that he was dreaming.
A violent wind suddenly came up from nowhere and ripped through the crowd, howling and crying as it passed through the people gathered in front of the Temple. It shattered all the windows of each car, truck, and van, and some of the people shrieked while others ran for cover.
Malcolm’s mind was racing with thoughts and questions as he kept his eyes locked on the television set. For the first time since he had seen Victor, did he see him properly. It was as though a veil had been lifted from his eyes, and sudden fear gripped his heart and squeezed it until Malcolm thought his heart would explode.
The television screen exploded, sending up sparks, sizzles, and crackles. More people ran and screamed as the howling of the wind just kept intensifying, growing louder and louder.
Malcolm was no believer in Christian theology, but he had debated with enough Christian missionaries to know that there would one day be a man who posed as the Jewish Messiah who would be known in the Christian circles as Antichrist. Malcolm had never believed the stories, but now somehow—in his heart—he knew it to be true.
‘Here he comes,’ someone within the crowd shouted and pointed to the top of the stairs. Victor stood there for a second, looking down at the confused crowd below; his jacket whipping in the wind like a cape. He started his descent down the stairs, and an overwhelming sense of fear and evil gripped Malcolm. He decided to follow his instinct and, like a few others, ran for his car. He sped off without daring to look back.
- - -* * *- - -
Both Trevor and René jerked when the sudden gust of wind slammed some of the windows shut, shattering one which rained down thousands of little shards of glass on the sidewalk below. More windows at other apartments slammed and shattered.
‘Get the windows in the bathroom!’ Trevor shouted over his shoulder while he struggled to close the slamming windows in the living room, careful that he didn’t get yanked out of the building.
A few minutes later a badly shaken up Trevor and René joined each other to follow the proceedings in Jerusalem. Victor had made his way down the Temple steps and was standing in front of the little crowd that remained.
‘Behold,’ Antonio said and pointed toward Victor. ‘Your God!’
Everyone fell down on their knees and started worshipping and praying to Victor, who closed his eyes and lifted his head skyward. Lightning flashed in the skies above, and he inhaled deeply; then looked right into the live GMN camera: ‘I am God,’ he said, ‘and besides me, there is no other!’
.XII.
Die by the Sword
‘One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound’
- Revelation 13:3, NIV
‘Andrew?’
‘Yeah?’
‘What the Hell just happened?’
‘I’m not sure, Trev,’ Andrew said truthfully. ‘But I have my hunches.’
‘Like?’
‘It’s not something I’d talk about over the telephone. Let’s meet for coffee on Saturday, and then I’ll tell you all about it.’
‘Why don’t you just give me the basic run down?’
‘I’d rather not. It would just confuse you, and that wouldn’t help either of us.’
Trevor paused. ‘Saturday then?’
‘Yeah. I’ll call you closer to the day to make arrangements.’
‘Right. See you then.’
Andrew hung up and shot a prayer request to the Lord, asking Him to open Trevor’s eyes and heart. If this was what Andrew thought it was; things were going to get very bad, very soon.
- - -* * *- - -
‘We have to go,’ Malcolm said frantically. ‘Now!’ he packed some clothes into a few light suitcases.
‘But where will we go?’ Mary asked.
‘I don’t know, my love, but we cannot stay here a minute longer.’
‘I wish...’ Mary said and emotion welled in her voice. ‘I wish that Timothy could be here with us now.’
Malcolm stopped packing and took his wife into his arms and swallowed hard. ‘Me too,’ he said softly. ‘Me too.’
The hug was short-lived as Malcolm continued packing. ‘Get us some canned food, and something to open the cans with; also cutlery, especially sharp knives.’
Mary hurried to the kitchen and filled two boxes with long-life foods and milk. She filled some containers with water and left the boxes on the counter for her husband to collect.
‘All right,’ he said. ‘Are we ready?’
‘No,’ she sobbed. ‘I cannot leave...’
‘We must,’ Malcolm urged. ‘We have no other choice.’
‘Maybe we interpreted it wrong?’ Mary asked, grasping at straws. ‘Maybe it’s not as bad as we think it is.’
‘I wish it were true,’ Malcolm said, ‘but it’s not. We have the knowledge, we have the conviction. It would be suicide to stay.’
‘If only we had listened to Tim,’ Mary said as she helped Malcolm load the car. ‘But how could we have known?’
‘We couldn’t,’ Malcolm said. ‘Not even when Angie tried to warn us.’
‘I...I’m worried.’
Malcolm was worried too, but he had to appear strong for his wife’s sake. He didn’t say anything, but took her in his arms.
They embraced, and then after one last quick scan through the house, got into the car and drove off, leaving behind the fruits of their labour, toward an unforeseen and very dark future.
- - -* * *- - -
Benny the Fist knew from the television feed earlier the day that something bad was going down. He checked the magazines of his pistols to confirm that they were all fully loaded, and that the pistols were set to safety. He had about fifteen guns at his disposal, and enough ammunition to run a small-scale war.
On his way out he stopped at his bookshelf, his eyes frantically searching for one specific book. He found it sandwiched between the Koran and a thick book written by a cult leader in China. He took the Bible and flipped through it before stuffing it into the side pocket of one of his carry bags.
Once everything was packed, he sloshed containers of petrol over everything in the house. He soaked his expensive curtains, dining room table set, sofas
, beds, and carpets. A few minutes later, he was standing with a lit match between his fingers, and exhaled deeply before throwing it on the soaked carpet. The carpet instantly lit with a loud whoosh behind Benny as he hurried towards his car.
That ought to keep N-Force busy for a few days, he thought and sped off without looking back.
- - -* * *- - -
‘Where are all these people going?’ Mary asked as Malcolm brought the car to a halt on the highway. All the cars have caused a huge pileup on the various highways heading out of Jerusalem and a few other Israeli cities.
‘They have all been chosen,’ Malcolm said as he scanned the road ahead. It didn’t look like the cars in front were going to move any time soon, and he wondered how long it would take N-Force to catch on before they closed the borders. He checked his watch. At this pace, it could be hours before they would reach the border. He figured that they had about two hours before N-Force would be upon them.
Mary stared out of the window, looking at the families in the cars next to them. She wondered how many of them also came to the sudden—and unmistakably divine—realization that Victor Yoshe was pure evil, and most importantly of all, that Jesus was in fact the Christ.
‘I miss Angie,’ she said eventually. ‘And I miss our son too.’
Malcolm didn’t know what to say. He had banished Timothy for the very thing that he now believed with his whole heart to be true.
‘Why didn’t HaShem reveal this to us sooner?’ Mary asked. ‘What about all the Jews that have died from the time of Abraham to now? And what about the Jews that He didn’t reveal Himself to today? Are they going to be okay? Are they going to eventually realize who He is?’