The Complete 8-Book Guardians Adventure Saga
Page 110
“I wish I could convince people to read their Bibles and avoid the lies of the evil one.”
“People who do not read the Bible will be deluded by Satan—when he appears in the person of the Antichrist—because they will be seeking a strong world leader.”
“That goes back to what I just said,” I answered. “Sinners don’t want to believe the truth about Jesus and the Biblical End Times prophecy. They actually think if they deny it exists, the truth will go away. But life does not work that way.”
“The Apostle John certainly understood the meaning of the things he recorded in the Book of Revelation concerning End Time Bible prophecy and the Antichrist.”
“So, he would be the most qualified to explain those things to his associates.”
“They should heed his words,” Amanda said.
Amanda gave me a lot of information during our conversation. I wanted to mention it in my article. Once I got started, I wrote for two hours before I stopped.
I read over what I had already written: “In Zechariah 6, the angel told the prophet that the white horses were going west. So, I assume the white horse in Revelation goes west as well. Apostle John had seen the Lamb of God open the seals, and then he heard the heavenly voice shout, ‘Come!’ The bow that John saw in the horseman’s hand will assist him, because he is determined to overpower western nations. That has to be the horseman’s desire, but it did not turn out the way he plans. It is just that as a human, he will not be that powerful. The Antichrist cannot accomplish those things that only God can do.”
I was happy with what I had written. My final blog was almost ready for publication. “While America will merrily talk on their cell phones and play video games,” I wrote, “the Conference on Transatlantic Imbalance will be hard at work balancing nations political and social ties. They were first formed in May, 1967, obviously with a hope of connecting the nations across the Atlantic Ocean, forming one-world government.”
I wanted to mention the Club of Rome, which had developed a plan to divide the world into ten regions or kingdoms.
It could be a fulfillment of Daniel 7:23-25. Daniel had said that a fourth beast at the end of time was a fourth kingdom that would appear on earth. It would be different from all the other kingdoms and would devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. He then said that he saw ten horns in his vision, and they were ten kings who would come from this kingdom. That was what the Club of Rome wanted.
I turned to Amanda and asked, “What do you know about the Club of Rome?”
She said, “I know that in 1976, the United States Association of the Club of Rome, called USACOR, was formed for the purpose of shutting down the U.S. economy gradually to get ready for a one-world government.”
“Who said that?”
“John Coleman.”
“I don’t know who that is.”
“Dr. John Coleman is a historian in the intelligence community. He researched in full scope the sinister forces behind the New World Order movement. His findings include secret societies which form global movements and how they came into existence.”
“Really?” I was stunned.
“I was shocked when I first found it.”
“Did you find it on the Internet?”
“Yes,” she said. “I saw it once while doing research on a project for Walker about the Antichrist.”
“Did you read the Book of Daniel for that report?”
“Some of it,” she said. “Daniel saw ten horns in his vision, who will be ten rulers from end times’ countries. From among them, a head of state will originate, different from the others. He will be powerful and suppress three executives. He will speak against the Most High and torment the saints of the Lord and try to change holidays and laws. Tribulation saints will be persecuted by him for three and a half years.”
“That sounds scary enough,” I said, opening my Bible to Daniel. “Where is that?”
“The ten horns are in Daniel 7:23-25, and the ten rulers are in Revelation 17:12.”
“It shows the end of mankind, doesn’t it?”
“It will be the end of the world as we know it,” Amanda said. “The visions of Daniel and John are of the last form of the gentile world power. It will be a confederation of ten monarchs—an empire that covers the whole earth.”
I shook my head. It was a little much for me. I was glad that my first assignment as a prophetess was just the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
“Amanda?” I said.
“Yes, Martha?”
“I want to tell you a thought that I find interesting, in regard to the Six-Day War that Israel won in June, 1967.”
“Speak,” she said.
“The Jews did not attack their neighbors. They were attacked. Yet, they won the war.”
“That is because they are God’s chosen people.”
“The surrounding nations had plans to destroy Israel at that time, and assaulted them. But God was there to fight for them and protect them, and thus, they won the war.”
“A good reason to be kind to the Israelites, wouldn’t you say?” she asked.
“Yes, but you know what I think is funny?”
“What?”
“The Muslims forgot. Now, they want Israel to just give the land back that Israel appropriated, fair and square.”
Amanda shook her head. “How strangely you speak!” she said and we both laughed. It was the closest she had come to making a joke about her own sometimes archaic speech by making fun of my modern colloquialisms.
It was enough to write for now. I took time to read over what I had written before quitting for the day. I decided not to tell all that the Bible said about the tribulation in this article. Rather than get bogged down with the complications that could result from getting too technical or theological with this study, I would keep it simple. There would be another assignment at another time.
“I’ll be using the horses in Zechariah in my report,” I told Amanda.
“That is a good idea. What do you have in mind?”
“The prophet Zechariah was given visions and dreams for both the First Coming and the Second Coming of Christ. So, I know he was up to something. I want to take a closer look at his night vision of the man on the red horse standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. He did not understand his vision, so he inquired of the angel.”
“And then?” she asked.
“There were red, brown and white horses among the trees as well. The angel talking with him showed him what they were, but it was a mystery to me. Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, ‘They are the ones the Lord has sent to go throughout the earth.’”
“That does not tell the whole story,” Amanda said.
“I know, I am just giving it my best shot,” I said. “Wanna watch some TV for a while?”
“What is that?” Amanda said.
I gave her a long look. “TV is television.”
“I knew that,” Amanda said, and again, I wondered if she was angel or prophetess, or both.
We took a break, going into the house for a bottle of water. And then to the den.
As I sat down, I thought about Zechariah. So, that was all he knew. He had seen what were usually unseen—border patrol, as we would call them in our modern age.
I thought they had always gone out through the earth on patrol. But their mission would soon change. When it does, you will hear the clip-pity-clop of the horses’ hooves with the ears of your soul, I thought. First, they will be a distant sound. And then, come closer. They will come:
Galloping, galloping, galloping.
Chapter Thirty-five
The next day, Amanda and I ate oatmeal for breakfast.
It seemed like such a normal thing, even though life as we knew it on earth was changing by leaps and bounds, according to the news I checked each morning on the Internet. The events were falling into place, now, more than ever, with each day bringing the horses closer and closer. Earthquakes, famines, wars,
and men seizing power…the events of the end times were all there in the news.
It wasn’t long until I was out in my patio again. I needed to put the finishing touches on my article. And the arbor out back was a pleasant place to go. There were always little birds chirping. The outdoor breeze was much more refreshing than the stale air indoors.
I was drawing my own conclusions about our end times, but I needed help. I called for Amanda to come sit with me.
I heard her come down the stairs.
“Good morrow, Martha. How do you fare?”
“I read myself to sleep last night.”
“What interested you that much?”
“World conditions.” I ran my hand across my face and watched for her expression. “I have some questions to ask of you.”
She laughed. “I knew you would. Give me two hours to work on my assignment, and then I shall help you,” she said.
We both worked diligently until noon.
After lunch, we went to the bench in the garden to converse. “What is it that you are concerned about?” she asked.
“I think the horses are already cleansing the land.”
“How so?”
“Third World countries are being targeted for deterioration at this time. It feels like the pale green horse has arrived.”
“I understand,” she said. “People of hate are doing their own cleansing of the ones they do not want on earth by killing them.”
“It is more than that,” I said. “There is a great food shortage around the world.”
“How bad is it now?”
“There is a possibility that the growing food crisis could be worse than the one that struck the country of Niger in 2005 when tens of thousands of children were treated for malnutrition.”
“Tens of thousands?”
“Yes,” I said. “I read an interview with an African. He said his family suffered so much and were so hungry. The 45-year-old tribesman with a family of 20 to feed told a horror story of having no water. They struggled to find water. They were finally able to draw water from private wells provided by missionaries.”
“Children suffer terribly while trying to survive on that godforsaken burnt-orange haze of sandstones.”
“Have you heard about the humanitarian director, Jane Cocking?” asked Amanda.
“No. Not yet. What did she do?”
“She tells about Third World countries that are so poor that people are lucky to eat one meal a day. There is great want in the land for food.”
“That is horrible.”
“Although it does not mean that everyone will be starving and dying in the streets—”
“I realize that.”
“Cocking said that millions have only one meal every two days,” said Amanda.
“And it would be of very low nutritional value,” I added. “I read about Niger, where there was complete failure of crops. More of that could mean that the horseman that rides the pale, sickly horse is here,” I said.
“Do you feel the end is nigh, if not here?” Amanda asked.
“Yes,” I said. “The pale green horse is a picture where people work all day to get one small loaf of bread. Not fun.”
“Jesus said that the gospel of the kingdom would be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. We need to pray for the Gospel to go forth.”
I nodded, agreeing. “There are several radio and television stations taking the Gospel into the entire world right now.”
“But still, many have not heard.”
“Computers help.”
“Well, I’d better get my article out there for the world to read.” I also had my own secret plan that I would not reveal to either Amanda or Walker. It was between me and God because I was still working out the details.
“What are you writing today?” she asked.
“I am putting Scriptures, mixed with present-day news, into my blog,” I said. “I want to show people the reality of it all. Let me read some of it to you: ‘The Apostle John called the Evil One in the Book of Revelation a Beast. He also referred to the false prophet as a beast.’”
Nodding in agreement, Amanda opened her Bible. “John said, ‘I saw another beast coming up out of the earth.”
“Will you read that to me?” I asked.
“Yes, ‘The beast had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. And he performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men.’”
“Where is that found?” I asked, opening my Bible.
“That is in Revelation 13:11–14—in the NASB.” Amanda continued reading, “And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.”
“I am thinking,” I said. “That at this time, health problems are rising. Germs are spreading.”
“What are you referring to?”
“When I Googled the word tribulation, I found a WHO GBD project that studies population health issues. They are real bad. It made me think of the pale green horse releasing death onto the world. Scientists must sense that something bad is coming.”
“Like what?”
“Basically, the problem is that the population has been growing faster than our usable energy worldwide. The world population has actually moved away from reaching a stable sense of balance.”
“This is disturbing,” she said. “What will happen with that?”
“I will just say that if God did not have a plan to release the horses, there would not be an ample supply of energy for the earth.”
She shook her head. “Missions like the ones in the Middle East need to change.” I could see she was stumped.
“Let us look at it in small pieces. What do you know about NATO?” I asked. “Should I include it.”
“No. They are no threat right now,” Amanda said. “The reason NATO endured for decades was that it stayed involved in wars, and the need for its existence became accepted.”
“I’ll tell you my concern,” Amanda said. “Sooner or later, unrest and wars always find their way to Israel’s doorstep.”
I agreed. “The cards are stacked against Israel. They’ll be blamed again for something they did not do. It is Satanic.”
Amanda shifted in her seat. “My heart breaks that much of the world hates God’s chosen people.”
“Israel is our friend, our ally,” I said. “Our friends need us. America must stand firmly in their corner.”
“Jews are God’s elect, His chosen!” Amanda agreed. “Bible prophecy makes it clear that the nations around Israel will try to destroy them.”
“But they don’t care about what God wants, do they?” I said.
“No. War is coming soon. It will be fierce, such as the world has never seen,” said Amanda. “Jesus said, regarding End Time events, that if those days are not cut short, no one will survive. But, praise God, for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.”
“Are the elect Israelis or Gentiles?”
“They are believers in both camps.”
“Will the war be after the Rapture?”
“I believe so,” she said, shifting her position, as if uncomfortable to discuss the order of events with me. “At that time, if anyone says they see the Messiah, either here or there, one should not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect—including the Beast.”
I shuddered.
Amanda continued, “Jesus told his disciples ahead of time that as lightning comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man
in heaven. They’ll see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
“So Jesus will be Lord of all after the tribulation.”
“Yes. Right now there is a one-sided condemnation of Israel. The Muslims condemn Israel for violations of human rights and breaches of international humanitarian laws. A report was produced that criticized both Hezbollah and Israel. The Muslim members of the Council rejected it. After those votes, the Council had become so embarrassing that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned that the Council might be discredited.”
“You are diligent in your search for truth,” Amanda said.
“I’m trying to do my homework,” I said. “For a time, the Council focused on the Arab-Israeli conflict, holding special sessions to condemn alleged violations by the Jewish state.”
“There are surely other situations, besides the one in the Middle East, which would merit further study.”
“True,” she said. “Two years in a row, the United States chose to not seek a seat on the Council because of its anti-Israeli bias and failure to scrutinize countries such as Cuba, Myanmar and North Korea. The United States will continue to have only an observer role.” She paused. “That is good.”
“It is evil,” I said. “In May 2008, Richard Falk became the UN’s monitor of human rights violations by Israel in the Palestinian territories. He was biased against Israel, saying they treated the Palestinians like the Nazis’ treated the Jews during the Holocaust.”
“The enemies of Israel do not know they are being used of Satan to attack God’s purpose on earth,” Amanda said.
I replied, “In March 2010, the council passed resolutions condemning Israel and calling on Israel to compensate Palestinians in Gaza for damage and loss. The United States opposed the resolutions.” I paused. “They are the chosen people.”
Amanda said, “So, it is not a matter of deserving it or not. God decides what will come to pass for Israel,” I said.
“Verily! Jesus told us how such doings would come,” said Amanda, nodding. “There are two sides to all of life: God’s side and the devil’s side. The coming evil powers are from Satan, whether they know it or not. Jesus said, ‘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. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak.’ Jesus said, “For then, there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.’”