“Aliens”
in Revelation
This book covers Revelation 8:–13:
The premise of this book is that aliens are evil spirits, the fallen angels of the Devil.
PREFACE
in Revelation
This book covers Revelation 8:–13:
The premise of this book is that aliens are evil spirits, the fallen angels of the Devil.
PREFACE
God created animals, man, and angels, but no little green men from Mars. But both the angels of God (elect angels) and the angels of the Devil (evil spirits), with their superior abilities, if they had not been named angels and evil spirits in the Bible, would be thought of as “aliens.” And there are reasons why people living in the future tribulation will believe angels are aliens, a deception that would work to the Devil’s advantage.
Ancient writers from different countries wrote about beings visiting them from the skies, who were superhuman. Some were called “gods,” “watchers,” or “angels.” I do, however, believe that angels in the Bible are exactly what the Bible says they are—not that the word angel is a code word for alien or that the prophets of the Bible lacked the vocabulary to describe aliens. Again, I am only saying that if God had not given us their name, angel, then people would naturally think they were “ancient aliens.”
This book is written with complete reliance on the Bible, and the outline for my story will come from the book of Revelation. Before my story I will need to give certain foundational truths about angels and explain the differences between God’s angels and those of the Devil. For those who believe in “Chariots of the gods,” or are troubled by unexplained mysteries of the ancients, please see, Ancient Aliens Debunked, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9w-i5oZqaQ
Real Plagues
All the plagues of Revelation will be fulfilled literally, as the plagues of Moses were upon Egypt. There are those who interpret Revelation and the events of the great tribulation as something that has already happened during the first century, or they believe the book of Revelation is to be fit in during the church age. But when the book of Revelation says that one-fourth of the people of the earth will die from one plague, has that happened yet? (Revelation 6:8). Or that one-third of the remaining people on earth will die from another plague? (Revelation 9:15–18)? I could go on, but the point is, none of these things have ever happened; they will, but not yet. And it should be made clear that these plagues are for the entire world, not local plagues that will fall only on Israel. “Unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6). “Of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues” (Revelation 7:9; see also 11:9, 18, 12:5, 13:7, 16:19, 17:15, and many other verses).
Alien Abduction
There are good Christians who differ on when the events of the end times will occur. I believe the rapture, when Christians are taken out of the world, is before the tribulation. The tribulation will be seven years in length, and the last half will be called the “great tribulation.” And when the rapture takes place, it will produce mass pandemonium. (1 Thessalonians 4:17. For more detailed information on the rapture and tribulation see, http://www.thelaymansbiblicalhandbook.com/end-times.html).
How will the Antichrist explain the rapture? He most likely will say we were taken by aliens, and thus this book, “Aliens” in Revelation. How else could it be explained? The Antichrist is certainly not going to say, “I guess the Bible was right all along.” It will in fact be easy for those living in that time to say it was not the rapture, as they will just point to all the churches that still have some or most of their congregations as before the rapture. Perhaps some congregations will not change at all, as most churches could not tell you how to be saved or even use the word “saved” in their services. Christ, when speaking of how many will be saved, said, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13–14).
We each need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and this comes when we no longer trust our good works (Ephesians 2:8–9) but put complete trust in Jesus Christ alone, and we ask Him to save our souls from the penalty of our sins. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). My point is that even though many claim the name “Christian,” still “few” are saved! And churches are not raptured, but Christians are. But the world thinks that anyone who goes to a church is a Christian and therefore should be raptured. So it would be easy for those living during the tribulation to say, “Look, most of the ‘Christians’ are still here, so it was not the rapture.”
However, though few are saved compared to the billions on this earth, still millions will be missing all over the world, and I know of no way to explain this from a lost man’s perspective, other than for them to say, “Alien abductions must be for real!” Perhaps the Antichrist will tell people that those who were raptured were aliens themselves, living among us and spying on us to learn our weaknesses.
It works to an enemy’s advantage (in this case the Antichrist and devils) if one does not know he has an enemy. If devils are called “aliens,” then the world does not think of Jesus Christ, and the term “aliens” can also cause doubts about Christ and the Bible. For the thought will be, “Why did not the Bible warn us about these invading Aliens?” Well, the Bible did! But under a different name, “evil spirits” or “devils.” And because the rapture will be worldwide in scope, Christians missing from every country in the world, it would also lend itself for uniting the world, something the Antichrist wants, as he will seek to rule the world. Also, because of the problems of evolution, the idea is being put forth that a meteorite from Mars hit earth and started life here. So the idea of life from outside the earth not only has a following, even among some scientists, but would be welcomed, with aliens being received as our predecessors.
Angels
Devils, angels, and God can all see each other as well as the physical world. “And Elisha prayed, and said, lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (2 Kings 6:16–17).
The word angel in the Bible means “messenger” (Strong’s Concordance), and they are mentioned almost 300 times* in the Bible, more than the great patriarch Abraham. My point is they are well attested to in the Bible and not something rare. *(This is not counting the names “Angel of the lord,” “cherubims,” “watchers,” “seraphims,” or “archangel.”) What follows are the abilities of angels and evil spirits, some of which are surprising.
Elect Angels
(1) Angels are spirit beings: “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14. See also verses 7 and 13--“they” in context were “angels,” verse 13. See also Psalm 104:4).
(2) Though angels usually remain invisible, they can materialize and be seen: “And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.” (Luke 22:43. See also Judges 6:12; 13:3; Luke 1:11, and many other verses.) Their appearance may be with or without wings (discussed later), and their countenance and clothes are sometimes very different from man. “And his face as the appearance of lightning” (Dan 10: 6). “Behold, two men stood by them in shining garments” (Luke 24:4).
(3) Angels can speak and be understood by man: “Then the angels hastened Lot, saying….” (Genesis 19:15. See also Acts 8:26 and many other verses).
(4) Angels have more power than man: “Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might…” (2 Peter 2:11). Certain angels have much more power than man: “I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power” (Revelation 18:1, 21. See also Psalm 103:20. The plagues of Revelation are released by angels).
(5) There is a hierarchy of angels: “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places…” (Ephesians 3:10).
(6) Certain ranks of angels (“cherubims”) have wings (I Kings 8:6–7), and some have multiple wings: “Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings” (Isaiah 6:2). Angels can also appear without wings and mingle with people without them knowing about it: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2).
(7) Their number is more than one could count: “But ye are come…to an innumerable company of angels” (Hebrews 12:22. See also and Revelation 5:11).
(8) They can eat (Psalm 78:25; Genesis 18:1–2, 8) and can exert physical strength (Acts 5:19; 12:7, 23), “touch” (I Kings 19:5–7), “smite” (Acts 12:7) and “kill” (Isaiah 37:36; Acts 12:23).
(9) Christ has a whole army of them, and they will be with Him when He returns in His glory: “He cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38). “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53).
(10) We are not to worship angels: “Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels” (Colossians 2:18. See also Revelation 22:8–9).
(11) Angels observe what is happening here on the earth: “For we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men” (1 Corinthians 4:9). One of the names that the Chaldeans used to describe them was “watchers” (Daniel 4:13, 17, 23). Believers, both adults and children, have angels watching over them (Hebrews 1:13–14 and Matthew 18:10).
(12) Angels can cause visions (Daniel 10:5–8 and other passages).
(13) Angels are interested in the salvation* of humans: “The gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into” (1 Peter 1:12. “The gospel…by which also ye are saved” is the death of Christ for our sins, His burial, and His bodily resurrection [1 Corinthians 15:1–3]). When a believer dies, the angels take his soul to heaven: “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels” (Luke 16:22).
(*Part of the reason “angels desire to look into” salvation is because they and the Devil’s angels cannot experience it. Christ died for Adam’s race, but angels are not a race and have no family relations. Each was individually created; there are no sister, brother, mother, or father angels in the Bible. The Elect Angels never fell in sin and have no need of salvation, whereas the Devil’s angels have their fate sealed.)
The Devil’s Angels
The power of the Devil and his evil spirits, though impressive, is still limited by the will of God. (Job 1:10–12; 2:4–6; Jude 1:9; and Mark 5:1–13). However, in the tribulation, things will be much worse, with more devils (explained later). According to testimonies of some alien encounters, the behavior of aliens matches the behavior of devils in the Bible. Both the angels of God and the angels of Satan fit the definition of extraterrestrial: “originating, located, or occurring outside earth or its atmosphere” (Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, online edition).
(1) These are under the control of Satan (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:7). There is also a hierarchy among the Devil’s angels (Ephesians 6:12).
(2) The Devil’s angels (evil spirits) can possess lost people* (Acts 16:16). More than one evil spirit can possess a lost man or women at a time, as was Mary Magdalene, who was possessed by seven before Jesus healed her (Luke 8:2), or the man in Mark 5:1–20, whose devils called themselves “Legion: for we are many.” Apparently, the more there are in a person, the more strength that can be exerted through that person: “No man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces” (Mark 5:4). Devils can also possess animals (Matthew 8:31). It should be kept in mind that even in Jesus’s day, only a few people were possessed by evil spirits, but that will not be so in the tribulation!
(*Christians’ bodies are the “temple of God” and cannot be possessed by evil spirits: “Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). This would be another difference between God’s angels and Satan’s, for only evil spirits are known in scripture to possesses people, but not God's angels, for Christians already have the Holy Spirit. And though rare, the Holy Spirit could cause a Christian to do supernatural feats, as Samson killing a thousand Philistines with a bone (Judges 15:14–17), or the “two witnesses” of Revelation that will breathe out “fire” and turn water to “blood” and smite the earth with many “plagues” (Revelation 11:3–6 and Zechariah 4:4–6).
(3) Evil spirits can propagate false doctrines: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1. See also Galatians 1:8). The Devil quoted scripture to Jesus, but he misapplied the passage (Mathew 4:6–7). The knowledge that evil spirits have of the Bible is incomplete and skewed. Devils most likely glean their knowledge of future events from the writings of the lost, as the Word of God is called “the sword of the Spirit” and would “cut” evil spirits. The Devil stopped his temptation of Christ after He quoted scriptures three times in a row (Ephesians 6:17).
(4) Devils know there is a time coming when they will be tormented (Matthew 8:29).
(5) The appearances of devils vary. Some devils roam the earth, apparently as invisible spirits (Matthew 12:43–45). But the demonic creatures of Revelation 9:1–11 are both visible and frightful in appearance. God originally made the angels of the Devil to be holy angels, and because the angels of God are spirits, yet they can still appear as humans (Hebrews 13:2), it is logical that the angels of the Devil could do the same. (This is different from what takes place in Genesis 6:1–5, discussed farther down in this preface.) There are the “three unclean spirits like frogs” of Revelation 16:13. But one will need a good “imagination,” plus a stretched-out gray-belly frog, to see similarities with the traditional “gray aliens” with oversized heads and large eyes. The traditional picture of Satan with horns, pitchfork, tail, and wearing red pajamas is not how the Bible describes him. “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). The only safe thing to say is that devils appear in different forms. In the story that follows, there are a couple of times I present devils like the traditional gray alien, as this is what people normally think of when speaking about “aliens,” but not because they are depicted this way in the Bible.
The Hundred and Forty-Four Thousand
They are found in Revelation 7:2–8 and 14:1–5, and are all Jews, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. God will use them to win a multitude of people to Himself and explain to the world what is happening during the tribulation. They will be referred to in this book as the “servants of God,” “evangelists,” or the “hundred and forty-four thousand.”
The Tribulation Will Be a Time of Great Deception
God warns Christians in advance so that when the deception comes, believers will not be deceived or have doubts, but instead have their faith strengthened (John 14:29). And it is staggering how many times the Bible describes the coming tribulation as a time of deception. I have studied the Bible for four decades, and there are very few things in the Bible that have so much support. And these are given as a warning, not to those who live now but to those who will be alive during the seven-year tribulation. And this was the reason for this book, to warn those living in the tribulation that a deliberate attempt will be made to deceive them by the master of deception, the “Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). “Ye are of your father the devil…When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before” (Matthew 24:24–25). How will one know if something is of God or a deception of the Devil? “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31–32). Truth will make you free from false doctrine, lies, fear, superstition, and deception.
Unfortunately, it seems the only time that most people will “look up” is when they get knocked down, and the whole world will be knocked down in the great tribulation, and many will be saved. This will lead to the single biggest harvest of souls of all time, possibly of all history put together (Revelation 7:9–14). But the Devil will also be going after the souls of men and women during the tribulation, and Satan’s deceptions will play a key role in trying to keep people away from the truth of God’s Word.
(1) When Christ was asked “what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” the very first sign He gave was, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:3–5).
(2) “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do” (Revelation 13:14).
(3) “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:9–11).
(4) “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them” (Revelation 19:20 and 20:10).
(5) During the “last days perilous times shall come…But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:1, 13).
(6) “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith…speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:1–2).
Unparalleled Demonic Activity on Earth
Not only will there be more sin and deception during the tribulation (Matthew 24:12), but more devils will be released. The scripture tells us that during the tribulation men will “worship devils” (Revelation 9:20). Revelation 9 tells us that certain devils that were locked up (verses 1–3, 11) will be released during the tribulation. There are also the “three unclean spirits” that will be released to entice the world to fight at the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:13–14). Revelation 12:9 says the Devil, “was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” This will unleash a very large number of Satan’s angels. The silver lining to all this is that it will also be a time of unparalleled activity of God’s angels on earth, with direct and visible intervention (Revelation 8:13; 14:6; 14:8–10).
Will the Antichrist tell everyone that they need to listen to God’s angels, who will be visibly proclaiming the gospel? Obviously he won’t, so what will be his response? The Antichrist will most likely say, “These are the ‘bad guys.’ They are the same ones who have been plaguing our planet and have caused all these terrible judgments. If this God was really a God of love, why would He do this to us?” It follows that Satan’s angels will pretend to be “good ETs” and say that God’s angels are “bad ETs.”
Could Devils Live on Other Planets?
I am not an expert on demonology, nor do I wish to be, but I offer here a few thoughts and verses that lend themselves to this topic. From Scriptures we know that some of Satan’s angels are locked up, some roam the earth, and some are not on the planet. The Devil (Satan) can only be in one place at a time. For example, he will be locked up for a 1,000 years in the bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1–3). He is not omnipresent, as the Trinity (Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, and God the Father, John 14:17, 23). The Devil came originally from heaven (Isaiah 14:12), as he was created by God. The Devil and his angles still have at least partial access to heaven (Revelation 12:7–9), since the Devil can still go to heaven and earth, why not to other worlds?
There is an interesting verse in the Bible that tells us God’s purpose for creating the earth: “God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited” (Isaiah 45:18). If earth was created with the purpose to be “inhabited,” then what were the other planets made for? Are we to believe they were made in “vain”? In the Bible, the other planets may be expressed by the terms “worlds” (Hebrew 1:2, 11:3), “wandering stars” (Jude 1:13), or “planets” (2 Kings 23:5). And as the conditions of our earth have changed, not only because of the fall of man but during the flood of Noah, so the conditions of the other planets may have been different in the past. However, Satan’s angels, being spirits and not flesh as man, could live in the harsh conditions of the other planets, such as extreme cold or heat. Some have speculated that the asteroid belt which was once a planet, was destroyed by God after the fall of the Devil, as God cursed the earth after the fall of man.
We know from the Bible that what the ancients called gods were really devils (1 Corinthians 10:20). The Devil will receive worship through the Antichrist, but the name he will be known by during the tribulation may not be one of his common Bible names, but the “god of forces.” Daniel 11:37–39 is attributed to the Antichrist and says, “Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honour the god of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory:” For a “strange” god, Strong’s Concordance, gives “foreign or alien.” Most Bible commentaries believe the “god of forces” to be the god Mars, which was the “god of war.” The planet Mars was named after this mythological god, and for this reason I chose the planet Mars for this book, though any of the planets would have been suitable. And all the planets are named after the mythical gods of the Romans, all except Earth.
“And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter: and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.” (Acts 14:11-18) The ancients believed that the five planets they could see, such as “Jupiter” and “Mercurius” (Mercury), were the home of these “gods”.
Mixing of Man and Angelic Genes
“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And god saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:1–5).
In the New Testament, the term "sons of God” refers to Christians, but in the Old Testament it refers to angels. This term is found twice in the above passage and only three more times in the Hebrew Scriptures, all in the book of Job (Job1:6; 2:1; 38:7), where it refers to angels. Consequently the “sons of God” in this Genesis 6 passage are the Devil’s angels. I will avoid giving the beliefs of the ancient writers in this book, but anyone can look online at the writings of the ancients, both Jewish and the early Christian church, and most all of them up to the third century believed these “sons of God” were the Devil’s angels. Including the Books of Enoch (300 BC), chapter 6:2; Targum of Jonathan (time of Ezra), section I, VI; Book of Jubilees (from the Dead Sea Scrolls) chapter 4:22 and 5:1; Josephus (first century) Antiquities 3:1; and others—all have the “sons of God” in Genesis 6:1–5 as fallen angels.
Some have cited, “For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven” (Mark 12:25). Yes, it is true that God’s angels do not marry “in heaven,” but the Devil’s angels on earth could. Those who believe the “sons of God” are a godly line of the human race could not explain how such a union with the “daughters of men” could produce “giants” or “men of renown.” These “men of renown” in Genesis 6:1-5 are believed to be the gods of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology.
The Devil has known about his doom ever since Genesis 3:15, where God said an offspring of Eve would defeat him: “Her seed; it shall bruise thy head.” It is theorized that the Devil encouraged his angels to defile the human race, and such a union would produce offspring that could not be saved, as they would be a new race, not solely from Adam’s line, which Christ died for.
Not only can angels materialize, but more than this, some of the Devil’s angels had their own physical bodies, those who “came in unto the daughters of men.” However, the angels of Satan that gave up their spiritual bodies for physical ones paid a price for this: “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (Jude 1:6). “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment” (2 Peter 2:4). The word “habitation” in the original Greek means “a dwelling place, habitation, of the body as a dwelling place for the spirit” (Strong’s Concordance). This particular Greek word is only used two times in the Bible, once in the above verse, and the other time in 2 Corinthians 5:1–2: “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven.” There are two houses in this passage. The first one is the “earthly house,” our physical bodies, and the second one is our “house which is from heaven”—this is a spiritual body that angels have and that the saved have in heaven while awaiting the resurrection. It is this second “house,” the spiritual body, that is the same word translated “habitation” in Jude 1:6. The Devil’s angels who “left their own habitation” gave up their spiritual “house” to have a physical body so as to have intercourse with the “daughters of men.” After they died in the flood of Noah, God took their spirits and locked them up.
Animals with the Genes of Evil Spirits
There are ancient depictions of animals with human heads, and half the “gods” of Egypt had human bodies with animal heads, and in the Bible we find the “two lionlike men of Moab” (2 Samuel 23:20). Where is all this coming from? Who made the strange demonic and composite creatures in Revelation 9:1–11? Would God have created such hideous creatures, or did those in the bottomless pit do this? Revelation 9:17–19 also has strange creatures: “The heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke.” But these do not come out of the bottomless pit, but from the East (Revelation 9:14 coupled with 16:12). These creatures do not exist today, nor can they be found anywhere in recorded history, so where would man get the knowledge to make such a hybrid creature? The Devil has far more knowledge than man, and any sort of cloning man could produce would be child’s play compared to what the Devil could teach him. As brought out before, angels are not related. Each one is a separate creation—they do not multiply among themselves. And the Devil’s angels are only one-third the number of God’s angels (Revelation 12:4, 9). Some suggest the Devil wants to strengthen his numbers by creating these armies of composite creatures.
The Great Puzzle
Revelation teaches that the entire world will worship the Antichrist (Revelation 13:3–8). It is assumed that this will be led by some form of apostate Christian religion, but how will Muslims (over 1.5 billion) accept the Antichrist and any form of Christianity? The USA is not directly mentioned in the Bible; most believe it is either destroyed or loses its power, to presumably the European community, and so will not be mentioned in this story.* The Antichrist is believed to rule from Europe, so sooner or later the political power of the USA will shift to Europe.**
Consider what Islam’s power would be with (1) No powerful USA. (2) No Russia, believed to be Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38 and 39—which will be destroyed on the mountains of Israel. (3) No real Christians at the beginning of the tribulation, as they would have all been raptured. Who is going to fill the void? And how will Islam, the second largest religion in the world (possibly the largest then), play out its role in the tribulation? “Christianity” and the Islamic religion will still exist in the end times, and yet there will be a one-world religion. How can this be reconciled? The story line of this book gives both a surprising and yet plausible explanation. (*It is my prayer that America will continue to at least the rapture, but many countries have come and gone since Christ walked the earth with His apostles. **When this book talks about the “European leader,” it is not suggesting any of the present leaders of Europe.)
My Understanding
I will be quoting a number of Scriptures, but the sequence of some of the events in Revelation, and my interpretation of them, is certainly not infallible, and the story line is my understanding of how it may occur. Also, for the name Satan, I will be using Devil with a capital D to distinguish him from a devil (evil spirit). This book will use the name saint as it is found in the Bible. Because of the numerous references to “saints” (over 60) in the New Testament and how the word is used, it can be seen that all Christians were called saints. “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:” (Romans 1:7) “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints….” (I Corinthians 1:2) Notice that these saints were still alive. Not as some churches which make the decision who was a saint many years after his or her death. And it is God who makes men and women saints, not a committee.
All verses are from the King James Bible. All italics and underlining were added by the author. For the meaning of the original words in both the Hebrew and Greek, Strong’s Concordance was used, hereafter labeled “Strong’s.”
Ancient writers from different countries wrote about beings visiting them from the skies, who were superhuman. Some were called “gods,” “watchers,” or “angels.” I do, however, believe that angels in the Bible are exactly what the Bible says they are—not that the word angel is a code word for alien or that the prophets of the Bible lacked the vocabulary to describe aliens. Again, I am only saying that if God had not given us their name, angel, then people would naturally think they were “ancient aliens.”
This book is written with complete reliance on the Bible, and the outline for my story will come from the book of Revelation. Before my story I will need to give certain foundational truths about angels and explain the differences between God’s angels and those of the Devil. For those who believe in “Chariots of the gods,” or are troubled by unexplained mysteries of the ancients, please see, Ancient Aliens Debunked, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9w-i5oZqaQ
Real Plagues
All the plagues of Revelation will be fulfilled literally, as the plagues of Moses were upon Egypt. There are those who interpret Revelation and the events of the great tribulation as something that has already happened during the first century, or they believe the book of Revelation is to be fit in during the church age. But when the book of Revelation says that one-fourth of the people of the earth will die from one plague, has that happened yet? (Revelation 6:8). Or that one-third of the remaining people on earth will die from another plague? (Revelation 9:15–18)? I could go on, but the point is, none of these things have ever happened; they will, but not yet. And it should be made clear that these plagues are for the entire world, not local plagues that will fall only on Israel. “Unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6). “Of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues” (Revelation 7:9; see also 11:9, 18, 12:5, 13:7, 16:19, 17:15, and many other verses).
Alien Abduction
There are good Christians who differ on when the events of the end times will occur. I believe the rapture, when Christians are taken out of the world, is before the tribulation. The tribulation will be seven years in length, and the last half will be called the “great tribulation.” And when the rapture takes place, it will produce mass pandemonium. (1 Thessalonians 4:17. For more detailed information on the rapture and tribulation see, http://www.thelaymansbiblicalhandbook.com/end-times.html).
How will the Antichrist explain the rapture? He most likely will say we were taken by aliens, and thus this book, “Aliens” in Revelation. How else could it be explained? The Antichrist is certainly not going to say, “I guess the Bible was right all along.” It will in fact be easy for those living in that time to say it was not the rapture, as they will just point to all the churches that still have some or most of their congregations as before the rapture. Perhaps some congregations will not change at all, as most churches could not tell you how to be saved or even use the word “saved” in their services. Christ, when speaking of how many will be saved, said, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13–14).
We each need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and this comes when we no longer trust our good works (Ephesians 2:8–9) but put complete trust in Jesus Christ alone, and we ask Him to save our souls from the penalty of our sins. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). My point is that even though many claim the name “Christian,” still “few” are saved! And churches are not raptured, but Christians are. But the world thinks that anyone who goes to a church is a Christian and therefore should be raptured. So it would be easy for those living during the tribulation to say, “Look, most of the ‘Christians’ are still here, so it was not the rapture.”
However, though few are saved compared to the billions on this earth, still millions will be missing all over the world, and I know of no way to explain this from a lost man’s perspective, other than for them to say, “Alien abductions must be for real!” Perhaps the Antichrist will tell people that those who were raptured were aliens themselves, living among us and spying on us to learn our weaknesses.
It works to an enemy’s advantage (in this case the Antichrist and devils) if one does not know he has an enemy. If devils are called “aliens,” then the world does not think of Jesus Christ, and the term “aliens” can also cause doubts about Christ and the Bible. For the thought will be, “Why did not the Bible warn us about these invading Aliens?” Well, the Bible did! But under a different name, “evil spirits” or “devils.” And because the rapture will be worldwide in scope, Christians missing from every country in the world, it would also lend itself for uniting the world, something the Antichrist wants, as he will seek to rule the world. Also, because of the problems of evolution, the idea is being put forth that a meteorite from Mars hit earth and started life here. So the idea of life from outside the earth not only has a following, even among some scientists, but would be welcomed, with aliens being received as our predecessors.
Angels
Devils, angels, and God can all see each other as well as the physical world. “And Elisha prayed, and said, lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (2 Kings 6:16–17).
The word angel in the Bible means “messenger” (Strong’s Concordance), and they are mentioned almost 300 times* in the Bible, more than the great patriarch Abraham. My point is they are well attested to in the Bible and not something rare. *(This is not counting the names “Angel of the lord,” “cherubims,” “watchers,” “seraphims,” or “archangel.”) What follows are the abilities of angels and evil spirits, some of which are surprising.
Elect Angels
(1) Angels are spirit beings: “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14. See also verses 7 and 13--“they” in context were “angels,” verse 13. See also Psalm 104:4).
(2) Though angels usually remain invisible, they can materialize and be seen: “And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.” (Luke 22:43. See also Judges 6:12; 13:3; Luke 1:11, and many other verses.) Their appearance may be with or without wings (discussed later), and their countenance and clothes are sometimes very different from man. “And his face as the appearance of lightning” (Dan 10: 6). “Behold, two men stood by them in shining garments” (Luke 24:4).
(3) Angels can speak and be understood by man: “Then the angels hastened Lot, saying….” (Genesis 19:15. See also Acts 8:26 and many other verses).
(4) Angels have more power than man: “Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might…” (2 Peter 2:11). Certain angels have much more power than man: “I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power” (Revelation 18:1, 21. See also Psalm 103:20. The plagues of Revelation are released by angels).
(5) There is a hierarchy of angels: “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places…” (Ephesians 3:10).
(6) Certain ranks of angels (“cherubims”) have wings (I Kings 8:6–7), and some have multiple wings: “Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings” (Isaiah 6:2). Angels can also appear without wings and mingle with people without them knowing about it: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2).
(7) Their number is more than one could count: “But ye are come…to an innumerable company of angels” (Hebrews 12:22. See also and Revelation 5:11).
(8) They can eat (Psalm 78:25; Genesis 18:1–2, 8) and can exert physical strength (Acts 5:19; 12:7, 23), “touch” (I Kings 19:5–7), “smite” (Acts 12:7) and “kill” (Isaiah 37:36; Acts 12:23).
(9) Christ has a whole army of them, and they will be with Him when He returns in His glory: “He cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38). “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53).
(10) We are not to worship angels: “Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels” (Colossians 2:18. See also Revelation 22:8–9).
(11) Angels observe what is happening here on the earth: “For we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men” (1 Corinthians 4:9). One of the names that the Chaldeans used to describe them was “watchers” (Daniel 4:13, 17, 23). Believers, both adults and children, have angels watching over them (Hebrews 1:13–14 and Matthew 18:10).
(12) Angels can cause visions (Daniel 10:5–8 and other passages).
(13) Angels are interested in the salvation* of humans: “The gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into” (1 Peter 1:12. “The gospel…by which also ye are saved” is the death of Christ for our sins, His burial, and His bodily resurrection [1 Corinthians 15:1–3]). When a believer dies, the angels take his soul to heaven: “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels” (Luke 16:22).
(*Part of the reason “angels desire to look into” salvation is because they and the Devil’s angels cannot experience it. Christ died for Adam’s race, but angels are not a race and have no family relations. Each was individually created; there are no sister, brother, mother, or father angels in the Bible. The Elect Angels never fell in sin and have no need of salvation, whereas the Devil’s angels have their fate sealed.)
The Devil’s Angels
The power of the Devil and his evil spirits, though impressive, is still limited by the will of God. (Job 1:10–12; 2:4–6; Jude 1:9; and Mark 5:1–13). However, in the tribulation, things will be much worse, with more devils (explained later). According to testimonies of some alien encounters, the behavior of aliens matches the behavior of devils in the Bible. Both the angels of God and the angels of Satan fit the definition of extraterrestrial: “originating, located, or occurring outside earth or its atmosphere” (Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, online edition).
(1) These are under the control of Satan (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:7). There is also a hierarchy among the Devil’s angels (Ephesians 6:12).
(2) The Devil’s angels (evil spirits) can possess lost people* (Acts 16:16). More than one evil spirit can possess a lost man or women at a time, as was Mary Magdalene, who was possessed by seven before Jesus healed her (Luke 8:2), or the man in Mark 5:1–20, whose devils called themselves “Legion: for we are many.” Apparently, the more there are in a person, the more strength that can be exerted through that person: “No man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces” (Mark 5:4). Devils can also possess animals (Matthew 8:31). It should be kept in mind that even in Jesus’s day, only a few people were possessed by evil spirits, but that will not be so in the tribulation!
(*Christians’ bodies are the “temple of God” and cannot be possessed by evil spirits: “Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). This would be another difference between God’s angels and Satan’s, for only evil spirits are known in scripture to possesses people, but not God's angels, for Christians already have the Holy Spirit. And though rare, the Holy Spirit could cause a Christian to do supernatural feats, as Samson killing a thousand Philistines with a bone (Judges 15:14–17), or the “two witnesses” of Revelation that will breathe out “fire” and turn water to “blood” and smite the earth with many “plagues” (Revelation 11:3–6 and Zechariah 4:4–6).
(3) Evil spirits can propagate false doctrines: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1. See also Galatians 1:8). The Devil quoted scripture to Jesus, but he misapplied the passage (Mathew 4:6–7). The knowledge that evil spirits have of the Bible is incomplete and skewed. Devils most likely glean their knowledge of future events from the writings of the lost, as the Word of God is called “the sword of the Spirit” and would “cut” evil spirits. The Devil stopped his temptation of Christ after He quoted scriptures three times in a row (Ephesians 6:17).
(4) Devils know there is a time coming when they will be tormented (Matthew 8:29).
(5) The appearances of devils vary. Some devils roam the earth, apparently as invisible spirits (Matthew 12:43–45). But the demonic creatures of Revelation 9:1–11 are both visible and frightful in appearance. God originally made the angels of the Devil to be holy angels, and because the angels of God are spirits, yet they can still appear as humans (Hebrews 13:2), it is logical that the angels of the Devil could do the same. (This is different from what takes place in Genesis 6:1–5, discussed farther down in this preface.) There are the “three unclean spirits like frogs” of Revelation 16:13. But one will need a good “imagination,” plus a stretched-out gray-belly frog, to see similarities with the traditional “gray aliens” with oversized heads and large eyes. The traditional picture of Satan with horns, pitchfork, tail, and wearing red pajamas is not how the Bible describes him. “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). The only safe thing to say is that devils appear in different forms. In the story that follows, there are a couple of times I present devils like the traditional gray alien, as this is what people normally think of when speaking about “aliens,” but not because they are depicted this way in the Bible.
The Hundred and Forty-Four Thousand
They are found in Revelation 7:2–8 and 14:1–5, and are all Jews, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. God will use them to win a multitude of people to Himself and explain to the world what is happening during the tribulation. They will be referred to in this book as the “servants of God,” “evangelists,” or the “hundred and forty-four thousand.”
The Tribulation Will Be a Time of Great Deception
God warns Christians in advance so that when the deception comes, believers will not be deceived or have doubts, but instead have their faith strengthened (John 14:29). And it is staggering how many times the Bible describes the coming tribulation as a time of deception. I have studied the Bible for four decades, and there are very few things in the Bible that have so much support. And these are given as a warning, not to those who live now but to those who will be alive during the seven-year tribulation. And this was the reason for this book, to warn those living in the tribulation that a deliberate attempt will be made to deceive them by the master of deception, the “Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). “Ye are of your father the devil…When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before” (Matthew 24:24–25). How will one know if something is of God or a deception of the Devil? “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31–32). Truth will make you free from false doctrine, lies, fear, superstition, and deception.
Unfortunately, it seems the only time that most people will “look up” is when they get knocked down, and the whole world will be knocked down in the great tribulation, and many will be saved. This will lead to the single biggest harvest of souls of all time, possibly of all history put together (Revelation 7:9–14). But the Devil will also be going after the souls of men and women during the tribulation, and Satan’s deceptions will play a key role in trying to keep people away from the truth of God’s Word.
(1) When Christ was asked “what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” the very first sign He gave was, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:3–5).
(2) “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do” (Revelation 13:14).
(3) “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:9–11).
(4) “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them” (Revelation 19:20 and 20:10).
(5) During the “last days perilous times shall come…But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:1, 13).
(6) “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith…speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:1–2).
Unparalleled Demonic Activity on Earth
Not only will there be more sin and deception during the tribulation (Matthew 24:12), but more devils will be released. The scripture tells us that during the tribulation men will “worship devils” (Revelation 9:20). Revelation 9 tells us that certain devils that were locked up (verses 1–3, 11) will be released during the tribulation. There are also the “three unclean spirits” that will be released to entice the world to fight at the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:13–14). Revelation 12:9 says the Devil, “was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” This will unleash a very large number of Satan’s angels. The silver lining to all this is that it will also be a time of unparalleled activity of God’s angels on earth, with direct and visible intervention (Revelation 8:13; 14:6; 14:8–10).
Will the Antichrist tell everyone that they need to listen to God’s angels, who will be visibly proclaiming the gospel? Obviously he won’t, so what will be his response? The Antichrist will most likely say, “These are the ‘bad guys.’ They are the same ones who have been plaguing our planet and have caused all these terrible judgments. If this God was really a God of love, why would He do this to us?” It follows that Satan’s angels will pretend to be “good ETs” and say that God’s angels are “bad ETs.”
Could Devils Live on Other Planets?
I am not an expert on demonology, nor do I wish to be, but I offer here a few thoughts and verses that lend themselves to this topic. From Scriptures we know that some of Satan’s angels are locked up, some roam the earth, and some are not on the planet. The Devil (Satan) can only be in one place at a time. For example, he will be locked up for a 1,000 years in the bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1–3). He is not omnipresent, as the Trinity (Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, and God the Father, John 14:17, 23). The Devil came originally from heaven (Isaiah 14:12), as he was created by God. The Devil and his angles still have at least partial access to heaven (Revelation 12:7–9), since the Devil can still go to heaven and earth, why not to other worlds?
There is an interesting verse in the Bible that tells us God’s purpose for creating the earth: “God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited” (Isaiah 45:18). If earth was created with the purpose to be “inhabited,” then what were the other planets made for? Are we to believe they were made in “vain”? In the Bible, the other planets may be expressed by the terms “worlds” (Hebrew 1:2, 11:3), “wandering stars” (Jude 1:13), or “planets” (2 Kings 23:5). And as the conditions of our earth have changed, not only because of the fall of man but during the flood of Noah, so the conditions of the other planets may have been different in the past. However, Satan’s angels, being spirits and not flesh as man, could live in the harsh conditions of the other planets, such as extreme cold or heat. Some have speculated that the asteroid belt which was once a planet, was destroyed by God after the fall of the Devil, as God cursed the earth after the fall of man.
We know from the Bible that what the ancients called gods were really devils (1 Corinthians 10:20). The Devil will receive worship through the Antichrist, but the name he will be known by during the tribulation may not be one of his common Bible names, but the “god of forces.” Daniel 11:37–39 is attributed to the Antichrist and says, “Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honour the god of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory:” For a “strange” god, Strong’s Concordance, gives “foreign or alien.” Most Bible commentaries believe the “god of forces” to be the god Mars, which was the “god of war.” The planet Mars was named after this mythological god, and for this reason I chose the planet Mars for this book, though any of the planets would have been suitable. And all the planets are named after the mythical gods of the Romans, all except Earth.
“And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter: and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.” (Acts 14:11-18) The ancients believed that the five planets they could see, such as “Jupiter” and “Mercurius” (Mercury), were the home of these “gods”.
Mixing of Man and Angelic Genes
“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And god saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:1–5).
In the New Testament, the term "sons of God” refers to Christians, but in the Old Testament it refers to angels. This term is found twice in the above passage and only three more times in the Hebrew Scriptures, all in the book of Job (Job1:6; 2:1; 38:7), where it refers to angels. Consequently the “sons of God” in this Genesis 6 passage are the Devil’s angels. I will avoid giving the beliefs of the ancient writers in this book, but anyone can look online at the writings of the ancients, both Jewish and the early Christian church, and most all of them up to the third century believed these “sons of God” were the Devil’s angels. Including the Books of Enoch (300 BC), chapter 6:2; Targum of Jonathan (time of Ezra), section I, VI; Book of Jubilees (from the Dead Sea Scrolls) chapter 4:22 and 5:1; Josephus (first century) Antiquities 3:1; and others—all have the “sons of God” in Genesis 6:1–5 as fallen angels.
Some have cited, “For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven” (Mark 12:25). Yes, it is true that God’s angels do not marry “in heaven,” but the Devil’s angels on earth could. Those who believe the “sons of God” are a godly line of the human race could not explain how such a union with the “daughters of men” could produce “giants” or “men of renown.” These “men of renown” in Genesis 6:1-5 are believed to be the gods of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology.
The Devil has known about his doom ever since Genesis 3:15, where God said an offspring of Eve would defeat him: “Her seed; it shall bruise thy head.” It is theorized that the Devil encouraged his angels to defile the human race, and such a union would produce offspring that could not be saved, as they would be a new race, not solely from Adam’s line, which Christ died for.
Not only can angels materialize, but more than this, some of the Devil’s angels had their own physical bodies, those who “came in unto the daughters of men.” However, the angels of Satan that gave up their spiritual bodies for physical ones paid a price for this: “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (Jude 1:6). “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment” (2 Peter 2:4). The word “habitation” in the original Greek means “a dwelling place, habitation, of the body as a dwelling place for the spirit” (Strong’s Concordance). This particular Greek word is only used two times in the Bible, once in the above verse, and the other time in 2 Corinthians 5:1–2: “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven.” There are two houses in this passage. The first one is the “earthly house,” our physical bodies, and the second one is our “house which is from heaven”—this is a spiritual body that angels have and that the saved have in heaven while awaiting the resurrection. It is this second “house,” the spiritual body, that is the same word translated “habitation” in Jude 1:6. The Devil’s angels who “left their own habitation” gave up their spiritual “house” to have a physical body so as to have intercourse with the “daughters of men.” After they died in the flood of Noah, God took their spirits and locked them up.
Animals with the Genes of Evil Spirits
There are ancient depictions of animals with human heads, and half the “gods” of Egypt had human bodies with animal heads, and in the Bible we find the “two lionlike men of Moab” (2 Samuel 23:20). Where is all this coming from? Who made the strange demonic and composite creatures in Revelation 9:1–11? Would God have created such hideous creatures, or did those in the bottomless pit do this? Revelation 9:17–19 also has strange creatures: “The heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke.” But these do not come out of the bottomless pit, but from the East (Revelation 9:14 coupled with 16:12). These creatures do not exist today, nor can they be found anywhere in recorded history, so where would man get the knowledge to make such a hybrid creature? The Devil has far more knowledge than man, and any sort of cloning man could produce would be child’s play compared to what the Devil could teach him. As brought out before, angels are not related. Each one is a separate creation—they do not multiply among themselves. And the Devil’s angels are only one-third the number of God’s angels (Revelation 12:4, 9). Some suggest the Devil wants to strengthen his numbers by creating these armies of composite creatures.
The Great Puzzle
Revelation teaches that the entire world will worship the Antichrist (Revelation 13:3–8). It is assumed that this will be led by some form of apostate Christian religion, but how will Muslims (over 1.5 billion) accept the Antichrist and any form of Christianity? The USA is not directly mentioned in the Bible; most believe it is either destroyed or loses its power, to presumably the European community, and so will not be mentioned in this story.* The Antichrist is believed to rule from Europe, so sooner or later the political power of the USA will shift to Europe.**
Consider what Islam’s power would be with (1) No powerful USA. (2) No Russia, believed to be Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38 and 39—which will be destroyed on the mountains of Israel. (3) No real Christians at the beginning of the tribulation, as they would have all been raptured. Who is going to fill the void? And how will Islam, the second largest religion in the world (possibly the largest then), play out its role in the tribulation? “Christianity” and the Islamic religion will still exist in the end times, and yet there will be a one-world religion. How can this be reconciled? The story line of this book gives both a surprising and yet plausible explanation. (*It is my prayer that America will continue to at least the rapture, but many countries have come and gone since Christ walked the earth with His apostles. **When this book talks about the “European leader,” it is not suggesting any of the present leaders of Europe.)
My Understanding
I will be quoting a number of Scriptures, but the sequence of some of the events in Revelation, and my interpretation of them, is certainly not infallible, and the story line is my understanding of how it may occur. Also, for the name Satan, I will be using Devil with a capital D to distinguish him from a devil (evil spirit). This book will use the name saint as it is found in the Bible. Because of the numerous references to “saints” (over 60) in the New Testament and how the word is used, it can be seen that all Christians were called saints. “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:” (Romans 1:7) “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints….” (I Corinthians 1:2) Notice that these saints were still alive. Not as some churches which make the decision who was a saint many years after his or her death. And it is God who makes men and women saints, not a committee.
All verses are from the King James Bible. All italics and underlining were added by the author. For the meaning of the original words in both the Hebrew and Greek, Strong’s Concordance was used, hereafter labeled “Strong’s.”
"Aliens"
in Revelation
This short book covers Revelation 8:–13:
(From the second year till the middle of the Tribulation.)
CHAPTER I
In the Netherlands, at LOFAR
Europe’s counterpart to SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence),
one year after the rapture.
In the Netherlands, at LOFAR
Europe’s counterpart to SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence),
one year after the rapture.
First Contact
Two technicians, Neal, who has worked at LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) for six years, and Edward, who is in training, are listening to the frequency array and discussing the events of the last year.
“I don’t see how things could get any worse,” said Neal. “I have not read of anything in history that is as bad as this.”
“We did this to ourselves, our technologies, our supper weapons,” Edward said. “If they would have used even a fraction of that money they spent on their militaries, instead for humanity and building relations among the different nations, none of these wars would have happen.”
“What about all these earthquakes? Man didn’t cause them?” asked Neal.
“So God let man blow himself up and then finished us off with His earthquakes? And He is supposed to be a God of love, right?”
“Listen,” Neal said. “I was talking to this guy the other day, and he said when the disappearance took place, he believed it was what the Christians call the rapture. And that they were the lucky ones because God took His own out of the world before all these worldwide calamities happened.”
“If it was the Rapture, then why are the Christians still here?!”
A high-pitched squelch came over their receiver, followed be a long series of notes.
“What’s that?” Edward pointed to the receiver.
“It’s sure not random, whatever it is. What direction is the array pointed?”
“Where it is scheduled to be—Mars.”
“Mars? See if it’s satellite interference.”
“It doesn’t appear to be,” Edward said. “What do you think?”
There was a momentary pause, and then Neal said, “Follow protocol. Call our boss, Mr. Jeffrey. I’ll check with the array in Germany.”
Standing in Line
Mr. Thomas Jeffrey was standing in line waiting for bread and received a call from Edward at LOFAR. He listened for a minute and then asked, “You are sure it’s not a satellite? OK, I’ll get over as soon as I can. Yes, fine.” After he hung up, he called his wife, who was trying to find milk for their children. But before he could get through to her, he saw her and yelled out to get her attention.
Ann Jeffrey came up and said, “I found this powered milk.” She seemed happy, and she asked, “What did you want?”
“Honey, I have got to go into LOFAR. They think they have found something. Sorry, but you need to take my place in line. There should only be about an hour more wait.”
Ann sighed. “These shortages are getting worse, and the lines are getting longer.”
“I think it is getting better." said Thomas. "All total today, we should only wait about four hours in line. Last week I waited an average of five hours each day,”
“Yesterday I only waited three hours.” Ann waited for Thomas’s response.
“Well, you see it is getting better,” he said.
“But after I waited three hours, they ran out of bread and dispersed us. I waited for nothing!”
“But today it looks like they have a good supply—”
She cut him off. “I hear government officials do not have to wait in line for food. Can’t you get your friend with the government job to help us?”
“I tried already. Everything is rationed out to stop hording.”
“I heard if we will take their chip, then we can have the same privileges as the government officials.” Thomas just looked at his wife, with no response.
The Hundred and Forty-Four Thousand
“Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel” (Revelation 7:3–4).
Two men, Samuel and Aaron, were walking down a street, with a third man arguing with them. “You can’t tell me those two men at Jerusalem are God’s prophets. They are killing people!”
“And how did they kill people? Did they use a gun?” asked Samuel.
“No,” said the man, “they killed them with fire somehow.”
“Somehow?” said Samuel. “The fire is coming out of their mouths! Have you ever heard of anyone doing that before? Does it not sound supernatural to you?”
“Hey, I don’t know where the fire is coming from. The TV does not give a clear shot of this.”
Aaron said, “You can read about it in Revelation chapter 11."
They were standing out front of a bar when he said this, and Samuel said, "Let’s go into a bar and have some fun!” The man who was arguing with them smiled when he heard this. “Now you’re talking! I didn’t know you religious fanatics drank.”
“We don’t!” said Aaron, and with that he jerked open the door to the bar and walked up to the bartender. “Hey, bartender, will you give me just five minutes to talk to your patrons about Jesus? What do you say?”
The bartender was drying glasses and said, “Whatever.”
Samuel walked over to the jukebox and unplugged it, which grabbed everyone’s attention, and said in a loud voice, “I don’t know who put the money in for this, but I’ll leave the money here for you.”
Aaron turned a chair around and used it to step up onto the top of a table, which surprised a drunk sitting there. Then Aaron belted out in a rich voice, “Hey, everybody, we got a few minutes here, and then we are stepping outside to talk to anyone who is interested in God’s Son, Jesus Christ!” He lifted up his voice even more and said, “Everyone has been affected by these troubles in this world, and I got good news and bad news. The bad news is it’s going to get worse! But the good news is Jesus Christ has made a better place for us.” He pointed to Heaven when he said this, and everyone’s eyes were on him, including the bartender, who had stop drying glasses.
“This world is like the prodigal son, who said to his father, give me my inheritance now! And the Bible says he went out and spent it on riotous living and prostitutes. And you probably know where he ended up. Yea, that’s right. In a pigpen, and that’s when the prodigal son ‘came to himself’. He said I’m going back to my dad, and I am going to humble myself and ask my dad to forgive me.”
The drunk at the table tried to speak up, but Samuel walked over and sat down next to him, and said, “I’d like to hear this.” The man who had walked in with them was not saying anything but taking it all in.
Aaron kept preaching. “And guess what? The Bible says a very interesting thing happened at that point when the prodigal son came home. His father saw him, and I quote, a ‘great way off’! Did you hear what I said? His father had been looking for him! He saw his son a ‘great way off.’ The Bible says his father ran to him and threw his arms around him and kissed him on his neck. Now you can imagine that anyone who is in pigpen smells and has dirty, muddy clothes, but that did not stop his dad from putting his arms around him. He loved his son! I’ll say it again—he loved him! The Bible says we are all sinners and all in this pigpen of life and all in need of our heavenly Father’s forgiveness.”
LOFAR
Thomas Jeffery walked into the LOFAR station and Neal swiveled his chair around.
Neal was obviously more excited than Edward, and Neal said, “Glad you are here. You won’t believe what is happening!”
Thomas only pointed to the readout. “Just show me the readout you got at the beginning.”
Edward handed him the papers, which he looked at for a moment. “Guys, this has got to be one of our satellites.”
“No!” came the reply from both of the technicians, with Edward shaking his head.
“We checked three times, and our site in Germany has confirmed the same,” said Neal.
Edward added, “Our site in Sweden called us asking if we were getting this also! And so did ESA—the European Space Agency.”
“What did they want?” asked Thomas.
“They wanted to know if we had picked up anything else," said Neal. “And they told me the signal is directed at earth!”
The two technicians looked at Thomas, and then Neal handed him another readout. “Mr. Jeffery, look at this.”
Thomas glanced at it. “What’s this?”
“A few minutes after the signal started, it changed to this. It looks like Chinese script to us,” said Neal.
Thomas stood with both readouts in his hand as he said with a smile, “You guys are either joking with me or you got the Chinese space station on here.”
“No!” said Edward. “I checked their orbit, and they were on the other side of the planet when this came in. And ESA said the signal was coming from Mars.”
“Mars?” Thomas looked incredulous. “So aliens are Chinese who live on Mars?!”
But Neal said, “After about three minutes of Chinese or whatever it was, then another language came on, and I am sure it was Spanish. Followed by some Slavic language and then what sounded like German. And about every three to four minutes there is a different language.”
“Well if this is true,” said Thomas, “I would think you’d be pretty excited about it all, but Edward you don’t look like it.”
“Mr. Jeffery, I don’t speak any of those languages, but Neal knows some Spanish. Tell him what it said, Neal.”
“Some of it I did not understand, but I am sure twice the transmission referred to us as their ‘children’ and they were our ‘parents.’”
“Our parents?”
“Yes.” Neal nodded. “And apparently they have information about what happened to those who disappeared. And, oh yeah, they said they were coming here to ‘help’ us.”
Edward asked, “But do we want their help? I mean, we don’t know anything about these aliens.”
“We definitely need help!” said Neal. “Whoever they are, they couldn’t have picked a better time to contact us!”
Two technicians, Neal, who has worked at LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) for six years, and Edward, who is in training, are listening to the frequency array and discussing the events of the last year.
“I don’t see how things could get any worse,” said Neal. “I have not read of anything in history that is as bad as this.”
“We did this to ourselves, our technologies, our supper weapons,” Edward said. “If they would have used even a fraction of that money they spent on their militaries, instead for humanity and building relations among the different nations, none of these wars would have happen.”
“What about all these earthquakes? Man didn’t cause them?” asked Neal.
“So God let man blow himself up and then finished us off with His earthquakes? And He is supposed to be a God of love, right?”
“Listen,” Neal said. “I was talking to this guy the other day, and he said when the disappearance took place, he believed it was what the Christians call the rapture. And that they were the lucky ones because God took His own out of the world before all these worldwide calamities happened.”
“If it was the Rapture, then why are the Christians still here?!”
A high-pitched squelch came over their receiver, followed be a long series of notes.
“What’s that?” Edward pointed to the receiver.
“It’s sure not random, whatever it is. What direction is the array pointed?”
“Where it is scheduled to be—Mars.”
“Mars? See if it’s satellite interference.”
“It doesn’t appear to be,” Edward said. “What do you think?”
There was a momentary pause, and then Neal said, “Follow protocol. Call our boss, Mr. Jeffrey. I’ll check with the array in Germany.”
Standing in Line
Mr. Thomas Jeffrey was standing in line waiting for bread and received a call from Edward at LOFAR. He listened for a minute and then asked, “You are sure it’s not a satellite? OK, I’ll get over as soon as I can. Yes, fine.” After he hung up, he called his wife, who was trying to find milk for their children. But before he could get through to her, he saw her and yelled out to get her attention.
Ann Jeffrey came up and said, “I found this powered milk.” She seemed happy, and she asked, “What did you want?”
“Honey, I have got to go into LOFAR. They think they have found something. Sorry, but you need to take my place in line. There should only be about an hour more wait.”
Ann sighed. “These shortages are getting worse, and the lines are getting longer.”
“I think it is getting better." said Thomas. "All total today, we should only wait about four hours in line. Last week I waited an average of five hours each day,”
“Yesterday I only waited three hours.” Ann waited for Thomas’s response.
“Well, you see it is getting better,” he said.
“But after I waited three hours, they ran out of bread and dispersed us. I waited for nothing!”
“But today it looks like they have a good supply—”
She cut him off. “I hear government officials do not have to wait in line for food. Can’t you get your friend with the government job to help us?”
“I tried already. Everything is rationed out to stop hording.”
“I heard if we will take their chip, then we can have the same privileges as the government officials.” Thomas just looked at his wife, with no response.
The Hundred and Forty-Four Thousand
“Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel” (Revelation 7:3–4).
Two men, Samuel and Aaron, were walking down a street, with a third man arguing with them. “You can’t tell me those two men at Jerusalem are God’s prophets. They are killing people!”
“And how did they kill people? Did they use a gun?” asked Samuel.
“No,” said the man, “they killed them with fire somehow.”
“Somehow?” said Samuel. “The fire is coming out of their mouths! Have you ever heard of anyone doing that before? Does it not sound supernatural to you?”
“Hey, I don’t know where the fire is coming from. The TV does not give a clear shot of this.”
Aaron said, “You can read about it in Revelation chapter 11."
They were standing out front of a bar when he said this, and Samuel said, "Let’s go into a bar and have some fun!” The man who was arguing with them smiled when he heard this. “Now you’re talking! I didn’t know you religious fanatics drank.”
“We don’t!” said Aaron, and with that he jerked open the door to the bar and walked up to the bartender. “Hey, bartender, will you give me just five minutes to talk to your patrons about Jesus? What do you say?”
The bartender was drying glasses and said, “Whatever.”
Samuel walked over to the jukebox and unplugged it, which grabbed everyone’s attention, and said in a loud voice, “I don’t know who put the money in for this, but I’ll leave the money here for you.”
Aaron turned a chair around and used it to step up onto the top of a table, which surprised a drunk sitting there. Then Aaron belted out in a rich voice, “Hey, everybody, we got a few minutes here, and then we are stepping outside to talk to anyone who is interested in God’s Son, Jesus Christ!” He lifted up his voice even more and said, “Everyone has been affected by these troubles in this world, and I got good news and bad news. The bad news is it’s going to get worse! But the good news is Jesus Christ has made a better place for us.” He pointed to Heaven when he said this, and everyone’s eyes were on him, including the bartender, who had stop drying glasses.
“This world is like the prodigal son, who said to his father, give me my inheritance now! And the Bible says he went out and spent it on riotous living and prostitutes. And you probably know where he ended up. Yea, that’s right. In a pigpen, and that’s when the prodigal son ‘came to himself’. He said I’m going back to my dad, and I am going to humble myself and ask my dad to forgive me.”
The drunk at the table tried to speak up, but Samuel walked over and sat down next to him, and said, “I’d like to hear this.” The man who had walked in with them was not saying anything but taking it all in.
Aaron kept preaching. “And guess what? The Bible says a very interesting thing happened at that point when the prodigal son came home. His father saw him, and I quote, a ‘great way off’! Did you hear what I said? His father had been looking for him! He saw his son a ‘great way off.’ The Bible says his father ran to him and threw his arms around him and kissed him on his neck. Now you can imagine that anyone who is in pigpen smells and has dirty, muddy clothes, but that did not stop his dad from putting his arms around him. He loved his son! I’ll say it again—he loved him! The Bible says we are all sinners and all in this pigpen of life and all in need of our heavenly Father’s forgiveness.”
LOFAR
Thomas Jeffery walked into the LOFAR station and Neal swiveled his chair around.
Neal was obviously more excited than Edward, and Neal said, “Glad you are here. You won’t believe what is happening!”
Thomas only pointed to the readout. “Just show me the readout you got at the beginning.”
Edward handed him the papers, which he looked at for a moment. “Guys, this has got to be one of our satellites.”
“No!” came the reply from both of the technicians, with Edward shaking his head.
“We checked three times, and our site in Germany has confirmed the same,” said Neal.
Edward added, “Our site in Sweden called us asking if we were getting this also! And so did ESA—the European Space Agency.”
“What did they want?” asked Thomas.
“They wanted to know if we had picked up anything else," said Neal. “And they told me the signal is directed at earth!”
The two technicians looked at Thomas, and then Neal handed him another readout. “Mr. Jeffery, look at this.”
Thomas glanced at it. “What’s this?”
“A few minutes after the signal started, it changed to this. It looks like Chinese script to us,” said Neal.
Thomas stood with both readouts in his hand as he said with a smile, “You guys are either joking with me or you got the Chinese space station on here.”
“No!” said Edward. “I checked their orbit, and they were on the other side of the planet when this came in. And ESA said the signal was coming from Mars.”
“Mars?” Thomas looked incredulous. “So aliens are Chinese who live on Mars?!”
But Neal said, “After about three minutes of Chinese or whatever it was, then another language came on, and I am sure it was Spanish. Followed by some Slavic language and then what sounded like German. And about every three to four minutes there is a different language.”
“Well if this is true,” said Thomas, “I would think you’d be pretty excited about it all, but Edward you don’t look like it.”
“Mr. Jeffery, I don’t speak any of those languages, but Neal knows some Spanish. Tell him what it said, Neal.”
“Some of it I did not understand, but I am sure twice the transmission referred to us as their ‘children’ and they were our ‘parents.’”
“Our parents?”
“Yes.” Neal nodded. “And apparently they have information about what happened to those who disappeared. And, oh yeah, they said they were coming here to ‘help’ us.”
Edward asked, “But do we want their help? I mean, we don’t know anything about these aliens.”
“We definitely need help!” said Neal. “Whoever they are, they couldn’t have picked a better time to contact us!”
CHAPTER II
Deception
“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie”
(2 Thessalonians 2:11).
There were food lines everywhere because of the severe food shortages. Surprisingly, luxury items were still available for the rich, as well as drugs and alcoholic beverages, which were in good supply but were often home brewed.
“A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine” (Revelation 6:6—a penny, Greek “denarius,” was a full-day’s wages Matthew 20:2, but during the Tribulation it will only buy the equivalent of one day’s food. But for luxury items they were told “hurl not” the “wine” and “oil”).
Thomas Jeffrey was dressed in a suit and tie, riding a bus with a third of the people wearing masks over their mouths because of the smoky air. He was reading a newspaper with the headlines about “Wars,” “Fires Still Rage,” and “Government Trying to Make Contact with Aliens,” with the subtitle “Fear of alien abduction spreads.”
Thomas then heard the news report on a TV screen in the bus. A newscaster was saying, “The prime minister has said that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measure.” And then he gave the governments line for receiving the personal ID chip. But when questioned if it would become mandatory, he reiterated that it is “only an option, but shows patriotic unity in these changeling times.” The newscasters continued with, “The government is offering for all who receive their permanent identifications a five percent discount on purchases using the identification chip.”
Another newscaster said, “Certainly it cannot be denied that it helps in tracking terrorists, criminals, illegal emigrants and may help us find who is behind this world wide abduction.”
Then a man from the back of the bus came up and sat down next to Thomas and introduced himself. “Hi. My name is David Avraham.” Thomas had an almost startled look on his face, somewhat perturbed that this man had interrupted his thoughts, and just stared at Mr. Avraham.
“I understand you’re having a meeting today at the capitol about extraterrestrials, and I have something I need to share with you.”
“What do you know about that, and who are you?” asked Thomas.
“I’m a servant of God. Some people call me an evangelist.”
“No, you’re one of those Jewish terrorists that we have been told to watch out for,” said Thomas.
“We’ve hurt no one.” said Mr. Avraham.
“But your type is always bothering people about religion, aren’t you?”
Mr. Avraham said, “When you care about people enough, you will tell them what they need to hear. And you, sir, have never trusted Jesus Christ.”
“That is none of your business.”
“Actually it is my main business,” said Mr. Avraham.
“You don’t know me,” Thomas said. “I’m a Christian. I go to church.”
But Mr. Avraham asked, “Does going into a garage make you a car? At any rate, today at your meeting there will be ten of you in that conference room.”
“Really, there is only eight of us scheduled to be there—four parliamentarians, an assistant to the prime minister, two representatives from ESA, and myself. That’s eight people, not ten!”
“Actually, there will only be five and a half people in that room,” Mr. Avraham said.
Thomas stared at him. “Did you say half a person? You people are crazy!”
“Well, let’s count then.” Mr. Avraham began to name all who would attend. “You’re a person.”
“Oh, well, thank you very much.”
“Then there are the two from the European Space Agency, a Mr. Watkins, and Mr. Hubbard, but only one of them is human. One is an angel, which would be Mr. Watkins. He will position himself next to you on your right side. And if Mr. Watkins should ask something of you, do it! Three of the parliamentarians are people, though one is demon possessed. He is sometimes controlled by the evil spirit, and sometimes he has control. The fourth parliamentarian is a Mr. Williams. He will be moderating the discussion, but he is a hybrid. His mother was human, but his father was a devil.
“Mr. Jeffery, I can tell by the expression on your face you’re in total disbelief. But you really need to study your Bible, and I’d start in Genesis chapter 6. Now where were we? Oh yes, then there is the assistant to the prime minister, a Mr. Moore. He is a devil. Listen to me, Mr. Jeffery. Do not cross him. If he asks you any questions, keep your responses short and to the point. And make no recommendations to anyone there. None!" Mr. Avraham was speaking with authority and Mr. Jeffery was wondering how he could know so much about his meeting. "Only give out the basic facts as you know them. Let’s see—I believe we have eight so far, plus two angels that will not be seen. One is an elect angel of God. And one is a fallen angel—sometimes people call them ghosts, but the Bible calls them devils or evil spirits.”
Thomas was staring at him and to regain his composure said sarcastically, “Sound like we will have a jolly good time with everyone there. But will there be no monsters?”
“No monsters today,” said Mr. Avraham. “Thomas, if I told you there are people on this bus right now you cannot see and voices you cannot hear, you would think I was…”
Thomas interrupts and says “Crazy!” smiling at Mr. Avraham as he says it.
Mr. Avraham continues, “But your cell phone could see the images of people on TV and hear their voices. The same in the spirit world. If we had ‘spiritual antennas,’ then we could see what the spirits see. By the way, the spirits know immediately who belongs to God and who does not. That includes the angels and demons in that room where you will be meeting today. Only the humans and the hybrid, unless told, will not be aware of this. The two unseen beings, one angel and one devil, are there to observe. This meeting is more important than you realize, Mr. Jeffery.”
Both Thomas and Mr. Avraham were getting annoyed by each other. “Well, if it is so important, why don’t you just go to it?” Thomas asked.
“The devils won’t allow me or any Christian at this meeting, but they can’t stop the angels from being there, and they do not mind lost people going there.”
“Oh, how nice of them,” said Thomas. “Incidentally, I’ve seen paintings of angels with their wings and all, and everyone would know it the moment they showed up. How could anyone be fooled?”
“Wings, Mr. Jeffery? Yes, some of them have wings and some pictures of Jesus have him with blond hair and blue eyes, but he was a Jew, not an Anglo Saxon. I suggest you get your beliefs from the Bible, not pictures.”
The bus stopped for a funeral procession, the third one that had blocked them since Thomas got on the bus. Some riders were getting off and walking rather than waiting. Thomas stood and started toward the door.
As he went, Mr. Avraham said to him, “Don’t take the mark, Mr. Jeffery.”
“Mark?” questioned Thomas.
“Their personal ID chip. Don’t let them talk you into it, not you, your wife, or your children.”
Thomas said “Excuse me” and existed off the bus. He immediately saw a poster “Good citizens have personal IDs.” Next to it was a sign that read “Report any suspicious activities.” And written underneath was a number to call. Another sign read “Reward leading to the arrest of the Jewish terrorists.”
The sky was filled with smoke, and a stench of death was in the air. Beggars were everywhere, some using their children to beg for them. Walking down a street, he past long lines for food, people wearing masks, and many streets and buildings were under repair from the earthquakes (Revelation 6:14; 8:5). Thomas also saw an open-air clinic offering free ID implants. With a caption that read “Receive your ID while you wait for the bus.” A few people sat in chairs on the street while a nurse was injecting them with a large needle that implanted a microchip under their skin. Their photo and personal information was put on the Internet, along with the recipients’ electronic signatures for the contract they signed, which in the small print said, “I pledge allegiance to my state and to the European leader.”
“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark” (Revelation 13:16–17).
Parliament
Thomas walked up to the entrance of the parliament building, which had many guards in front of it. They were fending off beggars and protestors who wanted more services and help with shortages of basic necessities, but especially more food. The guards had been expecting Thomas and helped him pass through the protestors and led him up the stairs and into the capitol building, with repairs still going on inside. He then walked up two more flights of stairs, and on the third floor he was greeted by a guard who said, “They are in conference and have started without you. This way please.” As Thomas stepped into the room with its four parliamentarians, one of which was demon possessed, and one a hybrid, plus the assistant to the prime minister, who was a devil. There were also the two angels and two devils, but one angel and one devil were invisible. Had Thomas not been told in advance, he could not have known by their presence, as everyone in the room would fit in at any gathering without raising suspicion. But because of what Mr. Avraham had told him, he saw them in a different light than he would have before.
He was already late, nervous and not sure what to believe. Thomas walked up to a large, oblong-shaped conference table, and everyone stopped their discussion and looked in his direction.
“I’m sorry. Our bus was held up with a number of funeral processions on the way here.”
“Too bad we can’t take our own cars,” one of the parliamentarians responded.
“They’re rationing gas of necessity,” another said.
The moderator told Thomas, “All you need do is call us, and we will send you a government cab. They will pick you up at your door, and no waiting at the bus stops or others to get off.”
“Yes,” Thomas said taking his seat, “but you have to have a government chip for a government cab.”
“We like to call them personal IDs,” said the moderator. “And I thought you would have taken one by now. We all have ours.”
“I guess I like my independence too much. Besides, it’s not mandatory,” Thomas responded.
The angel, Mr. Watkins, who was seated next to Thomas, bumped his foot against Thomas’s foot, trying to get him to stop talking about the ID.
“But it shows unity in these times,” said the parliamentarian possessed by an evil spirit.
The angel attempted to change the direction of the conversation. “I believe we need to make some introductions so we know who everyone is.”
As he said this, the prime minister’s aide, who was a devil, glared at Mr. Watkins, knowing he was an angel. He then stared at Thomas, who tried not to look directly at him.
The moderator introduced Thomas. “Mr. Thomas Jeffery is a scientist and professor at the university and works in conjunction with LOFAR, and they have been involved in the search for extraterrestrial beings even before the disappearance.” As he says this, the devil had a coy smile. The moderator then said, “So, Mr. Jeffery, tell us the big news!”
“Yes, well, after the disappearance of so many, the government started funding our research. After all, if it was an alien abduction, there was hope we might make contact with them.”
“Who would want to talk to those kidnappers?” said the possessed man. The moderator motioned with his hand to let Thomas proceed.
“Well, as you know, contact has been made, actually several times, and the good news is we no longer believe these contacts are from those who took away all those people. But another alien race! There has in fact been a battle going on between these people, excuse me, I mean between these aliens.”
“There are two different alien groups?” one of the parliamentarians asked.
Thomas nodded “Yes, and they’re enemies of each other, which should work to our advantage. It’s the case of ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend.’”
Another asked, “These other aliens and the ones that took the people who disappeared, how similar to humans are they?”
“We are going to find out in three days. That is when they said they want to meet with us—that is, the leaders of the world, at the headquarters of the European Community. There have been subsequent messages received since the original contact, including their request for the heads of state from countries around the world.”
“Are the world leaders planning on coming to this meeting?” asked another parliamentarian.
“I don’t know. I have heard that our prime minister is planning on going.” Thomas motioned to the prime minister’s personal aide, a devil, who nodded his head.
The possessed man asked, “Has there been any contact with those who are responsible for the disappearance?”
“No” was Thomas’s only response.
The angel asked, “What is your impression of them? Do you trust them?”
“I don’t see that we have much choice.”
The devil said with an irritated voice, “Obviously we can’t trust those that took the people from earth.”
Thomas continued, “These aliens who made contact with us said they could help us with these plagues we have been having, or at the least help to counter them. And they have already shared some vital information with us in an effort to help protect our planet.”
“What?” asked a parliamentarian.
“Well, for one thing, they said the other aliens are responsible for all these disasters we have been having.”
Then the moderator interrupted and asked one of parliamentarians to share something with the rest. “In regards to this cult of the Jewish evangelists and the two terrorist at Jerusalem that have been killing people with their plagues. The European Community believes it is too coincidental that they just happen to appear right after the disappearance and believe the two terrorist are either aliens or working with them. We know they incited all those Jewish evangelists with their hate speeches.”
“Why can’t you stop them?” asked another parliamentarian.
“These Jewish evangelists are receiving help from the public. They are hiding them, and it is our recommendation that it be announced that anyone helping or giving aid to them be arrested.”
Thomas was thinking about the man who had talked to him on the bus.
Again the other parliamentarian asked, “But why do you not arrest the two terrorist at Jerusalem? You know where they are. They are not hiding from anyone!”
“Because they have these superhuman powers. Fire even comes out of their mouths and kills people. And this is another reason it is believed they are aliens. In short, we are concerned that the aliens who took those people are using the two terrorist and the cult of Jewish evangelists to convert the populace to side with them.”
“And I will give power unto my two witnesses…And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies…These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power…to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will” (Revelation 11:3–6).
The moderator asked Thomas if he had anything else to add.
“Yes. The aliens who contacted us have warned us of another upcoming attack by the first group of aliens. They have changed the orbit of a comet, and it is headed towards earth.”
“What?” said the moderator, who turned to look at the devil to see his response. But the demons said nothing, and Thomas continued.
“Both the EC Space agency and several deep-space telescopes have confirmed, that for whatever reason, the comet is off course and on a trajectory to impact earth in six weeks.”
Sighs were heard in the room, and a parliamentarian said, “People can’t take another catastrophe!”
“I’m afraid it is very large and will do what they called ‘continental damage.’”
The evil spirit said, “Do we need any more proof that these aliens who caused the disappearance are the bad guys?! The prime minister believes we need to throw our support on the side of those who contacted us and want to help.”
One of the parliamentarians said, “Shouldn’t we wait and see what it is they want to talk about in the upcoming meeting they have planned?”
“Why not meet again next week after we have had time to think it over?” another added,
“I suppose we could do that.” The moderator said.
With that the devil stood up, put his hand on the moderator’s shoulder, and said, “Let’s take a break.” People formed into little groups discussing what they had heard, while the moderator, a hybrid, was led off by the devil into another room.
Once inside, he shut door, almost slamming it, and said to the hybrid, “You are to push this allegiance with the aliens immediately. The prime minister wants no delays!”
“I understand, but to keep my post as moderator, I thought it good to give credence to their opinions.”
The devil said, “I am not interested in their opinions, and as to your position, we gave it to you, and you will keep it by our good graces.”
“Grace?” said the moderator. “I thought only God gave grace.”
At that moment the invisible devil, which was also in the room with them, became visible, giving off an odor of sulfur that filled the room. He was the height of an oversize football player and whose body was all in black, including his large wings with their black feathers. His wings were not fully extended but arching high up on his shoulders, bristling like the hairs on the back of an angry dog.
The moderator was in a panic and started to move backward, but the black demon, without moving forward, reached out and grabbed the stomach of the moderator with one hand and lifted him off the ground and pulled his face up to his. The moderator was in horrific pain and tried to speak but couldn’t, and he put both of his hands on the hand of the black demon in an attempt to loosen his grip.
The devil, the aide to the prime minister, transformed his appearance into a gray color and shrunk in size to less than five feet. He was breathing heavily, and his face looked more like a traditional alien with big eyes and thin, pointed fingers and he leaned forward as he spoke, “You do not use the name of God except it be in vain! Now you get back out there and call for a vote on this and then tell the rest of parliament, the newspapers, media, and all you can think of, that your little committee agrees with the prime minister. OK?”
The moderator was still being held off the ground by the black devil, unable to speak, and in anguish of pain he simply nodded his head. Whereupon the devil holding him dropped him to the floor and disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.
As the moderator stood, the demon said, “Listen, you hybrid. You may think you have powers, but you don’t, not compared to us. And I am going to assign the black devil to watch you from now on, understand?”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Yes, I think it will be. Now you get back out there to that meeting and call for a vote!”
“A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine” (Revelation 6:6—a penny, Greek “denarius,” was a full-day’s wages Matthew 20:2, but during the Tribulation it will only buy the equivalent of one day’s food. But for luxury items they were told “hurl not” the “wine” and “oil”).
Thomas Jeffrey was dressed in a suit and tie, riding a bus with a third of the people wearing masks over their mouths because of the smoky air. He was reading a newspaper with the headlines about “Wars,” “Fires Still Rage,” and “Government Trying to Make Contact with Aliens,” with the subtitle “Fear of alien abduction spreads.”
Thomas then heard the news report on a TV screen in the bus. A newscaster was saying, “The prime minister has said that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measure.” And then he gave the governments line for receiving the personal ID chip. But when questioned if it would become mandatory, he reiterated that it is “only an option, but shows patriotic unity in these changeling times.” The newscasters continued with, “The government is offering for all who receive their permanent identifications a five percent discount on purchases using the identification chip.”
Another newscaster said, “Certainly it cannot be denied that it helps in tracking terrorists, criminals, illegal emigrants and may help us find who is behind this world wide abduction.”
Then a man from the back of the bus came up and sat down next to Thomas and introduced himself. “Hi. My name is David Avraham.” Thomas had an almost startled look on his face, somewhat perturbed that this man had interrupted his thoughts, and just stared at Mr. Avraham.
“I understand you’re having a meeting today at the capitol about extraterrestrials, and I have something I need to share with you.”
“What do you know about that, and who are you?” asked Thomas.
“I’m a servant of God. Some people call me an evangelist.”
“No, you’re one of those Jewish terrorists that we have been told to watch out for,” said Thomas.
“We’ve hurt no one.” said Mr. Avraham.
“But your type is always bothering people about religion, aren’t you?”
Mr. Avraham said, “When you care about people enough, you will tell them what they need to hear. And you, sir, have never trusted Jesus Christ.”
“That is none of your business.”
“Actually it is my main business,” said Mr. Avraham.
“You don’t know me,” Thomas said. “I’m a Christian. I go to church.”
But Mr. Avraham asked, “Does going into a garage make you a car? At any rate, today at your meeting there will be ten of you in that conference room.”
“Really, there is only eight of us scheduled to be there—four parliamentarians, an assistant to the prime minister, two representatives from ESA, and myself. That’s eight people, not ten!”
“Actually, there will only be five and a half people in that room,” Mr. Avraham said.
Thomas stared at him. “Did you say half a person? You people are crazy!”
“Well, let’s count then.” Mr. Avraham began to name all who would attend. “You’re a person.”
“Oh, well, thank you very much.”
“Then there are the two from the European Space Agency, a Mr. Watkins, and Mr. Hubbard, but only one of them is human. One is an angel, which would be Mr. Watkins. He will position himself next to you on your right side. And if Mr. Watkins should ask something of you, do it! Three of the parliamentarians are people, though one is demon possessed. He is sometimes controlled by the evil spirit, and sometimes he has control. The fourth parliamentarian is a Mr. Williams. He will be moderating the discussion, but he is a hybrid. His mother was human, but his father was a devil.
“Mr. Jeffery, I can tell by the expression on your face you’re in total disbelief. But you really need to study your Bible, and I’d start in Genesis chapter 6. Now where were we? Oh yes, then there is the assistant to the prime minister, a Mr. Moore. He is a devil. Listen to me, Mr. Jeffery. Do not cross him. If he asks you any questions, keep your responses short and to the point. And make no recommendations to anyone there. None!" Mr. Avraham was speaking with authority and Mr. Jeffery was wondering how he could know so much about his meeting. "Only give out the basic facts as you know them. Let’s see—I believe we have eight so far, plus two angels that will not be seen. One is an elect angel of God. And one is a fallen angel—sometimes people call them ghosts, but the Bible calls them devils or evil spirits.”
Thomas was staring at him and to regain his composure said sarcastically, “Sound like we will have a jolly good time with everyone there. But will there be no monsters?”
“No monsters today,” said Mr. Avraham. “Thomas, if I told you there are people on this bus right now you cannot see and voices you cannot hear, you would think I was…”
Thomas interrupts and says “Crazy!” smiling at Mr. Avraham as he says it.
Mr. Avraham continues, “But your cell phone could see the images of people on TV and hear their voices. The same in the spirit world. If we had ‘spiritual antennas,’ then we could see what the spirits see. By the way, the spirits know immediately who belongs to God and who does not. That includes the angels and demons in that room where you will be meeting today. Only the humans and the hybrid, unless told, will not be aware of this. The two unseen beings, one angel and one devil, are there to observe. This meeting is more important than you realize, Mr. Jeffery.”
Both Thomas and Mr. Avraham were getting annoyed by each other. “Well, if it is so important, why don’t you just go to it?” Thomas asked.
“The devils won’t allow me or any Christian at this meeting, but they can’t stop the angels from being there, and they do not mind lost people going there.”
“Oh, how nice of them,” said Thomas. “Incidentally, I’ve seen paintings of angels with their wings and all, and everyone would know it the moment they showed up. How could anyone be fooled?”
“Wings, Mr. Jeffery? Yes, some of them have wings and some pictures of Jesus have him with blond hair and blue eyes, but he was a Jew, not an Anglo Saxon. I suggest you get your beliefs from the Bible, not pictures.”
The bus stopped for a funeral procession, the third one that had blocked them since Thomas got on the bus. Some riders were getting off and walking rather than waiting. Thomas stood and started toward the door.
As he went, Mr. Avraham said to him, “Don’t take the mark, Mr. Jeffery.”
“Mark?” questioned Thomas.
“Their personal ID chip. Don’t let them talk you into it, not you, your wife, or your children.”
Thomas said “Excuse me” and existed off the bus. He immediately saw a poster “Good citizens have personal IDs.” Next to it was a sign that read “Report any suspicious activities.” And written underneath was a number to call. Another sign read “Reward leading to the arrest of the Jewish terrorists.”
The sky was filled with smoke, and a stench of death was in the air. Beggars were everywhere, some using their children to beg for them. Walking down a street, he past long lines for food, people wearing masks, and many streets and buildings were under repair from the earthquakes (Revelation 6:14; 8:5). Thomas also saw an open-air clinic offering free ID implants. With a caption that read “Receive your ID while you wait for the bus.” A few people sat in chairs on the street while a nurse was injecting them with a large needle that implanted a microchip under their skin. Their photo and personal information was put on the Internet, along with the recipients’ electronic signatures for the contract they signed, which in the small print said, “I pledge allegiance to my state and to the European leader.”
“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark” (Revelation 13:16–17).
Parliament
Thomas walked up to the entrance of the parliament building, which had many guards in front of it. They were fending off beggars and protestors who wanted more services and help with shortages of basic necessities, but especially more food. The guards had been expecting Thomas and helped him pass through the protestors and led him up the stairs and into the capitol building, with repairs still going on inside. He then walked up two more flights of stairs, and on the third floor he was greeted by a guard who said, “They are in conference and have started without you. This way please.” As Thomas stepped into the room with its four parliamentarians, one of which was demon possessed, and one a hybrid, plus the assistant to the prime minister, who was a devil. There were also the two angels and two devils, but one angel and one devil were invisible. Had Thomas not been told in advance, he could not have known by their presence, as everyone in the room would fit in at any gathering without raising suspicion. But because of what Mr. Avraham had told him, he saw them in a different light than he would have before.
He was already late, nervous and not sure what to believe. Thomas walked up to a large, oblong-shaped conference table, and everyone stopped their discussion and looked in his direction.
“I’m sorry. Our bus was held up with a number of funeral processions on the way here.”
“Too bad we can’t take our own cars,” one of the parliamentarians responded.
“They’re rationing gas of necessity,” another said.
The moderator told Thomas, “All you need do is call us, and we will send you a government cab. They will pick you up at your door, and no waiting at the bus stops or others to get off.”
“Yes,” Thomas said taking his seat, “but you have to have a government chip for a government cab.”
“We like to call them personal IDs,” said the moderator. “And I thought you would have taken one by now. We all have ours.”
“I guess I like my independence too much. Besides, it’s not mandatory,” Thomas responded.
The angel, Mr. Watkins, who was seated next to Thomas, bumped his foot against Thomas’s foot, trying to get him to stop talking about the ID.
“But it shows unity in these times,” said the parliamentarian possessed by an evil spirit.
The angel attempted to change the direction of the conversation. “I believe we need to make some introductions so we know who everyone is.”
As he said this, the prime minister’s aide, who was a devil, glared at Mr. Watkins, knowing he was an angel. He then stared at Thomas, who tried not to look directly at him.
The moderator introduced Thomas. “Mr. Thomas Jeffery is a scientist and professor at the university and works in conjunction with LOFAR, and they have been involved in the search for extraterrestrial beings even before the disappearance.” As he says this, the devil had a coy smile. The moderator then said, “So, Mr. Jeffery, tell us the big news!”
“Yes, well, after the disappearance of so many, the government started funding our research. After all, if it was an alien abduction, there was hope we might make contact with them.”
“Who would want to talk to those kidnappers?” said the possessed man. The moderator motioned with his hand to let Thomas proceed.
“Well, as you know, contact has been made, actually several times, and the good news is we no longer believe these contacts are from those who took away all those people. But another alien race! There has in fact been a battle going on between these people, excuse me, I mean between these aliens.”
“There are two different alien groups?” one of the parliamentarians asked.
Thomas nodded “Yes, and they’re enemies of each other, which should work to our advantage. It’s the case of ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend.’”
Another asked, “These other aliens and the ones that took the people who disappeared, how similar to humans are they?”
“We are going to find out in three days. That is when they said they want to meet with us—that is, the leaders of the world, at the headquarters of the European Community. There have been subsequent messages received since the original contact, including their request for the heads of state from countries around the world.”
“Are the world leaders planning on coming to this meeting?” asked another parliamentarian.
“I don’t know. I have heard that our prime minister is planning on going.” Thomas motioned to the prime minister’s personal aide, a devil, who nodded his head.
The possessed man asked, “Has there been any contact with those who are responsible for the disappearance?”
“No” was Thomas’s only response.
The angel asked, “What is your impression of them? Do you trust them?”
“I don’t see that we have much choice.”
The devil said with an irritated voice, “Obviously we can’t trust those that took the people from earth.”
Thomas continued, “These aliens who made contact with us said they could help us with these plagues we have been having, or at the least help to counter them. And they have already shared some vital information with us in an effort to help protect our planet.”
“What?” asked a parliamentarian.
“Well, for one thing, they said the other aliens are responsible for all these disasters we have been having.”
Then the moderator interrupted and asked one of parliamentarians to share something with the rest. “In regards to this cult of the Jewish evangelists and the two terrorist at Jerusalem that have been killing people with their plagues. The European Community believes it is too coincidental that they just happen to appear right after the disappearance and believe the two terrorist are either aliens or working with them. We know they incited all those Jewish evangelists with their hate speeches.”
“Why can’t you stop them?” asked another parliamentarian.
“These Jewish evangelists are receiving help from the public. They are hiding them, and it is our recommendation that it be announced that anyone helping or giving aid to them be arrested.”
Thomas was thinking about the man who had talked to him on the bus.
Again the other parliamentarian asked, “But why do you not arrest the two terrorist at Jerusalem? You know where they are. They are not hiding from anyone!”
“Because they have these superhuman powers. Fire even comes out of their mouths and kills people. And this is another reason it is believed they are aliens. In short, we are concerned that the aliens who took those people are using the two terrorist and the cult of Jewish evangelists to convert the populace to side with them.”
“And I will give power unto my two witnesses…And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies…These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power…to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will” (Revelation 11:3–6).
The moderator asked Thomas if he had anything else to add.
“Yes. The aliens who contacted us have warned us of another upcoming attack by the first group of aliens. They have changed the orbit of a comet, and it is headed towards earth.”
“What?” said the moderator, who turned to look at the devil to see his response. But the demons said nothing, and Thomas continued.
“Both the EC Space agency and several deep-space telescopes have confirmed, that for whatever reason, the comet is off course and on a trajectory to impact earth in six weeks.”
Sighs were heard in the room, and a parliamentarian said, “People can’t take another catastrophe!”
“I’m afraid it is very large and will do what they called ‘continental damage.’”
The evil spirit said, “Do we need any more proof that these aliens who caused the disappearance are the bad guys?! The prime minister believes we need to throw our support on the side of those who contacted us and want to help.”
One of the parliamentarians said, “Shouldn’t we wait and see what it is they want to talk about in the upcoming meeting they have planned?”
“Why not meet again next week after we have had time to think it over?” another added,
“I suppose we could do that.” The moderator said.
With that the devil stood up, put his hand on the moderator’s shoulder, and said, “Let’s take a break.” People formed into little groups discussing what they had heard, while the moderator, a hybrid, was led off by the devil into another room.
Once inside, he shut door, almost slamming it, and said to the hybrid, “You are to push this allegiance with the aliens immediately. The prime minister wants no delays!”
“I understand, but to keep my post as moderator, I thought it good to give credence to their opinions.”
The devil said, “I am not interested in their opinions, and as to your position, we gave it to you, and you will keep it by our good graces.”
“Grace?” said the moderator. “I thought only God gave grace.”
At that moment the invisible devil, which was also in the room with them, became visible, giving off an odor of sulfur that filled the room. He was the height of an oversize football player and whose body was all in black, including his large wings with their black feathers. His wings were not fully extended but arching high up on his shoulders, bristling like the hairs on the back of an angry dog.
The moderator was in a panic and started to move backward, but the black demon, without moving forward, reached out and grabbed the stomach of the moderator with one hand and lifted him off the ground and pulled his face up to his. The moderator was in horrific pain and tried to speak but couldn’t, and he put both of his hands on the hand of the black demon in an attempt to loosen his grip.
The devil, the aide to the prime minister, transformed his appearance into a gray color and shrunk in size to less than five feet. He was breathing heavily, and his face looked more like a traditional alien with big eyes and thin, pointed fingers and he leaned forward as he spoke, “You do not use the name of God except it be in vain! Now you get back out there and call for a vote on this and then tell the rest of parliament, the newspapers, media, and all you can think of, that your little committee agrees with the prime minister. OK?”
The moderator was still being held off the ground by the black devil, unable to speak, and in anguish of pain he simply nodded his head. Whereupon the devil holding him dropped him to the floor and disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.
As the moderator stood, the demon said, “Listen, you hybrid. You may think you have powers, but you don’t, not compared to us. And I am going to assign the black devil to watch you from now on, understand?”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Yes, I think it will be. Now you get back out there to that meeting and call for a vote!”
CHAPTER III
The Guardians
Thomas went home bewildered by the events of the day. When he opened the door to his house, he was met by his wife, who did not ask how he was or how the meeting went, but, “While you were out, did you find any more food?”
“Hey, give me a chance to relax.”
His wife had her hands on her hips and said, “I don’t think you realize how drastic it is getting out there. No one smiles outside our home anymore.”
“No one smiles inside of it either," said Thomas.
She clenched her fists and turned around and walked off in a huff. Thomas walked into the living room, where his son asked if he found out anything about the special school he wanted, with tutors and a free lunch program. This school was for those who had shown special talents and excelled in their schoolwork. Something both Thomas and his wife were hoping their son could be approved for. Thomas told his son he has been busy and just wanted to sit down and have a few minutes to himself.
Just then someone pounded on the door. He opened the door and saw two men standing there that Thomas had never seen before, but he knew whom they represented. He took a step back at the sight of them, one tall and the other stocky, as the tall one made an introduction.
“We are the guardians of law and order.” They were called “Guardians” for short and wore dark-blue camouflage uniforms with a beret. Their supposed purpose was to stop any public disturbance, such as looting, and gathered information about the sightings of “cultic Jews” and “bad citizens.” In reality they were nothing more than secret police, and though they tried to keep up a good front, no one trusted them and everyone avoided them.
Thomas was afraid at the sight of them and started out by saying, “Hey, I am a good citizen and have nothing to do with politics.”
“Yes, we know,” said the stocky guardian. “In fact, that is why we are here. We were hoping you might help us with something. It’s your neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Millan. What can you tell us about them?”
“Look, I told you I am a good citizen. I don’t like getting involved in this sort of thing.”
The tall guardian said, “There is nothing illegal here, Mr. Jeffery. All you have to do is tell us what the Millans talk about. You could have them over for dinner.”
Thomas shook his head no while they were talking.
The tall guardian continued, “Just listen to them for one week—that is all you have to do. Let them do the talking, nothing more. By the way, I understand that your son is interested in the special government school with its many extras, a perfect setting for an excelling young student.”
Thomas’s countenance changes when he heard this, and he asked, “How do you know about that?”
“It’s our job, Mr. Jeffery. And we are here to tell you that from what we have learned, your son is a prime candidate to enter this school. Don’t worry. He will pass his entrance examine. You do want him to pass his entrance exam, don’t you, Mr. Jeffery?”
Thomas had this unsettling feeling come over him as the guardian continued.
“I can assure you there is nothing to worry about. With a nod from us, your son’s acceptance into our school is a sure thing. Now just go over to your neighbors and spend some time with them this week, and as we said, invite them over for dinner. We’ll get back with you next week on this, and in the meantime, we will put in a good word for your son at our government school.”
Two Days Later
The Jefferies were sitting down at their dinner table with their neighbors, the Millan family. After dinner, Mrs. Millan helped Mrs. Jeffery clean up. Mrs. Jeffery thanked Mrs. Millan for the lamb chops she had brought for their dinner. “I am embarrassed. I could buy nothing today but bread and fish. How did you ever get those lamb chops?”
“I’ll tell you a secret. The only thing that the government does not control is shepherds and their flocks!” Mrs. Millan said.
“How did they get so lucky?” asked Mrs. Jeffery.
“Simply because it is too hard to keep watch over them. Shepherds move their flocks from one pasture to another and sleep out in the fields with their sheep. The guardians don’t bother with them, as they don’t want to go out in the rain or snow or over ‘hill and dale’ and try and find them. The only real restriction the guardians put on them was they could not hire anyone outside their family. Anyhow, my husband’s friend is a shepherd, and we can get meat from him, goat’s milk, and cheese!”
Without hesitation Mrs. Jeffery said, “I hate those guardians! I was talking to my friends yesterday on the street, and they came up and wanted to know what we were talking about and then asked for our ‘assemble permit.’ Can you believe that?! If there are three or more of us, we need a special permit just to stand on the street corner and talk about the weather! They gave us a warning, calling it an ‘unlawful assembly,’ and of course they wanted to know why we were not ‘good citizens?’” She mockingly repeated what the guardians had told her. “‘You know good citizens obey the laws of their country.’” She was upset and breathing hard. “Sorry. Do you want to go in to the living room and watch TV with the guys?”
Mrs. Millan said, “What’s to watch but testimonies of ‘good citizens’ and those who say they are 'Christians' but have taken the government ID chip. That or listening to one of the EC leader’s old speeches they keep replaying.”
“Boring!” said Mrs. Jeffery as they both laughed. “I just wish everything was back the way it was before the disappearance. We had plans and a future then, and my husband’s new promotion was promising, but now everything is in doubt, and these plagues are worse than a science-fiction novel.”
Mrs. Millan was listening without making any comment, and then Mrs. Jeffery asked, “Have you and your husband received the state IDs, and do you think they will make it mandatory?”
“No, we have not taken it, and yes, it will be mandatory.”
“You seem pretty certain of that. What will you do?”
“I don’t want to be branded like a cow. And yes. I am certain the ‘mark,’ which you call the personal ID, will be mandatory in the near future.”
Mrs. Jeffery was listening to Mrs. Millan without saying anything. In the living room, Mr. Millan was asking Thomas about his job at the LOFAR deep-space listening array. And Thomas relayed to him the news of the comet that would hit the earth.
“Is this the one the ETs are sending our way?” Mr. Millan asked.
“How did you know?”
“It is the talk of the street, that aliens are coming to ‘help us.’ There was an announcement on the news about a parliament meeting that took place in our town about it. And they say that it’s the ‘good aliens’ verses the ‘bad aliens.’” Laughed Mr. Millan.
“What if I told you it’s not a joke? And there’s more involved than you realize!” said Thomas.
“And what if I told you, that before the comet, we will be hit with a meteor. Our ‘alien friends’ have got their wires crossed.”
“What would you know about it?” Thomas asked.
“I know what the Bible says, and I have been following these plagues one after another as they take place here on the earth just as the Bible describes them and in the exact order as the Bible gives them. And before the comet hits earth, the next event will be a meteor that will hit.”
“Show me," said Thomas.
“Happy to!” Mr. Millan took out his pocket a New Testament and opened to Revelation 8. “Later look at chapter 6 and you will find the seal judgments we have already gone through and in the same order. By the way, chapter 6 follows the same order as Mathew 24, where Jesus Christ said there would be deception, wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes. And then Christ said this was only ‘the beginning of sorrows.’ Now look at Revelation chapter 8. Here are the trumpet judgments. The last one we went through was in verse 7, which says that ‘the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.’ As you know, this is where all the smoke in our skies came from. Now let’s skip a couple of verses, and we’ll get back to them in a minute, but first what you said about a comet hitting the earth—that is found in verses 10 to 11. “And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters--”
Thomas interrupted. “But it says here that it is a ‘star.’ You actually think a sun is going to hit our planet?”
“It is a figure of speech, like when we say ‘shooting star.’ You can see this is a comet, as it has a tail of a comet: ‘burning as it were a lamp.’ By the way, it will cause much damage and poison the water of a third of the earth. Verse 11 says, ‘And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.’ Now Mr. Jeffery, what I want to show you is that before this comet hits earth, a meteor will hit earth first. Look at the two verses we skipped. ‘And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.’ The meteor’s impact will cause a tidal wave and destroy the ships.”
“But no asteroid or meteor has been reported, and a comet has,” Thomas said.
“I don’t know why they have not reported it already. Perhaps they just haven’t spotted it yet, as meteors are harder to detect. Meteors are made of rock or metal and only burn on entry into earth’s atmosphere, but comets have tails, even in space. But Mr. Jeffery, the meteor is coming, and it will hit earth before the comet.”
“Well, if this all happens as you say it will, then I’ll listen.”
“Hey, give me a chance to relax.”
His wife had her hands on her hips and said, “I don’t think you realize how drastic it is getting out there. No one smiles outside our home anymore.”
“No one smiles inside of it either," said Thomas.
She clenched her fists and turned around and walked off in a huff. Thomas walked into the living room, where his son asked if he found out anything about the special school he wanted, with tutors and a free lunch program. This school was for those who had shown special talents and excelled in their schoolwork. Something both Thomas and his wife were hoping their son could be approved for. Thomas told his son he has been busy and just wanted to sit down and have a few minutes to himself.
Just then someone pounded on the door. He opened the door and saw two men standing there that Thomas had never seen before, but he knew whom they represented. He took a step back at the sight of them, one tall and the other stocky, as the tall one made an introduction.
“We are the guardians of law and order.” They were called “Guardians” for short and wore dark-blue camouflage uniforms with a beret. Their supposed purpose was to stop any public disturbance, such as looting, and gathered information about the sightings of “cultic Jews” and “bad citizens.” In reality they were nothing more than secret police, and though they tried to keep up a good front, no one trusted them and everyone avoided them.
Thomas was afraid at the sight of them and started out by saying, “Hey, I am a good citizen and have nothing to do with politics.”
“Yes, we know,” said the stocky guardian. “In fact, that is why we are here. We were hoping you might help us with something. It’s your neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Millan. What can you tell us about them?”
“Look, I told you I am a good citizen. I don’t like getting involved in this sort of thing.”
The tall guardian said, “There is nothing illegal here, Mr. Jeffery. All you have to do is tell us what the Millans talk about. You could have them over for dinner.”
Thomas shook his head no while they were talking.
The tall guardian continued, “Just listen to them for one week—that is all you have to do. Let them do the talking, nothing more. By the way, I understand that your son is interested in the special government school with its many extras, a perfect setting for an excelling young student.”
Thomas’s countenance changes when he heard this, and he asked, “How do you know about that?”
“It’s our job, Mr. Jeffery. And we are here to tell you that from what we have learned, your son is a prime candidate to enter this school. Don’t worry. He will pass his entrance examine. You do want him to pass his entrance exam, don’t you, Mr. Jeffery?”
Thomas had this unsettling feeling come over him as the guardian continued.
“I can assure you there is nothing to worry about. With a nod from us, your son’s acceptance into our school is a sure thing. Now just go over to your neighbors and spend some time with them this week, and as we said, invite them over for dinner. We’ll get back with you next week on this, and in the meantime, we will put in a good word for your son at our government school.”
Two Days Later
The Jefferies were sitting down at their dinner table with their neighbors, the Millan family. After dinner, Mrs. Millan helped Mrs. Jeffery clean up. Mrs. Jeffery thanked Mrs. Millan for the lamb chops she had brought for their dinner. “I am embarrassed. I could buy nothing today but bread and fish. How did you ever get those lamb chops?”
“I’ll tell you a secret. The only thing that the government does not control is shepherds and their flocks!” Mrs. Millan said.
“How did they get so lucky?” asked Mrs. Jeffery.
“Simply because it is too hard to keep watch over them. Shepherds move their flocks from one pasture to another and sleep out in the fields with their sheep. The guardians don’t bother with them, as they don’t want to go out in the rain or snow or over ‘hill and dale’ and try and find them. The only real restriction the guardians put on them was they could not hire anyone outside their family. Anyhow, my husband’s friend is a shepherd, and we can get meat from him, goat’s milk, and cheese!”
Without hesitation Mrs. Jeffery said, “I hate those guardians! I was talking to my friends yesterday on the street, and they came up and wanted to know what we were talking about and then asked for our ‘assemble permit.’ Can you believe that?! If there are three or more of us, we need a special permit just to stand on the street corner and talk about the weather! They gave us a warning, calling it an ‘unlawful assembly,’ and of course they wanted to know why we were not ‘good citizens?’” She mockingly repeated what the guardians had told her. “‘You know good citizens obey the laws of their country.’” She was upset and breathing hard. “Sorry. Do you want to go in to the living room and watch TV with the guys?”
Mrs. Millan said, “What’s to watch but testimonies of ‘good citizens’ and those who say they are 'Christians' but have taken the government ID chip. That or listening to one of the EC leader’s old speeches they keep replaying.”
“Boring!” said Mrs. Jeffery as they both laughed. “I just wish everything was back the way it was before the disappearance. We had plans and a future then, and my husband’s new promotion was promising, but now everything is in doubt, and these plagues are worse than a science-fiction novel.”
Mrs. Millan was listening without making any comment, and then Mrs. Jeffery asked, “Have you and your husband received the state IDs, and do you think they will make it mandatory?”
“No, we have not taken it, and yes, it will be mandatory.”
“You seem pretty certain of that. What will you do?”
“I don’t want to be branded like a cow. And yes. I am certain the ‘mark,’ which you call the personal ID, will be mandatory in the near future.”
Mrs. Jeffery was listening to Mrs. Millan without saying anything. In the living room, Mr. Millan was asking Thomas about his job at the LOFAR deep-space listening array. And Thomas relayed to him the news of the comet that would hit the earth.
“Is this the one the ETs are sending our way?” Mr. Millan asked.
“How did you know?”
“It is the talk of the street, that aliens are coming to ‘help us.’ There was an announcement on the news about a parliament meeting that took place in our town about it. And they say that it’s the ‘good aliens’ verses the ‘bad aliens.’” Laughed Mr. Millan.
“What if I told you it’s not a joke? And there’s more involved than you realize!” said Thomas.
“And what if I told you, that before the comet, we will be hit with a meteor. Our ‘alien friends’ have got their wires crossed.”
“What would you know about it?” Thomas asked.
“I know what the Bible says, and I have been following these plagues one after another as they take place here on the earth just as the Bible describes them and in the exact order as the Bible gives them. And before the comet hits earth, the next event will be a meteor that will hit.”
“Show me," said Thomas.
“Happy to!” Mr. Millan took out his pocket a New Testament and opened to Revelation 8. “Later look at chapter 6 and you will find the seal judgments we have already gone through and in the same order. By the way, chapter 6 follows the same order as Mathew 24, where Jesus Christ said there would be deception, wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes. And then Christ said this was only ‘the beginning of sorrows.’ Now look at Revelation chapter 8. Here are the trumpet judgments. The last one we went through was in verse 7, which says that ‘the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.’ As you know, this is where all the smoke in our skies came from. Now let’s skip a couple of verses, and we’ll get back to them in a minute, but first what you said about a comet hitting the earth—that is found in verses 10 to 11. “And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters--”
Thomas interrupted. “But it says here that it is a ‘star.’ You actually think a sun is going to hit our planet?”
“It is a figure of speech, like when we say ‘shooting star.’ You can see this is a comet, as it has a tail of a comet: ‘burning as it were a lamp.’ By the way, it will cause much damage and poison the water of a third of the earth. Verse 11 says, ‘And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.’ Now Mr. Jeffery, what I want to show you is that before this comet hits earth, a meteor will hit earth first. Look at the two verses we skipped. ‘And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.’ The meteor’s impact will cause a tidal wave and destroy the ships.”
“But no asteroid or meteor has been reported, and a comet has,” Thomas said.
“I don’t know why they have not reported it already. Perhaps they just haven’t spotted it yet, as meteors are harder to detect. Meteors are made of rock or metal and only burn on entry into earth’s atmosphere, but comets have tails, even in space. But Mr. Jeffery, the meteor is coming, and it will hit earth before the comet.”
“Well, if this all happens as you say it will, then I’ll listen.”
CHAPTER IV
The Cobweb
Thomas received a call from the hybrid moderator of his last meeting, and the he told Thomas to be at a meeting the next day. He was also told that he would have a chance to meet the prime minister and another very important person. But no details were given on who this someone else might be, other than that Thomas would be glad to meet him. He was also told twice not to be late and to bring the latest messages from the aliens.
He hung up and called LOFAR and told his assistants to e-mail him right away the latest messages and readouts. He then told his wife of the exciting news about meeting the prime minister the next day, and she seemed happy to hear it.
While he was talking to his wife, there came a hard knock at the door. He opened the door to see the two guardians he had met earlier that week. They did not ask to be let in but simply passed by Thomas and marched into his house.
“Forgive the intrusion, but we are in a hurry and needed to know what you found out from your neighbors the Millans.”
“He is a good citizen. There wasn’t anything to learn from our conversation,” said Thomas.
“And your wife, she didn’t learn anything?” the stocky guardian asked.
“No, they are just down-to-earth people.”
“Down-to-earth people?” asked the tall guardian. “You don’t like the idea of extraterrestrials?”
Thomas laughed when he heard that and said, “That’s a good one.”
But the guardians asked Thomas, “Did they talk about the cult of the Jewish fanatics?”
“No, they are not like that.”
“Before we go, we are leaving a list of questions you are to ask them this week. Be sure you and your wife go over these before talking to the Millans again.”
Thomas protested “I understand you have to do your job, but we had an agreement that I was not to ask them anything, but just to listen to them.”
“That was last week, but this is a new week with new rules. You still want your son to go to that special school, don’t you?” The tall guardian responded.
“Look. I just can’t go throw with—”
“Mr. Jeffery”—the stocky guardian cut him off midsentence—“you know that no one likes us, don’t you?”
The other guardian added, “Yeah, they hate us, and no one will talk to us unless we confront them. In fact, we are avoided by everyone. But then you know that. And I’m sorry to tell you, Mr. Jeffery, but once everyone finds out you collaborated with us, no one outside this house is going to talk to you.”
“But I am not collaborating with you. I did nothing wrong.”
The tall guardian laughed and said, “Unless you help us, we are going to spread the word that you did and still are collaborating with us. You and your family will be avoided like the plague. No one likes informants. People will be afraid to talk to you. Your wife, you son, your daughter, and you will be shunned. That would be hard on your wife, wouldn’t it? Your daughter and son won’t have any friends at school. At least we have our friends in the government, but you won’t have anyone.”
Thomas felt like a fly caught in a spider’s web and couldn’t get free. He was also concerned about his job and if the guardians would affect his newfound importance with the government and his meeting with the prime minister.
He hung up and called LOFAR and told his assistants to e-mail him right away the latest messages and readouts. He then told his wife of the exciting news about meeting the prime minister the next day, and she seemed happy to hear it.
While he was talking to his wife, there came a hard knock at the door. He opened the door to see the two guardians he had met earlier that week. They did not ask to be let in but simply passed by Thomas and marched into his house.
“Forgive the intrusion, but we are in a hurry and needed to know what you found out from your neighbors the Millans.”
“He is a good citizen. There wasn’t anything to learn from our conversation,” said Thomas.
“And your wife, she didn’t learn anything?” the stocky guardian asked.
“No, they are just down-to-earth people.”
“Down-to-earth people?” asked the tall guardian. “You don’t like the idea of extraterrestrials?”
Thomas laughed when he heard that and said, “That’s a good one.”
But the guardians asked Thomas, “Did they talk about the cult of the Jewish fanatics?”
“No, they are not like that.”
“Before we go, we are leaving a list of questions you are to ask them this week. Be sure you and your wife go over these before talking to the Millans again.”
Thomas protested “I understand you have to do your job, but we had an agreement that I was not to ask them anything, but just to listen to them.”
“That was last week, but this is a new week with new rules. You still want your son to go to that special school, don’t you?” The tall guardian responded.
“Look. I just can’t go throw with—”
“Mr. Jeffery”—the stocky guardian cut him off midsentence—“you know that no one likes us, don’t you?”
The other guardian added, “Yeah, they hate us, and no one will talk to us unless we confront them. In fact, we are avoided by everyone. But then you know that. And I’m sorry to tell you, Mr. Jeffery, but once everyone finds out you collaborated with us, no one outside this house is going to talk to you.”
“But I am not collaborating with you. I did nothing wrong.”
The tall guardian laughed and said, “Unless you help us, we are going to spread the word that you did and still are collaborating with us. You and your family will be avoided like the plague. No one likes informants. People will be afraid to talk to you. Your wife, you son, your daughter, and you will be shunned. That would be hard on your wife, wouldn’t it? Your daughter and son won’t have any friends at school. At least we have our friends in the government, but you won’t have anyone.”
Thomas felt like a fly caught in a spider’s web and couldn’t get free. He was also concerned about his job and if the guardians would affect his newfound importance with the government and his meeting with the prime minister.
CHAPTER V
Meeting of World Leaders
The Prime Minister’s Estate
Mr. Jeffery was picked up in a government limousine, even though he had not received the mark, and whisked off to the meeting with the prime minister and the VIP. But instead of arriving at the parliament building, he was brought to an estate. There were no protestors outside, but there were more guards and police than at parliament. The limousine pulled into a large circle driveway and parked in front of the beautiful mansion, which Thomas recognized from pictures—the home of the prime minister. The door to the limousine was opened by a parliamentarian he recognized from his last meeting and who was noticeably nervous. The man escorted Mr. Jeffery to the meeting and on his way passed several sets of guards.
Into the meeting room he went, where he first recognized the prime minister from seeing him on TV. Thomas smiled at him, but there was no return smile. A number of cabinet members sat at a large rectangular table, including a devil, the hybrid and some people Thomas did not recognize. Then to his surprise, seated next to the prime minister was the leader of the European Community. His look was much different than the congenial look he had when on TV. His countenance was like one of the sculpted figures on Mount Rushmore but, with lines on his face of deep-seated anger.
“And a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.”
(Daniel 7:20)
Thomas had just met the two most important figures he knew of and was almost breathless. He felt a hand on his shoulder and a stern voice that whispered in his ear, “Sit next to me.” It was the angel, Mr. Watkins, who walked up to the conference table, pulled out a chair for Thomas, and sat down. There had already been a meeting before Thomas came in, and there was an uncomfortable air in the room.
The hybrid, who moderated the last meeting, said, “Mr. Jeffery, we will skip the introductions today. Please tell us what you have for us.”
Thomas was nervous and started off by saying, “Thanks for sending your limousine around for me, even though I have not received your mark yet.” Realizing he had stumbled badly on his opening, he grimaced and rubbed his hands together.
“Mark?” said the prime minister.
“He means the personal ID,” the angel said.
The EC leader said “We know what he meant, and we also know he is not a follower of the fanatics. And I’m sure he’ll soon do the right thing about getting my mark.” When the EC leader said “my" mark, there was surprise on the faces of some present.
The prime minister asked, “Mr. Thomas Jeffery, what is the latest information you have from our friends the aliens?”
Thomas was scared but said, “Both last night and this morning, our listening array received almost identical signals on this meeting today with you.”
Thomas widened his arms apart in a gesture of not being sure how to begin on the subject. “They had a wide range of topics, including such things as genetic engineering.” Thomas stopped for a moment and half laughed. “I am not sure what their reason was for that, but it was in their message to you.”
“Go on, Mr. Jeffery,” said the prime minister.
“They said they could help with our diseases and fighting the other aliens who took all those people of the disappearance. I made copies of both communications of last night and this morning for you.”
Mr. Moore, the assistant to the prime minister, walked up to Mr. Jeffery and took the copies out of his hand and looked at them momentarily. While he was doing this, Thomas remembered that Mr. Avraham, the Jewish evangelist he had met on the bus, told him that Mr. Moore was really a devil. After Mr. Moore looked at the readouts, he then looked at Thomas, who was afraid of him, and Thomas said to Mr. Moore, “That’s all there was.”
“All messages from our friends the aliens are to be sent immediately to my office,” Mr. Moore said.
“Yes, certainly,” said Thomas. Mr. Moore took the readouts to the prime minister and the leader of Europe and handed them their copies.
Thomas continued, “As you will see from the communications, the aliens are asking for cooperation from the world leaders in the upcoming conference that is to be held. They seem insistent on cooperation from the rest of the world in order to help us against the other aliens.”
The EC leader looked squarely at Mr. Jeffery and asked, “What is your opinion of these aliens, Mr. Jeffery?”
“I am not sure exactly,” said Thomas. “On the one hand, it seems like great news, and there is some hope that I have not seen since before the disappearance. But some say we are rushing this, and I have even heard that the aliens are wrong about the next crises being a comet.”
“Who said that?” ask the EC leader.
“Well, it is just some talk on the streets,” said Thomas.
“No, I want to know who said that!”
Thomas hesitated, and then the prime minister said, “Mr. Jeffery, you must answer.”
“My neighbor did, but he is a good man, and it was just said in passing, like a possibility,” said Thomas.
The EC leader asked Thomas, “Where does your neighbor get his information?”
“He gets it from the Bible.”
The prime minister smiled and rolled his eyes, and the parliamentarian hybrid said, “I don’t think we need to hear any more of this.”
Mr. Watkins, the angel, spoke up. “Thomas, what did your neighbor say the Bible has hitting the earth before the comet?”
The parliamentarian possessed by a devil said, with a completely new voice, “We’ve had enough of this.” More than a few people at the conference table observed with surprise his voice change and were looking at him.
Mr. Moore, said to the possessed man, “You should clear your throat.”
“Thomas,” said the angel forcibly, “what did your neighbor say was next?”
Thomas was wishing the subject had not come up, and Mr. Moore, the devil, was glaring at him, but Thomas remembered the Jewish evangelist told him “Whatever the angel tells you, do it!”
“He said according to the Bible, a meteor will come before the comet.”
The EC leader looked at the hybrid, who looked at the devil, who shrugged his shoulders.
“That will be all, Mr. Jeffrey,” said the prime minister.
Then the parliamentarian who had escorted Mr. Jeffery to the meeting walked up to him and said, “This way.”
When the meeting started to break up, both the demon-possessed man and the hybrid walked up to Mr. Moore, the devil, and the hybrid said, “It would seem Mr. Jeffery’s neighbor, who reads a two-thousand-year-old book, knows more than the government, the astronomers, and those of us who serve Lucifer. We told LOFAR about the comet coming but missed seeing a meteor that is coming before that? Couldn’t you have at least checked the Bible first?”
Mr. Moore bristled when he heard this. “Your mouth is going to get you in trouble! You had better change your tone, understand?”
The hybrid responded, “I am only saying we did not look good, and I hope we do not get in such an embarrassing situation again.”
“I can handle any questions the prime minister may have, and as to the Bible, you know it cuts me to read that book. If you think it is such a good source of information, why don’t you go read it?” said Mr. Moore.
At Home on a Roller Coaster Ride
In the cab Mr. Jeffery wore a thoughtful look, as he knew he had been awkward at the meeting and was somewhat troubled by mentioning his neighbor. Still, he’d had a meeting with the prime minister and the leader of the European Community. He could hardly wait to tell someone, so he called his best friend.
“Hi, Rich, it’s me, Thomas. Guess what? I just met with the prime minister. And you won’t believe it, but I also talked to the leader of Europe!”
“Oh” was his friend’s only response.
“Oh?” repeated Thomas. “Well, I guess you don’t believe me? But it really happened! Hey, I am not bragging about it, but just thought you, being my best pal, would rejoice with me.”
“OK, I have to go.” said Rich.
After Rich hangs up, Thomas said, “OK?” He then called another friend, who said he was busy and could not talk. Thomas remembered that the guardians had said that no one would want to talk to him once they found out he collaborated with the guardians. It was obvious someone had spread the word about his helping them.
Once home he quickly entered into his house excited to share the news with his wife. “Honey, I talked to the leader of Europe today!” But Mrs. Jeffery is crying. “What’s the matter?”
“Two of my closest friends hung up on me today, and people I know on the street avoided me. Then not even five minutes ago our neighbor Mrs. Millan came over here crying, asking for our help.”
“Why, what is wrong?”
“I’ll tell you what is wrong,” said Thomas’ wife. “Two guardians came by and forcibly took Mr. Millan out of his house and then told his wife that they were going to make a ‘good citizen’ out of her husband. She seems to think we have government contacts and hoped we might make an appeal for her husband.” Mrs. Jeffery looked at her husband, waiting for a response.
“Were these the same guardians that had visited us?” His wife shook her head no. Then a knock comes at the door, and as Thomas opened it, he saw the two guardians he had talked to before. Fearing the worst, he stepped outside and closed the door, hoping they would only confront him and leave his wife alone. But this time the guardians were not alone but had come with a van and four other men. Thomas’s wife came to the door, opened it, and saw what was happening.
Thomas turned toward her and said, “Honey, it would be better if you got back inside.”
But his wife smiled and said, “Are you kidding? Look at the food!”
Thomas turned around, and one of the guardians said, “This is all for you, Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery, to show our appreciation for all you have done.” Then four men started bringing in boxes of food, including meat and items Mrs. Jeffery had not seen for a year.
All of which she received with open arms and smiles, saying, “I did not know these things still existed.”
“Oh certainly, Mrs. Jeffery,” said the guardian. “And there will be more, but you will need your personal ID to justify these government gestures.” She nodded her head in agreement and trembled at the sight of the food.
“Mr. Jeffery,” said the guardian, “no doubt some of your neighbors are viewing this right now, so they will know you are committed to us, but remember we are your friends.” He then shook Thomas’s hand and walked over to the van and drove off with the other guardians.
“Dear, isn’t this fantastic? said Mrs. Jeffery. "Oh, I’m sorry. What did you say about your meeting today?”
Mr. Jeffery was picked up in a government limousine, even though he had not received the mark, and whisked off to the meeting with the prime minister and the VIP. But instead of arriving at the parliament building, he was brought to an estate. There were no protestors outside, but there were more guards and police than at parliament. The limousine pulled into a large circle driveway and parked in front of the beautiful mansion, which Thomas recognized from pictures—the home of the prime minister. The door to the limousine was opened by a parliamentarian he recognized from his last meeting and who was noticeably nervous. The man escorted Mr. Jeffery to the meeting and on his way passed several sets of guards.
Into the meeting room he went, where he first recognized the prime minister from seeing him on TV. Thomas smiled at him, but there was no return smile. A number of cabinet members sat at a large rectangular table, including a devil, the hybrid and some people Thomas did not recognize. Then to his surprise, seated next to the prime minister was the leader of the European Community. His look was much different than the congenial look he had when on TV. His countenance was like one of the sculpted figures on Mount Rushmore but, with lines on his face of deep-seated anger.
“And a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.”
(Daniel 7:20)
Thomas had just met the two most important figures he knew of and was almost breathless. He felt a hand on his shoulder and a stern voice that whispered in his ear, “Sit next to me.” It was the angel, Mr. Watkins, who walked up to the conference table, pulled out a chair for Thomas, and sat down. There had already been a meeting before Thomas came in, and there was an uncomfortable air in the room.
The hybrid, who moderated the last meeting, said, “Mr. Jeffery, we will skip the introductions today. Please tell us what you have for us.”
Thomas was nervous and started off by saying, “Thanks for sending your limousine around for me, even though I have not received your mark yet.” Realizing he had stumbled badly on his opening, he grimaced and rubbed his hands together.
“Mark?” said the prime minister.
“He means the personal ID,” the angel said.
The EC leader said “We know what he meant, and we also know he is not a follower of the fanatics. And I’m sure he’ll soon do the right thing about getting my mark.” When the EC leader said “my" mark, there was surprise on the faces of some present.
The prime minister asked, “Mr. Thomas Jeffery, what is the latest information you have from our friends the aliens?”
Thomas was scared but said, “Both last night and this morning, our listening array received almost identical signals on this meeting today with you.”
Thomas widened his arms apart in a gesture of not being sure how to begin on the subject. “They had a wide range of topics, including such things as genetic engineering.” Thomas stopped for a moment and half laughed. “I am not sure what their reason was for that, but it was in their message to you.”
“Go on, Mr. Jeffery,” said the prime minister.
“They said they could help with our diseases and fighting the other aliens who took all those people of the disappearance. I made copies of both communications of last night and this morning for you.”
Mr. Moore, the assistant to the prime minister, walked up to Mr. Jeffery and took the copies out of his hand and looked at them momentarily. While he was doing this, Thomas remembered that Mr. Avraham, the Jewish evangelist he had met on the bus, told him that Mr. Moore was really a devil. After Mr. Moore looked at the readouts, he then looked at Thomas, who was afraid of him, and Thomas said to Mr. Moore, “That’s all there was.”
“All messages from our friends the aliens are to be sent immediately to my office,” Mr. Moore said.
“Yes, certainly,” said Thomas. Mr. Moore took the readouts to the prime minister and the leader of Europe and handed them their copies.
Thomas continued, “As you will see from the communications, the aliens are asking for cooperation from the world leaders in the upcoming conference that is to be held. They seem insistent on cooperation from the rest of the world in order to help us against the other aliens.”
The EC leader looked squarely at Mr. Jeffery and asked, “What is your opinion of these aliens, Mr. Jeffery?”
“I am not sure exactly,” said Thomas. “On the one hand, it seems like great news, and there is some hope that I have not seen since before the disappearance. But some say we are rushing this, and I have even heard that the aliens are wrong about the next crises being a comet.”
“Who said that?” ask the EC leader.
“Well, it is just some talk on the streets,” said Thomas.
“No, I want to know who said that!”
Thomas hesitated, and then the prime minister said, “Mr. Jeffery, you must answer.”
“My neighbor did, but he is a good man, and it was just said in passing, like a possibility,” said Thomas.
The EC leader asked Thomas, “Where does your neighbor get his information?”
“He gets it from the Bible.”
The prime minister smiled and rolled his eyes, and the parliamentarian hybrid said, “I don’t think we need to hear any more of this.”
Mr. Watkins, the angel, spoke up. “Thomas, what did your neighbor say the Bible has hitting the earth before the comet?”
The parliamentarian possessed by a devil said, with a completely new voice, “We’ve had enough of this.” More than a few people at the conference table observed with surprise his voice change and were looking at him.
Mr. Moore, said to the possessed man, “You should clear your throat.”
“Thomas,” said the angel forcibly, “what did your neighbor say was next?”
Thomas was wishing the subject had not come up, and Mr. Moore, the devil, was glaring at him, but Thomas remembered the Jewish evangelist told him “Whatever the angel tells you, do it!”
“He said according to the Bible, a meteor will come before the comet.”
The EC leader looked at the hybrid, who looked at the devil, who shrugged his shoulders.
“That will be all, Mr. Jeffrey,” said the prime minister.
Then the parliamentarian who had escorted Mr. Jeffery to the meeting walked up to him and said, “This way.”
When the meeting started to break up, both the demon-possessed man and the hybrid walked up to Mr. Moore, the devil, and the hybrid said, “It would seem Mr. Jeffery’s neighbor, who reads a two-thousand-year-old book, knows more than the government, the astronomers, and those of us who serve Lucifer. We told LOFAR about the comet coming but missed seeing a meteor that is coming before that? Couldn’t you have at least checked the Bible first?”
Mr. Moore bristled when he heard this. “Your mouth is going to get you in trouble! You had better change your tone, understand?”
The hybrid responded, “I am only saying we did not look good, and I hope we do not get in such an embarrassing situation again.”
“I can handle any questions the prime minister may have, and as to the Bible, you know it cuts me to read that book. If you think it is such a good source of information, why don’t you go read it?” said Mr. Moore.
At Home on a Roller Coaster Ride
In the cab Mr. Jeffery wore a thoughtful look, as he knew he had been awkward at the meeting and was somewhat troubled by mentioning his neighbor. Still, he’d had a meeting with the prime minister and the leader of the European Community. He could hardly wait to tell someone, so he called his best friend.
“Hi, Rich, it’s me, Thomas. Guess what? I just met with the prime minister. And you won’t believe it, but I also talked to the leader of Europe!”
“Oh” was his friend’s only response.
“Oh?” repeated Thomas. “Well, I guess you don’t believe me? But it really happened! Hey, I am not bragging about it, but just thought you, being my best pal, would rejoice with me.”
“OK, I have to go.” said Rich.
After Rich hangs up, Thomas said, “OK?” He then called another friend, who said he was busy and could not talk. Thomas remembered that the guardians had said that no one would want to talk to him once they found out he collaborated with the guardians. It was obvious someone had spread the word about his helping them.
Once home he quickly entered into his house excited to share the news with his wife. “Honey, I talked to the leader of Europe today!” But Mrs. Jeffery is crying. “What’s the matter?”
“Two of my closest friends hung up on me today, and people I know on the street avoided me. Then not even five minutes ago our neighbor Mrs. Millan came over here crying, asking for our help.”
“Why, what is wrong?”
“I’ll tell you what is wrong,” said Thomas’ wife. “Two guardians came by and forcibly took Mr. Millan out of his house and then told his wife that they were going to make a ‘good citizen’ out of her husband. She seems to think we have government contacts and hoped we might make an appeal for her husband.” Mrs. Jeffery looked at her husband, waiting for a response.
“Were these the same guardians that had visited us?” His wife shook her head no. Then a knock comes at the door, and as Thomas opened it, he saw the two guardians he had talked to before. Fearing the worst, he stepped outside and closed the door, hoping they would only confront him and leave his wife alone. But this time the guardians were not alone but had come with a van and four other men. Thomas’s wife came to the door, opened it, and saw what was happening.
Thomas turned toward her and said, “Honey, it would be better if you got back inside.”
But his wife smiled and said, “Are you kidding? Look at the food!”
Thomas turned around, and one of the guardians said, “This is all for you, Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery, to show our appreciation for all you have done.” Then four men started bringing in boxes of food, including meat and items Mrs. Jeffery had not seen for a year.
All of which she received with open arms and smiles, saying, “I did not know these things still existed.”
“Oh certainly, Mrs. Jeffery,” said the guardian. “And there will be more, but you will need your personal ID to justify these government gestures.” She nodded her head in agreement and trembled at the sight of the food.
“Mr. Jeffery,” said the guardian, “no doubt some of your neighbors are viewing this right now, so they will know you are committed to us, but remember we are your friends.” He then shook Thomas’s hand and walked over to the van and drove off with the other guardians.
“Dear, isn’t this fantastic? said Mrs. Jeffery. "Oh, I’m sorry. What did you say about your meeting today?”
CHAPTER VI
Headline: “KILLER METEOR HITS ATLANTIC:
massive tidal wave destroys shipping and coastal cities”
Thomas showed up to work, where his coworkers, Neal and Edward, seemed upset and eager to share what had happened.
“Mr. Jeffery, the government is trying to blame us for this meteor that hit! Can you believe it? We told them that we are a listing station, an ‘ear’ for the sky, not an ‘eye’ for the sky,” said Neal.
“Guess they got to blame it on someone. They sure don’t want to take fault for it,” said Edward.
“But, oh yeah, they still wanted our help again with a new message,” said Neal. “They don’t trust the Chinese with their array and translation of the message. Everything seems to be gearing up for this meeting.”
“Not to mention the coming comet that is due to hit in a couple of weeks,” Thomas said.
“There are millions of dead from the tidal wave, and all the fish in the Atlantic are dead! Those fish were one of the few places we were getting food from,” said Neal.
“That’s right.” Edward shook his head, clearly distressed. “And you've heard about our bloody ocean, it is like when Moses struck the Nile River and it turned into blood. Can you believe it? And I have heard the Jewish fanatics are quoting the Bible and saying it was predicted in the book of Revelation. But the government’s response is that it is not really blood but from the color of the meteor, which was red.”
Neal commented, “You know, I heard from one of those religious Jews myself, and he predicted the meteor before the government starting warning us. How could they know that?” Thomas remembered that he said to Mr. Millan that he would listen to him if a meteor hit before a comet. He then noticed a bruise on Neal’s hand and asked him what had happened.
“Yesterday I was injected with my personal ID chip. It doesn’t take long, and you hardly feel it. And now I get front-of-the-line privileges. When you getting yours?”
“What’s the rush?" Thomas responded. "Only a small percentage of the population has taken it. Besides, they said it was our choice.”
“You didn’t hear?” said Edward. “They announced this morning people have three months to take the ID chip. Up till then, people can still take advantage from the government-approved privileges, but after that it will be mandatory, and no special privileges will be given. People already have started lining up to take their ID.”
Thomas asked Neal, “What would be the consequences of not ever taking the ID?”
“They didn’t specify on that. But why not move to Africa? I heard there are no lines there at all. But then that is because there is no food there. They are all starving!”
Three Weeks Later
Thomas was on the bus, coming back from work, when he saw David Avraham, one of the “hundred and forty and four thousand” Jewish servants of God, who had witnessed to him. He got off at the next stop and ran back, looking for him.
“Mr. Jeffery,” said Mr. Avraham. “Glad to meet you again. Still no mark in you right hand or forehead?” Thomas shook his head. “Why have you not taken it?”
“Why haven’t you?" Thomas asked.
“I worship God, not the leader of Europe,” said Mr. Avraham. “Come here. I want to show you something. Look over there at that growing line for ‘the mark.’ The number 666—it is the number of the name of the Antichrist. Their personal information is all stored on that chip—it even knows when a person is awake and when he is sleeping. These people are now the property of the state. So they get a few crumbs from the government’s table. Do not be as Esau, ‘who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.’” (Hebrews 12:16)
“Mr. Avraham, why is God allowing all this?”
“Did you say God? According to the news, it was the ‘bad aliens’ who caused all these plagues.”
“I understand more than the last time we met, and I knew about the meteor before the government did. I learned about it from a Christian neighbor. I also learned the next plague after the comet would be darkness—the days would be one-third shorter.” (Revelation 8:12)
Mr. Avraham looked around and said, “It seems to be already starting.”
“The news is telling us these shorter days are from a combination of the fires we went through and the tail of the comet that left debris in the atmosphere. I am confused by all this. If God loves us why is He treating us like this?”
Mr. Avraham said, “I have never even heard of so many people getting saved. They are turning to Jesus Christ, not to their religion or idols, and are falling down on their knees around the world and asking God for forgiveness of their sins. In the parable of the prodigal son, why did he come to his senses and go home to his dad?”
“I don’t know.”
“Because he was in a pigpen and starving. Unfortunately, many of us have to go through a tribulation and be shaken to the core to see what is really important.”
“But why have we not been told about all this before?” Thomas asked.
“It has always been in the Bible. Now whose fault is it that you don’t know? And soon there will be an angel flying through the skies, telling people of more judgments, and it is going to get worse! No doubt the devils will say it is one of the ‘bad aliens.’ I don’t know if I will see you again, Mr. Jeffery. But let God Himself tell you through His Word, the Bible. It is more up to date than the newspapers.”
“And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!” (Revelation 8:13).
Headlines:
“THE EVIL ALIENS USE SCARE TACTICS:
EC leader said he will shoot down the next alien who tries to scare us.”
Thomas was sitting on his bed, reading the New Testament that Mr. Millan had given him, and in particular the book of Revelation. He was reflecting on what had been happening and what he had been told. He placed the Bible on his bed and knelt down to pray.
“God, I do not know how to talk to you. I’m afraid to ask others. Mostly, I am afraid of all that has happened and seems will happen. God, you have got to help me. I feel like I am falling apart.”
Thomas stopped for a moment as he sensed the Lord strengthening him, and with this bit of encouragement he prayed, “My neighbor told me you would help, but I had to trust your Son Jesus Christ first. I want you as my God and your Son as my Savior. Jesus, thank you for dying for me and paying for my sins. I am sorry for what I have done in my life. The best way I know how, I trust you for the salvation of my soul.” When he stopped, he was glad he had prayed to God and wished he had done it sooner. And a verse that Mr. Millan had shared with him rang in his heart. He quoted it out loud. “‘For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” (Romans 10:13)
The first thing he wanted to do was share what he had done with his wife and children. He walked out to the kitchen, and beaming with a smile, he said to his wife, “Guess what I just did?”
When Mrs. Jeffery saw her husband’s countenance, she asked, “Are you on drugs?”
Thomas laughed. “No, I…I’ve asked Jesus Christ to be my savior.”
“Who did this to you? Was it Mr. Millan who put all of his ideas into your head? Thomas, we got food here, not just potatoes and dried milk, but real food! God did not give that to us. I am tired of waiting in lines, and I am not going to have them take me away some night from my family as they did to Mr. Millan. I am going down tomorrow and getting my own personal ID and putting a stop to all this craziness. If you want to be a part of this family, I suggest you do the same!”
There followed a lengthy argument, in which the children were told to go to bed to keep them from hearing.
“And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another” (Matthew 24:10). “Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death” (Mark 13:12, Matthew 24:8–10).
Thomas awoke the next morning to his radio alarm clock. He could not find his wife, and when he searched for his children, they were also gone! There was a note on the kitchen table signed by his wife, which read, “When you get your ID we will live together as a family.” He returned to his bedroom and sat down on his bed with his head in his hands.
He had forgotten to turn off the radio and heard the morning news: “Leaders of the world and the aliens of Lucifer met last night and into the early hours of the morning in a show of unity to bring about world stability. They have released a statement to the press in which our leaders say they are mesmerized by the advance in science of our alien visitors and excited about what they called the next step in our evolutionary process. As incredible as it seems, they have the knowledge to lengthen our life-span far beyond the 70-year average. Needless to say, such news was received with great excitement. And again our alien friends have reassured us of their commitment to fight with us against the aliens who caused the disappearance.”
“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision” (Psalm 2:2–4).
On his way to work, Thomas heard people at the bus stop talking about the good aliens and their promise of living longer. There were some people who had smiles on their faces, but Thomas felt like he had been knocked to the ground from what had happen with his family and wife.
A man sitting next to him on the bus said, “What is the point of living longer, even if it were for eternity, if we have to live like this?”
When Thomas arrived at work, his coworkers asked what he thought about the news.
“It’s the dream of mankind to live longer,” said Neal.
Thomas asked, “I’m curious. How did the aliens show up, in a space craft?”
“On the TV, they show pictures of them arriving as bright lights coming down from the skies,” said Edward.
“I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:18).
“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
Neal was excited by the news. “If aliens do not need space craft, or apparently even space suits, then they can’t have bodies like ours. Maybe they are spirits that are not locked in bodies of flesh and blood. They said they had evolved into a state of ‘god consciousness.’ And that they could help us do the same, which would greatly increase our knowledge of all things.” (Genesis 3:5)
Edward said, “There certainly is no longer any doubt that they are far superior to us in technology. Why not in their bodies? If they are spirits, it would explain sightings of UFOs that travel at thousands of miles an hour and then make 90-degree turns, something no human body could live through. And as spirits, they would not be subject to the laws of gravity, aging, disease, heat, freezing temperatures, or need air as our bodies, so they could survive in space and live on Mars.”
Neal agreed. “Edward, these aliens that have come to help us blamed the God of the Bible for sickness and death. They said He cursed our world because He wants to be the only God. But the aliens want to share 'godhood' with all of us.”
“But who are all these aliens?” asked Edward. “It is strange that both the ‘good aliens’ and the ‘bad aliens’ just happen to show up at the same time.”
The two technicians debated the endless possibilities of all that was happening as Thomas walked off and sat at his desk, despondent.
After a few minutes, Edward walked up to him and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Yesterday something happened to me that gave me happiness I have not known before, but then immediately after that, a sorrow I have not known before. My wife and children left me.”
“Why?”
“My wife wants me to take the ID chip and get government help with our food.”
“I have not taken the chip either,” responded Edward.
“I only want my wife and children back.”
“What was it that made you happy yesterday?” asked Edward.
That question jarred him, for he had forgotten about what the Lord had done for him, and he knew God was real, for the happiness he had received from Him. Thomas wanted to go someplace and ask God to help him and bring back his family.
“It was Jesus Christ,” Thomas said.
“That’s surprising, coming from you. You have never talked about God before. Are you aware of all the strange things coming over the Internet these days? Some from the government and some from nuts and religious people. It is hard to filter through it all. But there is definitely more people talking about God or who the real God is. I have a friend who keeps inviting me to his Christian gatherings and talks about what he calls the 'end times'. Maybe you should see him.”
That Evening
Thomas met with Edward’s friend Matthew and went to a Bible study in his house. Matthew introduced Thomas to the group of about 15 people, and he said he needed prayer for his wife and family so they would not receive the mark.
They discussed the events of the last few days and how the evil spirits were masquerading as aliens and pretending that the angels of God were the bad aliens and inferior because of their lack of concern for the human race.
A lady name Teresa, who was very upset, said, “The demons, by cloaking all this in UFO terminology, have succeeded in making themselves acceptable to the world and casting doubt over the Bible and God. For they are saying, ‘Why did God forget to tell you of ancient aliens and their return to earth?’ Our dear ‘space brothers’ have people eating out of their hands, with all this nonsense of longer life and disease-proof bodies they say they can give us.”
One man commented, “People are gullible. My neighbor said these aliens ‘make so much sense.’”
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man,
but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).
Matthew explained, “Christ said, ‘Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.’ John 3:19. The Bible, when speaking of the time of the Antichrist, says, ‘Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.’ Thessalonians 2:10–12. It is easy for someone to believe a lie if he does not want to believe the truth. God’s truth offends a hardened heart because it names our sins. And unless we agree with God about them being against the Lord, then we will look for a religion or philosophy that will accommodate our sins. And if one hates the truth, he will hate those who proclaim it. Once they make the mark mandatory, they will be coming after us.”
“How much more time do we have?” asked a young lady.
Matthew said, “The news says we have three months to get the chip. And the next event listed in the Bible has more devils being turned loosed on the earth.”
On his way home, Thomas saw some new government flyers that had been put up and had graffiti already written on them. “Aliens are our friends” read one, but someone had written under it, “Which ones?” Another flyer read, “Good citizens have their IDs,” but written under it was, “If you take the chip, they won’t need your cell phones to track you!” And a big new poster: “Guardians care for us!” which someone had written over with spray paint—“Spit here!”
Two Months Later
The skies were filled with strange-looking metal beasts flying over suburbs and stinging people. Sirens went off all hours of the day and night, warning of approaching attacks and to stay indoors. Screams could be heard from young and old who had been stung by these frightful-looking and very loud flying machines.
“And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron;
and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots
of many horses running to battle” (Revelation 9:9).
The aliens of Lucifer were on the Internet and airways telling people they were working on a remedy to this present crisis and giving this as another example of why the aliens of God and the Bible could not be trusted.
Thomas called Matthew and asked him what was going on. Matthew explained that “These UFOs, as they are calling them, are not from space but are found in the Bible. Where it says they came out of the ‘bottomless pit’ and that a devil named ‘Apollyon’ is leading them.” (Revelations 9:1-11) The Bible said that the Devil is, “[T]he prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:” (Ephesians 2:20). The Devil can do things in the “air” not only here on the Earth.
“Well, if that is so, why are the devils hurting people?” asked Thomas. “And why are they blaming it on God, when they are the ones who are doing this?”
“Devils do not help people.” Matthew said. “They were always causing torment to others in the Bible, especially to those who were possessed by them. Read what they did to the demon-possessed man of the country of the Gadarenes in Mark chapter 5. And remember what Nero did when he set fire to Rome? He blamed it on the Christians! So we have these ‘good guys,’ the aliens of Lucifer, who are really devils, blaming it on the angels of God who they call the ‘bad aliens’.
“By the way, people are now warned to stay away from the Christians who are not ‘good citizens’ and won’t receive the mark. The government is turning people against us! They are saying we are collaborating with the ‘bad aliens,’ who took people from the earth at the rapture."
While Matthew was still speaking on the phone, two guardians came into his house and hauled him off. Thomas heard over his cell phone what had happened to Matthew. And realizing he might be next, he quickly grabbed some belongings, including his Bible, and ran out the back door.
The Next Morning
Thomas called into work to see how things were and asked Neal about any new messages from the aliens. He was told there were new communications, but that he would have to come down to the site to read them. He then asked to speak to Edward, who told him the guardians had been by, asking about him. He thanked Edward for the information and realized he had to go into hiding. As he walked down the street, the sirens blared, and three demonic “UFOs” fly overhead, attacking people, who were running for cover. In the panic of the moment, he saw his wife run into a store. Thomas ran after her and found her huddled in a corner with others who were hiding.
Mrs. Jeffery saw her husband walking toward her and said, “That’s far enough.”
Thomas bent down. “I have been going crazy thinking about you and the children.”
“I’ve got my chip.” She held out her arm and showed him where the insertion was made. “Even today the guardians stopped me and asked about you.”
His countenance fell as he heard this, and he said, “I love you. Where are the children?”
“If you loved us, you would have taken the personal ID. Look what your God is doing to us.” As she said this, one of the noisy metal beasts flew overhead, and screams could be heard from those who were hurt.
Thomas’s wife stood up and started to scream at Thomas. “One of those noisy creatures killed our children!” At that moment the glass on the front of the storefront building shattered, and screams rang out as everyone dashed out of the building.
Thomas tried to follow his wife but was knocked down by those fleeing. He crawled over to the wall and leaned against it, not bothering to flee, as he was heartsick and weeping from what he had heard. There were screams on the street and loud noises from the creatures out of the bottomless pit.
Then a voice called out to him, “Thomas, is that you?” It was one of the ladies who had been at Matthew’s meeting, named Carla.
Thomas looked up at her. “My children are dead. Those flying creatures killed them.”
“People are not dying from them,” Carla said. “Their stings are causing excruciating pain, but as far as I know not death. Thomas, we are having a meeting tonight with two of the hundred and forty-four thousand servants of God, those Jewish evangelists. Why not come along and see what we can learn?”
The metal beasts had disappeared, and Carla led Thomas in the direction of another believer’s house. Upon arrival they were greeted by Carla’s friend and some others who were talking to one of the Jewish evangelists. Carla introduced Thomas to them all.
“Thomas came to our meetings before Matthew was taken and is looking for his son and daughter.”
Carla’s friend said, “Sorry to hear that Thomas, unfortunately there are many misplaced persons now, and others are doing as you—trying to find loved ones.”
“And many are turning in relatives to the government in hopes of obtaining food and medicine,” said the Jewish evangelists. “I have a friend who is out visiting but will be here shortly, and we will pray for your children.”
“Thank you,” said Thomas.
The Jewish evangelist picked up where he had been before Thomas arrived. “These flying creatures, or UFOs, as they are being called, are from the bottomless pit. They are a composite creature covered in metal, as it says in Revelation 9:7, ‘like unto horses prepared unto battle,’ and verse 9, ‘as it were breastplates of iron.’ Remember that the Apostle John, who wrote the book of Revelation, was using the vocabulary of his day. These flying machines are not spacecraft, and they that fly them are not cyborgs or aliens, but devils. Still, the majority of UFO sightings have been in earth’s atmosphere. And at the least, Revelation 9:7-11 show that devils have the ability to make flying objects out of metal.”
“How long will it last?” asked one.
“We are told five months in verse 10,” answered the evangelist.
“Glad you’re here to answer all are questions,” Carla said, and others also thanked him.
The evangelist said, “Thanks for your encouragement, but the truth is I do not know all that is going to happen. In Revelation 10: there are the ‘seven thunders,’ judgments that are coming but sealed from our understanding till they happen. Maybe it would benefit the Antichrist to know in advance everything that will happen.
“The important thing is God is giving one last chance to those who have never heard how to be saved. None of you were saved before the rapture, or God would have taken you at that time with the other believers, and none of you knew how to be saved. Back then, most churches were not telling people the plan of salvation in the Bible or even using the word ‘saved’ in their services. They have turned to ritual and away from repentance of our sins and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. The world is looking for a religion that will allow them to keep their sins of adultery, fornication, drugs, and cursing. There is a saying that ‘their morality dictates their theology.’ People find the religion that will let them live as they want, not as God wants. The Bible says, ‘For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.’ 2 Timothy 4:3–4. They seek teachers ‘after their own lusts’ that is why it is important to repent of your sins when seeking God.
Those who won’t be saved before the Rapture won’t be saved after the Rapture.
“Now I have a question,” said the evangelist. “What about people who understood salvation before the rapture but rejected it? Is God giving them light to understand salvation during the tribulation? When someone says no to God, it is easier to say it again and to look for reasons not to believe. Look how easily people are being deceived and trusting the lies of devils instead of their Creator. The Bible says of ‘them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.’ 2 Thessalonians 2:10–12. The context of this passage was during the tribulation. People who knew how to be saved before the rapture but rejected the gospel will not be saved during this seven-year tribulation; God will allow them to ‘believe a lie.’ Those who procrastinated or believed the Rapture was in the middle of the tribulation or at the end, and thus thought they had more time to make a decisions for salvation, are now doomed. (“damned”)
The message of salvation during the tribulation is for those who simply never heard or understood it. Which is faith alone in Jesus Christ, apart from any works of ourselves. This way gives God the glory because He is the one who saves us. But man’s way is to try and save himself by earning his salvation with good deeds and thus allow man to brag about how he deserves salvation, which would be the sin of pride.”
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:
it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).
“Remember how all this started? The world said they had finally solved their problems, and then everything broke loose. Listen to this passage in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–18, where we find the rapture: ‘we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.’ Then in 1 Thessalonians 5:1–4, it tells us when this will take place: ‘But of the times and the seasons, brethren [saved], ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves [saved] know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they [lost] shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them [lost], as travail upon a woman with child; and they [lost] shall not escape. But ye, brethren [saved], are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you [saved] as a thief.’ How much better it would have been to be saved before the rapture and to have escaped all this destruction!
“Notice the destruction fell right after they said, ‘Peace and safety; then sudden destruction.’ When mankind thinks he has it all figured out, God shows us we don’t. We are forgetting God, the source of all true blessings, not our wisdom or might. How many times have we thought, ‘If we could just get this politician elected to office or that political party in control, then all our troubles would be solved.’ But the real problem was we turned from God. Yes, vote, but God’s blessings are not connected to a certain political party or a certain person being elected to office, but to us humbling ourselves and turning from our sins.”
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves,
and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
The door swung open without a knock, and two men ran in, one saying, “The authorities have been informed that one of the hundred and forty-four thousand is somewhere in this area. And the guardians are searching both sides of the street. You have got to go now!”
One of the men who ran in to warn them was Edward. Thomas and his coworker were startled to see each other. Edward said, “We got to run now. We will talk later.”
Media outlets were warning people that there would be severe consequence on anyone who harbors or in any way helps one of the hundred and forty-four thousand. The European leader was giving speeches against Russia and China, saying they were hindering global unity. And that they should put aside their nationalism in order to unite against the evil aliens. But the real sticking point was who was going to lead this world federation.
"But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him” (Daniel 11:44).
Right after the plague of the demonic flying machines, the world was hit with the news that the largest army ever assembled, "two hundred thousand thousand" (200 million) was now being prepared by the “kings of the east.” (Revelations 9:14–19; 16:12) The leader of Europe declared, “There could only be one purpose for such a large army. Regrettably, world war is imminent.”
Hiding
Thomas and Edward had fled to the countryside with other believers. They gathered with a group who were meeting in a barn and were being challenged by two of the hundred and forty-four thousand to give their remaining time to Christ. There was uncertainty among them as to whom they could trust, with rumors of informants, just as Judas Iscariot who sold out Christ. It was perceived by all that the world was headed toward its end. There were also testimonies, encouraged by the hundred and forty-four thousand, who said they should confess Christ in front others.
A 13-year-old girl with courage stood in the midst and said, “I only recently asked Jesus Christ to be my Savior, and there is much I need to learn. But I love Him and I will give what I have left of my life to Him.” And she quoted a poem: “‘Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.’” (By C. T. Studd) She then quietly sat down.
A man stood to give thanks to the Lord for paying for his sins on the cross, followed by a lady who said, “I am glad we got a better place to look forward to, and I want to publicly confess Christ as my savior.” The testimonies were not always eloquent, but they were real and challenging.
One of the hundred and forty-four thousand exalted Christ by saying, “No one else was sinless, no one else died for our sins, no one else rose from the grave under His own power, no one else is the creator of the world, and no one else will judge the universe except Christ. Mohamed, Buddha, Confucius, Krishna, or any of the others never gave their lives for their followers. Jesus Christ proclaimed in John 5:13, ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’”
There was a feeling of, It’s now or never to trust Christ, and it’s now or never to live for Him. And many decisions were being made for the Lord. There was also regret—“I wasted my life! Why could not someone have told me how to be saved before the rapture so I would not have to go through all this?” Some were upset with the ministers they had before the rapture because they never told them how to be saved. And there were also honest seekers trying to understand salvation and why they could not be good enough to earn it by their own efforts. The evangelist said, “It is God who saves!” and he quoted Titus 3:5: “‘Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us...’”
One man asked about the “kings of the east” and their army of 200 million made up of strange-looking creatures (Revelation 9:16–18). Rumor was this army had been genetically engineered, made from cloning the genes of different animals.
One of the hundred and forty-four thousand said they were not to expect things to get better. And that soon the greatest number of evil spirits that were ever released would come to earth.
“Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels were cast out with him.” (Revelation 12:9)
They were told to expect that these devils would help the guardians track them down. Guardians could not tell by appearance if one belonged to God, but evil spirits knew immediately, and even from a distance, because every believer was sealed with the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30) The Jewish evangelist told them, “Your lives will be even more in doubt when this happens.”
One asked, “What will they do to us?”
“By taking your head off! As mentioned in Revelation 20:4,” said the evangelist. “The Bible gives a special warning for this time, in Revelation 12:12: ‘Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.’” And he compared the invasion of the Devil’s angels to when God released the fallen angels during the plagues of Egypt at the time of the Exodus. “It says in Psalm 78:49 that ‘He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.’”
Edward asked, “Isn’t it strange that the Bible does not mention any persecution of other religions at the end time? It only talks about Christians and Jews, but not the Muslims.”
The evangelist responded, “There is more to say on this subject, but we should pray together first and ask God to protect us and to be bold witnesses for Him and the gospel.”
While others were forming into groups of three or four to pray together, one young lady, whose parents owned the farm they were meeting at, walked up to one of the hundred and forty-four thousand and asked, “Most of the time these devils look like anyone else. How can we tell if someone is a devil or a human?”
The evangelist quoted a passage from 1 John 4:1–3: “‘Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.’ A devil cannot say that ‘Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.’”
The Sixth Trumpet
The evangelist explained that one-third of the world would die from war announced by the sixth trumpet. “In Revelation 9:15 and 18, John wrote: ‘for to slay the third part of men.’” He said with almost two billion people dying from one plague alone, it would not even be possible to bury everyone. Diseases would spread, farmlands would be ravaged by armies, and what little resources countries had would go into fighting the composite creatures from the east. As bad as WWII was, with almost 50 million people who died, still it could not be compared to the tribulation, which would cause the deaths of half the world with just two plagues. He noted his information came from Revelation 6:8 and 9:18.
He went on to say that the two plagues of Revelation 9 had been announced in advance by the angel who flew through the sky (Revelation 8:13), and that was why the authorities called this angel an extraterrestrial, again using this as one more reason not to trust the “other aliens.”
Already those without the mark had not been able to buy or sell in stores, as they all had scanners at the entrances that would buzz if anyone walked in without the ID chip, but now under penalty of the law, no one could buy or sell even outside public stores, in any capacity, without an official transaction that was registered the moment a mark was scanned. Past the proclaimed date, all property, assets, lands, or houses, would be confiscated from those who would not be “good citizens” and take the mark. This announcement caused a flood of people to swear allegiance to the EC leader and take the chip. Rewards were being offered for information leading to the arrest of noncompliant citizens or those who helped any of the hundred and forty-four thousand.
“And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark.”
(Revelation 13:17)
In the Bible the strongest and most repeated denunciation of the Antichrist was open blasphemy against God. The evangelist said, “Listen to Daniel 7:25: ‘And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High.’ And again in Revelation 13:5–7, it says: ‘And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.’”
Thomas could hardly believe what he was hearing.
The evangelist added, “Many believers will be martyred! And as you can see from these two passages, the ‘saints,’ believers in Jesus Christ, will be prevailed against by the Antichrist: ‘shall wear out the saints’ and ‘make war with the saints, and to overcome them.’ But it was not so for the church-age believers, as noted in Matthew 16:18: ‘I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ In the book of Revelation, the tribulation takes place between chapter 6 and chapter 19. The Church is not mentioned during that time, but Israel is mentioned several times. Did Christ forget about his Church? No! For there is one time the Church is mentioned during the tribulation, but it is not on earth where the tribulation will be but in heaven at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Revelation 19:1 takes place ‘in heaven,’ and then in verse 7, it says, ‘the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” In John 1:36, the ‘Lamb’ represents Christ, and His ‘wife’ is the church, found in Ephesians 5:31–32. After this event, Christ will leave heaven, found in Revelation 19:11: ‘And I saw heaven opened,’ for Christ will come back visibly to earth to destroy the Antichrist and his armies at the battle of Armageddon, as it says in verses 14–21. So the marriage of the Lamb with His bride not only takes place in heaven but during the time of the great tribulation. That is one reason the Rapture was called the ‘blessed hope’ in Titus 2:13, because church-age believers miss out on all the suffering of the tribulation. The church age came to a close at the rapture, and this is also why the hundred and forty-four thousand are all Jews, as the church-age believers were taken out at the Rapture before the tribulation.
“As Christ said, his return would be like the days of Noah and Lot. Luke 17:26–30 says, ‘Until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot…the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.’ Both Noah and Lot were put in a place of safety before God’s judgment fell. How much better to have been saved before the rapture and escape this judgment! As Christ said of his church, ‘hell shall not prevail against it.’ But unfortunate for us saved during the tribulation, we will be hunted down, and the Antichrist ‘shall wear out the saints’ and ‘overcome them.’”
Antichrist Has a Victory
One of the hundred and forty-four thousand explained that the Antichrist would be able to kill the two witnesses of God at Jerusalem, who were a thorn in his flesh during their prophesying and judgments upon the earth. And with the death of these two witnesses, the Antichrist would flaunt his victory in front of the world.
“And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth” (Revelation 11:7–10).
“Mr. Jeffery, the government is trying to blame us for this meteor that hit! Can you believe it? We told them that we are a listing station, an ‘ear’ for the sky, not an ‘eye’ for the sky,” said Neal.
“Guess they got to blame it on someone. They sure don’t want to take fault for it,” said Edward.
“But, oh yeah, they still wanted our help again with a new message,” said Neal. “They don’t trust the Chinese with their array and translation of the message. Everything seems to be gearing up for this meeting.”
“Not to mention the coming comet that is due to hit in a couple of weeks,” Thomas said.
“There are millions of dead from the tidal wave, and all the fish in the Atlantic are dead! Those fish were one of the few places we were getting food from,” said Neal.
“That’s right.” Edward shook his head, clearly distressed. “And you've heard about our bloody ocean, it is like when Moses struck the Nile River and it turned into blood. Can you believe it? And I have heard the Jewish fanatics are quoting the Bible and saying it was predicted in the book of Revelation. But the government’s response is that it is not really blood but from the color of the meteor, which was red.”
Neal commented, “You know, I heard from one of those religious Jews myself, and he predicted the meteor before the government starting warning us. How could they know that?” Thomas remembered that he said to Mr. Millan that he would listen to him if a meteor hit before a comet. He then noticed a bruise on Neal’s hand and asked him what had happened.
“Yesterday I was injected with my personal ID chip. It doesn’t take long, and you hardly feel it. And now I get front-of-the-line privileges. When you getting yours?”
“What’s the rush?" Thomas responded. "Only a small percentage of the population has taken it. Besides, they said it was our choice.”
“You didn’t hear?” said Edward. “They announced this morning people have three months to take the ID chip. Up till then, people can still take advantage from the government-approved privileges, but after that it will be mandatory, and no special privileges will be given. People already have started lining up to take their ID.”
Thomas asked Neal, “What would be the consequences of not ever taking the ID?”
“They didn’t specify on that. But why not move to Africa? I heard there are no lines there at all. But then that is because there is no food there. They are all starving!”
Three Weeks Later
Thomas was on the bus, coming back from work, when he saw David Avraham, one of the “hundred and forty and four thousand” Jewish servants of God, who had witnessed to him. He got off at the next stop and ran back, looking for him.
“Mr. Jeffery,” said Mr. Avraham. “Glad to meet you again. Still no mark in you right hand or forehead?” Thomas shook his head. “Why have you not taken it?”
“Why haven’t you?" Thomas asked.
“I worship God, not the leader of Europe,” said Mr. Avraham. “Come here. I want to show you something. Look over there at that growing line for ‘the mark.’ The number 666—it is the number of the name of the Antichrist. Their personal information is all stored on that chip—it even knows when a person is awake and when he is sleeping. These people are now the property of the state. So they get a few crumbs from the government’s table. Do not be as Esau, ‘who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.’” (Hebrews 12:16)
“Mr. Avraham, why is God allowing all this?”
“Did you say God? According to the news, it was the ‘bad aliens’ who caused all these plagues.”
“I understand more than the last time we met, and I knew about the meteor before the government did. I learned about it from a Christian neighbor. I also learned the next plague after the comet would be darkness—the days would be one-third shorter.” (Revelation 8:12)
Mr. Avraham looked around and said, “It seems to be already starting.”
“The news is telling us these shorter days are from a combination of the fires we went through and the tail of the comet that left debris in the atmosphere. I am confused by all this. If God loves us why is He treating us like this?”
Mr. Avraham said, “I have never even heard of so many people getting saved. They are turning to Jesus Christ, not to their religion or idols, and are falling down on their knees around the world and asking God for forgiveness of their sins. In the parable of the prodigal son, why did he come to his senses and go home to his dad?”
“I don’t know.”
“Because he was in a pigpen and starving. Unfortunately, many of us have to go through a tribulation and be shaken to the core to see what is really important.”
“But why have we not been told about all this before?” Thomas asked.
“It has always been in the Bible. Now whose fault is it that you don’t know? And soon there will be an angel flying through the skies, telling people of more judgments, and it is going to get worse! No doubt the devils will say it is one of the ‘bad aliens.’ I don’t know if I will see you again, Mr. Jeffery. But let God Himself tell you through His Word, the Bible. It is more up to date than the newspapers.”
“And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!” (Revelation 8:13).
Headlines:
“THE EVIL ALIENS USE SCARE TACTICS:
EC leader said he will shoot down the next alien who tries to scare us.”
Thomas was sitting on his bed, reading the New Testament that Mr. Millan had given him, and in particular the book of Revelation. He was reflecting on what had been happening and what he had been told. He placed the Bible on his bed and knelt down to pray.
“God, I do not know how to talk to you. I’m afraid to ask others. Mostly, I am afraid of all that has happened and seems will happen. God, you have got to help me. I feel like I am falling apart.”
Thomas stopped for a moment as he sensed the Lord strengthening him, and with this bit of encouragement he prayed, “My neighbor told me you would help, but I had to trust your Son Jesus Christ first. I want you as my God and your Son as my Savior. Jesus, thank you for dying for me and paying for my sins. I am sorry for what I have done in my life. The best way I know how, I trust you for the salvation of my soul.” When he stopped, he was glad he had prayed to God and wished he had done it sooner. And a verse that Mr. Millan had shared with him rang in his heart. He quoted it out loud. “‘For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” (Romans 10:13)
The first thing he wanted to do was share what he had done with his wife and children. He walked out to the kitchen, and beaming with a smile, he said to his wife, “Guess what I just did?”
When Mrs. Jeffery saw her husband’s countenance, she asked, “Are you on drugs?”
Thomas laughed. “No, I…I’ve asked Jesus Christ to be my savior.”
“Who did this to you? Was it Mr. Millan who put all of his ideas into your head? Thomas, we got food here, not just potatoes and dried milk, but real food! God did not give that to us. I am tired of waiting in lines, and I am not going to have them take me away some night from my family as they did to Mr. Millan. I am going down tomorrow and getting my own personal ID and putting a stop to all this craziness. If you want to be a part of this family, I suggest you do the same!”
There followed a lengthy argument, in which the children were told to go to bed to keep them from hearing.
“And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another” (Matthew 24:10). “Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death” (Mark 13:12, Matthew 24:8–10).
Thomas awoke the next morning to his radio alarm clock. He could not find his wife, and when he searched for his children, they were also gone! There was a note on the kitchen table signed by his wife, which read, “When you get your ID we will live together as a family.” He returned to his bedroom and sat down on his bed with his head in his hands.
He had forgotten to turn off the radio and heard the morning news: “Leaders of the world and the aliens of Lucifer met last night and into the early hours of the morning in a show of unity to bring about world stability. They have released a statement to the press in which our leaders say they are mesmerized by the advance in science of our alien visitors and excited about what they called the next step in our evolutionary process. As incredible as it seems, they have the knowledge to lengthen our life-span far beyond the 70-year average. Needless to say, such news was received with great excitement. And again our alien friends have reassured us of their commitment to fight with us against the aliens who caused the disappearance.”
“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision” (Psalm 2:2–4).
On his way to work, Thomas heard people at the bus stop talking about the good aliens and their promise of living longer. There were some people who had smiles on their faces, but Thomas felt like he had been knocked to the ground from what had happen with his family and wife.
A man sitting next to him on the bus said, “What is the point of living longer, even if it were for eternity, if we have to live like this?”
When Thomas arrived at work, his coworkers asked what he thought about the news.
“It’s the dream of mankind to live longer,” said Neal.
Thomas asked, “I’m curious. How did the aliens show up, in a space craft?”
“On the TV, they show pictures of them arriving as bright lights coming down from the skies,” said Edward.
“I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:18).
“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
Neal was excited by the news. “If aliens do not need space craft, or apparently even space suits, then they can’t have bodies like ours. Maybe they are spirits that are not locked in bodies of flesh and blood. They said they had evolved into a state of ‘god consciousness.’ And that they could help us do the same, which would greatly increase our knowledge of all things.” (Genesis 3:5)
Edward said, “There certainly is no longer any doubt that they are far superior to us in technology. Why not in their bodies? If they are spirits, it would explain sightings of UFOs that travel at thousands of miles an hour and then make 90-degree turns, something no human body could live through. And as spirits, they would not be subject to the laws of gravity, aging, disease, heat, freezing temperatures, or need air as our bodies, so they could survive in space and live on Mars.”
Neal agreed. “Edward, these aliens that have come to help us blamed the God of the Bible for sickness and death. They said He cursed our world because He wants to be the only God. But the aliens want to share 'godhood' with all of us.”
“But who are all these aliens?” asked Edward. “It is strange that both the ‘good aliens’ and the ‘bad aliens’ just happen to show up at the same time.”
The two technicians debated the endless possibilities of all that was happening as Thomas walked off and sat at his desk, despondent.
After a few minutes, Edward walked up to him and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Yesterday something happened to me that gave me happiness I have not known before, but then immediately after that, a sorrow I have not known before. My wife and children left me.”
“Why?”
“My wife wants me to take the ID chip and get government help with our food.”
“I have not taken the chip either,” responded Edward.
“I only want my wife and children back.”
“What was it that made you happy yesterday?” asked Edward.
That question jarred him, for he had forgotten about what the Lord had done for him, and he knew God was real, for the happiness he had received from Him. Thomas wanted to go someplace and ask God to help him and bring back his family.
“It was Jesus Christ,” Thomas said.
“That’s surprising, coming from you. You have never talked about God before. Are you aware of all the strange things coming over the Internet these days? Some from the government and some from nuts and religious people. It is hard to filter through it all. But there is definitely more people talking about God or who the real God is. I have a friend who keeps inviting me to his Christian gatherings and talks about what he calls the 'end times'. Maybe you should see him.”
That Evening
Thomas met with Edward’s friend Matthew and went to a Bible study in his house. Matthew introduced Thomas to the group of about 15 people, and he said he needed prayer for his wife and family so they would not receive the mark.
They discussed the events of the last few days and how the evil spirits were masquerading as aliens and pretending that the angels of God were the bad aliens and inferior because of their lack of concern for the human race.
A lady name Teresa, who was very upset, said, “The demons, by cloaking all this in UFO terminology, have succeeded in making themselves acceptable to the world and casting doubt over the Bible and God. For they are saying, ‘Why did God forget to tell you of ancient aliens and their return to earth?’ Our dear ‘space brothers’ have people eating out of their hands, with all this nonsense of longer life and disease-proof bodies they say they can give us.”
One man commented, “People are gullible. My neighbor said these aliens ‘make so much sense.’”
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man,
but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).
Matthew explained, “Christ said, ‘Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.’ John 3:19. The Bible, when speaking of the time of the Antichrist, says, ‘Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.’ Thessalonians 2:10–12. It is easy for someone to believe a lie if he does not want to believe the truth. God’s truth offends a hardened heart because it names our sins. And unless we agree with God about them being against the Lord, then we will look for a religion or philosophy that will accommodate our sins. And if one hates the truth, he will hate those who proclaim it. Once they make the mark mandatory, they will be coming after us.”
“How much more time do we have?” asked a young lady.
Matthew said, “The news says we have three months to get the chip. And the next event listed in the Bible has more devils being turned loosed on the earth.”
On his way home, Thomas saw some new government flyers that had been put up and had graffiti already written on them. “Aliens are our friends” read one, but someone had written under it, “Which ones?” Another flyer read, “Good citizens have their IDs,” but written under it was, “If you take the chip, they won’t need your cell phones to track you!” And a big new poster: “Guardians care for us!” which someone had written over with spray paint—“Spit here!”
Two Months Later
The skies were filled with strange-looking metal beasts flying over suburbs and stinging people. Sirens went off all hours of the day and night, warning of approaching attacks and to stay indoors. Screams could be heard from young and old who had been stung by these frightful-looking and very loud flying machines.
“And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron;
and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots
of many horses running to battle” (Revelation 9:9).
The aliens of Lucifer were on the Internet and airways telling people they were working on a remedy to this present crisis and giving this as another example of why the aliens of God and the Bible could not be trusted.
Thomas called Matthew and asked him what was going on. Matthew explained that “These UFOs, as they are calling them, are not from space but are found in the Bible. Where it says they came out of the ‘bottomless pit’ and that a devil named ‘Apollyon’ is leading them.” (Revelations 9:1-11) The Bible said that the Devil is, “[T]he prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:” (Ephesians 2:20). The Devil can do things in the “air” not only here on the Earth.
“Well, if that is so, why are the devils hurting people?” asked Thomas. “And why are they blaming it on God, when they are the ones who are doing this?”
“Devils do not help people.” Matthew said. “They were always causing torment to others in the Bible, especially to those who were possessed by them. Read what they did to the demon-possessed man of the country of the Gadarenes in Mark chapter 5. And remember what Nero did when he set fire to Rome? He blamed it on the Christians! So we have these ‘good guys,’ the aliens of Lucifer, who are really devils, blaming it on the angels of God who they call the ‘bad aliens’.
“By the way, people are now warned to stay away from the Christians who are not ‘good citizens’ and won’t receive the mark. The government is turning people against us! They are saying we are collaborating with the ‘bad aliens,’ who took people from the earth at the rapture."
While Matthew was still speaking on the phone, two guardians came into his house and hauled him off. Thomas heard over his cell phone what had happened to Matthew. And realizing he might be next, he quickly grabbed some belongings, including his Bible, and ran out the back door.
The Next Morning
Thomas called into work to see how things were and asked Neal about any new messages from the aliens. He was told there were new communications, but that he would have to come down to the site to read them. He then asked to speak to Edward, who told him the guardians had been by, asking about him. He thanked Edward for the information and realized he had to go into hiding. As he walked down the street, the sirens blared, and three demonic “UFOs” fly overhead, attacking people, who were running for cover. In the panic of the moment, he saw his wife run into a store. Thomas ran after her and found her huddled in a corner with others who were hiding.
Mrs. Jeffery saw her husband walking toward her and said, “That’s far enough.”
Thomas bent down. “I have been going crazy thinking about you and the children.”
“I’ve got my chip.” She held out her arm and showed him where the insertion was made. “Even today the guardians stopped me and asked about you.”
His countenance fell as he heard this, and he said, “I love you. Where are the children?”
“If you loved us, you would have taken the personal ID. Look what your God is doing to us.” As she said this, one of the noisy metal beasts flew overhead, and screams could be heard from those who were hurt.
Thomas’s wife stood up and started to scream at Thomas. “One of those noisy creatures killed our children!” At that moment the glass on the front of the storefront building shattered, and screams rang out as everyone dashed out of the building.
Thomas tried to follow his wife but was knocked down by those fleeing. He crawled over to the wall and leaned against it, not bothering to flee, as he was heartsick and weeping from what he had heard. There were screams on the street and loud noises from the creatures out of the bottomless pit.
Then a voice called out to him, “Thomas, is that you?” It was one of the ladies who had been at Matthew’s meeting, named Carla.
Thomas looked up at her. “My children are dead. Those flying creatures killed them.”
“People are not dying from them,” Carla said. “Their stings are causing excruciating pain, but as far as I know not death. Thomas, we are having a meeting tonight with two of the hundred and forty-four thousand servants of God, those Jewish evangelists. Why not come along and see what we can learn?”
The metal beasts had disappeared, and Carla led Thomas in the direction of another believer’s house. Upon arrival they were greeted by Carla’s friend and some others who were talking to one of the Jewish evangelists. Carla introduced Thomas to them all.
“Thomas came to our meetings before Matthew was taken and is looking for his son and daughter.”
Carla’s friend said, “Sorry to hear that Thomas, unfortunately there are many misplaced persons now, and others are doing as you—trying to find loved ones.”
“And many are turning in relatives to the government in hopes of obtaining food and medicine,” said the Jewish evangelists. “I have a friend who is out visiting but will be here shortly, and we will pray for your children.”
“Thank you,” said Thomas.
The Jewish evangelist picked up where he had been before Thomas arrived. “These flying creatures, or UFOs, as they are being called, are from the bottomless pit. They are a composite creature covered in metal, as it says in Revelation 9:7, ‘like unto horses prepared unto battle,’ and verse 9, ‘as it were breastplates of iron.’ Remember that the Apostle John, who wrote the book of Revelation, was using the vocabulary of his day. These flying machines are not spacecraft, and they that fly them are not cyborgs or aliens, but devils. Still, the majority of UFO sightings have been in earth’s atmosphere. And at the least, Revelation 9:7-11 show that devils have the ability to make flying objects out of metal.”
“How long will it last?” asked one.
“We are told five months in verse 10,” answered the evangelist.
“Glad you’re here to answer all are questions,” Carla said, and others also thanked him.
The evangelist said, “Thanks for your encouragement, but the truth is I do not know all that is going to happen. In Revelation 10: there are the ‘seven thunders,’ judgments that are coming but sealed from our understanding till they happen. Maybe it would benefit the Antichrist to know in advance everything that will happen.
“The important thing is God is giving one last chance to those who have never heard how to be saved. None of you were saved before the rapture, or God would have taken you at that time with the other believers, and none of you knew how to be saved. Back then, most churches were not telling people the plan of salvation in the Bible or even using the word ‘saved’ in their services. They have turned to ritual and away from repentance of our sins and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. The world is looking for a religion that will allow them to keep their sins of adultery, fornication, drugs, and cursing. There is a saying that ‘their morality dictates their theology.’ People find the religion that will let them live as they want, not as God wants. The Bible says, ‘For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.’ 2 Timothy 4:3–4. They seek teachers ‘after their own lusts’ that is why it is important to repent of your sins when seeking God.
Those who won’t be saved before the Rapture won’t be saved after the Rapture.
“Now I have a question,” said the evangelist. “What about people who understood salvation before the rapture but rejected it? Is God giving them light to understand salvation during the tribulation? When someone says no to God, it is easier to say it again and to look for reasons not to believe. Look how easily people are being deceived and trusting the lies of devils instead of their Creator. The Bible says of ‘them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.’ 2 Thessalonians 2:10–12. The context of this passage was during the tribulation. People who knew how to be saved before the rapture but rejected the gospel will not be saved during this seven-year tribulation; God will allow them to ‘believe a lie.’ Those who procrastinated or believed the Rapture was in the middle of the tribulation or at the end, and thus thought they had more time to make a decisions for salvation, are now doomed. (“damned”)
The message of salvation during the tribulation is for those who simply never heard or understood it. Which is faith alone in Jesus Christ, apart from any works of ourselves. This way gives God the glory because He is the one who saves us. But man’s way is to try and save himself by earning his salvation with good deeds and thus allow man to brag about how he deserves salvation, which would be the sin of pride.”
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:
it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).
“Remember how all this started? The world said they had finally solved their problems, and then everything broke loose. Listen to this passage in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–18, where we find the rapture: ‘we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.’ Then in 1 Thessalonians 5:1–4, it tells us when this will take place: ‘But of the times and the seasons, brethren [saved], ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves [saved] know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they [lost] shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them [lost], as travail upon a woman with child; and they [lost] shall not escape. But ye, brethren [saved], are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you [saved] as a thief.’ How much better it would have been to be saved before the rapture and to have escaped all this destruction!
“Notice the destruction fell right after they said, ‘Peace and safety; then sudden destruction.’ When mankind thinks he has it all figured out, God shows us we don’t. We are forgetting God, the source of all true blessings, not our wisdom or might. How many times have we thought, ‘If we could just get this politician elected to office or that political party in control, then all our troubles would be solved.’ But the real problem was we turned from God. Yes, vote, but God’s blessings are not connected to a certain political party or a certain person being elected to office, but to us humbling ourselves and turning from our sins.”
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves,
and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
The door swung open without a knock, and two men ran in, one saying, “The authorities have been informed that one of the hundred and forty-four thousand is somewhere in this area. And the guardians are searching both sides of the street. You have got to go now!”
One of the men who ran in to warn them was Edward. Thomas and his coworker were startled to see each other. Edward said, “We got to run now. We will talk later.”
Media outlets were warning people that there would be severe consequence on anyone who harbors or in any way helps one of the hundred and forty-four thousand. The European leader was giving speeches against Russia and China, saying they were hindering global unity. And that they should put aside their nationalism in order to unite against the evil aliens. But the real sticking point was who was going to lead this world federation.
"But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him” (Daniel 11:44).
Right after the plague of the demonic flying machines, the world was hit with the news that the largest army ever assembled, "two hundred thousand thousand" (200 million) was now being prepared by the “kings of the east.” (Revelations 9:14–19; 16:12) The leader of Europe declared, “There could only be one purpose for such a large army. Regrettably, world war is imminent.”
Hiding
Thomas and Edward had fled to the countryside with other believers. They gathered with a group who were meeting in a barn and were being challenged by two of the hundred and forty-four thousand to give their remaining time to Christ. There was uncertainty among them as to whom they could trust, with rumors of informants, just as Judas Iscariot who sold out Christ. It was perceived by all that the world was headed toward its end. There were also testimonies, encouraged by the hundred and forty-four thousand, who said they should confess Christ in front others.
A 13-year-old girl with courage stood in the midst and said, “I only recently asked Jesus Christ to be my Savior, and there is much I need to learn. But I love Him and I will give what I have left of my life to Him.” And she quoted a poem: “‘Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.’” (By C. T. Studd) She then quietly sat down.
A man stood to give thanks to the Lord for paying for his sins on the cross, followed by a lady who said, “I am glad we got a better place to look forward to, and I want to publicly confess Christ as my savior.” The testimonies were not always eloquent, but they were real and challenging.
One of the hundred and forty-four thousand exalted Christ by saying, “No one else was sinless, no one else died for our sins, no one else rose from the grave under His own power, no one else is the creator of the world, and no one else will judge the universe except Christ. Mohamed, Buddha, Confucius, Krishna, or any of the others never gave their lives for their followers. Jesus Christ proclaimed in John 5:13, ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’”
There was a feeling of, It’s now or never to trust Christ, and it’s now or never to live for Him. And many decisions were being made for the Lord. There was also regret—“I wasted my life! Why could not someone have told me how to be saved before the rapture so I would not have to go through all this?” Some were upset with the ministers they had before the rapture because they never told them how to be saved. And there were also honest seekers trying to understand salvation and why they could not be good enough to earn it by their own efforts. The evangelist said, “It is God who saves!” and he quoted Titus 3:5: “‘Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us...’”
One man asked about the “kings of the east” and their army of 200 million made up of strange-looking creatures (Revelation 9:16–18). Rumor was this army had been genetically engineered, made from cloning the genes of different animals.
One of the hundred and forty-four thousand said they were not to expect things to get better. And that soon the greatest number of evil spirits that were ever released would come to earth.
“Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels were cast out with him.” (Revelation 12:9)
They were told to expect that these devils would help the guardians track them down. Guardians could not tell by appearance if one belonged to God, but evil spirits knew immediately, and even from a distance, because every believer was sealed with the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30) The Jewish evangelist told them, “Your lives will be even more in doubt when this happens.”
One asked, “What will they do to us?”
“By taking your head off! As mentioned in Revelation 20:4,” said the evangelist. “The Bible gives a special warning for this time, in Revelation 12:12: ‘Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.’” And he compared the invasion of the Devil’s angels to when God released the fallen angels during the plagues of Egypt at the time of the Exodus. “It says in Psalm 78:49 that ‘He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.’”
Edward asked, “Isn’t it strange that the Bible does not mention any persecution of other religions at the end time? It only talks about Christians and Jews, but not the Muslims.”
The evangelist responded, “There is more to say on this subject, but we should pray together first and ask God to protect us and to be bold witnesses for Him and the gospel.”
While others were forming into groups of three or four to pray together, one young lady, whose parents owned the farm they were meeting at, walked up to one of the hundred and forty-four thousand and asked, “Most of the time these devils look like anyone else. How can we tell if someone is a devil or a human?”
The evangelist quoted a passage from 1 John 4:1–3: “‘Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.’ A devil cannot say that ‘Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.’”
The Sixth Trumpet
The evangelist explained that one-third of the world would die from war announced by the sixth trumpet. “In Revelation 9:15 and 18, John wrote: ‘for to slay the third part of men.’” He said with almost two billion people dying from one plague alone, it would not even be possible to bury everyone. Diseases would spread, farmlands would be ravaged by armies, and what little resources countries had would go into fighting the composite creatures from the east. As bad as WWII was, with almost 50 million people who died, still it could not be compared to the tribulation, which would cause the deaths of half the world with just two plagues. He noted his information came from Revelation 6:8 and 9:18.
He went on to say that the two plagues of Revelation 9 had been announced in advance by the angel who flew through the sky (Revelation 8:13), and that was why the authorities called this angel an extraterrestrial, again using this as one more reason not to trust the “other aliens.”
Already those without the mark had not been able to buy or sell in stores, as they all had scanners at the entrances that would buzz if anyone walked in without the ID chip, but now under penalty of the law, no one could buy or sell even outside public stores, in any capacity, without an official transaction that was registered the moment a mark was scanned. Past the proclaimed date, all property, assets, lands, or houses, would be confiscated from those who would not be “good citizens” and take the mark. This announcement caused a flood of people to swear allegiance to the EC leader and take the chip. Rewards were being offered for information leading to the arrest of noncompliant citizens or those who helped any of the hundred and forty-four thousand.
“And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark.”
(Revelation 13:17)
In the Bible the strongest and most repeated denunciation of the Antichrist was open blasphemy against God. The evangelist said, “Listen to Daniel 7:25: ‘And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High.’ And again in Revelation 13:5–7, it says: ‘And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.’”
Thomas could hardly believe what he was hearing.
The evangelist added, “Many believers will be martyred! And as you can see from these two passages, the ‘saints,’ believers in Jesus Christ, will be prevailed against by the Antichrist: ‘shall wear out the saints’ and ‘make war with the saints, and to overcome them.’ But it was not so for the church-age believers, as noted in Matthew 16:18: ‘I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ In the book of Revelation, the tribulation takes place between chapter 6 and chapter 19. The Church is not mentioned during that time, but Israel is mentioned several times. Did Christ forget about his Church? No! For there is one time the Church is mentioned during the tribulation, but it is not on earth where the tribulation will be but in heaven at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Revelation 19:1 takes place ‘in heaven,’ and then in verse 7, it says, ‘the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” In John 1:36, the ‘Lamb’ represents Christ, and His ‘wife’ is the church, found in Ephesians 5:31–32. After this event, Christ will leave heaven, found in Revelation 19:11: ‘And I saw heaven opened,’ for Christ will come back visibly to earth to destroy the Antichrist and his armies at the battle of Armageddon, as it says in verses 14–21. So the marriage of the Lamb with His bride not only takes place in heaven but during the time of the great tribulation. That is one reason the Rapture was called the ‘blessed hope’ in Titus 2:13, because church-age believers miss out on all the suffering of the tribulation. The church age came to a close at the rapture, and this is also why the hundred and forty-four thousand are all Jews, as the church-age believers were taken out at the Rapture before the tribulation.
“As Christ said, his return would be like the days of Noah and Lot. Luke 17:26–30 says, ‘Until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot…the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.’ Both Noah and Lot were put in a place of safety before God’s judgment fell. How much better to have been saved before the rapture and escape this judgment! As Christ said of his church, ‘hell shall not prevail against it.’ But unfortunate for us saved during the tribulation, we will be hunted down, and the Antichrist ‘shall wear out the saints’ and ‘overcome them.’”
Antichrist Has a Victory
One of the hundred and forty-four thousand explained that the Antichrist would be able to kill the two witnesses of God at Jerusalem, who were a thorn in his flesh during their prophesying and judgments upon the earth. And with the death of these two witnesses, the Antichrist would flaunt his victory in front of the world.
“And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth” (Revelation 11:7–10).
CHAPTER VII
Unexpected
The setting was a meadow at dusk, with about 80 believers, including Thomas and Edward, and several had brought candles, flashlights, or lanterns, as the meeting would go into the night. At the meeting were four of the hundred and forty-four thousand, and after a time of prayer, they introduced themselves: Dekel, Benjamin, Ethan, and David.
David welcomed them all together, saying, “We all know that the time is short and fear of being apprehended is ever present with us. Still, this meeting was called to share the events that are coming and to encourage one another in our bright future in Christ.”
But before David could go any further, a lady shouted “Look!” She was pointing in the direction of three men who were coming toward them—two soldiers and one in a guardian uniform.
Another said, “Hey, everyone, we had better split up and run!”
But from behind them came a group of about thirty soldiers, all in military uniforms and all with guns drawn and shouting at them. “Sit down!”
The guardian walked into the center of their group with an air of confidence and a smirk on his face. “Did you think we wouldn’t know what you were up to? We have informants everywhere. All of you with your personal ID, step up and be scanned, and then you’re free to go.”
Six people stood up, with a couple of them giving excuse as to why they were there, fearing that it might mean a restriction of their food allotment. One of them even said he was spying on the group to report to the government officials. But the soldiers told him they had things under control and to be on his way. The situation seemed hopeless, with moms clutching their children and some looking to see if they still might make a break for it. After those with the mark had been scanned, they left. Then the guardian said, “How many of you will take the ID tonight and renounce the Christ of the Bible?”
When he said this, a frightened little boy asked his mom, “Why do the soldiers have guns, Mom? Did we do something wrong?” His mom told him to be quiet and pray to Jesus.
“You are either with us or against us. Which is it?!” said the guardian.
One man got up and said, “We did not know what this was about. Some friends just invited us here.”
As he said this, he pulled his wife up, who was cowering and visibly afraid.
“Will you renounce Jesus Christ right now?” asked the guardian.
“Yes, sure, we meant to get the ID anyway.” He was still pulling his wife away from the others sitting on the grass.
But the guardian said, “Stop!” Pointing to the man’s wife, “Do you renounce Jesus Christ?”
Her husband pulled on her hand as she said, “I can’t say it. I just can’t.”
“It is the only way you’re getting out of here,” responded the guardian.
The lady’s husband was pleading with her, and she was crying, but the guardian said, “Get her husband out of here.” Two soldiers forced her husband off the field as his wife stood there in front of everybody, shaking and wiping tears from her face. “This is your last chance. Any future of yours depends on this decision. Do you want to go be with your husband and receive your ID or stay here and suffer the consequences?” The guardian lifted up his voice and asked again, “What do you do with Jesus of the Bible?”
“I can’t reject Him. I can’t.”
The guardian looked at a couple of soldiers who walked up and took her by her arms and forced her to sit back down. As this was happening, one man stood up and said he would go and get the mark, followed quickly by a husband and wife, who both left together. Then the guardian made one last plea as he looked around at all those remaining. “We will carry out our orders if you stay here.”
The guardian waited one long minute and then looked behind him in the direction of those who had walked off, and seeing they had gone said, “Praise the Lord. We are so glad to be with true believers!” There went up a sigh of relief and disbelief at what had happened. The guardian, who turned out not to be a guardian but a soldier, explained that they had to test their faith, as it was the only way his fellow soldiers would meet with them. He explained that they had regularly fellowshipped while in the military. But when it became mandatory to receive the mark, they had left, pledging allegiance to Jesus Christ.
After this there was a joy in their group because they had not renounced Jesus. And some ladies went and consoled the lady whose husband chose the world over Christ. But the lady said that though she still had tears, she also had a joy she had never experienced before and was glad she stayed with them. There seemed to be new liberty in Christ and love one for another without fear, some laughing and some rejoicing. Then someone suggested they sing “Amazing Grace,” which they did with joy and thanksgiving.
David, the evangelist, began again, “As I was saying, this meeting was called to share the events that are coming and to encourage one another in our bright future in Christ. Dekel, would you share what news you have for us.”
“You have all heard about the martyrdom of God’s two witnesses,” Dekel said, “our two brothers in Christ at Jerusalem, and how the world is ecstatic over their deaths. It is of interest to me that the book of Revelation, written 2,000 years ago, said the entire world would ‘see’ their dead bodies. "And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies " (Revelation 11:9) This was not possible at the time the New Testament was written, but today with the Internet and TV, the world is gloating over the deaths of these two faithful witnesses. But we were also told in Revelation 11:9–12 that their deaths will only last three days, and the fact that the world has brought such attention to this will only bring more glory to God when His two witnesses rise from the dead with the world watching!”
After Dekel spoke, David asked Ethan, “What words of exhortation do you have for us?”
Ethan had a loud, booming voice. “Listen, brothers and sisters. It is an all or nothing time of decision, no half measures here, no lukewarm Christianity, but all our hearts or none of it, no games now but total commitment. Many of us will face death in the coming days, so make up your minds now what you will do. It’s time to get in the boat or get out of it, but don’t capsize our boat because you have one foot in the world and one foot in a body of believers. Jesus said, ‘No man can serve two masters,’ including you! So what’s it going to be, Jesus or the world? Decide now what you will do, for your sake and the sake of others who will be watching you. And do not hate your accusers, but pray for them as Stephen did before Saul of Tarsus when he was stoned to death for his faith in Christ.
“Remember Peter, who told the Lord he would never deny Christ. I am sure he meant what he said, but when he was tested that very night, he did deny the Lord three times. So get alone with the Lord and ask Him to unite your heart to fear Him and not man. You trusted Christ to save your soul for heaven. Now trust Him to have boldness and strengthen you when you are tested.”
Then Benjamin spoke. “The Bible says to set our affections on things above, not on things of this earth. Christ said in John Chapter 14, ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’ Yes, we all missed out on the rapture, and we now have only reached the midway point of the tribulation, with the worst yet to come. Still, we missed hell, and we have a whole lot better place to look forward to than this old dying earth!"
“2 Peter 3:11-14 says, ‘Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.’
“Soon most of us will die and be with Christ in our new heavenly homes. This world has been cursed ever since Genesis 3:17 because of the fall of man, and that’s why there are tears, sorrow, pain, death, and all of this world’s heartaches. But Christ said, ‘In my Father’s house are many mansions,’ and God’s Word says we will ‘inherit’ it (Matthew 25:34)—it will actually be ours!"
“Our God has a special reward for those who are faithful unto death. I am reading from Revelation chapter 2: ‘Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.’" And with many other words they exhorted the believers.
As the meeting broke up, Thomas was rejoicing in all that he had heard and the uplifting fellowship of other believers. As he and Edward walked off together, they met some other believers, including one of the soldiers, named John. They were glad to meet a new believer and made introductions and talked about where they might spend the night, with a brother in Christ saying they could sleep in an abandoned house he had seen in the area.
That evening a group of a dozen stayed in the house, but several could not sleep, talking about the events of the day and what to expect next. John showed them the scanner, which he called a wand, that he had lent to the man who pretended to be the guardian. He demonstrated how it worked, scanning his own head and right arm, the places where a chip would be implanted. They talked about how useful it might be in identifying a false believer and hoped he might stay with them.
A sister in Christ said, “They have been quoting the Qur’an in their newscast and running down the Bible. And at the same time they are telling us to be tolerant of all religions but only speak well of Islam.”
The solider said, “They are trying to bring the Arab nations into their alliance.”
Another said, “Every day is worse with new problems, rumors, or crazy ideas. Today the European Community said it is unhealthy to eat certain meat and we should not marry. They’re reason was that marriage and the eating of all meats were the teachings of Christ (Acts 10:11-15), and we were no longer under His ‘oppressive’ rule. They tell us the Muslims dietary laws are more wholesome and we should abstain from eating pork, bacon, ham etc."
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils…Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth” (1 Timothy 4:1–3).
That morning the few who had food shared it with the others, but it was not enough to satisfy their hunger. One of the ladies asked Ruth, a mother with a daughter barely two and a half years old, why her little girl had cried out during the night, “Did she have a nightmare?”
“Maybe,” said her mother. “She thought she saw an alien with big eyes. I’m sure it is all this talk of aliens coming to earth that scared her. She has a good imagination.”
The main concern was, how were they going to eat? One brother said, “It is easy to say we won’t take the mark but another to live with the consequences day after day. But Ruth was insistent that they make some effort to secure food for her little girl.
“And woe unto them that are with child,
and to them that give suck in those days!”
(Matthew 24:19).
John said, “Even if we had our own garden, it would take months before we got any food from it. Edward suggested they try to catch wild game from the woods. It was decided to split up and search for food and then meet back that evening. Thomas and Edward left together to see what they could find and thought they would go to a creek they had seen the day before in hopes of catching fish. On the way there, Thomas said to Edward, “I miss my family and want to see my wife and children.”
“But how can you?” said Edward. “She has taken the mark and might well turn you in to the authorities. Besides, she said your children had died.”
Thomas breathed heavy when Edward said that. “I believe they are still alive. Somehow I just know it. Edward, do you not have any family you’re concerned about?”
“No, my parents were killed in one of the first plagues.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know." Thomas said.
David welcomed them all together, saying, “We all know that the time is short and fear of being apprehended is ever present with us. Still, this meeting was called to share the events that are coming and to encourage one another in our bright future in Christ.”
But before David could go any further, a lady shouted “Look!” She was pointing in the direction of three men who were coming toward them—two soldiers and one in a guardian uniform.
Another said, “Hey, everyone, we had better split up and run!”
But from behind them came a group of about thirty soldiers, all in military uniforms and all with guns drawn and shouting at them. “Sit down!”
The guardian walked into the center of their group with an air of confidence and a smirk on his face. “Did you think we wouldn’t know what you were up to? We have informants everywhere. All of you with your personal ID, step up and be scanned, and then you’re free to go.”
Six people stood up, with a couple of them giving excuse as to why they were there, fearing that it might mean a restriction of their food allotment. One of them even said he was spying on the group to report to the government officials. But the soldiers told him they had things under control and to be on his way. The situation seemed hopeless, with moms clutching their children and some looking to see if they still might make a break for it. After those with the mark had been scanned, they left. Then the guardian said, “How many of you will take the ID tonight and renounce the Christ of the Bible?”
When he said this, a frightened little boy asked his mom, “Why do the soldiers have guns, Mom? Did we do something wrong?” His mom told him to be quiet and pray to Jesus.
“You are either with us or against us. Which is it?!” said the guardian.
One man got up and said, “We did not know what this was about. Some friends just invited us here.”
As he said this, he pulled his wife up, who was cowering and visibly afraid.
“Will you renounce Jesus Christ right now?” asked the guardian.
“Yes, sure, we meant to get the ID anyway.” He was still pulling his wife away from the others sitting on the grass.
But the guardian said, “Stop!” Pointing to the man’s wife, “Do you renounce Jesus Christ?”
Her husband pulled on her hand as she said, “I can’t say it. I just can’t.”
“It is the only way you’re getting out of here,” responded the guardian.
The lady’s husband was pleading with her, and she was crying, but the guardian said, “Get her husband out of here.” Two soldiers forced her husband off the field as his wife stood there in front of everybody, shaking and wiping tears from her face. “This is your last chance. Any future of yours depends on this decision. Do you want to go be with your husband and receive your ID or stay here and suffer the consequences?” The guardian lifted up his voice and asked again, “What do you do with Jesus of the Bible?”
“I can’t reject Him. I can’t.”
The guardian looked at a couple of soldiers who walked up and took her by her arms and forced her to sit back down. As this was happening, one man stood up and said he would go and get the mark, followed quickly by a husband and wife, who both left together. Then the guardian made one last plea as he looked around at all those remaining. “We will carry out our orders if you stay here.”
The guardian waited one long minute and then looked behind him in the direction of those who had walked off, and seeing they had gone said, “Praise the Lord. We are so glad to be with true believers!” There went up a sigh of relief and disbelief at what had happened. The guardian, who turned out not to be a guardian but a soldier, explained that they had to test their faith, as it was the only way his fellow soldiers would meet with them. He explained that they had regularly fellowshipped while in the military. But when it became mandatory to receive the mark, they had left, pledging allegiance to Jesus Christ.
After this there was a joy in their group because they had not renounced Jesus. And some ladies went and consoled the lady whose husband chose the world over Christ. But the lady said that though she still had tears, she also had a joy she had never experienced before and was glad she stayed with them. There seemed to be new liberty in Christ and love one for another without fear, some laughing and some rejoicing. Then someone suggested they sing “Amazing Grace,” which they did with joy and thanksgiving.
David, the evangelist, began again, “As I was saying, this meeting was called to share the events that are coming and to encourage one another in our bright future in Christ. Dekel, would you share what news you have for us.”
“You have all heard about the martyrdom of God’s two witnesses,” Dekel said, “our two brothers in Christ at Jerusalem, and how the world is ecstatic over their deaths. It is of interest to me that the book of Revelation, written 2,000 years ago, said the entire world would ‘see’ their dead bodies. "And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies " (Revelation 11:9) This was not possible at the time the New Testament was written, but today with the Internet and TV, the world is gloating over the deaths of these two faithful witnesses. But we were also told in Revelation 11:9–12 that their deaths will only last three days, and the fact that the world has brought such attention to this will only bring more glory to God when His two witnesses rise from the dead with the world watching!”
After Dekel spoke, David asked Ethan, “What words of exhortation do you have for us?”
Ethan had a loud, booming voice. “Listen, brothers and sisters. It is an all or nothing time of decision, no half measures here, no lukewarm Christianity, but all our hearts or none of it, no games now but total commitment. Many of us will face death in the coming days, so make up your minds now what you will do. It’s time to get in the boat or get out of it, but don’t capsize our boat because you have one foot in the world and one foot in a body of believers. Jesus said, ‘No man can serve two masters,’ including you! So what’s it going to be, Jesus or the world? Decide now what you will do, for your sake and the sake of others who will be watching you. And do not hate your accusers, but pray for them as Stephen did before Saul of Tarsus when he was stoned to death for his faith in Christ.
“Remember Peter, who told the Lord he would never deny Christ. I am sure he meant what he said, but when he was tested that very night, he did deny the Lord three times. So get alone with the Lord and ask Him to unite your heart to fear Him and not man. You trusted Christ to save your soul for heaven. Now trust Him to have boldness and strengthen you when you are tested.”
Then Benjamin spoke. “The Bible says to set our affections on things above, not on things of this earth. Christ said in John Chapter 14, ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’ Yes, we all missed out on the rapture, and we now have only reached the midway point of the tribulation, with the worst yet to come. Still, we missed hell, and we have a whole lot better place to look forward to than this old dying earth!"
“2 Peter 3:11-14 says, ‘Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.’
“Soon most of us will die and be with Christ in our new heavenly homes. This world has been cursed ever since Genesis 3:17 because of the fall of man, and that’s why there are tears, sorrow, pain, death, and all of this world’s heartaches. But Christ said, ‘In my Father’s house are many mansions,’ and God’s Word says we will ‘inherit’ it (Matthew 25:34)—it will actually be ours!"
“Our God has a special reward for those who are faithful unto death. I am reading from Revelation chapter 2: ‘Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.’" And with many other words they exhorted the believers.
As the meeting broke up, Thomas was rejoicing in all that he had heard and the uplifting fellowship of other believers. As he and Edward walked off together, they met some other believers, including one of the soldiers, named John. They were glad to meet a new believer and made introductions and talked about where they might spend the night, with a brother in Christ saying they could sleep in an abandoned house he had seen in the area.
That evening a group of a dozen stayed in the house, but several could not sleep, talking about the events of the day and what to expect next. John showed them the scanner, which he called a wand, that he had lent to the man who pretended to be the guardian. He demonstrated how it worked, scanning his own head and right arm, the places where a chip would be implanted. They talked about how useful it might be in identifying a false believer and hoped he might stay with them.
A sister in Christ said, “They have been quoting the Qur’an in their newscast and running down the Bible. And at the same time they are telling us to be tolerant of all religions but only speak well of Islam.”
The solider said, “They are trying to bring the Arab nations into their alliance.”
Another said, “Every day is worse with new problems, rumors, or crazy ideas. Today the European Community said it is unhealthy to eat certain meat and we should not marry. They’re reason was that marriage and the eating of all meats were the teachings of Christ (Acts 10:11-15), and we were no longer under His ‘oppressive’ rule. They tell us the Muslims dietary laws are more wholesome and we should abstain from eating pork, bacon, ham etc."
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils…Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth” (1 Timothy 4:1–3).
That morning the few who had food shared it with the others, but it was not enough to satisfy their hunger. One of the ladies asked Ruth, a mother with a daughter barely two and a half years old, why her little girl had cried out during the night, “Did she have a nightmare?”
“Maybe,” said her mother. “She thought she saw an alien with big eyes. I’m sure it is all this talk of aliens coming to earth that scared her. She has a good imagination.”
The main concern was, how were they going to eat? One brother said, “It is easy to say we won’t take the mark but another to live with the consequences day after day. But Ruth was insistent that they make some effort to secure food for her little girl.
“And woe unto them that are with child,
and to them that give suck in those days!”
(Matthew 24:19).
John said, “Even if we had our own garden, it would take months before we got any food from it. Edward suggested they try to catch wild game from the woods. It was decided to split up and search for food and then meet back that evening. Thomas and Edward left together to see what they could find and thought they would go to a creek they had seen the day before in hopes of catching fish. On the way there, Thomas said to Edward, “I miss my family and want to see my wife and children.”
“But how can you?” said Edward. “She has taken the mark and might well turn you in to the authorities. Besides, she said your children had died.”
Thomas breathed heavy when Edward said that. “I believe they are still alive. Somehow I just know it. Edward, do you not have any family you’re concerned about?”
“No, my parents were killed in one of the first plagues.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know." Thomas said.
CHAPTER VIII
War in Heaven
Strange as it may seem, the Devil has had access to heaven at least since the days of Job (Job 1:6–11), where he accuses us before God, but this will come to an end in Revelation 12:10. But first there will be a war, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels” (Revelation 12:7). God Himself will not be involved in this battle for Michael the archangel will lead the charge. As to how long such a battle would last, it could only be guessed at, but when Michael the archangel fought the devil of “Persia,” it lasted 21 days (Daniel 10:13).
There are different places in scripture where angels fight against man, and sometimes with horrific losses to the armies of man (2 Kings 19:35). Angels have “swords” (Numbers 22:31) and “chariots of fire” (2 Kings 6:17), but how do angels fight other angels? Will they use swords or guns and bullets? The weapons of war that man has are for killing the enemy, but God’s angels and those of the Devil are spirits, and spirits neither die nor bleed. However it will be, these two opposing armies will not just “stare down” each other but there will be “war in heaven” and “Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels” (Revelation 12:7).
God has twice as many angels as the Devil, and nothing has been left to chance, for God has told us in advance the outcome of this war (Revelation 12:3–4). Revelation 12 tells us this battle will end in victory for the armies of God, who will “rejoice” (verse 12), but "Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (verse 9). And they will never be allowed back in heaven, “neither was their place found any more in heaven” (verse 8). But this victory in heaven will not bring rejoicing on earth: “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (verse 12). All the angels of the Devil will be cast down to earth, a true “alien invasion.” When this happens, the Devil will have “great wrath” that he will pour out on Jews and Christians (verse 17).
There are different places in scripture where angels fight against man, and sometimes with horrific losses to the armies of man (2 Kings 19:35). Angels have “swords” (Numbers 22:31) and “chariots of fire” (2 Kings 6:17), but how do angels fight other angels? Will they use swords or guns and bullets? The weapons of war that man has are for killing the enemy, but God’s angels and those of the Devil are spirits, and spirits neither die nor bleed. However it will be, these two opposing armies will not just “stare down” each other but there will be “war in heaven” and “Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels” (Revelation 12:7).
God has twice as many angels as the Devil, and nothing has been left to chance, for God has told us in advance the outcome of this war (Revelation 12:3–4). Revelation 12 tells us this battle will end in victory for the armies of God, who will “rejoice” (verse 12), but "Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (verse 9). And they will never be allowed back in heaven, “neither was their place found any more in heaven” (verse 8). But this victory in heaven will not bring rejoicing on earth: “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (verse 12). All the angels of the Devil will be cast down to earth, a true “alien invasion.” When this happens, the Devil will have “great wrath” that he will pour out on Jews and Christians (verse 17).
CHAPTER IX
Suspicion
About a mile from camp, Thomas and Edward met John and another man, Bill, who had spent the night with them, both running toward him. John said, “Several vans of guardians came about an hour ago and rounded up those who were at the meeting yesterday evening. They are still out looking for any other Christians they can find! Someone in our group must have tipped them off about where we were,” said Bill.
Thomas said, “I thought the soldiers did a good job of checking us over yesterday. So who else would have known about us?”
“Well actually, we didn’t scan those who stayed. Only those who left,” said John.
That evening they slept under a large tree to help mask their camp, as there were drones searching the countryside looking for believers. Much of their conversation was filled with regret.
John said, “I wish it was over now, but we barely made it to the middle of the tribulation, and it will get worse from this point on!” He explained how one of the hundred and forty-four thousand had told them what 1 Thessalonians 5:3 said, that the tribulation would be “as travail upon a woman with child.” That just before a woman delivers her child, her birth pains grow stronger and with shorter intervals between them, and so will be the remaining judgments that will come upon the earth. “There will be shorter intervals between them, and they will be worse!”
Thomas said, “I want to find my children first and hold them and tell them I love them. I had told them before all this happened that ‘If there is a God, just be good, and everything will all work out.’ What a fool I was.”
Bill said, “Thomas, things are coming to an end all over this world, including our dreams, and you may not see your children again.” Thomas’s heart sank as Bill said this.
“Your children have a greater need than to see you, and that is to see their need of Christ as their savior. Pray to God, for He is able to bring one of the hundred and forty-four thousand across their path to show them their need of salvation in Jesus Christ.”
John said, “The sad truth is we cannot expect the tribulation to be a time of happy endings; the only good thing about it is that it has an end. In fact, one of the Jewish evangelists told us the tribulation will be shortened, or none of us would be left alive when the Lord comes back.”
“And except those days should be shortened,
there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake
those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:22).
Unexpectedly Bill said, "The guardians rounded up almost everyone who was at the meeting last night. We need to consider the possibility that one of us four betrayed the others." With that statement, the conversation took a cold turn.
Edward was indignant. “Are you paranoid?”
"We got a scanner right here now." Bill said. "We could scan each other."
But Edward protested, "I'm not doing it!"
Thomas said, “Look, I have known Edward for six months now. We worked together at the LOFAR station. He is a believer. He helped me find my first group of Christians.”
But John said, “Then he should not mind being scanned to show he has not taken the mark.”
“Settle it once and for all and get scanned.” Bill said.
“You get scanned first, both of you, and then I will.” Said Edward.
Both Bill and John reluctantly agreed to do this but insisted that both Edward and Thomas would have to do the same. After they were scanned and showed no chip implant, Edward stretched out his right hand, which they scanned, and also his forehead. But Edward was clean, and the other two men looked a little sheepish about it all.
Still, Edward was upset. “What are you doing, spreading doubts among us?”
Thomas said, “I will be scanned also so we all do this, and no more doubts.” Thomas also passed this simple test, and that seemed to bring down Edward’s temper.
Thomas said, “I thought the soldiers did a good job of checking us over yesterday. So who else would have known about us?”
“Well actually, we didn’t scan those who stayed. Only those who left,” said John.
That evening they slept under a large tree to help mask their camp, as there were drones searching the countryside looking for believers. Much of their conversation was filled with regret.
John said, “I wish it was over now, but we barely made it to the middle of the tribulation, and it will get worse from this point on!” He explained how one of the hundred and forty-four thousand had told them what 1 Thessalonians 5:3 said, that the tribulation would be “as travail upon a woman with child.” That just before a woman delivers her child, her birth pains grow stronger and with shorter intervals between them, and so will be the remaining judgments that will come upon the earth. “There will be shorter intervals between them, and they will be worse!”
Thomas said, “I want to find my children first and hold them and tell them I love them. I had told them before all this happened that ‘If there is a God, just be good, and everything will all work out.’ What a fool I was.”
Bill said, “Thomas, things are coming to an end all over this world, including our dreams, and you may not see your children again.” Thomas’s heart sank as Bill said this.
“Your children have a greater need than to see you, and that is to see their need of Christ as their savior. Pray to God, for He is able to bring one of the hundred and forty-four thousand across their path to show them their need of salvation in Jesus Christ.”
John said, “The sad truth is we cannot expect the tribulation to be a time of happy endings; the only good thing about it is that it has an end. In fact, one of the Jewish evangelists told us the tribulation will be shortened, or none of us would be left alive when the Lord comes back.”
“And except those days should be shortened,
there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake
those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:22).
Unexpectedly Bill said, "The guardians rounded up almost everyone who was at the meeting last night. We need to consider the possibility that one of us four betrayed the others." With that statement, the conversation took a cold turn.
Edward was indignant. “Are you paranoid?”
"We got a scanner right here now." Bill said. "We could scan each other."
But Edward protested, "I'm not doing it!"
Thomas said, “Look, I have known Edward for six months now. We worked together at the LOFAR station. He is a believer. He helped me find my first group of Christians.”
But John said, “Then he should not mind being scanned to show he has not taken the mark.”
“Settle it once and for all and get scanned.” Bill said.
“You get scanned first, both of you, and then I will.” Said Edward.
Both Bill and John reluctantly agreed to do this but insisted that both Edward and Thomas would have to do the same. After they were scanned and showed no chip implant, Edward stretched out his right hand, which they scanned, and also his forehead. But Edward was clean, and the other two men looked a little sheepish about it all.
Still, Edward was upset. “What are you doing, spreading doubts among us?”
Thomas said, “I will be scanned also so we all do this, and no more doubts.” Thomas also passed this simple test, and that seemed to bring down Edward’s temper.
CHAPTER X
Worldwide Worship of the Antichrist
TV newscasters and the Internet were urging everyone to report sightings of the “radical” Jews and the ones they were calling “false” Christians, those who would not receive the mark. The media also gave interviews with the clergy, who would quote passages from the Bible about obeying the laws of the land so we could have a good testimony before man.
The leader of Europe said citizens needed to update their calendars and that the most accurate one was based on the Muslim religion. He said that Christian holidays would all need to be changed and the present calendar was based on the birth of Jesus and the “inaccuracies” of the Bible.
“And he shall speak great words against the most High,
and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws”
(Daniel 7:25).
(Similarly, the king of northern Israel, when he started a new religion, changed all the Jewish feast days to ones “which he had devised of his own heart” I Kings 12:33; 13:33.)
And then the unexpected happened—unexpected to all who did not read the Bible. The European leader was murdered! It was reported that this was at the hands of the “false” Christians as revenge for killing the two witnesses in Jerusalem. But even more unexpected than the death of the European leader was that he did not stay dead!
The leader of Europe said citizens needed to update their calendars and that the most accurate one was based on the Muslim religion. He said that Christian holidays would all need to be changed and the present calendar was based on the birth of Jesus and the “inaccuracies” of the Bible.
“And he shall speak great words against the most High,
and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws”
(Daniel 7:25).
(Similarly, the king of northern Israel, when he started a new religion, changed all the Jewish feast days to ones “which he had devised of his own heart” I Kings 12:33; 13:33.)
And then the unexpected happened—unexpected to all who did not read the Bible. The European leader was murdered! It was reported that this was at the hands of the “false” Christians as revenge for killing the two witnesses in Jerusalem. But even more unexpected than the death of the European leader was that he did not stay dead!
“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death;
and his deadly wound was healed:
and all the world wondered after the beast.”
(Revelation 13:3)
“The beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.”
(Revelation 13:14)
“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan
with all power and signs and lying wonders.”
(2 Thessalonians 2:9)
“And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?”
(Revelation 13:4)
and his deadly wound was healed:
and all the world wondered after the beast.”
(Revelation 13:3)
“The beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.”
(Revelation 13:14)
“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan
with all power and signs and lying wonders.”
(2 Thessalonians 2:9)
“And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?”
(Revelation 13:4)
Thomas and his friends knew the death and false resurrection of the Antichrist would mark the middle of the tribulation, or the first three and a half years of the seven-year tribulation, because of what Revelation 13:5 said: “Power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” Everywhere this false resurrection was proclaimed as a true miracle and proof of the Europeans leader’s divine right to power. A holiday was made in his honor, greater than that of Easter, and songs were composed to him, with every film opening and closing with a portrait of “Our Divine Leader.” It was hard to go anywhere without seeing a billboard or poster of “The Divine One.” Pictures of the “Great One” with aliens standing on both sides of him were posted in all military installations. The Antichrist rants against “false Christians” and “the false Christ” were constant and acid. The guillotine became the favored mode of capital punishment (Revelation 20:4). This was given out for anyone who would not show allegiance to “The Divine One” by accepting his mark.
The New Temple
There is an interesting passage about the Antichrist found in 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4: “The son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” Under the Jewish religion, the focal point of their worship was the temple, which was where their sacrifices were offered up, and even their prayers were directed toward it (I Kings 8:33). And it is when the Antichrist sits in the temple that he makes the announcement that he is God. This is the time when Christ told “Judea” to “flee” (Matthew 24:15–16). Jewish priests will not accept a man receiving worship, so the temple will be left to the Antichrist, and perhaps his demonic friends will take the job of the priests and minister in the temple.
“And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority” (Revelation 13:2).
“But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces…with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge” (Daniel 11:38–39).
A proclamation was announced that all were to watch the upcoming dedication of the new temple built in Jerusalem, and that our “alien friends” would be taking part in this. After songs of praise to the divine leader (The leader of Europe), he stepped on to the stage with his microphone clipped to his lapel.
“I have reached godhood! I have become one with the universe, and soon you will also. It was wrong that this was kept back from us, but I will help you to become one with us in this new era of consciousness. By changing our negative thoughts, beliefs, and outlook on life, we can change our surroundings! We have been held back by ancient superstitions of cavemen and a God who wants all the power for himself. But I say let’s put off this old decaying garment of rags and put on the new garment of divine knowledge and enlightenment. We are now above loyalties to our countries and religion. We now pledge allegiance to the unity of mankind, and may we take our rightful place in the universe!”
Jesus Christ said, “Without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5)
At first, the Antichrist is more of a political leader, until he sits in the rebuilt temple, where he both rules and demands worship from the whole world. “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him” (Revelation 13:8). He will move to Jerusalem during the tribulation: “And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation” (Daniel 11:45–12:1).
At the beginning of the Antichrist’s reign, he will smile at Israel, and they will accept his help to rebuild their temple, but the Antichrist wants it for himself. This is in keeping with the great deception of the Antichrist and who he is and what he wants to accomplish, worldwide worship of himself. Which he will most likely keep a secret till the temple is finished, and then he can go in and proclaim himself as God. The Devil has always wanted to be worshipped. It was the first sin he committed: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer…For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:12–14). He showed Christ “all the kingdoms of the world…and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:8–9). And the Devil will receive this worship through the Antichrist.
The Ark of the Covenant
It is of interest that the passage in 2 Thessalonians said of the Antichrist that “he as God sitteth in the temple of God.” Not only will he be in the future third temple in Jerusalem, but it appears he is sitting on the Ark of the Covenant! (This points to the Ark being found before the Antichrist's self-proclamation that he is God.) What is the Antichrist sitting on if it is not the Ark of the Covenant? The temple of God had no place in it to sit. There were only two rooms in the temple, and neither had chairs in them. If the Antichrist wants to receive worship, as the Bible says he does, then he would need to be in the room known as the “Holiest of all,” and this was where the Ark was located (Hebrews 9:3–4). There were two cherubims, one on each end of the Ark, with a “mercy seat” in the middle, and this was where God met with man. And if the Antichrist wants to pretend to be God, then he would need to be in the place where God was. And the Bible says God was sitting on the Ark, “he sitteth between the cherubims” (Psalm 99:1). But would there be enough room for a person’s body (the Antichrist) to sit there or his image? (Mark 13:14, Revelation 13:14-15) “And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat” (Exodus 37:8–9). It is not certain how this was arranged, and there are different depictions (models and paintings) of how their wings covered the Ark, with some having room for a person to sit there and some not.
The New Temple
There is an interesting passage about the Antichrist found in 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4: “The son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” Under the Jewish religion, the focal point of their worship was the temple, which was where their sacrifices were offered up, and even their prayers were directed toward it (I Kings 8:33). And it is when the Antichrist sits in the temple that he makes the announcement that he is God. This is the time when Christ told “Judea” to “flee” (Matthew 24:15–16). Jewish priests will not accept a man receiving worship, so the temple will be left to the Antichrist, and perhaps his demonic friends will take the job of the priests and minister in the temple.
“And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority” (Revelation 13:2).
“But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces…with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge” (Daniel 11:38–39).
A proclamation was announced that all were to watch the upcoming dedication of the new temple built in Jerusalem, and that our “alien friends” would be taking part in this. After songs of praise to the divine leader (The leader of Europe), he stepped on to the stage with his microphone clipped to his lapel.
“I have reached godhood! I have become one with the universe, and soon you will also. It was wrong that this was kept back from us, but I will help you to become one with us in this new era of consciousness. By changing our negative thoughts, beliefs, and outlook on life, we can change our surroundings! We have been held back by ancient superstitions of cavemen and a God who wants all the power for himself. But I say let’s put off this old decaying garment of rags and put on the new garment of divine knowledge and enlightenment. We are now above loyalties to our countries and religion. We now pledge allegiance to the unity of mankind, and may we take our rightful place in the universe!”
Jesus Christ said, “Without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5)
At first, the Antichrist is more of a political leader, until he sits in the rebuilt temple, where he both rules and demands worship from the whole world. “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him” (Revelation 13:8). He will move to Jerusalem during the tribulation: “And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation” (Daniel 11:45–12:1).
At the beginning of the Antichrist’s reign, he will smile at Israel, and they will accept his help to rebuild their temple, but the Antichrist wants it for himself. This is in keeping with the great deception of the Antichrist and who he is and what he wants to accomplish, worldwide worship of himself. Which he will most likely keep a secret till the temple is finished, and then he can go in and proclaim himself as God. The Devil has always wanted to be worshipped. It was the first sin he committed: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer…For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:12–14). He showed Christ “all the kingdoms of the world…and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:8–9). And the Devil will receive this worship through the Antichrist.
The Ark of the Covenant
It is of interest that the passage in 2 Thessalonians said of the Antichrist that “he as God sitteth in the temple of God.” Not only will he be in the future third temple in Jerusalem, but it appears he is sitting on the Ark of the Covenant! (This points to the Ark being found before the Antichrist's self-proclamation that he is God.) What is the Antichrist sitting on if it is not the Ark of the Covenant? The temple of God had no place in it to sit. There were only two rooms in the temple, and neither had chairs in them. If the Antichrist wants to receive worship, as the Bible says he does, then he would need to be in the room known as the “Holiest of all,” and this was where the Ark was located (Hebrews 9:3–4). There were two cherubims, one on each end of the Ark, with a “mercy seat” in the middle, and this was where God met with man. And if the Antichrist wants to pretend to be God, then he would need to be in the place where God was. And the Bible says God was sitting on the Ark, “he sitteth between the cherubims” (Psalm 99:1). But would there be enough room for a person’s body (the Antichrist) to sit there or his image? (Mark 13:14, Revelation 13:14-15) “And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat” (Exodus 37:8–9). It is not certain how this was arranged, and there are different depictions (models and paintings) of how their wings covered the Ark, with some having room for a person to sit there and some not.
CHAPTER XI
Encouragement
In the Mountains
Skies were stormy looking, and believers had to move farther away from what was left of civilization and seek refuge in the mountains. The appearance of believers was of a hallow look on their faces, as they neared starvation. Their clothes were dirty and torn, and there was talk of turning themselves in to be martyrs for Christ and bring their suffering to an end.
John and Bill, panting from their hike, came into a group of seven Christians. “There are two of the hundred and forty-four thousand nearby, and they have asked us to gather believers together!” The times and location were given, and some smiles showed on their faces, with some saying, “Thank you, God.”
Surprisingly, when they arrived at the meeting place, over a hundred had been gathered together. And they were all being scanned so not to allow any person into their midst who had pledged his allegiance to the state. However, some among them were what the brethren called “holdouts.” They were not Christians but had not received the mark as of yet. These were still allowed among them in hopes they would be saved.
They sang Christians songs that had been copied by hand and distributed among them. The songs were uplifting, and they shared a joy by being with other believers. There was a love among them that was missing in the world.
Skies were stormy looking, and believers had to move farther away from what was left of civilization and seek refuge in the mountains. The appearance of believers was of a hallow look on their faces, as they neared starvation. Their clothes were dirty and torn, and there was talk of turning themselves in to be martyrs for Christ and bring their suffering to an end.
John and Bill, panting from their hike, came into a group of seven Christians. “There are two of the hundred and forty-four thousand nearby, and they have asked us to gather believers together!” The times and location were given, and some smiles showed on their faces, with some saying, “Thank you, God.”
Surprisingly, when they arrived at the meeting place, over a hundred had been gathered together. And they were all being scanned so not to allow any person into their midst who had pledged his allegiance to the state. However, some among them were what the brethren called “holdouts.” They were not Christians but had not received the mark as of yet. These were still allowed among them in hopes they would be saved.
They sang Christians songs that had been copied by hand and distributed among them. The songs were uplifting, and they shared a joy by being with other believers. There was a love among them that was missing in the world.
“And because iniquity shall abound,
the love of many shall wax cold”
(Mathew 24:12).
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous,
boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection”
(2 Timothy 3:1-3).
the love of many shall wax cold”
(Mathew 24:12).
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous,
boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection”
(2 Timothy 3:1-3).
There was also kindness in words, and one of their sayings was, “Be kind to everyone because everyone is having a hard time.” It was as though God was protecting them for these times of encouragement. There were some testimonies and some with tears who spoke of relatives who had rejected God for this present world.
CHAPTER XII
The Great Puzzle
Several believers were near one of the hundred and forty-four thousand, and one asked, “Why is the government so occupied with the Muslim religion and speaks favorably of it?”
The Jewish evangelist responded, “I have a question for you. The Bible says that during the tribulation the entire world will worship the Antichrist. There will be a one-world religion, so how is the Muslim religion going to join Christianity? The answer is they’re not going to. It will be the other way around!”
“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him,
whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).
“The Muslim religion teaches that in the end times, their 12th Imam (or Mahdi to Shiah) will return to earth before the day of the resurrection, when he will rule the world. However, the Muslim religion teaches that there is someone else coming onto the world scene during the end times, and that is ‘Isa’—their Jesus. They believe their Jesus is the Jesus of Christianity, but that the original teachings of Christ and who he was have become distorted over time. They have their Jesus being a lesser prophet and subordinate to the 12th Imam (Mahdi). Their beliefs hold a number of similarities to the Christian faith in regard to Jesus. They believe Jesus was the ‘Masih’—Messiah—born of a Jewish maiden named Mary, through a miraculous virgin birth, that he ascended into heaven, and that he will return to earth near the day of judgment. They have their Jesus descending at Damascus and meeting up with the 12th Imam, who go together and fight the final battle at Jerusalem. However, they do not believe that Jesus Christ created the world, or that he is the Son of God, or died for our sins, or rose from the grave. Their Jesus is a Muslim Jesus, not the Jesus of the Bible! Will their Jesus present himself as the Messiah, who was here on earth before, but has come back to straighten out our ‘misconceptions’ of whom he was and is? And will he help people accept Islam’s 12th Imam?"
“In connection with this, God’s Word tells us in Revelation 13:11–12 that there will be someone else on earth during the tribulation, and he will point men to the Antichrist. ‘And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast.’ This ‘other beast’ comes out of the ‘earth,’ which in prophecy means he is an Israelite; the Antichrist comes out of the ‘sea’—verse 1—which represents the Gentiles, according to Revelation 17:15. Again, Islam teaches that their Jesus was born of a Jewish maiden, and the false prophet in the Bible will be an Israelite.”
The evangelist continued, “At the rapture, all true Christians were taken, and Islam has filled the void. It is easy for a powerful, charismatic leader to take over, as it says in 2 Thessalonians 2:9–10: ‘Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness.’ And how will Islam, bent on spreading their religion around the globe, react when the Antichrist steps up and says, ‘I’m your man!’?
“Churches, now during this tribulation have to have their messages read beforehand by the guardians, who have sworn allegiance to the Antichrist. Before the rapture, the majority of churches that called themselves Christian did not even explain salvation from the Bible, but now after the rapture, none do. And the Jesus of Islam will be accepted by the religious lost because of their lack of Bible knowledge, and he will point men and women to the Antichrist. Islam’s Jesus will not be the real Jesus of God’s Word, so who is he? Another deceiver, a devil, the ‘false prophet’ of Revelation 19:20. To the Muslims he would still be their Jesus, and the Antichrist will welcome him as this, since Islam’s Jesus will be subordinate to him. But to those who were left behind after the rapture, and go to church only because their parents did, there will be enough similarities with the Jesus of Islam to accept him as their Messiah! And the media just announced that the highest-ranking alien, second only to their supreme leader, and who once lived among mankind is coming back to the earth! And his purpose is to introduce the world to the supreme being of the aliens!”
"And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them
which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed." (Revelation 13:12)
The Jewish evangelist responded, “I have a question for you. The Bible says that during the tribulation the entire world will worship the Antichrist. There will be a one-world religion, so how is the Muslim religion going to join Christianity? The answer is they’re not going to. It will be the other way around!”
“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him,
whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).
“The Muslim religion teaches that in the end times, their 12th Imam (or Mahdi to Shiah) will return to earth before the day of the resurrection, when he will rule the world. However, the Muslim religion teaches that there is someone else coming onto the world scene during the end times, and that is ‘Isa’—their Jesus. They believe their Jesus is the Jesus of Christianity, but that the original teachings of Christ and who he was have become distorted over time. They have their Jesus being a lesser prophet and subordinate to the 12th Imam (Mahdi). Their beliefs hold a number of similarities to the Christian faith in regard to Jesus. They believe Jesus was the ‘Masih’—Messiah—born of a Jewish maiden named Mary, through a miraculous virgin birth, that he ascended into heaven, and that he will return to earth near the day of judgment. They have their Jesus descending at Damascus and meeting up with the 12th Imam, who go together and fight the final battle at Jerusalem. However, they do not believe that Jesus Christ created the world, or that he is the Son of God, or died for our sins, or rose from the grave. Their Jesus is a Muslim Jesus, not the Jesus of the Bible! Will their Jesus present himself as the Messiah, who was here on earth before, but has come back to straighten out our ‘misconceptions’ of whom he was and is? And will he help people accept Islam’s 12th Imam?"
“In connection with this, God’s Word tells us in Revelation 13:11–12 that there will be someone else on earth during the tribulation, and he will point men to the Antichrist. ‘And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast.’ This ‘other beast’ comes out of the ‘earth,’ which in prophecy means he is an Israelite; the Antichrist comes out of the ‘sea’—verse 1—which represents the Gentiles, according to Revelation 17:15. Again, Islam teaches that their Jesus was born of a Jewish maiden, and the false prophet in the Bible will be an Israelite.”
The evangelist continued, “At the rapture, all true Christians were taken, and Islam has filled the void. It is easy for a powerful, charismatic leader to take over, as it says in 2 Thessalonians 2:9–10: ‘Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness.’ And how will Islam, bent on spreading their religion around the globe, react when the Antichrist steps up and says, ‘I’m your man!’?
“Churches, now during this tribulation have to have their messages read beforehand by the guardians, who have sworn allegiance to the Antichrist. Before the rapture, the majority of churches that called themselves Christian did not even explain salvation from the Bible, but now after the rapture, none do. And the Jesus of Islam will be accepted by the religious lost because of their lack of Bible knowledge, and he will point men and women to the Antichrist. Islam’s Jesus will not be the real Jesus of God’s Word, so who is he? Another deceiver, a devil, the ‘false prophet’ of Revelation 19:20. To the Muslims he would still be their Jesus, and the Antichrist will welcome him as this, since Islam’s Jesus will be subordinate to him. But to those who were left behind after the rapture, and go to church only because their parents did, there will be enough similarities with the Jesus of Islam to accept him as their Messiah! And the media just announced that the highest-ranking alien, second only to their supreme leader, and who once lived among mankind is coming back to the earth! And his purpose is to introduce the world to the supreme being of the aliens!”
"And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them
which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed." (Revelation 13:12)
CHAPTER XIII
Instruction for Spiritual Warfare
There was a momentary pause, and a young lady asked, “They are showing ‘aliens’ every day on the TV. They are openly appearing with the guardians on the streets of the cities, and some are quite scary in appearance. And we are meeting both people and animals—like it says in Mark 5:—that we fear are possessed by devils, some of them doing terrible things. These ‘aliens’ are now coming out to the countryside in search of us Christians. And there are reports of sightings of them in our camps at night! So how can we be protected from them? The idea of having an alien show up in the middle of the night is shocking enough, but a devil…I can’t bear the thought.”
The evangelist responded, “Evil spirits cannot possess a true Christian, as we have the Holy Spirit living in us. And 1 John 4:4 says that ‘greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and He is greater than the Devil. And Christ said that a spirit could not enter in to another without first binding the one inside, and no devil could bind the Holy Spirit. We know this from Matthew 12:22–29.
“Remember that these so-called ‘aliens’ are spirit beings and are to be resisted by spiritual means. Keep Ephesians 6:12 in mind: ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.’ Do not rail against the devils, as we are warned against this in the Jude 1:6. If you should feel threatened by an evil spirit, then call out to the Lord to protect you. But I advise you: do not talk directly to the demon, but ask the Lord. The disciples of the Jesus said, ‘Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.’ Use His full name, Jesus Christ, as in Acts 16:18, or in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ask Him to protect you and bind the evil spirits from you. Also prayer mixed with fasting will increase your power against the devils: ‘Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting’—Mark 9:28–29.'”
The young lady asked, “So anyone could ask God in the name of Jesus Christ to protect him?”
“Anyone who knows Him personally. That is anyone who has asked Christ to come into their hearts and save their soul.” (See Acts 19:13–16).
The evangelist took the Bible in his hand and said, “Listen to this passage in Acts 16:16–18, and tell me what it was that the evil spirit did wrong. ‘And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ The evil spirit told the truth. The apostles were ‘servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.’ So what was the problem?” asked the evangelist. “The problem was when the devil said this, ‘as we went to prayer.’ Devils do not want us to pray! Read your Bible, if necessary out loud, make good Christian friends, go to Bible-preaching gatherings, and every day pray—pray to be kept from temptation and from evil spirits. Also get rid of any nonprescription drugs and any occult material, including metaphysical books, Scientology, astrology, witchcraft, divination, fortune-telling, Satanism, séances, tarot cards, crystal balls, Ouija boards, tea leaf readings, and the like!
The evangelist responded, “Evil spirits cannot possess a true Christian, as we have the Holy Spirit living in us. And 1 John 4:4 says that ‘greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and He is greater than the Devil. And Christ said that a spirit could not enter in to another without first binding the one inside, and no devil could bind the Holy Spirit. We know this from Matthew 12:22–29.
“Remember that these so-called ‘aliens’ are spirit beings and are to be resisted by spiritual means. Keep Ephesians 6:12 in mind: ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.’ Do not rail against the devils, as we are warned against this in the Jude 1:6. If you should feel threatened by an evil spirit, then call out to the Lord to protect you. But I advise you: do not talk directly to the demon, but ask the Lord. The disciples of the Jesus said, ‘Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.’ Use His full name, Jesus Christ, as in Acts 16:18, or in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ask Him to protect you and bind the evil spirits from you. Also prayer mixed with fasting will increase your power against the devils: ‘Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting’—Mark 9:28–29.'”
The young lady asked, “So anyone could ask God in the name of Jesus Christ to protect him?”
“Anyone who knows Him personally. That is anyone who has asked Christ to come into their hearts and save their soul.” (See Acts 19:13–16).
The evangelist took the Bible in his hand and said, “Listen to this passage in Acts 16:16–18, and tell me what it was that the evil spirit did wrong. ‘And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ The evil spirit told the truth. The apostles were ‘servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.’ So what was the problem?” asked the evangelist. “The problem was when the devil said this, ‘as we went to prayer.’ Devils do not want us to pray! Read your Bible, if necessary out loud, make good Christian friends, go to Bible-preaching gatherings, and every day pray—pray to be kept from temptation and from evil spirits. Also get rid of any nonprescription drugs and any occult material, including metaphysical books, Scientology, astrology, witchcraft, divination, fortune-telling, Satanism, séances, tarot cards, crystal balls, Ouija boards, tea leaf readings, and the like!
“Many of them also which used curious arts brought their
books together, and burned them before all men…So mightily
grew the word of God and prevailed” (Acts 19:19–20).
CHAPTER XIV
Martyrs
books together, and burned them before all men…So mightily
grew the word of God and prevailed” (Acts 19:19–20).
CHAPTER XIV
Martyrs
Thomas, Edward, and a group of about thirty believers spent the night together under the stars. A young mother asked for prayer for her child, that they would not take her baby. She was also begging for food for her baby, and the little food they had was being shared among them.
One lady said, “I feel like all we are doing is waiting to be captured. Why prolong it? Let’s give ourselves up to be killed and be done with it.”
Another said, “Romans 12:1 tells us to be a ‘living sacrifice’ for God.”
Still another spoke up. “Have you given any thought about what you will say if you are captured? I heard one evangelist telling the believers to decide now how they will stand in that day and what they will say. I prayed to God that He would give me the strength and courage to stand for Him in front of the lost. And I feel like God has strengthened me, and I am happier now about it.”
Some of those in their group were listening to him with an expression that they realized they also needed to decide now what they would do for Christ.
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first,
and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” (Luke 14:28)
A brother in Christ said when they got to heaven, God would comfort them. “Revelation 7:16–17 says: ‘They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.’”
Then they prayed together, and God gave them the joy of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). After they went to sleep, about 3:30 a.m., a short gray devil walked up to their camp, stopped, and looked around. He began to walk slowly through the camp as they slept, and some, still asleep, turned to another side as he walked through their midst. The young mother clutched tighter her hungry baby and leaned over on her other side. Thomas woke from his sleep and stared out into the darkness. Then he rolled over to the side, facing where the devil was standing.
He looked at the devil for a second in surprise, then he jumped to his feet and said, “Lord Jesus, bind this devil from us!” One lady in the camp gave out a scream as the devil turned toward Thomas, leaned backward, and then fled leaving only a wind of air behind him.
There was a commotion in their group after this, with talk of what had transpired and concern about whether their camp was safe or not.
Thomas said, “That devil will report our location. We need to move and relocate elsewhere, and I think we need to do it now and not wait for the morning.”
A little over an hour of hiking past, and they agreed that their new location was far enough away from their last site to make camp. They decided to sleep as long as they could, and whenever anyone awoke, to do the main business of each day, which was to look for food and then meet back by noon. Thomas got little sleep because of what had happened, but he had the joy of the Lord because God had used him. When he awoke in the morning, some of the group, along with Edward, had already left to look for food, and Thomas set out to do the same.
In less than half an hour, he heard loud shouts from the direction of the camp and came running back. Before coming into the clearing where the camp was, he was startled by two guardians coming toward him, and he turned and ran. Thomas was on higher ground and had enough of a head start that he felt he could lose them. As he ran, he could hear more shouts, and some gunshots rang out. Thomas’s heart was sickened by this, but he didn’t know what else to do but run, which he did for as long as he could keep it up.
The rest of the day was spent alone, and he worried about what had happened to his brothers and sisters in Christ. He had nothing to eat or drink and planned to spend the night there and search for food in the morning. But about 5:00 p.m. he heard his name called out. It was Edward! Up a hill came Edward and another man Thomas didn’t recognize. The other man seemed to know him, as he waved and said, “Hi, Thomas.”
Thomas was glad to see them, and Edward explained how he had met Allen when fleeing from the guardians. They held out little hope for anyone caught in the camp that morning and assumed the only ones who could have fled were those out scavenging for food. Surprisingly, Edward and his friend had found food, and not the usual pine cone nuts and insects, but sandwiches!
“Thomas, look what I got!” said Edward with a smile as he held out the sandwiches.
“Where in the world did you get these, Edward?” asked Thomas.
“I’ll explain later, but we have got to go now! We saw another patrol of guardians close by.”
They went down the mountain on a deer path, with Allen in front, Thomas in the middle, and Edward in back. As they were walking, Thomas, commented, “Edward, it is strange how you are always gone when Christians are apprehended.”
“Weren’t you also gone this morning when the guardians came for them?” asked Edward.
“Yeah, that’s true."
Edward said, "Remember I was scanned in front of you.”
Edward, who was behind Thomas, then called out to him using his full name. “Mr. Thomas Jeffery.” Thomas turned himself around to face Edward. But Edward was now a five-foot gray devil with large black eyes but still with the same voice. “You gave my friend a startle last night as you chased him out of your camp.”
Thomas then felt the end of a pistol’s barrel thumping the back of his head. Allen, who had been leading them down the hill, said, “And I am flesh and bones and not afraid of your God. So it won’t do any good to use His name on me.”
Edward said, “Thomas, you should know that the Devil’s angels do not need the mark. We carry no chip IDs. We are spirit beings and free from all that. The mark is only for you people.”
Then Allen said, “And I have my personal ID. Now let’s go!”
“Precious in the sight of the lord is the death of his saints.”
(Psalm 116:15)
“Crown of life”
Thousands of Christians were standing in a football stadium field with guardians standing around them on the bleachers, with rifles in their hands. In the middle of the stadium was a guillotine, with people standing far off from it. Whenever a busload of Christians came in, the first sight they saw was this guillotine and several guards standing around it. Groups of Christians at different locations were praying, some standing, some kneeling. Others were crying and pleading with the guards to let them go, and offering bribes. Some said out loud, “I can’t believe this is happening.”
And then a loudspeaker squelched out, “Some of you are in disbelief at what you see. But I assure it is what you are seeing and what has already taken place countless times over the last few weeks. We will give you a live demonstration in the next five minutes. Several of you will be picked and brought forward to use as an example for any of you that still refuse to obey the laws of your land.” There was a momentary pause, and then over the loudspeaker, “The next execution will be in four minutes and thirty seconds.”
Guardians walked up to people and dragged them from the crowd, with several screaming. One said, “I just need a little more time.” But none was given. About 30 were forced to the guillotine. Some of them who were taken said, “I will take the personal ID! I will do it now!” But the man at the microphone would not let them, only shaking his head no and telling the guardians that those who made the most noise were to be the first executed.
Those brought to the guillotine had metal clamps that were pressed down on their arms and legs to hold them in position. Some screamed out when they were taken, some said nothing, and some pointed to the sky and praised God. The first was a man who was begging the guards to let him get the mark and be delivered. He was screaming out as they readied him, and as soon as the executioner nodded his head, the blade of the guillotine fell.
The group that came on the bus with Thomas had not been in the stadium ten minutes, and already they had witnessed their first execution. It was all very systematic, with the guards even telling jokes as they pulled one after another to the their death. What was even more eerie was the immediate silence from the ones who were screaming for mercy one moment, and then silence, as the metal blade sliced through their necks. But some screams from the crowd as they viewed the executions. There was also a mortifying fear that gripped those waiting to be taken at the whim of the guardians. All this was planned to force those still wavering to make their decisions to receive the mark. And it had its effect, with several hundred lining up to receive the mark without any more persuasion.
Thomas, at that frightful moment, saw two believers he recognized. A man and a lady he had met at Matthew’s house for a Bible study. He walked up to them and said, “Teresa and Harvey, it is me, Thomas. Sorry we have to meet like this.”
Teresa said, “It was inevitable. At least we only had to go through the first half of the Tabulation and will miss out on the worst part.”
“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world
to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Mathew 24:21)
Thomas said, “I could have missed all this if only I had trusted Christ before all this happened. I feel sick to my stomach right now, like I did that morning of the rapture.”
“Thomas, do you want to do the right thing?” Harvey asked. “We have been talking, and there is nothing we can do now that it has all come to this. But we could volunteer to go up and stand in line for our Lord to be ready to meet Him and show our faith to others. Maybe it will give some strength to others to do the same.”
Teresa, standing next to him, nodded her head in agreement.
“Well, that is quite a decision you have made. I would need some time—”
Thomas was cut off by Teresa, who said, “We don’t have any time, and you don’t either. At any moment they can and will be taking us away with no recourse. Remember when we were told to make our decision before we are apprehended on what we will do for Christ? Well, what decision did you make? I’m going now.”
And Harvey said, “I am too.” Then they turned and simply walked off in the direction of the guillotine.
Thomas started to go with them but stopped as he saw another being beheaded. But he heard the voice of the Lord, not in words that one could hear with his ears, but echoing inside him, saying, “What did you promise me you would do?”
Thomas answered out loud, “I said I would take a stand for you.” And with that Thomas walked out to where a line was forming with Christians readying themselves to be the next to die for their Lord. The executioners stopped what they were doing and looked at the line that was growing. They were not telling jokes now. They were, in fact, not saying anything, just staring at the line.
The one in charge noticed the executioners had stopped, and said over the microphone, “Get moving! We have a lot of work to do!” But one of the executioners pointed to the line that continued to grow. The one barking out the orders let the microphone down to his side as he looked at what was happening. Then anger came over his face, and he hollered through the microphone, “You’re only making our job easier!” The line forming for those to be executed was now longer than the line of those who would swear allegiance to the Antichrist and receive his mark.
One lady said, “I feel like all we are doing is waiting to be captured. Why prolong it? Let’s give ourselves up to be killed and be done with it.”
Another said, “Romans 12:1 tells us to be a ‘living sacrifice’ for God.”
Still another spoke up. “Have you given any thought about what you will say if you are captured? I heard one evangelist telling the believers to decide now how they will stand in that day and what they will say. I prayed to God that He would give me the strength and courage to stand for Him in front of the lost. And I feel like God has strengthened me, and I am happier now about it.”
Some of those in their group were listening to him with an expression that they realized they also needed to decide now what they would do for Christ.
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first,
and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” (Luke 14:28)
A brother in Christ said when they got to heaven, God would comfort them. “Revelation 7:16–17 says: ‘They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.’”
Then they prayed together, and God gave them the joy of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). After they went to sleep, about 3:30 a.m., a short gray devil walked up to their camp, stopped, and looked around. He began to walk slowly through the camp as they slept, and some, still asleep, turned to another side as he walked through their midst. The young mother clutched tighter her hungry baby and leaned over on her other side. Thomas woke from his sleep and stared out into the darkness. Then he rolled over to the side, facing where the devil was standing.
He looked at the devil for a second in surprise, then he jumped to his feet and said, “Lord Jesus, bind this devil from us!” One lady in the camp gave out a scream as the devil turned toward Thomas, leaned backward, and then fled leaving only a wind of air behind him.
There was a commotion in their group after this, with talk of what had transpired and concern about whether their camp was safe or not.
Thomas said, “That devil will report our location. We need to move and relocate elsewhere, and I think we need to do it now and not wait for the morning.”
A little over an hour of hiking past, and they agreed that their new location was far enough away from their last site to make camp. They decided to sleep as long as they could, and whenever anyone awoke, to do the main business of each day, which was to look for food and then meet back by noon. Thomas got little sleep because of what had happened, but he had the joy of the Lord because God had used him. When he awoke in the morning, some of the group, along with Edward, had already left to look for food, and Thomas set out to do the same.
In less than half an hour, he heard loud shouts from the direction of the camp and came running back. Before coming into the clearing where the camp was, he was startled by two guardians coming toward him, and he turned and ran. Thomas was on higher ground and had enough of a head start that he felt he could lose them. As he ran, he could hear more shouts, and some gunshots rang out. Thomas’s heart was sickened by this, but he didn’t know what else to do but run, which he did for as long as he could keep it up.
The rest of the day was spent alone, and he worried about what had happened to his brothers and sisters in Christ. He had nothing to eat or drink and planned to spend the night there and search for food in the morning. But about 5:00 p.m. he heard his name called out. It was Edward! Up a hill came Edward and another man Thomas didn’t recognize. The other man seemed to know him, as he waved and said, “Hi, Thomas.”
Thomas was glad to see them, and Edward explained how he had met Allen when fleeing from the guardians. They held out little hope for anyone caught in the camp that morning and assumed the only ones who could have fled were those out scavenging for food. Surprisingly, Edward and his friend had found food, and not the usual pine cone nuts and insects, but sandwiches!
“Thomas, look what I got!” said Edward with a smile as he held out the sandwiches.
“Where in the world did you get these, Edward?” asked Thomas.
“I’ll explain later, but we have got to go now! We saw another patrol of guardians close by.”
They went down the mountain on a deer path, with Allen in front, Thomas in the middle, and Edward in back. As they were walking, Thomas, commented, “Edward, it is strange how you are always gone when Christians are apprehended.”
“Weren’t you also gone this morning when the guardians came for them?” asked Edward.
“Yeah, that’s true."
Edward said, "Remember I was scanned in front of you.”
Edward, who was behind Thomas, then called out to him using his full name. “Mr. Thomas Jeffery.” Thomas turned himself around to face Edward. But Edward was now a five-foot gray devil with large black eyes but still with the same voice. “You gave my friend a startle last night as you chased him out of your camp.”
Thomas then felt the end of a pistol’s barrel thumping the back of his head. Allen, who had been leading them down the hill, said, “And I am flesh and bones and not afraid of your God. So it won’t do any good to use His name on me.”
Edward said, “Thomas, you should know that the Devil’s angels do not need the mark. We carry no chip IDs. We are spirit beings and free from all that. The mark is only for you people.”
Then Allen said, “And I have my personal ID. Now let’s go!”
“Precious in the sight of the lord is the death of his saints.”
(Psalm 116:15)
“Crown of life”
Thousands of Christians were standing in a football stadium field with guardians standing around them on the bleachers, with rifles in their hands. In the middle of the stadium was a guillotine, with people standing far off from it. Whenever a busload of Christians came in, the first sight they saw was this guillotine and several guards standing around it. Groups of Christians at different locations were praying, some standing, some kneeling. Others were crying and pleading with the guards to let them go, and offering bribes. Some said out loud, “I can’t believe this is happening.”
And then a loudspeaker squelched out, “Some of you are in disbelief at what you see. But I assure it is what you are seeing and what has already taken place countless times over the last few weeks. We will give you a live demonstration in the next five minutes. Several of you will be picked and brought forward to use as an example for any of you that still refuse to obey the laws of your land.” There was a momentary pause, and then over the loudspeaker, “The next execution will be in four minutes and thirty seconds.”
Guardians walked up to people and dragged them from the crowd, with several screaming. One said, “I just need a little more time.” But none was given. About 30 were forced to the guillotine. Some of them who were taken said, “I will take the personal ID! I will do it now!” But the man at the microphone would not let them, only shaking his head no and telling the guardians that those who made the most noise were to be the first executed.
Those brought to the guillotine had metal clamps that were pressed down on their arms and legs to hold them in position. Some screamed out when they were taken, some said nothing, and some pointed to the sky and praised God. The first was a man who was begging the guards to let him get the mark and be delivered. He was screaming out as they readied him, and as soon as the executioner nodded his head, the blade of the guillotine fell.
The group that came on the bus with Thomas had not been in the stadium ten minutes, and already they had witnessed their first execution. It was all very systematic, with the guards even telling jokes as they pulled one after another to the their death. What was even more eerie was the immediate silence from the ones who were screaming for mercy one moment, and then silence, as the metal blade sliced through their necks. But some screams from the crowd as they viewed the executions. There was also a mortifying fear that gripped those waiting to be taken at the whim of the guardians. All this was planned to force those still wavering to make their decisions to receive the mark. And it had its effect, with several hundred lining up to receive the mark without any more persuasion.
Thomas, at that frightful moment, saw two believers he recognized. A man and a lady he had met at Matthew’s house for a Bible study. He walked up to them and said, “Teresa and Harvey, it is me, Thomas. Sorry we have to meet like this.”
Teresa said, “It was inevitable. At least we only had to go through the first half of the Tabulation and will miss out on the worst part.”
“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world
to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Mathew 24:21)
Thomas said, “I could have missed all this if only I had trusted Christ before all this happened. I feel sick to my stomach right now, like I did that morning of the rapture.”
“Thomas, do you want to do the right thing?” Harvey asked. “We have been talking, and there is nothing we can do now that it has all come to this. But we could volunteer to go up and stand in line for our Lord to be ready to meet Him and show our faith to others. Maybe it will give some strength to others to do the same.”
Teresa, standing next to him, nodded her head in agreement.
“Well, that is quite a decision you have made. I would need some time—”
Thomas was cut off by Teresa, who said, “We don’t have any time, and you don’t either. At any moment they can and will be taking us away with no recourse. Remember when we were told to make our decision before we are apprehended on what we will do for Christ? Well, what decision did you make? I’m going now.”
And Harvey said, “I am too.” Then they turned and simply walked off in the direction of the guillotine.
Thomas started to go with them but stopped as he saw another being beheaded. But he heard the voice of the Lord, not in words that one could hear with his ears, but echoing inside him, saying, “What did you promise me you would do?”
Thomas answered out loud, “I said I would take a stand for you.” And with that Thomas walked out to where a line was forming with Christians readying themselves to be the next to die for their Lord. The executioners stopped what they were doing and looked at the line that was growing. They were not telling jokes now. They were, in fact, not saying anything, just staring at the line.
The one in charge noticed the executioners had stopped, and said over the microphone, “Get moving! We have a lot of work to do!” But one of the executioners pointed to the line that continued to grow. The one barking out the orders let the microphone down to his side as he looked at what was happening. Then anger came over his face, and he hollered through the microphone, “You’re only making our job easier!” The line forming for those to be executed was now longer than the line of those who would swear allegiance to the Antichrist and receive his mark.
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb,
and by the word of their testimony;
and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
(Revelation 12:11)
“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice,
If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his
mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall
drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out
without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke
of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever:
and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name” (Revelation 14:9–11).
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Please read our other short stories at the top of the page
and pray for this website to be used of God and to help Christians!
By G. M. Matheny
4/14/2016
Go back to "HOME".
and by the word of their testimony;
and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
(Revelation 12:11)
“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice,
If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his
mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall
drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out
without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke
of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever:
and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name” (Revelation 14:9–11).
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Please read our other short stories at the top of the page
and pray for this website to be used of God and to help Christians!
By G. M. Matheny
4/14/2016
Go back to "HOME".
(Our newest book February 3, 2018)
GOD & SPIES
RECENTLY DECLASSIFIED TOP SECRET OPERATION
I was a US Navy saturation diver on the nuclear submarine USS Halibut. Involved in "Operation Ivy Bells". America’s most important (and most dangerous of the Cold War) clandestine operations. If you like good old fashioned American bravado, espionage and American history, you will enjoy this book. Based on True Events -The Mount Everest of Spy Missions
Firsthand Account of History's Greatest Intelligence Coup. Operation Ivy Bells was not a onetime intercept of foreign intelligence but an ongoing operation of multiple Soviet military channels, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, which lasted for years! Another reason for the high interest in our operation was the audacious nature in which it was done—with not one person risking his neck but a whole crew of a nuclear submarine.
How did I end up as a navy diver, four hundred feet down in a frigid Russian sea? After making my dad totally disgusted with me, I set out to make him happy. “Honour thy father” - I struggled with a decision to serve God. “Lord, I will give my life to you and serve you if you let me make this dive.” But I had the impression He only wanted to know one thing: “What if I do not let you? Will you serve me anyway?”
FREE at top of page!
Paperback 223 pages, $12.75
https://www.amazon.com/GOD-SPIES-BASED-SECRET-OPERATION/dp/1075452430/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Kindle $6.90 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TCSLFWR
GOD & SPIES
RECENTLY DECLASSIFIED TOP SECRET OPERATION
I was a US Navy saturation diver on the nuclear submarine USS Halibut. Involved in "Operation Ivy Bells". America’s most important (and most dangerous of the Cold War) clandestine operations. If you like good old fashioned American bravado, espionage and American history, you will enjoy this book. Based on True Events -The Mount Everest of Spy Missions
Firsthand Account of History's Greatest Intelligence Coup. Operation Ivy Bells was not a onetime intercept of foreign intelligence but an ongoing operation of multiple Soviet military channels, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, which lasted for years! Another reason for the high interest in our operation was the audacious nature in which it was done—with not one person risking his neck but a whole crew of a nuclear submarine.
How did I end up as a navy diver, four hundred feet down in a frigid Russian sea? After making my dad totally disgusted with me, I set out to make him happy. “Honour thy father” - I struggled with a decision to serve God. “Lord, I will give my life to you and serve you if you let me make this dive.” But I had the impression He only wanted to know one thing: “What if I do not let you? Will you serve me anyway?”
FREE at top of page!
Paperback 223 pages, $12.75
https://www.amazon.com/GOD-SPIES-BASED-SECRET-OPERATION/dp/1075452430/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Kindle $6.90 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TCSLFWR