“Thank you most kindly, Reverend,” Carpathia said, sitting.
“And, ladies and gentlemen, you may be seated.”
Leon had left him a foot from the table, so Carpathia grabbed the edge and pulled himself forward. Fortunato, realizing his gaffe, quickly reached behind to push, and now Carpathia’s chest pressed against the table. While Leon busily opened one of the leather notebooks and slid it in front of His Highness, Carpathia backed away to a more comfortable distance.
Nicolae thanked them all for coming, as if they had a choice, and said, “Down to business. Let me begin by reminding you that this is not a democracy. We are not here to vote, and neither are you here to give me input. If there is something you believe I need to know, feel free to say so. If you have a problem with my leadership or have any questions about why I have done anything or about the plans I will reveal today, I remind you of the disposition of three former potentates to the south who have been replaced due to their untimely deaths.
“Questions? I thought not. Let us proceed.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come for me to take you into my confidence. We must all be on the same page in order to win the ultimate battle. Look into my eyes and listen, because what you hear today is truth and you will have no trouble believing every word of it. I am eternal. I am from everlasting to everlasting.
I was there at the beginning, and I will remain through eternity future.”
Nicolae stood and began to slowly circle the table as he spoke.
No one present followed him with their eyes. They just sat as if catatonic. “Here is the problem,” he said. “The one who calls himself God is not God. I will concede that he preceded me. When I evolved out of the primordial ooze and water, he was already there. But plainly, he had come about in the same manner I did.
Simply because he preceded me, he wanted me to think he created me and all the other beings like him in the vast heavens. I knew better. Many of us did.
“He tried to tell us we were created as ministering servants. We had a job to do. He said he had created humans in his own image and that we were to serve them. Had I been there first, I could have told him that I had created him and that it was he who would serve me by ministering to my other creations.
“But he did not create anything! We, all of us—you, me, the other heavenly hosts, men and women—all came from that same primordial soup. But no! Not according to him! He was there with another evolved being like myself, and he claimed that one as his favored son. He was the special one, the chosen one, the only begotten one.
“I knew from the beginning it was a lie and that I—all of us—
was being used. I was a bright and shining angel. I had ambition. I had ideas. But that was threatening to the older one. He called himself the creator God, the originator of life. He took the favored position. He demanded that the whole earth worship and obey him.
I had the audacity to ask why. Why not me?
“Did I incite insurrection? You bet I did. And why not? What does seniority have to do with anything when we all evolved from the same source? There is plenty for everyone, but if preeminence is to be gained, I shall have it! About a third of the other evolved beings agreed with me and took my side, promised to remain loyal.
The other two-thirds were weaklings, easily swayed. They took the side of the so-called father and his so-called son.
“Am I Antichrist? Well, if he is Christ, then yes! Yes! I am against the Christ who was falsely crowned by the pretend creator.
I will ascend into heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.
“But because he got there first and I was the one with the audacity to challenge him, I got cast out! Where is the justice in that? We have been mortal enemies ever since, that father and that
son and I. He even persuaded the evolved humans that he created them! But that could not be true, because if he had, they would not have free will. And if he created me, I would not have been able to rebel. It only makes sense.
“Once I figured that out, I began enjoying my role as the outcast. I found humans, the ones he liked to call his own, the easiest to sway. The woman with the fruit! She did not want to obey. It took nothing, mere suggestion, to get her to do what she really wanted. That happened not far from right here, by the way.
“And the first human siblings—they were easy! The younger was devoted to the one who called himself the only true God, but the other . . . ah, the other wanted only what I wanted. A little something for himself. Before you know it, I am proving beyond doubt that these creatures are not really products of the older angel’s creativity. Within a few generations I have them so confused, so selfish, so full of themselves that the old man no longer wants to claim they were made in his image.
“They get drunk; they fight; they blaspheme. They are
stubborn; they are unfaithful. They kill each other. The only ones I cannot get through to are Noah and his kin. Of course, the great creator decides the rest of history depends on them and wipes out everyone else with a flood. I eventually got to Noah, but he had already started repopulating the earth.
“Yes, I will admit it. The father and the son have been my formidable foes over the generations. They have their favorites—
the Jews, of all people. The Jews are the apples of the elder’s eye, but therein lies his weakness. He has such a soft spot for them that they will be his undoing.
“My forces and I almost had them eradicated not so many generations ago, but father and son intervened, gave them back their own land, and foiled us again. Fate has toyed with us many times, my friends, but in the end we shall prevail.
“Father and son thought they were doing the world a favor by putting their intentions in writing. The whole plan is there, from sending the son to die and resurrect—which I proved I could do as well—to foretelling this entire period. Yes, many millions bought into this great lie. Up to now I would have to acknowledge that the other side has had the advantage.
“But two great truths will be their undoing. First, I know the truth. They are not greater or better than I or anyone else. They came from the same place we all did. And second, they must not have realized that I can read. I read their book! I know what they are up to! I know what happens next, and I even know where!
“Let them turn the lights off in the great city that I loved so much! Ah, how beautiful it was when it was the center for commerce and government, and the great ships and planes brought in goods from all over the globe. So it is dark now. And so what if it is eventually destroyed? I will build it back up, because I am more powerful than father and son combined.
“Let them shake the earth until it is level and drop hundred-pound chunks of ice from the skies. I will win in the end because I have read their battle plan. The old man plans to send the son to set up the kingdom he predicted more than three hundred times in his book, and he even tells where the son will land! Ladies and gentlemen, we will have a surprise waiting for him.
“The son and I have been battling for the souls of men and women from the beginning. If you rulers and I join forces from all over the world and act in unison from a single staging area, we can once and for all rid ourselves of those forces that have hindered our total victory up to now.
“The so-called Messiah loves the city of Jerusalem above all cities in the world. He even calls it the Eternal City. Well, we shall see about that. That is where he supposedly died and came back to life.
“This strange affection for the Jews resulted in what he tells them is an eternal covenant of blessing. If we, the rulers of the earth, combine all our resources and attack the Jews, the son has to come to their defense. That is when we turn our sights on him and eliminate him. That will give us total control of the earth, and we will be ready to take on the father for mastery of the universe.”
Nicolae had made two rounds of the table and returned to his chair, looking spent. “It is in their Bib
le,” he said. “And they claim never to lie. We know right where he will be. Are you with me?”
“We are with you, Excellency,” the South American said, “but where will that be?”
“We rally everyone—all of our tanks and planes and weapons and armies—in the Plain of Megiddo. This area in northern Israel, also known as the Plain of Esdraelon or the Plain of Jezreel, is about thirty kilometers southeast of Haifa and one hundred kilometers north of Jerusalem. At the appointed time we will dispatch one-third of our forces to overrun the stronghold at Petra, and I shall do it this time without so much as one nuclear device.
We shall overcome them with sheer numbers, perhaps even on horseback.
“The rest of our forces will march on the so-called Eternal City and blast through those infernal walls, destroying all the Jews. And that is where we shall be, joined by our victorious forces from Petra, in full force to surprise the son when he arrives.”
Fortunato sat shaking his head as if overcome with the brilliance of the strategy. “Questions for the potentate?” he said.
“Anyone?”
The potentate of the United Asian States timidly raised his hand. “I don’t know about the rest of you,” he said, “but our army of hundreds of millions is led by many independent generals who are not easy to meld. Their staffs and their platoons have been devastated and greatly reduced by plagues, boils, and many other
unbelievable tortures. Over half my population is dead or missing.
How are we going to get these armies and their leaders to follow us?”
Many heads nodded.
“That is a question I do not shrink from, my friends,” Carpathia said. “But before I tell you how together we shall accomplish that, let me tell you what your military leaders’ first order of business will be. As you will remember, when I first came to power nearly seven years ago, I collected from all the world governments 90
percent of their weaponry. This was stored at a secret location I am now willing to reveal. In massive armories in and around Al Hillah, just under one hundred kilometers to the south of us, we have enough firepower to destroy the planet.
“Needless to say, we do not want or need to destroy the planet.
We simply want your soldiers to have more than what they need to wipe out the Jews and destroy the son I have so long opposed. So once I tell you how we will get your military leaders on board, your next assignment will be to get them to Al Hillah, where our Security and Intelligence director, Mr. Suhail Akbar, will see that they are more than fully equipped.”
“How long will this take?” the Indian potentate asked.
“You have less than half a year, ladies and gentlemen, so begin today. I have had Carpathian States troops pouring into Israel for months already. And when our Global Community army is in place, I want the armories of Al Hillah empty. Is that understood?”
“Understood,” the Russian potentate said, “but like my colleagues, I am eager to hear how we are to persuade discouraged, sick, and injured leaders and troops.”
“Reverend Fortunato,” Nicolae said, rising. Leon leaped to his feet, his chair rolling back. “Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come to introduce you to three of my most trusted aides. No doubt you have been wondering about the three at the end of the table.”
“Wondering why they seem not to have so much as blinked since we sat down,” the British potentate said.
Carpathia laughed. “These three are not of this world. They use these shells only when necessary. Indeed, these are spirit beings who have been with me from the beginning. They were among the first who believed in me and saw the lie the father and son were trying to perpetrate in heaven and on earth.”
“Leon,” Carpathia said, and they walked down either side of the table to the other end. “Excuse me, Ms. Ivins,” Nicolae said, and she stood and pulled her chair out of his way.
“Excuse me, Director Akbar,” Leon said, and Suhail did the same.
________
Rayford jumped when Tsion snapped everyone to attention by calling out, “Chang, get this! This is Revelation 16:13 and 14!”
The camera angle changed, and those assembled in Petra had a clear view of both Nicolae and Leon from behind the three seemingly lifeless bodies at the end of the table.
________
The Antichrist and the False Prophet leaned in from either side, resting their elbows on the table and looking into the eyes of the robotlike creatures. Leon and Nicolae exhaled hideous, slimy, froglike beings—one from Leon and two from Nicolae—that leaped into the mouths of the three.
The three suddenly became animated.
Nicolae smiled.
________
“Let’s see them from the front, Chang,” Buck hollered, and Chang made the adjustment.
________
The three now bore a striking resemblance to Carpathia. They sat back casually, smiling, nodding to the potentates all around. The leaders looked stunned and frightened at first, but soon warmed to the personable strangers.
“Please meet Ashtaroth, Baal, and Cankerworm. They are the most convincing and persuasive spirits it has ever been my pleasure to know. I am going to ask now that we, all of us, gather round them and lay hands on them, commissioning them for this momentous task.”
The three backed up their chairs to make room for the
potentates, Viv, Suhail, Leon, and Nicolae to surround and touch them.
Nicolae said, “And now go, you three, to the ends of the earth to gather them to the final conflict in Jerusalem, where we shall once and for all destroy the father and his so-called Messiah.
Persuade everyone everywhere that the victory is ours, that we are right, and that together we can destroy the son before he takes over this world. Once he is gone, we will be the undisputed, unopposed leaders of the world.
“I confer upon you the power to perform signs and heal the sick and raise the dead, if need be, to convince the world that victory is ours. And now go in power. . . .”
Ashtaroth, Baal, and Cankerworm disappeared amid a huge bolt of lightning that struck the middle of the conference table and temporarily blacked out the TV monitor in Petra. As the picture returned, a huge peal of thunder made Chang rip off his headphones.
Nicolae and Leon returned to stand behind their chairs, as did the rest of the potentates and Viv and Suhail. As they stood there calmly, Nicolae said, “Farewell, one and all. I will see you in six months in the Plain of Megiddo on that great day when victory shall be in sight.”
________
Buck sat stunned but quickly came to his senses. “Somebody read that passage Tsion mentioned!”
“I’ve got it right here,” Chaim said. “Revelation 16:13 and 14
say, ‘And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.’”
“Read the next two verses too, Chaim,” Tsion said.
“The first quotes Jesus himself,” Chaim continued. “‘“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew,
Armageddon.’”
SEVENTEEN
RAYFORD TOLD Buck and George to scout out a new meeting room, somewhere in Petra that would not draw curiosity seekers.
“It needs to hold maybe twenty, at most,” he told them, though he knew it was unlikely to see half that.
He met with Tsion in the tiny living room in Tsion’s quarters.
“I need you to teach my top guys,” he said. “They all know by now what went on in Baghdad, and everybody has questions about what it all means and what our roles should be. Nobody wants to just sit here in safety while the rest of the world goes to hell.”
?
??I can identify with that, Rayford, and I will gladly do it. I have just this morning turned over all administrative and teaching duties of the Remnant here to Chaim.”
Rayford shot him a double take. “You did what?”
“I do not want to stay here either.”
“What are you saying?”
“If I am to teach your top little military band, I want to be part of it. I want to be taught to fight, to use a weapon, to defend myself, to keep my comrades and my fellow Jews alive.”
Rayford stood and walked to the unscreened window that looked out on endless skies. “I’m dumbfounded,” he said.
“Do not think I have not consulted the Lord on this.”
“It’s not enough you’re a rabbi, a teacher, a preacher? Now you want to be a soldier?”
“Rayford, listen to me. I identify with my Lord, my Messiah. I cannot sit here when Antichrist and his worldwide forces are closing in on Jerusalem. I will not stand by as innocent Jews are killed. The Bible teaches that a third of the remaining Jews will turn to Messiah before the end. That means many, many more than
there are now, and they need to be reached. I want to preach in Jerusalem, Rayford. That is what I am trying to tell you.”
“You’ll get yourself killed.”
“I would rather wake up in heaven a few days early and join the army coming the other way with Messiah, knowing I died with my boots on, than sit here in Petra watching it on television.”
“I don’t know if I can allow it.”
“If the Lord allows it, I do not see that you have a choice. Oh, Rayford, sit down. I do not want to go foolishly, to go unprepared.
I am just into my fifties now, not an old man. Not young, I know, but I am in shape. If Mac McCullum can do these kinds of things at his age, surely I can too. I know my hands are soft like those of a scholar, but how long can it take to develop calluses and learn to handle a weapon?”
“You’re serious.”
“I will not be dissuaded. I am more than willing to teach your team what I know about what is going on. But my price is to also become a student of your Mr. Sebastian.”
Rayford sat and shook his head. “You may not be an old coot, but you’re stubborn.”