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Gideon’s Chronicles
Preface: Gideon's Chronicles is about an average person and a small band of friends who find themselves in the middle of a great tribulation “left behind” and bewildered. It leads to their search for where he got it wrong but unfolds into a glorious witness as he makes a real connection with Jews, survivalists and others as they struggle against the Satanic forces of the antichrist. Some people suspect the eternal consequences of taking the “mark of the beast” and begin to notice the not so subtle changes in those around them. They slowly begin to grow, reach out and see their calling as a part of the two witnesses during the great tribulation. This may appear to be more “Left Behind” fiction, but could it become our reality? It is our belief that we are about to enter the world’s finest and most terrifying hour – those very events prophesied thousands of years ago to occur at the end of the age.. The Bible talks about tribulation and trial. In fact, everyone will have to choose who they will serve – the forces of the antichrist or the spirit of Jesus. This can’t be faked. You either know Him or you don’t, and I hope and pray that if you don’t you will come to know Him. Rather than a theological work, Gideon’s Chronicle tries to show that this is not just theory but can get down home and personal, making us question our life, our priorities and our preparation. This is fiction, but down through the ages much “fiction” has found its way to being “fact.”
Also available in Page-Flip Format. Table of Contents Day 6 - War in the Middle East – the Burden of Damascus Day 8 – One more war major Middle East War – Gog Magog Day 9 - Peace at last Day 10 - The Temple Rebuilt Day 11 – Update and Early Misgivings Day 13 – We see the light and the search begins Day 14 – What is America? Good or evil? Day 15 - Is America found in the Bible? Day 16 - “And they shall deliver you up…” Day 17 – Fleeing into the unknown Day 18 - What happened to the rapture? Day 19 - A few months ago – the frog in the pot Day 20 - Why is this happening? Day 21 - Our first encounters with other dissidents Day 22 - We met the resistance Day 23 – On changing locations and the “hive” Day 24 – An interesting Jewish encounter Day 25 – Economic meltdown, riots and war Day 26 – We pow wow and share stories… Day 27 – We forage for supplies Day 28 – New Additions settle and questions continue… Day 29 – We find our purpose Day 30 -There’s going to be a wedding Day 32 - Crash Course Day 33 - Go Figure – Stuff Happens! Day 34- Our Fortunes can Turn on a Dime Day 35 - Time to Move On Day 36 - A Meeting with the Mormons
GIDEON’S CHRONICLE Day 5 – My Present Day – Some years in your future I’m Gideon and I’m hiding here in the basement of a gutted old hotel…sorry I can’t tell you exactly where. Things have been totally spinning out of control. Military are combing the area looking for us, well actually anyone who hasn’t been “vaccinated” yet. I’m going to be writing this just to try and make some sense out of the past few years. Nothing has gone the way we thought it would. We’re totally confused and trying to figure out what happened and what to do next. Living underground is not what we had in mind… But I’m getting way ahead of myself. Let me briefly tell you why I call this “Day 5”. You see everything changed five days ago. We had gone through a series of economic disruptions, Middle East wars and finally a period of peace as the American President kept his word with Israel by signing a defense treaty. Let’s see. That was three and a half years ago. Jews and Christians alike applauded his accomplishment and he rose to such world fame that all the peoples loved and admired him. He was such a wonderful man of peace. Eight days ago, an assassin shot him in the head and he died (or at least so we thought) in the streets of Jerusalem where he was visiting the newly rebuilt Jewish temple. He lay there in state under a glass coffin for three days. Suddenly his wound was healed and he came to life. The world was astounded when he got up. The crowd around him fell to their knees in awe and adoration. He walked into the Temple and into the most Holy Place, offering sacrifice and declaring that what they were seeing was proof that he was God, the true messiah come to earth. That was Day 1 and anyone who has read Daniel or Revelations know, we have three and a half more years to go. Here’s our situation right now. They say a pandemic broke out in China that has a kill rate of about as close to 100% as you can get and everyone must be vaccinated. In order to show that you have been vaccinated, they make an indelible mark on your hand or forehead where it can be seen by the authorities. Unless you have the mark, you are “quarantined”. What that means we don’t know for sure. People seem to disappear and are never seen again. You can’t be seen in public without the mark or you are arrested. That means you can’t buy or sell (as it says in Revelation 13:17). Besides, there is no money in circulation. The “vaccination” contained some kind of code that they use to keep track of your income and expenses. People get “credits”. This system was set up because the world economy was imploding anyway. By then everyone knew paper currency was a joke. The excuse for the mark to begin with was the killer virus. They said it was a vaccination but there was obviously more to it than that. Those of us Christians had read about the “mark of the beast” with its economic ramifications. But there was more to it than that. Everyone was expected to pledge their allegiance to the new Messiah and when they received their “vaccination” something physical seemed to happen to them. Those of us raised in church knew what it was about but none of us saw it coming this way. We talked about it and decided to take our chances and avoid the “mark” at all cost. I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but having been raised in church we were taught not to take a “mark” like this so you may say I have joined the resistance. I just don’t see how this could be happening??? We are on the run from the authorities. We constantly move from place to place but have to basically stay literally underground because our infrared signatures will show up on satellites and on their scopes. They can literally see through ordinary buildings. This has only been going on for a few days but it is pretty scary. There are seven in our little group: Dana an 18 year old first year college student, Brett who used to be a group leader in our church and ran a small hardware store in town (he lost his family in the early days of the big “round up” as we call it – we aren’t sure what happened to them and hate to guess), etc. There are others who you’ll meet later. A lot of crazy things that were impossible are now possible including limited time travel. I’ve got this super genius friend, Karl, who says he can send this diary back through time so hopefully you can read this and learn from our mistakes and maybe prepare for what is to come. I have to tell you. We were blindsided. We thought events were unfolding according to the script we had been taught in church. We were told that America was a “Christian” nation, founded on Bible principles and the bearer of truth, justice and blah, blah, blah to the rest of the world. We were supporting democracy around the world, even the Middle East with the great experiment of transforming Iraq into a model democracy. We were perhaps Israel’s only real friend in the world and God was blessing us accordingly. Things seemed to be going pretty well although there were economic meltdowns, defaults and bailouts. The thorny problem continued to be Israel and what to do about the Palestinians. In early 2012 Israel was invaded by Syria, Libya, Gaza, etc. with Iran’s help. Israel’s back was to the sea and they had no choice but to use the nuclear option – reducing Damascus to dust in the sand. After the use of nuclear weapons for the first time in nearly three quarters of a century, world opinion turned completely against Israel. They had no choice. Israel had to disarm and had to sign a defense treaty with the United States. The UN would have let the Arabs have their way and so would NATO. But Europe was in disarray as half of Europe was facing debt default and couldn’t decide on anything. We American Christians praised the President for his actions, for saving God’s chosen people and keeping them in the land, for imposing peace on the land. If it weren’t for the American President stepping in all hell would have broken loose and Israel utterly destroyed. He basically put down his foot and said “no more fighting! There will be peace!” The conditions were the complete disarmament of Israel, a Palestinian state on the West Bank, and American troops on the ground to guarantee that peace whether the parties involved liked it or not. We Christians thought this was a great move, more proof of our “Christian President’s” support for Israel. In retrospect we learned that this was the “Treaty of Hell and Death” of Daniel 9:27. The antichrist imposed this defense treaty on his terms. Israel had no choice even though she had always defended herself. Now she was forced to depend on the United States, her only long term friend and ally. Sorry, I couldn’t write yesterday. We had to move. We people are so trusting. We want to believe everything we are told by our government and even our church leaders. It had been drummed into our little heads that the antichrist would come out of Europe, that America was a nation set on a hill chosen by God, and that we would rapture before any of this stuff happens. This was our first mistake. Even though Bible scholars had warned that the antichrist would make a treaty with Israel none of us suspected it would be an American President. We had been told clearly that America was not mentioned in Bible prophecy and we were the good guys bringing truth, justice and the American way to the world. Not only that there was no way we were going into the tribulation (that terrible seven year period of trouble and persecution) because God wouldn’t dare let His precious church suffer! The rapture would take us out and everyone else would be “left behind” to suffer the consequences of their unbelief! So there! Take that bad guys! We were sure nothing horrible could happen to us because we were still here! Second mistake! After the destruction of Damascus, the Arab world was incensed and threatened to pile on Israel and push every man, woman and child into the sea, obliterating any memory of the Jews in the world. The US and the President seemed to be good to its word to defend Israel. The Islamic world massed troops on the northern and southern borders of Israel led principally by Iran and Turkey to the north and Egypt and Libya to the south. Fortunately, America had troops prepositioned in Israel and Kuwait as well as huge stockpiles of weaponry left over from the Iraq wars. Although we didn’t see it at the time, this turned out to be the much prophesied Gog-Magog War. Jewish and American troops fought side by side. We decimated Islamic forces: It was such a huge battle, they say it will take years to clean up. We’re not sure if they used nuclear weapons or not because it wasn’t reported in the news but rumors suggest that we did. The President and America seemed to be good to its word to defend Israel. Many of us evangelicals became even stronger supporters of the President for saving Israel and stood up to the whole world in the process. What more could we want? Peace in Jerusalem, a President and nation supporting Israel and on the verge of bringing the gospel of peace to the whole world! We were absolutely convinced that God would save Israel and to think he used us to do it! After the great Middle East War, the American President went on a liberation rampage around the world. Secretly, the U.S. had been developing super weapons and genetically modified soldiers who were the most effective killing machines the world has ever seen – impervious to small weapons, fearless, strong, fast and uncannily intelligent. Link these with unmanned killing machines on the land and drones in the air that took out anything in the way, and there was no stopping America’s armies. People around the world lauded the President as a great leader and welcomed his heavy hand in return for peace and security. After so many years of turmoil, peace was welcomed. There seemed to be no arguing with this determined man. This neutralized Islam for now and consolidated America’s power, access to oil and other resources and reconfirmed that there is only one superpower in the world. No country could stand against our military might. It doesn’t seem that anyone would even want to. We were keeping the peace (with threat of using the sword), but it seemed to be working. The world sighed with relief as peace seemed to settle in around the world even though it seemed to be a peace imposed by the President. There seemed to be a trade off most people were willing to make. Get along. Hold elections or pay the consequences as the threat of US military power hovered over a good part of the earth. The American church was giddy with pride for their nation and the peace that had finally come upon Israel. Even the Jews who were not too happy with the loss of control over their destiny, seemed relieved to finally have peace and not constantly looking over their shoulder for the next suicide bomber, sniper or missile. The walls were down. The President had shown he would protect Israel. The masses adored, almost worshipped the man who had brought peace. Churches declared the kingdom had finally come and Israel had been saved from certain destruction by their saviour/president.
Once the war was over and peace established, Israel began to fulfill her greatest dream – to rebuild the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. For years, Israel had been stock piling building materials and staging for the construction of the temple. They began construction within days after the end of the Gog Magog War. It only took a few months to complete. All the pieces were there. They just had to be put in place. Once finished, Jews and Christians alike rejoiced as the Temple was rededicated after nearly 2,000 years. It seemed the Jews were finally at home in their land again in every way. The temple was officially opened on the Feast of Dedication. The American church was ecstatic. America and its President had once again saved Israel. They saw this as an answer to prayer, a vindication of the church support for the administration and proof that the President was on their side. How foolish we were. Once Islam was no longer a major factor, construction on the temple mount got under way and finished in short order. After 2,000 years the magnificent temple was finally rebuilt. Surely we were on the brink of a thousand year peace led by the savior of the church and Israel. At this point in time the President said he was a Christian, went to church, sounded and acted like one. He was a real uniter, charismatic and persuasive as can be. Even though troops were fighting all over the world, it seemed to be for a good cause – to bring free markets, self-determination, democracy, capitalism and America enforced “peace” to the whole world. Hard to see how it could get any better than that. We were on a roll! Israel was finally safe and the church was moving on.
We are now hanging out in an old hospital down where they did autopsies, MRI’s and such. Some people stored food down here. It’s quiet right now. We tapped into an old electrical box so I can at least write tonight. The round up continues. We hear that it is being announced on television that the inoculations are working and that the pandemic is being controlled because of the wonderful cooperation of citizens. Strange things seem to be happening to those who received the vaccine. Word is it introduced some kind of animal DNA which not only cures the disease but has other mysterious effects. It allows people to communicate telepathically and kind of connect with one another. They seem to be changing in inexplicable ways – more on this later. Back to my little history… Some were getting a little suspicious. Things seemed a little too good to be true. There were a few people who were warning us that all was not as it seemed. Some actually told us that America wasn’t what it appeared to be, that we wouldn’t escape the tribulation by rapture and that, it had in fact already begun. These people were ridiculed and even turned into the authorities for their seditious behavior. How dare they go against the pastors and teachers, this godly country and wonderful president who was supporting Israel all the way!!! Couldn’t they see the good we are doing for the world? Any talk of the antichrist was easily dismissed. We Christians knew he was coming from Russia or Europe – maybe the Vatican. Please remember, we thought that as far as the Bible is concerned, America does not even exist! (third mistake) What basis was there to think differently? We thought the antichrist would either be a non-believer, New Ager or universalist. He would never claim to be a Christian. We seemed to miss the Scriptures that said the antichrist would appear to be a Christian and be so convincing that “even the elect would be deceived.” Besides, he wouldn’t support Israel. Wait a minute! Daniel 9:27 says he makes a treaty with Israel and then breaks it. Isn’t that what just happened? We thought he was a kind of messiah. How could we have been so wrong? (Fourth mistake!) Dude, let me tell you. We are so confused. Everything we were taught seems to be wrong. How could America possibly be bad? How could a President and country that supports Israel possibly be wrong …??? How could I still be here if these things really happened? I’m not supposed to be here. Right? (Fifth mistake) Well, you can see I have a lot to figure out. Gotta go now. More later… Day 13 – We see the light and the search begins Today I’m going to tell you about our little band of stragglers. It seems like forever but it was just a couple of weeks or so ago when we were talking this over. We were having a meeting in Brett’s home with a few families from church. We were discussing the recent happenings. Brett was the group leader. He’d been a realtor about ten years. He did pretty well in the beginning but after the housing crash he began been helping folks who were under water. He’s a pretty traditional type, conservative, Reagan republican. His wife Doris home schools their kids – a full-time job in my opinion. Then there’s Dana who is now a college student (or at least was). She used to be our baby sitter. There’s Max who is a local sheriff – or at least was as we say. He’s helpful because knows how to get on the police channels and follow their movements as we try and keep one step ahead of them. His wife, Claire, was a legal secretary in town. Then there’s Joe, the youth pastor. He’s fresh out of Bible School and Seminary. Rounding out the seven is Joe’s girl friend Etta. My wife, Jane, of course was there that night also but she was detained a few days later. There were a few others with us that night but they aren’t around any more… We were sitting in the family room, a slight chill in the air so the gas was turned on in the fireplace, giving a nice glow – but little heat. We were mulling over the recent events – the two wars in the Middle East, the treaty, the President saving Israel twice now, the rebuilding of the temple. Joe, the youth pastor said, “It almost seems as if these events have been scripted, but whose script? Things have moved so fast. There is a rising swell of patriotism and support for the President – not just here but around the world. We seem to be entering a time of peace and prosperity.” He concluded, “it almost seems too good to be true.” Across the room Dana frowned and looked at Joe and said, “I know that’s how it looks Joe but I don’t have a good feeling about this. Something doesn’t seem right. As I was praying this morning it seemed like the Lord was telling me this is all wrong. People who aren’t excited by this new world order are being denounced as unpatriotic. But beyond I feel that a terrible persecution is coming and we are being called to stand up and be witnesses.” Everyone looked at her incredulously and I said, “But Dana, you’re talking like we’re somewhere in the tribulation and we all know that just can’t be. Our blessed hope is to rapture before any of this happens.” “Look around” says Dana. “It already is and we are still here. Next thing we know, they’ll be requiring us to take a mark.” Max piped in. “Guys, I think she’s right. You can’t believe what they are telling us at the precinct. There seems to be some kind of crack down coming – rumors of a deadly virus. Everyone needs to be vaccinated and if they aren’t, they are rounded up and quarantined in some special camps that are set up outside of town. They are going to put a mark on the hand or forehead so everyone can see who has been vaccinated and who hasn’t.” “Wait a minute,” I said. “This can’t be happening. Why? Because we are here and this just can’t be. Guys, if we missed something as important as this, what else could we be missing? Does that mean we have just days left to come up with a plan? What should we do?” Dana says, “When I was praying this morning I had the strongest sense from the Lord that we did miss it. We are not called to escape but to witness! We need to forget all the things we believe so strongly and start listening to the Lord. We are of all people most blessed, given the privilege to suffer and probably die for our Lord following the martyrs of old.” “Wait a minute, Dana”, I said. “If what you are saying is true, everything we have been taught about prophecy is wrong. We aren’t going to disappear in some secret rapture, leaving everyone behind. Instead we are being left here for a reason. Okay, brothers and sisters, this could be much more serious than any of us imagined. I propose we meet here every night until we figure this out. We’ve got to throw out everything we’ve been taught for now and take a fresh look. Joe, what do you think?” “You both have a really good point. Come to think of it, all the stuff I was taught goes back to the Scofield Bible and beyond. How could they possibly have known the world would look like it does today? We can’t deny what we have seen with our own eyes these past few years. The first war when Damascus was destroyed, the treaty signed by Israel and the US. We never even considered that could be the treaty referred to in Daniel 9:27. After all, that would make the President the antichrist and America prophetic Babylon, the great apostate superpower of Revelation. America was supposed to fade away and disappear because we were told it wasn’t even mentioned in prophecy. But maybe it was? Maybe we missed the elephant in the room because we are prophetic Babylon! Guys, this is all too much. Let’s go home and think about it.” Suddenly George Blaino, one of the church old timers, stood up and said, “You guys are all nuts. This is seditious talk and I can’t allow it. I’m going to talk to the pastor about this. We don’t have it wrong. This is God’s country and God’s president supporting Israel. Nothing is wrong. We are about to enter the millennium - the greatest era of peace and prosperity the world has ever seen and you are talking like traitors to God and country. I can’t support this. You go on and have your stupid meetings but watch your back!” George stormed out of the room and slammed the door as he was leaving. Brett, the group leader asked, “Anyone else uncomfortable with this can leave if they want.” Two more got up and left. “I for one have a strange feeling. Dana may be right. We may have it all wrong and time may be running out? Let’s pray.” With that everyone left. I felt like someone had hit me in the stomach and knocked the breath out of me. That meeting marked a turning point and nothing has been the same since. As decided, our little group met again the next night – remember this was a few weeks ago when things were more “normal.” Anyway, when Blaino and a couple of others accused us of being seditious, and stomped out we thought the first thing we needed to talk about was America. After all, other than the military, the most patriotic institution in America is the church. We have been taught that our nation was founded on Christian principles as refugees fled Europe to escape persecution. They found a safe haven here. America is a chosen nation. We sat around the living room that night – Brett and Doris, Max and Claire, Dana, Joe and Etta and my wife Jane and I. We began to talk about the recent conference by “Gatekeepers , the roots of American Exceptionalism”. Gatekeepers seemed like an amalgamation of “Promise Keepers” and Wall Builders.” It followed the old line of America being founded as the “light on the hill”, the ground that preserved the evangelical spirit of the Church while Europe slipped into the post-Christian world. There was a historical precedent believing that America had a “manifest destiny” to lead the world. Over the past few years, America was carrying on wars of liberation throughout the Middle East, earlier in Eastern Europe and even Asia – attempts to bring them into democracy, self-determination and as full members of the global economy and new world order. Support for the administration by churches was great because to one degree or another, every administration since Truman had supported Israel. This was interpreted by Christians as further proof of our calling to be the light on the hill. As a history teacher, I brought in a slightly different view. “Guys”, I said, “I have always wondered about this because one might just as well argue that America is as much a product of the French Enlightenment and secularism as Christianity. Many of the early founding fathers such as Jefferson, Madison and even Washington were diests, what we would call today “new age”. Maybe Dan Brown had a point. The Masons left their mark on the capital. We discussed this for a while. What if all was not as it seemed? But on the other side, you have the people like Dave Wilkerson who pointed to the decline in morality and falling away from the faith. America was the center of the entertainment industry, pornography, drugs and a politically correct attitude that seemed to believe that anything or any lifestyle is okay. These modern day prophets concluded that America had to be destroyed – first because of its decadence and second because it wasn’t even mentioned in the Bible and needed to move out of the way so the antichrist could emerge from Europe (which was the most common opinion at the time)”, Russia, the Middle East, Israel or wherever. We went on to discuss, which is it? Is America the redeemer nation that saves the world or the evil nation that is polluting the world and needs to be wiped out because it is in the prophetic way? Or, was there another explanation? We realized that we couldn’t have it both ways. Joe, the youth pastor, who had just recently graduated from seminary piped in, “maybe there is another explanation. Scholars get the idea that the antichrist comes from Europe because it is a federation of ten nations making up the old Holy Roman Empire spoken of in Daniel 7 and 8. But Daniel 7:8 and 8:9 speak of a little horn coming out of the ten and then dominating them. Isn’t that what America did? Maybe we are the upstart nation that carries the Christian mantle, and is economically and militarily the most powerful nation on earth and supporter of Israel. The only problem is that in the last days, the leader of that eleventh nation is the antichrist.” That comment caused quite a commotion so Brett, our leader, said. “We have some good points here. Let’s go home and get together tomorrow night and see if we can come up with something more. I would remind you that Revelation 16-19 describes a prophetic nation that dominates in the last days. Let’s check that out and see where we go from here.” With that, we all went home. The next night, we got together in Brett’s home. Joe introduced the concept explaining that Revelation 16 describes the destruction of a great ‘end times’ nation prophetically known as Babylon – but certainly not Iraq, because it doesn’t fit the description. Surely, it has a lot of potential wealth but after two decades of devastating wars, it is slowly rebuilding. It is neither Christian, a consumer nation nor a superpower. After talking for a couple of hours, here is a short summary. The four chapters described the judgment of a powerful end times nation in three aspects: religious, commercial and political/military. Joe explained that chapter 17 describes an apostate (fallen) Christian nation in which the church (the woman) alignes herself with the state (the kings) and is eventually destroyed by the beast, the antichrist/beast that rises up and turns on them. It had once blessed the nations with her golden cup (maybe something to the light on the hill concept) but became a fountain of abomination, filth and fornication. This satisfies the idea that America was used for good as the Wallbuilders claim but became evil and worthy of destruction as Wilkerson and others claim – Christian roots but corrupted. Chapter 18 describes a country that dominates the world commercially and is in fact the great consumer nation that buys the world’s goods. The nations get rich trading with her and all of that trade is by sea. That could be none other than America. We buy the world’s stuff whether we have money or not. They loan us money so we can buy even more . And everyone whether from Europe, Asia, Latin America or Africa must trade with us by sea. I quote, “Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance 18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city? They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth!” (Revelation 17:19-19) Hard to argue with that one. The whole group agreed that even in the midst of wars and economic turmoil, we are still the great consumer nation. None other fits that profile. Finally, we see the military dominance of Babylon and the antichrist. America spends more on their military than all the nations of the earth combined. China has resources but can’t begin to catch the US, not with one and a half billion mouths to feed, clothe and house. Recently we have seen that China’s great spurt to dominance fizzled as unrest began to erupt throughout the country. One last item was discussed. The Tribulation was to begin when a nation signed a mutual defense treaty with Israel. Israel has only one friend in the world – America (thanks in large part to the Christian churches support), and only one country has the power to enforce a treaty. This is exactly what happened just over three years ago. Israel was dragged kicking and screaming to the negotiating table by the President after their triumph over Syria, Hezbollah and Gaza. But that left her in the middle of a den of vipers more intent than ever on her destruction. This led to the Gog Magog war I referred to earlier in these chronicles. It was a much larger conflict – nearly the whole Islamic world coming down against Israel, but this time with America firmly on her side. So where does this leave us? There is more in prophecy which we discussed. But what should have been a prophetic warning was now merely history. We know since these meetings a few weeks ago that the president is the antichrist. He has broken his word with Israel and has turned on Israel and the church. He has sacrificed in the rebuilt temple and declared himself to be the new messiah. He is now requiring everyone in the world to receive a mark on their hand or forehead to prove they have been vaccinated against some deadly virus they claim will decimate the population. This was just too much proof for our little band so we decided to escape the tentacles of government and their “vaccine.” It is now clear that we missed the prophetic warnings. Our pastors and teachers preached the old hackneyed doctrines based on 19th and early 20th Century politics. They couldn’t take their rose colored glasses off and see prophecy in a fresh way. We trusted them. We believed we would never suffer, but would rapture. We believed our nation, although not perfect, was going to bring in the kingdom of God. We believed in our president and our country. We believed that if we blessed Israel, we would be blessed. But we didn’t listen to our God. We didn’t study for ourselves. We didn’t pay attention. We sat in our pews and listened to the experts pontificate! Day 16 – “And they shall deliver you up…” We hear helicopters overhead and see search lights so the authorities are out on the hunt tonight. We have to be very careful to keep the lights off and the noise down when this happens about every third day. They must follow a search pattern in their round up for “vaccinations” and marking the people. We don’t know what happens to some people who we never see again. As I write by penlight, tonight I wanted to continue with what happened a few days after the meeting when George Blaino and the others stormed out. Brett and I were called before the Pastors and Elders of the church. Here’s how it went down. The senior pastor, Dr. Marks, began the meeting by telling us we were called here because George had reported that we were way off base in thinking that the American government had anything but the best of intentions. “We are still the savior nation bringing the good news of the gospel, peace and justice to the world. How could we possibly doubt that, especially after what America had done for Israel?” But beyond that, the pastor continued, “we must be united behind our government and its leaders. This is what God expects us to do and it is our highest calling. The government expects me, as an agent of the federal government, to report any disunity or subversive activity. After two wars in the Middle East and various smaller military actions throughout the world, our enemies are looking for weakness. Now is not the time to question the government that God has established over us.” “Come on pastor,” I begged, “Things have been happening lately that makes it appear that we missed the rapture. A defense treaty was signed with Israel. Just because we can’t imagine that America could be involved or the President could be the antichrist, what other explanation do we have? People have been disappearing before our eyes. Sure the world is supporting the President and hailing him as the great leader who is bringing peace and order to this chaotic world…but isn’t that what the antichrist would do? Wouldn’t he deceive the whole world and even the elect?” “How dare you even think this” shouted Dr. Marks! “It should be obvious to all that if this were as you say, we would be raptured and not sitting here talking to one another. So Gideon, you are wrong, wrong, wrong! Unless you publicly repent to us right now, we will have no choice but to report you to Homeland Security. That is my solemn duty and I cannot shirk it. As a Christian and as a leader of a non-profit Church, I am bound to support God and country. Does anyone else have any comments?” A few of the elders, including George Blaino, piped in, “Gideon, this is a sad day when you no longer respect the authority of God, your country and the church. Unless you repent right now, you will face the consequences of your willful, devilish disobedience. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Our President is a great man. He has done great things. We the church stand behind our nation and its leaders. We are on the threshold of the greatness this nation was destined for. Fortunately, there aren’t many like you, Brett and your rag tag home meeting. You leave us with no choice.” With that, we were asked to leave as they further deliberated our fate. This happened just days before it all came down. That evening, we decided we had better get the heck out of Dodge if we were to survive and have any chance whatsoever to warn others of this great deception. Our home church, and many of our best friends were about to turn us over to what had become the most effective police state since Nazi Germany. Ever since 9/11, Homeland Security had been spreading fear and increasing surveillance over every aspect of our lives – not just in the airports but with cameras on every street corner and most shops tied into a super computer with nearly instant facial recognition. Our smart phones, lap tops, I-books, Droids and everything in between were all GPS equipped and allowed us to be tracked anywhere within a few feet. Some people even allowed tracking devices like you would use on a pet to be placed in their children or on an elderly person for “health or safety” reasons. Drivers licenses and most credit cards had RFID chips which could be read by sensors that were found in almost any public location and who knows where else. We realized that if we were to go off the grid, it would be much easier said than done. Even satellites could look down and recognize faces or see through ceilings and walls. There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. We were going to have to find people to help us. Our only concern at this point was to stand up against this beast and warn people. It was becoming evident that we had completely missed the signs, as had many others. Rumors were already starting to spread that there was a terrible, deadly virus loose that would wipe out the population and people may be required to have a visible mark to prove they were vaccinated. At least we were hopefully smart enough to recognize this for what it was. So that was our “D-Day”. It was the day we suddenly realized we had to do something and fast. Needless to say our meeting that night was interesting. Talk about shock and awe! We looked around Brett’s living room at one another stunned, not knowing what to say. That night there were eight of us including my wife who was unlucky to get caught in one of the sweeps a few days later. “Okay” said Brett, “we are out of time. We can’t be seen rolling suit cases along the street. Each person has to ditch all electronics except Max who can monitor police channels. We’ll have to rely on internet cafes for brief internet access now and then and even if we set up new emails, user names, nothing is safe so we will have to be very careful. Each person should bring one over the shoulder bag with a change of clothes, underwear and basic toiletries. Before we leave, we should try and change our appearance – hair style and color, get some hoodie sweatshirts and good water proof shoes. That’s about it. We should meet back here in two hours and just leave everything else behind. Gideon is the only one with school age kids so that will make it fairly easy if the rest of us pitch in.” With that, we all went our separate ways not knowing how quickly the pastor would act in his role as “agent” for the state. More tomorrow....
Day 17 – Fleeing into the unknown We walked in the dark without the aid of flash lights. We sensed there was something very final about our choice. There was no turning back, no way of knowing what was in store for us, just the gut level belief that God knew what He was doing. It may have been safe to stay in our homes but something inside told us that would be an even bigger mistake. We had already made too many by not paying attention to the signs. So off we went. Day 1 of our new life, we woke up with the light. All was quiet so we decided we would just hang out and rest for a while and continue our discussion. We knew about the treaty with Israel but none of us put two and two together with prophecy. The President was spending quite a bit of time in Israel since the two wars and the rebuilding of the temple, but for the first three and a half years, everything seemed fine. It never occurred to us that America would have anything to do with the antichrist or Israel. If anything, we were surprised that America was still around and strong economically and militarily. We had been clearly told that since it was not found in prophecy, it would either be destroyed or fade away into nothing. The other thing we clearly missed was the rapture. We had been steeped in the idea that the church would never suffer the wrath of God and would escape before the tribulation. More tomorrow… Meanwhile, I got up and went to work every morning. My wife drove the kids to school, soccer practice on Tuesday and Thursday, games every Saturday, church on Sunday. A little TV – those NCIS reruns and a little Hawaii 5- 0. Life was okay. We struggled like everyone to pay our bills, keep our credit cards paid off. Unemployment was still high but I felt lucky that I still had a job although you know how it is for teachers – they pay less and expect more every year. We suspected that some of our police actions around the world were more than that, but news was getting pretty restrictive. Cell phone use was controlled. No more networking, tweeting or texting so no way to mobilize crowds for demonstrations. The teenagers went crazy for a while. But we were told that the continued threat of terrorism made it too easy for them to organize and coordinate. The whole cell phone world was basically taken over. We began to see more censorship on the internet as well. They apparently had developed super computers to such an extent that everything we said was scrutinized and people were called in for questioning. This never happened a few years ago. But in recent years the “cyber cops” really got active. Once the Middle East blew up and it was full on war between us and radical Islam, it was a game changer. Just like most people willingly went along with the ridiculous airport screening (because they felt safer), people became accustomed to greater controls on their lives for the sake of safety. Along came video surveillance – cameras everywhere, sensors that could map your every move (as long as you had a cell phone) plus RFID chips in your Driver’s License and most credit cards. They knew when you entered and left any building. Again, this was all for our “protection”, so people just went along with it. Once war broke out, it was way too politically incorrect to talk about the first amendment, freedom of the press or any of that nonsense. Terrorists had reportedly been captured in major cities with portable nuclear devices. People were terrified so no one raised a fuss. And if they did, it seemed maybe someone had a little “come to Jesus” talk with them. They never uttered a negative word again or else they were “processed”. At the same time laws against “sedition” were being passed easily. There is no such thing as “Wikileaks” anymore. All media is heavily controlled but this happened gradually just like the frog in the pot of water and rather than complain, people accepted it. The fear factor was huge and the consequences were beyond what anyone was willing to pay. The amazing thing is how quickly this all came about and how easy it was to impose. Instantly we went from life as normal to a police state. There were other disruptions as well. I’ll never forget what happened in December of 2012. They say several electromagnetic pulse devices took out satellites, power grids and most things that ran on transistors. Luckily it wasn’t a total wipe out but it disrupted life as we know it for about three months before they were able to reestablish order. Stores were emptied within hours. Anarchy reigned for days and days in the cities as looting was rampant, burning, killing and pillaging everything in sight. Rural areas fared a little better as long as roving gangs from the cities didn’t attack. If it weren’t for a rapid and harsh response by the military, it seemed like it could have been the end of the world. The average American welcomed troops with open arms. Millions of terrorist sympathizers (remember “Occupy Wall Street?”) were rounded up and put into camps that had apparently been staged strategically around the country years ago. Amazingly the authorities were prepared. We still don’t know what happened to a lot of people because they were never seen again. But the violent and swift reaction of the government was the answer to the horror of the chaos so no one complained. This happened before the Middle East wars but it got our attention. We realized we lived in a very fragile society and only a strong central government was capable of keeping the peace. This was a game changer. Even the most hard core evangelicals supported the government because they believed they were put there by God to be respected and obeyed. These were unusual circumstances and called for unusual measures. Once the treaty was signed to protect and defend Israel, Christians were completely behind the government because this was one of their “prophetic imperatives”. Who knew that the government would soon turn against them all? Upon reflection, it is interesting to see how easily we were manipulated by the government and even our churches and leaders. What part of “deception” didn’t we understand? Did we expect some really bad guy to stand up and say, “I’m the antichrist. I’m taking over and you will worship me and I will run your lives?” No, we elected a guy who said he was a “Christian”, who said he would protect us and Israel. What more did we want? And we all bought it hook line and sinker! There’s such a thing as the “normalcy bias” that causes smart people to underestimate the prospect of calamity. By the end of 1935 a hundred thousand Jews left Germany but millions remained. They had grown complacent having lived for so long, being so ensconced in the culture, many felt more German than Jewish. As we know, that “normalcy bias” had deadly results. It was the same way with us. We thought life would go on like it always did. Our kids would play more soccer, go to college. We’d sit by the fire and watch reruns or Netflix, play the Wii, mow our lawns, clean the pools, build up our 401ks. In short, we nothing could interrupt our good life except the rapture, and how cool would that be? Let’s move on to another subject. Our little group began to consider not just what had happened but why and if there was any good reason for it. We were told that there was no way Christians would go through the Tribulation. God wouldn’t and couldn’t allow His people to suffer. We were told our great hope was that we would rapture, and the Jewish people would return to center stage and wrap things up until Messiah returned (they weren’t too keen on that idea). Obviously, we blew it because we know of no one who was caught up in the clouds. Not only that, there was no “wrath of God” coming down on us – just the wrath of Satan, the antichrist and those devoted followers who took the “mark of the beast” which was related to that vaccination that all were required to get. Whoever received that mark certainly went through a change and became a totally devoted supporters of the beast system. Instead of leaving the Jews holding the bag, we had run into small groups of Jews who were also avoiding the mark for the same reasons we were. It was Dana who pointed out the “two witnesses” in Revelation 11 and proposed to us the idea that these two witnesses – two olive trees and two lampstands referred to God’s people on the earth (Jews) and those in the heavenlies (Christians). She pointed out that the theme of these two people groups ran through the whole Book – Revelation 7 referring to a group of 144,000 Jews from the twelve tribes and Revelation 14 referring to 144,000 believers who had robes washed in the blood of the Lamb. Wow! What an instant revelation this was to us all. It suddenly became clear. We had been looking for two supermen like Moses and Elijah, but instead there were two corporate witnesses. Somehow, God had called the two groups to be a testimony of what God had done with His people. Surely He had been faithful to the Jews because after thousands of years they were still here, and even more, they returned to their land of promise – Israel. All the nations raged around that tiny nation and wanted to push it into the sea. Now, even the President of the United States had betrayed them, breaking the defense treaty he had made with them after three and a half years – just as predicted in the book of Daniel. We read the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 and realized that even though the people may have been less than perfect, there were still some “over comers” in each. The institution of the church (the shell) was a typical manmade institution but within it there were a few believers who saw that it had nothing to do with religion but having a relationship with God. Being a Christian had nothing to do with the buildings, the forms, doctrines and meetings but consisted of a “called out” people who had received the Messiah into their hearts and drew them together as a tiny community. Those who went through the motions of going to church and accepted everything they were told were caught up in the apostate church which consisted of well meaning but deceived Christians. Those who had any sense of the Lord’s presence in their lives, and an open and inquiring mind took the time to search the Scriptures for themselves to determine their direction. These were the ones that were literally driven outside the camp and into hiding like us. By now the “beast people” had taken over the churches and everyone was forced to be vaccinated and “take the mark”. Now as we move about in our little underground world, we discover other groups such as ours, some Christians, some Jews and some just confused people who don’t trust the government. Going forward, I will share with you some of our encounters. Oh, and by the way, we don’t know of a single person who ever got sick or died from any super flu. So as we consider all these things, it becomes clear why we are still here. We are here to reach out to whoever will listen and help one another. There are many people who are really open and now we see how intertwined our destiny is with the Jews. We realize we may not make it all the way to the end, but again, our dear sister Dana reminded us of Revelation 12:11. “”They overcame by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony and loved not their lives even unto death.” We are scared but prepared and know that we have a relationship with Jesus and His Holy Spirit dwells in us and will give us the words and the courage none of us have naturally. Shame on us for wanting to escape when we can witness the greatest events in the history of man – those few months left before our Jesus returns to establish his kingdom on the earth. Our prayer is that we will live now in the light of eternity, not the fleeting months ahead. My prayer is that our time traveling computer guru can get this back to you to warn you of the coming trial and glory. Day 21 – Our first encounters with other dissidents Today we met another group of dissidents. It was a mixed group – a few Christians like us beginning to smell something wrong, a few Jews who were not too happy about taking a “mark” like their ancestors did under Hitler, and a few libertarians and survivalists that didn’t trust the government as far as they could throw it. They had also gotten out just in time. The fact that the President actually went into the temple and declared himself to be God blew their minds. For the most part, these were not religious people. We began to explain how this time period had been laid out in some detail in the Bible in many different places surprised them greatly. We explained that this was all part of a struggle between good and evil, God and Satan. Both wanted our allegiance. We were being given a choice as to which we will serve. This seemed to register well with all of them. We then shared with one another our ideas as to how we should proceed. I’ll share more on this tomorrow. Day 22 - We met the resistance Today I’m going to share with you our first encounter with other resistors (for lack of a better word – those who refuse to take the “mark” and be vaccinated). As you recall, we are hold up in an old abandoned hospital down in the subbasement. It is a pretty good location because no one can see or hear us and the floor above us is lead lined because nuclear medicine, radiology and imaging used to be up there so we can’t be seen by any other remote surveillance (satellite, helicopter, etc.) The problem is, it may be obvious and a place they want to check out regularly. You can imagine how much we freaked out when we heard voices from above. They didn’t sound or act military so we just waited to see who it was. A group of eight came through the door sweeping their guns ahead of them but when they saw we were civilians we all relaxed. They were a scary bunch to behold, wearing camouflaged fatigues and bearing automatic and semiautomatic rifles (some with infrared sights on them), side arms in their belts, military looking back packs with sleeping bags and mats on the back. They certainly looked loaded for bear. After a brief intro of the two groups, we sat down to chat. The leader of the group who called himself Thor explained where they came from. Prior to the turning point which we all defined as the requirement to get the “Mark”, they had been a loosely affiliated group of survivalists/libertarians who didn’t trust the government and were getting more and more upset as it became more controlling. They didn’t believe in vaccines and thought they were part of a government conspiracy to infect the population so the weak would die off. They didn’t allow their kids to be vaccinated. When it began to be spread across the news that all would have to be vaccinated because of the deadly super virus, they said no way and set their plan in motion to start an underground war against the government. Thor told us that they had been preparing for this day for years and had stored up food, supplies and weapons in various locations around town. They could have gone to the rural areas as others and tried to set up little self sufficient communities. But they felt that the best place to hide was in plain sight. They would be too easy to find out in the boonies. They also could mount a more effective resistance if they stayed in the city. He told us that one of the places they had stored supplies was right here in the old hospital. They were linked with other groups of people but wanted to be dispersed in case one of them were caught. They took one look around at our rag tag little group and saw no weapons and few supplies. What on earth were we doing? I explained that we didn’t have much time to get ready because we just figured out what was really happening. Now Thor and his group were not particularly religious, but they had their suspicions. I explained that many of the things that had happened were specifically prophesied in the Bible – the wars, the treaty with Israel, the betrayal of Israel and even the churches. But we all knew something really big was up when the previously dead American President went into the newly rebuilt Jewish temple and declared that he was the Messiah returning to bring peace. We heard he was shot in the head but came back to life in three days supposedly proving he was God. After his “resurrection”, he announced the vaccination/mark program. We began to compare notes and all agreed that something happened to people as soon as they took the mark/vaccine. People who weren’t sure about the New World Leader all of the sudden became devoted followers, worshipping the ground he walked on and doing whatever they were commanded by the Leader’s lieutenants. They eagerly denounced anyone who refused to take the mark. Brett told Thor that they admired their bravery but didn’t really think there was much they could do to resist since most of the people whole heartedly supported the Leader. We explained that the next three and a half years were going to get pretty tough, but at the end the real Messiah would appear and defeat the antichrist and his armies. Meanwhile, we were here to be foolish messengers and tell anyone who would listen about the real Messiah, what He had done for them and how we could each have a life changing relationship with God. Our choice was becoming more and more clear. Either we were on God or Satan’s side in this battle. Even if we didn’t make it, we could be sure we would spend eternity with Him. Eventually, this is a choice we would all have to make and to not choose was a choice. We asked if they would like to side with the real Messiah and follow Him. Two said they would so we bowed our heads and prayed and they asked the Lord to come into their lives and be their Lord. Another said she had asked Jesus into her heart years ago but had strayed and would like to rededicate her life to him. She also wanted to stay with our group – partly to help protect us and also to coordinate with other groups. Laura became the eighth member of our little band. This was okay with Thor. We just encouraged the others to think about what we shared. They hung out until the next evening, giving us lots of tips on survival, places we could go to, people we could trust and ways to find supplies when we needed them. Although not all believers, we still felt an incredible bond as they went on their way. Thor told us he would keep in touch and direct others to us so they could hear our story. I think he was really impressed but maybe a little too proud to take the leap of faith at that time. Don’t worry. We’ll see them all again. Laura would know how to stay in touch. We felt it was time for us to move on as well so we gave them a couple of hours head start and then packed our stuff and headed on out. The journey continues to our next encounter.
Day 23 – On changing locations and the “hive” We finally arrived at the old school house. It didn’t look like anyone had been there recently. There are some inside rooms that have no outside windows that were used for audio visual and performing arts. It gives a certain sense of privacy and no light can be seen from the outside. No one has been here for a while. We look around the room and just see trash left behind by people passing through. Although there is no electricity, the water is still running so there is a place to wash. Laura told us we aren’t far from an area with recently abandoned homes that still had food and supplies. We found a large AV room upstairs in the middle of the building that had no windows. We draped our tarps across the ceiling and finally sat down, emotionally and physically exhausted after a day of wandering around in the open. It was hard to imagine going on like this for the rest of our lives. Laura had a different experience than we did. She and her survivalist group hung out with different people than we did and had a definite opinion on what was happening. "Do you remember the movie, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"? Well, that is the way it seems. People are not just intense and focused but each person seems to have a task assigned. There is no small talk, just people who are busy taking orders from some unseen entity. They appear to be able to communicate at a psychic level. If they run into a person who doesn't have a "mark" they don't stand around them and screech like they did in the movie, but they do send two or three people to collect that person. A call is made and a "Health Department" vehicle with people dressed in white protective clothing comes along and drives them away to one of the “vaccination centers”. Word is, they are given a choice to be vaccinated and "marked" or they are taken to one of the detention centers. Once a person is "vaccinated" it's as if they become a part of the "hive". If they were unemployed before, the "hive" has work as “outreach workers” for the health department. It is odd that these folks don't need protective clothing in their jobs but they wear it in public to keep up the myth of a pandemic." About noon today, we heard some people enter the school and we were pretty sure they were stragglers like us. Max, the ex-sheriff went downstairs to check it out. Max got his degree in Criminal Justice and was with the Sheriffs Department for about ten years. He had been the head of a criminal investigation unit. Max began to question as he saw the increasing brutalization of the department, more of an “us versus them” mentality. In a way, it is understandable. Everyone was a suspected terrorist and subversive. After years of the “Occupy Wall Street” and the increasing radicalization of the disenfranchised poor, the police had become the targets of not only rocks but hand guns, Uzzies and grenades. Understandably they became less trusting of the people they were hired to protect. As Max opened the door to the lower hall, he had his hand on the gun behind his waist. Upon seeing the group, he realized they were civilians like we were. He brought them upstairs to meet the rest of us. Avi, the leader of the group, was the Cantor of a local Synagogue. He introduced us to his wife Helen, Curt and his wife Kathy, Bill and Marta. They had been wondering around like we have trying to figure out what on earth had happened and what they should do. We pooled our resources and made a respectable lunch for all to share. It is always so interesting to find out what other people’s “story” was. We were anxious to get to know one another. Brett said, “well it looks like we have a lot in common. How did you happen to go rogue?” Avi said, “well, as you can see, I’m the old guy of our little group. I was the Cantor of Beth Shalom and have been watching events in Israel with great interest. Ten years ago I immigrated to Israel and lived there for four years. Having been raised by a Cantor, it was expected of me. I enjoyed being in Israel but it was hard to imagine living under the constant threat of violence and possible annihilation. I had an opportunity to come back to the states and take over my father’s position in the Synagogue. “Once my wife and I returned we began to share with a few in our congregation the feeling that world changing events were about to take place in Israel. We all wanted peace but it was clear the Islamic community didn’t share our concern. Our hopes rose during the “Arab Spring” with the anticipation that Democracy would catch on in the Middle East. The demonstrators were not able to overcome the money and organization of the Islamic Brotherhood and other Islamic radical organizations. They began to take over in Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Libya and other countries with the tacit support of the military. They had already taken Turkey and Iran was spreading its influence throughout the region. Things weren’t looking good for Israel. “The Holocaust is ancient history to most Jews these days, but my grandfather lived through it in Germany and my father never let me forget. The reality of that fear is only felt by those who live in Israel. Every concession is met with more and more demands, but you know that Islam will never be content until we no longer exist. Palestinians that lived in Israel since independence have benefited greatly and had no complaints until recently, but they couldn’t help but be radicalized. Their population is increasing and soon we will be a minority anyway. “When we got back, we tried to tell our friends about what was happening in Israel, but most didn’t seem to care. They didn’t feel that “Jewish” and certainly didn’t identify with the plight of Israel. If anything, they felt we should just give the Arabs what they want and be done with it. Most were living the American dream, were well educated and successful. A small group took an interest including the two couples you see here with us. Others might have wondered about what was happening but just couldn’t pay the price, especially when it came to the vaccination and the mark. The idea of giving up everything for a stupid vaccination hardly seemed important. We have been taught to trust the authorities and our government so the idea of going against the establishment and leaving everything behind was just too much for the average Jew. Brett piped in, “we understand. It is pretty much the same with us. Our friends at church should have known better but there was too much to lose. Not only that, as you well know we were great supporters of Israel and thought that the American President and the rest of the government was as well. There were other factors but we were shocked. Now we know better. ” Avi continued, “The issue of taking a “mark” was the final straw for me. I remember the numbers on my granddad’s arm. But we were also taken by surprise as well. We always thought America was a “fair weather friend” the way it courted Saudi Arabia but we never expected it to turn against Israel. When faced with leaving everything or taking the mark, the rest of our little group basically went with their gut feeling. They just had a sense something was wrong. Now we wonder why? What is the reason for all of this?” Joe, the youth pastor, interjected “Exactly our thought as well. Something big must be going on. Just bear with us. We’re not going to beat you over the heads with the Bible, but let’s look at what we have in common. We can both agree that the Old Testament was written over thousands of years and has a common thread – to communicate God’s plan and purpose for Jews and Gentiles alike. Right? The big difference between us is we believe Jesus Christ is the Messiah. You’re still waiting but expect Him to come right? So we can agree to disagree with that. “I think we can both agree that the Bible is a book full of prophecy. Jews return to the land, the wars against the new nation of Israel, the Muslim opposition, including the huge war a few years ago referred to as the “The Gog-Magog” conflict (Ezekiel 38) are clearly described in your Scripture. We can sit down and show this to you without ever going to the New Testament – in great detail and with accuracy as to the countries involved in each war. The Book of Daniel is clear about the rise of the antichrist, the defense treaty he signed with Israel and his betrayal of not only Israel but Christians as well. Jeremiah 51 and 52 deals with “Prophetic Babylon.” Zechariah 4 and Revelation 11 both deal with two witnesses – two olive trees and two lampstands.” Joe went into a long explanation of what these passages were referring to. He continues, “I know evangelicals came off as ‘fair weather friends’ to Jews when they were told that Christians were going to rapture and leave the Jews holding the bag – the full on persecution of the Great Tribulation, but we were wrong. You really are God’s chosen people and He has been faithful to keep you all these years – nearly 4,000 since Abraham. As much as many wanted to forget their “Jewishness” and blend into the surrounding society, you just couldn’t do it. The fact is, God loves you and has protected you. Now, bear with me a minute. Let’s assume Jesus was the Messiah – not the reigning king you wanted and expected, but “the Passover Lamb of God” that restored man’s personal relationship with God. You should be proud of the fact that through you all the nations of the earth have been blessed and salvation came to the Gentiles. “Okay, let’s also assume for a moment that we are in the “last days”. I think we would all agree that it certainly seems like it. The God of Abraham, and David is going to judge the earth and your Messiah is going to set up His Kingdom on earth. Okay, Avi, in a Jewish court, how many witnesses does it take to convict someone?” “Two” says Avi. “Exactly” says Joe. “In this case, God has two witnesses – Jews and Christians, the two Olive Trees and the two Lampstands, signifying two corporate entities. That means we have been thrown together whether we like it or not, whether we understand it or not. Our destinies are completely intertwined. We are here because we are both His chosen people and we stand to prove His faithfulness. “I don’t want to put a trip on you. Just consider these things. Does it make any sense to you? There is a lot more to it and we can continue dialogue if you like.” Avi was in deep reflection. Finally he looked up and said, “A few years ago I wouldn’t have given it a second thought but after all that has happened, we have to keep an open mind. And we certainly need to help each other and stand together because we are facing a formidable foe. We thank you for sharing and want to continue these discussions. What do the rest of you think” he says looking at his little band? Bill said, “Joe, we are desperate and don’t have many options. We feel G..d told us to flee and we did. We trust Yeshua with our lives. Thank you for your hospitality.” The conversation went on the rest of the afternoon. We didn’t want to push but let God open their eyes and let them find their answers. This comes by revelation so we pray for them knowing only God can remove the scales from their eyes. More tomorrow. Day 25 – Economic meltdown, riots and war I wanted to share with you what happened with the world economy the past few years. As many of you may recall there was the dot.com bust in the early 2000’s which was followed by a huge real estate bubble in the mid 2000’s followed by the bank bust at the end of the decade. This led to the Wall Street and big business bailouts. These were somewhat interrelated because the housing crisis began with excessive lending to people who couldn’t afford homes. So called “liar loans” were based on fictitious income, and as housing prices soared, some people were often making as much on house appreciation as they were in their job. It was easy to refinance or get home equity loans so people borrowed heavily against the asset they thought would never go down in price. By 2011, the average price of a home had dropped in half and in the next few years it dropped in half again, leaving just about everyone “under water” – owing more than the property value. The implosion of the housing market caused the mortgage and securities markets to crash because of packaging of mortgages in derivatives. One type, the credit default swap, insured these loans and when they failed, the insurance giant AIG had to be bailed out in order to save some of the major banks in the US and around the world who had invested heavily in these derivative instruments. The response of the government and the Federal Reserve was to pour trillions of dollars into Wall Street. Did they learn their lesson? No. In five years, the number of derivatives had nearly doubled. And to make matters worse, they put the “Sovereign Debt’ of the Euro nations into derivatives which multiplied the effect of the default. The first US company to fall, MF Global Holdings had $6 billion in European Sovereign debt but the effect of derivatives was to multiply the amount by a factor of 40! Derivatives eventually brought down the entire world economy. The world GDP was just over $50 trillion but the derivative debt exposure was over $1.2 quadrillion! Once it began to unwind, there was no stopping it. It didn’t stop with the PIIGS (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain) but quickly spread to England, France and beyond…… Just as the economy was beginning to implode the “Occupy Wall Street” movement began and quickly spread throughout America and the world. It began as an amorphous, unfocused movement expressing outrage at the bailouts and huge salaries and bonuses paid out to the executives who caused the problem in the first place. The gap between the rich and the poor was growing all over the world. The violence began to slowly escalate and spread like wildfire from one city to the next. Violence begat more violence. The authorities had no choice but to crack down. This continued to escalate until downtown business centers were charred ruins. This ironically led to more unemployment. Rich, middle income and poor were angry. The movement was made up of long term poor, college graduates unable to find jobs, youths, middle managers, and even executives. The “Occupy” protests eventually began to take shape. The two sides hardened and the clashes grew more serious. In the spring of 2012 war broke out in the Middle East as Syria and the Palestinians began an all out attack against Israel. With its back to the wall Israel nuked Damascus and threatened to do the same to Iran. The war came to a halt. America was furious with Israel for going nuclear and imposed the defense treaty on Israel which included the stationing of thousands of American troops supplies, missiles and air craft on Israeli soil. The defense treaty was signed on Passover. Islamic hatred of Israel and America spread. Militant terrorists successfully brought down the greater part of the power grid in America by a well coordinated attack on strategic targets along with a suitcase nuclear weapon in Chicago resulting in hundreds of thousands of casualties. Loss of the grid resulted in the breakdown in communications, delivery of goods to stores, massive looting and utter chaos as gangs roamed freely through urban and surrounding rural areas. The 2012 election was canceled and marshal law declared. Check points around the country screened everyone traveling whether by air, bus or personal auto. The army and National Guard eventually restored order. The grid was restored in a few weeks but it took months to get the supply lines flowing with staples to stores. People began hoarding food and fuel. It became hard to keep anything in stock. Well, this gives you a better idea of the events leading up to now. Our Jewish friends decided to stay with us. We are now one big happy family of 14. It’s great! I’ll share more on that tomorrow. The day after the arrival of Avi and his little company, we all collected whatever we could sit or lay on and gathered in the big media room on the second floor of the school. There was a fall chill in the air as we approached Halloween. This was bound to be more surreal than ever this year as the “beast people” did everything they could to find the hold outs. Talk about trick or treat! We were anxious to hear one another’s stories about how we all ended up here. Brett started by telling how he had run his family hardware store for years, done a little real estate on the side. But when the trouble began three years before, the rioters cleaned out the store and burned it down. You know what happened to real estate. It kept going downhill. Brett continued, “You all have to know that we Christians were totally blindsided by what happened. We thought America was exceptional, moral, a leader for good, a friend of Israel. We opposed dictators and fought evil. As a matter of fact, the church was instrumental in supporting successive administrations, especially because of their stand on Israel. As you know, we have always felt the nation of Israel’s rebirth was a fulfillment of prophecy. So when this happened, we were all shocked. Well, just to let you know what happened recently. Our two kids are grown and don’t live in town. We haven’t heard from them for months. My wife and I were planning to get away but the day before we were to leave, she was caught up in one of the sweeps of those who hadn’t been vaccinated in the shopping mall. They took her their “quarantine center” where she would be given a choice to be vaccinated or not. We had talked about it and she was clear on what not to do…so I can only assume the worst.” But before we go on, tell us about yourselves and how you got here. “Well, as you know, I’m Avi. I’m the cantor in the synagogue. My relatives are death camp survivors from Poland. We have experience with “marks” and one way trips to the nice hot showers. I wasn’t about to cooperate in that. I have to tell you that I also was impressed with the administration and Christian support for Israel. Having lived there several years, I knew how real and sincere that support was. We couldn’t have made it without you. However, I must say that we were not very happy about the Defense Treaty your President made Israel sign. When the huge war broke out (what we are now calling World War III), there was America fighting by our side. We were somewhat reassured by that and completely elated by the rebuilding of the temple. That was a 2000 year old dream finally come true. We thought our long sad history was finally coming to an end. Imagine our shock when your President entered the temple to sacrifice and the sacrilege of declaring himself to be God. It all happened so quickly. Jews revolted against your leader and his troops and were slaughtered without mercy. Within days there was the announcement of the pandemic and the requirement that everyone be vaccinated and be marked. Since I’ve been back here in the states I try and explain the importance of all this to the congregation, but as usual American Jews don’t really care that much about what goes on in Israel. I suppose most consider themselves to be more American than Jew anyway so there was no outrage on their part. So I talked to my wife and two closest friends here, Bill and Curt and we decided we would rather die than succumb to this treachery.” “Hi everyone. I’m Helen, Avi’s wife. I don’t understand all that has been happening but I will tell you all this. I think we made the right decision. Not only has America and this administration showed itself to be untrustworthy, there is a religious undercurrent that I don’t like. It is as if you President has declared himself to be the Messiah and believe me, the Messiah of our Bible is nothing like that.” A chorus of “amens” echoed throughout the room. “Not only that, but something is happening to the people who are vaccinated and marked. They seem to lose their personality and have some kind of psychic connection with one another that is eerie to say the least. People seem to have lost their conscience as they turn in friends and neighbors they have know their whole life as if duty supersedes all else, or as some of you have put it, the collective “will of the hive.” As to hooking up with you guys, we know we need friends and deep down know we can count on you with our lives. Don’t ask me how, but I know.” “Hi, I’m Bill and I’ve know Avi and Helen for many years. In my past life I was an MD specialized in Internal Medicine – guess I still am – just nowhere to “practice”. We have been in the same synagogue and our families are close. We have been talking about all this for years now, wondering what is happening and what the real agenda is. When the so-called plague story came out (and that is all it is), Avi asked me about it. I went on what is left of the internet (it is so controlled by the government now) and all I could find were a few stories with pictures of people hemorrhaging and dying in hours. They looked more like pictures taken years ago of Ebola victims. There was no hard data, nothing. I also observed the results of the vaccinations. I got a vial of the vaccine and tried to study it. It looked like some kind of complex DNA was mixed into it. It was not like any vaccine I had ever seen before. When you talk about the hive mentality, otherwise flamboyant personalities seem to go flat and people have a weird connection. I got out just in time. I’ve actually been in hiding for several weeks. There is no way a health care provider can get away with not being vaccinated. The strange thing is that colleagues that at one time opposed the President became ardent, almost worshipful supporters.” “Hi folks, I’m Cathy. I’m a pediatrician and my experience is similar to my husbands. We’ve both been into our career rather than family. I guess Avi and the others have been our family. We’ve been very close. We first had our suspicions at the time of the treaty. Israel has always depended only on itself for defense, but once they used the nuclear option, the only way to keep the entire world from turning against them was to bow to the administration’s insistence that they sign. Once WWIII broke out, we felt better about it because America really did come to her aid. But the sacrifice in the temple was beyond the pale for most Jews. We knew we had to run but had no idea where to or even why. Surely, there must be a reason for this mess. Where is it all headed? I must admit I am really afraid. How could G..d let this happen? “Yo, I’m Bill and this is my wife Marta from Argentina. We met while I was doing a project down there – love at first sight I must say. We just got married but I have known these folks our whole lives or so it seems. Marta went to the largest synagogue in Buenos Aires. I’ll let her tell her story. I’m in international business and have been working for an Israeli technology company that sells products around the world. I travel frequently to the Middle East, Europe and Latin America overseeing our sales operations. I have connections to the Mossad. I guess I can tell you now without having to kill you (kidding of course). According to them America was always playing both ends against the middle. They needed Israel as a counter balance in the Middle East but also had to be on good terms with the Islamic countries because they had the oil America so badly needed. The political forces in America began to see Israel as an ultimate liability. After the “Arab Spring” radical Islamic forces seized power in most of the moderate countries and with the radicalization of Turkey, Egypt, Morocco and Libya and Iran leading the charge, it was just a matter of time before they began their march to the sea. When the Syrian regime was pushed to the wall by the west, Assad launched a massive attack on Israel with help from Gaza and even Egypt indirectly. Israel responded in the only way they could, a nuclear strike on Damascus. That ended the war temporarily but everyone knew it was just a matter of time before the whole Islamic world came down on Israel. Israel was forced to sign the Defense Treaty and we thought that a good thing at first. Meanwhile, Mossad remained suspicious of your President and his intentions. But the temple rebuild came off without a hitch and Israelis rejoiced as sacrifices resumed for the first time in nearly 2,000 years. I heard about the attempt on your President’s life and the sacrifice in the temple and I knew it was over. I told Marta it was time to pack her things and we were off. Off to what? I had no idea but I had a sense that G..d had something for us in this. I didn’t know what.” “Well, as Bill told you. I’m Marta from Buenos Aires and I too am from WWII holocaust survivors. We had always wondered if anything like that would ever happen again – well in Israel, maybe, but we felt safe being so far away. Bill traveled but I was never concerned. I always wondered why we were “G..d’s chosen people”. What was there about us that was so special? I never felt very special. If anything I just wanted to blend in with the people around me whether here or in Argentina and just exist. But Avi is the one that kept telling us he had a feeling that God wasn’t done with us yet and that we may have an important role to play. Yeah! Right? This never made sense to me…but now I wonder.” “Hi everyone. We’re so glad that you joined us. I’m Gideon. In my former life I was a history teacher in the community college. I loved history and the kids. It was really my passion. I followed the continued expansion of the American empire with great interest. All of the commentators and pundits were calling for America’s demise and Europe, China or India to replace it as the world power, and couldn’t believe what was happening. The PIIGS led the meltdown of Europe. There was no way to keep Greece from imploding and the others followed in rapid succession. The banking industry in Europe is much more tightly tied to the government and they all participated in the bailouts, but eventually debt sunk the euro-ship. And even though China appeared to be growing by leaps and bounds, it was all artificial – supported by a government that suppressed wages and their currency, smashing competition around the world. But eventually, their own population growth to one and a half billion made such demands on basic staples such as food, water and basic necessities, that the miracle collapsed from its own weight. As India’s population moved past China’s, they fell apart as well, especially after the nuclear exchange with Pakistan. Meanwhile, America kept winning battle after battle. It revved up to a war economy, producing planes, tanks, missiles, drones, fighting robots – you name it – a 21st Century arsenal that no longer had soldier’s on the front line, impervious to IUDs and the pea shooters others may throw against it. Of course, there was plenty of cheap oil after she established her absolute control over the Middle East from her bases in Israel, Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. There was no one who dared stand against her. We thought this may be the beginning of a new Millennium of peace and prosperity. When the administration turned against Israel and even Jews and Christians, I couldn’t believe it. The little group had been meeting in Brett’s home weekly and we were beginning to not only question who and what we really were, but to plan our escape. Unfortunately my wife, Jane, also was caught in a sweep.” “I’m Dana. I was a first year college student and part of the group. I’m not as smart or well read as most here but a few years ago the Lord came into my life and the more time I spent in the Bible (both Old and New), the more He showed me things that were happening and about to happen. I kind of approached it with an open mind and just took what I read at face value. My reading had to do with the return of Jews to the land and events that lead up to the last days and the tribulation. From my reading, I was convinced that we would all go through that seven year period of trouble and persecution – not necessarily in a bad way but in a triumphant way because God was with us and wanted us to stand as a testimony against the antichrist and the “new world order”. I knew we were in the “last days” and we were here for a reason. Somehow, God had a plan for us and I was anxious to see what it was.” Hope you aren’t bored. We went on like this all day. Here’s Max! “Hi folks. Welcome. I’m the local sheriff, or at least used to be. I was a part of the same little group from church. As the local sheriff, I have been watching Homeland Security extend its authority and reach over the years and the gradual erosion of individual liberties. This really bothered me because it almost seemed to be a conspiracy. Threat by threat more and more was taken away, and good old law abiding Americans seemed to take it pretty well. When the riots and looting started, people clamored for more law enforcement. Reaction met counter reaction as the troubles escalated. The straw that broke the camel’s back for me was the events in Israel. Our little group realized we had completely misread prophesy. We expected to be raptured (you’ve heard of this term?) and yes, we were going to leave you Jews holding the bag. But it didn’t happen that way and we are all here. Anyway, I keep my ear on the police band and try and pick up on troop or homeland security movements in the area. Welcome aboard.” “Hi guys. I’m Joe and this is my girl friend/fiancée and hopefully wife some day, Etta. I was the Youth Pastor of our church, just graduated from Seminary. I have always been a little outside the box and kind of rebelled at Seminary as they appeared to be teaching the same old things for the past 200 years. Some of it just didn’t ring true. For example, they say America isn’t in prophecy and therefore has to be destroyed or slip into irrelevancy. That just didn’t make any sense. America was still the biggest economy, biggest military by far with over half the military expenditures in the world. It was a “Christian” country and supported Israel – the perfect description of Revelation 17-19. But New Testament aside, Daniel 9:27 is very specific about the returned Israel being forced to sign a defense treaty with the antichrist (referred to in other parts of the Old Testament as well), making a covenant which he would break in three and a half years – which he did. Other parts talk about rebuilding the temple, resuming sacrifice and so forth. Guys, we have seen that happen. We think we know why and can talk about that later. There is no doubt, something heavy is coming down and we are in it together.” “Hi guys, I’m Etta. I grew up in New York City. My dad was a big Wall Street Banker – not exactly the most popular job in this world. We lost everything. My dad was thrown in jail. I moved out here looking for a reason to live and found Messiah. We must all be exhausted so I’ll just leave it at that.” With that, we said our good nights, established a watch with 6 hour duty and crashed – more tomorrow. Today we need to venture outside of our little refuge and look for supplies. Laura is in charge of the group since she came from Thor’s survivalist group and has the most experience. Here is what she had to share with us. “The secret to not getting caught is to hide in plain sight. We have to learn to act like everyone else does. Luckily it is raining today so we will not be conspicuous in rain gear with hoods. Notice that everyone that has been “marked/vaccinated” has kind of a flat look. They don’t smile and hardly even talk to one another unless they have to. They look straight ahead and seem to be doing whatever they have been assigned. We suspect they may be telepathically connected – at least to the “Beast” if not to one another. We can fake a mark but it won’t hold up under scrutiny because the mark they use does something weird under ultra violet light. They don’t show much emotion unless they are listening to a message from the “Beast/antichrist”. There is no room for small talk. So when we go outside, follow me. Walk purposefully, as if you know where we you going and what you are supposed to do. If someone talks to one of us, answer in a simple, matter of fact, way. Tell them you have been tasked to carry supplies, find the unmarked or something like that. Okay, let’s go.” So Laura led a group of eight of us outside the school building. We began to walk deeper into one of the abandoned neighborhoods. The best place to find supplies was in a house someone left behind unless it had already been picked over. These weren’t exactly the safest places to be but there was safety in numbers. It was kind of eerie. Neighborhoods that once teemed with life were abandoned. Lawns and shrubs were unkempt. Cars with flat tires and broken windows littered the driveways. Not a soul was in sight. We tried to look like a patrol, looking for stragglers. One person at a time would slip off into a house – mainly in search of canned goods. The rest of us would stand in a clump outside staring at the house so that in case people were watching they would think we were assigned to round up the “unmarked”. With that we were able to go from house to house in broad daylight looking like we belonged. Now it was one thing to try and fool the people but we wanted to avoid police or military patrols so we kept our eyes and ears open. On our way back a cute black lab came up to us. He was probably an abandoned stray. We tried to ignore him but he kept running ahead wagging his tail like crazy and then running back to us. We thought he might leave and go off to his owners but he followed us back instead. We decided that a good watch dog may not be a bad idea. We named him “Noche” because he was black as night. After depositing our treasures, Dana said she felt we missed something so we decided to make one more foray back into the neighborhood again. This time we went down the other side of the street. We came to an old two story tract house. The front door was off the hinge but Dana pointed to it and said, “We have to go in here.” This time the whole group went in. We heard something upstairs and Dana rushed up, calling out, “It’s okay kids. Come on out. We’re not one of them. It is safe with us.” The door in front of her cracked open and there were two scared and lonely looking kids. She walked up to them. “Hi kids. I’m Dana. I was a college student when this all started. I understand what it’s like to be scared. I lost my family too. Come on out. We won’t hurt you. Your parents told you we would come.” The kids walked out into the hallway and looked down the stairs at the little group of us. Dana approached them slowly, holding out her arms. “It’s okay. I’m just a big kid. We want to help you.” With that, they rushed into her arms sobbing, after so long being left on their own. “Come with us and we’ll get you something to eat in a warm safe place. We went back to the school and made some hot oatmeal for the kids. Dana said, “we’re all scared too. We’ve been on the run for a few weeks now. How about you? Can you tell us a little about yourselves?” The boy said, “I’m Craig and my sister Kendra were at school one day when they came for our parents. They told us if they were ever taken to avoid getting caught at all costs and to NEVER take the mark. They said God would send someone for us and He did. We know He sent you. People have come in the house before. This time we felt it was different so we came out. You would have never found us. We have a secret compartment in the closet of our bedroom – a place dad made for us just in case something bad happened. We know God is in control and we were supposed to meet you.” “Wow,” Dana exclaimed. “We all feel that God has brought us together too. Just consider us your big family.” Dana introduced the kids around to everyone and we just sat around talking like old friends. What a day. We not only got some supplies but added a dog and two kids to our family. Where on earth is this going? Well, yesterday’s foray out into the community yielded surprises. We decided to name the black Lab, “Noche” would be our watcher because he was extremely alert. If there was a noise outside, he came running up to one of us and quietly whined letting us know someone was out there but he knew not to bark. We discovered this because shortly after returning, he came up to Dana and let out a low growl. None of us heard anything but we sent Laura out to check and sure enough a small patrol passed by outside. Noche seemed to know if they were friendly or a threat. The other surprises were Craig and Kendra, ages 13 and 11. They were pretty brave kids. Their parents had told them that if for some reason they didn’t come back to hide in the room they had built for them behind their bedroom closet until someone came for them. They had gone out to get supplies but never returned so they were undoubtedly caught by the authorities. They carefully explained to them what was happening and to never take the “mark of the beast” – never, ever! They had dropped out of church because they felt it was ignoring the prophetic happenings. They met in their homes much as our little group did and were doing what they could to prepare. They assured the kids that they would be okay and God would take care of them. The kids were amazingly calm considering they had been hiding for nearly two weeks all by themselves. It is amazing that the same day we found the kids we found the dog and “watcher” and the kids took to each other like best of friends. They were both lonely and needed a friend…and they are already best friends as I watched them roll around on the floor, play fetch and all. Craig and Kendra have no thought they will see their mom and dad again. What happens to people who refuse the “mark”? According to reports we have been getting authorities are trying to scare and intimidate anyone who refuses to be vaccinated. They tell them they are dead anyway but because they refuse the mark and recognize the leader, they are sorry but they will have to make an example of them. We have heard from several good sources that they have set up banks of guillotines and are publicly beheading those who refuse to receive the mark. I hate to even write this, but Revelation 20:4 says, “I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” We sat around in the afternoon and talked about our chances of getting caught. The odds were pretty high that we would and that meant certain death. It would be almost impossible to last another three plus years before the Lord returned Dana said to the whole group, “I don’t want to push anything on any of you, especially our Jewish friends, but we feel particularly indebted to you although many Christians may have not always shown it. If there is one thing that all of this has taught us, it’s that our lives here aren’t about things, position and prestige. We all know this life isn’t the end. Our concern is this. You have always celebrated Passover – the blood of the lamb on your door posts so the angel of death will pass over you. If you read the Psalms you know that the heart cry of David was to live in God’s presence and have a relationship with Him – in spite of his sin and imperfection. It is about relationship, not keeping law, going through forms (and the same could be said for “Christians”). God had a plan to bring the Messiah to earth – “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”. Everything you have believed and practiced points to the reality of restoring man’s relationship with God. This is an issue for every single person. Do we go on in our pride, our own goodness and self sufficiency or do we cry out as David did for mercy?’ Brett continued, “You have noticed by now that we find the events of the past three and a half years are clearly spelled it in your sacred scriptures as well as ours. This all screams plan and purpose.” Dana added, “God has been working in and through His peoples (whether Jews or Christians) so we will stand up to the world and declare that our God is good, loving and kind. Our God has chosen weak, unworthy earthen vessels and all we can do is declare that He is sufficient. He is faithful. Whether we live or die, we belong to Him.” Finally, I piped in, “we can’t convince you but ask you to simply open your hearts and pray and ask God to reveal His Messiah to you personally. We believe we have all been chosen to stand together and declare His goodness, love and faithfulness to this deceived world. People are blindly following and even worshipping a madman who thinks he is god. They are rounding up and killing all who disagree. Surely there are some “undecided” who have not bowed to this antichrist. We need to help them however we can.” It was getting late now. The kids were cuddled up with Noche over on a mattress in the corner. The rest of us sang some Hebrew hymns we all knew, and gave thanks to the Lord and for one another, committing ourselves to Him for as long as He gives us breath. The whole group was visibly and emotionally touched as the presence of God filled the place. There was no denying, we had all had an encounter we would never forget. Avi, the cantor, said, “thank you brothers and sisters for we truly are family. We will carefully and prayerfully consider these things. I would urge my fellow Jews to do so quickly for time is not on our side. If we are all part of the same plan, then we need to come to terms with our God and Maker and see if these things are true.” Day 29 – We find our purpose The day began uneventfully. We woke up and prepared breakfast. Things were quiet outside, kind of cold and foggy after the rain the past few days. We decided it was time to sit down and talk as one big group about what we were going to do next. The school seemed pretty safe for now, but we couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. We needed to be active doing something. So Brett threw out the question to the group. To our surprise, the kids jumped in first. Craig said, “We need to find as many people as we can and help them see what is coming. They have to keep from taking the “mark” at all costs. And they need to get into a relationship with God because that is the only thing that will last.” Wow, we all thought. Pretty profound for kids! “But isn’t that dangerous,” I asked? “Of course said Craig but we’re all going to die someday anyway so we might as we die trying. Our mom and dad knew the dangers but they felt their resistance to taking the “mark” was nothing compared to the price believers have paid down through the ages. What is a little suffering compared to eternity? I believe them with all my heart.” “So do I” said his sister Kendra. “We have to stand strong at all costs and God will help us. He will give us strength.” “Well,” Brett said, “God said the children will lead us. They speak the truth.” Dana, the 18 year old ex-college student said, “brothers and sisters, we have to look at the big picture. Here we are two groups of people brought together in these circumstances representing in microcosm God’s two peoples: Jews who brought us the Messiah and Christian followers of the Messiah. The first group has struggled for 4,000 years against all odds as Satan tried his best to wipe them off the face of the earth and now he is making his last stand trying to wipe all of us off. But the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God who brought you out of Egypt, through the wilderness and into the Promised Land more than once (parenthetically), is asking His peoples to stand one more time before He ushers in His kingdom. We are so close, within a few years. And this time our dear friends, you will see the reigning King, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He will come in great glory, and little groups of people like us all over the world will usher in the way for Him to come back.” We were stunned by the truth of her words and so touched by the Presence of God, we dropped to our knees and began to pray as we realized how unworthy and yet privileged we were to be allowed to live in such a day. The Rabbi prayed, “King Yeshua, I repent for my stiff neck, for hating You and Your people all these years. Be my Messiah and Lord. Come into this old temple of my body and breathe your life into these dry bones as you promised in Ezekiel 37. From this day forward I am yours and you are mine.” In turn, each Jew asked Messiah to come into their lives and each Christian rededicated themselves to the Lord. At that point, we all knew that whether we lived or died, we would soon be with the Lord for all eternity. We had already lost everything we had, including our careers, our friends, our reputation, our homes, many loved ones but saw more clearly than words could express the glory set before us. This world had nothing to offer any longer. Somehow God had brought us together as a family and a witness. After an hour of prayer and sharing, I said, “well our young friends are right. Somehow, God will have to lead us to people in hiding like us so we can increase the testimony and stand against the darkness that is t aking the earth. Our goal isn’t survival but to stand as a testimony to our God. And if our time comes to leave this clod of dirt, we do so with joy just as Craig and Kendra’s parents did joyfully and without looking back. “For we look for a city whose builder and maker are God.” (Hebrews 11:10) For the rest of the afternoon we talked about their experience. We explained that God’s plan was to not just have a temple made of stones, but that we human beings were His temple and He wanted to dwell in our spirit – that God shaped vacuum we have all experienced and heard about. What happened to them today is the same thing that happened to the Apostle Paul who was once the enemy of the Christians, leading the persecution. We can’t explain it but it happens and our lives are changed. From that subject we talked about our mission. We had to really be guided to the right groups of people. There could be spies and people who weren’t really sympathetic. We would travel by twos thereby limiting any losses if caught. And we wouldn’t bring people back to our group for the same reason but would help them establish their own little hub. We would set up a network and secure communication between groups. We realized some would join us in our mission. Others would be willing to help while others would just be out for themselves trying to survive and stay away from the government forces. But even some of them may see the big picture we had to share. We could point them to Scripture which clearly describes the events leading up to the Tribulation and to the present time. It was apparent to all that had not taken the “mark” that what was happening had a spiritual component. And if something demonic could take control of these people’s lives, why couldn’t God take control of ours and fill us with joy and purpose? Never before in history had the choice been so blatant – “Choose this day who you will serve” – and on a worldwide level. Our job was to find as many as we could and present the alternatives. Our little group took this Scripture as our motto, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” (Revelation 12:11) Day 30 There’s going to be a wedding We all woke up early the next day and had a big surprise waiting. Joe and Etta had been dating for a while but ever since things had gone crazy, their engagement seemed to be on hold. They came to the group and said they felt they should get married and maybe the Cantor could perform the ceremony. They saw no reason to wait, not knowing how long they had, but at least they could get married until “death do them part.” They had met in college through a Christian group on campus. They were just friends for a while, part of a larger group. It wasn’t until the last year that things began to jell. Jo had been raised in a traditional Christian home but like most kids experimented with life during high school. It wasn’t until he got to college that he realized he needed focus in his life. His love was working with kids and the Bible so he did everything he could to prepare for a youth ministry. Etta was raised in a more liberal home but found the Lord early in college. She was hoping to find the perfect husband who would love God, her and kids and when she found Joe, she knew she had found the right one. Once the troubles began they thought they may have to forget getting married. After all, how do you have a relationship when you’re on the run? They thought about it and said – the same way you would if you weren’t. This way they still had each other. We all thought that was a great idea so we quickly planned it for the evening. The girls did their best preparing a wedding feast. We even found some Champaign for toasts. Avi did a great job with the ceremony. Joe was the happiest vagabond we had ever seen and Etta was glowing as they went walking off hand in hand. After the wedding, Avi asked if we could spend the next couple of days bringing them up to speed on things they needed to know and especially wanted to know when it came to how the Old and New Testaments were intertwined when it came to Messiah and prophecy. They all had a good background in the Old Testament and needed to be brought up to speed on the new. As we laid it out, and started to read through the gospels and some of the other books, they were amazed at how “Jewish” the early Christians were including Jesus. Of course, they really were, but that’s beside the point when you have been raised thinking that all Christians hated Jews and just invented a new religion out of whole cloth. They were also amazed at how much of the New Testament consisted of direct quotes from the Old Testament. All in all, it was two very intense days of Q & A and exploration together. They caught on so quickly we couldn’t believe it – understandable considering their spiritual eyes were wide open. They were like sponges. We laid out the importance of God’s peoples as the two witnesses: Israel and the Church. What a miracle Israel is and the fact that the Jews have maintained their identity for all of these years. We began to develop a plan on how to approach the many Jews that were in hiding just like we were. Surely, God would pull together a peoples who would stand against the antichrist and the insidious world he was creating.
Day 33 Go Figure – Stuff Happens! Today we all talked about our situation. Again, we couldn’t believe we were so blind to have missed all the signs. Whether Jews or Christians, we should have recognized the defense Treaty between the U.S. and Israel. But neither group paid much attention to prophecy. In fact, we were surprised to learn that most Jews know very little about the Old Testament. That is left to the Rabbi, much like Christians leave matters of the “Book” to the pastors and priests. The dead give away for both groups was the “Mark of the Beast” – Christians because they had read about it and Jews because the Holocaust was fresh in their memories. But beyond all of that we realized that our senses and minds had been deadened by the constant barrage of news, the “spin” and the commentary. We believed and trusted what we heard, what we had been taught in school, college and church/synagogue. And most people were still following their leaders with blinders on, thinking they were on the brink of a new world. The American leader had mesmerized the world with his speeches, his promises of peace and prosperity. He was absolutely the most believable and persuasive person the public had heard since Adolf Hitler. He seemed so kind and gentle, soft spoken, visionary and strong. He insisted that he believed in the Judeo-Christian religion and his sacrifice in the temple was just a way of bringing them both together, including Islam, if they would accept it. Now that we look back with hindsight we are all surprised at how gullible and easily deceived we were. First there was the rapture. We had been taught and believed that we would be gone when these events took place so we didn’t recognize it when it happened. Second, we believed that the United States was a source of good in the world (and maybe we were at one time) but it turned out that it was all about domination – not always in a military way, but economically. By tying producing countries into us the penultimate consumers, we controlled their destiny. Strange that we sided with the bankers every step of the way. Things like the bailout of Greece, did nothing for Greece but just paid the banks interest they were due. When Portugal, Italy, Spain and other countries began to fall, the bailouts were always for the major players. For years, we didn’t understand that the money elite were merely taking care of one another. Once we realized that “we the people” had been reduced to serfdom, hopelessly over our heads in debt, there was nothing more we could do. An “entitlement society” was born that depended on government handouts. Taxes were increased on all of us to the point that 70 percent of our income went right back out to others. Something was wrong. Going into debt was just too easy but it left the little people with nothing and the few elites left with everything. We had no idea how the global elites were tied together. One heck of a conspiracy – better than anything the best fiction writer could ever come up with. Social Security stayed increased slowly for the older ones who were still qualified but their checks were ravaged by inflation. The Younger people were encouraged to invest in private accounts which had a way of ballooning up to a nice amount, only to be wiped out by the next bubble. Foreclosures didn’t stop as the price of housing dropped from an average of $300,000 in 2007 to $125,000 by 2012 and ended up around $10,000 to $25,000 so everyone was wiped out. There was no equity. Dot coms like “Facebook” exploded in value only to be wiped out by the next innovation. Even Apple fell to competitors. Globalization continued to as a long term trend. The world became the market place and wherever it could be made for lower cost, the jobs kept moving. Countries like Mexico and Indonesia lost their jobs to other countries. The few elites whether in China, Europe or the Americas continued to prosper. The truth be told, Americans the world over or their lackeys were sitting on the boards and in the executive suites. We kept being told the economy was turning around, jobs were being created (and if not, the government would take care of us), that these were temporary adjustments. We had no idea that we were falling into a new kind of feudalism where the “haves” lived the life of luxury in gated communities and the “have nots” in ghetto suburbs riddled by drugs and crime. Families were quickly becoming passé while young people hooked up and babies became wards of the state – remember when we were told that “it takes a village?” Children were housed and schooled in orphanage/schools and raised to meet the needs of the elites – channeled into various vocations. The entertainment industry touted the enlightened approach to child rearing. Two parent families (with a man and a woman) made up less than ten percent. Meanwhile, young people were provided with housing and employment along with free drugs, partying and more partying. Since people couldn’t afford housing, they were told where to live and work. Neighborhoods turned into no man zones because no one could afford to keep up a house. They few that were lived in had huge extended families trying to make a go of it. Given the backdrop of a society in retreat, the most prestigious jobs became the military and para military (elite units that used to be CIA that infiltrated and destabilized any enemies). Both men and women learned how to take orders and deal with dissent harshly. The days of rallying on the campus lawns or marching on the capital were over. Periodic “terrorist attacks” – bombs in shopping centers, even bombs in cars and IUDs put fear into people who became accustomed to checks going in and out of most buildings, check points along the highway and in all public transportation. Criminals and dissenters were taken to camps/holding facilities where they pretty much disappeared. But in the name of safety and security, the average person embraced the end of freedom. Political correctness reigned. Churches that benefited from “tax free-501C3” status were not allowed to preach an exclusive message claiming they are “right” and everyone else is “wrong”. It was illegal to criticize anyone publicly for their lifestyle, beliefs or choices. For that matter, a new religion of love and acceptance was all that was tolerated. Up until recently, churches who didn’t receive any money or special treatment from the government were left alone. Once the “mark” began, even that ended. Churches and synagogues were all taken over and policed by homeland security. There was no more sin, no more right or wrong, no more individual rights. We all lived for the whole and did whatever the “whole” decided – the common good as defined by the government. We were all so passive, so accepting. It took years to evolve but once the crackdown came, it was complete and rather than rebel, people accepted it. What could they do? The collective was the only solid thing left. There was no family, church, school of neighborhood in the traditional sense. Early on, there were a few dissenters but it wasn’t long before they either stopped opposing the regime or they “disappeared.” If you are reading this and can’t believe that it could happen, believe me, it did… not overnight. Remember all the things you have to do to get on an airplane? (take off shoes, throw away liquids, take things out of your pocket, open your computer, go through an x-ray or pat down) You know, surveys showed that 90% of the people didn’t mind because at least they felt safer. In the same way, everything began to happen. Life style “changes” would be glorified by the media and then start to show up in society. Marriage was no longer necessary. Any combination of people made up a family. It became impossible to control drugs so they were legalized and doled out according to need. The government realized no one cared about kids so “villages” were created to raise families. I know this sounds farfetched, but it happened. The few of us huddled here in this school tried to hold on to our families and friends. We had already been ostracized by our church and found our real relation with God and one another in the home meeting. Our Jewish brothers and sisters had been meeting in the Cantor’s home and were desperately trying to hang on. This may have been the only thing that saved us from the brain washing machine that made up our society. We were determined to hold on to God and one another. Both groups had a deep feeling that we were not alone in our stand against the war society was waging against us. Hey friends. Hope you are hearing this. I wish someone had warned me. Unfortunately we learned the hard way. More tomorrow. Bye Day 34 Our Fortunes Turn on a Dime! Our survivalist friends keep a pretty good eye out for supplies as well as patrols. They have been scoping out some semi-rural areas that may still have some food production capability. Ty suggested an old nearly abandoned farming town a few miles outside of town. It would be a dangerous trip but according to Ty there were fruit trees and some gardens still producing vegetables. There were also some wild pigs and chickens wandering around. An old farm house had a full basement that gave fairly good cover. The trick was going to be getting there without being caught. Day 36 A Meeting with the Mormons We both ended up in this little farming area. It looks abandoned. We are both underground away from prying eyes, satellites, etc. and the grounds look abandoned. One could only tell on close inspection that there are in fact some gardens, farm animals and fruit trees but only with some difficulty. The Mormon family consists of an older couple and their two married children and their families. They used to live in the city but spent several years developing this "non-working farm" for a time such as this. So after dinner, they invited us over to share common experiences. The bottom line is that both groups felt blindsided by events the past few years. Yes it kind of matched our respective prophetic views, but the Devil is in the details so please read on. We met in their huge basement - an underground area that was much larger than the house above - quite deep in the ground with what appears to be several feet of concrete all around, especially between the ceiling and ground level. They showed us huge storage rooms full of stock piles of supplies they had laid up over the years. As we gathered in what must have been their "family room", the father of the family, Sam began his story. He said, "much like you evangelicals, we Mormons believe we are in the last days (thus our name 'Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints'). We were taught that there would be a great falling away accompanies by war, famine and other natural disasters. Interestingly enough, Mormon beliefs are not that different. We not only saw the signs of the times, but were taught to do something about it in terms of food storage and emergency preparedness. We seem to be one of the few groups that took prophecy seriously. Unlike you, we weren't expecting a rapture but we did expect a different ending. I don't know if you knew this but from the earliest of Mormon history, we have felt a kinship with America in particular (because we were taught that Jesus came here and preached to the American indians in the Book of Mormon). We were also taught that the U.S Constitution is a God-breathed document just like the Bible and Book of Mormon. About 200 years ago Joseph Mormon prophesied that there would be a time when the Constitution was hanging by a thread and a Mormon President would come in to save the day and bring revival. We thought that would be George Romney. We had no idea how critical the actual nation of Israel was to prophecy. We looked on Israel as a self-fufilling prophecy - something so many wanted to see so it just happened but no more significance than that. We can read as well and as we began to reread Isaiah, Daniel, Revelations and other prophecy, we began to see another scenario unfolding - one we had not been taught. It turned out that a Mormon President did not come to the rescue. Things continued to get worse in the Middle East and around the world. The President signed a treaty with Israel and defended her to the hilt and continued his war of liberation and conquest around the world. The rebuilt temple, the President;s assination and rebirth or whatever you want to call it, came out of no where. When he declared himself to be God and insisted we all take the "mark", we knew it was time to get out of Dodge. Maybe you can tell us about your journey." So with that we shared our story and how we were completely deceived and taken aback by events as well. Unlike them, we were completely unprepared in terms of what to do. We ended up here because Thor, a survivalist friend knew this place next to yours was available. It was getting late so we said good night and agreed to continue the discussion later in the week.
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