The Mark

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Henry sat at his desk, wondering what to do next. His mind was reeling with the consequences of what he had just witnessed. He had prepared for this as best he could, but never really imagined it would happen the way it did. On live TV, Adolph Hitler just desecrated the temple in Jerusalem and demanded the worship of the world, exactly how Daniel predicted the abomination of desolation would.

Unbelievable.

Then the second wave hit him. The tribulation that would start two months from today, if they really had two months, would be the most incredible persecution the world had ever seen. And it was going to be swift and thorough. Everything he had worked for, his house, his savings account, his portfolio-all of it was worthless now. Now, he just had to survive.

And convince Anna to survive with him.

Wayne Durbin looked up from his desk. Thomas Larson was bounding in the door like a man on a mission.

"You've obviously seen it," he started.

Durbin pointed to the phone on his ear and held up one finger. It

would only take a minute more to finish the call.

"Completely verified. You're sure about that? Yep, thanks."

Durbin hung up the phone and told Thomas to take a seat.

"What in the world is going on?" Thomas sat on the edge of

chair.

his

"The official word from Washington is that this is the real deal." "It's really Hitler? Come on, is this a joke? And the number 666 who does he think he is? Doesn't he realize that would be offensive to Christians?"

"If it's really Hitler, who knows what he's thinking."

"If it's really Hitler, we had better drop a bomb on his head and do it quick! He's already killed the Prime Minister of Israel in front of the whole world!"

"I hear you, but have you forgotten he had some help? I don't know what they were, but those little imp things seem to be at his beck and call."

"Well, this is absolutely unbelievable. I mean really-I can't-I won't believe it. It's ridiculous. I can't believe we're even talking about it."

"You saw it with your own eyes, Thomas. But calm down a minute and think this through with me. As Magorum, he accomplished in credible things. The humanitarian aid alone to Africa has saved mil lions of lives. Look at his peace initiatives. Even this unified currency act-the benefits of joining the FWP are unlimited."

"What are you saying? He's a changed man? We should follow him? I can't believe you would even"

"Quit focusing on the man and look at his actions. Obviously he had to hide his identity or no one would have ever elected him in the first place. But he's had twenty years of peaceful and successful ser vice in Europe and the Middle East, and his actions prove he's not the same man anymore!"

Thomas took to his feet. "What are you talking about? He wants everyone to tattoo a number on their bodies and build idols to wor ship him. That sounds like the same man to me!"

"So he's a little power hungry. He has come through with every promise he's made, so why shouldn't we trust him?"

"Rabin sure didn't get a good deal."

"They had a past-and in front of the whole world Rabin turned on him. Considering everything Mag... I mean Hitler, has done for Is rael, what kind of man would oppose him on international television? That man was a spineless loser anyway. You watch-Israel will be the first to sign up because they can see a good thing from a mile off."

"And what are we going to do? This guy was our enemy. Back in World War II he tried to get Mexico and Canada to turn against us. We're not going to sit by and let him get away with this? He slaugh tered millions, you haven't forgotten that?"

To Durbin, this all made perfect sense. He couldn't figure out why Thomas was so worked up.

"We were prepared to sign the FWP treaty next month and I'll bet we move up the date. By tomorrow, our leaders will have their mark and their idols in place. Listen, this is much more than a man with a past we're dealing with. He's got quite a convincing army and as best as I can assess the situation, all we have to do is align with him and we get all the benefits in the world. It's really not that hard of a decision."

Durbin watched Thomas take a step back from his desk. "I can't believe you are taking this in stride. Wayne, wake up and smell the coffee! This man is insane. I can't believe we're even talking about him like this is real."

"We need this alliance, Thomas. This could be a huge break for Cres ton. There are unlimited research funds just waiting to be tapped and I for one want to be one of the first to apply for them!" Durbin leaned back in his chair and put a little more distance between himself and Thomas.

"Do you only see dollar signs here? Are you really missing the big picture?"

"You're the one who's missing the big picture. This alliance is our ticket to prosperity in this country. It's not just Creston-it's the whole country. We're not going to have a choice, Thomas, so you may as well just get used to it."

"It seems to me we all have a choice. I just can't believe you would choose so quickly to jump on board with a dictator who's proven to be the worst killer in the history of mankind."

"He's proven to be a peacemaker. You of all people should know how to forgive past sins and give someone a second chance."

"Don't try to turn this on me. I'm telling you right now, Wayne. I am not taking that number and there won't be any idol in my house!" "Oh, come on, Thomas. You're making a bigger deal out of this than it needs to be. Go home and sleep on it. See what Washington says

about it tomorrow. It's not worth getting this upset over nothing."

Durbin stood and extended his hand to Thomas. He took it with. out looking Durbin in the eye, then turned and left.

Wayne Durbin watched from his window as Thomas got in his car and pulled out of the parking lot. It concerned him that his friend reacted so violently and he decided he had better work on a statement for his own people. First he would put another call in to Governor Slate and then he would meet with his staff. It was going to be a late night. It was probably a good thing now that Thomas didn't work for him.

His intercom buzzed and the voice of his secretary said, "Mayor, I have your wife on line one. Do you want to speak to her?" Durbin sighed and shook his head. "Sure. Put her through."

March

The ride to Dave's house flew by while Henry shared with Charlie the reactions of those around him when Hitler was revealed. By the time they got to Dave's, there were already several cars in his drive way and more parked on the street. It looked like all seventeen of the fellowship members were present, and when Henry walked through the front door the buzz of discussion was deafening. Henry met eyes with Dave and he motioned with his hand for Henry and Charlie to

join him in the kitchen. "How're you two doing?" Dave asked as he handed both of them

a soft drink.

"Shocked," answered Charlie. "That's all I can say. It's shocking...

shocking." "One hundred ninety-nine... two hundred! His last two 'shock ings' pushed the total to two hundred since he picked me up," teased

Henry. "I think it's safe to say, Charlie's in shock."

Dave patted Charlie on the shoulder and they joined the rest of the fellowship in the living room. Henry sat down and waited for Dave to get things going.

"I have very mixed emotions tonight," he began as he stood before the fellowship. "I don't know if we should be rejoicing or mourning.

I am somewhat in awe of the fact that we have been called to experi ence this time. There is a lot of emotion flowing through this room, through the church, and through the world in general. So my goal is not to go long tonight. Those of you with families need to be home with them. I'll try to be brief and to the point."

Henry could hear his pulse beat in his ears and tried to mentally coerce his anxious heart to settle down. He was sure he wasn't alone, as the whole room seemed to hang on Dave's every word.

"Before we get to our plans, I want to share with you some pos sible responses by believers to what we have witnessed today. Some will completely discount the reality of the situation until it's too late. They will say it was a Hollywood-style stunt and they will do nothing to prepare for the coming persecution."

Dave walked over to his fireplace and threw another log on the burning fire. "Others will say that Israel may be in for a bad time, but we in America are too far removed. And still others will refuse to be lieve this is the beginning of the end. They will be confused why the rapture hasn't happened and they may turn from their faith. I'm not even talking about the world, yet. But you must understand this today the death warrant of the church was just presented to the world and in two months it will be signed and served. We have two months and then we disappear."

Still silence. The burden of understanding and responsibility fell upon the shoulders of the seventeen men in the room. Henry thought of his mother and his sister. Would they listen to him now? Would they come? His eyes fell to the floor as he envisioned that conversa tion and he hoped with all his heart they would hear him out. Dave's voice pulled him away from his thoughts.

"We need an accurate list of occupants and final supplies. I don't know if ordering more MREs is a good idea now because that might draw attention to us, but a few of us can hit the military supply stores in larger outlying cities and buy their stock, if there is any left. We have a hefty supply already, but after the demonic display in the tem

ple, we may have more than two hundred of us hiding." "I'll take the names for the occupancy list." volunteered Todd Lothamer, who was sitting to Henry's left. "When do you want people

to move in?"

"I think we can start the move one month from today. The com pound needs to be accessed by the tunnel system so be sure to give good directions and most of you should accompany the residents. We have to limit the above ground activity to avoid suspicion. We will also need to assign men to run the tunnels for supplies and se curity. Some of you are in better shape than others, and that may be your role. I also would like to have a meeting with any of the wives who are coming. Though most of them have been in the compound already, I think another look, I guess a more realistic look at this point couldn't hurt."

Henry listened as the married men finalized a time for their wives to go to the compound. He wondered if Anna had tried to call him during the meeting. He still hadn't talked with her yet and he pulled his cell out of his back pocket and looked for messages. Nothing. This was starting to worry him.

"What do we do with our houses... our cars?" asked one of the

married men.