give us that knowledge. I can tell you what I see, but that is only a small part of the whole. Only God knows for sure.”
Pausing to reflect on the enormity of the question, he continued. “I see that the battle is on everywhere around the world because of the prominence God has given to what the Bookseller shared. The worldwide network broadcasts and the protected prayer website all combine together to declare that no one will have an excuse for they have all heard the Truth, and now they must choose.”
“At least the president has chosen. Will that alone be enough?” Barnabas asked Lucius.
“It could be that God spares America during Joshua Strong’s service as president like He did for King Josiah when Josiah responded to the discovery of the Book of the Law and heard its Truth for the first time,”24 Lucius answered.
“Yes,” Manaen added, “but remember, even Josiah’s faithfulness was not enough to ultimately save the nation. Even under a righteous leader, the people did not choose in their hearts to follow God, and they were eventually destroyed.25 I don’t know, I am only an angel, but I cannot believe that God will save America even temporarily if the people ignore the president’s call to stand before God tomorrow and allow Him to reveal what He considers to be their sin. Especially for them to then agree that it is sin because God said it was sin, and for them to be changed and turn away from that sin. To do so is the essence of bowing before a holy God to worship and serve Him.
“I fear that America has become too proud and arrogant to bow down before anyone. It has become its own god. It makes its own rules. The darkness over America has become too great, and its negative influence around the world has become too high a price for God to allow its survival for long as it is,” Lucius responded soberly. “People across the earth are being deceived by America and are being led as fools into the eternity of the second death, separated from God forever. America cannot be allowed to continue unchanged, or God will no longer be God. Either it will change when God’s people change, or God will allow its destruction as a nation, and it will fade into history as has every great world power before it.”
The families and friends of those who died or were injured at the hands of the terrorists had made their choice. They would return to College Church tomorrow morning to join with others to stand before the Lord as the president had requested. They now had a much greater understanding of its significance and wanted to be changed.
Cox’s Assault from Phoenix
Demas Assad and Phygelus Aldar were visibly uncomfortable with the posthumous presentation for Abdul Farsi as the new purported Arab hero who rescued Christians and sacrificed his life. They knew it was a total lie and feared that the more it was publicized, the more likely it would be that the whole house of cards would fall. Somewhere out there was evidence of their involvement together over all these years. They needed to complete the update and transfer leadership so they could assume other identities and get out of the country as quickly as possible, but they could not run until this event ended and the information was passed later tonight to the gathered coordinators.
Former President Cox was almost through his comments when he turned ugly. For decades, he had been one living under the influence of many Tempters including lust, pride, jealousy, hate, and anger. In him, they became a “full house” of evil to which he often willingly surrendered, in their time manipulated his thoughts and actions. Working together with his Keeper, the Tempters were able to make Cox an instrument of the Dark Master’s agenda when needed, and he was needed now to attack the President’s call for tomorrow.
“I must close with a warning and with thanksgiving,” Cox continued, pausing for effect. “Our military forces have attacked Mosques in the Middle East, and we express surprise when a church is attacked here. The book on which so many rely would call a person expressing surprise at such an attack in light of what we have done in the Middle East, a ‘hypocrite.’ Can we truly be surprised or angered when we receive back ‘an eye for an eye’?26 Perhaps it is time for us to look at the log in our own eye before we attack one with a speck in theirs.27
“Listen closely. The public tone of our nation has changed the past few weeks. We now hear much about God and how we must change because He is somehow angry at the way we live. I might pay more attention if those who used His name were addressing how He views the way our government treats others around the world, or even our own people here at home.
“Remember that you heard it from me first — tyranny will come in this nation disguised as a cross wrapped in a flag.” It will look good, even religious and patriotic, but it will be nothing more than a slick, deceptive political scheme to grab your emotions and control your life. It will steal your freedom and make you a puppet.
“We face one of those manufactured moments tomorrow. Our president has called us to stand before God because God is displeased with you — but not with him. I suggest that you comply with the president’s request to spend a few moments before God tomorrow, but spend those moments asking God to open the president’s eyes to his sin and evil before his policies turn the whole world against us.
“We don’t have to be a victim of terrorism. We can be a friend rather than an enemy. We can address the causes of hate rather than giving others a reason to hate. It is there that America has sinned, and that sin is not yours or mine. That sin rests on the president. Don’t allow his call to divert attention from the real sinner. He is the guilty one with blood on his hands.
“Lastly, parents, as the keeper of our children, yours is a sacred trust; it is truly a responsibility before God. Continue to teach and open eyes to the reality of what we have become as a nation. Expose them to the lies of history so that we will move forward in our evolution into a society which protects the rights of all men and women to pursue happiness however they may choose without being subject to the hypocrite’s hate or the Pharisees’ legislation.
“Thank you, and good night.”
“Finally, he is finished,” thought Assad as he left the auditorium with Aldar to begin their room to room gatherings to pass on the Sheik’s message and transfer leadership. Then they could escape while the plan moved forward.
The President’s Return to Washington
Watching the Cox speech aboard Air Force One, the president shook his head as he turned the television set off. “Hard to believe that man was once the president of the United States,” he said to Janet. “It is frightening, frankly. How did we make it through that time in history?”
“We made it the same way we will make through your’s — if we do. It will be by God’s grace and nothing else,” Janet responded.
“You sure have a way of taking a few inches of a man’s height,” the president said, smiling. “Thanks.”
“No charge,” was the response. “A First Lady’s most difficult assignment is always to manage her husband’s hat size.”
“Mr. President,” Tom Knight said seizing an opportunity to get his full attention.
“Yes, Tom,” the president answered turning for the moment from Janet to give him his full attention.
“David and I need a minute.”
“Sure, what do you have?”
“I want to leave this communication from General Hedges with you for your review,” Knight began. “This is the Joint Chiefs’ recommendation on troop redeployment, both in the States and overseas. We will need to move whole units almost immediately from Europe and elsewhere to bases here, as well as redeploy naval taskforces near our coast to be prepared for MD on whatever accelerated schedule we face. Time is short, and the obvious problem is that it takes time to redeploy, and redeployment cannot be done in secret. As soon as major troop and ship movements begin, the Russians will pick it up and not far behind them the press will get a report from somewhere.”
“We have to have a strategy for dealing with the Russians sooner rather than later,” the president responded thoughtfully. “I think I have come to know President Sorboth well enough that I have difficulty believing he understands what Vandenburg