Facing the Future (7 page)

“Not that long ago I never knew anyone who had been the victim of a violent crime. I never knew anyone who had been killed, murdered, or even threatened. Now Ryan has had his parents both die, Lionel has lost an uncle to murder, and Judd has lost a new acquaintance. It’s as if God is using this period in history as a crash course in life and death. We tell people they don’t have a lot of time to be deciding what they will do about Jesus, and then it is proven to us every day.”

Judd collapsed into bed that night with mixed emotions. He missed his family, but he was grateful for his new friends, for Bruce, and for his own assurance of heaven. He wished he knew the mind of God better and could understand why things happened the way they did—either that or to be able to somehow explain them to people like Tom Fogarty.

Judd was fascinated by prophecy and the fact that he and his friends were living right in the middle of it every day. He knew Bruce’s teaching on the Antichrist would be troubling and scary, but he would sure rather know than not know what was coming.

T
HE
following Sunday, Judd had the idea Bruce was holding back with the congregation that packed the pews at New Hope Village Church. Oh, Bruce was as earnest as ever. But he had told Judd and the other kids that he suspected Nicolae Carpathia, the new head of the United Nations, was the Antichrist. Bruce swore them to secrecy and said the only others who knew how he felt were four adults who formed a sort of inner circle within the church.

When Judd heard Bruce’s message that Sunday, he realized the point of all the secrecy. Bruce outlined from Scripture what he believed were the characteristics of the Antichrist, and anybody with a brain could see he was talking about Carpathia. But Bruce was careful not to use his name or the name of the organization he ran. Judd decided that Bruce had big plans and that he wanted to survive in order to carry them out. He wanted to expand his ministry, to branch out and teach small groups in homes all over America and maybe the rest of the world. If he said from the pulpit of a big church exactly who he thought was the Antichrist—and if he were right—his life would be worthless.

Bruce had promised the kids that he would show them tapes from the big news shows, tapes he had been gathering for days. Somewhere in the middle of all his study and ministry, Bruce had found the time to edit and put the tapes in order. He told Judd that with just a little of his own explaining, he believed Judd and the other three would know for sure what to make of Carpathia.

Monday afternoon the kids met with Bruce, and only Bruce. At other times there were a few other adults or Bruce’s secretary in with them. But not this time. Bruce had rigged up a TV set and a VCR, and he sat with a pile of notes on a yellow legal pad, and of course his Bible.

After they brought each other up-to-date on their lives, their study, and their prayer requests, they prayed. Then Bruce began with a tape from
Nightline
the night after Carpathia appeared at the United Nations. “It shows this guy as a master communicator. I know you all saw his address to the United Nations. Remember, he was just a guest. That speech and the way he carried himself made them beg him to take over. Watch now, and see how well coached he is. Either that, or he’s a natural, born for television.”

Carpathia looked directly into the camera whenever possible and seemed to be looking right at the viewer. Judd couldn’t take his eyes from the handsome, engaging, often smiling face. He found himself wishing such a nice, well-spoken, and seemingly kind man didn’t have to be a bad guy. And he even found himself wondering if Bruce could be wrong. He hoped so, but Bruce hadn’t been wrong about much so far.

The interviewer was a newsman named Wallace Theodore. He began, “Your speech at the United Nations, which was sandwiched between two press conferences today, seems to have electrified New York, and because so much of it has been aired on both early-evening and late-night local newscasts, you’ve become a popular man in this country seemingly all at once.”

Carpathia smiled. “Like anyone from Europe, particularly Eastern Europe, I am amazed at your technology. I—”

“But isn’t it true, sir, that your roots are actually in Western Europe? Though you were born in Romania, are you not by heritage actually Italian?”

Bruce pointed the remote control at the TV and paused the tape. “Remember what I taught you about the Antichrist?” he said. “That he would have Roman blood?”

The kids nodded, and Bruce turned the tape back on.

“That is true,” Carpathia was saying, “as is true of many native Romanians. Thus the name of our country. But as I was saying about your technology. It is amazing, but I confess I did not come to your country to become or to be made into a celebrity. I have a goal, a mission, a message, and it has nothing to do with my popularity or my personal—”

Bruce fast-forwarded the tape, explaining that Carpathia was defending his submitting to an interview with
People
magazine. Bruce started the tape again as Carpathia was saying, “I am on a crusade to see the peoples of the world come together. I do not seek a position of power or authority. I simply ask to be heard. I hope my message comes through in the article in the magazine as well.”

Vicki interrupted by raising her hand. “Now, see?” she said. “What’s so wrong with that? Isn’t that what we want to hear someone say at a time like this?”

“Sure,” Bruce said, “but keep listening carefully.”

Mr. Theodore said, “You already have a position of both power and authority, Mr. Carpathia.”

“Well, our little country asked me to serve, and I was willing.”

“How do you respond to those who say you skirted protocol and that your elevation to the presidency in Romania was partially effected by strong-arm tactics?”

“Whoa!” Lionel blurted, shaking his head. “Pause that. He totally lost me. What is he asking?”

Bruce chuckled. “Let me interpret. Protocol is the standard and accepted way of doing things. Romania had a democratic election, but some people say that Carpathia somehow got around that by getting himself put in as president, even though it was in the middle of another man’s term in office. Carpathia was just a member of the lower house of government there before that.”

Lionel nodded and the tape began again.

Carpathia responded, “I would say that that is the perfect way to attack a pacifist, one who is committed to disarmament not only in Romania and the rest of Europe but also globally.”

“In other words,” Bruce interjected quickly, “he says he doesn’t believe in war and weaponry.”

“So you deny,” the newsman came back, “having a business rival murdered seven years ago and using intimidation and powerful friends in America to usurp the president’s authority in Romania?”

“The so-called murdered rival was one of my dearest friends, and I mourn him bitterly to this day. The few American friends I have may be influential here, but they could not have any bearing on Romanian politics. You must know that our former president asked me to replace him for personal reasons.”

“But that completely ignores your constitution’s procedure for succession to power.”

“How they elect a president,” Bruce explained.

“That was voted upon by the people and by the government and ratified with a huge majority,” Carpathia said.

“After the fact.”

“In a way, yes. But in another way, had they not ratified it, both popularly and within the houses of government, I would have been the briefest reigning president in our nation’s history.”

Theodore asked him, “Why the United Nations? Some say you would have more impact and get more mileage out of an appearance before our Senate and House of Representatives.”

“I would not even dream of such a privilege,” Carpathia said. “But, you see, I was not looking for mileage. The U.N. was envisioned originally as a peacekeeping effort. It must return to that role.”

“You hinted today, and I hear it in your voice even now, that you have a specific plan for the U.N. that would make it better and which would be of some help during this unusually horrific season in history.”

“I do. I do not feel it was my place to suggest such changes when I was a guest; however, I have no hesitation in this context. I am a proponent of disarmament. That is no secret. While I am impressed with the wide- ranging capabilities, plans, and programs of the United Nations, I do believe, with a few minor adjustments and the cooperation of its members, it can be all it was meant to be. We can truly become a global community.”

“Can you briefly outline that in a few seconds?”

Carpathia’s laugh appeared deep and genuine. “That is always dangerous,” he said, “but I will try. As you know, the Security Council of the United Nations has five permanent members: the United States, the Russian Federation, Britain, France, and China. I propose choosing another five, just one each from the five different regions of the world. Then you would have ten permanent members of the Security Council, but the rest of my plan is revolutionary. Currently the five permanent members have veto power. Votes on procedure require a nine-vote majority; votes on substance require a majority, including all five permanent members. I propose a tougher system. I proposed unanimity.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Select carefully the representative ten permanent members. They must get input from and support from all the countries in their respective regions.”

“It sounds like a nightmare.”

“But it would work, and here is why. A nightmare is what happened to us last week. The time is right for the peoples of the world to rise up and insist that their governments disarm and destroy all but ten percent of their weapons. That ten percent would be, in effect, donated to the United Nations so it could return to its rightful place as a global peacekeeping body, with the authority and power in the equipment to do the job.”

Bruce paused the tape yet again and apologized to the kids. “I’m sorry to make you listen to all that discussing of the ins and outs of the United Nations, but I think you can catch the drift there. Does anyone hear anything that sounds suspicious, based on what we’ve been studying in the book of Revelation?”

Judd took a breath to speak, but Vicki beat him to the punch. “There’s all kinds of stuff in Revelation about the ten kings! You think Carpathia’s idea of ten rulers matches up with that?”

“What do you think?” Bruce said.

“I guess it’s pretty hard to argue with,” Vicki said.

“Let me just play another couple of moments from this tape, which I find more than alarming.” Bruce started the tape.

“What is your personal goal?” Theodore was asking. “A leadership role in the European Common Market?”

“Romania is not even a member, as you know. But no, I have no personal goal of leadership, except as a voice. We must disarm, we must empower the United Nations, we must move to one currency, and we must become a global village.”

Bruce turned the tape off and removed it from the VCR. “Would you believe that several adults who have talked to me found Nicolae Carpathia a very impressive guy?”

“That doesn’t surprise me at all,” Vicki said. “He’s a
very
impressive guy. He seems so sincere and humble.”

“If this man is the Antichrist,” Bruce said, “he will be attractive, charming, and a great deceiver. Of course, if he were for real, he would also be attractive and charming. We must be, as the Bible says, wise as serpents and gentle as doves as we study this. But think with me for a moment. If this man is the Antichrist—and we already know that since these tapes were recorded he has been installed as secretary-general of the U.N.—think what the world is doing if it does what he says.”

The kids sat silent for a moment. Judd looked at the others. They looked puzzled. He had already thought of it. “He calls himself a pacifist,” Judd said. “But what if he’s not? What if he’s a dictator? He’s talked everyone else into giving up their weapons, destroying most of them and giving the rest to him. He’ll have all the firepower. We’d better
hope
he’s a pacifist!”

Bruce nodded. “Now let me show you this tape I recorded from CNN. It was shot in Israel, and it’s the strangest report. What you’ll see first is a mob in front of the famous Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. They’re surrounding two men who seem to be shouting. Watch and listen.”

“No one knows the two men,” said the CNN reporter on the scene, “who refer to each other as Eli and Moishe. They have stood here before the Wailing Wall since just before dawn, preaching in a style frankly reminiscent of the old American evangelists. Of course, the Orthodox Jews here are in an uproar, charging the two with desecrating this holy place by proclaiming that Jesus Christ of the New Testament is the fulfillment of the Torah’s prophecy of a messiah.

“Thus far there has been no violence, though tempers are flaring, and authorities keep a watchful eye. Israeli police and military personnel have always been loath to enter this area, leaving religious zealots here to handle their own problems. This is the most explosive situation in the Holy Land since the destruction of the Russian air force, and this newly prosperous nation has been concerned almost primarily with outside threats.

“For CNN, this is Dan Bennett in Jerusalem.”

Judd noticed Bruce was particularly excited now. “I know you’ve already seen some of these reports, but you must recognize those two men preaching at the Wailing Wall as the two witnesses prophesied in Scripture. The Bible says that those two men will be safe from harm and will have power over even the rainfall in Israel for the first half of the Tribulation period. They have the power to keep it from raining, the power to turn water into blood, and the power to breathe fire on people who try to harm them before the due time. What will be really incredible is that when they are finally assassinated, the Scripture says they will lie in the street for three days before the eyes of the entire world. Before technology as we know it, most biblical experts considered this to be figurative or symbolic language. How could the whole world see two men lying in the streets for three days? Well, now we know. Most will likely watch this on CNN.