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You turn off the TV and sit back in your easy chair; with your eyes closed you are thinking to yourself, “What is this world coming to? People being kidnapped by UFO’s, the middle east says they are at peace with each other, yesterday Mormons came knocking at my door, oh yeah Jim at work bugs me about being saved and that Jesus is coming back real soon.” “I don’t know what to think about all this, what is going on in this world?” “And the matter of religion, who is right, not all religions can be right.” At work a lot of your old friends are not the same, a lot of them are now Christians and have changed their ways. You see something different in their eyes, like they know something really big is going to happen and they can’t wait. “Jesus, He is coming back soon, we are in the last days!” “Do you want to be apart of the most wonderful thing to happen to mankind?” One says to you. ... No, I’m not interested in your religion, as for your Jesus returning yeah right that will be the day and I’ll worry about being saved then, And by the way I don’t have time for all of this so take your Jesus talk and get lost!” You turn your head and start walking away from your friend. You start to mumble something under your breath. “Oh one thing my brother,” your friend says, Their will be a day when you will kneel before the Lord and confess Him Lord of Lords.” Yeah right buddy, I rather have my head cut off before I do something like that.” you reply sarcastically. Things around the world are changing. Here in America, the president wants to eliminate paper money and set up a system where a computer bar code can be placed some where on your person. H.R.S. is replacing their old computer system with a new system that can store more information on a client then before. In Europe, money has been eliminated and everybody uses a credit card like system, when you work instead of getting a paycheck you will get a pay stub stating how much credit you have earned in your account. It’s exactly what the U.S. government wants to do, but because of Christian out cry and the bill always gets voted down. They say its part of the antichrist control of mankind. Two months has gone by and from what is manifesting in the world now it seems like something really major is going to happen. Meanwhile, thoughts of being saved drifts through your mind. “Who do I believe the Mormons or the Christians?” Finally you make your decision, some of my friends have done it and they say it has worked for them. I see it on TV all the time...well...I guess I’ll go ahead ... or, maybe. See a psychic first, before I even think of being a Christian.” The next day you go to see Madam Rulenska the Psychic. For twenty-five dollars she will tell you your future by reading your palm or use tarot cards. You walk in to her office; there in the middle of the room is a table with a black cloth draped over the top of it with a large crystal ball in the middle and a deck of tarot cards next to it. “Please have a seat”, you stop, and look around there is nobody in the room. You don’t know where the voice is coming from, so with trepidation you walk very slowly to the table. You have a seat. “Welcome and thank you for coming.” A voice startles you, and there across the table is Madam Rulenska. She is dressed like a gypsy with long black fingernails and long black hair. She looks at you and says I Know why you are here, you start to say something then she interrupts you. “You need not say anything, I’ll do the talking.” Madam Rulenska looks into the crystal ball and says, “You are here to find out about your future.” You sit up and you mutter “Why yes.... How did you know this?” “You are at a fork in the road in your life and you don’t know where to turn.” “Wwwhy yesss.” Then Madam Rulenska waves here hand over the crystal ball and says. “You will find yourself in a different world a land that you will not be use to or recognize.” Your first thought is, Heaven...will I be going after all. Then another thought came to you, the UFO’s their coming to get me and take me to their planet. “Tell me more!” “No, not now I have another client to see, how about Friday at 12:00?” “OK, that will be fine.” You pay Madam Rulenska and leave. You can’t believe what you have been told. You shake you head saying, “No, it can’t be true, and what does she mean a different world?” When you arrive home later that day a strange feeling over comes you. It feels like something is compelling you to do something but you just don’t know what Days go by and still you don’t know what this feeling is. The phone rings it is Jim your Christian friend at work. He tells you that he has been praying for you and to tell you that Jesus loves you. You reply back, “Pray all you want, I’m not changing my mind, I don’t need Jesus right now. I’ve got other things to worry about...like my future.” “No man, Jesus is your only future. A day will come when Jesus returns and God will remove His Holy Spirit from the world, it will be a horrible place to live...a different world. Not like the one we live in now.” “That sounds fine and dandy, it just won’t happen probably not even in my lifetime. I’ve got to go now its Thursday and it is my bowling night, so good-bye.” You hang up the phone; I wish he would just go away and leave me alone. That night you come home from bowling, what a great night you shout. Man can I bowl or what! You sit down and look over your score sheet. Thinking to yourself you say Hmm lets see I bowled a 250 in my first game, a 270 in my second game and a 146, oh that sucks that 3rd game I bowled lousy Then you noticed something Hey that’s strange my score adds up to six-hundred and sixty-six, now where have I heard that number from.... hmmm. The thought just go around-and-around in your mind. Its bedtime, you’re laying in bed. In your thoughts you’re thinking about going to see Madam Anna. I want to know more about this different world ...I know one thing I can’t wait to go! Then you fall asleep. Meanwhile, Delta flight 229 is on final approach in to Tampa International Airport from Seattle. “Approach control, Delta two-two-niner, we have you on final approach, turn left heading one-eight-zero degrees for runway one-niner left, maintain your current speed and descend to 3000 feet, you are second in line behind an American Airlines L-1011 Heavy” “Roger, turn left heading one-eight-zero degrees for runway one-niner left, maintain speed and descend to 3000 feet, copy.” In China five prisoners are being taken from their jail cell to Red Square for mediate execution. They’re crimes ...smuggling Bibles into China. In California the ACLU is building a case against a schoolteacher who told her class that Jesus is the savior of mankind. Hours later the sounds of sirens awakens you. You sit up in your bed and look at your alarm clock, it reads one a.m. You then look at the window. “What in the world is going on?” You get up and walk over to your window. From your third story townhouse bedroom window you see the entire city. “Oh my God, what is happening, what is going on?” The view of the city put you in a state of shock. “No, it can’t be, what...?” From your window you see cars crashing into each other and slamming into buildings. Off from a distance you see a huge fire going out of control. There is at least a dozen or more fires in the city. You run over to turn on TV. ...”There has been at least seven plane crashes just in the United States.” He goes on saying that there has been reports of millions upon million of people missing on a global scale. “Missing! What is going on?” You change the channel to another station. “Moment’s from now we will take you to Tampa, Florida on the scene of the plane crash of Delta flight 229 that crash inside Tampa Stadium.” “ We now take you to are ABC affiliate in Washington D.C.” “This is Tom Green in are nation’s capitol, the White House is being flood with reports of people missing, plane crashes, and raging fires on a world wide scale. So far an explanation how these chains of events are happening has not been given. In my fifteen years reporting the news Peter, I have never seen some much destruction at one time. Not only here in the U.S. but everywhere in the world! ...Moments from now the President Litton will address the nation on the events that has happen.This is Tom Green ABC news Washington.” “Thank you Tom for that report, and we will bring the president’s address on the horrific events... (Mute TV). You are stunned, what you see on TV, it is overwhelming to you to disbelief. “No, none of this can be happening, I must be dreaming, what is the world coming to? Click, another reporter comes on the TV and you UN mute it. “We are now going to back to Tampa with alive report of the air crash of Delta 229.” “ This is Jane Marks live in Tampa, FL. An hour ago this stadium was fill with over twenty thousand people here at the Jesus Festival. Witnesses say the aircraft was on final approach to the airport, and then it went out of control as if the pilots weren’t flying it. Then the aircraft bank left away from the airport right in to the Stadium. The most bizarre and eerie and as well as strange event Peter is right before the plane crashed, this stadium was filled with twenty thousand people as I have mention earlier, now there is only about two hundred people in the stadium. All most all of them are screaming and looking up to the sky and saying “I believe now take me”...I don’t understand what is going on here and why are they screaming I believe now? Peter, The weird thing about this whole thing is where did some twenty thousand people go?” “They just can’t vanish into thin air!” “ This is Jane Marks ABC news, Tampa.” “Thanks Jane, we will keep you up to date on the events that are happen in Tampa.” click. The news is so overwhelming you get up and the turn off TV and sit in a chair. You put your elbows on your knees and then rest your head looking down in the palms of your hands. “My God!...what is going on..?” You bolt up fast, “God! ...No, it can’t be.” Then the thought of Jesus return enters your mind. “Is it time, did Jesus come back, those religious fanatic are they right?” Then at that moment a weird strange felling overcomes you, its something that you can’t explain. Suddenly you fell frighten and scared, suicidal thoughts races through your mind. “What am I going to do, what is going on in the world, who can I turn to?” Then your friend Jim comes to mind. You look at your clock, 12:30 am. “Well, Jim did say if I ever needed him at any time to give him a call I know he’s home now because he’s sleeping.” You dial his number, five rings, nothing. “Where can he be, I know he’s home why isn’t he answering his phone.” You slam the phone down, “well I’ll just go over to his house.” As you get to your car you can see massive destruction everywhere, fire, cars that crashed into building, people crying and looking into the sky and saying, “I’m sorry take me.” “What are those people talking about and who are talking to?” As you are driving to Jim’s house you see the streets filled with wrecked cars, some which have people in them and some don’t. People are running around knocking each other down and stealing from each other. Buildings are being broken into and people are looting them. “What is going on here has everybody gone mad or what!” As you drive down the street there are some people throwing bricks, rocks and firebombs at your car. You drive faster to avoid them at the end of the road you see that it is blocked because of another automobile accident. You stop look around to see if there is anybody around, you get out and walk up to the wrecked car there’s nobody in them. .... Hmmm, ‘Where did they go, who took them, I know fire and rescue didn’t come down here.” In one of the cars you hear the radio playing. The reporter is giving a strange account of the scene that she is on. She goes on saying that she is at a cemetery and that half of the graves have been unearth and open with the corpses missing. Then the reporter says that there has been more and more of this strange account going on in the rest of the of the world. The shocking news scares you so much you jump back from the car. “Who would want to take dead people?” And then the thought of the Christians being right just ran threw your mind. “NO, it can’t be, are they right...did Jesus come back?” You look around to see if anybody was near by. There across the street you see a man mumbling to himself. You run over to him and try to talk to him. The man looks very sad and depressed with tears coming down from his face. “Hey buddy, what is happening around here?” The man looks up at you wipes the tears from his face and says. “He has returned just like he said he going to do” “Who! (You grab him and start shaking the man) who has returned?” “Jesus, man that’s who, I thought just believing in God, will get me into heaven I was wrong!” “You need a personal relationship with Jesus in order to go to Heaven with him But, I tell you its not to late to ask him into your life, do it now he will come again!” You let go the man a hang you head down low looking at the ground Meanwhile you are stunned and in shock, “Did Jesus really come back?” You go back home and you keep thinking about the events that have happened. You turn on TV and the President of the United States is about to give a speech to the nation. At the White House... “Mr. President your are on two minutes sir”. President Litton is adjusting his tie in the mirror, then something catches is attention in the reflection in the mirror. He turns and looks its the Holy Bible, for a split omit he thinks does the Bible hold all the answers of what is happening? “One minute to go sir”. He picks it up looks at and then puts it down. He walks to the podium, looks at the TV camera he can’t keep off his mind the Bible, and he turns and looks at it. “It can’t be true is it? He mumbles, I’m a Christian and I’m still here.” “3, 2, 1, your on...”You look up and the president is on TV. You un-mute the TV for the Presidents message to the nation. “My dear fellow Americans the events of the last two hours are the worse this great nation of ours has faced since the events of 911” “ With God’s help we will pull together and get through this...” With the president speaking on TV you hang your head low. His words seem to bring some ease to all your anxiety and fears, but there is something nagging you. “Where did all those people go...UFO’s? Jesus?” With everything going on around you and the world you decide to get away from kayos and head for you families cabin hidden far away up in the mountain far from the big city and people. The next morning as you approach the cabin you start to remember as a child your parents brought you here with you siblings for a family gathering. You go in, dust is everywhere and the place need a good cleaning. In the cabin there is no TV, radio or electric for that matter. On the desk next to the bed is an old Bible that has been marked in with red underling on certain verses. You walk out to the porch and say, “Finally peace and quiet, no one will bother me.” You say out loud while sitting on the porch in the rocking chair looking out in to the forest. Two years later: Food around the cabin is starting to get harder to catch and fish, the streams are looking like they are beginning to dry up. Suddenly, off in the distance towards the forest you here some kind of noise that you can’t make out. You decide to go into town and get some food and find out what all that noise is. Finally you find you car keys that you haven’t used in over two years. The car starts in five tries. The two-hour drive seems to be different then what you remember. As you are driving you see that a church has been burned down to the ground, five miles down the road another church is burned down. “That’s strange.” Five miles outside of the city you see that once was an up scale neighborhood is now burned down and destroyed. People wondering around looking in the trash are looking and staring at you as you drive by. “That’s weird what is going on?” “Another church burned down!” The closer you get to home you see that things have not really changed that much in two years. You’re looking for an ATM to get some money. Thinking to yourself I should have some money still in the bank, allot. You drive everywhere and you can’t find one, even the bank that you use to go to is no longer there. “There are no banks in site. What has happen to all the banks?” Another church has been burnt down!” You stop the car in front of a grocery store. “Looks like I’m going to have to use my credit cards.” You walk in and everything looks OK...except people are not using money to buy groceries. “That’s weird there scanning their hands.” “Cool!” You walk up to a stockman and ask him where you can find some fresh fruit. He says that they don’t carry fruit any more because of the leader. “Leader who’s the leader what are you talking about, and why is everybody having their hands scanned?” “Don’t you know?” “Know what?” “We don’t use money any more everybody has been implanted with a bar code in their hands or foreheads, you need it to buy or sell, without it you can be thrown in jell, by the way where is your mark?” “You can’t be in here with out it.” The stockman looks at you with a strange look and starts reaching for his radio. Just as you start to turn around there is an announcement over the PA. “SECURITY NEEDED IN BAKERY IMMEDIATELY!” The stockman turn and looks towards the bakery, you turn around and leave immediately. You find yourself two isles from the bakery looking at all the commotion. You see that a young couple with a five year old has been place under arrest. “What is going on?” Several men are holding the couple until the police come. The police show up and the And one of the men say these people are Christians. The police look at them and say, “Well, are you?” The father looks at the policeman and says, “Yes we are.” “Take these people to the camp now!” People in the store starting to chant “DIE CHRISTIANS, DIE CHRISTIANS, DIE.” “What in the hell is going on here?” You over hear two old ladies talking, the one lady asks the other one. “How did they know they where Christians?” The other lady told her. “They didn’t have our Leaders mark on their hands” “...Too bad there going to die” You say, “die!” “I need to get out of here now!” As leave the store you walk towards your car, you see that the police are looking over your car real close. You walk the other way with your hands in your pockets away from everybody. “Oh man, I need my car what am I going to do?” An hour later you’re thinking to yourself what has this world come to. “So much has change in two years, I need to get home.” As you are walking you see you old neighborhood and looters have destroyed your townhouse. “Not my home” You walk up to it but there’s a huge pile of garbage in front of it. In the garbage you see something that catches your eye, you pick it up. Its a Bible and you start looking threw it and began to reading it. “Are the Christians right, did Jesus come back?” “Hey you, stop right there.” You turn around, it’s the police and they are looking at you and pointing. “Why are they pointing at me?” You think. Then you look down and see Bible in your hands. You throw it down. “Its not mine, I was looking for something in the garbage” The police grab you and handcuff you. “You have been charged with having an illegal book in your possession, where is your mark on your hand? And why don’t you have the mark of the our leader on your hand?”...”Mark...leader...what are you talking about?” “Come with us you trader. “The police take you and drive you to the concentration camp. Driving up to the camp you see rows and rows of bloody guillotines. You are then thrown into a cage with other people. There you see men, women, and children dirty and starving. Then you noticed that none of them have the mark on their hands. “Why are you here?” says a small boy. You look up and you recognize the family from the grocery store. “I...I...was looking for something in a huge pile of trash and there I found a Bible, I picked it up and looked threw it. Then...these men...saw me with it and got the police, next thing I knew I’m under arrest and brought here.” “You broke their law, the law of the land.” “Their law forbids anybody to have a bible or anything to do with Christianity.” One of the adults says. “Law...bible...what is going on and what is going to happen to us?” “We will all die.” “Die! But, why.” “They will give us a choice, either take the mark of the beast or are die buy the guillotines.” “My friends I give you this warning do not receive the mark of the beast, for God will turn his back on you and you will die and go to hell.” “All of us here will not take the mark.” “But, you will all die.” “No, when we die we will be with are Lord Jesus and live forever, we are Christians.” “We had to go underground to hide from the Anti Christ until they found us.” “What about you, what are you going to do?” “I...I. don’t know, I don’t want to die.” Then about five guards came up to the cage. One of the them yelled out in a loud voice, “All of you come with us now.” One the man in the cage looks at you and say, “Its time.” You and the entire group is lead up to a wooden platform. There stands five guillotines all with blood stains on them. The bodies of other headless people before you are scattered on the ground and then put into a pile to be burned. Then one of the strong-armed guard grabbed a child from her mother, threw her down and place his right foot on her head. With a loud evil voice he lifts up his hand and points his finger at the family of the crying girl and says. “DENY JESUS CHRIST AS SAVIOR IF YOU WANT YOUR LITTLE GIRL TO LIVE!” “On mommy, daddy NOOO!!” “Don’t do it, say no mommy”... “I see Jesus he is coming to me.” The little girl stops crying and with a joyful cry says “its JESUS! And he’s here to take me HOME.” Then all of the sudden the guard grabs his blood stained sword lifts above his head, “Well what will it be?” “NO! WE WILL NOT DENY JESUS CHRIST, YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO KILL US ALL!” Then the family fell to their knees with their hands and head lifting up to the sky and cried out “LORD JESUS WE GIVE YOU DAUGHTER!!” Swoop! of the sword, and the little girl is dead. A cold eerie feeling race up your back, the sight of what you saw leaves you week, breathless and horrified. “SHE’S WITH JESUS! Cries out the mother. “Jesus, why did he allow this girl to die?” The thought went threw your mind. Then the guard takes his bloody sword and points it at you and says, “Well what will it be?” Your entire body starts to shake. “...I...I don’t know?” Then the impatient guard grabs your neck and forces you to your knees. “Put this ones head in the guillotine!” The guard grabs you and locks your head into the guillotine. “NO, NO Don’t!” “To late, raise the blade up!” From the crowd behind you, you hear, “Ask Jesus into your life before its to late, He will forgive you” With your head locked in the guillotine you try to look up. All you can see is the shadow of the guillotine ahead of you and the raising of the blade. “Well I guess this is it, Well... I guess... I’ll ask Jes.” THUMP!!!
This is a fictional story... Salvation isn’t.
Keith Heffner
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