The Danforths both nodded agreement.
“It won’t be long before children populate the planet again. Despite what Romanero says about creating a new utopia for all children, once they grow into toddlers, we’ll get to see first-hand the sin-effect they inherited at birth. No one will have to teach them how to sin. They’ll do it naturally, just like we do. No one’s free from this curse, Madam First Lady, no one.”
The way Holmes said it caused Melissa Danforth to break eye contact with him. She, too, was familiar with his deep booming voice. He was the reason she wore earplugs to sleep most nights. Her husband loved listening to his preaching as the couple lay in bed. The First Lady looked at her fingernails, totally stone-faced, slowly shrinking away from the conversation.
Holmes went on, “Personally, I believe the next generation of children will be even worse than past generations. How could they not, being raised by those who were left behind because they weren’t deemed worthy to be part of the Church Age? I shudder at the thought.”
“Now, if you’re wondering what we must be saved from, Madam First Lady, the answer is an eternity in hell separated from God. And not because God is cruel, but that we’re so sinful.
“This creates a serious dilemma with the Most High. We’ve already been born once. That was physically. But only those who are supernaturally born a second time, or born again, can be forgiven by God and rightly be called His children.”
President Danforth rubbed his chin. “Never thought of it that way. Makes sense.”
The First Lady, on the other hand, was becoming even more irritated. “And just how is one born again, Mister Holmes?”
“By faith in Jesus Christ, Madam First Lady. On the surface, it sounds quite simple, I know. Prior to last November, like so many other false converts, I actually thought I had something to do with obtaining my salvation.
Holmes shook his head. “How foolish I was to think a spiritually dead sinner like myself could take the first step to initiating my salvation. I’ve since discovered that if we humans had anything to do with obtaining the salvation of God, the Creator of the universe would cease at once from being sovereign.”
Holmes leaned up in his chair, “I can assure you there never was a time when the Most High had His fingers crossed in Heaven hoping that humanity would choose Him over the world. Those who think they’re doing God a favor by choosing Jesus as Lord and Savior, have zero understanding of the Gospel. Sounds a little silly hearing it from this perspective, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it does,” President Danforth said, shifting his weight in his chair. “No wonder the church was so messed up prior to the Rapture.”
Holmes shook his head in disgust, “Indeed. The simple truth is as spiritually dead sinners, we’re completely incapable of choosing God. Nor do we want to choose Him! God must choose us, not the other way around!
“In short: there’s no place in which man can initiate salvation. We do indeed make a choice to receive Christ, but only after our hearts have first been regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Melissa Danforth was still skeptical. “Okay, so how does someone know if they are among God’s chosen or not?”
“In a nutshell, Madam First Lady, they respond to the Call. When confronted with the Gospel, they suddenly see their hopeless condition and how their sin has alienated them from the One who created them, the very One who has the power to destroy them.
“This leads to deep grief in their spirits, which ultimately leads to genuine repentance. They start looking to God for answers to their many life questions instead of man.
“The more God reveals Himself, the less the things of this world matter to them. This leads to a constant hungering and thirsting for His Word above all other things...”
“If you’re so smart and proclaim what happened last year was the Rapture, Mister Holmes, why are you still here?”
Haven’t you been listening? “It’s only the repentant soul that God will accept, the heart that is broken, not the mouth that professes faith then defies it by their actions. I was the one who professed faith then defied it by my self-centered actions...”
The First Lady blinked hard.
Travis Hartings noticed and interjected, “When Clayton tried explaining that he was nothing but a false convert before the Rapture, I refused to believe him. How could I when he was the godliest man I’d ever known?
“Then God opened my eyes and ears spiritually and what never made sense to me suddenly became crystal clear...”
Clayton Holmes sighed, “In truth, Madam First Lady, it’s easy for anyone to obtain knowledge of the mysteries of the Gospel. All they have to do is open the Word of God and start reading it. That was me. I constantly read the Bible and was always learning from it, but I never arrived at the Truth. It was all for show.”
Travis Hartings could tell by looking at the First Lady the words coming from his partner’s mouth were utter foolishness to her. And this could only mean one thing: she was spiritually dead. It was time to try a different approach.
Said Hartings, “Madam First Lady, the reason my partner keeps referring to false converts is that after praying with someone to receive Christ as Lord and Savior, many get emotional thinking they’ve just been made right with God.
“But because they have no true understanding of the Gospel, they have no idea what it means to truly repent. Because of this, they end up going back to their sinful lifestyles.
“In short, they become false converts. They fail to realize true repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of heart which leads to a change of actions. This change involves both a turning from sin and a turning to God. That’s when we can know for sure we are saved.”
Clayton Holmes looked impressed. Nice going Mister Chief Facilitator!
Melissa Danforth felt herself shrinking even further away from the conversation. She was still fragile after her failed suicide attempt last Thanksgiving. Now this?
She rose from her seat. “Thank you, gentlemen, for your input. If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll take a nap...”
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Madam First Lady. We’ll be praying for you.”
Melissa Danforth snickered and, without saying another word, left the room.
When the door closed, President Danforth started weeping. The two ETSM leaders looked at each other blankly, not knowing what to do. What does one say when seated before a weeping President?
Holmes and Hartings sat silently looking down at their feet.
After a while, President Danforth dabbed at his wet eyes with a handkerchief. “My tears represent great joy and deep sadness. The joyous tears come from knowing I’m a child of the Most High God. I’ve already surrendered my life to King Jesus. Thank you, gentlemen, for confirming what I had already come to understand.”
The two leaders of the ETSM couldn’t contain their joy.
President Danforth sighed. “The tears of sadness are for my wife. Now that I’ve been awakened from within, I see just how spiritually blinded she is. If God does the choosing as you said earlier, let’s just pray that God has chosen her as well.”
“It would be our pleasure, sir,” Clayton Holmes said.
The three men joined hands and prayed for more than an hour for their country, his leadership, and for the First Lady of the United States.
During this time a bond was formed with the three men that not even the shrinking American population, or the many calamities striking the planet, could break apart...
11
CLAYTON HOLMES AND TRAVIS Hartings ended up spending the entire day at the White House. This was President Danforth’s first time experiencing true Christian fellowship at this place, or at any other place for that matter. He didn’t want it to end.
With a world seemingly against him, just being in the presence of the two ETSM leaders greatly comforted his troubled spirit. He wished they could remain at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue until the end of his term.
After dinner, the three men retreated to the underground bunker beneath the White House Situation Room one last time. The President clasped his hands together. It was time to ask the question that had been at the forefront of his mind all day.
Said he, “Okay, gentlemen, now that the peace treaty’s been signed for real, who or what was the cause of the three-day delay?”
Clayton Holmes said, “We believe God was shaking the Holy Land one last time, so His chosen people would finally wake up and see that He, not Salvador Romanero, is still in control. It was God who paved the way for the Third Temple construction to begin, not Romanero.”
“Hmm. Sounds logical to me.”
Travis Hartings interjected, “Yet, Romanero’s trying to take credit for what God did, by using the Bible to his advantage.”
President Danforth shook his head, “This is deep, gentlemen.”
Holmes said, “By being part of Satan’s unholy trinity, Romanero’s role is to imitate Jesus, which explains the many miracles. Everything he said in his speech about the population being cut by one-quarter, only to be followed up with another one-third, were spoken by Jesus and recorded in the Book of Revelation by the Disciple John.”
The President nodded thoughtfully. “I thought it sounded familiar.”
Travis Hartings took a swig from his water bottle, “According to Daniel eight, verses twenty-four and twenty-five, we can know for sure that Romanero will be unstoppable, at least for the time being.”
President Danforth was intrigued. “What exactly does it say?”
Hartings opened his Bible and flipped to the Book of Daniel. ‘His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand.’”
Clayton Holmes jumped in, “There are several things we can learn about Romanero from these two passages. We already know he’s the Antichrist. Verse twenty-four clearly states his power shall be great—but it won’t be by his own power. Who else, other than God, has the power to send earthquakes to the places of his choosing?”
President Danforth shrank back in his chair. A chill raced through him. “I met the man twice. Once in Brussels and once here at the White House. Never felt such evil coming from a person in all my life. And believe me, gentlemen, I’ve met my share of evil people! But I also felt his power. Truth be told, it ripped right through me.”
Holmes said, “I can believe that. Even on TV he makes my skin crawl. According to the text, he’ll cause fearful destruction and will succeed in what he does, even destroying God’s saints. By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand.”
“This sounds just like Satan, whose pride got him kicked out of Heaven for wanting to be like the Most High God. So cunning was he that one-third of the angels went with him. That’s the kind of supernatural power Romanero now has. But when he rises up against Christ Jesus, he will be broken.”
“Tell me about God’s Two Witnesses in Jerusalem?” The President was becoming more familiar with what the Bible had to say about them, but he wanted to know what the two ETSM leaders had to say.
Holmes said, “Some believe they are Elijah and Enoch, because both men never died physical deaths. Others believe they are Elijah and Moses because both were with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane leading up to His crucifixion.”
“Who do you think they are?”
“Not sure, Sir. All I know is they’re the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth, as mentioned in the Book of Revelation, chapter eleven. They’ve been anointed by the Holy Spirit to bring forth light to a dark, lost world. If anyone attempts to harm them fire will supernaturally come out of their mouths to devour them. Scripture says that anyone who tries harming them must die that way.”
The President shook his head in disbelief. “Truthfully, when I saw it happen, I couldn’t believe my eyes!”
“You and me both. I always thought it was more metaphorical than anything else. They’ll also have the power to seal the sky, so no rain will fall while they’re prophesying. According to the Word of God, for the next three and a half years, they’ll have power to turn water into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they want to, very much resembling Old Testament times.”
Hartings marveled. “The fact that they’re performing Old Testament miracles further confirms this isn’t the time for the Church, but for God to rescue His people, the Jews.”
Clayton Holmes eyeballed his partner. “Good point, Travis...”
Before Travis could reply, the President said, “Are you suggesting they’re untouchables?”
Hartings shook his head, “For the next three-and-a-half-years, yes. No one will be able to harm them until God’s needs have been fully served. Only then will the Most High allow Antichrist to overpower His Two Witnesses and kill them.
“Romanero will put their dead bodies on display in the streets of Jerusalem. People from every nation and tongue will celebrate their demise with great joy, and even send gifts to each other, as those in the Holy Land gloat over their dead bodies. Imagine that...
“After three days have passed, Yahweh God will breathe life back into his Two Witnesses and they will rise to their feet, striking terror into the hearts of all who personally witness it. Then they’ll be taken up to Heaven before the eyes of the world, much like Jesus on the day of Pentecost.
“Immediately after that, an intense earthquake will rock Jerusalem, and one-tenth of the city will collapse, killing seven-thousand of the earth’s elite.”
Seeing the President shaking his head in disbelief, Travis Hartings said, “I know, like we really need more earthquakes, right? Anyway, the Bible states all who survive will be terrified and will give glory to the God of Heaven.”
President Danforth scratched his head, “This is fascinating, gentlemen. I can’t help but be impressed by your knowledge of the Bible.”
Clayton Holmes grabbed his Bible off the table, “Mister President, the intelligence you have at your fingertips, impressive as it is, can’t come close to comparing to the intelligence in this Book. Even Jesus prophesied on these days, in Matthew chapters twenty-four and twenty-five, Luke chapter twenty-one, and in Mark chapter thirteen.”
“Yeah. Been reading the Gospels a lot lately. Jesus spoke of wars and rumors of wars and many other things leading up to these days, right?”
“Exactly. I still find it amazing that after the people of Israel had finally determined that Jesus wasn’t the Messiah—in fact, they thought He was demonic—He did only what God could do, predict the future. Everything He taught His disciples about these days was one-hundred percent accurate. Mere man could never do that!”
President Danforth shook his head in wonderment. “Okay, now that the peace treaty’s been signed, what comes next?”
“Already happening, Mister President. The Four Horsemen in Revelation six,” Clayton Holmes said.
“Care to expound on it for me?”
Hartings went to the www.lsarglobal.org website and clicked on Revelation six. He read the first two verses. “‘I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come and see!” I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.”
“Romanero, right?”
“Yes, Sir. He’s the rider on the white horse.”
“What about the other three?”
“Let’s begin with th
e Red Horse...”
Hartings read Revelation 6:3-4: ‘When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come and see!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.’
Once his partner was finished reading, Holmes weighed in, “The second horse represents war, which explains the fiery red color. This rider was given a large sword with which to take peace from the earth. The sword suggests much blood will be spilled.”
“Now let’s examine the Black Horse in Revelation 6:5-6. Hartings read the text, ‘When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”’
Once again, Holmes weighed in, “The rider on the black horse will bring famine upon the whole earth. Men and women will work all day just to earn enough money to buy a loaf of bread for their families.
“Not everyone will be destitute, but the majority will. Surely it will be a time of great depression on Planet Earth. I wonder if last week’s earthquakes will trigger extreme food rationing...”
Holmes nodded at his partner and Hartings read Revelation 6:7-8, ‘When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come and see!” I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine, and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.’
Holmes leaned back in his seat, “As you can see by reading the text, Mister President, the rider on the fourth horse is the only one given a specific name. And that name is ‘Death’, because he will bring death to the earth.
The Countdown Begins Page 9
