by Mel Odom
“Are you aware that Carpathia is in New York City right now?”
Goose had heard some of the news talk going on around the reporters. They said Carpathia was a big deal. And Goose knew why Carpathia had pulled the satellite support for the struggling troops in Sanliurfa—so he wouldn’t appear to be taking sides.
“Carpathia is going to address the United Nations,” Icarus said.
“Yeah. So?”
“He has plans—many plans. I’m not privy to them, so I don’t know why he is there. But I do know this. In Revelation in the Christian Bible, a man of power rises after the Rapture and manages to unite what is left of the world. The surviving population believes him at first to be a savior, but he isn’t. He is there to subjugate and confuse those who have lived through the Rapture but still haven’t found their faith. That is what Nicolae Carpathia will eventually do. It is what he must do.”
“The Antichrist?” Goose asked, stunned. “You’re saying Nicolae Carpathia is the Antichrist?”
Icarus looked at him for a moment then nodded. “Yes. That is exactly what I am saying.”
“Who else knows this?”
“I’ve told only you—” Icarus hesitated—“but I can’t be the only one who knows. There are others who have been looking for this thing to happen longer than you or I have been alive. Not everyone will be caught off guard. There is hope. Men like Corporal Baker will also rise and be heard, and their voices will sway those who need to be saved.”
“You make it sound like we’re at war. And not just with the Syrians.”
“Make no mistake, Goose,” Icarus said. “We are at war. All of us. With an enemy greater than any we have ever faced. And the stakes are our immortal souls.”
“What are we supposed to do?”
“What every other warrior in battle does: we survive, and we pray that God strengthens us so we can make a difference. We pray for God to save our souls and show us the way.”
Goose lowered his head for an instant, unable to believe what he was hearing. God, he prayed, please guide me now. I need Your help. I’ve lost my way in this terrible place. What do I do? For Icarus’s words, as crazy as they seemed, had the ring of truth behind them.
For just an instant, the peace of God’s presence filled Goose. Then he thought of Chris, lost to him forever. It hurt too much. If Icarus was right, Chris was lost to him as surely as if a war had killed him. Therefore, Icarus couldn’t be right.
And when Goose looked up, Icarus was gone.
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