by Irvin Baxter
Exasperated, Bassad spoke through clenched teeth, “You know the Israelis won’t be disarmed twenty-five years from now. The international community didn’t wait for the disarmament of Yugoslavia before going to the aid of the Kosovars. But, of course, Israel always gets special treatment,” Bassad added sarcastically.
The lid was off, and the genie was not going back into the bottle! The next Monday Mohammed Bassad presented a resolution to the UN Security Council demanding the total withdrawal of Israeli forces to pre-1967 borders. Immediately, world tensions escalated sharply.
Chapter 22
It had been decided, when the United Nations was formed in 1945, that a system of international law had to be created. The nations of the world would never live in peace together for very long unless there was an enforceable global structure, complete with adequate enforcement mechanisms. It had taken a number of decades to reeducate the world into accepting the need for the World Community. As horrible as it was, the Chinese-American War had put the last nail in the coffin of the nation-state. Two billion dead was a terrible price to pay for the birth of global governance. But if that’s what it took, in Arachev’s opinion, it was worth it.
Only a handful of nations considered challenging the will of the International Authority any longer. Unfortunately, Israel was one of those nations—the main one, actually. Even Israel had yielded more than many people thought she ever would, but the Jerusalem issue was considered untouchable. However, Arachev wasn’t getting any younger, and he felt that the time had come to bring the arrogant Israelis into full submission to the World Community. Surely after Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, and East Timor, Israel would realize it was futile to resist the will of the international community.
Arachev smiled to himself. “We avoid the terms ‘world government’ or ‘New World Order.’ They are considered politically unacceptable. Yet we use the phrase ‘international community,’ which means the exact same thing, and no one so much as raises an eyebrow! The power to manipulate the masses with words is indeed remarkable,” he mused.
Michael Arachev, through his emissaries, sent word to the Palestinians and to the Israelis of his intention to convene a new round of talks on Jerusalem. The Israelis reacted predictably: “What is this all about? What is there to talk about? Jerusalem is our eternal capital. We will never share it! We will never divide it!”
When Israel’s ambassador, Simon Rosenthal, came calling the next day, the atmosphere was tense. But this was just the type of situation that Michael Arachev thrived on. After listening to all the time-worn objections, Arachev began to present his case. “Ambassador Rosenthal, you know how dangerous the world is these days. In World War I, we killed eight million. In World War II, 52 million died. Need I remind you of the 2 billion who perished in the Chinese-American war? We simply cannot tolerate war ever again. That’s the reason I initiated these negotiations.”
“But Chairman Arachev, Jerusalem is not a threat to world peace,” Rosenthal argued.
“That’s where you are wrong,” Arachev said. “Jerusalem is the world’s foremost threat to peace. You must understand that the only hope for lasting peace on earth is respect for international law. You know that international resolutions concerning the status of Jerusalem have been ignored since 1948. The whole world knows that Israel has thumbed its nose at global authority since 1967. The time has come for the World Community to insist on total compliance by every state on the face of the earth. Really, Ambassador Rosenthal, we have no choice. If there is going to be peace on earth, Jerusalem must be restored to the international status called for by UN Resolution 181.
“And why not?” Arachev continued persuasively. “Israelis will still be able to live there. Palestinians can live there. And yet everything will be administered fairly by the World Community.”
“Mr. Chairman, you know that these terms will not be acceptable to my government!” Rosenthal protested hotly.
The reply was so predictable. “I’m afraid that you have no choice. Besides, this is a wonderful opportunity for Jerusalem to truly be the city of peace for all the world,” Arachev suavely reasoned.
As Rosenthal left Arachev’s palatial estate, he had a horrible, sickened feeling deep in the pit of his stomach. He remembered the words of Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon spoken behind closed doors during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. “Bosnia yesterday, Kosovo today, Jerusalem tomorrow.”
Those words could end up being prophetic! Rosenthal thought.
The war of words heated up quickly. Pro-Israeli columnists and newscasters threw every argument they had into the battle.
“Jerusalem has never been any other nation’s capital.”
“Jerusalem is the only capital Israel has ever had for the past three thousand years.”
“UN Resolution 181, which mandated that Jerusalem be an international entity, was rejected by the Arabs when they launched the war against Israel in 1948. Consequently, why should they now insist on its enforcement just because they lost the war that they themselves started?”
However, the globalist media ground away day after day. “The only hope for world peace is respect for international law. International law says that Jerusalem must be an international city under UN authority.”
When public opinion was sufficiently mobilized, the resolution was presented to the UN Security Council. “The UN Security Council hereby demands that the City of Jerusalem be placed under UN authority as mandated by Resolution 181. Israel must withdraw her forces by September 20th, allowing 20 thousand international peacekeeping troops to enter the city in order to enforce the rights of all people within the municipality of Jerusalem.” The resolution passed the Security Council by a vote of 14 to 1. In previous years, the resolution would never have been approved since the United States had veto power. However, with the abolition of the veto on the Security Council, Israel was now at the mercy of the World Community.
Chapter 23
When Ambassador Rosenthal met with Israel’s new prime minister, Yigal Alon, the next day, the discussion was grim. “Do you understand what this means, Mr. Ambassador?” Prime Minister Alon asked. “This means war! War against the World Community. Sharon was right when he said ‘Bosnia yesterday, Kosovo today, and Jerusalem tomorrow.’”
“My thoughts exactly, Mr. Prime Minister,” Rosenthal sighed.
The war of words in the media raged on for the next several weeks. Israel tried every diplomatic maneuver in her arsenal, but nothing worked. The one-world government trap was closing. Even while Israel desperately attempted to find a way out of the impending crisis, she feverishly prepared for war. Money was pumped into the military at an unprecedented rate. Military preparedness was heightened beyond any level previously experienced.
Israel’s cabinet met continually during this time of crisis. Several of the members suggested that Israel should consider bowing to the demands of the World Community. “You don’t think we can fight against the entire international community, do you?” they demanded.
Prime Minister Alon looked steadily at them. “Have any of you ever heard of David and Goliath? And besides, do you really think we will be allowed to live in peace if we capitulate on Jerusalem? You know the pent-up anti-Semitism that dominates the UN. The only thing that stopped them from moving against us before now was the U.S. veto. You know what the anti-Israeli votes in the UN General Assembly were as well as I do—149 to 1, 130 to 2, 150 to 1, and on and on.”
“But resisting the World Community is insanity!” Shamir Mordechai protested. “This will mean the destruction of the State of Israel.”
“Gentlemen, I think you have forgotten one thing. We still have the Samson Option,” Alon stated flatly.
Mordechai couldn’t believe his ears. They were sitting here discussing the use of nuclear weapons against the world government armies. Talk about national insanity! Yet, he could tell that Alon was dead serious.
Israel had convinced the French to sell the nuclear reactor to her in 1959.
The facility had been constructed at Dimona in the Negev Desert. Israel had never admitted that she had nuclear weapons, but it was a well-known fact. Jane’s Intelligence Report stated that satellites had spotted two hundred nuclear installations in the area of Judea surrounding Jerusalem. The only thing the Israeli government had ever said was, “If we do have nuclear weapons, we will never use them offensively. We will use them only if our survival is at stake.” Thus the name the “Samson Option” was born. Simply stated, Israel was declaring to the world, “If we go down, we’re taking the house down with us.”
As the September 20th deadline drew near, global tensions grew to frightening levels. Would the United States intervene? Since losing 20 million of its citizens in the conflict with China, very strong anti-war sentiments had gained control in the U.S. Yet, there was still very powerful support for the nation of Israel in America.
Russia was busy assembling a coalition to carry out the operation against Israel. She had waited a long time for the chance to move militarily against the Zionist entity. Iran, Libya, Ethiopia, and Turkey eagerly volunteered for the campaign.
Russia said to the U.S., “We stood aside while you whipped our buddy Saddam Hussein into line. Now we expect you to stand by while we bring Israel under the control of the World Community.” The word was that the U.S. had promised to stay out of the conflict as long as the operation was kept within certain parameters.
The International Forces had never taken on as formidable a foe as Israel promised to be. The whole world knew that Israel’s air force was the finest in the world. How do you move massive forces the required distances from Russia, through Syria, and then into Israel while coming under the withering air attack that Israel promised to administer? Add to that the need to bring the required heavy military equipment across the Euphrates River. There was no doubt that Israel would eliminate all the bridges that crossed the Euphrates. With that in mind, how do you manage to get tanks, half-tracks, and all the required vehicles across? It was a nightmare of a military logistic problem. But the die was cast, and the plans went forward.
Chairman Arachev was known for his deceit, but he was not one to hedge on a date, once he had delivered an ultimatum. By mid-September, troops began amassing in areas east of the Euphrates. Russia had installed very sophisticated anti-aircraft batteries throughout Syria. The level of fire they would be able to send against the invading Israeli bombers promised to be devastating.
Israel knew that the assault could come anytime after September 20th. They had activated all of their forces. The entire nation was like a coiled spring.
Chapter 24
It was a two-front war. Arachev knew that the ideological battlefield was every bit as important to his New World Order as the physical military confrontation. He understood that, even if Israel were totally defeated, he would still have to deal with the Bible-believing fifth column that had now infiltrated every nation on earth.
When President Arachev saw that the global validation system was not slowing the growth of the Bible believers’ movement, he seethed with anger. He had come to a similar juncture earlier in his political career. Because he had tried to be democratic and understanding in those early days, everything he had worked for had come unraveled. He spent many days analyzing what he had done wrong back then. After extensive reflection, Arachev determined that he had been soft when he should have been ruthless. He resolved that he would never again allow his enemies to sabotage his global plans. If I don’t stop these religious fanatics now, I won’t get another chance, he decided.
Early the next morning, Arachev summoned his Attorney General. “Suslov, we have to squash these end-time prophecy nuts. I never believed that they would be able to muster such an incredible following. I’m telling you, people will believe anything! If we don’t stop them now, I honestly believe our entire New World Order could come crashing down. It’s really that bad! Can you come up with a plan?” Arachev asked. “Remember, I want to keep everything within the framework of the law.”
“Mr. President, I’m sure we can handle this situation. Back when I served as head of the KGB in the Soviet Union, we made it an art form to give everything the appearance of legality and yet do whatever we needed to do. Fortunately, our globalist judges have been consistently appointed around the world for the past twenty years,” Suslov stated.
“Furthermore,” he continued, “the network of international law that you had such tremendous influence in developing will provide the legal framework for what we need to do. The laws pertaining to genocide, religious exclusiveness, and hate crimes will work just as we planned. Most of the world didn’t have a clue that they were surrendering their freedom of speech when they demonstrated for those hate crime laws.” He laughed. “You know, the media did a wonderful job of obscuring our real intentions when we were lobbying for those laws. We weren’t really wanting to punish the commission of the crime; we already had laws for that. We wanted to create a new system of laws that could punish people for what they thought and believed. And they bought it. Once we were able to get society used to the idea of punishing people for hate speech and hate beliefs, the way was prepared for the Global Ethic. Mr. President, we have all the legal basis that we need to deal with these Endtimers.”
Arachev’s set jaw showed his self-satisfaction. He would allow absolutely nothing to throw this world back into nationalism with all of its attendant evils. He was determined to bring closure both to his political opponents and to his religious opposition. He didn’t merely want to destroy all political opposition, though. He also intended to stamp out the remaining religious cults that refused to bow the knee to his Global Ethic. Until political and religious unity was achieved, there would never really be peace on earth. Arachev knew that he was right, and he would not let some ignorant religious extremists thwart his benevolent plans for mankind now!
Plans were laid carefully for the sting operation that Arachev hoped would break the back of the Endtimers. The biggest problem was that there were so many of them. There was no way that the millions of Bible believers could all be hauled off to jail. Consequently, they targeted the leaders of the movement.
The raids were scheduled for the middle of the night. This was designed to produce the maximum amount of terror. Women and children would be rudely awakened from their beds and men roughly dragged off to jail. False charges were filed against the Bible believers beforehand. They would be accused of planning terrorist attacks and acts of violence designed to trigger Armageddon.
Suslov planned to personally preside over the middle-of-the-night raids. (When he did, he was surprised at the Christians’ lack of fear. Many of them actually would share the gospel with the very soldiers who were arresting them!)
But the most important mission of all was to arrest Roger Cornell and David Freeman. Both men had been working and preaching in the city of Jerusalem for the past several weeks. Between the radio, the Internet, and the huge prophecy conferences that were so popular, Roger and David were literally converting thousands to true biblical Christianity.
Arachev knew the importance of leadership. America had never fully recovered from the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Israel had not been able to rebound from the death of Yitzhak Rabin. Roger Cornell and David Freeman were strong leaders who had to be silenced at any cost!
Attorney General Suslov had chosen his most trusted lieutenants for this special part of the assignment. World Police Unit #2, headed by Sean Conkle from Scotland, was known for its efficiency and ruthlessness. This unit was sent to arrest Cornell. World Police Unit #17, under the command of Jacques Solano, was assigned to the arrest of Freeman. Solano had earned highest marks for his service during the World Community’s actions against Bosnia and Kosovo. Suslov was certain that this operation would go off without a hitch. He had carefully crossed all the t’s and dotted all the i’s.
Even though Arachev and his henchmen continually accused the Bible believers of organizing secret militias and fomentin
g plans to overthrow the government, Suslov knew that none of this was true. He had personally listened to many hours of tapes produced by Cornell and Freeman. They clearly taught their followers to avoid armed conflict and violence. They stated repeatedly that Jesus and His disciples did not resist evil, and, therefore, 21st Century Christians should not fight either.
Knowing all this, Suslov felt almost ashamed to send such overwhelming force against the Christian leaders. He did not anticipate any resistance at all. But he knew that Arachev was absolutely seething with anger toward Cornell and Freeman. The articles they wrote and the sermons they gave were ripping Arachev’s program for the World Community to shreds. It was as though they knew what Arachev was going to do before he ever did it. Suslov had actually begun to wonder if these two religious leaders weren’t psychics or something. It was uncanny! He knew that President Arachev didn’t merely want the leaders of the Endtimers movement stopped. He wanted them crushed!
Everything was set. At 2 a.m., the raids were to be launched. One of the first houses attacked was the residence of Dennis Goldberg. The loud banging at the door awakened Dennis out of his deep sleep. “Who is that?” his beautiful wife Hannah asked.
“I don’t know,” Dennis replied. “But it must be urgent. They sure are loud for the middle of the night.”
As Dennis headed for the front door, apprehension began to engulf Hannah. “Was this it?” she wondered. They knew that sooner or later the crunch was going to come. Because of Dennis’ role at Channel 77, they knew he could very well be a target. Hannah quickly moved to the window. She recognized the Global Police cars at the front curb. In spite of the tension of the moment, she couldn’t help but notice the UN emblem on the side of each vehicle—the globe with the two olive branches around it. The only peace that those olive branches stood for was the peace of subjugation and slavery, she thought. The Marxists had always claimed to be for peace, too, as long as it was on their terms. Hannah quickly slipped into her robe. She knew right then that it was going to be a long night.
