by Terry James
"Oh, no. As I said. We believe the world in its present form, that is, its physical composition, will not be destroyed for at least seven years after this event occurs. And then, not totally destroyed for a thousand years."
"Seven years? Why seven years? What will happen during those seven years?"
"In order to answer your questions, I would prefer to start with events taking place now, even at this moment in history. Can you spare a few minutes? I shall try to be brief."
"I might have to call time-out for a commercial, but go ahead; I'll stop you when we need to break."
"The best way to begin is with the words of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, spoken to His disciples one day on the Mount of Olives just outside the city of Jerusalem." Marchek held up a black covered book. It was a Bible--the same Bible Jacob had taken from the study of the old man's Rockville home. Jacob picked it up from the coffee table and examined it while Marchek held it during the videotape run through the recorder.
"You are aware you can't read from Scriptures on the air, aren't you, Dr. Marchek?" Lauren Winchester prompted from Marchek's right.
"Oh, yes, Ms. Winchester. I am up on the latest Supreme Court rulings concerning public readings of written Scripture belonging to any religion that does not recognize that all religions and faiths are one under God. Did I paraphrase the ruling fairly accurately?" The eschatologist looked to Lauren Winchester, who sat sullenly.
"I will not read from my Bible. I simply like to have it along when I can, like an old friend. The ruling of our wise justices on the nation's highest court has not been interpreted to prohibit the quotation of Scripture from memory, however. So I will quote from this book."
He offered the Bible to the woman, who refused to take it. "You may follow along, to make certain I am quoting accurately, if you like. Or you, Mr. Jorgenson." He offered the book to the host.
"I'll take your quotations as accurate," Jorgenson said good-naturedly.
"The Lord Jesus Christ is on the Mount of Olives at Jerusalem — I shall quote from Matthew the 24th chapter, beginning with verse 3."
Hugo Marchek quoted swiftly and selectively from portions of the Scriptures, giving Christ's many prophetic predictions for a future time full of human misery, ending with the words,"...Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."
Interrupting his quotation of Scripture, Hugo Marchek raised his index finger, looked to the host, then into the camera's eye. "And listen very carefully to this.
"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
Marchek pulled the thick-lensed glasses from his nose. The silence lingered in the studio, but was broken, finally, by the host.
"A very impressive piece of memory work, Doctor, I really must say."
"But, Mr. Jorgenson, let us forget my ability to retain biblical prose. The thing that matters, the only thing that matters, is the truth contained within the text I just quoted. Therein lies the answer to most aspects of the question you posed a few moments ago."
"That's what you say, anyway, Doctor," interrupted Jorgenson, with sincerity in his voice. "Jesus was obviously a great prophet. At least, most all religions of the world will admit that. But I'm not personally sure He had authority from the perspective of a deity, in making His predictions. Besides, all of His teachings, like those of other prophets, were given in such metaphorical illustrations and symbolisms and such nebulous terms. I mean, why should this one man, this solitary human being, have the one answer to all of man's future history?" Jorgenson's rhetoric became bolder with the urgings of his audience, which applauded.
Marchek listened, then smiled and spoke in a strong, yet gentle voice. "Yes. You are right. Jesus is considered a great prophet by major religions of the world. And, no doubt, by you, too."
"Well, a great man who influenced millions of people for good, at least. I'm not sure I'm committed to a belief in prophecies and religious, supernatural phenomena," the host said.
"But you do concede that Jesus of Nazareth was a great religious Man with moral principles and philosophies, and that He was a teacher who encouraged the doing of good? A man who told truths as He saw them?"
"Sure. Of course. I'll concede that."
"But how could He be such a person? How could this Jesus be the honest, good teacher of principles you describe? How could He be the great prophet for the great whomever?" Marchek smiled again, a trace of humor in his tone.
"I'm afraid I don't follow you, Doctor."
"Jesus said that He is the Son of God. That He is the one sent to die for the sins of mankind. Therefore, He is who He says He is, that is, the Son of God--or He was the greatest liar who ever lived. How could such a liar be a great prophet of good and truth as the religion of Islam says, or the great teacher of moral principles you say He is?"
The talk show host was silenced for the moment by the logic in Marchek's words.
"But I believe we're all sons of God," Jorgenson said, finally.
"But Jesus did not say He is a son of God. He claimed to be the only begotten Son of God!"
"Then I guess I must rethink my belief about Jesus was... what He was," said Jorgenson, mild irritation infiltrating his tone.
"And that, Mr. Show Host, is the great question of all time. What will you do with this Jesus? What is your belief about who He is? On the answer to that question rests the fate of the soul of each and every individual who has lived since the church age began, since Jesus Christ died and arose from the grave two millennia ago.
"You see, Mr. Jorgenson, this is the question which you, which I, which every human being, must answer for himself or herself. ‘What shall I do with Jesus?’ How we answer that question determines where our immortal souls will spend eternity."
There were scattered jeers from the audience; it quieted when Jorgenson spoke.
"In your belief, this is what's called being 'born again' or 'saved,' isn't it?"
"Yes."
"Well, how can I, for example, be born again?"
"Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved," Marchek said. "This is God's prescription, His only prescription, for redemption."
Jacob lit a cigarette when Jorgenson interrupted Marchek for the commercial break, thinking of the ludicrous contrast between the two priorities — the eternal destiny of the soul and the all-important commercial, which Marchek had not edited out of the videotape.
The screen blared a message about birth control and how it could now be a pleasure for both partners through the use of STW 66 Serum, and how Unitrex International Industries guaranteed the preventative for a full two years. "Now, enjoy the greatest pleasure of life, without the worries of creating problems, no matter where you are, or what the tune of day or night. Safe, quick, and guaranteed effective for two years!" said the announcer enthusiastically while the video displayed a woman and man locked together sexually within a thatch of yellow-green grass, with quick cuts from different camera angles showing explicit close-ups of their naked bodies.
"My favorite commercial," Rance Jorgenson said when the commercial ended, his quip eliciting laughter from his audience. The host reached to place his hand on Marchek's arm. "You'll just have to forgive me for that, Doctor."
"It is not I who forgives such things, Mr. Jorgenson."
"Oh... That's right. Only God can forgive sins.”
"See. You have learned something tonight," Marchek said, smiling.
"You don't approve of such commercials, I'll wager."
"Whether I approve or disapprove makes no difference. What matters is that it is but one more indication of the fulfillment of prophecy for the end-times. We have witnessed great degenerati
on of morals in this nation. From the Flapper era, which, I believe, the United States partially paid for with the Great Depression of the 1930's, through the post-World War II era of so-called national self-fulfillment, with its increased promiscuity and unparalleled level of entertainment at the expense of godly principles. I believe we are still paying for it today with unprecedented, untreatable venereal and other diseases which always end in death. We are still paying with worldwide economic chaos, and, by these scientifically unexplainable natural — or should I call them 'supernatural' — catastrophes. We have brought about the fulfillment of those prophecies ourselves. There's no one else we can blame."
The studio crowd voiced its disagreement with the old man's assessment through whistles and jeers.
"Excuse me, Rance, but I just can't sit back any longer," Lauren Winchester said from her seat on the sofa to Marchek's right. "Dr. Marchek, for someone who says it isn't his place to forgive or to judge, you're doing a pretty thorough job of playing God here."
The audience erupted in applause and cheering.
"I, for one, want to go on record as saying that what I have listened to for the last 15 minutes is a crock."
Again those sitting in the studio went wild in agreement with the pretty actress' scathing words. "And, quite frankly, sir, I really don't care whether you or your kind forgive me or not."
The host looked at the woman, at Marchek, then to the studio audience, a feigned look of loss of control on his face. He grinned, then. "Geez, Doctor. You know what they say... I think you've stirred the proverbial wrath of the woman's scorn."
"And I have not yet even addressed the homosexual issue, Mr. Jorgenson," Marchek said with good-humor in his voice.
Jacob Zen, pulling easily on the cigarette, squinted to focus better on the old man's face. There was genuine calm there, an eloquent serenity that exuded confidence. The audience had turned hostile, stirred by Lauren Winchester's searing attack. Marchek was undeterred.
"What about the homosexual issue, Doctor?" The woman pressed boldly. "What words of divine wisdom do you have for us in that area?"
"In the Book of Genesis, the 19th chapter, the Bible tells us of the previous sin of homosexuality, which, among other sins, brought on the destruction of the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Cities which not too many years ago, as you know, were claimed by archaeologists and others to be figments of the biblical fundamentalists' imagination. But, the remnants of these places have been found in areas near the Dead Sea. And, I might add, according to secular scientists, that area seems to have been subjected to nuclear-type devastation.
"The Bible record shows that the Lord God, true to His promises, caused complete destruction of the area. Genesis 19, verses 24 and 25, tells us, ‘Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.’
"And the same conditions have recurred throughout man's history, my friends," Marchek said, turning first to Jorgenson, then to Lauren Winchester. "It happened in Noah's time; it happened in Lot's time. There was a significant infestation of homosexuality, to the point that finally, homosexual rather than the heterosexual relationships were considered the norm.
"Coming down in history, it happened to Pompeii to the greatest culture perhaps of all time, ancient Greece, and to Rome. And, it has been happening to the United States for many years now. The results of that repeated offense against God Almighty has always been the destruction of the affected, or perhaps I should say, the infected society."
Lauren Winchester stiffened, her face reddened with anger. "That's hate speech! There are laws against that sort of hate-mongering, Doctor."
Hugo Marchek's gray eyes narrowed, his face taking on a grave expression. "But it is this generation, Ms. Winchester, who is speaking hate against the Creator of all things by engaging in such terrible activities. His judgment is inevitable when there is no repentance."
"You religious paranoiacs always relate your doomsday predictions to periods of supposed history for which there are few, if any, records," Lauren Winchester said angrily. "And as for Rome and Greece, they fell under the weight of their own bureaucracies and colonial over-reaches — not as a result of homosexuality. To attribute the fall of those societies to homosexuality is crazy!"
"And yet, Ms. Winchester, what was the most prevalent sexual activity of the times, according to our secular historians?"
"Of course, the Roman orgy is what we hear about most, but that, too, is overblown."
"Is it?" The old man said quizzically. "And the most noted type of sexual activity, again, according to secular historical records, pertaining to those orgies? Was it not homosexuality?"
The woman made no verbal response, but turned her face from Marchek, shaking her head and grimacing.
"But you say homosexuality was not the cause, either directly or indirectly, of the fall of the Greek and Roman Empires?"
"That's right, Doctor. That's exactly what I'm saying. Those civilizations collapsed from many governmental and societal strains, over an extended period of time."
"I agree with you, Ms. Winchester. They did collapse as you have described. But I maintain they were judged and fell, primarily, from the state of decadence that was reached in the latter years of their existence as empires. And the most marked societal and cultural distinction of those times was the tremendous proliferation of hedonistic activity, in general — and of homosexuality, in particular."
"The moral conditions of those times had little or nothing to do with the fall of those civilizations. The collapse was due to an erosion of economic and military stability. And if you are trying to get me to admit that the United States is following in their footsteps, as you super-informed clergy of the radical right always claim, I can tell you I agree completely.
"This nation is in a state of collapse at present. But not because of moral conditions, or sin. It is because of government mismanagement and consumer and governmental deficit spending. And I believe we will be able to do something about those problems long before the final stages of collapse are reached. We are capable of controlling our own destinies. And I believe we will."
Loud applause almost drowned the woman's last predictive words.
"That, Ms. Winchester," the old man said when the applause subsided, "is exactly the same ploy Satan has been using since the creation of man."
His words brought angry jeers from the studio audience.
"The devil, Lucifer, told the woman, Eve, the same thing. That man could control his own destiny. That God did not want her and Adam to eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because if they did so they would become as wise as God, himself — and God would not like that.
"The philosophy, the theology, really, of humanism is telling our generation the same thing, my friends. And Satan, the superdeceiver, the author of humanism, is telling us that we do not need God or His wisdom, or His moral influence and restrictiveness. That we are self-sufficient. This is the same thing Satan told the Babylonians and the Greeks, and they fell because they took a bite, figuratively speaking, from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, when they told God they did not need Him. We are doing the same thing today in America, and throughout the world. The result will be the same for this generation as it was for those of the past.
"There are not many things we can depend upon in this world. But upon this one thing you can depend, my friends. God will remain true to His promise of mercy for those who repent, and true to His promise of judgment for those who do not."
From the sofa in front of the television set, Jacob and Melissa Jantzen sat in silence, as did Rance Jorgenson and his audience in the studio.
Finally, the host broke the disturbing quiet. "Ooo...kay, Dr. Marchek, I appreciate your being here, I guess." Jorgenson said lightly, looking uneasily into the camera, then to his subdued audienc
e. "I can't say I agree, but I respect your right to say it."
"That, too, will soon come to an end," the eschatologist interrupted.
"What will come to an end?"
"The right for a person, like me, to say the truths I have just expressed to you."
"Oh?... How so?"
"There is coming, Mr. Jorgenson... Ms. Winchester, the world's last great dictator. A man who will completely subject the world. He will be the son of the devil himself. The time of the great Antichrist is near. A time, as the Lord Jesus said, such as the world has not known since the beginning of time, and shall never know again. The time of the great tribulation. Then, all peoples will express, in their actions and words, only what this demon-possessed leader and his devilish one-world system allows. He will be, my friends, the final fuhrer, the beast of Revelation 13, who will make Adolf Hitler seem like a Boy Scout leader by comparison."
"And you think this..." Rance Jorgenson paused, searching for the right words, "...gentleman, is near at hand?"
"I do indeed, sir."
"If this final great leader is near at hand, Rance, she will be a woman," Lauren Winchester said solemn-faced, bringing laughter and applause. "Most likely, a lesbian, who is also a mother," she added, to the delight of the audience in the studio.
"But I assure you, Ms. Winchester... Mr. Jorgenson, the matter will not be one of merriment for long. The time will come, and I believe in the very near future, when this leader will arise out of the revived Roman Empire — out of the European Economic Community of nations, as prophesied in Daniel, the 12th chapter. He is, I am convinced, even now awaiting his time in man's history. And he will give those who do not leave this planet little to laugh about when he comes into his full power."
"Leave the planet?! You mean some of us will leave?" The actress questioned in an incredulous tone.
"Yes. The rapture to which I referred earlier. God will take His people — those who are saved through faith in Jesus Christ — will remove them from this planet, to meet with Jesus in the air. Just as God took Noah to safety on the ark before the flood, just as He took Lot from Sodom before He destroyed that city, they will vanish in the blink of an eye. And I believe when that happens, that is, when God's people — righteous in His eyes because of their acceptance of His Son, Jesus Christ — are raptured from this earth, God will also remove for a time His restraining influence on mankind, the Holy Spirit."
