Angel of the Apocalypse
by Magnus Hansen
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
Text copyright © 2015 Magnus Hansen
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Cover design purchased from: depositphotos.com
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 – God Gets a Visitor
Chapter 2 – The Sermon
Chapter 3 – The Rapture
Chapter 4 – The Antichrist
Chapter 5 – Abraham's Dilemma
Chapter 6 – The Interview
Chapter 7 – Front Row Seat to the Apocalypse
Chapter 8 – The Final Confrontation
Chapter 1 – God Gets a Visitor
The Devil sat behind a large mahogany desk, watching the nightly news on his cell phone. The desk was littered with scattered notes, a cup of day-old coffee, and a bobblehead of Gary Busey. “Ugh, I barely get any reception down here,” scowled the Devil, as he watched the progress bar on his cell phone interrupt yet another news story.
After watching the progress bar for a full ten seconds, the Devil slammed his phone down on the desk in disgust, causing Busey's head to bobble in agitation. “That's it, I can't take anymore. Orville!” the Devil shouted. “Get my limo ready, were going on a trip.”
“Where to, boss?” croaked Orville; a short, foul-smelling demon.
“I'll let you know when we're in the car. Put on your best suit, and meet me out front in five minutes,” ordered the Devil.
The Devil pushed away from the mahogany desk, stood up, and straightened his gray pin-stripped business suit. He walked across the room and looked at himself in a full length mirror. He caught a brief glimpse of his devilishly handsome features before the mirror started to crack in protest, then shattered into a thousand pieces. Unfortunately, no mirror had the power to reflect such a powerful image. The Devil wondered why he bothered with mirrors at all.
“Vanity,” he whispered to himself, looking at the shattered glass. He let out a long sigh, then walked out the front door.
Orville was waiting for him in the driveway, holding the door of the limo open. “All set, boss?” asked the little fiend.
“Yes, yes. All set,” replied the Devil. He sat in the back seat, and proceeded to pour himself a whiskey from the limo's bar.
The diminutive demon gingerly shut the door and scampered around to the drivers side, got in, and started the limo. “OK, where are we going today, boss?” asked Orville.
The Devil held his glass of whiskey with his right hand, and dropped a few ice cubes into the glass. He then began stirring the drink with a long pointed fingernail. “Today is a special day, Orville, for it is the day of the Rapture.”
Orville clenched the steering wheel. “Boss? You're joking, right?”
“Afraid not, old chum. Today is the day. We're going to see the man upstairs.”
Beads of sweat now forming on his bald head, Orville started the limo and put it in gear. He drove to the end of the long, winding driveway and made a right hand turn onto the main road. Too afraid to speak, the chauffeur furtively glanced at the Devil in the rear view mirror.
“Oh, don't be such a worry wart,” scowled the Devil. “The Apocalypse was going to happen some time. Might as well be today. Put on some music. You know what I like.”
With one hand still on the wheel, Orville sorted through a pile of cassette tapes that were scattered on the front passenger seat. He picked out one cassette, labeled 'Smashin' Rap Hits of the 80's' and inserted it into the Limo's cassette player.
The speakers blared, “Goin' to the dealer's to get my fix, Banging' chix, and snortin' blow, yo!” The Devil's lips creased into a slight grin as he took another sip of whiskey. It's going to be a good day, he thought to himself.
The long black limo pulled up to the pearly gates and skidded to a stop. A short, fat demon got out of the car and scampered over to the back door and opened it with a grunt. A tall, foreboding figure in a pinstriped suit climbed out of the limo and approached the gates of Heaven. He staggered slightly, as if he had too much to drink. Eighty's rap music was blaring from the limo. The diminutive demon closed the car door, then stood in front of the limo with his arms folded across his chest.
Before the pearly gates stood a large cherry-wood podium. Behind the podium was a slender man with long hair. He was wearing a brightly colored tie-dyed shirt. “Can I help you, sir?” asked the attendant nervously.
“Where's St. Peter?” asked the Devil.
The man, who looked like a hippy straight out of the 70's replied, “He's on vacation this week. I can take a message if you like.”
The Devil, realizing he was still holding the glass of whiskey, placed it on the podium and stared at the hippy with bloodshot eyes. “Don't bother, just get the big guy for me.”
As a spark of recognition flashed across his eyes, the slender hippy took a step back from the podium. “Dude! I know who you are! Oh man, like, you're totally not allowed to be here, dude.”
“Cut the shit, and get Jehovah for me,” barked the Devil.
The hippy looked at the gate, then back at the Devil. "I don't know, man."
“Oh Christ, I don't have time for this crap.” The Devil picked up the whiskey glass from the podium, and threw it at the hippy – hitting him right between the eyes. The hippy's head snapped back from the impact. He then slumped to the ground, unconscious.
An awkward moment passed, as the Devil stood before the gates of Heaven. Muffled 80's music could be heard in the background. “What now, boss?” yelled Orville. “Should we go?”
“Not yet,” answered the Devil. “He knows I'm here.”
After a few moments, the gates of Heaven ominously opened and God walked out. He was a tall, stout man who appeared to be in his late 50's. Steely blue eyes fell upon the Devil. “It's been a while, Lucy. What brings you here?”
“You know I hate it when you call me Lucy,” said the Devil. “Call me the Devil, Lucifer, the Beast, Father of Lies...anything but Lucy.”
“Look, you know the rules. I can't have you coming up here and poking around. It makes the Christians nervous,” God said.
“Don't worry, I won't be long,” replied the Devil. “I just came up here to give you a courtesy call. I thought it would be best to notify you in person, as a professional courtesy.”
“What are you talking about?” asked God, stroking his short-cropped beard with one hand.
“I'm talking about the Apocalypse,” answered the Devil. “I think it's about time we got this shindig started.” The Devil carefully observed God. He had been waiting for this moment for eons, and wanted to soak in every detail. God appeared distracted for a moment, then amused.
“You've got to be kidding,” laughed God. “I wasn't planning on the Apocalypse for a few hundred more years, at least.”
“Well, it's not entirely up to you, is it?” retorted the Devil. “Besides, most of the prophecies have been fulfilled. Humanity is the most secular it's ever been, and well, I'm bored.”
God genuinely looked surprised. “You're bored?” He replied. “You don't just kill off two-thirds of humanity just because you're bored.”
A smirk crossed the Devil's face. “Look who you're talking to. I am the Destroyer. It's what I do.”
“I don't know about this,” said God. “We should talk more later, after you'
ve had time to rethink things.”
“No. The time is now. I've made up my mind. The only reason I'm giving you a heads-up, is so you can carry out the Rapture, and call up all you're precious little Christians before the Tribulation causes Hell on Earth.”
“Now wait just a minute.” God pointed a stern finger at the Devil's face. “There are rules here. More prophecies need to be fulfilled-”
“Do I look like a person who follows the rules?” interrupted the Devil. “Get your people ready for the Rapture, because the Tribulation is coming whether you like it or not. And as an added bonus, I'm going to take your most precious servant, and turn him into the Antichrist."
With that, the Devil turned around and walked back towards the limo, leaving a thoroughly befuddled God behind.
Orville opened the door to the limo. “Good one, boss. You showed him.” The Devil climbed into the limo. Orville scampered over to the driver's side door, got in, and started the ignition. The Devil headed back to Hell with the sound of electric guitars, synthesizers, and funky beats from the limo's cassette player fading into the distance.
God heard a slight moan from the ground. The hippy finally regained consciousness and got back up to his feet, rubbing his forehead. “Dude, what happened?” he asked God.
“I think the Apocalypse just started,” answered God.
Chapter 2 – The Sermon
It was a warm Sunday morning in Littleton, Colorado. A small church made out of brick and stone was sitting under the morning shade of huge maple trees. A large blue and white sign by the road read Covenant Church of Jesus Christ. Pastor Justin D. Abrams was just finishing up his sermon about Revelations.
“To recap, Revelations will begin with the Rapture, where all of God's children will be taken up to the Kingdom of Heaven. Then a censer will be thrown down, and the Tribulation will start. Seven angels will play their trumpets. Each sound of the trumpet will signify a different calamity to befall mankind – fire, blood, and hail will rain from the skies. The oceans and rivers will turn to blood, locusts will sting and torment unbelievers. Then the seven angels will pour seven bowls of God's wrath onto the Earth, signifying the last seven great plagues. Then God will reign in Zion and-” A hand shot up from the front of the congregation. “Yes, Fred?”
Fred, a twenty-something student at the local community college, looked puzzled. “That's unbelievably confusing. Trumpets? Bowls? Censers? I don't get it.”
Pastor Abrams smiled. “Well, Revelations is rather heavy-handed in its use of symbols. Remember that the book of Revelations was written by the Apostle John in 95AD. These instructions were given to him by an angel. Imagine trying to describe an event that was to happen nearly two thousand years in the future. It would be nearly impossible for a person who didn't know about electricity, radio, computers, the internet, cell phones...Think about all of the technology that was beyond the scope of understanding for the Apostles. They were given visions of future events in terms they could understand.”
“Like what?” asked Fred.
“Well, for instance - Revelations chapter eight, verse seven states that when the first angel blew his trumpet, hail and fire rained down on earth. One-third of all the trees were burnt up. Of course, back in John's day, they didn't have nuclear weapons, or even the technology of flight. But today, it is very possible that nuclear weapons could burn up those trees in such a fashion. In another example, when the fourth angel blew his trumpet, a third of the sun was blighted and darkened. This might be explained by nuclear winter.”
Another hand shot up from the congregation.
“Yes, Tim. What's your question?” asked the pastor.
Tim also looked confused. “I don't know how to put this...I thought the Devil caused all the death and destruction in Revelations. After the Devil did his thing, God would come down and stop the Devil and banish him forever. But you're saying that God is going to cause all of this mayhem? That doesn't sound right.”
“Those who believe in God will be brought up to Heaven during the Rapture, which will happen before the Tribulation. God's children will not suffer his wrath. It will be the unbelievers that will suffer through the seven years of Tribulation. Does that answer your question, Tim?”
Tim nodded his head. “Yes, I think so. But where does the Antichrist fit into all of this?”
Pastor Abrams paused for a moment. A painful vision of the Antichrist flashed before his eyes. The pastor saw an image of himself, with pale skin and strange looking eyes, preaching to millions of people. “I...one moment.” He took the bottle of water that was sitting on the podium and unscrewed it with unsteady hands.
“Pastor, are you OK?” asked Tim.
“Just fine, Tim.” The pastor took a drink of water and steadied himself before continuing. “During the Tribulation, the Devil will possess a man. This man will be known as the Antichrist, and he will declare himself to be god. During the second half of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will rule over the world with absolute authority. He will have the full power of Satan, and will curse and shout blasphemies against God at every opportunity.”
“OK, I think I get it.” replied Tim.
“Any other questions? Anybody?”
An old lady from the middle row raised her hand.
“Yes, Ruth. What is your question?” asked the pastor.
Ruth, and eighty-two year old widower, stood up and asked, “My husband passed away two weeks ago. How long do I have to wait until I can have sex again?”
The pastor looked at her blankly. “That's wildly inappropriate, Ruth. Let's try to keep this G-rated. Any other questions?”
Nobody else in the congregation raised their hand. Pastor Abrams closed the service with a song from the church hymnal. After the song, the pastor said a brief prayer. As the congregation slowly filed out of the pews, he added, “Thank you for coming here and sharing in the glory of our Lord on this beautiful Sunday morning. Please join me for refreshments in the break room. We have coffee, apple juice, and I believe Ruth made a couple trays of cookies for us.”
Following the service, Pastor Abrams met his wife and son in the break room. Other members of the congregation were slowly filing in and getting coffee. The pastor's wife was removing the cellophane from one of the trays of cookies. “Great sermon today, honey,” she said. “I can't believe Ruth asked that question.”
The pastor laughed. “Yeah, she's a real firecracker,” he said as he reached for a cookie. “Good thing she makes such good cookies, or I'd have to boot her out of church.”
“I heard that,” Ruth said, standing directly behind the pastor.
The pastor smiled, turned around, and gave Ruth a big hug. “What's with all the questions, Ruth? You're not going to lead the young men of my congregation into temptation, are you?”
“Well, I just might.” Ruth hugged the pastor back. “Why do you think I baked those cookies, anyway? The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.”
“Oh, Lord. We might need an intervention,” joked the pastor, as he bit into a chocolate chip cookie. He felt a tug on his shirt.
It was his seven year old son, Isaac. “Dad! Can I play Xbox with Jimmy? We'll be real quiet...”
Pastor Abrams looked at his son. “Sure thing. Just make sure you keep the volume down.” A section of the basement was converted into a small rec-room full of board games, puzzles, and books. Most of the kids played in the rec-room while their parents socialized after church service. A small TV and an old, first generation Xbox was stationed in the corner of the rec-room.
Isaac ran over to his friend Jimmy, and they both made their way down to the basement. “Sonic!” shouted Isaac.
“No, Halo!” argued Jimmy.
The pastor watched the two kids climb down the stairs. He then turned to his wife. “Big crowd today. Do we have enough coffee?”
Sarah, the pastor's wife, was talking to Ruth. She turned around and smiled. “Sure thing, we've got three coffee makers going full steam. I'll think
we'll be OK.”
“Good, good.” The pastor started pouring coffee into Styrofoam cups and handing them out to people as they walked by.
Fred walked up to the table and perused the cookies. Pastor Abrams offered him a coffee. “No thanks, not much of a coffee drinker.”
“What are you, a Mormon or something?” joked the pastor. “Hey Fred, I'm having a little get together at my house next Saturday night to watch the fights. You're more than welcome to come.”
“Who's fighting?” asked Fred.
“Hopkins is fighting for the Light-Heavyweight title. Should be pretty good,” answered the pastor.
“OK, count me in,” said Fred.
“Great. You remember where I live, right?”
“Of course, you live right across the street. Hey, about the sermon this morning. Do you think we're getting close to the end times?”
The pastor winced slightly, as he remembered the brief vision of the Antichrist he received while giving the sermon. Was his mind playing tricks on him? He had never experienced anything like that before. “It could happen at any time. Matthew 24:44 states – You must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Likewise, Revelations 3:3 gives similar instruction - thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.”
“Yeah, but...I'm talking about signs that it might happen soon. Like prophecies and stuff.”
The pastor nodded. “Sure, the bible is full of prophecies that need to be fulfilled before the Tribulation. Many of the prophecies are already fulfilled. The fact that Israel became a country after World War II is just one fulfillment of the prophecy, as is the Jews returning to Israel. The founding of the United Nations is thought to be another fulfillment. Revelations mentions that all people will be required to wear a device on their right hand or forehead, and that no one will be able to buy or sell goods, except those who have the mark of the Beast. Today we have the technology to implant people with identification chips. Those miniature computer chips could be implanted into people and have the same function as credit cards. But I think the greatest sign that the end times are coming is in 2nd Timothy 3:1 - In the last days distressing times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, slanderers, brutes, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power.”
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