All characters in this story are fictitious and have no bearing on any person, living or dead.
A story based on Biblical truth.
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Several weeks elapsed before Dr Giacomo declared Gaius Caligula fit for discharge from his private ward at Gemelli Hospital. By then, the doctor's facial features had changed. On his forehead was a distinctive mark resembling a flower or three clover leaves. It was three sixes intertwined. The mark had already received an affectionate nickname, the Clover Leaf. It sounded much nicer than the Mark. Furthermore, the new name was more in touch with world peace rather than a mark of identification and loyalty.
Meanwhile, in Egham, the scanner and station-type barriers at the store where the group bought their food were activated, as I found out when it was my turn to buy food for the group. The barrier remained shut after passing through the scanner, which sounded a loud parp. The time has arrived. Everyone without the Mark was barred from buying or selling. Nearby, a crowd had formed a queue at the doors of a marquee that was set up on the High Street, near the grocery store.
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| Queues formed outside the marquee to receive the Mark. |
I hesitated and turned away. I knew that the marquee was a marking station, and each citizen received the Mark of the Beast right there. Yet, Caligula was supposed to be dead. We had heard nothing about him since his assassination. After studying the Bible as a group, we believe that the marking stations across the country and worldwide were established and put into operation under the orders of Elijah, the false prophet.
As I walked along the shopping precinct, I noticed that every shop entrance had a scanner and a closed barrier. I even wondered whether there were barriers at the doors of Holloway College, even though it had remained shut since the Rapture. I began to feel despair. If all grocery stores, whether a corner shop or a hypermarket, had these barriers, we would literally go hungry. I wondered how the rest of the group was feeling about all this. Three-plus years of sheer hell awaited us. Would we survive? How would Emily take it? As for Phil, he didn't seem that bothered. We saw that he took everything at board with calmness.
By the time I arrived empty-handed at the Church of St John, I shared the disappointing news. We all bowed in prayer. That was when we noticed that Phil was absent. I asked where Phil might have gone.
Phil has access to some food. Peter replied. He should be back soon.
Where does he stock up? I asked. Unless he has the Mark.
Shortly, Phil appeared with some packing cases and placed them on the floor in front of the rest of the group. When opened, the boxes revealed a variety of items that would feed the entire group for a few days. By secretly keeping in touch with his paymasters in London, they made sure that the whole group was adequately fed.
One day, the whole group were watching the latest bulletins on Phil's laptop. The focus was on Jerusalem. A vast crowd had assembled on the Temple Mount, now occupied by the Jewish Temple. From the altar in front of it, a dead bull lay. There was no fire, and its flesh was still intact. Several priests, dressed in Levitical garments, attended the sacrifice. The altar and the Temple itself were almost obscured by many TV cameras, as if preparing for something big to happen.
We all watched as the camera panned on the altar. For a moment, nothing happened until a figure in a cloak approached the altar, his back to the cameras. As he turned around to face the audience, his long hood obscured his face. Next to him, Elijah stepped up. Taking a microphone, he began to address the watching world. All of us in Egham watched.
Elijah then said, Good day, Israel and all men and women around the world, even nations in the middle of the night. This is Prophet Elijah speaking on behalf of our world leader of peace, Gaius Caligula.
We all know that Gaius was assassinated by a manic Arab Muslim a few weeks ago. In his absence, the Russian and Arab military forces attempted to invade Jerusalem for both plunder and retribution for demolishing the Dome of the Rock that stood here at the very site of this Temple.
However, an intense earthquake halted their advance while they crossed the Vale of Jezreel, and infighting broke out, which led to their slaughter. Many of you may say that this was Divine intervention. Well, it was. Only, not who you think.
A few weeks ago. Gaius Caligula was slain by a gunshot. He died as a result. But to prove his divinity. I have great pleasure in presenting you with...THE RESURRECTED GAIUS CALIGULA!
The audience standing in front of the Temple gasped. There was even a scream as the hooded figure stepped forward and removed his hood. He stood in all his glory.
There was no mistake, no identity mixup. He was definitely Caligula, the world leader of peace who was assassinated by a gunshot. And there he was, standing straight and looking to be in good health.
Elijah then continued with his speech.
Many refuse to believe that Caligula is the long-awaited Messiah. Especially among the Jews. Therefore, I'm going to perform a miracle to convince you otherwise. This miracle was performed around 2,800 years ago by the prophet Elijah to a crowd of Israelites who couldn't decide who to worship, God or Baal. After pouring water on an altar, Elijah called upon God and from heaven, fire came down, consumed the sacrifice and the altar, and evaporated the water. The Israelites then worshipped God, and the prophets of Baal were executed.
Today, this same miracle will be performed as proof that Gaius Caligula is God and your Messiah.
Elijah then ordered a hose to be aimed at the altar. Then one assistant asked, Is this water? Is this not petrol or gasoline?
Elijah poured the liquid into a glass and ordered the assistant to drink from the glass as the cameras zoomed in. He then tasted and drank the glass empty.
It is water. The assistant concluded.
Back in Egham, Peter remarked, That was deliberate, to prove that no cheating was taking place. Dowse anything in petrol in that hot sunshine, and flames would shoot up straight away.
The false prophet then stood a short distance from the altar and shouted aloud to the watching world.
GAIUS CALIGULA, WILL YOU NOW PROVE TO THE WORLD WHO YOU ARE SO ALL WILL BELIEVE IN YOU?
Gaius Caligula replied, TO PROVE TO YOU THAT I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE, I WILL CALL DOWN FIRE FROM MY FATHER IN HEAVEN, AND IF I AM WHO I SAY I AM, THEN ALL THIS HERE WILL BE BURNED UP!
Caligula raised both his arms high to heaven, and with his eyes wide open and looking up to the sky, he called out.
FATHER, IN THE NAME OF GAIUS CALIGULA, SEND THE FIRE!
All of a sudden, fire fell from the sky and took hold of the sacrifice. The bull was burnt to cinders, the stones grew hot and exploded, and the water evaporated. After a while, nothing was left but a pile of ashes.
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| Elijah calls fire from Heaven. |
Caligula shook Elijah's hand and the two, arm in arm, walked to the Temple entrance and proclaimed himself as God. The cameras then zoomed in on the smouldering ashes.
The group in Egham watched in fascination and horror the event on Phil's laptop. Each of them knew that the Abomination of Desolation, spoken by the prophet Daniel, had just occurred. As the cameras panned the whole area, as predicted, nearly the whole crowd of frightened Jews were fleeing towards the Mount of Olives. As Peter commented, for the Jew to receive his Messiah, he must arise from his own Jewish heritage. As a Roman and a Gentile, Caligula didn't fit the criteria. Hence their fright and their compulsion to flee.
Caligula was infuriated by their flight. He called Elijah over and issued some instructions. The false prophet then announced,
We are witnessing the majority of Jews refusing to believe in Caligula as their Messiah. Hence, it is now mandatory for every citizen worldwide to have a mark of loyalty tattooed on his forehead or right hand. No one can buy or sell unless he has this mark of loyalty. We have even named this mark the Clover Leaf, because that is what it resembles. It consists of three sixes intertwined, forming a flower-like image.
Loyalty to Caligula is absolutely vital for your survival as we strive to restore world peace. If anyone worships another god, another messiah, he will be executed. We have ready the French guillotine, or face a firing squad. In America, the electric chair will be ready for use. No matter which mode is used, not the slightest deviation from the rightful worship of Caligula would be tolerated.
Caligula was handed a seat by Elijah, and he placed it just inside the Holy Place of the Temple and sat as enthroned. Meanwhile, most of the Jews in Jerusalem had fled the scene. Many other Jews were alarmed and refused to believe in Caligula. In the Church of St John, Peter was aware of the Jews' reaction.
In Zechariah chapter 13, there is a prophecy that two-thirds of Israel will perish, and the remaining third will survive but through much tribulation. History tells us of Roman persecution, hardships from the Catholic Church, from the Crusaders, and especially from the Holocaust. But what we are seeing here, I think, is the fulfilment of the prophecy.
Can you enlighten us? Emily asked.
Peter explained, The Jews you watched as they fled from the Temple Mount may be the proportion of the one-third who will survive. They refused to believe in the Antichrist. However, of the whole Jewish population around the world, the remaining two-thirds will be deceived by the miracle and accept the Antichrist and his Mark. They will be the ones who will perish. As Jesus once said to the unbelieving Pharisees, "I come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive."
The rest of the group was astonished by the Scripture quotation. They were amazed at how all Biblical prophecies fit so well together.
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To be Continued.
