Fiction - Week 14 - A Fiasco in a Restaurant.

All the characters in this story are fictional and bear no resemblance to any person, living or dead.

A story based on Biblical truth.

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The whole group in their Egham hideaway reeled back in terror after watching on their laptop the gold-plated statue come to life in Jerusalem. Suddenly, all knew that any one of them could receive the death sentence if they refused to receive the Mark of the Beast, nicknamed the Clover Leaf.

But the miracle wasn't the end of it. On the Temple Mount, a crowd of Jews assembled to watch the miracle to verify its historicity. And like at the preceding fire miracle, the entire crowd fled in terror. But, as the group observed, from around West Jerusalem, along with Jews living in Israel's provincial towns, all fled from their homes to gather together in an area beyond the River Jordan.

Jews gather at the Temple area to see the miracle.

Peter knew why. These terrified Jews knew that Caligula was an impostor. Not being Jewish himself, he couldn't fit the credentials as their true Messiah. Furthermore, his brutality in enforcing worship would never replicate the Messiah's true character. 

Back in Egham, I watched Peter study the Bible for the relevant verses. To think that this very book was once owned by the Padula family, whose son, Roger, dined with us at Windsor the evening of his disappearance. And how close I became involved in a fight with Phil Banks. How I longed for the return of those days! Not for the fight, of course, but for the times I took for granted the easy availability of all resources. How I long for those days when I could walk into any shop without any security restraint. Now, I realise how shambolic this so-called World Peace is. Rather, it was nothing more than a spiritual, mental, and emotional enslavement to this egoistic monster who is proclaiming himself as God in Israel.

Peter spoke, shattering my deep thoughts and memories.

Yes, here it is. The Abomination of Desolation standing in the Holy Place, Matthew 24, verse 15 onwards. Jesus instructs all those witnessing it to flee to the Mountains. I assume these mountains are on the edge of the Rift Valley, on the other side of the Jordan River, possibly the Dead Sea. Maybe the site they are heading for is around Petra, in what was ancient Edom.

The computer TV screen was showing Jews by the thousands heading east, over the Mount of Olives, then down into the valley that would slope towards the west bank of the River Jordan and the Dead Sea.

This brought the reporter from Jerusalem back onto the screen.

Thousands of Jews are fleeing the Judean region and heading east. But not all of them. Here in Israel, there are estimated to be between seven and eight million Jews permanently residing here. Outside Israel, especially in the States but also elsewhere around the world, there are a further 16 million. It has been noted that those living here tend to be more devoted to Judaism and have a better understanding of why they have rejected Gaius Caligula as their Messiah.

We don't have enough evidence to make sound statistics, but there is a rumour that those Jews living outside Israel may have a greater affinity for the world leader. If this proves to be the case, those living here in Israel have a more orthodox commitment to their ancient faith and their devotion to their Torah.

We shall keep an eye on those fleeing Jerusalem and from towns around Israel. According to our helicopter team, they look to be heading for the Allenby Bridge over the River Jordan.

During normal times, this crossing wasn't open to Israelites. However, the Jordanian Government are aware of why the Israelites are heading their way. They are fleeing from Caligula. This has resulted in very unusual circumstances. The majority of Muslims living in Jordan have an ongoing issue with Caligula. It was he who ordered the demolition of the Dome of the Rock that dominated their Haram el Sharif, or Temple Mount, a structure revered as the third holiest site of the Islamic faith after Mecca and Medina. The Jordanians also blame Caligula for the construction of the Jewish Temple for the glorification of himself rather than the Jewish God.

Keeping watch over this modern Exodus, the huge train of vehicles is crossing the international border. It runs along the river at the Allenby Bridge, then turns south along the eastern coast of the Dead Sea. The main road into Jordan leads to its capital, Amman, but it appears that the exodus has no desire to head there.

We will update you in due course. This is Jeremy Taske for the BBC in Jerusalem.

Peter stared at the laptop screen with his mouth gaping open, while Emily, along with a couple of other women in the group, headed for the church kitchen to prepare some refreshments for the whole group. Emily, who was still grieving over the loss of her son Richard, even after more than three years, was motherly towards the rest of the group. A strong bond had developed between Emily and Peter. Although she looked up to Peter as the group's leader and encourager in these challenging times, Peter saw her as a mother, finding comfort and encouragement to hold on to his faith and not let it fail.

While the women were in the kitchen, Peter, at last, gasped,

Oh my! What we are seeing is the exact fulfilment of Jesus' prophecy. We are seeing Jews fleeing in their vehicles to Jordan. And the Jordanians letting them all in. This is a miracle in itself, a Divine one. It's incredible how long-standing prejudices between Israel and the Arabs are quickly resolved by one man rising to power! Mid you, though, before the Rapture, the Arabs were benefiting from Israel's prosperity; hence, enmity was dulled, even by then.

I suddenly realised that Phil has been absent for quite a while. He was supposed to borrow my car, or rather, Steve's car, to buy more food. So, I went outside. Steve's car was still there, parked in its normal spot. I needed to tell the rest of the group.

Can anyone tell me where Phil is? He's been gone a long while, and furthermore, my car, which he normally uses, is parked outside, as if he's gone without it.

One in the group, John Bates, replied, I overheard Phil talking to Peter and Emily. He told them that he would take longer than normal, as he had to do business with this pro-Christian group about food distribution, as supplies were getting scarce.

But why didn't he take the car? I asked.

John merely shrugged his shoulders. Maybe the risk is too high out in the streets. If Caligula's agents catch him in a car loaded with foodstuffs, he might get arrested. Perhaps the food will be delivered more officially, although I can't think what that means. But I heard Phil as he was talking to Peter.

As the rest of the group accepted the explanation, I had my doubts. I knew Phil Banks much longer than any of the others. I knew him when we were both college freshers. We became friends, but I also saw a dark side to him, especially his hostility towards Christianity. Then, on the day after the Rapture, he opened up his heart and revealed his family's cruelty and hypocrisy.

Despite his hostility towards anything spiritual, along with his racist bias, he was calm and respected the group, although he showed no signs of a proper conversion to Christ. Yet, I couldn't see the Clover Leaf mark either on his forehead or right hand. To me, this was a mystery, as he had always warmed up to Caligula, even during college days when the future world leader was a mere candidate whose name was in the hat.

And now, with the statue miracle proving to be a devastating failure, and the Jews fleeing from Israel in large droves, without a doubt, Caligula will try to pursue those Jews and probably have them massacred. Furthermore, he will strengthen his determination for everyone to have the Mark or suffer death. No way would the name of Jesus Christ be spoken in his presence. That is enough for the death penalty.

Petra, Jordan. A refuge for the exiled Jews?

Furthermore, according to the latest news bulletins, in his rage, Caligula will muster a large army to track down all the Jews who have fled. At the same time, the Clover Leaf mark will be enforced on all citizens worldwide, on pain of death.

However, while we were all keeping up with the latest news. At that time, I was totally unaware of Phil's whereabouts. While we were eating what Emily had prepared, Phil was well out of our sight. He was sitting on board a train as it made its journey from Reading to London Waterloo. Indeed, despite the growing troubles around the world, our Southwest Railways was still able to lay on normal services, including a stop at Egham Station, where Phil boarded.

On board the train, Phil grinned as he looked at his hands. Then, he began to peel the glove off his right hand to expose the Clover Leaf mark, consisting of three sixes intertwined. The glove was made of a thin fabric tailor-made to look exactly like the skin it covered, including any hair growth and skin texture. The gloves were treated with antiseptic before packing; hence, Phil escaped the infection that had brought a pandemic to all who had the Mark. These gloves were very expensive, and only government officials had access to them. Philip Banks was probably the only student in the country to own and wear them.

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To be Continued.