THE WARNING A Novel of America in the Last Days (The End of America Series Book 2) (9 page)

Basement
of Fred Hectorski

        
Fred was having a bad day. One of his psychoactive meds had
run out. He realized this morning that he was out of the orange pill that
caused Fred to see the world as it really was. When he went to bed he checked
his several pills to make sure that his supply was good for the morning. But,
now that he spread the eleven pills on the table in the private, locked room on
the lower level of his house, he could clearly see that the orange pill was
missing. That won’t do, Fred knew. Without the orange pill, Fred
had….well….Fred had trouble. Things around Fred didn’t work right. Kitchen
appliances didn’t seem to work for him and the machines just kept beeping at
him. The image on his television screen was upside down, even if he turned the
aged television set over. If anyone came to his door, such as a salesman or the
paper boy, they screamed at him, yelling obscenities, though he didn’t do
anything to incur their wrath. At least, Fred didn’t think he did. Maybe
he
was the one that was yelling at his
visitors, he thought, but on reflection, he couldn’t be sure.

        
What Fred
was
sure
of was that he had to get more orange pills. Where was Jim? He should have been
here yesterday. He always came to Fred’s small house on Wednesday, always right
at noon, always with Fred’s supply of what Jim called his “pep pills”. Fred had
signed up five years before to be a test subject in the psychoactive drug
testing protocol. He did so at the time primarily because he needed the money.
His local evangelical church, where Fred served briefly as a Deacon a few years
ago, had helped Fred for several months by paying some of his bills, but even
that charitable act eventually stopped when Fred’s attendance at the church
came to a halt. Fred seemed to be unable to get a job, though he didn’t
actually try to find employment.

        
Fred responded to a classified want ad seeking patients to
test anti-anxiety drugs. He signed up in a small clinic in his town. The nice
young lady who entered him into the drug testing program hinted that the
program was a federal government study, but when he asked with which agency,
she glanced around the office and quickly suggested that she had said too much.
She then told Fred he should forget what she had just said and consider that a
major drug company was running the tests. Upon Fred asking which company, the
response was that she wasn’t allowed to say, in order to “maintain
confidentiality”. Fred decided he didn’t really care if the testing program was
sponsored by the government or a drug company, just as long as he received in
his bank account a direct deposit of three thousand two hundred dollars a
month.

        
In Fred’s first year or two in the drug program he seemed to
do well. The clinic supplied his medications to him when he came to their
offices once a week. Employees at the clinic were complimentary of Fred’s
stable adjustment to life under the influence of the psychoactive drugs he
consumed. At first he was only given three different medications, but the
number of pills increased over time, so that now Fred was taking a dozen pills
daily. Fred was curious when he started the program as to what they were
testing. It was explained to Fred that psychoactive drugs crossed the
blood-brain barrier and entered the central nervous system resulting in
altering Fred’s mood, perception and behavior. They told Fred they wanted to
study new drugs to see which ones worked best on people with psychological
issues.

        
Though Fred didn’t see himself as particularly a
psychologically troubled person, he was aware that life had not always been
smooth for him, particularly in his years as a youngster, with significant problems
as a teen growing up in a home of regular spousal abuse, ending violently with
his mother taking her own life. Fred liked to go to his church, particularly
when he seated people and passed out bulletins, years before, as a deacon. But,
in the third year of his drug treatment program Fred began to look at things
differently. That was the year that Jim (he never did know Jim’s last name)
convinced him that the Bible wasn’t reliable. At first Fred resisted Jim’s
arguments, which he made every week when he brought Fred’s pills to his house,
but eventually Fred saw that Jim wouldn’t give up, so Fred began to agree with
Jim.

        
At the beginning of Fred’s fifth year in the drug program
Jim began to tell Fred, every week, that the people who worked in the gray-stone
federal building three miles from his house were evil, even demon possessed,
and dangerous to the country. Over time Fred could see that Jim was right.
After all, Fred eventually concluded, Jim was his source of medications that
made him feel better, as well as income to pay his bills, so why would Jim lie
to him? When Jim brought an AR-15 and two Glocks to Fred’s house, so he could
“protect himself” from the wicked federal agents, it all made perfect sense to
Fred. Somebody had to protect America.

        
All that was needed now was Jim’s strong, persuasive
suggestion that Fred protect the nation from the evil, demonic beings down the
street. Without Fred’s orange pills Jim’s suggestion to Fred would become the
command that Fred would willingly fulfill. But first, he needed to write the
words on his troubled internet blog, suggested by Jim, which would explain to
the world why Fred needed to engage in violence to protect the country. After
he posted Jim’s suggested words explaining why “Christian Soldiers” needed to
stop evil federal agents, Fred loaded his weapons in the cello case that Jim
had supplied. Fred was pleased to see as he loaded the guns in the case that it
had wheels at the bottom of the case. That would make it easier for him to take
it to the federal building since someone had stolen his car the day before
yesterday. Jim had suggested to Fred that the federal agents down the street
must be worried about Fred, which is probably why they had stolen his
automobile. Unlike everything else Jim told Fred in his unorthodox drug
treatment program, Jim’s identification of the identity of the thieves who
stole Fred’s car was no lie.

Offices
of Dr. Peter Irwin

Orlando
General Hospital Physician Tower

Orlando,
Florida

“For I was
angry with my chosen people
and
punished them by letting them fall into your hands.
But
you, Babylon, showed them no mercy.
You
oppressed even the elderly.”
 
(Isaiah
47:6 – NLT)

        
Dr. Irwin welcomed Mark and Sharon Rogers into his office.
He was fond of these patients for whom he had provided medical care since soon
after he began his practice as an internist in central Florida. Today, though,
he wished he could be anywhere else except in his office, knowing the news that
he was going to have to convey to the Rogers.

        
After offering them coffee and asking them how they were
feeling, Dr. Irwin launched into his legally mandated role. “Mark….Sharon….I’m
afraid that I don’t have very good news….for you….today. Mark’s application for
a pacemaker has been
denied
.”

        
Sharon’s response was instantaneous, as she cried out, “
What? Denied? Why?
Mark
needs
a pacemaker. You told us that on
our last visit. His tachycardia has only gotten worse. His heart needs to be
paced….otherwise….Dr. Irwin….you told us he would only have….”

        
“I know, believe me,
I
know
. I stated our application for approval under the Affordable Medical
Care Act in the
strongest
possible
terms. The problem is Mark’s
age
.”

        
“
His age? He’s only
72.
I just read an article that said that 72 is the new 30. Are you saying
Mark’s too
old
to be
healed
? What kind of governm….”

        
Mark listened carefully as his wife and his doctor debated
his health. He had read enough about the ‘Death Panels’ set up in the
Affordable Medical Care Act to know before his appointment with Dr. Irwin that
he was unlikely to be given a pacemaker.

        
“Sharon, I want you to calm down. I don’t want you blowing a
heart valve, okay? Let me explain how this works. When Congress passed the
Affordable Medical Care Act they included a section that created a fifteen
member panel called the Independent Payment Advisory Board. Under the new law
this panel has the authority to make healthcare decisions for Americans,
including the rationing of health care. What was recently decided by the panel
is that persons over seventy years of age are not to be fitted with pacemakers
due to the level of expense involved.”

        
Sharon would have none of it, saying sarcastically, “
So
….Doctor Irwin…. Mark should have had
been here
two years ago
? He should
have developed his heart problem earlier so he could get a pacemaker
before
the deadline? Does that make
any
sense to you because it
sure
doesn’t to me.”

        
“Look, folks, I don’t like this anymore than you do. I
didn’t go to medical school decades ago just so I could tell my patients that
can’t
receive the medical treatment they
need in order to stay alive….that is….Sorry, Mark….I don’t mean to sound….”

        
Raising his hand, Mark said slowly, “Oh….Doc….it’s
alright…..I know I’m dying….We all die, eventually, right?....I just hate to leave
Sharon on her own, when with a few bucks spent by my government I can live for
a few years more….and help Sharon….you know….like….” Mark trailed off as tears
fell down his face onto his folded hands. Sharon was already crying. It was all
that Doctor Irwin could do to avoid tears himself for his long time patients
who had become friends.

        
Sharon wiped her cheeks and
asked, “Doctor Irwin, we don’t have much money, but if we sold everything we
had, what would a pacemaker for Mark cost us?”

        
“Sharon. Mark. The law and the regs won’t allow you to do
that. Once a patient passes a certain age, then certain medical treatments are
no longer provided by the government. Nor, I’m
very sorry
to say, are they allowed to be obtained by the over-age
patient,
even
with the patient’s
own money
.”

        
“Doctor,” Sharon sobbed, “
that’s a death sentence
.

        
“Yes, Sharon, I’m afraid you’re correct. A death sentence
, indeed
.”

Small
Group Bible Study, Home of Hannah & Gary

Birmingham,
Alabama

        
After opening prayer Scott kicked off their small group’s
Bible study, “I’ve really been looking forward with anticipation to tonight’s
study, guys. The key to what the Bible may be telling us about our country is
contained in the thirty clues He gives us as to the identity of Mystery
Babylon. You know from your lesson prep that the author in The End of America
identifies twenty-one identity clues and nine abomination nation clues. We’ll
study the twenty-one identity clues tonight. The way I see this is that if the
United States
matches
these clues
that will tell us
a lot
about our
future. On the other hand, we want to know the truth, so if America
doesn’t
match up with these clues, if
they apply to another nation, or a church, or whatever, then we can forget it.
And, if so….”

        
Beau interrupted, “Sorry, Scott, I just wanted to interject
something. You mentioned that these clues might apply to a church. Until this
study I always thought they referred to the Catholic Church. My research,
though, which is mentioned also in the book, is that the application to the
Catholic Church started in 1858 in a book by a Rev. Hislop entitled
The Two Babylons
. I found the book,
which is in re-print. Hislop starts by applying just one of the thirty clues,
the one about Babylon dwelling on seven high mountains. Then, now follow this,
he says the verse actually says seven hills, not mountains, that there are
seven hills in Rome and that the Vatican is located in Rome. From that one clue
he argues for the entire balance of the book against the Catholic Church,
without ever touching another clue. And he even got that single clue wrong as
the word used for mountains is the same one that’s used when Satan took Jesus
to a very high mountain to tempt Him. A
hill
?
I don’t think so. I’ve been to Rome and those hills are only that, certainly
not
high mountains.”

        
Waiting patiently for Beau to finish, Scott said, “Good. OK,
Beau, I was going to mention that for the last 150 years or so most Christians,
Protestants, at least, thought that the Daughter of Babylon was the Catholic
Church. Your research helps us get a grip on that misapplication. I’ll not
mention anymore that the clues might apply to a church. They clearly don’t.
There are several references in these prophetic verses to cities within a
nation. Babylon the Great must be a country, a nation, not a church. I assume
that we’ve all read the clue verses to prepare for tonight. The verses
identifying the identity of the Daughter of Babylon/Babylon the Great are:

               
Psalm 137:8

         
Isaiah 13; 21:1-10; 47 and 48

         
Jeremiah 50 and 51

         
Zechariah 2:7

         
Revelation 17 and 18

         
Scott
continued, “In deciding how best to look at the twenty-one identity clues, I
concluded that I’d pass out the list of the twenty-one identity clues and ask
you to pick out the clues that struck you, the ones that jumped out as clearly
applying to our country, to America. Here are the twenty-one identity clues.”
Scott passed the list around the family room. The pass out sheet listed these
clues:

1.
      
Is the Daughter the Same as the Mother?

2.
      
The Hammer of the Whole Earth

3.
      
A Latter Day Nation

4.
      
A Nation of Wealth and Luxury

5.
      
A Multi-Nation ‘Melting Pot’ of a Nation

6.
      
You Who Live on Many Waters

7.
      
Center of World Commerce

8.
      
The Great Voice

9.
      
They Are Mad Upon Their Idols

10.
    
The Daughter of Babylon Mounts Up to the Heavens

11.
    
Where the Nations Gather

12.
    
She Has Been Proud Against the Lord

13.
    
Large Jewish Population

14.
    
Deep Water Port Nation

15.
    
The Kings of the Medes Won’t Destroy Themselves

16.
    
A Land of Entertainment

17.
    
Historical Babylon is Gone and Won’t be Back

18.
    
Who sits on the Seven Continents of the Earth?

19.
    
Ancient Babylon has already been Punished

20.
    
Past Use by God of the Daughter of Babylon

21.
    
Which Nations are sworn to Defend Israel?

               
Scott
allowed a minute for everyone to look over the list and then said, “Who’ll be
first? Which one of these twenty-clues identifying Mystery Babylon
jumps out
at you as clearly applying to
America?”

        
Hannah, who along with Gary was active in their local Tea
Party was first, saying, “Scott, as for me they look like they
all
could apply. I’ll leave the clues
about ancient Babylon and all that to you and Max, but I had trouble deciding
which ones were most descriptive of the US. Take for example the hammer of the
whole earth clue. Who could that possibly apply to
except
America? We’re the world’s policeman. We spend more than
anybody on our military. I googled it and found that the US has over eight
hundred military bases around the globe. Who else has military bases outside
their own nation? The Brits may have still have a base in the Falklands, I’m
not sure.”

        
Tom added, “Russia had a temporary naval base on the coast
in Syria a while back, but they closed it down. Their other military bases, I’m
sure, are all in their homeland. France, Italy, Germany? None of these formerly
great powers have a military presence on bases outside their own borders. So, I
agree with Hannah that the hammer of the whole earth clue certainly would apply
to America.”

        
Scott asked, “Agreed. Next?”

        
Gary held up his hand and said, “At the risk of being
labeled the Hannah and Gary Show, I feel that the Jewish population clue was
amazing. God knew hundreds, thousands, of years ago that in the end times there
would be a major nation that would be home to a significant Jewish population
in addition to Israel. I typed in Jewish population and learned that the US has
about five and a quarter million Jewish residents and Israel has a slightly
larger but similar number. The next closest is France with under a half a
million, Canada with a third of a million, Britain with a quarter million, and
on down from there. So there are only two nations with significant Jewish
population, Israel and the United States. That clue squarely applies to the
US.”

        
“Also agreed. Next clue?”

        
Max, looking at his iPad, said, “Actually, I came up with
three
that I thought were all related
and which blew me away: first, a nation of wealth and luxury; second, the
center of world commerce; and third, where the nations gather. Let’s face it.
The US is the world’s richest nation. We consume more of the world’s good and
services, disproportionately. By that I mean that we have about 5% of the
world’s population but we consume about 25% or so of the world’s stuff.
Jeremiah said that the Daughter of Babylon would be rich in treasures. That
prophecy, from 2500 years or so ago is sure spot on for America. As for the
center of world commerce clue, I was struck by this one as we are clearly where
the world comes to buy, sell and exchange commodities, food, precious metals,
you name it. Lastly, the US is where the nations of the world stream to meet as
Jeremiah prophesied. Besides the League of Nations, which used to meet in
Switzerland and which is now defunct, the US is the only place where the
nations gather to meet. At the United Nations, of course.”

        
Tom followed Max’s comments, “Max, those hit me, too, but
you can also add to those three clues the multi-nation melting pot of a nation
clue. Who else but the US was populated by immigrants from many other nations?
And, while I’m still talking….which I know….I know….
I don’t do
much
in these
studies….but….there are two water clues that struck me. The clue that said that
Babylon the Great would be located on deep water sea ports and the other clue
that said the nation sits on many waters. All nations have lakes and rivers,
and all that, but they don’t all have deep water sea ports. Plus, I looked it
up….hush up, Marty….I do research sometimes….What I found was that the Great
Lakes themselves are 20% of the world’s fresh water lakes. Yet our land mass is
about 6% of the world’s total land mass. Those prophecies impressed me.”

        
Scott followed up by saying, “We could talk all night about these
twenty-one clues, mainly because my review convinces me that each clue
obviously applies to America. Two or three could apply to other countries. For
example, several nations have deep water sea ports, but one nation that doesn’t
is Iraq. That’s important because that means these clues
couldn’t apply
to ancient Babylon, which is a pile of ruins in
today’s Iraq. There are no deep water sea ports anywhere even close. I was
struck by the clue in Jeremiah 50:12 that this end times nation would be the
hindermost
of the nations. That can’t
mean a nation in poverty or military weakness because of the hammer of the
whole earth and wealth and luxury clues. But it can mean a nation late in time,
hindermost, as in the US being
the new
kid
on the global block. Global block….there’s a mixed metaphor. But, you
see what I mean. The Prophet saw that this rich, powerful and influential
latter day nation would be fairly young in terms of the history of the world.
That sure fits the US I think. Any last thoughts before we wrap it up in our
men’s and women’s prayer times?”

        
“Liz, Max’s wife, who generally deferred to her husband,
said, “Yes, Scott, we haven’t talked about the great voice and land of
entertainment clues. Both fit America like a glove….whenever
we speak
the world
listens
….maybe because we’re the hammer of the whole earth, huh?
Who else makes more movies and TV shows than we do? I saw one statistic that
America produces
90%
of all of the
movies made in the world. We really are the land of entertainment.”

        
“Good comment Liz.” Scott responded, “Last chance. Any other
comment?”

        
Marty, respected in the group for her spiritual insights,
concluded the discussion, “Yes, Scott. Two clues. This prophesied future end
times nation was said to be
proud
against the Lord. Un-huh. That fits us….now. Match that up with the clue that
prophesies that this nation had a past. That is that it
had
been used by the Lord. The verse says that ‘Babylon
has been
a golden cup in the hand of the
Lord.’ That wouldn’t apply to ancient Babylon which was a war club in God’s
hand to punish Israel, but it certainly
would
apply to the US. We founded modern missions in the 1860s and covered the globe
with missionaries, tracts and the gospel, for decade after decade. Some good
things are still happening, but look what we are sending into the world today.
Pornography, foreign aid bribes to adopt abortion laws, same-sex marriage, you
name it and we produce and export it. John in Revelation calls it the
‘maddening wine of our adulteries’. How God must be
sick
of how we have misused His abundance poured out on us. God
help us.”

        
“Marty, that’s a good place to end because next week we’re
going to look at the nine abomination nation clues. So your comments are a good
segueway to next week. I wouldn’t miss it. Let’s go into our prayer groups. God
bless.”