The Countering Read online

  CHAOS

  IN

  THE

  BLINK

  OF

  AN

  EYE

  PART FOUR:

  THE COUNTERING

  AN AWARD-WINNING

  END TIMES SERIES BY

  PATRICK HIGGINS

  COPYRIGHT © 2016 PATRICK HIGGINS

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American copyright conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter, without written permission of the author. Address all inquiries to the author.

  All scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV)

  © 1973, 1978, 1984by International Bible Society.

  Library of Congress

  Cataloging in Publication Data

  ISBN 978-0-9992355-3-9 – Paperback version

  Published by

  www.ForHisGloryProductionCompany.com

  www.lsarglobal.org

  Publisher’s note: This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, organizations,

  and incidents portrayed in this novel are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  Prologue...

  A synopsis from the first three installments of the series,

  Chaos in the Blink of an Eye

  After countless millions silently and mysteriously vanished from the face of the Earth—including all small children—in the blink of an eye, the world was plunged into unbridled chaos.

  In the days following the Rapture of Christ’s Church, the ultimate enemy of God raised up his primary human agent in the flesh to carry out his diabolical mission, Salvador Romanero.

  With a secret society working feverishly behind the scenes, the former lawyer from Spain quickly rose above the landscape of humanity to become the most powerful man on Earth.

  The goal of the secret society backing him was global dominance. Salvador Romanero’s goal was to be worshiped by every human being on the planet. Satan’s goal was to destroy as many souls as possible before his time ultimately ran out.

  The Miracle Maker, as Salvador Romanero was known throughout the world—after various predictions he’d made had all come true—was about to perform his greatest miracle: bringing peace to a tiny country that had lived in constant fear since its inception, the nation of Israel.

  But not everyone was sailing on the Salvador Romanero cruise ship.

  Those who opposed him, namely new followers of Jesus Christ, knew he was the long-foretold Antichrist of the Bible. Once the treaty was signed, instead of peace and prosperity for all, Planet Earth would experience the most turbulent seven years humanity would ever know.

  Using a newly-launched website to lead the way—www.lsarglobal.org—the site founders, Clayton Holmes and Travis Hartings, knew their window for winning souls to Christ would close a little more with each passing day.

  They were off to a good start. Millions had visited the site since the Rapture; thousands were placing their faith in Christ each week.

  But compared to the billions of others blindly following Salvador Romanero, Christians were a mere blip on the screen.

  Knowing there was nothing they could do to stop the Son of Perdition in his quest for global worship—after all, it was written—aside from spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they needed to put plans in motion that would hopefully counter some of Romanero’s advances. Hopefully their efforts would serve to protect many believers and help them survive the next seven years.

  If not, Salvador Romanero would easily crush them without a fight.

  Clayton Holmes and Travis Hartings knew they’d soon become two of the most wanted men on the planet, for their insubordination against Romanero. But it was a price they were willing to pay if it meant snatching one more soul from the clutches of the Prince of Darkness.

  With the promise of peace thick in the air in Israel, elsewhere the armies were already gathering...

  Main Characters:

  Clayton Holmes and Travis Hartings – Co-founders of www.LASRglobal.org. Now that Salvador Romanero had been identified as the long-foretold Antichrist of the Bible, the two leaders were putting plans in motion that would hopefully counter some of Romanero’s advances. Both knew if they sat back and did nothing, they would be annihilated by the enemy without even putting up a fight.

  Pastor Jim Simonton – 48 - Lead Pastor at Southeast Michigan Evangelical Church. Left behind with everyone else, the devastated pastor, after realizing he was a false convert—and that his preaching had led many from his church to be left behind as well—quickly repented of his sins and was determined to never again preach a false or watered-down Gospel. In short: there would be no more false converts at his hands.

  Tom Dunleavey – 62 – Catholic priest who tried consulting Brian Mulrooney the day after the disappearances. After both men had similar dreams for three straight nights, they met for a friendly debate. It leads to spiritual turmoil for the Catholic clergyman.

  Dick and Sarah Mulrooney – Married for more than 30 years, the solid relationship they always had was showing small cracks in the dam, after their son Brian converted to Christianity and distanced himself from the Catholic church.

  Chelsea Mulrooney – Divorced, and living with her parents, Brian Mulrooney’s kid sister was doing all she could to shield herself from the vast chaos in the world. She spent most of her time in her bedroom chatting online with friends looking for comfort in a world where so little comfort was found.

  Braxton Rice – Chief of security and vetting for Clayton Holmes and Travis Hartings and their upstart organization the End Times Salvation Movement.

  Doctor Lee Kim – Lead IT man for the website www.LASRglobal.org, and all other End Times Salvation Movement IT operations.

  Tamika Moseley – 27 – NYC taxi driver. Lost her two sons, Jamal and Dante, and mother, Ruth Ferguson, on the day of the Rapture. Tamika was driving two businessmen from LaGuardia Airport to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel when all hell broke loose, and one of her passengers vanished in the back seat of her taxicab. God ultimately used her to connect Brian Mulrooney and Charles Calloway in the days following the disappearances.

  Brian Mulrooney – 33 – Moved from New York City to Ann Arbor, Michigan, after graduating from Notre Dame University and being recruited by the Marriott Corporation. Mulrooney was at Michigan Stadium with his childhood friend, Justin Schroeder, to watch the Ohio State-Michigan football game, when Schroeder suddenly disappeared along with thousands of others.

  Justin Schroeder – 33 – Moved from New York City to Boulder, Colorado to attend the University of Colorado. Met his wife Heather at a Bible study in his sophomore year and became a Christ follower soon after that. Both were taken in the Rapture, along with their unborn child. Before going to the football game, Justin left a Bible at Brian Mulrooney’s apartment—wrapped as a gift—with a handwritten letter stuffed inside, explaining the many positive changes in his life. His hope was that God would use both items to open his friend’s eyes and ears to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

  Renate McCallister – 29 – Like everyone else on the planet, Renate was completely rocked by the disappearances. But she was too blinded spiritually to know what had happened on that fateful day. In her mind, if she couldn’t see, hear or feel it, it didn’t exist. Renate was the main reason Brian Mulrooney had remained in Michigan the last five years, when he could have transferred elsewhere.

  Charles Calloway – 42 – Successful Florida businessman who was
in New York City to teach success principles to his fellow colleagues at the time of the disappearances. Calloway was inside Tamika Moseley’s cab when his colleague, Richard Figueroa, suddenly vanished in the backseat next to him. The son of a preacher, it didn’t take long for Calloway to piece things together and realize it was the Rapture of the Church, and that he had been left behind.

  Jacquelyn Swindell – 29 – Lost her husband at Michigan Stadium when he was killed by an object that fell from the sky, after a plane collided with a Goodyear blimp hovering above the stadium. Swindell also lost the child in her womb at that time. After meeting Brian Mulrooney inside the stadium, she offered to drive him home after his car was destroyed in the mayhem. As she did her best to cope in this strange new world, without her husband and unborn child, she was grateful for Brian’s friendship, and agreed to join him in his quest for answers...

  Craig Rubin – 33 – While his two buddies, Brian Mulrooney and Justin Schroeder, left New York to attend college elsewhere, Craig Rubin remained in the Big Apple to work the family business, which consisted of three Jewish delicatessens all bearing the name, Mitzi’s. Rubin was en route to Ann Arbor, Michigan to join his two friends when the Rapture occurred. Craig never left New York City.

  President Jefferson Danforth and First Lady Melissa Danforth – The First Family were at Camp David with family and friends when the disappearances happened. Many vanished at the Presidential retreat, including the President’s and First Lady’s daughter, their son-in-law, and all five grandchildren (including the unborn child). President Danforth’s mother also perished that day, suffering a fatal heart attack after seeing her grandchildren vanish into thin air.

  Salvador Romanero – 30 – As the world mourned the loss of more than a billion people—either by death or disappearance—Satan raised up the young lawyer from Spain as his main agent in human form. Since becoming the unchallenged leader of the world, Romanero quickly became known as the Miracle Maker, after a few of his bold promises had come to pass exactly as prophesied. His next miracle was peace in the Middle East; namely Israel.

  1

  FEBRUARY – ONE MONTH AFTER SALVADOR ROMANERO’S U.N. SPEECH

  AFTER THREE STRAIGHT WEEKS of oftentimes heated negotiations with Middle Eastern officials, Salvador Romanero stood at the Wailing Wall—formerly known as the Western Wall—in front of 300 foreign dignitaries and announced that in just two-and-a-half-months, the long-awaited promise of peace would finally become a reality for the tiny country of Israel.

  After so many failed attempts, peace was finally within reach, at least for the next seven years. The fact that the peace treaty signing would take place during Passover only added to the elation most felt, especially in a region where bloodshed and hostility had reigned supreme for so long.

  The last thing Romanero said before leaving the podium was, “As part of an intensive spiritual cleansing I am undergoing, no one can touch me until after the peace treaty has been signed. The next hand I shake will be the Israeli Prime Minister’s, on that great and glorious day!”

  The two leaders made eye contact and the Israeli Prime Minister nodded his appreciation.

  This caused a few heads to tilt and eyebrows to raise, journalist and dignitary alike. But most, already under Romanero’s supernatural hypnotic spell, were comforted knowing that if the Miracle Maker said it, it was for good reason.

  Another thing many were taken aback by was the length of his speech. It was 45 minutes shorter than what news makers were told it would be. They wanted to hear more from the man they’d come to love and greatly admire.

  As the Israeli marching band started playing, Ha Tikva, Israel’s National Anthem, Salvador Romanero mounted a donkey for the one-kilometer trip back to the King David Hotel.

  Soon he’d mount a majestic white stallion, not some lowly donkey, and ride it from the Mount of Olives to the Western Wall.

  While the media were right, his speech was shorter than originally intended, there was a definite reason for this; two reasons, actually. First, Romanero knew the symbolism surrounding his address was infinitely more important than any spoken word. The only thing missing was a bevy of white doves taking flight. But that would happen next time they gathered, when pen touched paper for real. Other than that, this place was steeped in symbolism.

  The second reason for the shorter speech was far more sinister: just being at this Jewish religious site, declaring to the world that he was about to sign a peace treaty with a race of people he hated with extreme prejudice, sickened him to the point of nausea.

  While his adoring public bathed in the rich pomp and pageantry—to the point of drowning—Romanero feared if he remained there much longer, he might drown in his own vomit.

  As his donkey slowly made its way to Batei Mahase Street, parting a sea of mixed humanity before him, the 30-year-old former lawyer from Spain flashed a peace sign with his right hand, then rotated it in a circular motion signifying world peace for all.

  This would be the Miracle Maker’s new calling card, so to speak, until the treaty was officially signed.

  When Romanero reached Ma’ale HaShalom Street, multitudes of all faiths and religions waved their countries’ flags shouting, “Hosanna in the Highest!” at the top of their lungs.

  Some waved palm branches. It was reminiscent of something that took place 2,000 years ago in this city, save for the many modern trappings.

  Seeing the Man of Peace up close and personal caused many grownups to scream hysterically, like a bunch of teenagers seeing their favorite rock or pop stars.

  To further insure that his many admirers couldn’t touch him, Romanero was flanked by two rows of soldiers on either side. The inside rows, those closest to him, represented twelve Israeli soldiers; six men and six women.

  Soldiers representing the armies of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq—two per country—made up the outside rows. They walked alongside their Israeli counterparts, arm in arm, as if friends for life.

  Instead of machine guns, they held mobile devices in their free hands to capture footage, raw as it was, of this once-in-a-lifetime moment. Each would have quite a story to tell their grandchildren in the future.

  Or so they thought...

  Two other semi-neighboring countries were invited, urged even, to send soldiers for this unprecedented show of solidarity—Iran and Turkey. Leaders from both countries flatly refused to allow their soldiers to participate in anything considered pro-Israel, let alone force their own to suffer the indignity of walking arm-in-arm with an Israeli soldier pig; especially to the beat of their National Anthem.

  The Jews weren’t their allies and never would be. They were evil adversaries who needed to be destroyed, not protected. Opposition alliance groups, to include Russia, China, Iran, Ethiopia, and most Muslim nations, had already stockpiled massive amounts of chemical, biological and nuclear weaponry.

  When called upon to use them, there would be no hesitation.

  Yes, when the time was right, they would squander every last resource they had, to see that the peace treaty, once signed, didn’t remain intact. Their mantra was found in Psalm 83:4 which states, “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more.”

  So determined were these people to achieve this goal that they hand-painted that Scripture onto tens of thousands of bombs just waiting to be unleashed on Israel, starting with the holy city of Jerusalem.

  For now, they lay dormant in arsenals surrounding the tiny country. But like a ring of active volcanoes, they could erupt at any moment. The only question was when?

  They were merely awaiting the call...

  This hatred toward the Jews ran too deep to be tamed by some European smooth-talker who knew so little about this part of the world. Salvador Romaner
o the Great did a masterful job at promoting peace for Israel to the rest of the world, but nothing would change their hearts and minds.

  How could he possibly help Israel obtain peace when the land was never even theirs to begin with?

  Yes, when the time was right, Israel would cease to exist. The sooner the better!

  As Salvador Romanero continued his slow trek down Ma’ale HaShalom Street, for the first time since rising to global power, his adoring public, including the billions watching on TV and online, got to see people publicly protesting against him.

  The further the Miracle Maker traveled away from the Western Wall vicinity, the more these protesters—mostly comprised of three bodies of citizens: Muslims, Jews and Christians—raised their voices in anger against him.

  Many of the Muslim protesters were Palestinians. Despite urgent calls from top Islamic Imams to cease at once, that now wasn’t the time, they defiantly ignored all orders. Salvador Romanero wasn’t their long-awaited Mahdi. He wasn’t even a Muslim. So why comply with their wishes?

  Who was this Spanish infidel to come into agreement with a group of people they hated with everything that was in them? Who was he to think he could suppress the unbridled tension that dated all the way back to Abraham, and hadn’t wavered one iota since?