Angel of the Apocalypse Read Free

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 2 nd Timothy 3:1 - I n
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.”
    “ Whoa,
how do memorize all that stuff?” asked Fred.
    “ I've
been memorizing all that stuff since I was twelve years old,”
answered the pastor.
    “ Twelve?
Is that when you knew you wanted to be a pastor?” asked Fred.
    “ Yep,”
replied the pastor. “I wanted to be a mystical monk like
Grasshopper in that old Kung-Fu show. Anybody who didn't believe in
the word of God would get a flying karate kick to the face!”
    “ Ha!
That's great,” said Fred. “God's enforcer. Is that why
you became a preacher?”
    “ Well,
something like that. Minus the face-kicking part.”
    Fred
smiled. “Pastor Justin D. Abrams, the face-kicking preacher
from Colorado.” They both had a good laugh.
    “ Well,
I better mingle some more,” said the pastor. “My flock
needs me.”
    About
forty five minutes later, the break room was nearly empty. The pastor
suspected it was because the cookies were all gone. With a sigh, he
began to clear dishes and coffee cups from the table. After a few
minutes, his wife Sarah joined him.
    “ Another
successful Sunday,” said Sarah, as she wrapped one arm around
the pastor and gave him a kiss.
    The
pastor grabbed his wife's other hand and stepped into a playful
dance. “I should have been a dancer,” he remarked. “Let's
quit this gig and join a Riverdance troupe.” The music played
silently in their minds as they held each other. Life is pretty good,
thought the pastor.

    *
* * * * * *

    The
following Saturday night, about a half-dozen members from the
congregation arrived at Pastor Abrams' house for the boxing match.
Fred, who studied chemistry at the local community college, brought a
case of his own micro-brew. “I think you're going to like this
batch, Mr. Abrams. I'm working on a new recipe for a honey brown
lager. I'm using a new type of hops,” said Fred, as he handed
the pastor a beer.
    The
pastor graciously accepted the bottle. Instead of a bottle cap, the
beer was sealed with an old fashioned bottle-stopper. He unplugged
the stopper and went to throw it away.
    “ Whoa,
hold on!” yelled Fred. “Those things cost money. When
you're done, just put the bottles and the stoppers on the table so I
can re-use them. This college student isn't