Hidden Thrones (26 page)

          “I
could feel the Spirit of God coming over me and I commanded the demon to set
her free in the name of Jesus. The demon yelled ‘No!’ but I commanded the
spirit once again to release her and to leave the place. The woman screamed and
dropped to her knees, convulsed, and then collapsed on the floor.”

         
“Oh my God,” Emily said, leaning
forward again. “Was she all right?”

          “We
knelt down next to her and continued to pray and she quickly came around. We
sat her in a chair and one of the ladies brought her some water. Once she came
to her senses, she confessed that about a year before, she had started watching
a few erotic movies and it quickly escalated into an addiction. She began
watching them on a regular basis and started reading books that she knew were
destroying her soul, but she couldn’t stop. She was fooled into thinking she
could still follow the Lord while leading a double life.

          “We
brought her into the pastor’s office and prayed for her. She cried and asked
the Lord for forgiveness, and after a series of counseling sessions, was
completely restored. She didn’t realize how far from God she had gone.

          “These
things don’t happen overnight. It’s a long, slow process that begins with
little things that eventually lead to a real bondage. She had no idea she was
opening the door of her soul to an evil and unclean spirit.”

         
Emily looked puzzled. She thought
for a second, and then spoke. “Wow, that is some story. I was always taught and
believed that a demon spirit could not enter a Christian.”

          Emily
was obliviously upset. The thought of not being protected from evil spirits was
frightening. Especially considering that the man she was in love with was front
and center in a war with dark spiritual forces. She sat up in her chair, her
eyes wide with alarm. “Are you saying that’s not true?”

          The
last thing Jack wanted to do was get her upset or confused. “No, that is
absolutely true. I didn’t mean to upset you. Please don’t ever think that,
Emily. Jesus said ‘As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain
in My love. If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have
obeyed my Father's commands and remain in His love.’

          “We
are secure in God’s love, but when a person walks away from the Lord and
chooses to live in darkness rather than the light, they open themselves up to
all kinds of problems. It works both ways. The Lord said, ‘If anyone does not
remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such
branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.’

          “We
must continue in fellowship with the Holy Spirit. The devil is always ready to
take a person back. It can be a very scary scenario.”

          Emily
breathed a sigh of relief. The saying
ignorance is bliss
came to mind.
It would have been so much easier if she didn’t know about all this stuff, but
she also understood and realized that in order to grow, and of course keep up
with Jack, she needed to stay plugged in and learn as much as possible.

          Her
face softened, “It is scary, but I understand. So these so-called spirit guides
are really demon spirits that lead people astray.” She thought for a moment and
then asked, “So does that mean my friend was possessed?”

          “No,
not at all,” Jack said emphatically. “Like I said, possession is a process. You
don’t wake up one morning and find yourself possessed. I don’t want you to think
that there is a demon around every corner. Remember, some people unknowingly
invite them in to their lives out of ignorance, while others openly thumb their
noses at God and blindly jump in with both feet. Either way, there is always a
price to pay. There is only one spirit we should listen to and that’s the Holy
Spirit. He will never lead us astray.”

          “They
don’t teach this stuff at Quantico,” Frank piped in. “I never thought in my
wildest dreams that I would be talking and learning about things like this. If
anybody ever heard this conversation, they would lock you up and send me off to
be deprogrammed and then to counseling. I have to say, if I hadn’t seen it
myself, I probably would have you under constant surveillance.”

          Jack
raised his left eyebrow. “Fascinating. Your comment is quite ironic, wouldn’t
you say, Agent Lederman?” Among other things, Jack was a huge
Star Trek
fan. He knew all the old episodes and had watched the new movies at least five
times each. He also did a great Mr. Spock impression. He got a laugh out of
Emily, but only a smirk and head tilt out of Frank.

          “You
and
Star Trek
. How can a guy with so much smarts watch that stuff?”

          “Come
on, Frank!” Jack said with a big grin. “You can’t be serious all the time.
Remember all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

          Emily
gave Jack a playful smile, one that immediately increased his heart rate.

          “Oh
my God. That’s my cue to get out of here and head back to D.C. Oh, by the way,
I bought you a new phone. It’s secure, so use this when you need to call me. Don’t
trust anyone at this point, and after what you told me about yesterday and your
uninvited guests, I think we should all be putting more time into prayer.”

          Jack
and Emily walked arm in arm accompanying Frank to the door. Frank opened the
door, stopped, and turned to Jack for some last words, “Let me know if anything
unusual happens, not that you would be involved in anything out of the ordinary,”
Frank said sarcastically. “I will let you know what I find out in D.C tomorrow.
Keep an eye on one another, okay?”

          “We
will. Drive safe and keep your eyes open.”

          They
watched Frank pull away until his car disappeared through the trees that lined
the entrance to the driveway. As Jack turned to walk back inside, Emily grabbed
him by his belt. She
tilted
 
her head
 
at
 
him
and smiled playfully. Wrapping her arms around Jack’s
neck, she pulled him in close and kissed him long and hard, letting it linger.
She pulled away slowly leaving Jack somewhat stunned. He finally exhaled. “Wow,
what was that for?”

          “I
don’t know. I just felt like it. Why? You didn’t like it?”

          Jack
more than liked it and she knew it. They hadn’t had much time alone together
and Emily had had enough of all the heavy-duty conversations for one night. Besides,
she had to be at work by six in the morning and before it was time for her to
go home, she wanted Jack all to herself. Jack walked her over to the couch,
grabbed the remote, turned the volume down low, and put on some music. Emily
made sure that the rest of the evening belonged to them. 

Dasht-e Lut is one of
Iran’s largest desert basins, 300 miles long and 200 miles wide, and is also
one of the driest and hottest places on Planet Earth. Surface temperatures in
the Lut desert can get as high as 159°F, the hottest temperature ever recorded
on the surface of the Earth. Its surface is wholly matted with black volcanic
lava. Most reports confirm that no living creature lives or can live in this
region, thus the nickname “Emptiness Desert.” Then again, man is not aware of
all creatures in all dimensions of God’s time and space.

A full moon shown like a
small sun in the night sky as the wind blew hard. Although the sunset was hours
ago, the air was still inhumanly hot. On the horizon, three huge dark figures
suddenly appeared atop one of the reddish sand dunes that dotted the desert
floor. Marduk,
Nabu, and Asaru stood tall and
menacing against the arid plains with their large black and pewter wings
outstretched, a stark contrast to the myriad of desert colors illuminated by
the bright moonlight. Their still, silent images were unaffected by the strong,
searing wind.

These
were familiar surroundings for the demonic princes. They had ruled these
regions for thousands of years and especially flourished in the days just
before the flood. They again thrived during the days of Nimrod - who was better
known to them and the people of that time as Gilgamesh -
a
vile, filthy man,
and the inspiration for the building of the Tower of Babel. Marduk and
Nabu, the Biblical Nebo of the book of Daniel, did well for themselves in the
time of the Babylonian Empire. They each had a temple built in their name and a
whole library dedicated to their worship. As they all did, they longed to see
those days again and looked forward to once again lording over not just this
region, but also the entire world.

They
stood and waited for one more that was to meet them there. In the distance,
they could see a huge imposing figure coming, moving swiftly and effortlessly
across the desert floor. Within moments, he stood before them. They bowed
before him, their knees touching the ground.

“Where is Dante?” the voice
thundered.

Keeping his position, Marduk
lifted his head and spoke, “I do not know, master.” His voice was deep and
throaty.

Suddenly, a swirling, twisting,
thick red mist appeared alongside Marduk. It was unaffected by the strong wind
that viciously and relentlessly blew around them. As it slowly dissipated, it
revealed a bowing and somewhat humble Dante Adal.  

“Master, I apologize. I had a few
obstacles in my path that I had to deal with. It won’t happen again.”

“All of you, stand to your feet!”
their master commanded.

Although Dante, Marduk,
Nabu and Asaru were all close to seven feet tall, even they still had to
look up to the huge, menacing being in front of them.

“I grow weary of your lack of
respect. I fear you are enjoying your life as a human a little too much, Dante.
Maybe I need to make a change. Do you feel I should make a change?” he
demanded.

Dante knew he was indulging in
the lusts of the flesh way more than he should, but he was becoming addicted to
his new life. Lying would certainly not work in this case. That only worked on
humans. He needed to be more careful or there would be hell to pay. “No,
master. All is going according to plan. I can handle my assignment and whatever
comes my way.”

The huge, dark figure moved his
head from side to side checking for any reactions from the others. None of them
wanted an assignment to the U.S. Victory carried with it the greatest reward,
but it was also the most difficult spiritual battle to fight. As far as they
were concerned, Dante could keep it.

Satisfied there were no comments
or twitches, he turned his laser-like gaze on Dante. “There will be no more
warnings. We are in the best position to rid this planet of the Jews since
World War II. Iran must keep moving forward. America must keep moving away, and
hate for the Jews must continue to grow. So, give me your reports. What have
you been doing to move our cause forward?”

Nabu and Asaru spoke first, “We
have stirred up the spirits of the Medes here in
Iraq and Syria who do not care for silver and have no delight in gold. Their
bows will strike down the young men. They will have no mercy on infants, nor
will they look with compassion on children. And they loath Jews and
Christians.”

“Well done!” the master responded with zeal.

Marduk extended his wings out full and stretched
his neck, moving to the left and then to the right. “I have awakened ancient
Magog to the north. He and his cohorts are gearing up for battle. They are
moving troops and military hardware into Syria and are sending the needed
weapons to Iran. They will be ready when the time comes,” he said proudly.

Dante smirked, always looking to outdo his peers.
“I have been busy blinding the U.S. to Iran’s plans for an Israeli invasion,
and I am preparing the next President of the United States along with a number
of U.S. senators so that when the new administration takes office, they will
denounce Israel actions and cut off military aid. I must say, my job is far
more difficult than arousing an already militant people to hate and war.”

Marduk
Nabu, and
Asaru’s eyes blazed with hate.
There was no camaraderie between these
dark beings, only self-edification and envy.

Their master sneered, “We are done here for now.
Make sure you follow up on your assignments. There is a rustling among the
angels in Heaven. I sense our time is short. No mistakes this time. This time
we win!”

With that, he vanished without a sound, leaving
his four princes alone and uncomfortably silent. One at a time, they extended
their wings and with fire in their eyes, took one last death-like stare at
Dante and rocketed straight up into the night sky. Within seconds, the three
were out of sight leaving Dante by himself in the torrid Iranian desert. He
grinned, and then let out a deep-throated laugh that echoed through the
surrounding mountains. He rolled himself up in his large wings and vanished in
a puff of red mist.

* * *

It was eight o’clock in the morning when Senator
Wellsenburg walked into Urbana at the Palomar Hotel. The décor of Urbana
restaurant was inspired by 1920s New York, and the Mediterranean sunset palette
made it popular with hotel guests.

The restaurant was busy. All but a few tables were
filled. Dante was already seated at a table set off by itself in the corner of
the restaurant, taking great pleasure in a cup of black coffee, when the
senator came in. He had developed a real taste for the addicting bean. The more
time he spent in human form, the more he envied the many sensations these mere
mortals could experience. It only served to increase his hatred for all humankind.
He never understood how God could love such inferior beings. They failed
constantly, they were tempted easily, and few were actually appreciative of
anything. The more he thought about it, the greater his resentment grew.  He
couldn’t allow himself that luxury if he was to successfully complete his
mission.  He looked up and saw the senator walking towards his table and
quickly changed his demeanor.

“Good morning, Senator! Would you like a cup of
coffee? It’s quite good this morning.”

Wellsenburg sat down and motioned to the server to
pour him a cup. He was always amazed, as well as a bit annoyed, by Dante’s
constant over-the- top, upbeat attitude. He wondered how someone could possibly
be that upbeat all the time.

“Did you sleep well? And how was your meeting?”
Dante asked.

“It went well. Things are moving forward as
expected.”

The senator took a sip of his hot java. “I have to
be back on the Hill in an hour, but I am hungry. I usually eat before this, but
I was tied up with several early phone calls.” He motioned to the server that
he was ready to order. 

“Do you know what you feel like eating?”
Wellsenburg asked Dante.

“Yes. I’ll have the mushroom, spinach and goat
cheese omelet. I’ve had that before and found it very nourishing,” Dante told
him.

The senator tilted his head slightly and smirked.
Very
nourishing?
he thought. There were many occasions when he thought Dante
reacted strangely to certain things. It was like he was an alien visiting
planet Earth for the first time. Most times, he wrote it off because Dante had
so many other traits that were far more mysterious, but it still bothered him.

“I’ll have the Nutella French Toast,” Wellsenburg
told the server.

The server nodded. “Very good, sir.”

“So, what’s your meeting about this morning?”
Dante asked, always digging for more information.

“Russia is causing concern on Capitol Hill because
of the latest military moves into Syria. No one knows what their real
intentions are. It is also making Israel very nervous and when that happens,
Washington gets nervous.”

Dante was well aware of their intentions for he
and his cohorts were deeply involved in maneuvering and calling these nations
to battle, or at least they thought so. “The world is a dangerous place and
always has been. We need to focus on your candidacy and prepare for your
announcement declaring your decision to run for President. It’s the middle of
May, so we shouldn’t wait too much longer.”

Wellsenburg’s heart leaped in his chest. He had
been waiting a long time to have this conversation. He was anxious and excited
at the same time. His mind raced.
President of the United States.
He let
the thought fill his mind. Amazingly, possibly, hopefully, this could be his
reality by the end of next year.

“I think I should announce next month. This will
give us enough time to raise the needed funds,” Wellsenburg explained.

Dante smiled. “Oh, I don’t think you will have to
worry about that. That’s my job. But first, we need to slow down Mr. Bennett
and his partner Frank Lederman. You mentioned you have a few men you trust. Is
that true?”

 The senator’s demeanor abruptly changed. He had
hoped Dante would take care of all that. He personally didn’t care what had to
be done or to whom it had to be done, he just didn’t want to have to do it
himself.  He studied Dante and answered, “Yes, it’s true. What’s your plan?”

Dante waited to respond as he saw the waiter
approaching out of the corner of his eye with their order. The waiter placed
the dishes on the table and poured them both another cup of coffee. They nodded
their approval and the waiter walked away. “We need to make contact with the
girl, if you know what I mean. Can your men be trusted not to screw this up?”
Dante asked.

Wellsenburg’s eyes widened. He put his hand over
his mouth so no one could read his lips, and then nervously leaned in and
whispered, “You mean kill her?”

“What?” Dante said, seemingly shocked that
Wellsenburg would ever think of such a thing. “No, of course not. What kind of
person do you think I am? No. We just want to scare them. Have your men follow
her and grab her one night. We’ll hold her for a couple of days, and then let
her go as a warning. That’s all. I’m sure they’ll back off after that.”

Wellsenburg looked perplexed, his mind racing.
Didn’t Dante just say the other day that he had people everywhere? And that he
had all the resources in the world? He wondered,
Why then, does he need my help?
He looked at him for a moment then said, “I am confused. Why aren’t you using
your resources for this operation?”

Dante was attacking his omelet like the invasion
of Normandy. The senator had barely touched his food, but Dante had nearly
finished all his breakfast already, another oddity that Wellsenburg had noticed
since he met him. Dante ate like he had never tasted or eaten food before in
his life.

Dante looked up at him, fork in hand, “I
understand your confusion, Senator, but my resources are currently unable to touch
Jack Bennett at this time. I can’t get into it right now, but as long as you
have the men that can handle this mission, you have no need to worry.” Dante
finished his breakfast and motioned to the waiter to bring more coffee.

Wellsenburg raised his left eyebrow. “You might
want to take it easy on the caffeine. You already seem a little more hyper than
usual.”

“It does have a curious effect on me, but I do
like the way it feels.”

The senator tilted his head, slightly bewildered
once again by Dante’s odd response.

 “Okay, I will arrange it,” Wellsenburg said.

“No, let me handle this. You know too much
already. Write down the number of your contact, and I will call myself. I will
have them meet me here at the hotel at eight o’clock tonight. I will fill them
in and tell them exactly how and what I want done.”

Wellsenburg reached in his jacket pocket and
pulled out a small black notepad, grabbed a napkin, and wrote the number down.

“Ah, a little black book?” Dante commented.

“Yeah, no digital footprint. It’s much easier to
make this little book disappear than any digital device.”