Second Term - A Novel of America in the Last Days (The End of America Series Book 1) (17 page)

THIRTY
NINE

Houston
Federal Detention Center

Jack Madison enjoyed
visiting with his Dad even though the visit was at a federal prison. What he
was not looking forward to was telling him what the FBI agents had revealed to
him in their recent unpleasant visit to his church office. He knew he had to
share what they had said, but he dreaded being the bearer of serious news, that
agents of their nation’s government had confirmed to Jack that his father would
be charged with several federal crimes. How many sons, he wondered, as he
checked through security at the Houston federal detention facility, have ever
had to tell their father that he was going to be formally accused of serious
federal crimes. Not many, he thought, as he realized he needed to pray before
he entered the prisoner/visitor contact area of the prison. He had been so
wrought up over what he would say, that he had forgotten to turn the matter
over in prayer. I’m a pastor. I should know how to approach tough jobs like
this, he thought. So, he prayed and then went in to deliver the somber news.

Jack’s dad was
upbeat, as was his normal approach, happy to see a visitor and to be with his
son. “Jack, my son, great to see you….though, to be frank, you look like you
ran over a cat, or a good-sized dog, on the way here. Why the sad face?”

“Oh, sorry, dad. I
should be the one trying to cheer you up, not the other way around. No. I
didn’t hit any animals, but I kinda feel like I’ve been run over a bit.”

“Oh? Is Allison OK?
The kids’ fine? Everything all right at the church?”

“Well, that covers
what it’s important, and they’re all just great. No major issues. Thomas got
into a playground fight with some abrasions, but mostly hurt feelings. No big
deal. No, I may not be as smiley as usual because I had an unannounced visit by
two federal agents late last week.”

“Really? Seriously?
Why did they visit you? What did they want?”

Jack then explained
all that had taken place, emphasizing the statements made by the agents
threatening John Madison with upcoming serious federal charges, along with
their three warnings to lay low, keep his mouth shut and their final suggestion
that he plea bargain, once he was charged.

“Well….hum….now I see
why you looked glum coming here today. I guess none of this surprises me.
Chuck’s been saying for some time that they would get around to charging
me….and that it wouldn’t be friendly or fair. They’ve definitely targeted me to
try and send a message to others who are like-minded. What I
do
object
to, however, is using you to try and get to me. That’s reprehensible. If they have
something to say to me….they certainly know where I am. They shouldn’t try and
pressure me through my family.”

“I don’t mind that, dad,
but what concerns me is the suggestion that if you don’t plead guilty and
accept a plea bargain sentence, that you may be in prison for many, many years.
That’s not a happy thought. As you know, I’m still worried about your case, and
how you got yourself into this position….”

“No, it’s not a happy
thought, that’s for sure. But, I’m had many days to think and pray about this,
Jack. I’ve come closer to the Lord in all of this than I ever was before. Yes,
I’ve had my rare moments in the past of having to realize that I couldn’t pull
something off and I needed divine help. But those were few and far between. But,
in order to get out of
this
mess, I know it will have to be an act of
God, not of John Madison, not as a result of my schemes and plans. I can’t
smart my way out of this, He’ll have to do it, if it gets done. And, frankly,
I’ve decided that if He doesn’t do it, get me out of here sooner rather than
later, I’m okay with that. Obviously, I think I can be used better on the
outside. But….if His plan is for me to minister to the guys in here, or
wherever I end up, I think I can live with that….I hope I can….that is.”

“My suggestion, Dad
is that you pray, then talk to Chuck about what they said. Ask him for his
insight. These apparently can be very serious criminal charges. One of the
lawyers in my church told me that if the feds want to convict somebody they
almost always are able to do so. On the other hand, does the visit by the
agents show that they think they have a weak case, so they’re trying to get a
plea-bargained conviction on the cheap, so to speak. That was my thought
anyway. But, try not and lose sleep over it….as you say, if He wants you out of
here, no power on earth can keep you behind these bars. Look at what He did
with Paul and Silas, Busted them right out the front gate.”

“You’re exactly
right, Jack. I won’t lose much sleep. I actually sleep better in here than I
used to, when I tossed and turned over office issues, missed sales quotas, and
all that. There’s a certain peace about this place, strange as that sounds.” 

Jack was struck with
how much his dad had grown spiritually in
his
few months of
confinement. He had worked with prisoners in the past, but he couldn’t recall
any who had experienced such a level of spiritual growth as what he was
witnessing in his father. Jack knew that before John Madison became a federal
prisoner he regularly, and many times irregularly, read his Bible. But his dad
shared with him that after he changed his mailing address to a federal
facility, given his increased free time, he had become an avid student of
scripture. He candidly told his son that he was now spending long hours of
reading, study, cross-referencing and prayer, all of which had led to his
deeper understanding of the Word.

One area of scripture
that had captured John Madison’s attention was prophecy. He had always been
interested in prophecy, but once imprisoned, he decided to extensively look
into what the Bible said would happen in the end times, in the last days. One
area of last days revelation that he had focused on was the role of America in
prophecy. Knowing that his son Jack would be visiting him soon, and knowing
that Jack was not in total agreement with him on the political issues that
landed him in the pen, he had prepared several questions for discussion on a
different, non-political topic. He hoped that by talking about a spiritual
subject, they could avoid clashing over the political reasons he was not a free
man.

“OK, Jack, we’ve
talked that visit by the feds to death. I appreciate your taking some heat for
me, we’ll just have to see what happens, and what He wants to do. It was no
surprise to Him. So, I’d like to change the subject to a more pleasant topic.
I’ve been studying prophecy, as I told you on your last visit. I’ve prepared a
list of questions for my seminary graduate son. I want to see if all those
bucks we spent on books and classes were worth it….But, seriously I have some
questions….let me just start with the biggy….the primo question. Why isn’t
America in prophecy?”

“What?”

“I mean….well….given
that we are obviously at the beginning of the end times….and ”

“Dad, stop….I don’t
disagree. But, what leads you to you say that now? When I wanted to talk about
prophecy as a teenager, you never seemed very interested in the subject.”

“Well, Jack, I
wasn’t. I didn’t know much about it and it just never grabbed me like other parts
of scripture. But here in prison, I’ve had a lot of time to read and think.
Every time I’d read about Jesus talking to the fig tree, I’d stop and try and
figure out what He was telling us. Jesus said to watch for the re-budding of
the fig tree, as the beginning of the last days. Israel has used the fig tree
as its symbol for centuries. Israel, contrary to all odds, is actually back in
the land, just as Jesus said it would be.”

“True. He did say to
watch for the re-budding of the fig tree. Israel was dead, dead, dead….that is,
until 1948. Anyone who has any doubts about the accuracy of the Bible has a big
obstacle to overcome when it comes to Israel. No nation in the history of the
world has ever gone out of existence for 2,000 years and then come back into
the same land, populated by the descendants of the same people who lived there
two millennia before. It even has the same name. Never happened before.”

“And, since Jesus
said, several times, that Israel would be re-born in the land, and Israel has,
in fact, been re-born in the land, an indisputable fact, how can anyone not say
that God has revealed Himself in our times? Today?”

Jack was a graduate
of a Bible-believing, conservative seminary and had been a pastor for twelve
years in Dallas. He replied to his dad’s softball question, “No question about
it, Dad. Israel is Exhibit A for Biblical prophetic fulfillment in our time. He
said Israel would come back in the land and they did, against all odds, and
contrary to the world’s plans. You know that the test for whether a prophecy
was from God was whether or not it was 100% accurate. If a prophet was only
partially accurate, he was stoned.”

“That was certainly a
dis-incentive for making up stuff. But, Jack, let’s come back to the first
question I have written on my ‘Stump the Pastor’ list….why isn’t America in
prophecy? All those hundreds of verses telling us about the last days, the end
times, the day of the Lord, but none about the most important country on the
globe? I don’t get it. What did they teach you in seminary about that?”

“Pops, you bring up a
really challenging issue because Jesus also told us that the generation that
sees the re-budding of the fig tree won’t
all
pass away until the end
times prophecies He gave us are fulfilled. Your generation, the generation that
was alive in 1948 when Israel was re-born, is clearly the generation Jesus was
referring to.’

“OK, Jack, I’m
tracking with you, here. I think. Since my generation saw Israel return, and
Israel has survived over sixty years, we won’t all be gone before these other
end times prophecies are fulfilled? Am I getting that right?”

“Yup. That is exactly
what the Lord said….so….back to your question. Given that we are living in
those last days, why doesn’t scripture talk about the world’s most powerful
nation around today?”

“That, my son, may be
the key. In my research, I came across an article by Dr. Lester Sumrall who
said that he thought that meant that America would cease to exist before the
end of the last days. He said….let me find my notes here….‘Simply put, the
United States will no longer be a world power in the end times. It will not be
a significant enough nation to play a major role in the events of those days –
that is the obvious answer.’ ”

“Pleasant thought.
Any other cheery results of your research?

“Maybe not so cheery,
but Dr. Tim LaHaye, you know him, he wrote that Left Behind series, asked, ‘Why
would the God of prophecy not refer to the supreme superpower nation in the end
times in preparation for the one-world government of the Antichrist?’ Good
question, hunh?”

“Well, generically,
America is included in the end times verses that refer to all of the nations of
the world, of course, but that doesn’t answer your question.”

“Nope, it sure
doesn’t. I finally decided to start digging deeper, which leads me to my next
several questions on my ‘Stump the Pastor’ list.

“Fine, go on, Pops,
but I’m not doing too hot so far.”

“OK, here’s what I’ve
come up with, I’m giving you a copy to take it along, and when you have a
chance, take a look at it, in light of what you know about prophecy. Then, next
time you visit, we can talk about it. This research took my mind off the debate
over the McAlister Bill. By the next time I see you we should know whether or
not the Bill has passed. Agreed?”

“Deal. What’d you
find?”

“Take a look at these
223 verses in prophecy I’ve listed, written by five Prophets, both Old and New
Testament, all of which describe a rich, powerful and influential end times
nation. The name the Prophets used for that nation is both the Daughter of
Babylon and Babylon the Great. That last one is in the Book of Revelation. Look
at the verses, I’ve detailed them on this list I’m giving you, and tell me who
you think they are referring to, America, or to somebody else?”

“This next month is a
killer on our church calendar, but, Pops, you taught me to always set aside
some time with just me and the Lord. I’ll use some of that time to study the
verses.”

“I’ll pray for wisdom
for you. See you in a month. Give my usual hugs and kisses to Allison and the
kids.”

“Will do. Love ya, dad.”

The list that John
Madison gave his son included the following prophetic verses detailing the
future of the Daughter of Babylon/Babylon the Great.

Psalm 137:8

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

Jeremiah 50 and 51

Zechariah 2:7

Revelation 17 and 18
    

FORTY

Wilbur
Calhoun’s Hospital Suite

The emergency telephone
call from the nurses’ station was buzzed through to Hilde.

“Madam Vice President.
Nurse Judy Martin here at GWU. I apologize for asking that you be interrupted, but
we have
very
good news. Your husband is conscious. He’s asking for you.
Are you in the area? In D.C? Can you come to….”

“Of course. I’ll be
there in a half hour….maybe less. Tell him I’m on my way. Great news….Great….Thanks
so much….I’m on my….Wait….Do not tell
anyone
that’s he’s
conscious….Don’t tell anyone else on the staff….Nor the Secret Service agent
outside his room….nor….
especially
anybody from the media….Not until I
can talk to him….Got that?”

It only took Hilde’s
Secret Service driver, and chase vehicle, twenty seven minutes to get from her
Capitol Hill office to Wilbur’s bedside. His wide smile was all she needed to
realize that Wilbur was back. The Calhouns loved to communicate with each
other, though their discussions were frequently acerbic in nature, they were
political animals who loved to talk politics, at all levels. They cried
profusely as they hugged and held hands, realizing that they were both able to talk,
again. Within a few minutes the Vice President of the United States had updated
her husband, the former President, on the essentials of what had happened since
he went into a coma the previous summer. When she told him about her aborted
plan to implement the Twenty-Fifth Amendment she stopped, afraid she may have
overloaded him, as his face reddened and his breathing rate sharply increased.

Wilbur squeezed
Hilde’s hands, looked deep into her eyes, then said, “Hilde, ya’ done good….but
ya’all are wrestlin’ with a varmint that’ll never play by the rules.”

“Duh. Like I don’t
know that. But, now I’ve put myself into a bad corner. Since my little
adventure at the Cabinet meeting, I now have no hope. The Prez has replaced
every single member of the Cabinet, except for the Secretary of Defense, of
course. What a weasel.”

The former President
swallowed hard and motioned that he needed fluid from his straw cup. Once
partially re-hydrated, he said, “Honey bunch, ya can just furget the
Twenty-Fifth Amendment….not gonna happen. From what ya’ve just said, he’s stuffed
the Cabinet with his totally loyal buds. Pretty smart, really.”

“Look, Wilbur, I
don’t need to hear how smart he is, I want to know what I should do to replace
this dud, this amateur, this threat to the….”

“Calm down, calm
down….I’ve got ta’ think about this. I’m just now learning….Hilde….I
need….I….uh….” With that Wilbur Calhoun fell asleep. His nurses assured his anxious
wife that his monitors showed he had not slipped back into a coma.