The Past or The Coming Future Page 5

CHAPTER 4

  “Yesterday, we covered some questions you had from my opening talk. Today, I want to continue where I left off with my life story, and if there is time, I will entertain more questions later.

  “My two-month vacation was almost over, and I started packing for my trip back to Jerusalem. My second year of teaching would be starting on July 1. I was looking forward to the new school year. The new students, new teachers and working with Dr. Messenger would be an experience beyond words.

  “The fall of 2000 and the spring of 2001 was such a thrill, I wished school could be year round, but I supposed everyone would get burned out sooner or later. I was thinking I might have a chance to share the Gospel with Michael this year and lead him to Christ. I could only wait and see what would happen when school started.

  “On June 28th I flew back to Jerusalem so I could have everything ready in my apartment and at school before the students came back. On July 2, 2001, the students were swarming the halls looking for their classes and seeing if the teachers were in the same rooms or if they had been moved to other rooms.

  “I was sitting at my desk when Michael Glispbe walked in and said hello. I asked Michael what courses he was taking this year. He stated he was not sure at this point; Dr. Messenger was going to direct him in the right direction. He said he would get back with me before the day was over; there was so much he wanted to talk about.

  “My new first-hour class started right on time. I thought there would be one student who impressed me with his knowledge or his wit, but I was mistaken. The new group was just average-smart kids. My third-hour class was the class I was looking forward to teaching. Michael was supposed to be in that class, and he was so intelligent it was mind-boggling. I remember what Michael had said last year about being the richest man in the world one of these days. I don’t know how he thinks that will be accomplished; he is not a rich kid.

  “When my third hour class began, most of the students were the same ones from last year. I decided I would let everyone tell what they had done over their two-month vacation. The first student took three minutes to tell the class what he had done during his vacation.

  “It was boring!

  “Student after student told the class what they had accomplished. I wondered to myself, if these really were high IQ students, they were not communicating their thoughts very well. The last to speak was Michael.

  “Michael began by telling the class how he and Dr. Messenger spent the two months at the headquarters of the World Council of Religious Beliefs’ building. He told how the headquarters building was divided into different groups. Each group was a different belief, or one might say a different religion.

  “Michael said, 'It is Dr. Messenger’s idea that if we can get all the religions to accept or believe one thing, we can then bring all religions under one banner.’ I had so much respect for Dr. Messenger and everything he stood for I could not believe what Michael had just told the class. Michael was saying that Dr. Messenger was trying to get all religions to believe one thing. If it was a belief in Christianity, that’s fine, but what if it was a mixture of all religions? At Dallas Theological Seminary, we called this hodge-podge, ‘The Ecumenical Movement.’ Could Dr. Messenger really be involved in a movement that would put all the religions together?

  “Michael continued to talk and tell how different leaders of major religions would come to the headquarters and meet with Dr. Messenger. They would spend hours putting together plans how one day, in the near future, all people would belong to one church. Michael stated if everyone belonged to one church and everyone believed one thing, the world would be a much safer place to live. Within one month, Michael said Dr. Messenger introduced him to the leaders of 22 religions. Michael did not know why Dr. Messenger always would introduce him, but he assumed Dr. Messenger was being kind because Michael was his guest for the summer.

  “One statement that Michael made almost caused me to fall out of my seat. One person Dr. Messenger introduced to Michael was Dr. Mohammed, the founder of a new religion based in Babylon. The new religion is called ‘The Fellowship of Believers.’ Under this new religion, all persons are considered equal. Women are equal to men, children are equal to adults. No one is discriminated against or held in higher esteem than anyone else. Michael noticed that Dr. Messenger and Dr. Mohammed stood and whispered back and forth for a couple of minutes before he was introduced. When he finally met Dr. Mohammed, instead of shaking hands, Dr. Mohammed bowed and kissed Michael’s right hand. Michael was surprised but thought it was a custom from Iraq.

  “Dr. Messenger told Michael, ‘One of these days Babylon will be the center of all religions.’ Dr. Messenger also told Michael, ‘I am seriously considering moving the headquarters to Babylon, so I can be closer to the new religion.’ As I sat and listened to the things Michael was saying, my mind went to the Book of the Revelation. Revelation states during the Tribulation there will be a one world religion located in Babylon. It will be a false religion that will lead people astray. The leader of that false religion will be the False Prophet. I started to wonder, ‘Could Dr. Mohammed be the False Prophet, or could Dr. Messenger be the False Prophet?’ I knew nothing of Dr. Mohammed, but I knew a lot about Dr. Messenger. Dr. Messenger was known all over the world for being such a loving man and a person who cared about all people. It had been said that he was one of the ten richest men in the world. He was always giving millions of dollars away to the needy and to different charities. If Dr. Messenger was the False Prophet, he did not fit the pattern I would have expected.

  “The class was spellbound by the things Michael was telling. It seemed as if he had made everything up before he came to class. I wondered to myself if Michael had made all these things up or had they really happened. Michael continued to tell the class about his two-month vacation. He said when he was in the Simi Valley area he met a professor friend of Dr. Messenger who showed him many tricks in writing computer programs.

  “Michael said Dr. Messenger was going to form a company that would put all computer companies out of business within 12 years. Dr. Messenger told Michael that he, Michael, would be the CEO of the new company. Michael did not say how all the computer companies in the world would be put out of business, but it was a sure thing.

  “Michael also told about a new weapon that he worked on for four days. He said it was such a secret there were only three people in the world who knew anything about it. As Michael continued to tell about his vacation, I looked around the room and all the students seemed to be in a trance. They were drinking in everything Michael was saying. I have to admit, while I sat there listening I caught myself almost in a trance. I think if Michael would have asked if there was anyone wanting to jump off a bridge at that time, everyone in the room would have jumped.

  “The way Michael stood, the way he held his head, the way he moved, his confidence in himself and what he was saying reminded me of the great politicians of the world. If he could hold a crowd’s attention the way he was holding this class’ attention, he could sway the entire world into believing anything he might say or do.

  “I told Michael there were only 15 minutes left, and if he could finish that would be fine, but if it was going to take more than 15 minutes he could finish the next day. Michael said there was only one thing remaining that he would like to share with the class. He said he had a dream that was so real it seemed as if he was present in the dream.

  “In the dream, a man came toward him, bowed and said, ‘The future belongs to you, Michael. I will show you what will happen in the immediate future.’

  “Michael said he saw two animals in his dream; one was a bull and the other was a bear. The bear was big, strong, agile and cunning. She was alone for a very long time, but soon there were two bears, then three, four, five; there were so many he could not count how many bears there were. The bull was very different. He stood alone. He did not fight with the bears, but he overcame them with
his wit and with rumors. He told the man that he did not understand the dream. The man said he would tell Michael what the dream means.

  “He said, ‘Michael, my son, the bear is the New York Stock Exchange. It is the biggest and strongest stock exchange in the world. It had made millions for some men, and it has taken everything from others. The New York Stock Exchange stood alone for many, many years. Then another stock exchange opened, and another, and another, until there were so many they could not be numbered.’ The man told Michael that he was the bull. He told Michael that he would set up a brand new stock exchange that would put all the others out of business. He told Michael the name of the new stock exchange would be the ‘Global Stock Exchange.’ The Global Stock Exchange would control all the stock in the world. He also told Michael that he would be the richest man in the world and would be in control of the entire world within 15 years.

  “When Michael finished, no one said a word; they were speechless. If everything Michael said was true, who could Michael be?

  “Could he be the coming Antichrist?

  “Could he be someone who goes off the deep end every now and then?

  “Could he be like one of those writers who always has a good story to write about and is seeing what the reaction is of his audience?

  “There was not much time left, so I let the students leave early. I told Michael the things he shared with us were very fascinating. I asked if he would like to share anything the next day. He said there was something he would like to say, but everyone might think he was losing his mind. I told him to think about it that night, and if he would like to tell the class the next day, he could use 20 minutes to do so.

  “That night I thought about what was said by Michael and the time span that was in his dream. Within 15 years he would be the richest man in the world. That would mean by 2016 Michael would be richer than anyone else. I opened my Bible and began to read what Daniel had said about the end times and what Revelation said about the False Prophet and the Antichrist. The more I read, the more uneasy I became. Was I right in the middle of everything that was about to happen in the last days? What I thought about earlier in class about Dr. Messenger being the False Prophet and Michael being the Antichrist, could it be true?

  “All of a sudden it hit me like a bolt of lightning. I thought back to last year when I first went into the classroom. I was the new teacher, and the students knew it was my first year here. I remember very clearly what happened that night. I asked the students if they would like to tell the class what they had done on their vacations before class began. I asked each student to tell us what they had done. When I asked Barry Cohen, he said what he was about to share with the class was very, very confidential, and if anyone told others what he was about to say, he could get into a lot of trouble. Barry said his uncle was one of the leading archaeologists in Israel and what his uncle had found would astound the world if it were revealed. Barry asked for everyone to come into a tight circle and he would tell us what had been found. Once everyone was in the circle, in a very low-toned voice he stated that his uncle had found the Ark.

  “He said, ‘If it is revealed that the Ark has been found, it could start another war with the Arabs.’ I could not control my excitement. The Bible said that Israel would start the animal sacrifices during the Tribulation. I also believed the Ark would be found and placed in the Tribulation Temple. If this was true, the Tribulation could not be that far off. I was so excited that I asked Barry if he could tell us where the Ark was located.

  “He said it was at his uncle’s house in the basement. After class I asked Barry if I could go to his uncle’s house and see the Ark. Barry whispered, ‘The only time you can come to my uncle’s house is tonight. A couple of the other students will be by at seven to pick you up.’ At seven I was waiting outside, and right on time Barry’s friends showed up.

  “His uncle’s house was 10 minutes away. Upon entering the house something seemed strange. The house was not what I expected for an elderly man. We went to the basement, and inside one room was where the Ark was supposed to be. Before we went in, Barry told us that the Ark puts off so much electricity that it could kill me or anyone who touched it. Barry opened the door and turned on the light, and in the middle of the floor was a wooden container. ‘The Ark is in the container,’ Barry said, ‘And if you want to see the Ark, you will have to open the top of the container.’ I walked over to the container and lifted the lid. Out jumped Michael and Kevin. They scared me so badly I thought I would have a heart attack. I must admit, I did wet my pants from the fright. They all got quite a laugh out of my gullibility.

  “I figured Michael told all those stories in order to set me up again like he did last year, telling me about the dream and meeting a large number of important people. He must think I had forgotten about last year. Well, I almost had, but he would have to get up really early in the morning to outwit me again. This time it was going to be a joke on him. I would go ahead and play his game, but this time I would know what he was trying to do. I would just wait for an opportunity to let the joke backfire.

  “The next day in class I asked Michael if he wanted to add to his story about his vacation. He said he would like to add one thing. He stated, ‘While I was in California I met a man by the name of Tim Cabot. Tim had an idea that was so great it would make people think about getting one of these if the price was right. The idea that Tim had was a fully functional robot that looks like a man, talks like a man, walks like a man, has artificial blood that looks real, and can reason to a certain extent. The plans have been drawn up for over a year, but the cost is so high Tim does not have the money to begin building the robot. Tim says everything is ready except for the money and one other thing. The one thing that is needed is something that looks like real skin. Tim has tried many things, but nothing has worked yet.’

  “Michael continued stating, 'It would probably take someone with a degree in Chemical Engineering to discover a substance that would look like skin, feel like skin, and breathe like skin. I am so intrigued by the thought of a robot that would look exactly like me! I am going to devote all my spare time to developing something similar to skin. And, Dr. Messenger told me he will pay all the expenses if I can develop a synthetic skin.’

  “I asked Michael if there was anything else, and he said, ‘No, that’s it.’ I began to teach the class from my plans.

  “The first couple of weeks went just the way I had planned. I did not see Michael very much, only in class. I was told he was working very hard to develop synthetic skin. The third week things turned completely around. After class one day Michael asked if he could drop by after school and talk. I said that would be fine.

  “After school, Michael stopped by and we had a friendly chat. He said he had been spending all his extra time the last two weeks trying to develop synthetic skin, but it was useless and could not be done. ‘There is no way synthetic skin can breathe like real skin.’

  “Michael, the best way to approach the problem is with a brand new outlook on things. Take a couple of weeks off and then look at it from another view point. The way I try to solve a problem is to take the obvious and reverse it.’

  “Michael asked if it would be okay if he spent most of his free time the next two weeks with me. That was exactly what I wanted. The time that we would spend together the next two weeks might be the only opportunity that year I would have to share Christ with him. I told Michael it would be great to spend some time together.

  “After class the next day, I told Michael I would cook supper if he would like to come by my apartment around six-thirty. Michael was at my apartment, right on time. After supper we sat and talked for a while, and then Michael started asking questions like he had last year.

  “Michael asked me, ‘Why can’t I understand the Bible when I read it? When you read the Bible, you know what it is saying. I have read a lot about the end times but don’t understand a w
ord it says. Could you help me understand what the Bible is saying?’

  “I told Michael, ‘The Bible says one must be Born Again in order to understand the Word of God. One must accept Jesus Christ as his personal savior in order to be Born Again. One day, everyone will bow before Christ and acknowledge that he is God. You can do it now while you have a chance, or you can put it off until some other time. We are not guaranteed even one more minute on earth, we could die this day. So it is best not to put things off; you may never have another opportunity. If a person dies without accepting Christ as their savior, they will have to appear at the Great White Throne and then be cast into Hell.’ I then asked Michael if he would like to accept Christ as his savior. He said because of his Jewish belief he could not do that, but if he changed his mind he would let me know.

  “Michael asked, ‘What about a thing called the Tribulation? When will it start and what will happen during that time? It is about seven years in length, right?’

  “I answered, ‘Yes.’

  “I said, ‘There will be a man who will come on the world scene that the Bible calls the Antichrist. He will deceive people into believing he is a man of peace. He will become the President of the revised Old Roman Empire. The European Common Market is the revised Roman Empire. When the rapture occurs, this man will come on the world scene. Forty-five days after the rapture, The Antichrist will sign a seven-year peace treaty with Israel. He will guarantee the peace of Israel, and he will state that an attack on Israel is the same as an attack on the Common Market. Mid-way through the tribulation, The Antichrist will go into the Temple of God and proclaim himself to be God.’

  “Michael asked me a question which caught me off guard. He asked, 'Is the Antichrist a real man or is he an alien?’

  ‘‘Michael, the Antichrist is a real man. He is a liar, a murderer, a thief and a deceiver. The Bible says at the mid-point of the tribulation there is war in heaven. The devil is kicked out of heaven and cast down to earth. At that time, he will indwell the Antichrist.’ Michael did not say anything; he just sat and stared out the window.

  “Michael asked me another question that I found very hard to answer. ‘If the Antichrist rules the world, how does he take over all the wealth that the world has?’

  “I said I did not know how the Antichrist could do that, but if we looked at some of the things he would have to take over, maybe we could see how it might be done. ‘One area he must take over is the buying power of all the people in the industrialized world. One thing he could do would be to set up a new credit card company. Let’s say, if he charged 8 percent interest for everything under $10,000 and 7 percent interest for everything over $10,000, he could put all the other credit card companies out of business. In chapter 13 of the Book of The Revelation, it says the Antichrist will have control over everyone, and without his mark or number no one can buy or sell or even have a job. So, he must have control of the economy of the entire world.’

  “The more we talked, the more Michael wrote. At one point I thought he was writing everything I said, but when I questioned him, he said he was mainly writing down his own thoughts.

  “Michael asked what other areas I thought would have to be controlled in order to have world domination. I told him there were three other areas that would have to be controlled in order to control the whole world. ‘First are computers. If someone controlled all the computers in the world, he would control the world of finances. Second are stocks and bonds. If one person had control of all the stock markets in the world or if he had the only stock market in the world, he could bring the world to its knees. Third is currency. If someone was in control of the only currency in the world, he would have control of every person in the world. To sum it all up, the total control of the world lies in four things: credit cards, stocks and bonds, currency, and last, but the most important, is computers. Without the computer the other three are useless.’

  “While Michael wrote, I could see a real change in him. His eyes started to glimmer, and he would smile and then laugh.

  “After a while I asked, ‘What’s so funny?’

  “He looked at me and said, ‘Everything is at my fingertips, if I can just put the puzzle together.’ I did not know or understand what he was talking about, so I watched him write. After 20 minutes he said he was finished. He asked if he could come back the next night and learn more from the Bible. I told him it was great he was taking an interest in the Word of God. He looked straight into my eyes and said, ‘You don’t really know how interested I am in the Bible. If you did, you would be amazed.’

  “The next day Michael said he would have to cancel our study that night. He said he and Dr. Messenger had an emergency trip to take to California that could not wait.

  “When they came back from California, Michael was totally different. It seemed he had changed overnight. His personality became rude toward everyone, except me. I could still talk to him, but he was short and to the point. He told me he was devoting all his spare time to the things that would make him rich. I thought Michael and Dr. Messenger must be into something very important, since they were always together, going over notes, writing things down, and rushing off.

  “One week before Thanksgiving in the United States, I received a long distance telephone call from Dr. Hale in Dallas. He told me of a new company by the name of ICAN. He said, ‘It is a new credit card company that is being tested in Texas, New York and California. I predict it will spread all over the world because of the low interest rates. The interest rate is a fixed 8 percent for everything below $10,000. If your balance is over $10,000, the interest rate drops to 7 percent.’

  “I asked if he had received one of the new cards and he said, ‘Yes, I have.’ He also said if the card becomes usable all over America, he will destroy all the other cards he has. He said, ‘The best thing about the card is if you transfer your balance from other cards to the new ICAN card, the fixed interest rate is 5 percent until the balance is paid off. He said this new card will rethink interest rates in America and all over the world.’

  “That night I was thinking about the things Michael and I had talked about. How did my idea become reality, or was it just coincidence?

  “The more I thought, the more I decided it was not coincidence. I turned on my computer and logged into the Internet. I typed in the word ICAN. The program began to play a tune, and on the screen was the introduction. I watched as it continued to give the public all the information one would need to receive the new card. The commercial informed the viewer that they “deserved to have the things they wanted or needed. The high interest rates that other companies are charging keep you from buying and fulfilling your dreams. The low interest rates from our company make it possible for YOU to get what YOU deserve. The high interest rates that other credit card companies charge make you say I CAN’T buy anything, but with the low interest rates we charge, you will be able to say ICAN buy what I DESERVE. Don’t be the last person to get the card, apply now and it will be rushed to you so you can begin getting the things you deserve.’

  “The commercial made it hard not to order the card. At the end of the commercial it gave the name of the company. The name of the new company was ‘International Credit Association of Nations,’ shortened to ICAN. The headquarters was located in southern California. Dr. Messenger’s headquarters were also located in southern California. I decided I would check with some of my friends in America the next day after class and see what they could tell me of the new company.

  “After all my classes, I went straight home and called an investor friend of my mind in New York City. We talked for a while, and then I said, ‘Dan, could you give me any information on a new company by the name of ICAN?’

  “He said, ‘I have already checked on the company and have bought stock in it. It is moving so fast if you are wanting to get on the band wagon, now is the time to do so. The company has been in business for about 30 days
, but it is making money like crazy.’

  “I asked, ‘Who are the backers or who is putting up all the money?’

  “He stated, ‘I don’t know, but I have heard the person backing the new company is one of the richest men in the world.’

  “I also asked if any of the officers were named, and he said the only person named was the CEO. If that is the only officer named, I guess that was a beginning, so I asked who the CEO was.

  “He said, ‘I have never heard of this person, and it is impossible to find out anything about him. All records of this man are being kept secret. The man’s name is Diabolos. Undoubtedly the people that set up this new company did not want to be named.’ I thought to myself, ‘The Greek meaning of the word Diabolos is the Devil.’

  “The next day after class I asked Michael if he would wait, I needed to ask him a question. He waited, impatiently. I asked, ‘Are you getting enough sleep and are you eating right?’ I did not want to sound like his mother, but he did not look well.

  “He said, ‘My health does not matter. There are more important things than eating and sleeping. I have but a short time to accomplish everything that has to be done.’ He turned and started to walk out the door, and that is when the idea hit me like a Mack truck.

  “When he opened the door to walk out, I said, ‘Diabolos.’

  “He stopped and turned, and with a look that could have killed, he said with a harsh tone in his voice, ‘No one ever calls me Diabolos. I hate that name, and I hate my parents for giving me that name.’ He walked over to me, and with his nose next to mine he said, ‘Don’t ever call me that again.’ He turned and walked out of the classroom.

  “My suspicions were correct. He was the CEO of the new company. The things we had talked about and the notes he took were now becoming fact. I now knew who Michael really was, but there was nothing I could do to change what was about to happen. The only thing I could do was not to share anything else with him, but I had shared so much already. I had told him almost everything that would occur in the tribulation and what would precede the rapture. Michael knew what was needed and the different areas he would have to concentrate on in order to control the world. I could not believe what I had done.