Virtually Real (14 page)

“Ah that’s what I like to see in my staff,” beamed Antoni. “You know what to do – now do it.”

Jeremy was feeling very uneasy. “What is it Y’shua?” he asked silently, “What am I picking up? I feel such oppression – as if enemies are surrounding me.”

He felt the reassuring presence of Y’shua.

“Antoni is plotting against Israel and plans to invade, and he is seeking your own life too.”

“But Y’shua what do you require?”

“Your time is not yet. You will not be killed or taken captive unless it is my will. This is not the time but a time will come soon when they will succeed. This will be for my purposes and your death will bring many in Israel to turn back to me in trust. Do not be afraid for you are greatly loved by me.”

“But what shall I tell Judah? How shall Israel prepare?”

“Tell Judah that his nation has turned from me in the most dangerous of times and my protection has been removed. Antoni will succeed in his plans. Tell him that Israel must experience what is to come and he is to tell his people this. If the nation humbles itself; if they turn from their growing arrogance and hardness toward each other; if they turn from their selfish and self-indulgent living; and if they turn whole-heartedly back to me, I will relent and give them victory.”

“What are the plans being formed against us, and how may we best prepare?”

“It will seem strange to your ears. If Israel submits to Antoni, and allows him to have his way in the land, and if your people do not speak of me, Y’shua, in public, but seek me earnestly, then I will restore their fortunes. Many will be taken captive, and the skills of Israel will become the common property of the nations. Accept the fate that has been decreed and you will prosper and be returned to your former status – but only in the next generation. I will tell you no more but I am with you and will guide you.”

Jeremy was bereft of feeling. Whenever Y’shua spoke to him the sense of truth and reality of what was said was so strong that it was as if he was experiencing it directly.

This is a lonely life
he thought to himself,
I may know these things but who else is interested?

It was about three days later that he managed to see Judah ben David to tell him what had been revealed. Judah understood the implications but was at a loss to know what to do.

“Events are in train and we cannot stop them. There is no way I can convince the nation to repent and I am even loosing support in the Knesset. Whatever personal views I hold as Prime Minister it will be very difficult to get them accepted,” he said.

“You must explain to the Knesset and the people of this nation what is coming. If they respond and start changing their ways Y’shua may relent. We are like teenage children. We can be told if our behaviour is unacceptable, and that there will consequences if we don’t change, but we are free to choose. Like my own children they will only learn that the consequences are real if they are carried out – which a loving parent will indeed do. The trouble with a nation is that the scale of the issues is so much larger and the time spans between cause and effect, or behaviour and consequence, is also so much greater. But it must be explained.”

Judah called a special sitting of the Knesset.

“Antoni is seeking to invade Israel and destroy us as a nation. His side-kick, Aaron, is determined that no one will be able to live and honour El or Y’shua. What is more, Jeremy Hilkah, whom you all know, has been shown by Y’shua that this will be inevitable. We have, as a nation, in such a short time turned from doing what is right. Now, this is showing in our social statistics. Crime is up, violence has increased and marriages are failing at unprecedented rates. Our welfare budgets are inadequate and mental illnesses are straining our ability to cope. Yet at present we are a rich nation, trade is good and our scientific skills are the best there are. Because we have known the right way, the consequences for the nation going its own way independent of Y’shua will come swiftly. Antoni is provoking us and is looking for a pretext to invade and we cannot stop him.”

“Stop this drivel Judah,” shouted one of the members. “We have never been better off. Our gross national product is higher than it’s ever been. We have good trade relations with many countries. We have allowed the Nimrah religion to flourish and its benefits are here. No more of this talk of defeat and invasion!”

“I agree,” yelled another. “Sure there has been more tension between our citizens and those of the surrounding nations and there has been some strain and diplomatic incidents. But we have overcome these, and will overcome anything else that comes. We will not change our course – we have too much to lose.”

The hubbub in the chamber increased. Those that were faithful to Y’shua were drowned out. The government had made its decision. It would seek to continue to work with and appease Antoni.

Antoni was delighted when he heard the outcome of the Israeli Knesset’s attitude. He called for his Chief of Staff, Ivan Kirchov, and Pierre Larrouse, Head of Covert Military Operations.

“This is what I want to happen,” Antoni began. “You, Pierre, are to stage a ‘terrorist’ attack on the EEMEC headquarters in Brussels. Ensure that a few top people, whose names I will give you later, are there and will be killed. Give the impression that I was to be there also and narrowly missed the disaster because of a last minute delay to my schedule. The incident is to be dramatic, use a passenger plane with explosives in the hold.”

“Then what Antoni?”

“As soon as this happens you are to send an investigation team who will come up with the conclusion that this was the work of the followers of Y’shua. Remember that one of their beliefs is that they do not belong to this world and its rulers. Use that! Your investigators are to conclude that the perpetrators have escaped to Israel and show suitable ‘evidence’ of this. This will provide the pretext needed to invade Israel – to search for these terrorists. That is where you come in Ivan. I want you to prepare even now for the invasion.”

“What if the Israeli Government opposes our presence and state that they will hunt for the terrorists themselves?”

“Put pressure on them. It will not look good for them. Whether they agree or not, we are going to invade. Our populations will be so enraged that they will not oppose us. And make it clear that all followers of Y’shua are suspect and are to be captured and rounded up.”

“But Antoni – that will release a full scale war with Israel and they have some of the world’s best weapons and military skills.”

“You will defeat them this time. As their population has lost their trust in this Y’shua so has their morale been lost; and with true morale goes courage and determination. We will win! The gods, if there be gods, are on our side!

“And one more thing – capture as many of their scientists and engineers as possible. We will need their skills so do not harm them. The rest you can do what you like with.”

With that Antoni dismissed his officers and called in Aaron.

“Aaron. I want you to prepare and arrange a wedding between Ming Si, Chou Yi’s daughter, and my nephew Hans. Do not action anything yet but get the plans ready. This wedding must take place at the right time. We are fortunate that they both have some fondness for each other, but that is not the issue. They are to do as Chou and I tell them for the sake of peace between our empires. The wedding is to have all the pomp and circumstance we can arrange. It is to be a public spectacle with news and press articles covering the event and gossip for weeks. But none of this is to be made public at present. We want to glorify our Nimrah religion and arrange hints of my future deification. Is that understood?”

“Yes it is. But I have already been thinking that it is about time you were given a more, let us say, glorious title than your current one of President. I know that is useful for the people to feel that you are not beyond them, but perhaps as the head of Nimrah you could be called ‘Supreme Illuminator of Nimrah’. This will be a title conferred by me as the High Priest of Nimrah and will be because of the wisdom and insights into the nature of the source of our strength and self reliance that you have revealed and brought to the world – along with your wisdom in ruling secular affairs. The title will not be used for secular purposes but will be the start of the process that you desire.”

“You’re ever the flatterer, Aaron. But I’ll take to heart what you have said. Prepare for the title to be conferred, but I must be seen to be completely taken by surprise by it, and humbly accept it only after much pleading by many leaders and dignitaries. It would not look good for me to take such titles for myself. They may think I’m becoming deluded!”

“I will proceed as you say, your Excellency.”

“Yes and arrange for that title to be used also for the secular issues I deal with. Again I do not wish to accumulate the titles which could distance me from being a father to the people. But if the people insist …”

And so began the gradual self-aggrandisement of Antoni. The words he spoke to Aaron were almost prophetic as his sense of invincibility and of his divinely appointed right to rule increased. Like other leaders before him he was beginning to believe his own lies and call it right and positive thinking, and he was less and less able to receive any kind of correction or caution from the few people who may have been bold enough to speak truthfully to him. Loyalty was more important than truth, and many truth-tellers were regarded as disloyal!

Having set his ‘spiritual’ affairs in order, Antoni addressed the issue of the invasion of Israel.

Judah ben David hurriedly called a meeting with Jeremy and Isaac. He needed to get his own mind clear before involving his Cabinet.

They began with prayer – particularly for wisdom – and after about twenty minutes a sense of peace pervaded the meeting.

“Y’shua is with us,” began Jeremy, “but I sense that this nation will undergo much trouble and turmoil. We have been given much and much has been expected of us as a nation. We, on the whole have not honoured our part. This is not a harshness or vindictiveness of Y’shua, but because of the role we are to have in our final destination beyond this life it is necessary that cause and effect, choices and consequences be clearly understood. The degree of evil that we see is still less than the degree of blessing and good that’s given to those who keep faith.”

“What are you trying to tell me?” Judah cut in.

“This nation will be taken over by Antoni and we can’t stop it. But we can ensure that our people will be treated fairly if we surrender to him. We have stopped having Y’shua as our ruler so he is giving us over to Antoni. Antoni seduced us as a nation, we believed his lies because of the increased wealth it gave us and now he will be allowed to rule us.”

“Spoken like a true prophet, Jeremy! You tell us things that are too hard for us to take in and I doubt that the nation will buy into it. So many of our people now have taken on the Nimrah beliefs of self-help, and embraced it more enthusiastically than Aaron himself. They will never quietly stand by and let their lives be taken over. They do not see that they have already sold themselves to the highest bidder and therefore belong to him. I believe you Jeremy, but I seem powerless to stop the tide.”