Tag Archives: Ghaz al-Ridwan Ma’bus

Book 3 Golgotha Revisited

3.38 The Abyss

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Book III: Chapter 38
Date Unknown?

The Beast continued Its monumental efforts to break The Seal that held The Scroll of the Illuminated Angels.

There was a resounding <CRACK!> as if the foundations of the world were being ripped open!

The Chosen were thrown in all directions as the earth rumbled around them. In the chaos, The Altar of the Most High God began to grate apart and it was all Pope Benedict could do to hold on for dear life, trying to avoid falling into the earth’s core. When Benedict looked up at The Beast, his faith appeared to weaken, and as The Beast ripped at The Scroll, The Pope cowered down before It.

The Beast was atop The Altar of the Most High God

“You are The One Daniel spoke about,” Benedict wailed in fear, “The Abomination That Causes Desolation!”

And yet, despite that momentary lapse, The Pope did not falter…

And The Seal that held The Scroll did NOT open!

The Beast was shocked at this unexpected turn of events.

In rage It looked down at Benedict, “You!” The visage of Bates snarled, “Have you not given me your blessing and power?” And with blood lust It reached out a talon to strike The Pope.

“Pride goeth before destruction!” Benedict replied, suddenly full of newfound confidence, and defying The Beast to the amazement of all (including me)!

Then, with a movement so fast that it must surely have been divinely aided, Benedict snatched The Scroll of the Illuminated Angels away from The Beast!

Pointing at the Abomination, the Pope then boldly leveled this condemnation (during what I now realized was our world’s Moment of Truth!) “In your arrogance you threaten – laying claims to heaven itself — BUT, you have never understood your final destiny – for now you shall be cast down, suddenly and completely swept away by the terrors of your own creation!”

The Beast was forced to remember his previous Fall

As if on cue, the final Angel burst forth upon the mount – and threw the contents of its own Golden Bowl directly upon The Beast!

The heavens now opened as well – spewing giant hailstones upon The Abomination That Causes Desolation and pounding down onto The Chosen as well.

And then, The Crown That Rains Blood began to take a stronger hold over The Beast – imbibing It with a <POWER> so terrible that it was surely far beyond anything It had expected.

Out of control, The Beast’s heads began to belch forth a sulfurous death — destroying every living thing in sight – including The Chosen.

Realizing Its grand victory was about to be lost, Satan’s Son lashed out again towards The Pope – yet once more The Rock of Peter did not crack. Instead, filled with faith, Benedict held aloft The Scroll and shouted confidently to the Heavens, “Rise to my defense; contend for me, my Lord!”

I watched then as a chasm opened beneath the feet of the Beast and foul smelling flames burst forth, scorching Its flesh.

“NOOOOOOOOO!” The Beast refused to give up, cursing in The Tongues of The Abyss. “The Legions shall not be destroyed!”

Yet it was The Pope who could taste victory now.

The Pope could not be stopped

More confident than ever, Benedict raised his arms to God Most High, and completely ignored the rampaging monster before him, he proclaimed, “Shout for joy to the Lord all the earth! Know that He is God. We are the sheep of his pasture. Enter His gates with Thanksgiving. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever!”

As if under Benedict’s command, the flames of Hell licked higher, literally pulling The Beast back into the Fiery Pits from which It first came. Those same fires also spilled forth onto the surrounding landscape, purging it of <evil>. And when they finally recoiled back into the chasm, the flames brought with them all of The Beast’s unfortunate followers as well.

Nonetheless, still The Beast clung to the surface, and in a last ditch effort, It lashed forth with its great tail and tried to coil it around The Pope, seeking to pull him down to Death as well.

But it was not to be.

For Evil was doomed to fail on this Day of Destiny, and as the dragon’s tail shot out, the Fires of Hell spewed higher still and from the flames an army of demons who hungrily pulled at The Beast…

Satan’s Helpers foiled The Beast’s plans.

Waylayed by It’s own minions, The Beast’s effort to capture Pope Benedict fell pitifully short — by a mere few inches – leaving The Pope unscathed.

In the end, The Beast that was once Bill Bates was vanquished into the Depths and then the black gash in the earth slammed shut with a resounding <BOOOOM!!>

The Beast was pulled back to the Depths from which It came.

Through it all, Pope Benedict had remained untouched — as had the bodies of my friends and I while we still hung lifeless upon our crosses.

Looking down at the altar, The Pope whispered to himself, “Be strong and do not fear; your God has come with divine retribution to save you.”

And then, at last, Benedict looked over to us, and sobbed, “I have prayed for you for so long, my friends. Please, be still before the Lord. I’m so sorry, but there was no other way. And yet, I know that you are in a better place and that it is well for your souls.”

The Crosses that held The Immortals

Finally, looking up to Heavens, the Rock of Peter prayed, “In You our fathers put their trust. They trusted You and You delivered them. Thank you, Father…”

Suddenly, there was a blinding light from Above and then my vision became awash with Whiteness…

The End?

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Book III Table of Contents
Book 3 Golgotha Revisited

3.36 The Hand of God

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Book III: Chapter 26
Date Unknown

As I left my earthly body, I was granted one final vision, and since you’ve come this far with me, I imagine you’ll want to hear about this too…

Golgotha by Lee Steiner

What I saw next was something that was undoubtedly UNseen by everyone else ,for God gave me a vision inside of Pope Benedict’s battle helmet — there I saw that Benedict’s visage was awash with of horror (not victory!) as he punctured my heart and released my life force. Clearly this was not the face of the Antichrist’s Second Helper – for such a fiend would surely have rejoiced at killing Christ’s Immortals. For a moment I was confused…

Whose side was Benedict on? Was a Pawn of Satan or a Champion of Christ?

I watched as the Pope bowed his head while standing below my body. As he pulled the pike back out of my side he was shaking and it was everything he could do to pull my Nail off of the spear and add it to his belt. Yet he completed the task – and it was significant for this action finally gave him control of all three of The Nails of Jesus.

Pope Benedict was thus the first person in history to possess all three nails since the centurion who used them to crucify our lord over 2,000 years ago. It immediately filled him with power!

Yet here he paused.

Standing below my now-dead body as it hung limply on the cross above, he took a long moment to collect himself, before finally turning around and walking back towards Bill Bates as The Beast Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus… and towards HIS final destiny.

By now the red-streaked skies were roiling worse than before and a Heavenly Thunder had replaced the booming of the earthly drums.

“I am the Hand of God!” Pope Benedict screamed within the din as he continued his inexorable walk to The Altar of the Most High God.

Had Bates or Schwab heard that proclamation perhaps events might have turned out differently on this day, but fortunately neither the Beast nor his evil henchman heard the Pope’s cry — for Bates had already gone into The Dome of The Rock to pursue his own designs and Schwab was focused on inciting the crowd to acts of debauchery as everyone waited for EA Incarnate in the form of Bates’ self-made persona known as Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus to re-emerge from The Well of Souls.

As my spirit watched, it seemed that Satan’s Son was well on his way to completing The Armageddon Rite – and thereby gaining control of the world. It was truly a Dark Day from my perspective and Nature seemed to agree with me – for the landscape was buffeted anew with a viscous sand storms, all worse than before.

And yet, as if it was a bright summer’s day in a dewy meadow, The Pope seemed unaffected by the raging weather. I watched as Benedict reached The Altar and began to remove each of The Nails from his belt. Using the care of a master craftsman, he installed The Nails within The Crown That Rains Blood – preparing it for The Beast.

After this he waited. And I with him.

Time passed slowly – yet whether it was thousand years or just a single day, who can say?

During the interim, Schwab has incited the Chosen to in debaucheries galore  – committing every sin imaginable and likely inventing new ones, and what they did to the bodies of the murdered innocents that littered the ground around them was unspeakably disturbing. 

The Last Judgement

Things got so out of control that had I the power to end my vision, I might well have done so.

At last, Bill Bates, Dr. Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus, the new EA Incarnate, emerged from The Dome of the Rock.

Gone was any last vestige of his humanity – for this was no longer Bill Bates the would-be world savior, and it was the new Dr. Ghaz al-Ridwan Ma’bus, Director of the Union of Many Allied Nations and de facto World President – instead the creature that emerged from its confrontation at The Well of Souls was but one thing: EA Incarnate – The Beast – Satan’s Son!

<EVIL> in its purest form emanated from the monster that made its way slowly back towards the Altar of the One True God. By now, I knew that It must have successfully broken open The Foundation Stone and then had been able to throw The Book of Life into The Well.

That meant that to complete The Armageddon Rite It only needed to utilize one more item — The Scroll of the Illuminated Angels – which It now carried in Its talons.

With utter confidence, the creature clove its way across the span between the now sundered Foundation Stone and The Altar – clearly intent on destroying the latter as well. 

With the scaly-tail of a dragon, its giant body resembled that of a leopard, yet It was poised on humongous bear-like feet that skirted twenty foot wide sections of earth. Yet none of these other features matched the fear-inspiring sight of Its seven heads – each with a different visage: Nero, Attila, Arnulf, Weishaupt, Hitler, Ma’bus, and the last a formless black slate.

Worse yet, each face depicted a different portrayal of the Seven Deadly Sins – it was the Chairs of Woe come to life — as one head showed victorious Pride, another soul-destroying Wrath, a third unquenchable Lust, and so on down the line through Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, and Envy. Yet regardless of which Sin they showcased, all of the heads spewed forth a black waterfall of evil words in the deep, guttural language of The Tongues of The Abyss.

At the horror of the sight that was The Beast even the mood of Klaus Schwab and his Chosen Ones shifted and those wayward souls who were once so confident in their choice to follow their EA Incarnate now appeared to realize that The Beast was not only NOT going to allow them to share in Its glory, but instead was intent on destroying them as well!

Schwab was the first to wail as he held up his hands in terror, backing away as The Beast approached him. The people on the hillsides also cried out in fear as they experienced a wave of emotions…

  • Sorrow.
  • Doubt.
  • Regret.
  • Horror!

Yet for them, it was too late. (You chose poorly, friends).

Schwab yelled out, “What about our great Agenda, Lord. Didn’t I serve you we–“

But the Beast reached out Its claws and tore Schwab in two, casting The Great Reset architect’s body aside as It neared The Altar.

And all the while the thunder rolled, threatening to bring down the heavens.

The windstorm raged on, now whipping dusts and debris all around. And soon enough, the landscape began to erupt at the feet of The Chosen – sending flames of fire shooting up to devour them.

And then, suddenly, from out of the fires came forth the Seven Angels – those pitiful creatures who had been so mercilessly tortured by Bates.

They had been released (yet by whom I did not know), and each of them held their Golden Bowls of Revelations – the cauldrons now boiling over with the brimstone of retribution.

Despite their previous tortures, I could see that at least two of the Angels had been restored to their former glory, and hovering over the cowering disciples of The Beast, they released the contents of their smoking Bowls – pouring forth horrible judgments upon the evil doers!

Praise God! Praise God indeed!

But it was what happened next that was the key…

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37 – The Armageddon Rite
Book III Table of Contents
Book 3 Golgotha Revisited

3.34 The Masque of Red Death

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Book III: Chapter 34
December 21

Despite the agony of my pain on the cross, I knew that death would not come easy.

With a nod, the man who was Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus signaled to The Pope to carry out his orders…

To deliver death to the immortals.

I watched as Benedict picked up one of three spears that were lying before the altar. Each of the weapons had one of the Nails of Jesus affixed to its head as a killing blade.

Spear in hand, and in full battle array, Pope Benedict looked like a legendary knight from the fantasy world as he proceeded to walk over towards the cross upon which Lazarus hung.

The Pope was ready for action

Standing beneath my friend’s limp body, Benedict waited only for a moment – as Lazarus’ blood dripped down and stained the pontiff’s white robe – and then the leader of the Church slammed his pike up and into Lazarus’ side.

“YAAAAAAAAAR!” Lazarus suddenly came to life, his arms and legs nearly ripping themselves away from the cross.

Closing my eyes against the gruesome sight, I failed to see that Lazarus’ screams woke Mary from her own snatch of death but my ears soon ached as I heard Miriam begin to wail. I opened my eyes in time to catch a glimpse of Benedict as he stoically twisted his spear up and into Lazarus’ heart – an action that abruptly ended Lazarus’ screams.

The Nail that killed Lazarus

My God, he’s dead! I panicked. It’s finally going to happen? But alas, Lord, I am NOT ready yet! 

Believe it or not, I was suddenly afraid at the unknown of Death – a specter that hadn’t threatened me in nearly two thousand years.

In the silence that followed, I looked upon our unexpected Deliverer – after killing Lazarus Pope Benedict had removed his blood spattered helmet and I saw that face was as hard as stone. He appeared to study the Nail that was now dripping with Lazarus’s blood at the end of his lance.

<BOOOM! DOOM!> <BOOM! BOOM!> <DOOM!>

The drums started up again at a signal from Bates.

I watched as Benedict looked over at The Beast. 

And then, I saw the Pope take a deep breath before doing something that I have never seen anyone other than myself or my two friends do…

Benedict reached up and took hold of The Nail.

“You Fool! Don’t touch it!” I roared, even as Mary screamed a similar warning.

Yet, Benedict did not die.

In fact, if nothing else, he seemed suddenly more alive!

Bates and Klaus Schwab began dancing around triumphantly at the sight – surely reading this as a sign of Bates’ coming victory – now confident that The Pope was indeed The Second Helper.



For his part, Benedict’s face remained hardset while he proceeded to tear the Nail off of the spear. Discarding the staff, he affixed the dripping Nail to his belt. Next I watched him proceed to confidently walk back towards the Altar and pick up another pike, before heading over towards his next victim.

Mary’s screams bespoke of sheer terror. Unable to look away this time, I watched Benedict prepare to deliver a deathblow to her as well.

“Oh, Babylon,” I roared out, suddenly finding new strength. “You will be destroyed!”

Hearing me quote from Psalm 137, for a moment Benedict paused, and I watched a strange shadow pass over his face.

“Happy is the one who pays you back for what you have done.” I tried to goad him away from Mary. “You shall be smashed against the rocks upon this very day.” Then, looking up to heaven, I cried, “Father, do not forsake us now!”

Yet, The Lord did not come to save the day.

And with Lazarus already dead and Mary soon to follow the skies only roiled blacker than before.

For The Moment had not yet arrived, and I knew that the Prophecies — my own prophecies – were still waiting to be fulfilled.

Pope Benedict knew this as well, and therefore he took only a moment to prepare himself to forge on – after which he pushed his spear into Mary’s heart, killing her as well.

Unable to control myself, I vomited up the last of the bile from my stomach – its acidity scorching my throat and mouth. Tears streamed down my face as I wailed in regret, “Their torture is because of me. My friends are paying the price of my sins!”

Yet Fate no longer cared about my feelings and in truth I knew that what was happening went far beyond my small part in this Divine Event.

And so, with two bloody Nails hanging from his corded belt and his robe now blotched red, Pope Benedict began to approach me with the final Nail – and his face was Death.

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35 – Deliverance
Book III Table of Contents
Book 3 Golgotha Revisited

3.33 Day of the Beast

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Book III: Chapter 33
December 21

<BOOOM! DOOM!> <BOOM! BOOM!> <DOOM!>

Dying on a cross takes a long time – actually a bit longer than I expected.

My mind again wandered back to the Temple Mount.

After The Knights Templar failed to help me destroy Al-Aqsa, the Muslim control of the area remained and the world resigned itself to that fact. Eventually I moved away (again) too.

Even though the Mount officially returned to Israeli control in 1967, I knew Muslim leaders still boasted about the fact that The Dome of the Rock was off-limits to any non-Muslim – a card they played in exchange for promises of peace in the Arab-Israeli world – promises they rarely kept.

Ha! But the joke is on them. What the Muslims never knew was that the Jews wouldn’t have allowed their people to the site of the Dome anyway – for the Foundation Stone was there and the Jewish people believed that anyone other than the High Priest who stepped upon that site would commit eternal suicide of the soul! 

The Foundation Stone in the middle of the Temple

And so, the Dome at al-Aqsa remained, even unto this day, waiting, ever waiting.
Waiting for The Beast. 

My head jerked up as I suddenly remembered…

The Well of Souls — it lies beneath The Dome. If Ma’bus moves The Foundation Stone, The Well shall be opened – for the first time since Solomon hid the ark there. For the first time since…

Yet my strength failed me again, and that which I was trying to recall was lost.

<BOOOM! DOOM!> <BOOM! BOOM!> <DOOM!>

After a time, my unconscious mind remembered — a natural cave, The Well of Souls was originally accessible only by a narrow hole in the rock of this plateau.

It was I who inspired The Templar’s to hack open an entrance to the cave – yet in spite of my recommendations they would go no further. And so, the foundation stone of The Dome – The Sakhrah – remained untouched.

“If you open it, you’ll unleash The Abyss of Chaos!” I wailed, not realizing that I was suddenly screaming aloud — my voice somehow carrying even above The Drums.

<BOOOM! DOOM!> <BO–> The drums stopped.

The Masked Chosen looked up at me.

Pope Benedict and Klaus Schwab also present but unmasked like Bates, both looked up at me.

And Bates himself, standing at the Altar Of the One True God – upon which lay the gored body of Rabbi Yona Metzger – yes, Bill Bates as Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus, The Beast, also looked up at me.

The Beast wasn’t happy that I interrupted him.

There was Silence – and I felt as if all of creation was waiting for me to die.

Yet as I looked over to my left and saw Lazarus and Mary languishing on their own crosses, I knew that my friends were not yet dead either.

Then looking down at Bill Bates, I saw that The Beast also realized this fact… and smiled.

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34 – Masque of Red Death
Book III Table of Contents
Book 3 Golgotha Revisited

3.31 Har haBáyit

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Book III: Chapter 31
December 21

<BOOOM! DOOM!> <BOOM! DOOM!>

Giant drums continued to pound – shaking the rocks of The Temple Mount and thundering as harbingers of what was to come.

<BOOOM! DOOM!> <BOOM! BOOM!> <DOOM!>

Although it was midday, the sky boiled a mixture of black and blood red. And still the drums sounded, now louder than ever.

<BOOOM! DOOM!> <BOOM! BOOM!> <DOOM!>

They had been banging so loud and for so long that I could no longer remember a time without their triumphant cacophony.

And yet, somehow I knew that Mother Nature still contended, fighting against The Rhythm of The Beast – even if none others were left to fight.

The sandy ground rebelled as it belched forth dusty waves and these storms pummeled Bill Bates’ Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus persona, his masked Chosen Ones, their many victims whose bodies littered these hillsides, and my friends and I as well. Yet the Earth’s resistance was to no avail. 

For this was the Day of The Beast!

<BOOOM! DOOM!> <BOOM! BOOM!> <DOOM!>

Hanging from my cross, I lifted my head with what meager energy I had left. Blinking my eyes against the driving dust, I looked out over the site that was about to witness my death.

It’s amazing what goes through your mind when you know you are about to die.

As odd as it might sound, I found myself awash in memories about Har haBáyit – ancient site of the Great Temple on Mount Moriah – a bastion of so much legend and lore.

The Great Temple as it once was

And now what appeared to be the place of my ignominious demise too.

The Muslims called this place Al-haram al-qudsī ash-sharīf – for after they conquered the area they turned the Temple Mount into the site of their own noble sanctuary, building the mosque of Al-Aqsa on the remains of Solomon’s temple.

Al-Aqsa Mosque

Regardless of whether you called this place by its Islamic name or its Jewish one, the fact of the matter is that this location within the Old City of Jerusalem was one of the most contested religious sites in the world.

And now, here on December 21, I realized that this place would be famous for something more important still – as it seemed destined to become the locale of the Bill Bates’ Ultimate Glory as the Antichrist Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus!

<BOOOM! DOOM!> <BOOM! BOOM!> <DOOM!>

As a former Jew, I still believed that the Foundation Stone at Har haBáyit was the actual site upon which the world expanded into its present form, and that it was from here that Yahweh gathered the dust He used to create Adam.

I also believe that this was where God once chose to rest His Divine Presence inside the Temple of Solomon. (Heavy stuff, huh?)

Even if you don’t believe what I do, you can’t argue that Jerusalem itself was rich with history. Long ago it was simply called Salem and was ruled by a fellow known as Melchizedek – a mysterious warrior king who even the great Jewish forefather Abraham cowed down to.

Melchizedek

Later the place was known as Jebus. In fact, it wasn’t until the city was captured by the legendary King David that it was finally renamed Jerusalem.

It was David who decided that this would be the spot of God’s Temple. While he spent most of his life designing the plans for that temple, the project had to wait for David’s son Solomon to be completed – which it was, nearly 1,000 years before Christ (and I) set foot in the area.

History says the Babylonians later sacked Jerusalem in 587 B.C – destroying Solomon’s Temple and stealing its treasures – many claimed that the Babylonian Emperor Nebuchadnezzar II carried away our legendary Ark of the Covenant.

Others claimed the Ark had been spirited away by the prophet Jeremiah prior to the Babylonian raid. Some believe that it was (and still is) safely locked away in Ethiopia somewhere. A thousand other legends about the Ark also developed over time too. 

Yet all of them were wrong.

Nebuchadnezzar didn’t get the Ark.

The Queen of Sheba didn’t take it to Ethiopia.

And I’m sorry to disappoint you but Indiana Jones didn’t discover it either. 

Did Indiana and Sallah find the ark?

Perhaps only I knew the truth – and soon YOU will too – for soon the world was about to see if Solomon did right to hide the Ark in The Well of Souls.

Solomon’s Well of Souls – The Hidden Location of the Ark

<BOOOM! DOOM!> <BOOM! BOOM!> <DOOM!>

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32 – The Third Temple
Book III Table of Contents
Book 3 Golgotha Revisited

3.30 Faces of Death

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Book III: Chapter 30
December 20

Bill Bates looked to my friends and I – trying to gauge the effect of his threat to destroy us.

Meanwhile I noticed another pair of eyes practically boring a hole into me – Pope Benedict’s.

Glancing over at him, I caught him watching me, but he refused to look me in the eyes and before I could learn more Bates was talking again, “Yes, yes, if these are your final wishes, far be it from me to keep you from your desires.”

His demeanor changing, The Beast then detailed how he would be the Instrument of Fate that would destroy us, “Al-haram al-qudsī ash-sharīf – The Noble Sanctuary of Al-Aqsa, there on The Temple Mount – this is the site of your destiny. December 21   – this is the day of your destiny. The Armageddon Ritual – this will be the revelation of your destiny. Do I need to explain the horrors you will endure?”

It was Miriam who spoke now – calmly and without emotion. “We will be crucified. You’ll use duplicates of the nails to crucify us and then pierce each of us with one of Jesus’s Nails that will be attached to a spear. This will deliver the deathblow – through our sides and up into our hearts. Then we will experience… The End.”

The fate that awaited us

Eyebrows raised just slightly, Bates let his teeth show. “I’m impressed… as always. You are correct again, Mary. The very nails that the Jews used to kill The Nazarene, and the ones you’ve been protecting for lo these many centuries, will in fact be the instruments of your deaths too. Jesus Christ’s power will destroy you – rather ironic, huh?”

“But why do you bother to tell us all this?” Alan asked. “We already told you, we WANT to die. You can’t scare us with these threats.”

“Ah, but I am not trying to scare you. I merely want you to fully understand how you will serve me.”

Seeing Alan perplexed by this statement, Bates explained, “Oh, don’t worry, you shall all get your wish — you WILL die. But what I’m not sure that any of you realize is that, all along, I needed more than just your Nails – I needed each of you.”

And The Beast took a moment to let that sink in. “Recall that, on every world, the victory of my father and I cannot be complete without the participation of the people. In the case of this Earth, the Nails that killed Jesus Christ are imbibed with much power – but even that power is not enough to bring about my victory. YOUR crucifixion and death – this is the real key. For when Christ’s Nails destroy the immortality that flows through your veins, the Nails will be imparted with more <power> than ever before!”

“It can’t be.” Miriam protested

“Oh it be, sister, it be.” The Beast laughed as he rose again, once more full of pride. “And after you three die, I shall proceed to enter The Dome. There I will destroy your precious The Book of Life – thanks for protecting that for me by the way. And after that I’ll open The Sakhrah – as you recall, my servant Muhammad descended to his Eternity through The Sakhrah Stone and I think it’s high time to–

“If you move the Foundation Stone,” I interrupted, “if you dare to set foot onto the Holiest of Holies, it is YOU who will be the fool! Open it, Bates, and God will smite you down!”

“I think not.” Bill Bates waved my warning aside. “And when I DO move the Foundation Stone, the souls of the dead who are gathered in the Well of Souls beneath shall emerge to pray for The Last Judgment. And with their help, when I return from The Dome, I shall be filled with enough <power> to break the Angels’ Seals – and thereby will I destroy the work of your Christ once and for all!”

“After The Beast opens The Sakhrah Stone within The Dome of The Rock, and when he emerges back to The Altar of The Most High God as EA Incarnate, the Fallen Angels will be unleashed to bring their doom upon the world. By then you three will already have passed.” The voice was Benedict’s and it came so unexpectedly that even Bates jerked his head to look, yet pope stood up and continued unabated, “It’s my job to make sure that The Scroll of the Illuminated Angels will be waiting for EA Ma’bus upon The Altar. By that time, I will have gathered The Nails together and installed them into the Crown That Rains Blood. The Crown will be imparted with your blood, and when I place it upon EA Ma’bus’ head, that is the moment when the destiny of this world will be determined. For that is the Moment of Truth when The Beast shall open The Angels’ Seals and… and our Savior shall be revealed at last!”

Bill Bates looked Benedict up and down with a critical eye, yet the Pope merely bowed his head, spent, and fell back to his seat.

Satisfied, The Beast nodded, “Indeed, Benedict speaks the truth. For when the Armageddon Ritual is completed and the Angels’ Seals lay bare, I will release all of the Sin back into the world that Jesus Christ took away with his death. Every offense, every malice, all the Evil this world has ever known will return…to Me! It will be a glorious day indeed! And that, my friends, is the destiny that YOU will experience.” Then, flashing his best smile, Bates laughed, “So how ya like me now?”

Miriam and Lazarus were speechless, yet I tried to remain confident, “The Lord is good, His Love endures forever.”

“But in your case,” Bates chuckled, “only until tomorrow.”

And with that he walked away.

For his part, Benedict gave us a brief look of pity, but showed nothing else as he hurried to follow behind The Beast.

And so I wondered – is this really the end?

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31 – Har Habayit
Book III Table of Contents
Book 3 Golgotha Revisited

3.29 From the Dust I Came

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Book III: Chapter 29
December 20

The Blackness overpowered me.

It suffocated me.

Painting by Antonio José Manzanedo

And just when I thought It was about to completely overwhelm me, in desperation my soul cried out for God…

I know that my Redeemer Lives!
Awake and rise to our defense!
Contend for us, Lord!
Contend for us!

Psalm 35

Immediately the Blackness left me.

For the time being nothing else happened.

I got a chance to breath again and gather myself together.

That’s when I realized that Bill Bates was still speaking, “…and in exchange, I offer you my hand, and the chance at a new beginning. Therefore, if you want to LIVE, join me.”

And that, my friends, was where Bill Bates made his fatal error!

Suddenly I was the one smiling – for in that moment, I had been granted the briefest of visions – a new revelation if you will – a gracious prophecy from my Lord that assured me that all would be well in the end.

(I wish I could tell you what I saw, but that would rather ruin the suspense. Sorry…)

Mistaking the grin he saw on my face, Bates nodded encouragingly, “Well it seems that one of you at least has some sense. I knew it would be you who came over to me first, John. You are a wise man.”

“But YOU are not.” I replied calmly. “And you never were.”

Taken aback at the affront, Bill Bates’ visage quickly changed into a scowl and he jumped up to confront me. “What are you talking about, fool? Enough of these games! Are you going to join me and live… or keep your misguided trust and die?”

“Don’t you see?” I stood up to the challenge — my back now tall and my shoulders straight — while my confused friends raised their heads to look upon their suddenly confident friend. “What you call ‘living’ is naught but an illusion. A fantasy world where all who remain are either forsaken in The Fiery Pits or are lackeys serving your every whim in a world without hope. But that’s not ‘living’ at all, is it? And don’t try to tell me that one of these options is better than the other – for we both know that you will eventually destroy all those who remain – for that is your nature, it is the essence of who YOU are.”

“Fool!” The Beast snarled, “If you fail to chose, then you will be smote back into the dust! Is that what you want?”

Now it was my turn to smile – for Bill Bates had just walked into my trap.

Gotcha!

“It is all I have wanted for over a thousand years — from the dust I came, and to the dust I shall return. That is MY destiny.”

Bates was confused. “But that makes no sense. How could you be content to simply rot away into Nothingness?”

“What’s done is done – all men must learn to stand by their deeds.” I was speaking not just to Bates but also to my friends – trying to inspire them take heart. “We three are no exception. And yet, while every man throughout history has carried within him the seeds of his own death – it hasn’t been the same for us. In spite of our successes, yea, and our failures, we have been forced to live on – it’s unnatural. We want only what all other men have been granted – no more, no less: we want a term to our lives. After all, every light has a shadow and every life a death. We have lived in the light of life for too long and now we merely want the shadow of death to finally fall where it should.”

My destiny

“But what about being reunited with your master?” Bates baited, trying a new tactic. “What if he rejects you?”

“I am not worthy.” I replied without batting an eye. “I never have been. None of us are. And yet I still stand by my deeds, for there is nothing left for us to do. All we want is for all of this to finally be over.”

Clearly not expecting this turn of events, The Beast looked towards Alan and Miriam; when he saw that they agreed, he was again confused – but only for a moment.

Grand Master that he was, he quickly displayed a smile and countered again, “My word. You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you? Talk about making my job easy. Well, if that’s what you want, Joe and I will happily accommodate you.”

Keep Reading

30 – Faces of Death
Book III Table of Contents
Book 3 Golgotha Revisited

3.28 Alekhine’s Defense

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Book III: Chapter 28
December 20

When none of us responded, Bill Bates tried again, “I realize it’s a lot to take in – the whole switching sides thing, but hear me out, for amazing as it may sound, you three still have a chance to save yourselves. Now please, for your sakes, don’t choose poorly again.”

Perplexed looks covered our faces, yet this time Bates did not explain further. Instead, it was now Benedict who stood up to speak.

The pope appeared to be using a great effort to control himself, as if tasting a long-awaited victory. “What The Beast is trying to say is that you can either accept the failure of your present fate, curse God, and join the rest of the Lost Souls who will be sent to eternal torture in The Fiery Pits… or you can join me and side with the winning team – all you must do is…” And here Benedict took a moment to make deep eye contact with all three of us in turn before advising…

“Worship… The One True God… upon the Day of Deliverance. Do that and you WILL be Saved.”

For the briefest of moments I got the sense that The Pope had just played a daring gambit on us all, yet before I could consider further he continued, “Oh, perhaps not the kind of saving that you’ve always envisioned, but it will be the opportunity for a new life nonetheless. Yes, my friends, choose to side with my team and you three will have a place in the next life!”

I noticed that even Bates was impressed with the passion in Benedict’s voice and he sat back for a moment to apprise his second in command. “My god, man, you inspire even me. How did I get so lucky to have you?”

“Preposterous!” I shouted, breaking the mood. “Even if we did believe you, Joe, we know you don’t care about us, and we’d be the ultimate fools if we trusted you now after all you did to interfere with our plans.”

It was Bates who replied, “Trust is overrated. You should know that best of all, John.” And with his eyes boring a hole into me, he added, “Did your trust in Jesus ever bring you anything but sorrow?”

Although I tried to call upon my newfound courage, truth be told, Bates’ low blow battered my fortitude. I was forced to lower my eyes and bow my head. I knew that I should have offered up a prayer in this time of need, but I was just too ashamed to do so – after all, none of this would be happening if not for MY blunders.

With that damn half-cocked grin, Bates then turned his attention back to Alan. “Regret. It’s written all over your face, Lazarus. Regret that you didn’t tell the truth long ago. You wonder how much different your life could have been.” Then leaning in close he said in conspiratorial tones, “You wonder if you had told the truth to the one person who mattered most, would SHE have loved you, neh? Had you—“

“Enough!” Miriam rose from her seat again. “Stop berating him. You have no—“ But her words were cut short when two of the dictator’s ever-present guards forcibly silenced her, ramming her back into her seat. Meanwhile another group ran up behind Alan and I to ensure we didn’t interfere.

“Don’t worry, dear, I’ll get to you in good time.” Bates laughed, before turning back to Alan, “The answer to the question you have always wanted to know is… YES! Mary of Magdala would have loved you, and you would have enjoyed a happy, NORMAL life with her, raising a family of your own together… had it not been for the interference of your so-called friend Jesus.”

This time it was everything the guards could do to contain Miriam as she struggled mightily to get free, while Alan’s visage bespoke his horror and, of course, his terrible regret.

And still The Beast toyed with us. “Trust. It’s a funny thing — sometimes we don’t understand why we give away our trust so easily… or why others never seem to give theirs to us. So you trusted The Nazarene. Yet, Miriam never really trusted you because of the secret you kept from her. And yet, the ironic thing is that what you were guarding was never a secret at all, because Jesus had already told Miriam all about it – therefore, don’t you see, Jesus betrayed YOUR trust, Alan. And all the while you have tried to protect him, but for what? For what? Oh man, this is too rich. You can’t make this stuff up, you know?”

Biting on one of her captive’s hands, Miriam managed to break free enough to call out, “Don’t listen to him, Alan. You know the tru-“ But her words were cut off as the guard regained control of her.

Whether Alan ever heard Miriam was a moot point, since it was evident to all that he believed Bates’ every word – after all, The Beast was only telling of secrets locked deep inside Alan’s own mind.

Bill Bates thus succeeded in cracking Alan’s faith – just like he’d done to mine.

In fact, the guards barely had to put forth any effort to hold him, for he was awash with tears as his body slumped into his chair.

There was only one nut left to crack and I watched helplessly as The Beast turned his attention to Miriam. “And now to my little harlot. Please don’t try to pretend to be the innocent virgin to me.”

Anger and embarrassment flushed Miriam as she continued her struggle to break free and two more men had to come over to help contain her.

“I know the game you’ve been playing in front of Lazarus,” Bates goaded her. “You told him you were saving yourself for Him, right? Yet we both know the truth, Sister– you’ve seen more action than a group of navy men who’ve been at sea for a year!”

Pointing at Miriam as if she wore a scarlet letter, The Beast admonished, “Why the things you’ve done, Miriam, would have made Caligula blush! Oh, sure, you pretend to be the good girl, but all along, you’ve never told your friends about your true nature – about how you have defiled yourself in every conceivable way – all because you’ve blamed yourself for Jesus’ failure to return to you – because you believe in your heart that he could never love you and that’s why he is staying away! And so, you’ve rejected Alan… making him think that you’re saving yourself for a higher purpose, when in reality, it’s YOU who are the most despicable of all!”

Even before Bates finished, Miriam had already stopped struggling.

And when the evil one had made the crack about the lecherous roman emperor, I saw Miriam catch Alan’s eye – it was obvious that Alan believed The Beast.

Thus, by the time that Bates further stung her with his words about Jesus choosing to stay away from her, it was obvious to me that Miriam too was ready for The End.

Seeing that he had succeeded in crushing his enemies, Bates kept his smile to himself this time and added slyly, “So it seems we can all finally agree on something — you three have all been betrayed by The Nazarene. There can be no denying that. And yet, while I admire your trust in him, it doesn’t matter now, does it? Instead, what matters is ‘what have you done for me lately,’ or more importantly, ‘what can you do for me NOW?’ As I said, only through me can you have a place in this world going forward. And despite your previous attempts to destroy me, it is I who am the gracious one – for I don’t hold your tenacity against you, instead I give you credit for it. In fact…”

Although Bill Bates kept talking, I have no idea what he said next.

By now I was at the lowest point of my life – totally ashamed of my sins and ready to give up.

I felt a Blackness closing around me… again.

Keep Reading

29 – From the Dust I Came…
Book III Table of Contents
Book 3 Golgotha Revisited

3.26 The Price is Your Soul

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Book III: Chapter 25
December 20

The moment lingered…

Someone or something was coming through the gate towards us.

Destiny?

Death?

Only God knew what it might be.

At last, forging through the gate came Pope Benedict, followed a moment later by Bill Bates in his Dr. Ma’bus regalia.

“Ah, I thought we would find you here,” Bates called out jovially, as he shuffled ahead to take the lead. Meanwhile a pair of servants rushed forward to set down two more chairs around our group, others set up a cabana to temper the afternoon’s heat, whilst still others emerged with an array of tempting delicacies to offer as refreshments. While all the servants were masked and gloved, neither the pope nor the technocrat wore virus protection since both knew Covid posed no real threat to them.

As our captors took their seats, Bates was all smiles, “Well, my friends, I’m sure you’re aware that tomorrow is your day of doom. Have you given any further consideration to the generous offer I made you?”

“Fool!” I lashed out at the would-be dictator. “Do you really think any of us would betray our Savior to follow a false god such as you? Hell, even if we contemplated such a mistake, everyone knows you wouldn’t honor your word.”

Although Benedict was beet red with embarrassment, Bates took it all in stride. He stared humorously at me for a few moments, before replying, “John, oh John, you were his beloved once, right?”

“I am his beloved still and—“

“Please.” Bates interrupted, holding up a hand, knowing I was not sure if I really believed my own words. “Save yourself the embarrassment. Everybody here knows the truth – the one you put your faith in has abandoned you. News flash, John, he’s NOT coming back. By crikey, man, I would think after two thousand years you would finally get it!”

“Whether it be two thousand or two hundred thousand,” Alan spoke up, “any amount of time is like a mere drop in the bucket to our God.”

“Ah, perhaps so,” Bates turned his attention now to Alan. “However, such is not the case for you three, eh? After all, while your lord may be able to ride out Time however he chooses, none of you can say the same. Each of you has had to endure every excruciating second of your miserable, do-nothing lives upon this forsaken world. You can’t hide it from me; it’s written all over your faces – you KNOW that in spite of all the time you’ve been given, in the end, you’ve failed in your mission. Two thousand years down the drain. All the pain, all the misfortune, and now all for naught. I can see how much that bothers you… and rightly so. You failed your master! What good are you to him now?”

“We will always have a place with our Lord.” Miriam replied, hands in her lap, eyes looking down.

“Ooohhh. And you say that with such confidence.” Bates scoffed. “Get real, sister. Nobody is buying your false hope and you shouldn’t be selling it. Look, the fact of the matter is that you really did have a chance to defeat me, but you failed. It’s that’s simple. I knew you couldn’t do it.”

“And why is that?” Miriam foolishly debated.

“First off, you made poor decisions. I mean, think about it – you were given a blueprint for success on how to overcome me and yet you couldn’t follow a simple set of directions! Instead you tried to do things your own way. Ah, news flash – that’s kind of stupid. Secondly, we all know that you three have never really been able to work together as a team. And worse still, you kept secrets from each other. How’s that for a start?” And here he paused to let each of us wallow in our shame, before adding, “Whatever you MAY have had with your god, it’s gone now. His time has passed. It’s MY time now.”

“You are a fool, Ma’bus.” I tried using my anger to resist him.

“Am I?” Bates grinned at me. “If that’s so, then what does that make you? After all, you’re all here. I have your Nails. I have your sacred scrolls. In fact, you’ve basically done everything I orchestrated.” And seeing the look of confusion on our faces, he happily explained. “Don’t you see? I’ve been pulling the strings all along. Surely, John, you know that the assailants who harassed you for lo these many years were all sent by me, right? And, Lazarus, we’ve already discussed how Mystery was sent to beguile you – with much success I might add. And Mary, oh Mary, where do you think all your premonitions came from? Certainly not from Above. No indeed, I sent them to you. Although I rather love what you did with them – 1492 is coming for you? This is the way you tried to disguise your warning? By making a clever code with a reference to Columbus? Well, you might have added your own touch, but the information was still from me. It’s all rather comical, don’t you think?”

“I don’t believe you.” Miriam stamped her foot in protest.

“No matter. I can go on. Although I didn’t create the prophets, I can attest that they were sent back because of me – so in a way I am responsible for them too. And of course, there can be no disputing that I was the one who had them killed – after all, the world still views me as a savior for that, right?” Then, turning back to Miriam, he asked, “My darling, who do you think pulled you out of Acedia?”

Acedia

Caught off guard at this unexpected memory, Miriam blanched, unable to respond.

“Ah, don’t trouble yourself.” Bates cajoled. “I will let you in on a little secret – I rescued you and Lazarus. After all, I brought him into that world, so only I could really let him out. I just wanted you to come here so that you could take Lazarus back to John to be cured – that allowed us to further things along a bit. Are you starting to get the picture? Ah, good. I can see you are. OK, let’s see, so where does that take us – ah yes, Mary and Lazarus go to Rome, fail to show Benedict any courtesy by advising him you’ve arrived, and instead you secretly dig in the Vatican’s most sacred vault – and for what? A worthless letter to a popess who never should have been? Why did you work so hard to protect that? It told me nothing! So, score one for your side, I let Marrollo reveal himself in order to capture your treasure.  But no matter, for my plans proceeded regardless. You followed that old coot Marrollo like puppies – right into my hands.” His voice dripping with mirth, The Beast turned back to me, “And, naturally, John, you felt the shame that was to be expected for deserting your friends. I knew Gabriel Big-Mouth would warn you not to, but that you couldn’t resist coming to save your friends, could you? I figured you’d use one of your inane disguises, but The Baron? Again? Come on, John, you could do better than that. You’re making the game too easy for me – you’re taking the fun out of it.”

“You expect me to believe that you are omnipotent now?” I replied.

“Would you like me to go back further in time?” Bates slithered. “Shall we discuss… Tower Bay? Hmmm?”

The devastation that was Tower Bay

“You’ve made your point!” I snarled. “Wha—“

“You know you can never truly win!” Miriam yelled out, pointing at The Beast. “Regardless of what happens on this world, in the end, you are doomed to failure.”

“Oh, Mary, you speak of things so far over your head it’s comical.” Bates clearly enjoyed the banter. “You really don’t get it, do you? So I’ve told you about a few strings that I pulled concerning you three and this petty little world. But, can’t you see that the War is to be won with each individual battle? Of course, my father and I are not fool enough to believe that we will control all of Creation at once – in fact, we may never accomplish that feat. And yet, it doesn’t matter – not to me, and certainly not to you.” 

Here Bates’ smile twisted into such a fiendish grin that even Benedict was a bit taken aback.

And still The Beast crowed, “Here is the essence of it all… this world is all of YOUR existence, it’s all you know. It’s all you are. Yet once I take ownership everything in it becomes MINE. Mine to possess for all time – that includes you… and your eternal souls. “

Keep Reading

27 – The Temptation
Book III Table of Contents
Book 3 Golgotha Revisited

3.24 Into the Fires

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Book III: Chapter 24
November 13

“What?” I blurted out – a bit too loud — after Miriam had just told me about Cardinal Marrollo’s seeming desire to destroy Bill Bates.

Immediately after my shout there was a knock at the door from the guards outside; one of them called in urgently, “Baron, is everything all right?”

“Yes, yes.? I ran to the door. “All is fine. Please, leave us alone for another minute or so.”

Turning back to my friends I hissed, “Finish the story, then we must leave.”

Miriam was now lost in thought so Alan took up the tale, “I don’t possess Miriam’s abilities, so I can’t vouch for what she saw in her mind. All I can say is there was something strange going on – as if we were part of History in Motion. Nevertheless, our Moment of Truth passed and suddenly Marrollo bolted out of the room – still carrying The Nail. But we hadn’t come all that way for him anyway – for the man we wanted was right before our eyes and finally we had him!

“Despite his flailing against us,” Alan continued, “Bates wasn’t much of a physical opponent. The two of us overpowered him and drove him back towards the cross upon which Mystery was still hanging. Her blood rained down upon Bates as we pinned him there – and yet, even then, I could tell he wasn’t really afraid of us.”

“Until we pulled out our Nails!” Miriam jumped in. “Then fear – true Primal FEAR – was suddenly evident in Bates visage. It was as if, for the first time in eons, The Beast knew he was facing Destruction.”

“Bill began to wail in some awful, guttural language,” Alan shuddered, “it was a dialect older than anything I had ever heard – Evil in every way. If I had to guess, I would say it dated back to Babel itself, or perhaps even earlier, say–“

“Alan, we’re getting off topic.” Miriam chided. “The bottom line is this — regardless of what Bates was saying, suddenly he KNEW he was facing Death. But we didn’t give him any more time to think of a way out – instead, Alan and I plunged our Nails into his chest!”

“But… but… this doesn’t make sense?” I was angry that I couldn’t understand. “I just told you Bill Bates is out there now in his full-on Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus persona; I just saw him with my own eyes.” And then, asking a question I thought I would never ask, with my faith nearly faltering, I whispered, “Didn’t your…Nails have any…effect on him?”

“Of course they did.” Miriam advised. “Or at least, we all thought they did – Bill Bates included! Because when we drove our spikes into him, Bates must have felt their <power>. His face became a mask of terror and he began to writhe so badly that Alan and I were driven backwards.”

After taking a moment to collect herself, Miriam continued. “Our Nails remained lodged within Bates’ midsection even as he fell to the floor and continued convulsing! By now there was naught we could do but watch… and hope.”

“John, I tell you I really thought we had done it!” Alan agreed. “I thought we had finally destroyed The Beast!”

“Well, obviously not.” I muttered. “So what went wrong?”

“All of this happened so fast, mind you. But, like I said before, it was as if a Moment of Truth, a History Opportunity if you will, had come and gone, and alas the result was another escape for The Beast – for though we witnessed the demon fall, so too did we see him rise back up – in triumph.”

Dr. Ma’bus celebrated in all his glory.

“It was awful.” Miriam lamented. “Even as we watched, Bates rose, as if from the dead, and of a sudden, he bolted up, full of power, and showing his true face. John, there is no doubt he IS The Beast!”

“We both thought we were done for,” Alan added, “but at that very moment the door to the room burst open again, and Marrollo came barging back into the room.”

“Everything was still in slow motion except for Bates.” Miriam labored, remembering, “As The Beast surged with power, our Nails that were lodged within him came bursting forth — they flew outwards, whizzing past our heads as we barely had time to duck.”

“And our nails slammed into Marrollo.” I surmised, as if seeing the scene unfold in my mind’s eye.

“How did you know?” Miriam gasped.

“It was inevitable, given the fabric of your story.” And trying to allay my fears with humor, “After all, I AM a writer, remember?”

“You are correct.” Alan replied. “Impaled with OUR nails, Marrollo slumped against the wall, even as Bates’ masked guards surrounded us.”

“Suddenly we realized that it was WE who had failed.” Miriam lamented. “For we tried to kill The Beast with only TWO of the Nails and our Folly was to try to accomplish our mission in our own way instead of waiting for you to join us again.”

Even as she said these words, I felt my spine tingle – knowing that I was presently committing the same hasty sin. (Oh, Lord, forgive me. But what can I do now? I’m here, so I have to move forward right?)

“But that wasn’t the worst of it.” Alan broke my thoughts.

“Oh?” I asked.

“Worse than anything was hearing Bates’ diabolical cackling.” Alan covered his ears at the memory. “It was triumphant, evil, and insane. And even as the palace guards apprehended us, Bill Bates stood there and kept laughing.”

“It was a sound I’ll never forget.” Miriam added, she too visibly shaken at the memory.

“Hehehehehahaha! Hehehehehahaha!” As if on cue, suddenly a cacophonous echo carried into the room through the door – a sound that caused all three of us to cower in fear!

“My God, that’s the laugh!” Alan gasped.

“Lord, save us!” Miriam’s face was white as snow.

<BOOM!> The door to the room burst inward.

“Hehehehehahaha! Hehehehehahaha!”  Bill Bates’ laughter filled the room as he stood in the doorway, followed closely by Pope Benedict and my little friend Colonel McGubbins! “Hehehehehahaha! Hehehehehahaha!” 

Even as that snitch McGubbins gloated over me, I knew my failure had more to do with my actions than his – although that knowledge didn’t make it any easier to see the little twit preening in delight.

Quite frankly I wanted to knock his block off. 

And so the consequences of my sins continued…

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25 – Paradise Lost
Book III Table of Contents