Tag Archives: Nero

The Beast of Revelation: Who Is the Antichrist and Why Does the World Fear Him?

Introduction

Few biblical figures evoke as much fear, fascination, and speculation as the Antichrist—the ultimate embodiment of evil in the Book of Revelation. Described as the Beast (Revelation 13), this end-times tyrant will deceive the world, wage war against God’s people, and establish a global dictatorship before Christ returns to defeat him.

For centuries, Christians have tried to identify who the Antichrist might be—from Roman emperors to modern political leaders. Some believe he will rise to power in a time of global crisis, wielding unmatched influence through politics, religion, and technology.

In this deep dive, we’ll explore:

  1. What (or who) is the Antichrist?
  2. Why do Christians fear his coming?
  3. 5 historical figures once believed to be the Antichrist
  4. 5 modern candidates who fit the profile
  5. How should Christians respond to Antichrist speculation?

1. Who (or What) Is the Antichrist?

The term “Antichrist” appears only in the letters of John (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7), where it refers to anyone who denies Christ. However, in Revelation, the Antichrist is depicted as the Beast from the Sea (Revelation 13:1-10), a satanic world leader who:

  • Rises to global power (Revelation 13:7).
  • Performs deceptive miracles (Revelation 13:13-14).
  • Demands worship (Revelation 13:8).
  • Enforces the Mark of the Beast (666) (Revelation 13:16-18).

He is closely tied to the False Prophet (Revelation 19:20), who promotes his agenda, and the Dragon (Satan, Revelation 12:9), who empowers him.

Key Traits of the Antichrist:

  • Charismatic but deceptive (Daniel 8:23-25).
  • A political and religious unifier (Revelation 17:12-13).
  • Persecutes believers (Revelation 13:7).
  • Seeks to replace God (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

2. Why Do Christians Fear the Antichrist?

The Antichrist represents the ultimate enemy of Christ and His followers. Here’s why his coming is so terrifying:

A. He Will Deceive the World

  • Jesus warned of “false Christs and false prophets” (Matthew 24:24).
  • The Antichrist will perform lying signs and wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).

B. He Will Bring Persecution

  • The Bible predicts a time of great tribulation (Matthew 24:21).
  • Many believe Christians will face martyrdom under his rule (Revelation 13:7).

C. He Will Control the Global Economy

  • The Mark of the Beast (666) suggests a financial and spiritual loyalty test (Revelation 13:16-17).
  • Those who refuse will be cut off from buying or selling.

D. He Will Be a Master Manipulator

  • The Antichrist will likely emerge during a time of crisis, offering peace and security (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
  • Many will follow him blindly, believing he is a savior.

3. 5 Historical Figures Once Believed to Be the Antichrist

Throughout history, many leaders have been accused of being the Antichrist. Here are five of the most famous:

1. Nero (Roman Emperor, AD 54-68)

  • Why? Brutally persecuted Christians; some scholars believe “666” (Revelation 13:18) refers to Nero’s name in Hebrew numerology.
  • Connection: The early church saw him as a prototype of the Antichrist.
  • Source: Nero as the Beast – Bible Study

2. Pope Boniface VIII (13th Century)

  • Why? Medieval reformers accused him of blasphemy and corruption, claiming he fit the “man of sin” in 2 Thessalonians 2.
  • Connection: His feud with King Philip IV of France led to accusations of usurping Christ’s authority.
  • Source: Pope Boniface VIII & Antichrist Speculation – History.com

3. Napoleon Bonaparte (19th Century)

  • Why? His military conquests and self-deification (he crowned himself emperor) made many fear he was the Beast.
  • Connection: Some saw his rise and fall as mirroring Revelation’s prophecies.
  • Source: Napoleon and the Antichrist – Christianity Today

4. Adolf Hitler (20th Century)

5. Henry Kissinger (20th Century)

  • Why? His role in global politics and the 1973 oil crisis led some to link him to the “false peacemaker” of Revelation.
  • Connection: Hal Lindsay’s The Late Great Planet Earth suggested Kissinger fit the profile.
  • Source: Kissinger as Antichrist – End Times Speculation

4. 5 Modern Candidates Who Fit the Antichrist Profile

Today, several figures are speculated to be potential Antichrists due to their power, influence, and global reach.

1. Klaus Schwab (World Economic Forum Founder)

  • Why? Promotes “The Great Reset”, a globalist agenda some fear could lead to economic control (Mark of the Beast).
  • Connection: His call for digital IDs and AI governance aligns with fears of a technocratic dictatorship.
  • Source: The Great Reset and Bible Prophecy – Prophecy News Watch

2. Pope Francis (Leader of the Catholic Church)

  • Why? Some Protestants believe the papacy itself is the Antichrist system, citing historic Reformation views.
  • Connection: His interfaith efforts and global influence spark fears of a one-world religion.
  • Source: Is the Pope the Antichrist? – GotQuestions

3. Bill Gates (Tech Billionaire)

  • Why? His desire for world DEpopulation, sketchy history with controversial vaccines, and digital ID raise concerns about the Mark of the Beast.
  • Connection: If digital ID becomes mandatory, could they fulfill Revelation 13?
  • Source: too many to list!

4. Vladimir Putin (Russian President)

  • Why? His imperial ambitions and war in Ukraine fit the “King of the North” prophecy (Daniel 11).
  • Connection: Some believe he could be a precursor to the Antichrist’s rise.
  • Source: Putin in Bible Prophecy – Charisma News

5. A Future AI Superintelligence

  • Why? If AI gains autonomous power, could it become the ultimate deceptive force?
  • Connection: The image of the Beast (Revelation 13:15) might be a digital or AI construct.
  • Source: AI and the Antichrist – WND

5. How Should Christians Respond to Antichrist Speculation?

While it’s fascinating to speculate, the Bible warns against date-setting and paranoia. Instead, Christians should:

  1. Focus on Christ’s Return (Acts 1:7 – “It is not for you to know times or seasons”).
  2. Live Righteously (2 Peter 3:11 – “What sort of people ought you to be?”).
  3. Test All Spirits (1 John 4:1 – Not every leader is the Antichrist).
  4. Share the Gospel (Matthew 24:14 – The end will come after the Gospel is preached to all nations).

Conclusion: The Antichrist Is Coming—But Christ Has Already Won

The Antichrist remains one of the Bible’s most mysterious and feared figures. While history is full of tyrants and deceivers, the true Beast will be uniquely empowered by Satan to lead the world into rebellion against God.

Yet, Christians need not fear: “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). No matter who rises to power, Christ will return to destroy the Antichrist and establish His eternal kingdom.

What do you think? Could one of these modern figures be the Antichrist, or is he still to come? Share your thoughts below!


Further Reading:

Scripture References:

  • Revelation 13 – The Beast’s rise.
  • 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 – The “man of lawlessness.”
  • 1 John 2:18 – Many antichrists, but one ultimate Antichrist.

3.36 The Hand of God

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 IncarnateThe 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…


Keep Reading

37 – The Armageddon Rite
Book III Table of Contents

2.29 Leavin’ on a Jet Plane

Book II: Chapter 29
July 13

The good news is that my friends finally went away.

The bad news it that I did not get to work in peace as I’d hoped because the very next day I had another vision forced upon me – ironically it was about Alan and Miriam (gee whiz, how do I get rid of these guys?)


“Why did we bother to come through JFK?” Miriam complained, fiddling with her face mask.

“Hopefully the delay won’t be much longer.” Alan soothed, he too donning a face mask as per the requirements for air travel that had been mandated since back in 2020. “Meanwhile, let’s take this time to plan our next moves.”

Despite the delay in the plane’s arrival, my friends had been able to book the flight quickly because their Freedom Passes and social credits were still flagged as Platinum status – this was based on the fact that both of them had received every round of their semi-annual Covid top-off vaccines since 2021, had no record of any crimes, had no record of social media hate speech, were both on record as bleeding heart liberals, had taken all their White Privilege re-education programs, and had never missed a daily virus test on their phone (that last was a tally I’d ‘corrected’ during their visit to me in order to account for the time they missed while Miriam was rescuing Alan – it was a task I happily undertook because it fit with my plans to get rid of them!)

“Oh, Alan, always the analytical mind.” Miriam replied. But then, as if realizing her possible faux pas, she added, “Er. I didn’t mean that in a mental telepathy sort of way.” And seeing her friend’s face redden around his mask, she stammered, “Alan, please know that I did NOT go through your private thoughts. I never have in the past and I never plan to. You mus–”

(Don’t believe her, Alan).

“Hush. I trust you, Miriam. But let’s just make a pact so we can save ourselves further embarrassment – no more telepathy, mental probes, or other mental tricks.”

(Amen to that!)

Miriam nodded, “If I have anything to say, I’ll say it out loud.”

“Amen!”

(Copy cat).

“Alan,” Miriam’s grew thoughtful. “How long has it been since we’ve last talked? I mean really talked.”

(Oh no, when a woman says she wants to talk that’s never good).

Alan thought for a moment, “The last time we were together — before you rescued me from Ma’bus — was in 1945 – April 30th to be exact.”

“The day Hitler shot himself – alas another Antichrist theory which didn’t pan out.”  

“And yet, I wonder…” Alan mused. ”Unlike most, we saw Hitler’s remains – at least what his people claimed was his remains – which, as you’ll recall we had certain unanswered questions about at the time. Nevertheless, even though we determined that Hitler was not in fact our Antichrist before he died, we still worked hard to drive him out of his mind in order to rid of the world of his evil.”

“I’d say so.” Miriam interjected. “After all, even though the world never knew, it was you, John, and myself who succeeded in pushing Der Fuhrer down the suicide path.”

(I realize this probably all news to you, but actually it’s quite true).  

“Ah, but don’t forget — Hitler shot himself two days before we thought he would.”

“So?”

“Let’s not forget – none of us actually saw him take the shot. And while we did see his charred corpse, I told you back then I wasn’t comfortable with they way everything played out.”

“But nothing more happened. We all agreed the Hitler File was closed.”

(Actually I agreed with Alan at the time — I wasn’t 100% sure Hitler was really dead, but I didn’t feel like fighting Miriam, so I didn’t say anything).

“What if we were wrong?” Alan mused.

“What do you mean?”

“What if Hitler never did kill himself?” Alan whispered. Then leaning in closer he said even softer, “Miriam, is it possible Hitler actually stayed alive and has now re-emerged as… Dr. Ma’bus?!?”

The color drained from Miriam’s face, yet before she could respond, Alan pressed ahead, “Let me take it a step further. Miriam, in the course of the last few decades, I have been postulating a new theory — in the past, whenever we’ve been presented with a potential Antichrist emerging, how did we evaluate that candidate to determine if they were truly The Beast?”

“I’m not sure I understand — why are we talking about men whom History has proven NOT to be antichrists?”

“Has it? Think about the men we were once CONVINCED were The Beast: Nero, Attila, Arnulf, Weishaupt, and Hitler. I want you to—“

Nero
Attila
Arnulf
Weishaupt
Hitler

“You forgot Martin Luther.” Miriam interjected.

“Actually, I left him out on purpose. There is no question that we were wrong about him and luckily John caught our error in time.”

(Well, at least someone gives me some credit around here. Thank you, Alan).

“Agreed.” Miriam consented as much, but her face told a different story regarding her true feelings Martin Luther. However rather than argue the point, she encouraged Alan to continue, “OK, so what?”

“Miriam, what if ALL of them really were The Beast?”

“How could that be? They all died – and stopped causing problems.”

“And yet, in every case there is a nuance that left me unsure. Consider Nero’s death – a supposed suicide in which he drove a dagger into his own throat – albeit with the aid of his personal secretary Epaphroditus. And yet Epaphroditus then conveniently disappeared from history?”

“Even still, Nero’s death seemed pretty convincing.”

“Death of Nero” by V. S. Smirnov

“Was it? Or did Nero switch with his aide and disappear himself?”

“But, why? For what purpose?”  

(Duh? Miriam, are you so obtuse?)

“Let’s table that and examine the other candidates. Next there was Attila — his demise is still controversial: was it internal bleeding caused by years of heavy drinking or did he die at the hands of his wife Gudrun?”

“What does it matter? Either way, he DID die.” Miriam rebutted. ”And did you forget that Attila was buried in a triple coffin made of gold, inside of silver, inside of iron – all to keep him locked inside?”

“And supposedly his army then diverted a section of the river Tisza over his grave site – yet all those men were later killed by Attila’s son Ellac in order to keep the exact location of the grave site a secret.”

(Hmm. I’m starting to see where Alan’s heading. What about YOU?)

“Attention passengers of Lufthansa Flight 1501 to Rome,” came a voice over the Terminal speakers, “Please proceed to Gate A31…”

“Hey, they changed our gate!” Miriam arose and began to hastily gather her belongings. “That’s at the other end of the terminal!”

“Moving on,” Alan trotted after Miriam, continuing his discourse between breaths as they waded through the crowd. “Arnulf’s death – still a mystery. Same goes for Weishaupt. And we already discussed Hitler.”

“Ugh, Alan, just spit it out — what are you trying to say?”

As they stepped onto moving walkway, Alan whispered urgently into her ear. “Just this, Miriam — what if all of those evil men really were the SAME man?  What if we did correctly identify the Beast each time, but due to our actions or just some unexpected turns of History, Satan chose to delay his rise?”

Miriam suddenly stopped in her tracks – causing a backlog on the tight walkway behind Alan.

“Sorry, friends,” Alan turned to apologize to the many passengers behind him who were now complaining at the stoppage, before quickly urging Miriam ahead towards the end of the moving walkway.

Once they got off, Miriam pulled Alan aside, “My God, Alan, what if the spirit of Satan’s son possessed the bodies of those men and merely used each as a vessel?”

(ARG! Do you see what she’s doing? As always, Miriam can’t accept someone else’s idea, so she has to change it to make it hers. Just like a woman – never satisfied until they have their own way!)

“Hmmm… that I can’t answer,” Alan replied, “But one thing is sure. Lucifer is a master manipulator – for something as important as the rise to power of his son — and his own subsequent release from the prison of Hell — surely, if he felt for even a moment that everything wasn’t going exactly as planned, he would pull the plug and start over later, right?”

“Indeed. For Gabriel always said that once The Antichrist attempts The Armageddon Rite, he will have one chance at it – just ONE. That was the agreement Satan worked out with God. Although why The Lord would allow Himself to be bound by such a possib–”

“Attention passengers of Lufthansa Flight 1501 to Rome,” came the airport voice again. “All passengers should be at Gate A31 ready to board.”

“Oh, let’s hurry, Alan. We can talk more on the way to Rome!”


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30 – Dead Man Walking
Book II Table of Contents

2.25 The Many Faced Man

Book II: Chapter 25
July 12

“But how could Benedict hold our Nails in his hands without being destroyed?” Alan pondered at my unexpected revelation about the Pope.

“And without dying?” Miriam was still in shock herself at my suggestion.

Another long pause followed as they tried to make sense of things. I smiled as they prattled on, enjoying my drink.

Naturally it was Miriam who rained on my parade, “For you, O Lord, are the Most High! Don’t you see, this merely confirms what I’m saying — Benedict will be filled with divine power at the appointed time, so that he CAN hold the Nails in order to destroy Bates as Dr. Ma’bus and thus enable Christ’s return!” And she smiled winsomely at the thought.

(Dammit! I hadn’t thought of it that way — she just might be right).

Envy rots the bones.” I muttered under my breath, before replying to her, “If that’s true, Mary, then what are WE still doing here? In your theory we three are useless.”

“John.” Alan raised a hand. “You know our mission – we are to guard The Nails until the day they are needed, until The Second Coming. Nobody said our role would be in the spotlight. Isn’t it enough to know that our work will be directly responsible for aiding Christ’s return?”

<SMASH!> I threw my glass against the wall. “No, Laz-a-rus, it is not! Do you think I wanted to wait around here for two thousand years, guarding a worthless piece of iron, only to give it off to someone else at the moment of truth — so THEY can get all the glory? That’s a raw deal!”

“John, you know that’s not true.” Miriam reminded me. “YOU, more than anyone, know the value of Jesus’ love.”

“Two thousand years is a long time — I guess I plumb forgot; just like HE forgot about me.” And before anyone could reply, I continued, “Besides, who cares about all your theories, you’re probably wrong… again.”

“What do you mean?” Alan asked.

“Don’t you see?” I said wearily. “There is no many faced man, there is no antichrist!”

“How can you say that?” Miriam gasped.

“Just how often have you two been wrong about The Beast?” I jabbed back. “Oh let me count the ways. First there was Nero – but that was on me – he’s the one I wrote about in Revelation – or so I thought. So I’ll take the bullet for being wrong there.

“But it was you, Mary, who brought us Attila in the 400’s,” I hastened on. “Now Attila was a ruthless conqueror indeed, but NOT the antichrist. Which brings us to Alan’s theory about Archbishop Arnulf of Rheims in the late 900’s.”

“Well, he was a thinking man’s antichrist.” Alan offered.

“Yet again we were wrong. “ I concluded. “So after that, I stopped trying to guess, but you two plodded ahead. You listened to Charles V when he brought you Martin Luther in the early 1500’s – yet why you two couldn’t see that Charles was playing you for a fool, I’ll never know? Luckily I was able to talk some sense into you. Oh sure, Luther caused some problems for the Church, but on the whole, I think you’ll agree he’s proven to be a catalyst for change which the Church needed.”

“Touche.” Alan nodded. “And your poi—“

“And then there was Adam Weishaupt.” I cut him off. “Or should I say George Washington? Indeed, after he pulled his little identity switcheroo he had the world fooled – and us too. And while he advanced the cause of the Illuminated Ones, and laid the foundation for America to become a world harlot, he was surely NOT the Antichrist either.”

The Shocking Truth about our first President?

“How can you be so sure?” Miriam asked.

“Which brings us at last to the one person that you two really had me convinced on – Hitler.” I pressed ahead with my own designs, ignoring Miriam. “Yes, despite my pledge that I was done listening to you two after the Weishaupt Fiasco, even I couldn’t resist your arguments about Ol’ Adolf.”

“Well he DID fit the bill.” Miriam whined.

“And yet, we were wrong about him too.” Alan said. “Oh, he was indeed evil, but… as John pointed out, even Hitler was NOT the antichrist.”

“And so it goes.” I concluded. “There IS no antichrist. Jesus is not coming back. And we three will be forced to rot here in this world forever. Therefore, will you two please just let it be and leave me alone.”

It seemed that my arguments were having the desired effect on Alan, because he was at a loss for words. Yet Miriam continued to protest, “You’re wrong, John. This time is different. Bill Bates as Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus IS The Beast!”

“Mary, why are you so sure this time?” I grimaced. “Just because this Bates fellow meets all your criteria?”

“He does!” Miriam slapped fist to hand.

“But so did all the others!” I retorted, in disbelief at her doggedness. “Hell, Flipflop was just as bad so why don’t you name him the Antichrist?”

Yet Miriam just sat there — jaw jutting out, back straight, unwilling, or unable, to give up.

Knowing she wasn’t going to leave without saying her piece, my shoulders finally sagged. I felt as old as I looked, “OK, let me hear your story. If you must tell it, get it over with so I can get rid of you two and… get back to the business of trying to kill myself.”

“John!” Miriam said. “You’re blaspheming Christ’s work in you.”

“Whatever. Please, just tell your tale and then go. What makes you so sure that Bates is the Beast? Enlighten me.”

“Because The Infernal War has moved to the front lines of the underworld, and Michael himself is leading the troops in this campaign!”


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Book II Table of Contents