The Days of Elijah, Book One: Apocalypse: A Novel of the Great Tribulation in America Read online

  The Days of Elijah

  Book One: Apocalypse

  Mark Goodwin

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  Technical information in the book is included to convey realism. The author shall not have liability or responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or allegedly caused, directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.

  All of the characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2016 Goodwin America Corp.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote short passages in a review.

  ISBN: 153362626X

  ISBN-13: 978-1533626264

  DEDICATION

  May He grant you according to your heart's desire, and fulfill all your purpose.

  Psalm 20:4 NKJV

  This book is dedicated to the hundreds of readers who read The Days of Noah series and emailed me, requesting that I continue the story. Thank you for reading, for your support and your wonderful words of encouragement.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  A most heartfelt note of appreciation to my beautiful bride and constant companion. Thank you for your patience, encouragement, and support.

  I would like to thank my fantastic editing team, Catherine Goodwin, Ken and

  Jen Elswick, Jeff Markland, Frank Shackleford, and Claudine Allison.

  FOREWORD

  The Days of Elijah was written in response to a massive show of support and requests from readers of my previous series, The Days of Noah, asking that I continue the story of the characters in that series who were left behind by the rapture.

  Having not originally intended to continue The Days of Noah series, and having the main character, Noah Parker, whose name graced the title of that series, caught up and translated into eternity, left me unable to continue the saga as The Days of Noah.

  Since I therefore needed to continue the story of Everett Carroll, Courtney Hayes, and Elijah Goldberg by creating a new series under a new title, it is inevitable that I will get additional readers to The Days of Elijah who are unfamiliar with my previous work. For the sake of those new readers, and as a refresher for those who have been with the story since the first book of The Days of Noah, I have attempted to provide an adequate synopsis in the prologue to cover how Everett, Courtney, and Elijah have come to be in such a position, at such a time, and in such a relationship to each other as to make The Days of Elijah a stand-alone series of books.

  However, to cover the minutia and details of the events that have transpired and the personal interactions that have taken place through the course of three books, would be unfair to the readers of The Days of Noah series, forcing them to sit through a rehashing of literature that they are already familiar with. It is my hope that the prologue will contain enough information to bring the new readers up to speed without exasperating those who are already aware of Everett’s plight, all while providing a sufficient backstory.

  If you are a new reader and you find yourself wanting to know more about how the America of The Days of Elijah came to be, or if you desire a more intimate understanding of who Everett, Courtney, and Elijah are as people, I invite you to read The Days of Noah trilogy. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

  I realize that the timing of the rapture in this book and the previous Days of Noah series doesn’t fit perfectly into any of the major eschatological views. I have written it in that manner on purpose, so as to not grant preference to any of the predominant schools of thought. The chronology of the rapture in The Days of Elijah would probably be best described as a hybrid pre-wrath viewpoint. The important thing to remember is that this is a fiction book. As Derek Gilbert of SkyWatch TV says, “Eschatology is too important of a subject to get your doctrine from the fiction aisle.”

  Trust me when I tell you that I’ve heard exceptionally compelling arguments for the pre-trib, pre-wrath, and mid-trib schools of thought.

  Just as I have afforded myself some poetic license with the timing of the events in the last days, so I have blended some conjecture into my interpretation of how these events might play out and in what manner they are related to historical facts, other biblical events and characters, and conspiracies. Please keep in mind that while I incorporate elements of truth in all of my writing, this is a fiction book. And while it is fascinating to study the events of the last days and fun to speculate how these mysteries will be revealed, many of these prophecies will not be fully understood until they have come to pass. As Paul said in I Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” So, as you find yourself coming across parts of the book that don’t line up with your understanding of prophecy, and you most certainly will, remember, it’s just a novel.

  The purpose of The Days of Noah and The Days of Elijah are not to promote any particular eschatological view, but rather to demonstrate just how bad conditions could deteriorate for the American Church before the return of the King. And within that purpose was the secondary mission to encourage the American Christian to balance his or her spiritual and physical preparedness efforts to be ready for the dark days ahead.

  A tertiary set of goals has developed with the writing of The Days of Elijah, and that is to describe the terrible events of the final days on earth, so as to encourage the unbeliever to accept Christ while the chance still remains, motivate the believer to reach friends, family, and neighbors with the gospel, and to be an extra-biblical guide for those who may have been left behind by massive disappearances of Christians, to tell them what happened and what to expect in the coming years as the wrath of God is “apokalypse” or revealed.

  PROLOGUE

  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

  Matthew 24:37-44

  Twenty-six-year-old Everett Carroll was recruited straight out of grad school, from George Washington University into the CIA. His position as a Directorate of Intelligence Officer was a fancy way of saying analyst, but he knew it was an opportunity he couldn’t turn down.

  The job, located in an office park a few miles west of the main CIA campus, started at $88,000. It was understood that part of the pay was considered compensation for keeping your mouth shut, not asking questions, and doing exactly as you were told.


  His sense of moral duty and curiosity got the better of him when he discovered that the agency was involved in less than savory activities which were funneling money through massive credit card fraud to keep black box projects funded, and possibly pad the pockets of rogue agents. His direct superior, John Jones, circumvented Everett’s curiosities before he made a mistake which could have cost him his job, his freedom, or his life.

  John Jones had been a field agent prior to a gunshot wound which landed him a desk job just outside of Langley, at the CIA outpost where Everett worked. During his time in the field, Jones had learned things about the CIA and the government, pieces of a puzzle that were creating a complete, horrifying picture.

  Jones confided in Everett that he was not long for this world. He was, in fact, dying of lung cancer. Jones told the youthful analyst that he saw things in Everett which reminded him of himself, in another time. Perhaps as a means of catharsis, or perhaps as a way to pass the torch to a younger generation, Jones, through a series of clandestine meetings with Everett, revealed to him the CIA’s involvement in a conspiracy to bring down the current economic and political system to make way for a new global order.

  In anticipation of the coming economic collapse, Jones had prepared a cabin in the mountains of Virginia, stocked with food, ammo, and weapons. He encouraged Everett to make a contingency plan, to be ready to survive the tumultuous times that were heading his way. As their friendship grew, Jones eventually invited Everett and his girlfriend, Courtney, to come to his cabin when the chaos began. Unfortunately, Agent John Jones, would not live to see the fulfillment of his own warnings. Lung cancer claimed his life just as the dominos of conspiracy began to fall.

  Everett’s girlfriend, Courtney Hayes, also worked in the intelligence community. Her job at H and M, a contractor for the NSA, gave her just enough insight into the events going on behind the scenes of the collapsing global financial system that convincing her to take action wasn’t a difficult sell.

  Everett’s best friend from work, Ken, and his girlfriend, Lisa, required much more persuasion. Despite the fact that Ken had access to the same information as Everett, his ability to suppress his curiosities, and his desire to be a loyal employee allowed him to deny the facts until he could no longer contest Everett’s claims of the need to prepare for the collapse.

  Finally, the malaise did arrive, just as Jones had predicted. Global markets melted down, toppling the faith in all fiat currencies around the world. Next, a false flag attack against America’s energy infrastructure created a massive fuel shortfall and a collapse of commerce in the country. The event was blamed on Christians and patriots who were hunted down like criminals, rounded up, and detained in massive prison camps around the US.

  Everett, Courtney, Ken and Lisa abandoned the city for John Jones’ well-stocked cabin in the Appalachian Mountains near Woodstock, Virginia, just hours outside of the DC metropolitan area.

  A vast segment of US law enforcement officers and military personnel refused to cooperate in the witch hunt for the so-called domestic terrorists blamed for the attacks. Many of them joined the patriots in a retaliatory strike against the US government. Without the support of law enforcement and the military, the ginned up assault on Christian patriots soon failed.

  When the smoke cleared, America was not the country it had been. The chains of tyranny had been loosed, but the decay of anarchy and famine would consume what little remained.

  The United Nations seized the opportunity to ride in on a white horse, providing a solution which promised a better world. UN Secretary General, Angelo Luz was granted sweeping new powers to institute a new global monetary system, using an electronic currency. His plan for peace involved the ban of weapons and all individual religions. He only allowed participation in the new singular world religion which promised equality and acceptance for all.

  Everett lay back on the couch and sighed. “I feel like being bad.”

  Courtney smiled. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m going to break the ration protocol and make another pot of coffee. Besides, maybe the smell will wake Ken and Lisa up. They never sleep this late.”

  Courtney furrowed her brow. “I know. I’m getting a little worried. Do you think I should check on them?”

  “Let them sleep.”

  “They’ve been sleeping. It’s bad enough that they stay up all night keeping watch. If they sleep all day, they’ll get seasonal depression disorder. They need to at least see the sun for a couple of hours a day.” Courtney jumped up from the couch.

  “People in Alaska don’t see the sun for weeks sometimes. Spring is right around the corner. They made it this long; they’ll be okay. Leave them alone.”

  Courtney turned and winked. “What if they’re dead? Are you just going to leave them in there until they start stinking?”

  Everett couldn’t help but laugh at her macabre humor. “They’re not dead!”

  Courtney knocked on the door. “Lisa, Ken, can I come in?”

  Everett listened for an answer. None came.

  Courtney knocked a little harder and spoke a tad louder. “Lisa, Ken, are you awake?”

  A silly thought crossed Everett’s mind. What if they are dead? He got up from the couch and walked to the bedroom door. “Ken, bro, wake up.”

  Still no answer. Everett turned the knob and opened the door. “They’re not here.”

  Courtney looked in to confirm. “Do you think they went up to Elijah’s?”

  Everett walked into the room and pulled up the blinds to let some light in. “Why is the bed messed up? Lisa always makes the bed. Look, Ken’s boots are here, and his coat is still hanging on the back of the chair. You think he hiked up the mountain in a pair of sneakers and a windbreaker? Not in this weather.”

  Courtney put her hands on her hips and looked around. “Well, they couldn’t have just disappeared.”

  Everett’s heart began pounding the second he heard the word, disappeared. “Turn on the radio.”

  “Why?”

  Everett ignored the question and went to grab the small AM/FM radio sitting on the kitchen table. He switched it on and quickly tuned in to the local Global Republic Broadcasting Network affiliate.

  The reporter had a thick British accent. “Secretary Luz and Pope Peter will be issuing a joint statement in a press conference at five o’clock Eastern. After their statement, the new Global Republic press secretary, Athaliah Jennings, will take questions from reporters.

  “The Vatican has issued a formal statement about the mass disappearances, saying that it was an expected event, and as difficult as it may be to believe, it was caused by alien life forms. The statement goes on to say that the beings who caused the disappearances are not hostile to the humans who remain on earth. Some analysts expect the pope to say that the Vatican has been in contact with the aliens for quite some time and that the disappearances may turn out to be for the good of the planet.”

  Everett turned the radio off. “They’re gone.”

  “Why did you turn it off? The radio was telling us what happened!”

  “No, it’s not. It’s a cover story.” Everett put his back against the wall and slid down to the floor.

  “For what?”

  “For the rapture. Jesus came to get the Christians. All that stuff Ken and Lisa tried to tell us about. It’s all true.”

  Courtney sat on the floor next to Everett and took the radio out of his shaking hands. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. We don’t know anything for certain. Let’s put our coats on and go see Elijah. Ken and Lisa might be up there.”

  “They won’t be. And Elijah won’t be there either. They’re all gone. All the Christians.”

  Everett stood and went back into the bedroom. He sat down at the small desk and turned on the ham radio.

  “Who are you calling? I thought Spindle was captured?”

  Everett found the frequency. “Ken was staying in contact with the rest of his cell. I want to see if any of them are s
till here.”

  Everett pushed the talk button. “This is Undertow. I’m looking for Minecart.”

  A despondent voice came back. “Hello.”

  “This is Undertow; is Minecart there? Have you heard anything about Spindle?”

  A woman sobbing in the background could be heard when the voice came back over the radio. “No. They’re gone. All of them. It’s just me and my girlfriend, Sarah.”

  Everett keyed the mic. “You shouldn’t use your real names. Come up with a pseudonym, anything. How about I call you Mr. Black?”

  “It doesn’t matter. They told us this would happen. We didn’t believe them. You have no idea what is coming next. Earthquakes, famines, plagues . . . judgment. Judgment is coming upon the earth. Sarah was training the women when it happened. They were in the woods performing a tactical drill one second, and the next, they were all gone. She turned around, and the rifles and clothing were lying on the forest floor. She thought it was a joke at first.”

  Everett’s hand began to shake. “I know you’re distraught now, but you really shouldn’t use your real names, not even the names of the people who disappeared. Let’s call your girlfriend Ms. White.”

  “Whatever. Like I said, it doesn’t matter now. And don’t believe the news. It wasn’t aliens.”

  “I know; it was the rapture. We missed it too. Just hang in there. We’ll be in touch.”

  “Maybe. I gotta go.” Mr. Black cut the feed.

  Courtney took Everett’s hand. “It just doesn’t make sense. There’s a logical explanation for all of this. Come on; get up.”

  Everett was just shy of being in a state of shock. He had no will to fight Courtney, who was insisting that they drive up to Elijah’s house. He stood up and let his arms hang limp as she put his coat on him. “We’re too late. They were right. Jones was right; Ken was right; Lisa was right; Elijah was right. Now I believe them, but it’s too late.”