Wide Awake Nightmare

By Xlibris US

The Great Tribulation, the end of days has begun. Wide Awake Nightmare is the story of a husband and wife's desperate attempt to survive as they face lawlessness, human depravity at its worst, and a government that is determined to force the New World Order on its citizens. Through it all, they trust in God and their survival skills to keep them alive. It is a story of triumph and heartrending tragedy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 26, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499036930

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 by David and Jolene Lancaster.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Rev. date: 06/25/2014

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Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 The End Of What We Know

Chapter 2 An Ill Wind Is Blowing

Chapter 3 Crash And Burn

Chapter 4 War And Rumors Of War

Chapter 5 Hard Questions

Chapter 6 Bringing The Living Back To Life

Chapter 7 We All Fall Down

Chapter 8 Run! Run Now

Chapter 9 A Blizzard Of Fire

Chapter 10 New Life At The End Of The World

Chapter 11 Madness, Simply Madness

Chapter 12 Death From Above

Chapter 13 The Plot Thickens

Introduction

Every living person can feel the pressure is inherent in the world we live in. Each individual reacts differently to the stress and tension that is interwoven into the fabric of our modern society. Evidences of strain are all around us, both in newspapers, the internet, and the nightly newscast. Crime, violence, terrorism, political scandals, natural disasters on a major scale have become the new normal. Some choose to immerse themselves in the prevailing wickedness. Others resort to drug dependency to numb the daily pain of life. We are living in a time of trouble the like of which we have not seen before. However, as bad as it may seem, it is only a hint of what is just over the horizon. Like a runaway freight train with total brake failure, the world is headed for a train wreck of epic proportions.

Christ said, For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:21, KJV) This approaching time of trouble is most commonly referred to as the Great Tribulation, but is also known as the Seventieth Week of Daniel, the time of Jacob’s Trouble, the End of Time or Age, and the Lord’s Day.

There has been an explosion in the number of students, teachers, and self-proclaimed experts in eschatology (the study of end-time events). Innumerable books and movies have been made on the subject. If we ignore the radical and unorthodox interpretations, there are three mainstream theories as to when Christ will return for His church. They are Pre-tribulation, Mid-tribulation, and Post-tribulation Rapture. Each has its adherents and detractors. They can be quite fierce in the defense of their belief. No one knows when the rapture will occur, whether it will be before the Great Tribulation, midway, or at the end. That is why it is imperative to live each day as though it were our last one in this world. The authors believe that the church may go through some of the early days of trouble. There are those who argue correctly that the church will not suffer the wrath of God. However, that does not exempt the church from the wrath of man or Satan.

It has been said that those who ignore the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them. Consider the early church which suffered such horrific persecution. Emperor Nero covered Christians in flammable pitch and set them afire to illuminate his garden parties. Entire families were thrown into Roman arenas to be torn apart by wild beasts. The threat of certain death drove many churches underground. Most theologians agree that there are seven ages of man. The sixth age is known as Human Government. The seventh is the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. Some believe that there are also seven ages of the church based on the seven churches identified in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. One interpretation is that it can refer to the spiritual state of a church irrespective of when it existed in history. Another interpretation is that each one refers to the general spiritual state of churches during specific time periods.

The Laodicean Church was condemned by Christ for being spiritually lukewarm. (Revelation 3:14-19) He linked their wealth to their poor spirituality. Some believe the churches of today are no different from the Laodiceans or worse. It is unfortunate that the acquisition of wealth, careers, and the pursuit of pleasure are at the top of many individual’s goals. Are they prepared for disaster, for the trouble coming our way?

The Apostle Paul said that the day Christ would not come until two major events occurred. (2 Thessalonians 2:2-4) The first is a falling away of those who know the truth, were redeemed, and were a part of God’s church. This happening now. Insidious doctrines of devils have infiltrated many churches and swayed many people away from the truth. The pastors have cast aside the fundamentals of faith in favor of enlightened social programs so-called. Swelling the membership rolls trumps maintaining the principles of truth. The members of many churches attend faithfully but they have traded salvation for the pleasures of this world.

The second major event spoken of by Paul is the revealing of the antichrist. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (rapture) will not come unless the apostasy (falling away from the faith) comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. (2Thessalonians 3:3, NASB)

We cannot say authoritatively when the rapture will happen, but we can pinpoint the day when the Great Tribulation will begin. The antichrist will sign a seven year treaty with Israel that begins the Seventieth Week of Daniel. Most believe the treaty will include provisions guaranteeing Israeli sovereignty and the reinstatement of Old Testament animal sacrifices. He will break the treaty after 3 1/2 years‘, which is when his reign of terror begins in earnest. We hope the Pre-tribe folks are right, but in case they are not, we all need to settle it in our minds that we are going to hold onto to the faith at all costs.

Chapter 1

THE END OF WHAT WE KNOW

Paul knelt at the altar trying in vain to pray. First his knees began to ache. Then a twinge of pain throbbed uncomfortably in his back to be followed by his empty stomach rumbling loudly. The persistent distractions broke his concentration and caused him to think about other matters. They needed a new tire on the travel trailer, the truck was way overdue for an oil change and the list seemed to be without end. The deepening recession, some were already calling it a depression, was ratcheting up the cost of everything. It didn’t help that their finances were beginning to look painfully thin. His mind was a spinning maelstrom of daily concerns, disappointment in the wretched failure of the revival and everything else that chose to intrude at that moment. Questions about their future lurked in the recesses of his mind and tried to subvert his faith.

He got wearily to his feet, frustrated at the lack of prayer. His wife Sarah did not appear to share his problem. She was in the back corner of the sanctuary, completely lost in the rapture of the Spirit. Her prayer progressed from the deep sobbing of an intense intercessory prayer to finally exuberant shouts of joy.

The cheap vinyl cushions on the pew crinkled softly when he sat down. He stared moodily down at his shoes and scuffed them back and forth on the worn, threadbare carpet. He mentally reviewed the revivals as he toyed with a torn piece of the carpet. The excitement of the first night had led him to believe that it would be a huge success. The prayer and worship, although somewhat low-key, had been encouraging. He had hoped it would advance to the point where new saints could be born into the kingdom. However, like the entropy of a clock slowly ticking its way to a dead stop, the revival very quickly lost energy and became listless. It had been an absolute bust in his estimation. There had not been one single visitor during the span of a most miserable four weeks. He had encouraged and pleaded with the congregation to bring someone; a family member, a friend, neighbor or co-worker. They had exhibited no enthusiasm whatsoever to his entreaty. The members of the church shuffled in a few moments before the opening hymn and speedily left when the service was over. A few of the older saints went faithfully to the prayer rooms prior to the start of the service. The rest acted as though it was a depressing duty that had to be done. Some outwardly resented being asked to go to the prayer rooms.

With a deep sigh, he moodily looked up as Sarah with tear-stained eyes walked by going towards the restroom. A big, fat fly flew aimlessly past him and buzzed desultorily up to the ceiling. He continued his critique of the revival that revived no one. The services had been so lifeless, so dead, so dull and boring. They made him feel as though he was suffocating. It was as though there was not enough air in the room. He wanted to run out into the night for a quick breath of good, clean air. The place was deader than the chapel of a mortuary. No, he amended that. Everyone became quite excited when a tiny, gray mouse ran fearfully down the aisle one night. He realized with a rueful smile, that the mouse was the only one who made an effort to come down the aisle towards the altar.

He turned his attention to the scarred and battered pulpit on the platform. He thought back to the night he almost knocked it over. He had accidentally kicked the block out from where it was propping up the corner. He had to scramble to catch it before it crashed into the floor. People who were nodding and almost asleep in the pews suddenly sat up with a grin on their face. He struggled with thoughts of cynicism and criticized them in his mind severely. At least there is something that will wake them up! Actually, he had begun to wonder if they were all dead and he was preaching to a room full of corpses. He felt a twinge in his conscience for having such an awful thought.

The pastor ruined what should have been a time of fellowship at the church dinners after the service. His various investment and real estate schemes dominated their discussions. The revival and the work of God never entered the discussion unless Paul brought it up. There was no question of the pastor’s success in his worldly endeavors but it came at the expense of his ministry. He was no longer a shepherd to this pitiful flock. He had become merely a hireling somewhere along the way. He had stood idly by while the enemy had ripped and torn the flock until there was not much left of it.

The pastor’s wife had asked them to come by and see their new six-bedroom ranch house. Sarah politely declined the invitation for them. They had made it a cardinal rule early in their ministry to abstain from becoming too familiar with the local church, to include both the pastor and the saints. They had no contact with the saints between services and limited contact with the pastor. It was so much easier to preach the message God had given him if he did not have to listen to all of the problems of the church beforehand. It made for a lonely walk, but God continued to bless them for it.

He raised his eyes to a banner on the wall behind the pulpit. It said, Work While It Is Today. The wall had been slated for removal for the past two years so that a baptistery could be installed. Paul thought to himself that it would have been more accurate if it had read The Glory of The Lord Is Departed.

The revival had been a debacle since the false excitement of the opening night. Last night was just as dead spiritually as all of the preceding nights. No, he took that back. It was worse. Several of the people apparently were not interested in making an effort to show up. He was in a state of mental turmoil as he tried to get a feel of whether he should close or continue the revival.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck prickled as though they were standing on end. The Holy Ghost spoke to him in a still, small voice. Son, you had difficulty praying tonight because I do not wish for you to talk to Me. I want you to slow down and listen. There was no breakthrough in the revival because the people have become hardened and they are deaf, dumb and blind. They love the blessings instead of Me, the source of their blessings. They do not realize they are lost and wandering in the wilderness. I called them but they refused to heed the warning. Therefore, they will reap what they have sown. The pastor will arrive shortly and cancel the revival.

Sarah’s footsteps echoed in the quiet sanctuary as she walked from the restroom in the back to where Paul was sitting. She sat down beside him on the pew as he mulled over the Lord’s words.

She placed her hand on his knee and said, Paul, I had an unusual experience while I was praying. It was like I could see in my mind’s eye, a tiny building that a flood was trying to overwhelm. It tried to force its way into the doors and windows. When that failed, it tried to shove the building off its foundation but without success. Then the Lord quickened Isaiah 59:19 back to me, ‘When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.’ What do you think it means?

Paul stared at the attendance board on the wall behind the pulpit as he thought about it. I don’t know but I’ve heard other ministers say that water in a dream often indicates trouble ahead. I woke up this morning with an uneasy, unsettled feeling. It has persisted all day.

The back door to the sanctuary creaked on its rusty hinges and they turned to look. The pastor, with a broad smile, strode down down the aisle towards them. He called out loudly, Ah, there you are. I was hoping to catch you before you left. I saw your truck out in the parking lot.

Paul and Sarah stood and turned to greet the pastor.

Look Brother, I’ve been giving the revival some prayerful thought. It just doesn’t seem to be getting off the ground. Know what I mean? It’s not your fault Brother Garrett and I’m not blaming you, but I think we need to cancel. You know how terribly expensive everything’s gotten. Well, it’s costing me money to run the lights and air-conditioning. I think the church folks are getting tired coming every night. Anyway, I’ve already let my saints know that the revival is over.

He slid a folded check into Paul’s shirt pocket as he talked.

Listen, I sure appreciate you folks coming down here and being with us. My wife says that she really enjoys watching you worship Sister Garrett. And, I’ve enjoyed your sermons Brother. I took a few notes and I figure I can stir the folks up later with them. He said the last with a grin.

Paul thought, Good luck with that! He reached into the pocket of his slacks and handed the pastor the key to the church.

The pastor inquired, Where are you folks headed next?

We’ve got a revival scheduled at a church in the Chicago area next month. We may stop at a couple of churches along the way wherever the Lord may lead us, Paul replied.

The door opened and one of the older women of the church came in with a vacuum sweeper in her hand. She stopped in front of Paul. Brother, I sure hate to see you good folks leave. Your preaching reminds me of the way my Daddy preached back in the 30’s.

She was one of the few that made an effort during the revival. She hugged Sarah and walked away with her shoulders stooped over from fatigue and discouragement. She turned back with eyes glistening with to wave farewell.

The pastor looked impatiently at the back door. Well, I don’t know about you but I’m going to get out of here before Sister Wanda fires up that infernal contraption. Sorry folks but I’ve got to run. I’ve got a luncheon date at the local businessman’s club. Some of us have got our sights set on investing in a new high-rise office building going up downtown. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Pretty exciting stuff, huh?

He stuck out his hand as they continued walking towards the door. You folks have a safe trip. Give us a holler if you are ever down here in Texas again.

Paul looked at Sarah and shrugged as the pastor walked briskly out the door.

Sister Wanda’s vacuum sweeper seemed to snarl angrily as it became entangled in the tattered strands of the carpet. She yelled in exasperation, Well for heaven’s sake! She was still struggling with the worn-out switch on the sweeper as they walked out the door.

An intense feeling of fear and anxiety cascaded over Paul like a bucket of ice-cold water as he reached for the knob to the outside door. He stepped out into the bright sunshine and squinted at the pastor standing at the bottom of the steps. The steps groaned in protest as they walked down to join him. He turned to face them with a quizzical expression. He pointed to a car that was pulling out of the dirt parking lot into traffic.

He said, A couple of guys in that car were nosing around the parking lot when I came out. They seemed particularly interested in your truck. There was a logo on the side of the car but I’m not familiar with it.

Paul replied, Homeland Security.

Who?

Homeland Security. They are an agency of the federal government that came into existence in 2001.

The pastor scratched his head. Oh yeah. Something to do with that September 11th terrorist thing. Right? Well, in my opinion, I would rather give up some of my freedoms to be safe. Know what I mean?

Paul masked his shock as he stared at the pastor with incredulity. He thought to himself, You have no idea what you are saying. He wondered if he would still be of the same opinion when they did actually take away his freedoms.

A flock of Blue Jays screeched raucously off in the distance. Most likely they had someone’s poor cat trapped out in the open. Funny, Paul felt the same way. He reached in his shirt pocket for his aviator sunglasses and slipped them on.

He stated in a neutral tone, Yes sir, that’s the ones. He said goodbye to the pastor and started across the parking lot with Sarah at his side. A gust of hot, dry wind whipped Sarah’s skirt around so that she had to press it down with her hand. A merciless sun at its zenith in a cloudless, cobalt-blue sky oppressed the earth below with its radiant heat.

The grass and the flowers around the church had long since expired into withered, brown husks. There had been a record breaking world- wide drought that began two years ago with huge discharges of plasma erupting from the sun’s surface. The effect on the world’s agricultural base had been catastrophic, especially overseas in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Markets in the United States jumped twenty-percent with food and other commodities being hit the hardest. Prolonged triple-digit temperatures were responsible for the frequent reports of heat-related deaths and injuries. The hardest hit were the poor and elderly.

The gravel crunched softly under their feet as they walked up to the door of the truck. The metal door handle was uncomfortably hot when Paul grabbed it. Sarah gingerly slid onto the sun-baked leather seats and tried to avoid contact with her bare skin. The interior was like an oven on low heat. Paul noticed a spot of rust on the fender that was spreading. The minister in him compared it to the corrosive nature of sin.

Sarah grabbed her sunglasses from the hot glove box when Paul started the big, noisy diesel engine. She asked, What could Homeland Security possibly want with us?

Paul furrowed his brow in concentration as he put the truck in gear. Beats me. Do you remember the web site that I ran back in the 90’s?

How could I forget it? You had articles and links on it about how a one-world government, currency and religion is being engineered behind closed doors.

That’s the one. As you may recall, I listed several members of Congress as dyed-in-the-wool socialists and some were even members of the Communist Party. There were articles about the advancements in technology that would be used to implement the mark of the beast. I exposed several military training exercises as smoke screens for the real plan which is to take over local civilian governments. An early plan was known as Garden Plot. I imagine their current plans are far more sinister and sophisticated.

She nodded her head. Yeah. I remember all of that. It used to scare me to death when you talked about all of that end-time stuff. I know it is coming and sooner than people think. I can’t deny the facts but I don’t like to hear them either.

Paul continued, Our web site was part of a group of sites known as the Warning Ring. As to be expected with that type of subject matter, there were a lot of kook and quack sites with their outlandish conspiracy theories."

Additionally, there were several militia site that were a part of the Ring. Some were ultra right-wing fanatics but some made an honest effort to warn and awaken the American public. One that I remember in particular was run by the Michigan Militia. They posted photos of Russian armor sitting on railroad flatcars here in the United States. You probably remember me telling you that some of the sites, including mine, had been hacked into. Several of us were convinced at the time,based on our computer logs, that the attack originated from the Cyberwarfare Division in the Pentagon.

She nodded silently.

Paul glanced into his rear view mirror. A certain nondescript car seemed to have made the last two turns with them. His respiration and heartbeat quickened. It seemed like he could hear his heart pounding loudly in his chest. His palms felt slippery with sweat where he gripped the steering wheel. He wondered if they were being followed after the incident back in the church parking lot. He shrugged. Maybe his feeling of anxiety was getting the best of him. He remembered an old axiom, Just because you’re paranoid does not mean someone is not out to get you.

Paul spoke in a faint voice, Remember, I said I felt a kick in the Spirit when I preached on some of those things last month at the church in Tyler? Someone in the congregation did not like what I had to say.

Sarah changed the subject. I’m hungry. How big was the check that the pastor gave us? Are we eating at Red Lobster or Burger King? Is it feast or famine?

Paul passed the check to her without looking at it. A frown creased her face momentarily when she unfolded it. It was considerably less than what she had hoped for. She felt guilty momentarily for having a bad thought about the pastor and his stinginess when it came to the work of God. She reminded herself that they were laborers for the kingdom of God and not in it to just make money. She couldn’t help being more than a little anxious. The transmission repair last month had eaten deep into their cash reserves. The cost of fuel for the big Ford F350 Crew Cab pulling the heavy RV trailer was going to chew up their cash reserves. Their plight could become critical if Paul was unable to get a small revival before they started the one in Chicago. Plus there was the daily cost of living such as buying food, hygiene items, replacement clothing, and other items as needed. The insurance premium was due and had to be paid soon. Their cellphone bill would hit next week when they were really short on cash. They would just have to trust God to take care of their needs.

Sarah turned to Paul and said, You know, I’ve been really hankering for a Whopper lately.

Burger King, huh? Ok. We’ll stop at the one out near the RV park, Paul replied. In the meantime, why don’t you check our email.

Sarah pulled the Droid smart phone out of her handbag. She scrolled down through the list of emails after the download was complete. She looked up from here reading when Paul braked for a stop light.

Hey! Here is one from the home church wondering how we are doing. They sent their love and said they are praying for us. There are a couple of pastors wanting to know if we are available for a revival. The problem is their location. One is in California and the other one is in Utah. Uh-oh, the church in Chicago is postponing the revival for sixty days. A water main in the street busted and caused extensive water damage. Here’s one from your friend Jake. He says to call him immediately. He says it is extremely urgent.

Concern clouded Paul’s face momentarily when he thought of the shape’ their finances were in. It sounds like we had better tighten our belts.

Paul glanced out his window at a car that had been stopped by the police in a shopping plaza. The street was congested with city, county, state and Homeland Security vehicles. The street was lit up by the bright flashing of the light bars on the roof their vehicles. Some of the law enforcement officers were dressed in