The Messenger: Beginning of the End

By John K. Giattino

John Grace didn't realize that his heart surgery would be a monumentally life-changing event. But when he died on the operating table and was dead for over six minutes, his life as he knew it came to an end. Some people report near-death experiences, but John Grace had a new life experience when he found himself in heaven and came to realize that everything he had ever been taught about life, life after death, heaven, and God was true. Suddenly he found himself on the receiving end of a command that would change how he lived his life forever. For he met the living Son of God and was given the command to go and tell God's people that the end of the world was at hand. He was to fulfill prophecy as one of the two end-time witnesses-a daunting task which was made dangerous as he would become the sworn enemy of Lou Cipher, one of the most powerful and well-connected attorneys with an alternate mission, thwart God's plan at all costs and stop Grace from completing his mission at all costs. The battle between good and evil is about to get real!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9781644246344

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The Messenger

Beginning of the End

John K. Giattino

Copyright © 2019 John K. Giattino

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

New York, NY

First originally published by Page Publishing, Inc. 2019

ISBN 978-1-64424-633-7 (Hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-64424-634-4 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

The Commissioning

The Dream

The First Message

First Exposure

A Second Message

A Dangerous Time

A Long Weekend

An Important Message

The Plot Thickens

Find the Enemy

The Word Spreads

A Warning

Winds of Change

Stuff Hits the Fan

The Assault Begins

On the Hot Seat

Repercussions

A House Divided

Intrigues

The Last Day

Seven Years Later

Seven Years Earlier

Party Like It’s 1999

The Collapse

The Tribulation

The End Comes

Prologue

This story is a work of fiction. It is a what-if story that asks several what-if questions.

What if we are living in the end times of Revelations?

What if the Bible is completely true?

What if the devil is real?

What if God sent a messenger to warn us?

To the Christian reader, it is our hope that this story reminds you of God’s faithfulness and His mercy toward us that even while we were sill sinners, He sent His only son, Jesus, to die for our sins and to prepare a way for us.

You will recognize the scriptural underpinnings of some of the dialogues. Read those scriptures in their entirety and grow in faith.

To the non-Christian, it is my prayer that this makes you think about the what-ifs God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for your sins too. He knocks at the door of your heart and asks that you let Him in so that He may begin a good work in you, one that will bring you to life everlasting.

This is NOT a book of prophecy. It is a story written around Judeo-Christian prophecies that span almost three thousand years.

To him who has an ear, let him hear.

Thank you Lord for the inspiration to write this and for allowing a blind man to see.

Dedicated to the loving memory of John and Mary, my parents. Sorely missed, never forgotten.

The Commissioning

As he lay on the gurney, faceup, staring at the bright white rectangles that were passing overhead like so many pure-white playing cards being laid out to an unseen player, he wondered if he would actually survive the surgery. He remembered it was Sunday. The Lord’s day , he thought. Thank You, Father, for getting me here in time.

He could feel the gurney slide around each of the cold, whitewashed corners. Left, then right, then left again.

He began to imagine himself in a high-speed chase being driven by his masked team of stunt drivers. He imagined himself in a slick, new Mustang GT350 with tires squealing and rear end fishtailing around each corner. He opened his tightly shut eyes as a dose of pain seared through his abdomen, like a red-hot knife slowly being raked through his intestines. He gasped out loud, and the nurse who was at the head of his gurney placed a gentle hand on his head to reassure him. As he looked at the gowned and masked surgical staff rolling him to the OR, he started to smile because he thought that they looked like Stay Puft Marshmallow people in their blue scrubs and face masks. Things now started to really slow down around him as the IV sedatives started to peak.

A few seconds later, it was lights-out.

A sharp pain, and he awakened from the anesthetics-induced sleep. Only this time he didn’t stop rising. Instead he was now fully aware that he could see several people working on his body on the operating table. Now he passed through the ceiling. As he looked up, he saw the brightest column of the whitest light he’d ever seen. Then he became aware of traveling in that column and heading directly for a singular point.

And then he stood at one end of a beautiful pond with shimmering water unlike any water he had ever seen. Then he became aware of the figure of a man walking toward him. And in an instant, he stood in front of whom he instantly knew as being Jesus Christ, Son of the living God.

In an instant, all strength drained from him, and he fell like a dead heap where he stood. The Lord reached down and touched his shoulder, and he heard in his spirit, Be not afraid. He was standing in the presence of his God and was keenly aware of that fact. Presently, the Lord asked him, Son of man, do you love me?

He responded immediately, Yes, Lord, to which the Lord said, Receive My Word.

Then the Lord asked again, Son of man, do you love Me?

He felt bad that the Lord was asking the question, but immediately responded, Yes, Lord, with all of my being.

Again Jesus responded with a command, Tell My sheep.

Then the Lord took a half step closer to him, as if He would whisper in his ear, Son of man, do you love Me?

Feeling as though his heart would burst because of how much he truly loved the Lord, he answered, Yes, Lord.

Where the Lord stood, he now saw an angel descend toward him. He saw what looked like a set of tongs in the angel’s right hand and what looked like a glowing ember.

Again, he heard the Lord’s voice, Receive My Word.

The angel touched the ember to his lips, but he did not flinch because he knew it would not burn him. It was sweet-tasting in his mouth. He swallowed instinctively, and his stomach turned sour almost to the point of nausea. It passed as quickly as it came.

The Lord stood in front of him again. His eyes now blazed brilliant white. His face glowed even brighter. The Lord spoke to him, Son of man, I am coming to gather my people. Even now the seals are broken, and the trumpets’ sound falls on deaf ears. I have chosen you to remind my people of what has been revealed about the end. You shall confirm to my beloved shepherds that My Word is faithful and true. You shall confound the wise and worldly and make plain the foolishness of their wisdom.

He was immediately aware that the brilliantly white walls were not walls at all, but a multitude of angelic beings. What he thought was music that he heard from the moment he had arrived was actually the sound of countless voices joined together in a song of praise to the Most High God.

He stood there caught up in the moment when, suddenly, a sharp, stinging shock doubled him over.

Then a second shock like a sledgehammer to his chest, and he fell backward, moving faster with each passing second. He was filled with searing pain. And then…

He heard someone calling his name. Then he felt like someone was patting his arm. He started to blink and heard, He’s coming around! He became aware that there was something in his mouth. Finally, he opened his eyes.

A face gradually came into focus. It was one of the marshmallow people, and boy, was he happy to see her kind and concerned eyes looking back at him. He wasn’t sure what had just happened until the surgeon walked in. He stood next to his patient, never taking his eyes off his patient.

The doctor drew a breath, tucked his chart under his right arm, and adjusted his glasses lower on his nose. How are you feeling, young man?

Fine, thank you, he replied quickly, following up with, Did everything go okay?

The surgeon took a quick step back and drew a breath, Well, ah. We lost you for a bit!

How long is a little bit? his patient asked.

Looking visibly overwhelmed by the whole experience, the doctor answered, A little over six minutes.

He paused to pull a handkerchief from his vest pocket and gently blotted the small beads of sweat that had formed on his upper lip.

He continued, Most people who have suffered as long a period of oxygen deprivation as long as you have don’t generally get away with no aftereffects. After three minutes, the brain starts to die. By four minutes, massive cellular failure starts to occur. By five minutes, irreversible cascading cellular shutdown occurs, and most patients succumb to death. Six minutes… Six minutes, and there is death, not a patient sitting up in bed and speaking to me. So that makes you very unique. A miracle for lack of a better term.

He wiped his brow with his handkerchief and looked at his patient. He did not ask, but his eyes could not hide the burning question on his mind: Why are you alive?

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, his patient spoke, So, Doc, are you telling me that I died on the table?

Peering over the top of his glasses, the doctor answered him, Everything was going well at first. Then your blood pressure started to drop for no apparent reason. There were no bleeders, no asphyxia. Nothing we could see. Then your heart just stopped. We tried CPR, direct heart massage, and finally we juiced you three times with the defibrillator. Nothing worked. We were about to declare you dead, quite honestly, but the anesthesiologist applied the device one more time. You coughed three times and then came to. And here we are now, having this conversation.

A smile grew on the face of his patient, who then sat up a little bit more, pulled up the covers to his chest. Would you believe me if I told you that I was in heaven talking with God?

The doctor’s demeanor changed, and he stepped closer to the edge of the bed. I’ve heard stories of people who have seen bright lights, others who swear that they’ve seen hell. No, it doesn’t surprise me at all. The brain is very complex, and though we know a lot, we’re still learning about the effects of trauma and oxygen deprivation on brain chemistry. I believe that you may have perceived something, but I can’t answer you definitively as to what you may or may not have seen.

His patient seemed transfixed on the doctor’s words. He didn’t respond at all.

Breaking the uncomfortable silence, the doctor said, Okay then. We’ll check in with you. We’ll have a few more blood tests to run. If everything checks out okay, we’ll get you out of here in a few days.

He nodded and then abruptly left the room.

The Dream

Ayear had passed since the surgery and his experience, as he used to refer to it. Not much else had changed in his life, except he started a new job and started to attend a local Assemblies of God church. Since he worked on certain Sundays, his attendance wasn’t like many of the other ideal Christians that he had gotten to know. But they were genuinely nice people, and he enjoyed his time with them. In fact, he started attending the men’s fellowship meetings on a regular basis and made two very close friends, Dave and Rob. He felt connected to something greater than himself when he was with them and always felt as though God was truly close by when they prayed together. He loved them like adopted brothers, and the feelings were mutual.

He was never given over to daydreaming or losing himself in deep thought. But at one of their Wednesday-evening prayer meetings, he seemed oddly removed, and both Dave and Rob noticed it.

Yo, Johnny! was Dave’s usual greeting. Are you all right, brother? You seem like something’s troubling you.

Rob quickly chimed in, You feeling okay, brother? The look of concern on his face was genuine as he pulled up a chair to sit with his friend.

John replied to them, No, fellas, I’m feeling great. I’ve just been having some strange dreams the past few nights.

Do you want to share them with us? We could pray afterward for God’s peace for you, asked an equally concerned Dave, who now also dragged a chair close to sit with his friends. Both men placed their hands on their friend and prayed earnestly.

When they left, it was early evening. Rob and Dave walked out to the car with him. They hugged as brothers, and Dave said to him, Johnny, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. I believe that this word is for you. Brother, ask God to show you what His will is for you, and as He promised, He will reveal it to you.

John nodded, hugged his friends, and got in his car to head home. He prayed the whole way home. Instead of his usual routine of watching the evening news, he went to bed early and fell asleep after just a few words of prayer.

He dreamed he was standing on a mountain, where he was overlooking the ocean. Suddenly, a man walked up and stood next to him. He felt as though he knew this man but couldn’t place his face.

Come with me, John. I want to show you the library of knowledge.

They turned, and he was immediately in what looked like the great hall of the largest library he had ever seen. The walls glowed of brilliant-white marble, whiter than any marble he had ever seen. The bookcases that lined the great hall seemed to go on forever. He could not see the top of the shelves, nor could he see the end of the row.

The man he was with spoke again, John, this is the library of the knowledge of God. It contains all the knowledge of all things through all time from the beginning through all eternity. I am Gabriel, messenger of the Most High God.

Why am I here? John asked.

God has decreed that it is time for you to reveal the secrets of His revelation to His people.

Gabriel placed a book in front of him. Read this so that you may gain knowledge. Write down its message so that you will be able to share it with His people.

John opened the book, but instead of words, there were living images. In his dream, he began to write, and it seemed as though it took only a few minutes to write down everything he saw in the images before he was done.

Gabriel spoke again, There shall be seven books that shall be revealed. Blessed is the name of our God Most High!

John heard the heavens around him break out into a chorus of many voices, all echoing Gabriel’s words of praise.

He woke up to his alarm. It was six o’clock in the morning. He yawned and then rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He yawned again and stretched as though he was reaching to touch the ceiling. Slowly he sat up, silenced his alarm, and pulled himself up into a sitting position on his bed. He looked around the room half expecting to see someone there. Then his eye caught a stack of papers on his desk across the room. He got up slowly as he began to transfix on the pile of neatly stacked sheets.

As he arose and drew closer to the pile, he now noticed writing on the top sheet. He shook his head trying to remember when he might have left a pile of notes on his desk. He walked up to the pile and realized that it wasn’t just a few sheets, but a pile of sheets all with writing on them. He picked the pole and counted forty-nine sheets. He recognized the writing as his but was taken aback by the neatness of his writing. He started to read the first page but stopped with a shudder as he realized that his dream might not have just been a dream after all.

The First Message

Ihave set My signs in the heavens for all to see. As My servants Daniel, Ezekiel, Joel, Mark, and John have written, I will come soon to judge the earth and all who live and have lived from the beginning of My creation until the time I return to judge it. I set the blood moon in the heavens so that My sheep would see that I am the Faithful One, who keeps His promises forever.

I am coming very soon. The seals are broken, and the trumpets sound as has been foretold by My servants. The time of the iron and clay feet is now here, as I have shown My servant, Daniel. For the bones that were scattered have come together by My word, and sinew, muscle, and flesh is done according to My word. My people occupy the land, which I, the Lord of Hosts, gave them as a part of the covenant with My people. Jerusalem is Mine, and I, the Lord, has returned My people to the land that I and no other has decreed is theirs. The children of Ishmael are not the inheritors, for I did not choose them, and they have forsaken Me, the God of truth, for an imposter, the lord of lies.

To the children of Ishmael, thus declares the Lord of all creation, I have set My face against you and have judged you as worthy only of My wrath. But to My children who live in fear among you, the God of forgiveness come out from among them. As I called Lot out of Sodom, so too do I call you out from among the doomed. You must flee from their lands, and you must flee to the mountains where I, the Lord, shall cover you with My spirit of protection.

See now how the dragon raises its head to spew fire and rain destruction upon the world? Yet I, the Lord, shall bring the dragon to its final destruction, says the Lord of heaven and earth. You think you are safe in your caves, but I will cause the earth to tremble and shake. I will cause your places of underground refuge to become your tombs, for you cannot hide from My face, and My eyes see you clearly in your secret dwellings. I will rain fire and brimstone down upon you and I, the Lord of hosts, shall also bring down into ruin the nations whose gods are demons and all manner of devilish beasts. See that I am coming at you, and your time is short. But I, the Lord God, shall blind you and embolden you so that I may hasten your destruction.

To the great kingdom of the north, I know your plots and intrigues. Your lies and deceptions are made plain in My sight, and I know how you seek the destruction of My people, Israel. But because you believe that you, the great bear, is too strong to be defeated, I, the God of Israel, have set a trap and prepared a snare for you. As My servant, John, revealed in the visions I gave to him, you will come with your hoards; and together with the armies of the Antichrist, you shall meet your end at My hand. In your arrogance, you will come. Your blind faith in your strength and numbers will bring you to the place of your destruction.

Before I gather the nations for war, many things must come to pass. I will increase the number and frequency of earthquakes and shall cause great winds to move across the waters. I will destroy those nations who have turned away from Me and who have turned toward worship of the Antichrist. I haven’t sent a spirit of confusion to plague the nations of the world. I shall cause uprising and strife. I will strike the breadbasket from the hand of the merchant, and I will allow the reaper to cause the crops to fail. Again, I will call My people out of these nations. I will save a remnant, but only a few will be saved.

Son of man, you shall write these things to the country that only exists because I, the Lord God, formed it for My children who were persecuted a refuge from the failed kingdoms of their forefathers. I blessed you with men of faith who gave their lives to ensure the free worship of their God and Creator. I protected them from all foreign enemies and made them to triumph over the greatest power of their time. I blessed them and caused them to grow until they became the most powerful nation on earth. Then I used them to bless the earth and defeat a great evil which would rise up and attempt to destroy My people, Israel. Again, I blessed your endeavor.

But woe to the great nation who has now turned its back on their God and who has forsaken the teachings of their fathers. For as you have drawn further away from Me, so have I withdrawn My blessings from your land. As you have rejected Me, the God of your fathers, so