“Are Marie and the boys safe?” Bennett asked.
“They are. Thanks for asking. They’re not with me, but I just spoke to them by phone. We were all very lucky.”
“I’m afraid I don’t believe in luck, Mr. President.”
Oaks seemed startled. “What do you mean?”
“Luck is random,” Bennett explained. “But God isn’t random. He has a plan.”
“You think America getting attacked by nuclear bombs is God’s plan?”
“No, sir, that’s not what I meant.”
“Then, forgive me, but what did you mean?”
“Men make evil plans, not God,” Bennett replied. “But the Bible says what man plans for evil, God can turn for good.”
“So God knew this was all going to happen?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Why didn’t He stop it?”
“I don’t know, sir.”
“He could have.”
“Yes, He could have.”
“But He didn’t.”
“I can’t explain it all, Mr. President. All I know for certain is that in your case, He has chosen to keep you safe and to make you the next leader of the free world. That’s not luck, sir. That’s not random. That’s the grace of God. That’s His supernatural hand on you, guiding you, positioning you just where He wants you. And to be honest, sir, there are only two relevant questions now.”
There was no point beating around the bush, Bennett thought. Too much was at stake. If he had the president’s ear, he might as well speak his mind.
“What are they?” Oaks asked.
“The first is the question every one of us must face before it’s too late: if, God forbid, you were to die tonight, do you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you’d spend eternity with God in heaven?”
There was a long, uncomfortable silence.
“And the second?” Oaks asked.
“The second is a question only you must face: what are you going to do with this enormous responsibility God has just handed you?”
There was another long pause. Bennett wondered if he had gone too far. Yet, again, under the circumstances, he knew he didn’t have a choice. This wasn’t a political moment. Bennett wasn’t a political advisor. The president’s soul hung in the balance. The man was an agnostic in the earth’s final days, days that would lead straight to the ultimate Day of Judgment. Oaks needed to get right with God before it was too late.
“Actually, Jon,” the president stammered, uncharacteristically, “this is…”
“Yes, sir?”
“This really is why I called.”
Bennett wasn’t sure what to say next, so he just listened.
“I never thought anything like this was possible, not after the last war,” Oaks continued. “I thought such horrors were behind us. But in the last few hours, I keep recalling your old friend Dr. Mordechai saying that the whole Gog and Magog thing wasn’t the end, just the beginning of the end.”
“He did, sir; that’s true,” Bennett acknowledged, surprised that Oaks had paid attention, much less remembered the line.
“I’m beginning to think that you and he might have been right about a lot of things,” the president continued. “I’ll admit, I was a skeptic until now — a cynic, perhaps. But after this… I don’t know…. That’s why I’m calling. I’d… well, I’d be grateful for your counsel, Jon.”
“I beg your pardon, sir?” Bennett asked, not sure he’d heard the man correctly.
“I’d like to see you as soon as possible — you and Erin,” the president explained. “Most of our top people are dead. Nearly all the White House and NSC staff are gone. State is gone. Most of the team at the Pentagon. And I’m sure you’ve heard about Langley.”
“Yes, sir, I’m afraid I did.”
“I need people around me I know, people I can trust,” Oaks said plainly. “I need to assemble a team of people who can give me wise counsel through some very dark days, people who are willing to speak their minds even if it’s not popular. I haven’t had much time to process all this yet or form a plan of action going forward. But I immediately thought of you and insisted my staff track you down.”
“You’re very kind, sir, but I—”
“It’s not kindness, Jon,” the president interrupted. “It’s desperation. Look, I’ll be honest with you. I thought you’d completely lost your mind when you gave Mac and me that ‘Ezekiel Option’ memo. And when you quit the White House staff after the U.N. vote and headed into Russia to find Erin, I seriously thought you had become delusional or suicidal or both. I’ve never been a religious person. I always thought religion and politics were a bad combination. I thought only weak people needed to believe in God, you know, as a crutch. And again, to be completely candid with you, I really lost respect for you when you put your religious views ahead of what I thought were our country’s national security interests. But…”
The president paused.
“Yes, sir?”
“Well, I have to say, while I still don’t understand anything about the Bible or prophecy or any of that… well, whatever… Anyway, it’s obvious that you’ve been downright prescienT — eerily so — about some major events…. You seemed to know they were coming, and maybe all those prophecies have something to do with that.”
Oaks paused again. Bennett still wasn’t certain how to respond.
“What I’m saying,” the president finally continued, “is that I need you to come back to the U.S. and spend some time with Marie and me — as soon as humanly possible.”
“Doing what exactly, Mr. President?”
“I’m sure we both would like to hear more about your own spiritual journey, how you and Erin, you know, found God, or whatever. But look, Jon, the bottom line is, I need to know what you know. I need to know what’s coming next. I need to understand where the U.S. fits into Bible prophecy. Like, are we going to be hit again?”
“I honestly don’t know, sir.”
“Does the Bible say anything about us, about America?”
“Not really, sir, no; it doesn’t.”
“What about China? Are there any prophecies about China in the End Times or the last days or whatever you call it?”
So there it was, Bennett thought. The president really was considering action against the PRC.
“Mr. President, I’m not sure I’m the right person to advise you on this,” Bennett demurred.
“There isn’t anybody else,” the president replied, “and there isn’t much time. I need you here by tomorrow. How far are you from Amman?”
Tomorrow? A shudder ran through Bennett’s system. He wanted to help the president. He wanted to do something for his country, and if this was it, it was a tremendous and unexpected honor. But it was impossible, wasn’t it? He couldn’t move Erin so quickly, and he certainly wasn’t going to leave her in Jordan.
He quickly explained Erin’s condition. Oaks was sympathetic, but he was equally adamant that time was of the essence. There was only one conclusion Bennett could draw. The president must be seriously considering a massive retaliatory strike against China and wanted to know as quickly as possible if there was a prophetic angle to such a nightmare scenario. It wasn’t something they could talk about over the phone. Indeed, Bennett was surprised the president wanted to talk about it at all. He had never shown any interest in prophecy before. But clearly events were now forcing the issue. Nancy Reagan had turned to astrology in her darkest hours after her husband was nearly assassinated. At least Oaks wanted to turn to the Bible. But still..
The president knew full well that the Bennetts were both loath to reenter government service. Then again, he wasn’t asking for Jon’s assistance on any normal day. He was asking on the very day four American cities had been obliterated by nuclear weapons. A full-blown global thermonuclear war was just hours or days away, and with it, perhaps, the Rapture and the beginning of the Tribulation. Still, the last thing Bennett wanted to do was force a long, difficult, and premature move on Erin.