The Last Day

Yet, Nicholas had to feel that each pope in possession of this portentous Last Revelation, including Nicholas himself, had done everything within his power to meet the Virgin's requirements and to earn the blessings of the Second Prophecy. The major work of Nicholas's papacy, his Millennial Decree, was consecrated entirely to this purpose. Surely he and his predecessors had succeeded in meeting the Virgin's stipulations, just as the Church had succeeded before in ushering in the fall of communism in Russia.

Needless to say, Nicholas hoped with all his soul that di Concerci was correct. And there were subtle indications in the Secret Letter that supported the prefect's arguments. The passage in the second paragraph of the Second Prophecy and its reference to a “snake,” for example, was highly reminiscent of the Book of Genesis and the serpent in the Garden of Eden. This would tend to cast Jeza as Eve, seducer of Adam and precipitator of the fall of man. And this was the only section of the letter that might be construed as gender-reflective. But this was not a new inspiration to Nicholas. He'd considered this point before.

At length, Nicholas returned to more conclusive passages, the same passages he'd always relied upon each time he referred to this difficult document for guidance. He went back to the two phrases that appeared to hold the key. The only lines, in his estimation, which offered the foundation for a decision.

Referring to the First Prophecy, last paragraph, first line:

“In the eleventh hour shall these things be accomplished as I have prophesied.”

And buried in the second to last paragraph of the letter:

“But if the First Prophecy is to be, it shall be fulfilled before the turn of the millennium; and if the Second Prophecy is to be, it shall be fulfilled thereafter.”

So, assuming “fulfilled,” as translated from the Portuguese, meant “concluded” or “satisfied,” then Jeza's appearance came past deadline. Under this interpretation, if Jeza were the New Messiah, her work should have been completed before the millennial transition. This was why Nicholas had been able to breathe a short-lived sigh of relief on New Year's Day, despite the millenarians in his courtyard, the cracks in his fresco and altar, and the disturbing happenings in the Holy Land. If this view were correct, Jeza couldn't be the “Anointed One.” She would have to be the Antichrist, meaning that the Second Prophecy was materializing and it was time to marshal the troops for the final holy war.

On the other hand, as Nicholas had painstakingly considered, “fulfilled” could be construed to mean “to put into effect,” or “to convert into reality.” Certainly, Jeza had come into being before the year 2000. She was “converted into reality” on Christmas Day, in the eleventh hour of the last year. Adhering to this definition of “fulfilled,” the Desolation was at hand, and Nicholas knew if he were to condemn Jeza, he would be guilty of denouncing the living messenger of God and opposing the will of the supreme being!

Then again, favoring the One Thousand Year Glorious Reign was the fact that the term “jubilation” happened to appear in the last line of the Second Prophecy. Was there a connection with John Paul II's call for a “Jubilee Year?” Had Nicholas detected a veiled clue, or was he merely being misled by a coincidence?

The ambiguity was maddening. Despite his intense prayers amongst the world's greatest wealth of religious icons, the pope had yet to glean even the slightest sign from any source to which he'd turned.

“Enough!” he cried out in anger. “My God, why have you forsaken me?”

If he had to make this dreadful decision alone and abandoned, then so be it. This was his conclusion:

While Jeza's physical arrival may have occurred prior to the millennial transition, unquestionably, the essence of the First Prophecy was not fulfilled beforehand. She did not even become active in her ministry until after the year 2000. What was more important, to accept her as the “Anointed One” was to turn fatalistic and despondent, to accept the Desolation, to deny hope and the future of the world. Of man.

“My God!” The pontiff dropped from his chair to his knees. Trembling, he leaned over the letter, rereading a passage upon which the first beam of dawn light had now fallen through his window:

“Whichever shall be fulfilled is by your doing, as the decision is still within your province to effect.”

God help him, the letter meant exactly what it said! He, Pope Nicholas VI, supreme representative of Christ on Earth-he alone was to decide! It was his faith that was being tested here!

”… And whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19)

The pope moaned and crossed himself repeatedly. At last, with the first light of day, he'd been given his sign. Large, pent-up tears streamed down his cheeks as his whole body shuddered and heaved with the relief of his understanding. So, without realizing it, he had held the answer to this quandary all along. Whichever prophecy was to be fulfilled, the decision was his.

He thanked his Lord, rose unsteadily to his feet and, with fumbling hands, secured the Holy Letters in his vault. Taking a few more moments to compose himself, he headed straightaway to the Palace of the Sanctum Officium where the Congregation anxiously awaited his announcement.

91

WNN regional headquarters, Cairo, Egypt 4:30 P.M., Tuesday, March 28, 2000

Another wild goose chase?” Bollinger assumed, as Feldman and Hunter entered the meeting room to join the bureau chief and staff for a discussion in progress.

“Yeah,” a disappointed Feldman responded. “Jeza was long gone when we got there, but we took some footage of seventy-two people she allegedly cured.” The two men had just returned from a new Jeza sighting, only her second public appearance since the memorable Vatican episode. Jeza had been spotted first at an area orphanage yesterday morning, and then earlier today at a Cairo hospital where she was said to have healed an entire wing of AIDS patients.

The most interesting aspect, disturbing from Feldman's perspective, was that both times the Messiah happened to be in the company of a certain Cardinal Alphonse Litti. It would appear as though Feldman had been displaced as Jeza's preferred liaison. He decided she must have found his garish display of affection simply too forward. He mentally kicked himself.

“Still no word from Litti?” Feldman wondered.

“No,” Bollinger answered. “The cardinal hasn't been back to his hotel room since Sunday morning.”

Feldman shook his head gloomily.

“And now, gentlemen”-Bollinger changed the subject to a more positive one-”let me bring you two up to speed on the latest turn of events: while you and Hunter were out, WNN Europe notified us that the pope is going to make an important announcement Monday night, April 3, at nine o'clock their time. The Vatican is inviting all the world media to St. Peter's Basilica again to cover the message live, and they're granting WNN prime, front-row space. Additionally, they're also allowing us an exclusive live interview with their Cardinal Prefect di Concerci immediately following the address. Another WNN exclusive!”

“Rather accommodating of them, wouldn't you say?” Feldman observed, suspiciously.

“They're just ensuring themselves the biggest possible TV audience for their message,” Cissy declared. “We're simply the network with the widest reach.”

“What's the address about?” Feldman wanted to know.

“A concession speech,” Hunter quipped.

“More likely a counterattack,” Bollinger opined. “Jeza tore ‘em up so bad last week that half the world's Catholic parishes are in open revolt.”