They all listened intently to the rest of the speech. When they saw the upraised hand and the glowing red dot in the president’s palm, Cathy grabbed Manuel’s hand. “What does it mean, Manolo?” she whispered. “It’s so weird.”

John Edwards turned. “I’ll explain it in a minute,” he said, then turned back to the television screen.

When the Speaker of the House began to praise the president and his plans for global unity, John Edwards stared intently at the TV screen. His gaze was so fixed that several in the group wondered what he was seeing that was so compelling.

After the conclusion of the remarks, and as the crowd in the Capitol was cheering, John Edwards turned to his little band and said, “This is a momentous time, my friends, and it confirms so much that we have been talking about. That symbol in his hand is not just a badge or a tattoo. It’s the third eye, which means that Mark Beaulieu has invoked the powers of Satan himself.”

“What do you mean, ‘third eye,’ Pastor Jack?” asked Cathy Quintana. “I haven’t heard that term before.”

“Cathy, you’ve probably seen Indian women who wear the mark of Vishnu on their foreheads, the dot that is sometimes white or yellow, or more often red.” Cathy nodded. “Well, among other things, that dot is a symbol of a third eye—a spiritual eye. Some say it is the eye of cosmic consciousness that comes from their pagan gods. I’m certain the dot on Mark Beaulieu’s hand represents the same sort of thing.

“What we heard was not the man on the screen. They were the words of a powerful demon speaking through the man he now controls. By his actions and his words, he gave permission for the host of demon power to be released on earth for five months. Did you notice he used the phrase, ‘I release you,’ four times? This means he released demon power to the four corners of the earth. Everyone will suffer. There will be no place to hide.”

“When the five months of intense suffering and agony are over, the very man that you just saw on television, now possessed by a powerful demon prince, will be possessed by Satan himself. I have no doubt that President Mark Beaulieu will become the political leader of the entire planet. I am sorry to say it, but the man you saw, the president of the United States, will one day very soon assume the power of the Antichrist.”

“Jack,” Carl asked, “how do you know these things from just that one speech?”