“Sure, Charley,” Dave said. “You’re right.”

“There’s going to be a lot of work to do tomorrow,” Charley added.

“This may be our only chance to talk at length, so let’s get down to business now while there’s still some light left.”

Carl and Lori followed Dave Busby and Charley McAtee back into the kitchen. Charley poured out four steaming mugs of hot coffee, and then, as everyone around the table began putting milk and sugar in their coffee, the questions began. Carl started talking first. “Charley, as I see it, what you and Dave have been telling us is that the Bible predicted what was going to be happening at this time in history. If I’m following you, what you’re saying is that at the very end of the age there’s supposed to be a period of intense warning by Christians to people living all over the world. Then, after that, there will be some indescribable disasters. Is that right?”

“Yes,” Charley said, taking a sip of his coffee, “that’s exactly right.”

“You’ve shown us,” Carl continued, “a prophecy—a revelation, if you prefer—concerning a scorching heat wave, followed by a fiery meteor, followed by what might be poisonous nuclear radiation of some kind. Then after that you’re saying there will be, or could be anyway, an indefinite period of global night probably caused by extensive volcanic activity set off by the meteor.”

Charley shrugged his shoulders and nodded. “It appears so,” he said simply.

“This is the most horrible thing I can conceive of,” Carl said. “Yet, considering what’s been happening today, it’s all perfectly plausible. We’re sitting here waiting for some type of meteor to vaporize the West Coast, and the president of the United States blew his brains out on national TV. What more can happen?”

“Depending on the extent of the damage,” Charley said, “chances are we’re going to see earthquakes, tidal waves, nuclear disasters, volcanoes, and maybe even a worldwide famine before it’s all over, Carl. At one point in Revelation it says that as many as two billion people could die on this planet in the next two to three years. And that’s—”

“Oh, great!” Carl interrupted. “That’s just great. Now, we’ve got a worldwide famine too!”

“It sounds gruesome, doesn’t it?” Charley conceded.

“Oh, yeah.” Carl shook his head in disbelief. “But there’s one more thing, Charley. How come God doesn’t get you Christians out of all this? If you guys are so special and if your God has all this stuff worked out, then why are you all still here, anyway?”

“Whoa, Carl!” Dave interjected. “Let’s take our coffee back to the den. Come on, man. This is getting pretty heavy, and I think we all need to take a closer look at the Book.”

“Okay, Dave,” Charley began, once they were all seated in the comfortable den with Bibles in hand. “Here we go. We’ll start with chapter six.” He waited while Carl and Lori flipped the pages, then continued.

“As you can see, John the Apostle is writing here about a time when four mystical horsemen—representing war, revolution, famine, and death—terrorize the earth. They are called the ‘Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.’”