#4 Johnny: From Bad to Worst
Storyteller: Dr. Stephen Phinney
Johnny, The Day After, is a flash short story series. Join Johnny in his degenerate journey into the mystic world of the new global Chancellor. Experience his loneliness, pain, sorrow, and rebellion as he adjusts to being one of many who are left behind after the Rapture.
New to Johnny? Read Chapter One HERE | Chapter Two HERE | Chapter Three HERE
Johnny’s nightly sleeping habits became more & more intrusive and oppressive by the day. Each night he was visited by this dark voice of deception. He was slowly morphing into believing these visitations were prophetic, clarifying a mission.
Each morning he awakened with a slow fade into a dark and depraved existence. His loneliness turned into bitterness, and his loss of loved ones quickly converted into revenge – an act of revenge toward the One who took his family from him.
Curious and mostly bored, he started watching many of his father’s favorite media programs. One, in particular, was “The End Times Documentary,” by one of his father’s mentors. It gave him a familiar connection to his now departed father. Johnny seemed to be stuck between the loyalty of his father and that of this new world Chancellor, who said to Johnny in one of his dreams, I am your new father. He often thinks about what Angra shared about summoning spirits for empowerment while a flickering light of family loyalty resided.
While watching this documentary, the speaker spoke of this global Chancellor's first three and a half years during the Tribulation. Revealing there will be a surge of appearance of world peace; however, worsening conditions will manifest the closer the Chancellor gets to his halfway mark. Hearing from the horse's mouth on the newsfeed, Johnny seriously considered this statement. His mind wrestled between belief and defense, wanting to defend this new leader. Johnny continues to listen.
The speaker says that during the last half of the Tribulation, the “lawless one,” the Antichrist, will be empowered to sit at the center of the Tribulation’s evil empire as he personifies Satan. Johnny is immediately filled with rage. His thoughts turn toward impotent revenge toward this speaker – fully knowing the speaker has been Rapture out. He didn’t know what to do with his vengeance. While a part of Johnny believed that Jesus would display judgment in His day of wrath regarding this Antichrist, he refused to give up his growing loyalty to the Chancellor. The obvious observations of deception, dissension, devastation, disease, disasters, disloyalty, delusions, and defection made Johnny declare the Chancellor’s new gospel stronger. He was becoming trapped between conviction and deception. The more he heard the Truth, the more darkness manifested in his soul.
Johnny discovered more each day that the masses who wondered about the Tribulation were becoming fewer by the moment. Within the first week following this Rapture, the people quickly forgot the words and teachings of the Christians. He wondered if there was some spiritual blindness that was forced upon the remaining humans. Johnny didn’t want to be one of them, but he couldn’t refute that the same thing was happening to him.
He stopped the documentary, ran to the bathroom, looked into the mirror, and was shocked at what he saw. Now with dark rings under his eyes, paled skin, and a demeanor of hatred cloaking his face, he panics. He realizes his inward struggle is transforming his outward appearance. He shouts at himself, Johnny, you look like a demon. While staring at his image, another translucent image overshadows his own and then speaks. Johnny, you are one of us now. He rushes out of the bathroom through the front door to be greeted by Angra, standing on Johnny’s porch, who looks exactly like Johnny.
In a panic, Johnny asked Angra what was happening to them. Calmly but firmly, Angra explains that this is the method my ancestors used to control the masses in years past. He clarifies that after Johnny left his home the day before, he summoned spirits to take over the bodies of the left behind. Angra said, Soon, Johnny, the remaining population will be replicas of our new leader. When our Chancellor speaks, all will hear him through his implanted spirits. Johnny realized that the beginning of the end was upon him.
With Johnny having a little loyalty for Truth remaining in his mortal being, he challenges Angra to a debate. He had to be sure that the residue of Truth remaining in himself could be disputed by Angra intelligently. Angra thought that was a wonderful idea. The meeting was set for the next morning on Angra’s porch.
Coming up next: THE GREAT DEBATE