I’ll be honest, I didn’t think Apocalypse One Percenters would actually be written. As a full-time novelist, I regularly have more story ideas than I could possibly write, but I was excited about the prospect of writing a book with Pete. After following him online, and being a big fan of his articles, I had the honor of sitting down with him near our home in beautiful north Idaho. We left that meeting excited about the prospect of writing something together, but without any actionable next steps. So, when he came up with the idea of using an outlaw One Percenter to tell the story swiftly approaching us—both from a political, and more importantly, a Biblically prophetic point of view, I was all in. I absolutely loved the idea of this hardened criminal hearing the truth of the gospel, via Bible prophecy, in a jail cell. I couldn’t wait to write that scene. As we worked through the outline for the novel, so many things we had read and discussed regarding the very near future—digital IDs, CBDCs, and re-education camps—solidified in my mind like never before. That’s one of the benefits of fiction, it can help us actually envision how the theoretical might become reality.
We are living in strange times. I often think it seems like we are living in a science fiction novel. Censoring opposing points of view, our nation’s leaders grossly distorting reality with no consequences, and nations all around the world calling for a global government, seems more like a story set far, far into the future, than current events. It can be hard to wrap our minds around the rapidly changing world. Sometimes, it seems like things are out of control, but a better way to look at it is to realize we are approaching the climax of the story that God is telling. And what could be more exciting than that?
Since we’re in God’s story, what part do we play? We aren’t helpless pawns. I don’t believe our fate is just set and unchanging. In fact, we make decisions minute by minute, to either live and act in unison with the Master Storyteller or to choose what seems best to us in any given situation. Sometimes we need to adjust our behavior, or step out in faith to share our testimony with others. And there times when all we can is hold on to the promises of God, keep praying, and believe that He is using our present afflictions for his glory. Like Jonah, we are sometimes called into dangerous places where our faith is stretched like never before. The Bible is full of such examples: Esther, Daniel, King David, and Elijah all risked their lives to obey God. We read their stories and are inspired, and yet we are the lucky ones chosen to live in the most prophesied about and exciting time in human history.
Every day we see scripture coming true. When Jesus talked about these days, he described them like this: “And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matt. 24:10-12, ESV) We understand that Jesus was talking to the Jews in what is known as his Olivet discourse, but the descriptions sound like current news headlines. Betrayal, animosity, lawlessness—these are the ingredients for a great story…but only because they set the stage for redemption.
I honestly believe that every story is ultimately a retelling of God’s story. Why? Because we were created with a desire to see good triumph over evil and a hunger for redemption. That’s the story we are called to tell, from our testimony of salvation, to the purpose for the judgement that is poised to fall on our world. They are all stories of redemption.
God is at work in every situation we find ourselves in, with the aim to redeem us, to heal our woundedness that is the result of the enemy’s attacks on our lives. When we respond to His gentle voice, when we act in sync with his Holy Spirit that lives within every believer, we get to take part in the story of redemption.
In every good story, things get worse before they get better. And often, things are nearly hopeless just before salvation breaks through. That’s the part of the story we’re in, the final scenes just before the hero shows up to save the day. I love that part of the story.
Sure, there are times when I get too focused on the problems I’m facing to remember that God is at work. We all tend to take our eyes off Jesus and focus on the waves of trouble surrounding us, but the power of a good story is that it reminds us what’s really important in life. A good story inspires us to rise up against the darkness and do the difficult, but necessary tasks that were planted deep in our hearts before we were even born. As John Eldredge has said, “Facts speak to the mind, but a story speaks to the heart.”
Our goal in writing Apocalypse One Percenters was to show the coming realities of a world on the brink of global dominion by a supernatural entity who hates God. The details of such a story are dire, but our hope is that, like our three main characters, you will be inspired to do the right thing, even if it’s difficult or scary—or even impossible. God is doing amazing things and opening up the doors of opportunity for His children to be involved in these pivotal events in the history of earth. We obey with a clear understanding that we aren’t fighting a political foe, an economic philosophy, or even a cultural ideology. “We wrestle not with flesh and blood but… against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12, NKJV) In the original Star Wars films, Darth Vader was the face of the empire, but it was Emperor Palpatine who was the Sith Master and who was manipulating everything from behind the scenes. Likewise, Satan is the master deceiver who is pulling the strings of the globalists at the UN, the elitists at the WEF, and even many leaders within our own government. That’s why it is so vital that we learn to fight fire with fire. The full armor of God, prayer, compassion for the lost, the Holy Spirit empowered gift of agape love—these are our weapons of war. The night is growing darker by the minute, which means we need to be shining the light of God more than ever.
I hope you’ll pick up a copy of Apocalypse One Percenters and give it a read, maybe share some copies with your lost friends, co-workers, and neighbors. It may not be as effective as a street preacher locked up in a jail cell with an outlaw biker, but it just might get a person thinking about what really matters. And that could change everything.