Fuentes: Do you want to see something really scary?

Posted: Sunday, October 31, 1999

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the father. ... That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left."

NIV Matthew 24:36-41

If you were to pick one day of the year to be afraid, to be very afraid, today would probably have to garner top billing. After all, it is a day filled with ghostly sights and sounds, a day when the spirits of the dead are free to roam about in search of redemption or mischief, a day devoted to the supernatural and paranormal occurrences that permeate our world.

Ordinarily, these facts alone would instill fear in most people and cause them to take precautions, but there is added significance to this particular Day of the Dead that others couldn't claim - it will close out the century.

Therefore, one would have to assume Halloween '99 will be a graveyard smash of mystical proportions.

Imagine, for a few moments, what this day may possibly portend.

Today, you may be one of the millions of fans who sit down to enjoy a football game on television. It is a Sunday ritual deeply rooted in American culture, akin to baseball and apple pie. The game is still in the first quarter when you realize your mind is not quite able to decipher the images being shown on the screen.

It seems that the game has been interrupted, not because of a timeout or an injury on the field of play, but because suddenly and without warning, there are not enough players to continue the game. Inexplicably, right before your eyes, players have simply disappeared, leaving behind uniforms and helmets as shells of their former selves.

But that's not all, for as the camera pans the stadium bleachers, you can't help but notice that thousands of fans are also missing, as if vaporized by some unknown force. Logic tells you there has to be a rational explanation, but you are at a loss as to what that could be.

Something tells you things will get worse before they get better. Reports are coming in from all over the world describing similar occurrences. It now appears that no aspect of human activity has been spared from the random nature of these disappearances.

The feeling of dread slowly building within you has now moved well beyond the threshold of fear into the realm of terror. You frantically search your mind for answers, although, truth be known, your subconscious has already outlined two possible scenarios for your mind to consider: a Halloween prank achieved through modern special effects or the Rapture of Christians as foretold in Bible prophesy.

The breath of life seems to exhale from your physical being as you slowly come to the realization that if the cause is not the former, you have missed out on the latter.

You had been raised to believe in the Rapture, only you counted on it happening sometime in the future, with just enough forewarning to allow plenty of time for making changes in your life in addition to taking the steps necessary for salvation. You knew that day would someday come, and you planned on being ready when Jesus Christ returned.

But life had gotten in the way - working, paying bills, raising a family, watching sports, hanging out - so salvation had to be put on hold.

Unfortunately, someday came much sooner than you had expected, and when you least expected it - in the middle of a football game being played on Halloween.

Someday came today, and you weren't ready.

Emilio Fuentes, an Amarillo resident, is an investment adviser. He can be contacted in care of the Amarillo Globe-Times, P.O. Box 2091, Amarillo, Texas 79166, or letters@amarillonet.com.