The Mark of the Beast | Page 5

and Benefactor, and not as the Jehovah-God of Covenant
and Mercy. And surely that is what we find everywhere to-day. People
acknowledge a Supreme Being, and accept Christ as a model man, but
they flatly deny the Fall, Hereditary Sin, the need of an Atonement, and
all else that is connected with the Great Evangel. The Second cause of
Antediluvian apostasy was the disregard of the original law of marriage,
and the increased prominence of the female sex."
Judith Montmarte smiled back into his face, as she said:
"Oh that you would propound that in a convention of New Women!
And yet--yet--yes, you are right, as to your fact, as regards life, to-day."
The pair had a merry, friendly spar for a moment or two, then, at her
request, he resumed his subject, and, for a full half hour, he amazed her
with his comparisons of the Antediluvian age with the present time. He
was an interesting speaker and she enjoyed the time immensely. But,

presently, when he came to his seventh and last likeness between the
two ages, since it had to do with a curious phase of Spiritism, she
became more intensely interested.
"There seems to me," he said, "but one correct way of interpreting that
historical item of those strange, Antediluvian days: 'The sons of God
saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives
of all which they chose.' The superficial rendering of this, sometimes
given, that it signifies nothing more than the intermarriage of Cainites
and Sethites, will not suffice when a deeper examination is made in the
original languages. The term 'Sons of God' does not appear to have any
other meaning in the Old Testament, than that of angels.
"Some of the angels, with Lucifer, fell from their high estate in Heaven,
and were banished from Heaven. Scripture clearly proves in many
places that these fallen ones took up their abode 'in the air,' the Devil
becoming, even as the Christ Himself said: 'Prince of the power of the
air.'
"Now both Peter and Jude, in their epistles allude to certain of these
fallen, air-dwelling angels, leaving their first estate, and the mention of
their second fall is sufficiently clear to indicate their sin--intermarriage
with the fairest of the daughters of men. Their name as given in the old
Testament, 'Nephilim' means 'fallen ones.' In their original condition, as
angels in Heaven, they 'neither married nor were given in marriage.' It
is too big a subject, Miss Judith ----."
Hurriedly, eagerly, for she wanted him to continue his topic, she said:
"Call me Ju, or Judith, or Judy, Colonel, and drop the 'Miss,' and do
please go on with this very wonderful subject."
"Thank you, Ju," he laughed, then continuing his talk, he said:
"It is far too big a subject, Ju, in all its details, to talk of here and now,
but, broadly, the fact seems to me to remain, that fallen angels assumed
human shape, or in some way held illicit intercourse with the women of
the day, a race of giant-like beings resulting. For this foul sin God

would seem to have condemned these doubly sinning fallen angels to
Tartarus, to be reserved unto Judgment.
"'Now as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the coming of the
Son of Man,' and----"
Judith Montmarte caught her breath sharply, and, in an unconscious
movement of eager wonder, let her beautiful hand drop upon his wrist,
as she gasped "you don't think--you don't mean--er--er--, tell me,
Colonel, do you mean to say that--"
"I do mean," he replied, "that I am firmly convinced that so far has
demonology increased--the door being opened by modern
spiritualism--that I believe this poor old world of ours is beginning to
experience a return of this association between fallen spirits and the
daughters of men. Of course, I cannot enter into minute detail with you,
Ju, but let me register my firm conviction, that I believe from some
such demoniacal association, there will spring the 'Man of Sin'--'The
Antichrist.'"
At that instant, to the utter amaze of both of them, the first luncheon
gong sounded. They had been talking for nearly three hours. With the
request from Judith, and a promise from him to resume the subject at
the first favourable opportunity, they parted.
Intensely, almost feverishly excited, Judith went to her room. Beautiful
in face and form as she was, she was fouler than a Lucretia Borgia, in
soul, in thought. And now, as a foul, wild, mad thought surged through
her brain, she murmured, half-aloud:
"Demon or man, what matters! If I thought I could be the Mother of
The Antichrist, I would--so much do I hate the Nazarene, the Christ--."
She spat through the open window