22.1

With the lights and cameras in place, an expectant hush silenced the chattering sadhus as Pierre stood to make the announcement –

“Let’s begin.”

Shard turned to Max, smiling.

“Max, nobody knows when the word “God” first arrived on the planet. And no-one has ever claimed to have actually seen God. I told you only that you would witness God, not that you would see God. To see God is not possible without the power of everyone with you.

“But I can amend that now,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “Now I can go ahead and tell you that you will actually see God. In the Regeneration everyone will see God.”

Shard paused –

“Ever since this word “God” appeared, people have been fighting over its meaning. Throughout time, people have been largely intolerant of other people’s view of God… while at the same time blindly accepting of their own. And this has gone on continuously until now, when people are bored with the peculiarities of religion, tired of the rules governing belief, and not as willing to accept hypocrisy in God’s name. Now people only want to know one thing – “if there is a God, what does that God offer me?

“Max, the words you spoke on the mountain reveal a vision of the future, a glimpse into the very last days of the Regeneration.”

Shard picked up a Bible from the table beside him.

“Go to Matthew,” he said, handing it to Max.

There was a verse tagged and underlined.

“Read it to us, please.”