Opening Statement

The courtroom is hushed. The gallery is filling in as people try to find seats. More are still trying to get in the door. The security guard holds them back. Camera operators are positioned at the perimeter. There is even one operator with a camera on his shoulder to capture close-ups and reaction shots. It’s like the set for a reality TV show. And in fact it is. There is a buzz in the courtroom. The bailiff stands at attention near the door.

Bailiff

All rise. The Global Supreme Court is now in session. These grand jury proceedings are being broadcast live worldwide. Special Master Simon Wright presiding. Be seated.

Special Master Wright enters and takes his seat. He arranges his papers deliberately. He does not look up immediately. When he does, he surveys the room — the jury, the gallery, the cameras — with an expression that suggests he has made his peace with something he does not entirely accept. He speaks first to the room and then to the camera.

Special Master Wright

I will state for the record —

This thought is interrupted as the man with the roving camera makes his way right in front of him. Wright sees the red light going on. His annoyance grows.

and for the worldwide audience now watching — that I argued against these proceedings being conducted publicly. I was overruled.

I will also state for the record that the charges document which forms the basis of these proceedings was leaked to the public before this court had an opportunity to review or seal it. By the time we were aware, it had been seen by millions. I want it known that this court did not choose to make this a public spectacle. That choice was made for us.

He looks directly into the camera.

By persons unknown.

A murmur moves through the gallery — a few heads turning toward each other. He looks to the jury.

I also argued that the charges as submitted did not constitute a criminal matter within the jurisdiction of this court. I was overruled on that as well.

I have read the statement of charges. I found it —

He stops, searching for the right word.

unusual. It’s not a war crime with a documented chain of command. It’s not a dispute among sovereign nations. What’s being alleged is a conspiracy prosecuted against a defendant that I’m sure I — or any of those in this grand jury — would not be able to pick out of a police lineup.

A ripple of uneasy laughter in the gallery. One juror smiles knowingly.

In thirty years on the bench I have never seen anything like it. I want that on the record. And I have no idea how to marshal this grand jury through something that belongs in a church or a cult meeting.

He glances at his papers. Then back at the room.

Now, I will also note for the jury — and for those watching —

The roving cameraman is now moving toward the jury.

that these are grand jury proceedings. There is no defense counsel. The prosecution presents. The jury evaluates. That is the format.

However, given the nature of these charges — and given that the defendant has no legal representation in this room — I will, where I deem it necessary, raise the questions a reasonable defense would raise. Consider me a skeptic with a gavel. That is the most I can offer by way of fairness to the defendant.

He looks directly at Peter.

Mr. Lalonde. I have read a summary of your submission. You better have a lot more than what I saw in the summary.

Proceed.

Peter stands. He does not go to the podium. He stands in the open floor between his table and the jury. He looks at the twelve. Then at the cameras. Then back at the jury. A few jurors sit up slightly straighter. When he speaks it is polite. Firm. But not at all bold.

Peter

I am here, Your Honor, for one reason and one reason only. I have seen something that I cannot unsee.

I’m not even a lawyer by craft. I know that’s one of the things the Special Master, or any man worthy of the robe, would have objected to. Specifically — whether any man off the street is legally allowed to make a presentation to the court. But somehow, here I stand. I’m not sure if the powers that be overruled His Honor because they wanted to give me a platform, or instead use it to discredit me and everything I have to say. Nonetheless, here I am.

I am here as a student of Bible prophecy. Not a casual reader. Someone who has spent a lifetime in the subject. One of many trying to correlate what the Bible says about the last days to the world around us. Can I prove that Satan — indeed, the very figure none of us can visibly see — is the driving force standing behind the New World Order we live in today? I will suggest there is strong and verifiable evidence of that. But can I prove it — without asking you to take any of it on faith? Honestly, I don’t know. I think I can. So, I’m going to approach it with humility. Not as a seasoned lawyer who has every line and argument specifically designed to demand a verdict. Instead I’m going to ask this grand jury, the people in this courtroom, and those watching on their TVs or phones, to just explore with me. To make their own decision.

He looks toward the Special Master with a slight nod.

Peter

The same “powers that be” who overruled you, Your Honor.

A juror in the front row leans forward slightly, arms unfolding. Peter turns and moves slowly toward the jury.

Here’s my premise, and my personal belief. In just nine words, Jesus Christ Himself, standing on a hilltop two thousand years ago, described our exact world today with stunning precision. In those nine words, forty-eight prophecies were hidden. And He said that the generation that saw those precise things would be the final one. These were not cheap psychic predictions. They are world-shaking, earth-shattering, and specific.

Now — one of those prophecies pointed to a specific thing God would do in what is commonly referred to as the last days. A compressed period of time at the end of time. The other forty-seven were Satan’s countermoves. And Jesus gave us Satan’s specific, documented, operational plan to position himself for a final confrontation at Christ’s Second Coming. And that plan is not hidden. It is not theoretical.

It is here. In the real world. In the news. In the technology. In the alignment of nations happening in front of your eyes right now. And if I can prove it to you, you will know the exact moment we stand in world history. And it may reshape the way you see our world today.

A beat. The gallery has gone very still.

I mean — wow. That’s what I cannot unsee. Sorry if that doesn’t sound like proper legal framing.

Special Master Wright

This is a courtroom, Mr. Lalonde. Not a testimony service.

A stifled laugh somewhere in the gallery, quickly smothered. Peter turns back toward the bench.

Peter

I’m sorry, Your Honor. You’re right. I just want everyone to know where I’m coming from.

He turns back to the jury.

I’m not here to convince you of anything. I’m here to lay out the evidence precisely, in accordance with the modern rules of legal framing. I will also tell you how I came to this belief over the last forty years, so you can understand my journey — my guided tour, if you will.

He walks slowly to his podium.

My entire case — every piece of evidence you are going to hear in this trial — rests on nine words. Not buried in complex theology. Not requiring arcane knowledge or ancient writings. Nine words spoken by Jesus of Nazareth approximately two thousand years ago. Not a chapter. Not a book. Not a sermon.

Nine words.

He picks up his Bible. Opens it. Looks at the jury. Every one of them leans forward, studying the large evidence monitor.

Say what? It sounds like a quaint parable about trees. But why did He say it? Because He was responding to a very specific question His disciples asked Him.

The monitor screen changes, as does the focus of the entire room.

He sets the Bible down. A quiet pause. Not a sound in the gallery.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury — that is my case. That is all of it. The disciples asked what would be the sign of Jesus’ return and the end of the age, and that’s what He answered with. Nine words from Jesus Christ. With 48 end time prophecies buried within them. And those are my evidence. Evidence acceptable in a court of law. And yes — I’ve done my homework. I’ve read and prepared the case. I even watched Matlock. In primetime.

A few jurors smile. One of the gallery members chuckles audibly, then catches himself. Peter turns from the jury and walks straight toward the cameraman.

Peter

My entire case rests on the testimony of one witness. His name is Jesus of Nazareth. And, to be clear, it is my position that He is the Son of the Living God.

A sharp intake of breath somewhere in the gallery. A juror’s eyes widen. Wright stirs immediately. He leans forward.

Special Master Wright

Mr. Lalonde — approach the bench.

The gallery murmurs, louder this time — people leaning toward each other, whispering. A reporter in the second row is already typing. Peter walks to the bench. The white noise system engages. The jury watches but cannot hear.

A ripple of released tension moves through the gallery — a few quiet exhales, someone’s shoulders dropping. The white noise cuts. Peter walks back to the floor. The jury has watched the entire exchange without hearing a word. They read the room. Something happened at that bench. Peter does not ease back in. He stands in the open floor. When he speaks he is calm and certain — a man who just proved something, and knows it.

Peter

Ladies and gentlemen — nine words.

The exhibit comes back up on screen. He reads them aloud again — to the room, to the jury, to the worldwide audience — as if holding up a murder weapon as evidence.

Take a moment. Look at the monitor. Count the words. Is there anyone here who does not see nine?

He closes the Bible. Sets it on the podium. Looks at the jury.

That is the testimony of my witness. Nine words.

He pauses.

So the simple question everyone who is hearing these words would be asking is: why hasn’t anyone seen this before? Well for me, my journey into Bible Prophecy began with a strange glow.

A juror tilts her head slightly, curious. The gallery settles, quieter now, leaning in.

Peter

My brother Paul and I were walking home one night along a beach — pitch dark, no moon, not a single light anywhere. Then we saw it: a glow, on the surface of the water. As we got closer we saw it was coming from under the water. Now we were walking home from having seen Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark. We were primed for adventure.

He pauses.

We didn’t hesitate. Clothes still on, we marched in — and my hand closed around something I wasn’t expecting. And I got a jolt.

A few jurors smile.

It was a flashlight. A cheap one.

He lets it breathe.

Here’s what I’ve thought about ever since. What if we’d just seen Jaws?

He sees the raised eyebrows on the jurors’ faces.

You’re right. Not for a million bucks.

Later I realized, context meant everything. That specific movie. That flashlight. Wet clothes.

He holds up his Bible.

The disciples heard these same nine words, straight from Jesus. They wrote them down faithfully. But they didn’t have the context. They didn’t even know what a flashlight was.

In terms of what we can see today, Jesus has not only given us one flashlight — He’s given us forty-eight of them. One of them brighter than all the rest. Documented. Timestamped. Exposed.

And it’s happening fast. Even ten years ago, I could not foresee the world we now live in.

And forty-eight times in this trial — you are going to get the jolt.

He walks back to his podium. He looks at the jury. Then at the cameras. The gallery is completely still now. When he speaks the next words, it is quiet. Final.

Peter

“I believe — Jesus exposed Satan’s entire end time battle plan. Can I prove it to you? I think so. Yes.”

He sits. The room does not stir. Special Master Wright says nothing. The cameras hold.

End of Opening Statement

God’s Opening Move follows.