1,260 Days is a journey to a foreign land, a detour called a shortcut in a cab. It's riding on a night train in a warm sweat as you hear the choo choo chuggen down the tracks. It's a vision in a restless dream, a nightmare with a bloody scene, a demon putting thoughts into your head. 1,260 Days is about the man in black. It's about a work shift. It's about a suicidal note. It's the unheard music. It's a forty-day fast. It's a severed artery. It's an itchy rash. 1,260 Days is a holy book. It's a trumpet being blown upon a hill. It's a paradox. It's a riddle. It's a jest. It's hope. It's change. It's woe. It's greed. It's me. It's you. It's them. It's us. 1,260 Days is about the end of the world. "I found myself alternately astounded, intrigued, and ultimately jealous of Enoch, whose adventures on a daily basis made my own life seem small and mundane by comparison" Rich Marotta, KFI Radio Inducted 2011, Southern California Sportscasters Hall of Fame "Brilliant 'manure'vres of narrative wreaking havoc upon accepted norms" Tortelvis of Dread Zeppelin "An honest and straightforward book, one man's experiment with disgrace takes on an aura of supernaturally experienced grace. Easy on the ear and steering clear of massaging his own story-telling of an awfully curious humanity, Conte gives a read hell-bent on making us experience the nit and grit of rubbing up against the taboos binding human pleasure" Scott Hartstein, Author of Adagia

1,260 Days

Enoch's Story as Told to ConteBy Conte

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 Craig Joseph Conte
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4759-3893-7

Contents

Chapter One

Sex & Dying in a High Society

Part A: Thailand

01 Arrival in Thailand 7/3/2008-7/5/2008

After spending eighteen hours on a plane and a short layover in Hong Kong, I arrived in Bangkok. Did I have high hopes? Did I see hookers on every corner waiting to offer me their services? No, I did not. There were some hookers, but mostly I saw what you will find in any city. There were bums. There were beggars. There were people running around trying to earn their Baht (that's Thai money), and there were odd sites to view and gawk at.

Right now it's 5:00 A.M. in the morning. I can't sleep. Neither can my traveling companion, Kiana, my wife. Today we are going to see the temples and do touristy things in Bangkok. I then plan to get a Thai massage afterwards with a happy ending. In other words, the massage girl will jerk me off into orgasm, and I'll go back to the hotel with a smile on my face. Then again ... maybe these are my "Great Expectations." Now you see how my mind works.

In Bangkok, I'm sure I'll see the Emerald Buddha. Apparently, it's this giant statue/idol of the Great Buddha. Ninety-five percent of Thailand's 65 million people are Buddhists. Does that mean that 65 million are going to hell because they don't believe in Jesus Christ? I don't know. I'll leave the judgment part in His hands. I do know He's a just God, so why worry about inconsistencies in Christianity???

There is one element of Buddhism I truly respect and honor; it's called Karma. It means good actions bring good results and bad actions bring bad results. If we all believed this, we probably would have a better society. At least it does show that there are consequences for one's evil deeds. As for the "rebirth" after death, I think most Buddhists will be surprised. If the Bible is true, they will not come back as a prince or a peasant. They will find themselves at the pearly gates or end up in the bottomless pit. But how will God judge them if they have not heard the Word? No one knows for sure, but I think God will judge these people based on their Karma. Did their good Karma outweigh their bad Karma? If it does, they will go to heaven. If it doesn't, they will go to hell. As for evidence to support my claims, I'd suggest you read Ezekiel 18 and Romans 2:12-16. These scriptures seem to suggest that God will judge us based on our good and evil deeds. I know this belief is not in accordance with the scripture that reads, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me," (Jn.14:6) but it does seem to be just and fair from the human perspective.

As for me, what am I doing out here in the Orient? Why did I begin my testimony here? I suppose it could have begun anywhere, but I chose Thailand because it's supposed to be one of the wickedest places on earth. Also, I've never been to Thailand before, and I heard it was the place to go if you're looking for decadence and immoral behavior. I couldn't resist my inquisitive nature, and I wanted to see if the stories were true or not. Isn't that my job? Isn't it my duty? Probably not, but here I am anyway.

02 Khao Yai National Forest 7/6/2008-7/9/2008

Right now I'm looking out at Khao Yai National Forest. It's a giant jungle with all sorts of interesting looking creatures. We've seen monkeys, elephants, snakes, centipedes, leeches, and everything else in between. Seeing so much life makes me wonder what life must have been like before mankind destroyed the Garden. The earth must have been a place of beauty and peace, a place where birds were free to roam and sing. Someday the whole earth will return to its natural beauty, and we can start all over again. In the meantime, we must make do with the city noise of Bangkok and deal with the hedonistic lifestyle of places like Phuket. But this age is coming to a close. A new sun is rising in the east. It's called the Millennial Reign. I hope you will join me on this trip. "Everyone aboard! Noah's Ark is departing! All are welcome!" But I know how it is. It's difficult to leave the things of the world behind, but you know and I know that none of it will bring us peace of mind. Be that as it may, we still hold onto it like a giant treasure. But in the place I see, gold and diamonds hold no wealth. Only love matters over here. Once again I holler, "The boat is leaving port! All aboard!" I'm only here by sheer grace. Won't you join me? This ship is heading home ...

03 Ashen Horse of Bangkok 7/10/2008-7/11/2008

The last two days have been a bit odd to say the least ... On the 10th, we had a bunch of time to kill before our flight left from Bangkok to Chaing Mai, so we watched the newest Hollywood hit Hancock. The movie was alright, but the man sitting behind me in the theatre was far more interesting. He was coughing pretty hard and the stench given off from his body was horrendous. At first I wanted to move away from him, but as the movie proceeded, the Lord revealed to me through His Spirit that it was the Ashen horse of pestilence sitting right behind me in the disguise of a man. Well, maybe it was just a figment of my imagination, but please humor me and go along with me on this trip ... It made me come to realize that this is how the angel plans to spread forth his disease. He plans to come to an international city like Bangkok and get everyone sick. These businessmen and tourists will then return home and spread the disease in their homelands. Before the world knows what to do, we will have a plague set loose upon the earth that will kill one-quarter of man. (Rev.6:8)

On the next day, Kiana and I met a couple from New Zealand. They had left everything behind and decided to travel the world during their retirement years. They had come to the conclusion that the pursuit of wealth and material goods was a waste of time, so they decided to pick up shop and live abroad. My oh my, the gall of this older couple! I love it! I could never see my mother and father doing something like that. It's too risky. They would never leave the creature comforts of home to pursue these wild dreams. Instead they are rotting away unto death, and they will never experience life outside their hemisphere of the world.

Later in the evening, we had dinner with the Kiwis. We talked politics, travel, and finally the conversation landed on the issue of God and religion. They were both "Universalists," especially the woman. They believe there are many ways to God, so she sort of encompassed a little bit of each religion into her belief system. She then started talking about how we are all gods and that you will find God by looking within. Instantly it made me think of Matthew 24 and the "inner rooms," and I realized she was mislead. It made me think of the lie the Serpent fed to Eve in the Garden. "You will be like God." (Gen. 3:4) She had bought into this dogma. So after listening to her talk about how God is in everything, even the metal pole and tree, I told her I disagreed and explained why YHWH is the only true God. Of course, many of the old arguments came into play, and I did my best to defend my position. I've been having debates for decades on apologetics, so my responses are pretty solid. Nevertheless, I did try to listen and understand her perspective in a loving way. In the end, we agreed to disagree, and we just laughed over a pot of tea. I've learned over the years that the only way to pass on...