by Dan Arnold
“This is something you must trust me for. What harm will it do if I go in first?”
“It’s OK with me,” Jake said.
Ruben shook his head, scowling.
“I don’t understand any of this. What are you talking about? What’s all about priests, Levi’s line and special training.”
“The tradition is that only Levites can be priests. Only the High Priest has the honor of making the annual sin offering by sprinkling the blood of a lamb on the Mercy Seat. That is the lid on top of the Ark of the Covenant. No one else is allowed to touch the Ark. Do I understand that correctly, David?” Jake asked.
David nodded.
“Oh, come on, man. You don’t really believe all that. Do you?” Lorenzo asked.
David shot him a dark look.
Jake held up a hand.
“David, the thing is this; there hasn’t been a proper sin offering since Nebuchadnezzar’s army destroyed the first Temple and the Ark disappeared. That was almost three thousand years ago. There hasn’t even been a Temple since the Romans destroyed the last one in 70 AD. What makes you think it will change now?”
David smiled.
“It’s the Ark. We’ve got it back. The Temple will be rebuilt and the ancient Kingdom of Israel will be restored.”
Ruben crossed his arms.
“Now I’m sure you’ve lost your mind. Why is it that everything that happens in this country has some sort of religious implication or ridiculous political overtones?”
“It’s Israel, Ruben. Wake up.”
“David, I understand what you’re saying. The Torah states that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. Atonement was achieved through sacrifice. That’s why the Levitical priesthood was so important. As a Christian I believe that the old sacrificial system was surpassed by Jesus. He is the Lamb of God. His blood is the sacrificial sin offering, once, and for all. Jesus died so we can live in a restored relationship with God.”
“Yeah, so I’ve heard. It’s blasphemy. The point is; I’m going in there first.”
Jake shrugged.
“As I said, it’s OK with me. Do you have an objection, Ruben?”
“Yes, I object to this entire line of conversation. Our job is to find the thing and haul it out of here. That’s it and that’s all.”
Jake looked at Lorenzo.
“I’m with Ruben, but I don’t care who goes in first,” he added.
Ruben threw his hands in the air.
“Fine, once we breach the wall, you can go in first, David. Does that satisfy you?”
David smiled and ducked his head in a mock bow.
Jake said, “Now that we’ve settled the issue of who goes in first, let’s talk about how we open the wall.”
“I guess Semtex is out of the question,” Ruben said, looking up at the ceiling.
“Yeah, pretty much. Let’s all go to work on the surface of the wall. If you find plaster, scrape it away. I want to try to find the opening as it was when Morty left the Ark in the chamber.”
Lorenzo grinned and said, “Now, that sounds like a plan. It’s about time somebody said something useful.”
The four men used their knives to scrape and chip away painted plaster from the surface of the tunnel wall. The joinery of the stones beneath the plaster began to emerge.
As they worked, Ruben said, “So, tell me, David, how do you and your friends plan to rebuild the Temple? The Al Aqsa Mosque is sacred ground for many if not all Muslims. Because of the Dome of the Rock, the Temple Mount is currently under the exclusive control of Muslims. They aren’t going to let a bunch of Hebrew Nationalists march up there and build a temple to YAWEH.”
“All that will change once we have the Ark of the Covenant.”
Jake didn’t want to say it, but he felt it was important to remind everyone.
“You’re forgetting something, David. Once I hide it, none of you will know where it is.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Jake glanced at Ruben. In the gloom his face was inscrutable. Could the man be trusted to help him complete his mission?
A glance at Lorenzo elicited only a shrug.
Jake turned back to David.
“You mentioned you’d been training to become the new High Priest. Does your Great Uncle Mordechai know about it?”
“No. He wouldn’t understand. He’s a man of science. He has no interest in religion.”
“He might have an interest in a group of people who intend to overthrow and restructure the existing political, cultural and religious makeup of the nation of Israel.”
“You make it sound like we’re anarchists. That’s…irrational. We’re just a different type of Zionists. We want to see the Kingdom of Israel restored.”
“A kingdom needs a king.”
“Yes, it does. In this case it will have to be someone from the House of David.”
Jake pondered that answer for a moment. From one perspective it was accurate. The Bible made it clear that the future King of Israel would be a descendant of King David. On the other hand, there was something about this David’s attitude that suggested a different perspective. It was too disturbing to contemplate.
Once he stepped back away from the wall, Jake was able to make out the outline of where the previous wall had been breached and the stones put back in place. The painted plaster was so well crafted; it had obscured the existence of the actual structure of the wall. The finished opening into the hidden chamber would be roughly five feet wide by five feet tall.
“OK, that about does it,” he said. ”We’ll start removing one stone at a time, from the top down. It’s imperative we don’t touch or loosen the trip wire. Everyone understand?”
The three men nodded.
“Before we make the final approach, I just want to say how humbleded I am to be here at this moment. I know it means something different to each of us, but we’ve come here together under a significant threat and overcome some serious obstacles. I’m honored to know you men. Does anyone else have something they’d like to say?”
Lorenzo raised his hand.
“You have the floor, Lorenzo.”
“Good, thank you, Jake. I’d just like to say, shut up, so we can get back to work and get out of here.”
Everyone laughed.
Jake held up a hand. He pointed at David with the other one.
“David, you may have the honor of loosening and removing the first stone. But, before you do, there’s something you should know.”
David frowned.
“What is it?”
“Your training to become the High Priest has been incomplete.”
“…In what way?”
“You haven’t washed since you’ve been down in these tunnels. You’ve touched a dead body, and you ate beef stroganoff. Beef stroganoff is meat cooked in milk. What time is it?”
Ruben glanced at the luminous face of his watch.
“Almost eight o’clock in the evening. Why?”
“What day is it?”
“Friday.”
“Sure, it’s Friday here, but in Australia it’s already Saturday. For a big part of the world it’s the Sabbath. We only have one planet, so you’re working on the Sabbath. All of these things make you ceremonially unclean. Before you touch the Ark, you might want to think about that.”
Ruben hid a smile behind a gloved hand, but Lorenzo laughed out loud.
David looked like he’d been poleaxed.
“If you want to live under the law, David, be prepared to die under the law. Now, go ahead and loosen that top stone.”
Fifteen
The three older men watched as David began prying around the edges, loosening the top stone with his knife. The hand chiseled rock was about half a meter wide and a foot tall. It took some time and effort, but he was eventually able to grasp the edges with his finger tips to loosen it further. Soon he could grip it with both hands and, after considerable heavy breathing; it came free of the wall.
In a rush of sudden fear, everyone looked up at the ceiling.
“I’m sorry; it was heavier than it looked.”
“I think we’re OK, but from now on two men will set the stones on the floor of the tunnel.” Jake said.
David was peering through the opening he’d created, holding his light next to his head.
“Something’s wrong! I don’t see anything in there.”
Jake said, “Let’s move another couple of stones out of the way so we can all get a good look.”
He and David pulled at a slab on the left while Ruben and Lorenzo pulled at the stone next to it. With four men pulling, the two stones quickly slipped free.
Once the men set them on the floor of the tunnel they all shone their lights into the chamber.
It was just as Professor Horowitz described it to Jake, a small rectangular space, about eight feet wide, maybe ten feet long and nearly filled with debris. A space just large enough for the Ark had been cleared at the center of the chamber. It was about five feet wide, two meters long and allowed about two meters of clearance from the base to the top of the concavity of the collapsed ceiling.
The space was empty. The Ark was not there!
For a second all four men were frozen in stunned silence.
“Is this the right place?” David croaked.
Jake dropped to sit on the tunnel floor with his eyes closed. All he could manage by way of response was a sad nod of his head.
“Where is it?” Ruben asked the question they were all thinking.
Jake shook his head.
“I have no idea.”
No sooner had he said it, than a sudden loud thud emanated from the far side of the chamber.
All four men shone their lights inside. The far wall of the chamber shuddered and bulged toward them as another thundering impact struck it. Small chinks appeared around several of the rocks in the wall.
Jake knew they should flee, but he was fascinated to see who or what was breaking through the wall.
Dust arose as the far wall was breached, several stones falling into the chamber. Huge spotlights flooded the chamber, nearly blinding the four men peering inside.
Was it survival instinct, divine guidance, or combat experience that prompted the four men to turn and run into the bend of the tunnel?
Looking back over his shoulder, Jake saw another set of lights approaching from far down the tunnel behind them.
All he could think of was to yell one word.
“Run!”
Evidently it was unnecessary because all four of them were dashing around the bend as fast as their feet would carry them.
They skidded to a stop behind Lorenzo. He was shining his light on the floor looking for the brass base of the first cartridge marking the safe passage between the pits. They all saw it at the same time.
“Go,” Ruben said, turning back with his assault rifle coming up. Lorenzo and David followed his example.
Jake didn’t argue, he squeezed past Lorenzo and ran across the narrow track. On the far side he knelt, bringing his pistol out of the holster while shining his light on the track for Lorenzo.
Lorenzo had just accomplished the crossing, with David right behind him, when a mighty, thunderous crash resounded around the bend.
As Ruben started across, a wall of dust and debris hurtled around the corner behind him. It hit them so fast, it blinded and choked everyone. Jake felt someone crash into him and they both fell to the floor of the tunnel. It felt as if the air was raining dirt.
When Jake opened his eyes, he could see the beam of a flashlight a few inches from his face. It revealed only a halo of swirling dust.
The only sound was that of men choking and retching. Realizing this, they all held their breath for a moment struggling to find something to breathe through that might help filter out the dust.
“Wha, what, happened?” Lorenzo managed.
“Are we all accounted for?” Ruben’s muffled voice was only a couple of feet from Jake, but he couldn’t be seen in the thick darkness.
“I’m OK,” David wheezed.
“I’m here.” Jake said.
For a moment there was total silence. It was soon punctuated with more coughing.
“We need to move,” Ruben said.
“Roger that,” Jake agreed.
As he struggled to get up, he bumped into someone. A firm grip helped steady him.
“You alright?” Ruben asked.
Jake’s torch revealed a hideous grey creature with bloodshot eyes blinking at him through a fog of dust. The voice was the only indicator it was Ruben.
Jake coughed.
Ruben called out, “Lorenzo, you’re ahead of us. Show a light.”
The dust glowed to Jake’s right, indicating Lorenzo’s position. The dust and darkness was completely disorienting. Jake had no idea which direction he was facing.
Immediately, all around him was the sound of rustling. He recognized it as the sound of men searching through their backpacks.
“Here, put these on,” Ruben said, tapping him on the arm.
Looking down, Jake saw a gloved hand holding a pair of goggles. He took them, slipping them on over his head. It didn’t improve his vision, but at least it would help keep some of the dust out of his eyes.
A light flicked on beside him.
Another grey shape was briefly silhouetted, before the light swept away to become little more than a weak beacon shining a beam through the dust. The beam struck the back of another grey monster a few feet away. It was someone with his hand on the wall of the tunnel, coughing.
The thing turned its helmeted head and said, “I’ll lead off. I think the next pit is only about ten paces ahead of me.”
“OK, Lorenzo. Go slow. We need to all stay together.” Ruben said. “David, you follow Lorenzo. Jake you’re behind him. I’ll bring up the rear.”
Jake’s light found what he assumed must be David as he loomed in front of him. Through the swirling dust he could just make out the shape of a helmet and backpack.
There was no way to know how long they traveled that way. Somehow they found the first pit trap and straddled across it. At some point they struggled over the debris of the collapsed section of tunnel. By then the dust had settled enough they could all see each other in the glow of their torches.
They continued on without talking. Jake’s vision became so obscured he feared he was going blind. It was a relief to realize his goggles were simply dust covered. He took them off.
When they found themselves at the first broken and breached wall, they picked up the pace, knowing fresher air would soon be found.
Upon reaching the second opening in the wall of the tunnel that led to the cave, they stopped to rest, flush out their eyes with water and and breathe deeply of the fresh night air.
Four men entirely covered in thick grey dust sat on the floor of the tunnel with their backs against the wall.
“What happened?” Lorenzo repeated the question he’s asked earlier.
Jake answered, “There was another group coming up the tunnel from the other direction. They may have run into the trigger wire, or whoever breached the chamber wall might’ve caused the cave in. Either way, it doesn’t matter, the whole tunnel must’ve collapsed. The Ark wasn’t there.”
“I don’t understand. Where is it?” David asked.
“That’s the age old question, isn’t it?” Jake said.
“But it was there!”
“Sure, but it’s gone now. The funny thing is, we weren’t the only one’s trying to find it. At least one other group thought it was there.”
“They weren’t very subtle, were they?” Ruben asked.
“No, but they were well equipped.”
“This is all wrong. We were all set to rebuild the Temple. Now we can’t.” David was stuck. “Now what do we do?”
“David, when Jesus said; ‘Tear down this Te
mple and in three days I will rebuild it.’ He wasn’t referring to the physical building. He was referring to himself.
In ancient times the Temple was believed to be the dwelling place of the Spirit of God. Jesus turned that notion on its head. He was saying that the fullness of the Godhead dwelt within him. After his death by crucifixion, he rose from the dead on the third day. When he ascended into heaven, he promised he would send the Holy Spirit to indwell his people.
There is no need for a Temple any longer and no need for the Ark of the Covenant. We can approach the throne of God by grace through faith.”
“That’s more blasphemy! Jesus was crucified because he was a blasphemer, just like you. We’ll find the Ark of the Covenant and when we do, you’ll see. We’re going to restore the Temple and then we’ll re-establish the Kingdom of Israel.”
“Time will tell, David.”
Lorenzo spat and said, “Whatever! Stop it. I’ve heard enough of this. My question is: What are the four of us supposed to do now?”
“Morty said I would tell you when it was time to go back to your normal lives. Well gentlemen, I think this is that time.”
Ruben held up a hand.
“Listen, do you hear that?” He asked.
Jake became aware of the sounds they’d all been hearing in the far distance. He’d chocked it up to the normal sounds of nightlife in a vibrant city.
“Sirens, and… that’s automatic weapons fire.” Ruben said.
Sixteen
Ruben, Lorenzo and David rolled to their feet, weapons ready. All of them were caked in dust, their faces streaked and muddy from rinsing out their eyes. The sound of gunfire was more distinct now, suggesting it might be drawing closer.
Ruben didn’t like it.
“Something’s happening out there. It sounds pretty intense. Our exit may be blocked if we hang around in here. We’d better get out while we can.
“David, you have our six. Lorenzo and I are going to go into the cave first, if nothing happens, Jake, you follow us in there. Give me the truck keys. If they way is clear, we’ll make a run for it.”
Jake couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Was the whole world going crazy?