by T. M. Meek
Each of the research staff Linda hired was given their own office space to use on the same floor across the hall from the meeting room they used to discuss the scroll. As Robert headed over to his part-time office down the hall, he was stopped by Eve.
“Do you have a minute?”
“Eve! I’m so glad to see you!” He said enthusiastically. His keys jangled as he moved to unlock his office. “You will never believe what Samuel just gave me a few minutes ago. This will knock your socks off!"
“Have you seen Ananias?” Eve asked warily. But Robert was too excited to really listen. He was so excited to have someone else to share the cool news with.
“You’ve got to hear this.” He had a piece of paper in his hands. “Samuel gave me some quotes from the Founding Fathers about their beliefs about God. Here, listen to this.” Eve smiled patiently and listened. “There was a belief among some in the earliest times of America that the pure religion of Biblical Christianity would be restored right here in the United States! Listen to this quote.” He began reading straight from the paper in his hand that Samuel had given him.
“This is a quote from a well-known minister named Jonathan Edwards. He said, ‘God presently goes about doing some great thing in order to make way for the introduction of the church’s latter-day glory ––which is to have its first seat in, and to rise from [this] new world.’
“That’s great but…” Eve tried to steer him back to her concern but Robert wouldn’t be distracted.
“Wait. Hold up. Hold up.” His eagerness was contagious as Eve gave in and listened. “That was from God’s New Israel as written by Conrad Cherry, p. 57. There’s more. This is sooo cool! Edwards later said, ‘I think ––if we consider the circumstances of the settlement of New England–– it must needs appear the most likely of all American colonies to be the place whence this work shall principally take its rise.’ That was from page 59 of that same writing by Cherry.”
“Really?” Eve was starting to see just how important the quotes were. He had her full attention.
“And one more cool quote! This is amazing!” Robert was absolutely beaming with excitement. “Thomas Jefferson believed the same ideas. He was convinced that America would be the place where the restoration of the true Gospel would occur. But… and get this… he was afraid he would die before he could see it all fulfilled. He said, ‘If the freedom of religion…can…prevail, the genuine doctrines of Jesus…will again be restored to their original purity. This… will advance with the other improvements of the human mind, but too late for me to witness it.’ That’s from The Writings of Thomas Jefferson by Albert Ellery Bergh back in 1907 when he quoted Jefferson from a much earlier letter to a Jaret Sparks, cit 15:288, which was more recently quoted in The Real Thomas Jefferson, written by Andrew Allison, p.366. It comes from the National Center for Constitutional Studies. Isn’t that just… off the charts cool? Do you know what that means?” His enthusiasm was bursting with joy.
“Well I know that the word restore means to bring something back into its original purity, back to its original form.” Eve thought out loud. She began to realize just how huge that would be. She knew it would be one of the biggest events in world history. “Twelve apostles? Twelve prophets called of Christ to keep going? Just as Christ had started before…”
“Before the apostasy.” Robert smiled as he finished her sentence. “Could you imagine how cool an actual restoration by Christ Himself would be in today’s modern times?” He was nearly giddy at the thought.
Eve was taken aback. “That would definitely be very, very cool.”
“Where you trying to ask me about something before?”
Eve was so lost in awe that it took her a moment to remember what she had asked earlier. But she soon remembered. “Have you seen Ananias?”
“No. As a matter of fact, I haven’t. Why do you ask?”
“Don’t you think it’s interesting how he hardly ever has anything to contribute?”
Robert opened up his door and flipped on the light switch. “Maybe he’s just a man of few words.” He shrugged it off.
“You’re going to tell me that a man that began his own tour to give speeches to help people feel accepted and to live life the way they want to…you’re telling me such a man wouldn’t have much to say?” Eve chuckled sarcastically.
Robert sat his laptop bag on his desk and put his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know. Maybe he’s resting his voice from talking so much at his normal job of speaking to his…flock.”
Eve folded her arms across her chest. “Really?”
“What?”
“Do you really think that?”
Robert let out a heavy sigh as he half-smiled and asked, “Look. What are you trying to say?”
Eve let her arms drop as she approached Robert’s desk to talk more quietly. “When my gut tells me something is wrong I listen to it.” Eve waited a moment before continuing to see if Robert understood. “I feel like something isn’t right about Ananias. He’s the only one Linda didn’t invite, he hears about her creating a group…us,… and then suddenly he’s asking to be a part of it yet he’s not acting like he wants to be a part of it.” Eve waited for any reply from Robert but he remained quiet. “Just think about it. That’s all I’m suggesting. The man found out about Linda asking us to join her. How? She made a specific point to keep that information private and out of the news until she was ready to publicly announce the building of her museum. And anyone who really wants to help Linda are those that are giving their best ideas, their best research efforts. He just sits and… sneers.”
“Okay. I’m not going to deny that the guy gives me the creeps for reasons I can’t explain. But I could be wrong.” Robert said as he held out one hand in front of his chest as if to stop her in advance if she might want to interrupt him.
“What are the chances that two people in her group are getting the same bad vibes from this guy? Hmm? What are the chances?” she asked warily. Robert just nodded hesitantly that she had a good point. His hand had dropped and he rapped a knuckle on his desk and looked down as he thought. He shook his head and looked back up at Eve.
“Right now we don’t have any proof he’s a problem. We would need more than just a gut feeling if we’re going to correct… whatever the problem is. So until then, let’s just stick to business.”
“I agree.” Eve nodded discreetly before she began to leave the room.
“By the way…” He had a thought. “Did you get that list of churches Linda said she was going to e-mail all of us?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to ask my I.T. guy.”
Robert looked confused. “Your I. T. guy? Why? Is there a problem with your computer?”
Eve stopped at the door and turned to face him. “I pay good money to protect my computer from hackers.” She said point blank. “Someone hacked my computer but this was no ordinary hacker. Whoever did it meant business because I’ve paid an enormous amount of money for the kind of cyber protection I use and this person was able to get around it. Whoever did this can afford to hire the kinds of black market help to do so if he doesn’t know how to do it himself.”
Robert looked in shock. “Oh no.” He mumbled.
“What?” Eve studied his face.
Robert pointed at his computer with one hand as he wiped his face down with his other hand. “My computer must have been hacked too because there was a modification to a file I had about some churches I had begun to study up on before Linda suggested her list. I called a friend of mine who’s a techie like no other ––an expert of the experts–– and he confirmed I’d been hacked but I refused to believe him.”
“Do you think it’s related to what we’re doing for Linda? I mean… why? It’s just research.”
“If it’s just research, then why did Spence tell me he was having computer problems? Somehow his laptop has a virus and he’s worried that the other computers back at his lab also have it. And would it surprise you to learn that the p
roblem he noticed originated with the work he’s doing with us for Linda?”
“But why would research about the mysteries of God be so important to anyone enough to commit the crime of hacking someone’s computer?”
Robert thought deeply for a moment before answering. “Apparently we’re about to learn something someone doesn’t want us to know.”
Eve scoffed. “You think we’re going to stumble upon information that… exposes someone? Like exposing them for fraud?”
“You can’t have false prophets without them counterfeiting the real thing.”
“So then you’re saying there must be real prophets of God alive today?” She asked just before her jaw dropped. “Oh my…the only way that could even be possible is for Jesus Christ to personally…
“Restore His church Himself.” Robert finished her sentence again almost mumbling it in awe. He sat down behind his desk in shock.
“There’s no other way to have true prophets, real prophets alive today. And that’s exactly how He has always worked.” Eve said. She looked at Robert and he agreed. Then he realized something more.
“Only a false prophet would be afraid of the real thing.” Robert was deadly serious as he looked Eve straight in the eye. She leaned back against the wall for a moment as if to keep herself from fainting over the realization of what the implications could be for their honest interests into the mysteries of God.
“And that would definitely be the ultimate exposure.” She sighed heavily.
“I think we may just find out.”
Chapter 17: Innocent Trouble for Alex and Leena