Shrouded Destiny

by Richard William Bates

  George appeared not to hear him. He glanced at the note and left the lab to carry out his mission.

  Chapter 7

  RAY CUTLER POSITIONED himself behind his familiar wooden desk. It had been some time since he had appeared before the camera, but readying himself for this broadcast brought back all the familiar thrills that had once driven him. This broadcast could very well be the most important one of his career ... indeed, could be the last one of his career, he mused to himself. But he had made his decision forty-eight hours earlier and when Ray made a decision, he didn't second guess himself afterward. That was an indulgence best left to philosophers and dilettantes, and he was neither.

  The network had been promoting this “special” relentlessly for the past two days. The mere presence of Ray as the anchor meant that the broadcast would generate wide interest. Ray knew that, which was why he chose to anchor it. He had built his reputation with integrity and he was cashing it all in on this one story. All it would take would be for a few viewing the broadcast to realize that. He knew the broadcast would receive quite a bit of ridicule from certain “elite” voices. He knew also that there would be some who would take it all in with unquestioning credulity. Neither of these groups concerned him ... they never did, since they were immune to reason and common sense. He wanted to be sure the report was credible to the thinking person ... the ones who would question, mull it over, and then hopefully act on the knowledge. It was to this audience that Ray always spoke. He never talked down to anyone. He learned that from watching Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite, both of whom refused to pander to the lowest intellectual common denominator.

  "One minute, Mr. Cutler,” the floor director announced.

  The rest of the stagehands began to evacuate the set, taking their assigned places. A young lady quickly touched up his makeup.

  "Thirty seconds."

  Ray felt like a racehorse at the gate. The set grew silent. Floor lights were switched on. He heard the director calmly telling the camera crew where to position themselves through his earpiece.

  "Ok, people, quiet on the set,” the floor director commanded. “Three ... two ... one ... we're on the air."

  Ray watched the monitor just off to his left. The theme music and title for the NBS Special Report displayed. A disembodied voice announced, “This is an NBS Special Report. Live from our studios in New York, here's NBS Managing Editor, Ray Cutler.” The floor director cued him and the camera moved in to frame him from the waist up.

  "Good evening America. I'm Ray Cutler. Welcome.” He looked straight into the camera. Those who were familiar with his style immediately noticed that there was a somberness about him. Absent was the distinctive sparkle in his eyes. His mood was serious ... almost stern. He paused for just a moment before continuing.

  "I will get right to the heart of this broadcast. Tonight, we bring you a story that many of you will find hard to accept. To be sure, it is a story that should trigger skepticism, even doubt in the mind of every thinking person who views it. It is not a story we ask you to accept without question. Yet, it is a story that cannot go untold. We will be bringing you this story without any commercial interruption.

  "What you are about to see and hear will change you. Whether you accept it or not, you will never view your world the same way again. That's an ambitious claim, I realize. We will leave the truth of that statement for you to judge.

  "This story was uncovered by NBS correspondent, Susan Morgan, while in Italy covering the Vatican. As you know, recently the Shroud of Turin disappeared from its shrine in Turin. Susan Morgan was involved in a very serious automobile accident a few weeks ago in Italy. I was summoned to her bedside at that time. Her attending physician informed me that her injuries were fatal.” Ray's voice grew emotional. “As I viewed the bandaged and mangled body of this young and beautiful woman, my heart sank as I realized the doctor was right. Only her spirit and will to live had kept her alive that long."

  Ray was once again composed.

  "Against all odds, Susan Morgan survived. It was while visiting Ms. Morgan in her hospital bed that I met the man you are about to hear. His name is Antonio Angelino Sabbatini, a Roman Catholic priest. Some of you may know of him. For those of you unfamiliar with him, that will change tonight. Little is known of his background, other than he is regarded by traditional Roman Catholics as a renegade priest. The story you are about to hear is his.

  "NBS News presents Father Angelino's message uninterrupted and in its entirety. Here now, is Father Angelino."

  All around the world, the serene and kindly face of Father Angelino appeared on television screens.

  "My name is Anthony Angelino Sabbatini. You may know me merely as Angelino. I bring to you a message of warning ... and, if mankind chooses to hear it, a message of hope.

  "There is a well known Chinese ‘curse’ that goes ‘May you live in interesting times.’ Few would disagree that the times in which we live are interesting. Certain nations enjoy a prosperity beyond anything the ancients could have imagined. Yet other nations wallow in poverty and hunger. Nations rattle sabers belligerently while possessing the power to obliterate each other ten times over. The wealth of nations grows more concentrated in the hands of the few. Crime stalks the most prosperous nation on earth. In the democratic nations, the people elect scoundrels to office and then are dismayed when they behave as scoundrels.

  "Man has walked the surface of the moon yet he does not take the time to know the names of his neighbors. Surrounded by abundance, he feels the icy grip of despair strangling his very spirit. Those of you in America have a government built on the proposition that man should be allowed the pursuit of happiness. Yet happiness eludes you. Happiness is like a dandelion seed floating in the wind which defies your efforts to grasp it.

  "Man has lost his soul."

  Angelino paused for a moment and his face took on an expression that fell just short of sadness.

  "But I am rehashing things that all of you are aware of, even if that awareness might only be vaguely hovering at the fringe of your consciousness. I point them out to you so that you might consider the root of your despair as I share with you the true order of things.

  "Two thousand years ago, an event took place in the land which still retains the name Jerusalem. A being of special circumstance was born into the world. That being was named Yoshua ben Yoseff. He is known to you today as Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was born to a sect of Jews known as the Essenes, a devout group who charged themselves with a most serious purpose—they were convinced that from their number would be born the Messiah, the Anointed One. To the secular Jew, the Messiah was thought to be one who would wage a holy war against the Romans. The Essenes, however, saw the Messiah as one who would come to free all mankind from the bonds of earthly existence. Rome had reason to fear either.

  "The life and works of this extraordinary man are presumed to be well known by the major Christian and Muslim nations of the world. They are the foundation of a religious faith that, seemingly, is the driving force behind Western civilization as we know it today. The Roman Catholic Church and its titular head, the Pope, are said to be a direct line of descent from the Apostle Peter himself. It is understood that whatever differences the various Christian religions may have between them, the fundamental belief in the Divinity of Jesus is axiomatic to each of these religions.

  "This is what the world believes. And mankind is lost because of this belief."

  As if he knew the thunderous impact this statement would have when he recorded the tape, Angelino paused to let those words sink in. All around the world, disbelief, anger, and contempt toward this infidel priest registered in the hearts and minds of all true Christians. This man is surely mad!

  Angelino said with force, “You are lost because you only believe! I am about to share with you a secret that only a few people in the world know. Until Mankind decides to know rather than merely believe the truth of his existence, he will remain a slave to the forces who control
this nefarious secret.

  "There exists in the world today a secret brotherhood. This brotherhood was created after the crucifixion of Jesus. Its purpose was to fight and discredit the truths that Jesus unveiled for mankind. It was secretly formed by members of the Jewish Sanhedrin, the Jewish Council of Elders, in conjunction with the Roman government. For two thousand years, this Exalted Council of Most Highs has manipulated history with a hidden hand. Although formed by Jewish priests, it ceased being an exclusively Jewish organization within its first century of existence. I say this so that there is no misunderstanding. I do not speak of any sort of Jewish conspiracy. The conspiracy of which I speak is entirely secular in its nature, although anti-Christian in its philosophy.

  "An organization of such scope can scarcely hope to remain hidden completely. Throughout history there have been voices who have sought to expose this conspiracy. Most of those voices have only been able to lash out blindly at shadows. Two thousand years is a long time in which to learn how to hide. This Council hides where it least likely to be sought—in the open. A few people, having some vague understanding of the roots of the Most Highs, have foolishly assumed the conspiracy I alluded to a moment ago originated with the Jews. In their zeal and fanaticism, they have done a great disservice to an entire race of people. Anti-Semitism is the ugly legacy that haunts us to this day as a result of the misguided fervor of these ‘saviors’ of mankind.

  "The Exalted Council of Most Highs is composed of a small cadre—usually numbering seven—of those whose identities are kept hidden from even their agents. They influence and control a vast network of operatives, most of whom do not know the master they serve. But invisible though they be, their reach extends into the highest levels of finance, government, and international trade. In short, they influence all aspects of our world. For two thousand years, their goal has been total control. Today, they are on the brink of obtaining that control.

  "I told you that this brotherhood was created to thwart the Christ message to Mankind. You must understand the implications of that statement. To so many, Christianity is something they preach and study. Yet very few actually live it. What is taught as Christ's message today is not the core of what he taught while he walked among you. This distortion of his teachings is not accidental, nor is it the result of the distance in time from Christ's presence on earth. When your Bible was compiled in the third century, agents of the Council were present. Their influence led to the insertion and deletion of much material. As a result, a message of crystal clarity was made muddled and ambiguous.

  "However, those who understood the true message were not fools. They found many ingenious ways of hiding the truth within the very writings the Council intended to obscure the truth. Your Bible does contain these truths, although they are not always easily seen. Much of what was deleted from your Bible still exists and can be obtained with a little effort by the serious student. Even the undiluted story of Jesus’ life and works has not been destroyed. It exists and can also be found by anyone willing to seek it.

  "Sadly, the Council and its agents have been efficient and they have had many centuries in which to pollute the soul of humanity. Many of you watching this and hearing my words have already deemed them the mad ravings of a lunatic. You do not even question how you arrived at this conclusion. You just ‘know’ it to be true. You are saying to yourself, ‘If this is all true, why have we not heard this before? How is it that all of this has been hidden from us for so long?’ I tell you that you have heard it all before, but you have not heeded the warnings. You have been warned of ‘wolves in sheep's clothing,’ have you not? You have been told that love is the answer. You have been told that ‘the truth shall set you free.’ You wallow in the prison of your mind yearning that very freedom, while at the same time rejecting the message that will open the door to that very freedom you claim to desire.

  "This order of things is not accidental. That which you call ‘evil’ has a power that is seductive and subtle. It feeds upon fear and ignorance. The forces of evil need only do one thing in order to ensure the dissemination of evil. They need merely ensure that fear and ignorance are present. The things that I recounted to you at the beginning of this message are the children of fear and ignorance. Look around you. How far-reaching and ubiquitous the evils of Mankind are!

  "I must show you something now.” Angelino rose from the wingback chair and produced a bundle from behind a large wooden desk. The camera followed him.

  "You are aware that the Shroud of Turin, the cloth believed to be the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth, was taken from the basilica in Turin. It was I who took it.” As he spoke, he untied the strings wrapped around the bundle. He unfolded the long linen cloth along the floor, revealing the well-known photographically negative image.

  "I show this to you so you know that I have the Shroud. It comes into my possession not by some random act of mischief. I obtained it for a purpose. The Shroud contains the key to unraveling the obfuscation that the Council has so successfully created in the thinking of Mankind. I seek no ransom and have no intention of harming the Shroud. It will be returned once it has served its purpose.

  "The agents of the Council have deliberately nurtured doubt about the authenticity of the Shroud. I assure you that the Shroud is what it appears to be. It is authentic. But you need not believe me. Proof of that will be demonstrated very soon."

  Angelino returned to the chair and sat down once again.

  "I am now going to do something that no person has ever done. I am going to reveal to you the names and positions of some of the more highly placed agents of the Exalted Council of Most Highs. I truly wish that I could reveal to you the names of the Council members themselves, but I confess that the secret is so closely guarded that even I have not been able to penetrate it."

  * * * *

  In the Vatican, Pope Timothy and Cardinal MacArthur sat in stunned horror. Timothy looked toward MacArthur, whose face had grown ashen. This was even worse than they had feared. How could this madman be so foolish? Timothy swooned as he felt a vertigo of disbelief, confronted with something so far removed from his belief system that his mind could not properly process it. For two thousand years the secret had remained essentially hidden. It was understood that the common man would not be able to deal with the full truth. It was clear that Angelino had, indeed, gone mad. Timothy's fingers unconsciously gripped the arms of his chair tightly as Angelino proceeded to destroy his world.

  * * * *

  "Many people who oppose the Council have maintained over the centuries that the people must remain oblivious to the forces that manipulate their lives. To me, this merely reveals the extent to which the spiritual pollution has spread. When even the forces of truth wish to keep truth hidden, the victory of fear and ignorance is complete. I belong to a long line of those who vowed long ago to do what was necessary to open the door to truth, even if it were only opened a crack. Even a crack lets in light and as the Master said, the smallest of lights casts out darkness.

  "Pope Timothy I; the President of the United States, Eugene Crowley; the Chairmen of the Federal Reserve, Peter Greely; the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Donald Hurley; these men and others all work for the purposes of the Council. The affiliations follow the office, not the man. Thus all Popes, Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Federal Reserve Chairmen have been members of this cadre. One does not rise to such exalted positions without the blessings and assistance of the Council."

  * * * *

  If the planet had been able to shudder with a collective gasp of disbelief, it would have done so in that moment.

  * * * *

  "There are others, of course. To discover who they are, watch closely the activities of those I have named. They are unable to act without the collusion of their co-conspirators. You will see new significance in even the most seemingly ordinary actions of these men. To the world press and media: I challenge you to do your duty, despite the efforts of those within your ranks who will work to obst
ruct you.

  "I know that many, if not most, of you hearing my words will disregard them as the ramblings of an aging, deluded crackpot. You do so at your own peril. Before this tape is rewound, efforts will begin to support that view. Those efforts will be quite successful.

  "So why, you may ask, have I even bothered to risk what little reputation I may have left? The answer is simple. The truth shall set you free. In the coming weeks, events are going to unfold that will make even the most skeptical among you begin to question the foundations of the beliefs you have taken as being beyond questioning. As the truth of my words becomes known and accepted, chaos will follow. It is that very chaos that my colleagues have always sought to protect mankind from. By protecting you, we have demonstrated our own lack of faith in the spirit of Man. It is time to allow Man to establish his own destiny ... time for Man to uncover his own true nature ... time for Man to put aside fear and ignorance. It is time for Man to evolve. This will not come without a price, however ... a very severe price.

  "There is more to my story however. Secrets beget secrets. As the forces of darkness were creating their cabal of agents, the keepers of Truth did not sleep. The Twelve Apostles took countermeasures to mute the dealings of those who were working to destroy the message of their beloved Christ. They did so at the behest of the Master, Himself. Did it not ever strike you as interesting that the number of apostles coincided with the number of the tribes of Israel—twelve? This was not by accident. Nothing that Jesus did was ever coincidental or accidental. The Master culled his ministry from each of the twelve traditional tribes. By the time of Jesus’ birth, much of the traditional history of the Israelites had been lost. Nevertheless, more existed to Jesus contemporaries than exists for us today. Enough existed that Jesus was able to establish the historic ancestry of each of those he chose to follow him. This, again, was done with a greater purpose in mind. Jesus intended that each of his apostles would carry his teachings with them to the twelve tribes.