Omar had no time to properly bury his grandfather. He left it to other members of the family. His oldest brother maintained a business and had a family. Omar asked Mustafa to take care of the arrangements. Mustafa was even-tempered like his grandfather and understood Omar’s predicament. He had never shown jealousy over the favoritism shown to Omar. He would take care of matters.
In the early morning, at the time of pre-dawn prayers, Omar slipped out to see his grandfather’s body and confess his love and respect for him. Instead of two bodyguards, he allowed four to accompany him. He did not know if his other assistants had taken out his brothers yet, and he did not want to find out for a while. He would not be able to look his eldest brother in the eye if Mustafa found out about Daran and Saiim at this time. In war, that loss would be just what happens. But, in a family honoring the patriarch, the death of younger men would not sit well.
Grandfather was laid out in a grand room. The body guards remained outside the door. Omar went in and stood still by his grandfather. The emotions rose up and Omar tried to stuff them down. Respect was all he needed to show, not feelings. Grandfather might even frown on emotions. Still they rose up and leaked out his eyes. He could taste the grief. What would he do, now? Grandfather was his strength.
Omar began to shake and fell to one knee. The tears were flowing freely now. You are my help, Grandfather. You are my strength. I owe everything to you, Grandfather. How will I be able to lead well? You had my back. You were my main advisor. I will trust Allah. I’m anointed by Allah, now, aren’t I?
Omar found himself on all fours, overcome by grief. I don’t have time for this. I will grieve another day. I must go.
The room seemed foggy. He wiped his eyes, chiding himself for being so emotional. Then the shivers began.
Omar closed his eyes and shook himself. He stood up and found himself face to face with the King.
“Noooo! I am alive and well. I do not need to see you. I don’t need to talk to you.”
“Your grandfather loved you Omar. He loved you intensely.”
“I know that.”
“I love you more.”
“That’s preposterous. You are a hater. You don’t exist. Don’t talk to me.”
“Look where your grandfather is, Omar.”
There before him was the black cloud again. As it thinned, the pit became visible. Flames flew out trying to lap at Omar. He jumped back. Cries of anguish arose from the pit. Then Omar heard it. His grandfather’s voice. It held fear and pain. Grandfather was calling Omar’s name.
Omar shook and walked to the edge of the pit. A look of hope briefly crossed Grandfather’s face. “Omar, Omar, listen to him, listen to the King. Omar, we were wrong. This is not paradise. It is the place the Christians call hell. Omar, we were wrong. Forgive me Omar. Believe this man. Do not come here. Do not let your brothers come here. Follow Him, Omar. He loves you. He will guide you.”
“No, no, this is a trick. This is not true. My brothers must have drugged me. I am hallucinating. This is not happening.”
Grandfather extended his hands toward Omar. “It is not a hallucination. Your brothers do not know that you sent out your assistants to kill them. I did not know that until I got here. I know also that you put Mustafa in charge of honoring me. Am I not telling you the truth?”
“Of course, that’s true, but this is a hallucination of my mind. I know all that, so you know it.”
“Well, you don’t know this. Your brothers got word of my death and turned back. They encountered your vigilantes and killed them. They are arriving in a few minutes with every intention to murder you. That is not in your mind. Listen to this King. He is the true God. Follow him, son, follow Him. You don’t want to come here.”
The flames got hotter and higher and the black cloud rose up as well. Omar fell back, and the room returned. He took a deep breath and looked around. There was his grandfather lying without life where he had been before. Good, this is over. I must leave if my brothers are here. Thank you, Allah, for letting me know.
“No, Omar, it wasn’t Allah, it was me. Come with me, Omar. I will once more save your life. Your brothers are here.”
Omar wanted to protest but heard the struggle outside and knew his body guards and his brothers were clashing.
The King walked over to Omar and guided him over to another wall. Omar wondered if he would have to punch the wall out, but before he could prepare himself, they passed through the wall, then another and another. They were outside, and he saw his car and driver, but the driver was dead. The King waved his hand and Omar was back in his headquarters in his safe room.
The King sat down. “Now, Omar, you are safe from your brothers. They will be shaken that you are nowhere to be found as there is no other way out of that room. And you have a message for them when you next see them.”
“What?” Omar was confused. He did not feel strong or safe or even sane.
“Your grandfather told you to tell them to follow me.”
“They want to kill me. I need to kill them. I have work to do. I murder your followers.”
The King frowned. “I know. That’s one reason I’m here. You will not murder one more follower of mine. Their blood cries out to me.”
The shivers began again. The room became foggy. Omar saw a screen, like a TV, but bigger, vibrating. It seemed alive. On it he saw the city of Mosul. He saw Christians being thrown from their homes, heads being cut off, hands being cut off. And he heard their cries. “Father God, Lord Jesus, deliver us, set us free, make this stop. We praise You. We trust You.”
Omar sneered. “Their cries are unanswered. We will not stop. These people are unnecessary. You didn’t help them.”
“They are in the true paradise now. Heaven is a glorious place. And many Christians have escaped your henchmen. Look here.”
The scene changed slightly. Omar recognized it as a rocky area outside of Mosul. It was as if there was a remote control in his hand and he zoomed in. He saw Christians being led by IDF soldiers into a tunnel.
“No! That can’t be happening. How did IDF get in there? Why should they care?”
“The IDF are well able to locate tunnels with their new technology. They care for anyone suffering.”
Omar’s countenance returned to the sneer. “Well, thanks for showing me that. I’ll let my men know. We can close that up quickly.”
“Your phone doesn’t work, Omar.”
Omar quickly pulled out his phone. ‘No Service’ blinked off and on. He swiped and tapped, turned it off and back on, got up and walked around the room. Nothing changed.
“Sit down, Omar.”
He obeyed. He looked at the King. “You said the Christians in Mosul were one reason you were here. What are the others?”
“Oh, this is one of my favorites.” The King actually rubbed His hands together. The screen returned.
There was the little restaurant in Door County where he and Tassie ate breakfast. The young man stood with hands on each of their shoulders and prayed, “Dear Jesus, bring them to You.”
Omar shook his head and looked at the King.
“I love to answer his prayers. Simple faith. That’s what he has. That’s all it takes.”
Omar narrowed his eyes. “That kid is just a . . . ”
It was like a lightning strike. Pulling back, Omar felt a singe on his lips. He felt the King’s eyes boring through him.
“You will not deride my people, especially him, ever again.”
Opening his mouth, Omar had a retort. Nothing came out. He tried to make his mouth speak. His voice was gone. With wide eyes, he looked at the King.
“It’s time to listen one more time, Omar. I have plans for you. Your grandfather had plans for you. You have plans for you. Your grandfather knows now that his plans and your plans are wrong. You have touched My people, Jews and Christians alike. If you read My book, you will find out that I win. It’s time for you to make the right choice, Omar. I set before you life and death. Choose life,
Omar.”
The King stood and walked over to Omar. Glorious colors and shafts of light flowed from His being and filled the room. Warmth and love embraced Omar. He saw himself walking down a street with a beautiful woman and three children. They entered a building filled with people and music. Omar and this family began singing with the group, lifting their hands in praise. To his surprise, he then got up and began reading from the Bible and talking to the people.
The vision faded. Then he saw himself standing before the men he was with the day before. He was once again ordering planes shot down, people killed, armies to advance, rockets to fly. His brothers walked in and he shot them. Shortly thereafter his cousin arrived. Omar went to greet him, and his cousin shot him. Then the flames were licking at him. His grandfather cried out, “Omar, did you not hear me? Did you not tell your brothers? Did you not listen to the King? Oh, Omar, my son, why did you not listen? You always listened before? Now we will all live in this agony forever.” Cries of agony echoed off the walls that were covered with scorpion looking creatures. Pain filled his body.
Omar waited for the vision to fade as the first one did. It did not. The heat, the pain, the regret, and agony continued to build in and around him. He looked around for the King. Why didn’t He stop this and tell him to make a choice again? He had no voice and he could not call out. He began to tremble. Perhaps this was it. Perhaps he had been killed. Perhaps this was actually happening. Fear engulfed him. Grandfather lay on the floor of this awful place writhing in agony.
Omar fell to his knees to help Grandfather. No matter how hard he tried he could not reach him, could not touch him. Only inches away, he could not get there, he could not help the only person he truly loved.
Why? Why? Why can’t I get there? Why isn’t this ending?
Nothing. Please, please, King, get me out of this. Omar placed his forehead on the floor. “I choose life. I don’t understand all this. But I will follow you. I do not want to be here. I want life. Please help me, King Jesus. Forgive me.”
The heat lessened. The flames disappeared. His grandfather saw him leaving and whispered, “Yes, yes, thank you, son. Follow the King. Tell your brothers. Don’t come here. Live, son, live.”
Omar called back. “I will, Grandfather. I will live. I will tell my brothers. Thank you.” His voice was back. The room was clear. The King stood before him.
“Omar Tugani, I will now live inside you. I will never leave or forsake you. I will give you wisdom that you could never attain on your own. I will first guide you safely out of here. You will encounter your brothers in a few days and you will share with them. They will make their own choice whether to follow me or not. Pray for them as the young man prayed for you. Your most important mission now is to assist the U.S. and Israel in stopping the plans that you have set in motion.”
Omar listened and then looked down. “I am to betray my people?”
“Omar, your people have chosen a path of death. You will stop as much of the evil as you can, and you will help them choose life.”
“They will kill me.”
The King smiled. “If they do, you have seen where you will go. Heaven is quite nice. But, Omar, I have great plans for you, and you will not die anytime soon.”
The next day, the remaining half of Damascus and most of Syria was destroyed by an earthquake.
CHAPTER 25
PRESENT DAY, ISRAEL
The earthquake shook everything right before dawn. Tassie had just rolled over in bed and almost fell out. Barely catching herself, she swung her feet out and stood up. She allowed herself to fall back on to the bed which felt like a raft in the water. Cups, glasses, bowls clattered to the floor in the kitchen.
Dear God, please keep my parents safe.
Just as quickly as it began, it stopped. Sirens sounded in the distance. She waited a few moments to see if the rocking would start once more, and then grabbed her robe and placed her arms in the sleeves. She walked into the kitchen as she tied the belt of her robe and found Sally Goldman picking up bits of glass and pottery.
“Be careful, Tassie, there’s broken glass.” She smiled through sleepy eyes. Tassie liked how her hair was down on her shoulders and somewhat in her face. Sally kept pushing it behind her ears, but every time she bent over to pick up another item, the hair came loose again. As she stood up, she blew some hair out of her face. With hands full, she set the broken pieces on the counter. “Are you okay, Tassie? We don’t have too many earthquakes. We both almost fell out of bed.”
“I almost did, too. I’ve never been in one before.”
“We’ve had a few tremors. This was stronger. We know there’s a big fault under Israel. That’s where our oil well is.” Sally stopped. Her free hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my, I wonder if the oil well survived. Harvey needs to check that if he hasn’t already.” She turned toward their bedroom and called. “Harvey! Harvey!”
Tassie waved her hand. “Go check. I’ll pick this up, and I know where the broom is.”
“Thank you, Tassie.”
Tassie heard Sally’s voice all the way down the hall calling out to Harvey.
She dumped the last dustpan full after sweeping the whole kitchen when Sally returned. Tassie waited for Sally to say something. She didn’t. “Sally, is everything okay?”
“Harvey says, ‘You think I didn’t think about the well. Of course, I think. I worry. Of course, I call. And you know what?’ So, I said, ‘Of course I don’t know what. So, what?’ And he says, ‘So what! You ask me so what? You don’t care what happens? Did you hit your head?’ So, I said, ‘Of course I didn’t hit my head. You asked me if I know what, so I ask you what. Tell me what, Harvey.’”
Tassie placed both hands on Sally’s shoulders. “Sally, tell me what happened.”
“Well, he told me. I love that man, but when he goes on like that, I know why I came to Israel and let him make the choice whether or not to come. Do I love him? Of course, I do, but when he won’t answer a simple question . . . ”
Tassie shook Sally’s shoulders. “Sally, tell me if the oil well is all right.”
Sally stepped back and pushed her hair behind her ears. “Well, let me tell you, Tassie.”
Where’s the crevice. I’m going to jump in. Tassie hung her head.
“They’re having a gusher, Tassie. Not only is the well just fine, but the earthquake must have jarred something loose or opened up the artery. Fortunately, the night crew was still there, and the morning crew was just arriving. We have two wells there, Tassie. One had quit and that’s when we thought it was all over.
“Then Grandfather found the bottle and drilled right there. It looks right now like that well is going to produce sixty percent more, and the other one that we thought was defunct is looking like it will be fifty percent by the end of the day, and who knows how much more than that. The night crew is on one rig and the day crew is on the other. Harvey is already calling in those who have wanted to work for us. Apparently, there are only a few disruptions with traffic, so they should be able to get the extra help.”
Sally paused and looked around. “Oh, Tassie, you cleaned it all up. Thank you so much.”
There was a yell from Harvey in the bedroom. “Sally, Tassie, get in here, you must see this.” A clatter followed along with another yell. “It’s okay, I’m okay, just knocked the chair over. Hurry, hurry.”
Tassie chased Sally into the room. Harvey stood with one hand on the chair he had picked up and the other hand on the remote. He stood in rumpled night clothes staring at the TV. “The Dome of the Rock . . . it’s . . . it’s . . . ” He turned and looked at the women. “It’s gone, Sally. The earthquake swallowed it.”
“Oh my.” Sally’s hand went to her heart and she moved slowly to the chair next to her husband and gingerly sat down. “I don’t think I can breathe.”
Tassie ran to her. “Sally, shall I call for help. I’ll get my phone. Is it 911 here?”
“No, no, I’m all right. I’m just so stunned. God A
lmighty, blessed be He, has removed the Dome of the Rock, the place we could not approach, that we could not go.” She turned and grabbed her husband’s hand. “Does this mean we can go there, that we can rebuild the Temple?”
Harvey said nothing for a full minute. “Can we rebuild? Do I know? I do not know. How could I know? Who am I? Sally, Sally, call your uncle. The rabbi will know.”
“Yes, yes, I will do that.” But neither of them moved.
Tassie stood transfixed with the Goldmans watching the television video of the place of the Temple Mount. It wasn’t a pile of rubble. When the cameras zoomed in, she went as close as she could to the flat screen without impairing the view of the others. She hunted for the gold of the dome. Even though the Jews did not like that it belonged to the Muslims, none could deny the exquisite beauty of the golden dome, as it glistened in the sun and announced to the whole world that this indeed was Jerusalem.
“I don’t see any pieces of the gold dome. I don’t see any pieces at all.”
Harvey turned to her. “That’s what I mean. It didn’t collapse. It was swallowed up. It is gone.”
“What does this mean?” Tassie sat down in another chair as the import of the Dome of the Rock disappearing began to sink in. She knew it grated at so many Jews to not have a temple, to only have the Wailing Wall. She also knew she had no idea how deep the longing was to be able to go into the area of the Temple Mount.
The phone rang in Tassie’s purse. She hurried to retrieve it and saw that Jethro was calling. She had so enjoyed getting to know him during this time in Israel. He had chosen to stay and attend yeshiva school and sit under rabbinical teaching. He wanted to see how all the prophecy, economics, and political upheaval played out. He also spent several hours a day as a liaison between the CIA and the Mossad. He was in his glory and he loved sharing from the rabbinical teachings with Tassie.
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