Blood Moon Redemption

by Judy DuCharme

  He had been switching channels and heard a talk about Abraham and Isaac. They said that after stopping Abraham from injuring his son, God promised to sacrifice His own son, just like Abraham had almost sacrificed Isaac. It stunned Ben to realize this was the same place, Mt. Moriah, the Temple Mount, where Jesus was crucified. He never gave much credence to Jesus, but he knew that this promise from God to sacrifice His son was covenant talk. Ben’s father always talked about the covenant God made with man, and that it was more binding than any contract men could make with each other.

  God had exchanged His name with Abraham . . . He was known as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And Abram and his wife Sarai had God’s name inserted into theirs and became Abr-Ah-ham and Sar-Ah. God was known as Yah, blessed be He. Benjamin knew there was an abundant supply of protection, provision, commitment, and blessing in the covenant. This was how his parents taught him the Holy Scriptures. The connection to Christianity and Jesus intrigued and drew him.

  Now, the Temple Mount could be retaken for the Jews. He would be part of history. The moment was surreal.

  Ben heard himself saying the shema as he ran toward the Mount. “Blessed art Thou, King of the Universe . . . ” He heard Rani in tandem with him. He expected a firestorm. Surely there were hundreds, if not dozens, of Muslims having their morning prayers when the earthquake occurred and ready to stop a takeover. Had the IDF guards perished? What about the Muslim guards? Did they survive?

  Ben adjusted the wireless earpiece to be sure he could hear any commands and all the chatter. They slowed to a trot as commanders sought to get everyone in place. Many IDF were still on Gaza’s borders and searching out the Hamas missile-running tunnels and therefore unavailable for this mission.

  Ben and Rani traversed the ground leading to the ascent of the Dome of the Rock. History. We’re making history. If we don’t succeed, we will be history. Ben coughed. That’s a sobering thought.

  The streets were thick with people. Some had been up for hours getting their market stands open, attending the Muslim prayer time, or preparing for work. Many were just waking up. All were experiencing the shock of the earthquake and the reality that the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque were gone. Not demolished but gone.

  A smattering of colors reflected the rising sun, but it was not as bright as usual. Who knew that the Dome reflected so much light? Still, there was a patchwork of vibrating colors as droves of people ran toward the site. Shouting and screams accompanied the sirens.

  Ben did not know if and how many civilians or soldiers had perished. IDF soldiers moved steadily and quickly in the throngs of people. Seeing IDF with guns in the streets was not unusual. Most would assume they were rendering assistance, not ready for a historical and dramatic take-over of the world-famous site.

  It felt like a cloud. Perhaps it was dust. Perhaps it was reality that felt like a dream. Ben saw faces. Concern. Wonder. Fear. He heard orders . . . no one was to cross where the barriers had been . . . those on site already were to maintain the perimeter.

  Sweat ran down his face. Or was it tears? The Jews would have ownership of the Temple Mount after centuries of waiting and prayers and agony. They could rebuild the Temple. They would, of course they would. Messiah could come. Ben knew there were stone streets beneath his feet, knew there were stairs he was climbing, but he couldn’t feel them. He knew he was jostling others with his gear, but no one seemed to notice.

  Was he breathing? Even at the height of fitness, he should be breathing heavily now. He did not feel winded.

  Is this a dream? Will I wake up soon? Will my buzzer go off in a few minutes? Then he heard it. Beep. Beep. Oh no, a dream. Time to wake up. But, no, it was followed by orders. ‘Report location’.

  He and Rani were approaching the holy site. It was flat, no rubble, as if the Dome and the Mosque had been picked up and removed. Ben could see a crevice, but it appeared only a foot wide. How could the earth, the concrete, open and close with no other damage? He glanced at Rani. His eyes were wide, and he slowly shook his head. He mouthed the word ‘unbelievable’.

  Not one person was being resuscitated. No one was being carried off in stretchers. Ben could see the whole perimeter and there was not one Muslim guard.

  His phone beeped again. Orders. Take up positions. There was no need to storm. No one was there to fight, to dispute, the Israeli takeover. They would post a contingent of round-the-clock guards in case the Muslims arrived to retake the Temple Mount.

  An Israeli Jewish priest came forward. He walked slowly and made eye contact with each soldier he passed. He went to the center of the site. He stood next to the crevice and placed a shofar, the ram’s horn trumpet, to his mouth. As he lifted the curved cream and brown instrument, a strong, steady, slightly mournful, sound rang forth. As he blew, he turned, facing east, north, west, south. The shofar was held upright, level, and every degree in between. The sound, meant to be an alarm or an announcement, came in short bursts and long notes.

  Chills ran up and down Ben’s spine. He wanted to fall to his knees but knew he could not as he was on duty. Israelis just outside the perimeter, though, were on their knees, arms upraised. The shofar continued for two minutes straight. As the priest removed the shofar from his lips, the shouts of rejoicing from the crowds were deafening.

  Suddenly the shouts faded, and the air was filled with gasps and whispering. Ben looked around. The prime minister was ascending the steps to the Temple Mount. Ben could have reached out and touched him. The prime minister paused. Ben looked into his eyes. There were tears. The prime minister turned and smiled at Ben, reaching out to shake his hand. Ben was overwhelmed. The honor to be here. He wondered again if he would wake up from this dream.

  The prime minister walked to the priest and they embraced. The first words out of his mouth were Hebrew. “The Lord is good, and His mercy is everlasting.”

  The crowds went wild with cheering. The prime minister repeated the phrase again and again. The crowds shouted it. After several times he stopped. “Good people of Israel. Our God, blessed be He, has seen fit to return this blessed place to the Jewish people. It is what we have prayed for, worked for, and fought for. You must know that not one life was lost in this disappearance of the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.” The crowds were silent. Ben could see people leaning forward to hear every word of the historic moment.

  “Apparently,” Prime Minister Gavi Ben-Aharon continued, “there was a water leak, a problem with the pipes, perhaps caused by the ground beginning to shift before the earthquake. For that reason, all personnel had left, Muslim prayers were held out of doors, and the repairmen had not yet arrived. The guards, both IDF and Muslim, were here. When the rumbling began, all those near, including the guards, ran for protection. We have taken the opportune moment to retake the site. World opinion will challenge us, and the Muslims may return to fight, but we believe this is our possession, and I hereby proclaim that the Temple Mount is now under the control of the Israeli Jewish people. I repeat, the Temple Mount is once more in our hands!”

  Ben recalled the history of the 1967 recapture of Jerusalem when Lt. General Motta Gur, Commander of the IDF brigade said those same words. “The Temple Mount is in our hands! I repeat the Temple Mount is in our hands!”

  Now the people danced and sang and shouted praises to God. Ben watched the proceedings and wept. His breathing came in short gasps and he thanked God for letting him be a witness to this. Rani stood next to him and sang Hebrew songs with the crowd.

  Gavi Ben-Aharon raised his arm once more and the crowds went silent. “Today we believe the Psalms have fittingly described what is before us. ‘When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us. And we are glad.’ Let us hope the nations do say that.”

  Everyone went wild again. Dancing
, leaping, shouting, and singing engulfed the Temple Mount and the streets of Jerusalem.

  Once more Prime Minister Ben-Aharon raised his hands. “And our prophet Isaiah has told us that the Lord, our Redeemer, says to the Temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’ Perhaps, my friends, that day has arrived.”

  At that, many fell to their knees and wept. Others shouted praises and the singing continued.

  His phone beeped. Orders. Rejoice, but keep your eyes open. There could be suicide bombers, Hamas missile rockets, or crazies who want to be on the news. Ben quickly wiped his eyes and took up a guard stance. He and Rani high-fived each other, then stood with backs almost together. That way the two of them could observe the whole perimeter. Other IDF did the same. Several escorted Mr. Ben-Aharon and the priest safely through the crowds. Ben-Aharon would be answering questions from the world leaders and commentators the rest of the day, probably the week. But the people would rejoice. This day, the first of Sukkoth, the Feast of Tabernacles, would become a key holiday for the rest of time.

  The days passed, and Israel rejoiced while the world condemned their takeover of the Temple Mount. They had taken advantage of a natural disaster and had no right. The amazing part was that, though the talking heads spoke out loudly against Israel, the Muslims who were in charge of the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque did not come out against the take-over. Gradually, it leaked out that the morning worshippers and the administrators and imams saw Father Abraham, huge and glowing, and heard him tell them, in no uncertain terms, to leave, that their time was up. Some claimed it was just before the earthquake, a few said they saw him after the earthquake. They all agreed that it was terrifying and powerful. No Jew saw the vision, only the Muslims.

  If true, the IDF knew that, in time, the Muslim leadership may well choose to ignore that command and return, but for now they were impotent in fighting back.

  The Hamas decided it should step up. The Iron Dome and the IDF were ready.

  CHAPTER 26

  PRESENT DAY, UNITED STATES

  Rube hung up the phone and turned to Jill. “That was dad. Sheez, he sounds so happy. Who would’ve thought they’d love Israel. They’re hoping to come as soon as the baby arrives. He says Mom is loving it there, but says her arms are already aching to hold her grandbaby.”

  Jill smiled as she rubbed her belly. “Oh, I can’t wait to see them. I’m so happy they love it there and to be there at such a monumental time.” She arched her eyebrows. “Maybe we should go to Israel after this little guy arrives. Jared could transfer you, couldn’t he?”

  Rube sat down next to Jill. “So much happening . . . who knows what’s next.” He picked up the remote and turned on the news.

  “This is Jace Shepard with breaking news. The third Jewish temple on Mt. Moriah may soon be underway, and it’s causing dancing in the streets.” Jace looked to the side. “Is this right? Yes, that’s it. Dancing in the streets. What a roller coaster Israel has been on the last few months. First, all the attacks, then the earthquake which swallowed up the Muslim mosque and the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. Israel reacted quickly, storming and retaking the area. Now they are rebuilding, and, as I said, literally dancing in the streets.”

  Jace walked over to his map. “Okay, take a look at this.” A photo came up on the screen of the temple site. “Now remember, they did not have to clear away debris. The Golden Dome and the al-Aqsa Mosque were literally swallowed up, not demolished. And no lives were lost in the takeover. The Muslim guards swore they saw huge soldiers . . . angels, anyone? . . . and they ran. I guess a few guards returned and some were injured, but this was pretty seamless, and the Jews wasted no time in starting plans to build the new Temple patterned after directions in the Old Testament for the Temple that Solomon built.”

  Jace looked at the camera. “Solomon or David? Didn’t David build it? What’s that? Oh, I guess David was going to, but God told him Solomon was to do it. That’s great. Get the kids involved.” Jace smiled. “Now, get this, in today’s economy, the old temple would have cost four billion dollars. So now how does Israel or Jerusalem fund this? Long story here. We reported on the four blood moons and prophecy and all that, but a little-known story connected to it is about a relic that came all the way from Spain with Columbus, as well as the little-known fact that Columbus was at least part Jewish—who knew? Anyway, this relic had a tassel from a prayer shawl along with diamonds and gold rings—what a treasure hunt. It’s brought in millions or at least one or two million and reports tell us that will finance the oil wells in Israel.”

  Rube patted Jill’s knee. “We knew that, Jace.”

  Jace took a drink. “I hope you’re taking notes. If not, you can go to Metro News online and get the details. Israel now has a huge oil boom . . . I can tell you that helps the U.S. The funds from these oil wells are planned to pay for a big portion of the Temple. In case you haven’t been listening to the news lately, the oil boom was helped by the earthquake . . . yes, the same one that swallowed the structures at the Temple Mount.

  “Now this is interesting, too. The Israelis are funding and sending troops to protect the Christians in Iraq . . . Mosul, specifically. I hope you’re recording this program, because this is all so amazing.” Jace sat down at his table. “Let me give you some background. There is an organization that is several years old, called Christians United for Israel. They have lobbied Congress to have policies to help Israel. They have spoken out, loud and clear, their support for Israel to be independent and to be able to protect themselves, and they have worked diligently to stop anti-Semitism. They have a big conference in Washington, D.C., every year to promote Israel by lobbying Senators and Representatives. Many other Christian organizations have also supported Israel. Books have actually been written that when the United States policies have worked against Israel, natural disasters have occurred in the United States. Quite stunning connections.”

  Jace took another drink of water. “With all this going on, many Israeli Jews have said that the U.S. Christians are their best friends. They used to say the U.S. was their best friend, but administrative policies of late changed some of that. These same Christians are the ones who began informing us of the blood moons and all the changes that we have seen . . . they told us this would happen.

  “Now, back to the Christians in Mosul. Israel said that since the Christians in the U.S. have given them such support, they did not hesitate to help the Iraqi Christians who are suffering unspeakable atrocities. Truth be told, Israel has helped anyone that is injured or in need, no matter their creed, background, or anything. They will work as hard to save the life of their enemy as they will their friends. But this is so special that they are going to the aid of the Mosul Christians.”

  Jace put his finger to his ear. “Is that right? Well, who knew? I was just informed that in the Israeli charter they pledge to help and protect any and all Christians within their borders. Hmmm. Now they’re expanding it. I like a charter dedicated to the protection of people not destruction.

  “One more thing before we have to go to break. With all the news about the rebuilding of the Temple and the amazing events going on in Israel, you’d think the secular Jews would become religious Jews, but what’s happening is that many Jews, secular and religious, are recognizing Jesus as their Messiah.

  “I reported on the Jewish rabbis doing so months ago and now the general populace is doing it. The rabbis announced more than fifty percent of them believed Jesus to be Messiah last April. Anyone know what it is now? Really? They just told me it’s sixty-three percent. I mean if this was an election for Jesus to be Messiah, this would be a landslide. Incredible. You can’t make this up folks, so hold on to your seats. I think a lot more is coming. We’ll be right back.”

  CHAPTER 27

  PRESENT DAY, ISRAEL

  The world’s attention stayed on Israel, the Temple, the earthquake, and the continued attempts of Hamas. Almost everyone forgot Iran. Except Israel. The world’s top technologi
cal innovators worked for Israel and Israel remained the most important player in the field of technology. The U.S. Silicon Valley was on the decline because of tax codes and sundry policies, and the only edge the U.S. military held depended on new technology coming from Israel.

  The newest developments belonged to the drones. Israel’s Dr. Yahid Horowitz had finally completed his work on a system using drones that could detect enriched uranium, the necessary ingredient for Iran’s nuclear capability. Dr. Horowitz had been responsible for the computer worm that was able to infiltrate and mess-up the computer files that held formulas and plans for Iran’s nuclear work several years previous. Iran had since improved their ability to protect that information. The worm had slowed them down but did not totally cripple them.

  It was the day before the earthquake that tests were complete on the drones. The plan moved close to readiness. The Israeli government prayed for a distraction, so they could go forward and finish the job before world opinion weighed in and stopped them. Usually the U.S. was informed of plans, but in recent months, even years, the U.S. pressed for restraint and verbal negotiations, not action. This action with the drones would be pin-point and swift. Mossad was directed to leak the information only to the CIA contacts that stood by Israel in all points.

  Several weeks after the earthquake as world opinion continued to surge out both for and against the retaking of the Temple Mount, Horowitz’s small group of technicians gathered near Haifa. World attention focused on the audacity of the Israelis to even consider plans for the rebuilding of the Temple. Meanwhile, the secret underground laboratory was ready, and the doors opened. A platform rose, and coordinates were triple-checked. Three drones left with little fanfare in a matter of ten minutes at two a.m. The platform returned to underground and then the tracking screens were in full gear.