Charles, Romulus’s butler, approached with a cup of coffee on a tray. Isaac accepted it, then peered around the butler standing at his side, determined not to miss another word of this important meeting. He had already made the mistake of coming late—he’d had problems finding a taxi at the bed-and-breakfast—but it would be a greater faux pas to miss some important detail and make an embarrassing blunder.
Romulus sat in the center of the long side of the table, flanked by his security chief, General Archer, and his minister of finance, a Frenchman Isaac had not yet had an occasion to meet. Elijah Reis stood at the head of the table, and he presently had the floor. Every eye but Romulus’s was fixed upon him, and Isaac felt a sudden chill when he realized that Romulus was staring at him.
He looked at the European president, inclined his head slightly in apology for his tardiness, and sighed in relief when Romulus nodded in return. After the exchange of that silent greeting, Romulus returned his attention to Elijah Reis.
“The highlight of the Temple dedication ceremony,” Reis was saying, “will be the procession and placement of the ark of the covenant. The ark is the single most important article used in Temple worship, and its reinstatement will be tremendously significant to both religious and secular Jews. The ark was originally created during the first year of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness, and, according to Jewish legend, God himself dictated the details for its construction. It is rumored to contain three objects: the rod used by Aaron, Israel’s first high priest; a bowl of manna, the supposedly heaven-sent bread the Jews ate while wandering in the wilderness; and the two stone tablets on which Moses wrote the Ten Commandments. The ancient Jews believed so strongly in the power of the ark that the children of Israel carried it into battle in order to defeat their enemies.”
“Talk about rallying around a national symbol,” Archer said, looking around the table. “We know how inspiring the sight of a mere flag can be on a battlefield. This ark must have held those primitive people in complete thrall.”
A smile crawled to Reis’s lips and curved itself like a snake. “The ark was reported to have supernatural power,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Jewish Scripture records the story of a man who was instantly struck dead simply for reaching out to steady the ark when it nearly tipped over in transport.” A flash of humor crossed Reis’s face. “He believed it had power, and that belief ultimately killed him. But all the Jews felt the ark was holy. They believed the glory of their God, called the Shekinah, dwelt above the golden lid, also called the mercy seat.”
“If it was such an important military talisman,” Archer asked, “why did they hide it away in the Temple?”
Reis lifted one bony shoulder in a halfhearted shrug. “They say they hid it away because God commanded them to do so. Solomon built the first Temple and had the ark placed in the Most Holy Place. They organized a lavish ceremony, which won’t be terribly different from the dedication we will attend next month. But by the time of the Temple, for reasons unknown, nothing remained inside the ark except the two tablets of stone. The ark rested in the Temple until the final years of King Solomon’s reign. After that time, the Jewish Scriptures fall strangely silent about the artifact’s fate. All we know for certain is that none of the Temple preparation organizations even attempted to reconstruct the ark. All of them sincerely believed it would be revealed and restored to its rightful place.”
“As it will be.” Romulus smiled and glanced around the room. “And we, my friends, have been invited to participate in the great ceremonial event to be held next month on the Temple Mount. My heart rejoices to know that we will be among those celebrating the Temple of the City of Peace.”
A frown crossed Archer’s wide forehead. “But where has the ark been all these centuries?”
Annoyance struggled with humor on Reis’s face as he cast a pointed look at Isaac. “The Israelis won’t tell us, but we know the ark has been either hidden in a secret chamber beneath the Temple Mount or locked in an IDF hangar, where it was taken shortly after the collapse of a Communist regime in the early 1990s.”
“You’re talking about Ethiopia?” The minister of finance laughed. “How did a Jewish artifact find its way there?”
Reis’s mouth spread into a thin-lipped smile. “It’s a long story, but I’ll try to condense it. Apparently, the Ethiopian queen known in Scripture as the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon in Jerusalem. Jewish Scripture says that Solomon gave her everything she desired, and eventually she returned to her own land. According to the Ethiopians, the one thing she desired most was a son . . . which Solomon was completely happy to provide.”
“She bore Solomon’s son?” The words slipped from Isaac’s lips. The story was new to him.
Reis’s mouth quirked with humor. “Yes. According to legend, the boy, known in the Ethiopian royal chronicles as Prince Menelik I, grew up in the Jerusalem palace and was educated by the Temple priests. He became a strong believer in the Jewish God. At nineteen, however, he returned to Ethiopia, taking with him a large number of Jews and the ark of the covenant. His father, you see, had succumbed to the habit of marrying pagan women and consequently became derelict in his duties toward the true God. So the priests commissioned a replica of the ark and switched the real relic with the fake before the prince’s departure. Menelik took the ark back to Ethiopia, kept it concealed and guarded, and there he and his descendants reigned until Emperor Haile Selassie’s mysterious death in 1975. The ark remained in Ethiopia until the brutal civil war that finally ended in 1991. As Israel launched Operation Solomon to transport tens of thousands of Ethiopian Jews out of that war-torn land, Israeli agents and Ethiopian generals began to negotiate for the ark’s return to Israel. Some of our intel sources claim that the Israelis artfully arranged a ransom—several million in cash. The Communists accepted, the exchange was made, and the ark of the covenant has been awaiting the third Temple ever since.”
Reis directed his dark gaze toward Isaac. “I’m told that the money given to the corrupt Communist officials turned out to be counterfeit American dollars, while the real money donated for the ark’s return was distributed to the rebels who had just reclaimed their capital. At least that’s what my sources tell me. The Israelis won’t confirm anything.”
Isaac merely smiled. He had heard nothing about either the whereabouts of the ark or negotiations with Ethiopian Communists, but he’d been working in a liaison unit. Though such things did not fall in his area of expertise, he would never have admitted his ignorance.
“So what, exactly,” General Archer said, tapping the end of his pen on the polished tabletop, “is the significance of the ark now? The Israelis can’t be planning to carry it into battle. Is it wise for us to allow them to use it at all? It if becomes a symbol of Israeli independence, the resistance may try to use it against us.”
Reis’s mouth took on an unpleasant twist. “A very good question, General, and well worth our consideration. According to my sources, most Jews see the ark as a historic relic, but some in the Orthodox community may see the ark’s restoration as a step toward instituting the kingdom of God on earth. One rabbi told me about a detailed prophecy concerning Gogol’s Invasion—which, he believes, was foretold by the prophet Ezekiel. One verse in that passage reads, ‘I will set my glory among the nations,’ and the term ‘my glory’ almost always refers to the Shekinah cloud that reportedly surrounded the ark of the covenant. The Orthodox element, therefore, may see the restoration of the ark as a fulfillment of this Scripture in Ezekiel. But what does that mean in practical terms? Almost nothing.”
Archer frowned, his eyes level under drawn brows. “That’s it? They won’t see it as a call to arms?”
“Of course not.” Reis’s expression held a note of mockery. “The Israelis are in a mood for peace, not war. They have had their fill of suffering and strife.”
Romulus glanced toward Isaac as if searching for confirmation. Though Isaac’s mind whirled with thoughts and facts he had n
ever before considered, he nodded.
His mind drifted back to a dinner months before, when Sarah had told the American archeologist about everything the Jews were searching for in a messiah. As cold, clear reality swept over Isaac in a terrible wave, it suddenly occurred to him that, intentionally or not, Adrian Romulus was pre-paring to give his people exactly what they wanted—a rebuilt Jerusalem, a Temple, and peace in the land.
A quotation from the prophet Micah rose from the dusty memories of Isaac’s years in yeshiva school: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come forth to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”
Romulus had been born in Bethlehem.
Isaac’s mind bulged with the question he did not dare ask aloud: Could Adrian Romulus be the long-awaited Messiah?
THIRTEEN
SITTING IN THE LECTURE HALL AT SHIN BET headquarters, Sarah looked over her notes and memorized the details of her disguise. She and every other available Shabak agent would be mingling in the crowd tomorrow, watching for subversive activity or suspected terrorists amid the celebrants who had come to observe Rosh Hashanah and celebrate the Temple dedication. The untrained eye would not notice the myriad security measures—the Temple authorities had insisted that there be no sign of armed guards, metal detectors, or bulletproof shields. They did agree to allow the guards of the Universal Force to stand at the gates leading to the Temple Mount, realizing that since the UF forces had been stationed at those posts for months, they had more or less become acceptable to the citizens of Jerusalem.
Security would be tight and undetectable. State-of-the-art weapon detectors had been concealed in resin pillars situated throughout the outer courtyard just beyond the entrance gates. These cutting-edge devices measured distortions in the natural electromagnetic waves generated by the human body and transmitted a silent warning when those distortions signaled a hidden weapon. The security patrols who would hear the warning through specially made earpieces were members of Shin Bet, Sayeret Mat’Kal, Sayeret Tzanhanim, Ya’Ma’M, and the secretive Mista’Aravim. These security personnel, wearing Kevlar sheaths beneath street clothes, would mingle among Israeli citizens. Though the security officers would be armed with nothing but their wits and the confidence that came from knowing they were the world’s best warriors, Sarah did not think they would fail to apprehend any individual with mischief on the mind. In simulation after simulation, not a single armed individual had been able to venture more than five feet beyond the gate armed with an explosive, a blade, or any type of gun.
The undetectable security measures would make the real difference, but to reinforce the public’s perception of security, no one would be able to enter the Temple Mount area without sliding his or her hand beneath a scanner that registered the logistics of the individual’s personal identification chip. As each visitor stood at the insertion point, his or her image flashed upon a small screen, along with such vital statistics as name, age, and address.
The religious Jews had railed against this requirement, but many of them had relented as the date for the Temple dedication drew near. Only the most Orthodox had vowed never to set foot upon the holy mountain if it meant violating God’s prohibition against cutting the flesh. Sarah was not surprised to learn that her father had allied himself with this group.
Sarah had received her identification chip only a week before. She often found herself scratching at it—not because it itched, but because it bothered her conscience. She had promised her father that she wouldn’t take the chip, but she found herself with no other option when it became clear that no one could enter the Temple Mount without it. Finally she submitted and offered her hand to the officer at the Universal Force security station. Her father wouldn’t be able to actually see the chip, she told herself, and though he would probably figure out that she had broken her word, he would just have to realize that she was neither a child nor a religious Jew. The old ones could cling to their outdated ideas, but she had a job that required functioning in the twenty-first century. When Director Melman playfully teased her about her reluctance to take the chip, she had left his office without another word.
She was thirty-one years old, the captain of a Shin Bet squad, and unafraid to live on her own. Why, then, was she helpless to cast off her father’s shadow? Sitting at her desk, she shook her head slightly, then refocused her attention on the diagram in her hand.
Melman stood in front of the classroom, going over last-minute details for his team. Each member of Shin Bet would wear an earpiece and carry a radio. The team captains would stand at various points in the court and around the Temple, and from there they would direct their team’s activity. The only other object team members were allowed to carry was a pair of plastic handcuffs, to be used only if necessary.
Sarah lifted her gaze to the map of the Temple on the projector screen. A full-scale model occupied the table in front of Melman, but it was easier to follow his instructions by studying the map.
Like its predecessors, the rectangular third Temple lay between the subterranean Western Gate and the sealed Eastern Gate. An expansive Court of the Gentiles surrounded the Temple structure, and this huge outer court contained the Dome of the Rock, the Dome of the Chain, and the Al Aqsa Mosque. A low wall separated the Jewish Temple worship area in the northern half of the Temple Mount from the Muslim areas in the south. Throughout the construction, the Israelis had been careful not to offend their Arab neighbors by desecrating sacred Muslim sites.
Though Sarah and her team had been practicing in a mock theater designed to replicate the environment of the Temple Mount, last week they had been permitted to tour the completed Temple. Though their mock Temple was a masterful copy, when Sarah stared up at the great blocks of white limestone, she thought nothing in the world could compare to the real thing.
The amazing edifice seemed to glow in the desert sun. Entering from the east, through the Beautiful Gate, Sarah crossed the Court of the Gentiles and stepped into the large inner court actually inside the Temple walls. Several storage rooms had been built into the corners of this area, and the Temple guide explained that these provided meeting rooms for the priests and secure storage areas for the golden vessels used in Temple worship.
After proceeding through the inner court, Sarah and her security team stood on the threshold of the next court and studied the layout of the Court of the Israelites, also called the Court of the Priests. This area, open only to those descended from the priestly tribe of Levi, featured a brass altar for sacrifice, ten brass lavers, and a brass “sea.” The sea, regulated by state-of-the art plumbing, kept a flow of fresh, purified water flowing into the court. Soft recessed lighting filled the room with light, even though there were no exposed windows.
From where she stood at the entrance to the Court of the Priests, Sarah could see the House of God rising like a gleaming beacon before her. It stood upon the highest ground in the enclosure and was divided into two compartments—the sanctuary, or Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. One entered the sanctuary through a great doorway closed by golden doors—82 feet high and 24 feet wide—exactly like those of Herod’s Temple. Though Sarah would never be permitted to look inside the sanctuary, she had seen pictures that revealed an amazingly beautiful room with cedar walls overlaid with gold. In it stood a golden altar for incense, ten tables for showbread, and ten golden candlesticks. A veil of fine linen colored in blue, purple, and scarlet separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.
At present, there were no objects inside the Holy of Holies. However, two colossal cherubim were embroidered into the huge veil curtain with gold threads. Each fifteen-foot-tall cherub had outstretched seven-and-a-half-foot wings. With the tip of one wing, each angel touched a sidewall, and with the other wing it reached to the center of the room and touched the corresponding wing of its companion. The cherubim’s wings stretched across the veil guarding the Holy of Holies and faced the sanctua
ry.
Tomorrow, the ark of the covenant would finally reside behind the veil of the Holy of Holies.
The Temple had risen in an amazingly short time, due, of course, to the extensive preparations that had begun years before, when the new Temple consisted of nothing but prayers and fervent hopes. It gleamed now from the Temple Mount like a shining jewel, a testimony to all those who had pledged their prayers, their hopes, and their fortunes to see it become a reality. Though the Temple had been modeled on the plans contained in Scripture, the new structure boasted of electricity, lights, and modern plumbing, all discreetly installed according to the demands of halacha, the religious law.
The search for qualified personnel to serve in the Temple had been aided by the discovery that descendants of Aaron carried a unique aberration of the Y chromosome. Members of the Levite tribe, who had been forbidden throughout history to change their surname, enthusiastically enrolled in Temple service. The first group of ceremonial priests had been trained and purified, and a young member of the Kohanim, a boy of thirteen, had been secretly born and raised in a special complex that preserved his state of ritual purity. And eighteen months earlier, with the aid of American ranchers, the first of several pure red heifers had been born, allowing the purification of all priests who would enter the sanctified area to perform the holy tasks. The sacrifice of the red heifer had produced the waters of purification that were required to cleanse the temple area.
“Any questions?” Melman’s gruff voice brought Sarah back to her surroundings. She glanced around at her teammates and saw that they all seemed clear-eyed and alert, ready for the morning to come. This operation would be the biggest challenge of their careers—and possibly the most significant.
“Dismissed,” Melman said.
The meeting broke up with the scraping of chairs and the quiet slap of closing notebooks. As most of the others headed toward the doors at the back of the room, Sarah lingered at her desk, her gaze on the white model, her thoughts a million miles away. She had thought her father would be happy to see the Temple standing on Mount Zion, but something had moved in his eyes when she last spoke to him. The only explanation she received when she asked about his thoughts was an enigmatic comment: “The time of Jacob’s trouble is fast approaching.”
The Spear of Tyranny Page 12