With two injured, the egress was longer and more arduous than the ingress. Still they made it to the opening, where a stretcher and an ambulance crew waited. Chambers watched as they loaded Landau, the injured team member, and Amber into the ambulance.
He looked into the night sky, saw the stars and the thin moon, and said, “Thank You, God. Thank You.”
THIRTY-SEVEN
Spring 2015
Chambers and Amber rode in the back of a bulletproof SUV. They had been summoned at three in the morning and told to be ready in ten minutes. Ten minutes! The hour and the rush meant something was wrong.
The streets of Jerusalem seemed normal. Chambers knew they weren’t.
In just two years, the world came unhinged. Good things came to pass: David asked Amber to marry him—for the second time—and for the second time, she agreed. The wedding took place on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and David’s best man was his father, now frail but strong enough for one more trip to Israel.
The work on Copper Scroll discoveries continued with several remarkable finds, but none as amazing as the stones of the high priest’s breastpiece and temple articles, including the Table of Shewbread.
Protector and now friend, Hiram Landau had regained the use of his arm but was spending most of his energy as a deputy director of Shin Bet, a job that recent world events had made almost impossible.
Most remarkable was something Chambers never guessed he would see: the groundwork on the third temple began twelve months after Amber’s rescue. Tension between Israel and its neighbors grew geometrically, but property north of the Dome of the Rock, in an area not far from the entry to Herod’s tunnel, was chosen as the proper site. Millions were spent for the property and millions more for added security. Yakov, working with Israel’s chief rabbis, Ben-Judah, and other consultants, began operation under the principle that forgiveness was easier to get than permission. Forgiveness never came. The media kept the world apprised of the progress and the conflict, to the joy of some and the anger of others.
Although Chambers knew the importance of the temple, and although he understood the controversy surrounding it, he had not expected such a polarizing effect. In retrospect, he realized he should have. One in five people in the world called themselves Muslims. They were the ummah, the collective believers of Islam. The world was host to fifty-seven recognized Islamic states that made up the Organization of the Islamic Conference, most of which banded together to denounce Israel’s “blatant assault on the peace of Palestine and the world.”
Chambers hated politics and world affairs. His life was tied up in understanding the biblical past. His preferred world was the field and books, but his part in finding the treasures and artifacts of the temple made his name one of the best-known names in the world. He received bags of mail praising his accomplishments and an equal number of threats on his life. He tried to send Amber back to the States, to the condo he still paid for, but she refused to leave his side. This was her project too, and he was her husband. She would not be sent away.
As the world grew more tense, Chambers and Amber continued to search for artifacts with some success, but the search had been slowed by security needs. There simply wasn’t enough security to maintain multiple dig sites. That didn’t bother Chambers. While he loved the dirt, he was happy to be in the safety of a secured facility, cataloging and studying everything found so far.
That too had become a bone of contention in the world of archaeologists. No one but Chambers, Amber, and Ben-Judah were allowed access to the finds. In the early years following the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, scholars complained that information was being kept from the scientific community. But Ben-Judah and Yakov forbade sharing information. These were not just artifacts. They belonged to Israel and the temple.
Over the months, Ben-Judah, often in disguise, took the two to the stone quarry where stones like those of the second temple were cut and shaped. A new set of masons had to be trained to build like the ancients. Jewish artisans learned to apply gold to walls and furnishings. The truth of the new temple hit home when a search was done to find those genetically qualified to be priests. The amount of respondents, which numbered in the thousands, astonished Chambers.
Ben-Judah had changed as well. He showed a new life, additional spring in his step, and absolute conviction that God was behind every find. When Chambers first arrived in the country, he would have argued the point, but no longer. His own faith had grown beyond what it had been years before. Prayer was a daily part of his life, and he read his Bible, not looking for archaeological clues but looking for a deeper relationship with God and with his Savior.
The car pulled to the front of the multistory, square earth-brown building and stopped by the large bronze doors called the Gate of the Tribes. Four uniformed soldiers stood at the front. With them was Hiram Landau. He embraced the two as they exited the SUV.
“You’re looking well, Landau.” Seeing the man who had saved Amber’s life filled Chambers with joy.
“You don’t look so bad yourself.” He turned and kissed Amber on the cheek. “Is your husband treating you with proper respect? If not, I can send a few guys over.”
“He’s learning.”
They walked into the building, past the reception desk and to the elevators. Landau removed a card key and slid it through a slot, then punched a number into the keypad. The elevator started down.
Landau asked, “Do you know where we’re going?”
Chambers answered. “I’ve been told there’s a situation room below the building. I assume we’re going there.”
“Correct.”
“What I don’t know is why?”
Landau looked grim. “For your safety. It’s all gone bad, David.”
“How bad?”
“The worst. I’m not clear to read you in, but the prime minister is, of course.”
Amber wrapped her arms around herself. “Should I be afraid?”
Landau looked at her. “You’ll be safe in the sit room.”
“Then what?” she asked.
“I don’t know, Amber. I don’t know.”
She looked at him. “What about your family?”
Landau looked away. “We’ll be there in a second. You’ll need to stand out of the way.”
“Why us?” Chambers asked.
“Ben-Judah insisted on your presence, and when the head of the new Sanhedrin makes a request like that, it happens.”
“Will you be staying with us?” Amber asked.
“No. I have work to do.”
“Will we see you again?” Amber looked on the verge of tears.
“Only HaShem knows.”
The elevator opened and Chambers led Amber into a room that looked as if it had been plucked from the set of a science-fiction movie. A long table ran through the room. A dozen men faced the monitors. Chambers recognized Prime Minister Yakov. He was on the phone. Some of the other men wore uniforms representing the different departments of the Israeli military.
Ben-Judah approached. “Good of you to come.”
Chambers looked at his old mentor. “We weren’t given a choice, but we’re glad to be here.”
Ben-Judah put a hand on Chambers’s shoulder. “Do not lose heart my friends. HaShem still sits upon His throne. He is not moved. He is not shaken, and He has not led us this far to abandon us now.”
Chambers studied the myriad of monitors. Some were clearly images from satellites. On one, he could see ships moving in the Persian Gulf; on another, he could see tanks and troops moving along the ground. Others were direct feeds from combat control centers. “This doesn’t look good.”
Amber drew a hand beneath her eyes. “How did we get here? How could things get this bad?”
David knew and wished he didn’t.
Formal complaints about the “invasion” of the Islamic school for clerics led to more protest marches and more saber-rattling from Iran, Jordan, and several other Middle Eastern countries. Every member of
the Organization of the Islamic Conference complained bitterly. Even Pakistan made its displeasure known. But nothing would be done. Not yet.
Iran took a more aggressive posture. Its president, Omeed Memar, had secured greater control of the country than any previous leader. Iran found a friend in a cash-strapped Russia. Between them, they controlled much of the world’s oil. With Iran’s new and powerful leader, oil-dependent countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, were slow to criticize. In Memar they saw a man wielding enough influence in OPEC countries and others to limit the oil supplies to “infidel nations.”
But President Memar was not satisfied with oil. He saw the future of his own country’s energy needs resting in nuclear power and its defense in the by-product of the technology.
Yakov had a plan for the future. Memar was the kind of man who was not happy unless he was the center of attention and making Israel nervous. More than once he had called for Israel to be “wiped from the face of the earth.” It was his mantra, and more and more people were chanting it with him.
Yakov had tough decisions to make. Israel had a history of being preemptive, as well as quick to react to any insult to its sovereignty. His advisors agreed, “Act first or you won’t be able to act at all.”
The first action was carried out by several elite Arabic-speaking Israeli commando teams, each targeting key nuclear sites. Explosives destroyed the centers, and the teams exited without a single casualty. They did, however, leave Iranian casualties in their wake.
The Iranian president was beside himself. Threats flowed like water. This was expected, but Memar wanted reparations. Israel denied any involvement. Israel’s allies backed them—in word. Mossad brought a disturbing report. Iran was preparing missiles for an assault against the country. Yakov made another difficult decision: it was time to “take the head off the chicken.” He ordered a Dolphin-class submarine in the Persian Gulf to take out suspected missile sites that could target Israel.
Two direct, unilateral attacks by Israel on its enemy stunned the world. The attacks successfully took the teeth out of the Iranian lion for a few months. The democratic nations of the European Union and those of North America were shocked. Not one supported the decision. Each chastised Israel for not using diplomatic methods and the United Nations. But diplomatic avenues had not worked with Iran for years, and no one in Israel believed the approach would have worked then.
Protests were universal. Russia continued to align with Iran. Even China complained about the unwarranted act of war. David followed the news closely but preferred not to think about what might come in the months ahead.
As unstable as Memar demonstrated himself to be, there was another man who rivaled him: Chief of the General Staff for the Russian Federation, Army General Nicholai Agog. “It is time to deal with Israel before they can attack peace-loving people everywhere.” That was how the Mossad, Israel’s foreign spy service, quoted him.
First rhetoric flew, and while accusations were exchanged in a dozen different languages, alliances against Israel were being made, armies were being prepared, and missiles were being moved from the Russian Federation to Iran. Something noticed by US intelligence and warnings were given.
“Operation Samson, they call it,” Ben-Judah said.
“Operation Samson?” Amber stepped closer to Chambers, and he put an arm around her. She shivered. “Do I want to know what that is?”
“I don’t imagine you do.” Ben-Judah looked calm. “Our nation has nuclear-capable Jericho 3 missiles aimed at every Arab country that is moving against us.”
“Oh, this is horrible.” Tears washed her eyes. Chambers felt numb, barely able to think. Nuclear war was every sane man’s nightmare.
“There is evidence that Iran and her friends are planning a biological attack. You might recall Iraq sent forty-two Scud missiles at Israel in the early 1990s. Our fear then was that the missiles carried chemical or biological agents. Fortunately, thanks to the American Patriot missile defense system, only one landed within our borders. The military has learned a few things since then.”
“How can you be so calm, Professor?” Amber asked.
“I have told you, HaShem still sits upon His throne.”
“Mr. Prime Minister?” Chambers watched Yakov turn to a man in an Israeli army uniform.
“What is it, General?”
“I … I’m getting odd reports. I don’t know how to interpret this.”
“Say it, General.”
“Intel is saying that the Arab troops at the Lebanon border are firing on approaching Russian forces.”
Yakov stood. “Why would they do that?”
“I don’t know, sir. Intel says the enemy seems confused. I’m getting the same report from Jordan.”
A rumble ran through the underground situation room, and Amber released a short scream. The floor vibrated, the walls rattled.
“Earthquake,” Ben-Judah said.
Yakov raised his voice. “What was that? Have we been hit?”
Someone made a call and a few moments later announced, “Earthquake. Early location is somewhere in northern Syria. No damage estimates, but the first measurement put the quake at over eight on the Richter scale. There has to be damage. We can expect aftershocks.”
“What is going on?” Yakov demanded. He turned to where Ben-Judah, Chambers, and Amber stood.
“Wait, Mr. Prime Minister. It has begun.”
“What has begun?”
Ben-Judah smiled. “I think you know, old friend.”
“Can it be?”
“It can.”
Chambers touched Ben-Judah’s arm. “Professor?”
He smiled. “And you call yourself a biblical archaeologist.” He pointed to the monitors. “Wait and see, my son. Wait and see the hand of HaShem.”
Hours passed. Chambers found chairs for Amber and Ben-Judah. They watched events that could only be described as miraculous. A volcano in southern Syria, southeast of Damascus, erupted for the first time since 1850, ejecting sulfurous smoke and burning ejecta into a military encampment.
In desperation, the Iranian- and Russian-led armies launched truck-mounted rockets, all of which fell short of Israel’s borders, dumping their load of genetically enhanced Ebola virus and concentrated Machupo virus, a hemorrhagic organism. Disease spread quickly.
The day wore on, and the attack against Israel failed.
Only Abram Ben-Judah seemed unsurprised.
“Professor, what are you thinking?”
Ben-Judah grinned, then spoke loud enough for all to hear: “In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground. I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign LORD. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’ ”
He looked at Chambers and Amber. “Ezekiel 38.” He looked at the monitors. “HaShem has made His will known. We found the treasures and temple furnishings by His will. We are His servants. We are blessed and soon all the world will see His temple.”
EPILOGUE
Chambers and Amber sat in the last row of a theater-style classroom at Hebrew University. Before them were the seventy-one members of the new Sanhedrin, as well as key government officials.
Ben-Judah stepped to the lectern. Next to him was a table covered with a white cloth.
“He who sits above the heavens has blessed our nation and our work on His temple. Much work r
emains. I am told that it will be two more years before construction ends. Still, our enemies are now powerless.”
A gentle round of applause rose from the small gathering. Ben-Judah raised a hand. “We continue to search for the remaining treasures. How much we will find only HaShem knows. In short, all goes well, but something has been delivered to me. Dr. Chambers, Dr. Rodgers, and other trusted archaeologists have examined it and believe it to be authentic.”
He stepped to the table and removed the cloth. Beneath the cover lay a small square of stones.
“Some of you know the Ezekiel tablets, stones with the words of Ezekiel chiseled on the surface in bas-relief. We have long thought that other such stones might exist. I do not know who our benefactor is, but he has sent us a great gift.” Ben-Judah ran a hand across the raised letters on the slab’s smooth surface. He read:
“Ezekiel son of Buzi, priest of the Most Holy. Here lies the furnishings of God: the ark of Moses, the tablets writ by the very finger of God, the rod of Aaron that budded …”
An elderly man in the back row caught Chambers’s attention. The man rose, gazed at Chambers for a moment, then walked from the room.
DR. GRANT R. JEFFREY BIOGRAPHY
Grant Jeffrey is internationally recognized as a teacher on Bible prophecy and an intelligent defense of our Christian faith. Jeffrey’s books have been translated into twenty-four languages and sold more than seven million copies during the last twenty-three years. He has been the main speaker at hundreds of prophecy conferences around the world, and with his wife, Kaye, has worked in full-time ministry since 1988.
Jeffrey’s decades of dedicated research on military history, intelligence, and prophecy are reflected in his recent books: The Next World War, Countdown to the Apocalypse, Shadow Government, and his latest, The Global Warming Deception. His prophetic novel By Dawn’s Early Light, written with co-author Angela Hunt, received the respected Christy Award for the Best Prophetic Fiction novel of 1999.
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