“Hmm, that last sentence is odd. I’m not sure I translated it correctly. It’s written in Aramaic. All the other text is in Hebrew. It’s like someone added it later?”
The archeology professor absorbed the moment. Then, McMillan fell to his knees in awe. “This is older than any of the Dead Sea Scrolls, by at least 200 years. This scroll may be the greatest archeological find—ever.
“Not only do we know the Ark is close, but we’re directly under the site of the first and second Temple. We’re beneath the very place where the Jew’s believed God’s presence dwelt on earth. And, we’re standing underneath the site of the Temple where Jesus taught.
“Josephus’ description was right all along. How could we not have believed the only eyewitness God preserved? While he saw the destruction of the second Temple to the Romans, about 600 years before the destruction of the first Temple by the Babylonians, the Temples were situated in the same place. Due to the complete destruction of the second Temple by the Romans, we’ve just forgotten the Temple’s original location.
“Most of all, how could we not have believed the words of Jesus’ prophecy. He warned that not one stone would remain of the Temple. Thousands of Herod’s stones comprise the Wailing Wall. Josh, all your AI did is read Josephus and interpret his writing at face value.”
“Does that mean the Temple Mount housed the Roman fort instead?” asked Becca.
The Professor replied, “Yes, it must’ve been the site of the Fortress Antonia. Over the past six months, I’ve carefully reexamined the works of Josephus. He states that the Fortress Antonia housed the entire Roman Tenth Legion. A Roman legion was 6,000 soldiers. That number doesn’t include support personnel.
“I studied the commonly accepted models of the Temple Mount. Almost all of them are based on the scale model created by Avi-Yonah in 1973. That model of the city of Jerusalem and the Second Temple resides in the Israel Museum. If you look Yonah’s portrayal of the Fortress, there’s no way it could have quartered a Roman legion. It’s too bloody tiny. Josephus says that the Fort was 35 acres—the exact dimensions of the Temple Mount.
“The Temple and its surrounding courts were a hotbed of insurrection. Herod the Great and Caesar would’ve wanted to use overwhelming force to put down any rebellion. They wouldn’t have built a minuscule fort. So it makes sense that the platform that now houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, contained the Fortress Antonia—not the Temple.
“The geopolitical implications of this discovery are earth shaking. Not only does it look like we’re near the Ark, but this copper scroll proves that the conventional wisdom about the site of the Temple is wrong. Jews could rebuild their Temple today. The Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque can stay right where they are. Becca and Josh, you young lads have changed the course of history.”
Chapter 35 – The Golden Cave
10:25 p.m., Wednesday, February 17, 2021 – Jerusalem, Israel
City of David
“It looks like the probes sense an opening about 15 feet ahead,” said Professor McMillan.
A little over two weeks ago, the Professor found the copper scroll and the outlines of the ancient tunnel system. Over 2500 years, the passageways had collapsed in many places. But the robots and the probes could follow the contours of Solomon’s original limestone channels.
As hoped, the existing tunnels allowed the team to excavate much more quickly. They were now within 20 yards of the geo-marker assigned by Josh’s AI.
Josh’s smiled broadly. His dimples lit up the tunnel. “Amazing. The AI was right all along.”
*
“General Shields, what do you want to do?” asked the SWARM analyst. “It’s difficult to hear over the excavation drones and air hammer, but it’s clear they think they’re close.”
“Before I finally tip off the Shin Bet, let’s get a positive identification of the Ark,” replied the General. “When I make that call, it’s all going to hit the fan.”
After discovering Becca and Josh’s duplicity, General Shields was able to deploy 12 of the most up-to-date Swarmbots to Adler’s Jerusalem property. The Swarmbots snuck into the residence with the remodeling crew. They watched until they spied the hidden entry in the bathroom.
Shields contacted Chris Fischer. As Swarmbot’s Chief Engineer of Robotics, Fischer offered his recommendations for Swarmbot communications in a mine-like setting. He advised the General to send one Swarmbot down the shaft and test the comms.
Fischer hypothesized that while the guinea pig Swarmbot would lose satellite connectivity once underground, it could still communicate with the other Swarmbots. It could make use of its peer-to-peer communications protocol called, Swarmlink. Power from Flashcharge could also be wirelessly transferred using Swarmlink.
During the dirt removal process, one Swarmbot clandestinely moved onto the scissor lift platform. Once below, the Swarmbot got eyes on the tunnel. Although the signal was weak, Swarmlink worked as Fisher hoped.
As Shields got more comfortable, he deployed additional Swarmbots underground. One Swarmbot was positioned halfway down the shaft, between the scissor lifts. It served as a relay between the five Swarmbots up top and the six subterranean Swarmbots. Owing to the sensitive nature of the operation, the SWARM Op Center manually controlled the Swarmbots, not Gamers.
*
Before she went to bed, Becca sent a secure email to Jared Adler and her father. The note was succinct: ‘WE ARE CLOSE!’
Early the next morning, after working through the night, the team dug out a large, hewn-stone entrance. The rectangular door was 10 feet tall, by six feet wide. Both walls, to the right and left of the stone door, were covered in gold. The more the team dug, the more the walls’ outlines became evident. They were slightly rounded. The rock door had thick handles carved into its top end. It stood at a 65-degree angle.
“It’s like a mini-drawbridge,” said Becca. Josh leaped up and grabbed the handles, but nothing happened. He dropped back to the ground.
“Why don’t we use the robots?” asked Becca.
“That’s a terrific idea,” replied Josh. With the Professor’s help, he proceeded to tie a rope to the handles and attach it to the robots. They cleared the way and reversed the direction of the robots. The mechanical archeologists strained under the load. One of the door’s handles cracked. Moments later, there was a loud whoosh, as the top of the door crashed down to meet the tunnel’s dirt floor.
“Wow,” said the Professor. “That rush of air meant that the room was hermetically sealed. That’s incredible.”
*
General Shields anxiously watched the entire chain of events through a Jumbo, resting close to the apex of the tunnel. When the stone entry fell to the ground, a sense of wonderment overtook the op enter.
Then, the atmosphere of the room changed completely.
A SWARM analyst cursed. “General Shields, we’ve just lost comms with every Swarmbot. Someone else is in control.”
“How’s that possible? The satellite link is completely encrypted. Not even Ramstein knows that we’re piggybacking on their network? Get Fischer in here ASAP.”
*
Becca and Josh shined their miner’s helmet lights into an enormous, reflective cave.
“This cave is gilded. I’ve never seen anything like it. This structure would be nearly impossible to build, even today,” said McMillan. The cavern was shaped like one-quarter of a dome. The far wall, opposite the stone door, stood at a right angle.
Becca asked, “Professor, where’d they get all this gold?”
“It’s a colossal amount. I don’t know. I don’t even understand how they architected the cave. The biggest mystery is how the Hebrews sealed it for so long. It’s like they smoothed the karst limestone, and then overlaid it with a gold-infused sealant? Maybe the Queen of Sheba helped him? I don’t know. But, Solomon must have built this cave during the height of his kingdom. The Bible says that Solomon was the richest king on earth. It also states that gold and silver were as com
mon in Jerusalem as stones.
“There’s no way Judah had enough gold, during the time of Jeremiah, to build this cave. That was 500 years later than Solomon. By that time, Judah was weak and poor. And remember, the copper scroll says that the tunnels were Solomon’s. Digging the original tunnels, hollowing out this cave, smoothing the walls, laying the gold, hermetically sealing it—this was a monumental effort. Solomon must have used slaves, just like he used for his copper mines.”
The golden floor of the cave was 75 feet long. At its highest point, the ceiling of the semi-egg-shaped chamber was 20 feet tall. To the immediate left of the stone entry, Josh saw a wooden chest. El Minero and all four excavators quickly extended the ventilation system into the golden cave and rushed to position portable lanterns. Light danced in the chasm. It reflected off the gold, like a house of mirrors. Two large, covered objects stood in front of the archeological team. Beyond the obstacles, a long rectangular tent was visible—at the far end of the cave.
As McMillan looked in the direction of the tent, he said, “Oh, my Lord. That’s the Tabernacle. God instructed Moses to build the Tabernacle in painstaking detail. He spent two chapters of the Bible describing the creation of the world, and over 50 chapters detailing the requirements of the Tabernacle. Before there was a Temple, the Tabernacle housed the Ark. It was instituted right after the Exodus. That Tabernacle could be 1500 years older than Jesus.”
“Why would Solomon go through all this trouble to protect the Tabernacle?” asked Becca.
The Professor thoughtfully considered his answer. “Solomon built God a permanent house, the Temple. Maybe he wanted to take care of his temporary house, too? Or, maybe he foresaw a time like King Hezekiah’s or King Jehoiakim’s, and he desired to protect the Ark? I’m just guessing.”
Josh ran to the wooden container. It came up to his naval. “Professor, do you think the Ark is in here?”
“I don’t think so,” replied McMillan.
Josh lifted the top off the box. This unveiled another chest, coated in silver. “Help me remove this.”
Becca could now see white and blue linen robes, a turban, and a purple apron. The Hebrews called the kilt-like apron, an ephod. The ephod was fringed in gold and decorated with an elaborate blue and scarlet pattern.
A golden square, the size of a 10-inch picture frame, lay on top of the ephod. The adornment contained embedded, polished stones and jewels. Each gem was set in a grid-like pattern. It was three stones across, by four rows—for a total of 12 distinct jewels. Two black stones, in settings of gold, were secured to each shoulder of the purple ephod.
“Ahh,” said the Professor. “This box contains the high priest’s garments. The most famous—or rather, the most notorious—high priest in the Bible was Caiaphas.”
“He worked to persuade Pontius Pilate to crucify Jesus,” said Josh
Becca looked at her boyfriend, astonished. Eight months ago, he’d mocked her and called her a Bible thumper.
The Professor continued, “This golden square was known as the high priest’s breastplate. The chains at its top, connected to the golden settings of those two onyx stones. That enabled the breastplate to hang, like a huge necklace. The breastplate covered the high priest’s heart. Each stone represents one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Jesus came from the tribe of Judah.” McMillan pointed to the red gem, at the breastplate’s top right quadrant. “That’s a ruby.”
“It’s so beautiful,” said Becca. “What tribe is signified by the diamond?”
“Well, blow me down, Becca. You think all I do is study Bible trivia? The Professor laughed. “But, I’ll take a guess. I believe that it’s Zebulun.”
“I want to be from the tribe of Zebulun,” she exclaimed.
The Professor chuckled. “Look at this.” He pointed to the Hebrew script etched on the two black stones. “This writing lists the names of the 12 tribes of Israel; six on each onyx stone.”
“Let’s close this up and keep searching,” urged Becca.
El Minero’s crew had removed the two tarps from the objects immediately in front of the Tabernacle.
“Hey mates, slow down,” said McMillan.
“Alright,” answered El Minero. “Juans, fork the ventilation system. The air in here is still too thin.”
McMillan walked toward the bronze object, closest to him. Becca and Josh followed. “This is the bronze altar. This platform was used to burn the animal and grain offerings.” The altar was eight feet square. It stood waist high.
The Professor continued to the next object. It was closer to the tent. It looked like a fountain or bird bath. “This is the Bronze Laver. The priests used it to wash their feet and purify themselves before entering the Tabernacle.”
As the explorers got closer to the Tabernacle, the colors of the outer curtain became visible. There were intricate patterns of blue, purple, and red, intertwined in the fabric. Golden cherubim were also woven into the veil. McMillan walked to the center of the 45-foot long, by a 15-foot tall curtain. He peeled it to the left.
“We’re about to walk into the Holy Place. Only the priests could enter this area. Because of the people's sin, they weren’t allowed into the Tabernacle. I’ve got goosebumps.”
“Should I go in?” asked Josh. “I mean I’m Jewish, but I’m certainly no priest.”
“Your call,” replied McMillan. “If I were you, I’d take Baruch’s scroll seriously. God gave you the wisdom to create the AI. I’ll respect you, no matter your choice. However, I’m reasonably sure that if you want to see the Ark, you’re going to have to enter this Tabernacle.”
Josh stopped hesitating. “Let’s go.”
Josh, the Professor, and Becca nearly tip-toed into the Tabernacle’s Holy Place.
Their lanterns and the illumination from their helmets, sparkled across the golden objects in the room. A golden table was to their immediate right. In front of them, at a distance, was something that resembled a golden podium. A seven-branched menorah was on their left-hand side.
“That’s the table of showbread,” said the Professor, pointing to the right. “Every Sabbath, the priests would eat 12 loaves of bread, signifying the 12 tribes of Israel. When Jesus said he was the ‘bread of life,’ the showbread may have been on his mind.”
McMillan pointed to the left. “That’s the golden lampstand. It’s the Tabernacle’s only interior source of light. They didn’t have miner’s helmets back them.” He laughed. Like a lot of Brits, the Professor laughed at his own jokes.
The golden lampstand—also known as the menorah—was a seven-branched candelabra. Candle-like flames would burn on the tips of its seven branches. It was the height of one man. The span of its branches was two men. Hanukkah was a celebration of the Temple menorah that miraculously produced light during the Maccabean Revolt. The Maccabees warred against the Syrian ruler, Antiochus Epiphanes in 165 BC.
“When Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world,’’ continued the Professor, “many Bible scholars think he was looking at a giant menorah in the Temple courtyard, while celebrating Hanukkah.”
“And what’s that, in front of that other curtain?” asked Becca.
“That’s the golden altar of incense,” replied McMillan. The Professor led the team closer. The incense altar was the width of a skinny man and three feet tall. “As the incense burned, smoke wafted into the air. The smoke symbolized prayers ascending before God.
“What amazes me most, now that I’m standing in the Tabernacle, is that God said that everything in here is an exact replica of His throne room in heaven. In other words, if you die and go to heaven, you’ll see all this again. If you read the Christian Bible’s last book—Revelation—you’ll find references to almost all these artifacts.”
As the intrepid excavators walked past the altar of incense, they stood in front of another curtain. It was similar to the first curtain they passed when they entered the Tabernacle. The Professor took a deep breath. “Beyond this partition is the Holy of Holies. If the Ark of
the Covenant is anywhere, it’s on the other side of this veil.
“Be careful. Don’t touch it. There are stories in the Bible of people that touched the Ark. They died on the spot. Let me be frank. I’m very nervous. And, I’m very excited. All at the same time. Only the high priest—and in all of Israel, there was only one—was allowed to go past this curtain. And he could only enter on one day of the year.”
“Yom Kippur, right?” asked Becca.
“Yes, Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement. The high priest sprinkled sacrificial blood, from the bronze altar, on the Ark’s Mercy Seat. If God accepted the sacrifice, the high priest would live. If not, he died—right then and there. He wore bells and a rope around his waist, so the other priests and worshippers could listen. If the bells went silent, they used the rope to remove the dead high priest.”
“Yikes,” said Becca. “Now, I understand why my dad preached so often that Jesus became our High Priest.”
Chasm Waxing: A Startup, Cyber-Thriller Page 32