by Samuel David
“Yes sir, we will convey the information to the appropriate persons. Is that all, sir?”
“For now, yes, that is all.”
They stood and left the room while Aafre sat down at his desk. He smiled as he thought that not all plans ever go as expected but the result was the same. He had not planned to let Stevenson live much longer but then he had managed to manipulate the system to get Cain in as President. For the first time since 1899, the Speaker would become President in just a few more minutes. Now there would be no problem in forming the ‘New Order.’ The US would fully cooperate and then the process of world consolidation would move forward.
Chapter 58
12:25 AM Saturday Prime Minister David Ben Bernstein’s underground bunker, Jerusalem, Israel
“Sorry it is so late but the issues confronting us right now require an immediate response and action.” David said to the assembled members of his administration.
“First on our agenda, which keeps changing hourly,…we all know the U.S. Vice President was killed in a crash with his family on the way to Cheyenne Mountain. As we know, the US is temporarily moving the government to Cheyenne Mountain in light of the imminent hurricanes, which was his destination. The second shocking item that we just watched on American television is of President Stevenson’s resignation. As we all heard, he resigned in protest over what he feels is a takeover of world governments. He claims the financier, Aafre Waldger, is trying to create a one-world government. On another note, according to our sources, Stevenson has left the country. He is en-route to an undisclosed location. There are some rumors that maybe he is headed here, to Israel. But if so, I have no information to support this claim.”
David stopped speaking. Like the others in his administration, he was shocked at Stevenson’s press conference and resignation. It must be a really, really, bad situation, he thought. Obviously, Stevenson felt that he and his family were in danger. Now in the very short period of a few days, the world’s Geo Politics had been turned upside down. All this had been caused by Enoch, and of course, Elijah.
He then said to no one in particular, “Of course we still have our own problems thanks to the Iranians attacking us. It appears they did try to attack us but somehow blew up the Temple Mount instead. According to the information I have there is nothing left but rubble. This of course now puts us into a situation where we either work with the Jordanian government to let them rebuild or we take the opportunity, as Elijah told us, and rebuild the Temple.”
No one said anything so he continued. “General Schwartz can you bring us up to date as to what really happened at the Temple Mount, and what our military situation is right now. Additionally, feel free if you have any additional comments or information since our conversation a few hours ago, regarding the Iranian attack.”
“Nothing has changed since then, David. As for now, all we can ascertain is they either had a malfunction or God Himself changed the trajectories of the missiles.”
“Is that what you believe, General, that God changed the course of the missiles?” David asked.
The General’s face took on a look of I screwed up. He should not have said what he did about God. He looked around the room unsure of the religious views of all those attending. He took stock of them quickly before he answered David’s question, looking specifically at Meyer Branlin. The General knew that he was not a believer in anything but power. He quickly glanced at Shlomo Mendel, the Minister of Defense, and Rabbi Benjamin Hagen of the Sephardi. All had blank looks on their faces. He was still not sure who would believe what he felt was the only answer.
He finally decided on a course of action and said, “David, all I can tell you is what we saw from the computers tracking the incoming missiles. Their original course should have hit our government buildings. However, a change in course then put the brakes on. They made a turn, went up then straight down. That, David, is not possible under any circumstances. Maybe the software they used had an error but missile engines do not make 45-degree turns then move up then go straight down. So if anyone here has any other ideas of what may have happened, I am all ears.”
After a few moments of silence David said, “Before we go any further we received this video from the cameraman that works for the Bear affiliate here, in Saudi Arabia. Bear sent a crew here and they were at the site filming Elijah when the missiles hit. I want you to see the footage. It occurs a minute or two before impact. What it shows is Yona, our other Chief Rabbi, and Elijah at the entrance near the wall. Please watch the video and let’s see if you see what I saw.” David then hit the play button on the remote. The video started playing.
What they saw was Elijah looking up to the sky, then motioning to Yona to look up at the sky…apparently at what he was looking at. Then using his right hand, he pointed. His hand seemed to be moving in sequence, tracking what was occurring in the sky. Was he tracking the incoming missiles with his hand? His hand and gaze were very steady. He appeared to be talking to the sky and his gaze never wavered. His hands continued to point to where the missiles appeared to be. Slowly, in concert with his hand movements, he started backing towards the wall. Suddenly he dropped his hand as he grabbed Yona and pulled him to the wall, pushing him to the ground. Elijah then shielded him with his body as he stretched out his robe over them both.
The blast hit immediately and the camera evidently fell from the camera operator’s hands and onto the stones, probably as a result of the blast. After a few moments, it was picked up and pointed in the direction of the top of the Mount. They saw the debris raining down from the top along with the fires. They heard the camera operator say, “Oh God, they have destroyed the Dome.”
David clicked off the monitor then addressed the men again, “If you have another theory from what you just saw, then please speak up.” He paused, and then continued, “As much as I find all this difficult to believe…I think Elijah was directing those missiles from the ground with his hands. How he could do that I do not know…but then how did he and Enoch walk in thin air. I for one agree with General Schwartz that there is no other explanation for this.”
David stopped, slowly looking at his staff, one at a time. He looked down at the conference table then muttered; “Now I have said it. Are there any additional comments or theories?”
No one said anything for a few moments then Meyer spoke up, “All due respect, Prime Minister, Elijah could have just been pointing up and saw the missiles coming in and been in awe or even fear. I mean, he wasted no time seeking shelter against the wall prior to the impact of the missiles, like any other mortal man. In addition, I am sorry, but I am not a great believer in supernatural beings, or even this Elijah. This man has been among us as long as I can remember and he lived like a hermit in a cave out in the middle of nowhere. Now he is Elijah. No, as far as I am concerned, he is still Shraya of the desert and nothing more than a nutcase. There has to be another explanation for this, David. I cannot accept your opinion of these events. Sorry, but that is what I think.”
“Thank you for your opinion, Meyer,” David replied, “However, too many things have occurred since Monday with Jack South, now called Enoch; and his predictions or prophecies are all coming true. Elijah himself sat in my office last night saying we needed to rebuild the Temple. I said we could not destroy the Mount and he said he would do it himself. Now it appears he has done it.”
He paused, remembering Elijah’s exact words, and then said to Meyer, specifically, “Meyer, you remember when we asked him how we were supposed to rebuild the Temple? Remember we asked him how he expected us to do it without causing problems with our enemies and even our allies?”
David stopped, then looked at Benjamin instead of Meyer, and said, “‘I will do it myself,’ that is what he said; and you know what, that is what he did. Moreover, let me remind you, someone else will get the blame. Not us!”
David leaned back in his chair. He was worried they would think he had gone off the de
ep end. Maybe he had. He continued, “Now the Temple Mount no longer exists as it did and the only,” he emphasized ‘only’, “person there was Elijah, and of course, Yona. I am now inclined…no I am not inclined…I believe, that he is from God and that he is Elijah and we need to listen to him.”
The room was silent once again, and then Rabbi Benjamin said, “David, in our history, we have had many false prophets and claims of the Jewish Messiah. The most famous of course was Jesus of Nazareth, and another twenty-two since then. Many of them had Jewish followers. Most recently, there was Menachem Mendel Schneerson, a Chabad Rabbi, who tried to prepare the way for the Messiah. Many believed he was the Messiah. But as our faith requires, they all failed the test of being either a prophet or a Messiah.”
He stopped speaking to allow them time to think about what he had said, then continued, “Unlike Yona, my counterpart, who I believe thinks as you do, David, I am not one hundred percent convinced that he is Elijah. Even though I am sure you would like a consensus between the Chief Rabbinates, I tend to agree with Meyer. The reason for my indecision lies simply in the fact that I have known of Shraya in the past. He was wild, and in the eyes of some, including me, crazy. He surely was not proclaiming to be Elijah at that time. I think we need to wait and see what happens next…what he does or does not do. We need to observe him and see if he can pass the test of the prophet.”
“What would you suggest then, Rabbi? Since you’re the expert, how do we test him?” David said, somewhat contemptuously. “And what of this other witness, Enoch? What of the insanity of the world in less than a few days?”
“David, we should wait and see,” Benjamin replied, in a tone as if he was talking to a child. This annoyed David. “This depends on what he does between now and the next few days or so, before we anoint him a prophet. If he really is the Prophet Elijah, our laws do bind us to our prophets. But before we disband the government and turn the country over to him, I suggest we really make sure we are right, and not just want to be right.”
David looked at the Rabbi and was surprised that Benjamin was not all in for Elijah, for he was sure Yona was. He had expected that Meyer would disagree. He was a very mean man and power hungry. However, the Nation of Israel needed men like him whom their enemies feared and even some members of the government itself. Well nothing was going to be resolved this late anyway so he changed the subject.
“Let’s table this discussion about Elijah for now and discuss the Iranians attacking us, for I am sure that that was their intent. Moreover, based on the computer tracking analysis they intended on hitting our government buildings and one of our military bases. We also know that they have not said anything about the attack. Normally they would be in the streets celebrating about how they hurt us. That has not happened. Now it appears there are not any more missiles, aircraft, or troop movement from their side. As all of you know, we made the decision for now not to counterattack. The reason for that decision was that there were no additional incoming missiles, planes, and or troop movements. Not only Iran but also our other enemies have also not made a move. Even Hamas hasn’t made any hostile moves…any comments?”
With no hesitation, Meyer said, “I think we should blow them off the face of the Earth. We have a chance to respond since they made the first move and we could have caused major damage to them. We were always looking for a way to hit their uranium enrichment sites. All you would have to do, David, is giving the command and that is what we would have done.”
He paused for effect smirking at the Prime Minister, then continued his plea, “You could still give the order right now to attack them. In the eyes of the world it would be well within our rights to protect our country.” He sat back smiling in his chair, thinking he had scored some points with the others.
“Thank you for your input, Meyer. That option is still on the table and still under consideration.”
“Shlomo, what is your take on this?” David asked.
“I think, David that we wait and see what they say or do. Right now, we have everything to lose. The reality of it is they attacked the Mount, which technically is not our territory. It is under the Jordanian’s authority, so that is who they attacked, not us. Even though we know that, somehow, someway they made an error and that was not their target; whether by this Elijah’s interference or some aberration, something caused the missiles to hit the Mount. That is their fault, not ours. They are now receiving criticism from their own allies. We need to just sit and watch. That is my opinion.”
“I agree,” Shlomo, replied, “They have done a lot of damage to themselves politically in the Arab world. If we attack then now they may be able to rally the Arabs and the Muslim against us. If we do nothing then Iran must explain themselves to their allies, including the Russians and the Chinese. That will buy us time. Also keep in mind; we do not have the Americans to back us up. We would need their backing if we were to get aggressive.”
Getting no response from anyone else, David asked, “So does anyone else have any other ideas or comments?”
No one spoke.
“We are agreed then. I want to make something very clear to everyone here. If we see one Iranian aircraft cross our border, then we hit them and hit them hard, short of nuclear missiles. I would want their capital leveled. However, I doubt if they will take that chance now. Do we have an understanding?”
They all affirmed then I said, “We will meet again tomorrow after the Knesset, and the Judiciary get together. I am sure we will have more input, both positive and negative, from the other arms of government about Elijah.”
“Now regarding the United States it is my understanding that they will be swearing in the Speaker of the House, Robert Cain very soon. We know very little about him. This is the first time in history, if I have my facts correct, that the Speaker has ascended to their Presidency.”
He paused, searching for the right words, and then said, “Since we know very little about him try and get a complete dossier on Cain as quickly as you can Meyer. In our next meeting, we will discuss what we have to deal with politically. I will need to call him soon to congratulate him and feel him out as to his views on Israel. Beforehand though we need a bit more knowledge.”
“So you know, David, we already have quite a bit of information on him. We collect information on any and all American politicians as a course of everyday business,” Meyer replied.
“Good, I would appreciate you making this a priority to get me what you have and anything else you can dig up.”
As everyone stood to leave, David had a thought, “Please give me a moment before you leave. I just thought of something that may be important, regarding Elijah.”
They all sat back down, while the Prime Minister remained standing. “Remember when Elijah said that any country that attacked Israel would be afflicted with a plague of locusts?”
“Yes,” Benjamin replied, “That is what he said on the broadcast in the U.S.”
“Good, then we all agree that he said that. Therefore, here is my thought. If for some reason Iran has a locust problem any time soon, I think that may well remove any doubts about Elijah. Would you agree, Benjamin?”
“Well…yes, David, that might well do it.”
“Good,” the Prime Minister replied.
“Shlomo?”
“Yes, David, that would surely make the decision easier.”
“Meyer?”
“No, this is still bullshit.”
“Ok Meyer, I understand your obstinacy. I really believe that if Adonai Himself came down and talked to you from a burning bush you would not believe.”
Frustrated by Meyer, David said to the group, “That’s all for now; I think we have a lot to do and think about.”
Everyone stood, there was some small talk, then David went over to Chief General of Staff Jacob Schwartz and said to him quietly, “Find Elijah and bring him here, and Yona also. In addition, General, keep your eyes and ears open, for I do not trust ei
ther Meyer or Rabbi Benjamin. Keep them away from the “go” button that might start a war we do not want. We need to keep them out of the loop for a while until I can talk to the leaders at the Knesset and sort some of this out. The bottom line, General, I really do not trust them.”
I understand, David, I will do as you request. I know where Elijah is, for he had not moved from the Temple Mount and I assume he is still there.
Thanks General, I knew I could count on you. I need to speak to him as soon as possible.
Chapter 59
6:00 PM Friday, Somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico.
The flight was very quiet. No one had said anything since they took off from Kansas City. As for Enoch’s trip through the American plains, that had changed, for now. It seemed the plans were changing almost hourly.
Enoch got up and walked back to where Veronica was seated. She, like everyone else on the plane, was just staring out the window. He sat down in the empty seat beside her.
“I am not an expert on planes, so I would assume we need to land soon and either refuel or get another plane?” he asked.
“We should be landing in Cuba in a few minutes. There is another jet that we will be transferring to…it has the range we need. It is already on the tarmac, fueled and ready to go. Say, within about a half an hour or so.”
“Any issues with the Cuban Government over this?”
“No, shouldn’t be. I have had to do this before in another lifetime. Money is king in Cuba, especially American Dollars. They look the other way and are very accommodating.”
“So where are we actually going, if I may ask?”
“Israel Enoch, back to Israel. I have already told you this.”
“Where in Israel? Is there another round with Mossad coming up?”
“You are asking way too many questions, Enoch. What we are doing is going to Israel where Elijah will meet us. With both you and Elijah there, no one will bother us.”
“Any political considerations?”
“At this time America has too many other issues and Aafre and his puppets will leave Stevenson alone for now, I am sure. We can also use Stevenson, for he will be quite the propaganda machine that we will need very soon.”