The Jerusalem Conspiracy by Jay Schein THE JERUSALEM CONSPIRACY By Jay Schein Chapter One It was time. The Tabernacle was to be built and God spoke to Moses and instructed him to take an offering from the people for the materials. The skills needed to craft and forge the contents of the Tabernacle, were already gifted to many among them. God had seen to it. This was to be God’s dwelling place among the Israelites. Much of the items that were given-over were spoils that were taken out of Egypt, and now they would be used to build the sanctuary where God would receive His appointed leaders— so that they may worship Him appropriately and receive His laws. The Tabernacle was to be built as the first place of worship in the desert for the Israelites. God instructed Moses to build the Ark of the Covenant, occupying the very first position within the Tabernacle. It would become the protector of the stone etchings of God’s Commandments, Aaron’s rod, a jar of manna from the wilderness, and any other item that was regarded as sacred. The Ark itself would yield the very power of the Lord, for God told Moses that it would eventually contain the “testimony that I will give you.” The chest was to be carved from acacia wood and to be fully covered in pure gold. The instructions for fitting the chest were that there was to be four gold rings, two on each side of the ark through which solid acacia poles would be used to carry it. No man was to ever lay his hand upon the Ark or he would surely die. God then instructed Moses to forge a mercy seat, and it was also to be made of pure gold. Then, there were to be two cherubim of hammered gold that were to be placed on either ends of the mercy seat. They were to face one another with outstretched wings so that the mercy seat was covered beneath those wings. Their faces however, would be turned towards the mercy seat. 4 “You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I will give you. And there I will meet with you and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.” 5 To this very day, all that was placed within the ark is that which was told to us within the Holy Scriptures. Moses and Aaron were not the last to possess the very ark that was the voice of God in the wilderness, for it was carried from the desert at Sinai across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land, led by Joshua. The ark would then play a part of the history of the Israelites and one day, was to be placed within the Temple at Jerusalem. David wanted to build that Temple for God but it was to be built by his son, Solomon. The Temple would stand at the very site that the Dome of the Rock now stands today in Old Jerusalem. **** It was just before sunrise as David peered into the pre-dawn darkness, watching for the first rays of light to appear and cast hues of orange and gold across the sleeping figures of some thirty thousand of his best soldiers. They were gathered and they were weary from the battles against the Philistines. David’s army defeated them at Baal Perazim and then again in the Valley of Rephaim when they re-deployed themselves. This gathering however, was not about a battle. It was about a sacred mission. It was on this day that the ark of God was to be moved from the house of Abinadab to Jerusalem, the city of David. As the dawn’s light crept across the sky, David had his men arise and prepare themselves to move the sacred ark. David chose Abinadab’s sons to drive the cart that would carry the ark. They were Uzzah and Ahio and when they had made everything ready and the ark was placed on the cart, David signaled those whom he had chosen for worship to play their instruments and offer-up praise to the Lord before the ark. All was joyful until the moment Uzzah put out his hand and touched the ark when he thought it might be tipping. Uzzah paid with his life for not heeding God’s instructions. David was devastated with both anger and confusion, as to why God would do such a thing to those who served Him. To honor the memory of this tragedy, David called that very place Perez Uzzah, as it remains to this day. However, David was now in a state of confusion and actually fearful that the wrath of God may fall upon anyone who accidentally touched the ark and he did not want any more dead friends on his conscience. He made the decision to keep the ark at the house of Obed-Edom, the Gittite. The ark would remain there for approximately three months. Needless to say, the temporary resting place of the ark was highly blessed and it was time to take the ark into the city. When it arrived there, David danced and celebrated as the ark was placed upon the tabernacle that David had built for it. Then, David offered burnt offerings to the Lord and continued to rejoice. The Temple was to be the intended home for the ark, however it had not yet been built and David would have to wait for his promised son and heir to the throne of Israel to build it. Biblical accounts tell us that David built another Tabernacle to house the ark. After the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D., there are traces of its history and stories as to where the ark was placed, but no men knows for sure—or do they? Who in modern times would possibly have the knowledge of the resting place of the ark? Some believe it is guarded in some obscure hiding place in Israel, perhaps in an old Synagogue or even a church to maintain secrecy. Some say it is hidden in a vault beneath Jerusalem within the maze of underground tunnels, which is the more likely place that the ark might be found. What might occur if by some quirk of happenstance, someone were to stumble upon the location of the ark and its whereabouts were to be known by that one person? How would they regard the secrecy of that location? What if that person was a soldier of terrorism? There is a prophecy that has been handed down for many generations among the enemies of Israel. Find the Ark of the Covenant and you have found the very power of the Israelites. Destroy the ark and you destroy the hope and the power of Israel, a terrorists dream. **** The sun was about to set and the foot traffic in the streets of the Gaza was increasing as children returned home from play to help prepare the evening meal. Workers who were fortunate enough to obtain passes were returning from the West Bank checkpoint after working across the border. It was summer, and those who were shuffling their feet along the dirt-covered streets were creating a slight haze of dust that was beginning to seep through the open window of the modest dwelling of Musheer. Musheer was a Palestinian soldier who had trained under Al Qaeda and was awaiting his orders for an assignment. Several Palestinian men had signed on with Al Qaeda in the wake of the newly structured arrangements with Israel, which literally left most of the unemployed men without very much hope—especially if you did not have a skill that the Israeli labor market required. They could not get into Israel and the West Bank was sliding more deeply into poverty and malcontent—although that frame of mind has been prevalent for some time. Musheer was a young man whose parents were killed by a car bomb in Tel Aviv some fifteen years ago. It was somewhat ironic that the terrorist was later found to be a Palestinian. He was only fifteen and had joined Hamas and set the bomb to show his worth. He had no orders to set the bomb, and did so at a location where several Palestinian families were actually coming from a social gathering. He did not realize who they were and thought they were Israelis. Musheer’s parents were the first couple in the group. Musheer was an only child, and was subsequently raised by his aunt who herself died just a little over a year ago. She left Musheer her only possession, the small shack of a dwelling that he felt very much at home in since it was his refuge for the years he was cared for. He was bitter and hated everyone and everything, despite his knowledge that his parents were killed by one of his own. After all, when a Palestinian is unhappy about anything, the Israelis are easy to blame. Austere was the lifestyle on the West Bank these days as the rubble from the fighting and retaliation became more of the landscape than the buildings left standing. One would assume that a young man like Musheer with no hope of rising to any status in life would be void of any motivation or passion. Yet, Musheer possessed a passion that was burning within him that needed no stoking to fan its fire. His passion was built upon the foundation of hatred—an emotion that was kindled from his earliest years of his memory and built to a flourishing desire to destroy the Israelis and occupy what he and most Palestinians believed was their land. As he began to prepare a modest supper, there was a knock at the door and he opened it to find one of the top- ranking Al Qaeda leaders standing before him in Palestinian garb. Musheer swung open the door in excitement and greeted his guest in Muslim fashion. They settled down to talk after Musheer offered him a cold drink of water, which he accepted. He was a confidant of Bin Laden himself, and Musheer knew that he was not even to speak the mans name, less there was ever a chance of the “walls having ears.” He was a rather tall man, quite muscular and always carried a curved dagger with a sword-like handle under his garment. He was an assassin and could slit a victim’s throat in one swift movement that they would never see coming until it was too late. His complexion was dark and his eyes were like lumps of coal, dead and expressionless. “Musheer, I am here to speak with you of great things. After much deliberation and prayer over several names of possible brothers in Islam to carry out a mission that will be above all missions, you have been chosen.” Musheer clasped his hands together and bowed his head in respect and acknowledgement of the honor, stating that he was prepared to give his life willingly for Allah. “Oh no, my brother. We do not want you to give your entire life, just the next year.” “I…I don’t understand?” Musheer replied. “Oh, but you will, my brother. That is why I am here in person for we will trust no one to deliver these instructions to you. After we have talked and I am satisfied that you understand the mission and are prepared to undertake it, I will be on my way to implement the rest of the details with those involved.” “I am at your service, my leader.” “Good then, I will provide you the information and when I am finished, please ask any question you have or let me know if there is anything you find unclear. This mission begins tomorrow morning.” “Tomorrow?” Musheer repeated in surprise. “Yes, tomorrow,” the terrorist leader confirmed. “Of course, I am ready,” Musheer conceded. “Very well. Listen carefully as nothing will be written. All that will be discussed about this mission shall be mouth to ear. You will not speak anyone’s name or s word about your instructions… nothing. Listen carefully my brother. There are six families who live within the West Bank who have something very much in common. Each of these families has sons who are near or just past the age of seventeen years. Each of these families has been carefully screened and the fathers are all brothers of Islam. Each of their sons has been totally indoctrinated in our ways and despises the Israelis. They are all healthy, talented and dream of the day that they may serve our cause. That day will come in one year, when they all turn eighteen. It is during the next year that these boys will be individually trained at one of our training camps. They will never come together until each has totally become skilled in their individual duties. After their two years of extensive training, they will then be brought together and molded into a team before they set out on this mission. Do you understand this so far?” “Yes, of course,” Musheer acknowledged, waiting for him to go provide more details.” “Good. Your role in this is to be their team leader, during the training and on the mission. You will not see these boys together nor visit with anyone of them or their parents on the Stevene day. There must be nothing to link these families or their sons together. You will be visiting with them and instructing them individually and they will be brought for training individually. If none of them know who the other members of the mission are, they cannot give anyone up in loose conversation on the street. They will be trained in explosives, weaponry, field engineering, mapping, electronics and communications. That comprises six boys who in one year will become eighteen- year-old young men—each with a specialized ability to make this mission a success. They will never know the details of the mission until about three weeks before they embark upon it. They will then sleep in the Stevene room, eat together and spend every moment together and you will outline the mission to them at that time. They will all be told that they are being trained to play a role in one of the most important missions ever undertaken.” “I understand, and I am hopelessly curious now and excited to know the mission—if of course, if it is your intention to tell me at this time.” “It is not,” was his answer, much to Musheer’s disappointment but he maintained his composure and nodded in respect to his leaders wishes. “I will tell you this. The mission’s success could fulfill a dream of our leaders. It could strip the Israelis of their religious power and all hope. It would have a rippling affect on all of Israel and you, my brother, will be the leader of such a mission.” “I am honored and respect the need for absolute secrecy.” “Very well then. I will be visiting with these boys and their fathers over the next six days. When I am convinced that they were correctly chosen, I will come back to you and provide you with their names and addresses as well as additional instructions.” He stood and Musheer jumped to his feet and bowed in respect. They embraced and his leader left. Musheer watched as he covered his face and walked along the others in the street. Musheer turned and fell to his knees, bowing and praying and thanking Allah for making his dull and meaningless life worthwhile. He was now filled with excitement and purpose, knowing that he would play a role in something that was so important— even though he had no idea of what it could possibly be. It didn’t matter. Musheer was now somebody and not just another poor and oppressed Palestinian in Gaza. In that brief meeting, he had gone from hopelessness to a man filled with self-esteem and purpose. **** No one could resist the beauty and the charms of Rebecca. She possessed a captivating smile since she was a youngster and the boys at school would simply follow her around the classroom during playtime. It was a magnetism that drew attention to her in a way that not even her own parents could fully understand. Some said it was not about any single attribute but rather her total appearance that brought stares from everyone. Her eyes were as green as emeralds, set against olive skin that was as smooth as pure silk. Her long jet-black hair shone with glimmers of light from the sun that would dance on the locks of hair falling on her shoulders as she walked around the military compound. Many an officer would suffer irregular heartbeats when she smiled at them in passing, but when your father is the new commanding general; even officers who had fought major battles with Palestinian guerillas were hesitant in approaching her in conversation. Besides, she had only been there a few weeks since her family was transferred when her father took command. She had loved her home on the sea at Ashdod. Although it was only forty-one miles away from Jerusalem, orders dictated that her father had to be within ten minutes of the command post in the event of an emergency. Her father promised her that they would live in military accommodations and maintain their modest home so that they would return to it on vacations. He had also promised that he would allow her to stay there after graduating from the university, which was only a semester away. The officer’s quarters were modest but comfortable, the average two-bedroom apartment measuring about 1200 square feet. However, her family enjoyed the largest of the apartments and they were set-off from the other quarters by a privacy wall. The general whom her father relieved, allowed his wife to indulge in her hobby and natural flare for interior design. She had turned the quarters into a lovely dwelling with matching curtains and draperies and many little personal touches that Rebecca’s mother thought brightened the entire home and made it quite comfortable. |
| NEW NOVELS SOON TO BE PUBLISHED This weeks Excerpt - Chapter One of.. THE JERUSALEM CONSPIRACY Stop back soon for Chapter One of THE ANSWERS |