Israel's Treasure

By Ron Clark

The location of the Jewish worship articles, the Ark, Menorrah, and Table of Showbread has long been debated. They are not crated and stored in an Area 51 warehouse and no mention is made of being returned after the Babylonian dispora. A letter written by the prophet Jeremiah provides a clue to their hiding place and leads Josh Winslow and Dr. Caleb O'Connor on a search to the Holy Land. World powers and terrorists are stop them. Can the God of Israel lead them to a successful end or will terror win the day?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781387658985

Ron Clark

Ron Clark is the New York Times bestselling author of The Essential 55, which has sold more than one million copies in twenty-five different languages. He has been named “American Teacher of the Year” by Disney and was Oprah Winfrey’s pick as her “Phenomenal Man.” He founded The Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, which more than 25,000 educators from around the world have visited to learn about the extraordinary ways that teachers and parents of RCA have helped children achieve great success. Clark has been featured on the Today show and CNN, and his experiences have been turned into the uplifting film, The Ron Clark Story, starring Matthew Perry.

Book preview

Copyright by R H Clark

978-1-387-65898-5
Imprint: Lulu.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted      in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without      written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute      it by any other means without permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are      the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities      is entirely coincidental.

R H Clark asserts the moral right to be identified as      the author of this work.

R H Clark has no responsibility for the persistence      or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not      guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks.      All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks      and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any      product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the      book."

Dedicated to the service of Jesus Christ

King of Kings and Lord of Lords

To my wife, the love of my life and

my encourager

Love Ya

Mean It

Contents

Dedication

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgement

Prologue: The Weeping Prophet

Old Home and Family

Danger for an Old Friend

The Dark Man

Coincidence?

Puzzle Pieces

River Duty

Dark Forces

Sabbath

Detonation

Tell Tale Signs

Destiny Calls

God Provides

Preparations

Deal with the Devil

Proposal

Dominoes

Good Deed

Evil has Long Arms

Farewell

Old and New Friends

Shopping Trip

Guided Tour

The Enemy Awaits

Arrival

Gathering of Forces

The Seat of His Pants

Principalities of the Dark

Forces Marshal

Protection

Stone of David

Treasures

Glow of Success

Desperate Action

Consequences

Collection

Publicity

President's Medal

The End?

List of Characters

Forward

Throughout history, powerful entities have attempted to consolidate and expand their power by political means and by waging war. Despite these efforts, the desire for freedom and national sovereignty lives on in the hearts of men and women of conscience and faith. The evidence of this desire is best exemplified in the Constitution of the United States.

However, in recent years a movement has grown under the umbrella of ‘progressivism’ which calls for the growth of government control and worldwide unification. Bible history and prophecy illustrate this point and prophecy is being fulfilled in the headlines every day.

In my experience, few churches or pastors emphasize prophecy and quite frankly, many individuals refuse to entertain the discussion. However, the popularity of such books as the Left Behind series speaks of a real hunger of many people concerning this information. Sadly, a lot of scripture is twisted to prove certain ideologies of doubtful veracity.

I have made a good faith effort to document every mention of prophecy with supporting scripture and reference to trusted prophecy teachers and scholars. The storyline is, of course, fictional but being alive in my imagination the characters aspire to follow the leadings of the Holy Spirit and scriptural teachings.

Hopefully, you will learn something about Bible prophecy and be entertained by the story.

Preface

King Solomon is known as the wisest man who ever lived, a special blessing bestowed upon him by God. This wisdom, however, did not protect him from committing grievous sins in the eyes of God. Solomon married many foreign women who led him to establish alters to their foreign gods, thus leading the nation of Israel astray.

Upon his death, his son Rehoboam was petitioned to lower the taxes and forced labor levied by Solomon, but out of pride, he refused. In retaliation, ten of the Jewish tribes broke away and formed a separate nation, Samaria, and appointed Jeroboam as their king and adopted new gods. Both nations would ultimately be conquered and taken into exile by Babylon.

The armies of Babylon destroyed Solomon’s Temple and carried off its many treasures, but scripture and historical writings do not mention the fate of the primary articles of worship, the Ark of the Covenant, the Table of Showbread, or the Menorah. That fact has given rise to many myths, stories, and movies. However, Indiana Jones did not really find the Ark and it is not crated and stored in the Area 51 warehouse. Some believe the Ark is protected by the Ethiopian army at a secret base, but again, that is unproven. Some biblical scholars and Jewish rabbis believe the Ark is hidden in a cave under the original location of the Temple, but again, there is no documentation.

In the extra-biblical writings of the Books of the Apocrypha, 2 Maccabees, mention is made of a letter written by the prophet Jeremiah that states he hid the Tabernacle and the worship articles in a cave on the mountain upon which Moses stood to view the Promised Land before his death. Many dispute this, but at least one person claims to have found the cave and re-buried the treasure. Decide how you will, it sparks the imagination.

Acknowledgement

My wife, Bear, has been my constant encourager, and when my confidence paled she was quick to say, If you want to do this, you are certainly capable.

Yes, Kelli is modeled after my wife and she is every bit as courageous as the character portrayed in this book.

Special thanks to Jimmy DeYoung, prophecy scholar and teacher. Thanks for all I’ve learned from your writings.

List of Characters

Josh Winslow. Police detective, former Marine Corps sniper, and a man of deep Christian convictions.

Kelli Winslow. Josh’s wife. Deeply devoted to God and her husband and follower of Jesus Christ.

Dr. Caleb O’Connor. An Irish transplant, a field researcher and professor of Advanced Bible Studies at the South Texas Bible Institute in San Antonio, TX.

Bill Walker. Police detective nicknamed Bonsai Bill by his fellow police officers. He is Josh’s new partner.

Hector Villarreal. Police officer with SWAT in undercover experience and assigned body to Caleb.

Esteban Garcia. Real name is Sayed, a Yemeni citizen and terrorist leader.

Peter Petrovich. Secretary-General of the United Nations. He has plan for total world governance.

Leigh Howell. Soon-to-be Bill’s fiancé.

Kam Winslow. Daughter of Josh and Kelli.

Grace. Adopted daughter of Kam.

Riley Winslow. Son of Josh and Kelli.

Brad Winslow. Son of Josh and Kelli.

Allyson. Wife of Riley.

Sarah. Daughter of Riley and Allyson.

Jordan. Daughter of Riley and Allyson.

Jessica. Daughter of Riley and Allyson.

Gruen Schecter. Israeli prime minister.

Mahmud. Personal assistant to Peter Petrovich and uncle to Sayed.

Jeffrey Davidson. President of the United States.

John Holdeway. Secretary of state.

General Porter Jameson. Active-duty Marine Corps officer, Josh’s former commander and close friend.

Jack Klempnauer. A Navy master chief with a talent as a scrounger. He helped supply Josh in his rescue effort for Porter Jameson. (Kotser = harvester)

Bilaal: A Palestinian Christian who helped Jack at the warehouse and lived there in fear of an honor killing by his family due to his belief in Jesus.

Ivan Nash. Medical examiner, nicknamed Hap by Josh.

Peter Paul I. the pope.

Abdul-Bari Gabar. Owner of travel agency used as a travel front for jihadists.

Faruq Mustafa. Owner of a payday loan and check cashing company.

Hashim Kalf. Self-employed as a delivery driver.

ISRAEL’S TREASURE

by

R. H. Clark

Prologue

The Weeping Prophet

The sun showed bright and glaring on the top of Mount Pisgah making it too hot to touch the loose stones covering the ground. Among those stones a lone man stood, looking out over his beloved homeland, Judah. His nation comprised the southern kingdom of Israel and was the home of the two tribes, Judah and Benjamin that remained after ten of the Jewish tribes broke away after the death of King Solomon. These tribes declared their separation to form the Northern Kingdom and took the name of Samaria and they anointed Jeroboam as their king. In an attempt to consolidate his power, Jeroboam withdrew from the practice of worship at Solomon’s Temple and instituted the worship of two golden calves that represented the Egyptian goddess Hathor. He set up one golden idol each at the cities of Bethel and Dan. To add insult to injury, Jeroboam allowed non-Levites to become priests, a high position that could be purchased at a high price. Thus, the once-great nation of Israel became divided and on the brink of warfare.

The man wept as he recalled the three-hundred-year-old history of his Jewish brothers and how they had ignored and often killed all of the God-ordained prophets. Prophets sent to Judah as harbingers of the coming wrath of the Lord that was destined to pour out on his home as retribution for the nation’s sin. It was meager comfort to him that the southern kingdom, Judah, had maintained the Temple and continued worshiping Jehovah, at least carrying out the rituals. However, through the years apostates had brought many false idols into the House of the Lord and corrupted the worship of the one true God. The fall of Samaria to the king of Assyria should have been warning enough, but even with years of warning from the prophets sent to Judah, the Temple was in disrepair and the worship sacrifices had become a mere routine for appearance’s sake.

Jeremiah knew judgment was coming upon Judah and was coming soon. His prophetic warnings to his countrymen warned of imminent disasters and condemnations for their sins. His heartfelt pleading was without results and he had been the target of disdain and abuse, but he held firm and spoke the word that God had revealed to him. This weeping man was Jeremiah, priest, and prophet to the nation of Judah and he stood lamenting the coming fall of the land given to Father Abraham by Jehovah God.

Lord is the matter decided. Is there no way by which this fate can pass by unfulfilled? Silence greeted his spoken prayer. The silence was the answer. Jehova’s decision was final and would happen. The citizens of Judah faced foreign enslavement and the death of many. Both kingdoms would serve seventy years of bondage by the hands of the nation Babylon, one year for each Jubilee Year the Jews did not allow the land to lie fallow. The sin of worshiping false gods now required payment in full to their righteous God, Jehovah. Jeremiah had never wavered in his convictions and that was the impetus for his long journey from Jerusalem to conceal the worship articles of the Temple and keep them out of the hands of the conquering heathen gentiles of Babylon.

Lord, you know where I have hidden these sacred articles by your direction. When the time comes, according to your will, please send men of your choosing to find and return these consecrated articles to your chosen people.

Jeremiah then looked to the pathway down the mountain that leads toward home. He was determined to continue warning the children of Abraham to turn their hearts back to their holy God. The sword would come as would captivity leaving the question, would his brothers and sisters return to the Lord and repent.

1

Old Home and Family

Joshua Winslow rumbled along in his blue ’48 Ford pickup truck down the dusty dirt road in the Texas hill country west of San Antonio. He gazed at the wide rolling hills while tapping his thumb against the steering wheel in time to the classic rock and roll song he was whistling. Springtime in Texas was a great time of year because its mild temperatures and the moderate weather before the triple-digit heat of summer forced most folks into air-conditioned venues.

He glanced in his rearview mirror and caught sight of the dust being kicked up as he drove. He turned his attention forward to the vast expanse of bluebonnets and Indian blanket wildflowers that covered the landscape. The prolific late winter rains made for beautiful flowers but didn’t do much to keep the dust under control. To his left was a small herd of longhorn cattle watering at a stock tank, a common sight on many ranches in this area. He slowed the pickup as he approached the gate to the old family ranch and traversed the cattle guard that prevented livestock from crossing onto the road. As he passed over it he felt the rumble of the spaced pipes under the tires and continued another three miles down the road. He reached the original ranch house, a two-story home finished with clapboard siding, painted stark white to reflect the summer Texas sun to keep the interior a little cooler. He pulled off the dusty road and parked next to a late model F-150 pickup belonging to his brother Seth.

Josh and Seth grew up on this ranch that encompassed over five thousand acres but Josh had chosen a different path than his brother. Seth had opted to attend Texas A & M University and majored in animal husbandry and selective genetic breeding. Josh chose the University of Texas through an ROTC scholarship and joined the Marine Corps upon graduation. He continued his education by extension courses and earned a master’s in political science and foreign relations. The rivalry between their alma maters made for interesting game day events until A & M joined the South Eastern Conference.

Seth turned from cinching up the saddle on one of two, bay quarter horses and waved at his younger brother. It’s about time you arrived Josh. I had almost given up on you.

A smile creased Josh’s features as he made his way to the paddock and he shook his brother’s hand. I’m sorry for the late arrival but Caleb, my teacher friend, called me as I was leaving home and was all excited. He told me he’s found something to do with a letter the prophet Jeremiah wrote to the Jewish exiles in Babylon.

Seth looked at him expecting more details, And? he inquired.

He didn’t give me any details, he asked me to meet him at 8:00 this evening in his office. I hope he’ll tell me the rest at the meeting.

Seth adjusted his wide-brimmed hat against the early morning sun and shrugged, Here I was hoping to learn some big secret. I guess I’ll just have to wait. In the meantime, let’s get on with rounding up the new calves so I can get them branded.

Josh retrieved an old worn cowboy hat from his pickup. He pulled it low enough on his head to shade his eyes he looked back at his brother, Guess I’d better look the part of a cowboy, hadn’t I.

Seth studied him for a moment and then nodded his approval, That should do it. Still just a rancher at heart. When are you and Kelli going to give up city life and move onto the ranch? You still own half of it you know.

Josh shook his head, I’ve lived in San Antonio a long time and I honestly love what I’m doing. Being a detective is my calling. I only dabble at ranching just as an excuse for us to get together. Maybe after I retire we can build a weekend place out here.

I’ll believe it when I see it.

They mounted their horses and turned toward the bright morning sun, We’ll find the new calves about five miles from here. They go to that stock tank by the windmill for water every morning.

Josh nodded his understanding and spurred his mount into a canter, I loved that spot when we were growing up. Do your boys swim in it like we used to do?

Whenever they visit I can’t keep them away from it in the summertime. They love it almost as much as we did, Seth laughed.

They rode toward the bright sun, each man lost in his own memories recalling their years together, Josh thinking about learning to hunt from their grandfather. Do you remember the first time that Pop let me shoot a target with that old .22 rifle?

Seth snorted laughter, Oh yeah. I bet he wished you’d missed that yellow jacket nest. We had to run a long way to get away from those hornets.

He suddenly turned serious, I don’t remember you missing anything after that in all our hunting trips. It’s no wonder the Marine Corps selected you to be a sniper. Seth looked over at his younger brother, Any regrets?

Josh considered for a moment how to answer the question, Some early on, but       I’ve made peace with it.

His introspection ended short as the small herd came into view, the adult females and their calves were just leaving the watering hole to graze. They slowly circled them and began the process directing the herd toward the old house and the branding pens. Their horses did most of the work, knowing what was expected of them, and kept the cattle together as they moved on and just as Josh was becoming a little saddle sore, he caught sight of the old ranch house.

They maneuvered the cattle into the extra-large pen and closed the gate. "Zach volunteered to come over to lend a hand for the branding. Lois asked me to bring you by the