PHENOM - The Search for the Ark of the Covenant Read online

Father McGinnis and I settled quietly into our first-class seats and prepared for the nine hour transatlantic flight from Cairo to New York’s LaGuardia Airport where we would connect to St. Louis’ Lambert field. Rosann had called an hour earlier - Matthew remained in critical condition. We could only pray. There was nothing else we could do. The stewardess brought us wine shortly after takeoff and I closed my eyes and reflected back on the events that changed my life and brought about this crisis.

  It had been ten years since Matthew Wilson and his father Ray walked into my tiny coach’s office. I smiled inwardly remembering how his father had asked if Matthew could try out for the team. I learned quickly that Matthew was an exceptional basketball player, possibly the best player there ever was, but I had no inkling that this young man would have such a dramatic impact on my life and the others he touched while a student at Shorewood High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He made all of us better people. Now he needed our help.

  Just six days ago Matthew walked down the steps of the Temple Mount after he was mysteriously released from imprisonment by Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, described by many as the Antichrist. Later I learned that his release had been orchestrated by his adversary, the Muslim basketball sensation they called The Mahdi. Two days earlier these two stars had faced each other in a basketball game labeled as a clash of East vs. West, Muslim vs. Christianity and various other metaphors. It was the basketball game of the century.

  Looking back, I should have told Matthew about our discovery in that small island cave on Lake Tana, Ethiopia – we had found the Ark of the Covenant. What should we do with this symbol that is a fundamental to the beliefs of Jews, Christians and Muslims? The Ark is referred to in both the Bible and Koran and whoever can harness its power will likely control the world.

  1320 BC - The defending soldiers high atop the walls of Jericho observed a strange procession that first morning of the siege. No armies rushed the ramparts. In the distance they could hear the sound of the shofar, the ram's horn trumpet of battle.

  And then they came, marching in order. First, an armed guard in ranks. Then priest s, blowing the shofar, then four priest s carrying on gilded poles over their shoulders a box draped in blue (Numbers 4:5-6). And after the priest s a rear guard marched. And after the rear guard, the entire Israelite army, 600,000 strong (6:3), marched in stillness. The dust billowed from under a million feet, but their voices were still. The procession seemed endless, like it would go on forever. They circled the city once, and then returned to their camp, the sound of shofars finally dying in the distance, and the muffled sound of the marching army finally stilled.

  The next morning the same strange procession occurred again. And the same thing occurred each morning for six mornings in a row. For those who knew what the Ark represented -- the throne of God -- it all made sense. Here is the procession of the King, guarded front and rear by soldiers, preceded by his ministers, and followed by his people, as they tour the city that would soon be theirs.

  To watch 600,000 troops (Numbers 1:45-46) march around the city each day must have increased their sense of impending doom. ‘When will they attack?’ must have been their constant question.

  The final day the Israelites got up at daybreak and marched not once but seven times around the city, seven being the number in the Bible to signify wholeness and completeness. At the final trumpet blast held long, the people shouted, and ‘when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed’ (6:20).

  Joshua fit the battle of Jericho

  Jericho, Jericho

  Joshua fit the battle of Jericho

  And the walls came tumbling down

  626 BC - Josiah said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the Lord, “Put the Holy Ark in the house that Solomon, the son of David, King of Israel, did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders.” This was the final Biblical reference to the Ark of the Covenant. Its location remains a mystery.

  Today - The Freemasons had been searching for the Ark of the Covenant since 1104 AD when Hugh de Payens, founder of the Knights Templar, first visited the Holy Land. The search was over.

  “Grand Master, I have news for you.”

  “Is he still alive?”

  “The last we heard was that he is in critical condition and might only have hours to live. The explosion caused severe internal injuries.”

  “Do we know who did this? “

  “It could have been the Muslims, or the Palestinians, or several other groups. It might have been the Orthodox Jews for all we know. The Ark will be a powerful tool for whoever finds it.”

  “That assumes they can find a way to harness its power. The Bible claims there is only one person that has this power.”

  “Yes, I thought he might be the One.”

  “Is it safe?”

  “Yes, for the time being. The Americans are planning to enter the cave tomorrow. I don’t know what they’ll do once they find it.”

  “Our troops must be ready to move it to a safe place if Matthew Wilson should die. We can’t let the others take it. The world is not ready to find the Ark of the Covenant.”

  “Will we take the Ark back to Axum?”

  “No, we must find a safer place. But, if he lives, it will be returned to its rightful home, The Temple Mount.”

  Chapter 1 - Marquette University