Acts of God
Farther away, 200 to 300 priests and Levites huddled near the High Priest, Chaim Levin, who stood a safe distance away in a tableau of mock defiance toward the men on the steps. A few steps farther back, the crowds watched from behind a line of armed Israeli soldiers. Reporters from the international news media, unable to leave the country and aware that Jerusalem was Christopher's destination, waited for his arrival, ready to cover every second of the event. The unexpected arrival of the prophets of Yahweh, John and Cohen, an hour earlier and the subsequent clearing of the Temple while Christopher was en route from New York only intensified the level of expectation. Into this, but more specifically between the line of military personnel and the steps of the Temple, Christopher directed the pilot to set the helicopter down.
With television cameras rolling Christopher was the first to disembark the aircraft. His hair and long robes tossed wildly about him in the swirling winds of the helicopter's rotating blades, painting a striking portrait for television viewers and magazine covers as he stood unflinching before the challenge that faced him. Looking out as he waited to exit the helicopter, Decker could see that John and Cohen had expected Christopher's arrival.
Once they were all on the ground, Milner turned and signaled for the pilot to withdraw. Standing there face to face with John and Cohen, Decker, who was still not sure of all the details of what Christopher had in mind, could not ignore the sudden twinge of anxiety that swept over him. Was any of this feeling the result of animosity borne between him and John 2,000 years ago in an earlier life, as Christopher had told him? Decker wasn't sure. To Decker's surprise, despite all els ...