The Harlot's Cup | Part III

For those following along, here is the next installment of The Harlot's Cup. If you missed them, catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 .

In this excerpt, we meet important characters in this Archaeology class. 

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Professor Daniel Tisdale's voice was low, deep and monotonous with a faintly nasal intonation. An Ichabod Crane look-alike, he was a gangly, lovable genius with a habit of constantly shoving his disheveled gray hair to one side with knobby, skinny fingers that served as his comb. He pushed his bifocals back against his long Roman nose then aimed his laser pointer at the video screen.

"This is an overview of Jerusalem. Here is the third most holy Muslim mosque, quite often referred to as the Dome of the Rock."  

Tisdale outlined construction in progress beside the dome with his pointer. "And here, one hundred meters south we see the construction of the Jewish temple generally known as Solomon's Temple.” He looked at the students in hopes that some might actually be paying attention. Some were, he nodded and continued. 

“A very efficient Persian government kept its records on scrolls of papyrus or leather at Ecbatana—modern-day Hamadan—on the road from Baghdad to Teheran. It was a city at 6,000 feet elevation, with a climate conducive to the preservation of scrolls. These scrolls confirm the written decree by King Cyrus to rebuild the Temple in 538 B.C. The temple was completed in 516 B.C. Not only is this of great historical significance,” he glanced at the students again as his voice rose, “but it is also precisely what the biblical book of Ezra tells us.”  

Tisdale lifted his bushy eyebrows and peered over his bifocals. “For those of you who might actually be interested in such things, Ezra prophesied that the Prince who was to come, who turned out to be Titus of Rome, would destroy the temple again and that ‘not one stone would be left upon another.’ That turned out to be significant, in that the stones weighed as much as four tons each. ”

He paused again to see if anyone was listening. “The temple was inlaid with such large amounts of gold that it could be seen glimmering in the sun from miles away. When the Romans, under Titus burned the temple in 70 A.D., the intense heat melted the gold between the stones. This caused a rash of looting, which included removing these massive stones to reach the gold that had seeped between them. The result: No one stone was left upon another.”  

He smiled, surveying the students. Some leaned on their elbows, eyes glazed over in boredom. He smiled, and his spirit sank at their lack of interest in historical facts that defied logic. 

“Professor!” Amanda called out as she raised her hand.

“Yes, Miss Clark.”

“This is the same Temple that Israel is rebuilding now?”

“Yes, this would be the famous third time the Jewish people would build the Temple.”

“Why is the Third Temple famous?” A young man called out.

“A very good question,” Professor Tisdale’s spirits and voice rose with the surprising interest. “You see, for those who believe in the Bible and its accuracy in foretelling the future…the rebuilding of the Temple is extremely important.”

 “Why, Professor?” Amanda asked.

“I think one book that speaks of it is in the book of Zachariah, I’m not positive but the Jewish people believe that when the Temple is rebuilt for the 3rd time; their Messiah will come and save Israel. And, millions of Christians believe that the rebuilding of the Temple signals that the Rapture of the church is at hand. Whether you believe in such things or not, I think we all must agree that it is fascinating. Any other questions?”