The Christ Clone Trilogy 01 - In His Imagery
By
James Beau Seigneur
The Reason for It All
December 10,2020 — Tel Aviv
The cold, arid, morning air of Tel Aviv quickly absorbed the moist breath of
Decker Hawthorne and Christopher Goodman as they left the terminal at David Ben
Gurion Airport and hailed a cab. With his attention on the taxi, Decker did not
even notice the two uniformed police officers who ran out the door of the
terminal behind them; nor did he notice the young man who stood off to their
right talking to an older couple. Suddenly, though, it became impossible not to
notice them. The young man, seeing the police, quickly broke and ran along the
edge of the sidewalk between the taxi that had just pulled up and where Decker
and Christopher stood. He got no farther. One of the policemen, anticipating his
attempted route of escape, grabbed him and wrestled him to the ground right at
the feet of Decker and Christopher. That's when Decker noticed the strange
blood-red marks on the young man's forehead. For a moment Decker thought the man
must be bleeding; as he looked more closely he realized it was writing, almost
like finger painting, in Hebrew characters.
There was little time to think about it as the Palestinian taxi driver jumped
smartly from his car, took their luggage, and threw it quickly into the trunk.
He didn't even seem to notice the police or their struggling captive.
"I wonder what that was all about," Decker said, still watching the action
through the window as he and Christopher settled into the cab. "Oh, you mean the
man the police were arresting?" volunteered the driver, as he pulled away from
the curb.
"Uh . . . yes," Decker answered, a little surprised. He had really just been
thinking out loud and didn't expect an answer. "Did you see what happened?"
Decker asked. "He was just talking to some people there in front of the
terminal."
"Yes," the driver replied. "HewasKDP."54
The reference meant nothing to Decker. "That's what they do: talk to people.
It's 'what they talk about that's the problem. They're very odd. They know
things about people; things that people don't want others to know."
The driver seemed to be a rational person, but Decker found it difficult to
believe what he was saying.
"I think they're psychic," the driver continued, as he turned onto the highway.
"They're not supposed to be around the airport or any of the tourist spots: it's
bad for business. But that doesn't stop them." "You said he was 'KDP.' What does
that mean?" Decker asked. "Well, that's the English. In Hebrew the letters are
KoofDalet Pay. The English is shorter to say than the Hebrew, so most people
just call them KDP. Did you see the writing on his forehead?" "Yes, I was
wondering about that. What was it?" "I didn't get a good look but it was either
the Hebrew characters for Yahweh or Yeshua. Yahweh is the Jewish name for God,
and Yeshua is Hebrew for Jesus. All of the members of the KDP have either one or
the other."
"So, are they Christians or Jews?" Decker asked. "They say they're both," the
driver answered. "Of course the other Jews won't claim them; but many KDP used
to be very respected Jews. Some of them were even rabbis, and I heard that one
of them used to be an attendant of Israel's High Priest."
"What about the writing? It looked like smeared blood. It appeared to be still
wet."
"Well, they say it's lambs' blood from the sacrificial lambs at the Jewish
temple. But whatever it is, it won't wash off. It's like a tattoo. I think it's
some kind of permanent dye."
"Are you saying the Israeli government put the mark on the KDP members so that
they could keep track of them?" Decker asked.
"Oh, no! The Jews won't even say 'God,' much less write his name. They hate the
KDP because they have his name written on their foreheads. What makes it worse
is that the Jews say that since the other half of the KDP have Yeshua written on
their heads, it's like they're making Jesus out to be equal to God. They tried
to get the government to deport all the KDP but no one else wants them either."
"So the KDP marked their own foreheads?" "Yes. Well, they claim it was put on
them by angels." Decker let out a "hmm."
"It seems stupid to me to put something like that on your forehead. It just
makes it easy for the police to spot them."
"What will the police do to the one at the airport?" Decker asked. "Oh, they'll
probably hold him for a few days and then let him go. They can't do very much.
There's just too many of them. If they arrested all of them, there'd be no room
left in their jails for us Palestinians," he added sarcastically. "How many KDP
are there?"
"They say there's exactly one hundred and forty-four thousand, but I don't think
anyone has actually counted them."
"A hundred and forty-four thousand"^" Decker gasped. "It was very mysterious. It
all happened about a year ago. One day nobody had even heard of the KDP and the
next day they were all over the place."
"That's incredible." "That's how they got their name."
"I wanted to ask you more about that." By now Decker was leaning forward, his
head part way over the back of the front seat to facilitate the conversation.
"Well, in Hebrew the same characters are used for letters and numbers,"
explained the driver. "For example, the letter tav is also the number nine. So
you can add the numbers of the letters in a word. Say you added the letters in
the Hebrew word for 'bread;' that would equal seventy-eight. You can add up the
letters in any word. The Jews call it Gematria. Some of the Orthodox Jews use it
as a way to make decisions, almost like most people in the rest of the world use
astrological signs and horoscopes. For instance, some rabbis say that to
memorize something you should repeat it one hundred and one times, because when
you subtract the value of the Hebrew word for 'remember' from the value of the
Hebrew word 'forget' the remainder is one hundred and one. But I think they make
up the rules as they go along because a lot of times it doesn't make any sense.
Anyway, sometimes a number will also be a word. Like, uh..." the driver tried to
think of an example. "Okay," he said after a moment, "the characters used to
write the number fourteen spell out the Hebrew word for 'hand.' Of course Hebrew
doesn't have any vowels like in English, so you have to use your imagination a
little. Anyway, as it turns out, the characters used to write the number one
hundred and forty-four thousand also spell the words Koum Damah Patar."55
"What does that mean in English?" Decker asked. "Oh just nonsense. Literally it
means 'arise, shed tears, and be free,'" the driver answered. "It's just an easy
name for them, I guess. Actually, they can be pretty nice people when they're
not preaching at you or telling you about the things you've done that you wish
they didn't know about and maybe would rather not think about yourself." "Have
you ever talked with one of them?" Decker asked. "Oh, yes. It's probably
happened to everyone in Israel at least once. One day I was fixing a flat tire.
I had burned my hand the day before and had it bandaged so I was having some
trouble. This guy came up, and without asking just started helping me. When I
looked up I saw he was KDP. I was surprised but he just kept working." "He
helped you change the tire?"
''Yes. Like I said: they're very strange. Sometimes they start out by doing you
a favor; and they never take any pay. After we finished with the tire, out of
the blue, he told me how I had burned my hand and he said that the reason I had
burned it was so that he'd be able to help me and then I'd listen to what he had
to say. I don't know how he knew about my hand but then he started telling me
other things." "Like what?" asked Decker.
"Well, personal things. Like I was saying, things that people would rather not
talk about."
"Oh," Decker said. He hadn't meant to pry. "You said that sometimes they start
out by doing you a favor. What about the rest of the time?"
"Well, my neighbor's wife decided to follow one of the KDP around, hoping to
hear what he was saying to other people. But he turned around and called her by
name and said she was a gossip and a liar, and she had stolen from her employer.
He went on and on. She ran away but he followed her. The farther she ran, the
louder he yelled and the more people that heard. It was like he was reading a
list of everything she had ever done wrong. Finally, she begged him to stop and
he told her she should repent of her sins and follow Yeshua and that if she did,
God would forgive her for everything." Decker shook his head in wonderment.
"There's one other strange thing about them," the driver added after a moment.
"They claim that one of their leaders is the Christian Apostle John."
Decker was about to ask the driver to explain when Christopher, who until this
point had remained silent and distracted, suddenly jumped as if he had received
an electric shock. "What?!" Christopher asked the driver, his voice full of both
surprise and dread. "Yes, pretty crazy, huh?"
Christopher's brow seemed to furrow in pain. His eyes moved slowly but
erratically, as though there was a very unpleasant scene running through his
memory over and over again.
"Christopher, are you all right?" Decker whispered. Christopher didn't answer.
For the next several minutes they rode in silence, but Decker could see that
inside Christopher's mind there was a battle raging. After a few more minutes
Christopher seemed to slowly resign himself to whatever was bothering him.
Finally he spoke.
"I'm sorry for not answering you earlier," he told Decker. "I've just remembered
something." Decker remained silent, though it was obvious he wanted to know
more. But this was not the place; it would have to wait until they reached the
hotel.
A half hour later the driver pulled up to the front door of the Ramada
Renaissance Hotel. It was Decker's choice. It was the same hotel that he and Tom
Donafin had stayed in twenty years earlier. He had even tried to get the same
rooms but they were unavailable. As they got out of the car, Decker's thoughts
were torn between his own memories of this place and wanting to know what
Christopher had remembered in the cab. The pain had passed from Christopher's
eyes. Now he was just deep in thought.
About forty yards away on the other side of the street, two men watched. On the
forehead of one was the mark of the KDP.
"There they are," the smaller of the two men said.
"I see them," answered the one with the mark.
"So, let's do what we came for."
The one with the mark hesitated. "Maybe we should wait until they're separated."
"You're not changing your mind, are you, Scott?" the smaller one asked.
"No ... I mean ... I don't know; maybe I am, Joel. It all made so much sense
before, but now that we're here," Scott Rosen shook his head, "all of a sudden
I'm not so sure we should do it."
Decker tipped the bellman who brought the luggage to their adjoining rooms and
then closed the door. Finally, he and Christopher could talk openly. "What did
you remember in the car?" he asked, not wanting to waste any time.
Christopher seemed to be searching for words. "It's about the crucifixion. It's
..." Christopher paused, and then started again, "Somehow, what the driver said
about the Apostle John brought back a memory that... I don't know, maybe I've
suppressed it. Maybe I don't want to remember."
"What?" Decker prodded.
"The Bible says that it was Judas who betrayed Jesus." Christopher shook his
head. "He has always been blamed, but Judas is not the one who betrayed me. He
had a part in it, but he was deceived. The one who put him up to it was John. I
remember it clearly," Christopher continued, "but I still don't understand why
he did it. John was one of my closest friends. And yet he betrayed me. He got
Judas to do the dirty work and then blamed it all on him. But John planned it.
Somehow he convinced Judas that it was necessary to turn me over to the
Sanhedrin — the Jewish officials — in order to fulfill an Old Testament
prophecy. He told Judas that when the prophecy was fulfilled, I would call down
the armies of God to defeat the Roman legions who occupied Israel and I would
bring about a Jewish kingdom that would be like heaven on earth.
"I can see it like it was yesterday. As I hung there on the cross, of all of the
disciples, John was the only one who came.56
I knew what he had done. When I saw him there, I thought he had come to ask
forgiveness. I called to him to come closer so I could speak with him. I told
him I knew what he had done. To my surprise, he admitted it freely, but without
remorse; he almost seemed to boast about it. Yet to everyone else, he let the
blame fall on Judas. And poor Judas, overcome by his undeserved guilt, hanged
himself.
"I tried to reason with John. I told him that if he would just ask, he would be
forgiven. I would forgive him and I was sure the others would as well. But he
refused. He bragged that forevermore Judas would be known as the betrayer of the
Messiah, and then he laughed and said that he would be remembered as 'John the
beloved.'
"I told him that despite his lack of repentance, I forgave him for what he had
done to me, but I could not forgive him for what he had done to Judas."
"But that was two thousand years ago," Decker argued. "How could John still be
alive?"
"I don't know," Christopher answered. "But I know it's him. I can feel it."
Decker realized he was just going to have to trust that Christopher knew what he
was talking about, no matter how fantastic it sounded.
"Do you think he knows about you?" Decker asked.
"I don't think so."
"Maybe coming to Israel was a mistake. If John really has a hundred and
forty-four thousand followers it may not be safe for you to be here."
"I don't think we need to worry, Decker. There's no way he could know about me.
I just wish I could understand why he betrayed me."
Decker and Christopher decided to nap for a few hours before going out for the
afternoon. Decker had not seen the Temple since it was completed and
Christopher, who was well known in Israel as the man who had returned the Ark,
had an open invitation from the High Priest for a personal tour. Much of the
Temple was forbidden to non-Jews, so they would not be able to see all of it,
but they would see more than most.
When Decker awoke he looked at the clock and realized he had overslept by
several hours. It was almost three-thirty. This would make it much harder for
him to adjust to Israeli time; but he thought the extra sleep would be good for
Christopher. He got dressed quickly and knocked at the door between their two
rooms to wake Christopher, but there was no answer. Decker knocked again and
then opened the door. Christopher was not there. Taped to the mirror in his room
was a note in Christopher's handwriting.
I knocked on your door but you didn 't answer. I decided to let you sleep. I'm
just going to wander around the old city for a while. I need some time to think.
Don't wait up if I'm late.
Decker decided he'd do the same. The old city wasn't that big — maybe he'd run
into Christopher along the way.
As Decker walked down the narrow streets and still narrower alleyways of the
city, he thought back to the time he had been here with Tom Donafin. Tom had
done all the sightseeing then; Decker just looked at the brochures and picture
postcards Tom brought back. He had been saving most of his sightseeing for when
Elizabeth and the girls arrived for Christmas vacation. But that had never
happened. Decker sighed. Even after all these years, he thought of them every
day and still missed them terribly.
By five o'clock the sun had begun to set and Decker found a small restaurant
down a side alley where he had dinner. Afterward he headed back to the hotel.
Christopher still had not returned, so Decker left the door between their rooms
open and watched a movie until he fell asleep. When he awoke it was still dark
outside and he assumed he had slept for a couple of hours. He went to
Christopher's room and found it just as it was before; the note still hung on
the mirror. Decker went back in his room to turn off the television and saw that
the clock on his night table said that it was nearly six o'clock; Christopher
had been gone all night. Decker ran back into Christopher's room as if that
might make some difference. It made none.
Decker called the number for Christopher's pocket phone and then realized when
he heard the ringing from Christopher's suitcase that he had not taken it with
him. He called the front desk, but the night desk clerk had not seen him. He
called the hotel restaurant, but it was closed. He called the hotel bar, but it
too was closed. Reluctantly, he called Jackie Hansen, who was just getting ready
for bed in New York, but she had not heard from him. Finally, he called the
Italian embassy in Tel Aviv. Decker identified himself to the person in charge
and at his insistence, the ambassador was roused from his sleep. The ambassador,
who didn't really appreciate being awakened, said he had not heard from
Christopher and was not even aware that he was in the country. He took advantage
of the opportunity to point out to Decker that it was proper protocol to notify
the embassy whenever a visiting ambassador was in the country. The ambassador
recommended calling the police, but Decker said he wanted to wait just a little
longer for Christopher to show up before doing that. The ambassador didn't
argue.
Decker went down to the hotel lobby to wait and let the desk clerk know where he
was in case any calls came in. Time went by very slowly but Decker felt he
should wait until at least eight o'clock before calling the police. He checked
his watch frequently and as soon as eight o'clock came Decker crossed the lobby
to make the call. As he reached into his pocket for the correct change he
suddenly felt a presence near him and looked up. Standing there not two feet
away was a familiar face he had not seen in over a year. He was quite a bit
thinner than the last time he had seen him, but Decker recognized him
immediately. "Secretary Milner?" Decker said, surprised to see him there.
"Hello, Decker," Milner answered. -
"What are you doing here?" Decker asked as he hung up the phone. "Have you seen
Christopher?"
"Christopher is safe," Milner said, not directly answering the question.
"Thank God! Where is he? I thought he might have been taken hostage by the . .
." Decker stopped himself. Milner finished his sentence for him.
"... by the KDP?" Decker did not respond, though he was surprised that Milner
knew what he was thinking. "No," Milner continued. "I have no doubt that they'd
love to do just that, but Christopher is safe."
"Well, where is he?"
Milner reached out and touched Decker's shoulder "Look," he said. Decker sensed
a power flowing from Milner's hand and suddenly in his mind's eye, he could see
Christopher. The scene was as clear to him as the room around him. Christopher
was sitting on a large stone near the mouth of a cave. He was alone and in a
mountainous area that could best be described as wilderness. "Is he all right?"
asked Decker.
"He's fine, though by now he's beginning to grow hungry." Milner removed his
hand from Decker's shoulder and instantly the vision vanished.
"If you know where he is, take me to him."
"That's not possible," Milner answered. "He must be left alone. This is his time
of preparation."
"Preparation for whatT Decker demanded.
"Mr. Hawthorne, the world is about to undergo a time such as it has never known
before. A time so dark and bleak that the destruction of the Russian Federation
and what we call the 'Disaster' will seem mild by comparison. Unfortunately
there is nothing we can do to prevent its occurrence. But if we as a species are
to emerge from it, and to go on to our ultimate destiny, it will happen only
under Christopher's leadership. Without that leadership, the world as we know it
will utterly perish. I have known this since years before I first saw him, and
now you know it as well. What Christopher goes through now will prepare him for
that hour."
Decker was too stunned to respond right away. In the back of his mind he had
always wondered if there wasn't some greater purpose to Christopher's birth than
simply being the product of Harry Goodman's experiment. After a moment he
managed to ask, "What about the KDP?"
"They shall not harm him, though they would relish an opportunity to do so."
"Who are they?" Decker asked. "Are they a part of this?"
"They are. As you know, when Alice Bernley was alive she headed the Lucius Trust
near the U.N. That location was not an accident. For years the Trust has been a
sort of clearinghouse for thousands of what we call 'New Age' groups from all
around the world." Decker started to speak but Milner anticipated his response
and continued. "The New Age is not just some fad, some passing fancy. It is the
result of a maturing, a ripening of the human species in preparation for the
final and most glorious step in its evolution. Humanity is on the very threshold
of an evolutionary stride which shall place us as far above what we are now, as
we are now above the ants on the forest floor.
"The KDP were to have been the spearhead of that," Milner continued.
"Unfortunately, at the very moment of their inception their course was subverted
by the two men who are now their leaders."
"One of whom is the Apostle John?" Decker asked.
"Yes." Milner did not appear at all surprised that Decker should know this. "You
have heard of the strange ability of the KDP to look into a person's past?"
"Yes."
"Such an ability is only a faint precursor of what is to come. Soon that ability
shall seem as no more than a firefly in the blazing sun. Such powers should be
used to look into the hearts of others, to find those places where compassion is
so desperately needed, and to offer comfort. Instead, under the leadership of
John and another man named Saul Cohen, they use their gift to dredge up what
would be better left forgotten, and to savagely claw open old wounds and call
attention to human frailties. And yet, that is the least of their monstrous
inhumanity. Their powers for evil are far greater than anything any sane mind
could imagine. This drought that Israel has suffered these sixteen months is
their work. And they shall do far worse before it is over."
"What can be done to stop them?"
"By ourselves we can do nothing. The fate of the world and of humankind rests
squarely on the shoulders of the one you have raised as your own son. The
conclusion is by no means foreordained. Let us hope that he is equal to the
task."
For a moment both men were silent. It took Decker a moment to even begin to
comprehend the magnitude of what Milner had just told him.
"How long will Christopher have to stay out there?" Decker asked, finally
breaking the silence.
"Forty days."
"Forty days!!" Decker blurted out, loud enough for anyone in the lobby to hear
him.
"There is no other way," Milner answered, exaggerating his whisper to quiet
Decker.
"But if he doesn't freeze or die of thirst first, he'll starve!"
"He will do neither, though the preparation will certainly be brutal and
unmerciful. Still, he is there by his own choice. No one could force this upon
him. He has chosen it for himself. If he wishes, he may withdraw from the
preparation at any time."
"Then I'll stay here and wait for him," Decker said.
"You too must choose of your own will," Milner said. "But you can do nothing
here. If you return to New York you may be able to provide essential information
to Christopher upon his return which will help him in the decisions he must
make."
Obviously there was no real choice; Decker had to return to New York. But just
as obvious was Decker's concern about leaving Christopher. He was sure that
Milner would never let any harm come to him; next to Decker no one was closer to
Christopher, and in some respects Milner was probably closer. Still, this could
be a matter of life and death. Milner could see the worry in Decker's eyes and
so once more placed his hand on Decker's shoulder. Suddenly, a peace such as he
had never known swept over Decker and his anxiety just seemed to vanish.
"Will you stay here?" Decker asked.
"Yes. I cannot go to him but I will stay as close to him as I can." Decker
nodded his approval.
"I'll leave on the next available flight, but I'll be back in thirty-eight days,
before Christopher returns."
"Good," Milner said. "And now I must leave." Decker shook Milner's hand firmly
and Milner turned to leave, but stopped before he had gone two steps. "Oh,
Decker," he said as he turned halfway back around, "be particularly careful of
Ambassador Moore."
"Is he a part of this somehow?"
"Not exactly," said Milner. He's just a very ambitious man who will stop at
nothing to become Secretary-General. The forces who oppose us seek out such men
as surrogates to accomplish their goals for them."
54 Due to a linguistic error, the first printing of In His Image, Birth of an Age, and^4cfi of God erroneously used KDT. (See also footnote on page 340.)
55 Due to a linguistic error, the first printing of In His Image, Birth of an Age, and Acts of God erroneously used Koum Damah Tatare. (See also footnote on page 338.)
56 John 19:25-27. " Matthew 27:5.