The Harbinger (9 page)

“And what do I do with it?”

“You use it to find the Third Harbinger.”

Chapter 7

The Third Harbinger: The Fallen Bricks

W
E GOT UP
from the table, left the reading room, and made our way down and out the library’s front entrance.

“So this time he didn’t vanish at the end of the encounter,” Ana observed.

“No. Either that or it wasn’t the end of the encounter. We started down the front steps. That’s when it hit me. We were standing right under one of the lions when I realized it. That’s where I stopped to take out the seal and look at it once more.”

“I have it!” I said.

“You have what?” he asked.

“The Third Harbinger. I know what it is.”

“And what is it?”

“It’s the bricks from the prophecy…from Isaiah: ‘
The bricks have fallen
.’ That’s how it begins…the image on the seal. That’s what is in ruins…fallen bricks…a pile of fallen bricks.”

“Very good, Nouriel. Now tell me what it means.”

“It would be the ruins left in the wake of the Assyrian invasion.”

“Correct. When the Assyrian attack was over, the people of Israel began surveying the damage. What they found were the ruins of collapsed buildings, heaps of rubble and fallen brick.
The bricks had fallen
. They were fragile to begin with, bricks of clay and straw and dried in the midday sun. Any building made of these would be especially vulnerable to destruction. So the pile of fallen brick became the most visible sign of the calamity and of the fact that the nation’s existence now rested on shaky ground. It was now vulnerable and in danger. The breach had been made, and the destruction, though limited, had begun.”

“So the ruin heap of fallen bricks was a sign,” I said, “not just of what
had
happened, but of what
would
happen if the nation didn’t change its course.”

“Exactly…the sign of collapse, the collapse of a building, the collapse of a kingdom, and then of a civilization.”

He asked me for the seal, and then, lifting it up, he began to explain its meaning. “The Third Harbinger: Enemies enter the land and cause destruction. The destruction leaves the nation traumatized. But the scope and duration of that destruction are limited. The most visible signs of the attack is the ruin heaps of fallen bricks, stone, and rubble where once had stood a building. ‘The bricks have fallen.’ The Third Harbinger: the Fallen Bricks.”

“Ground Zero.”

“As the dust of September 11 settled on New York City, people emerged to survey the damage. The World Trade Center had collapsed into a colossal heap of ruins. As Americans watched on their television sets and computer screens, the image of the colossal ruin heap at Ground Zero became the most visible and identifiable sign of what had happened…a strange image, several stories high, surreal, and haunting. In the days and weeks that followed, the image would be seared into the nation’s collective consciousness—a sign of destruction, though, as with ancient Israel, a destruction limited in scope and duration. And yet, as in the ancient case, the ruin heap would serve as a sign against the nation’s sense of invulnerability. America was now vulnerable. The breach had been made. The stones were coming undone. And the nation’s security was resting on shaky ground.”

“But the World Trade Center wasn’t made out of clay bricks,” I countered.

“The effect, though, was the same. The ancient prophecy opens up with the image of collapse—the ruins of fallen buildings. It was the same image of collapse and of the ruins of fallen buildings that confronted America in those first dark days following September 11. The American towers fell with the same suddenness as did the clay bricks and buildings of ancient Israel. In a matter of moments, they had become a heap of ruins. And yet the connection was still more literal.”

“What do you mean?”

“The ruin heap of Ground Zero was filled with steel, concrete, and glass, but not only that.”

“With what?”

“Bricks.”

“As in ‘
The bricks have fallen
.’”

“The fallen bricks of ancient Israel comprised a warning concerning the nation’s future. So too the fallen bricks of Ground Zero. The World Trade Center was a symbol of America’s economic power—proud, majestic, towering. But in a matter of moments it had come crashing down to dust…a warning to even the most proud, majestic, and towering of nations that no nation is invulnerable or exempt from the day that its power comes crashing down to earth, even in a moment’s time.”

“‘
The bricks have fallen
‘; it’s not just about destruction. It’s about a nation’s response to destruction, its vow of defiance. So how did America’s reaction to 9/11 compare to that of ancient Israel?

“Do you remember the days that followed 9/11?” he asked.

“Of course,” I answered.

“No one had to say it. It was as if almost everyone had some sort of sense about it, even if they couldn’t put it into words. It was as if the nation had unconsciously heard a silent voice calling it to be still and to return to the foundation.”

“The voice of God?”

“Yes, and for a moment, America appeared to be responding. The rush and clamor of its culture were stilled. Wall Street came to a standstill. Hollywood grew silent. Throughout the nation there was a noticeable and massive turning away from the superficial and to the spiritual. Even the name of God was taken out of the closet and publicly proclaimed from Capitol Hill to New York City. Multitudes sang “God Bless America” and gathered for prayer. America’s houses of worship overflowed with throngs of people seeking to find solace. In those first few days and weeks after 9/11, it seemed as if there might be a true national turning, a changing of course, an awakening—even a spiritual revival.”

“But then America
was
turning back to God?”

“No. America was not turning back to God. It was a spiritual revival that never came. And even the appearance of turning back was short-lived. It had no real root. There was no real change of heart or course, no searching of ways, no questioning if something could be wrong, no repentance. So it couldn’t last. And it wasn’t long before the moment was lost and things began to return to a form of normalcy. The calls for prayer would fade away, the rush and clamor of daily life would resume, the spiritual searching would be abandoned, and the superficial again embraced. The name of God would again be withdrawn from the public square, and most of those who had suddenly flocked to houses of worship would cease their flocking. The nation would resume its departure from God and its rejection of His ways, only now with increased speed.”

“So how did America’s response to 9/11 compare with Israel’s response in Isaiah 9:10?”

“It was the same. From one commentary…”

“Commentary?”

“The commentaries are writings on the Bible explaining the meaning, verse by verse.”

“But not
the
Bible.”

“Not the Word of God, but commentary on the Word of God.”

“So you study the commentaries?” I asked, surprised at the idea of it.

“I have.”

“I just didn’t picture a prophet studying the…”

“And why not?” he replied. “Is God not able to speak through such things?”

“I guess He is…”

“One commentary on Isaiah 9:10 describes how the people of ancient Israel viewed their national calamity:

“Take those same words and bring them into the twenty-first century, and you have a description of post-9/11 America.”

“So then it would mean that in the wake of 9/11, America only responded to the immediate and obvious situation, to the destruction caused by the calamity and to the danger it threatened…but never considered that there could be anything deeper…no significance behind the obvious.”

“‘The bricks have fallen…
but
…’ That was the point. Another commentary on the ancient vow puts it this way:

“Then America was shutting off the alarm…”

“Yes…silencing the alarm meant to awaken it.”

“Did anyone realize it?”

“Some…while others sensed something more…something deeper…but couldn’t put their finger on exactly what it was. But the alarm had sounded. The nation was in danger. Its bricks had fallen. Its stones were loosening. And it was only the beginning.
‘The bricks have fallen’
is only the opening of the ancient vow. There was more of the mystery to unfold. It’s what happened
after
9/11 that would prove even more ominous.”

It was then that he opened his right hand, exposing the next seal.

“The seal of the Fourth Harbinger,” he said as he handed it to me.

“This one, Nouriel, is different.”

“The seal?”

“No,” he answered, “the Harbinger. Unlike the first three, the Fourth Harbinger was conceived on American soil, and it wasn’t set in motion by the nation’s enemies.”

“Then who set it in motion?”

“American leaders.”

“American leaders?”

“Yes.”

“And how will I know it?”

“It’s hard to miss. It’s the largest one.”

Chapter 8

The Fourth Harbinger: The Tower

C
AN
I
GET
you something else?” she asked. “Something other than water?”

“No, I’m fine,” he replied.

“I apologize. I should have asked you when you first came.”

“The water’s fine,” he replied.

“So,” she said, changing her pace and tone, “he gave you the seal of the Fourth Harbinger. And what was on it?”

“Images and markings, just like the others. But its central image looked something like the Tower of Babel.”

“And how would you know what the Tower of Babel looked like?” she asked with a trace of friendly skepticism in her voice.