Above Top Secret

'Jesus, stay in you space.' kept tripping through my head as we paid for our dinner and stepped back into the masses. It wasn't very late; maybe 7:30 and I wondered if we should do something else to calm our edgy emotions (and help facilitate the exodus of sugar from Jesus's system, as now He was thirsty, both looking for water and a restroom).

After borrowing the facilities of Nordstrom's and water from.. Fiji (really?); we headed back down another corridor for a simple looksie at the stores in this mall. Jesus seemed perplexed and even a bit baffled by the enormity of goods in this market place. Clothing, food, furniture, house wears; we could even buy a hot tub, an automobile and an RV - if we really wanted one! Or… even one of each! I snickered to myself.

Jesus stood in front of a window watching cool gadgets and little robots talk to people inside one of these science / geek shops that sells educational toys for kids of all ages. He seemed amused as the robots retrieved things the patrons told them to pick up.

"Interesting huh?" I sighed.

"My Father give you much knowledge." Jesus answered.

"And what do we do with it, besides build atomic bombs and crap that ends up in a land fill two years later." I muttered.

"Is thus need for new heavens and new earth." Jesus answered. "Yes, I see in comparison of times this earth to wear out."

"You mean we're not going to save it with enough Green Peace protests?" I smirked.

"Who tell you this?" Jesus looked inquisitively at me, with a hint of sarcastic flare.

"Oh I don't know?" I innocently shrugged. "CNN, NPR, CBS, NBC; pick one."

"Oh, fake news." Jesus chuckled.

"What?" I raised an eyebrow at Him.

"Home Alone 2. You see?" Jesus answered with an inquiry. "Is movie; I watch some today, when you shop."

"Yeah… I saw the first one?" I flashed Him a puzzled look. "What's that have to do with the news?"

"In movie; tall man with yellow hair, tell boy where is hotel lobby." Jesus answered before He turned to walk away. "About 20 years, this man be you nation's president; then you understand fake news."

"Huh?" I stared at Jesus. "Wait a minute, get back here." I hurried after Him. "Someone in Home Alone 2 is going to be the president of the United States 20ish years from now?"

"Yes." Jesus smirked as He walked.

"Who?"

"He build towers in New York City."

"Towers? You mean the World Trade Center?"

"No, terrorists blow that up."

"Terrorists?" I grabbed Jesus's arm. "Terrorists blow up the World Trade Center in New York City?"

"Yes, and this in Washington; you call Pentagon."

"Terrorists blow up the Pentagon?" I stared at Him with saucer eyes.

"Well, they put hole in it." Jesus shrugged nonchalantly. "Say airplane do this. Is no airplane." He waved the accusation away. "Fake news."

"Woah, woah, wait a minute!" I said as I turned Jesus around to face me. "You're saying terrorists blow up the World Trade Center and the Pentagon?"

"Yes, and start really…. loooong war." He answered. "No worry to you though. Your son they never draft."

"My son?"

"Yes, I give you baby; but no… directly." Jesus snickered. "No worries, you be good mom. And army never take boy with; as you call - epilepsy." He continued as He took hold of my shoulders and gave me a happy shake. "You keep with each other. I give you one called by my name." He smiled joyfully as He leaned over and gave me a hearty kiss, before He turned to walk away again.

"But the terrorists?" I ran after Him. "And the president from Home Alone?"

"OK. I give you hint." Jesus held His hands up. "President same name as your dad. Terrorists; they say Arabs, but no Arabs; at least not directly Arabs. This too fake news." He took hold of my elbows as I squeezed His arms. "Pentecostal Movement; I send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie. Scofield, Darby Daniel 11, Daniel 12; The Great Awakening. Do you want to play a game?"

"Those are my clues?" I flashed a perplexed scowl as Jesus turned to walk away again. "Is this stuff in the Bible?"

"No man named Donald in the Bible!" Jesus laughed. "No; the terrorists, war, World Trade Center. Great Awakening. Do you want to play a game? Those I give you freebies. Not in the Bible." He giggled.

"Yet" He amended. "Scofield, Darby; what is this they teach? What I say happened to the temple? When did this happen? What of the sacrifice? The Sacrifice is…. Me!" Jesus flashed a big silly grin as He announced Himself. "Millennium Kingdom; when I start reign? Answer: Ephesians 1." He smiled slyly and wagged His finger at me.

I stood and stared at Jesus a moment.

"What happened to the temple?" I began to ramble off answers as we continued walking. "It was destroyed in 70 AD. Who is the sacrifice? You are. When did the millennial reign start? The answer is in Ephesians 1. Scofield and Darby? Scofield's reference Bible teaches dispensationalism. The tongues movement; strong delusion that they should believe a lie? Everyone says You'll descend to the Mount of Olives and rule from Israel for a thousand years."

"Not on this earth!" Jesus laughed. "More fake news."

"Daniel 11, Daniel 12? The Great Awakening. Do you want to play a game?" I cocked my head and looked at Him.

"King, set his palace between the seas and glorious holy mountain." Jesus tossed out more clues. "He send away nations and one will not stand with him. Time of one who causes a great trial on earth; as since there was not a nation. Satan released at the end of the millennium, that he should deceive the nations. Two beasts in Revelation; buying and selling with the mark of the beast. Look at end of book of Daniel. Other beast has lambs horns, yet speaks like the dragon. My sheep hear my voice! Who is the man who's number is 666? Your clue to 666; in beginning of book of Ezra."

I stood and stared at Jesus, while His silique of cryptic quotes and questions logged through my conscience.

"You mean all those answers really are in the Bible?" I muttered, although more to myself.

"Who shall we teach doctrine. Line upon line, precept upon precept." Jesus answered as He turned around and shrugged an encouraging grin.

"Ask and you shall receive." I mumbled.

"Search and you shall find." He marked His point before He reached over and poked me. "Dig."

I stood and stared at Him…. some more.

"But…. The Great Awakening was a religious revival in the 18th century. This president named Donald? Is there another revival? Does he have something to do with the end of time?" I flashed Jesus a perplexed look.

"The son of man comes as a thief in the night. Not as they suspect." Jesus answered. "Who in this time, still looks for messiah? Great trouble since there was not a nation." Jesus flashed a suspicious scowl. "Which nation?" He posed an inquisitive question. "Prophecy or… self fulfilling prophecy?" Jesus nodded knowingly.

"Schofield, Darby. The Bolsheviks, the Czar, pogroms, 6 million Jews, news papers of World War One. Adolf Hitler, the Transfer Agreement, 6 million Jews…. again?" Jesus paused flashing another inquisitive scowl. "Nothing is hidden that will not be made known. 120 years of fake news? This thing you call Internet. It is a gift. Use it. Dig."

"So this stuff is described in general as revelation about the end of time; but not specific as to what to expect at the end of time?" I posed another question. "Is the history stuff about the terrorists?"

"Yes." Jesus nodded. "But also the sense Judgement Day comes."

"Because the wrath of God is revealed from heaven." I popped out a thoughtless verse. "And You use sinful nations to punish other sinful nations."

"Yes." Jesus nodded in the affirmative. "You take military oath; defend America from all enemies…"

"foreign and…. domestic." I finished His sentence.

Jesus nods.

"So yes; we do this to ourselves." I mumbled.

"You government; what you say - complicit? Yes." Jesus answered.

"Us and our; alleged… allies." I muttered some more, through my own attempted denial. "Just like that story told to congress about Kuwait City and the hospital incubators. There was so much, that I only realized when Desert storm was over; it was never true to begin with."

"More fake news." Jesus confirmed.

"You know…" I paused a moment as I looked thoughtfully at Him. "I know I've been given an awful lot of information." I let out a heavy sigh. "I knew all that about the war. I knew we were exposed to chemical and biological weapons. Crap we ourselves sold to Saddam." I paused another moment.

"But history or Scripture; things it seems to me, that most people never find? How is it that I know? I mean, there's nothing special about me. There's no reason I should know any of this." I shrugged haplessly. "Who am I, but some veteran who was at best; a marginal soldier? I'm not really good at much of anything; except maybe… making clothes and drawing pictures?" I flashed Jesus a perplexed look. "And I guess I can write; or at least my college professors tell me I can."

"Yet you search the Scripture, for in these you understand you have eternal life." Jesus answered. "They testify of me; and you know this. Yet, like the Bereans who being more noble than these in Thessaloniki; because you searched to see these things are so. Here is why you know. It is true when you say; this is not magic. Yet is also true; God hide these things from the proud."

"So all these accusations people have thrown at me for years; are untrue." I stumbled over… what I figured He was actually telling me?

"Father give me understanding; give me wisdom. I want to know Jesus in the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering. You pray this in the depth of you soul. God I want to know…. You! I not pray for money, husband, or…. desperately for PTSD or Gulf War Syndrome be gone. Better to enter the Kingdom mentally retarded in a wheelchair than never get there at all; you say! I want rather to understand You. I want YOU Jesus!" He laughed as He poked me. "I not want this world." He began to giggle as He put His hand over His face and leaned over in a whisper. "Well, you get me!"

Jesus giggled as He stood up and rather proudly folded His arms.

"In the pages of the book; you get me!" He affirmed as He went on to explain. "I be yours. You come to find deep secrets buried in Scripture. What is incarnation? What is atonement? Explain the Trinity. What it like to be Jesus?" He smiled happily.

"Why….?" He made His best attempt at an actor's plea; then snickered contentedly. "Is grand thing; give me joy." He giggled some more. "You say Paul was a smart guy. Paul only have this same… I need to know….YOU!" Jesus made a silly face and shook His hands excitedly before erupting into happy laughter.

"Yeah, but Paul didn't have the issues I do." I muttered in cynical amusement.

"Yeah, but Paul have his own issues." Jesus countered. "You all have issues." He carelessly waved the comment away with a dismissive hand.

"Says the snot with no sin!" I exclaimed as I impulsively whacked Jesus on the arm. He only started laughing.

"But I have compassion on you." He giggled as He held His hands out.

"Yeah, yeah yeah. Tell it to the Father." I bantered back.

"I DO!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know You do." I honestly stated. "I know You have more compassion on us than I know that You have." I amended. "If that makes any sense?"

"Yes, you make sense to me." Jesus affirmed.

I stopped and stared at Him some more… more.

"Glad I make sense to someone." I finally sighed and shook my head. "Because I don't make sense to me half the time."

Jesus paused a minute before He cracked a smile and gave me a little encouraging sideways hug.

"I'll refrain myself from kissing You." I growled a smirk, before He looked at me, flashed a silly grin and let go.

"I have another question though?" I switched topics.

"What?" He asked as He turned and began walking again.

"Obviously You care about me…." I lent an observation. "But why?"

"Oh, the what is man that You are mindful of him and the son of man that You take care of him question." Jesus smiled. "I know this feeling too."

"But God had a reason to love You." I countered. "You obeyed. None of us did."

"Yet, why come to earth if what was I to accomplish; I never do?" Jesus posed a rhetorical question. "Do I decide - Ihh, no I don't do this?" Jesus continued. "I save myself is not worth human disappointment I feel I give the Father; despite He love me anyway." Jesus paused a moment to think.

"Jesus, you obey; in all righteousness I love you, for I am God and what else can I do but love the righteous? Justice not let Me hate you for frailty of this created world. Because you obedient; we can recreate a new heavens and earth and what all we want in them?" Jesus flashed an unpretentious smile.

"But Father this is not of Our most excellent glory. I tell HIM. No, I do this! I die. They crucify me." Jesus stated rather emphatically. "If I don't follow this our plan; there no greater reason to love me. If I be not exalted, neither is my Father! What does this prove? God can obey His own law? We have no need to prove this to Ourselves!" Jesus started to laugh.

"Well, I guess You wouldn't." I flashed Him a visage of confounded agreement.

"So no, I not be humiliated and ashamed. I set my face as flint." Jesus scowled before He cracked another smile. "Then… I die." He sucked in a deep breath. "I now be happy beyond ecstatic it is over." He dropped exhausted hands to His sides as He peered up into heaven. "Thank You Father!"

I stood and pondered Him a moment.

"Was it as bad as You thought it would be?"

"Every bit so." Jesus answered. "And all the more worse."

"But You must have known You'd succeed." I interrupted. "If You're the first born from the dead, You wouldn't be able to raise anyone else if You hadn't been the lamb slain from the foundations of the world."

"Knowing does not negate horror of experience." Jesus honestly confessed.

"Yeah, I guess I could see where that would be the case." I amended. "But I figured that knowing somewhere on the other side it would all work out in the end, would have given You some sort of comfort?"

"There is no comfort in this absolute absence of God." Jesus soberly… adjudicated.

I stopped another moment. And I had nothing to say.

"Well." I sighed before I could finally mutter. "For what ever my meager gratitude is worth." I whispered, for I could feel the tears well up. "I'm glad I'll never know."

"Ooh." Jesus let out a little whimper as He wrapped His arms around me and gave me a squeeze before He let go and started wiping His face. "Jesus, no start crying." He mumbled to Himself. "At least no ugly cry…. here." He started to snicker as He glanced around and dried His tears.

"Yeah." I wiped my own face, as I too started to laugh. "We can go ugly cry later."