The events of this chapter follow a progression from hearing a prophecy on television to experiencing the unfolding of its timing in Jerusalem. What starts with a story about a cave prophet leads to an anointing and the profound toll of an extended fast.
We got into the chapter about prophecy and the end of the world. Then I remembered that morning back in Japan before my trip when I needed to check my funds, so I went to the bank to deposit all the coins I had saved and check my account balances. That same morning, I watched a TBN program featuring a guest they called the "cave prophet"—a man known for seldom coming out to share his prophecies. On this broadcast, he claimed that something great was going to happen by the end of October, right before Halloween.
During our Bible study that day, I told them about what the “cave prophet” had said regarding the end of the month. It was then that the Kohen put out a stone tablet with an inscription. He said those were the ten commandments of God given to Moses. Because the tablet looked like the tablets I saw in the movies and he said it took time for him to be able to finally get it, it was not difficult for me to believe that it was the real tablet until I was told it was not. But seeing it made the feeling that I was a part of the story in the Bible coming to life again even more realistic.
The Kohen asked me if I wanted to see the place where he lived. Having no plans in mind, I accepted his invitation but with hesitation. He was living alone and it was not good to see him with a woman in there. I asked Shoko-san if she could go with us since her husband was not home yet. To my delight, she said she would love to.
We went to the market together after the Bible study and the Kohen bought some lamb meat and vegetables. We took a bus from a bus stop right across the market and traveled for quite some time through villages and mountains. We then got off in a quiet community with pretty big and rather modern houses by the road. We entered a vacant lot to the left and passed through the tall bushes. There was a pathway which led to an old white house with a big tree right in front of its door. There was a wooden table under the tree and not far from it was a barbecue stand. There were different kinds of trees and plants in the surroundings and their fallen leaves were scattered everywhere. Like in the Old City of Jerusalem, there were also cats roaming around the place.
The Kohen opened the door and let us in. He showed us around the house and I could not help to ask about a certain room that looked like a library. He said that was where he did some reading and take down notes when he was inspired to. There were a lot of pieces of old-looking furniture in the living room but they seemed to be untouched for a long time. He also showed us an exit door toward the backyard where a tree was standing. He said it was a marijuana tree and it was enough to supply his personal use. He then called us to the kitchen to help him prepare the food from the market. Because he was using an electric stove, cooking was taking so much time and the meat had to be boiled until it was tender. While waiting, Shoko-san and I offered to clean the place and the Kohen consented. By the time the food was ready, the house had a different look inside and out. After they ate, the Kohen took his Bible and read some passages for us. We were then seated around the table outside the house and in the middle of the study when a helicopter’s sound filled the place. It was getting louder and louder but we could not see it because of the trees from our position. However, the helicopter appeared just right above in front of us with some men in it looking towards our direction. It then turned around and disappeared from our view again. The Kohen said they were just patrolling and it was nothing new to him.
Shoko-san and I decided to spend the night at the Kohen’s place upon his invitation. For dinner, they ate the leftovers of what they had for lunch.
There was only one guest room with a single bed so one of us had to take the sofa. Shoko-san insisted that I use the room so I did. I had my Bible to read as I stayed in the room with some dried leaves spread on some trays around the bed. I literally slept with marijuana that night so it was a relief to have the word of God to keep my mind away from worries with.
We were inside the house when I noticed that the Kohen put something on his hair from a bottle. Curious, I asked him what it was. He said it was an oil he made with the ingredients mentioned in the Bible and he put it on his hair once a day like the priests in the old days did. He also said that it was the kind of oil that the priests used for anointment.
We left early for Jerusalem the following morning because Shoko-san and I wanted to change before we started the day’s work again. I went to my hostel while she went back to her place. I just took a shower and soon left with my bag and a bottle of water as always. Strangely, I was still fine despite the fasting I had been doing for several days. I was aware of the date, October 31st, and still had no idea what “big thing” could happen that day. It was early morning and the line to the Western Wall must be still short, I thought. I headed to it before going to the King David’s Tomb and I was right. I did not have to stand in a long line to get inside. Unlike the first time I was there, I approached and touched the wall and said a prayer. I then put in one of its holes the piece of paper that an old woman gave me. On it was written the same prayer that I had just said.
I bought the Kohen something for his breakfast again when I passed an open mini-grocery store.
There was an open place along the way before going out of the gate toward Mount Zion. One could clearly view the sky from there and it seemed different from every place I had been to. On my side, I could see the sun shining and on my other side I could clearly see the face of the moon as if it was within a stone's throw. It really amazed me but when I asked a passerby if it was normal for people there to see both the sun and the moon at the same time like that, he said he thought it was. And indeed, it was not only then that I was able to enjoy the view.
Like the previous days, we gathered at the Kohen’s place after cleaning that morning. Shoko-san and Reuben were with us. Reuben remembered what I said about the cave prophet and said there was little time left until Halloween. He then asked if I had seen anything yet and I told him that I was still waiting.
Later that day, the Kohen was sitting on a chair in front of his table when he opened the drawer and took something out of it. But he also showed a bottle which he said was the same oil he put on his head every day. I did not know he had it there but the first thing that came to my mind was the date. It was October 31st. Something crossed my mind but I hesitated to ask him. It was not something you should ask for, I thought. But what if it was meant to happen and it was in God’s plan? I decided to give it a try resigned that if nothing happened, it was not for me from the beginning. I called the Kohen’s attention and asked if he found me deserving to be anointed with the oil he had. He looked at me in the eyes and said he had to ask God first. He closed his eyes for a while and looked at the sky outside the window. He then said something in a language I did not understand but most probably Hebrew.
Reuben probably read my face and he translated it for me. “He said that according to the Kohen “God said you want to kiss God’s treasure.” I did not know if I was supposed to be offended or happy about it. What did it mean? I remembered how the land looked like an overflowing treasure box from the airplane when we were landing at Tel Aviv airport A profound callback to Chapter 22, fulfilling her early vision of the land from the airplane.. Reuben’s phone rang and he went out of the room leaving only the Kohen, Shoko-san and me inside. It was then that the Kohen opened the bottle and put some on my head saying something I did not understand. Shoko-san looked happy for me just like Reuben when I told him what happened. It was a moving experience and I could not thank the Kohen enough.
Shoko-san and I were walking toward my place that noontime under the heat of the sun but strangely, I felt very cold. I wondered if it had anything to do with the oil that the Kohen put on my head. Before we reached the Jaffa gate, I saw the staff and crew of TBN setting up their equipment outside the walls of the Old City just below the King David's Tower. Apparently, they really came to Jerusalem to witness the event before Halloween as they said on their program. Shivering, I made a phone call to Japan from a public phone at the lobby of the inn to share what just happened.
I then went to my bed and covered myself with a blanket and everything I had to feel warm until I fell asleep. I was only awakened later when I felt so hot and realized I was perspiring a lot. I tried to get up but I was dizzy and my feet felt weak. After gathering some strength, I moved toward the toilet while holding the edge of my bed. I left the toilet’s door unlocked so that someone could find me if anything happened while in it. The last thing I remembered, I was sitting on the toilet bowl. But the next thing I knew, I was sitting on the floor at the foot of my bed right outside the toilet’s door.
One of my roommates was there asking if I was alright. She assisted me back to my bed and helped me lie down. Because they knew that I had not been eating anything for days, she thought it could be the reason why I went unconscious and fell down. But although her concern seemed genuine and she proved to be a very nice woman to everyone, I was not willing to break my fasting yet. Except for this incident, everything still seemed to be fine with me. I would feel a bit weak in the morning when I was walking toward Mt. Zion but once I started to clean, I would regain my strength as if I was being recharged.
This chapter illustrates the intersection of global predictions—such as the TV broadcast of the cave prophet—and intensely personal experiences. The anointing becomes a profound moment of spiritual affirmation, even as the physical body reaches its limits due to the prolonged fasting.