Ask Me ..... How i know there's a God up in the heavens!

Chapter 33 - Clue: Do you want to play a game?

[So what should we do?] Joseph looked at Nicodemus, who just sat shaking his head in profound indecision.

[Are you two in danger?] Cornelius made a direct inquiry.

[I don't know?] One answered while the other just let out a troubled shrug.

[Does anyone besides the two of you know about this?]

[My wife.] Nicodemus answered. [My daughter, her husband and our two grandsons are in the apartment too.]

[How old are the kids? Do they understand any of this?]

[I don't know?] Nicodemus answered worriedly. [One's over 12. The other is only 4 though.]

[So they'd try the older one, if it came to that?]

[Yes.]

Ignatius began to think out loud. [If we have to make them disappear?] He turned to Cornelius. [What would be the easiest way to do that?]

[Well, there's a couple of choices.] Cornelius contemplated. [We could arrest them, but being Roman citizens; the charges would have to be decided by Caesar.]

[So we'd have to send them to Rome; make them disappear in the process and Pilate would have to be complicit in all of this?]

[Yes.]

[Do they think you stole the body? After all, it is your tomb.]

[No. Caiaphas sent two priests and a guard who stood there and watched. They also recorded the soldiers all as witnesses when they sealed the tomb.]

[Really? Well isn't that interesting!] Cornelius raised an eyebrow at Nicodemus.

[They're scared of a dead man sir.] Horatio chuckled.

[One who according to this book, isn't going to be dead very long.]

[Herod the Great understood the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem.] Ignatius shook his finger at Nicodemus. [Do they know any of these prophecies?]

[Yes. They know them all. They are more convinced than even his own disciples that he'll come back from the dead. That's why they are doing all this.]

[Well, they can't kill all the witnesses; and I'm sure people will be looking for Jesus.]

[I really don't understand why they'd want to kill any witnesses at that point, sir?] Horatio looked at Cornelius.

[Well, it's a pretty scary proposition even for us, to think God has walked among us and we missed it.]

[Ohhh, but don't make that mistake.] Nicodemus declared as he pointed at the military men [We haven't missed anything. We know who he is. We've known that for a long time.]

[Than why kill him?] Horatio swung around.

[Well, according to this book; we are a wicked generation.] Joseph despairingly whispered, as he looked down into my Interlinear Bible. [Even according to our own Scriptures, we are a wicked generation.]

I leaned over and read where he was pointing.

"We're all wicked." I suddenly declared as I reached across the table and grabbed the Greek New Testament. "Romans 3; here, read it." I slid the book to Joseph. He glanced down at where I was pointing and began to read the Greek aloud.

"That's Psalm 53." I explained as I flipped through the Interlinear Bible and pointed Nicodemus to that passage. When Joseph finished reading and he and Nicodemus compared notes; they all looked at me.

"Now this one." I pointed as I began flipping pages until I got to Romans 9. "Who's Israel?"

[Israel are those who obey God] Nicodemus turned to Joseph. [He told me that.]