The Seventh Trumpet
A Mad Emperor
After more than a century of brutal Roman imperial rule, the freedom-loving Judeans were spoiling for a fight. When Emperor Nero had the Temple treasury ransacked to help pay for his rebuilding of fire-ravaged Rome, the people revolted.
A Reign of Terror
With the Roman Empire having just concluded a war with the major powers to the east, the high priest Ananias ben Nedebeus knew that Nero’s response to the revolt would be devastating. The ancient land of Israel would be left in ruins.
Across the Land
Commissioning a treasure map made of enduring copper, Ananias implored his militant son Eleazar to end the revolt. A war against Rome, he promised, would be so ruinous that generations—perhaps thousands of years—would be needed to rebuild.
The Dream Never Died
The high priest’s plan failed. The Roman army destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple. Soldiers looted all the Temple treasures they could find. But the copper treasure map was hidden safely in a Dead Sea cave.