to the end.”
“So the sixth door would be different from the others.”
“Yes, it would reveal the other Jubilees . . . Jubilees of other natures and realms . . . and where it was all heading.”
“Where?”
“To the end.”
“And what exactly would you see behind the sixth door?”
“That which is and is yet to come . . . the dark jubilee, a stained-glass woman, a Jubilee of spirit, the awakening dragon, and ultimately the return of all returns . . . the missing and final piece of the mystery.”
THE SIXTH DOOR
Chapter 53
THE SIXTH DOOR
I OPENED THE sixth door. There on the mountain was a ram of gold.”
“Gold, as in the color or as in the metal?”
“Both. It was as a statue of pure gold come to life. Around its neck was a golden chain with a golden pendant, on which was a symbol that matched that on the sixth door. It made its way down the mountain and through the wilderness. I followed behind. The path it took was different from that of the other rams. There was no familiar landmark. We were walking through a desert plain surrounded by hills. The ram stopped and looked to the left. I did likewise, and the visions began.”
THE STANDARDS
“I saw two men riding on horseback in Roman military dress and armor, a middle-aged man and a younger man. Behind them was a massive army. Behind the army was a desolate landscape of scattered fires and smoldering ruins. The two dismounted their horses and began planting a series of golden poles topped with golden eagles, Roman standards, into the ground. I didn’t realize it at first, but they were arranging the poles to form Roman numerals, an X, a V, an L, and more than one I. When they finished, they remounted their horses and led their army onward. The standards then began to sink into the earth. The land then lay desolate for what seemed to be ages. Then I noticed a change, the beginning of a slight greening. And then from out of the ground where the standards had sunk came sprouts. The sprouts then became small trees, then larger trees. The trees were growing in the same formation as that of the standards and the Roman letters. And then they began to put forth leaves, fruits, and flowers.”
THE SANDAL
“In the next vision I found myself standing in a harbor where countless people were departing the shore in ships. I made my way inland against the flow of the multitudes fleeing the land until I came to a mountain. Multitudes more were coming down from the top of the mountain. I began ascending it against the downward flow until I reached the top. I couldn’t at first make sense of what I was seeing. Towering over a giant expanse was a structure of colossal arches, but not quite arches, giant looping structures made up of ancient stones. I walked back and forth, trying to make sense of it. And then it hit me. The stone structure I was trying to make sense of was built to resemble a colossal sandal. Standing at my side was a man in white. ‘What is it?’ I asked.
“‘The sandal of departure,’ he said. ‘If the one departs, so must they all.’”
THE CHURCH OF THE RABBI
“In the next vision an angel led me to a city by a river and into a massive domed cathedral, through its ornate interior, and over to a stone table. On top of the table were bones, each one aglow with white radiance. ‘Can these bones live?’ he asked. Just then a wind blew open the cathedral’s massive doors, and the bones began moving together, connecting one to the other until a skeleton was formed. Then came muscles and skin and then garments, just as in the earlier vision. Lying on the platform was now a bearded man, who by his overall appearance could have passed for an ancient rabbi. He opened his eyes, left the table, and walked over to an olive tree that was growing in the center of the sanctuary. Several of its branches had been broken off and were lying on the floor. The man picked them up and reattached them, at which point they came alive and began putting forth leaves and olives. At that the cathedral began to transform, its interior taking on the simple and ancient appearance of hewn stone, oil lamps, and scrolls. ‘For God,’ said the bearded man, ‘is able to graft them