The scepter shall not depart from Judah. (Genesis 49:10)
An ancient blessing recorded from Jacob to his son Judah on his deathbed. An innocent verse no doubt many have read and studied for its brilliant symbolism of things to come for the people of Israel. But what if the words were more than merely symbolic? What if Jacob's blessing spoke of an actual scepter? That's what Noah, a small-town Texas boy and son of a famed biblical archeologist would soon come to discover. Elementary school was over, summer vacation beginning for thousands of children across North Texas. Noah, however, was headed on a reluctant expedition with his father to the holy lands of Israel. Their objective: to study the history and undiscovered secrets of the long-lost kings of Israel's divided Southern Kingdom, Judah. Namely, King Josiah, the â oeBoy King.â On a blistering hot summer afternoon, stranded with his father's excavation crew in the middle of the desert, Noah stumbles upon a find of immeasurable power. Hidden beneath the earth in a forgotten cave, Noah finds a chamber home to the scepter of Judahâ "a chance recovery of an artifact with the ability to transport this twenty-first-century boy to a time before Christ was born! His first destination: the Kingdom of Jericho, joining up with the wandering Hebrew caravan as they prepare to cross the Jordan River under the leadership of Joshua and into the promised land. Emotions are high and danger lurks around every corner to thwart Noah's advance. The pagan city lies in wait behind an impenetrable wallâ "a wall Noah must breach!
