Man Called Blessed

The second part of Ted Dekker's Blessed Series is entitled A Man Called Blessed. It picks up 15 years after the end of the first part, Blessed Child. In that story, the young prophet named Caleb had been used of God to show His love and His power to millions of people around the world. Yet as has been demonstrated again and again throughout human history, folks quickly forget the truths that they have seen and they go back to their old ways after only a short time. Now 15 years later, Caleb lives back in his native Ethopia with his adoptive parents Jason and Leiah in the monastery where he was raised. As we find him, the fervor surrounding his childhood has quelled and he lives a quiet, humble existence. During this time, he has slowly lost his reliance on God, and with that, the zeal that drove him into complete dependence on his heavenly Father.

As this story begins, a powerful faction in the Israeli government has diligently been searching for the Ark of the Covenant. They have been given information that the Ark may be hidden in the very monastery in which Caleb lives. With the covert checks and balances amongst the different groups in the Middle East, a group of Arabs follows the Israelis into Ethiopia. While the different commando squads work to get the better of each other, Caleb begins a journey to regain his faith and his relationship with God.

When the Ark of the Covenant is found and transported back to Jerusalem, the Jewish leadership is planning to rebuild Solomon's temple on the Muslim-controlled Temple Mount. They believe this is necessary to fulfill scripture to usher in the second coming of Jesus. Yet these plans have lead to the different armies from Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, and Palestine to be placed into high alert with the ultimate Middle East war on the verge of commencing. At this moment a restored Caleb appears in Jerusalem to show not only the Jewish leadership but also the world, where God's presence on Earth truly lies. This was a wonderful story that I thoroughly enjoyed.