Radical separatists take over a foreign consulate office and threaten to blow up the entire building. Patients in a doctor’s office several floors above the hostage scene become unwitting terrorist hostages. by Marvin Hunt Edited by Michelle S. Eargle, M.S. Spruce Street Publishing 308 Fireside Drive Columbia, SC 29212 © 2005 Marvin Hunt All Rights Reserved Printed in United States of America Second Printing Spring 2006 ISBN # 0-9703236-1-1 Cover photo courtesy of Dr. Jonathan Dale

The janitor picked up a crumpled sheet of paper from the waiting room floor. Handwritten on a page torn from a yellow legal pad, it read, "Dearest Mother, Before you read this I'll be dead . . ." The hastily scribbled message was left unfinished.
Smoothing the wrinkled paper to make it readable, the janitor's eyes carefully traced over the nervously scrawled words. Then, showing no emotion, he shrugged his shoulders and nonchalantly tossed the unfinished letter into his bag of garbage.
Trash littered the waiting room. Apple cores, bread wrappers, empty peanut butter jars, cigarette butts by the window and half-eaten sandwiches were scattered everywhere. The doctor's office was a mess.

9:30 A.M.: One Day Earlier
It had been a typical Tuesday morning at the Zentrum Building. Built in the center of the city, the classic old ten story office building was small by modern standards but located in a prestigious area of the city known for its upscale clients. On the seventh floor, Dr. Daily, who specialized in allergies, had a waiting room full of patients. The doctor's patients were a mixed group of suffering strangers linked together only by their ailments. They were just ordinary people sitting in an ordinary waiting room meant to be a comfortable place that could easily seat fifteen people. Biding their time, they sat quietly leafing through dog-eared magazines and glancing up occasionally at a morning show on the television at the end of the room.
The outer office door bumped open causing a small commotion. Everyone turned to see a middle-aged woman pushing her 18-year-old daughter who was wheelchair bound.
Once inside, the woman said, "Now Megan, I've got some errands to run while we're downtown. Your appointment is not for an hour. So, I'll be back soon. And, don't forget to sign in."
Her mother gave her a kiss on the cheek and left.
"Bye mom. I love you," said the girl with legs paralyzed from an auto accident five years earlier.
Megan rolled her wheelchair up to the receptionist's desk and rang the bell.
The receptionist poked her head around the corner and said, "Hi Meg, just add your name to the list, and we'll get to you as soon as we can."

10:00 A.M.: Filling the Boredom
The television news came on at the top of the hour.
"Excuse me," said a priest as he pointed toward the television. He smiled and asked, "Anyone mind if I turn it up a bit?"
A perky blond correspondent was doing a stand up in Vatican Square.
"Sure, turn it up," replied the man in his 40's as he looked over the top of his newspaper. On the other side of the room two ladies, one older, one younger, smiled politely, nodded their approval and went back to their reading. The younger was sporting a leg tattoo and a nose ring, the older a business suit. Beside the tattooed girl slouched by her boyfriend, a Rocker wearing earphones and listening to his tunes on his iPod.
The Vatican story turned out to be a fluff piece on the colorful uniforms of the Swiss guards. Uninterested, the priest turned the television back down and returned to his seat beside the baby-faced young man wearing heavy shoes and balancing a construction worker's hard hat on his lap.
The news ended with seemingly endless commercials which were followed by a game show.
A little stout man clutching an expensive briefcase made his way to the receptionist's window, tapped on the glass and asked, "Miss, how much longer? I've got a really important appointment at 11:00 and a fortune is riding on it. The doctor was supposed to see me thirty minutes ago."
"I'm sorry for the delay Mr. Cohen," the young receptionist interrupted, "The doctor's running a little behind schedule this morning, but you're next. Thanks for your patience," she said respectfully.
Not at all happy, the little stout man let an obscenity slip out as he turned to go back to his chair.
"I heard the word you used, and I don't appreciate it. I'm glad there were no children around to hear you," scolded the young woman in her twenties sitting next to him.
Caught off guard by the rebuke, the little man stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the lady.
Still fuming, she continued, "This is a public place, and I don't appreciate people taking the Lord's name in vain."
Noticeably taken back, the man shot back, "Who are you, a Sunday School teacher or something?"
"Well, as a matter of fact I am a Sunday School Teacher, as if that would make any difference to you."
Just as Isaac Cohen, the jeweler, was about to put the young woman in her place, the television began emitting loud beeping sounds.

10:20 A.M.: Their World Turns Upside Down
"Beep beep, beep, beep sounds were giving a warning that a news alert was to follow.
The game show faded to black and the screen filled with the face of the local news anchor saying, "This is Jeffrey Smith. We interrupt our normal programming
to bring you this important bulletin. This just in. We're getting reports that the consulate of the small nation of Bandanya has been taken over by terrorist separatists. It is reported that hostages have been taken. We go now to our man on the scene."
"Hello. Hello Lee."
"Yes, I hear you."
"We switch now to Lee Miller who is standing just across the street from the Zentrum Office Building."
"Can you hear us, Lee?"
"Yes, Jeffrey. Actually, we're just down the street from the Zentrum Building. Police have the immediate area roped off. It's pure mayhem around here. People have been running out of the building and even climbing through the windows. Allegedly, a group of political separatists has entered the Consulate on the third floor just about an hour ago and has threatened to blow up the entire building if their demands are not met."
"What do they want, Lee?"
"We haven't been told. We do know that a hostage rescue team is just now getting their telephone connections hooked up. We've also seen the SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) teams taking up positions on the surrounding buildings and the Bomb Squad is on site. All we know about the terrorists is that they are virtually holding everyone hostage who didn't get out of the building. That's from the third floor all the way up to the eighth floor. That could be a lot of people. All of the stairwells are blocked and the elevators have stopped running. It's a tense situation here, a really tense situation."
"Turn it up! Turn it up!" called the woman in the business suit who was sitting farthest from the television.
Hearing the report, the receptionist jumped up and ran to the treatment room and shrieked, "Daddy come quick. They're going to blow up our building! They're going to blow up the building! It's on TV. It's on the television right now!"
The doctor, his attending nurse and his patient dashed to the waiting room.
Crowding past the others, the doctor asked, "What's going on?"
"We don't know! They say terrorists have taken over the third floor of this building."
"Oh no, does that include us? We haven't done anything to them."
From the back of the waiting room someone yelled, "Please! Shut up and listen!"
The news reporter continued, "The Zentrum Office Building is under siege this morning."
Hearing that, one of the patients ran to a window and pressed her face against the glass. Looking down at the street, she yelled back, "The street is full of fire trucks, police cars and look there are Army trucks on the square!"
Panicking, someone groaned, "Oh, my God, what is this world coming to? What are we to do? I just came here to get an allergy shot, and now I'm a hostage. I don't believe it. I just don't believe it. This is crazy."
Turning from the others, the doctor commented, "Let's try to remain as calm as possible," as he snatched up the receptionist's phone and dialed 911.
Then slamming down the receiver he blurted, "Dead! Would you believe it?! The phone is dead!"
"Who has a cell phone?"

10:30 A.M.: Helpless, Hopeless
Just then the lights went out, the television blinked off, and the air conditioning stopped. Battery powered emergency lights automatically switched on transforming the doctor's suite into a group of dim and
shadowy rooms. Natural light from the windows was all that was available.
"They've shut the power off and disconnected our phones! How are we going to know what to do and what's happening?"
"This is insane. Just plain, insane!"
"We're all gonna die!" whimpered the woman in the business suit.
Giving a mournful wail she said, "I don't want to die with a bunch of strangers. My God, what has this world come to? Please, what has this world come to?"
Dr. Daily tried to get the situation under control, "Quiet, quiet down a minute. Please? We must remain calm."
Raising his voice to get attenion, the doctor asked, "You people talking on your cell phones, how long will your battery last? Thirty minutes? An hour? What are we going to do when the batteries go dead? We don't know how long this is going to last. What if this hostage situation lasts into the night or longer? Don't you think it would be a good idea to turn our phones off and save the batteries? We could use them one at a time to keep in touch."
The Rocker closed up his phone and said, "Awesome."
The fussy little man rolled his eyes at the comment and demanded, "Could we open the windows and get a little air? It's stuffy in here."
After struggling to raise the only two windows that would open, the doctor turned around and motioned like a referee wanting a timeout, "Now, if everyone will just sit down for a minute. Let's talk about what we're going to do."
Reluctantly, everyone complied. The doctor began by stating, "Okay, how about one of you call 911, and let's find out what they want us to do."
The construction worker pulled out his flip phone, dialed the number and began to relay the message, "Uhmm hmmm. Uhmmm hummm."
Anxiously, they all asked, "What are they saying? What are they saying?"
"They want us to be calm. They're saying it was the authorities who turned off the electricity and that we shouldn't panic. It's part of their plan to gain control of this situation."
From the back of the room, someone asked, "How many terrorists are there?"
The construction worker motioned for them to be quiet so he could hear. He then gave the 911 operator his phone number, hung up and updated the others with, "They say there may be six or eight. And, they don't want us trying any hero stuff. We're supposed to lock our doors, keep our voices low and stay off of the fire escapes. They warned us not to do anything to attract attention. We are absolutely not to try escaping. They say the situation is under control, and they don't want us provoking the terrorists. They say if we have a radio, keep it turned down and tuned to 103.1 FM."
"Have we got a radio?"
"Not battery operated," replied the frustrated doctor.
"So, what did they say to do?"
"Sit tight and wait. That's all there is to do."
"Sit tight and wait? What kind of crazy talk is that? There's a group of suicide bombers down below us just waiting for an excuse to blow this place to smithereens, and they say sit tight and wait? You can save your batteries if you want, I'm calling my family!" retorted someone in the back.

11:00 A.M.: Waiting for Rescue
The waiting room would have been deathly quiet were it not for the silly little tunes the cell phones played when friends and family called to check on the status of the hostages. For privacy, several cell phone owners moved their conversations into the doctor's examining rooms. Fresh air and the yellow sunlight of the late morning streamed in through the open window. On the streets far below, screaming sirens and the din of harsh city sounds blended together like rising smoke, getting thinner and thinner, until the sound was high enough to waft in through the open window as a soft background murmur. In any other situation, people would have welcomed this as the music of the city and amused themselves putting bread crumbs on the window ledge for the birds.
The quiet ticking of the battery powered wall clock made the doctor's suite seem like a peaceful haven high above the bustling city streets. The soft breeze, subdued light and comfortable couches, in normal circumstances, could remind one of a country cottage with the windows open on a perfect summer morning. Only the muffled sounds of people sobbing "I love you" in their cell phones belied the grim gravity of the situation. Who could not be wondering about the awful spectacle going on down in the Consulate? It was gut wrenching pondering how long they would be sitting on this powder keg that could explode any minute.
Except for the quiet droning of one-sided conversations on the cell phones, all was too quiet, like the lull before the storm. Inch by inch a newsless hour crawled by. The noon hour came and went without word of progress. A second hour passed more slowly than the first, again without any known progress.

1:00 P.M.: Still No Call from 911
Some hostages tried taking cat naps to temporarily keep their minds off of their plight.
"I could use something to settle my nerves. You got something to drink stashed away in your office doc?"
"Daddy doesn't drink anymore."
"It figures," said the disappointed questioner.
Others took turns at the window sill, resting on their forearms, smoking cigarettes and helplessly trying to figure out the drama unfolding on the street below. Their comment was always the same. "I don't see any change. I hope we get out of here alive."
Megan, the paraplegic, feeling helpless and vulnerable, quietly rocked in her wheelchair while chanting, "I don't want to die like this. I don't want to die like this. I don't want to die like this."
Then, as if inspired by a spirit encouraging her to bind off the ragged ends of her life, Megan decided to write her last will and testament. On a sheet from a yellow legal pad she wrote: "Dearest Mother, Before you read this I'll be dead . . . "
But, before she could complete the first sentence, a sharp knock on the door shattered the silence causing her to turn around and accidently drop the unfinished note on the floor.
All eyes fastened on the office entrance, but no one dared to move or breathe.
Only after a long agonizing pause, a little woman with more courage than all the rest approached the door and whispered, "Who is it?"
In a matter-of-fact authoritarian voice the man said from out in the hall, "It's one of the building's security guards. Open the door."
A wheezing old man stepped inside and quickly closed the door behind him.
Nervous, but trying to be positive, he positioned himself in front of the window. Silhouetted against the light, he began, "Listen up. I have news. Some of it is good. Some of it is not. Since we don't carry guns they're letting us go through and see whose in the building. It's something the hostage negotiation team
worked out to see if anyone needs immediate medical attention. I guess everybody here is okay since you're in a doctor's office?"
Someone barked rudely, "Yeah, we're okay. What's the news?"

1:30 P.M.: Good News, Bad News
Trying to put a positive mask on his worried face, the man stated, "The good news is that the so-called group of terrorists has been disavowed by the real separatist leader back in Bandanya. It turns out that the guys down below us are probably just a rogue terrorist cell trying to extort ransom money. They're rank amateurs, but still, they are armed and dangerous. We're not 100% sure about their explosives. The experts think the bombs may be fakes. If that's the case, the possibility of them destroying the building is remote. Let's hope they're right. The crisis unit is in constant negotiations with them so the building remains on lock-down. To put it bluntly, we are all stuck here for the duration."
A tentative little innocent voice asked, "Sir, does this mean we're not going to die?"
"I don't think you're gonna die today. But, the bad news is that you will die someday," he blurted out and then immediately regretted the stupidity of such a tension induced silly comment.
Puzzled at the out-of-place remark, the lady forced a smile onto her anxious face and faded back into the group.
"So sir, how long are we going to stay here?"
"I can't say for sure. Could be a few more hours or this could last into tomorrow for all I know. It's up to them to come to their senses and leave the building peacefully. We think the longer we string this out, the more likely they are to sober up and make the right decision."
"Anyhow, we need a head count so we can bring you a little something to eat."
Holding his briefcase in his lap as if he were afraid someone was going to take it from him, Isaac Cohen spoke up, "I only eat kosher food."
The lady in the flowered print pants-suit added, "I don't want any greasy fries."
"Dad and I are vegetarians," chimed in the doctor's daughter.
The Rocker said, "Whatever."
"Hold it. Hold it," ordered the overwhelmed security guard, "Have you forgotten there has been a hostile take over of this building? I'm not taking an order for a picnic. If you're lucky, you'll get a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter and maybe a few apples. That's the plan."
"That's it. No pizza. No burgers, fries or Calamari. Just peanut butter sandwiches."
Someone mumbled, "We're all gonna die eating lousy peanut butter sandwiches. What an awful way to go."
As if he were hesitating to say what was really on his mind, the disgusted guard looked at the pessimist out of the corner of his eye, paused for a second and decided to let the comment go unanswered. Matter-of-factually, the security guard took the head count and ordered that no one was to leave the area under any circumstances. He warned, "Being in the wrong place at the wrong time will get you killed! This is serious."
Secretly wondering if any of them would make it out alive, he avoided eye contact and abruptly turned and left.
Someone asked rhetorically, "Why do I think he was not telling us the whole truth?"
No one replied. Their agreement needed no voice vote.

2:00 P.M.: Some Food, No News
Later the ashen-faced security guard hurriedly passed a grocery bag of food into the office along with the admonishment to check all door locks and keep voices low.
Toward the middle of the long afternoon someone suggested, "How about praying?"
"Why bother? We'll be out of here in an hour. I guarantee it." said the black man wearing a blue work shirt with the name "Wallace" over the left pocket.
"Besides," he continued, "Prayer never worked for me anyhow."
"Never worked for me neither, but I'm willing to try. I've got a wife and kids," said the construction worker.
The Rocker said, "I'm cool with that."
Laying aside his magazine, the construction worker asked, "How about it pastor? Will you pray for us? Maybe put a good word in with the man upstairs, you being a man of the cloth and all."
Pastor Franks, a Roman Catholic priest who was already praying quietly lifted his voice and began, "Hail! Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, hail! our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears: turn, then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and, after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Pray for us. O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ."
Raising his hands like a referee calling for a time out, Wallace said,"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Did I hear you say ask Mary to pray for us?"
Obviously irritated at the interruption, the tattooed girl came to the priest's defense, "Yes, that's right. The pastor is praying for Mary the mother of Jesus to help us. I don't claim any faith and even I know that Catholics pray to Mary. Now, please let the man continue. We need all the help we can get."
Wallace answered, "I don't get it. Why not pray to God and get it over with? He's the one that passes out the goodies isn't he?"
Still irked at the intrusion, the tattooed girl added, "Since Mary is the mother of God, the priest is asking her to use her influence to get his prayers answered. Isn't that right pastor?"
Graciously the priest replied, "You might say that. It's more than that, but you've got the gist of it."
As the hoped for holy moment of prayer slipped away, the doctor added, "In my church, we have a different view of prayer. We say, ‘Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not that it is necessary in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer does not bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him. He already knows our needs. He wants us to ask in faith.'"
"I think I like that. Do you say prayers, doc?" asked Wallace.
"Sure, and the beauty is that anyone can."
"I mean, are you specially authorized to say prayers?"
"No, I'm not because no one needs to be authorized. Prayer is a personal and an individual thing that anybody can do. It's like telling your troubles to a friend. Prayer is an uplifting experience and no special training is required. Anyone can do it."
Wallace commented, I was told years ago by my grandmother that some people pay money for others to say prayers.
"Well, there is never any charge for my prayers or should there be for any prayer," the doctor smiled.
The priest continued his prayer and closed after a short time with the sign of the cross.
The Rocker said, "That was awesome."
"So what kinda religion are you?" Wallace asked the doctor.
"Daddy and I are Seventh-day Adventists," volunteered his daughter, the receptionist who was home from college for the summer. "He's a leader in our church and helps people study the Bible."
"A seven days what?"
The Sunday School teacher volunteered, "They call themselves Adventists for short."
"I've never heard of Seven Days Adventurers before. Are you a new kinda church?" asked Wallace.
"Actually, we are called Seventh-day Adventists and have churches all around the world," stated the doctor. He added, "We're about 150 years old, almost 14,000,000 strong and growing by about 2000 people per day. We emphasize health of spirit, mind, and body and service to others through our medical and disaster relief work. We have 166 hospitals and sanitariums, 395 clinics and 29 orphanages in over 200 countries."
"Wow!" said Wallace, "And I have never heard of you."
Aren't you the same as the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses?" asked the Sunday School teacher as she related what she had been told to be true.
The doctor smiled at the lady and said, "Sounds like someone has misinformed you. But you're not alone. People often mistakenly link Adventists with the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses, even though we have absolutely no connection with them in any way. Our roots reach down deep into mainline Protestant Christianity. You'll find a large measure of the Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian beliefs in us. We are not now, nor ever have been associated with the good people who are known as Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses."
"Foremost," he continued, wanting to make the point crystal clear, "We are conservative Christians whose bedrock foundation belief is that–Jesus Christ is first, last and always at the center of all we believe and do. Our denomination insists that the most important action a person can take in this life is to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Everything else is of lesser importance. Everything!"
"I thought that's what everyone believed. All Christians believe that, don't they?" asked Wallace.
Wallace continued, "I'll bet I could shake up a whole bag full of you Christians and when I poured you out I'd find out you people all believed the same thing."
The jeweler, Isaac Cohen, an Orthodox Jew, chimed in, "Wallace, You'd be wrong about that, the Dailys are Sabbath keepers, and so I am."
"A what keeper?" asked the tattooed girl.
"A Sabbath Keeper," the jeweler replied.
"Is it not true that your Sunday is Saturday?" asked the Sunday School teacher.
The priest smiled, "His Sunday is not Saturday. Not exactly. You see, Seventh-day Adventists go to church on the same day that Jesus did, and as Mr. Cohen will tell you, so do the Jews. Sabbath keepers go to church on Saturday the Sabbath, not Sunday."
"And, we Catholics deserve the credit for changing the Saturday Sabbath day of worship to Sunday. Dr. Daily's church had nothing to do with it."
"Really?" asked the now puzzled Sunday School teacher, "I thought Jesus went to church on Sunday."
Dr. Daily said, "You're not alone, many people believe that Sunday is the true Sabbath."
The doctor continued, "If you'll give me a minute to get to my desk, I'll show you the little book that explains it all quite clearly."
As the doctor scurried out of the room, Pastor Franks shrugged his shoulders indicating that he didn't have a clue as to what the doctor had in mind.

2:30 P.M.: Idle Hours, Worried Minds, No 911 Response
Shortly, the doctor reentered the room and handed a little handbook to the priest.
The priest looked pleasantly surprised and said, "I haven't seen one of these in years. It's a little book we use to teach people who wanted to convert from another faith and join the Catholic Church. Today's version is printed in color on glossy paper. It looks a little snappier, but the content is exactly the same."
"Turn it to page fifty and read the questions and answers to the people, if you would please," said the doctor.
The priest tuned toward the light from the window and read, this comes from the Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine by Rev. Peter Geirmann, C.SS.R., Imprimatur Joseph E. Ritter S.T.D. Archbishop of St. Louis, B. Herder Book Co., St. Louis, MO. 1930. p.50.
Q. What is the Third Commandment?
A. The Third Commandment is: Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.
Q. Which is the Sabbath day?
A. Saturday is the Sabbath day.
Q. Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
A. We observe Sunday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.
Q. Why did the Catholic Church substitute Sunday for Saturday?
A. The Church substituted Sunday for Saturday, because Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday, and the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles on a Sunday.
Q. By what authority did the Church substitute Sunday for Saturday?
A. The Church substituted Sunday for Saturday by the plenitude of that divine power which Jesus Christ bestowed upon her.
Q. What does the Third Commandment command?
A. The Third Commandment commands us to sanctify Sunday as the Lord's Day.
Q. What does the Third Commandment forbid?
A. The Third Commandment forbids (1) The omission of prayer and divine worship; (2) All unnecessary servile work; (3) Whatever hinders the keeping of the Lord's Day holy.
Q. Is the desecration of the Lord's Day a grievous matter?
A. The desecration of the Lord's Day is a grievous matter in itself, though it admits of light matter.
"So, what does that mean?" the puzzled Sunday School teacher asked.
The priest smiled and said, "The way we see it, it means you should be either a Roman Catholic or a Seventh-day Adventist."
The priest then leveled his gaze at the doctor and said, "Seventh-day Adventists don't believe that the Roman Catholic Church had the authority to change the day of worship."
"True," said the doctor.
The priest continued, "Your church makes a big issue about our changing the day of worship to Sunday. I personally don't see the point. After all, the rest of the Protestants don't have a problem with following our lead. It seems to me Seventh-day Adventists are making a big dust up about something that nobody else cares about."
"Besides," he continued, "We have masses every day of the week. We keep every day holy. It would be so much better if we could all get along and do that."
"I agree with the Pastor Franks," said the Sunday School teacher, "We should keep every day holy and just try to get along and not argue over petty details."
The doctor pursed his lips and said, "That would be nice. But, what do we do about the example of Jesus? As you know, and I'm sure Mr. Cohen and Pastor Franks would back me up on this, Jesus went to church on Saturday as it is instructed in the Ten Commandments, and so did the Apostles and disciples long years after the death of Christ. Jesus set the example and worshiped on the seventh day of the week, the day we call Saturday. You can read for yourself in Genesis 2:3 that it's the only day that God personally set aside for a holy purpose. Any other holy day is manmade."
Underscoring his point, the doctor emphasized, "If Jesus changed the day of worship, He didn't tell us and neither did His Apostles."
Then the doctor added, "Pastor Franks is right, you won't find any authorization anywhere in the Bible for changing the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday. He's absolutely correct to say that the official change was made solely by the Roman Catholic Church."
Wallace said, "It sounds to me like you two have an issue over who makes the rules."
"Your comment hits the nail right on the head," said Dr. Daily, "Seventh-day Adventists see our source of authority as the Bible and the Bible only. My friend, Pastor Franks sees the Roman Catholic Church's tradition as the source of authority. In fact, many churches feel the same way, that man's tradition is okay, especially with the Catholic Church taking the lead."
The doctor added, "Actually, Pastor Franks and I have been friends for years, and he has been a patient of mine for as long. We both feel that Christians can disagree and not be disagreeable. We can agree to disagree and remain friends–and we are."
"Besides," the doctor quipped, "Roman Catholics make fine Seventh-day Adventists."
The priest just shook his head and smiled.
Wallace observed, "It sounds to me like you believe only Seventh-day Adventists are going to heaven."
Caught off guard, the doctor thought for a moment and then said, "I hadn't thought of it that way. I apologize if I gave you that impression. That's absolutely not the way we feel. Speaking for myself, I'm fully persuaded that I want to follow in the footsteps of Jesus as closely as I possibly can. But that's my personal conviction. Everyone must make up their own mind about how they will live their life. It's an individual decision and what others decide is not for me to judge."
Changing the subject, the Sunday School teacher interjected, "Don't the Seventh-day Adventists teach soul sleep?"
Returning to the conversation, Wallace asked, "What in the world is soul sleep?"
Before the doctor could speak, the lady wearing the pants suit spoke up with a beautiful German accent and said, "It means when you die, you go to sleep. It's something we were taught as children. Back home we plant flowers on graves to make them a beautiful resting place for our loved ones who are sleeping."
From across the room someone asked, "So are you an Adventist too?"
"No. No. I guess you'd call me a backslider. I used to be a Lutheran back in Germany. It has probably been thirty years since I went to church. Lutherans are nice people you know. If I ever go back, I'll go back to my
roots. I guess I'll always be a Lutheran just like everyone else in my family.
"So, what does all of that have to do with sleeping souls?" said Wallace.
"I'll tell you what it means," interjected the Sunday School teacher, "It means when you die you don't go to heaven right away. That's what it means!"
"Not exactly," corrected the doctor.
Clarifying the statement, the doctor said, "Most Christians believe that they are going to heaven when they die. That's simple enough. All Christians plan on going to heaven one day. But, they disagree about when they are going to go and how they are going to get there. Some say we go sooner, some say we go later. But most all Christians agree that they will exit this planet someday–if only to return later."
"Don't sound like a big deal to me!" Wallace said.
"Would I be blaspheming if I allowed myself to wish that Jesus might have made himself clearer?" asked the doctor to the astonishment of everyone listening.
Now on the edge of her seat, the amazed Sunday School teacher asked, "Are you saying that you have an argument with Jesus?"
The doctor replied in a voice meant to be calming, "Not me. I don't. I take Jesus at his word."
Reaching for his Bible, the doctor explained, "Look at this one of many examples in the Bible. Here in Matthew 9:24-25 we read about Jesus raising a little girl from the dead, ‘He said to them, ‘Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.' And they laughed Him to scorn. But when the crowd was put aside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.'"
Dr. Daily suggested, "Maybe Jesus should have said that the little girl had died and gone to heaven and that He (Jesus) was bringing her back? Maybe if he had said it that way the crowd wouldn't have laughed him to scorn."
Turning back a few pages, the doctor said, "In another place the scriptures state, "These things He said, and after that He said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up. ‘Then His disciples said, ‘Lord if he sleeps he will get well.' However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead'" (John 11:11-14).
The doctor threw up his hands as if to ask what he should do and asked, "Help me to understand what is going on here with Jesus and with the Apostles? Whenever they talk about death, they refer to it as sleep. Are they confused? Am I confused? It seems so simple to me to believe that one day I'll lie down and go to sleep. Then regardless of how much time passes, one day I'll be awakened and join the rest of the believers to be with the Lord and go to heaven."
"Besides, can you imagine how the little girl and Lazarus would have felt if an angel tapped them on the shoulder and told them they had to go back to earth–and die all over again? If you were in heaven, would you like to come back to a place where children starve and disease stalks the land?
After a pause, the doctor continued, "The way I read it, we die, we sleep as time passes, we wake up when Jesus returns to resurrect us and take us to heaven. It's like going to sleep at night. You lie down, close your eyes and before you know it, it's morning. Time passes and you have no idea how much time has passed. You don't have a clue about what happened while you were asleep. That's why I think Jesus kept saying dead people were asleep. Their next waking moment will be as if they were just sleeping."
The teacher came back, "So, what about hell? You
don't believe in hell do you?"
Dr. Daily paused to think and then replied, "Actually, our hell is the hottest hell there is. People just don't burn forever, it's so hot there that it burns people up! After all, don't we read in the Bible that the wicked will burn until they are no more. Some will burn longer than others, according to the punishment they deserve. We believe God is fair and everyone will get what is appropriate and nothing more."
Using simple logic, he reasoned, "People say, if you do the crime, be prepared to do the time. Forcing a human to live in eternal torture forever simply because he wouldn't accept Jesus as his Savior is a really harsh sentence. Is that a loving God? How in the world is the time, eternal burning, equal to the crime?"
"I didn't make up the rules," replied the teacher.
Dr. Daily got up and then turned and said, "Actually, we agree about the need for punishment. We only disagree on its length."
She nodded a "yes" and the Rocker put his headphones aside and said, "Sweet! This stuff is just too cool, doc."

3:00 P.M.: Activity Increases in the Street
From across the room a patient asked, "Dr. Daily, I heard someone say Seventh-day Adventists don't eat meat? Is that true?"
The doctor's daughter cut in, "Let me handle this one daddy. We've been studying about this at school."
Dr. Daily deferred to his daughter who explained, "About 35% of Adventists are vegetarian."
Someone asked with a hint of sarcasm, "Is that supposed to make you extra holy or something? Is this salvation by appetite control?"
"No. No," she said softly, "That's not the case at all. It's really about being as healthy a Christian as you can be. Back in Old Testament times, God told the Jews what they were not to eat. In broad terms, the Lord told them not to eat scavengers. Interestingly today, following God's instructions in chapter 11 of Leviticus, the overall result is that the average Seventh-day Adventist man lives seven years longer than the general population and Adventist women live 4.5 years longer. A 30-year-old Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) man can expect to live to age 81, a non-SDA can expect to live to age 74."
Skeptical, Wallace said, "What you say sounds too good to be true. What do I have to give up? If I have to eat grass for the rest of my life, it's not worth it."
The doctor's daughter flashed a 1000 watt smile and said, "All you have to do is stop eating the stuff that will kill you before your time. Everything else is just fine to eat and drink. You still get to eat a lot of good stuff. I mean, look at dad's belly, does he look like he's starving to you?"
"Guess I could stand to lose a few pounds," said the doctor.
Then the girl with the tattoo spoke up, "According to what I'm thinking, Seventh-day Adventists are a mixture of Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and who knows what. Well, if that's the case, what makes you so special then?"
"The three angels' messages of Revelation 14 sets us apart from the rest," said the doctor.
"We look at Revelation 14:6-12 as a gathering point around which the Seventh-day Adventist church rallies. Those passages contain three distinct messages for the world. The message of the first angel is to preach the everlasting gospel to all people. We understand the everlasting gospel to include teachings from both the Old and New Testaments. The message of the second angel, as we understand it, is to urge our fellow
Christians to return to the Bible and the Bible only as their basis of faith and practice. And finally, the message of the third angel is to warn all mankind that the day of final judgment is coming soon. We also understand that the three angels' messages will divide people into two groups in preparation for the Lord's second coming— so that when Jesus returns there will be those who are on God's side and those who are not."
"That's cool stuff. I like to know more about your beliefs," declared the Rocker, "How do I go about it?"
Turning to the Rocker, the doctor said, "We ask that interested people study the beliefs of our denomination for themselves by enrolling in personal Bible studies. We have found that when people take the time to study God's Word and find God's plan for their life, they are much happier people. Through personal study they can see what the Bible says, not what someone says it says."
Then, turning so that all could hear, he said, "God has a plan for everyone who is interested. It's not just for a chosen few."

4:00 P.M.: Good News is Coming
Concluding, Doctor Daily said, "It has been my experience that Seventh-day Adventists are some of the happiest, healthiest people I know. I became a member of the church twenty years ago. I've never been happier and at peace with myself and the world. I've never regretted leaving my cigarettes, alcohol and former lifestyle behind. Interestingly, the majority of Seventh-day Adventists have come out of other denominations. Believe me, it's a good and positive thing to adopt the Seventh-day Adventist lifestyle if you want to increase your chances of living a long and happy life. I call it the Adventist Advantage."
While speaking, he turned to the stack of Bible enrollment cards on the table. Handing one to the Rocker he said, "Fill in your name and address, and you can start your Bible studies immediately. There are a variety of ways, including mail correspondence, personal one-on-one study and online computer lessons. Whatever works for you."
Clearing his throat to gain attention, Wallace asks, "Can I have one too?"
"Sure, and anyone else who is interested."
The others smiled politely, but waved off his offer.
Receiving the enrollment cards from the two men, the doctor slipped them into the back of his Bible and mused about the dilemma he faced when offering to share his faith. On the one hand he didn't want to seem like an overzealous religious zealot, and on the other, he wanted to share what had brought true happiness and purpose to his life. Such was Dr. Daily's dilemma.
Suddenly, without warning, a loud explosion shook the windows as it blasted up from the street below. Stun grenades known as flashbangs were being shot through the windows of the Consulate. A brilliant flash as bright as a million candles and the deafening blast rattled the windows of the buildings up and down the street and momentarily stunned everyone inside the Consulate. Rapid response teams swarmed in. Minutes later the Consulate staff emerged shaken but unhurt. Then, under heavy guard, the coward terrorists were led out of the building with coats over their heads and loaded unceremoniously into police vans.

4:30 P.M.: Crisis Ends
The crisis ended as quickly as it had begun. Up on the seventh floor the doctor's office lights flickered on again. The television blinked back to life—but this time
no one in the waiting room was watching TV. Everyone seemed to realize all at once that the crisis was over. As if on cue, they jumped to their feet and made a mad dash to safety. The doctor grabbed his Bible, placed it in Megan's lap and summoned his daughter to follow them. In seconds, they had the wheelchair on the elevator and all were riding down to safety. The Rocker was close behind with his iPod in his pocket and the jeweler with his briefcase concealing a fortune in diamonds hidden inside.
Allergies had been the reason that had brought them together, but now what had seemed so important a few hours before, was totally forgotten. In minutes, everyone had escaped into the fresh air of freedom.
Only later that evening did they discover that the security guard had lied about the seriousness of the situation in order to keep everyone calm and in good spirits. The terrorist-separatists had posed as furniture movers and brought a very large bomb into the Consulate in a steamer trunk. Just a few minutes longer and the city where the Zentrum Office Building was located would have joined New York, Madrid and London as the venue of another successful terrorist bombing.

Today: Beginning Anew
Thankfully, the terrorist part of the story you just read is a Bible-style parable. Jesus was the master at using parables and we followed His example. In fact, the Bible says, "All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them, (Matthew 13:34). The parable of Dr. Daily's Dilemma was created to make some very important points about successful living in this life and living forever. You can personally explore these points by studying the Word of God for yourself, or as the Psalmist says, "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him, (Psalm 34:8).

Got Questions? I've been a pastor and Bible student for 30 years. My passion has been trying to understand the life of the common man in Bible times. My studies have taken me all over the Middle East, Turkey, Europe and Russia. These travels have provided me with material for five books. Also, I am the caretaker of a collection of ancient lamps and coins that we use for educational displays. I think an understanding of Bible history is very important because we tend to forget that the people of the ancient world were living, breathing beings just like you and me. They had families, hopes and dreams--and a multitude of problems most of us don't have today. Those people led hard lives. For us, the more we understand about daily life and customs in Bible times, the clearer our understanding can be of the Holy Scriptures and how they can apply to our lives today. Presently, I pastor churches in Orangeburg and West Columbia South Carolina. My lovely wife is a kindergarten teacher. My hobby is working in my shop, driving my 1973 Porsche 911 and riding my Suzuki 350 dirt bike. Other than that, I'm just a mild-mannered pastor with a deep interest in getting as many people as possible interested in ancient Bible history so that the message of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior will be as clear as possible. Feel free to email me your questions. I'll answer them in the manner of the ancient Egyptian doctors who offered these three options: 1. I will treat this. 2. With this I will contend. 3. This I will not treat. Blessings! Pastor Hunt Command Cental 2006