![]() Its sprawling grounds are dotted with tall cedars and aromatic olive trees. Herzog Hospital sits on a steep, sun-baked hill on the outskirts of Jerusalem. And he knew there was a man who could help. Plus, he'd seen this kind of thing before. He didn't think the American calling himself Jesus was dangerous, but the guy was scaring away customers. Eventually, the manager of the hostel couldn't take it anymore. Hodge camped out in the hostel's lobby and began introducing himself to one and all as the Messiah. And Hodge knew that whatever called him to the Holy Land was emanating from there. Supposedly built on top of the spot where Jesus Christ was crucified and three days later rose from the dead, the domed cathedral is the holiest site in Christendom. He had a feeling that this was important. ![]() He walked through the ancient, labyrinthine streets until he found a cheap hostel near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. When Hodge arrived in Jerusalem, he told the taxi driver to drop him off at the entrance to the Old City. A week later, he was 30,000 feet over the Atlantic on an El Al jet to Israel. Hodge wasn't a superstitious man, he didn't believe in signs, but the frequency of it certainly felt like. And every time he did, he would see the same word staring back at him-the same four syllables that seemed to jump off the page as if they were printed in buzzing neon: Jerusalem. He'd been doing this every night since his wife left. One night, while lying in bed, he opened the Bible and began reading. But now that everything seemed to be falling apart around him, he began attending services every week. Not knowing where to turn, Hodge started going to church again.Įven though he'd been raised in an evangelical household, it had been years since Hodge had thought much about God. A few weeks later, he was informed that his company was downsizing and that he would be let go. Then, one morning, Hodge's wife told him she no longer loved him. He had a well-paying job and a devoted wife. Shortly after his 40th birthday, the life of a man we'll call Ronald Hodge took a strange turn.
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