Fifth seal

The little town of Nazareth is a long way from Jerusalem and King Herod's evil clutches. Yet is anywhere in Judea far enough? Gossip swirls around the newlyweds Mary and Yosef. It is far too soon for her womb to carry the growing baby, neighbors say. Yet too much is at stake for Yosef to reveal the truth. He vows to protect Mary and the baby with his life, but how can he protect her heart from the barbs of betrayal? As beloved prophetess Hannah boldly foretells the coming of Israel’s true King, King Herod plots her doom . . . and that of anyone else he believes challenges his throne. When a dying slave stumbles into Beth-lehem on a stormy night, shepherd Zadok and his wife, Rachel, wonder, Is her arrival guided by God or a trap set by the paranoid Herod? As Mary and Yosef set out on a perilous journey to Jerusalem, astronomer Melchior sees unusual activity in the stars. He’s convinced something important will happen soon in Israel . . . and it will impact the world for all eternity.