The 13th Enumeration by William Struse, Rachel Starr Thomson

“Let me guess. You free soloed up the rock, risking your life to save the damsel in distress. In an act of incredible heroism you saved her life, and she was eternally grateful.”
    Zane replied with a hearty laugh. “Except for the last part, you got it just about right, bro.”
    Sam laughed in turn. “Only in your dreams, Zane, only in your dreams.”
    “Sam, my dreams of rescuing a fair lady seem a lot more real to me than your dream of riches from a penny stock.”
    Sam replied in a more a serious tone, “The day I believe that fairy tale will be about the same time you break even on my little misadventure.”
    They wrapped up their call with a promise to go climbing with David Johnson, their mutual best friend from high school days, soon. Fully awake now, Zane looked at the phone for a moment and then dialed his parents. His mother picked up on the fourth ring. Her clear, calm voice came over the phone, “Good morning, the Harrisons.”
    “Good morning, Mom, how are you?”
    “Zane!” she replied with happiness, relief, and love mixed in the single word. “How was your trip?”
    He answered with an abbreviated—very abbreviated, without any mention of Rachael Neumann or risking his life—summary. “Can I talk to Dad?” he asked after a bit more small talk.
    “Dad,” Zane said after his father’s manly voice came on the line, “I need some advice on a research paper I’m doing for my professor. The class is called Faith and Fact. Our professor has given everyone in the class an assignment to choose a prophecy in the Bible concerning the Messiah. We are to use reasonable forensic evidence to build a case for its fulfillment in Jesus. For my paper, I chose the prophecy of Daniel 9. As you know, most Christians believe that Jesus fulfilled this prophecy. Arguably, it’s the one prophecy in the Bible that gives specific, datable events which can be contextually connected to specific secular events and the coming of the Messiah in the first century.”
    His father indicated that he was following, and Zane continued. “As most understand it today, the prophecy speaks to the second coming as well. Many consider it the most important prophecy concerning the Messiah in the Bible. Without going into great detail, here is my dilemma: as I know you are aware, the most widely accepted interpretation of this prophecy was most eloquently laid out by Sir Robert Anderson in his work The Coming Prince. There has been some modification to Anderson’s interpretation over the years, but by and large it’s the accepted view.”
    He paused and decided to plunge on. “When doing my own research, I found that there was no contextual chronological foundation for this theory to be found in the Scripture. It’s a foundational prophecy concerning the Messiah, yet most scholars do not have a sound chronological foundation upon which to base it. My own research is undermining my belief in its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. How do you think I should proceed?”
    After a few moments’ pause, his father replied, “Son, if what you say is true, and you have not shown me any evidence one way or the other, but assuming you got your facts straight and there are real serious questions about the consensus interpretation, you should pursue it until you have exhausted every avenue of evidence. Don’t be afraid of where the facts might lead. You know I am a firm believer in the accuracy of the Bible as long as it is understood within the context of its time, its people, and its place. Remember, a verse taken out of context can be twisted to fit any man’s motive, belief, or lifestyle, including yours. Some of the greatest human tragedies have been orchestrated in the name of religion. Follow this to wherever it may lead. You owe it to yourself. Don’t be intellectually lazy, son, but search it out to the best of your ability. I believe that if, as you say, the current interpretation does not meet a reasonable standard of truth, then you