Fire and Sword (12 page)

“Well, well, all of Heaven is in Jerusalem today,” said Lucifer, looking about the Sanhedrin. “The archangels, Crispin, that insipid Serus—everyone is important it seems!”

Pellecus laughed. “It seems they are always observing the fall of some great human or other.”

“This one will certainly fall hard,” said Kara, looking hatefully at Stephen. “After his example the others will follow. I told you it would come to blood soon enough!”

“Never soon enough,” said Lucifer.

They all laughed.

“But you are correct in one thing, Kara,” he continued. “The die is cast for a great persecution to break forth. It is in their hearts and minds. I know it. I know these men. Their hatred has overcome their ethics, and once they have tasted Stephen’s blood they will thirst for more.”

“And I always thought the blood of their Christ was sufficient,” smirked Pellecus.

“Just look at those proud angels,” said Crispin, looking at Lucifer and his entourage on the opposite side of the room. “You would think that they were the Sanhedrin themselves!”

“Perhaps they are,” said Gabriel, grimly assessing the venom dressed in dark robes and beards below him. “To a degree anyway.”

“Only to a degree,” said Crispin. “Remember, angels, that men can only be influenced by these devils—not forced into their decisions. Whatever comes of this trial will be the work of men—not angels.”

“So why are we not involved?” asked Serus.

“We are involved,” said Gabriel. “Your man is down there!”

He indicated Saul, who was standing at the rear of the room speaking with another member of the Sanhedrin. Serus nodded his head.

“Yes, I know,” he said. “But why are we not simply moving in and taking Stephen? Merlos and Darlon rescued Peter and John, didn’t they? Why can’t we help Stephen? Look at his angel! Darias would love to stop this trial and deliver his man.”

Darias, a warrior, stood next to Stephen. He had grown quite fond of the man to whom he had been assigned. Just as Serus had said, he was only awaiting an order to handle the situation. But unless the order came, he must stand by and allow Stephen’s fate to play out as the Lord willed.

“Darias is an obedient servant of the Most High,” said Michael. “He will do nothing unless called upon. Even if it means escorting Stephen to the presence of the Lord after this is all finished.”

“Surely we will not allow them to kill Stephen,” pleaded Serus.

“There is something greater happening here than the trial of one man.” said Gabriel. “And we will know of the impact of this day soon enough.”

“Ah, the proud priest speaks,” said Crispin, as they watched Caiaphas step onto the dais. “If only he would listen to his own proverb and remain silent.”

“You’ve heard the many charges brought against you,” Caiaphas said. “Are they true? What have you to say?”

Stephen looked silently upward, praying. He then turned to the council and began speaking. “My brethren and fathers, listen to me. The questions before us are entwined with the history of our nation. Please indulge me as I review with you the greatness of our Lord and how we came to this current situation.”

Stephen began pacing as he spoke. The members of the council watched him—some with great interest, others with intense anger. Even the angels in the room remained quiet as he spoke, with an occasional howl from one of Kara’s angels. Stephen continued speaking.

“The God of all glory saw our father Abraham while he was in the land of the two rivers and spoke to him. He told Abraham to leave his land and his family and head into a place that He would show him. They left Ur and lived in Haran until his father died—then they pushed on to Canaan and settled in this very land—our land.”

“Are you presuming to tell us the very heritage that we all know and represent?” interrupted the high priest.

“Hear me out,” said Stephen. “I am telling you how all these things come together in Christ.”

Caiaphas looked at the others and sat back down. A few members nodded at him in agreement with what he had said.

“So the Lord gave it to Abraham as his habitation, to him and to his offspring, while he did not yet have a son,” continued Stephen. “As you know, the Lord also prophesied at that time that his children would become subject to a foreign power for 400 years before they returned to this land. Well, a son was born to Abraham. He named him Isaac, who became the father of Jacob who became the father of the twelve patriarchs…”

“What is this?” asked Kara, as they looked down upon the proceedings. “Why are they allowing him to spew this nonsense?”

“Decorum,” said Lucifer. “They must keep it completely legal.”

“Although I
am
interested in seeing where he takes this academic exercise,” admitted Pellecus.

“I’m only interested in seeing him hanged,” said Kara.

Across the room, Crispin and the other holy angels listened with great interest to Stephen, recounting with him the history of this nation.

“Why do you suppose he is saying all these things?” Serus finally asked.

“Because they need to be said,” Crispin answered. “They prove the justice of the Lord. And besides,” he added, “that is how the thing is set.”

“What thing is set?” Serus asked curiously.

“The trap,” Crispin said, smiling.

“Our ancestors were envious of Joseph and sold him to Egypt,” Stephen continued, “and God was with him. As you know, God gave him wisdom and grace so that he became second in the land only to Pharaoh. So when famine came to the world, there was not enough food for our ancestors. But because of God’s wisdom, Joseph made provision for the family, and they moved down into Egypt.

“For a time our family flourished in Egypt and enjoyed the favor of the Pharaoh. But then there arose another king in Egypt, who did not remember Joseph. Thus our people came under the whip and became slaves of Egypt. But God did not forget His promise to Abraham, and He sent Moses.

“Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was consistent in his words and also his deeds. When he turned forty years old, it came into his heart to help his brothers, the children of Israel. Thus it came about that when a fellow Hebrew was being beaten by an Egyptian, Moses killed the man and fled Egypt. Eventually he settled in the country of the Midianites, and had two sons.

“After spending forty years there, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a burning bush on Mount Sinai. The Lord spoke to him saying, ‘I am the God of your ancestors, the Father of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.’ And the Lord sent Moses back to Egypt, and God delivered Israel from Egypt with a mighty hand and brought them back to the very mountain where He had appeared to Moses.

“But while Moses was receiving the Law from the Lord, the people complained to Aaron because of his delay, saying, ‘Make us gods that will go before us, because this Moses who got us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know him.’ And they made a calf and offered sacrifice to the bronze idols, and they rejoiced in the work of their hands. Because of these sorts of actions, God allowed His people to be carried away by foreign gods and foreign powers—even as far as Babylon.

“Do you not see that God desires to live among His people, but not in those things built by human hands? For the Lord says, ‘Heaven is My throne, and the earth is the very rug under My feet. What house will you build for Me?’”

Stephen looked up at the silent, stone-faced Sanhedrin. As he did, the Spirit of God came upon him in bold authority. The angels in the room were astonished as Stephen began to point at the members of the council.

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised of heart and hearing!”

“What did he say?” demanded a voice.

Others leaned in to make sure they heard correctly.

“You stand against the Holy Spirit in every season; you are like your ancestors, too! For which of the prophets did not your ancestors reject and kill? You killed the ones who told of the coming of the righteous one.” He shook his head in disgust. “And you received the Law through the command of angels, yet you did not observe it.”

The men in the council stood to their feet enraged. Some bared their teeth at him, jeering. Stephen simply looked upward. The high priest began trying to regain order so he could pronounce judgment, but chaos had taken hold.