Fire and Sword (6 page)
Authors: D. Brian Shafer
“My friends, I assure you that the actions of these vermin, as Rugio quite aptly called them,” he nodded at Rugio who grinned and sat down, “are indeed disturbing.”
“Disturbing?” cried Kara. “It is criminal! The reports I get are of nothing but sickening community and prayer and… argh! Where does it end?”
“It ends as always in Jerusalem,” said Lucifer calmly. He shook his head. “Do you not realize where we are? I am, quite frankly, not as disturbed by these misfits as I am by the Lord’s misjudgment in planting them here in this city!” He added with mock despair, “I am concerned about His mental condition!”
They all laughed.
“I am concerned about
our
condition,” sniffed Kara.
Pellecus shuddered at Kara’s disrespect. “I believe that Lucifer is pointing out that the Lord has not yet learned from history,” he said. “Jerusalem both generates and annihilates religious fanaticism. They killed Messiah, did they not? They murdered His prophets. Do you think the leaders in this proud city will tolerate His followers continuing their disturbances?”
“But they have the favor of the people,” said Kara. “Why should they turn on them?”
“The people are sheep,” said Lucifer. “Blind, stupid animals. They will follow their leaders in this as always. It is the priests who will continue this matter for us.” Lucifer glanced at Pellecus. “They simply need a plan—some guidance…”
Pellecus nodded and vanished.
Lucifer smiled and looked beyond the group toward the Temple site. The sound of workmen and artisans and others continued the work that, in many cases, their fathers had begun over 40 years before. Initiated by Herod the Great, the Temple was to be his supreme legacy—albeit a bloody one. Lucifer turned back to the group.
“The men building that structure have been working for years,” he said. “The laborers do it for their pay and for their God. Those directing them build for vanity and for glory—something that humans find quite difficult to part with. You ask me, Kara and Rugio, how we are to deal with the vermin? I tell you to look at the Temple—and you will see glory and vanity and religious pride. These will become our weapons as we move against this pack of ‘believers,’ as they call themselves.”
He smiled and put his hand on Rugio’s shoulder. Below them, making their way through the noisy street were Peter and John. They were going to the Temple, escorted by several holy angels. Lucifer pointed at the two men.
“We’ll begin with those two,” he said. “To steal from a worn-out prophecy, they have bruised my heel, and now I shall crush their heads!”
“They are well protected, my lord,” said Rugio, looking at the escorts.
“And highly favored,” added Kara.
“So are we,” said Lucifer, whose attention turned to a group of Pharisees on the steps of the Temple, who were glaring at the two men as they arrived. “Never fear! As always, Jerusalem shall both be the breeding ground and the battleground of religious nonsense. And from such nonsense blood flows freely!”
Chronicles of the Host
The Enemy Responds
Thus it was with the wonderful birth of the new Church, or gathering, of the Most High’s faithful, that a new hope emerged—one born not only from prophecy fulfilled but also from power demonstrated. For the Spirit of the Lord Himself worked in and among the people, so that John and Peter and others found themselves used of God to work miracles of healing and deliverance—much as in the days when Jesus had walked the very same streets.
The people flocked to the disciples to be healed not only by their power, but also by their words. For they spoke of the great plans of God to redeem Israel—that the death of Jesus was not an event conducted by mere men, but a plan set forth by God Himself. The people were open to the teaching—and great numbers of them began finding hope in this Savior.
True to his words, Lucifer found the Pharisees to be willing, if unwitting, partners in persecuting the growing numbers of this strange Jewish sect. Stirred by their own religious bigotry and the careful inducement of Pellecus’ subtle words into their raging minds, the leading Jews determined to act. “If these heretics continue promoting Jesus and acting in His name,” they reasoned, “they will bring down the wrath of Rome, and we shall lose our position and our nation!”
Thus the chief priest, Caiaphas, the very man who had slapped the Lord at His trial and accused Him of blasphemy, now agreed among his advisors to send a delegation of Temple guards and priests, led by Zichri, to confront the leaders of the fledgling movement—chiefly Peter and John. So it was that, upon the healing of a man at the Temple gate called Beautiful, they saw their advantage…
“Rise up and walk!”
The man rose to his feet to the astonishment of the crowd. Born crippled, he had become almost a part of the very gate under which he had begged most of his life. But here he was—on his feet dancing and praising God! He held on to Peter as the crowd gathered around them, making their way to a place near Solomon’s Colonnade.
“Men of Israel, why does this surprise you?” Peter asked the people. “You look at us as if we in our own power made this man well.”
“But we saw it,” a voice cried out.
Peter looked to the direction of the voice and continued. “It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through Him that healed this man!”
The crowd looked at each other in response to this, murmuring among themselves the name
Jesus
and reasoning that He was the man who had been condemned weeks earlier. But what had Jesus to do with this?
“My brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance in killing Jesus, as did your leaders. But this happened because God had willed and prophesied that it should happen. So now you have an opportunity to return to God and truly repent of your sins and be refreshed by the Lord!”
“How do you know these things?” asked an old man, who was blind in one eye. “How do we know you are not bewitched?”
The crowd grunted in affirmation.
“Because,” Peter continued, “Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you.’ And he added that ‘Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.’”
John nodded in agreement.
“All the prophets from Samuel on foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. You are yourselves beneficiaries of this prophecy! Through Abraham you are now free through Christ…”
Pellecus had accompanied Zichri and the others who had been sent to investigate the disturbances caused by Peter and John. Berenius joined him at the behest of Kara, who wanted to make sure his influence in the matter wasn’t overlooked. Following behind the priests, they continually spoke into their minds outrageous thoughts of these ignorant fishermen causing such a religious row. They didn’t have to go far, since the crowd had gathered near the Temple. This seemed to fan the rage even further.
“What a poor choice of places to make a point,” mused Berenius. “Peter and John are conducting themselves right at the wolves’ doorstep.”
“What better place to make a point?” asked Pellecus. “Nevertheless it suits our purposes quite well.” He laughed. “Zichri is almost out of his mind with anger!”
Berenius smiled.
“Those angels with them certainly have a task ahead of them,” he commented, looking at the three angels dispatched by Michael to remain at the side of Peter and John. “This crowd has a way of turning on a man.”
The priests pushed their way through the crowd and stood listening to Peter and John. A few of the people slinked off at the sight of the Pharisees and Temple guards, but most of the crowd remained, listening to the two disciples. Many, in fact, believed on the name of Jesus and declared so openly.
“Need we hear any more?” fumed Zichri, scowling at the faces around him. “They are spreading their seditious nonsense at the Temple itself!”
“The people do seem accommodating in the matter,” observed one of the priests.
“Yes,” agreed Zichri, looking at the captain of the guard. “Too accommodating.”
The captain nodded and gave orders to his men to move in.
Pellecus and Berenius relished the scene as Peter and John were taken away even as they were yet speaking. Several holy angels who were assigned to Peter and John stationed themselves close to the two disciples. Berenius sneered at the heavenly protectors and cursed them.
“You’re too late!” he chided.
The holy angels ignored him.
Pellecus and Berenius looked on as the arresting party disappeared into the Temple complex. The people began to disperse, although some found others of the group who believed on the name of Jesus and joined themselves to them. Pellecus looked at Berenius with a satisfied expression.
“Report back to Lucifer and Kara all that has occurred,” he said. “Tell them that the lambs are once more in the hands of those idiotic wolves—or shortly shall be.”
Berenius smiled and vanished.
The Great Sanhedrin was the supreme religious body in Jerusalem. The men who comprised its membership numbered 71, and they derived their authority from a mixture of tradition, rabbinical law, and the existence of the Temple. And though there were also smaller religious Sanhedrins throughout Judea, the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem was the supreme political and judicial council of all the Jews.
For Lucifer, this group provided the greatest possibility for exploitation. He felt that Pellecus, whose academic pride and interest in things philosophical, was ideally suited to influence these religious leaders. Pellecus agreed and found it amusing to listen to the men who believed that Israel was theirs to shepherd as they pleased. So bent were they on maintaining their authority that very little suggestion on the part of Pellecus was needed; they were genuinely and securely operating in the darkness of vanity.
The men who assembled in the large meeting room included the high priest, Caiaphas, and members of his family including John and Alexander—no friends to Peter and John. Also in the room were Zichri and the men who had witnessed Peter and John’s arrest.