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.
“That should just about do it,” sneered Kara, who was watching his angels moving in and out of the council, infuriating the men.
“You mean that should just about undo it,” replied Lucifer.
He looked at Rugio. “Prepare the legions. This persecution should become widespread now. But a subtle campaign is warranted here, Rugio.”
“Subtle?” asked Kara, astonished at such a notion. “Bleed them now, my prince, while we have them at a disadvantage.”
“Much as I like to disagree with Kara on principle, I also believe that a swift response is best,” said Pellecus. “The Sanhedrin is hot for blood.”
Lucifer watched the venomous chaos below.
“Very well,” he agreed. “Prepare the warriors; hit them hard.”
“As you command,” replied Rugio, who vanished.
“Crispin, they shall murder him,” said Serus, who watched as Stephen’s angel fended off attacks from demons.
“Perhaps,” said Crispin solemnly. “But his angel stands ready to escort him to the King.”
He watched as Lucifer conferred with his leading angels.
“I would expect many angels shall be escorting many of their charges soon.”
Just as the men in the council began to calm down, someone began hushing everyone. “Look, he is going to speak again!”
Stephen seemed completely unaware of the tension around him. He was at perfect peace, gazing into the ceiling of the room. Some stared upward too, as if trying to catch a glimpse of whatever it was that Stephen saw. He was teary-eyed and beaming.
“Behold, I see the heaven opening and the Son of Man standing on the right side of God.”
“Blasphemy!”
The crowd roared in an enormous rage and rushed Stephen. His angel, Darias, looked for an order to act, but none came. He walked along with Stephen, prepared to do whatever the Lord might order. But he was also prepared to receive his spirit for the Lord and carry him to Heaven.
The angry crowd took Stephen to the outside of the city and threw him down on the ground. Those who would take part in the stoning removed their outer garments so as not to get blood on them and defile themselves. They handed their garments to the young man named Saul.
The rocks began pummeling Stephen. He took one in the chin from a younger man. Then another hit him in the back. He fell to his side. Stones were flying everywhere now, some connecting, some missing. Spatters of blood showered up as the deadly missiles hit their mark.
Stephen was still alive, bleeding from the gashes in his head. He looked up at his killers and began to pray. Before he died, those closest to him heard him say, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And as he knelt down, he called out in a loud voice and said, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Saying this, he died.
“Now the real war begins,” said Lucifer, as the angels watched the men scatter, calling for the blood of the rest of the blasphemers. “It is just as I predicted. The leaders will be hunted down and killed, and the rest of them will scatter—just as they did the night their Prince was killed.”
“How shall we continue to orchestrate this, my prince?” asked Kara. “They are well-organized. But do they have the stomach for extermination?”
Lucifer indicated a young man who was handing the garments back to people. He congratulated the executioners as they took their clothes. He then made his way to the higher-ranking priests and began speaking to them. Lucifer smiled.
“One never knows with humans, Kara,” said Lucifer. “Whether or not they all have the stomach for complete extermination I cannot tell. But there is one who has both the heart and the capacity to see it through. I suggest you follow Saul of Tarsus!”
“You have your assignment, Serus,” said Gabriel. “You are to watch over Saul until further instruction.”
“The man who held their garments?” asked Serus, annoyed. “He has innocent blood on his hands!”
“And much more innocent blood before this thing is over, I’m sure,” said Crispin. “But the Most High knows what He is doing in this. That is all you need to know.”
Serus looked at Gabriel and Crispin as some men carried Stephen’s bloody body away. He still didn’t understand.
“Crispin, do you understand all this?” he asked.
“Me?” said Crispin. “Of course not. I am only an angel!”
Chapter Six
“WHY DO YOU PERSECUTE ME?”
Paul’s Cell, Rome, A.D. 67
“The witnesses laid their clothing at the feet of a young man named Saul.”
Paul looked down at his hands as Luke finished his review of the death of Stephen. There was a moment of silence, and then Luke looked up at Paul.
“That was many years ago,” he offered.
Paul smiled. “Not so many,” he said, standing up.
Pulling the cloak around his shoulders to shield him from the ever-present dankness, Paul looked vacantly toward the dark wall above his little writing area. The cell seemed more fitting, somehow.
“He was such a decent fellow, really,” Paul said, speaking of Stephen. “At the time I remember respecting him, even as we were killing him. I respected his courage and his conviction.” He smiled and added, “But not his Christ.”
“Of course, you were in darkness,” said Luke, pouring his friend some more broth. “You thought you were doing the right thing at the time.”
Paul took the broth and sipped it. He sat back down on the bench next to Luke.
“I want you to tell it completely,” he said. “I want whoever reads this to know that I was a consenting party to this. I want them to know this so they can see the extent of God’s grace.”
“You didn’t actually throw a stone at him,” Luke said.
Paul held up his hands.
“No, Luke, these hands did not throw a stone. But they are just as bloody as the others. Maybe more so.” He looked at his friend. “The people who stoned Stephen lusted for the blood of one man. I lusted for the blood of the Church…”
Chronicles of the Host
The Enemy Rages
The murder of Stephen breathed new life into Lucifer’s plans to see the young Church put away once and for all. Blood begat blood as Jews loyal to the priests began a campaign of persecution, going from house to house. The Host watched in bewilderment as many believers from leaders of the flock to whole families were thrown into prison…or worse. Why should the Most High allow such carnage? This was on the mind of many angels.
As for Serus, he continued his task of watching Saul, even accompanying him on his harassing excursions of arrest and accusation. Though he didn’t understand his assignment, he knew that the Most High had some sort of plan for Saul—probably his undoing. Serus contented himself with the thought that he would see God deal with Saul as He had dealt with so many other villains in the past.
Lucifer’s flush of victory was short-lived, however, for there was an unintended consequence of his heavy-handed attack: the Church scattered and began emerging in places other than Jerusalem with great power. Everywhere that a Christ believer went, Lucifer’s dark army found itself thrown back: healings, salvations, evil spirits driven out of people—all of these things occurred just as Jesus had prophesied … and Lucifer and his company could do nothing but plan their next move….
“Everywhere! These vermin are everywhere!”
The group looked silently at each other, daring not to interrupt their leader’s grim summation of the war. Lucifer looked each one of his leaders in the eye—some looked back at him while most averted their eyes. Lucifer sneered.
“This is the core that shall take us back to Heaven?” he posed. “This is the group of leaders that I depend on for action and intelligence? We finally have the enemy cornered in Jerusale
m and ready to deal the final blow and then this? They scatter like frightened rats?” Lucifer’s aura of rage began outlining his image. “I urged caution. I said we should be subtle after Stephen’s death. We might have killed their leaders one by one.”
He sighed and looked at Kara and Pellecus.
“Instead I deferred to your judgment for a quick and decisive blow, and now we must chase them down everywhere! What a fool I am! I shall never make that mistake again.”
He looked pointedly at Rugio.
“You were vigilant, my warrior,” he said to the beaming Rugio. “You followed the orders given. And now since we took this war to a new level, we must execute at another, much harsher, level.”
The group strolled along an outer wall of the fortress of Masada—a structure built by Herod the Great as a southern redoubt. Looking toward the north—toward Jerusalem—Lucifer peered over the horizon.
“Every minute of every day there are more of them,” he said. “They continue to propagate this poison that is set against us.”
Kara looked at the others and spoke.
“While it is true, my prince, that the enemy has scattered,” he began, “it is also true that they are largely disorganized. Apart from that simpering Peter who found a surge of boldness, and James, who will never leave Jerusalem, they have no impetus.”
“They need no impetus,” sneered Lucifer. “They go by their spirit…their faith.” He shook his head.
“No, my brothers, this is a very different war,” he said, looking over the desert of southern Judea. “And a very different war requires a very different strategy. Hear me…”
Upon these words, all of the council came to attention as a military unit receiving orders from their commanding officer. Rugio looked to Nathan to make certain that he, too, was getting all of this, and Lucifer continued.
“The believers, as they call themselves, will find that the opposition in Jerusalem leaves them a poor second choice. They know how to combat their own custom; they understand Israel’s religious zeal. But they shall find that there are indeed other nations, other gods with which this new teaching must contend.”
Lucifer looked at the other angels, the vast Judean wilderness looming in the distance below Masada. He laughed.
“Herod built this fortress as a secondary redoubt, a place of refuge,” he said. “It now sits idle. We can never have that luxury. We can never sit idle. We must continue the pressure on these people—particularly their leaders. We must fight them hard. We must use every religious fool and every political pretense to stir up anger against them. They must be unwelcome wherever they go and driven out by the population.”
He looked at Rugio.
“Rugio, I want our warriors to defend our territory with greater zeal,” he said. “They must pay dearly for every incursion.”
Rugio looked at Nathan, who nodded in agreement.
“Kara, you must use your network to infiltrate and undermine the morale of this movement. See to their leaders, and continue your efforts with Saul. He is our greatest asset among the Pharisees.”
Kara bowed his head and vanished.
“Pellecus, we must maintain our grip on the hearts of the idiotic people who adore the many gods we have created. They must be jealous enough for their own gods that they shall never be open to the God of Peter.”
“It shall be so,” said Pellecus. “I have always maintained that humans respond more to gods they can see and understand. Outside of Jerusalem there are countless gods who are not too proud to be seen and heard by men.”
“Then I suggest that a religious revival break forth among the nations,” Lucifer said. “You know what I mean, Pellecus. Something that will assure a contest when the time comes. A few miracles, a few healings. Something along the lines of Ephesus.”
“Ah, Ephesus,” said Pellecus proudly. “A model of human religious idiocy. They worship the goddess who came streaming in on a piece of debris from the heavens! The locals even traffic in the stuff.”
“That is what I want,” said Lucifer. “Our enemy knows that if He gains the hearts of men, the gods of this age are finished. Therefore we must retain control of their minds. And if a bit of trickery and illusion, cheap as it is, can get the job done, so be it.”
“It shall be as you command,” said Pellecus. “The gods shall begin responding to their priests in incredible ways. I shall give the order.”
“See to it,” Lucifer said, as Pellecus nodded.
Lucifer stood with Pellecus on Masada’s dusty wall. He looked toward Jerusalem.
“This has only begun, Pellecus,” he vowed. “I promised you when this began so long ago that you would one day rule with me here on earth, as my propagator—my teacher. It shall yet happen! This young Church is about to discover the price of their faith in the Son.”
“A terrible price,” agreed Pellecus.
“The God of Jerusalem is harsh enough when placed in the hands of fanatics, Pellecus; they drove these Christ followers out very easily. Wait until these ‘believers’ find themselves in the territory of the gods of the Gentiles!”
He laughed.
“I’m afraid some of our angels (which the humans call ‘gods’) have become accustomed to being worshiped,” he continued. “They will not surrender that hold easily. And their followers are very jealous of gods who speak directly to them through oracles and mystics. It’s a different enemy that these Christ followers shall face outside Jerusalem!”
Pellecus laughed.
“With Saul securing more and more arrests outside of Jerusalem,” Pellecus added, “perhaps the threat will be even more diminished!”
“Ah, Saul,” said Lucifer, turning to look at Pellecus. “I must admit that Kara and Berenius have done well with him. He shows great promise. Not since Herod was murdering babies have we had such a human advocate. Jerusalem is getting to know Saul of Tarsus quite well.”
“Soon another city shall know him,” added Pellecus. “Damascus!”
Chronicles of the Host
Samaria
The region of Samaria had long been bitterly divided. The many conquests and deportations of Israel’s citizens over the years as well as the importations of foreign nationals—chiefly Assyrian and Babylonian—had resulted in a clash of culture and religion that persisted to this day. The more traditional Hebrews in the south hated their semi-brethren to the north, who, in their estimation, had sold out to Asherah and Alexander. This made the northerners subject to many religious pariahs, such as Simon, a so-called sorcerer and mystic who amazed the people with his feats of magic.
It was this culture of idolatry that Lucifer was counting on to contest the growing influence of the young Church…and it was just this sort of idolatrous behavior that the Church desired to see the region liberated from. It would be an interesting contest….
“Please, sir, have mercy on my children!”
Saul looked at the woman who, along with her children, had been taken into custody. Their little house in Bethany had been ransacked by Saul’s agents as they looked for incriminating evidence that tied the family to the heretics. Saul ignored the pleadings and ordered that they sit down and await the prison cart.
Saul scanned the little town. He could sniff heretics out almost like an animal seeking its prey—especially in a place like Bethany, where Jesus had many friends. This was where Lazarus had lived—and was now a wanted criminal. Saul had determined to put an end to the myth of Lazarus rising from the dead. He’d see to Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha as well! For now, he had to satisfy himself with arresting families one at a time. It was a difficult but necessary task if the purity of the Covenant was to be maintained.
“The husband is not here,” said a guard, who exited the house.
Saul turned to the woman. “Where is he?” he asked.
The woman, angry as she was frightened, said nothing. She comforted her children who looked to be about seven and ten. Saul turned away in disgust.
“S
ee that these rats are properly quartered,” he ordered as the cart that would carry them to the prison jolted near. “Once the husband knows where they are, he will come. We’ll take him without incident.”
“Then we will have one less problem,” an aide to Saul added.
“Yes, Strachus,” said Saul. “But so many remain. When I put an end to this nonsense in Damascus, we shall make sacrifice to the Lord. He will be pleased to accept such an offering!”
“Such bold words from so small a human,” Berenius said, as he and several angels watched Saul’s party making the two-mile jaunt to Jerusalem from Bethany.
“Sometimes the smaller the human the bolder the talk,” said Kara.
Saul was indeed average in height. Apart from his priestly attire and reputation as an intensely passionate Pharisee, he was typically Hebrew in appearance. In fact, just looking at the man one would not suspect that he was the son of a Pharisee and a citizen of the empire. Born in Tarsus, he was well-educated and passionate about the religious heritage handed down to him. Saul was a zealous legalist—a Hebrew of Hebrews—who was determined to call the wrath of God down on all who opposed the Law of Moses and its traditions.
“Saul is exactly what is needed right now,” Kara continued. “He will put an end to this nonsense and hunt down this scattered flock of blind sheep!”
“Not exactly blind,” came a familiar, if unwelcome, voice.
“Ah, Crispin,” said Kara, turning to the teacher who was accompanied by Serus and several others. “Come to see the hunter kill his prey?”
“But who is the hunter?” Crispin responded. “And who is the prey?”
The angels with Kara cursed Crispin.
“You always did turn a colorful phrase,” said Kara, as the distant outline of Damascus appeared to Saul. His men pointed at it excitedly. They were glad to be near the end of this dry and dusty journey. “Unfortunately, your words will alter nothing here.”
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