“Hello, Alec.”
My mind reeled as I tried to come to grips with what I saw. “You’re not Paul. Paul is dead. You’re another one of Lucifer’s demons. My life belongs to Jesus now, and you can’t touch me. Go back to the pit of Hell you crawled out of in the name of Jesus.”
“You’re so right, and that is why you are still alive.”
“What are you talking about, and why aren’t you leaving? You have to leave in the name of Jesus.”
“Calm down, and I’ll explain everything. I’m The Man Wrapped in Darkness. I have been for over a hundred years now.”
His words knocked the wind out of me as I sank back down in my chair, shocked by what I’d heard. “You have been the one tormenting me. You killed my father and my other family members. How could you do this to me? You were my only friend. Is this some kind of sick game you and Lucifer like to play on people?”
Paul silently stood there with a concerned look on his face, and I knew him well enough I could tell he was looking for the right words.
“Don’t just stand there, answer my question. You at least owe me that before you kill me too.”
He walked over, calmly took a seat across from me, removed his military officer-styled hat, and placed it in his lap. “Listen to me now. I’m not going to kill you, Alec. You are my friend, and I can promise you I have no allegiance to Lucifer. Jesus is my Lord and Savior, and I became The Man Wrapped in Darkness because of him. The time has come for you to know the company you now own and run, is essentially a front for funding Lucifer’s kingdom with resources and sacrifices to further his agenda on the earth.”
“Yes, I’m aware. It’s all in the red and black leather book.” Anger flared as I remembered all I’d been through. “Do you think I don’t know what’s been going on?”
The Man shifted in his seat. “I’m here to assure you there is good news about all that. Now that you have rededicated your life to God, you are born again, so there is hope for you and this company to be turned around and used for the Lord.”
“I was prepared to die to keep this company from continuing on its revolting path. The disgusting details are too graphic to imagine, much less talk about. It would take a miracle to turn this thing around...”
The Man smiled. “Yes. A Miracle.”
“So, it can be saved? Because the Lord took me back? God will still help me after I cursed and denied him all this time? I assumed he would be mad.”
“God’s not mad at you, Alec. You gave your life to him last night, so you are now born again. You are like the Prodigal Son, for you were once lost, but now you have been found. You can read all about it in your mother’s Bible, and as long as you follow the Lord’s leading for your life and his will for your company, it can all be redeemed.”
The news comforted me for a moment, even though I had no idea how it would be accomplished. If Jesus saved me from Lucifer, then he surely could fix my company as well.
Then again, I’d been through my own version of hell, and currently sat with a being who said he was my dead friend.
“Paul, how are you not dead, and what about tormenting me and killing my family members?”
He flashed half a smile. “Well, it is like I said. I have been The Man Wrapped in Darkness for over a hundred years now.”
“You’re over a hundred years old? That doesn’t make any sense. I had a stroke, right? This is a crazed delusion I’m seeing from the lack of oxygen to my brain?”
“You didn’t have a stroke. Just take a breath and listen, okay?”
I nodded, but I still wasn’t sure if I was dead or alive.
“Back when I was alive on the earth,” Paul started, “I was a pastor of a church in a small railroad town, and your great-grandfather Frederick came to me one afternoon and asked me to pray for his failing business. I agreed, and so I spent time seeking God for his direction for Frederick and his company. When I prayed, God told me the sinful things that Frederick had to stop doing for God to bless him and his company. The Bible states when we sin, we give the enemy occasion to attack us.
“When I told Frederick what God had said, he refused and instead made a deal with Lucifer, and his company began to flourish, because Lucifer has power too. He will do anything to lure God’s children away from him. Frederick and I had several confrontations after that day over his inappropriate dealings, and he threatened me numerous times to stop sharing the Word of God. Of course, I kept on sharing with the townspeople, because I wasn’t going to be bullied or intimidated into disobeying the Lord. Frederick turned his attention to turning the people against me, since many people in the town looked to me for guidance, so I told them not to be deceived by Frederick. He did succeed in winning some to his side. I’m sure you know money can be a powerful manipulator for some.”
“Oh yeah.” Words fumbled out of my mouth as if it were a normal conversation. “Well, you know what they say, more money more problems.” I reached for my decanter. “I need a drink. This is a lot to take in.”
Paul slapped my hand just before I reached the scotch. “You don’t need that anymore.”
“Come on man, this has been a long and terrible night. I just found out my best friend died over a hundred years ago and is now a superhero for Jesus. I’d say that’s a good enough reason for me to have a drink.” I reached for the bottle.
Paul slapped my hand again.
“Dang it! Stop! I’m not playing around with you anymore.”
He glared at me. “I’m not playing with you, either. Like I said, you don’t need that junk, and besides, your liver will thank me. But let me help you out since you seem so determined to drown your problems in alcohol.”
Paul reached out and tapped the decanter with his finger, and I watched as the caramel-colored liquid turned clear. “Go ahead. Now have a drink on me. I won’t stop you.”
“What did you do?”
“Have a drink, Alec.”
I reached for the decanter. “Thank you. Did you turn it into gin?”
“Have a drink.”
“Okay, I never really had a taste for gin, but desperate times, my friend.” I poured myself a glassful and started to drink—the best water I’d ever tasted. “You turned my expensive scotch into water.”
Paul’s face lifted with a satisfied smile. “I did. I call it the reverse Jesus, because he turned water into wine, so I turned your alcohol into water.”
I had to admit that was pretty funny, and it was classic Paul Luca humor.
“Now, like I was saying before you went on your I need alcohol to cope with my problems rant. One day I came home, and Frederick was there with some of his men. He had my wife and two boys seated on the couch at gunpoint. He told me it was my last chance to fall in line and do as he said, and if I didn’t, he would kill my family in front of me. I knew if I denied God, he would deny me, and I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t deny my God who had done so much for me, so he killed me and my family. Finally, he burned my house with our bodies in it, and told everyone in town the house accidentally burned down and in doing so claimed our lives. Everyone knew Frederick was lying, but they were all too scared to say or do anything because they all knew they would meet a similar fate.
“When my family and I died, we were immediately taken up to Heaven, and greeted by The Father, The Holy Spirit, and Jesus. Our tears were dried, and our sorrows were taken from us by the Lord. He bestowed upon me and my family The Crown of the Martyrs and made me into The Man Wrapped in Darkness. He gave me the mission of visiting your family members just before judgement had to take place in their lives to see which one would finally give their life to him and break the covenant Frederick had made with Lucifer.
“The first member of your family he sent me to confront after their sins had reached up to Heaven was Frederick himself.”
“Wait, what do you mean Frederick’s sins had reached up to Heaven?”
“A person’s sins are held against them until they give their lives to Christ and ask t
o be forgiven. The day will come when a person will have to reap what they have sown. But God is merciful, and he doesn’t want anyone to die in their sins and go to Hell. You’ve heard about people giving their lives to the Lord on their death bed, and they still get to go to Heaven just like a person who lived their entire life for the Lord. So, just before the time came for Frederick to reap all of what he had sown, God sent me to see if he would change his mind. Since he didn’t, he reaped the punishment for all his deeds in life. His punishment was death”
I set my glass aside. “So, God sent you to terrorize and scare people into giving their lives to him? How does that make God any different from Lucifer?”
“God is nothing like Lucifer. God only sends me in as his final attempt. He doesn’t do it to scare or terrorize people, but sometimes people need a dramatic experience to jar them out of their apathy and make a real change in their life. The majority of people change their behaviors and habits after they see how bad things really are for them.”
I didn’t want to say it out loud, but what Paul said made sense to me. But I had questions. “So, God sent you to my great-grandfather Frederick, and I assume the dark cloud that surrounds you and the thing you do with your voice kept him from knowing it was you.”
“That’s correct. To conceal my identity, The Father wrapped me in the same darkness that he hides in sometimes when he visits the earth. It’s the very same darkness he wore when he stood on the top of Mount Sinai when he visited with Moses. Again, he only sends me when judgment is about to take place, because when it does, there is no going back for the person. The Father doesn’t send me to torment, but to instill The Fear of the Lord into them. By asking them my question in hope it would challenge them enough to seek salvation from Jesus.”
I sat in disbelief, listening to the story from The Man I called my brother.
“I don’t understand, Paul. You went after my family members toward the natural end of a person’s lifespan, but you came after me faster than you did anyone of them. How could I have accumulated as much sin as my father or any one of them? I have only been over the company for a short time, and I was trying to think of a way to stop all of the terrible things, and keep the company open for the innocent employees who depend on the company to provide for their families. Also, you scared the ever-living crap out of me for weeks. If you weren’t some supernatural boogey man, I would punch you in the face right now."
Paul made one of his classic who me? faces “Don’t you think that’s a little violent, bro?”
“Probably, but I’m a little overwhelmed right now. Answer my questions and tell me why.”
“Okay, you’re right, and the answers are pretty simple.”
“I somehow doubt that.”
“First, the fear you felt was The Fear of The Lord that is on me. It is intensified when I’m wrapped in his darkness. You never encountered that kind of fear before, so you equated it to a demonic fear that always sought to control you, as The Fear of The Lord is a good thing that keeps you from going the way of the evil one. You know, to stop you from jumping head on into sin. Does that make sense?”
It made more sense to me then I cared to admit. “Yes, somewhat, go on.”
“Now, the answer to why I came so quickly for you is because I asked the Lord if I could.”
“You did what? What the heck, man?”
“Wait, just hear me out. You truly are my brother, Alec, and I could not bear to watch you go down the same dark path as your previous family members. I couldn't stand the thought of you burning in Hell forever. When you were born, The Father had a special destiny for you, and he allowed me to be set into your life so I could help you fulfill it. You are more important than you even know or understand right now to the plans of the Lord. My own flesh and blood brother hated me my whole life, and it didn’t matter what I did, he just hated me. When God made us brothers, I knew I would do anything to make sure Lucifer never got his hands on you. I know this is a lot to take in, and you’re upset with me, but you are my brother, and I would do anything for you.”
I stared at the decanter and wished for a second it still held scotch. “Brothers, huh? I always thought we were brothers too, but it turns out I don’t even know who that was in my dorm room back then. For a guy who’s been dead for over a hundred years, you sure played a pretty convincing human. Tell me, brother, how can that be? And how am I supposed to be sure anything you say is true?” I leaned forward and rested my arms on my desk. “Because, you know, the whole I’ve been dead for over a hundred years thing.”
“Yes, I was dead, but now I’m alive again forevermore. When I received the Martyrs Crown, God also gave me back my physical body so I could interact with this realm as well as the spirit realm. I really was with you as we grew up in the dorms of the boarding school we went to as children.”
“How is that possible? You’re a grown man, and we were children back then.”
“The answer is simple, but it may not be so simple for you to receive.”
“Try me.”
“God made me a child again.”
“God made you a child again, even though you were a grown man?”
“That’s correct. In order for the Lord to insert me into your life at the time he did, he restored my youth and made me a child. I still had all my memories from years past, and I still could turn into The Man Wrapped in Darkness, but for your sake I became what the Lord knew you needed.”
“What did I need?”
“A brother. Someone who’d be with you at every step, share every victory, and every heartache. Remember, you were completely alone back then. Your dad had just sent you away after your mom’s funeral, and you were thinking about taking your own life the day I met you. If I can be honest with you Alec, I needed a brother as well.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I had a brother back when I was alive on the earth who always hated me. It didn’t matter what I did to show him I loved him and wanted to be a brother to him, he continually returned my kindness with malice. I always wanted to have a brother who stood with me through thick and thin, and I prayed and asked God constantly for it when I was alive. The moment God placed me in your life I knew he had given me the brother I had prayed for all those years ago. I know you’re upset with me, and you have every right to be mad, but everything I did was to save you from Lucifer and from going down the same path as your previous family members.”
“I want to be so angry at you right now, but when I look at you, I keep seeing the guy who stood up for me and always had my back. Then I think about all the stuff you did as The Man...”
“Again, I did those things to get your attention.”
“Well you got it!”
A stern look flashed across Paul’s face. “Look Alec, you can be mad at me and hate me for the rest of your life, and as much as that will pain me, the fact remains the only reason you’re still alive is because of what I did. Your life belongs to the Lord now, and because of that there’s hope for you and your company. Let’s not forget, I exist in this form and do the things the Lord has me do because of what your family did to mine.”
Paul sat back in his chair as his words sucker-punched me in the face. He was right. If he hadn’t done what he had, Lucifer would have killed me or worse—I’d be a follower of him.
Paul had suffered as well with the murder of his family, but I was still angry over everything my family had done and what had happened. My family had placed me in that position, and I still had so many questions.
Paul was the only one who could answer them for me.
I had been upset and it was a lot to take in, but I remembered how he was always there for me over the years. “I’m not mad. Well, I’m a little mad, but I’ll be okay. My family members made their choices. You’re still my brother even if you live in what appears to be a giant storm cloud.”
Paul smiled. “That’s great, but I haven’t told you the best part yet.”
“What’
s that?”
“The best part is, The Father is going to allow me to stay here and help you get this company back on the straight and narrow.”
“How is he going to do that? Everyone thinks you’re dead.”
He laughed and stood. “There’s nothing impossible for the Lord. You’re going to get a phone call tomorrow that I am still alive and well. You see, it turns out when my car crashed going at a very high rate of speed I was thrown from the vehicle and landed quite a far distance away in a giant puddle of mud. Rescue workers didn’t find me because they didn’t think I could have flown that far from the car."
Paul looked super excited about his story, and it was like old times. "The story will go that some hunters found me unresponsive in the mud and took me to a hospital where the doctors will say I was in a coma. This story will be believable because no one looked for me. They thought my body was completely burned up in the fire, which is hard to believe, but many will find it plausible because they want to. Now, when you couple that with the fact I didn’t have any ID on me at the time the hunters found me, and there was no way to identify me because my license and credit cards all burned up in the car, it all works out.”
I had to laugh because it sounded like the same old Paul I grew up with. He always had a plan for everything, but the man who stood before me was not who I thought he was. He was something more, and I didn’t think things could ever be the same between us again. The things he could do terrified me, and he was also the last one to see my family members alive. Yes, they were all devil-worshipping human beings who were as evil as they could be, but he still saw them in their final moments. A part of me was enamored with his abilities because they were something out of a superhero movie, but part of me resented Paul for what he had done.
Paul met my gaze. “I know you’re conflicted right now, and I know it is going to take some time for you to come to terms with who I really am, but remember, I never killed any members of your family. Even after what Frederick did to me and my family, I was still willing to be a part of God’s plan to save him. But I know nothing I can say or do is going to help you come to terms with everything, so that is why I need you to come with me right now. For if you can’t get past what I am and the nature of my existence, then Lucifer will have a foothold in your life. He will use it to destroy you and eventually win you to his side.”
The Man Wrapped in Darkness Page 17
