During our recent camping vacation I was determined to finish book two of the Chronicles of Brothers series, but I didn’t quite make it. I came home with about 60 pages to go. Once home it is always harder to find time to read, but I did manage to finish the book last week.
Now I have book three to start, book four comes out in November, and then there are apparently three more books after that. I am hoping this isn’t one of those series that starts off great but tries to drag the story out too long.
But at any rate, I came across a section of book two, Messiah – The First Judgment, that got me thinking. It is a scene that takes place in hell as Lucifer, now fallen after his rebellion in heaven, gloats over the lost souls of men marching through the gates.
One woman moved out of the rank and file; she fell to the ground, clawing at the burning dirt beneath her hands. “They lied!” She stared up at Lucifer, shaking uncontrollably in horror. “They told me you were a fable, a fairy-tale king of the damned.”
She scrabbled up, desperately clutching at Lucifer’s robe. Two of Dagon’s fallen horde savagely manhandled her and kicked her to the ground, where she lay sobbing dementedly.
Lucifer wielded his cat-o’-nine panther tails; a slow satisfied smile spread across his face. “This brings me joy, Marduk,” he said . . . “It exceeds my highest expectations. The whole of their lives on Earth, they think I am a fable, a figment of their imagination.” He stared down at the demented woman on the ground, tearing at her hair and skin. “They lose their minds when they arrive here and discover that I am more real than they of flesh and blood. It is great sport.”
Messiah – The First Judgment, pg. 276-277.
Although this book certainly includes a great deal of the author’s imagination and a bit of fiction, the underlying truth of this passage is supported by scripture.
There are many Christians – those like Rob Bell – who refuse to believe in the existence of the devil and of hell. But if one chooses to believe in the whole of scripture, then one must believe that the evil one exists and that his greatest aim is to accuse and derail mankind. Speaking of the fallen Lucifer, Jesus said,
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44 (NIV).
The “fact” that he does not exist is one of the greatest lies the devil has ever perpetrated on mankind. That we can be our own god is another lie that many believe.
I suppose there are those who will think I am crazy for believing that the devil exists; but I believe there is much beyond the realm of our five senses, those things and beings in the spiritual realms, that we don’t fully understand. I choose to believe what scripture teaches about the spiritual realm and to trust in the truth of Jesus and His saving grace that will keep me safe. I choose not to believe the father of lies and of death, but to instead believe He who is called the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Since it is Music Monday, I thought I’d add a song video to go along with this. I decided on Wrong Way by Creed from their Human Clay album. It seemed appropriate since the devil tries very hard to tell us the wrong way to live. My favorite verse of this song is when it says:
What if I died?
What did I give?
I hope it was an answer so you might live
I hope I helped you live