by Brian Godawa
“Then we march on,” said Quintus, squinting up into the sun in its westerly course in the sky. “Unless the gods have swapped the heavens and made the sun to rise in the west and set in the east.”
The scout chuckled. “We should reach the Jordan by tomorrow.”
Quintus noticed a rock formation on the hill above them. It was a large one shaped like a human head watching them. His mind filled with confusion.
He had seen that formation the day before. That very same human-looking head. How could it be? Was it a similar formation in a different location? Was it just a coincidence? Or had they been traveling in a circle? But he had carefully watched the sun descending in front of them directly west. They had always been traveling directly west.
Unless the gods had swapped the heavens.
Dehydration was making him think crazy thoughts. He had to push on. He gestured to his men behind him to keep moving.
They plodded forward. A soldier dropped to the ground in a heap. He was dead of exhaustion and lack of water. The other soldiers ignored him. This was no time for heroics. They had to survive or all die out here in the wasteland.
Up front, the small scout pulled out from the slow march to make sure the others were following.
Unlike the others, the scout did not seem to be dehydrated. His lips were not cracked dry, his eyes were not cloudy, and his steps were not stumbling.
He was in fact the angel Uriel in disguise.
He looked up into the bright, burning sun in the sky. Only he knew that God had swapped the heavens to make the sun rise in the west and set in the east—or at least to the eyes of these hallucinating legionaries.
Returning to the front of the line, Uriel continued to lead the soldiers deeper into the eastern mountains of Arabia and away from their only hope and source of life, the River Jordan.
CHAPTER 21
Jerusalem
Alexander felt groggy and dizzy with a headache. All his joints ached from the cold, damp environment of his dungeon cell. He drifted in and out of sleep in a dehydrated daze. When he was awake, he would pray. Prayer was one thing imprisonment could not stop. In fact, he had never prayed so much in his life. He had always been a man of action, trying to love his neighbor through the sharing of the Gospel or the healing of medicine. His biggest spiritual weakness was his prayer life.
Not anymore. Incarceration left one with nothing but solitude and time. The options were limited. Focus on your cage and destroy your mind with madness. Focus on your captors and destroy your soul with bitterness. Or focus on your God and refresh both mind and soul with the freedom of prayer.
Alexander prayed for the lives of those in his infirmary as well as the Christians who were helping them. He prayed for his wife and three children in Pella—that the Lord would protect them and watch over them along with the other Christians of that city. He prayed that God would give him the faith to accept whatever suffering he would have to experience. He prayed for another chance to minister to his lost brethren in the city before they were consumed by the fires of judgment. He prayed that God would free him from this prison so that he could accomplish his ultimate goal of helping the newly saved elect to escape Jerusalem.
He felt himself drifting away from his prayer into a dream sleep. He had read and studied the scroll of the Apocalypse so much that he sometimes dreamed of its visions as though he were there with the apostle John.
He had another one of those dreams.
Alexander felt himself carried away by the Holy Spirit to a great, high mountain. Mountains were the meeting places or residences of gods. They were symbols of the cosmic order. Jesus had looked upon Mount Hermon, the mountain of Bashan, and had declared that he would build his kingdom upon the destroyed ruins of that rock. Mount Hermon was the primeval mountain of rebellion where the fallen Watchers had come down. Jesus had dispossessed that cosmic kingdom of darkness.69
Alexander sensed that the mountain in his dream was Bashan because he could see the new Jerusalem, God’s holy city, coming down out of heaven in victory upon it. Or was it a symbol of Mount Zion, highest of spiritual mountains, of which Bashan was envious?70
He heard a loud voice from the throne of God declare, “Behold, the temple of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore. For the former things have passed away. Behold, I am making all things new. It is finished. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.”71
Alexander felt the weight of his present suffering lift from his body in the presence of this vision of glorious splendor. The new creation had come in Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension. It was the voice of his savior coming from that throne. Jesus had finished the atonement as prophesied by Daniel. He had instituted the new creation. In Christ, all believers were right now part of that new creation, the new covenant. It was spiritually speaking and cosmically understood as a new heavens and earth that had been inaugurated at the cross.72
The new covenant kingdom had come down out of heaven to the earth itself. It was a kingdom where God’s Holy Spirit dwelt in his people through faith in Jesus. Those people were the new heavenly temple of God’s presence that would replace the old earthly temple about to be destroyed.73 And that spiritual kingdom would eventually wipe away every physical tear and pain. Even death had been defeated at the cross and would one day be no more. Death had lost its sting. Alexander was experiencing the first stages of that expanding new mountain that had begun as a rock cut without hands but would ultimately fill the whole earth. A kingdom that had already started as the smallest of seeds but would one day become the biggest tree of all.
The kingdom of God had come to earth in the work of Jesus Christ, establishing a new covenant. But its full expression was yet to be manifested in history. Even the Great Tribulation that had almost wiped out the Christians would not be victorious because God’s plans could not be thwarted. As Daniel had prophesied of Messiah when he ascended to the throne of David at the right hand of God, “to the Son of Man was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”74
Alexander looked up at the visionary new Jerusalem in his dream. It was a huge cube of a city that the Apostle John had measured to be 12,000 stadia along each side. This was the approximate size of the inhabited world, the Roman empire. The kingdom of God would eventually fill the whole world that was now under Rome’s dominion.75
The city had a divine radiance like that of rare crystal jewels embedded in its high and impenetrable walls, having been measured for protection by Messiah himself. The walls kept out the detestable enemies of God, unlike the walls of the earthly Jerusalem that were soon to be breached by the abomination of desolation.
Twelve gates guarded by twelve angels led into the city. On the gates were inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. This represented the patriarchs of the faith rather than their fleshly descendants. The 144,000 Jewish Christians who were saved through their faith in Jesus were those from the twelve tribes, the believing Remnant. The foundation of their election was not in ethnic heritage, but in the transformation of those twelve tribes into the twelve apostles of faith, who were represented as foundations of the wall of the city inscribed with their names. A new people of God required a new foundation in this new city with a new priesthood of all believers in Christ. That new priesthood was symbolized by twelve jewels of the high priest’s breastplate embedded in that foundation.76
The fact that the gates were spread out over all four walls of the city was a symbol of the four points of the compass. People would come into the new Jerusalem of Christ from all the four winds and be drawn by God’s messengers. The words of Jesus echoed in Alexander’s min
d:
And he will send out his messengers with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his chosen from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other…
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.
Matthew 24:31; 28:19
Suddenly, Alexander was inside the visionary city. It was both city and garden. The river of the water of life flowed through the very center of the city from the throne of God and of the Lamb. The apostle John had explained to Alexander that this river was the Holy Spirit, the living water that nourished all believers in the body of Christ.77
But it was also symbolic of the rivers of Eden that were spiritually restored with the new covenant, along with the tree of life that grew on either side of the river, bringing the Gospel of healing to the nations.78 That tree of life, originally guarded from human access, was spiritually restored in the tree of Christ’s crucifixion.79 The tree of death had become the tree of life. Christians now ate of that tree and escaped the curse of sin.80 The restoration of Eden had been inaugurated with the new Jerusalem of the new covenant kingdom.
Alexander looked around him. He saw no temple in the garden city because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb were its temple, residing in the body of Christ.81 All believers were now living stones being built up into the new spiritual house of the Lord.82
The body of Christ was the new spiritual temple residing in the new heavenly Jerusalem of the new covenant on spiritual Mount Zion. The writer of Hebrews had explained it that way.
You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant.
Hebrews 12:22–24
Alexander felt overwhelmed by the beauty and peace of it all. This vision of the heavenly city and temple established through Messiah’s humiliation and glory would remain forever, even after the earthly city and temple were destroyed. The heaven and earth of the old covenant were about to be destroyed and replaced by a new heaven and earth of the new covenant. What had begun in the heavenly realm through Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension would be consummated in earthly history.
Alexander’s peaceful dream was interrupted by the sound of an iron cell door clanging shut. He opened his eyes. Through his bleary vision, he saw two men before him. Gischala sat on a stool. Behind him stood Jacob, watching like a vulture.
With his foot Gischala pushed forward a platter of bread and vegetables that had been placed on the floor. Next to it he set a large chalice full of wine.
Alexander felt his mouth start to salivate at the sight and smell. He hadn’t eaten in so long.
Gischala said, “Eat slowly. You don’t want to throw it up.”
But Alexander already knew that. It was a temptation for a starving person to gobble up a meal too quickly, causing their sick body to reject it. One had to reintroduce healthy food slowly to an unhealthy body.
Alexander eyed his visitors suspiciously. If the food was poisoned, so be it. He would embrace his destiny with faith in God’s provision. He picked up the chalice first and took a gulping drink.
His voice croaked out, “What do you want?”
Gischala stared at him. “I want you alive.”
CHAPTER 22
Pella
Apollyon walked past dozens of dead bodies lying along the valley deep in the Transjordanian mountains. Birds of prey picked at the dead flesh. Others circled overhead, awaiting their place at the dinner table of human corpses.
These were the last of the cohort of legionary soldiers that had been sent by Titus to destroy Pella and kill the Christians. Yet they were a hundred miles east of the city into Arabia. They had marched away from the city and away from Jerusalem into the eastern wasteland.
The muscular deity Marduk stood near Apollyon as bodyguard. They had ridden his storm chariot here pulled by his four stallions of hell. Marduk tended to them now in preparation for the return ride. Each was a different color. The one named Slaughterer was red, Merciless pale, Overwhelmer white, and Soaring black.83
Five other gods walked amongst the dead, searching for survivors. There were none. The soldiers had all died of dehydration in this desert mountain range—and within walking distance of a small brook on the other side of the ridge. Experienced legionary warriors who could easily have followed the sun west had marched the opposite way right to their deaths like a herd of swine off a cliff. It was absurd.
“This was Michael’s doing,” grumbled Apollyon. He stopped when he found the dead cohort commander, a grizzly one-eyed centurion with an eye patch. His good eye was frozen open, staring into the Abyss of death. Apollyon muttered to himself with disgust, “Blind leading the blind.” He thrust his sword into the good eye for final measure.
He whistled for the other gods to follow him back to the city of Pella.
They traveled along a ravine to the west. As they passed through the gauntlet of rock, Apollyon saw the water damage and the bodies of some dead legionaries along the way. He deduced the flash floods that often ran through these wadis had apparently been used as a miraculous defensive tactic by the angels to protect the Christians.
Clever! And I suspect there is more to be disappointed by.
When they arrived at the valley of Pella, Marduk rode his chariot up to the large crevice just inside the wadi where it emptied into the valley. The Babylonian storm god pulled his horses to a halt near the rim.
Apollyon looked into the fissure, then up the wadi. He could surmise what had happened. Michael had drawn the Romans and their Watchers into the wadi, where the archangel must have brought a flash flood down upon them, sweeping the Watchers into the crevice, where they’d been bound into the Abyss.
Clever indeed.
The five other gods caught up to them in their chariots.
Marduk got his attention, “My lord.”
Apollyon looked up at the city above them. Seven figures stood a distance apart from each other at the top of the hill. They were armed and ready like sentinels guarding the city. Even at this distance, Apollyon knew who the seven were.
He looked back into the fissure and said, “I underestimated the prince of Israel. I didn’t anticipate this strategy. As much of an overkill as it is.”
“Shall we attack, Master?” said Marduk. He calmed his restless steeds, who were snorting smoke, ready for battle.
“No, you fool. Those are the seven archangels.”
Marduk placed his hand on his mace with pride. His armor gleamed in the hot sun. “We are seven.”
Their attention was suddenly drawn to the sky above the city, where a tumult of swirling clouds opened up to reveal a sight even more frightening to the gods. The heavenly host from the throne of God, ten thousand times ten thousand holy ones, were arraigned on chariots of fire and ready to descend. It sent a chill of fear through Apollyon’s spine. It was the same vision he had seen at the Mountain of the Amorites when he had attempted to take the angels hostage.
“We wouldn’t stand a chance against the heavenly host. I cannot afford to lose any more battles.” Apollyon stared up at the archangels. “Besides, if Michael is going to put all his forces into defending this puny congregation of insignificant Christians, that only makes Jerusalem an easier victory.”
Marduk grinned with acceptance. Apollyon didn’t want to mention that the loss of Ba’al was also a convenience since he had not trusted the brute or his sister Anat. He had suspected they were plotting a coup. But now both of them were gone and with them all concerns of mutiny against the Angel of the Abyss.
Apollyon gestured for the other deities to follow him back to Jerusalem.
CHAPTER 23
Jerusalem
In his dungeon cell, Alexander finished half his food and saved the rest for later. He had eaten in silence as Gischala watched him with an odd curiosity in his eyes.
Something had happened to change the warrior’s disposition toward him. But Alexander had
no idea what it was.
Finally, Gischala spoke. “This Messiah you follow. The Nazarene.” He paused thoughtfully. “The prophet Zechariah spoke of Messiah, the branch of David. He said that when Messiah came, his rule would be from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. That he would set the prisoners free and restore the stronghold of Israel. Your messiah is dead.”84
“He is alive,” Alexander corrected calmly. “He has resurrected from the dead. He is the resurrection of Israel.”
Gischala opened his arms in a gesture all around him and demanded with disdain, “Then where is he?”
“He is coming.”
Gischala sighed. But he didn’t look angry. He seemed to be actually trying to understand.
Alexander said, “Messiah does rule over all the earth, seated at the right hand of God in heaven. And he did set prisoners free from sin. But the tribes of the Land missed him because they were looking for an earthly kingdom as opposed to a spiritual one. The rest of that prophecy you quoted says, ‘Behold, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey. And he shall speak peace to the nations.’ These were the very actions and words of Jesus. And his kingdom is not of this earth.”
Jacob, remaining quiet until now, jumped in. “And what of the temple? Zechariah said Messiah would build the temple of Yahweh with the help of foreigners. That he would rule as king with a priest on his throne. Where is this king and priest and temple?”85
“Jesus is building his temple,” said Alexander. “A spiritual one with believers as living stones. Both Jew and Gentile alike. Jesus is not only the prophet Moses foretold. He is also a priest according to the order of Melchizedek, and he is king from the line of David.”86