Identity Theft

by Ron Cantor

  One of them began to move in my direction. I was terrified, but had nowhere to run. I was paralyzed with fear. Then, as he approached me he slowly transformed into another being altogether—so beautiful! So attractive! The most appealing creature I had ever seen.

  “David,” he said in a voice like velvet that brought with it all the comfort of a mother’s tender love, “we have come to rescue you. What happened to you today could have destroyed you, your family. Your father…”

  Just then Ariel yelled out. I had almost forgotten him as the beautiful being was blocking him from my view, or at least was trying to. “David!” he yelled, “these demons will masquerade as angels of light, but they want to ki…” (see 2 Cor. 11:14). The demon’s foot pushed harder against Ariel’s throat, silencing him once again. The beautiful angelic creature momentarily reverted back to its former repulsive appearance as he turned in the direction of the demon guarding Ariel and communicated with a look that could have killed. “Keep him quiet you idiot! We don’t have much time!”

  As he turned back to me, the transformation reoccurred, becoming more angelic with each degree of the turn. Until once again, I came under his hypnotic appeal—an empathetic love that made me want to just melt in his presence. His silken voice and tender tone mesmerized me, draining me of all resistance. I was no longer afraid of him, but drawn to him, as if enchanted by a spell.

  “David,” his voice seemed to envelop me, “you are safe now. They cannot confuse you anymore. Can you imagine what this foolish decision—to become a Christian—would have done to your family? Your father? Embracing Jesus would kill him!”

  I felt the worst guilt I had ever experienced—no, shame was a more accurate term. He was right. What was I thinking?

  “Do you really want to lose your friends, your family, your standing in the community? Do you want to be labeled a fanatic? Do you want your children to be treated as pariahs by other children? Parents would have warned their children to stay away from yours—that is assuming Lisa hadn’t left you and taken the kids with her. Of course you wouldn’t want to put them through that.”

  He was right. I didn’t.

  “And David, let’s be honest. There is nothing wrong with you as you are. You’re a wonderful person. Sure, you’ve made some mistakes, but nobody’s perfect. God knows that. He made you from dust, after all. He doesn’t expect you to be flawless. And the things you’ve done wrong, you can make up for by simply doing good deeds. Eventually your good deeds will blot out your sins. You don’t need someone else to die for you. You can save yourself, David. That is the beauty of truth—it is all up to you. That is the purpose of religion, to give you a way to make up for your misdeeds.

  “Your rabbi was right, David. You are a great writer, but you have never studied religion. How could it be that you, in such a short time, should have discovered a truth that your rabbi, who has devoted his entire life to the study of God, hasn’t seen? Thousands of years of sages and rabbinical scholars making it clear that Jesus could not have been the Messiah, and you, a novice, figure it out overnight? It’s crazy, David. That is why you have a rabbi—to lead you and guide you so you will not be deceived.

  “David, it is time to go home now. Don’t go and throw away all you have on something that’s a lie. You have a great life. You are well respected; you have a beautiful family, a good job, and lots of friends. What more do you need? Moreover, your future is bright. You will write books, successful books. Other authors will quote you. I see a Pulitzer Prize coming your way. I can give you all this. You just need to stop pursuing this nonsense that something is wrong with you.”

  He made so much sense. What had I been thinking? I almost threw my life, career, and family away. I didn’t want to lose it all—to be mocked behind my back as some religious fanatic. How horrible it would be to not be welcomed at our synagogue or the Jewish Community Center, where I not only exercise, but lecture every year. We would have had to move. I couldn’t imagine raising Hope and Ellie in an environment where they would surely suffer and be rejected—and not for anything they did—but for what I did. What kind of a father was I? How selfish I had been.

  I was drifting now—into semi-consciousness, the feeling one gets in the final moments before anesthesia takes effect. Only I wasn’t falling asleep—I was enjoying this barely-awake, dreamlike state. It was wonderful. I didn’t even need to think, as thoughts were unconsciously being fed to me.

  This beautiful creature had saved me. Embracing Yeshua—I mean, Jesus—would have ruined my life. I continued to drift in and out of consciousness, feeling released from all I had been through. My life was fine. I should be happy, not searching for hidden meaning for my existence.

  And just like that a wave of guilt came over me as I had a vision of my father. He was weeping and asking, “David, how could you do this to us? How could you humiliate your mother and me like this?” The shame over what I had almost done was overwhelming. “Thank God your grandparents are not alive to see this! They lost everything in the Holocaust and you want to become a Christian?”

  Next I saw my wife—she was hurt and angry. “I am not going to be married to a Jesus freak. Just leave!” she yelled as she pointed to the main door of our house where two packed suitcases had already been placed.

  In the scene that followed, my rabbi and I were planning a funeral. “David, I told you this Jesus nonsense would kill your father!” Fear gripped my soul. I was coming out of this perfect sleep into a horrible panic. My father is dead? I killed him? My heart was racing.

  I felt myself, once more, spinning into space.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  ARIEL!

  I abruptly woke up. I was back in Starbucks and I was in a panic. Was that a dream? Had it all been a dream? My heart was racing, like coming out of a nightmare. My father! I thought, Oh, thank God, he’s not dead. It was all a dream. I quickly surveyed the coffee shop to see if anyone noticed me. What a strange morning this had been. I just came in to get some work done and somehow I must’ve dozed off—right in the middle of the café. But what a dream! It was so real, but here I was safe and sound back in the Starbu—whoa!

  Apparently it wasn’t a dream or I hadn’t yet woken up yet, I thought, as I was sucked out of my body, like a vacuum was angrily pulling me back into the heavenlies. Once again I was back at the classroom, but the scene had changed dramatically. Ariel was no longer Ariel, the professor, but Ariel, the warrior. His muscles were bulging through his battle gear. He was massive and he was determined, and the situation was completely reversed. Ariel now had that same demon, who’d earlier had his foot on Ariel’s throat, on the floor and was returning the favor. Gasping in his mighty grip was my once-beautiful “angel,” only now exposed for who he really was, a revolting, hideous creature—a demon.

  Other equally huge angels filled the room, each in possession of a cowering demon. Apparently reinforcements had arrived after I left.

  Ariel looked directly at me. I felt so guilty for ever having doubted him. “David,” he said. His voice was the same and yet completely different. The teacher was gone—the general had arrived. “Did you not understand the meaning of the vision? These creatures are deceitful beyond anything you can imagine. They will disguise themselves as truth, but they remain what they are—hideous, conscienceless, fallen angels.” The demon attempted to break Ariel’s vice-like grip, but was only squeezed tighter for his trouble.

  “In the vision, you saw the battle being waged over the souls of men. A man proclaimed the truth while others prayed, but it was only as each one made a decision to trust in Yeshua that freedom came. But make no mistake, David. There is a battle waging over your soul, too. The evil powers of darkness will lie and manipulate with guilt and fear to steer you away from eternal life. They are bent on evil and devoid of conscience. They want to take you with them to their final abode—the lake of fire (see Rev. 20:15). They will play on your emotions, pander to your ego, promise you whatever you want, and then reel y
ou in. They are not unlike me in their desire to shape your mind—except I’m offering you life, while they seek your death.”

  I spoke but no words came out. I cleared my throat and tried again. “But they said my wife would leave me, and Ariel, I saw my father’s funeral. The rabbi said that I killed him! I was told I would lose the respect of my colleagues and my friends would all turn on me.”

  “And they may,” Ariel said with an authority that sent shivers down my spine. “And John the apostle was boiled in oil, John the prophet was beheaded, and Kefa was crucified upside down. Thousands of others have suffered an equal or worse fate for the Master, and every one of them has received their reward.

  “I understand your concerns, David, but you wanted the truth. And tell me, David, was Yeshua not willing to suffer for you?”

  A dagger in the gut! Ariel was right. I had witnessed exactly what He did for me. I saw how they tortured Him without mercy. Goodness, I carried His Cross after it collapsed upon His beaten body! He endured all that for me.

  Ariel continued, “Recall the vision, David. When did the demons lose authority over the people?”

  “When they finally responded to Yeshua,” I answered. “The moment they did angels soared down out of Heaven and set them free as demons were dislodged. The blood of the Lamb broke the power of Satan over them.”

  “Yes, David, remember what you read earlier in the Torah—the life is in the blood.

  “As I said, there is a battle waging for your soul right now. The Holy Spirit has people praying for you, people who don’t necessarily even know who you are. They are simply praying in obedience to His prompting. That is how we gained the upper hand over these demons today—through the intercession of His people. You can read later how Daniel the prophet prayed and fasted for three weeks, strengthening Michael and his forces so they could defeat the Prince of Persia and deliver a message to the prophet. In your case, their prayers have released an immense portion of prevenient grace1 in your life. Prevenient grace is what God uses to draw people to Himself. However, most do not receive what you have received, and one day you will give an account.

  “But David, after all is said and done, the decision remains yours. It doesn’t matter how many people pray for you; if you harden your heart, as you started to do moments ago, you will cut yourself off from this prevenient grace and the convicting presence of the Holy Spirit. As powerful as the blood of Yeshua, the Passover Lamb, is, it is only effective to those who believe—who surrender to God.

  “You must decide, young man. Do you want truth, freedom, and eternal life, or the respect of friends, most of whom, by the way, already gossip about you behind your back? Would any of them even come close to doing what Yeshua did for you? Would any of them be prepared to die for you? Would they allow themselves to be beaten or flogged until their backs had been ripped open? Would any of them allow themselves to be tortured to death for you, as Yeshua was?”

  The question was rhetorical. Of course not; no one would ever do for me what He did, I thought.

  “David, you have a window of opportunity. God is drawing you to Yeshua. But if you choose not to respond, then there is no guarantee He will ever draw you again. You may live the rest of your life and never give it a second thought. This demon right here will seek to make sure of that.” At which the demon began to struggle again to get free, but could not.

  “He and his friends will feed you every lie you want to hear to keep you blinded. Yes, they will promise you the world, even the coveted Pulitzer.”

  Oh, how foolish I felt! I’d been ready to trade eternal life for temporary fame and the praise of men. Oh, my deceitful pride.

  “Yes, David, they will do whatever it takes to keep you lost and blinded to the truth.”

  “Blinded!” I exclaimed, “That is exactly what I’d been as I drifted out of here before, escorted by, um…him,” I pointed to the demon. “Like I was being lulled into a beautiful lie, one that made sense but would keep me from the truth.” I turned toward the demon. I was angry, as I understood how he’d sought to deceive me. He hissed at me in frustration, but unlike before, he was now powerless.

  “David, once you give your life to Yeshua, you will not have to worry about these demons. Yeshua will give you authority over them. They’ll still be around and they’ll never give up trying, but you’ll trample them under your feet. Most people are terrified of them, but the truth is, this pathetic being is absolutely terrified that you will receive Yeshua, and then use your authority against him.”

  The defeated demon writhed, furious that his cover was being exposed. Just a few minutes earlier he had been so strong, so confident and convincing. Now he was weak and wretched, even pitiful, in Ariel’s tight grip.

  “David, it really is time to go home now. Just like in the vision, you have the option—to choose freedom, to choose Yeshua, or you can remain friends with this guy,” nodding in the direction of the demon. “Remember, you initiated this when you began your search for the truth. Instinctively, you knew that there must be more. And now that you’ve found it, you must decide. That part, no one else can do for you. But the moment you choose Yeshua—the moment you confess that you believe, you will know that you are free—just like the Jews in Jerusalem you saw on the day of Shavuot; just like the ones you witnessed in Africa. You will be free…and you will know it!”

  Almost as if on cue, I felt myself again being sucked back, this time into a tunnel which reverberated with the words: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed…if the Son sets you free, you will be free…if the Son sets you free, you will be…free…free…free…” (John 8:36).

  Note

  * * *

  1. Prevenient grace, “is divine grace that precedes human decision. It exists prior to and without reference to anything humans may have done. As humans are corrupted by the effects of sin, prevenient grace allows persons to engage their God-given free will to choose the salvation offered by God in [Yeshua the Messiah] or to reject that salvific offer.” Wikipedia.com, s.v. “prevenient grace,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prevenient_grace (accessed August 11, 2012).

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  DECISION TIME!

  I opened my eyes and again I was back in Starbucks. Drool from my half-opened mouth was seeping onto the newspaper I’d been reading, the other half of which lay on the floor. I checked the clock. It was 9:30 am. Only half an hour had passed. The tattooed hipster was gone, the same young lady was working behind the counter, the student was still pecking away at his keyboard, and the couple by the window discussing business was still discussing business. Nothing had changed apart from the fact that a few more people had entered, and no one, seemingly, had noticed the drooling dude, asleep in the corner.

  I stood up…and then quickly thought better of it and sat back down, wondering if this journey was truly over or whether I might not find myself at any moment flying or spinning through time again. Like an accident victim slowly beginning to move his hurting limbs to see if anything is broken, I mentally checked myself. What had just happened? Was it real, or just a dream? Dreams do feel real while you are dreaming, but once you are awake, you realize that it was just a dream. Well, I was now awake. So why did my dream still feel entirely authentic?

  Did I just watch Yeshua die? Was I really in Jerusalem? And did I just witness an angelic battle over my soul? Was that even possible? Furthermore, did I just spend what seemed like days—though actually, only thirty minutes—with an angel? Or did I imagine it? Did I just doze off and have an incredibly bizarre dream or did I really meet biblical characters? I smiled as I remembered how they’d interacted with me. Am I Dorothy, finally back in Kansas—or in my case, downtown Philly?

  Or did God just answer my prayer—my yearning to know the truth?

  Well, there was one sure way to find out. I could simply do a little research on the Internet to see if what the angel told me was true. Was Peter really Kefa, was John the Baptist actually Jewish and was he behea
ded, and was James actually Jacob? The subjects I could check on were endless. Was the Last Supper actually a Passover Seder? Were there really immersion pools in the Old City of Jerusalem? Were there really tens of thousands of Jewish believers in Jesus in the first century? And how about all that Caesar worship stuff that John talked about? Google and I would clear this up in five minutes.

  I bent down and pulled my laptop from my backpack and opened it up, excited to see if any of this was true. As I clicked on my web browser, I heard a ding, signifying that I had new email. I immediately thought of the chime that my heavenly tablet made each time a new passage would appear and I smiled, more convinced than ever that this was all some crazy dream. My research could wait a minute, I reasoned as I opened my mail program to see what email had arrived. My heart skipped a beat.

  The new email sender’s name was Ariel!

  I nearly fainted. I stared at the screen of my MacBook Air, mouth wide open in stunned disbelief. Oh…my…God! I waited a few seconds, just to give my heart a chance to slow down and organize my racing thoughts. Then I clicked on it.

  Shalom D’vid,

  I thought you might need this. See attached. We’ll be in touch.

  Your celestial mentor,

  Ariel :-)

  Unreal, I thought. Can’t be! I just sat there frozen; unable to move for about ten minutes. So, it was real! It was completely and entirely real! And if he was real, then everything he taught me is true. And…that means…Yeshua is real!

  As I emerged from my state of shock, I began to feel that same feeling that I’d sensed earlier with Ariel. It was an amazing feeling, but so hard to put in human terms. Joy like I’ve never known. Peace that was beyond description. And with it, revelation and understanding!