by Brian Godawa
and receiving gifts among men,
even among the rebellious, that Yahweh Elohim may dwell there.
But God will strike the heads of his enemies,
the hairy Seirim crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.
Yahweh said,
“I will bring them back from Bashan,
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea.”
Simon swallowed hard. He looked with trepidation over at the cave entrance. “Rabbi, where are you going?”
After an uncomfortable silence, Jesus finally said, “Back to camp,” and he turned and walked away.
The disciples caught up with him on the path along the other side of the river. Demas and Gestas overheard Jesus explaining to them, “We must prepare to go to Jerusalem soon. It will be a time of great suffering for me.”
“What do you mean?” asked Peter.
“I will be killed there. But the twelve of you should not despair. This was ordained and spoken of in the prophets. But on the third day, I will be raised.”
Peter pulled him aside as the others continued. Simon waited for them, close enough to overhear the rest of their discussion.
Peter said with agitation, “Far be it from you, Lord. This shall never happen to you. Do not the Scriptures say Messiah will reign at the right hand of Yahweh until he has made his enemies your footstool?”
Jesus turned angry toward him. “Get behind me, Accuser. You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Jesus strode away, leaving Peter in shock, crestfallen. A moment before, Jesus had given him the keys of the kingdom, and now the Master was rebuking him as a satanic adversary.
Simon could not help but sympathize with Peter. He too was confused about how suffering and death could fit in with a Messiah as conquering king. Peter had not twisted Scripture. So where was all this leading?
Yahweh says to my Lord Adonai:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
Yahweh sends forth from Zion
your mighty scepter.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!
Yahweh is at your right hand;
he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
He will execute judgment among the nations,
filling them with corpses.
A Psalm of David
Back at the camp, Peter sat, sullen, by himself at one of the fires. The chill in the air had gotten biting cold.
Demas and Gestas drew close to their fire with Simon. They asked the scribe to explain to them the disturbing events of that day.
Gestas asked Simon, “The demon in that girl you exorcised, how did it know our hearts?”
Simon said, “The power of demons lies in the sins of mankind. Unconfessed or unatoned sin is the weapon that a spirit uses against its host and its enemies.”
The implication was obvious to each of the brothers. They needed atonement.
Demas thought, Why do I need atonement? Rome is the evil that has raped our land, enslaved our people, and stolen everything from me. I am the victim, not the perpetrator. I am fighting for righteousness.
Gestas asked, “And what was all that Jesus said about the keys of the kingdom and the binding magic?”
Simon smiled. “It is not magic. Jesus is binding the unclean spirits of this land by the finger of Yahweh, to make it holy. It is the spiritual consummation of herem, the Holy Wars of Yahweh from the time of Joshua. Jesus is binding the principalities and powers to prepare the land for Messiah. Remember the Lord’s prayer for his kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven?”
The brothers nodded their heads. It was a universal notion in their world since primordial days that the heavens were connected to the earth. The saying went, “As above, so below.” From Baal-Hermon, to Babylon, to Assyria, to Israel, temples were cosmic mountains that connected the heavens above with the earth and underworld below. As Asaph, the Israelite psalmist wrote, “He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever.” The earthly temple was a synchronized replica of the heavenly temple.
So too were the divine rulers linked to their earthly counterparts. When kingdoms rose and fell, their heavenly princes rose and fell with them. Battles on earth involved battles in heaven.
Simon continued, “At Babel, the seventy nations were given as an inheritance to the seventy Sons of God who rebelled. These were the gods of the nations. Messiah has come to reclaim their inheritance as Yahweh’s own. As he binds the spiritual powers, he makes way for the kingdom of heaven to grow like a mustard seed on the earth. It starts the tiniest of seeds, but grows to become the biggest tree in the garden. When sin is bound on earth, it is bound in heaven. This is the Good News of atonement for sins.”
This is madness, thought Demas. Heaven, Hades, angels and demons. All that was real to him was what he experienced here and now in this world of flesh, blood and dirt. Yes, he had seen some fantastic things in these past days. But men had always interpreted life through this heavenly vision, in order to invest the chance events of history with meaning and purpose. Otherwise, how else could they live with the victory of wicked nations over Israel? How else could they justify the gratuitous suffering of the innocent? The meaningless loss of parents in an armed uprising? The senseless murder of a wife by occupying forces? Hopes of an afterlife were self-delusions to avoid facing the permanent force of chaos over life.
Gestas was not as skeptical as Demas. He probed for more answers. “What did Jesus mean by his recitation of the mountain of Bashan?”
Simon looked solemnly out into the darkness. He recited some of it again, “’O mountain of God, O many-peaked mountain of Bashan. The mount that Elohim desired for his abode.’” He looked directly at Demas and Gestas. “The phrase, ‘twice ten thousand, thousands of thousands’ refers to the heavenly host of Elohim’s divine council. They are his holy ones, Sons of God who did not rebel.” The brothers knew that “host” was a military term for a king’s army of warriors.
“Sinai was Yahweh’s holy mountain in the Exodus, until Mount Zion with its temple in Jerusalem became the holy mountain.” Simon’s eyes narrowed as he spoke. “This area is known for the Seirim, the sons of hairy Esau. It is an original dwelling place of satyrs, goat demons of Azazel. Pan is the last of the satyrs and the guardian of Gaia, the Mother Earth Goddess.”
It was all coming together for Gestas. He tried to finish Simon’s thought. “So Hermon is the cosmic mountain in opposition to Yahweh? And Jesus is going to strike down the ‘hairy crown’ of Pan, storm the Gates of Hades, and occupy this cosmic mountain as his own?”
Simon nodded in agreement, and added, “And he will ascend on high with his train of captives, as any military conqueror would in a Triumphal Procession.”
“Grandiose claims for a man without a single soldier amongst his wild-eyed fanatics,” said Demas skeptically.
Gestas looked at his brother angrily. “After all we’ve seen, you are still unimpressed?”
Demas didn’t want to get into it. “I’m going to sleep.” He got up and left them for his tent.
Chapter 16
In the middle of the night, the campfires were almost out. All was quiet around the camp of disciples. Demas quietly slipped out of his tent, and spotted Simon wrapped in his blanket near his fire. Several others lay around the smoldering coals, but they were sound asleep. One of them snored quietly.
Demas moved like a panther over to the prone form of Simon. He crouched down to look at the scribe’s peaceful, sleeping face. Demas hated that peace. Simon was a fool, content in his own ignorance of the pain of others. True believers had that ability to block out reality that did not fit with their picture of the world. Demas knew he could not return to Barabbas without any blood on his hands. It would make him appear weak and vulnerable to attack. He had to kill at least one of his targets.
Demas placed a dagger up to Simo
n’s sleeping throat. He would kill this traitor, then tell his brother, which would force him to leave with Demas to go back to the Zealot hideout.
A sound caught his attention, from a few fires away. He saw what looked like Jesus in the moonlight, coming out of his tent. Demas immediately laid on the ground and feigned sleep, with his eyes watching the rabbi.
He saw seven figures dissolve out of the trees to meet Jesus. Demas remembered those seven. They were the warriors he had previously spied on the road to Caesarea Philippi. Demas thought it strange that they had traveled with them to the city, but then, a day earlier, had disappeared, leaving the rabbi unprotected as he entered the city.
Now they were back. And they led Jesus away from the camp toward the Cave of Pan.
Jesus led his seven guardians to the cave entrance. He stopped and said in a low hush, “Now, Uriel and Gabriel, I want you two to promise that you will not bicker or compete on this mission. I need your full attention.”
The angels looked at Jesus guiltily.
“Do I have your promise?”
“Yes,” sighed Gabriel. “Yes,” added Uriel.
“Good. Now, give each other a kiss of fellowship.”
“Jesus,” whined Uriel.
“Do not ‘Jesus’ me. Kiss your brother in arms.”
The angels reluctantly grabbed wrists, then kissed each cheek as was their custom.
Jesus turned back to the cave, took a deep breath, and said, “Get ready for all Hades to break loose.”
He led them into the dark, wide cavernous mouth of death.
It was pitch black. But the archangels could see just as well as in the light with their preternatural sight. Being human, Jesus was not so equipped. He stumbled on some rocks. Mikael, his guardian, took his hand and led him gingerly into the blackness.
They had gone some distance in, when they saw torchlight around a large golden image. As they approached it, Jesus could see more clearly whose image it was.
“Azazel,” he said with bitterness.
The twenty foot statue loomed over them. Jesus saw his goat-like hairy legs with hooves, and his muscular human torso covered with the fine scales of a serpentine Shining One. Along with Semjaza, he had led the original rebellion of the Sons of God from heaven. Though he was bound in Tartarus, his powers were still felt throughout history, in the worship given him by foolish idolaters seeking power. The wilderness was called “the wilderness of Azazel” and it embodied the chaos of disorder as much as Leviathan had embodied the chaos of the sea. Jesus was here for Azazel’s successors.
He took the torch and moved on.
The company could hear the sound of slithering and hissing at the edges of the cave as they walked on. They kept their eyes ahead as they approached the next source of light.
A series of torches surrounded the curved opening of a large pit, the opening of the Abyss.
The high priestess from earlier stood on the opposite side of the pit, before an entourage of twelve nymphs, all seductively alluring in translucent gowns and jewelry.
The priestess wore a headdress of gems on her raven black hair. Her purple robe, made from the finest of Phoenician silks, flowed behind her like a spirit. Her eyes were large, deep brown and hypnotic. Her beauty was beguiling. When she spoke, her voice sounded like seven voices blended into one bewitching unity.
“Welcome to the Gates of Hades, Son of God,” she said. “And your ass-kissing suck-upssss.”
Her “esses” slid through the air like the serpents that wrapped around her arms and neck.
Jesus stared her down.
She faltered and visibly shivered, but regained her composure and approached him.
“What is your name, woman?”
“I am the Ob of Paniassss.”
She opened her robe and dropped it to the floor, leaving her completely naked before Jesus and the angels.
“You would not attack an unarmed, naked woman, would you, Son of God?” Her voice turned from vulnerable to sexual. “Or would you like to?”
Jesus kept looking her in the eye. Compassion flowed from his gaze, not judgment.
It shook her to the core.
He said, “You are a woman created in the image of Yahweh and you have a name.”
“I am the Ob of Panias. I belong to Pan.”
“You belong to Yahweh,” said Jesus. He reached out and touched her head.
She froze. Her eyes went wide with terror. She began to tremble. The serpents slid off her body in a self-protective move.
Her head tilted back and her mouth opened wider than humanly possible. A black swarm of flies issued from her mouth as if from her very soul.
Uriel thought flies a most disgusting creature and quite apropos for demonic entities.
This was only beginning.
She fell to the ground in convulsions.
Jesus said, “That is one of you. There are six more. Come out of her, foul spirits.”
A piercing, shrieking howl bellowed from deep within her and echoed throughout the cave. Uriel winced at the high pitch. He had sensitive ears. Another demon left her.
Jesus reached over and placed her robe back over her to cover her dignity. She shivered, as if freezing like ice.
The angels heard a noise and turned. Behind them stood two eight foot tall gods, Ba’al and Pan. The warriors moved to shield Jesus, who remained kneeling beside the quivering Ob.
Ba’al carried his mace, and Pan, a dagger in each hand.
Ba’al said, “We meet again, godlickers.”
Uriel quipped, “But no running like a chicken this time, Lord Lettucehead.”
Ba’al was the god of storm and vegetation. The insult was Uriel’s witty way of getting under the deity’s scaly skin.
“And no Asherah to give up, either,” added Gabriel. “Does the goat here know how you betray your allies?”
Pan gave a surprised glance at Ba’al.
Ba’al said, “We cannot touch the Son of God. But our human puppets can.”
The angels glanced behind them. The dozen nymphs approached Jesus, with their eyes black as the Abyss and serpentine fangs ready to bite.
Mikael and Raphael stepped in front of them to protect Jesus.
Uriel, Gabriel, Remiel, Saraqael and Raguel faced the gods.
Ba’al gave a war cry and launched into the three angels nearest him with furious swinging. They blocked with their weapons. But he was strong, very strong. He pushed them off balance.
Behind them, The Ob vomited a stream of black bile. The third entity left her.
She became drenched in sweat as if being roasted in flames. Another scream pierced everyone’s ears, as the fourth left its host.
Uriel faltered at the noise. He was off guard.
Ba’al’s mace hit him broadside in the head, crushing his skull and launching him to the side in a heap. Angels could not die, they were heavenly flesh, that healed supernaturally. But even heavenly flesh could feel pain and be temporarily impaired. Uriel was out of commission for the moment.
“Big mistake, god of broccoli,” yelled Gabriel. “Nobody hurts my little buddy without paying my price!” It was heartfelt if not a bit condescending toward his comrade angel. Gabriel launched into his own relentless fury of strokes, driving Ba’al back. Remiel joined him.
Pan used his blades lightning fast to block and attack the swords of the other two angels.
Mikael hacked off the head of one nymph, and Raphael impaled another before the ten others leapt onto the two archons in a demonic pile up.
The Ob now flopped around like a piranha out of water gasping for life as another spirit was exorcised.
A howl announced the sixth entity to leave her. Jesus continued praying on his knees.
Pan saw an opening. He ran from the two angels on him, crossed behind the two fighting Ba’al. As he ran past, he slashed the backs of those angels.
Gabriel dropped to his hands and knees. The blow stunned Remiel.
Ba’al’s mace pummeled R
emiel into the ground.
Ba’al turned to face the two others.
Mikael and Raphael, burst their way out of the vampiric nymphs and cut them to pieces.
Jesus laid his hands in prayer on the Ob to wrest the final spirit from her body. She choked and gagged. She couldn’t breathe.
Her neck tilted back inhumanly. The demon, in the form of a black python, slithered out of her throat, and away into the darkness.
Jesus collapsed to the floor, drenched in sweat.
The two angels had forced Ba’al toward the edge of the pitch black pit. The warrior god would not go easily. He pushed them back.
And just when the situation could not get any worse, it did.
From behind them, a ten and a half foot tall giant emerged from the darkness in Parthian armor, wielding a sword and shield.
Eleazar ben Shemuel fixed his eyes on Jesus. He knew his prey. He had much time to strategize during his two hundred mile journey from Berea up north. He had much time to plan his revenge on the Seed of Abraham that had wiped out the Seed of the Serpent over the past millennia. He wanted vengeance.
Before he could attack, a whip snapped around from behind him. It latched onto his face, and took out one of his eyes with its iron cracker tip.
He screamed in pain and turned to face his attacker.
Demas ben Samaras stood there defiantly, wielding his whip with dangerous accuracy. “Come on, you beast, I’ve taken down bigger brutes than you.” He snapped again. The giant held up his shield to block it.
Jesus shouted, “Demas, no! This is not your fight!”
Demas pulled back on his attack. He couldn’t believe what he heard.
The giant turned to face Jesus, who now stood before him, looking up into his good eye. The other one was gone, and in its place a bloody gaping hole of ripped flesh.
Eleazar froze. Something in the look of his prey burned into his heart. His entire life flooded his soul, and he felt the weight of his thoroughly depraved life upon him. What sorcery was this? How comes this puny Jew by such power? What is happening to me?