The Influence (Supernatural Thriller)

by Matthew John Slick

  “Sure,” said Mark.

  Tim opened his Bible and turned it around so that Mark could read. The pastor was obviously very familiar with his well-worn Bible. He placed his finger on the page.

  “The Bible tells us in Romans 3:10 that ‘no one is righteous.’ In Romans 3:23, it says that ‘all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.’”

  He flipped the pages, careful not to proceed too quickly. “Again, in Romans 6:23, the Bible says that ‘the wages of sin is death and the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ.’” Tim stopped for a moment and gave Mark some time to absorb the words. Then he turned to another page.

  “In Romans 5:8, it says ‘God demonstrates his own love towards us in that, while we are yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ You see Mark, Jesus is God in the flesh. We get that from verses 1 and 14 in the first chapter of the Gospel of John.”

  “Wait,” said Mark interrupting. “What do you mean God in the flesh?”

  Tim responded by quoting what he had obviously memorized. “In John 1:1, it says ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ Then in verse 14 it says, ‘and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.’”

  Mark reflected on his encounter with Jesus. He stared past Tim, remembering the sensation of being with Jesus, the holiness, the intense and incredible purity that he possessed.

  He looked back at Tim. “That is true,” he said. “It can be no other way. When I was in His presence, He possessed a quality, a holiness that was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. It is something that only God could possess.” He paused, then added, “I know what it means to see, to touch, taste, feel, and hear, but it wasn’t anything like that. It was completely different, completely other. It was so real.”

  Tim found himself envying Mark. What so many had only read about, Mark had experienced. He wondered why he was given such a great privilege.

  After catching himself thinking about this, he decided to continue. “The point is that only God can take away our sins. We can’t do it because we are imperfect. We make far too many mistakes and we can never please God by our efforts. We just aren’t good enough. You see, Mark, the Bible tells us that we are condemned because we have sinned against God.”

  He shifted slightly in his seat. “These words are serious and not popular. People like to think of themselves as somehow being good and worthy of salvation because they are sincere or nice. But the truth is different, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. As Sotare told me, truth doesn’t care about your feelings. Truth is independent of what you want.”

  “He is right. By the way, Mark, you probably didn’t know this, but your angel’s name ‘Sotare’ is very similar to ‘soterios,’ which is the word used in the original language of the New Testament. It means ‘salvation.’ Likewise, ‘nomos’ means ‘law.’ I think it is very interesting that the two angels sent to protect you are called Salvation and Law.”

  Mark stared at Tim in surprise as he realized the interesting coincidence. “It seems as though God has a sense of humor.”

  “Yep, and a great sense of timing.”

  After letting that sink in, Tim continued. “Mark, is there anything we can do to undo the sin caused by breaking this Law?”

  Mark knew the answer. He had been in the presence of purity and experienced only a minute portion of the omnipotent and infinite holiness of God. Without a doubt, he knew he had absolutely nothing to offer God except his own sin. “There’s nothing at all we can do,” he proclaimed. “We are completely unable to help ourselves.”

  Pastor Tim was taken aback by Mark’s accurate summation of the human predicament. But he continued. “You are right. There is nothing we can do. Therefore, the only one left to take care of our problem is God. Jesus, who is God in flesh, is the one who paid the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross in our place. He suffered death for us. He took the penalty that was ours. Therefore, all we need to do, all we are able to do, is trust in what Jesus has done because faith is all that is left for us to offer to God.”

  Mark nodded.

  “I assume you have seen movies about Jesus, right?”

  “Yes, I’ve seen a few over the years.”

  “All right, then you are quite familiar with Jesus and his crucifixion.”

  “Yes, I’ve heard that he died for our sins on the cross.”

  “Yes, exactly correct. The Bible says, in 1 Peter 2:24, that Jesus bore our sins in his body on the cross. Because Jesus was perfect and never sinned, God the Father transferred our sins to him so that he died on the cross with them. He paid our penalty for breaking God’s Law.”

  “Why did he have to die to save us? Why can’t God just forgive us if we try and be good and are sorry for what we’ve done?”

  “First of all, nowhere does the Bible say we are forgiven if we’re sorry and do good things. And second, just because a thief stops stealing doesn’t mean he shouldn’t go to jail for what he’s done, right?”

  Mark nodded. “Well, that makes sense.”

  “According the Bible, the punishment for breaking the Law of God is death. That’s what it says in Romans 6:23. And, besides, if we could be forgiven by being good and doing good, then Jesus didn’t need to die for us as it says in Galatians 2:21. But he did die, so our goodness isn’t good enough.”

  Mark was listening intently to every word. It rang true.

  “Our sins were put upon Jesus and he died with them. He satisfied the requirement for justice by taking our place and paying the penalty for sin.”

  Tim paused for a moment, “Am I going too fast?”

  “Not at all. Keep going.”

  “Okay. Well, Jesus did not remain dead. To show that his sacrifice to God the Father was acceptable, he was raised from the dead, and as the Bible says, he then ascended into heaven many days later.”

  Mark was nodding. He knew the story from TV movies. But this time, its truth was piercing his heart with power.

  “Mark, if you trust in what Jesus did, and nothing in yourself, nothing in what you can do, then you can be saved from that horrible judgment that you came so close to experiencing. Mark, do you want to be saved from the righteous judgment of God?”

  Mark didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

  The pastor turned again to the Bible. “It says right here, in Romans 10:9-10, that ‘if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. With the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with his mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.’ Do you believe that, Mark?”

  Mark smiled and chuckled slightly. “Yes, I do. After seeing what I’ve seen, I have no doubts what you’re reading to me is true.”

  The pastor smiled and pointed to one more verse. “Romans 10:13 says that ‘If you will call upon the name of the Lord, you will be saved.’ This phrase, ‘to call upon the name of the Lord,’ is in reference to Jesus. It means that you must ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and trust in him alone. It means to ask Jesus to be your savior. Mark, do you want to do this?”

  With the memory of hell so freshly planted in his mind, he had no choice. “Yes,” he said. “I want to receive Jesus as my savior.”

  Mark and the pastor were unaware that in the same room with them, Sotare and Nomos were listening to every word. They said nothing to each other as they scanned the spiritual horizon. Sotare looked at the two men and could not help but wonder what the Almighty saw in these frail, mortal creatures. He looked at Nomos and said, “I will never cease to be amazed at how our Lord loves these people.” Nomos nodded. Then, a light shined from above them both.

  The pastor smiled. “Mark, all you need to do is pray and by faith receive Christ as your savior. Ask him to deliver you from the judgment to come. Confess your sins to him. Ask him to forgive you of your sins. Turn from them and trust in what he has done on the cross for you. If you do this, God’s Word says that you will be saved,
saved from his judgment.”

  Mark was ready. “You mean I just pray out loud?”

  “It doesn’t have to be out loud, but it sure does help,” Tim said with a smile. “Just talk to him. He is listening.”

  Mark felt a little awkward but at the same time he knew it was right. He closed his eyes instinctively. Pastor Tim interrupted. “There’s one more thing.”

  Mark looked at the pastor.

  “In Luke 14:28, Jesus said to count the cost. You have to realize that becoming a Christian does not mean that your life automatically gets better. It does not mean that all your problems are solved. In fact, it can mean that some things get worse. You might lose some friends over this, or even be ridiculed. It means that you must make choices that are sometimes difficult because you’ll have to put God before yourself and…”

  Mark interrupted, “…and even put God before your wife.”

  Pastor Tim’s eyes widened as he raised his eyebrows, obviously surprised. “That’s right, Mark. But God wants you to honor her and love her. He doesn’t want to come between you and separate you. He wants to bring you closer together.”

  “Tim, after what I experienced, being in the presence of such utter and intense purity, it makes perfect sense. I love my wife, but I completely understand that my love for her pales in significance compared to the incredible glory and value of being in the presence of God.”

  Tim was taken aback once more by Mark’s insight. “But,” he continued, “to follow Christ and to count the cost will also mean that you are to love your wife the way he loves you.”

  Mark stared into Tim’s eyes. “And it will also mean to love others.”

  Tim nodded.

  “I’m ready.” Mark closed his eyes.

  Tim smiled and silently praised God. Then Mark began to speak. “Jesus. I know that I have sinned. I know that I deserve the judgment of hell. Please don’t let me go there. Please save me from it. I trust completely in what you did on the cross. I accept your sacrifice and I ask you to forgive me of my sins. Please hear my words. I know that I don’t have anything to offer except my faith in you. So, by faith, I trust in what you have done. Amen.”

  Mark opened his eyes. Pastor Tim was smiling. “Praise God,” he said.

  Mark smiled, too. “That’s it?”

  “That’s it.”

  Mark smiled even more. “You know something? It’s kind of weird, but I feel as though a giant weight has been lifted from me. I mean, I didn’t even know it was there, but I felt it when it left. I feel clean and safe now.”

  Pastor Tim nodded.

  “This is great,” continued Mark. “It is so simple and so easy. All you have to do is believe and trust in what Jesus did on the cross.”

  “Yep, salvation is that easy. Of course, the rest of your life won’t be. God is going to work on you and slowly change you to be more like him in your actions and thoughts. It isn’t always fun, but it’s always good.”

  Mark let himself relax into the pillow, smiling hard. Pastor Tim reached over and grabbed his hand.

  “This is wonderful. I feel great!” He looked at Tim as a tear rolled down his face.

  “Thank you, Tim.”

  “Thank God.”

  “You know,” said Mark. “If we were girls, we’d probably hug about now.”

  Pastor Tim chuckled again, got up, and with a huge smile he leaned over the bed. Mark reached up with his arm and the two men embraced.

  “Thank you, Jesus,” said Mark.

  Chapter 14

  KATHY WAS FAMILIAR ENOUGH with the freeway to allow her mind to wander as she drove to her father’s house. Her thoughts were about Mark and his vision of hell. This again triggered the memory of the preacher on TV again and the things her father had been telling her. She glanced at her rear view mirror and back to the road. What does this all mean? What does it all mean?

  She was driving, half paying attention to the road and half reviewing everything she had experienced lately.

  The past few days had been turbulent. She was confused, yet at the same time, she felt a growing interest and an increased understanding about spiritual things. First there was seeing that creature, that horrible demonic thing. It had forced her to seek out the pastor. She reflected on Mark’s confession of visiting hell, an incredible claim indeed. And why had he so unexpectedly shown up at the church? If it hadn’t been for him, she might have been dead. What was going on? She found herself wavering between two extremes: complete acceptance versus the total denial that there was a God and that spiritual forces might be at work.

  She thought about how things seemed to have been arranged. Was there a God who was in control? Was he trying to tell her something? Kathy could feel a sensation, an awareness of a call, as if a voice were speaking to her without words. It was a yearning. She examined it, felt it. Each time she thought about Mark’s story, she sensed a resonance deep inside. It was like she was hearing a faint, distant call. She thought about it all as she drove.

  Nabal was still flying above Kathy, easily keeping up. It looked at the demons in the other car. The time was right. Everything was ready.

  The distant battle of angels and demons was still ongoing, so Nabal was free to do its damage. With a fanged smile, it turned its attention to her, opened its jaws, and slowly began its descent to the car. Its wings were spread out wide, slicing through the air, casting a spiritual shadow that flittered on the passing ground. Then it hissed as it approached, just feet from the car roof.

  Suddenly, from above, a light flashed. Was it sunlight? No, it was brighter than that. Nabal felt the heat upon its skin and quickly looked up.

  It only had a moment to growl “No!” before the light burst open with intense purity that fell upon its flesh. The hot blaze passed through its body, instantly paralyzing it, searing its skin, and causing it to curl into a fetal position. Nabal whimpered slightly and quickly fell, disappearing into the darkness of the earth below, leaving only a faint trail of smoke behind. The slave demon whose attention had been on the woman in the pickup was unexpectedly yanked down as well, falling with its master. It screamed and clawed at the air before disappearing.

  Kathy saw no light, but she was aware of its effect. It was subtle and it moved with undulating waves of softness that shined on her and through her.

  It was truth. It was the glory of God and it was resting upon her and marked itself upon her.

  “Yes,” she said aloud. “That’s it. My soul is longing to hear from God. I can see it now.” The epiphany was just what she needed. Somehow God had not only orchestrated all the events around Mark but also around her, and she was being called. “God, I hear you,” she said softly. She remembered how her father had told her about Jesus so many times before, and how she’d ignored it. A pang of guilt and remorse brushed against her heart as she remembered her insensitivity.

  The light grew brighter. The soft truth of God’s holiness permeated her heart. Tears filled her eyes and then ran down her cheeks. She blinked them away as she focused on the road. But they kept coming. It was like a flood of truth welling up within her.

  There was an overpass just ahead. She had seen the sign: Wings Street. She decided to pull the car over under its shadow. She swallowed hard and let the tears roll down from her eyes. She wanted to cry but she forced herself to concentrate until she had safely stopped. The sound of gravel crunched under the tires and echoed inside the car. She put the car in park and turned off the engine.

  As she sat there, Kathy felt the weak pulse of each car driving by as it forced air against her vehicle. People were rushing, going to and fro, oblivious to the encounter she was having with the Creator.

  Her heart stirred. It was a sensation that she had never felt before. She could feel it, almost hear it, as if a voice was speaking to her. She listened.

  The light grew brighter still.

  Somehow it made sense that the words of the preacher were true. She knew they were. She could feel it down deep.

&n
bsp; The light still shined.

  Then, her mind was filled with a sense of goodness and purity, and suddenly she realized her own unworthiness. She could see herself for what she really was.

  Kathy felt the pain of the wrongs she had committed in her life. They were many. She could sense her immorality. She could taste her selfishness and pride. Guilt fell upon her like a crashing wave. It was so clear, so strong. She regretted her rebellion against God and said aloud, “Jesus, please forgive me. Please forgive me.”

  Then, there was something more, something she didn’t expect, something she had never fully dealt with. The memory of her abortion from so long ago forced itself into her mind and with it she could smell the cold, sterile room, and remember the doctor and nurses as they routinely and impassively went about the medical procedure that took a life. She remembered everything: the fear, the guilt, and the regret that followed. It hurt all over again with the same, original intensity.

  All the talk about the fetus being only a blob of cells had been a lie. She was guilty of destroying the life in her womb. She had betrayed life itself. She had betrayed her own child. That is why the pain never went away, no matter how much she had tried to ignore it or bury it!

  Kathy groaned under the weight of the unpleasant realization. She strained and contorted her face as she tightened her facial muscles, squinting, pressing her lips together tightly, forcing back the tears.

  A swell of anguish rose up from her heart. Grief and regret took form. She hated having to face what she’d done. She did not want to allow the pain to live. It would hurt too much to admit her actions and face them. She moaned again as she fought. All the years of repressing the memories had conditioned her to resist, to fight, to excuse her abortion as a necessity. But now she had to deal with it head on. Now was the time.

  She resisted for only a few seconds before realizing she was holding onto a lie. It was too much. She released.

  As if a dam had unexpectedly failed, she exhaled in a noisy, agonizing cry. She buried her face in her hands and hurled her groans through her fingers. She heaved out cries and sobs. She convulsed, almost yelling out. Tears poured forth as she gave birth to the inner pain and rush of guilt, of complete and utter regret.