As he spoke, Sapphira came in, completely ignorant of what had happened to her husband earlier. She wondered why everyone stared at her so strangely. Peter spoke with her, and she, like her husband, presented false testimony regarding the amount of money that they had received for the property.
“Why are you crying?” she asked Peter. “What is the matter?”
Peter pointed to the young men who were returning.
“These men just buried your husband because he lied to God,” he said.
Sapphira turned to see the sweaty, dirty men. She looked back at Peter with pleading eyes.
“And now they shall bury you,” he continued. “Because you agreed with your husband in this dirty crime.”
Sapphira gasped once, and fell dead.
A few ladies screamed at the sight. Several men grabbed their children and took them away. Peter called on the people.
“The Lord is a God of mercy,” he said. “But He will not tolerate sin forever. Repent then and fall to your knees. And if there is anything in your heart that is dark, remove it.”
He watched as the men picked up Sapphira. Several coins clinked to the ground from the little bag she was carrying.
“Lest you end up as these two.”
Everyone watched silently as the young men carried Sapphira out to bury her next to her husband. Lucifer turned to Crispin, who looked at the leader of the fallen angels and vanished. His students did likewise.
“Corruption still begets corruption,” Lucifer said, turning to Kara. “And if corruption cannot be introduced from within, it is always readily available from without. I suggest we have coddled these people long enough.”
“Meaning?” asked Kara.
“Your ignorance is always astounding to me, Kara,” said Lucifer, as they walked away from the courtyard. “When fighting a battle waged for the hearts of men there has always been one group of humans we could count on to side with us.”
“The priesthood,” Kara said.
“Exactly,” Lucifer responded. “Those arrogant fools who believe they serve the Most High by serving their own traditions. They are as opposed to this crowd as we are.” He laughed. “Maybe even more so! It’s time we took the battle back—or at least hand it back over to the high priest.” He looked intently at the Temple complex in the distance…. “It’s time they move from pleading with these people to persecuting them!”
Chapter Five
FIRST BLOOD
Paul’s Cell, Rome, A.D. 67
“It wasn’t long after this incident that the persecutions began,” Luke continued. “As I remember it, a great fear of God seized the Church.” He laughed. “Even people with clean hearts before God were repenting!”
Paul laughed.
“But you must understand that the fear of God was very real,” Luke continued. “After all, they had just witnessed the deaths of two of their leading companions.”
Paul nodded his head.
“The fear of God cleanses His Church,” he said. “And its members individually.”
The two men sat in silence for a moment. Only the night sounds of a prison complex could be heard. Footsteps from above, an occasional voice, and the faint sound of life outside the prison that drifted in from time to time: a horse, a cart, a muffled conversation. Paul looked up at the hole in his ceiling that was used to drop his food and scant communications. He winked at Luke and called up.
“Camius, my friend, the Lord bless you!”
“I told you, I want no part of your God!” came the grouchy reply.
The men laughed.
“At least Camius is honest,” said Paul. “But I pray for him to know the grace of our Lord before I am taken from here…”
“What was it like for you in those days?” Luke asked. “I mean, we have talked about your life before. But during the early days as the Church was gathering and growing, what was it like for you?”
Paul sat back, and took a piece of the bread Luke had brought along. He nibbled on it as he thought. He then looked at Luke.
“To tell you the truth I thought I was doing well,” he said finally. “I was a young, passionate, rising priest who zealously believed in the traditions of my fathers. I was sure that God had called me to become one of the greatest of Pharisees and a teacher of the law. So when these people continued in this Christ business even after He had been put to death, I was both astonished and enraged!” He smiled at Luke. “I was also blind.”
Luke jotted down a few notes as Paul spoke.
“But what could you say?” Luke asked. “After the incident with Ananias and Sapphira, the Lord used Peter and John and some of the others in miraculous ways near Solomon’s Colonnade. The Church met there—although nobody else ventured near the place for fear of the priests.”
Paul shook his head. “The ignorance of pride! That was when the priests had Peter and John arrested.”
“Yes,” said Luke. “Caiaphas was enraged that the men he had admonished not to speak should continue to do so—and so convincingly what with the miracles being performed. It was as if Satan himself had compelled him to begin persecuting the Church…”
Jerusalem, A.D. 33
Kara looked upon the council with great satisfaction. Lucifer was right. Here was where the battle must be waged. And here he could do something that would forever make Lucifer indebted to him. He intended to fan the flames of these men’s feeble minds until they ignited in typical human rage.
“It’s an absolute abomination!” Caiaphas roared from his seat at the council table. He turned to Zichri and pointed an accusing finger. “Did I not instruct you to shut these men up? Did we not order them to stop preaching this Jesus? These men wish to have His blood on our hands, and the people are just stupid enough to believe them.”
Nobody spoke. The council meeting in the high priest’s home was once more dealing with the problem of Peter and John. Their recent preaching at the Colonnade was becoming a legend in the city. And the priests were feeling the pressure.
“I have heard that people lie in the street hoping that the shadow of one of these men might pass over and heal them!” came the voice of Kara slipping into the mind of Caiaphas. “The power of God is with them…”
“This is outrageous! The people worship the mere shadows of these men! They won’t even look at a priest. But they crave the shadows of the disciples of Jesus!”
“The people will lose confidence in the priesthood…”
Caiaphas stood and poured himself some wine.
“Listen to me, my friends,” he began. “When Jesus was here He robbed the people of their senses. They took Him as a king for a time until we had Him executed for the criminal and fraud that He was. If we do nothing, the same people will follow His disciples. And we shall lose our place!”
“My lord, High Priest,” offered Zichri. “It is my understanding that they are at the Colonnade at the same hour every day. Perhaps it is time we took them into custody once more…”
“What?!” demanded Alexander. “And risk the wrath of the people?”
The council broke out in bitter argument as some wanted to take drastic action and haul them in immediately, while others wanted to take a more discreet pathway. Caiaphas sat and listened to the noisy deliberation. Kara stepped over near him.
“If you do nothing, you shall lose everything…”
Caiaphas looked around him and stood, holding his hands up to stop the noise. The room became silent.
“I agree that it is risky to take these men into custody,” he began, looking at Alexander. “But if we allow this to continue much longer we shall no longer have the authority to do so.”
Zichri looked at Alexander and smirked.
“You, Zichri, shall take these men under arrest of Temple guards.” He smiled. “I hear that these Christ followers pride themselves on their hospitality. Let’s return the favor and show them what their future hosts have in store for them if they should not relent in this blasphemous pursuit. A night
’s stay should do it! Then we’ll speak to them in the morning!”
They all agreed. Zichri bowed and left the room.
Chronicles of the Host
Angelic Rescue
Thus, as they had agreed, Zichri led an armed escort to the place where Peter and John preached the good news of their Lord and had them brought into one of the jails used by the Jewish authorities. Lucifer was convinced that with Peter and John out of the way the others would soon fold as well. And so they were cast into the prison to await the judgment of the high priest the following morning. But the Most High had another plan in mind, and the Host executed it with great joy…
Darlon and Merlos, the angels assigned to John and Peter, watched over the two men. The jail was cool and damp, though not altogether uncomfortable—or so said Peter. The two angels had been ordered to await further instruction from Gabriel, who was due to arrive before the morning sun. The men slept on a bed of dirty straw that had been used many times before by previous criminals.
“I’m surprised at their ability to continue in the face of such opposition,” said Merlos. “These humans certainly have the Lord’s blessing.”
“And His Spirit,” agreed Darlon. “Something we shall never fully understand. The Most High has chosen men in which to pour His Spirit—not angels.”
Merlos agreed.
“Such lazy men!” came a voice. “Sleeping at a time like this.”
“Gabriel!” said Merlos, smiling. Serus stood close by.
“Most men would be too frightened to sleep, my lord,” said Darlon. He was proud to serve such men. “These men sleep like babies!”
“It is the sleep of knowing and trusting their God,” said Gabriel.
The four angels looked for a moment on the men who were leaders of the fledgling Church. These were the men with whom Jesus had entrusted the care of the ministry. Only weeks before, one of these men had denied Him; yet now they were imprisoned on His behalf.
“What news, Gabriel?” asked Merlos.
“The men are to be freed,” Gabriel said. “See to it, Merlos. And instruct them that they are to continue teaching their good news tomorrow—in the Temple courts!”
“The Temple!” said Darlon. “That should be of some interest to Caiaphas.”
Serus wondered why he had been asked to come along. “My lord, am I not being assigned to one of these men?”
Gabriel looked at Serus. “No, my friend,” he said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “The Most High has another assignment in mind for you. A man from Tarsus named Saul.”
“Saul of Tarsus?” questioned Serus. “This sounds like another quiet detail!”
“I hardly think you’ll find Saul quiet,” said Gabriel. “But more on him later. For now, Merlos shall remain Peter’s guardian. Release these men and instruct them.”
“As the Most High commands,” said Merlos, bowing his head.
Gabriel and Serus vanished.
“And now to awaken our humans,” Merlos said, turning to Peter and John. “Tomorrow should prove an interesting day!”
“Peter! Get up!”
John stirred and lifted his head. Was he dreaming?
“John, rise up! The Lord has delivered you!”
John sat upright, perceiving the figure of a man looking down upon him. He was a robed figure, benign but very serious. He held a sword in his hand and was waving it toward the now-open cell door. By now Peter was also awake.
“Lord?” Peter managed, rubbing his eyes.
“No, I am a servant of the Most High,” said Merlos. “He has released you. You are to preach the good news of this message to the people tomorrow in the Temple courts. Go now!”
Peter glanced at the open cell. By the time he looked back, the heavenly visitor had already vanished. John motioned for him to be quiet as they crept out of the cell, down a short hallway, and into the street. Peter smiled at John, and together they began to give praise to the Lord as they disappeared into the night air.
In a corner of the Sanhedrin, Kara and Servius watched with interest. Perhaps this time the Lord had outsmarted even Himself. By allowing the prisoners to escape, He was only bringing the wrath of the high priest and the Sanhedrin down upon their heads. They were joined by Berenius, one of Kara’s favorites.
“Are they still deliberating?” snorted Berenius. “I thought they should have stones in their hands by now!”
Kara laughed.
“Patience, Berenius,” he said. “Our poison is sometimes slow but always effective. Especially with men of great pride.”
Below them the high priest paced in front of the very nervous messenger. Nobody dared look him in the face. He was beside himself. How could this be? These men simply walked out of the jail? Where was the jailer? How could he have neglected to secure the cell? He threw his hands into the air. Just as he was about to explode in another tirade, another messenger entered—this time it was a priest.
“Yes, yes, what is it?” Caiaphas said, annoyed at the intrusion.
The man, a young Levite named Ethan, looked at the grim faces in the room. They were meeting in a hallway just outside the council room. Among them, most grim of all, stood the jailer. Ethan swallowed hard and delivered the news.
“High Priest, the men are preaching again,” he began. “This time in the court of the Temple.”
Everyone awaited Caiaphas’ response. He looked down at the ground for a few moments. He smiled weakly and looked up.
“It was in this very room a few weeks ago when most of us met on another occasion,” he began.
He pointed to a stone on the floor.
“There was a drop of blood here as I recall,” he continued. “It had dripped off of Jesus. Do you remember, Zichri?”
“Yes, rabbi,” Zichri said, remembering the day and looking at the floor.
Others nodded as well.
“We thought that in killing this man, or rather in seeing justice done, that we would be rid of the whole blasphemous sect once and for all,” he continued. “How much more of this must we bear?”
He began pacing again. He stopped and pointed toward the chamber where the Sanhedrin members could be heard murmuring. He whispered loudly.
“A man of my position cannot be made a fool of. I send for the Sanhedrin, and they assemble—and then when we send for the accused they are not in the jail? Not only that: the guards are standing at the doors—still locked—as if the prisoners are still inside? This must be a plot to discredit me! Well, it will not work! Captain of the guard!”
A Temple officer appeared and bowed his head.
“The men you seek are in the Temple court,” Caiaphas said. “Arrest them and bring them to the Sanhedrin. We shall await you there!”
The officer nodded and left the room. Caiaphas thanked Ethan for the message and seemed to regain his composure.
“Now, let us return to the Sanhedrin,” he said, his confidence returning. “These men are adept at handling our jails. Let us see how they handle their jailers!”
“We gave you very strict orders not to teach in this name,” Caiaphas said, as he accused the men before him. As high priest, Caiaphas also acted as chief prosecutor in certain matters of justice. The Sanhedrin listened to his words, many of them glaring at Peter and John and the other leaders with them. “But instead of stopping, you have filled Jerusalem with this teaching of yours! And in doing so, you are trying to bring this man Jesus’ blood on our heads!”
Many in the council shouted in agreement.
“What have you to say to this charge?”
Peter and John stood in the center of the room next to the men who had been arrested with them. Unseen by them and the others in the room were Darlon and Merlos. They had their hands on the men’s shoulders, comforting them as they stood. Peter looked at the council that only weeks before had condemned his Lord. He felt unworthy to now be accused by the same body.
“Men of Israel, we must obey God rather than men,” said one of the men.
> “Yes,” said another, “And, in truth, you did kill Jesus by hanging Him on a tree!”
The council began grumbling.
“But this same Jesus whom you killed was raised from the dead,” said John, who began speaking to the council. “He brings forgiveness of sins to our nation. And we are all witnesses to this!”
Peter and the others agreed with John with one voice.
“More blasphemy!” came a shout.
Kara looked at Servius and gave the order for his angels to move in. Instantly hundreds of religious and angry spirits, led by Rugio, began filling the room, spewing forth angry invocations at the Lord and speaking into the minds of the men gathered. As a result, the tension in the room rose dramatically, so that the Sanhedrin began to seethe.
The fallen angels moved through the room like hundreds of dots of light, howling and profaning the name of the Lord. Some actually sat next to the more influential members of the Sanhedrin, reasoning with them as they poured their hatred into their hearts. Rugio moved next to Kara as he watched the angels under his command give life to their plan.
“These are particularly vindictive types,” said Kara, observing the raucous behavior of the angels. “So much anger.”
“They are fresh from other campaigns,” said Rugio proudly. “They enjoy manipulating human minds with religious nonsense—particularly Hebrew minds!”
Darlon and Merlos readied themselves in case they should be physically assaulted, keeping an eye on Kara and Rugio in particular. Rugio looked down at the holy angels, who were now being joined by others. He scowled at them and cursed them. Soon 40 or 50 angels stood ready to protect Peter and the others should the order be given.
Many members of the Sanhedrin stood with their backs to the apostles in disgust. Some of the younger members called for their immediate stoning. Most looked around in confusion. Caiaphas ordered Peter and the others out of the room for their own protection, so the Sanhedrin might deliberate the matter further. For several minutes the assembly argued back and forth as to what must be done with these men.
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