Final Confrontation (26 page)

Jesus led them to a spot where they were to pray. Peter and the others soon found themselves very sleepy. But Jesus continued steadfastly in prayer. Then, while He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning, casting the whole mountainside in a silvery-white splendor.

Two figures, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor as well, talking with Jesus. They spoke with Him about His coming death, which He was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.

Peter and his companions were still very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.

“Look at that,” said Peter, slowly making his way toward them.

John fell to the ground in worship. James called Peter to come back. Just as Moses and Elijah were leaving Jesus, Peter, not really knowing what he should say, called out to Him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped the men, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. Peter looked about but could make out nobody in the fog. He called out to the others but he could hear nothing. Then, a voice came from the cloud, saying,
“This is My Son, whom I have chosen; listen to Him.”

When the voice had spoken, they found Jesus alone and no longer covered in the glorious white light. They could not believe what they had witnessed: Moses, Elijah and the Son of God—all in discussion! The Law, the Prophets and the King came together in advance of Jesus’ final trip to Jerusalem. They agreed they should tell no one about their experience until it was proper to do so.

Another trio had watched the incident from a safe distance as well. These three demons—dispatched by Kara to maintain a vigil on Jesus and his movements—were shocked by what they had seen. They looked at each other in both disbelief and fear. But they made no such agreement to keep quiet about it. In fact, they hurried to their master to report on what had happened.

At Masada, the fortress-palace complex built by Herod the Great that overlooked the vast wilderness to the south of Judea, Lucifer met with his three supreme angels. It was fitting they meet in a place Herod had built in case of an insurrection, for as Lucifer put it, the strain of recent events was beginning to have a “closing in” feeling.

Masada was built atop an isolated rock cliff at the western end of the Judean desert, overlooking the Dead Sea. Dominating the low-lying landscape around it, the fortress was never used by Herod. Now it stood sentry over the southern Judean desert, waiting for a future time when it might be of some use to the Jews.

“How fitting that we meet in a fortress,” said Lucifer, looking across the flat land below. “For we are indeed besieged.”

Rugio watched silently as his master paced the wall that overlooked the sheer drop looking toward the Dead Sea. He had never known Lucifer to seem so pessimistic. The report that they had brought concerning Jesus speaking with Moses and Elijah at Mount Tabor had upset him unlike any other disappointment in the long struggle that had begun in Eden.

Kara, ever trying to gain Lucifer’s confidence, had offered the possibility that the specters they had seen were merely tricks of the Most High and held no real significance. Lucifer had brushed off Kara’s remarks as his usual nonsense. Only Pellecus seemed to grasp the reality of the situation.

“It seems, my prince, that in conferring with the prophets He wanted to send a definite message,” Pellecus said. “Why else should He bring them along?”

“Obviously Peter didn’t get the point,” sniffed Kara. “The Lord Himself had to tell him to be quiet.”

Pellecus ignored Kara and continued.

“The question lies in the reason for the meeting,” he said. “The answer must lie in who these persons were on earth and what they did while they were here.”

Precisely,” said Lucifer, turning from the desert panorama and looking back at the three angels. “When He rebuked me as I stood behind Peter, I could sense the intensity of His mission. No! Each of these represent a portion of the Most High’s anointing on Israel. Moses of the Law; Elijah of the prophets; and Jesus the King.”

“Prophets, priests, and kings,” sneered Kara. “They were always Israel’s downfall in the past. Perhaps they shall be again.”

“Except for the fact the Most High is among them now,” said Pellecus. “Try as we might to undo this situation, it looks as if they were in agreement to demonstrate a culmination of the Most High’s plans. These three offices seem to validate whatever it is Jesus is doing.”

Lucifer nodded his head in dismal agreement.

“And what are we to do about it?” asked Kara. “We cannot simply allow the Most High to do as He pleases in this.”

“It
is
a bit difficult to keep Him from it, isn’t it?” asked Rugio.

“I think we are doing all we can at present,” said Lucifer. “Until an opportunity presents itself to discredit or destroy Jesus we will be in peril. Remember that whatever else happens, he has prophesied his own death.”

“I have certainly held up my end of things,” said Kara. “I have sent all manner of tempting possibilities His way.” He shrugged. “But unlike most humans He has overcome them all.”

“True,” said Lucifer, thinking back to his own vain attempts at bringing Jesus down through temptation “Try as we might, tempting Him is not the answer. I learned that one in the wilderness.”

Lucifer looked over the desolate plains below. Then he turned to the others.

“No! I am convinced the only way to get at Jesus is through the betrayal by someone He trusts. And I believe we are progressing in that area.”

He looked at Kara as if waiting for a report.

“Yes, of course,” said Kara, looking uncomfortably at the other two. “We believe we have found several possibilities among the twelve. Most of them are quite unaccomplished and rough men. Ignorant. Poor. But of the twelve there are five who have been under our scrutiny as possibilities for betrayal.

“First there are the brothers, James and John. They are loyal to Jesus in many respects. But they seem quite volatile. Very temperamental. Their nickname the “Sons of Thunder” bears that out. Then there is Simon, now called Peter. Another hothead. Unsteady and abrupt. He might turn on Jesus if we can appeal to his impatient nature. Thomas is always asking questions and seems to be wondering about it all. And finally there is Judas. He is aloof and a loner. He scorns Jesus when He is not around and he sometimes robs from the common purse. I would say of all of them, Judas is the most promising.”

“Interesting,” said Lucifer. “I quite agree. Judas bears watching.”

He looked at the others.

“Very well. Then we shall watch for an opportunity to enter the heart of this man. In the meantime, we must continue inflaming the ignorant priesthood. In the end they will be the destroyers of Jesus. The Romans, as well, have no use for Him.”

He made a sweeping gesture of Masada.

“Herod built this place as a fortress which in the end he never really needed. Oh, he used it a few times as a refuge, you may recall. But it never played the sort of role he imagined it might.”

His head nodded slowly up and down as if agreeing with himself—trying to convince himself what he was about to say might possibly be true.

“So it must be with Jesus. In the end the priests shall have no need of Him. Mark me! Religious venom is the deadliest poison humans have ever invented.”

He looked at the morning star which was rising above the eastern horizon. The twilight was still a bit reddish at the crest where land meets sky. Lucifer strode to that side of the fortress and looked northward in the direction of Jerusalem.

“So that is where it shall end,” he began. “Somewhere down there in the holy city.”

He looked back at the others who were making their way cautiously toward him on the northwest point of the fortress.

“I lived in a holy city once. The holiest. I worshipped there, too. And angels sang at my choruses and the Presence of the Most High God was intoxicating. Every creature bowed at the throne of God. All of them!”

Lucifer stared at the morning star and continued speaking, as if he were speaking to Heaven itself.

“It was You to whom they bowed. But it was by my music that they worshiped. It was to You that they made their allegiance. But it was I who allowed them to think for themselves. It was Your law that bound them to servitude. But I have given them an opportunity for freedom. And now it comes to some sort of bloody end.

“I am prepared for the outcome. And I will see it through. But the cost to You, Most High, will be greater than anyone will ever understand. But why must it be? Why are we contesting over a rotten humanity which has no interest in You? These people have thrown You over. Their crimes against You are innumerable. They far outweigh any offense that an angel has brought! I accuse these people of being unworthy of Your attention and I further bring these charges:

“You created them to commune with You in Eden and were forced to expel them because of their disobedience; You made a covenant with them to become a great nation and they broke covenant; You introduced Law to them which they have not kept; You sent prophets to them to whom they would not listen. And now You come in Person and they still do not understand You?

“How long will You endure this shame, Most High? How long will You be the object of ridicule in all of Your creation? Hear me! Leave this miserable, rotten planet to me and I will train up these people so even if they do not respect Your mercy and grace they shall respect law and order.”

He held his fist high toward Heaven.

“These people only understand blood, Most High. It is only by blood that they shall ever be conquered. It is only by blood that they will ever be subdued. How much more blood must be shed? How much more blood are You willing to dirty Your hands with in order to bring this war to a close?”

He looked at the others and smirked.

“I suspect there is a limit to the blood the Most High is willing to spill. And in the end, the blood will win the day. Mark me!”

Herod’s Temple was the uncontested center of life in Israel. Jews from all over the world, and speaking all the languages of the Empire attended the Temple at least once in their lives, if possible. Elaborating on the Temple built in the days of Ezra, the Temple consisted of a series of common areas which were reached by climbing steps from one level to the next.

The first common area, called the Court of the Gentiles, was devoted to foreigners who had come to worship God. Herod had surrounded the court with colonnades so that foreigners could enter the complex and admire his building. Being non-Jewish, however, these visitors could not proceed any farther into the complex.

Heading east, one would come to the Court of the Women, which admitted only Jewish women. But they could go no farther into the complex itself.

Next came the Court of Israel, which was open to Jewish laymen, and was the last great court open to the public.

Finally came the innermost Court of the Priests, which excluded all lay people. In the eastern part of this court stood the great altar of burnt offering made according to the Law, of unwrought stone. West of this was the Temple containing the Most Holy Place. Between the Holy Place and the altar stood the laver of cleansing.