ANGELS AT WAR

CHAPTER 10

ARCHANGEL QUERIDA

MY PEOPLE ARE DESTROYED FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE (Hosea 4:6)

            “That’s quite a stew that’s gonna brew, Querida,” Vermillion said gleefully.

            “Not surprising,” I replied. “I’ll take it though. Any time people are exposed to Bible truth, it’s a good thing. It’s expected that your side will work over time to distract. After all, you don’t need to focus very much on dens of iniquity because they’re already in your web.”

            “You do espouse truth, my former friend.”

            “And you deceit.”

            “You call it deceit; I call it poetic justice.”

            We were watching people file into the second night of the Bible prophecy seminar, hosted by Pastor Kirk Samson, AKA Captain Kirk. Jenny and Jimmy took seats in about the middle of the high school auditorium, by an aisle. Jenny stiffened when she saw Larry enter the building. Half a minute later, her toes curled when their eyes locked and he smiled. Then he walked toward them.

            “Jenny, hi, good to see you again,” Larry grinned. His close cropped hair was gray with plenty of white sprinkles. Jimmy guessed him to be around fifty. He was of medium build, and neither fat nor thin. He reminded Jimmy of his dad’s accountant.

            “Hello, Larry,” Jenny answered tightly. She didn’t know how to introduce Jimmy. Despite expressing love for each other, it somehow seemed presumptuous to call him her boyfriend. Thankfully Jimmy handled the awkward situation for her.

            Extending a hand to Larry, Jimmy said, “I’m Jimmy Stetson, Jenny’s boyfriend.”

            “Well, nice to meet you, Jimmy,” Larry responded with a pleasant, albeit skeptical smile.

            “I used to babysit for Larry and his wife,” Jenny said.

            “Yeah, you told me yesterday,” Jimmy replied. Then he said to Larry, “I saw you two talking.”

            Larry nodded and Jimmy invited, “Let me scoot down a seat and you can join us.”

            Jenny pursed her lips and ever so slightly shook her head. But Jimmy got up to make room, so she did as well. After he stood, he froze for a couple seconds. Coming at him from the opposite way of Larry was Lexi Bennet’s friend, Amy, followed by a second dark haired young lady. Amy wore a playful smile. “Well hello, Jimmy. Fancy meeting you here.”

            “Hey, Amy,” he replied unenthusiastically. “What are you doing here? You don’t strike me as the Bible type.”

            “Oh, and you do?”

            “Fair point, I guess.”

            “Actually, to be honest, we wanted to see what was going on here that caused a guy like YOU to reject a GIRL like Lexi.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “I mean after you dropped Lex off, she was acting all glowy, like you two had an amazing time. But then by the time I took her home as the designated driver, she was pretty drunk and started to spew venom about you getting all religious on her and refusing to get it on. So, like I said, we were curious and wanted to check it out.

            Amy was wearing a short tan skirt, light blue leg warmers with matching pumps. Her oversized t-shirt hung provocatively off of her shoulders. She wore a light blue headband and had about a dozen bracelets on each arm. With her short dark hair and full mouth, she looked a lot like Pat Benatar.

            Lucy, Amy’s friend, seemed a bit of an outlier with the clique of rich, just so girls. Her silky black hair hung just past her shoulders, without mouse or hairspray. She wore no makeup and her only jewelry was a pair of hoop ear rings about the size of quarters. Her old, faded jeans were not name brand. Ironically, she was wearing a Pat Benatar concert t-shirt.

            “Oh, by the way, this is my friend, Lucy Freya,” Amy said and then giggled. “I think you know her as Lucifer.”

            “Boo,” Lucy said and then smiled teasingly at him.

            “I didn’t realize the devil was so cute,” Jimmy shmoozed, as he thought Lucy looked an awful lot like Winona Ryder. She playfully batted her large brown eyes at him and he grinned.

            Then he turned to look at Jenny. He shouldn’t be flirting now that he had a girlfriend.

            But her head was close to Larry’s, and they chatted intently about something in whispers. There was a dynamic between the two that he couldn’t put his finger on. At first she had seemed somewhat repulsed by his presence, yet now they spoke with each other like close, dear friends. Larry patted her knee! Then she took his hand briefly and gave it a squeeze! Jimmy felt a little pinch from the green eyed monster.

            The meeting started and Amy took a seat next to Jimmy. Larry stayed put next to Jenny. As we watched unseen, Vermillion chortled and did something like rubbing his hands together with anticipation. “Do you suppose it will be hard for everyone to concentrate? Do you suppose Larry getting a foot back into Jenny’s life will cause trouble?”

            “We’ll see.”

            My adversary was correct that drama lay ahead. It was gonna get ugly, but there were also gonna be surprises. There would be setbacks mixed with the spiritual progress. Pastor Samson got the seminar started with a question. “Does God really keep the devil on payroll as superintendent of hell measuring out the punishment of the lost?”

            The preacher went on to explain, using numerous scriptures, that the doctrine of eternal torment is diabolical, unbiblical and misunderstood by most. He concluded with Ezekiel 33:11. ‘As I live says the Lord God I have no pleasure in the DEATH of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you DIE?’ In summary, the wicked die and they are not alive eternally in a place of fiery misery.

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            Vermillion and I were watching close as the five left the auditorium. Larry was shaking his head and putting doubts into Jenny’s mind. He had been an elder in the church she began attending as a preteen. As Amy and Lucy were walking toward their car, Amy was in Lucy’s ear, saying the hour long seminar was boring and God was dead anyway.

            Jimmy was walking in light. He didn’t grown up in a religious household. But he observed others, especially his sister’s conversion a few years previous. His observations had led him to believe God was a monster, solely due to the doctrine of eternal torment. He was excited to realize his assumptions were wrong! The longing for something deeper in life he began experiencing a few months ago just took a giant leap forward.

            My opponent’s attention was primarily focused on Jimmy. I knew he was devising ways to side track him. I knew he was going to use the person who had become dear to his heart, Jenny. With demonic satisfaction, he began to pound a wedge in their budding romance the very next night.

            The third night of the seminar was entitled ‘The Lost Day of History.’ The subject was the Biblical Sabbath. Much to Jimmy’s chagrin, Larry joined them once again. This time he was  invited to sit by Jenny. The seat next to Jimmy was vacant as Amy was a no show. However, right before the meeting began, Jimmy noticed Lucy enter the auditorium and sit in the back.

            Pastor Kirk Samson, affectionately known as Captain Kirk by those close to him, did a masterful job enlightening the crowd of what the Bible taught about the Sabbath. He had shown from history how the main religion from the fourth century did the most damage when they attempted to change the Sabbath from Friday sundown until Saturday sundown to Sunday.

            As the trio of Jimmy, Jenny, and Larry left the seminar, Jimmy caught sight of Lucy Freya talking to an older woman that Captain Kirk had introduced as his wife at the first meeting. He thought to give her a wave, but the two women were so engrossed in discussion, Lucy didn’t even look his way.

            “I think we need to stop coming to these meetings,” Larry declared.

            Jimmy felt a surge of irritation, helped along with a dose of jealousy. He didn’t understand why. Larry was an average looking, middle aged man. But there was some dynamic between he and Jenny that Jimmy couldn’t put his finger on. “Suit yourself Larry, but Jenny and I will be back here at seven tomorrow. Lord willing that is.”

            “How about that Vermillion?” I said, not as a taunt. I wanted him to give me his perspective and reveal as much of his plan as possible. He loved to talk, loved to gloat. “That was the first time in Jimmy’s life that he said, ‘Lord willing.’”

            “Well, if you’re keeping score, Querida, of the five last night, two are out already with Amy and now Larry. Jenny is waffling but leaning towards Larry’s reasoning. Then you got Lucy and Jimmy. Right now they seem to be excited about truth and following your side. But ours is often a waiting game as you know. They both have issues and they’re human nature will ultimately be their downfall. Then the score will be five for us to a big fat zero for you.”

            Jenny didn’t say anything, but Jimmy perceived that she was uncomfortable. Larry continued, “Look, I’ve been around the block a few times. Clearly these folks are religious fanatics. Every normal Christian knows that Sunday is the Sabbath. What he was referring to is the Jewish Sabbath.”

            “Did you even listen to the man?” Jimmy asked. “The Sabbath was instituted at Creation before there were even any Jewish people. Plus he gave examples of other languages that Sabbath is a derivative of Saturday. Like in Spanish, Saturday is Sabado.”

            “The Sabbath was changed to Sunday in honor of the resurrection,” Larry tried.

            “I see you still have the notepad they handed out with the free Bibles,” Jimmy said. Then he asked, “How much did you write down?”

            “I didn’t need to write anything down,” Larry said before testily adding. “I’ve heard this type of rhetoric before.”

            “Well, I took two pages of notes just tonight. The fourth point Pastor Samson made was baptism is the ritual that honors the resurrection, not Sunday. The sixth point was Emperor Constantine making Christianity a legal religion in the fourth century. With it a lot paganism entered the church, including an attempt to change the Sabbath to Sunday. The history of Sunday as the Sabbath originated from sun worship, not honoring the resurrection. The Bible says the Lord does not change (Malachi 3:6).”

            Jimmy looked at his notes. “Constantine got started what Daniel prophesied of in Daniel 7:25.”

            “Look, this is apples and oranges. You can and should worship God every day of the week,” Larry proclaimed.

            “But there’s only one day of the seven that God blessed and sanctified,” Jimmy said, then looked at his notes. “The Sabbath is also right in the middle of the Ten Commandments.”

            “There ya go,” Larry said. “Don’t you see that that Pastor was putting you under the law. We are saved by grace. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

            Jimmy was still grappling to understand all this information. He looked at his notes again. “Yes, but why did Jesus say if you LOVE Me keep my commandments?”

            “Because following Him is important. But the law is a guide, not a rule. We are under the new covenant, and that so called pastor is trying to put people under the old covenant.”

            “Is that right? So under the old covenant they were apparently called the ten commandments, but under the new the ten suggestions. Is that what you’re saying?”

            Larry stopped at his Volvo. His jaw clenched before he sighed and said, “Look, you are new to Christianity. I was an elder in my church for more than a decade. You need what is known when referring to scripture as milk, you aren’t ready for meat. You are attending a very dangerous seminar where they are starting you out on tough, chewy, overdone meat that is outdated. I suggest you keep away. Go to Jenny’s church where the love of God is proclaimed. Not a lot of fanciful doctrines and conspiracies.

            “No offense, Mr. Vargus, I may be new to Christianity, but when it comes to the fourth commandment, God said to remember. I could care less if you say we can forget.”

            “Okay,” Larry laughed sarcastically. “You go ahead and keep the Sabbath. You can sit around and smoke those cigarettes in your pocket while you’re waiting for the sun to set. Maybe have a few cocktails while you’re at it.”

            Jimmy glanced down at the pack of Winstons in his shirt pocket. He was suddenly speechless, feeling a bit ashamed. Larry actually felt bad for the snarky comment. He extended a hand. “Look, for now let’s just agree to disagree.”

            Reluctantly, Jimmy took his hand and they shook.

            “That was an interesting dialogue, Querida, don’t you think?” Vermillion declared.

            “I thought Jimmy handled himself extremely well for how new he is,” I replied.  But I was concerned about Jenny. In particular, her new relationship with Jimmy. New often spells fragile, and fragile is what this clearly was. Vermillion knew it too.

            “Watch this, my former friend,” he said. “Three words from Larry and only one from Jenny is about to throw a very wicked blow from the green eyed monster.”

            Fallen beings cannot read minds. But they are expert at body language and manipulating circumstances. Larry turned to Jenny, “Call me later.”

            “Okay,” she replied meekly.

            Although Jimmy’s pickup truck was still on loan to Jenny, he drove them back to his place. He felt like slamming the door when they got in but controlled himself. He reached for his pack of cigarettes, but Larry’s comment mingled with pride caused him to withdraw his hand in frustration.

            “Poor Jimmy could really use a cancer stick right now, Querida,” Vermillion taunted. “Withholding at this particular time is only gonna make him more aggravated with Jenny.”

            I remained silent as I braced myself for an awkward drive home. Jimmy wasn’t even backed out of his parking spot when he said, “So, you’re gonna call Larry later, huh?”

            “Maybe,” Jenny replied quietly. “But probably not.”

            “Why don’t you tell me more about Larry? First I get the vibe that you wanted to avoid him. Then you end up acting all chummy, whispering to each other and what not. Then tonight you wave at him and invite him to sit with us again.”

            “You invited him first, last night.”

            “Just trying to be polite. So help me understand. Why were you reluctant to speak with him twenty five hours ago, but now you’re gonna call him tonight?”

            “I said I wasn’t decided about calling him.”

            “You told him ‘okay’ when he gave you the order.”

            “What was I supposed to say, ‘no Larry, I won’t?’ He and I had a relationship.” Jenny said and immediately regretted the word relationship and sought to correct it. “You know, I mean, we were close friends at one time.”

            But the damage was done. “What kind of relationship?”

            Jenny took a deep breath and sighed. “Jimmy, I never had a father, my mother was a single parent. I started babysitting for the Vargus’s when I was fourteen. They quickly became like a second family. Linda was like an older sister, and Larry was a father figure. Then Linda got sick and died a month before I turned eighteen. Larry and I were both devastated. Long story short, we were a consolation for each other and spent quite a bit of time together over the next couple years.”

            “So he was a father figure, not a romantic figure.”

            “Not really.”

            Jimmy snorted. “What’s not really supposed to mean?”

            Jenny winced. “He was never like a real boyfriend or anything, but our relationship did evolve into something, you know, affectionate in nature.”

            “You mean sexual.”

            Jenny winced some more. “Sort of.”

            “Sort of? Either you did or you didn’t. You led me to believe that Devin guy was your only partner.”

            “Technically he was. Like I said, my relationship with Larry was complicated. Like I said, it evolved slowly. Hugs started to coincide with kisses on the cheek. Kisses on the cheek became kisses on the mouth. Kisses on the mouth became kissing sessions, and you know, for lack of a better word, exploring. But then when we were on the verge of, you know, doing what makes babies, he ended things.”

            “He ended things!” Jimmy responded incredulously.

            Jenny became defiant. “Yes, he ended things. I was in love with him. Linda had been gone almost two years by the time it got to the point of making love.”

            “Making love,” Jimmy said with a disgusted look on his face. “With that dumpy middle-aged man.”

            “Yes, he’s middle-aged. But he’s not dumpy, just because he’s not the stud you are. And you know, you’re quite the hypocrite.”

            Jimmy’s jealousy and anger retreated substantially with Jenny’s feistiness. He had never seen this side of her. With a neutral tone he replied, “Am I?”

            “Yes, you are. You’ve bedded dozens of women. I’ve given you zero harassment over the fact. I’ve been intimate with two guys before you. I’m sorry that one of them being twenty-two years older than me grosses you out. And although he is not a tan muscular stud, he is distinguished, thoughtful and caring. He also, in my opinion, is handsome.”

            “I’m sorry,” Jimmy conceded.

            “Okay,” Jenny said meekly. Then added, “Thank you.”

            They were quiet for a minute before Jimmy inquired, “If you don’t mind, tell me about the transition from Larry to Devin.”

            Jenny cringed inwardly at how she came to know the man who was likely the father of the child growing in her womb. But she felt she needed to get the explanation over with. Especially since it seemed Larry was subtly trying to get a foot back into her life. Was she letting him?

            “This is gonna sound weird,” Jenny warned him. “Really weird as a matter of fact.”

            “Go for it, I’m braced,” Jimmy replied, then wondered if that was a lie.

            “So Larry sort of set me up with Devin. He introduced us anyway, and suggested we, you know, should go out.”

            “That is weird,” Jimmy agreed.

            “That’s not the weirdest part.”

            “Yeah?”

            “Yeah. You see, Devin is Larry’s son from his first marriage.”