This is a novel and an allegorical story about some knights who travel on a quest to reach a beautiful kingdom called the Kingdom of Heaven. As they go, they encounter giants, evil knights, swamps, perils, cliffs, dungeons, castles, evil Medieval lords, traps, dark forests, cunning enemies, and powerful weapons. They must fight for their lives and overcome all obstacles with the use of their weapons and armor, namely the Sword of the Spirit, and the Shield of Faith, and the power of God.
- A Novel / Allegory -
By: Justin Brown (a pen name)
Date Created: Dec. 4, 2018
Chapter 5
Continuing the Journey
Before long, the farmland was now replaced by a dense forest. Birds chirped in the tree tops and sang cheerful melodies. Dappled sunlight fell on the path and sparkled off the silver-colored armor of the three travelers. After five miles had passed, the forest gave way to farm fields. And, a walled town in the center of a valley caught their attention. Within the middle of the town rose a high hill with a small castle atop it. And, surrounding the town, imposing and solid, a wall with crenellations, towers, and catapults rose high into the air.
The sun was now starting to
set, and purple and orange colors soon highlighted the darkening clouds. As
Markus, Andrew, and Henry drew closer to the town, they could see soldiers with
whips shouting at villagers to keep working. Some male villagers were digging a
ditch in a field with small, wooden shovels. A pile of dirt rested against one
side of the ditch. Close by, soldiers roared at them to work faster. Crack! Whips
snapped over the heads of the workers threateningly. The cruel guards had
helmets with closed visors, and their faces were concealed.
“Keep working, you slaves!” a
deep, harsh voice boomed from the helmet on an average-sized soldier. He had a
shield, sword, and whip, and wore dark-grey armor. Markus could see the phrase
‘False-Works’ painted, in red, on his helmet.
The men digging grunted and
continued shoving dirt as fast as they could with sweat beading on their
foreheads. As Markus drew near to them, he could see red welts on some of their
faces and necks. He felt pity for them. They were being harshly and cruelly
treated by their taskmasters. They needed to be liberated.
“Hey,” a soldier said,
turning toward the men, “who are you strangers?”
“We are pilgrims heading
toward the Kingdom of Heaven,” Markus said boldly.
“Why are you equipped with
armor?” the soldier said. “Don’t you realize this town belongs to Count Claus
the Covetous, the ruler of Greed?”
“No,” Markus said, wondering
what would happen next. “What town is this?”
“This is the town of Self-Preservation,”
the soldier said. “And, you need to leave your armor behind if you wish to
enter this town.”
Adventure in the Town
of Self-Preservation
“We cannot remove our armor,”
Markus said. “It was given to us because we trusted in the blood of Jesus
Christ for salvation and made Him our Lord and Savior.”
“You are not welcome here
since you are knights who belong to our enemy,” the soldier said menacingly.
“We have archers with high-powered crossbows on the wall. The bolts will pierce
through your armor. Turn around and leave if you wish to live.”
To reinforce the soldier’s
words, an archer atop the wall poked his upper body through a gap in the
crenellations and fired a crossbow bolt toward the ground. With a ‘thwap,’
it struck the dirt just five feet to the left of the three pilgrims. The bolt
had buried itself deep into the dirt, and was hidden from view.
“The path to the Kingdom of
Heaven takes us through times of testing and trials. And, that path goes
through this town. Your name is ‘False Works,’” Markus said calmly. “Like your
name, you are bent on getting people to trust in their own works instead of in
what Jesus accomplished at the cross of Calvary long ago. We cannot bend to the
will of ‘False Works’ if we want to walk the narrow way of faith in Jesus Christ.”
The soldier growled with
anger. Then, he said, “So, you want to fight then?”
“Archers,” the soldier
shouted, looking toward the crenellated walls, “attack them!”
The soldiers with the whips,
dropped them, and drew swords from their scabbards. They quickly bent down and
picking up their shields from the ground. Then, they formed a line and waited.
Meanwhile, Andrew, Henry, and
Markus drew their swords and closed their helmet visors. Just as they did,
crossbow bolts began to fly from the wall of ‘Self-Preservation.’ Like swarms
of insects seeking to sting the Christians, the bolts came in thick waves. But
the three travelers held up their shields and waited it out. Bolt after bolt
bounced off their shields, causing them to ring, as archers atop the wall and
in the towers fired at the pilgrims.
“Let’s run forward,” Andrew
suggested presently. “There is no sense turning back now. The arrows of the
enemy would hit us in the back.”
“You’re right,” Henry said.
“I am praying and trusting that God will give us the power to overcome these
attacks.”
“God is with us,” Markus
said, “since we are following Him.”
“Let’s go,” Andrew said just
before he started charging forward.
As he did, the two others
followed close beside him amid the volley of crossbow bolts. Bolts struck the
ground and buried themselves into the dirt with ease, but they just glanced off
the pilgrims’ armor as if they were hitting granite.
The gate was now starting to be shut, but a gap was open wide enough for the men to fit through, and they did, passing through it quickly. They were now inside the walled town and running toward a street filled with houses and multi-storied shops. Markus turned back and saw soldiers shoving the heavy, wooden gate closed behind him. The gatehouse towers rose high into the air and issued longbow arrows and crossbow bolts toward them. The missiles bounced off of cobblestones and sunk between gaps in the pavement. Thatched-roofed shops, houses, and other structures followed a convoluted grid of twisting, crooked, cobblestone streets.
[Convoluted (adjective): intricate and complex.
Missile: A projectile. It is a weapon that is launched or
thrown.]
The three pilgrims agreed to
have two men facing the towers with raised shields. These two would walk
backward toward the center of the town while one of them walk forward directly
in front of the other two. The three men would form a triangular formation,
facing away from the center of the triangle.
As he walked backward, Andrew
said, “This is quite amazing. I haven’t received a single wound from an arrow
or bolt.”
Walking backward beside him,
Henry glanced at him and said, “God is protecting us, but I want to get out of
this town fast. We never know what kind of trouble we might meet here.”
Markus, walking forward a
couple feet in front of his friends, said, “I can see three people coming from
a building to my left, just up ahead--a man, a woman, and a teenage boy. They
look like villagers.”
The rain of arrows and bolts
stopped after half a minute, and the two in the rear turned around to face the
villagers who were approaching them. Yellow lights were starting to appear in
the windows of people’s homes, and villagers were beginning to shutter their
windows as the sun sank toward in the west. ‘Soldiers likely could be advancing
toward us now, beyond our view,’ Markus thought with concern as he raised his
visor to see his surroundings better.
His two friends followed his
example and raised their visors.
When the three armed men had
gotten within thirty feet of the family, the man of the house said quietly,
“You men, come over here.” And, he motioned for them to come.
Markus and his friends walked
over to them quickly and he said, “What is it?”
The small family was standing
near the entrance to a narrow, dirt street that intersected the cobbled street
the pilgrims were on. The man who spoke to them was burly and dressed in a long
tunic, trousers, and boots. His hair fell down to his ear lobe, and a curly,
black beard sprouted from his face.
“We saw you being attacked by
the archers,” the villager said. “Would you like to stay with us for the
night?”
“Let me seek God about that,”
Markus said after a brief moment.
A few moments later, he said,
“God is showing me it would be fine to stay the night with you.”
“Come with us, then,” the
burley man said as he turned and guided his family along the narrow, dirt
street. It was lined with half-timbered, thatched houses and shops. Rotting
vegetables and slop decayed in small piles in the street, giving it a
less-than-desirable appearance, but it was common for a Medieval town.
The villager directed his
band toward a half-timbered, three-story house that rose above a couple two-storied
homes on either side of it. A wooden, painted sign hanging above the front door
read, “The Ringing Hammer Smithy.”
Reaching the house, Markus
looked up. ‘That is quite tall for a residence,’ he thought. The first floor
was a smithy, and the two floors above it were for the living space of the
family. Their hosts led them through a back door that opened into a short hall.
A door on the right opened into the smithy. Before them, a set of creaky,
wooden stairs ascended toward a blue door. Passing through the blue door, the
people entered a living room on the second floor.
The Blacksmith’s House
The plastered walls of a
fairly spacious living room were nicely decorated with paintings of forests and
scenery. A hazel cat, curled up by a brick fireplace, looked up as the people
entered its sanctuary.
As they entered, the man of
the house turned to face his guests and smiled. He reached out a hand and said,
“I am James Blacksmith. This is my wife Isabel and our son Martin. We are
believers in Jesus. About 1 out of every 300 people in this town is a true
Christian, from what I’ve seen. So, we are a small minority.”
A woven rug covered part of
the hardwood floor and softened their footsteps as they approached some
beech-wood chairs, which were cushioned. The brick fireplace occupied the
middle of one wall. Within the fireplace, a hot, flickering flame slowly licked
away at some logs.
“I’m Markus Christian, this
is Andrew Strong-heart, and this is Henry Willow,” Markus said, smiling
politely. “We are believers in Jesus and pilgrims.”
“Why don’t you folks come
into the dining room and have some soup my wife just finished preparing,” James
Blacksmith said cheerfully as he walked toward a wide entrance to a kitchen
area.
The kitchen was to the left
of the living room. In it, a table with eight chairs appeared. In one corner of
the kitchen, a fireplace sat with an iron kettle hanging from a hook above the
crackling flames.
“This is my favorite soup
recipe,” Isabel said as she walked over to the kettle and slipped oven mittens
over her hands.
In a few minutes, the family
and their guests were enjoying the soup along with thick slices of
freshly-baked bread.
“So, you folks came from a
long distance,” Isabel said.
“We did,” Andrew replied. “Markus
and I came from the town of ‘Mankind’ and Henry came from the town of
Turn-ridge. We found Henry in the dungeon of Baron Deception’s castle. We and
some other good knights were able to rescue him and his fellow prisoners.”
“So, you are knights then?”
Martin, a 16-year-old, said.
“We are,” Markus said,
looking at the young man with a kind expression.
“That sounds fun. I want to
be a knight,” Martin said with excitement in his voice. But a few seconds
later, he looked a little downcast as he said, “But, I was born into the family
of a middle-class blacksmith. We are not nobles. Knights are of the nobility.
You must have been born into a noble family.”
“You’re a believer in Jesus
Christ, aren’t you?” Markus said.
“Yes,” Martin said, nodding.
“I received Jesus as my Savior and Lord, and chose to forsake the world’s ways,
and to not live for myself.”
“Then, you are a prince in
God’s Kingdom, for you’ve been adopted into God’s family,” Markus said with a smile. “You are a knight,
and so is your mother and father, for God has no respect of persons. Romans
2:11 says, ‘[11] For there is no respect of persons with God.’ [End
quote.] So, God has no favorites.”
“Where in the Bible does it
say that I am a knight?” Martin said, curious.
Markus
replied: “In 2 Timothy 2:3, Paul wrote to Timothy and said, ‘[3] Thou
therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.’”
Andrew piped up and said, “In
Revelation 1:6, John said this about Jesus Christ making us kings for
God the Father’s purpose: ‘[6] And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father ; to
him be
glory
and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’”
“In Ephesians 6:10-20,
Paul wrote how we need to put on the whole armor of God,” Henry Willow added.
“Some notable verses in that passage are verses 10 through 12:
‘[10]
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
[11]
Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil.
[12]
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places.’ That’s Ephesians 6:10-12.”
“I want to do that,” Martin
said.
“I do as well,” his father
said.
“We need that armor of God,”
his mother chimed in.
Markus Christian said: “From
Ephesians 6, we find that there are 6 items needed by a soldier of Jesus Christ
: [1] The belt of truth; [2] the "breastplate of righteousness";
[3] the shoes of "the preparation of the gospel of peace"; [4]
the "shield of faith"; [5] the "helmet of salvation";
and [6] the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God".
In that same chapter of Ephesians, we see that prayer
goes along with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Holy Bible.”
“So, prayer is a weapon too?”
Martin said.
“It certainly is,” Markus
Christian replied. “The first part of Ephesians
6:18 [a.] says: ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the
Spirit,…’”
“I want to pray,” Martin said
suddenly. “I want to put on the same armor that you, Andrew, and Henry are
wearing.”
“Just take the armor and put
it on by faith,” Markus said. “You take it from God, who freely gives it, and
put it on by praying it on. Since you’re a believer in Jesus, you just pray to
Abba (Daddy) God as a child talking to his kind Father.”
The young man closed his eyes
and began praying silently. And, his parents did too. Seeing the family
praying, Markus and his friends excused themselves from the table and began
seeking God, through prayer, in different corners of the living room.
As he sought God, Markus felt
God putting on his heart the town of ‘Self-Preservation,’ where he was
visiting. So, he began interceding for it. Then, a minute into his prayer, he
heard an exclamation come from the kitchen, and he turned around and opened his
eyes.
“I have a suit of armor on,”
Markus exclaimed. “And, so do my parents!”
The young man was wearing a
suit of armor that fit him perfectly. It contained all the pieces of armor that
Markus and his two friends were wearing. A shield on his left arm concealed
part of his armor. In his right hand, he gripped a broadsword. He shouted,
“Praise God for this gift! Now, I am a knight in shining armor!”
Behind him appeared two other
harnessed knights. They opened their
visors, revealing Martin’s parents, James and Isabel.
“It is a miracle,” James
Blacksmith said as he entered the living room in his armor. “We were praying
with our eyes shut one moment. Then, the next moment, we found that we were
wearing armor.”
“Praise God!” Andrew said,
smiling. “You’ll need that knight’s harness. It will protect you
from the attacks of the devil and his footmen.”
Just as they were rejoicing,
a loud knocking sound suddenly came from a door downstairs.
“Martin, take the men upstairs to the attic,” James said with concern in his eyes. “Hide them as best as you can.”
“Martin, take the men upstairs to the attic,” James said with concern in his eyes. “Hide them as best as you can.”
[Harness: The armor
and equipment worn and used by a knight in battle. ‘Harnessed’ refers to being
equipped as a knight for battle. Note: This is an older definition of the
word.]
Encounter with Human
Soldiers
“Come this way,” Martin said,
glancing back toward his guests. “We have to hide you in case soldiers are
looking for you.”
Martin found a candle with a
candle holder and lit it using a burning sliver of wood from the fireplace.
Then, he led the three pilgrims down a hallway that connected into the living
room. A staircase at the end of the hall led up to the third floor.
The four quickly scrambled up
the steps and reached the next floor. In the dim candle light, the men could
see a hallway which passed down the length of the third floor. On either side
were doors leading into bedrooms. Martin led the pilgrims to the end of the
hall and reached up to grab a thin rope that hung from the ceiling. Pulling it,
he caused a large wooden panel to hinge downward, and a set of oaken folding
steps appeared. After he unfolded the stairs, Martin climbed up the steps and
motioned for the others to follow.
When all three pilgrims were
standing on the hardwood floor of the attic, the young man whispered, “We have
to be quiet because the men might hear us if we are too noisy.”
Below them, in the second
story, Isabel Blacksmith had seen her husband descending the staircase that led
to the first floor. She was praying and interceding for her family and for the
three pilgrims that had come to their home. She knew that if the pilgrims were
caught they would be locked in the municipal prison and would await a trial in
a biased, Medieval court. And, she was certain that she and her family would be
placed in prison for aiding the pilgrims. She knew that in her country all
followers of Jesus were to be arrested and imprisoned.
“Dear God, give my husband
the right words to say,” she whispered.
As she prayed, James opened
the front door leading outside. Standing in the street outside his house was a
band of ten human soldiers. Their faces appeared in the flickering light of
several torches.
“We are looking for three men
who entered this town without permission from Baron Charles Yorkshire,” the
nearest soldier said. “They were last seen heading toward this part of town.
Have you seen them?”
Unlike the demonic
soldiers guarding the town walls, the men’s faces were not covered by helmet
visors. Instead, they had Norman-style helmets which had nose guards and peaked
crowns (tops).
“Who are these men that
you’re looking for?” James said.
Unlike the demonic
soldiers the pilgrims had faced, these human soldiers’ surcoats were yellow and
blue.
“They are dangerous bandits
on a journey,” the soldier said. “They entered this town unlawfully and without
permission. We are here to arrest them. Have you seen them?”
James’s suit of armor was
now transparent, and his regular clothes were all that the men could see.
“I have not seen any
dangerous bandits, sir,” James said truthfully, for he knew that his guests
were not bandits.
“If you do, be sure to report
them to any of our soldiers, and we will bring the matter to the Baron,” the
soldier said, studying James’s face for a few seconds before he turned away.
“Let’s go,” he said to his
men as he walked away from the house and down the street. And, his men
followed.
Once James had shut the door,
he sighed with relief. ‘That was close,’ he thought. ‘God must have given me
the wisdom for how to respond to that human soldier.’
He bolted the door, turned,
and hurried up the staircase leading to the second floor. As he entered the
room, he saw his wife praying. She looked up at him and James revealed how his
encounter with the soldiers had gone. His armor was now fully opaque as he told
his wife about the exchange.
[Opaque: This
refers to something that does not let light pass through it. It is not
transparent.]
“God delivered us from the
soldiers,” Isabel said after hearing his account of the past minutes. “Praise
be to His Name. He answered my prayers!”
“I will get our horses
hitched up to the wagon and hide the men in some barrels,” James said,
scratching his black, curly beard as he thought. “And, I’ll take them out of
town early in the morning. But, I’ll need to seek God to see if I should do
that or not.”
“We must always depend on God,”
Isabel said.
“Okay,” James said. “I’d like
to pray. I’ll get the men to come down here so we can have a prayer meeting.”
In a short time, all three
pilgrims and the small family were gathered in the Blacksmiths’ living room.
James had informed Markus, Andrew, and Henry about his plan. Afterwards, the
Christians began to pray and intercede for the town, including its leaders.
Baron Charles Yorkshire was a subject of their prayers.
“Father God,” Markus prayed,
“I ask that you will open the eyes of the leaders of this town, including Baron
Yorkshire’s eyes, that they will understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that
salvation, cleansing from sin, and eternal life are not by their own works. I
pray that they will understand the truth about who Jesus Christ really is, and
that He was not just a man. He was God in the flesh when He came to the earth,
and He is God, and He forever is God--God the Son.”
“Yes,” several said, in
agreement.
“Father God,” Markus
continued, praying, “I ask that the people of this town will understand how the
devil and his evil minions are deceiving them. May the power of the devil
weaken and collapse, to a certain extent, in this town. May this be so that
many will have their hearts opened to the Gospel. In Jesus Christ’s Name.
Amen.”
Several more people prayed.
Then, they had a Bible study, as a group. Two hours later, the group ended the
meeting and prepared for bed. Martin led the three guests up to the attic and
gave them some sleeping pads, pillows, and blankets.
With a candle burning to
provide some light, the three settled into their bedding material, situated
about seven feet apart from each other. Exhausted from their adventures, they
quickly fell asleep.
Some hours later, and shortly
after the sun had risen, the pilgrims and their hosts ate breakfast. Then,
James Blacksmith left the house and entered his stable where he kept a horse
and a couple oxen. He soon hitched the oxen to a wagon. Then, with the help of
his guests and son, he loaded three large barrels into the back of the wagon.
Markus, Andrew, and Henry
stepped into the barrels and crouched down. Then, James placed lids on them and
fastened the barrels together with rope so they would not wobble when the wagon
would pass over rough ground.
Once everything was secure,
James hopped onto the driver’s seat, took the reins, and got the oxen moving
with a little flick of a long stick. Several minutes later, they neared an
opened gate leading out of the town in the direction the pilgrim’s were
desiring to go. Two human soldiers, wearing yellow and blue surcoats, stood on
either side of the double doors. With curiosity, they studied the ox cart as it
approached. Then, one abruptly stood right in front of the cart and held up a
hand.
“Stop!” the soldier said gruffly.
James pulled back on the
reins, and the oxen came to a standstill.
The soldier walked over to
James and said, “Where are you going with those barrels?”
“I’m heading on an errand
into the forest,” James said, looking at the soldier, who appeared to be strong
and tough-looking. The soldier’s Norman helmet reflected the rays of the rising
sun.
“Make sure you come back
within an hour,” the soldier said. “They will be having a census today. Last
night Baron Yorkshire ordered it to take place this morning before noon. If you
are wondering why, it’s because three bandits were seen entering this town. We
suspect they might be staying with someone. Every house will be searched to
make sure no stowaways are there.”
“Okay. Well, I’ll definitely
be back within an hour,” James said.
The soldier stepped back and
said, “By the way, you’re one of the blacksmiths, aren’t you?”
“Uh. That’s right,” James
said. He felt his skin begin to tingle with nervousness.
“Tomorrow, would you be able
to repair a tool of mine?” the soldier said.
“Certainly,” James said,
relaxing and smiling.
“I’ll talk to you more about
it once you have returned,” the soldier said as he stepped to the side.
“That sounds good. I’ll see
you later,” James said as he flicked his reins.
The oxen began to walk
forward and brought the cart with its special cargo on its way.
“You can come out now,” James
said.
The lids opened, one after
another, and Markus, Andrew, and Henry stood up, groaned, and stretched. They
stepped out of the barrels and hopped to the ground.
“That was a miracle we were
able to get past that human guard,” Henry said, brushing some dust off his
shield.
“Praise God,” Andrew said,
rejoicing, with a bright smile. “He kept us safe!”
“James, I can’t thank you
enough for your kindness,” Markus said as he approached his kind host.
He reached into a small,
leather pouch fastened to his belt and drew out two silver coins.
“No, don’t pay me, my
friend,” James said, chuckling. “It is a gift. I will do anything for my
brothers in Christ.”
“Are you sure?” Markus said,
holding out the coins.
“Yes,” James said. “You keep
the money. Consider my hospitality as the least I can do for my brethren. I
remember our Lord Jesus Christ once said, ‘[42] And whosoever shall give to
drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the
name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his
reward.’ [Matthew 10:42.]”
“You’re doing more than just
giving us a cup of cold water,” Andrew said. “What can we do for you?”
James stepped closer to the
three pilgrims and said, “If you want to do something for me, pray for me and
my family. We are in a town that hates Christians. We have to be very careful
when we talk to people about our faith. I need God’s help to stand strong for
the truth and to not cave in to the pressure to conform with the world, or to
lie to people to preserve myself. Pray for me that I will have wisdom and
discretion but also stand strong for the truth, even if it costs me my life.”
“We certainly will,” Markus
said.
“God will bless you for
helping us,” Henry said, smiling.
“Oh, and pray for also for my
town,” James added. “It is full of deception and ungodliness. We feel like we
are one of the few Christian families there. This town needs Jesus. Pray for
us.”
“We will certainly pray for
you and for your town. Our prayer-answering God is going to do something wonderful,
I believe,” Markus said. “I remember how God’s Word says this amazing truth in 1
John 5:14-15: ‘[14] And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask
any thing according to his will, he heareth us : [15] and if we know that he
hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired
of him.’”
“So,” Andrew said, “then,
that means that if we ask Abba God for anything that would agree with His will,
He will do it. God will answer that request. So, all we need to do is find
out Abba God’s will by asking Him, and then praying according to His will, and
God will answer our petition or request.”
“That is right,” Markus said.
“That is what the Bible teaches. And, praying to God is actually a blessing
because we are fellowshipping with our Abba Father God.”
James said, “I remember
studying a great passage from Romans chapter 8, verses 14 through 18. Do you
want to hear it quoted?”
“Yes,” Markus said.
James Blacksmith cleared his
throat and said, “Romans 8:14-18 says:
‘[14] For as many as
are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
[15]
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear ; but ye have
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
[16]
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of
God :
[17]
and if children, then heirs ; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, if so
be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
[18]
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with
the glory which shall be revealed in us.’”
“That is a great passage of
scripture,” Henry said when he had finished quoting it. “We Christians are
joint-heirs with Christ Jesus. That is wonderful! Praise God for His gift!”
The men talked a little
longer, prayed together, and then parted ways. James rode the wagon back toward
the town, and the three travelers turned and started walking down the dirt road
through the woods.
[Note: James
Blacksmith’s suit of armor became clear or nearly invisible because it is the
armor of Ephesians 6. It is spiritual armor. Human beings cannot see it. But,
this armor is even more effective for the spiritual realm than the best
physical armor is for the physical realm.
The knights wearing
dark-grey armor, helmets with closed visors, and red and black surcoats
represent evil spirits which Christians have to resist with the sword of the
Spirit, God’s Word. In this story, soldiers with exposed faces are human
soldiers with physical armor and weapons.]
Chapter 6
The Battle
The travelers had just gone
three miles on foot when they saw an obstruction to their path. A high, stone
wall ran across the path and into the forest on either side of the road. It had
a wide, wooden gate which was shut. To the left of the gate appeared a closed
narrow door. And, standing before the gate were two giants. They were taller
and larger than any giant Markus had ever seen. Each carried a battle axe and a
large hammer. And, both wore the dark-grey armor and red and black surcoats of
the enemy.
Seeing the pilgrims coming
their way, the two starting to walk forward toward the Christians. Markus and
his friends were now in their sights. To make matters worse, four crossbow
archers stepped out of the forest and took aim at the armored pilgrims as they
steadily approached.
“It looks like we’re
outnumbered,” Henry Willow said with a little nervousness as he drew his sword
and shut his visor.
Drawing his sword, Markus
said, “But, God is with us, and He will never forsake us.”
“We need His help about now,”
Henry said.
“I believe God will come
through for us,” Andrew said, entering the conversation.
On each archer’s helmet
appeared the words “Lies of the devil.” None of giants’ or archers’
faces were visible since they had permanently closed helmet visors. And, this
gave them menacing appearance.
“I know who you are,” the
giant to the left bellowed with a guttural voice. “You are Markus, Andrew, and
Henry. I am Sir Unbelief. You remember me, don’t you?”
His face was concealed by his
closed visor, but Markus could now see the word “Unbelief” painted on his
helmet. The other giant had the word “Pride” painted, in red, across his
helmet.
“Yes,” Markus said evenly.
“You seem larger than when I last saw you.”
“That’s because I have gained
more power since you last saw me,” Unbelief said with a harsh chuckle.
“Who is the giant standing
beside you?” Markus said.
“I am Baron Pride,” the other
giant said with a deep, booming voice. “We are here to prevent you from passing
through this wall on your journey to the Kingdom of Heaven.”
“Our God is for us!” Andrew
shouted. “He will give us the victory over you.”
“You yourselves have
the power to fight,” Baron Pride said. “You are men of might and excellent strength.
Come and fight me.”
“I will,” Andrew said as he
ran forward. “I will send you fleeing.”
Baron Pride stepped forward
to meet the armored knight as Andrew sped toward him.
The giant studied him for a
few moments as the man approached him. Then, with a powerful swing of his
hammer, he struck Andrew in the shoulder plate--clang--and sent him
flying into a bush on the side of the path. Andrew moaned as he stood to his
feet. The hammer had struck a powerful blow against his shoulder plate, sending
shock waves through his body. By a miracle, he was still in once piece, and no
bones were broken.
“Andrew, you are better than
even Markus at fighting. You just need to get warmed up,” Baron Pride said as
he waited for Andrew to return to the road.
“I am a good fighter, but I
don’t want to compare with other people,” Andrew said.
“Why you are even better than
a king at fighting,” Baron Pride said. “I could see you defeat the champion of
France in single combat.”
“I am not a champion, am I?”
Andrew said.
“Of course you are,” Baron
Pride retorted. “You are better than a champion.”
“I’m going to send you into a
retreat,” Andrew said as he suddenly took courage and charged toward the
giant’s armored legs. As he ran, giant Unbelief watched and chuckled quietly.
Andrew swung at Baron Pride’s
large legs, but the giant blocked the swing with his huge sword. Then, he
struck Andrew in the breastplate with his large hammer--clash,
and the man went flying. His shield and sword flew out of his hands and he
landed with a thump on the grass. Now, he felt humiliated and defeated.
“I am a giant,” Baron Pride
said. “You are a man. This isn’t a fair match. But, I am sure you can defeat
Markus in a game of single combat. Of course, with rules.”
“I don’t want to fight in a
match with Markus,” Andrew said.
“You are very strong. Surely
you can defeat him,” Baron Pride said as he stared down at the man who now
stood to his feet.
“It isn’t about me. I need to
get through this gate, and Markus and I work as a team. Besides, we are
friends,” Andrew said.
“What I’m talking about is
just a harmless game to see who is better,” Baron Pride said with a tone in his
voice that sounded ‘kind,’ but was secretly full of malice.
“Andrew, that giant is trying
to get you to be proud like he is,” Markus said. “Use the Bible and your sword,
and attack the monster. But, make sure you are humble before God.”
“You’re right, Markus,”
Andrew said. Andrew began praying silently, asking God for forgiveness for
being proud, and he chose to forsake pride. “Father God, now that I’ve
repented, I ask you to give me the wisdom and power to defeat this giant of
pride who is trying to keep me from going on this path that leads to Heaven.
Help me and give me the ability to conquer him. Apart from you, I can do
nothing.”
Then, Andrew turned to look
up at the giant and said, “Baron Pride, God’s Word says, ‘Pride goeth before
destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble
spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.’ [Proverbs
16:18-19.]”
Andrew
added, “My security is in the Lord Jesus Christ. I belong to Him and not to
you.”
“Ha! That is a silly notion,”
the giant said, chuckling. “You will soon belong to me.”
Then, Andrew suddenly
sprinted toward the giants legs and attacked. Clang. Clang. Clang. He
repeatedly struck the giant’s armored left leg with his sword, and a dent began
to appear in the armor. Before the giant could swing his hammer down, Andrew
ran between his foe’s legs and was now behind him.
But, as he prepared to attack
the giant from behind, Unbelief, the other giant, came up with his axe and
swung the sharp, heavy blade toward Andrew. Andrew raised his shield to block
the weapon just in time, and a loud clang echoed through the air.
“We have to help him,” Markus
said to Henry as he suddenly charged forward.
“I’m with you,” Henry shouted
as he broke into a run.
Now, the four archers began
to unleash their crossbow bolts on the pilgrim knights. In response, Henry,
Andrew, and Markus kept their shields up to block the crossbow bolts. And, the
bolts glanced off with loud pings. Since crossbows are slow-loading weapons,
the archers could not fire too many at once.
Then, Henry and Markus
attacked Baron Pride while Andrew fought giant Unbelief. The battle was fierce.
The giants gave the Christians a major challenge, especially with their
hammers. At one point Unbelief was able to knock the shield out of Henry’s
hands, but Markus quickly kicked it toward him. And, Henry put it on just in
time to block a blow from Unbelief’s huge battle axe.
Some of the powerful swings
of the giants’ hammers were able to knock Markus and Henry to the ground. But,
with God’s help, they were able to stand up, recover their shields and swords,
and continue the fight. All the while, they had to watch out for crossbow bolts
that constantly flew toward them.
The crossbow bolts sometimes
partially pierced into their armor, but the bolts only pricked the skin,
causing very small amounts of bleeding. Thankfully, the damage was minor
compared to what it could have been.
After half an hour, the
giants both began to show weakness. One was their inability to stop the
Christians from running between their feet and around behind them. From their
position behind the giants, the pilgrim knights could attack the giants in the
legs and weaken their leg armor. Before long, this tactic proved effective, and
the giants were starting to notice their leg armor cracking.
When a piece of armor
suddenly cracked open and slipped off Baron Pride’s lower leg, he realized that
he could not continue the fight in this condition, so he retreated toward the
gate. As he approached it, the gate was opened and he hurried through.
Giant Unbelief continued the
battle for ten more minutes before his armored boot began to crack. Seeing the
crack widening, the giant hustled toward the gate and passed through. And, it
slammed shut with a loud, wooden boom. Giant Unbelief didn’t want to
lose his armor, for without it, he could not hold back an armed Christian.
[Note: These
crossbow bolts represent lies that Satan tells people. The bolts did not fully
penetrate the Christians’ armor because Markus and his friends were mostly
trusting in Jesus. Ephesians 6:16 says: “Above all,
taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery
darts of the wicked.” {End quote.}
This means that as we place our trust in God, and in Jesus
Christ, in the Holy Bible, we will be able to overcome all the attacks of the
enemy. We Christians might not fully trust
in God’s Word, and we may actually believe some of the devil’s lies for a time,
but God will show us the truth, and He will help us to forsake the lies of the
devil. But, we have to make the choice to obey God’s conviction and guidance,
which agrees with the Holy Bible, God’s Word.]
The Wall
Breathing hard from their
exertions, the three pilgrims held up their shields and formed a circle with
their shields facing outward, and their bodies huddled in the middle of the
circle. Crossbow bolts continued to fly, but they glanced off the shields with
loud pings. After a few more minutes, the archers spent all their bolts and
decided to retreat into the depths of the forest.
Relieved that the attack was
over, the three travelers removed some metal water canteens from their belts
and drank the fresh, cool water like men who hadn’t had the liquid in five
hours.
“We need to pass through that
narrow door in the wall,” Markus said, pointing at the small door to the left
of the large, locked gate. “As you know, our Lord Jesus Christ said, ‘[13] Enter ye in at
the strait gate : for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that
leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat : [14] because
strait is
the
gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find
it.’ [Matthew 7:13-14.]”
“But, the door is shut,”
Andrew said, glancing at the high, stone wall.
“We have been cleansed by the
blood of Jesus,” Henry said. “And, we are new creations in Christ, as 2
Corinthians 5:17 says. I believe we will not have a problem getting through
that door.”
“That’s a good point, Henry.
Let’s see if the door is unlocked,” Markus said.
With their shields raised for
protection, Markus and his friends cautiously walked toward the narrow door.
Their swords were drawn and ready for anything. Thankfully, no more crossbow
bolts were fired at the pilgrims. So, they quickened their pace until they
reached the door. The men soon noticed a wide, metal slot in an iron box built
into middle of the door. The men didn’t know what to make of the slot in the
iron box, but then Markus touched his sword tip against the iron box, and an
idea came to him.
“You can’t come through here,
Christian,” a sneering voice suddenly said from the other side of the wall.
“I have the sword of the
Spirit, which the Bible says is sharper than any two-edged sword,” Markus said
boldly. “You cannot stop the Word of God!”
Then, he suddenly jabbed his
sword through the slot in the metal box. A clicking sound came as Markus
rotated the sword handle to the right. The clicking issued from a locking
mechanism within the metal box in the door. Then, Markus pulled his sword out
of the slot and pushed on the door with his shield. Almost effortlessly, the
narrow door swung open.
Standing before the pilgrims,
a large creature leered at them through its closed helmet visor. ‘This giant
must be at least ten feet tall,’ Markus thought to himself with concern. On the
giant’s dark-grey helmet appeared the phrase “Legalism and Hypocrisy.”
“You will not be able to get
past me, you humans. Look at all the wounds you received from the other
giants,” Legalism said with a gloating tone in his voice.
After saying a quick prayer
for strength, Markus looked up at the giant and pointed his sword at the
creature. He said, “With God’s help, I will be able to defeat you. And, without
God’s help, I can do nothing. I stand by God’s grace through faith. I cannot
stand apart from God’s grace. And, I cannot have anything good, unless God
gives it to me. Step aside, Legalism.”
“We trust in Jesus Christ
alone,” Andrew said, chiming in.
“You will never be able to
defeat me, Christians,” Legalism said, smirking at the men below. “I take
Pilgrims off the path of life every day. I lead them into self-righteousness,
pride, and hypocrisy. Many die and perish in Hell because of me. They forsake
Jesus because I allure them with pride. You will fall like those other
Christians have fallen, and you will perish.”
The Battle with Giant
Legalism
Then, the monster stooped
down and reached for a large hammer lying on the ground. But, just as he was
stooping down to picked it up, Markus suddenly charged toward him and swung his
sword at the giant’s armored gauntlet (a long glove). He struck the armored
glove three times--clang, clang, clang. The giant quickly withdrew his
hands and roared with anger and pain.
Then, the large creature
tried to picked up the hammer again, but Markus and Andrew together attacked
him, and whacked at his gloves. In seconds, the giant’s glove came off and he
quickly withdrew his hand and shouted, “I will destroy you, you Christians!”
The giant drew a sword from
his belt and attacked, but he was facing three knights who also had shields.
And, in a couple minutes, they had managed to dislodge his sword--clang,
sending it flying into the air. Seeing he was defenseless, the giant turned and
ran toward a large bush.
As giant Legalism hurried
toward the bush, he turned and said, “You haven’t seen the last of my power,
Christians. I will get revenge on you yet!”
Then, they saw him stoop down
and grab a metal handle in the ground. An iron trap door opened, revealing a
set of stone stairs descending into the earth. The giant quickly scuttled down
the stairs, and shut the hatch behind him. After a few seconds, the Christians
could hear a clicking sound as the trap door was locked shut.
Recovering from the
Battles
Now that the battle was over,
they began pulling crossbow bolts out of their armor and dropping them on the
ground. The bolts had made them feel somewhat like pincushions. As mentioned
earlier, none of the bolts had given them serious wounds. They had just
received scratches from the crossbow bolt tips.
“Praise God for giving us the
victory over those giants!” Markus said with excitement as he drew out a bolt
from where it had slightly pierced his breastplate. “We couldn’t have done that
without God’s help, and without God’s Word, and without God’s grace. Only by
God’s unmerited favor (grace), by faith (which God gives everyone),
and by God’s Word did we overcome those principalities and powers of spiritual
darkness.”
“And, God would give those
same things to anyone who hears God’s call, which is for every man, woman, and
child,” Andrew said dropping a crossbow bolt on the ground.
“I remember reading from John
chapter 12,” Markus said. “Jesus was speaking something very profound in
this passage about His love for the human race. Jesus in John 12:32-33
said: ‘[32] And
I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. [33]
This he said, signifying what death he should die.’”
“So, Jesus said he would draw
all men unto Himself,” Henry said with joy. “That is wonderful. God has no
respect of persons, as Romans 2:11 says. He has no favorites. Our Abba
Father God loves all people! And, He wants them all to be saved, as 1
Timothy 2:3-4 says.”
“Oh, I remember that
passage,” Andrew said. “It says, ‘[3] For this is good and
acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour ; [4] who will have all men to be
saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.’ [1 Timothy 2:3-4.] It says ‘all’ men,
meaning all people. God wants all people to be saved.”
Markus said, “I remember that
1 Timothy 2 goes on to say: ‘[5] For there is one God, and
one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus ; [6] who gave himself a
ransom for all, to be testified in due time.’ [1 Timothy 2:5-6.]”
“There is no other way of
being saved than by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ,” Henry said.
“And, by making Him your
Savior and Lord,” Andrew added.
“That’s right,” Henry said,
nodding and smiling.
The Group of 14
The men saw the path continue
on through the forest, so they started walking down it and talked as they went.
Four miles passed under their feet. As they proceeded, the woods grew denser
and denser, and the evening came as the sun lowered in the sky. Soon, they
noticed a group of 14 knights in shining, silvery armor walking the trail ahead
of them. Accompanying the knights and plodding beside them were several mules
laden with haversacks, rolled-up blankets, and supplies.
Hurrying to reach them, the
three travelers soon closed the distance between themselves and the next group.
When they were now within earshot of the group of 14, Markus said loudly,
“Hello. You there, we would like to join your group.”
Some of the 14 knights turned
their way, and one said, “Who are you?”
“We are pilgrims traveling
toward Heaven,” Markus replied.
The one who spoke to Markus
tapped on the shoulders of his friends and said loudly, “Look behind you, we
have visitors.”
The band of knights turned to
face Markus, and some drew their swords. But then they relaxed, seeing Markus
and his companions were wearing the same type of armor they had on.
“We are pilgrims making a
journey toward the Kingdom of Heaven,” Andrew said.
“Oh, well, so are we,” one of
the 14 said with a smile on his bearded face. “Come and join us.”
“You came through the narrow
gate by putting your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation?” Markus
said.
“Yes, we all did,” the man
with the bearded face said. “By the way, I am Edmund
Green-rock. And, you are?”
“I am Markus Christian,”
Markus replied, smiling.
“I’m Henry Willow,” Henry
said, scratching his long, brown beard.
“Andrew Strong-heart,” Andrew
said, nodding.
“It’s a pleasure to meet
other Christians,” Edmund said, smiling. “I love to talk with people who like
attending church and enjoy Christian activities.”
Turning to a man standing
beside him, Edmund said, “William Castle-hill loves to travel. He has many
interesting tales to tell. Don’t you, William?”
“I sure do,” William said,
grinning. “I could make you laugh one moment and cry the next.”
“Tell us a story,” Henry
said, curious.
William began to tell them of
some of his exploits in a far off country while he was in search of a lost
parchment which had been stolen from a nobleman. The three travelers visited
with him and other members of the group for two hours, enjoying his company.
Presently, as William was
just finishing his story, Markus noticed movement coming from the left. He
turned to see two knights walking down a wide trail to his left. The wide trail
connected to the trail Markus followed near a fallen tree. Both knights were
wearing suits of armor that resembled the armor worn by the pilgrims, except
for a small difference. The armor worn by the Christians was silvery and shiny.
But, the armor worn by these two knights was a dull grey color.
Herod Blue-tree
One of the two knights walked
over to William and Edmund. As he drew near, he said, “I think you gentlemen
would like to come with me. I am Herod Blue-tree. I came here with Dathan
Oak-hill. We also are pilgrims. The sun is close to the horizon, and it is
quite late to be walking. I have been residing in a town just a mile from here:
Hyper-Grace. It is a good town and is quite large in size. We have many
fabulous inns, several large churches, and many places to entertain yourselves
for the night.”
“But, I am supposed to walk
this path to the Kingdom of Heaven,” William said. “It is the only way.”
“Oh, you’ll be able to
continue on your journey toward Heaven,” Herod Blue-tree said, smiling. “Just
spend a night at Hyper-Grace. There are plenty of fun pastimes and comfortable
inns there. The Churches of Hyper-Grace are also great places to meet other believers
who are like-minded.”
“Well,” William said,
glancing at Edmund, “I guess I’ll go there just for the night. It is getting
late. And, I am feeling rather tired of walking.”
“William,” Henry said with
concern, “that town is not on the path of righteousness, which we are walking
on. If you go that way, you will be harming yourself spiritually. You need to
seek God and forsake this town of Hyper-Grace.”
“Please don’t tell me what I
should do,” William said with annoyance in his voice. “I feel tired and I want
to go there just for the night. I’ll be back in the morning.”
Turning toward Mr. Blue-tree,
William said, “Herod, I’m ready to go.”
“Great, then come with me,”
Herod Blue-tree said, patting William on the back. They began having a lively
conversation as they walked away from the group of pilgrims.
Herod Blue-tree, Dathan
Oak-hill, and William walked away, along with five other pilgrims who
accompanied them. Markus, Henry, and Andrew watched them go and prayed that
they would turn back to the truth.
A verse came to Markus’s mind
as he watched them depart. It was Proverbs 16:25: “[25] There is a way
that seemeth right unto a man ; but the end thereof are the ways of
death.”
___________________________
[Read chapters 7 and 8 here.]
[Read chapters 1 and 2 here.]
[Read "PILGRIM'S JOURNEY: THE QUEST FOR HEAVEN: BOOK 2: Faith Challenged" here. (PDF)]
[Read chapters 7 and 8 here.]
[Read chapters 1 and 2 here.]
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