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.
Pilgrim’s Journey: The Quest for Heaven
- BOOK 2 -
Faith Challenged
- A Novel / Allegory -
By: Justin Brown (a pen name)
Date Created: Jan. 23, 2019
Chapter 5
Preaching in the Town
Square
“You men and women of
Insipidity, God is lovingly calling out to you with a message of warning,”
Markus Christian said loudly as he stood on a wooden speaking platform in the
middle of the large, town square. “Judgment is about to fall on your town for
the evil of your doings–your idolatry, blasphemy, adultery, and rejecting God’s
messengers, and for seeking to kill His prophets.”
Villagers were gathered
around the wooden platform in all directions. Men, women, and children of all
ages were watching Markus, Henry, and Andrew standing on the platform and
speaking. Many spectators were hissing and booing. But, others were paying
close attention. As this was taking place, four of the pilgrims stood at the
rear of the crowd, feeling nervous about what might happen next.
“You have sought after Baal,
the god of worldly pleasure,” Andrew said, piping up, “and you have drunk from
the cup of iniquity, the cup of judgment. All who drink of this cup will be
judged with fire and brimstone, or burning sulfur (1.).”
“You two should keep your
mouths shut!” a husky man with a black cowl and
a deep voice cried. “I am a good man and I give to the poor. I don’t need your
preaching.” [Cowl: A hooded
cloak commonly worn by monks but also worn by other people during the Middle
Ages.]
“Your works do not pay for
any of your sins,” Andrew said, “for only the blood of Jesus Christ, which He
shed on the cross of Calvary, can cleanse you from sin (2.). Sin
is your enemy, but you have made it your friend, and you have called God and
His ways intolerable.”
[Note: (1.) Revelation 14:8-11 says: “[8] And there followed another
angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made
all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. [9] And the
third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the
beast and his image, and receive his mark in his
forehead, or in his hand, [10] the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of
God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation ; and
he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy
angels, and in the presence of the Lamb : [11] and the smoke of their torment
ascendeth up for ever and ever : and they have no rest day nor night, who
worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”]
[Brimstone in this passage refers to
burning sulfur.]
[Note: (2.) Romans
5:6-11 says: “[6] For when we were yet without
strength, in due time Christ died
for
the ungodly. [7] For scarcely for a righteous man will one die : yet
peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. [8] But God commendeth
his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. [9]
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through him. [10] For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by
the death of his Son ; much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his
life. [11] And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom
we have now received the atonement.”]
Men shouted insults and
jeered as he spoke. At the back of the crowd, armed soldiers looked on, and
some scowled at the three men on the platform.
“If you continue walking in
this hypocritical and evil way, doing your own pleasure and seeking your own
will, you will perish in the fires of Hell,” Markus said, taking his turn.
Andrew added, “That is why
God sent us to warn you to repent from the wickedness of your ways and to
follow Him. Town of Insipidity, trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation
and repent, or judgment and fire will fall upon you and burn up your town and
your bodies.”
“My friends,” Markus said
next, “the fires of Hell are eternal, and your immortal
souls and spirits are also eternal. In Hell, you will suffer with immense
torment and pain. There will be no rest to the wicked, as the Scripture says in
Revelation 14. If you value what matters, and if you are wise, listen to these
words. Forsake your will to seek your own plans, and seek to know God through
Jesus Christ.” [Immortal: This
refers to having an eternal existence.]
“Don’t ignore these words,
like I did long ago,” Henry Willow said loudly. “If you ignore us, you have
everything to lose, and nothing to gain. But, if you repent and seek God, you
have everything of Heaven to gain, and nothing eternal to
lose.”
“Stop talking and get off the
platform!” an angry, burly man with a hood over his head shouted at them with
clenched fists. He stood to Markus’s right.
“What must we do to be
saved?” a woman with children cried from Markus’s left.
“Paul, an apostle, said this
in part of Acts 16:31: ‘… Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved,….’” Markus said, glancing at the woman and then at the
rest of the crowd. “Trust that only Jesus Christ can save you by the
blood that He shed on a Roman cross. Trust that only His blood can
make you whole and clean. Believe that your works cannot
save you. Seek to know God as your God, your Friend, your Guide, and
your Father. His Spirit will minister to your spirit as you believe on Him.
[See Galatians 3:5.]”
Henry Willow said, “1
Timothy 2:3-6 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. [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.’”
Right as Henry finished
speaking, a number of men, including the burly man with the hood, jumped onto
the platform and started speaking against what the pilgrims had said.
“These men are vile, false
teachers who are seeking to put us under their deception,” the burly man with
the hood shouted. “Let’s show them that we will not stand for such nonsense.
Let us hang them from a rope. They deserve to die.”
“Yes, lynch them,” several
voices in the crowd shouted.
“No,” several people shouted.
“Let them live!”
“Lynch them!” other voices
shouted.
Seeing them, Markus assumed
the torches were meant to either set alight a bonfire or to scare away the
crowd. Another thought came to him. ‘Could it be,’ Markus thought fearfully,
‘that those soldiers will tie me to a wooden post and burn me alive?’
“Dear Father God, if they are
intent on killing us,” Markus said, “let us escape their hands. But, I am
willing to die for your sake.”
“My son, watch and see. I
will protect you,” God’s kind voice spoke to his spirit.
The soldiers began pushing
people out of the way as they marched through the crowd toward the platform.
The mob became more subdued, seeing the armed men and the lord mayor. Once the
band of soldiers reached the platform, several soldiers stepped onto the stage
and ordered the men to get off, except for the three speakers, Markus, Henry,
and Andrew.
Then, the lord mayor and two
bodyguards stepped onto the platform. He began speaking to the townspeople
trying to pacify them. Then, he turned toward Markus and his friends, and said,
“These three men are going to be leaving this town shortly, but what they said
has deeply impacted me. I have been listening to their message from a rooftop
this whole time. It is very convicting to me. People, let us put away our pet peeves, willful sins,
worries, idols, contentions, and strife. Let
us turn to the God of Heaven and seek Him. I am convinced that if
we do not repent, we will be destroyed.”
A hush fell over the crowd as
their leader spoke to them and gave his approval to the message spoken by the
three pilgrims. When the lord mayor had ended his speech, an older man in the
crowd said, “I want to know the Jesus that the three speakers have talked
about.” Several other voices chimed in, speaking of their agreement.
After hearing that, the lord
mayor said loudly, “Anyone who seeks to harm the men who are standing on this
platform shall be locked in the dungeon and be given a ten-year sentence. His
portion shall be stale bread and pig slop.”
The burly man with the hood
frowned and shook his head.
But, hearts were opening to
the Gospel message before the mayor had uttered his warning. That day, 100
people committed their lives to the Lord Jesus and were baptized in a pond
outside the village. The lord mayor was one of them. That night, the mayor made
a feast for the seven pilgrims and invited the 100 new believers to the banquet
in his great hall.
The “Joust”
The next morning, Markus and
the original six pilgrim knights set out on their journey, riding atop seven
white, muscular chargers given them by the
lord mayor. Five new pilgrim knights, who had been baptized recently, rode atop
some strong war horses behind Markus and his friends.
Gleaming in the sunlight,
shiny armor appeared on all 12 pilgrims. It was no longer translucent. [Charger: A cavalry horse which is strong and
large. It was used for cavalry charges against enemy troops.]
They had only gone half a
mile from the town when Henry said loudly, “I see knights on horses coming
straight toward us. They just came from the forest at the far end of the
valley. Do you see them, Markus?”
Markus squinted and saw, sure
enough, a group of 24 chestnut horses cantering across a grassy field. They had
just come from the shadows of the woods behind them. Riding atop the horses
were 24 knights with slate-grey armor, iron lances, shields, and sallet helmets with closed visors and bevors. Their surcoats were red and black. One
of the 24 knights carried a flag on his lance. It displayed the word “Pride”
below a medieval, rampant dragon image.
[Note: Read about sallet helmets and bevors in Chapter 1 in the section titled “The Castle of Baron
Tyrannous Entertainment.”]
“Men, we are well
outnumbered, but God is on our side,” Markus said. “Let’s look to Father God
for the victory that is His.”
Seeing the group of 24
approaching them, two of the new pilgrim knights broke away from Markus’s group
and galloped back toward the town.
“Come back,” Markus shouted
after them. “If you run from the battle, how is that evidence of your faith in
God? These enemy knights are sent by the prince of darkness, no doubt. We can
stand against them in the power of Jesus Christ.”
“There is no hope in defeating
them,” one of the fleeing knights shouted over his shoulder.
But, as the two galloped
toward the city, a group of five evil knights on chargers suddenly emerged from
the woods in the mountain spur behind the small town. They galloped around the town
of Insipidity and then formed a line directly in the path of the two fleeing
pilgrims. Seeing their enemy blocking their path, the two pilgrim knights
turned their horses around and galloped back toward their friends.
As they did, the 24 mounted
knights broke into a full gallop. The ground thundered under the horse hooves,
and dust flew up behind them. The 24 formed into a wide line and galloped
straight toward the armored pilgrims.
Markus said a quick prayer as he shut his close helm visor, which was now opaque and solid. He held up his shield and drew his broadsword from its scabbard. ‘Only by God’s strength…,’ he thought. Before he could fully finish his thought, the enemy knights had lowered their sharp, metal lances and were a mere seconds away from contact. [Opaque: Something that is opaque does not let light pass through it. It is not transparent or semi-transparent.]
Crash! Lances struck against shields and breastplates as
the 24 knights plowed through the pilgrim knights. Several of the pilgrims fell
heavily to the ground, slightly wounded. Henry, Markus, Gregory, and four
others had been dismounted from their horses.
Markus lay on the grass with
his shield a few feet away and his broadsword on the ground nearby. A lance had
struck him in a place on the shield that would dismount him. Instead of the
lance glancing off his shield, as he would have liked, it hit a weak spot, and
he was sent flying into the air. Markus’s back felt sore, and so did his left
arm, which had carried the shield.
“Dear Father God, why did
that happen?” Markus asked as he breathed heavily on the ground.
“My son, the devil was able
to attack you that way because you gave place to pride,” God said kindly.
“Repent from pride, give it to Me, and rest in Me.”
“Father God, I am sorry for
the pride I gave place to,” Markus said. “I repent from thinking more highly of
myself than I ought to, and for looking down at the people who rejected the
Gospel. Will you forgive me?”
“You are forgiven, My son,”
God said kindly. “Now, I will give you the power to overcome the enemy’s
attacks.”
Markus felt strength and
healing flow into his body from God. So, he stood to his feet and picked up his
broadsword and shield. He sheathed the sword as he walked toward his horse. The
white charger remained near him, so he quickly mounted it. Just as he did, an
evil knight lowered his lance and galloped straight toward Markus.
“Father God, I need your
help, but I believe you will help,” Markus said as he raised his shield and
drew his broadsword.
“Strike his lance with your sword, My son,” God said.
The lance was now seconds
away. As its sharp tip shot toward Markus, he struck it hard with his sword–clang,
and the lance flew into the air from the impact. Right after passing by Markus,
the enemy knight drew his broadsword and turned around to the attack Markus
from behind.
“Look behind you, Markus!”
Andrew said from several yards to Markus’s left.
Markus turned quickly to see
the evil knight galloping up fast with a drawn sword in his hand. As the knight
approached him, Markus cried out to God. He then flicked the reigns and
signaled the horse to gallop. The steed rushed forward at a faster speed than
that of his attacker’s charger. And, Markus escaped being hit from behind,
where his defense skills were weaker.
“You pilgrims are no match
for us,” the evil knight behind Markus shouted. “We are servants of Baron
Extreme Pride. The baron desires to bring you to his castle.”
“I will not come with you,”
Markus said, turning back toward his pursuer. “God’s Word says, ‘Pride goeth before
destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.’ That is Proverbs 16:18.”
“Markus, you are a better man
than your friends. You are more godly and righteous than they,” the pursuer
said.
“That is not true! My
righteousness only comes from Jesus Christ by His blood
that He shed. Speaking of Jesus Christ’s offering of His blood on the
cross, Hebrews 10:14 says, ‘For by one
offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.’ [End quote.]
I am only sanctified (or made set apart and holy) and perfected
by the offering of Jesus Christ’s blood at the cross.”
“But, you are better than
those other men,” the evil knight said as he closed the distance between Markus
and his extended broadsword.
Markus
answered, glancing back at him: “Romans 3:10 says, ‘As it is written, There is none
righteous, no, not one :’ And, Romans 2:11 says,
‘For there is no respect of persons with God.’”
“You are still better than
they,” the evil knight said as he and his charger drew closer.
Markus responded, glancing
again over his shoulder: “Proverbs 21:2 says, ‘Every way of a
man is right in his own eyes : but the Lord pondereth the
hearts.’
And, Proverbs 21:4 says, ‘A high look,
and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.’”
The enemy knight’s dull, grey
broadsword suddenly came down, but Markus was able to turn in his saddle and
block the blow–clang–with his glistening sword. Then, the pilgrim knight
swung his broadsword toward the enemy’s armored neck–clang, clang, clang–and
dented the neck armor after three swift blows. Markus’s horse suddenly
increased its pace, leaving the foe behind at some distance. But the enemy
knight was now focused on a new competitor charging toward him.
Relieved that they were gone,
the pilgrim knights turned their horses and gathered together in the middle of
the field. A large number of mounted, golden knights formed a perimeter of
protection around them. As they trotted toward the gathering area, Markus
noticed, to his dismay, that three of the 12 pilgrim knights were missing. One
of them was Gregory White-peak, the bearded, silver-haired, 27-year-old.
Markus left the group and
began galloping around the battlefield to see where they might be. He soon
spotted three white horses with empty saddles munching some grass near one end
of the field. Near the horses was a wagon trail going from the open fields into
the dense forest. Wheel ruts and hoof prints appeared in the path, giving it
the appearance of being heavily traveled.
Markus called out the names
of the men who were lost. “Asa, Zimri, Gregory, where are you?” he shouted as
he approached the edge of the field where it met the forest.
There were no replies. Then,
God’s voice spoke to him. “My son, these men have been captured by the evil
knights of Baron Extreme Pride. He has taken them to his castle and placed them
in a strong dungeon from which there is no human escape, unless they turn to
Me.”
“Oh,” Markus said as he
listened to God’s voice.
“But, I am certainly calling
out to them and pleading with them,” God continued. “They must repent, and turn
to Me, and seek Me, and I will be able to deliver them. I cannot deliver those
who refuse to turn to Me when I call out to them. Go, get your friends, and
head down the trail that you see before you.”
“Thank you, Father God for
showing me this,” Markus said. “I’ll do that.”
Markus rode back to the group
and informed the men about what God had told him. After hearing Markus, Andrew
said, “Let’s go and rescue them. God is with us.”
The nine remaining pilgrim
knights all agreed with Andrew and Markus.
“Let’s go then,” Henry Willow
said with eagerness.
“Follow me,” Markus said
before he trotted off toward the wagon trail. And, the rest followed him.
The Trail Up the
Mountain
In less than half an hour of
trotting along the trail, the mounted knights found that the path had risen up
along the side of a mountain and went toward a pass. After riding a little
further, they entered the wooded pass. Pipits (songbirds) chirped from
the upper branches of pine trees as the company passed below them.
To their left rose a high and
jagged peak. To their right, the mountain ridge descended gently, forming a
saddle. The saddle rose up to a second rugged peak on the ridge. And, above
their heads, the sapphire-blue sky was filled with fluffy clouds, which looked
like sheep.
Below the floating, white
vapor, the mountain saddle was filled soaring fir trees and boulders. ‘It is
very picturesque,’ Markus thought as he trotted between two boulders. He hoped
to come back the same way and view the mountain grandeur later when they were
not on a mission.
“Look,” Henry said, pointing
suddenly to a large, rocky bluff or cliff, which had a flat top.
The bluff was located above
the tree line and formed part of the slope of the left peak. A rugged road had
been cut into the side of the bluff. It led up to a large, dark-grey castle
perched on the flat top of the cliff. Flying from poles on the castle towers,
black and red flags snapped in the wind ominously.
“That is our target,” Markus
said as he rode up to Henry and beheld the castle.
The men soon found that their
path forked some yards ahead. The left fork appeared to rise higher through the
pine trees and ascend toward the direction of the castle. The right fork was
lower and continued on through a lower portion of the mountain saddle. The men
paused to seek God, and He showed them to take the left fork to the castle.
“Here we go,” Markus said as
he sent his horse trotting toward the left fork. “Let’s keep our armor on by
faith, and keep looking to God for strength and help.”
“I fully agree with you,
brother,” Andrew said as he followed Markus.
The pilgrim knights then
ascended up through the trees along the left fork trail. Before long, they
emerged from the pine forest and began ascending along the road cut in the
cliff side. This had a steeper slope than the other paths they had ridden on,
and the horses had to work harder. The creatures snorted as they climbed.
Alarmingly, the right hand side of the road dropped off steeply, with no
guardrail, and plunged down to the forest many yards below. And, the left side
ran up against a steep rock face.
Soon, Markus realized that
his horse was not going to be of use to him, so he dismounted and sought God
what to do. The other pilgrims paused
and gave their horses a rest. Then, Markus sent his horse trotting down the
road with an empty saddle.
“What are you doing?” Andrew
said.
“Our horses are getting tired
from all this climbing,” Markus said. “I think they need a break. I don’t have
any place to tie mine to, so I let him go. God will bring us the chargers, I
believe, when we need them again.”
“Well, God provided us with
the horses, so He will bring them back to us,” Andrew said, dismounting. “And,
I can see that they do need a break.”
Andrew sent his horse
trotting back down the road without him. The others followed his and Markus’s
example. And, the chargers left their riders behind.
Soon, the company of nine
knights was marching up the steep road toward the castle. Boulders appeared,
forming obstacles on either side of the road as it passed along the flat top of
the rocky, lifeless bluff. As the pilgrim knights neared the castle, Markus
could see a large obstacle between them and the dark fortress. The slate-grey
castle with its eerie, flapping standards; towers; and high, stone walls was
protected by a deep, wide trench which cut through the cliff top.
 |
| (This is a depiction of a lava-filled trench.) |
[Quarrel: A type of
crossbow bolt. A quarrel is a short type of arrow (or bolt) used in a
crossbow.]
Markus held up his shield and
charged toward the edge of the trench. Andrew and Henry followed him, but the
six other knights remained behind and began retreating under the barrage of
quarrels and arrows. The six knights were heading toward some boulders
thirty yards from the trench.
Markus and his two friends
gasped when they saw what lay in the bottom of the trench. Extremely-hot,
molten rock oozed and bubbled in the bottom of the trench. The lava effervesced
and hissed like a pot of boiling soup. It was clearly full of heat and devouring
energy. The lava was not something Markus wanted to see close up. [Effervesce: To bubble.]
He backed away from the edge
of the trench and looked for cover, such as a boulder, but no boulders were to
be seen in the immediate vicinity. Then, he realized that he needed to seek God
about what to do. So Markus, Andrew, and Henry hurried back to the boulders
where the other six knights fled earlier. Once he was behind the cover of a
large boulder, Markus began asking God his questions.
After seeking God for some
time, Markus turned to the other men and said, “Brothers, we need to come back
here tonight. During the day, we are too obvious to the castle guards. But, at
night, when it is dark out, we will be able to enter this castle.”
“That sounds good,” Henry Willow
said.
“At midnight, they will lower
the drawbridge,” Markus said, glancing at Henry, “and we will be here prepared
to slip into the castle. That is what God has shown me.”
Chapter 6
Entering the Castle of
Baron Pride
The moon shone its pale light
on the night landscape of the mountain saddle. And, stars sparkled in the dark
sky. From the deep shadows of the pine forest at the edge of the tree line came
silvery figures. Clad in polished armor that reflected light brilliantly, the
nine pilgrim knights walked up the road cut into the side of the rocky bluff.
After walking a ways, they came to the boulders where they had found cover from
the arrows hours earlier. The dark castle loomed ahead of them across the deep
trench. Its flags still flapped in a breeze.
Markus crawled over to the
left of a nearby boulder and peeked out around it at the solemn fortress.
Black, conical tower pinnacles reflected
the moonlight like the pointy tips of spears. Arrow
loops in the towers presented threats to the pilgrims. But, the presence of
ballistae now stationed on some of the
towers made Markus feel a little fearful.
He knew what those giant,
cross-bow-like weapons were capable of, having heard stories about their deadly
power. And, he hoped he would never have to face their might in battle. But,
the other concern Markus had was how to reach the dungeon once the drawbridge
would lower. He didn’t know how many enemy soldiers would be guarding the
prisoners, or if any would see him within the castle complex. ‘Do we need
disguises?’ he thought to himself.
“My son, don’t worry about
how you will get into the castle,” Abba God’s kind voice spoke to Markus. “I
will guide you and protect you because you are trusting in Me. Any who follows
Me will be safe. Now, be prepared to run. You will have to battle the soldiers,
but I will give you the victory.”
“Father God, what about the
other men?” Markus said.
“They will be safe if they
trust Me,” God said gently.
“Okay,” Markus said. “I
choose to trust you.”
Markus turned to the other
six men and said, “Brothers, we need to prepare to move out once the drawbridge
lowers. We will have a battle before us, but God will help us to win if we
trust in Him.”
“I don’t feel like I want to
fight any more battles,” said Othniel Quince, a short-haired, pilgrim knight
with blond stubble on his face.
“Othniel,” Markus said, “as
pilgrims, we face a determined enemy, who is seeking to devour us. God’s Word
says this profound truth in 1 Peter chapter 5, verses 6 through 9: ‘[6] Humble
yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he
may exalt you in due time : [7] casting all your care upon him ; for he
careth for you. [8] Be sober, be vigilant ; because your
adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking
whom he may devour : [9] whom resist steadfast in the faith,
knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in
the world.’ [1 Peter 5:6-9.]” [Emphasis added.]
“You’re right,” Othniel said,
sighing. “I just wish I didn’t have to fight the enemy so much. If only we
could just get to Heaven right now and be done with the miseries of this life.”
As he spoke, Andrew
approached him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“Othniel, that day will come
soon enough,” Andrew said, “but God is preparing us for Heaven. He is seeing if
we love Him or not. He will give us the power to overcome, but our Heavenly
Father has been showing Me that I need to rest in Him and think about who He
truly is. That is, believe what His Word says about Him.”
“Okay,” Othniel said. “I’ll
guess I’ll try to look to God for help and guidance in the battle ahead.”
“The drawbridge is lowering,”
Henry Willow said from his position near a boulder a short distance away.
Markus crawled over to the edge
of a nearby boulder and peeked out. The wooden drawbridge was lowering. It was
halfway to its resting position.
“Let’s wait for the soldiers
to issue forth from the castle,” Markus said, turning back to the men behind
him. “Then, we will charge straight toward the bridge with our shields up.
Ready, brothers?”
“We’re ready,” several men
said.
The bridge came to rest
across the deep, lava-filled trench. Half a minute later, a group of foot
soldiers walked across the bridge and set foot on Markus’s side of the trench.
In a short time, the enemy soldiers would be passing by the pilgrim knights.
Once the first soldiers in
the column reached the boulders, Markus cried, “Run for the bridge!”
He and the other eight men
bolted from their cover and ran toward the lowered drawbridge. They hoped they
would make it before it would be raised upward. Seeing the pilgrim knights
spring from their cover, the evil soldiers were completely caught off guard.
But, the pilgrims ignored them and kept their sights on the bridge.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Their sabatons (i.e.
armored shoes) pounded across the wooden bridge as they sprinted toward
the outer gate.
[Sabaton (singular
noun): A sabaton was a jointed piece of metal, foot armor (for each foot) that
was designed to articulate (or move like a hinge) as the knight walked. The
armor that covered a knight’s lower leg below the knee and above the sabaton
was called a greave. Poleyn were armored knee guards.]
“Stop them!” an enemy soldier
shouted.
The evil soldiers turned
around and charged after the pilgrims. Markus and his friends passed through
the outer gate and entered a short, stone corridor in the gatehouse. The
corridor ran between the outer and inner gates, which were both opened. The
flickering light of torches in wall brackets brightened the passageway and
reflected off the knights’ armor. Seeing them, Andrew drew out an unlit torch
from his belt and ignited it in a flame.
The nine pilgrims could see
the grassy bailey through the opened inner gate. A tall, fortified keep soared high into the air above the grassy
courtyard and above the tallest towers in the curtain wall. A narrow, steep
staircase climbed up the side of the large building toward a door positioned in
the forebuilding.
[Keep: A
large, fortified building used to protect the owner or lord of a castle
compound. This tall building often had a wide, rectangular base and square
towers on each of its four corners.] [Bailey: An outside court
within castle walls.]
[Forebuilding:
A narrow wing of the keep that forms a right angle with one keep wall. A set of
stone stairs begins at the ground level and rises up along the side of the
keep. The stairs terminate at a flat ledge that meets the keep door in the
forebuilding. Some keeps have drawbridges that span the distance from the
highest step to the keep door.]
The only way Markus knew of
entering the keep was through its main door at the top of the stairs, but the
door was shut. ‘And, it is probably locked,’ he thought.
“Father God, what do we do
now?” Markus said.
Zip. Ping. Ting. Ding. Arrows suddenly began flying out of arrow loops in the
sides of the gatehouse corridor. They struck the pilgrims’ armor, bouncing off
in various directions.
“We’re under attack!” Othniel
said anxiously as he held up his shield. “This is a bad idea, Markus!”
“My son, climb up the stairs
and you will find the door unlocked,” God said gently.
“Let’s head for the staircase
in the keep. The door is unlocked, God told me,” Markus said boldly. “The
Almighty God will make a way for us.”
Several men nodded in
agreement. Then, Markus began sprinting, and the others followed. His strong
legs gave him the ability to run or quickly ascend stairs. He considered this a
gift from God. As he sprinted across the bailey, crossbow bolts and arrows
struck the ground and zipped past him. Others pinged off his armor, hitting it
at glancing angles.
Reaching the keep, he began
quickly climbing the stone staircase up the side of the fortress, which towered
high overhead like a granite giant. At the top of the steps, he paused,
breathing hard, and placed his hand on the oaken door in the forebuilding.
‘I sure hope I heard from God
about this door,’ Markus thought with concern as crossbow bolts smacked against
the stone wall to his left. ‘The arrows are flying thick.’
Markus pushed the door and,
miraculously, it opened with little resistance.
‘That’s unusual,’ he thought
to himself. ‘This door normally would have been locked. But, God made sure it
was unlocked. Praise His Name!’
Markus cautiously stepped
through the door with his gleaming broadsword in hand and his shield before
him. The flickering light of torches mounted to walls revealed a stone hallway.
He couldn’t see anyone in the corridor, so he walked forward warily. [Wary: Cautious, watchful, suspicious.]
“Markus, are you sure this is
the right way to the dungeon?” Andrew said from behind him, breathing hard,
“Could the dungeon our three brothers are locked up in be below the gatehouse?”
“God has shown me to go up
here,” Markus said, turning toward Andrew. “He told me the door would be
unlocked, and sure enough, it is.”
“Okay,” Andrew said,
breathing deeply.
“My son,” God’s voice spoke
to Markus, “go down the passage, turn to your left, and you will find a door
that is open ajar. Go through it. …” God continued, giving him further
instructions.
“Thank you for revealing
that, Father God,” Markus said.
“You are welcome, My son,”
God replied with warmth in his voice.
“God just showed me where to
go,” Markus said to Andrew and the other men who had just entered through the
door.
The men closest to the door
shut it. Then, they slid a metal drawbar through some rectangular, iron loops
affixed to the door. The drawbar was pushed into a deep slot in the stone wall,
on the other side of the door. Now, the entry was locked shut. Markus walked
briskly down the hallway and followed God’s instructions, but Othniel and three
other men paused before the locked door.
“Some of the men aren’t
following us,” Henry said quickly from behind Markus and Andrew as they walked.
Markus turned around and
immediately noticed that four pilgrim knights were still standing near the
door.
“What are you doing back
there?” Markus called out to them.
“We are remaining here to
guard the door. You go where you think you should, and I’ll stay here,” Othniel
said firmly.
“We all need to go together.
There is strength in numbers,” Markus said with concern.
“Markus Christian, who made
you a leader? You go your way, and we will do what seems best to us,” Othniel
said arrogantly. Markus detected some defiance in his voice.
The Brief Conversation
with Othniel Quince
“Did you seek God about what
to do, and submit to His will?” Markus said.
“I don’t need to do that,”
Othniel said firmly. “God gives us a free will so that we can make our own
choices and live the way that seems right to us.”
“Proverbs 16:25 says,” Markus replied, ‘There is a way
that seemeth right unto a man ; but the end thereof are the ways of
death.’”
“The Bible also says, ‘… eat, drink, and be merry.’ So,
God wants us to enjoy living life and doing our own will,” Othniel said. [Note: See Luke
12:15-21.]
“The Lord Jesus was speaking
of the rich fool in that parable you quoted,” Markus said. “The rich fool
increased his wealth when he took in a huge surplus of grain. He greedily,
arrogantly, and idolatrously planned to tear down his barns and build larger
barns to store his harvest. And, He lustfully and selfishly planned to cease
working and just enjoy his great wealth. That is from Luke chapter 12, I
remember.”
“Humph,” Othniel said,
frowning deeper. The three other men beside Othniel just looked coldly at
Markus.
“The scripture says this in Luke
12:18-21,” Markus continued, saying, ‘[18] And he said, This will I do : I
will pull down my barns, and build greater ; and there will I bestow all my
fruits and my goods. [19] And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods
laid up for many years ; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. [20]
But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee : then
whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided ? [21] So is he that layeth
up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’”
“How does that apply to us?”
Othniel said.
“The rich man in this parable
was a selfish, proud, and hardened man who loved money and wealth more than
God,” Markus answered. “By loving his wealth so strongly, and by refusing to
listen to God’s conviction, he hardened his heart greatly against God. Then,
one night, God allowed the man to die, and his soul descended into Hell. Jesus
warned His disciples repeatedly about Hell, such as in Mark 9 and elsewhere.”
“That passage you quoted is
vague. I’m not a rich man,” Othniel said stubbornly.
“But, do you love money or
anything before God?” Markus said.
“Money isn’t my love,”
Othniel said. “I love God. But, I don’t need to find out His will for My life.
I can just do as I please, and He is fine with that.”
“I
remember Mark chapter 9, verses 47 and 48,” Henry Willow said, looking
at Othniel. “In those verses, Jesus said, ‘[47] And if thine eye offend
thee, pluck it out : it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God
with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire : [48] where their
worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.’ [Mark 9:47-48.]”
“Othniel,”
Henry added, “If your eye or your hand leads you into sin, you need to remove
it, symbolically. That means, forsake what tempts you into sin. The Bible
teaches us that we cannot love God and also love ourselves.”
Andrew
spoke up and said, “That is why Jesus said this in Matthew chapter 6, verse
24: ‘[24] No man can serve two masters : for either he will hate the
one, and love the other ; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the
other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ [Matthew 6:24.]”
“We don’t want to hear
anymore of your talk about idolatry,” Othniel said with frustration. “Just go
on your way and leave us to ourselves.”
“My son,” God’s voice spoke
to Markus, “you may just go on your way. These men are very resistant to Me,
and they are unwilling to repent, so I will have to send them through a trial.
Go ahead and make your way toward the dungeon, which is below this building.
And, I the LORD your God have spoken.”
“Okay, Father God,” Markus
said quietly, “I will do that.”
“Let us go, friends,” Markus
said, turning away from the four who remained at the door.
Andrew and Henry followed
Markus down the hall and on the route God had shown him earlier. In a short
while, they had passed down some stone corridors, descended several flights of
spiral stairs, and arrived at the lowest level of the building: the dungeon.
The Dungeon of Baron
Pride
Plip. Plop. Water dripped through small gaps in the ceiling and
splashed into little puddles along the hallway the knights had just entered.
Spaced about 10 feet apart, iron, barred, prison doors ran down the length of
both walls of the dungeon corridor.
Men dressed in ragged
clothing languished within the cells. Their faces looked depressed and gloomy.
Markus wanted to help them, but he wanted to first reach the three who had been
captured from his group. As they walked down the passageway, the three knights
sensed that the atmosphere in the dungeon was thick with fear and despondency.
“I want to release these
men,” Henry said to Andrew quietly as they walked.
Crackling torches set in wall
brackets gave off buttery-yellow light. Occasionally, they dropped embers to
the floor. However, being spaced 40 feet apart, they allowed many deep shadows
to fill the dark, damp cells where men groaned and quietly cursed God.
“I do too, but what about the
three men who were captured?” Andrew said. “Do you have any idea where they
might be, since you were in a dungeon once?”
“I don’t have a clue. But,
God could help us, I’m sure,” Henry said.
“You’re right,” Markus said,
turning to face him suddenly. “I forgot to ask Him.”
“Father God, where are the
three who were captured?” Markus said silently.
“My son, you will see the men
you look for on your left hand side. Go a little further, and you will see
them,” God’s kind voice said.
“Thank you, Father God,”
Markus said as he turned back and continued walking.
Before he and the two others
had gone 70 feet, they spotted Gregory’s haggard-looking face pressed up
against the bars of his cell door. The silver-haired, 27-year-old was groaning
as he clutched the iron bars.
“Gregory,” Markus said as he
walked up to the pilgrim’s cell. “Gregory, I’ve come to rescue you.”
“Markus,” Gregory said with
anguish, turning to face him, “go away from here. You can’t help me. You’ll
just get yourself captured if you linger. I’m stuck in this prison and there is
no hope for me. There is no hope.”
The man’s face was coated
with grime and his armored suit was missing, except for the close helmet.
Miraculously, however, his long, white tunic and trousers were still in good
condition, not being stained or marred in any way. [Close helmet: Read about the close helmet in
Chapter 1, in the section titled ‘Azul Cielo Mountains.’]
“How did you get captured?”
Markus said, looking at his friend.
“The mounted knights of Baron
Pride surrounded me and one dislodged me from my saddle with a lance. They
dropped a net over me. Several dismounted, knocked my broadsword away, and
placed handcuffs over my wrists,” Gregory said, sighing deeply.
“That is too bad,” Henry said
as he stepped closer to the younger man.
“Then, I was dragged over to
the edge of the field where the forest grows,” Gregory said gloomily. “They
placed me in a wagon and fastened me to it so I couldn’t escape. The wagon and
a couple mounted escorts brought me up to this castle. They removed my armor,
except for my helmet, and threw me into this cell. A few minutes later, they
brought two of our company and locked them up in the cell across from me.”
Gregory pointed toward a cell
across the hall from his.
Markus turned to see Asa
Smith and Zimri Shoemaker standing behind the wide, barred door of their cold
cell. Incongruously, a TV screen glowed in the deep shadows behind them.
Unknown to Markus, the advanced technology had been given them by Baron
Tyrannous Entertainment’s men.
“I’m glad to see both of you,
Asa and Zimri,” Markus said warmly.
“Don’t try to rescue us,
Markus,” Asa said coldly. “I don’t want your help, and I don’t need your help.
God is somewhere far away, but He is certainly not here!” Asa’s only piece of
armor was a helmet. And, disturbingly, his white clothing was now stained with
grime.
“Yes, God has departed,”
Zimri said as he stood beside Asa. His close helm was missing and his
white clothing had been replaced by dark, satin material.
“But, God is everywhere at
once,” Henry said, turning toward them. “In Jeremiah chapter 31, verse 3,
the Bible says, ‘[3] The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have
loved thee with an everlasting love : therefore with loving-kindness have I
drawn thee.’ [Jeremiah 31:3.]”
“He doesn’t love me, and I
don’t want to serve Him anymore,” Asa said strongly with an angry look in his
eyes. “I’ve served him enough! It is time I started living for myself and doing
what I’d like to do. I’m done with God.”
“I agree,” Zimri said
callously. “God is our enemy now.”
Henry said, “May I quote a
couple verses for both of you? In Psalm 139,
verse 14, David speaks to God and says, ‘[14] I will praise
thee ; for I am fearfully and wonderfully
made : marvelous are thy works ; and that my soul knoweth
right well.’ [End quote.] And, Psalm 139,
verse 17 says, ‘[17] How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God !
How great is the sum of them !’”
“So
what?” Zimri said, folding his arms.
“God
really loves us greatly,” Markus said with compassion in his voice. “He has a
plan for us, a good plan, as Jeremiah chapter 29, verse 11 says. In it, God declares: ‘[11] For I
know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of
peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.’ [Jeremiah
29:11.]”
“Father
God loves each and every person He creates,” Markus added. “God’s love only
ends toward an individual when the person become so hardened he is like Satan
or a devil. God created us in His image, and desires us to be His own children
and to know Him deeply and personally.”
“I know all that, but I don’t
want God anymore! I’m done with Him!” Asa said coldly as he suddenly began
unfastening the pivoting hooks that secured his close helmet around his
head. Once he had opened the helmet’s hinged bevor, he pulled the
helmet off and threw it to the ground. “Now, just leave me alone!” Asa shouted.
[Bevor: A bevor was
a piece of metal that protected the lower face, neck, and upper shoulders of
the wearer. On a close helm, the bevor would hinge upward to allow the knight
to put on his close helm. Then, he would hinge the bevor shut and fasten it
with pivoting hooks.]
Markus looked with deep
sadness at the two former pilgrims, and sighed in his spirit. He could now see
the stained, white robes Asa was wearing were changing to a pitch-black color.
Asa’s face also began to look different, as if life had just departed from it.
The man could breath, speak, and move his facial muscles, but he didn’t have
any spiritual presence of God anymore. Asa’s eyes were dead-looking in a way
that Markus could not fully explain.
Then, Markus turned around
and closed his eyes. “Father God,” he said, “what has happened to Asa and
Zimri?”
“My son, they are very
hardened against Me,” God’s kind and loving voice said to Markus. “You saw that
both of them rejected all that you had to tell them. They refused to repent,
to seek Me, and turn to Me.
“Rather, in their time of
trial, they fell away from the faith, and rejected Me. They cast Me off, and
sought to please themselves rather than Me. They love this world more than they
love Me. That is why they have become so hardened against Me.
“In this cell they are in,
they are able to read books, watch movies, play video games, and pursue their
own goals, but they are miserable, as you have seen. They are living in a
prison which they have placed themselves in by being proud, stubborn, ornery,
selfish, and wicked. They will be judged for their evil doings and for
their rebellious hearts. Fire will fall upon them because they will not
listen to Me, and repent, and seek Me.
“I am sad to say this, but
you may see more of this happen in the near future to other people who join
your group. Now go, my son, and minister to Gregory. And, I the LORD your God
and Abba Father have spoken.”
Markus walked back over to
Gregory and placed his hands on the bars of Gregory’s cell door.
“Gregory, do you know why you
are here?” Markus said as he gazed through the bars a the young, silver-haired
man.
“I guess I must have been
proud,” Gregory admitted. “I think I was also doubting that God would
guide us along this journey. I felt that He had left us to fight for
ourselves against all these evil knights, and I felt alone. But, that can’t be
true, can it?”
“Father God sent the golden
knights to assist us in the battle,” Markus said. “And, God gave me the
strength to fight off and overcome a mounted knight who was pursuing me. It was
God who gave us the victory over all our enemies. He will continue to do that
the rest of our lives. He has not forsaken us.”
Andrew walked up to the prison door and said, “God encouraged the children of Israel when they were nervously thinking about going into the promised land and fighting against literal giants and superior armies.
“Deuteronomy chapter 31,
verse 3 says, ‘The Lord thy God, he
will go over before thee, and he will destroy
these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them : and Joshua, he
shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath said.’ [Deuteronomy 31:3.]”
“And,”
Andrew said, “Deuteronomy 31, verse 6 says, ‘Be strong and of a
good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them : for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go
with thee ; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ [Deuteronomy
31:6.]”
“So,” Gregory said, looking
at Andrew, “God will go with us, and will not fail us, nor forsake us? That
must be the truth.” Then, with sudden excitement, he said, “Yes! That is the
truth. I believe it.”
“God gives us good courage
and tells us not to be afraid,” Markus said. Then, he turned his broadsword
around and shoved it between the bars with the hilt
facing Gregory. [Hilt: The handle of a sword.]
“Take my sword and use it to
cut your way out of this cell,” Markus said. “You’ll find it grows
stronger as you use it, for this is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.”
“Thank you,” Gregory said.
Just as he reached to grab the hilt, a full suit of shiny armor suddenly
appeared on him. [Note: The armor had been available to him
this whole time because it could never be lost, but it could be neglected.]
The men gasped in
astonishment at what had just happened.
“God gave me my armor back,”
Gregory said. “Praise His holy Name!”
Now, clad in polished metal,
Gregory drew his own broadsword from its scabbard. Markus withdrew his sword
hilt as he watched Gregory prepare to swing his own weapon. With powerful
strokes, Gregory attacked the metal bars of his cell door. Then, Markus began
striking the bars from his side. Clang. Clang. Ding.
The swords began to shine
brightly with the pure, white light of God’s Word as the pilgrim knights attack
the bars that had imprisoned Gregory White-peak. Suddenly, yellow-orange flames
leaped up from their sword blades, starting at the lower ends of both blades
and ending at the sharp, sword tips. In seconds, the same miracle happened for all
the pilgrim knights.
Then, Henry remembered a
verse from the Psalms. “This reminds me of Psalm 119, verse 105,” Henry
said. “It says, ‘[105] Thy word is a lamp unto my
feet, and a light unto my path.’ [Psalm 119:105.]”
“That’s right,” Andrew said.
“I remember that now. Praise Almighty God, our Father!”
Within a minute, the iron
bars were cut to pieces, and Gregory was able to squeeze through the opening.
Once outside the cell, he rejoiced with great joy. But, as he was rejoicing, a
sound came echoing down the dungeon hallway.
“Gregory,” Markus said, turning
to listen, “I hear something.”
Gregory turned to Markus and
listened quietly. “What is it?”
“Footsteps,” Markus said.
“Let’s get moving.”
Just as he was speaking, the
footfalls grew louder and sounded heavy and rapid like the sound of running
feet.
“Soldiers are coming,” Henry
said. “But, God is with us.”
Then, a group of twenty evil
knights with dark-grey armor came into view from around a bend in the tunnel.
They were jogging quickly and were armed with battle axes, spears, and swords.
“There they are! Attack
them!” one evil knight near the front shouted.
[Read BOOK 2: Chapters 5 and 6 here.]
[Read BOOK 2: Chapter 7 and 8 here.]
[Read BOOK 2: Chapters 9 and 10 here.]
[Read BOOK 2: Chapters 11 and 12 here.]
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