The Mission
Note from the Author
This post is a piece of fiction based on the Gospel accounts of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. I feel that it’s necessary to bring this point up but, also to include the actual Biblical accounts at the conclusion of this story. Understand this, while “The Mission” is fiction, (I seriously doubt that they use cell phones in heaven.) the Biblical accounts are true.
“The Mission,” is the first in a series of stories that will periodically appear throughout 2020 and it’s driving premise is based on three tenets. The first tenet is the fact that God is infinitely more powerful than Satan and the forces of evil that heavily influence our world. The second tenet is that God is sovereign and is always in control. He will accomplish His agenda regardless of what hand He’s dealt. The third and final tenet is that God is just and fair and He will not compromise in this matter. He will not accomplish his agenda at the expense of being fair. He will be fair in His dealings with His enemies and this includes even Satan. But make no mistake about this. God will accomplish His agenda.
That being said, enjoy the first story and Merry Christmas.
Sam
The Mission: Part 1
Michael shifted in his seat. The meeting had been adjourned for an hour, but he was still in the conference room. From the dawn of creation, he’d always suspected that this meeting would happen, and he’d always figured that it wouldn’t bother him. Showed how much he knew. Everyone else had left and there he was, still at the table, processing what he’d heard and steeling himself for what lie ahead.
This meeting hadn’t been ordinary. In the first place, it had been scheduled using 21st Century technology, a device that humans would someday invent called a cellphone. These cell phones were strange little contraptions that weren’t all that efficient. Granted, they were miles ahead of what people on earth were currently using in terms of technology because in that world they wouldn’t be invented for another 2000 years, but, compared to how things ran in the spirit world where he lived, cellphones were, at best, a child’s toy. However, the King had given him one several thousand years earlier and he’d been instructed to keep it with him at all times, so he obeyed. This was, after all, the King and occasionally, like today, the King had actually communicated with him on it using a technique called texting. Granted, the King didn’t text in the sense that Michael did. Michael had to use his thumbs, but the King never did. The King would usually just glance at His cell phone and boom! Text sent. One time, the enemy, in typical arrogance, had dared ask the King why He would resort to such an archaic and inefficient method to communicate. The King’s response was classic. “This is heaven and I will do what I please. If I want to thunder my voice so that all creation can hear Me, I’ll do it. If I want to use a carrier pigeon, I can do that. For all that matters, if I want to use a jackass as my mouthpiece, I can do that too.” The King then grew suddenly silent and stared intently at the enemy. The enemy, clearly taken aback, looked about and then tensed up. The King smiled wryly and then continued, “and if I want to use a cell phone, I’ll do it. Heaven is mine and My will is done here without being questioned. Do you understand?”
Sometime later, Michael had asked the King what the silent exchange between the King and the enemy had been about. “I used my thoughts and told him that if I wanted to communicate using just my thoughts so that only he and no one else could hear me, that was easy for me to do too. It kind of shook him up didn’t it. But Michael, I am good, and I can do whatever I want. Nothing is too difficult for Me.”
Anyway, on this particular day, Michael had received a text instructing him to come to a seldom used conference room but tell no one. When Michael arrived, he realized that this was no ordinary meeting. Only the best of the best were attending. Gabriel, the chief messenger of the King was there. From covert ops, the three angels who were the best in the business at influencing men’s thought process while at the same time muting the lies of the enemy were there. He, Michael, the archangel and commander of heavens armies, second only to the Triune God was there and, glancing about, he saw his lieutenants had also been invited. Archery division, check, infantry, check, cavalry, check. Wow! This was huge and then his eyes opened wide. Sitting there in all His glory was the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There hadn’t been a meeting like this since the Fall many millennia ago. He dropped to his knees and worshiped his Creator. The other angels followed suit. The King accepted their worship and then gently commanded them, “Rise up. I have a mission for you.”
“As you know, when I first created the earth, I also created the human race and gave them the job to be administrators of the planet. They were to govern it in my stead. I created ideal conditions for them. What they planted, grew easily. Their work was rewarding to them. There was no death, no disease, nothing. All they had to do was love me and obey me. To validate this stipulation, I gave them one simple command. They could eat from any tree in the garden except for one and, in the end, as I knew that they would, that was the one tree they ate from. The enemy deceived Eve, and Adam, who was standing right there with her the whole time, even though he knew it was wrong, willingly went right along with her. They rebelled and sent humanity on a downhill spiral to hell that began right there on earth. Since then, there’s been nothing but disease and death because they have allowed the enemy to govern the earth. In a manner of speaking, they have now been governing the planet in his stead and the results have been disastrous. Work has been a toilsome task for these people and the rule that they seem to live by is that it’s everyone for themselves and everyone lives as they see fit making up their own moral code as they go. It took them all of one generation to introduce murder and by the seventh generation, they were so corrupt that for a while, I considered scrapping the whole project before I found one man I could be gracious to.”
As the King spoke, Michael just nodded. This was common knowledge in the spirit realm.
And, after a brief pause, the King continued. “And now it’s time to put an end to this. The mission is to take the earth back and restore things back to the way they were.” The cellphones began to buzz. “The details of this mission are on your phones.”
Everyone in the room began to fumble for their phones. As he was reaching into his pocket, Gabriel spoke up. “Sire, why are we using this means of communication for a mission of this magnitude?”
The King smiled. “Because to complete this mission, I need to play by humanity’s rules and limitations. There’s no other way.”
Just then, there was a loud gasp from the back of the room and one of the Covert Ops angels spoke up. “Are you guys reading this? Oh my! Open up the attachment and look at it.” His eyes were huge, almost disbelieving.
One by one, the angels read the details of the mission and the ramifications of it began to sink in. There was a stunned silence. Before anyone could speak however, the king explained the why of the methodology. They were going to complete this mission using the same rules as humans had to play by. That meant that the King would have to set down his divine powers once the mission started. He would have to live by faith, in fellowship with the Father and any miracles that He performed would have to be done with the Father’s permission through the power of the Holy Spirit. That would certainly handcuff what He could do on earth but, it was no different in that regard from anything that the prophets of old had to do.
The use of cell phones for this mission was simple. While their hands were tied regarding what they could or could not do on earth for this mission to be valid, this was the spirit realm where there was no stipulation as to what century they could pull stuff from and, since the enemy saw no need to be concerned about human technology of any kind, including cell phones, he didn’t pay any attention to what they did with them. Cell phones weren’t a threat to his agenda, so he didn’t even have one. There was no way that he could get one either because, unlike the king, who could will a cell phone into existence, the enemy was totally dependent upon humans to get one and they weren’t going to invent them for over 2000 years. The king had called this meeting using a device that the enemy didn’t have. “Guys, the enemy doesn’t even know this meeting is happening right now and he has no clue where any of you are and he won’t either. He’s not omniscient and none of his people are worried about the fact that you’re missing.”
The king went on to explain why He had to set down his divine powers. When humanity sinned, they had condemned themselves to the same fate as the enemy. Hell was the enemy’s destiny and now it was theirs too and it broke the Father’s heart. He still loved people passionately but, there was no way they could come into His presence. They were sinful, He was holy, and despite His love for them, if they were to come into His presence, He would have to destroy them. The only way to fix this problem was for someone who was not born into sin to pay the penalty for them. No human qualified. None of them were righteous, not one. If this job was going to get done, the king would have to do it himself. And to qualify for the job, He would have to do it under the same conditions that they faced…. well, almost. His conditions would be worse. The issue would be the same. Would He obey God the Father or not, but the conditions He faced would be much worse. In the Garden of Eden, those conditions were ideal. He would grow up in Nazareth. Nazareth? Seriously? Could anything good come out of Nazareth? Before that He would be born in Bethlehem, the city of garbage is what the Romans would call it. He would be born in a stable, a barn and would be laid in a manger on the night of His birth. He would grow up in poverty, a carpenter’s son, a member of the working class, scratching a living from the earth that had been cursed as a result of the Fall. He would probably hit his thumb a time or two with a hammer. People in the know, the town gossips, would question the legitimacy of his birth. And, once He went public with who He actually was, He would be tempted again and again to take a short cut to establish His kingdom without actually completing his mission. He would be condemned to die in an illegal trial, not for a crime He committed but rather for who He claimed He was, the Son of God. And about that death. Death by crucifixion. The pain would be excruciating but the worst part about it would be that God the Father would turn His back on His own son because the King would literally be taking the sin of all humanity for all time onto Himself and paying the penalty for it.
As He continued to explain the why of the mission, he glanced at His phone. “Look at the video I just sent you. See that guy. He’s what they will call in his era a slave trader. He’s going to capture people from one continent, pack them into a small boat and transport them against their will to another continent where they will be sold as property for the rest of their lives. But now look at the rest of his story. I am going to change his mind. He’s going to repent of all of this and become an abolitionist, fighting to end this injustice within the sphere of his influence. He’s also going to write one of the greatest hymns of all time to glorify the Father. Or, look at this next one. See that little girl there? She’s writing letters to my Father. She lives in a household where going to church is at best a formality, something that her grandma does, and when life gets hard for her, as part of her coping mechanism, she writes letters to my Father. Yeah, she’s reaching out to Him. Here’s the deal though. Unless I complete this mission, there’s no way He can respond back to her. If I don’t complete this mission, she’s just another condemned sinner in a lineage of sinners destined for an eternity in hell. But, if I complete this mission, strike that, when I complete this mission, my Father will be able to answer her, and she will respond in kind. She will willingly accept Me as her King and follow me for all eternity. Now, look at this crowd. There’s too many for you to count. They come from every nation and ethnic group in the world. They’re all of them just like these two. People who will, as an act of their own volition, choose to follow Me. My Father will adopt them as His own. Pretty awesome, isn’t it. Without the completion of this mission though, none of this happens. Without the completion of this mission they’re all condemned with no hope.” The King began to almost tear up. “There’s no way I can let that happen.”
The meeting continued for a few more minutes before they were dismissed. To guard its secrecy, everyone deleted the mission from their phones before they left the room. Before he hit the door however, the King called him over. “Michael, Gabriel, I need a word with you two.”
It was now just the three of them in the room. “Gentlemen, you do understand what’s at stake, don’t you? As difficult as this is to comprehend for you, in order for this mission to be valid, for the sacrifice of my life to be valid, there must be a real possibility that I could fail.”
Michael and Gabriel looked at each other and then back at the King. The King continued. “I won’t fail but just because I won’t doesn’t mean that the possibility won’t be there. I am going to be fully human, just like Adam was originally before he rebelled and that means that, because he failed, I potentially could too. I won’t, but the possibility will still be there, nonetheless. Essentially, both sides, us and the enemy, are starting from scratch. At this point, he has no clue regarding the logistics of this mission and we’re going to make sure that it stays that way. He’s going to be at least two steps behind us the entire time. Right now, he knows more than Jewish scholars do but he’s as puzzled as they are over the details of it all. He knows that a Messiah is coming, and, in his mind, he knows that it’s probably Me but after that, in his mind, things are unclear. He knows that I want to establish My kingdom, that humans will play a role and that we need to deal with humanity’s sin problem, but he has no idea what that exactly looks like.”
The King went on to explain that to keep the enemy in the dark, several things had to happen. The announcements to the parents of the key players on earth had to be on the down low. Gabriel would secretly slip away and make those himself. The mother was an obscure peasant girl, a virgin who would had found favor with the Father. The Holy Spirit would come upon her and impregnate her. She would be literally, a virgin who was pregnant and, once this was explained to her, she would cooperate willingly. The earthly father, her fiancée, an obscure carpenter who would adopt the child and raise him as his own, was a different matter. He was a righteous man who, once he realized that his fiancée was pregnant, would have a problem with it, knowing the baby wasn’t his. They’d have to get him on board. The problem, however, was that he was a physical descendant of David, mentioned throughout Old Testament prophesies as the line that would produce the Messiah, so, although there were many people in that lineage, the enemy tended to check on those people occasionally, as best he could given his limited resources. They’d have use his dreams to get that done since the enemy couldn’t read minds, only the Father could do that, and those whom He empowered to do so. Gabriel had just the angel in mind for the job.
“I’ll use him there and again when we have to get the baby to Egypt.”
The King nodded. Then there was the old man who would recognize the child eight days after his birth. That would also be easy. “I love that guy!” declared the King with a smile. “He’s at the end of his life and, despite everything that has happened to his people, he’s still waiting expectantly for the birth of his Messiah. We’re going to reward him for that. He’s so tuned in that the Holy Spirit is going to reveal to him in his thoughts that he won’t see death until he sees the promised Messiah in the flesh. Once the old man comprehends what will happen, he’s going to come to the temple every day with his head on a swivel.”
“Aren’t we worried that the enemy will pick up on it and follow him?” Michael asked.
“Nah. From the enemy’s perspective, Simeon is just an old man, a nobody. And there’s going to be so many people in Jerusalem at that time that the enemy isn’t going to be able to keep up with the likely suspects to usher in the Messiah, much less the obscure long shots.”
The plan was simple enough. Gabriel would dispatch another angel to Rome to influence Caesar’s judgement and convince him that issuing a decree for a census of the entire empire would be an excellent way to maximize tax revenue. Once this happened, while the census was taking place, there would be people moving all over the Roman empire because everyone would be required to return to their ancestral homelands.”
The King laughed. “The enemy doesn’t have enough demons to keep tabs on even the likely suspects who will be traveling. This is going to be one of those times when we shove the fact of just how limited the enemy is and how unlimited God is, right in his face. For the next thirty three years, we call the shots and there will be nothing that the enemy will be able to do about it. He’s going to play right into our hands from start to finish.”
After a moment of silence, Gabriel spoke up and asked. “Will I be making any kind of a public announcement when you are born?”
“Yes and no. On the night of my birth, you will make the private announcement to a group of shepherds, and they will end up spreading the word to whoever will listen to them but the public announcement will be done by his department,” the King said, pointing to Michael.
Before Michael could ask why, the King explained the final detail. Gabriel would appear to the shepherds on the night of the birth and make a quiet announcement concerning where they could find the child but then, Michael’s best troops would follow it up with a public announcement that would be seen and heard both in the earthly realm and the spiritual realm. “I want your troops armed to the teeth and the announcement, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those with whom He is pleased.” must be made with authority. Once you make that announcement, the enemy will know that I have arrived, but he won’t know where. Look back at the mission details. He won’t even know the town I’m in until after the wise men from the east arrive and, by that time, I’ll be close to two years old. Still, the enemy’s knowledge will be limited. He’ll only know generally where I am, but he won’t know who I am. When he realizes this, he’s going to counter with a bold move.”
The King explained that Herod, Rome’s puppet ruler would attempt to kill all male babies two years old and younger in Bethlehem.
“Will the enemy incite him to do that?”
“Not exactly. Herod is so evil that he will do that by an act of his own volition but the enemy won’t try to stop him because the enemy knows that if I die at that time that I will never be able to complete my mission and humanity will still be without hope. Gabriel, that’s when your angel must speak to the earthly father again in a dream so he can get me out of there and escape to Egypt. That detail, incidentally, shouldn’t be a problem. Egypt, Judea, Galilee, they’re all part of the Roman Empire so moving me there will be easy and once I get to Egypt, I’ll drop off the grid for almost thirty years.”
The meeting went on for several more minutes but after it concluded, Michael remained behind to collect his thoughts. This mission could not fail, the fate of human race depended on it. This was the focal point of all Scripture. For much of it, especially in the early years, his King would be vulnerable. He would be born as an infant so he would be fully dependent on his earthly parents to care for Him. Wow! His mother would have to change his messy diapers. The Creator of the Universe wearing diapers and being unable to change them, how weird was that? Only as he grew would he become aware of who He was even. The King wouldn’t be able to do anything outside of the natural limitations of mankind unless His Heavenly Father permitted it. Fortunately, the enemy would be limited as well, and God the Father was the X factor. They would win, they had to.
He took a deep breath and realized he needed to get back in public before he was missed. Once he got back outside, Michael glanced at the throne. The King was back on it, sitting at the Father’s right hand but just then he felt a vibration in his pocket. It was his cell phone with a text. “Just appeared to a priest in Jerusalem. Walked right by enemy agents on the way. They have no clue. Game on. Gabriel”
The Biblical Accounts:
Luke 1
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.
8One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
11While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.b 16And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,c and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”
18Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”
19Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”
21Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. 22When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.
23When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. 24Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. 25“How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings,d favored woman! The Lord is with you!e”
29Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33And he will reign over Israelf forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
34Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37For the word of God will never fail.g”
38Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
Matthew 1
The Birth of Jesus the Messiah
18This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagementh quietly.
20As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,i for he will save his people from their sins.”
22All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,j
which means ‘God is with us.’”
24When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
For those people wishing to contact me, I can be reached at [email protected]
You can also find me on Instagram. I’m sam.roach.16 and my profile pic is a tan hat that covers half my face.
Sam