“One thing I am sure of is that our cook maid has fixed a great meal for you. Even though it is late, you shall eat a bit and get some rest. It looks like you two have big deeds to accomplish tomorrow and during the days to come,” concluded Riya.

  CHAPTER 20

  Overcoming Fear

  The following morning, dawn was breaking over the horizon in Lystra when three knocks resonated on the wooden and metal gate of Paul’s house. Nabas, who was already awake, wondered who that could be. He walked to the gate and questioned, “Who is there?”

  He heard no answer, but felt that someone or something was behind the gate even though he did not hear a sound.

  “Who is there?” he repeated. Hearing no response, he began walking away from the gate when he heard a rattling sound coming from the street, right beside the gate. Determined to know more about this, Nabas opened the gate and was terrified by what he saw.

  On the ground lay an oval bramble basket with its torn and slightly burned lid half open. Inside the dirty basket was a black snake circling the remains of a beheaded crow. Around the basket were three black scorpions with their pairs of grasping pincers and their narrow segmented tails curved up in the air in attack mode.

  “The enemy of peace is fear,” thought Nabas after recovering from his stupor. “This has been placed in front of the gate to instill fear,” he thought while looking to the left and to the right to see if there was anyone on the street who could have put that there. He could only see quickly disappearing around the corner, the edge of a grey robe, which Lystran healers usually wear. During the brief time that he glanced down the street, taking his eyes off the snake and the scorpions, the triangular headed reptile furtively entered the house. It passed near Nabas’ feet and aimed at the common room. Undulating as fast as it could on the compound’s dusty ground, the snake set off on its path.

  Seeing this, Nabas quickly slammed the gate which ricocheted in a loud noise. Aware of the potential danger that could result from a bite from this snake that he was suspecting to be venomous, he took a nearby rock and threw it fiercely at the snake. The reptile avoided the rock which crashed on the ground, lifting up some dust.

  “No!” shouted Nabas so intensely that his voice vibrated at a high frequency. With its internal ears, the snake felt the vibrations and stopped abruptly. Turning back from its objective, the serpent charged back at Nabas. The chief steward knew then that the danger was real. He saw the vertical and elliptical pupils in the eyes of the reptile that was charging back at him, and he knew it was definitively a venomous snake. He knelt down and took a rock in each hand. Without a split second of hesitation, he threw the rock he had in his right hand at the snake and almost immediately threw the one in his left hand. The first rock grazed the determined reptile, but did not stop it. By the time the second rock reached there, the snake had completed a full undulation hence avoiding the projectile.

  Nabas felt hopeless in front of this deadly, creepy reptile that was rushing toward him. Looking to the right, then to the left, he did not see any other projectile he could throw at the ferocious creature that was hissing at him. Before Nabas could even decide to run for his life, the dreadful snake had already picked up momentum in its tail and soared up in the air, mouth wide open with bright fangs in full view. The ruthless predator was jumping on its prey. When all hope seemed to have evaporated for Nabas, what had happened earlier that day saved him from pain and suffering.

  Half an hour earlier, Lydia woke her brother up and they started to direct prayers to the Heavenly Father in their common bedroom which was upstairs. They praised His holiness and magnified His name. The great wonders He performed through them the day before came back to mind, and they were grateful for the favor they had found in Him. They thanked the Alpha and the Omega for his Holy Spirit who dwells in them, guides them and reminds them of the precious words needed for every situation they had encountered since their return.

  As they were rejoicing in the Lord of Hosts and were enjoying that time of celebration and praise, they remembered these words pronounced by the Alpha and the Omega, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Their joy overflowed and they began to thank the Lord of Hosts even more.

  Right around that time, they heard, coming from down the stairs, the loud noise of the gate banging on the wall. At that sound, they hurried to the balcony adjacent to their bedroom and, thanks to the light of the frail sunrays that were breaking through dawn, they saw Nabas rushing behind a snake which was aiming at the common room. When the first rock thrown by Nabas missed the reptile, the twins instinctively called upon their respective armor. They saw the reptile turning back to attack Nabas, but feared not as the words of peace from the Alpha and the Omega were still echoing in their hearts.

  The chief steward had not noticed that, by banging the gate earlier, it did not close, but rather ricocheted and remained ajar. The small opening left by the gate that did not properly close when Nabas pushed it was sufficient for the three black scorpions to enter the house one by one. As such, when Nabas thought that he was only receiving a frontal attack by the venomous snake which was rushing at him, there were actually three scorpions on the ground behind him, their tails curved over their backs, stingers filled with venom.

  Mindful of the danger into which Nabas had fallen, Lydia and Silas declared together with power,

  “It is written, ‘I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.’ I command this snake and these scorpions to be crushed in the name of Jesus!”

  When the determined voices of Lydia and Silas resounded in the frail morning breeze, the twins witnessed two powerful diamond arrows quickly forming at their command. As both arrows departed from near their mouths, each projectile fragmented into two diamond arrows making a total of four which swiftly flew down. Reaching their targets with full power, the four diamond arrows speared the three scorpions and the reptile, flattening them on the ground.

  Nabas was saved. The whole tumult that lasted only a few moments felt like a long time for him. In his eyes, he saw a ferocious snake jumping towards him, getting flattened in the air as if it had hit a wall, and then falling back on the ground. While the snake was hitting the ground, some shell cracking and crushing sounds reached his ears. He turned his attention to the direction of the cracking noise. He was stupefied to find three black scorpions smashed on the ground right behind him. Seeing them so close made him jump in surprise. He realized at that moment that he had been rescued from a life threatening danger. Shaken to the core, Nabas fell down on his knees and thanked the Lord of Hosts for having spared his life in a miraculous way.

  As he remained on his knees, with tears of gratefulness flowing down his cheeks, Nabas saw Paul, Riya, Silas and Lydia coming down from their rooms. With a trembling voice, filled with sincerity, Nabas said,

  “With all that I have seen and heard yesterday, and with this that I have been through already this morning, I can say with all my heart: I believe that Jesus is Lord and I believe that the Lord of Hosts raised Him from the dead! I accept the gift of salvation and ask for forgiveness of my sins. Lord Jesus, make me whole, make me new as I am now your humble servant.”

  At these words, an eastern wind picked up outside the house and blew away the basket along with the dead crow that was inside of it. The wind carried them to the seashore on the west side of Lystra. The basket and what was left in it were collected by the sea waves and disappeared into the sea. Paul’s household did not know who had put the basket there in front of their home, but the town healer who did this, knew that there was nothing else they could do to scare Paul’s family.

  CHAPTER 21

  Discerning Lies

  In the afternoon, as the twins had requested it the previous day, people who had accepted the free gift of salvation began to gather in front of the gate to Paul’s striking house. At that moment, Silas was telling Haman about the importance of telling the truth at all times.

  “The Father of all lies was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth. It is as though lying were his native language.”

  “And keep this in mind,” added Lydia, “No lie comes from the truth.”

  “When someone lies, it is as if they have jumped from the side of righteousness to fall on the side of evil.” Silas, mimicked a jump while talking, and then continued, “They will want to tell another lie to cover the previous lie, and so on.”

  “Why are you telling me this?” wondered the young servant timidly.

  “We are telling you this so that you may come to realize that there is no use telling lies. Truth is a better and healthier way,” responded Lydia.

  Silas pulled out a sheet of parchment from his pocket and asked the servant if he knew how to read. The parchment was a copy of a portion of the Book of Proverbs.

  The servant shook his head indicating that he could not.

  Silas replied, “Nabas can show you how to read this. But for now, this is what is written here.” To add gravity to the words he was about to pronounce, Silas paused for a moment then proclaimed,

  “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.

  Whoever winks maliciously causes grief,

  and a chattering fool comes to ruin.

  The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,

  but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

  Hatred stirs up conflict,

  but love covers over all wrongs.

  Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,

  but a rod is for the back of one who has no sense.

  The wise store up knowledge,

  but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.”

  As the ones who had accepted the free gift of salvation the previous day began to arrive at the house, Nabas, who was lining up seats for them, directed them to sit.

  Lydia and Silas taught them about the Word of the Lord of Hosts and about their newly acquired status. They imparted on them the necessity to renew their mindset. Their old nature had passed away and they had received a new nature as new citizens of Heaven. Lydia added,

  “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to recognize what the Lord of Hosts’ will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will”.

  That afternoon, even more people accepted the gift of salvation. From then on, they met regularly and the twins responded with great wisdom and maturity to questions they received.

  Throughout the week, the popularity of Silas and Lydia grew tremendously in all Lystra. From early in the morning to late at night, there were line ups in front of Paul’s house. Great crowds came to them from as far as Nysia, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others. Every day of the week, Silas and Lydia received them in the compound of the house that was filled to capacity. Genuine joyfulness, shouts of gratitude and cries of deep relief were expressed throughout each hour of the day. Silas and Lydia healed them and cast away their oppressions and afflictions by the power of the Holy Spirit. People came with their burdens, and left with relief from their sorrow and with deep gratitude to the Lord of Hosts. The name of Jesus the Alpha and the Omega was proclaimed constantly.

  On the seventh day of the week, a group of well-dressed men came near the crowd. They were indignant because the twins were healing on the Sabbath, the day of rest. One of them shouted angrily to the people, “There are six days for work. Come and be healed on one of those days, not on the Sabbath.”

  “Doesn’t each of you, on the Sabbath, untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?” asked Silas.

  “I suppose we do,” replied the healer who had spoken up.

  “Then should not these men and women be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound them?” Ashamed, they retraced their steps and went back where they came from.

  CHAPTER 22

  Winning over Pride

  People from the crowd that had lined up on that seventh day, understood that the twins could use some rest, even though the siblings seemed energized. From that understanding, they started to pass the word around to one another to give the twins a bit of time for rest, and to come back the following day. Accordingly, the crowd started to scatter and soon enough, there was no more line up in front of the house. The armor vanished right away from the twins who then went to take that time to rest. Sitting on the chair in the common room, Lydia suddenly said,

  “Humility precedes glory…”

  “…and pride precedes a disaster.” Silas completed using the same tone.

  “In my heart, I have a calling to go and talk to Mernid, to offer him the gift of salvation,” continued Silas.

  Suspecting that such assignment would not be easy, Lydia comforted her brother and said, “To support you in this, I will go upstairs and pray for the will of the Lord of Hosts to be done.”

  He nodded, got up and as he walked out the room, he said to the chief steward who was passing by, “Nabas, please ready my horse, as I need to go to Mernid’s”.

  “Right away, Silas,” he responded hastily, understanding that it was a pressing matter. The horse was saddled and was led to the gate where Silas mounted it.

  “May the Lord watch over you and keep you safe,” blessed Riya with Paul beside her, raising her hands in the direction of her son.

  “Amen!” responded the young man, galloping forthwith in the direction of Mernid’s mansion. When he arrived, the soldiers made him wait a bit before Mernid allowed him into his presence.

  “Silas, what is this urgent matter? The guards are saying that you want to speak with me?” asked Mernid sitting comfortably in the audience room. Without further introduction, Silas affirmed,

  “It is about the Book of Life. I have read and I fully know that anyone whose name is not found written in the Book of Life would be thrown into the Lake of Fire.” Mernid stared at him, baffled.

  “I am not making this up. It is written clearly like that,” Silas quickly added.

  “How does one have their name put into that book that you call the Book of Life?” he asked.

  “Repent from your wrongdoing and accept the gift of salvation…” Silas started to answer.

  “You mean that you want me to become a soft, fragile and meek person so that anyone could walk all over me?” he retorted.

  “No, Mernid. That is not what I mean. You will remain robust, and you will even become stronger knowing that a mighty Conqueror is by your side,” said Silas.

  “Ah! This is simply old women’s tale. You have nothing to say that can convince me. I am strong and powerful. I maintain order in the city and Lystra is mine! I hold the power and authority over Lystra!” he said raising his voice.

  “Hear me Mernid! All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to the Alpha and the Omega, Jesus of Nazareth. This authority that you are priding yourself on…” said Silas

  “Careful son, careful…” interrupted Mernid.

  “…it has been given to you by Heaven, and Heaven can take it away from you in a matter of minutes!” continued Silas.

  “Impossible. I made very hard choices for this, I put people in dungeons, and I alone conquered this place by my own efforts!” shouted Mernid, at the verge of losing temper.

  “Heaven has allowed you to be there for a reason, for it is written, ‘A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven’. Hear me well Mernid, the Lord of Hosts has favored you, and that is the very reason why you have received this powerful position.” Silas paused for a moment, but the ruler did not say a word. Curiously enough, he was waiting for the young Silas to continue.

  “Yes, you put in a lot of efforts, indeed you conquered a lot, you made many sacrifices and several compromises, but because the Lord of Hosts perceived goodness in you, He allowed your hard work to be rewarded. As a result, you have maintained your dominion over the prosperous city of Lystra for ten years. You have become richer than when you took over the city. You now lack nothing and live in abundance. Today, what is being asked of you is to look beyond your mortal existence on this earth and set your sight on eternity.” Silas paused again for a while, and that time too, Mernid did not say a thing as he was still waiting for Silas to carry on with what he was saying.

  “Don’t be fooled Mernid! There are only two destinations: the fierce Lake of Fire or the peaceful dwelling prepared by the Alpha and the Omega. I have been sent here to offer you the possibility of securing your name in the Book of Life.”

  “That book again!” reacted Mernid, “what’s your business with that book anyways?” looking angrily at Silas.

  “The Book of Life is an ancient holy book that is in a specific place in Heaven. In this book are recorded the names of all individuals who have been found worthy to live eternally in the presence of the Lord of Hosts,” revealed Silas.

  “How does one get their name written in this Book of Life,” wondered Mernid.

  “Out of the sincerity of your heart, if you believe that Jesus is Lord, and that the Lord of Hosts raised Him from the dead, if you repent from your sins and ask sincerely for forgiveness, Mernid, I tell you, the Lord of Hosts is faithful. He shall welcome you among His children and, on top of every possession that you have here, you will also become a citizen of Heaven,” declared Silas with certitude and great ability.

  A moment of pause followed. Then the ruler said,

 

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