John Bunyan
CHAPTER IV.
BUT now, in this Valley of Humiliation, poor Christian was hard put to it; for he had gone but a little way before he espied a foul fiend coming over the field to meet him: his name is Apollyon. Then did Christian begin to be afraid, and to cast in his mind whether to go back or to stand his ground. But he considered again that he had no armor for his back, and therefore thought that to turn the back to him might give him greater advantage with ease to pierce him with darts; therefore he resolved to venture and stand his ground; for, thought he, had I no more in mine eye than the saving of my life, it would be the best way to stand. So he went on, and Apollyon met him. Now, the monster was hideous to behold: he was clothed with scales like a fish, and they are his pride; he had wings like a dragon, and feet like a bear, and out of his belly came fire and smoke; and his mouth was as the mouth of a lion. When he was come up to Christian, he beheld him with a disdainful countenance, and thus began to question with him:
Apollyon. Whence come you, and whither are you bound?
Chris. I am come from the City of Destruction, which is the place of all evil, and am going to the City of Zion.
Apol. By this I perceive that thou art one of my subjects; for all that country is mine, and I am the prince and God of it. How is it then that thou hast run away from thy king? Were it not that I hope that thou mayest do me more service, I would strike thee now at one blow to the ground.
Chris. I was indeed born in your kingdom; but your service was hard, and your wages such as a man could not live on; for the wages of sin is death; therefore, when I was come to years, I did as other thoughtful persons do, look out, if perhaps I might mend myself.
Apol. There is no prince that will thus lightly lose his subjects, neither will I as yet lose thee; but, since thou complainest of thy service and wages, be content to go back, and what our country will afford I do here promise to give thee.
Chris. But I have let myself to another, even to the King of princes; and how can I with fairness go back with thee?
Apol. Thou hast done in this according to the proverb, "changed a bad for a worse;" but it is common for those that have called themselves His servants, after awhile to give Him the slip, and return again to me. Do thou so too, and all shall be well.
Chris. I have given Him my faith, and sworn my service to Him; how, then, can I go back from this, and not be hanged as a traitor?
Apol. Thou didst the same to me, and yet I am willing to pass by all, if now thou wilt yet turn again and go back.
Chris. What I promised thee was in my youth, and besides, I count that the Prince under whose banner I now stand is able to set me free, yea, and to pardon also what I did as to my service with thee. And besides, O thou destroying Apollyon, to speak the truth, I like His service, His wages, His servants, His government, His company, and country, better than thine; therefore leave off to persuade me further: I am His servant, and I will follow Him.
Apol. Consider again when thou art in cold blood, what thou art likely to meet with in the way that thou goest. Thou knowest that for the most part His servants come to an ill end, because they are disobedient against me and my ways. How many of them have been put to shameful deaths! And besides, thou countest His service better than mine; whereas He never came yet from the place where He is, to deliver any that served Him out of their hands; but as for me, how many times, as all the world very well knows, have I delivered, either by power or fraud, those that have faithfully served me, from Him and His, though taken by them! And so I will deliver thee.
Chris. His forbearing at present to deliver them is on purpose to try their love, whether they will cleave to Him to the end; and, as for the ill end thou sayest they come to, that is most glorious in their account. For, for present deliverance, they do not much expect it; for they stay for their glory, and then they shall have it when their prince comes in His and the glory of the angels.
Apol. Thou hast already been unfaithful in thy service to Him; and how dost thou think to receive wages of Him?
Chris. Wherein, O Apollyon, have I been unfaithful to Him?
Apol. Thou didst faint at first setting out, when thou wast almost choked in the Gulf of Despond. Thou didst attempt wrong ways to be rid of thy burden, whereas thou shouldst have stayed till thy Prince had taken it off. Thou didst sinfully sleep and lose thy choice things. Thou wast almost persuaded to go back at the sight of the lions. And when thou talkest of thy journey, and of what thou hast seen and heard, thou art inwardly desirous of glory to thyself in all that thou sayest or doest.
Chris. All this is true, and much more which thou hast left out; but the Prince whom I serve and honor is merciful and ready to forgive. But besides, these infirmities possessed me in thy own country; for there I sucked them in, and I have groaned under them, been sorry for them, and have obtained pardon of my Prince.
Apol. Then Apollyon broke out into a grievous rage, saying, "I am an enemy to this Prince; I hate His person, His laws, and people. I am come out on purpose to withstand thee."
Chris. Apollyon, beware what you do, for I am in the King's highway, the way of holiness: therefore take heed to yourself.
Apol. Then Apollyon straddled quite over the whole breadth of the way, and said, "I am void of fear in this matter. Prepare thyself to die; for I swear by my infernal den, that thou shalt go no farther: here will I spill thy soul." And, with that, he threw a flaming dart at his breast; but Christian held a shield in his hand, with which he caught, and so prevented the danger of that.
Then did Christian draw, for he saw it was time to bestir him; and Apollyon as fast made at him, throwing darts as thick as hail, by the which, notwithstanding all that Christian could do to avoid it, Apollyon wounded him in his head, his hand, and foot. This made Christian give a little back; Apollyon, therefore, followed his work amain, and Christian again took courage, and resisted as manfully as he could. This sore combat lasted for above half a day, even till Christian was almost quite spent. For you must know that Christian, by reason of his wounds, must needs grow weaker and weaker.
Then Apollyon, espying his opportunity, began to gather up close to Christian, and, wrestling with him, gave him a dreadful fall; and, with that, Christian's sword flew out of his hand. Then said Apollyon, "I am sure of thee now." And, with that, he had almost pressed him to death, so that Christian began to despair of life. But, as God would have it, while Apollyon was fetching his last blow, thereby to make a full end of this good man, Christian nimbly reached out his hand for his sword, and caught it, saying, "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall I shall arise;" and, with that, gave him a deadly thrust, which made him give back, as one that had received his mortal wound. Christian, perceiving that, made at him again, saying, "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." And, with that, Apollyon spread forth his dragon's wings, and sped him away, that Christian for a season saw him no more.
In this combat no man can imagine, unless he had seen and heard, as I did, what yelling and hideous roaring Apollyon made all the time of the fight: he spake like a dragon; and, on the other side, what sighs and groans burst from Christian's heart. I never saw him all the while give so much as one pleasant look, till he perceived he had wounded Apollyon with his two-edged sword; then, indeed, he did smile and look upward; but it was the dreadfullest sight that ever I saw.
Chris. So, when the battle was over, Christian said, "I will here give thanks to Him that hath delivered me out of the mouth of the lion; to Him that did help me against Apollyon." And so he did, saying:
Then there came to him a hand with some of the leaves of the tree of life; the which Christian took, and laid upon the wounds that he had received in the battle, and was healed immediately. He also sat down in that place to eat bread, and to drink of the bottle that was given to him a little before: so, being refreshed, he went forth on his journey, with his sword drawn in his hand; "For," he said, "I know not but some other enemy may be at hand." But he met with no other harm from Apollyon quite through this valley.
Now, at the end of this valley was another, called the Valley of the Shadow of Death; and Christian must needs go through it, because the way to the Celestial City lay through the midst of it. Now this valley is a very solitary place; the prophet Jeremiah thus describes it: "A wilderness, a land of deserts and pits, a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, a land that no man" but a Christian "passeth through, and where no man dwelt."
Now here Christian was worse put to it than in his fight with Apollyon, as in the story you shall see.
I saw then in my dream, that when Christian was got to the borders of the Shadow of Death, there met him two men, children of them that brought up an evil report of the good land, making haste to go back; to whom Christian spake as follows:
Chris. Whither are you going?
Men. They said, "Back, back! and we would have you to do so too, if either life or peace is prized by you."
Chris. "Why, what's the matter?" said Christian.
Men. "Matter!" said they: "we were going that way as you are going, and went as far as we durst: and indeed we were almost past coming back; for had we gone a little farther, we had not been here to bring the news to thee."
Chris. "But what have you met with?" said Christian.
Men. Why, we were almost in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, but that by good hap we looked before us, and saw the danger before we came to it.
Chris. "But what have you seen?" said Christian.
Men. Seen! why, the valley itself, which is as dark as pitch: we also saw there the hobgoblins, satyrs, and dragons of the pit; we heard also in that valley a continual howling and yelling, as of a people under unutterable misery, who there sat bound in affliction and irons; and over that hung the discouraging clouds of confusion; Death also does always spread his wings over it. In a word, it is every whit dreadful, being utterly without order.
Chris. Then said Christian, "I perceive not yet, by what you have said, but that this is my way to the desired haven."
Men. Be it thy way, we will not choose it for ours.
So they parted, and Christian went on his way, but still with his sword drawn in his hand, for fear lest he should be attacked.
I saw then in my dream, as far as this valley reached, there was on the right hand a very deep ditch; that ditch is it into which the blind have led the blind in all ages, and have both there miserably perished. Again, behold, on the left hand there was a very dangerous quag, or marsh, into which, if even a good man falls, he finds no bottom for his foot to stand on: into that quag King David once did fall, and had no doubt there been smothered, had not He that is able plucked him out.
The pathway was here also exceedingly narrow, and therefore good Christian was the more put to it; for when he sought, in the dark, to shun the ditch, on the one hand he was ready to tip over into the mire on the other; also when he sought to escape the mire, without great carefulness he would be ready to fall into the ditch. Thus he went on, and I heard him here sigh bitterly, for besides the danger mentioned above, the pathway was here so dark, that ofttimes, when he lifted up his foot to go forward, he knew not where or upon what he should set it next.
About the midst of this valley I perceived the mouth of hell to be, and it stood also hard by the wayside. Now, thought Christian, what shall I do? And ever and anon the flame and smoke would come out in such abundance, with sparks and hideous noises (things that cared not for Christian's sword, as did Apollyon before), that he was forced to put up his sword, and betake himself to another weapon, called "All-Prayer." So he cried in my hearing, "O Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul." Thus he went on a great while, yet still the flames would be reaching towards him; also he heard doleful voices, and rushings to and fro, so that sometimes he thought he should be torn in pieces, or trodden down like mire in the streets. This frightful sight was seen, and those dreadful noises were heard by him, for several miles together, and, coming to a place where he thought he heard a company of fiends coming forward to meet him, he stopped, and began to muse what he had best to do. Sometimes he had half a thought to go back; then again he thought he might be half-way through the valley. He remembered, also, how he had already vanquished many a danger, and that the danger of going back might be much more than going forward. So he resolved to go on; yet the fiends seemed to come nearer and nearer. But, when they were come even almost at him, he cried out with a most vehement voice, "I will walk in the strength of the Lord God." So they gave back, and came no farther.
One thing I would not let slip: I took notice that now poor Christian was so confounded that he did not know his own voice; and thus I perceived it: just when he was come over against the mouth of the burning pit, one of the wicked ones got behind him, and stepped up softly to him, and whisperingly suggested many wicked words to him, which he verily thought had proceeded from his own mind. This put Christian more to it than anything he had met with before, even to think that he should now speak evil of Him that he had so much loved before. Yet, if he could have helped it, he would not have done it; but he had not the wisdom either to stop his ears, or to know from whence those wicked words came.
When Christian had traveled in this sorrowful condition some considerable time he thought he heard the voice of a man, as going before him, saying, "Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me."
Then he was glad, and that for these reasons:
First,—Because he gathered from thence, that some who feared God were in this valley as well as himself.
Secondly,—For that he perceived God was with them, though in that dark and dismal state. And why not, thought he, with me, though by reason of the kindness that attends this place, I cannot perceive it?
Thirdly,—For that he hoped (could he overtake them) to have company by-and-by. So he went on, and called to him that was before; but he knew not what to answer, for that he also thought himself to be alone. And by-and-by the day broke. Then said Christian, "He hath turned the shadow of death into the morning."
Now, morning being come, he looked back, not out of desire to return, but to see, by the light of the day, what dangers he had gone through in the dark. So he saw more perfectly the ditch that was on the one hand, and the quag that was on the other; also how narrow the way which led betwixt them both. Also now he saw the hobgoblins, and satyrs, and dragons of the pit, but all afar off; for after break of day they came not nigh; yet they were shown to him according to that which is written, "He showeth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death."
Now was Christian much affected with his deliverance from all the dangers of his solitary way; which dangers, though he feared them much before, yet he saw them more clearly now, because the light of the day made them plain to him. And about this time the sun was rising, and this was another mercy to Christian; for you must note that, though the first part of the Valley of the Shadow of Death was dangerous, yet this second part, which he was yet to go, was if possible far more dangerous; for, from the place where he now stood, even to the end of the valley, the way was all along set so full of snares, traps, gins, and nets here, and so full of pits, pitfalls, deep holes, and shelvings down there, that, had it now been dark, as it was when he came the first part of the way, had he had a thousand souls, they had in reason been cast away. But, as I said just now the sun was rising. Then said he, "His candle shineth on my head, and by His light I go through darkness."
In this light, therefore, he came to the end of the valley. Now, I saw in my dream that at the end of the valley lay blood, bones, ashes, and mangled bodies of men, even of pilgrims that had gone this way formerly; and, while I was musing what should be the reason, I espied a little before me a cave, where two giants, Pope and Pagan, dwelt in old time; by whose power and tyranny, the men whose bones, blood, ashes, etc., lay there, were cruelly put to death. But by this place Christian went without danger, whereat I somewhat wondered; but I have learnt since, that Pagan has been dead many a day; and, as for the other, though he be yet alive, he is, by reason of age, also of the many shrewd brushes that he met with in his younger days, grown so crazy and stiff in his joints, that he can now do little more than sit in his cave's mouth, grinning at pilgrims as they go by, and biting his nails because he cannot come to them.
So I saw that Christian went on his way; yet, at the sight of the old man that sat at the mouth of the cave, he could not tell what to think, especially because he spoke to him, though he could not go after him, saying, "You will never mend till more of you be burned." But he held his peace, and set a good face on it, and so went by and caught no hurt. Then sang Christian:
"O, world of wonders (I can say no less),
That I should be preserved in that distress
That I have met with here! Oh, blessed be
That hand that from it hath delivered me!
Dangers in darkness, devils, hell, and sin,
Did compass me, while I this vale was in;
Yes, snares, and pits, and traps, and nets did lie
My path about, that worthless, silly I
Might have been catched, entangled, and cast down;
But, since I live, let Jesus wear the crown."
A new day will dawn on us from above because our GOD is loving and merciful. HE will give light to those who live in the dark and in the death´s shadow.
HE will guide us into the way of peace.
(Luke 1:78-79)
Ao regressar do cativeiro babilônico para Jerusalem, Zorobabel foi chamado por Deus para reconstruir o templo: O SEGUNDO TEMPLO, já que o primeiro templo, construido por Salomão havia sido destruído como consequência do pecado do povo.
A promessa de DEUS para Zorobabel e para o povo é de que se eles se esforçassem na construção, ainda que o segundo templo não tivesse a exuberância e riqueza estética do primeiro, seria depósito de uma GLORIA maior: A GLORIA de DEUS.
TO
THE CHURCH OF PERGAMUM
“To
the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These
are the words of Him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I (JESUS) know
WHERE YOU LIVE—WHERE SATAN HAS HIS THRONE. Yet you remain true to my name. You
did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful
witness, who was put to death in your city—WHERE SATAN LIVES.
Nevertheless,
I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the
teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that
they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. Likewise,
you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. REPENT
therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with
the sword of my mouth.
WHOEVER HAS EARS TO HEAR, let them (YOUR EARS) hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
(Revelation 2:12-17)
In tthe book of Revelation 2:12-17, Jesus addresses the Church of the Greek city of Pergamun. He
begins by describing the critical place in which this church is situated: where
Satan has his throne (the Pergamum altar). HE highlights the positive points of
this church that despite harsh persecution 'did not renounce its faith in HIM',
and finally points out the spiritual dangers that lie in wait for the members
of this small community.
Some
of the members of this church followed and practiced the teachings of Balaam (a
"certain type of prophet" from the Old Testament) "who taught
the children of Israel to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and encouraged
them to commit sexual immorality".
Jesus
admonishes this church to repent and says that otherwise HE will come to her
and fight with the sword of HIS mouth against the members who do not repent.
THE
BIBLE is the living Word of God and this Word is not limited to times and
dimensions. What was becomes again.
The
Word of Christ for the Church of Pergamum in Greece is the same for the Church
of Pergamum today.
In
1878, the German engineer Carl Humann started official excavations on the
acropolis of Pergamon, an effort that lasted until 1886. The relief panels from
the Pergamon Altar were subsequently transferred to Berlin, where they were
placed on display in the Pergamon Museum. ( source: wikipedia )
The
Pergamon Altar (Ancient Greek: Βωμός τῆς Περγάμου) or according to JESUS HIMSELF
the THRONE OF SATAN was transferred to BERLIN.
An
altar where many bloody sacrifices were once made has been activated again. A
satanic portal was opened in the city of Berlin. It is no surprise that Satan
had a thirst for blood, and he found in Hitler a good partnership. Hitler,
besides being a dictator and assassin, was also an occultist and he did his
best to accomplish his masters' desires. He made a huge holocaust.
Could
the church in Germany have had the power to stop the Holocaust? I really don't
have an answer for that.
What
I know for a fact is that Queen Esther was able to minimize a Holocaust in
Persia. She received from the King the permission to FIGHT against his own old
decree to kill her people. She received the PERMISSION TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST
HER PEOPLES ENEMIES, after fasting and praying.
But
the church in modern Pergamun - Berlim ( with some exceptions as the martyr
Dietrich Bonhoeffer ) was submerged in such apathy and political stupidity that
she was blind to the spiritual darkness hovering over her: the Throne of Satan
and it's priest (Hitler).
Are
we different today?
Are
we aware of the dark spiritual clouds hovering the nations today?
The
slumbers say: 'bow down before evil and it will become good'. Pretend evil is
good, and you can have a peaceful life.
JESUS
said one of the problems with the Pergamum church is that she gets so enticed
by immorality (with the blessing of their false prophet ) that she can't
differentiate evil from good. The false prophet Balaam says: have pleasure,
carpe diem, and forget about what is going on over your head including the
sword of Satan that is about to decapitate you.
And
the only remedy JESUS can offer to the salvation of this church soul is HIS OWN
SWORD.
JESUS
says 'I AM COMING TO YOU WITH MY SWORD. Because if I don't come with my sword to
you, Satan will come with his. And JESUS sword comes to divide.'
HE
WILL SEPARATE GOOD FROM EVIL.
HE
will separate holy from unholy.
HE is
coming with the SWORD OF TRUTH.
Without
prayer and confrontation evil will not go away.
Image source: Wikipedia, Altar of Pergamum, Berlin.
REMINISCÊNCIAS DE UM GATO EM SUA SÉTIMA VIDA
Avistei com pesar o pequeno séquito real se afastando pelo caminho tortuoso rente a um dos chifres que ladeiam meu pequeno domínio.
Por um breve instante quis correr atrás do colo amoroso daquela a quem elegi como minha segunda dona. Sentiria falta dos afagos de suas mãos gentis, mas percebi que por mais que me doesse o coração e uma lágrima quisesse correr em minha face pela sua ausência eu presava demais aquelas ruas feitas de pedras imemoriais onde eu havia me esgueirado por anos. Muitos anos.
O novo não era mais para mim.
Queria que meus ossos cansados deitassem ali, naquela terra em meu último e derradeiro suspiro. Não era mais parte de mim atravessar o grande canal de águas azuis e salgadas que separava os dois mundos. Um canal de nascimento.
Nascer de novo?
Sete longas vidas, me bastavam. O tempo pesava sobre mim.
Nunca pensei que o Criador ainda me permitiria ver este mistério. De minha sétima vida nada mais esperava. Mas esta foi coroada de um senso de propósito. Minha primeira vida havia sido de grande aflição, quando passei do Paraíso onde me alimentava dos frutos do Éden pelas mãos do meu primeiro pai para o ultraje de comer os ratos de uma terra condenada.
Sendo o animal mais sábio do paraíso, vi com grande desgosto meus conselhos serem negligenciados pela primeira mãe. Meus rogos e apelos caíram em ouvidos anestesiados pelo engano da serpente que usou de argumentos pífios, ainda que exitosos.
Caí vertiginosamente junto com a primeira família e me vi atrelado a apetites e instintos asquerosos.
Mas ainda assim o Criador viu em mim méritos e me concedeu sete vidas. Longas vidas que me deram muitas oportunidades de mudanças. Pude criar várias versões de mim mesmo mas que apenas se tornaram cansativas e vãs.
Me exilei neste vale entre os dois chifres. Um lugar muito distante de onde eu comecei.
Excesso de tempo me tornaram entediado, contudo aperfeiçoei minha percepção sobre os humanos, e percebi que jamais mudam em suas pobres escolhas. Tenho culpa de desprezá-los? De manter-me distante? Aprendi ainda a conhecer as nuances do tempo e saber o ponto exato em que eles mudam. Gosto da ociosidade e reflexão. E foi em um de meus momentos de reflexão que vi aquela comitiva aproximando-se de meu domínio. Meu instinto percebeu neles algo de peculiar. Divinamente peculiar.
Uma aura de mistério os envolvia.
Aproximei-me deles e quis perguntar do alto de minha autoridade de dono daquela terra que missão os trazia ali. Porém perdi a habilidade da fala. Mas meus ossos felinos vibraram em uma epifania.
Um ancião com seu bordão e uma jovem que carregava em seu sangue uma dinastia real. Um profeta guardião do ramo cortado do alto de um soberbo cedro. Um homem destinado a dura missão de arrancar e derrubar uma nação com seus pronunciamentos proféticos e que tinha também encargo de replantá-la. Um homem que chorava a luz do dia devido a sua pesada missão mas que carregava consigo o remanescente. Sua vida era uma história de tragédia e esperança. Uma esperança de recomeço.
Eram fugitivos. Primeiro da escravidão, segundo da espada e terceiro do conforto do velho Egito.
A jovem princesa tinha um olhar austero, desconfiado. Havia sofrido eventos traumáticos nos poucos anos de sua vida. Nossa conexão foi instantânea. Rocei meu corpo macio em seu tornozelo e ela prontamente aceitou o conforto, pegando-me em seu colo.
Olhou em meus olhos iridescentes e me batizou com um nome que guardo em sigilo. Segredo apenas nosso.
O profeta foi indulgente com minha presença.
Por dias que se tornaram anos eles permaneceram exilados aqui. Em meu pequeno domínio. A espera de Shiloh. Pintando as paredes de sua casa com o azul dos céus de verão da terra de onde foram desarraigados. O azul que adornou meu descanso.
Até que um dia, em uma de suas visões, o profeta entendeu que tinha que atravessar a estreita abertura do útero do mar em direção ao novo mundo.
Meu coração estava partido.
Eu amava minha pequena princesa mas não queria renascer. Estava farto de dias.
Decidi ficar. E consolo meus últimos dias contemplando as paredes azuis do meu mundo que miraculosamente jamais empalidecem.
