Satan's Attack on the Early Church: Down But Not Out, #1

By Judy Savoy

Can Lucifer really gain control of the whole world when a third of his troops are untrainable, two of his key operatives have mental issues, and his most competent officer is considering sedition?  Volume 1 of this Down But Not Out series, describing Satan's strategies, is early church history in story form.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Judy Savoy
• Release date: Jan 28, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386458685

Judy Savoy

Judy Savoy writes on her two favorite subjects: the Bible and health. When not buried in research, she may be found enjoying her grandchildren or working out at the gym.

Book preview

DOWN BUT NOT OUT

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Volume I:

Satan’s Attack on the Early Church

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Judy Savoy

Copyright © by Judy Savoy 2016  All rights reserved.

Published in the United States of America

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Facts and Fiction

Although the dialogue in this historical account is fictional,

•         Every historical figure referred to really lived;

•         Every quotation attributed to a human is real;

•         Every historical document referred to actually exists, or once existed;

•         Every policy change made in the early church is factual.

For readers requiring more validation, a few additional sources not listed in the bibliography are referenced in the individual appendices.

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Biblical References

Unless otherwise noted, all Biblical references are from the KJV – King James Version.

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For readers’ clarity, author’s notes appear in blue.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

Appendix D

Appendix E

Appendix F

Appendix G

Appendix H

Appendix I

Appendix J

Appendix K

Appendix L

Appendix M

Appendix N

Appendix O

Appendix P

Appendix Q

Appendix R

Appendix S

Bibliography

Chapter One

Midnight, 100 A.D. in a pagan temple

We’re ready for the review, Lucifer announced.

Let’s start with the crucifixion, Bellikose suggested.  That’s my favorite!

The other demons gathered around as Keeper tapped his forehead and projected scenes from his memory onto a blank wall that served as a movie screen.

There’s me! Bellikose pointed at the first scene.  See me instigating all those people to call for the brat’s death?

Lucifer’s warriors sometimes copied his practice of referring to God’s son as the brat because, not only was he God’s favorite, but he’d recognized their tactics and supplied his army with strong defenses. (Eph. 6:13-18)

And see me there? Bellikose continued.  "I’m urging the Roman soldier to pound the nails as hard as possible through the brat’s hands.

Look! There I am again, with the high priest at the stoning of Stephen.  And there’s me, standing next to that priest at James’s beheading. He puffed his chest and hooted.  Look now!  See me dancing over their heads as they crucify Peter.

Lucifer enjoyed watching reenactments of his troops’ recent conquests with this select group of hand-picked officers. And since storing memories and presenting them as replays was Keeper’s specialty, it came in handy at these rallies Lucifer held every century.

That’s the latest destruction of Jerusalem, said Clowdee when the scene changed.  See me and Mixer there?  We duped the Judeans into believing they’d be safe inside the city near the temple.

Mixer sneered. "Those chumps actually believed the Dictator would protect it and them from Titus’s invasion."

While marshaling his troops for the War in Heaven, Lucifer had begun calling God the Dictator, and now his army often did too.  After all, He had banished them from Heaven!

There’s Specter and Vixen, said Keeper.  They’re tripping people and knocking them down so they can’t escape the soldiers’ swords.

But if you look closely, Bellikose said, you’ll see me and my troops helping the Roman army slaughter those humans. Oh, that was a happy day!  I just love all that bloodshed.

Keeper nodded. Those Jews never knew their days were numbered after they rejected their messiah.

Okay, the show’s over! Lucifer announced after the last scene.  Time to plan our next strategy.

What’s the use? asked Dowter. We’re constantly losing humans to the Enemy’s side!   I’m afraid we’re fighting a losing battle.

He’s right, Clowdee complained. The number of Nazarenes is growing, and they’re throwing off the shackles of the Pharisees.

I’ll say, added Dowter. Fleshies are being converted by the droves. And they’re following the Scriptures instead of the rabbis.  [Fleshies have skin and bones and, unlike the spirits, are limited in mobility.]

You worry too much, Dowter.

Dowter’s insecurity was one of the main reasons Lucifer held these rallies every century. Dowter seemed to need frequent mental recharging.

He has a point, though, said Mixer. Thousands joined the brat’s army on the Day of Pentecost, and the Dictator has promised them another power surge sometime in the future. In fact, every time Pentecost rolls around, I tremble until I know we’re safe for another year.

So do I!  Dowter’s wings shook.

Me too!  Clowdee agreed.

I guess we all do. Dowter continued. We lose a lot of captives whenever a teacher or evangelist quotes the prophet Jeremiah [10:2] and warns them against pagan customs. It’s no use, Chief. We might as well admit defeat.

"That’s why I’m the leader and not you, Dowter. You give up too easily.  And stop dwelling on our losses! Our weapons will be more effective now that the original disciples are all gone."

Lucifer sighed.  Every time he lost his temper, he noticed a diminishing of respect among his top officers, and so he was continually battling with inner emotions. Also, he couldn’t afford to lose control around Dowter because he needed to watch for signs of returning depression in the fragile fighter.

Listen! he held up a scroll. "I have here a copy of Daniel’s prophecies, and I’m sure some of them are yet to be fulfilled.  That means we still have time to ramp up our efforts.

Besides, he looked directly at Dowter. Our propaganda has always worked, and I’ve noticed that the second generation of disciples isn’t usually as dedicated as the first. We’ll make inroads faster from now on.

I still don’t think . . .

Stop thinking and listen! Lucifer shook the scroll. "We convinced both the religious leaders and the masses to reject their own Savior! We’ll fill the growing body of Nazarenes with false teachers and spread distrust in the Torah."

[Torah is Hebrew for the first five books of the Old Testament; sometimes affectionately referred to by Jews as Moses or the law.]

Then once again, just like those who thought they were His chosen people, baptized fleshies will be taught to break the Dictator’s covenant even while believing they’re members of His armed forces.

Easier said than done, Dowter muttered.

We did it with Jacob’s descendants. We can do it again.

Have you forgotten how their elders bring the Nazarenes back to the Torah, whenever the people come together for the holy days? This came from Assque, Lucifer’s sidekick.

Not for long, Assque. You’re going to raise so many questions in Rome’s western provinces about the gospel – and about the Dictator himself – that doubt will spread like wildfire.

Lucifer looked around. Where’s Fearphil?

There was no better nickname for that trooper, who was absolutely brilliant at creating fear and anxiety in the humans who had no personal relationship with God.

He’s in Asia Minor trying to instill fear of the Roman government in Simon’s converts, said Dowter, who often partnered with Fearphil.

A waste of time! Those Nazarenes are too well grounded in the Scriptures to stay fearful of men for long.

If the Nazarenes in Asia Minor are doing so well, why are you sending us elsewhere? Assque asked.

"Because converts in the western provinces are farther away from the centers of Judaism, that’s why! The humans there are steeped in paganism, and many of them are fairly Torah-ignorant.  They’ll be easiest to work with while we perfect our strategies.

Anyway, I have other plans for Asia Minor. We’ll attack there later.

Sounds reasonable, said Bellikose.

I still think you’re asking a lot, Dowter mumbled.

Not really.  Lucifer fought to hold his temper. An angry outburst might send Dowter into another deep depression, and every moment Dowter was off duty meant a huge setback to their cause.

When they were expelled from Heaven, about one third of Lucifer’s followers had suffered severe anguish similar to a nervous breakdown. When they recovered, their hatred of God was so intense – for having lost their positions in Heaven – that their personalities changed.

Lucifer had tried to re-train those fighters for specific assignments, but with little success.  Many of them had lost their reasoning powers and swore revenge on God by taking up residence in, and tormenting, the humans He had created.

Lucifer had placed those troops, called oppressors, under capable captains who made sure they stayed in their assigned territories. Field lieutenants monitored their activities and reported regularly to Keeper.

Dowter and Clowdee were exceptions. 

Clowdee’s breakdown was quite severe, and he was out of commission for a long time. After his recovery, Lucifer noticed that Clowdee possessed one outstanding skill – the unique ability to speedily darken the minds of many fleshies in a crowd and utterly confuse them. In fact, Clowdee was mainly responsible for the mob that cried Crucify him! just before the brat’s crucifixion.

Of course, many humans in the crowd that awesome morning were already being controlled by Lucifer’s army of oppressors, having given in to peer pressure. Fear of the rabbis’ disapproval turned them into accomplices in the murder of the very one who came to bring them eternal life.

Anyway, Clowdee could flit back and forth in a crowd so quickly that it seemed he was influencing them all at once. To Lucifer’s chagrin, though, Clowdee’s intellect was damaged during his breakdown, and he was no longer a sharp thinker. To compensate for his lack of intelligence, Lucifer had partnered him with Mixer, his brightest officer.

Dowter’s breakdown, on the other hand, was more like a deep depression which threatened to return every now and then. Lucifer found him indispensable and humored him because no one else could create doubt in earthlings’ minds the way he could.

That’s why I hold these rallies every century, Lucifer explained, as if Dowter hadn’t heard it all before.  Our whole future is at stake here, but I know we can overcome the human race.

Lucifer shuddered at the thought of losing Dowter or Clowdee. Their tactical weapons were the reason his war machine was so powerful against the Enemy.

Before we head over to Alexandria and Athens, why don’t we review some of our more successful strategies? Assque suggested.

Good idea.

Lucifer nodded at Keeper. This time go back to the Jews’ return from Babylonian captivity.

Keeper tapped his forehead again and projected much older scenes.

Oh, there’s me and Fearphil! said Dowter. "We’re convincing those priests that they needed to come up with some stringent rules to keep their people from falling into apostasy again.

And there we are on the Sabbath, urging the heads of families to listen more closely to their priests and rabbis. They trusted their leaders to keep them on course.

Now look! said Mixer. That’s me urging the rulers to issue new religious laws as if they came from Moses himself.

There I am, said Clowdee, "making all those suckers think their educated rabbis are magnifying Torah, rather than promoting their own ideas, whenever they speak from Moses’ seat."

"There I am with Clowdee, said Mixer.  How easily those fleshies were duped into thinking they could rely on their priests and rabbis for interpreting the Torah! By the time the brat appeared in person they really thought their traditions were of divine authority.  I think that was one of our greatest maneuvers."

But none of the Nazarenes lost their lives when Jerusalem was destroyed, Keeper reminded them.

That’s true. Mixer frowned.  They’d studied the brat’s warnings [preserved in Matthew 24] and vacated the city before the attack.

Don’t worry about the Nazarenes, Lucifer said.  "Bellikose will have a free hand with them later.

"I think our best tactic was getting them to form a closed religion. Fleshies fearful of losing their synagogue membership were ready to agree to whatever their rabbis taught."

Not entirely, Keeper argued. The Galileans and the Sadducees often disputed the teachings of the Pharisees.

Yes, yes, but since this latest destruction of Jerusalem, they’re all out of the picture.  The rabbis will be able to introduce their own new rules without interference from now on.

Well, then, said Mixer, "We need to turn the brat’s followers into a closed religion, too." 

You’re right, Mixer. We’ll have to figure out a way to infiltrate them in their gatherings.

It won’t be easy, said Dowter. Many Nazarenes can read both Hebrew and Greek fluently. They study the Torah to see which of their customs are actually Scriptural.

That’s why we’re concentrating on Alexandria, Athens, and the other places where His instructions aren’t as highly revered and studied, Lucifer reminded them.

"Bellikose, your troops are to cause civil unrest in every pagan city where the Nazarenes are gaining converts. Instill prejudice against the Jews wherever believers congregate for Sabbath services. Encourage the new converts to distance themselves from everything that looks Jewish.

And when you leave here, find Specter and Vixen and brief them on what they missed.

Will do, Chief! Bellikose gave a quick salute and whisked himself away, followed by most of the others.

Eventually the few Nazarenes who follow the Torah will be mistaken for Jews and get slaughtered along with them, Lucifer told Assque. "Then we’ll be in control of the masses again, just as we were at the brat’s trial. This time the whole earth will be ours, and neither the Dictator nor His