The Day The Devil Smiled

Book excerpt: Heather Renae Acquistapace The Day the Devil Smiled Synopsis There is only one thing on Jesus Christs mind as He and His twelve disciples eat the Passover meal in Jerusalem: the salvation of mankind. The Son of God knows that the only way for humanity to be able to live with Him in eternity will be for Him to die to pay for the punishment of all the sins of time. Jesus longs to save the people, but He does not want to go through the bloody, torturous death that awaits Him. The Son of God is guarded by angels, two of which are Iceil and Ameron. The two angels, as well as many others, continually fight the demons trying to intercept the Mighty Ones plan of salvation. Tyzar, the demonic leader of the dark spirits in Jerusalem, endlessly tries to disrupt Jesuss mission and is helped by Sysen, a demon specialized in controlling human minds. During the Passover meal, Jesus tries to prepare His disciples for the trying hours before them, but the demons in the room cause the men to be confused by the Masters words. Sysen takes control of one mans mind, Judas Iscariot, and deceives him into killing himself later on in the story. The men then travel to the Mount of Olives where Jesus prays and asks God if there is another way to save the people of the world. The Devil meets Jesus in the garden and tries to convince Him that Gods plan will fail. The time of prayer is agonizingly difficult as Jesuss inward conflict builds with each deceptive word from Satan. After hours of prayer, the Lord of Heaven and Earth tells Jesus to continue with the plan of salvation, and He obeys. When Jesus is done praying, He is arrested by temple guards, tied, and taken before the religious leaders. The demons try to make chaos and deceive the people. The angels fight them to keep the disciples safe. Jesus has angered the Jewish leaders in the past and has claimed He is the Son of God, a crime punishable by death. After an illegal trial, Jesus is taken before the Roman governor of Jerusalem, Pontius Pilate, the only authority who can sentence someone to death. The governor does not find Jesus guilty. After questioning Him for a time, he sends the Prisoner to Herod Antipas, the governor of where Jesus war born; a mob follows their every move. Upon seeing Jesus, Herod demands Him to perform a miracle, but when Jesus does not obey, He is sent back to Pilate. The Roman does not want to kill the innocent Man. Therefore, he allows the Jews to pick between two prisoners, Jesus and a murderous revolutionary, to be set free, as he does once every year to be in favor with the people. The Jews choose the revolutionary and demand Jesuss death. Satan whispers in Pilates ear to have Jesus flogged to satisfy the crowd and the Roman, still unwilling to kill Jesus and believing the Devils advice is the solution, orders for the beating to commence. As Jesuss body is brutally slashed open with whips, the angels face the demons wanting to torment Christs spirit alongside the floggers. Christ is then presented to the Jews once more, but the cry for His death is louder still. Pilate, not wanting the people to become a riot, surrenders and orders Jesus to be put to death. The Son of God is followed by a mob to Golgotha and nailed to a cross. Before He dies, all the sins of mankind come onto Jesus, and for the first time, Christ feels separated from God. When Jesus dies, the Devil smiles, but the sins are extinguished because of Jesuss sacrifice. Three days after Jesus is killed, the Holy Spirit brings Him back to life, obtaining victory for the angels and destruction for the demons. Jesus appears before His followers a number of times and forty days after His death ascends into Heaven along with Iceil, Ameron, and a few other angels. Jesus sits down at the right hand of God, humanity is saved, and the demonic forces lose yet again another spic battle.