Climax to The Greatest Story Ever Told

Climax To The Greatest Story Ever Told Part 4

Christ heaved with all His might. He would not let fatigue get the better of Him. Not now, when ultimate victory was within His grasp. Not after all the time spent down here, on this fallen world.

Lucifer's eyes widened. Slowly, both swords moved to the right. Then in one gargantuan effort Christ pushed again, breaking the deadlock and saving Himself while knocking them both off balance. He fell to the ground but quickly rolled to His feet, panting, and readied Himself once more. Meanwhile Lucifer, having been sent staggering away by the sheer momentum, took two quick steps to prevent himself from plummeting headlong into the ground.

He whipped around to face Christ, glaring daggers at Him. "Look at You! Weakling! Nothing like what You were before! Dripping with sweat and struggling to catch Your breath after a brief encounter like that..." He was just as winded, though. It was a struggle just to get the words out, but he kept going. "What is so special about these fools that You would put Yourself into such a deplorable, embarrassing condition just for them?" He clenched his fist. "They're blithering idiots! Nothing is easier to deceive in all of creation! Not even animals! You Yourself know each and every one of the myriad of brilliant schemes and lies I've fed them over the years—lies to make them hate You or forget You or worship everything else but You, all while sincerely thinking that they are actually worshipping You! Stop this garbage at once! No one will blame You if You choose not to go through with this! The humans deserve their fate!"

Christ smiled a little. "What's the matter? I thought You'd be ecstatic right about now. I thought you preferred Me this way. It's the closest you'll ever come to harming Me directly or defeating Me, and you'll never get another chance like this one ever again." Then suddenly He clutched His chest, eyes wide, and coughed harshly, spitting blood in the process.

His physical body! It wouldn't last much longer at this rate. Not after having taken such a beating and undergoing such torture. Even now He was being tortured in the physical realm, nailed to a cross with His body weight pulling cruelly at the grip of the nails and threatening to tear Him away from the cross and throw Him helpless to the ground. His time in the living world was almost up and it was affecting Him here as well. He'd have to end this quickly.

Abject terror gripped Him again. With little time left to live, that abhorred moment was speeding ever closer towards Him. He would be facing it very soon, now. That one event that would clinch the entire journey from the Upper Room to the cross and give meaning to the 33 years of life He had led. That event that was the entire reason He had ever been born into humanity.

Satan had a point. It would be a heavy price to pay. An insanely heavy price. Payed for a race that had rebelled from the beginning and would continue to do so until the very end of time. Payed for people who scoffed and screamed and spat and jeered and beat Him mercilessly and refused Him. They did deserve their fate. And no one could really blame Him for backing down now.

But He loved them.

He loved them too much to stand aside and watch as they got caught in a trap, the horrors of which they could never conceive in their wildest nightmares, and which they hardly even knew existed. A trap from which there was never and would never be an escape. He loved them enough to put everything else aside and take their place in that trap once and for all time. So He would not give into the rising sense of fear which was threatening to suffocate Him, even though He knew better than anyone what awaited Him. Because perfect love casts out all fear.

"Dammit, You're not allowed to bleed unless I'm the one who caused it!" Satan bellowed and rushed at Him in a frenzy. "Since you have a death wish, I'll grant it here and now and make sure You have no happily-ever-afters to look forward to. It ends here!"