He appreciated what she was doing.
“Jack we’re told and taught—they want us to believe—the source of evil in the world is external to man. That evil is rooted in the corruption of society. We fix society and fix the environment, and we fix man’s problems.”
“Yep. Doesn’t seem to be working, though.” He knew that, but the distractions of his work combined with his other escape activities kept these things from his mind.
“We can’t change people’s basic nature by changing their environment. There are lawbreakers at all levels of society—on the streets, in the suburbs, in our workplaces, in our government. Many of those people live in a good environment.”
Something else Jack understood but didn’t think about. He let Cath continue.
“These views are in complete contrast to what Christians believe. We believe the source of evil is rooted within man’s fallen nature, and the only way change can take place is when a person puts his faith in Jesus.”
“And this is where people get confused.” Jack knew he needed to have this discussion. Too much confusion. Too many things on his mind that needed clarification.
“I think people get confused when they bring the word ‘sin’ into the equation,” Cath said. “People think of sin as an external act, something you do. But external sin is often influenced by our internal spiritual condition, and by an unseen world. And those influences turn into actions, and we sin.”
“Do you mean thoughts?”
“Yes. Most of the time. Who controls them? Demons or angels?”
“I have a vision of little people sitting on my shoulders and whispering in my ears.” Jack brushed his left shoulder.
Cath smiled. “I wonder where that vision came from?”
Jack laughed. “This is way too heavy.”
“It is, but Adventus is making it real. It needs to be talked about.”
“You said, ‘in his kingdom there will be no evil’. So has his kingdom come?”
“Not yet physically. It may be coming.” She pointed to the ceiling. “The alien spacecraft contains a city being transported to take up residence on earth. The images are real. Maybe God is giving us a glimpse of what’s coming, of what it will be like to be in his kingdom.”
“Does everyone get to live in his kingdom?”
“No. Only those who put their faith in Jesus.”
“And those who don’t?”
“The Bible isn’t clear, but I believe those outside the kingdom will find there are no restraining forces on evil. The Bible talks about an outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
His head was ready to explode. He couldn’t get his head around what Cath was saying.
Cath sensed his mood. “No more for now, Jack.” She looked at him, her face sad with a look of helplessness. She placed her hands on his. “One thing Churchie talked about was the last days. He was convinced they’re not far away.”
At one stage, Jack had considered Churchie just another religious fanatic, but the man could see things. Those things were very real to him … and to Cath.
“Jack, we’re in the last days.” Her hands were still on his. “You need to get things right with your wife and son. More importantly, you need to get things right with God.”
Blunt, but he needed to hear it. “I’ve heard it before. Faith defined as trusting in something you can’t see or in something you can’t prove.”
“We can see Adventus, and God does have a plan.”
“And that is …”
“To set up his Kingdom.”
Jack nodded. He felt weary.
“Do you believe in Jesus?”
“I think so.”
“You know demons do.”
“Really?” Jack wasn’t sure how to respond to that.
“Yes. And a lot of people believe in Jesus but don’t follow him. They believe in the facts, for example, he was a man, a great man.”
“He was a man, or so history tell us.”
Cath pinched her lips together. He watched her chest rise as she took in a deep breath and breathed out. This wasn’t easy for her.
“The demons knew Jesus was God and there was little they could do—they were already doomed. Jesus died for humanity, not for fallen angels or demons as we know them. Demons fear God, like how criminals fear the police and judges as those who hand out punishment.”
She paused and took a breath.
“I’m sorry, Jack, this has gone a lot deeper than I anticipated. I’ll leave it to God to work on your heart.” She stood.
Jack gave her a smile and stood as well. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do. I’m nearly on the same page. Be patient.”
