NINETEEN
"Do you suppose I bring peace to the world? No, not peace, but division." – Jesus' words LUKE 12:51, The Bible
"You're the real Jesus?" Martin sank his head back further in his chair staring in disbelief at the new comer, his eyes were wide and his heart racing. He felt physically sick and a knot twisted tight in his stomach.
"I am that I am" The stranger retorted sternly. "I am he that has all authority given to him by God… And within my hands lies the key to the Kingdom"
The Doctor stared at the man's empty hands "But you're not carrying anything!" He said as if genuinely confused.
The 'Dark Jesus' spun round to face The Doctor. "Silence, Demon!" He shouted, "One such as you would not understand and, even if you did, all you can hear are the lies of your master! You're ears are not fit to hear my word!"
The Doctor looked hurt. "What's wrong with my ears?" He clasped them with both hands as if protecting them from insult. "And can you stop calling me 'demon'… I'm a Time Lord and…"
"Be silent!" The 'Dark Jesus' shouted even louder, his face was suddenly inches from The Doctor's. "There is only one Lord of Time and you are not He!" He stared furiously into The Doctor's eyes and his gaze was met full on. The Dark Messiah gestured over at Martin, who was still sat in shock in his deck chair. "You have brought this man here to lie to him. To tell him un-truths about God and lead him on the road to Hell itself!" He looked over at the 'Other Jesus' who was still sat by the fire staring calmly at Martin as if completely oblivious to the new comer. "You even bring with you a deceiver who pretends to be me! Blasphemies and lies leave his lips easier than the twigs burn in your hell fire!" He came even closer to The Doctor's face and lowered his voice slightly. "I know who you are, demon… And I will not let you take this man's soul!"
The Doctor scrunched his face up, scratched the back of his neck and turned away from the stranger "Well… I tell you what… You don't half like the sound of your own voice and… Man, you could do with some sort of breath freshener!" He wafted his hand in front of his nose. "If you're gonna get that close to someone… You could at least sort that out! Cleanliness is close to Godliness, don't you know?"
The Dark Messiah was enraged. "You dare insult the Son of the Most High?" He raised his hands upwards and pointed meaningfully at the Doctor and the 'Other Jesus'. He then lifted his voice dramatically as if chanting a spell. "Away from me, you that are under God's curse! Away to the eternal fire which has been prepared for the Devil and his Angels!"
The Doctor waited a couple of seconds, gazed slowly from side to side and then stuck out his bottom lip. "Oh dear… Has nothing happened?" He said sarcastically "Were we supposed to vanish in a puff of smoke or something? Banished to the lower realms?" He walked slowly over to the fire and warmed his hands. "It's not going to happen, my friend. You have no authority over us…" He turned and looked at the newcomer "Because… You're not real"
The Dark Messiah looked furious. He breathed hard for a few moments and then calmed himself slightly. He then let out a slight, pitying laugh "More lies from your twisted tongue…You are the unreal one, Demon"
"Oh I don't think so, 'Jesus'…" The Doctor spoke softly and quietly "You're nothing more than a construct… A mental projection… A figment of Martin's imagination" He glanced at the Dark Messiah and laughed slightly "Look… He's even made you look like Robert Powell from that 80's TV version! White skin, thin faced, long hair… even the beards exactly the same! You're Martin's version of what he thinks Jesus should look like, and he's come up with your image because of years and years of western culture's influence! You've been 'dreamt up', as it were" He looked over at Martin. "He's your creator… sat over there!"
Martin squirmed in his seat and looked on, confused beyond understanding. "How have I…?"
"Pay no heed to this pitiful liar, 'Martin'" The Dark Messiah totally ignored The Doctor, turned back to Martin and crouched in front of him. "You and I know what is true. There is but one creator and He is my Father… The Lord of Heaven… And the Judge of all Mankind… Follow me and I will show you whom to fear. Fear God, who, after killing, has the authority to throw into Hell. Believe me, he is the one you must Fear!"
The Doctor had heard enough "Oh leave him alone, Man! We've heard all this before! He know longer believes in a God that he has to fear! He's moved beyond that now! He's experienced the Love of God and that's what he's chosen to pursue…"
"You cannot choose how you want God to be, Demon!" As he spoke The Dark Messiah didn't turn to look at The Doctor yet his voice was still harsh and confident. "God is what He is despite the wishes of mere mortals! And no amount of human thought will change the reality of The One True Living God! He is your creator and, therefore, your judge."
The Doctor moved over to where Martin was sat and stood behind the confused man. He bent down and whispered in his ear. "You don't have to listen to this, Marty… Just say the word and this fear monger will be gone. You've created him… Out of your own fear…You've even made him the ultimate fundamentalist! The ultimate Bible-Basher! He's very scary and all that…But… he's not real…"
Martin stared into the Dark Messiah eyes. They were a deep, dark brown and looked back at him with a condemning intensity.
"If I am not real, Demon, then my words are harmless, are they not?" The Dark Messiah spoke softly and calmly and, although his words were directed at the Doctor, his gaze remained transfixed on Martin.
"You know full well your words are harmful…" The Doctor said, "In fact they are fearful… Literally full of fear… And Martin doesn't want to hear them" He tapped Martin on the right shoulder "Do you, Marty?"
Martin remained in a state of almost petrified numbness, his eyes staring intently into the Dark Messiah's. At first he said nothing but shook his head slightly.
"Do you, Martin?" The Doctor repeated with a little more force, squeezing the seated man's shoulder as he did so.
"No" Martin whispered. "I don't want to hear what you have to say" His voice began to rise slowly as if growing in confidence encouraged by The Doctor's reassuring hand on his shoulder. "So I don't want you in this story any more… Therefore… Go…" Martin closed his eyes tight and a look of concentration over took his face. "Go! I deny you exist!"
The Doctor tapped Martin's shoulder with praise "Oh, good man, Marty! This will sort him out once and for all!" He said happily.
"Go!" Martin shouted, his eyes still clenched tight and his concentrated frown was deeper than ever.
After a couple of seconds of blissful silence Martin slowly opened his eyes. The Dark Messiah was still knelt in front of him.
"Perplexing, is it not?" The Dark figure said confidently. "Maybe you are not my 'creator' after all? Maybe the 'Truth' you've been told is not The Truth at all? Maybe it is the Demon in your ear that is the true liar here, Martin?" He put his hand on Martin's knee gently. Martin flinched in his seat as the Dark Messiah slowly pushed himself up to stand imposingly in front of him "I am real and I am here. And you will listen to my Word…" He walked slowly towards The Doctor, the hem of his long garment trailed along the sandy floor. He moved around them, circling both Martin and the Time Lord as he spoke "This one doesn't want you to hear my word because he knows my word will destroy his lies!" He suddenly stopped and leant his face towards The Doctor. "Go over there and sit with your other lying, blaspheming friend, Demon!" He nodded over at the 'Other Jesus' who was still sat motionless by the campfire, his face unmoved and serene. "Go sit by your hell fire and await your judgement and I will teach this man The Truth of things. I will undo your wicked blasphemies and he will learn to beg God for forgiveness for all of his many sins"
The Doctor shrugged his shoulders and walked around to face Martin; a look of disappointment on is face.
"Oh, Marty!" He said dejectedly "I really thought you'd left all this behind you" He bent down to look closer into his eyes. "Are you sure want to go through with all of this?"
Martin let out a nervous laugh "No, of course I'm not sure but I'm not sure I have much choice either, Doctor!" His voice was panicked and broken "I have no control over this at all and I really don't like where this is going and… I'm… I'm scared"
The Doctor leant forward and hugged Martin as the broken man sobbed into the Time Lord's jacket. "You'll be ok, Marty… Don't worry. This will all stop when you want it to, ok?"
Martin pulled The Doctor tightly into him "Can't you help me, Doctor?" he whispered anxiously.
"No… I can't" The Doctor said gently, slowly removing himself from Martin's grip. "Not this time. This is your fear… Your False Evidence Appearing Real… Only you can look at it… And make it disappear" He stood up and walked despondently over to the campfire "I'll just be over here with Jay" He knelt down beside the 'Other Jesus' and began throwing bits of stray twigs into the fire. "I wont let anything or anyone harm you, Marty, I promise."
The 'other Jesus' simply smiled at Martin and nodded knowingly. "Remember what you felt, Martin" he said gently breaking his self-imposed silence. "Remember your experience of God. Nothing can harm you when you remember that God is Love"
"Be silent, Demons!" The Dark Messiah turned his head only briefly in their direction before redirecting his harsh gaze once more on Martin. "You have already poisoned this man's mind enough with your talk of 'love'! What know you of Love?"
"A little bit more than you, I think" The Doctor said matter-of-factly.
"The only love you know of is the love of self!" The Dark Messiah turned his back fully on the campfire blocking Martin from its warmth. "I will teach this man that Love is to be given only to God. Every day of his life he must love the Lord with all his heart and his soul putting His divine needs above all others. This is what God demands and, from His true servants, He expects nothing less!"
The Dark Messiah moved closer to the still seated Martin who now couldn't feel the heat from the campfire at all and, even worse, the dark figure had blocked Martin's view of The Doctor and 'Jay'. All Martin could see now was this Jesus' stern and solemn face as it moved ever closer towards him.
"I will tell you the True word of God, Martin" The Dark Messiah's voice was filled with authority and confidence. "And then you will take my Word back with you… To your time… To the End Times… And you will become a servant of The One True God, spreading my message to the lost and the fallen. You will do the will of Yahweh and prepare for His return!"
Martin could take no more and began to cry uncontrollably. His whole body shook and he sank forward, holding his hands up to cover his face. "Please… No…" He sobbed deeply into his palms. "I don't want that… I don't want that to be true"
The Dark Messiah ignored him completely and continued, his voice rising in tone and volume. "His kingdom will come! His will will be done! On Earth… as it is in Heaven!" He lifted his hands skyward and stared up into the star filled sky his eyes were wide and manic. "On His Great and Terrible Day, the Lord of Heaven shall reclaim this earth and all will worship him!"
"Doctor!" Martin screamed. "Doctor! Please help me!" He tried to see behind the darkened figure towards the campfire but his view was still blocked.
"The demon will not help you now, Sinner!" The Dark Messiah lowered his voice…
"It's just you and me now…"
"Not everyone who calls me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do what my father in heaven wants them to. When judgement day comes, many will say to me, 'Lord, lord! In your name we spoke God's message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!' Then I will say to them, "I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!" – Jesus' words MATTHEW 7:21. The Bible