The story of Christ like you’ve never heard it before. Told through the eyes of the two thieves on the cross and the spiritual warfare hidden from mortal men. Christ’s descent into hell and his victory over the principalities and powers. When it comes to spiritual warfare, Jesus was no pacifist.
Character Images created by Cam Harless and Brian Godawa
© Copyright 2023 Warrior Poet Publishing.
Jesus bar Joseph
Called “The Nazarene.” Itinerant rabbi, Galilean troublemaker. Declared by John the Baptizer as the Son of God. But if he is the Messiah deliverer of Israel, where is his army of Sons of Light? Why will he not rise up against their Roman oppressors? What no one around him realizes is that his journey to strange non-Jewish towns in Galilee are not just because he’s supporting Be-Kind-To-Gentiles Month. It’s because those are strongholds of supernatural evil, the gods of the land.
Mary of Magdala
This is the mysterious woman out of whom Jesus cast seven demons. She didn’t get possessed by being a prostitute as some people think. She was something far darker. And that is why she is able to see what the other disciples cannot: the spiritual powers at war over Jesus. She has more importance to his victory than most of the disciples.
Simon the Zealot
Originally an Essene scribe from the Qumran community. He left it along with Barabbas and joined the armed Zealots because he wanted to do more than talk, he wanted to change the world through revolution. But when he went to investigate the Nazarene in Galilee to see if he was an ally or enemy, he became a follower. He has a crush on Mary Magdalene, the hot new convert.
Demas Samaras
A Jewish bestiarius who fights man-eating animals in the arena for the entertainment of the masses. He risks his life because he has a death wish. His wife and parents are dead. All he has left in life is his brother, Gestas, who has been captured by the Romans for sedition. Demas joins the Zealot revolutionary Barabbas to rescue his brother and fight Roman oppressors. But his greatest fight will be against spiritual forces in the heavenly places.
Gestas Samaras
Brother of Demas. Gestas is an actor in the theatre, playing action heroes like Hercules. After seeking to ingratiate himself amongst the aristocratic Herodians, he is rejected and finds himself caught up in the hypnotic leadership of Barabbas, the Zealot. He and his brother are charged with finding out what happened to Barabbas’ missing comrade, Simon the Zealot who is following a rabbi claiming to be Messiah.
Jesus bar Abbas
Leader of the revolutionary Zealots. Originally, a member of the peaceful Qumran community on the Dead Sea, Barabbas quit because he wanted to be an agent of change. The Zealots believe they need to help bring about heaven on earth. Barabbas begins to think he may be the Messiah himself. His problem is he has to find out if this Nazarene rabbi is an ally or an enemy.
Longinus
Full name, Marcus Lucius Longinus. An older centurion of ruthless discipline and skill in killing the enemy, especially those brigands, the Zealots. He is charged with hunting down Barabbas and the two brothers, Demas and Gestas. He is devoted to justice, but his conscience is in conflict because of his participation in an atrocity ordered by Pilate. Is Caesar the savior of Rome, or is he living a lie of mere power?
Herod Antipas
The greedy power-hungry Jewish ruler who kills John the Baptizer and conspires with Rome to defeat the Zealots. The Herodians are the ruling Jewish elite who are considered traitors to their people by god-fearing Jews because of their sympathy for Rome.
Eleazar the Giant
A captive of the Parthians, Eleazar is given as a diplomatic peace gift to Caesar. He hears about the Nazarene rabbi who fulfills the prophecies of Messiah, the Seed of Eve. As a Seed of the Serpent himself, the Messiah is his archenemy who cursed his people. So there is only one thing Eleazar is set upon doing: escaping his captivity to kill the Nazarene.
Pontius Pilate
The infamous Roman governor of Judea at the time of Christ. This beast of a ruler will use swift and ruthless violence upon Jews without regard for their sacred places or traditions. Yet, when he meets the source of the unrest in Jerusalem, the mangy rabbi, he is unimpressed and washes his hands.
Caiaphas
The Jewish high priest who conspires with Pilate to keep the Jews in their place. But then Caiaphas seeks to bring down the one impediment to his lust for power: Jesus of Nazareth.
The Ob of Panias
A necromancer who opens the very Gates of Hades, from which pours forth a vicious horde of demons, spirits of the dead Nephilim whose sole purpose is to destroy the Son of David. The penultimate battle between the Seed of the Serpent and the Seed of Eve is about to begin.
The Archangels
The archangels have fought against the Seed of the Serpent through the entire series of novels, and they are not going to stop now, as they protect the Messiah and bind the gods of the land as part of his victorious triumph over the principalities and powers.
The four key angels are back, the elder Michael prince of Israel, the smaller and witty Uriel, his constant bickering companion, Gabriel, and the quiet Raphael, are joined by the three others, Saraqel, Remiel, and Raguel.
The Accuser – Belial
The principality of Rome, and therefore god of this world, since Rome rules the world. He has gone by many names in the past; the satan, Sammael, Mastema, Adversary. Now that the Messiah has finally arrived, he must stop him or lose everything he has worked for over the millennia. He is not going down without a fight. A very dirty fight.
Ba’alzebub
“Lord of the Flies.” Also known as Ba’al for short. The god of storm, the head of the pantheon of Watchers in Canaan. A muscular powerful deity who cannot be beaten through sheer strength. He has returned from imprisonment in the earth before. It’s hard to keep a bad god down.
Molech
God of the Underworld. He owns the valley of Hinnom, or Gehenna, outside the walls of Jerusalem. Molech is the most despicable of deities who loves to consume children by having them pass through the fires of sacrifice. He hides in a labyrinth of tunnels below the earth. And rats can be fearsome when cornered.
Asherah
The Watcher of Tyre and the Sidonians, the “Lady of the Sea.” Mother of the Gods. She has ruled Israel with Ba’al for centuries because Israelites have committed spiritual adultery in worshipping her. Jesus is coming to Tyre but she is ready for him. And she has a few tricks up her battle dress.
The Watchers of the Nations
“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:15)
