Fallen Angels, the Watchers, and the Origins of Evil (12 page)

           
And Jesus came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, there were two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?”

And one of the men came of the tombs with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains; because he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces, neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying and cutting himself with stones.

           
But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, crying with a loud voice, and said, “What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God?”

           
“I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.” For he said unto him, “Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.” And he asked him, “What is thy name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion for we are many.”
 
And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.

Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, “Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.”

           
And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they came to Jesus, and saw him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

           
They that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.

And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, “Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.”

           
And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him and all men did marvel. And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him and he was nigh unto the sea. And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, And besought him greatly, saying, “My little daughter lieth at the point of death I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed and she shall live.”

And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

           
And there was a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse.
 
When she had heard of Jesus, she came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.”

           
But the Pharisees stopped him because it was not legal to heal anyone on the Sabbath. But Jesus said to them, “Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, “Who touched my clothes?”

           
And his disciples said unto him, “Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, ‘Who touched me?’” And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”

           
While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, “Thy daughter is dead, why troublest thou the Master any further?” As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, “Be not afraid, only believe.”

           
And having chosen twelve disciples, Jesus taught them and empowered them.

           
And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, “Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”

           
And Jesus answered and said unto them, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, ‘I am Christ;’ and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, see that ye be not troubled for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

           
For nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

           
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you and you shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

           
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

           
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

           
When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, whoso readeth, let him understand. Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains. Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house. Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

           
And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day.
 
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

           
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, ‘Lo, here is Christ, or there;’ believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

           
Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, ‘Behold, he is in the desert;’ go not forth.
 
‘Behold, he is in the secret chambers;’ believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.”

           
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.
 
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

           
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. And while he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

           
Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: the first, Simon who is called Peter; Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee; and John his brother; Philip; Bartholomew; Thomas; Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus; Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, “Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
 
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils; freely ye have received, freely give.”

           
But the heart of Judas was greedy, for he was the treasurer and kept the money bag. And Judas wished to have Jesus establish his kingdom so that he could control the money for the nation. So he conceived a plan that would force Jesus to act or die.

           
Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill Jesus; for they feared the people.

           
Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Jesus unto them. And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money.

           
And Judas said unto them, “What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?” And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.

           
Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the Passover must be killed. And from that time Judas sought opportunity to betray him. Now, on the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, “Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the Passover?”

           
And he said, “Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, ‘the Master saith, my time is at hand, I will keep the Passover at thy house with my disciples.’” And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the Passover.

           
Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he said, “Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. The Son of Man goeth as it is written of him but woe unto that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!
 
It had been good for that man if he had not been born.”

           
And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, “Lord, is it I?” Jesus answered, “He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it.” And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

           
And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, “That thou doest, do quickly.”

           
Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, “Buy those things that we have need of against the feast;” or, that he should give something to the poor.

           
Judas then having received the sop went immediately out and it was night.

           
Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.