The Grim Reaper, the angel of death, in the book The Battle for Jesus is the opposite of all that we have been led to believe in such an iconic character.

Small and affable, the Grim Reaper proudly wears a black cape made by The Mother Mary with a hood to hide his skull and skeletal features, and he carries a scythe which is the symbol of his authority.

The Mother Mary made the cape especially for Grim. It has a hood and two inside pockets, one either side of the cape, enabling him to hide his skeletal hands and wrap the cape around his skeleton. Grim is extremely conscious of his small stature and skeletal appearance.

Grim does not hurt, intimidate, or instil fear in anyone. He is, in fact, in the story, a gentle person with kindly thoughts. He merely escorts our souls to Heaven when the time comes. Although he cannot be seen by mortals he makes every effort to avoid scaring anyone, celestial or otherwise.

Grim is invisible to us mortals until the time of our passing.

He is the conduit between Earth and Heaven. He is highly respected by the Archangels, Saint Gabriel and Saint Michael.

Before the start of the story, Grim tells the Lord and the Souls in Heaven that global warming is threatening the existence of Earth itself. He is the one that says, “No Earth no Heaven, no Heaven no Earth”. He is the reason why the Archangels return to Earth. And, Jesus joins them to help save the world.

Being a ghost, he can only be seen by the solid spirits who are The Mother Mary, Saint Gabriel and Saint Michael.

Jesus and Mary Magdalene are the only mortals that can also see Grim.

Saint Gabriel and Grim team up and they travel the world in a celestial tow truck.

Grim has secreted Moses’s staff in his scythe. It is an exceedingly powerful weapon that the Archangels do not wish to carry around with them. Within the story, there are consequences to this.

It is impossible for Grim to inflict harm on any person. Nor does he want to. Nor does he want to scare anyone, especially Mary Magdalene.

Mary Magdalene, in the story, does not die after the time of the Cross in the Holy Land. She lives on as the Archangel’s ‘boots on the ground’. Grim gets to know her because she is, by command, the only mortal he is not allowed ‘to take’ without her permission.

Mary Magdalene does not hide her love for Jesus and she pines for his return.

Before the start of the story, Grim, over the years, checks on Mary to ensure she is okay. He, with the Archangels, protect her across the two thousand years leading up to the beginning of the novel.

Over the years, Mary Magdalene and Grim get to know each other.

Grim is a lonely fellow and Mary, a beautiful woman, is the only mortal he can talk too.

It is only natural that Grim develops feelings for her. Mary, in turn, gets over his appearance and enjoys his company. He is an acquired taste! She tells him repeatedly that she loves him, but she means this in a platonic way because he is a ghost and nothing could ever become of their relationship.

However, situations change. Grim, other than his scythe, acquires the ability to pick things up. Mary, in turn, can affectionately touch his bones if she so wishes.

The Grim Reaper becomes besotted with Mary. He is still a ghost, but a dilemma evolves in the form of a lover’s triangle between Grim, Mary, and Jesus…

The post The Grim Reaper in The Battle for Jesus appeared first on Simon Lawson.

Saint Gabriel runs a tow truck, but no one is towing anything away.

The tow truck is celestial and he drives all over the world in it, parking anywhere he likes without anyone questioning him. This way he assesses the situation on the ground.

Only Solid Spirits and Grim can celestially travel in the tow truck. This means that mortals can travel in the truck normally but they cannot be transported celestially. So, Jesus and Mary Magdalene can ride in the truck, but they cannot journey across the world in it. The tow truck is indestructible.

In the novel, Saint Gabriel has teamed up with Grim and they travel the world together. Grim knows the people and the places. Gabriel brings the new born in, while Grim escorts the souls of the dead to Heaven. Through their travels we see the effects of global warming and, in particular, the devastation of famine caused by drought.

Grim is very concerned by the plight of AIDS and persuades Gabriel to do something about it.

Through Saint Gabriel we see the horrific impact of climate change across the world. He realises that the problem lies with the inertia of government, and indeed, the politicians, to do anything about it.

Saint Gabriel is ‘the messenger’, he does not judge. There is no swagger, he rarely shows anger and would never harm anyone but he is still an action man not to be trifled with. He is determined to turn things around and save the world from the perils of global warming.

Saint Gabriel, photo of picture: ‘detail of Gabriel from Leonardo da Vinci’s Annunciation’, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) Annunciation. Uffizi Gallery, Florence. Author: Raffaele Pagani. Source/photographer: Own Work (Raffaele Pagani). Wikipedia via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Although in the novel set in 2006, Saint Gabriel travels the world in the guise of a tow truck operator, he still displays all the Biblical attributes of the Archangel. He is the ‘Messenger’. He does not judge, he is a man of reason. The tow truck acts as his celestial wings.

The post Saint Gabriel, the Archangel, in The Battle for Jesus appeared first on Simon Lawson.

Global Warming/Climate Change is the biggest overall issue threatening the entire planet.

The extreme weather that is being reported worldwide is developing into extensive long term droughts and forest fires, often followed by intensive flooding that threaten our farms, our streets, our homes and our livelihoods, and can force us to move away from areas that were once liveable.

Photo Courtesy of Mr David Shankbone, (30th October 2012, Hurricane Sandy),CC BY 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.       

Description: Flooded Avenue C at East 6th Street in Manhattan’s East Village neighbourhood of Loisaida, moments before the Con Edison power substation of 14th Street and Avenue C blew up. (Hurricane Sandy Flooding Avenue C, 2012).

Note: as per the description attached to Mr David Shankbone’s photo, taken during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, this photo shows the extent of destruction flooding causes to a city street that, although is in Manhattan, could be anywhere in the world. See the flooded cars and the people braving the situation.

But, take heart, as you can see, the community still keeps going. Folk are resolute, they stick together and get on with things. If the local governance addresses this sort of situation, eg with sea walls, proper drainage to accommodate flash flooding, and facilities to maintain the power, etc, etc, it can be overcome. No easy task, but it can be done. (See blog: Joining the fight against Climate change.)

If nothing is done, global dysfunction will be inevitable. But, again, it can be overcome. We will have to restructure our lives. Refugees due to climate change will become a reality.

The only window of opportunity to counter climate change and avoid the threat to civilisation is now. There is no second chance. Global unification is critical to overcoming this sort of street scene that could be anywhere in the world.

The Battle for Jesus is a surreal story, fiction, but the threats to our existence are real.

The only person that I know of, who actually walked the planet, who is/was inclusive in all things, is/was Jesus. He cared for everyone and made the stand for humanity. It is true, irrefutable, that he died so we might live. In this story, he represents the unifying force that we need to overcome what lies ahead.
The Archangels, Saint Michael and Saint Gabriel arrive to help. But, they admit that they do not know what to do. So, with the help of Mary Magdalene, they build a church. And then Jesus returns to take up the cause.

The post Civilisation, Climate Change, The Battle for Jesus appeared first on Simon Lawson.