Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 146 Joshua, the Son of God
John's arrest was not surprising. As a staunch Jewish independence advocate among the Jewish priests, his name had long been on the radar of Herod and Pilate, the two most powerful figures in the Jewish kingdom.

Herod was relatively easy to deal with. Although his origins were somewhat awkward, this generation of Herod did indeed have Jewish royal blood; his mother was a princess from the former Jewish royal family. While he didn't support the Jewish independence movement, he didn't suppress it much either. As long as you didn't discuss it directly in front of him, he would turn a blind eye. However, the situation was different for the governor of Judah. ​​He was there on the orders of the current Roman emperor to suppress the independence movements within the Jewish kingdom. Since entering the province of Judah, the number of Jewish independence activists he had arrested and killed was already countless.

John, being stubborn and unwilling to yield, and with many within Judaism willing to curry favor with Pilate, was framed by several parties and imprisoned, soon to be beheaded.

There were also huge disagreements among the twelve disciples on this matter.

“John the Baptist is an indispensable helper for our development. We must rescue John for the coming of the Lord’s Kingdom.”

Led by Judah, several others, including Thaddaeus, Simon, and Jacob, strongly suggested rescuing John by breaking him out of prison. Thaddaeus and Simon were staunch Zealots, also known as the Daggers, the most radical patriotic group within Judaism, who were even willing to attempt to restore the nation through assassination. Jacob, on the other hand, was John and Hamna's cousin, and he certainly did not want to see his cousin die.

Judas's support for the prison break was even simpler; he keenly perceived the discord and divisions within the Jewish priesthood.

Clearly, at this moment, there was a huge controversy within the Jewish priesthood regarding whether to abandon this priest who advocated Jewish independence, or rather, two factions had already formed within Judaism. One faction supported Jewish independence and did not want the Romans to interfere with their power, while the other faction feared the power of the Romans and believed that they should endure it for the time being.

The calm and intelligent Judas realized that this would be a rare opportunity. By taking advantage of the divisions within the Jewish priesthood, the church, which was originally regarded as an insignificant small sect within Judaism, would have the opportunity to rise to prominence and then, with the help of those Jewish priests, be pushed onto the political stage of the Jewish kingdom.

The rulers of the Jewish kingdoms were never the Jewish kings or Roman governors, but the Jewish priests. With the support of the Jewish priests, becoming the Jewish king was not a dream.

At that time, his Lord will be able to become the King of the Jews, and the heavenly kingdom will come to earth.

However, some disciples, including Peter, felt that it was best to be patient and not attract the attention of the Jewish priests and Roman officials at this time. Other disciples were hesitant and unsure of what to do, suggesting that they wait for Hamna to wake up before making a decision.

Several opinions clashed, and no decision could be reached for a long time. After being unconscious for a day... Hanna awoke.

After waking up, Hanna remained silent for a long time before finally making a decision.

"We won't attempt a prison break."

This opinion completely surprised Judas and the other disciples. In their view, the person Hamna valued and respected most was his cousin and guide. However, Hamna actually chose to give up John's life.

"My Lord, why give up this opportunity?"

Judas, his eyes red with anxiety, practically threw himself at Hamna, desperately trying to persuade her. He couldn't understand why, if things had gone according to his plan and proceeded properly, the church would have expanded to more than a hundred times its current size. Why give up such an opportunity?

Hamna closed his eyes, ignoring Judah's pleas beside him, and whispered something.

"The church is not the church of Jews, but the church of the whole world; and the kingdom of heaven is not the kingdom of Jews, but the kingdom of all mankind."

Yes, the church is not just the church of the Jews, nor is it merely the church of Hamna. Rather, it is the church of many believers who, because they believe in His words and His promises, are willing to follow and worship Him.

One person cannot form a church; one person's ideas are merely the ideas of a tyrant.

He couldn't risk the entire church by getting involved in that cutthroat political vortex just for one person, even if it meant sacrificing his cousin and godfather.

In a daze, he seemed to hear an expectant voice again.

"doctor……"

Those bright eyes that looked at him, full of longing and expectation.

The difference is that back then, he softened his heart for the sake of one person's wish, even at the cost of his own faith and piety towards God. But now, he hardens his heart for the sake of hundreds of people's wishes, watching as one of his most respected and beloved relatives dies because of it.

There's no going back.

Suddenly, Han Na realized that since choosing this path, he might be betraying his original intention in pursuit of his initial goal. However, there was no turning back.

He is no longer the young doctor he once was, no longer all alone. Now he carries the expectations of hundreds of believers on his shoulders, and even for their sake, he can only grit his teeth and keep going...

But along with the thoughts in his mind, in a place he was unaware of...

A sigh suddenly rang out from the sky, while deep in the ocean, only a low, mocking laugh echoed.

"How interesting, humankind! You seek a heaven of perfect goodness and beauty, yet you are completely unaware that good and evil are inherently one. If there were no evil, where would good be? Where in this world is there anything that is only positive and has no negative side?"

"Beauty gives rise to ugliness, love gives rise to resentment, and righteousness gives rise to injustice. If there is no discriminatory mind, where is the distinction between good and evil? You vainly seek the perfect and beautiful heaven, but you do not know that you are already in hell."

Beneath the shadowy figure, deep within the sea and the earth's crust, the colossal creature slumbered, paying no heed to these trivial matters. Only dark beings and shadows, more inclined towards human traits, could evoke such sentiments. As their true form, the great serpent was too lazy to concern itself with the affairs of these insects.

Deep within the earth's crust, the enormous wound on the serpent's head had gradually healed, leaving only a relatively small vertical scar on its forehead, resembling its third eye...

……

Much later, news of John's death arrived.

At that time, Hamna was preaching in the wilderness with his disciples, surrounded by hundreds of believers. Upon hearing this news, Hamna was stunned. Then, his disciples spoke to him.

"Lord, we're running out of food. We only brought five loaves of bread and two fish with us. Should I send someone to the nearby village to buy some food?"

"You can make your own arrangements."

A deep voice sounded, and the disciple wanted to ask again, but he saw Hama lower his head dejectedly, and he couldn't bear it, so he didn't ask any more questions.

Before long, Hanna suddenly heard cheers and surprised shouts from the crowd of believers, so she looked up to see.

"This is the miracle displayed by my master! With just five loaves and two fish, he has conjured up this abundant food, allowing you to have a full meal..."

Among the believers, Judah, standing on a high place, spoke passionately. Beside him, a dozen baskets had appeared, filled with enough food for a hundred people to eat their fill. The believers knew perfectly well that Hamna and his disciples hadn't carried any food. So where did this inexplicably appearing food come from? Wasn't this a miracle?
At that moment, several devout people knelt down and began to murmur prayers to the gods in the sky.

However, Hamna, who knew Judah's character well, understood that this must have been something Judah had planned long ago, perhaps even before they came here, to attract believers with a miracle.

"Judas!"

Hamna then called out, and Judah, who was still in the crowd cheering, immediately crossed the crowd and knelt down before Hamna.

"Oh God."

He looked up at Hanna with eyes full of fervor, like a loyal dog wagging its tail proudly in front of its master, feeling it had done something right.

Seeing the fervor and longing in Judah's eyes, Hanna remained silent for a long time, ultimately leaving the words she wanted to say unsaid.

……

That night, Hamna had all his disciples wait at the foot of the mountain, while he went alone to the top of a mountain peak and silently prayed to the gods in heaven. No one knows what he prayed to the gods that night...

Just a few months later, a legend about "Joshua, the Son of God" gradually spread throughout the Jewish kingdom. The legend said that he was the son of God on earth, who appeared to save mankind, and was the messiah and savior in Jewish prophecy...

(End of this chapter)