A fiction novel
The Legend of
Prince Jaras
of Cimora
by
Jim Key
Chapter 60 - A Prayer from the Distant PastIt would be a grave injustice to one of the ancient kings of the Cimirik if we did not interrupt our narrative at this point to take one last look into the past.And this is because it had happened, some 140 years earlier, that a prayer was uttered by olde King Areus that would be answered on this very day!Now this is the story of how that prayer came to be:Prince Raekareus, a godly young man and the heir to the royal throne of his father King Areus, had at one time determined in his heart to travel to the land of the clans of the Riphans. His good and true and single purpose was to urge the people there to turn from their idols back to the God of their ancestor Noah. "My father," he said to the king, "I ask you to permit me to travel without royal escort into the lands westward, to speak to the people who are our near kinsmen - to call them back to the Lord! I will wear the garb of an ordinary laborer, and be as one of them." And good King Areus encouraged his son to serve the Lord wholeheartedly. The prince’s younger brothers, Prince Jasureus and Prince Nypireus, joined themselves to him on his noble mission. Prince Raekareus insisted that his brothers also wear the clothing of the common people, and that they trek westward together as ordinary travelers. And so, the three brothers traveled incognito into the land of the Riphan clans. The three of them went from village to village and town to town. Prince Raekareus talked to the people, whoever would listen to him. The prince sought earnestly, though in vain, to turn the hearts of the Riphan people to the Lord God. And the three brothers also carried with them scrolls of the Hebrew scriptures. Prince Raekareus stood in the market squares of the many towns and read to the Riphan people the true words of God. And he called the people to true repentance and faith in Shiloh. "The God of our father Noah calls to you!" he cried out to those in the marketplaces who would lend him an ear.But the Riphan people shouted at him, "We know the God of Noah! He is a God! We bow to Noah and his God! We worship the sun that once shined down on Noah and his sons! We worship the moon that watched over Noah by night! We bow down to the starry host of heaven that is a home to all the gods!"The prince replied, "There is but one God, and he is the Lord God! He is a jealous God, and you do wrong in bowing down before the gods and idols of your own making! Give your whole heart to the Lord God, and worship him only!"But when the enemies of the truth denounced the prince as an intruder and meddler, Prince Raekareus warned the people of the consequences of rejecting the living God. "The Lord God is a loving and merciful God, but the day will come when he will call you to account! Now is the time to turn to him and find forgiveness!"Now at the same time, the Tubician man of God named Deikara was also still living among the Riphan clans. He also was crying out to the people in the name of the Lord God, saying, "Turn to the living God, and worship only him!"And so it happened, Prince Raekareus and his two brothers traveled on until they entered through the gates of the walled city of Lairge. This notable city was situated at the mouth of the Aliz River where the waters empty into the Euxine Sea. They stood in the courtyard of the temple, an unholy shrine built to worship and honor the god of the red star. And the prince exhorted the people of the city of Lairge to forsake their idols and to humble themselves before the Lord God, the Creator of Heaven and earth.But one of the foolish men of the city spoke up and said to the prince and to all the people in the temple area, "It matters not what god we serve, or what gods we choose to ignore! The times never change! For many years, things have always remained the same! We are a prosperous town, and the Riphan clans are a strong people! We are a blessed land, blessed by all the gods!"But Prince Raekareus said to the people, "Listen to me! The land of the Riphan clans has been blessed by the Lord only because of your forefather's faith in the Lord God! But you will lose your blessings now that you have wandered from the faith of your fathers! You must turn to the Lord God, and draw near to him, and turn from your wanderings. Your sins will only lead to troubles!"And the prince forewarned the people, "Though some may say you will escape the judgments of God, you will not! Even those few of you who think you are faithful to the Lord God, but who cling to your idols and do not speak up for the Way of the Lord, you will be judged! The wrath of God may not fall on his children, but his discipline will! "You will be put through the fire until you are refined like pure gold! And some of you will lay down your lives! Now I urge you, denounce all these false gods and turn to the Lord God wholeheartedly!"A few people in the city of Lairge paid heed to the words of God as spoken by the prince. They turned their backs on the false gods and idols of the Riphan clans, and they put their trust in the Lord God. But most of the people of the city would not listen to the word of the Lord which came to them by the mouth of Prince Raekareus and the other preachers sent by God. Instead, they despised them and they mocked the messengers which God sent to them.And it came to pass that Prince Raekareus was taken prisoner by the pagan priests and false prophets who were in the city at the time. They accused him of being a man worthy of death. Sadly, at this time, Prince Raekareus was abandoned by his brothers who were afraid of the crowd. The two brothers fled the town and went upriver into the distant countryside to hide. And their shame weighed heavily upon them.