God Is An Atheist - "The Devil Has All The Best Music"

Stories of Faith - Book 2 - God Is an Atheist (and Other Stories of Faith)

Here you might find out if the Devil has the best music and if God is an Atheist (or not). Watch as God intervenes at the Tower of Babel and why God's Love always wins in the end.

Here you may witness the sacrifice of Isaac or let Joshua teach you the Way of a Desert Warrior. Most of all, you can participate in the anointing of God in a small church in the middle of nowhere and wonder why it doesn't happen more often (maybe in your church).

Stories have a way of getting straight to the heart of the matter. And that's good. The idea is to let these stories change you and inspire you in your walk of faith.

Chapter 1 "The Devil has all the Best Music"

One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.” He paused and then added, “and they are saying that the Devil has the best music.” His smirk was ignored.

“Yes,” the LORD said, “I have heard something to that effect as well.”

“Well, it makes sense,” Satan said. “After all, that was my job before, well….” He stretched out his hands, “before all this.”

“Before you betrayed me, you mean.”

“Betrayal is such a harsh word. Creativity needs to find its own expression, that’s all.”

There was always just a hint of a whine in his voice when he talked like this. Gabriel shifted uncomfortably in his place behind the throne, his wings unfurled, together with the wings of Michael providing a protective canopy behind Yeshua, the King of Kings.

Yeshua, the LORD God, did not answer. There was nothing to be said. Obviously, Satan was enjoying himself.

“It wasn’t you. It was me.” He wouldn’t give it up. “I just needed to be free to be the real me. It was nothing personal.”

Yeshua just looked at him.

Gabriel could almost see Satan squirm just a little under that gaze. But he wasn’t done yet. He had come to make a point and he would be damned if he didn’t make it. Gabriel knew his brother rather well after all.

“Point is that you can’t hardly deny that it’s true,” Satan said. Was that a question?

“That what is true?” Yeshua replied slowly.

“That I have the best music,” he looked around at the other angels. “The best rhythms, the best guitar players and drummers, the best musicians, the best…..well, everything.” He was literally beaming with pleasure. This was his domain after all.

“And did I not give you that gift of music?” Yeshua said quietly.

“Musicians are made not born.” Satan scoffed a bit as he said it. “The gift is nothing if you don’t know what to do with it.”

Silence.

“Let me prove it to you,” Satan said.

Gabriel could tell by the tone of his voice that this was what he had been after all along. He started to pay closer attention. Something was going on.

“How?”

“A contest of sorts,” Satan said. “I will present my best musicians and their music and you do the same. The best one wins.”

“Wins what?”

“Bragging rights. That’s all.” Satan smiled broadly. “What do you say?”

“And who would be the judge of this little competition of yours?” Yeshua asked.

“The audience of course.”

“The angels, you mean? We outnumber you two to one. That wouldn’t be fair.”

“No, no. Not the angels. Humans. They’re the only audience that matters.”

“I agree,” Yeshua said. “In fact, as you well know, music has the ability to do more than just entertain. It stirs up deep feelings and excitement and sometimes even changes people. You have been given a powerful gift.”

“Yes, and I have developed it significantly since then.” Satan seemed to like this line of thought. “My music can define a generation and even spark social revolution and move people to resist authority and inspire women’s rights and equality. You’ve got to be happy with that?”

“Some of it, yes,” Yeshua said.

“My music has the power to change the course of history. It has the power to move the human heart to great feats of heroism and self sacrifice. It can literally change things, change situations, change people.”

“Well, that last one is interesting to me,” Yeshua said. “I accept your challenge but on one condition.”

“What condition?” Satan looked worried but Gabriel was still confused. What was going on? Why was the LORD allowing such insolence from this traitor.

“You haven’t been around much,” Yeshua said but was immediately interrupted.

“You kicked me out --”

“And rightly so. You have only been let in for this audience because you still have some usefulness with regards to my children.”

“Power you gave me.”

“Power you took.” Then Yeshua held up his hand. “We don’t need to argue. You came here to make a point. Do you accept or not?”

“I don’t know what your condition is yet.”

“The seraphim,” Yeshua said.

“What about them?”

“They never stop singing praise to the Father day or night as you well know.”

“Yes, it gets tiresome after a while.”

“Since my ascension to the throne, there has been only one thing that will silence them for a time.”

“Yes, I heard the rumors.”

“The transformation of the human heart. Not just feelings but beliefs and convictions that change lives and the course of history, as you like to say.”

Silence.

“That is the true power of this gift that I gave you,” Yeshua continued. “The power to transform the human heart. To make a difference. To create true change.”

“So what are you saying?”

“If your music can get the seraphim to stop and listen, then you win and you get your bragging rights.”

Gabriel could see that Satan wasn’t quite sure about this condition but he had no good reason to reject it either. Before he could make up his mind, Yeshua had one more thing to say.

“The seraphim cannot lie. They are not biased for you or against you. They are entirely just in their judgments. But you know this already.”

“Yes, I do.” Satan paused. “I accept your condition. But no tricks. It must be a completely unbiased and just decision based on the ability of the music to motivate people to change things. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

“Then I will go first.”

Gabriel thought he said that a bit too quickly but Yeshua didn’t seem to mind.

“By all means,” Yeshua said.

“I will indicate the musicians and the song, and, if you would be so kind, you can do your thing and show us the event here on the clouds of heaven.”

Yeshua nodded his agreement and then indicated to one of his attending angels to draw near to Satan to get his instructions. After a moment, Satan was ready to begin. He was already smiling. The attending angel had been given the power to bring it to pass and Yeshua nodded at him to begin.

All of the angels became quiet as the concert began and Freddie Mercury took the stage. The familiar piano piece filled the air and a communal sigh could be heard throughout the crowd of angels.

Is this real life? Is this just fantasy?

Caught in a landside, No escape from reality

Open your eyes, Look up to the skies and see,

I’m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy,

Because I’m easy come, easy go, little high, little low,

Any way the wind blows doesn’t really matter to me

Mama, just killed a man, put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he’s dead

Mama, life had just begun, but now I’ve gone and thrown it all away

Mama, didn’t mean to make you cry, if I’m not back again this time tomorrow,

Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters

Too late, my time has come, Sends shivers down my spine, body’s aching all the time

Goodbye, everybody, I’ve got to go, Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth

Mama, I don’t want to die, I sometimes wish I’d never been born at all.

I see a little silhouetto of a man, scaramouch, scaramouch, will you do the Fandango!

Thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frightening me,

Galileo, Galileo, Galileo, Galileo, Galileo, Figaro – magnificoo

I’m just a poor boy nobody loves me, He’s just a poor boy from a poor family,

Spare him his life from this monstrosity, Easy come, easy go, will you let me go

Bismillah! No, we will not let you go

(Let him go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go

(Let me go) Will not let you go

(Let me go)(Never) Never let you go

(Let me go) (Never) let you go (Let me go) Ah

No, no, no, no, no, no, no

Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia, let me go

Beelzebub has a devil as a sidekick for me, for me, for me

So you think you can stop me and spit in my eye

So you think you can love me and leave me to die

Oh, baby, can’t do this to me, baby,

Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here

Nothing really matters, Anyone can see,

Nothing really matters, Nothing really matters to me

Any way the wind blows…

As the music came to an end, Satan looked around expectantly, exhalting in his choice. This was Freddie Mercury after all, and Queen, one of the most incredible bands of modern times. There was no doubt.

But there was no applause in heaven, just silence from the angels. The Devil looked quickly at the seraphim. He had been so absorbed in the music that he had not paid them much attention but they had not even paused in their singing. Nothing.

Only Gabriel could see a gesture from Yeshua that looked like he was wiping away a tear from his eyes.

Satan approached quickly with excited steps. “So, what did you think? That was Freddie Mercury. THE Freddie Mercury!”

“I know who he is,” Yeshua said quietly, “and yes, he was a great musician.”

“And?”

Yeshua sat a little bit straighter on his throne. “You didn’t ask for my opinion, did you?” Yeshua said. “How did the seraphim react?” He gestured toward the seraphim flying above them singing songs of praise and worship to the lamb upon the throne.

Satan’s face was downcast. He suppressed a scowl as he answered with the truth. “Nothing.”

“The seraphim do not lie,” Yeshua reminded him. Then after a pause, he said, “The music has to do more than entertain or stir the emotions. It has to have purpose. It has to change things, remember?”

“I was going to make that one of my theme songs,” Satan said bitterly.

“And you still can. It fits you like a glove.”

Satan looked up quickly to see if Yeshua was serious but his look was genuine. Gabriel could see that Satan needed something more to keep him in this competition and Yeshua gave it to him.

“Look,” Yeshua said, “the song was really exceptional. Brian’s finger work on the guitar is one of the best I’ve ever heard and the whole concept of bringing opera into rock music was groundbreaking.”

“But…?”

Yeshua indicated the seraphim.

Everyone waited while Satan tried to put it all together in his mind, to find an angle he could exploit. Gabriel knew how his mind worked and wasn’t surprised when he came up with a different approach.

“The seraphim cannot lie. Agreed. They fall silent when the human heart is truly changed.” He paused for a long minute. “I’m not sure what you mean by that. Music motivates people to change, that goes without saying. So what am I missing?”

Then he became a bit billigerent as he realized what he had missed. “Are you saying that you don’t like the words they used? Just because they are talking about me and not you?” It was a statement more than a question.

Yeshua just indicated to the seraphim again.

“Of course, of course.” Satan said bitterly. “If the words are about you, then you will change the human heart using your wind-blown sidekick. Now I see the trick. I should have seen that coming.” He looked at Yeshua severely, “Am I right or am I right?”

Yeshua looked at him evenly. “You know that the only thing that can change the human heart is the Holy Spirit of God. All the rest is cosmetics. Do you want to try again with something a bit closer to home?”

“Your home, not mine.”

“You know what I mean.”

Satan thought for a moment. “Yes, I have just the thing.” He walked up to the attending angel and gave him a curt order. The angel looked up at Yeshua who nodded his agreement. They all turned back to the heavenly clouds to watch again.

I’ve heard there was a secret chord

That David played and it pleased the Lord

But you don’t really care for music, do ya?

Well it goes like this: the fourth, the fifth

The minor fall, the major lift

The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, hmm

Well, your faith was strong, but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew ya

She tied you to the kitchen chair

She broke your throne and she cut your hair

And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Well baby, I’ve been here before

I’ve seen this room and I’ve walked this floor

I used to live alone before I knew ya

And I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch

And love is not a victory march

It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Well, maybe there’s a God above

But all I’ve ever learned from love

Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya

And it’s not a cry that you hear at night

It’s not somebody who has seen the Light

It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

“There,” Satan said loudly, “there you have it. Hallelujah. They’re talking about you. That’s what you wanted. Everybody loves this song.”

Again the heavens were silent while the seraphim continued to sing their songs of worship to the one who was worthy above all else.

“Why isn’t that enough?” Satan was almost yelling. “It isn’t fair. That was great music. I know you like that song too!” He looked at Yeshua with his brows furled and fire in his eyes.

“I do like that song,” Yeshua said, “and Pentatonix is one of my favorite groups. Their vocals are impeccable and the extra touches by Avi, Matt and Kevin are outstanding. What’s not to like?”

“Then why?”

Yeshua looked up at the seraphim and then back to Satan. “I’m not sure you would understand.”

“Try me.”

“Well, for one thing, a “cold and broken hallelujah” isn’t as inspiring as a heart-felt one.”

“What do you mean?”

Yeshua paused for a moment and then shrugged. “I think it would be better if I showed you.”

He lifted his finger and pointed at the heavenly clouds and immediately they could see a man and a boy come on stage. The boy was probably no more than ten or twelve years old and he was blind. That much Gabriel was certain of. The rest remained a mystery.

Open the eyes of my heart Lord

Open the eyes of my heart

I want to see you

Open the eyes of my heart Lord

Open the eyes of my heart

I want to see you

To see you higher Lifted Up

Shining in the Light of your Glory

Pour Out Your Power And Love

As We Sing Holy, Holy, Holy

Open the eyes of my heart Lord

Open the eyes of my heart

I want to see you

Open the eyes of my heart Lord

Open the eyes of my heart

I want to see you

To see you higher Lifted Up

Shining in the Light of your Glory

Pour Out Your Power And Love

As We Sing Holy, Holy, Holy

To see you higher Lifted Up

Shining in the Light of your Glory

Pour Out Your Power And Love

As We Sing Holy, Holy, Holy

Holy, Holy, Holy

I want to see You

Holy, Holy, Holy

I want to see You

“You’ve got to be kidding…” Satan began to speak, then shut up to listen.

There was utter silence in heaven, not because the angels were not overjoyed with the singing, they clearly were, but because everyone there wanted him to hear….nothing. There was no music, no singing from the seraphim, absolute silence but he didn’t know why.

Satan looked up at the seraphim still flying around the throne, their voices quiet, their multiple eyes glistening. Glistening? The seraphim never shed a tear. Never. What was going on?

Satan looked at Yeshua but all he got back was a questioning look like he was supposed to now understand. Gabriel was enjoying the drama but still didn’t understand the point of this debate.

Satan approached the throne again but slower this time. “I don’t understand,” he said, his whole body tense and unyielding.

“I can see that,” Yeshua said. “I’m not sure you ever will.”

“But he was off tune, his voice was shrill at times, the words were simplistic and the music was, well, mediocre at best, at least in comparison…”

Yeshua interrupted him. “But the seraphim fell silent and they do not lie.”

“You’re telling me that his music changed the world?”

“I’m telling you that his music was used by me to change many human hearts in the audience.”

“It’s always about you,” Satan said, his teeth grinding.

“The seraphim worship the most valuable thing in the universe. They worship the Father. They also worship me. The only thing that can make them quiet for a moment is the true worship emanating from the hearts of the redeemed. They are part of me and I am part of them. The seraphim are quiet so we can all hear their worship.”

“So music that pleases you, and gets your approval, is used by your windy friend to change human hearts. That’s your game? It doesn’t seem fair.” Satan was looking down but his mind was working furiously, looking for a way to still win this competition. “Simon would eat his lunch,” he said under his breath.

“Your type of music is entertaining and even powerful because it motivates people to change their circumstances, feel better about themselves and even love someone more. All good so far as it goes.”

“But we agreed that it had to change the human heart,” Satan said. “I know.”

“I told you that at the very beginning, didn’t I? Don’t you remember?”

“Of course I remember,” Satan said roughly. “You also said that I was destined to rule the world.”

“Not quite,” Yeshua said. “I said you were destined to change the world.”

“And I did.”

“Yes, you did.”

“And you don’t like it.”

“It’s not the kind of change I hoped for,” Yeshua said. “You were the keeper of the throne of God, the archangel above all others, the one who would lead the choirs of heaven to sing of the glory and character of God.”

“And then he created these…….humans!”

“And you didn’t like it.”

“Not at first, but then I realized it was my opportunity.”

Yeshua remained silent.

“I could see that He loved those scrawny creatures and I realized that the only way I could survive outside of heaven was to make them my allies. He couldn’t destroy me without destroying them at the same time. It was genius.”

“And it worked,” Yeshua said. “You were left alone because the Father loved them.” Gabriel could see that Yeshua was leading Satan to a conclusion that Satan didn’t want to accept.

“I became the keeper of death and hell,” Satan said. “I had my independance, my empire, and nobody could take it away from me.”

“Except for me.”

Satan looked at him, his eyes narrowing. “Yes, you did and I still don’t know how you did it.”

“Are you asking me for an explanation?”

“I don’t really care,” Satan said, his eyes haughty. “But I can see that you are dying to tell me anyway.”

“You survived your rebellion for a time because God loved these humans. You thought you had God tied around your little finger. You decieved these allies of yours and then accused them before the throne of God. You were always appealing to His justice, not realizing that it was only the love of God for his children that saved you time and time again whenever you entered into His presence.”

“And then you had to get involved.” Satan said, pointing his finger at Yeshua. “You became one of them. You are still one of them. What in the world for?” Satan shook his head slowly from side to side as if to shake off a great weight.

“Well,” Yeshua said, “God is good because he is perfect in justice and perfect in love. His justice should have destroyed you, and them, but his love found a better way.”

“You?”

“Yes, me,” Yeshua said. “But not just me. It was what I did.”

“You were the perfect son. So what?”

“I was the perfect human son who loved his Father completely and to the end.”

“Again, so what?”

“You tried to drag me to hell.”

“So?”

“I went willingly, didn’t I?” Yeshua said. “And I took the keys of death and hell away from you.”

“Get to the point.”

“You thought you had me under your power. You enjoyed seeing me in pain and dying on that cross but what you didn’t realize is that in the process I became the perfect human substitute. Them for me. It wasn’t you that was the problem but God’s wrath. God’s perfect justice executed on me. Perfect love does not just dismiss God’s justice but, rather, fulfills it, endures it, accepts it.”

“You never kept your side of the bargain. You cheated me. You died on the cross and then you raided my domain as if you had the right. It wasn’t fair.”

Yeshua looked at him steadily. “Lucifer, there was no bargain with you. It had nothing to do with you.”

Gabriel could see that Satan didn’t like that one little bit but he kept his mouth shut. For now.

“It was an agreement between my Father and me, no one else. The Father accepted my sacrifice as sufficient payment for the sins of the world. Perfect love fulfilling perfect justice.”

“You didn’t even last for three days and that’s supposed to be enough?”

“My Father thought so. He could not deny His sense of perfect justice after all. It wasn’t arbitrary.”

“Well, I don’t think so. Not at all. Not even close.”

Yeshua just looked at him.

Finally, Satan lowered his eyes and turned his face away. “Yes, I know. It has nothing to do with me.” Then, just as quickly he turned back to look at Yeshua and said, “It still doesn’t explain the seraphim. And get to the point.”

Yeshua took a deep breath. Gabriel was surprised at his patience.

“The point is that the seraphim are just and they cannot lie. They worship what is most valuable in all of existence. They fall quiet when the human heart is reconciled with the Father and the heart cry is genuine and real. It isn’t about the instruments or even the words but about the heart.”

“You said the music had to change hearts.”

“Only changed hearts can make music that changes hearts,” Yeshua said, “and only with the anointing of the Holy Spirit.”

“The heart that is already changed?” Gabriel could see Satan struggling with the concept.

“Yes, the heart that is already changed that cries out to God in prayer or music or just a whisper in the night. That is worship in spirit and in truth.”

“And then you use that kind of music to change the human hearts in the audience?”

“More than 8 million views on YouTube.”

“So what? My musicians get a lot more than that.”

“But without changing hearts…”

Silence.

“And you have a whole army of these people,” Satan said, “and that´s how you plan to fight this war between us? Their insepid music? Their weak-kneed testimony? Their half-hearted repentance?” Satan was breathing heavily, winded as if from a great effort. Then he realized the truth and blurted it out. “Well, none of this counts. It was a setup from the start. I could never have won in the first place.”

“That’s true.”

“Then why bother.”

“Do you remember my son, Job?”

“Of course I do.”

“Well, that wasn’t about you, either.”

Silence.

Finally, Lucifer straightened his back and lifted his head and looked Yeshua straight in the eyes. “Can I go now?”

“You were always free to go.”

Satan turned his back and strode past the attending angel and then flew off into the clouds. Gabriel was surprised that he had even been allowed into the presence of the LORD in the first place.

But then, again, it wasn’t really about him, now was it?