The Screwtape Letters

I’m a huge fan of C.S. Lewis’ book The Screwtape Letters. Several years ago I took some time to write some “journal entries” as if they had been written by a demon, much like Lewis did in The Screwtape Letters. Here’s one I wrote about the thief hanging on the cross. Hope you enjoy it.

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It is painful to see any human escape the clutches of Hell. But those who escape while on their deathbed are the worst. It is a pure delight to see a human that belongs to us pass into the realm of death. They may die in peace but that peace will not last for long. It is sheer agony however to see a human be captured by the Enemy only moments before death. The Enemy snatches them away from us even as the flames of Hell are licking about their soul. Such was the case with the thief that was stolen.

It was our greatest moment. The Son of the Enemy was hanging upon a Roman cross, His body a bloody mess. He was surrounded by enemies who mocked Him mercilessly. His friends had deserted Him and blackness was descending upon the land. Two thieves hung on either side of Him and they also hurled insults at Him. It seemed that nothing could go wrong. It appeared to be our greatest triumph.

Then something completely unexpected happened. Up to that point the two thieves had been cursing and insulting the Son of the Enemy. Then one of the thieves became strangely quiet. He looked at the Son of the Enemy as if he was seeing Him for the first time. The tempter assigned to the thief, one Kruelwyp by name, saw what was beginning to happen and tried to intervene but it was too late. The spiritual fog and blackness that surrounded the thief and that Kruelwyp had worked so long to create was beginning to dissipate. In the midst of excruciating pain and torment, the Enemy granted the thief spiritual clarity. The thief instantly realized that he was a wicked fool and that the Son of the Enemy was completely innocent. This should not have happened. Pain is a wonderful tool. It clouds the mind and makes it almost impossible to think clearly. Yet somehow the Enemy managed to pierce through the excruciating pain. He allowed the thief to think most clearly when he was in the most pain.

Of course the rest is history. The thief surrendered to the Enemy moments before he died. And of course the Enemy accepted the thief with open arms. This was a tragedy indeed. The Enemy practically stole the thief from our pocket. I’ve come to realize that no human is safe from the Enemy while they are still alive. We must guard our prey closely.