J, the premier assassin of the council of witchdoctors has been given a new assignment. Kill Pastor John Bankole. It should be easy for someone as skilled as he is; both as an assassin and as a magic user.
John Bankole is not your typical everyday man of God. He and J have a history and also there are other factors at work in this classic tale of good versus evil. In the battle for a man's soul all bets are off.
It's not long before J realises this is anything but an easy assignment!
Perspective by Peter:
I discovered this novel on the Amazon Christian Science and Fantasy listing. The description was an effective hook for me. And I was not disappointed reading this novel. It was thoroughly enjoyable, riveting, suspenseful. It is an impressive debut novella. This author writes well and you would never know this is his first published work.
It is well constructed and well-paced. Keeps your interest, curiosity piqued throughout. It is unputdownable.
One aspect I loved was the focus on J as the demon oppressed main character. Most Christian novels of spiritual warfare and demon oppression or possession have the main character as the Christian and how they deal with this possession using Biblical spiritual warfare principles. However, Ejiwunmi turns this on its head and has the main focus on what this demon-oppressed man goes through. This is not at the expense of Biblical spiritual warfare or to portray that the demonic is stronger than these Biblical principles or that they are more powerful than God.
Focussing on J and his progression into the demonic puts you on his side, you become endeared to him, you empathise on his vulnerabilities and wavering motives to stay as the most revered assassin in the witchdoctor's council. Ejiwunmi is successful in this focus as it shows the hierarchy of the demonic strongholds of Nigerian culture, giving an inside view. This I found interesting and very different from other foci of similar novels from western authors who depict demonic activity in western culture.
Ejiwunmi's depiction of African culture in speech, terminology and behaviour just adds to the uniqueness of this novel. This has been influenced by the documented evidence that shows specific demons assigned to the continents of the world and influence that culture's belief system, behaviour and ethics.
Ejiwunmi remains consistent with Biblical principles of spiritual warfare mainly with the use of prayer and testing the spirits. The latter is one of the most discerning practices that is often overlooked or ignored but is one powerful tool Christians have in spiritual warfare. It is one that is foolproof as any demon or spirit will not confess that Jesus is the Son of God and come in the flesh, as the Word says, in 1 John 4:1-3,
Here is the exchange between Pastor John and the angle Ogun that depicts this Biblical principle of spiritual warfare,"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God."
John and Bisi exchanged incredulous looks.
“I’m sorry but are you telling us you are an…?” John couldn’t say the word.
“An angel?” Ogun smiled. “
Yes, I am.”
“Prove it.”
“Olorun Eledumare is God Almighty, the creator of all and Jesu Cristi is His son who was born as a human and died for the sins of the world.” Ogun intoned solemnly and his eyes seemed to glow as he spoke.
John took a deep breath, looked at Bisi and smiled. “Wow, we’ve never had a visit from an angel before,” He gushed. “You don’t look anything like what I expected.”
I applaud the author for keeping the demons as biblically consistent as well as the angels represented here by Ogun, the warrior angel. I dislike it when an author portrays the demon or fallen angel stronger that the Spirit of God and not under His authority and the same with angels where they are depicted as more autocratic and autonomous and can make independent decisions apart from what they were instructed by God. Both these examples mock God and undermine His Sovereignty and Omnipotence and place Him less than the demons and angels. When a Christian author portrays God for who He and has the demons and angels under His authority, then God is honoured, the author is being an effective witness to any unbeliever who is reading the novel and this can be used by God to minister to this reader either in sowing a seed of faith, watering an existing one or harvesting one where they come into relationship with Him.
This is the only novel I have read where the demon had not possessed the person's body but instead inhabited/possessed an object, in this case, a ring worn around J's neck. O (the demon Obatala) is only able to speak into J's mind and not take over his body as is the case of demon possession. He is able to manifest as a physical person (in different appearances) and be seen by others who are in the Occult.
Now the Bible is silent on whether a spirit can inhabit an object, but according to Compelling Truth, this could be possible,
This novella ends on a cliff hanger and there is a strong indication that there is a sequel. Also, why would this be Book 1 in this series if not a sequel to follow? I am eagerly waiting for the next instalment in this The Witchdoctor's Apprentice series. This author is one to watch and follow. I feel he is on a winner of a series with this instalment. Very promising.Today, many see an association of evil spirits with objects such as voodoo dolls, crystal balls, Ouija boards, or other products related to the occult. Though it is possible for demons to work through such objects, demons appear to focus on deceiving people, not attaching themselves to things. The Bible consistently notes connections between demons and certain sinful items, but their attachment is to people whom they can control or influence for evil purposes. The items are simply objects used in the practice of evil or worship of false gods.
While it is possible that a demonic spirit would attach itself to a non-living object, the Bible is unclear on this issue. Instead of focusing on whether objects are possessed, our focus should be to, "Abstain from every form of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22). We are to worship God and to avoid those practices or objects that lead us to sin.
Highly recommended.
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