A man says he doesn't believe in God. A preacher tries to warn him, but he won't listen. The preacher says
to him, "Satan will come for your soul." The man only laughs. He doesn't believe in Satan either. Later that night, the man
is lying in bed half-asleep when he feels an overwhelming sense of evil. He opens his eyes to find a dark mass standing at
the end of his bed. He is terrified, but he can't seem to move. The dark mass moves closer until it is standing right next
to the bed. The man feels that he is about to die, but he manages to gasp, "Jesus!" The scary dark mass disappears immediately.
Since now he has proof that Satan exists, the man reasons that God must exist also, so he becomes a Christian.
VARIATIONS: In many versions of this story,
the dark demon mass actually sits on the end of the bed or even directly on the mans chest. In some versions, the man
is not an atheist, but a backslidden pastor with an unhealthy interest in the occult. In a few stories, a weird fiery
glow also appears in the room or in the hallway.
This is one of the most popular stories in Charismatic and Pentecostal circles,
and it has been passed mostly by word of mouth for decades. No names or locations are attached to the story, although
usually, in the retelling, it is attributed to a friend of a friend or some distant relative.
This tale is one of many that appears to have originated as a nightmare.
The "dark mass" invariably appears when the man is asleep or has just awakened in the middle of the night.
Regardless of the origin, it has all the elements to make it a great Pentecostal
spooky thriller (demons, the 'name of Jesus' incantation, and an atheist who gets proven wrong), and it carries the usual
Pentecostal message: "If you don't listen to us, horrible things will happen to you!"
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