As Jezebel left the stage Lucifer felt the first positive emotion towards her that he had felt in months. It couldn’t be termed love, nor could it even be referred to as any form of affection or friendship. Lucifer was beyond feeling these emotions. Nevertheless, in some very abstract sense, it must at least have had some measure of positivity about it because for once he didn’t feel like smashing her face in.
After the speech Lucifer calmed down appreciably, and the crowd around him relaxed a little. No such luck for those who were still trying to inch further away from the lunatic Masias.
93 setting the record straight
After Jezebel had finished, Father stood and indicated that there would be at least one more speaker who would address them prior to the vote. He introduced Rachel and she moved to the front to address the congregation. As she did so there was a murmur of expectation. Having heard the rumours, some of the crowd still didn’t know which plan she would support. Rachel quickly left the speculators with little doubt as to which way she would go.
‘My brothers and sisters, I am truly thankful for this opportunity to correct an injustice that has occurred within the Kingdom.
‘A great falsehood has been promulgated amongst you in relation to which plan I would be supporting. I stand before you today and assure you that there has never been any chance that I would support anything except Father and Mother’s plan for our salvation. To suggest other than this is absolutely absurd.
‘I am aware that others of my virtuous friends have also been the subject of pernicious lies. I speak for them also.
‘To those of you who were wise enough to recognise the rumours for the evil that they were, I commend you. To those who have allowed yourself to be swayed towards the rebel plan to any degree, on account of these falsehoods, please know that you have been deceived. I implore you to return speedily to the only plan that can provide you with mortality, and a safe passage through that essential testing ground.
‘Of course I do not know with certainty the origin of the lies that have been spread, and I cannot with certainty point the finger at either Lucifer or Jezebel. It would appear, however, that the lies are aligned with the purposes of their cause. Nevertheless, I must concede that the lies and gossip became so fanciful towards the end that I’m fairly confident that they hindered, instead of helped, their cause.'
Jezebel, who had remained at the front following her speech, glared at Rachel as she made this comment. Rachel saw the glare but ignored it and continued.
‘I, like Michael, have also noted that all of the trouble in the Kingdom only commenced after the nonsense of an ‘alternate plan’ had been peddled by those who appear intent on breaking down the peace and order that has always existed here, and that has been essential to our growth and protection.
‘Now I’m sure that it is not necessary to point this out, but in my opinion Lucifer’s plan appears to be entirely self-serving. I’m not sure what each of you heard when he spoke, but I heard an incredibly selfish spirit trying to take the honour that our heavenly parents are absolutely entitled to. I heard a spirit who would replace Jehovah, the only spirit with the ability to redeem us, with a very poor substitute, so as to receive power and glory that he is not willing to work for. I heard a spirit who would remove every opportunity of mortality from us, and turn it into a completely pointless exercise, devoid of any freedom to choose, just so that he can satisfy his obvious lust for power.
‘It is also my observation, that he didn’t request for power to be bestowed upon anyone other than himself. Jezebel has since spoken and tried, in some way, to connect Lucifer’s self-centred plot to others whom he has supposedly promised to share his power and authority with. If I were these parties, I might be just a little nervous and wonder whether this is really his intention, or does he simply intend to seize and retain all power for himself?’
The insecurity that many of the power-thirsty supporters of the rebel plan had felt previously returned to them, and they began again to wonder about the bona fides of their leader.
Rachel continued: ‘I have commenced on the negative of Lucifer’s plan, so that I may finish on the positive of Father and Mother’s plan. I absolutely agree with Michael’s suggestion that we should make our choice based on who it is that we trust. If you trust Mother and Father, then vote for their plan. If you trust Lucifer and Jezebel then vote for their plan.
‘For those of you who trust the two Gods that have given you everything, then you will have chosen wisely. To those of you who have chosen to trust immature and devious spirits that stand before you clothed in darkness, I pity you, I sorrow for you, but most of all I marvel at you. To me it seems such a simple test, to choose between those who have given you everything, and those that have given you nothing. To choose between those who would give you every opportunity in the future, and those who would take from you freedoms you already enjoy.
‘For some of you to think that Lucifer’s plan can hope to compete with the wisdom of Godhood, amazes me. Father and Mother are omniscient. They know all things past, present and future. They are full of love, charity, kindness and humility. Their every action has at its core the welfare of us, their spirit children. Their every smile, their every laugh, their every joy is for us. Their every sorrow, their every tear is for us. We are each the apple of their eye and the joy of their soul. Not a single one of their actions is for any other purpose than to bring about our growth and our progression.
‘Regardless of what Lucifer and Jezebel have proposed, even if it did have some merit, it could not hope to compete with such pure love, kindness, knowledge and wisdom.
‘For those of you who have not been wise in your preparation, Mother has told you that you will be given more time. She has assured you that repentance is not beyond any of you at this time. She is a God of truth and does not lie. Therefore, listen to her and seize this opportunity.
‘I can tell those of you who have been in support of Lucifer’s plan, that one of your number has recently returned to us, and is already making great progress in preparing himself for life on earth. His name is Ethan and he is a great example to anyone who thinks that they are beyond changing. The darkness of his countenance is dispersing and I have no doubt that, by the time he enters mortality, he will be full of the faith, virtue and integrity necessary to magnify the opportunity of his mortal journey.’
The remainder of the depleted fourth division were sitting together, and at the sound of Ethan’s name a shout of rage emanated from this group. While Ethan was a reasonably common name, none of them doubted who it was that Rachel was referring to. Clearly none of them had been softened, to any degree, by Rachel’s words and each spent the remainder of her speech hating Ethan. They visualised him receiving the attack that he was owed, and far more.
Lucifer would have shared their vision as well but he was too furious. He hated Jezebel for not doing a better job when she spoke. Of course, he considered his own words faultless. The nutter resumed pacing, and the crowd again gave him the space that he demanded. Still, with his last ounce of self-control, he remained quiet and suffered Rachel’s rebuttal in silence.
Rachel moved into the final stages of her speech.
‘As I conclude my words I would turn your mind to the actions of our parents versus the actions of Lucifer and Jezebel. Our Father and Mother have formed our spirits from our pre-existent intelligences. They have created this wonderful Kingdom, the beautiful and perfect training ground for our growth. They have provided us with the order and safety of divine law and have counselled and encouraged us regularly to be our best selves. They have instructed Jehovah to create an earth for us, so that we can progress further. All of these things are great and wondrous fruits that should persuade us of their purity of purpose.
‘If these things are not sufficient to persuade you, then I implore you to consider the greatest ever testament of their love for us. This great thing is the sacrifice that they have asked Jehovah to make on our behalf. I
do not comprehend it, but I already understand that it must be very great. Some of us have spoken with Jehovah about the weight that he feels at having to undertake this task. He worries that the task will be beyond him. Knowing him as I do, there is little doubt in my mind that his suffering will be very great. At no point have I ever seen him struggle in his progression, but this great and last responsibility troubles him like nothing he has experienced before.
‘Knowing of the love that Father and Mother have for Jehovah, this great thing that they have asked of him, is testament to me of their perfect love for each one of us, their children. If I was in any doubt before, then this evidence alone would persuade me once and for all.
‘On the other hand what are the fruits of Lucifer and Jezebel’s recent actions?
‘I don’t know them all, and I probably couldn’t prove all of them even if I did. Nevertheless, I can only observe that in recent times, since the rebel plan first raised its ugly head, many foreign emotions and vices have crept into the Kingdom. These include lies, criticism, gossip, slander, aggression and fighting. All of which are in opposition to the divine law that has preserved the order of this Kingdom from the beginning.
‘If you support their plan then you support that manner of existence, and perhaps you are deserving of it. If you would have love, peace, joy, happiness, safety, order and security then support the plan that fosters these things. If you desire a future of lies, criticism, gossip, slander, aggression, fighting, pain and suffering then support the plan that evidently fosters these outcomes. The vote is before you. I love all of you and want to progress with you forever, until our progression is complete. Please choose wisely at this time.’
Rachel’s speech was characterised by a greater use of sharpness than any who knew her were used to. There was little doubt that the rumours that had been spread about her, and about some of her dearest friends, had been a great trial, and few would blame her for being direct in her rebuttal. She returned to her place to await the vote that would follow. As she did so Jerome stood quietly next to Madeleine tossing a coin in his head.
Jerome was one of the few remaining tier two students, and he was totally undecided as to which way to go. Ever since Madeleine had formed her deep hatred of Jezebel she had insisted that he have nothing further to do with the rebel plan, but this hadn’t stopped Jerome from sneaking off to the meetings whenever he could. Accordingly, he now found himself in quite a predicament. Somehow, despite the fact that all reason and common sense should have swayed him otherwise, he was very tempted to vote for Lucifer’s plan. It just sounded so much easier. The trouble was that if he did so, Madeleine would never forgive him. Even now, Madeleine was extremely agitated by his side as she stood there cursing Jezebel under her breath and wishing that there was some way that she could repay her. As Jerome still had feelings for Madeleine, this was a consideration, although not as big a consideration as it should have been. So accordingly, within his mind he tossed the coin, with heads being his parents' plan, and tails being Lucifer’s plan. Strangely, the coin came down tails and he had made his decision.
For Dujas the decision was more difficult. Determined to be on the winning team, he wanted to know how everyone else would vote, before he made his final decision. It was quite a conundrum for him.
94 the vote
Following Rachel’s speech, Father rose to check whether there was anyone else who would like to speak. There wasn’t, so he prepared his children for the manner of voting. Lucifer had hoped that it would be by the raising of hands. That way if he lost, he could attempt to discredit the counting method, which would have to be by discernment by Father, Mother or Jehovah, due to the sheer number of attendees. Each of the Gods knew Lucifer’s heart, as always, and provision was made for a clearer manner of voting.
‘My children, the time has come for you to vote. Please do so wisely,’ Father said.
At this time I would ask for all those who wish to support our plan to gather to my right, and for all of those who would support Lucifer’s plan to gather to my left. Please leave a generous space between each of the two groups.’
Father motioned in each of the respective directions as he spoke so that there could be no confusion, even amongst those who struggled to tell right from left almost as much as they struggled to tell right from wrong. After a time ‘the sheep had divided from the goats’. Those who supported Father and Mother’s plan were about two thirds of the spirits of God. Those who supported Lucifer were the other third.
One of the very last to move to Father’s side was Dujas. He had pretended to drop something and bent over to find it, all the while watching how the crowd was dividing. Only once he had a clear idea which plan would prevail, did he move to Father’s right side. Lucifer saw him and hated him for it.
Most spirits moved in an orderly manner without commotion or fanfare. There was however, one dramatic occurrence during the course of the vote, as some sort of argument had arisen between two spirits who were on opposite sides of the voting lines. It was, of course, Madeleine and Jerome. Madeleine was screaming at him, while he attempted to hide himself behind some of his tier two colleagues. Despite her screams, she could not force her ‘love’ back onto the right side of the vote and ultimately her screams gave way to sobbing as she realised that she had been betrayed.
While Lucifer would ordinarily have enjoyed such a scene, he barely even noticed it, being too disgusted that he had been outvoted. He was even more disgusted that there was absolutely no way that he could argue that there had been a miscount. Unlike a show of hands, it was far harder to argue against the vastly greater congregation of sheep that had gathered to Father’s right, who clearly numbered far more than Lucifer and his goats that had gathered to the left.
Although the goats had chosen Lucifer’s plan, their fate was not yet sealed. If they were to humble themselves, and accept the will of the majority, then they could still lay claim to the mercies of the original plan. Father proceeded to encourage them to take this course.
‘My children, the majority have spoken. The plan of salvation will be adopted with Jehovah acting as saviour for those who are born on earth. I now encourage each of you to align yourself with this plan so that you may receive the opportunity of mortality.'
Lucifer, who had somehow managed to control himself until now, suddenly lost all control and screeched, ‘No we will not! All who have voted for my plan, follow me!’
Ordinarily, it is the sheep that hear the voice of the ‘good shepherd’, but on this occasion it was the goats that harkened to their ‘pied piper’ of sin. The third that had voted for Lucifer flew behind their leader in the direction of the darker end of the Kingdom. Jerome fell into this formation, much to the horror of Madeleine, who became absolutely distraught.
The very last of those to cast their vote, were also the last to fall in behind their leader, and had to be encouraged by their assistants, who had suddenly lost all of their civility. It was the unfortunate eight thousand who were cursed into the formation by their suddenly abusive minders. It would appear that a devil is only nice for as long as they have to be. With their job done, the minders had no further need for civility.
To each of us, the decision of Lucifer’s third may seem very foolish, but of course it would do, because we were one of the two thirds.
95 rebellion
As they flew Lucifer steeled himself. Although he was furious, it wasn’t as though he hadn’t contemplated this as a potential outcome. Now that it had come to this, he was ready. Regardless of which way it went from here, it was absolutely essential that he was able to shore up his support base. Upon arrival at the darkest common area in the Kingdom, a place that he had selected beforehand, he immediately addressed his followers with the intent of doing just that.
‘My faithful spirits, I commend you for your wisdom, and I praise you for being able to see through the lies of all those who spoke in favour of the counterfeit plan. You have each suffered a great wrong. We wo
uld have won the vote were it not for those pernicious falsehoods. Now that we have endured these things, are we going to let them prevail over us? I say unto you, no!'
Lucifer answered his own question because he wasn't sure if his followers would answer as he hoped just yet. There were some of his most faithful, however, who coupled their reply with his, providing him some encouragement. Consequently he relaxed just a little, and before recommencing, he took a moment to turn on his theatrics in the customary manner, with a pregnant pause and a little pacing.
‘Is it just that we should be robbed of our rightful authority by devious trickery? No, it is not right and we will not permit it!'
With even more support this time, as some of the slower, sheep-like followers began to catch on, Lucifer bowed his head and delivered a very pregnant pause before feeding the hungry audience.
‘Each one of you is far more worthy, intelligent, gifted and wise than those foolish enough to vote for the other plan. You should be rewarded for this, but instead you are being punished. I simply will not stand by and let that happen!’ yelled Lucifer indignantly.
Lucifer knew his audience well and it was certainly a case of flattery will get you everywhere. With those predictable and paltry comments alone, he was able to shore up the support of many. It quickly became apparent to those geniuses, that they had been the victims of a great injustice, inflicted upon them by those who were their inferiors in every respect. Having hooked a good portion of his followers he went after the balance.
‘It was absolutely preposterous for that lying wench, Rachel, to suggest that I do not intend to share power with you. Of course I do. Each of you has so much potential that it would be a travesty for me not to share power with you. Jehovah thinks that he is a spirit of truth, but he is not. I am the spirit of truth, and I will be true to my word. To every spirit that I have promised a position of authority they shall have it!' said Lucifer, raising his voice appreciably as he delivered the last sentence.
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