by Jared Teer
“The vehicle for the new sentient being was similar in build to that of the angels—they considered their own design to be the most functional—what we now call the humanoid form. The most beautiful of the life forms was prepared for presentation to the Creator and set aside in a magnificent garden. The Creator saw that he was good and called him Man. The Creator granted sentience to the being, the Breath of Life. He then revealed to the congregation of angels his plan for this new being: ‘In man I will make manifest my Son, whom all Creation will know as Lord.’
“One in the congregation was appalled by this declaration: The Morning Star. ‘You can not expect us to call such a being Lord,’ said the Morning Star. ‘This being of clay—of dirt. We are the first. We, formed of fire, of the Light of Creation. We created him—this man. He should bow to us.’
“This was a stunning declaration. Never before had one defied the Creator or questioned his plans for the universe. This was also the first instance of a created being finding fault in another out of deluded notions of superiority—the first instance of prejudice.
“The Creator responded, ‘In folly doth thou speak, Morning Star. In folly doth thou assume that by the hands of angels, men were formed. On whose whim did thou receive life? Who formed the hand with which thou labored? Thou created not, but discovered that which I set before thee. Hold thy peace, Morning Star, lest in thy folly, thou be brought low.’
“With his pride being aroused, the Morning Star responded, ‘You created me and all that exists, yet if you expect me to subordinate myself to this thing … this Man, you are in no way all knowing, or my master. This thing of dirt shall prostrate itself to me, not I to it.’
“The Creator responded, ‘I warned thee to hold thy peace, lest thou be brought low from thy haughtiness. Thou would set thyself up as My superior? Thou would have My will subordinate to thy own? Since thou thinkest thyself superior to he whom I will magnify through man—the vessel of clay, of earth—then to earth thou art condemned.’
“And with that, the Morning Star was hurled from the garden—from the presence of the Creator—landing in some remote region on the earth.”
“So the Morning Star was banished,” said Darion. “He returns though, right? To tempt Adam and Eve in the garden?”
“Correct,” replied Hughes. “Looking to undermine the Creator by bringing low the vessel through which his plan would be fulfilled—namely man—the Morning Star took possession of the body of a serpent and subtly reentered the garden. I’m sure you are familiar with what happens next?”
“Yes,” replied Darion. “Adam and Eve are tempted by the serpent to disobey God, and are then cast out of the garden for their disobedience.”
“Correct,” said Hughes.
“What about a war in heaven?” Darion asked. “I thought there was a war in heaven, in which Michael and the loyal angels cast out the Morning Star and his angels?”
“Right again,” said Hughes. “That is the next part of this story, which explains why, for a time, the enemy is allowed to so plague the earth.
“In his many years of wandering to and fro on the earth, the Morning Star endlessly contemplated ways to undermine the Creator and his plans. He realized that he would need help and thought of ways to get other angels to join his cause. He remembered that when he had inhabited the body of the serpent, he felt exhilaration like never before. Being an immensely powerful being, he found the sensualities of the flesh to be intoxicating—much like the exhilaration we felt when transformed from our earthly bodies to these glorified ones.
“The Morning Star told the angels who were monitoring the earth of the pleasures of inhabiting the flesh. Sadly, many were deceived into taking possession of earthly beings to experience these pleasures. Men and beasts were possessed, with many of the misguided angels going so far as to mate with females after taking possession of a male’s body. In mating, some of the angels’ Essence went into the women, and their offspring transcended humans in strength. Beings of lore walked the earth. Of humans were born giants. Of beasts, minotaurs and dragons. With the influence of the Morning Star, these beings, along with men, grew increasingly murderous and wicked, bringing oppression and dishonor to the earth.
“The Creator was highly displeased, and decided to wipe the earth clean of these abominable creatures and wicked men. He spared the descendents of Adam and the animals in their midst. The majority of all other life was destroyed with a great flood.
“The Morning Star took this opportunity to further deceive the angels who had fallen for his wiles.
“‘See how you are mocked,’ he said to them. ‘He destroyed those whom you begot, your sons, but expects you to bow to his. It is as I spoke all along. We made these beings. We should take pleasure in them.’
“The Morning Star so riled them that they decided to bring war to the angels who remained loyal to the Creator. Though outnumbered two to one, the Morning Star’s army fought maniacally for the defense of their pride. There was a great battle in the cosmos. Whole planets were rent asunder. The alignment of entire galaxies was disrupted with stars and moons being hurled like stones. The loyal angels, led by Michael, managed to confine the opposing army to a remote galaxy and surrounded them in the black void of space. Upon conceding that all was lost, the Morning Star made a prideful, but desperate plea to the Creator.
“‘I surrender, Lord,’ he said. ‘It was foolish to challenge your might. Still, your faith in man, in the creature of dirt, is misguided nonetheless. You propose that, from clay, you will raise up a Son, one to whom all Creation will bow? I think not, and I challenge you. Man is a slave to its flesh. I defy you to raise from these primates, these monkeys, one worthy of our praise. I admit defeat, here and now, but for a time, give me reign over the earth, so that I may prove to you that I am right.’
“‘Morning Star,’ the Creator responded, his voice resonating in the cosmos, ‘thou hast committed a grievous offense and pained Me greatly. Dost thou still not see? Dost thou still not comprehend? Nothing is a surprise to Me, for nothing can catch Me unaware. I was grieved in thee from the dawn of Creation. So, I made thee more splendid than the rest, so as to promote appreciation in thee for Me and My blessing. My light shone upon thee for countless eons, but lo, I knew it was not to be. Thy pride is too great, and in it thou shalt fall.’
“‘In thine iniquity, do what thou wilt on earth, if thou seekest to further condemn thyself. I will temper a people to My liking, who will know My will, and will cling to it as assurance against your wiles. They will be a light to the world, and from them, the Redeemer will be made manifest. As thou art sons who I have loved since creation, I will stay, for a time, My wrath. I will grant thy request, not that thou shall in any way disprove my edicts, but to redeem Man and magnify He who I will set above the heavens.’
“Then, the Morning Star, followed by all of his angels, was cast down to earth, where for a time they are given nearly free reign. The fiercest of the angels who allied themselves with the Morning Star, those defiant even in defeat, were imprisoned deep within the earth.
“The Morning Star’s rebellion fulfilled the Creator’s declaration. The Morning Star refused to ever submit himself to the authority of one born of man. He then orchestrated the Fall of Man. In his persistence to bring man low, he created the need for a savior—the very savior whom the Creator declared would be made manifest through man.”
“Which would be doubly frustrating for the Morning Star,” said Darion.
“Precisely,” replied Hughes. “Nothing could be more maddening than the realization that your actions are what brought about the victory of your opponent. Hence, the analogies of the enemy as a roaring lion. He’s pretty ticked off.”
“So, we’re at the mercy of the Morning Star, of the enemy?” asked Darion.
“No,” said Hughes. “In all things glory is given to the Creator and those who believe in him, even those things which at first seem harsh. As swords are tempered through fire, men, the Ascen
ded, are tempered through trials. Earthly sufferings are but a twinkling in eternity for those who hold fast to the decrees of the Creator.
“In folly, some angels—one-third—succumbed to the lures of the flesh and allied themselves with the Morning Star. The lures of the flesh caused beings loyal to the Creator for eons to forsake their glorified natures. Men, on the other hand, grow in the flesh, and if only they believe in the Creator and the Redeemer, receive glory and power comparable to that of the angels.
So, having lived through the pains of the flesh, we Ascended are better able to forsake the lure of its pleasures. Blessed are men who through faith in the Creator and the Redeemer transcend the flesh and find eternity.”
“What about my friend, Hughes?” Darion asked.
“Men are given free will,” said Hughes. “Your friend is not ignorant of right and wrong. He is choosing to forsake righteousness and give in to the Enemy—to give in to hate and despair.”
“He feels hopeless, Hughes,” said Darion. “I had those horrible visions. He probably feels that he is the one who has been forsaken. I mean, with his grandparents here at a party while he is being tormented.”
“They tried to reach him, Darion,” said Hughes. “He cursed them and the Creator. What would you do differently than they?”
“I would save him,” Darion said pointedly.
Hughes crossed his arms, nodding his head as he looked into Darion’s eyes.
“Do you really believe that, Darion,” Hughes asked, “that you would save him?”
“I wouldn’t give up,” answered Darion in a low voice as he looked down.
Hmmph, Hughes smirked. “Indeed. Indeed you would never give up,” he said with a smile. “Which is why I’ve come. Your grandfather William told you that I am a recruiter for the Host of Heaven. Your service would be a great asset to our efforts, Darion.”
“Will I get to save my friend?” asked Darion.
“You will get to try,” said Hughes.
“That’s good enough,” said Darion.
“To serve in the Host is to open yourself fully to the sorrows of the earth,” said Hughes.
“That’s fine, Hughes,” said Darion.
“For a time,” said Hughes, “you must forsake the pleasures of eternity and immerse yourself in the disheartening turmoil of emotional pain that persists on the earth. Though none except the Creator knows the exact moment, the time of the Enemy’s authority on earth is drawing to a close—for the Redeemer will soon return to claim what is his.”
“Will I get to meet the Creator and the Redeemer?” asked Darion. “My grandfather said that, in the past, the Ascended would be transported directly to the Creator’s throne room, but that changed because the experience was overwhelming.”
“Indeed, it was customary for the Ascended to manifest in the throne room of the Creator, and that is no longer so,” said Hughes. “The experience is overwhelming, but that is not the reason why it is no longer continued—for in the presence of the Creator all find comfort, even those who are overwhelmed. The fact of the matter is that the Creator, the Redeemer, and the angelic Host, have departed this universe—this reality—and are preparing for the final confrontation with the Enemy in a plane of existence outside our own.”
“I don’t understand,” said Darion. “We’ve been abandoned?”
“No,” replied Hughes. “The Creator knows all and hears all. A great honor has been bestowed upon us. The Creator has deemed the Ascended worthy to provide the angels a reprieve in the work of administering his will in this universe. Since the dawn of creation, the angelic Host has tirelessly fashioned this universe in service to the Creator and acted on his behalf on earth. Tireless though they are, the compassionate angels grow weary of constant battle with their fallen brethren.
“It seems that the Creator intends for both men and angels to ascend—us to the heavens, and them to a paradise of their own. As I said, the universe as we know it, in all its vastness, is but an inkling in the mind of the Creator. The Creator has rewarded the angels who have served him loyally for eons by revealing to them new and wonderful planes of existence—as new and awe inspiring to them as the heavens are for us.”
“A heaven for angels,” said Darion.
“Precisely,” said Hughes. “Before the final confrontation with the Fallen, the Creator decided to reveal his reward for those who remained loyal to him. The light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak, for though they know that this conflict must come to an end, many will be grieved in the final condemnation of those whom they have known since the dawn of time.”
“What does the work of the Host entail?” asked Darion.
“As I said, the Creator hears all,” said Hughes. “He still hears the prayers and pleas of all who call on him—we Ascended and his people on earth. Our job is to watch over those who call upon the Lord and invoke the name of the Redeemer. This entails a number of duties. We may have to prevent physical harm from befalling someone, be it natural or Enemy induced. We watch over people and keep them from the temptations of the Enemy. At times, we intervene and cause circumstances to work in favor of the faithful. And, when the situation calls for it, we engage the Enemy in combat.”
“On earth?” Darion asked. “When you described the war in heaven, you spoke of stars and whole planets being destroyed. How can the earth survive a struggle between such forces?”
“Another of the Enemy’s petitions,” replied Hughes. “The Enemy discovered that the best way to lead men astray was to convince them that supernatural forces did not exist. After skirmishes between our forces led to a few too many large craters and mountain ranges being reduced to dust, the Enemy complained that the fighting was interfering with their plans for leading men astray anonymously. The Creator—seeing no problem in providing the Enemy with more rope with which to hang themselves—decried that if battle was to take place, the combatants would teleport themselves to the Oneiric Plane to do so.”
“O-nee-ric Plane?” Darion enunciated slowly.
“Oneiric Plane,” said Hughes. “Or in layman’s terms, dreamland—an obvious clue to the existence of supernatural forces. The Oneiric Plane is a plane of reality that runs parallel to that of the physical world. The Creator made it out of compassion, to give men a reprieve when they sleep from the limitations of their earthly existence. For men, it is a taste of things to come, with sheer power of will facilitating various superhuman abilities, though they cannot fully control or understand them.”
“Which explains why flying here is kinda like flying in a dream,” said Darion.
“Exactly,” said Hughes. “The Oneiric Plane is a replica of the material world, in which transphysical rules apply. Transphysical beings such as ourselves and angels are in full command of our powers there and can engage in strenuous combat with none of the destruction appearing in the physical world. Terrestrials—the designation of those humans still confined to earth—also, at times, become entangled in this combat, though to them it seems like only a bad dream.”
“And the Enemy can use the Oneiric Plane to torment men,” said Darion, “as I found out.”
“Yes,” replied Hughes. “When the Enemy adopted the strategy of anonymity, they had to mostly abandon direct terrorism—manifesting themselves before men to torment them for pleasure. In the Oneiric Plane, the Enemy can torment men without consequence to their plans. People experience terror, but wake up and blow it off. Those who say they are under demonic attack will most likely be scoffed at.”
“If the Enemy can infiltrate the Oneiric Plane—dreams—to terrorize, then we can do the same to encourage,” said Darion. “You have to teach me, Hughes! Please. Show me how to enter the Oneiric Plane. Show me how to fight the forces of the Enemy.”
“I will teach you all that I know, Darion,” said Hughes.
“You said that the Host is the army of heaven,” said Darion.
“In that case, is there basic training, like the U.S. Army?”
“A
ctually, there is,” said Hughes. “Polaris—the current North Star. It’s the Host’s base of operations. From there, Central Command monitors the earth and delegates missions. The Host is an army—that is, it is a collective of individuals under the same authority, but our missions do not consist of the mass troop deployments that are commonly associated with an army.
“We operate more like … the FBI. When a mission is delegated, a team of two is usually sent in. Two warriors of the Host are enough to handle most situations.”
“Most situations?” asked Darion.
“Indeed,” said Hughes. “Disputes between the Host and the forces of the Enemy are typically rectified through one-on-one combat. I will teach you the methods of transphysical combat, and you too will possess the skills required to contend against the Fallen.”
“Right,” said Darion. “So, do I call you ‘master’ from now on?”
“No, no,” Hughes said with a smile. “Really, the only masters are the Creator and he through whom we are redeemed. I will help you to understand the nature of your new power, but I am no master. I will train you and teach you what I know of commanding the Essence and combating the Enemy, but we are all beings on a quest for knowledge.”
“I’m eager to learn,” said Darion.
“Indeed,” replied Hughes.
They shook hands and Hughes gave Darion a pat on the back.
“Well,” said Darion, “I’m ready. When do I start training?”
Hughes laughed and raised his hands questioningly. “What about your party?” he said. “You’ve got hundreds of guests back there.”