Angelic Wars- First Rebellion

by Rick E Norris

  He waited, unsure what to expect, for the angels to absorb this. This reality probably shook them as it did him.

  He looked for one of them to waver. Yet none looked away.

  Facing the angels, Azarias stretched out his hands, palms up, thus showing his allegiance with the Lord. But more than that, he hoped that each angel would follow suit, declaring no concealed dishonorable intentions in his or her spirit. In this way, they would signal to one and all their humility and their allegiance to the group’s safety and well-being.

  One by one, ending with Pollyon, each assumed the same posture. At that precise moment, a golden aura swept around them, imparting warmth and setting loose the sweet scent of amborlite. The Holy, Holy One music sung by millions of angels at the Lord’s Throne filled the room. Each of their forearms sizzle, and Azarias’s gaze shifted around the circle. Into each of their right wrists, the Lord’s Spirit burned, with brilliant fire, a symbol in the shape of a triangle within a circle, colored red, black, and white. Azarias watched the golden circle burn, revolving like the sun’s corona, first from right to left, and then faster from left to right. As he focused, the center grew wings, transforming into the small white bird he had seen in visions of Earth. Or maybe that of an open book, he couldn’t tell.

  They had become set apart. Not like archangels or guardian cherubim but distinguished just the same. Still, they were vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks. If anything, this distinction would attract the rebellious ones and make them more determined to bedevil the alliance.

  “We are called the Angels Septemviri,” declared Azarias. “We are sworn to defend Heaven against those who dare to challenge the Lord’s sovereignty.”

  The other angels were silent, apparently still absorbing the magnitude of their responsibilities. But did they really understand the risk they were taking?

  And did he have enough courage and resolve to lead them in the fight?

  Squatinidale wobbled to his feet. He turned and then fell to his knees again. Without the Spirit to guide him, his legs and wings seemed useless. The multitude’s hideous music castrated his resolve with every inharmonic note.

  He crawled away from Abaddon, fell to his side. The menacing mist continued to swirl toward him, approaching with a slow and deliberate force. His eyes widened. A dark and sinister shadow crawled on the surface mirroring the mist. It devoured the slope, moving up the plateau toward them.

  He shot a glance at it. “L-Lord!”

  Somehow, he found his feet, although the surface seemed to suck at them. No!

  He fell again. The dreary music grew louder. The mist and shadow crested the plateau where he laid.

  Again, he rose to his feet and was thrown to the surface a third time.

  Close, very close.

  He threw out his hands, closed his eyes. “O L-Lord my G-God. I take refuge in you.33 Please save and deliver me from all who pursue me, or they will devour my soul and darken my spirit.”

  He cringed and waited.

  Nothing.

  He opened his eyes. The mist had vanished.

  He had to get away now. He scrambled to his feet, searching for a place to hide.

  His gaze ran straight into Abaddon, who stared down at him, his delphinium-blue eyes casting daggers into his soul.

  “There is no place to hide, Squatinidale.”

  Then he would run.

  He stumbled away. The music lashed at his spirit. He could hear Abaddon scream for others. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw nobody was pursuing him, yet. The music seemed to consume them, imprison them within their own worlds.

  Squatinidale turned and looked into the distance, gazing at the strange view. The desolate terrain expanded in every direction.

  Amidst the undulating, horrifying music, one thought pulsed inside him.

  Trapping him.

  He was lost.

  * * *

  26 1 Kings 19:11-12

  27 Revelation 2:12

  28 Known as Apollyon in other reaches of Heaven unbeknownst to Azarias.

  29 John 1:48

  30 Daniel 10:13-15; Jude 1:9; Revelation 12:7

  31 Daniel 8:16; Daniel 9:21; Luke 1:19; Luke 1:26

  32 Job 38:4

  33 Psalm 16:1

  Chapter 4

  Waited. They just waited.34 The seven Septemviri remained secluded, not in the Al Birkan metropolis but in the Al Birkan outskirts, while renegades disemboweled Heaven of its truth. Azarias’s fears and insecurities mutated into complacency and boredom. The visit of the great Guardian Cherub of the Creator, only a short distance from here, seemed so long ago, and pointless.

  Azarias stretched his legs out as he leaned back against the wall. The profundo leaped off the twenty-foot bluff cascading down to his right, its rhythmic call drowning his partners’ conversations around the corner. He wondered what they were thinking. Like this glowing spiritual liquid, he had dived into their lives, only to idle them in a stagnant pool of bewilderment.

  Azarias stared at the gurgling profundo. He twirled his finger in the turquoise elixir, delaying its journey to the far reaches of Heaven. It absorbed up his arm, teasing a reluctant smile from him. Withdrawing his finger, he watched it retreat. He repeated this process several times, fascinated by the vacillation and his sense of loss when the elixir left his arm. It reminded him of how disconnected the renegade angel must be from the Lord.

  He gazed out over the Al Birka countryside. Was this an adequate location for their headquarters? Here he had enjoyed walking to hear the Lord’s angels. It was here it all started with the guardian cherub commissioning him. Few angels ventured this far out of Al Birka—he was an exception. Yes, this place met the requirements. They were alone to strategize in secrecy.

  Azarias, I will send Gabriel to the Khasneh district administrator. He has traveled to that district and has many friends. There, I will speak to him.

  Azarias rose and then hesitated. He could hear their voices now.

  “Of course,” Uriel’s voice echoed. “But, still, I can’t see an angel succumbing to the temptation of the other side without a struggle.”

  Azarias moved around along the wall and peered around the corner. As soon as he stood before the six, his presence swallowed their conversations.

  Uriel’s eyes shot over to him, eyebrows raised. His fast thought process picked up any change in circumstances quickly. “Azarias, it is time, isn’t it?”

  The others turned and stood.

  “Gabriel, the Lord says to go to Khasneh and meet the district administrator. He tells me that you have visited there before. You will receive further instructions when you arrive. I will watch from here as you are directed by the Lord’s Spirit.”

  “Khasneh,” Michael said. “What of interest ever happens there?”35

  Gabriel turned quickly, casting his should-length hair to one side, his big, brown eyes lighting up. “Well, they could use a little excitement.”

  Michael laughed.

  Stepping back from the group, Gabriel opened his great canopy wings.

  Azarias had not focused on Gabriel’s opened wings before. He was the average height of an angel—ten feet. Normally, an angel’s wings extended twelve feet high. Gabriel’s wings, however, extended to fifteen feet high, making them a greater receptacle for the Lord’s Spirit. No wonder he was the fastest of the angels.

  Azarias shot him a protective glance, nonetheless. “Gabriel. We don’t know who or what we are dealing with. You are our first scout. Please be alert—not only for the Lord’s commands but for those who may want to harm you.”

  Gabriel nodded, took one step away. Then he vanished.

  Azarias turned to the others. “Your time will come. I will watch him and report back if I need any of you. Until then, we wait.”

  Re
turning to the wall, he sat down and pulled out the Tome the Guardian Cherub had supplied. Deep within the gray screen, Gabriel appeared. He flew across the amborlite fields, zigzagging back and forth. Yes, Azarias could smell them. Even before the vision focused, he was there.

  He could feel the Lord’s Spirit blowing in his face now. He gulped it, he savored it, and he consumed its mighty power. Yes, God is good.

  The vision focused. He was soaring alongside Gabriel.

  How had the enemy concealed the rebellion? It couldn’t be a large one. Otherwise, one of the Septemviri would have heard of it by now. Even so, if it were a small rebellion, it seemed the Holy Order would have informed its members. It all seemed so confusing—and impossible.

  As Gabriel approached the distant structures, their unique qualities interested Azarias. Khasneh was never a part of his missions. The district housed record keepers and analysts—skills Azarias had no gift for.

  Gabriel landed in the central corridor.

  Azarias spied the three-storied dwellings lining the streets. As throughout Heaven, none were alike. They had basic similarities but differed in detail. Khasneh, like all of God’s creations, boasted of His majesty.36 Azarias drew his eyes across the top story. Hundreds of half columns capped them like standing sentries. Below them were multicolored triangular pediments: maroon, indigo, dark slate green, royal blue, each supported by a pair of full columns. The pediments donned gold and silver etchings that broadcasted the location of particular departments. The opposite side of the corridor displayed similar habitats but emitted different etchings. No, nothing interesting here—just lovely Khasneh. But this worried Azarias. Why would the Lord send Gabriel to a serene place? Again, he was doubting.

  Gabriel strolled down the corridor, viewing angels as they tabulated under the eaves. Stopping for a moment, he leaned over the shoulder of one angel. He raised one eyebrow. She slowly turned her head and locked eyes with him.

  “Uh, excuse me, I am Gabriel…”

  “Really.” She turned to a pile of scrolls and thumbed through them with finesse. Stopping at the middle of a page, she ran her finger down to the center.

  “Ninety-eight thousand seven hundred seventy-seven.”

  Gabriel furrowed his brow. “Excuse me?”

  “Ninety-eight thousand seven hundred seventy-seven,” she said while she resumed her work.

  Did the Lord alert her of Gabriel’s visit? Azarias looked for any clue in her face.

  Gabriel cleared his throat. “Ninety-eight thousand seven hundred seventy-seven of what?”

  She turned, shooting a puzzled glance. “Ninety-eight thousand seven hundred seventy-seven hairs on your head. Isn’t that why you are here?”37

  After pausing, she continued. “We tabulate the Lord’s knowledge for angels’ use on missions. My task is to record and tabulate the number of hairs on His creations.”

  She turned and resumed her tabulating

  “Why would I want to know that?” Gabriel said, looking as if he were fighting a grin.

  She stopped and didn’t turn this time. Now she looked as if she were biting a smile. “I don’t know, but the Lord is so involved with each of His creations that He knows the smallest of details. We are servants to that end.”

  Gabriel moved on.

  This was another example of how Azarias could not see what the Lord saw. He never would have sent such a celebrated angel to this district. The whole journey seemed so illogical and pointless.

  An angel leaped from the second story.

  He landed just several feet from Gabriel. Azarias flinched with this first sign of danger.

  “Hey,” Gabriel yelled.

  The angel ran toward him, brandishing something in his hand. It was a scroll. He ignored Gabriel and ran across the corridor to another angel. After examining the scroll, both angels rejoiced.

  Gabriel remained steadfast, shook his head and then continued on his way. He impressed Azarias with his decorum. Could he feel Azarias’s lack of confidence? Such an idea captivated and slightly concerned Azarias.

  Gabriel entered the Administration entrance on the opposite side of the hair-tabulating angel. The foyer whispered modesty. It did not display the glory of the outer part of the office. No windows, just an entrance in the front and in the back, barely twenty-five feet deep.

  Standing next to a podium was a light-colored, portly angel instructing two other angels about an administrative matter. The other two angels were thin, one sporting a rather large nose, the other deep inset eyes. Alerted to Gabriel’s entrance by their gestures, the portly angel turned around.

  “Gabriel!” His face exploded with excitement. “My close friend. Mai Deus Exsisto vobis.”

  Gabriel seemed to force a smile. “Mai Deus Exsisto vobis, Leviathan.” He glanced to the side briefly. “I have longed to visit Khasneh…again.”

  He grasped Gabriel by the shoulders. “No, wait, let me guess. The last time you addressed the district council was to announce something important. Let me see. Could it have been…when you got your wings trimmed?”

  The two other angels looked at each other and snickered.

  Leviathan paused and placed his index finger against his temple.

  “No, no, that can’t be it. How about when you forgot your mission, and you addressed the council by asking, Why in God’s Name am I here?’”

  The other two angels’ snickers erupted into laughter. The one with the big nose grabbed the other’s arm, steadying himself.

  Gabriel’s face remained unchanged. “Your gift for memory and humor has always impressed me, Leviathan. I wish more of it existed in Heaven.”

  Leviathan rolled his eyes and then smiled. This whole exchanged puzzled Azarias. He couldn’t think of any other angel that could be so different from Gabriel. And Leviathan—well, humor found a new definition.

  Lord, how will you bridge the communication between these angels?

  Leviathan placed his hand on Gabriel’s shoulder. “Come on, my big-winged fellow.”

  The two angels stepped outside. “So, Gabriel what’s new? You know, we in Khasneh seem to be the last to learn of the Spirit’s developments. We tabulate, we report, and nothing more. The big picture seems to pass us by until the rest of Heaven is informed. It’s ironic how we can be kept in the dark in the land of light.”

  Faceless laughter from the assistants echoed behind them.

  The angels ignored it. “Let’s walk,” said Leviathan.

  The two turned and walked past more tabulating angels. Those angels didn’t lift their heads to acknowledge their passing.

  “So, Gabriel, what have you heard about Earth?”

  “I haven’t heard very much, except that a guardian cherub has been given the mission to govern it for the Lord. I don’t know how an angel can perform this mission in a material universe.”

  “Do you know anything about this guardian cherub?” Leviathan said.

  “No, but it does sound very exciting.”

  Gabriel stopped. Azarias looked at Gabriel’s eyes. His gaze was distant. Was he listening to the Lord?

  He turned to Leviathan. “The reason I have come is very, very important. I must declare my mission and make a request of your district council.”

  “What?” Leviathan halted in his tracks. “You know that we have a very tight schedule here with so many visiting angels. Everyone depends on us for the Lord’s knowledge. Our Council is always redirecting angels in their tasks to accommodate the ever-changing Heaven.”

  Gabriel stared.

  Leviathan exhaled. “I will make the request, but you know the executive council will have to confirm this with the Spirit, so we can grant your request to break historical protocol. Why couldn’t you have informed the council well in advance?”

  Azarias’s own body tensed as he sensed Gabriel’s apprehension. Gabriel drew hi
s friend close. “I would have told you sooner if I could. Believe me; it is more astonishing than you know.”

  “Sounds important, Gabriel. You’re not just going to tell us that the Lord has given you a promotion, are you?” Leviathan smiled. “I know how it is hard for you to resist announcing good news.”

  Gabriel didn’t react but looked both ways. His big brown eyes betrayed anxiety.

  Leviathan’s smile disappeared.

  Gabriel turned back and looked into Leviathan’s eyes. “How soon can we convene the council?”

  Leviathan lowered his brow, still drilling his eyes into Gabriel’s face. “Immediately,” he said, biting his lower lip.

  Within a short time, Leviathan convened the Khasneh district council in the chambers. The room, a cave carved into an outcropping, occupied an underground amphitheater and consisted of seating around a half-moon stage. Each of the seventy rows seated one hundred angels. The ceiling, domed in perfect parabolic fashion, dominated the room like a rotunda. The lighting within shone as bright as outside the cave since no darkness existed in Heaven. The ever-present Lord’s Spirit saturated every spiritual molecule, emitting its own light and energy even in the cave’s most distant corner.

  Gabriel walked into the center.

  Azarias fidgeted.

  What was Gabriel going to say?

  Azarias didn’t like viewing his angels without communicating with them, reduced to an impotent participant. Could he adapt to this new way of gathering information? Maybe he could intercede with the Lord. It would be to the benefit of his angels? Yes, appeal to Him, not to them. The thought intrigued but did not settle his insecurity.

  Beneath the gaze of seven thousand angels, Gabriel threw his shoulders back.

  “Dear council members, thank you for meeting me on such short notice. Many of you know me from my reputation as a great and speedy messenger. This time I come to you, guided by the Lord’s Spirit, to inform you of a very disturbing development.”