and gives us leave to rule earth--unhindered, unloved, unjudged."
----------------
"One of the most difficult tasks I ever had to perform,
Gabriel," said Michael of having expelled A'dam and Eve from
Eden. They were seated in Crispin's study at the Academy of the
Host. Crispin nodded his head in sympathy. Gabriel smiled a
knowing smile. Serus simply looked with compassion at Michael.
"How did they react to you?" asked Serus.
"They were quite afraid," said Michael. "They thought I was
the death angel and were sure I was sent to destroy them. I ordered
the angels who escorted them out to be resolute but gentle. And not
to exchange words with them."
"Did they resist the expulsion?" Crispin wondered.
"Not once they understood what was happening," said
Michael. "We simply pointed them out of Eden and walked along-
side them. They were both weeping bitterly. And so we forced them
out of Eden..."
"And into Lucifer's hands, I suppose," said Serus.
They all looked at him.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Michael.
"He means that since A'dam has surrendered his authority to
Lucifer," commented Gabriel, "Lucifer now has legal rule on earth.
A'dam is at his mercy."
"Only so far as A'dam allows himself to be led of Lucifer,"
interjected Crispin. "Choices do work in two directions, you know.
Just as A'dam chose to disobey and played into Lucifer's hands, he
may also choose to obey God now and at least protect himself in
some measure from Lucifer's grip. I mean legally earth is Lucifer's
until A'dam takes it back--if that was possible. But A'dam and all
humans can still resist. It all goes back to the mind and will of man.
We know that. A'dam knows that all too well. And I am certain that
Lucifer realizes that too. He will be positioning himself to capture
A'dam's mind."
"All that God holds in contempt we shall encourage in mankind." 315
"But why continue the struggle?" said Sangius, who had just
joined them. "He has done the damage to God's plan for humans."
"You forget that the Seed of woman holds some very interest-
ing and challenging possibilities for Lucifer's crowd," said Crispin.
"Lucifer is finished when the prophecy is fulfilled. He will do all in
his power to prevent it!"
"Which leads me to the point of the meeting Gabriel and I just
had with the Elders," said Michael.
Michael began explaining the new ministry that angels would
be called upon to perform in the struggle ahead. Angels were to be
the messengers of the Lord to humans. The Host would not simply
be bringing word from God, but critical help in the form of protec-
tion, deliverance and encouragement. Most importantly, angels
would be involved in holding back the darkness of Lucifer's angels
who would seek to undo the Lord's plan for reconciling the fallen
humans back to Himself. How that would be accomplished was a
mystery, but for now angels were to prepare themselves for war.
"So, the battle for Heaven will be fought out on earth," said
Crispin, thinking about Michael's words. "Quite interesting."
"Yes," said Gabriel, "with the will and choices of men and
women being the primer. It will be a tremendously difficult task
given man's apparent propensity to disobey the Lord!"
"Lucifer certainly has the advantage," agreed Michael. "But
we all know that the Lord's plan will ultimately succeed. It must!"
"If it depends on the will of man alone it has failed already,"
said Crispin.
----------------
Lucifer roamed through Eden alone. Although the garden still
retained much of its former beauty, the place seemed desolate and
was beginning to become overgrown with thorny vines and bush-
es. The fruit trees had stopped producing and the flowers no longer
budded. The animals which once filled Eden with their noises and
activity were no longer around. Only an occasional bird flying
overhead broke the stillness. Lucifer walked to the center of the
garden. He saw the trees, now guarded by two mighty cherubim,
316 CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile of Lucifer
their flaming swords moving in every direction. They didn't look at
Lucifer. He merely scoffed out loud and turned away. He silently
vowed that he would yet establish his throne at this place.
Lucifer thought about the events leading up to this moment.
He recalled the planning and jockeying that had gone on in Heav-
en. He thought of the subtle nature of it all. It was really a good
effort. He merely had misjudged the Lord's resolve in the matter.
But what now? Legally he was now the authority on the planet.
Even though it would not set well with Heaven, it was something
with which they would have to come to terms. Why continue fight-
ing a foregone conclusion?
A'dam had fallen. His nature was abased. The image of God
inside had been distorted. Lucifer had seen to it that man was cor-
rupted and compromised. From this point on every human born
into the world carried with him the stain of that distortion. This
was Lucifer's one glimmer of hope. He knew that as long as he
could appeal to humans through their fallen nature, he need not
worry about the coming One.
"Well, Most Holy One," he said, addressing the Heavens, "it
has come to this. Whatever the contest brings, and whoever it
involves, it becomes an issue between You and me. I have my
angels, You have Yours. I have my mission, You have Yours. I have
earth, You have Heaven. I have A'dam, You have...what?
"What do You have, Most High God? A'dam and all who fol-
low are now corrupted. They will no longer fellowship with You,
much less worship You. They will be afraid of You and will run
from You. I will see to that. Your presence is no longer required nor
welcome here on earth. Don't You understand?"
Lucifer looked around Eden.
"Eden. Lovingly designed by a Creator for His most beloved
creation. And yet even in this place of near perfection, where there
was no want or need, the creatures still turned on their Creator! How
can that be? Does that not tell You anything, Most High? It tells me a
great deal. It tells me that You are finished with mankind and he is
finished with You. And yet You insist that out of these fallen, muddy,
rebellious creatures will come One who will crush my head?
"All that God holds in contempt we shall encourage in mankind." 317
"Lord, why would You persist in adding agony to the plight of
these pitiful wretches? You leave me little choice but to see mankind
destroyed. I would rather let them be slavish brutes populating the
earth under my guidance. But You seek somehow to restore them
to Yourself? Most High, forgive me, but they are not worth it! Let
them go. Create a new world, with new people if that is what You
need--but leave earth alone. Leave A'dam alone. Leave me alone. I
will see man undone and I vow by all that is unholy to see Your
name brought low on earth. The only name on earth which sha
ll be
on the lips of men is Morning Star. This I vow. This I promise!"
Kara and Pellecus joined Lucifer in the garden. They had been
following A'dam's progress since leaving Eden.
"Well my prince," said Kara, "A'dam is gone. He moved east-
ward with his wife: soon gone, soon forgotten."
"Gone perhaps," agreed Lucifer, "but he will be remembered.
The Lord will not be slack in filling the earth with humans. It is His
will. And their destiny--for now."
"His will perhaps," said Pellecus. "But as we have seen, lord,
destiny can be altered."
"That is precisely what I have been considering," said Lucifer.
"We cannot alter the Lord's will regarding man. But perhaps we
can alter man's will regarding the Lord. A'dam desired knowledge
so that he might be blessed by the Lord. Instead he was judged by
Him. Now that knowledge of good and evil will bless us!"
"It always goes back to knowledge, hmm?" said Kara.
"Correct, Kara," said Lucifer. "We know now that man is a
curious creature who can be manipulated; therefore, we have the
knowledge to defeat him."
"Knowledge is indeed power, lord," admitted Pellecus. "I
have always said so."
"Yes, Pellecus," Lucifer responded. "And as you have pointed
out countless times, the reason the Lord has all of the power is
because He possesses the greatest knowledge. I shall never have
the knowledge that the Most High enjoys. I freely admit this.
Therefore, I shall never be more powerful than He."
318 CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile of Lucifer
Lucifer walked to a small brook and looked at his reflection.
Rugio and Pellecus stood at a distance behind him. "I don't ask to
be more powerful than God. I never did. But can I deny the knowl-
edge that I do possess--and therefore its power? What use is knowl-
edge if unapplied? What good is power that is not exercised?"
He sighed, peering deeply into the reflection his eyes made.
"No, I'll never have His knowledge. But, one need not have all
of the knowledge. It is only the critical knowledge which proves
advantageous."
"Which knowledge, lord?" asked Pellecus rather timidly.
"You weren't listening Pellecus," Lucifer snapped, turning
away from the reflection and facing the two angels. "If one pos-
sesses knowledge of another's weakness, then one has a definite
advantage over that person."
"True, lord," said Pellecus. "We have a definite advantage
over A'dam."
"I was not referring to A'dam," said Lucifer.
"Whose weakness are you referring to?" asked Pellecus.
He looked up at the two angels, his bluish aura beginning to
glow. "You don't see it, do you? Of course not. No angel sees things
as I do. I am the only creature the Lord made with the understand-
ing that can oppose Him. You see, I now understand where the
Most High is vulnerable."
He smirked at Pellecus' facial expression. Kara remained
impassive.
"You look bemused," Lucifer continued. "Do you recall when
I said that some day I would discover where our Lord was vulner-
able and that everything would turn on that discovery?"
"I remember," said Kara.
"I'm well aware of your prodding into the Lord's Person,"
said Pellecus, "digging around His Throne as it were. But I was not
aware that you had discovered that which made the Lord...vulner-
able did you say?"
"Yes, Pellecus, I said our Lord is vulnerable. All this time I
have sought a way to best Him--to trip Him up--to counter any
resistance to our plans. I tried to position myself to defeat Him.
And I failed."
"All that God holds in contempt we shall encourage in mankind." 319
He looked at Kara and Pellecus dramatically.
"I realize now that He will prove to be His own worst adversary.
I won't really have to oppose Him at all. He will defeat Himself!"
He smiled, satisfied.
"And where is the Most High vulnerable?" asked Kara.
"It is so obvious, Kara. So obvious that I never really under-
stood until I saw how He dealt with the humans after their little
indiscretion in the garden. I always considered His primary nature
to be that of order and law and government. But no! It is not for law
and order in the cosmos that He made man. It is for love."
"Love?" asked Kara.
"Yes, Kara," responded Lucifer. "Love is the very nature of the
Most High. It is what drives Him. His love for the Kingdom. His
love for the Host. His love for His creation. It was for love of man
that He made the world. And His love shall be His own undoing in
this great struggle."
Lucifer's eyes bored into Pellecus and Kara, the bluish light
now streaming around him in waves. The two angels recoiled as
the center speck of Lucifer's eyes suddenly became like bluish stars
in the night sky. He pointed toward the distant Heavens.
"I prophesy here and now that for love our Lord will one day
pay a terrible price. For the sake of love He will be humiliated.
Love will see Him hurt, even scarred. And hear me now--this love,
that goes beyond reason, will mean the destruction of one Kingdom
and the rise forever of another!"
He turned back toward the two angels and whispered harsh-
ly, "Victory or abyss!"
"So be it!" both Kara and Pellecus repeated uneasily.
CHRONICLES OF THE HOST
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EXILE OF LUCIFER
The unthinkable--a revolt in Heaven--is about to begin!
UNHOLY EMPIRE
Lucifer reigns on Earth, but for how long?
RISING DARKNESS
The search for the prophesied Seed begins!
FINAL CONFRONTATION
The final showdown between Jesus and Satan!
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