In The Beginning - Chapter 15 (The Reconing)

Chapter 15

Evening was approaching and the day was beginning to cool when they heard footsteps coming from the way of the garden.  Knowing it was God, they ran into the woods to hide.

God the Father watched from his throne as Jesus walked through the Garden of Eden.  This was the turning point of the timeline of history.  This was the day that man had willfully disobeyed God and succumbed to the enticement of Satan.  It was the same enticement that Satan had used with the angels in the heavenly realm and would haunt man throughout the earthly timeline until the end of time itself – “You will be like God.”

It was time for God to put the next part of his divine plan into place.  Man, who he so loved, was destined to disappoint Him.  But God had a plan for his redemption.

Jesus walked to the rock where Adam and Eve had been sitting and called out, “Adam!”

From the edge of the woods Adam replied, “Here I am.  I heard you walking through the garden, I was afraid because I was naked.”

Jesus gazed quietly at Adam for a moment.  Adam stood at the edge of the woods with his eyes downcast and stared at the ground with his hands clasped tightly in front of his chest.

“Who told you that you were naked?” asked Jesus.  “Have you eaten of the tree that I commanded you not to eat?”

He pointed to the edge of the woods.  “It was the woman you gave me as a helper!  She gave it to me and I ate it!”

Jesus looked her directly in the eye.  “Woman, what have you done?”  He asked calmly.

“It was the snake!” she cried.  “He lied to me and I ate it!”  Her tears now nearly drowned out her words.  She grabbed the arm of Adam and cried into his shoulder, refusing to make eye contact with her God.  Adam continued to stare into the ground.

“How could one fruit have such an effect?” he asked.

“The fruit has its purpose,” Jesus replied.  “It isn’t the fruit which makes you feel this way.  It is your sin.  You had a choice between good and evil and you have chosen the evil.  Your soul has been corrupted.  Things will never be the same.”

He looked to the tree where the snake had re-appeared.  It looked at the living God with disdain and resolve.

“Because of what you have done you are cursed more than all other beasts.  On your belly you will slither and you will eat dust all of the days of your life.”

“I will put hate between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers.  Her child will bruise you on the head and you will bruise him on the heel!”

Jesus, the persona of the living God, spoke with divine authority.  It was He who would bruise this serpent on the head.  It was He who would orchestrate Satan’s final defeat.  Judgment had just been passed on Satan once and for all.

He turned again to the woman.  “From now on you will have intense pain in childbirth.  You will desire your husband and he will rule over you.”

To Adam he said, “Because of you the ground is also cursed.  No longer will you live effortlessly in paradise.  From now on you will work for what you eat.  Weeds, thorns, and thistles will grow, and you will have to work hard to get your food to grow.  By the sweat of your brow will you eat until you return to the dust from which you were made.  From the dust you were made, and to the dust you will return!”

In The Beginning - Chapter 14 (Part 2 - The Decent of Man)

Part II

The Descent of Man

Chapter 14

It was a bright and sunny spring day.  Adam and his wife frolicked in the river that converged in Eden from four other rivers and then diverged back out into four branches as it left the garden.  The day was calm and warm; birds chirped and small animals played on the stream’s shore.

The sky was bursting with deep blue color as the sun rose high above the peaks of the surrounding trees which were in full bloom.

Life was good in paradise.  Eden was a garden which grew every fruit and vegetable.  It was watered by a mist which came up from the ground every night covering all the plants with enough water to keep them lush and green.

When they were hungry the two of them walked through the garden picking whatever food they desired then ate together drinking in all God had provided.

Deciding it was time for lunch, they came up out of the spring and sat on a rock at the edge to dry off in the warm sun.  Just behind them rose a large shade tree.  As they sat, they looked toward the middle of the garden where there rose a huge tree from which dangled luscious fruit.

Adam and his wife thought little of it.  God had warned them not to eat of that tree and with all the other trees and fruit and vegetable bearing plants in the garden they had not up to this moment had any problems denying themselves the pleasure of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Just behind them in the tree they heard a rustling noise and turned toward it expecting to see a bird or some other small animal playing there.  What they saw instead was a snake, a long serpent with legs running down each side.  It was wrapped around a branch with its head dangling just high enough to make good eye contact with the humans.

In Eden animals, birds, and humans all lived together in peace, and the sight of a snake in the tree was not at all frightening for them.  Adam set off to find some vegetables for their lunch as the woman looked around the garden for fruit to go with it.

“Is it true,” said the snake, “that God has told you that you cannot eat of any of the trees in the garden?”

“Of course not,” she replied.  “We are free to eat of any tree we choose.  Any tree, that is, except that big one in the middle over there.  If we eat from it or even touch it we will die.”

If a snake could grin Satan would’ve achieved it at that moment.  These humans were even more gullible than the angels he had corrupted.

“You will not die,” he said condescendingly.  “God just doesn’t want you to eat of that tree because He knows if you do, you’ll be just like Him, knowing good and evil.  When you eat of that tree, you will finally be able to see the world for what it is, just like He does.  You will be like God!”

The woman sat for a minute and considered what the snake had said.  She had never been exposed to a lie before.  God had clearly told them not to eat of the tree, but right here in front of her was a snake telling her it was okay.  The snake spoke with such authority, why would he say that if it were not true.

She wandered over to the tree to inspect the fruit and the snake followed behind her.  She looked up at the fruit of the tree with a scrutinizing eye.  She neared it with her face and inhaled its sweet aroma, a fruit that smelled that good could not be so bad.  The snake had said that if she ate the fruit she would be wise, she would be like God.  Wow … like God!

At first she reached out her hand like a chef tapping the edge of a skillet to see if it was hot, she quickly tapped the fruit and then jumped back in fear.  She did not die.

She walked up to the tree again and put her hand around one of its fruits and squeezed firmly and still she did not die.  The snake climbed up the tree and encircled the branch just above her.  He dropped his head and said, “I told you so.”

Eve looked at him in defiance and gave a sharp tug.  The fruit came off in her hand.  She grabbed another that was beside the first and pulled it off as well then ran quickly back to the rock to wait for Adam.

He approached a short time later and found her sitting beneath the tree, the serpent hanging from the branch behind her.  He looked at the serpent for a moment then at Eve and the fruit she was holding, one in each hand.

“I touched it,” she said, “and I didn’t die.  The serpent told me that if we eat of it we will be wise – we will be like God!”

At this she raised the fruit to her lips to take a bite and then stopped.  She extended her hand to Adam, turned her palm up and opened her fingers.

Adam looked at her for a long moment without moving.  Eve sat quietly and looked directly into his eyes.

This was clearly against God’s rules - but then, hadn’t God given the woman to him to be a helper?  To be his confidant and faithful companion?

He looked at the serpent who gazed back and tasted the air with his tongue, savoring every moment of his imminent victory.

Adam looked back through the garden and up at the sky.  Where was God when he needed Him?

“Don’t you want to be like God?” asked Eve.

“He told us we could not eat of the fruit of this tree,” replied Adam.

“The serpent said that’s because He knows if we do we will be like Him, knowing good from evil.”

“Has God ever given us any instruction which resulted in any ill coming to us,” asked Adam?

“Not that we know of,” replied Eve, sarcastically.

This was a side of Eve that Adam had never seen.  He didn’t much like her tone of voice nor her body language.  It all made him very uncomfortable.  She had never done anything before that had made him uncomfortable.

“Do you love me, Adam?”  she asked.

“You know that I do,” he replied.

She stood, walked over him and lifted the fruit up just under Adam’s nose.  It smelled sweet, sweeter than anything he had yet tasted in the garden.  He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose, savoring the amazing aroma.

Wrapped loosely around the branch, Satan was engrossed in the scene before him.  “My, my, what a man would do at the bidding of a woman,” he thought.  “I wonder what a woman might do for a man.”

The lessons from this scene were many.  It also seemed that mankind was by nature hedonistic.  Given the right circumstances and a choice between good and bad he could be convinced to choose the bad despite what his intellect knew to be the correct choice.

“And it is so easy,” he thought.  “This is going to be fun.”

Adam took the fruit from her and she held the other fruit up to her mouth and grinned.

He put the fruit to his lips and together they each took a large bite.  The flavor was fantastic, unlike anything Adam had ever tasted.  He closed his eyes savoring it as he slowly chewed and then swallowed.

What a taste!  What pleasure he experienced in the flavor.  Chills went up his spine as he took another large bit and then another.  He didn’t think he could ever get full of it.  Nothing could taste this good.  How could anything this good be bad?  Why would God forbid them from partaking of something like this?  This was ecstasy like nothing he had experienced before.

But then something changed.  The taste that was so sweet in his mouth turned bitter.  He tried to spit it out, but he had already eaten it all.  A feeling of dread began to overshadow his spirit.  His stomach hurt and he had an overwhelming sense of sadness.

He opened up his eyes and turned back to Eve who was staring at him in horror.  He saw her face and realized he was sitting in front of her naked as was she.  He felt what seemed like the oppression of a huge weight being dropped onto his shoulders and he visibly slumped under its weight.

He looked to the tree, but the snake was nowhere to be found.  He turned back to look at his wife but she had fled into the woods crying, leaving him there alone.  Realizing the trouble into which he had gotten himself, he ran the opposite direction into the woods, looking for something he could use to cover himself.

Eve called to him from the other side of the woods.  “Adam!”

“Yes, my wife?”  he replied, only barely loud enough for her to hear.

“What have we done?”

“I fear we have disobeyed the command of our God and that he will be very angry with us when He sees what we have done.”

“Do you feel what I feel?” she asked?

“It is a feeling I have never experienced,” he replied.  “What is it that makes me want to stop living?  How could one fruit have such an effect?  I have no joy left in me.”

“I feel the same way,” she said.  “I was naked and ashamed.”

Adam didn’t reply and a long uncomfortable moment passed.

“I have sewn fig leaves together with a vine to cover myself," said Eve.  "I have made one for you, too.  I’ll leave it for you on the rock where we ate of the fruit.”

A moment later Adam approached the rock and found the fig-leaf loincloth that she had sewn for him.  He quickly put it on and turned to see her emerging from the woods wearing hers.

Neither could speak.  Their shame was profound, their fear overwhelming.

In The Beginning - Chapter 13 (Cast Out)

Chapter 13

While Satan and his minions were still far off they saw a bright glow shining over the horizon.  As they neared the garden they recognized the light as the glory of angelic hosts charged with protecting mankind.  They were standing guard around the entrance to Eden.

The demonic troupe stopped and gazed quietly at their opposition.  The battle in heaven was still fresh in their minds and their anger raged.

The angels saw their rivals for the hearts and minds of man and came to attention prepared to protect them at all cost.

Satan stood motionless for a moment as he recollected the words he had exchanged with God the Father.  He tilted his head slightly to the right and furrowed his brow in thought.

“Stay with me,” he said, as he renewed his march toward paradise.

As the demons neared, the angels formed into fighting platoons and assumed battle positions.

Confused, Satan thought once again of the words he had spoken to God the Father in the throne room, “What would a man choose to love if he did not choose to love God?”  and God’s enigmatic response, “What indeed?”

Could he have misunderstood the meaning behind God’s words?  No, that was impossible.

He then raised one eyebrow as if considering some newly conceived idea. Looking back at his lieutenants he said, “Wait here.”

They bowed their heads in obedience to their king and Satan walked forward.

The angelic hosts held their ground but didn’t move.

As Satan approached the entrance to the garden, he recognized his arch rival Michael standing firm with his feet spread shoulder width apart.  His hands were wrapped around the hilt of his sword, the tip of which was sticking into the ground in front of him.  His eyes started directly at his enemy.

Silently the two figures stared into each others’ eyes as Satan continued to approach.

Michael drew his sword from the ground with his right hand and held it at the ready as Satan continued his march.

Their eyes locked onto each other as Satan walked through the ranks of angels unopposed.  Satan never slowed his pace; he understood that he was in no danger. 

Michael turned and followed Satan through the line of angels and the ranks closed behind them.  After a few steps Michael stopped and made no effort to oppose the author of all lies.

As Satan continued to walk, his form began to change.  In one moment he was the most beautiful of all of God’s creations.  In the next he had assumed the form of a snake.

Michael looked on with disdain as he continued to follow his orders, trusting that God was fully in control.

-----

Back in Heaven, the angelic hosts and their creator watched as the timeline of the earthly realm changed dramatically.

Where there once was peace and harmony, there now was strife and discord.  Where once there was love and joy, now existed hate and pain.  The great deceiver and the author of all lies was now unleashed upon the earth and there would be Hell to pay.[i]

---

[i] Revelation 12:13

In The Beginning - Chapter 12 (War In Heaven)

Chapter 12

Entering the throne room, Michael approached the throne of God.  The Cherubim acknowledged his presence as the Seraphim sang their beautiful song of praise.

“My Lord and my God!” he exclaimed.

“Michael,” said God the Father from the throne where the essence of the Holy Spirit permeated the room.  Michael was in awe of the presence before him.  He was nervous, but spoke up clearly.

“There is something of which you should be aware,” said Michael.

“Michael,” replied God “is there anything of which you think I am not aware?”

Michael dropped his head in embarrassment.

“You are a good and loyal servant, Michael.  Remember this: all things work together for good for those who love me.”

Michael nodded his head in acknowledgement, still on his knees.

“There is nothing that happens which I do not allow,” said God.  “Now you go on your way and prepare your hosts.  When this starts some will follow Lucifer, but most will follow you.  You are a mighty prince, your troops will follow you and I will give you victory.”

Michael bowed his head until it almost touched the floor.  “My Lord and my God!” he said.  Then he rose, turned, and walked out of the throne room.

As Michael was leaving Lucifer was coming in.  They gazed at each other briefly as they passed, each looking into the eyes of the other, wondering what the other was up to.

Lucifer approached the throne, dropped to one knee and bowed his head.  “My Lord and my God!” he exclaimed.

“Arise,” said the God of all Heaven and Earth.

Lucifer stood and gazed around the throne room.  “You summoned me, my Lord?”  He said.

“Tell me Lucifer, Son of the Morning; are you my good and faithful servant?”

“You know that I am”, replied Lucifer.

“And will you obey my every command?”

“You know that I will,” he lied.

The Almighty God was silent for a moment.  The father of lies had just lied to the face of his God.  Sadness permeated the countenance of God the Father.

“Go and do what you will,” He said.

Lucifer turned and left.  Uncertainty entered his mind as he pondered the meaning of the meeting.  Was God onto him?  How could he be?  The thought of it frightened him, and he went immediately to meet with the Prince of Persia.

“It’s time,” he said.

The Prince of Persia drew his sword, held it above his head and moved its tip around in a circular motion.  At this sign his hosts drew around him.

“It’s time,” he said.  The host fell into formation behind him and stood at attention.

Lucifer turned and walked toward the throne room.  The Prince of Persia followed along with his host.

As they approached the throne room, Lucifer nodded to one of the angels.  The angel blew a trumpet loudly signaling the start of the siege.

Lucifer, the Prince of Persia and his host charged into the throne room and stopped dead in their tracks.

The Almighty God was sitting calmly in his throne, but the Cherubim were encircling Him with massive flaming swords drawn and held high.  Their massive wings were flapping, keeping them aloft.  The sound made the entirety of the heavens rumble like thunder.

Lucifer and the Prince of Persia charged the throne with the host of angels behind them.

At that moment, about a quarter of the hosts of the Prince of Persia broke off from the others and began attacking those who remained loyal to their Prince.

Realizing they had been betrayed, the host began to scatter, trying to reorganize and make a defense.  With the Cherubim attacking from the throne, and the small band of angels attacking from within, the majority fell into chaos.

The throne room shook mightily with every swing of the massive blades wielded by the Cherubim.  Their normally stoic faces disfigured with anger at those who would dare betray their loving and almighty God.

Lucifer understood immediately that the battle was lost and turned to run.  As he looked away from the throne, he saw Michael standing in his way, his sword drawn, and his demeanor like stone, his mighty hosts fanning out behind him, taking captive the remnants of the host commanded by the Prince of Persia.

Having nothing to lose, Lucifer charged ahead lowering his sword toward the head of Michael.  Michael charged Lucifer as well and lifted his sword to receive the blow.  As the swords met, a loud clang could be heard throughout all of Heaven and Earth.  They both wavered for a second under the power of the clash, then looked into the others’ face.  A fierce hatred burned in their eyes.

Michael was surprised at his own strength.  He never thought he would be able to withstand an assault from Lucifer.  Lucifer was the mightiest of all angels and Michael was just a prince.  Over the shoulder of Lucifer Michael saw the glory of the Holy Spirit glow ever brighter as he felt his strength increasing.

Lucifer raised his sword to charge again, but Michael brought the full brunt of his body against Lucifer’s, sending him flying backward.

Lucifer looked up with fear in his eyes.  He should never have been bested by a mere prince.  How could this be?

Outside the throne room things were not going well for the rebels.  More than half of the princes who were recruited by Lucifer turned out to be loyal to God as were many of the troops who were in the hosts of the princes who had sworn loyalty to Lucifer.

The result was that two thirds of the princes and their hosts where well organized under the command and preparation of Michael and his princes, and the rebels were quickly scattered, became disorganized, and were captured in a rout of epic proportions.  They realized that they never actually stood a chance; like many would in the coming millennia, they were drawn in by Lucifer’s lies and would now suffer the consequences of their actions.

In a short time the rebels had been defeated and chained awaiting judgment from the Almighty God.

Back inside the throne room the Cherubim and the angels who were loyal to God had defeated the rebel angels and the only battle left raging was that between Lucifer and Michael.

The Cherubim, with stolid resolve, began to advance toward Lucifer to help Michael.  As they looked at the throne, however, God raised his hand.  Understanding His meaning, the Cherubim resumed their place around the throne protecting the living God and watching the battle as it raged.

Michael was taking a beating, but his resolve was stony and unrelenting.  With each blow he threw he grew more and more tired and Lucifer seemed to repel them all.  Lucifer was fighting on as Michael tired.

God then raised his hand again and Michael began to glow noticeably brighter.  His stamina returned with a vengeance and he felt powerful and alive.  He raised his sword above his head and brought it crashing down on Lucifer.  Lucifer parried the blow with his sword but fell to the ground under the force of Michael's Holy Spirit enhanced might.

Again, Michael wielded his sword and swung a mighty blow which Lucifer barely deflected.  As Michael readied for another blow Lucifer dropped his sword and raised his hands in defeat.

Michael approached, ever at the ready, while Lucifer continued to kneel awaiting his fate.  Michael stood over him while the Cherubim chained Lucifer and brought him before the throne of God.

Lucifer realized his plan had been known from the beginning.  “What would a man choose to love if he did not choose to love God?” Lucifer asked.

“What indeed?” asked God.  He looked over to Michael who understood immediately.  If man were to make a choice he would have to have something to choose between.  Without an evil influence to draw men away they would not really be making a choice at all.

Lucifer had been given free will.  While God did not place the evil in his heart, He did create a place where evil could grow and Lucifer had cultivated it there.  Of his own free will he played exactly into God’s perfect plan.

“Cursed are you and those who swore allegiance to you.  You will be banished from Heaven for your crimes, never more to experience the love of Him who created you.  From now on your name will be called Satan – the adversary and archenemy of God.”  God then turned his face away from Satan.

“Michael!” Exclaimed God.

Michael approached the almighty God and knelt at his feet.

“You have shown courage in battle and loyalty beyond measure.  For your loyalty you will be made Prince of all Princes.  All others will bow to your command.  Your power will be exceeded by none other.”

“Your word is my command,” replied Michael humbly.

At that, Michael turned and nodded to one of the Cherubim who gathered Lucifer’s chains and dragged him out of the throne room.  Lucifer looked around to see how few had actually followed him and was ashamed.  He had expected two thirds to follow him, but only a third had.  How could he have misjudged so badly.

Some of the other Cherubim then gathered the chains of the other fallen angels and brought them before the throne of God.

"You have chosen to follow the father of all lies." He said.

The throne room was silent, the fallen angels staring at the floor at their feet, unable to look into the eyes of their creator.

"You were created for a purpose and you have conspired against me and against your divine purpose.  For your punishment you will be cast out into a realm separated from the love of your God.  This realm will be called Hell and in this place you will never again experience the peace and love that comes from being a child of the living God.

"Happiness and joy has abandoned you and for you there is no redemption."

As the Father turned his face away from them a group of angels was culled from the rest and taken to an area of heaven where Satan was being held.

The rest of the angels were escorted out of the throne room.  The cherubim then gathered the chains of the remaining angels and together with a mighty and coordinated heave, they cast them into the gloomy dungeons of hell to await their final judgement.

Nearby, Michael stood face to face with the most beautiful creature God had ever created.  He wondered silently how many others would fall prey to Satan's beauty and smiled knowingly as he considered the ultimate defeat that would be dealt to Satan in the fullness of God's plan.

Michael's countenance then changed to one of disdain as he considered the face of the one standing before him.  He felt the power of the Holy Spirit welling up inside him and his angelic body began to shine brighter and brighter.  He raised his arms above his head as the glory of his countenance outshone everything around him save the Father Himself.  He brought his arms down with a mighty pushing motion and Satan along with the fallen angels gathered there with him were cast into the Earthly realm.

They landed in the earthly realm at a time when Adam and Eve were well settled into their role in the Garden of Eden.  Still in their heavenly forms, the angels, now demons, could not be seen by human eyes.

Satan was enraged at his defeat and cursed God loudly as he wandered about like a lion, looking for something to destroy.  God had created all of this and now here he was in the midst of it.  All of his plans had gone terribly wrong.

Satan looked at his minions and a thought entered his mind.  He turned to them and asked, “What does God love above all else?”

“Man,” they replied, almost in unison.

“Perhaps the battle is not lost,” he muttered.  He looked in the direction of the Garden of Eden.  “We will take from him that which is most precious.”

An evil grin spread across his face as he contemplated his plan.  He looked at his demonic cohort and said "Follow me."

Without question they fell into ranks behind him as he moved toward Eden.

In The Beginning - Chapter 11 (Betrayal)

Chapter 11

Lucifer gazed down at the garden and watched the man and the woman living in utter joy while worshiping God and obeying his command not to eat of the tree.  They were worshiping Him because they chose to worship Him.

He looked around at the hosts of heaven and felt frustration that those who obeyed his commands did so because they had to, not because they wanted to.  “I would make a good God,” he thought.

He had been observing the princes and their hosts since he was created.  He began to study them, to look for those who would obey his commands no matter what.  He remembered the conversations he had overheard and began to formulate a plan.

Those he thought would obey his commands he called aside.  “Are you happy with your roles?” He asked.

They looked around at each other and one replied “We are what we are; there is nothing else.”

“What if I told you that you could all be princes?” he asked.

“We were not all created to be princes,” replied one member of the angelic host as the others looked at each other in confusion.

At this Lucifer pulled the princes from the group and asked them, “Will your hosts follow your commands?”

“They will,” replied the Prince of Persia.

“Look at me,” said Lucifer.  “Am I not the most beautiful and most powerful being you have ever seen?”

“Save for God himself,” replied the Prince of Persia.

“If we all band together, we can rule heaven and Earth.”  He said.  “We can be like God.”

He waited for a moment for this to sink in.  The princes were astonished.  He couldn’t have said what they just heard, it wasn’t possible.

“If we band together we can take over heaven and rule it all, both heavenly and earthly realms.  If you will bind together and swear allegiance to me, I will lead you to power and glory.  When God sees that He is defeated He will have no other choice but to succumb.”

“What of the Cherubim?” replied one of the princes.

“We will overwhelm them with the force of our numbers.”  He replied.  “If you follow me, we shall surely win and we shall surely be like God Himself!”

Each of the princes looked to the others then back at Lucifer.  “Where you lead we will follow,” said the Prince of Persia.  The Prince of Grecia said nothing, but listened intently.

One of the others exclaimed, “He is the Lord God, Creater of Heaven and Earth.  He is all powerful and cannot be dethroned!”

Lucifer looked at him with disdain.  “Do you know who I am?”

The question was rhetorical and the others standing before him cowered a bit in fear of the most powerful of all angelic beings.

And then, just as easily as telling a joke the unthinkable happened.  “I have seen things that you have not seen,” said Lucifer, “I have seen God’s vulnerability.  Why do you think he created the Cherubim if not to protect himself?  Why would an almighty God need protection?”

Never before in Heaven or on Earth had a lie been told.  Having never before happened it was unthinkable that it could happen now, coming from the master of all angels.

He glared at the prince who dared to question him.  “Where will you be when I rule all Heaven and Earth and the God you so adore is left with nothing?  Where will you be when I am God?”

“I will be your servant,” he replied, and bowed his head in deference.

He looked at the entire group and said, “Take your hosts, then, and mix yourselves up with the others.  When I give the signal, you turn on the others and bind them with chains such that they cannot break free.  You, Prince of Persia, when I give the order you come with me.  We will charge the throne room and make God our captive.  When He sees that He has no host to support Him He will have no choice but to succumb.  Our victory will be swift and complete.”

The Prince of Grecia took his place among the other princes and waited.  When Lucifer and the others had finally dispersed he approached Michael.

“Michael,” he said.  “May I have a word?”

“Of course,” replied Michael as they stepped away from the crowd that accompanied Michael wherever he went.

“Lucifer has enticed many of the princes to betray God,” he whispered.

Michael was astonished.  It was unthinkable that such a thing could be possible.  Angels were not given free will; they were each made for a job and they had no choice but to do it.  How could this be?

“How many are with him?” asked Michael.

“More than half of the princes were there, as was I.  The Prince of Persia has sworn his allegiance to Lucifer along with the allegiance of his host.  I did not say anything at the time and I am not sure how many will actually follow him.”

“You have done well,” said Michael.  “Wander about among the hosts and see if you can determine how many will actually support Lucifer.  I will inform God.”

In The Beginning - Chapter 10 (The Creation of Man)

Chapter 10

What was to come was different from all that had come before.

Each of the creatures of the Earth was made after their own likenesses, each species propagating more of its own kind in a never ending succession of life.  But these creatures would not persist.  They were there for one reason and one reason only, and that was for the benefit and the pleasure of man.

Man, however, would be created in the likeness of God Himself.  He would be given aspects of God like no other creature.  Not only would man have the free will to choose whether or not he would love God, but he would also be an eternal entity.  Man would be created with an immortal soul which would be the essence of his being.  It would be attached to his body so long as his body had physical life, but a man’s soul would be a heavenly entity.

He would rule over all the Earth and subdue it and use it for his own needs and pleasure.  Although this species called man would be an animal, but he would be an animal like no other.

Jesus entered the earthly timeline at the point where all else which he had created was perfectly suited for the creation of man.  He knelt on the ground and spat on it.  Rubbing the mud between his hands, he formed the clay which would become the first man.  Using the same programming language he had used to create all other living creatures, and like the fine artisan that He is Jesus formed the body of man.

Jesus bent over the form of the man and breathed into his mouth.  With his breath he imbued man with not only with the breath of life, but also with an eternal spirit, his immortal soul.

Jesus arose and took man to a garden which he had created and called Eden.  It was beautifully covered in lush vegetation.  Rivers provided water, and fruit trees grew in abundance.

Jesus turned to the man and said, “Your name is Adam; look at all I have prepared for you.”  Adam spun slowly around looking at the awesome beauty which was created for him.  His newly created mind struggled to take it all in.  He was overwhelmed with emotion. 
The sights, the sounds, the smells and the feel of the physical Earth was magnificent.  He was overcome with the joy of life and love of his God.

“You may eat fruit of any tree in the garden,” said Jesus, “except for this one.”  He pointed at a massive tree growing in the middle of the garden.  The fruit growing on this tree was much larger and looked much more inviting than the fruit of any other tree.

“This is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” he explained.  “The day that you eat of it you will most certainly die.”

Adam understood perfectly and acknowledged his consent with a nod of his head.

Throughout creation, the higher life forms were created in two sexes dependent upon each other for the survival of the species.  Jesus wanted Adam to fully understand the specialness of the relationship of a man to his wife who was yet to be created.  The relationship of a man to his wife would be a typology of the relationship of God to all mankind. Just as a husband and wife would trust and depend on each other for the survival of their family and the species, mankind would be dependent on God.

It was important that Adam understand this and so God gave Adam the opportunity to see how special his wife would be to him.

“To you I now give dominion over the entire land,” Jesus said to him.  “I will bring to you every animal and bird and whatever you name it, that is what it will be called.  It is not good that you be alone, we will find you a helper such that your burden will be light and your joy may be full.”

One by one a representative of each species in Eden came before him.[i]  Adam considered each carefully, but after all had come before him none was on par with he himself.  None was suitable to be a helper, to be his equal in intelligence, spirit, and emotion.

With is point being made that a man was incomplete without a relationship with his wife (and that mankind was incomplete without a relationship with God),  Jesus caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep.  The creator then pulled a part of the man’s flesh from him and along with it a part of his soul.  The essence of man was ripped in half.  The part of him which was violent and strong – his masculine side - was left behind.  The weaker part which was more nurturing and peace loving – the feminine side- was used to form the woman.  The two of them working together would accomplish the goals that neither could accomplish separately.  Some of the masculine was given to the woman and some of the feminine was left with the man, in this way each individual could be self-sufficient, not having to depend on the other for life, but together they would accomplish much more than either could alone.

By grand design and the knowledge of what was to come, Jesus created man and woman as a typology of his relationship with mankind.  The man would protect and die for the woman as Jesus would protect and die for his people.  The woman would follow and support the man as Jesus’ people would follow and support Him.  Man and woman would bind together to reunite the soul into one flesh just as Jesus’ people, who would be separated from him in the earthly realm, would one day be reunited with him in Heaven.  The love of a man for the woman would only be surpassed by Jesus’ love for his people.  Thus, the bond between the man and the woman became the fundamental bond that would hold all society together.

Together Adam and Eve tended the garden.  They lived in perfect harmony with each other and with Nature.  Their constant diet from the Tree of Life regenerated their human bodies and they remained ageless and in perfect health.  They communed with and worshiped God, not because they had to, but because they chose to, and their joy was complete.

From Heaven the triune God gazed upon his creation.  He observed the history of the universe from beginning to end.  He watched Adam and Eve in the garden experiencing perfect joy as it was designed to be.

He saw how man struggled with God over himself.  He saw the results of his handiwork as millennia after millennia passed and man struggled with the choice of loving Him or only himself.

As man chose to love God he was rewarded with peace, love, and joy.  With no negative influence in the world, nature thrived and man excelled in all of his endeavors.

With this, creation was complete.  In six eras He had created the entire universe and everything in it.  The living and ever changing book of the history of the Earth was written and his perfect plan was set into motion.

He experienced the love of the entirety of the universe, every particle of which He held together with his limitless power.  All at once he was aware of the temperature of the air moving out of the mouth of a rabbit in North America and the temperature of a drop of water dripping from the mouth of a Hippo on the African Savanah.  He was aware of them because it was his might that kept the particles which formed them from flying apart into nothingness.

He knew the exact number of scales on a fish swimming down the Amazon River and he knew the number and lengths of hairs on every human’s head which ever existed in the earthly realm over the entirety of his life.

To the God who created everything which existed in all of its amazing complexity, knowledge such as this was mere trivia.  He also knew that everything was about to change.

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[i] Since God’s creative work was completed on the sixth day and Adam and Eve were His final creation, there would have been millions of different species on the planet to be named.  Even if we exclude all the fish of the sea, insects, and species which would have been too small for Adam to see there still would be far too many for Adam to have named in a single day.  According to Keil & Delitzsch (Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament) “there is no difficulty in this, since it would not have required much time to bring the animals to Adam to see what he would call them, as the animals of paradise are all we have to think of”.  Likewise, Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown state “not all the animals in existence, but those chiefly in his immediate neighborhood to be subservient to his use”.  Nothing in the original text requires that a representative of every single species on Earth was paraded before Adam.  The text literally says: “And Jehovah God formed every animal of the field, and every bird of the heavens out of the ground.  And He brought them to the man, to see what he would call it.  And all which the man might call it, each living creature, that was its name.  And the man called names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every animal of the field.  But no helper suited to him was found for a man.” (Genesis 2:19-20).  Nowhere in the text does it specify that the animals and birds came from around the entire Earth.

In The Beginning - Chapter 9 (The Rise of Lucifer)

Chapter 9

Lucifer gazed upon the Triune God with awe.  “Ah, to be like God!” he thought, as a shudder rushed through his angelic body.

At that, a thought began to form in his mind, which he immediately dismissed.  He turned his face away from God in embarrassment.  But God didn’t need to see his face to know what was in his mind.

Lucifer gazed at the angelic hosts filling the heavens.  “Mindless automatons,” he thought, “They will do whatever they are told.”  He considered the possibility again and this time it was not so quickly dismissed… “they will do whatever they are told,” he thought, “and I am their master.”

“Will they follow me without question?” He thought.  “To whom will their loyalty be?”

His gaze moved from one angelic face to another examining the expressions on each and considering what he might do, what he might say, and how each might respond.

Some, he knew, were fiercely loyal to him and he knew he could count on their support.  Of others, though, he could not be sure.

He turned back to the throne room to find the living God gazing directly into his eyes.  Lucifer lowered his head and walked away, trying again to dismiss the thought from his mind.  The whole idea was ridiculous.

He approached a group of princes who were discussing their charge to serve and protect man once he was created.

The Prince of Persia spoke to Michael, the prince of Israel and said “From whom or what are we to protect man?”

“Who or what, indeed?” thought Lucifer.

“From themselves, I suppose,” responded Michael.

“And what will man choose to love if he does not choose to love God?” asked the Prince of Grecia.[i]

“What indeed?” thought Lucifer again.

“He would choose to love himself, I suppose,” replied Michael.

Lucifer smiled and went back to his original place to await the creation of man with the amazing spectacle of the universe spread out before him.

It would not be long now.

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[i] Daniel 10:13-20