In the Beginning (Archangel Jarahmael and the War to Conquer Heaven, Book I)

by John J Higgins

"Yes, my Lord," Luciferael answered, and proceeded to breathe into the mouths of each one and then named them.

  The first was a dark brown haired Angel, tall as Luciferael, with brilliant light blue eyes, white wings tipped in silver above the shoulders, and with white shimmering skin. Luciferael bent over the head of the Angel and breathed into his nostrils. Rising back up, the creature stirred and focused his eyes, seeing Luciferael and the Almighty Himself, watching over him. Luciferael then stated, "You shall be known as Michael, second among the Archangels of the Almighty, and whose name shall mean he who is as the Almighty."

  Luciferael then took a blonde Archangel, with dark blue eyes and wings tipped in black feathers, and breathed into his nostrils. Luciferael stood back and proclaimed that this Archangel should be known as "Sammuael, whose name shall mean the elixir of the Almighty."

  Grabbing the third of the Archangels created after him, Luciferael looked into another set of dark blue eyes, this one with dark brown hair. Deep blue feathers covered his wingtips over his shoulders. Luciferael watched life come into those eyes as he breathed into his nostrils. Luciferael smiled and realized that he was enjoying this power to create life. This new Angel had an independent look in his eyes as the life flooded into him. Different from the others, Luciferael noted a greater depth of awareness in this one. He paused before naming him as he had a peculiar feeling that this one could see into his mind. Luciferael then announced "You shall be known as Jarahmael, the secrets of the Almighty."

  The fourth Angel had blonde hair, with light blue eyes, and wing tips colored in maroon. Luciferael felt a special bond with this one. "You shall be known as Beelzebael, the light of the Almighty." Luciferael took a bit of extra time to admire Beelzebael arise and join the others.

  The fifth Angel had blond hair, light blue eyes, and wings tipped in green feathers. Luciferael named this one Gabriel, which stood for the strength of the Almighty.

  The sixth Angel was black haired with bright yellow eyes that reminded Luciferael of his own golden skin. "You shall be known as Mephistophael, he who loves the Light." Luciferael also felt a special bond with him, similar to the bond Luciferael felt for the Almighty.

  The seventh Angel that Luciferael gave life to had brown hair and light blue eyes, with upper wings colored in a glowing yellow. "You shall be known as Uriel," proclaimed Luciferael, "the fire of the Almighty."

  Moving on to the eighth Angel, Luciferael picked up a dark green feather tipped Angel with black hair and bright green eyes. He breathed into this one's nostrils and watched as he became alive like the others. "You shall be known as Mammonael, the abundance of the Almighty."

  With four Archangels remaining, Luciferael motioned to the others to come and assist him. Michael and Jarahmael lifted up the ninth Archangel, a brown haired, brown eyed Angel with red tipped upper wings. Luciferael breathed into this Archangel, after nodding his approval to Michael and Jarahmael for their assistance in bringing him over. As soon as life sprouted within the new Archangel, he said "You shall be known as Raphael, which means the Almighty heals." As Raphael stood up from the two Angels, Jarahmael and Michael looked over in the direction of the Almighty and He too, noted His approval of them working together.

  Luciferael then approached the formed body of a long haired Angel who would become the tenth of the Archangels, this one with purple tipped wings. After Luciferael had breathed into him, the new Archangel opened his green eyes, stunning against the backdrop of his black hair. "You shall be known as Raziel," Luciferael proclaimed, "the Angel of the mysteries of the Almighty."

  Luciferael named the eleventh Archangel Damiel, a brown haired Angel with light blue tipped wings and violet eyes, whose name meant the sword of the Almighty. The twelfth Archangel was named Suriel, a brown haired Angel with light brown wing tips and deep brown eyes, whose name meant the command of the Almighty. And the thirteenth of the Archangels was named Ariel by Luciferael, a red haired Angel with dark blue eyes, who had orange tipped wings, and whose name meant the boldness of the Almighty.

  After life had been given to all the Archangels, the Almighty caused a building to appear in the middle of the Seventh Heaven, a large round amphitheater with an attached rectangular cathedral type entrance hall. The combined structure was covered in a solid cloud material, except for the center area of the amphitheater section's circular dome which was open to the ever-present blue skies above and acted as a skylight. The Almighty then pointed out this structure to His newly created Archangels and called it the Throne Room. "This shall be a place where you and all the other Angels will assemble each morning so we can commune with one another and plan the day's events."

  He then pointed to the surrounding space that reached off into great distances from the Throne Room in the center of the Seventh Heaven and said, "Here is your home Archangels! See all this space in the clouds around the Throne Room. There each of you will create your own mansions here in the Seventh Heaven," said the Almighty. "It can be as simple or elaborate as you like."

  He then turned and looked at the assembled Archangels and continued "Luciferael, you will assist me rule. But now, we need to create the rest of the Heavens and other Angels. Come with me!" said the Almighty as He opened up the expanses that would become the lower Heavens.

  For the rest of the First Day, the Archangels and the Almighty worked creating and assembling the beginnings of the various Orders of other Angels. These consisted of the Guardian Angels, the Potentates, the Principals, the Dominions, the Virtues, and the Cherubim. Each of these Orders of Angels were given a Heaven to call their own, from the lowest level known as the First Heaven, which was given to the Guardian Angels, all the way up to the Sixth Heaven, which would house the Cherubim Angels. Only two of the Orders of Angels were not given their own separate Heavens, the Thrones and the Seraphim. They always resided with the Almighty, no matter where in the Universe He stayed, although He seemed to have a preference for a place unknown to the rest of the Angels, somewhere above the Seventh Heaven.

  Once the remaining Heavens and Orders of Angels were created, the Almighty brought Luciferael and the other Archangels into the Throne Room. There the Almighty proceeded to fashion the Book of Creation out of the Light substance that permeated all the Heavens. As the Archangels watched, the Almighty commanded, "Let there be a Book of Creation!" and with that the Book appeared.

  The Almighty continued with his instructions. "In the future, Luciferael, I shall give you this Book and the knowledge to use it. It contains Words of Creation that you shall speak. You and the Archangels shall be able to create within the worlds and Universes I shall summon forth. And because of the Book's inherent powers, you and the Archangels shall be the keepers of the Book." The Almighty pointed His hand in the direction of the center of the Throne Room. Not far from where they were standing, a Throne appeared, white in color and glistening like its surroundings. They all flew over and assembled where the Throne had been placed.

  The Archangels noticed that the Throne had a golden top for a seat. Moving the seat revealed a hidden compartment, with more than enough space within to store the Book for safekeeping. The Almighty turned to look at all of the assembled Archangels. "You shall keep the Book of Creation there and only use it when I tell you to, otherwise it is to remain here."

  Then as the sun was setting the Almighty summoned all the Orders of Angels to assemble in the Throne Room. "It is now time to rest!" He said as the skies in the Heavens grew darker. The Almighty looked around and could feel his love grow for the Angels that had been created that day. "Rest for now. Luciferael, take the Book of Creation with you tomorrow and assist the Angels to create their mansions and palaces in their own Heavens and the various halls and places needed for all of you. We shall meet again in a couple of days, as I have other Universes and worlds that must be created."

  The Almighty looked over at Luciferael and continued speaking to the assembled Angels. "In my absence, explore the Heavens, as they have been created for you. I will have
Luciferael summon you when we are to meet again."

  As He was preparing to leave, the Almighty looked around one more time at the grandeur of what He had made, and the beauty of the Angels He had created.

  And the Almighty saw what He had made and proclaimed it to be good.

  Luciferael looked back at the Almighty and nodded, and then bowed down before Him. As he did so the rest of the Angels followed His example. The Almighty was pleased with his creations because the Heavens were now full of His love and the love that they reflected back.

  After the Almighty had left, Luciferael looked behind him at the assembly of Angels and he too looked lovingly upon them, as a father would look upon his children. He reflected for a moment and was honored that he had been birthed from the Almighty's own essence. He was the First Born above all the other Angels. It was he, Luciferael, who was entrusted with the greatest measure of the Almighty's love, love that swelled him for the Almighty, for his brethren Angels, and for himself.

  Chapter 3

  THE MORNING CEREMONY AND THE ARCHANGEL'S CREATURES

  Jarahmael flew slowly through the warm light of Heaven. Its energy filled him with bliss and contentment. White puffy clouds floated past his wings as he stretched them leisurely, out and back. Jarahmael found this semi-solid form of his body allowed him to use his wings to fly, and it became his favorite bodily form. Other forms of travel could be more expedient but none made him feel as powerful and full of divine life. His brethren Archangels preferred this bodily form too, as they used their wings as much as he did.

  He was on his way to the Throne Room once again. Here all the Angels would collect just before the dawn, to begin the daily ritual of an Angel in the Heavens. This ceremony allowed all of them to collect, and commune with the Almighty as the day began. This was perhaps unnecessary, as the Almighty could communicate directly with any one of them or all of them at once. But the ritual of the morning ceremony had begun when they were first separating their minds from that of the Almighty, and was a time and place that they could join together and have their minds commune with one another again. During the rest of the day they could each develop their own thoughts, delighting the Almighty because it expanded the Universe in the realm of thoughts and ideas just as the stars and planets continued to develop and grow separate throughout the Universe.

  As he soared, Jarahmael looked down on the expanded palaces all around him. Homes to the Archangels, these structures were as large as they needed to be at any given moment. Never restricted by time, size, or place, they could change appearance in the blink of an eye to please both the observer and the occupant. Heaven, after all, had no restrictions; it was the ultimate place in the ultimate imagination of the ultimate mind.

  His dark blue eyes reflected the magnificence of the Throne Room. The immense cathedrals on Earth would be modeled on the Throne Room; Human visionaries and architects would try to copy the Throne Room with the cathedrals they built, even though the cathedrals would only be pale copies at best.

  The fourteen Archangels were the highest form of sentient Being that the Almighty had created. As such, they would be the ones who occupied the highest Heaven and had their mansions floating around the Throne Room where the Almighty would hold audience. They were the most beautiful Beings created in Light energy. They could change colors, beyond what could ever be seen by Human eyes, making them invisible to Humans. In their more solid form, they could make themselves appear like any other creature in the Universe, with or without wings as the situation required.

  Jarahmael slowly flew through the wide open massive doors of shining white to gain entrance into the Throne Room, moving his wings ever so slightly as he adjusted his descent. Seating, for lack of a better term, was arranged in concentric circles around the huge circular Throne in the very middle. Angels did not sit in Heaven, but rather would arrange themselves suspended in the brightly lit space. Angels can be very orderly, especially when they are in the presence of the Almighty in Heaven.

  As Jarahmael flew by, he could see the upper rows containing the Guardian Angels, the lowest Order in the hierarchy. Their ranks were headed by Gaardrael, who like the other Guardians were smaller than the Archangels, measuring approximately five foot in height. They could shrink themselves down and be very small without any weight, and even invisible if they so choose. Facially different from one another they were however, in mass, very difficult to discern, one from the other. As Jarahmael passed over, Gaardrael was deep in conversation, trying to get the ranks straight and orderly as they would often move independently of one another and not always in concert.

  It took a few minutes for Jarahmael to fly over all the ranks of the Guardians. He then came upon the rows of Angels known as the Potentates. Angels shaped as simple glowing spheres, they were created to provide additional stores of energy whenever and wherever needed in the Creation. This included not just energy required to move things or absorb impacts but also to contain large portions of intelligence that could assist in the ever expanding Creation. When they appeared, they were often mistaken as balls of fire or immense flashes of light. Despite their size, they could also hide themselves by shrinking themselves or hiding within another light source. But they could quickly provide blasts of energy for any Angelic or divine purpose, even in a smaller state. Their leader was Abrackus, who now glowed in a violet tone amongst them.

  Next in line were the rows of the Principals. Jarahmael knew that they were some of the busiest Angels, as they were responsible for the day to day operations of both the Potentates and the Guardians. They were the Heavens' engineers. Creation involved a great deal of coordination and they were the ones that would coordinate the smaller tasks, such as creating and moving lakes and river beds, and arranging for atmospheres and moons around the planets. Jarahmael often referred to them as the Principalities, a more formal name he came up with one day when he was joking with their leader Annabael. She always wore a very serious face and seldom smiled or laughed. By exaggerating the name of her Order, Jarahmael stumbled upon a way to not take herself so seriously. Jarahmael wondered whether she smiled for the Almighty, as he flew by her, and he made a note of it to look back onto her ranks if he got the chance when the audience with the Almighty commenced.

  Further along and closer to the Throne, Jarahmael came upon the Dominion Angels. Leaders of sorts, these Angels were clothed in red tunics and were larger than the lower Orders of Angels they supervised. They would pull together resources from the Angelic realm to assist in the Creation. They were always more concerned with broader issues and how things in the Creation would work together. Jarahmael thought that it was good that all of the Angels loved one another, because if they didn't, these Dominions had an awful lot of power over the Creation, and could wreak a lot of discord among the ranks. Their leader Rathaniel was difficult to read, that smile of his often appeared as more of a mask rather than warm and genuine. As he passed over, Jarahmael held up one of his wings a bit longer to acknowledge Rathaniel's smile, descending slightly in his flight, but with a strong flap of his wing, Jarahmael was right back on course. Rathaniel, in-kind, provided a slight wave of his hand and nodded back to the Archangel.

  Next came the rows of the Virtues, the Angels whose function was to spread goodness throughout the Universe. Tall with long white flowing gowns, these Angels could be detected by a wind that accompanied them. They were led by the Angel Valetorious, who was clad with a set of gold stripes on his sleeve as a means of identifying his role as leader. These Angels controlled the Fifth Heaven, the beginning of the inner sanctum of the upper Heavens. The rows of Virtues all turned towards Jarahmael as he flew by; they always showed their respect for any of the Archangels. They usually acted in unison, and were connected very closely to one another. These Angels were in a special class and had direct ties to both the Archangels Michael and Sammuael. Goodness incarnate, Michael and Sammuael relied heavily upon them as the Angelic realm expanded, and they spent a great deal of time with them di
scussing what should or should not happen in the Creation. Jarahmael often grew tired of the finer points of their arguments and avoided spending any great deal of time among them.

  As soon as he passed the ranks of the Virtues, a broad smile flashed across Jarahmael's face as he approached his dear friends the Cherubim, the elegant Angels who were closely associated in purpose with the Archangels. Rows of long sleek animal-like bodies with an Angel's head, there were also some that had their bodies reversed, animal-like heads on Angels' bodies. Not only could they fly like the Archangels, but they could also run on all fours at an exhilarating speed. Cerebriel was the leader of the Cherubim, and quite friendly with Jarahmael. Cerebriel was in his place at the head of his ranks, they were a sight to see, their muscular bodies glimmering in the white light, proudly looking forward to the Throne, their attention solidly focused.

  Jarahmael then came to a stop, suspended not far from the center of the room, the place where the Almighty would arrive. One by one the other Archangels arrived to take their place in the front of all the other Angels. The Archangels surrounded the inner circle. Jarahmael thought of the last two sets of Angels yet to arrive, the Seraphim and the Thrones. It was difficult to discern whether these classes of Angels were separate and apart from the Almighty, as they only appeared when the Almighty was present. Jarahmael could not think of a single instance where the Seraphim had appeared on their own. The Seraphim were larger in size than all the other Angels, and there were but four of them, one for each of the directions in the Universe: east, west, north and south. Sudaphim was named for the south, Ostaphim for the east, Westophim for the west, and Norophim for the north. Jarahmael had never looked into their faces as they always radiated immeasurable light and energy. The Angels known as the Thrones had a unique form and appeared as wheels upon which the Almighty's powerful presence rested, as an intense form changing and glowing light. Although the Almighty could take any form He wanted, He remained in his original pure energy presence rather than a limited body.