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

by John J Higgins

  "It's a good thing that Mephistophael is with Luciferael and the Potentates today. Beelzebael and the rest of the Auxilium are away from the Earth, too, assigned to the various Heavens by the Almighty along with the rest of our Archangels. So there is no way they will know about what happened today." Michael speculated aloud.

  The other two Archangels were also relieved. They would not have to deal with Luciferael about this, at least for now. Jarahmael asked, "What should we do now?"

  "Best to do the task assigned," Michael said. "Let's go find the other groups of Simians and see how they are doing."

  "I hope there are no more attacks by these dinosaurs on the other groups," said Raphael.

  The three Archangels took another few moments watching the work of the Angels assigned to the construction site, still in no hurry to leave.

  "What did they name this place, by the way?" asked Jarahmael.

  "It was named Aegyptus by Annabael, I believe. Not sure of the meaning of it though," answered Michael.

  As the Angels from the other Orders were flying about, working and moving materials in the background, Michael, Jarahmael and Raphael flew off towards the north. Michael's instructions from the Almighty were to check on these Simians that had been placed all over the Earth. The Almighty wanted to know how these creatures were faring. Hopefully, they were more fortunate in surviving against the dinosaurs than the last group. As the three Archangels rose into the skies Michael wondered how he would explain what they had done to that band of dinosaurs. Did the Almighty already know that there was a problem with mixing the two species? What will happen if Luciferael finds out the three of them destroyed some of his prized creatures?

  Chapter 12

  A PROBLEM ARISES

  Michael, Raphael, and Jarahmael returned to the Heavens after checking on the Simians, now dispersed around the Earth. They decided that they would not mention their counterattack on the dinosaurs to any of the other Archangels. None of them were sure how Luciferael would deal with it, and they agreed that Michael would try to see the Almighty before anything was said to anyone.

  When they arrived in the Seventh Heaven, Jarahmael and Raphael headed to their mansions and Michael went directly to the Throne Room. As he arrived he saw the Almighty sitting on the Throne surrounded by his Seraphim and Throne Angels.

  Michael hesitated as he flew into the entrance, but was quickly reassured when the Almighty spoke.

  "Come in Michael."

  "Thank you, my Lord. I was hoping that I would be able to get an audience with you. I did not expect you to be here waiting for me."

  "I have been expecting you, My loyal Archangel."

  "How did you know to expect me?" Michael said as he landed and bowed down low before the Almighty.

  "I heard the cries of anguish from My Simians earlier today when they were attacked by the dinosaurs. You, Jarahmael, and Raphael made quite an impression upon them."

  Unsure about how the Almighty would judge their actions, Michael answered, "My Lord, I apologize for all of us. I know we were commanded to stay out of sight, and I did my best to keep the three of us out of the way and observe, but we just could not stand by as the dinosaurs attacked those creatures."

  "Yes, that's true that you were commanded to stay out of sight. But I also acknowledge that those were difficult circumstances and I appreciate your saving as many of the Simians as you could. I will be sure to thank Raphael and Jarahmael personally, after tomorrow's morning ceremony."

  "I am afraid that lord Luciferael will be angered when he hears that we have destroyed some of his prize creatures. But my Lord, your Simians will never survive long on that planet with those predators. We need to separate them or destroy the dinosaurs, I am afraid."

  "Separate or destroy them? Do you not think that they will somehow work it out?"

  "No, my Lord. Those dinosaurs, at least the large predatory ones, are simply eating machines. They will eat anything they can, especially creatures smaller and not as ferocious as they are. In fact, from what I saw today, they probably would eat one another if there was nothing else around."

  "What do you suggest then, Michael? That we simply destroy them, wipe them off the face of the Earth? Don't you think that Luciferael should have a chance to work with them to stop those attacks?"

  "My Lord, I do not believe that they have enough intelligence that they can be trained to not do what is in their nature. Luciferael was more interested in making those creatures large and ferocious. He did not make them so they would get along with one another," Michael said.

  "I would like to give Luciferael the opportunity to defend them. But I also don't want to create a problem among the Order of the Archangels by disclosing to Luciferael that you had destroyed some of his creatures to defend the Simians."

  "In any event, my Lord, those creatures are a menace. I haven't seen them kill anything else, but after what I saw today, I imagine they have been killing off other warm blooded creatures that myself and some of the other Archangels have created."

  "I do believe that there should be a fair resolution to this problem, Michael. Perhaps we should have the Angels in the Order of the Virtues come up with a solution. Aren't you and Sammuael designated to sit among them?" the Almighty asked.

  "Yes, my Lord."

  "That's perfect then. We will bring the problem out for discussion rather than keep it secret. You and Sammuael can lead the debate on whether to keep the dinosaurs or destroy them. Lord Luciferael can join in the debate if he likes. We will all abide by whatever decision is reached.

  "For now, go and rest. It was a long and trying day for you, Michael. I am proud of you for assisting the Simians. I may want to give you another major assignment, but for now it's too soon. I will see you in the morning. Good night."

  "Thank you, my Lord," Michael answered as he backed away from the Almighty, turned and took off flying as he left the Throne Room on the way to his own mansion to rest for the night.

  The next morning everything was calm and there was no indication that Luciferael or his Auxilium had heard about Michael's attack on the dinosaurs.

  Luciferael was in great spirits, as he had been basking in the inner core of a star the day before with the Potentates. They all glowed exceptionally bright this morning, as did Luciferael, Mephistophael, and Jarahmael.

  Abrackus pulsated more brightly when he caught Jarahmael's gaze as the Archangel flew down to his seat nearer to the Almighty's Throne. It appeared that they had become friends from their experience a couple of days before. Michael noted that Jarahmael had the ability to make friends with Angels of the other Orders quite easily. He was friends now with Abrackus of the Potentates, Cerebriel of the Cherubim, and Annabael of the Principalities.

  The morning ceremony began as usual and went along smoothly. Michael, Jarahmael, and Raphael had mixed feelings over what was going to come next. On one hand, they were glad that they had done the right thing in protecting the Simians the day before, but they also did not look forward to Luciferael's reaction to the news. The Almighty began the topic by asking Michael, Jarahmael, and Raphael to stand before the Assembly of Angels.

  "Here before you, my beloved Beings of Light, are three Archangels that did an outstanding deed yesterday," the Almighty said.

  Michael looked out upon the Assembly and could have sworn he felt the eyes of Luciferael burn into him as the Almighty was applauding him and the other two Archangels. But he dared not look at Luciferael at the moment.

  "They did something heroic. I had assigned them to make sure that creatures involved in My latest experiment were doing fine on the Earth."

  The Assembly of Angels was used to the Almighty experimenting with the Creation, so there was no excitement over that statement.

  "While the three of them were on the Earth, they arrived and remained hidden, as it is My standing command when dealing with these new creatures that I have named the Simians. They are two legged creatures similar to you, but only a step above the
warm blooded animals that live on the planet, with a bit more intelligence than the animals there."

  Michael could see Beelzebael and Sammuael whispering between themselves, looking up at Michael, Jarahmael, and Raphael.

  The Almighty continued, "The Simians that they were sent to watch were suddenly attacked by a band of dinosaurs, right in front of the three of them."

  A murmur passed through the Assembly, which Michael thought was a good sign.

  "Then without regard for themselves or anything else, Michael flew in to fend off the attack, and Jarahmael held the attackers back with his radiance. Unfortunately, two of the Simians had been eaten by the dinosaurs and another one badly injured. Raphael flew over to the injured one and helped heal him. By the time the whole event was over, all of the dinosaurs in the attacking group were destroyed."

  There was a groan from the Auxilium, but not another sound from the rest of the Assembly.

  Great, Michael thought to himself. Now the Auxilium will be angry with me. But at least the other Orders of Angels do not have any strong sentiments to protect the dinosaurs.

  "Michael and the others," the Almighty continued, "have raised the point that the dinosaurs may pose a danger to many of the other larger life forms on the Earth. They may have to be separated from the rest of the creatures on the planet or even destroyed."

  Again there was a groan from Luciferael's Auxilium despite Luciferael not showing any emotion over this discussion.

  "I have decided that the Order of Virtues should have discussions about the alternatives in this matter and develop a solution. Michael will attend to present his point of view and I also suggest Sammuael to represent Luciferael's point of view, if that meets with Luciferael's approval, as I know he is very busy in continuing the Creation at the edges of the Universe."

  Sammuael rose immediately as if to object, and then, on second thought, remained silent as he looked over at Luciferael for guidance. Luciferael showed no emotion and responded calmly, "Sammuael is a good choice, my Lord, and he has my every confidence in presenting my point of view in the matter."

  It looked to Michael as though Luciferael had an inner meter to measure the mood and position of the Assembly of Angels, and it was not in favor of the dinosaurs. Luciferael continued, "And I apologize if the dinosaurs have done anything destructive, my Lord, to your experiment called the Simians."

  The Almighty was pleased with Luciferael's reaction and comment. "There is no need to apologize, My dear Luciferael. The dinosaurs are magnificent creatures; we just have to decide about how to proceed to develop other life forms on the planet. I am certain you will cooperate with all the means at your disposal."

  Chapter 13

  SAMMUAEL'S RECONNOITER

  Luciferael and Sammuael met up as they flew out of the Throne Room. Luciferael turned to Sammuael and spoke as they were ascending towards Luciferael's mansion.

  "I need you to fly down and check out the Simians."

  "Certainly my lord, I will check them out immediately," Sammuael responded as he looked back at Luciferael.

  "We need to get a better understanding of these creatures and what they've been doing to my dinosaurs. I gather these are the creatures the Almighty placed on the Earth, even though I still don't quite understand why the Almighty would be placing these weak creatures there knowing that my dinosaurs and reptiles were going to control the planet. They sound ill matched. The Almighty could have at least found a way for them all to co-exist," Luciferael said as he looked down in the direction of the Earth.

  "Yes my lord, I will look into it. Seems that the Almighty has his own plans and I will let you know later," Sammuael said as he turned and flew down towards the planet below.

  At first, Sammuael could not find the Simians as he flew down through the clouds above the Earth. The dinosaurs though could be plainly seen in the swampy areas. Finally, as he flew towards the mountains he began to see these much smaller creatures that were similar in form to his own kind.

  These new creatures were a violation of what Luciferael had told the Archangels to develop when all the Archangels went to the Earth to create life, the day that Luciferael was initially creating reptiles and dinosaurs. He did not allow any creatures to be formed that were similar to the Beings of Light! Yet here they were in the flesh. An ugly form of Angel without wings, from what Sammuael could determine.

  Sammuael turned himself invisible before he landed near the one cave where he saw these Simians moving in and out. They did not seem very intelligent or organized as they moved back and forth haphazardly. He thought that they were not much of a threat to his own kind, but he was not sure that Luciferael would feel the same way.

  He slipped inside the cave and noticed one of the Simians recovering from what appeared to be some wounds. Clumsy creatures obviously, he thought to himself. No, these creatures will not be much of a threat. I don't know why the Almighty has this fascination with these creatures. They certainly are not powerful nor anywhere near as attractive as the Angels. They are made out of mud and not pure energy like Light.

  One of the females caught Sammuael's attention when she walked past him and blocked his view. He noticed that there was a magnetism about the female that made him feel a flutter of attraction. She created a feeling of excitement within him that no other creature had ever done. But he had no idea what to do about it and just pushed the feeling back into the recesses of his mind.

  After he had seen all that he needed to see, he slipped back out the cave and began to ascend back into the Heavens.

  Later that day he met up again with Luciferael and reported what he had seen.

  "I have seen the Simians my lord. They look like the creatures that Michael was initially making on the day you created the dinosaurs and reptiles. They are similar to us, but without wings."

  Luciferael turned and asked, "Do you think that Michael is behind these creatures?"

  "It is certainly possible my lord. It seems that the Almighty has trusted him with dealing with these creatures in place of you. Remember he did attempt to create this sort of creature before."

  Luciferael grew silent as he thought about this. He then smiled and said to Sammuael, "I am sure the Almighty has some reason for doing this. Do you think that these new creatures are a threat to us as the most loved of the Almighty?"

  Sammuael responded immediately and said, "No, I don't think so my lord, they really are simple creatures and behave on the same level as the dinosaurs. I didn't see any indication that they created anything on their own. They seem disorganized and relied on what was provided to them. And they are weak, made out of the clay from the Earth. Nor do they have the radiant beauty that we all possess. They will most likely turn out to be just a passing fancy for the Almighty until he creates something superior."

  "Do you really think so?" asked Luciferael.

  "Most certainly my lord, although I must report to you that the females of the species have a certain attractiveness to them. But all in all, they are at best a very poor copy of what we are."

  "Attractiveness? What does that mean?" asked Luciferael.

  "I don't know how to explain the feeling my lord. But I experienced a sensation in my body, a form of additional excitement that I had never felt before. But it did pass quickly after I left the cave," Sammuael answered, although he was not sure if he should have even mentioned the feeling to Luciferael.

  "Interesting. I wonder what that all means. But I don't know if it's very important at the moment. Have you ever felt that level of excitement when dealing with the dinosaurs?" Luciferael asked thoughtfully.

  "No, my lord, other than the excitement of being able to create something significant," Sammuael responded.

  "Perhaps we need to address this sense of excitement about the Simian females in the future. Any suggestions about a means to have the Simians co-exist safely with the dinosaurs and reptiles?" Luciferael asked.

  "It looks to me that the dinosaurs are clearly in charge on the planet.
They do as they please: wander about, eat, and reproduce, my lord. I don't see how the Simians can survive living amongst them. What would you like me to say at the discussions in the Hall of the Virtues about the dinosaurs?" Sammuael inquired.

  "All right, for now it seems then this is settled. I will not object to these creatures and we will do whatever the Almighty wants done with them and about them."

  "Your position then, in terms of what I should say at the Hall of the Virtues about the dinosaurs, is that you don't particularly care what happens?" Sammuael asked.

  "Yes, that is correct. We shall see what the Virtues determine, and for the time being, we shall all continue to give the Almighty our love and support in this matter, as we should. Let the situation on the Earth develop and let Michael work to convince the Virtues that the dinosaurs need to be destroyed. He caused this problem when he tried to create Beings that were too similar to us. One more thing. See if you can find out anything more from Michael about these new creatures of the Almighty and his future plans for them," Luciferael responded.

  "As you wish my lord. I will see what I can find out from the debate that will occur in the Fifth Heaven," Sammuael said as he walked down the hall in Luciferael's palace and then left.

  Chapter 14

  HALL OF THE VIRTUES

  Michael entered the great Hall of the Virtues. The Fifth Heaven was similar to the other Heavens, containing many mansions, with a great hall as a gathering place for the Angels who resided there. The Virtues were deep thinkers, engaged each day in developing and articulating rules for how the Universe functioned, and especially the rules of behavior for the life forms in the Creation. The Great Hall of the Virtues was a long rectangular structure, without the circular amphitheater that surrounded the Throne Room in the Seventh Heaven. In the beginning, the Virtues would gather here after the morning ceremony to sing, a lesser form of the Heavenly Choir. But as the Creation expanded on a daily basis, there was more and more of a need for these Angels to have an understanding of what the Almighty was doing and how everything should function. It was the reason they had been created in the first place.