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

by John J Higgins

  Mammonael thought to himself, this looks important. I better tell Luciferael about what I saw immediately. No creature other than Angels were ever allowed in the Throne Room before. Is the Almighty thinking of letting His newest creatures come up to the Seventh Heaven from Eden and be in charge here, as well as on the Earth? As he thought of these things he was becoming more agitated. Fortunately, he had already flown well beyond the skylight and the Throne Room itself, and so his agitation did not become obvious or a problem to anyone viewing him from below.

  "I need to talk to Luciferael," he said aloud again despite himself. "I need to go find him and tell him, he will know what to do. He always does."

  Mammonael flew to Luciferael's palace in the hope of catching him there. As he entered through the window into Luciferael's grand hall, he found Luciferael holding court with some other members of the Auxilium, his own loyal Archangels, seated around him as usual. They turned to Mammonael as he landed and watched him as he came up to them.

  Luciferael greeted him, "Welcome Mammonael, I am glad you stopped by. Beelzebael and Mephistophael have just returned from searching for Lillith and have still been unable to find her. And Sammuael has been reporting on his conversations with some of the Angels in the other Orders about their complaints about these new creatures of the Almighty, the 'Humans.' So your timing is impeccable."

  "Thank you, my lord," Mammonael said while making a slight bow in front of him. But he quickly added, "I have news of my own, my lord. On my flight back to my own palace, I saw Jarahmael flying into the Throne Room with a Human on his back. I assume it was the female Lillith, who we know Jarahmael was sent to find."

  The Archangels in the Auxilium hissed at the news.

  Mammonael continued, "Unsure what to do, I decided to fly over and look in through the entrance way, but saw that the Seraphim and Thrones were descending into the Throne Room. In the center of the Seraphim, where the Almighty would normally be, there was someone else."

  The Archangels of the Auxilium looked at one another, puzzled, and a murmur rose from among them.

  Luciferael told them, "Be quiet! Mammonael, continue please."

  "I decided that I would fly over the skylight once they had all entered and observe what I could. As I flew over, I saw this creature, a male Human I suppose, seated on the Throne itself, and surrounded by the four Seraphim. This Human male motioned for Lillith to come forward to him, and then he started to whisper to her, while Jarahmael and the Seraphim and Throne Angels watched. By that time, I could not stay watching without getting caught, and I decided to head right over to you with the information."

  The other Archangels gasped at this news. A flash of red went across Luciferael's face.

  "Then I realized that Jarahmael and the Human female had been kneeling in front of this other Human-like Being. From their behavior around him, I believe that it was either the Almighty Himself in Human form, or that a Human has already taken over Heaven!"

  The Archangels gasped again and looked to Luciferael as Mammonael finished his report.

  Luciferael thought for a minute while he stared through Mammonael, his eyes unfocused.

  Luciferael then spoke. "This is important news, Mammonael. We are being betrayed in one form or another. Jarahmael has brought the Human Lillith into the highest Heaven, a place where only Angels have been allowed. I am unsure from what you have told me whether the other Human was the Almighty in a Human guise, or perhaps the Almighty has placed a newly-created Human on the Throne of Heaven. Either way, I was not advised of this by the Almighty, so I am caught again by surprise." Luciferael stood up, as he was becoming increasingly agitated.

  Sammuael stated, "You should have been advised, my lord Luciferael. It's your rightful place to be advised by the Almighty of changes of this magnitude. Jarahmael should have come to you with the woman first and asked permission to bring her to the Almighty!"

  "Remember, you are the First Born of all life, my lord Luciferael," advised Beelzebael.

  "How can the Almighty do that to you and to us?" added Beelzebael. "We who have been loyal to the Almighty's every wish and whim!"

  "Yes, my fellow Archangels, trusted members of my Auxilium," Luciferael stated. "Not only has Jarahmael bypassed me and dealt with the Almighty directly, but this raises the serious question as to what is going on with the Almighty Himself. He could have had a Seraphim Angel advise me or notify me so I could attend as well. This was a direct snub to my authority and powers!"

  Luciferael paused and looked around the room at his Auxilium. "Equally disturbing is the Almighty taking a Human form Himself. Is this how He intends to continue ruling Heaven? Or as He has become more absent from us here in Heaven, has He lost interest in our welfare? And rather than keep me in charge of the Heavens and Earth, He has created and selected a Human to take my place. And the idea of Jarahmael bowing down to a Human is especially repulsive to me," Luciferael stated, his face showing his disgust.

  "And to all of us too, my lord," stated the other Archangels in unison, looking among themselves. Sammuael then added, "None of us intend to bow down to any Human, now or ever!"

  "We need to get these Humans out of the picture!" added Beelzebael. "We need to return Heaven back the way it was before all of this Human creation."

  "Agreed," responded Luciferael.

  "We should have a full plan ready," stated Sammuael. "We should have a plan in place to take over Heaven ourselves if we determine that the Almighty is secretly turning over control of Heaven to the Humans."

  "Yes!" stated Mammonael. "Having seen what it would look like if the Humans were in charge, I have to tell you that it was particularly disturbing. It's a sight no Angel should have to witness!"

  "Are they still in the Throne Room?" asked Luciferael.

  "They were just before I flew here, my lord," responded Mammonael.

  "Let's move upstairs to the main parapet in my palace. We should be able to observe Jarahmael and the others leave at least from there," stated Luciferael.

  Luciferael turned and flew down a passageway carved in the cloud-like walls of his palace. Immediately behind him were Sammuael, Beelzebael, and Mammonael. Luciferael decided to fly through the hallways and stay concealed in his palace rather than fly outside and take the risk of being seen by Jarahmael and the others when they left.

  Luciferael and the others arrived at the parapet and took seats, all of which allowed them to watch over the Throne Room. From these seats they could observe the top and skylight to the Throne Room as well as the entry way and the large doors that would seal the room if it was ever required.

  They sat there for a while without seeing anything.

  Luciferael then asked, "Have any of you seen the male Human named Adam or his new woman, Eve?"

  They looked at one another shaking their heads; none of them had seen these creatures. Luciferael acknowledged their answer and then looked back down upon the Throne Room and stated, "They seem to be in there for a long time, don't you think?"

  The three other Angels nodded their heads affirmatively without removing their gazes from the structure before them.

  "We need to stop all of this affection between the Almighty and the Humans. And we need to get Jarahmael under control, because it is not good that he is developing a close relationship with the Humans and the Almighty," said Luciferael.

  "What do you suggest, my lord?" asked Beelzebael.

  "We need to get the Humans, Adam and Eve, to fail the test of free will in Eden," Luciferael stated coldly.

  "How we will do that?" responded Sammuael.

  "I have a plan," said Luciferael as he stepped back from the parapet and began pacing out of the sight of the Throne Room.

  "What can we do to help?" asked Mammonael.

  "There isn't a lot you can do about the Adam and Eve situation. But if things go according to my plan . . ." said Luciferael, his voice indicating that he was enjoying some of his thoughts when he was reviewing the plan in his own mind. "
I may, however, need assistance in dealing with Jarahmael and Lillith, and eventually the Almighty." This comment made the other Archangels smile, happy that they would have a role.

  "We may just need to start a rebellion!" Luciferael exclaimed.

  Immediately after Luciferael said that, he began looking at the Throne Room again.

  "What can we do to help you, my lord?" asked Beelzebael.

  "How are you going to start a war between the Humans and the Almighty?" asked Sammuael.

  "I want you to arrange a meeting where I can speak to the Angels who are not happy about these new Human creatures. I want to see who will join us if it comes down to a rebellion. I have been hoping that the Almighty will see that the Angels are much greater creatures than Humans will ever be, and stop giving them so much attention," Luciferael replied. "If the Almighty insists on exalting Humans over us, I believe that many of the Angelic Order will be as unhappy as we are, and then we can make a move to take over the Heavens."

  "I can arrange the meeting, my lord. When would you like to meet with the other Angels?" asked Beelzebael.

  "Soon. I want to see how the Almighty reacts to the fruits of my plan for Adam and Eve. I also want to deal with Jarahmael and that Lillith before rebellion breaks out, but I need to have a clearer understanding of their relationship."

  Finally, they were interrupted by some movement down at the Throne Room. Luciferael and the other three Angels watched as the figure surrounded by the Seraphim rose out of the center of the skylight in the roof of the Throne Room. All four could see that it was a Human and not the energy entity that was the usual form of the Almighty.

  "That looks like a Human, you were right, Mammonael," said Luciferael. "Much gratitude for informing us."

  "Looks like the Humans are taking over the Angelic Throne Room!" said Beelzebael.

  A few moments later, the doors to the Throne Room opened and out flew Jarahmael with Lillith again perched on his back. They watched as Jarahmael circled over the Throne Room and headed back to his palace. They could see Lillith's head and face nuzzled up against Jarahmael's back as his wings moved in the gentle sweeping motion of flight.

  "Mammonael and Beelzebael, follow them! Tell me everything you see! If you get the chance to capture the woman do so, but only if you can do it without anyone knowing."

  "What about Jarahmael?" asked Sammuael, with an accusatory tone to his voice.

  "Do not interfere with him for now . . . Any steps taken against him may expose our plans. I want to wait until things are carefully planned and executed. At that point we shall deal with Jarahmael!"

  Chapter 38

  JARAHMAEL'S PALACE

  Lillith smiled as Jarahmael showed her around his palace. It was much different from Eden. Although Eden was beautiful, it was Earth-based and solid, and here in the Seventh Heaven everything was Light-based and had cloud-like appearances. At first, she was very concerned that she could fall through the floor as it did not look solid, and was too ashamed to say anything to Jarahmael about it. But she quickly discovered that the floors in the Heavens allowed an Earth-based creature to walk upon them.

  "This place is beautiful, Jarahmael. Everything here is so bright and airy. Do you sleep here as well?"

  "Yes, this is my home. I haven't been here in a few days, as I was searching for you. But this is where I sleep otherwise every night."

  "This is a far cry from the thatched hut that Adam and I lived in Eden. Not that the hut was not pretty in its own way, but this is stunning. Even more beautiful than the pyramids where I had been hiding," she added.

  "Thank you. The Almighty gave us the means to form these palaces when we were first created. Luciferael was the First Born of the Universe and our palaces are modeled after his."

  As Lillith and Jarahmael walked towards any wall, the palace kept extending itself, making it as large as they could ever need it.

  "It looks like the palace goes on forever!" Lillith said, giggling with delight.

  "There are no size limitations in the Seventh Heaven, Lillith. Time and space mean little here. They are limitations that control what happens in Eden and on the planets and stars in the Universe, including Earth. As Archangels, we can move through time and space in various ways. Although we can move through time backwards, we cannot alter what has already occurred. And similarly, when we move into the future we are limited by whatever is available to us at that moment."

  Lillith did not follow any of what Jarahmael just said and changed the subject back to something she did understand. "Where do you sleep?" she asked, her eyes looking deeply into his.

  "Over here in the room to the left," he said, motioning to the room. He reached out and grabbed her hand as they walked into the room.

  There was an open window on the far wall of his bedroom that looked out upon the intensely blue skies, white billowing clouds passing by in the distance. She stopped in awe, looking at the view while she felt Jarahmael come up behind her and put his arm around her waist as they walked up closer to the window. From that place they could see a wide expanse of the Seventh Heaven. The Throne Room was down below in the center but off in the distance. There were other palaces floating around the Throne Room, one that was closer the rest.

  "Whose palace is close like that?" she asked, even as she became distracted by the heat of Jarahmael's body radiating into her own, warming her skin.

  Jarahmael used his hand to point out the palace she seemed to be asking about, causing his arm to move slowly on the outside of her arm as his chest moved in, close up against her back. She could feel his words moving over the top of her hair as he spoke.

  "That is Luciferael's palace."

  Her body was heating up as she thought about how Jarahmael had held her, touched her, taken her in the pyramid.

  She could feel his excitement against her, felt his emotions and strength flowing into her, creating its own force, that same magnetism pulling them closer and closer together. She had no further interest in conversation. She could feel him lift her up as his face moved down through her hair and his mouth began to kiss her on her neck, under her right ear, causing her whole body to tremble, in response to his lips touching her sensitive skin. Her body responded directly, pushing back into his, resting up against him. He could make her weightless here in the Seventh Heaven, cradled in this Archangel's arms. Then, he stretched her out in his arms, spinning her around and kissed her directly on the mouth.

  Her eyes were still looking deep into his, her own pupils dark rooms waiting for his light to infiltrate and open up the Universe to her. And when he wrapped her in his feathered wings, she could no longer help herself and gave all of herself to him as he brought her to his bed. And there they spent the rest of the afternoon and all night, while their souls entwined and merged with one another for a brief eternity.

  The bond between them became stronger every time they made love. Adam never took her like this. Lillith had feelings for Jarahmael that she never had for Adam. It was if she had only touched the surface of something wonderful with Adam, but could never get inside it. Here with Jarahmael, she felt deeply, and when their two souls bonded together in the midst of their lovemaking, she could not imagine anything greater.

  Chapter 39

  VOYEURS

  Mammonael and Beelzebael followed Jarahmael and Lillith after they left the Throne Room and headed over to Jarahmael's palace. At first, they were unable to see what Jarahmael and Lillith were doing inside the walls of his palace. Mammonael and Beelzebael made sure that they were careful to remain out of sight and waited patiently, knowing that Luciferael would not accept them returning without some information. After a time, they were finally able to observe Lillith and Jarahmael as they entered his bedroom. They did not have to worry so much about being seen themselves because once Lillith and Jarahmael became entwined with one another they were no longer paying attention to anything outside of the bedroom. Jarahmael and Lillith unknowingly put on quite a demonstration, fascinating Ma
mmonael and Beelzebael as they watched the ensuing lovemaking.

  Neither Beelzebael nor Mammonael had ever observed how the Simians or the Humans procreated and made love, and had no reference point for what they were witnessing. This was all foreign to the two of them. In other circumstances, they would have contacted Luciferael immediately to find out what this was about and what it meant. But they knew that they would not be able to get Luciferael and bring him back and still be able to observe these acts themselves. And this was way too intriguing to both of them. They continued to observe Jarahmael and Lillith until darkness began to fall in the Seventh Heaven and decided to return to Luciferael's palace, as there was no indication that the Archangel and Human were going to be finished with their lovemaking session anytime soon.

  Beelzebael and Mammonael flew over to the main hall in Luciferael's palace and found him waiting for the two of them. Luciferael was impatient and walked up to the two of them as they landed. They appeared a bit flustered as he approached.

  Luciferael spread his arms out, silently asking them what took them so long.

  Mammonael began speaking first. "My lord, we just witnessed something we had never seen before."

  "You followed Jarahmael and Lillith?" Luciferael asked.

  "Yes, my lord," responded Beelzebael.

  "And what did you observe?"

  "We followed them back to Jarahmael's palace and for a while we could not see them," said Mammonael. "They were hidden behind the doors and walls of his palace, so we hid in a nearby cloud and watched the windows of his palace."

  "Finally the two of them appeared in Jarahmael's bedroom where we could watch them through his window," added Beelzebael.

  "Then what happened?" asked Luciferael.

  "The two of them were joined . . . holding one another with their mouths together," said Mammonael with a shocked look on his face.

  "And then they were clinging on top of one another making animal type noises, my lord," Beelzebael added to emphasize the point.