Exile of Lucifer

by D. Brian Shafer

whose forms were darkened by the spectacular light which embla-

  zoned from behind. He could not see their faces, although in the

  eerie light he could make out the eyes of the creatures--hundreds

  of them--staring at him through the darkness. He could no longer

  see the lion-faced Zoa who had ushered him in and had taken his

  place with the other three. Together with the four creatures he

  stood, waiting for permission to speak.

  ----------------

  Chronicles of the Host

  First Contest

  The stream of angels heading into the Academy seemed end-

  less. Never before had a single event surrounding the school

  attracted so much attention. Not since the first day of the Cre-

  ation had there been so much anticipation on the part of the

  Host regarding an occasion. All elements of the Host were rep-

  resented, as wisdom, warrior and worship angels, alongside

  Elders and other high-ranking angels poured into the Great

  Hall of the Academy of Hosts to witness the debate between

  Pellecus and Crispin.

  ----------------

  The hall was filled with lively conversation as angels on dif-

  ferent sides of the issue discussed the arguments in question. Some

  angels had no real opinion on the matter but sided with whichever

  teacher held the most credence with them. Many simply came to

  see Crispin bested at his own game, while others held this as an

  important occasion which might determine the future position of

  angels in Heaven.

  The teachers at the Academy were thrilled with the possibili-

  ty that the issue that was so dividing them might be finally brought

  160 CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile of Lucifer

  to light. The debate was organized quickly and news spread so rap-

  idly and so far that there was not an angel in the Kingdom who did

  not know about the scholarly confrontation.

  Berenius and a group of angels loyal to Pellecus were quietly

  baiting some of the angels who were closely allied with Crispin and

  the more traditional doctrinaires of the Academy. They knew that

  they held a comfortable majority in the hall and were smug with

  confidence. Berenius had a special interest in seeing Crispin hum-

  bled once and for all. This would be a wonderful event.

  "We shall see, dear Berenius, how well your opinions are rep-

  resented by Pellecus," said Razon, a wisdom angel who was a dis-

  ciple of Crispin. Some of the angels with him laughed. "I should

  not like to go up against Crispin!"

  "My opinions mean nothing," answered Berenius. "Whatever

  Pellecus has to say represents a truth I have embraced. If you desire

  to continue in the old teachings of Crispin that is your course. I pre-

  fer to be enlightened."

  "I prefer to be correct," answered Razon.

  "Then in preferring Crispin you are neither enlightened nor

  correct, Razon," said Berenius, as he turned away to find his place

  in the gallery.

  Pellecus entered from the rear of the platform and a tremen-

  dous cheer went up for him--Lucifer had made certain that those

  angels friendly to him were quite boisterous. Pellecus looked up at

  the howling angels and glanced over to the side where Lucifer

  stood chatting with Kara. Crispin had not yet entered. Lucifer

  walked over to Pellecus.

  "This is your day, dear Pellecus," he said. "This is the time for

  you to shine as brightly as you ever have. I need not remind you

  that our cause is in your hands." He looked up at a group of angels

  who softly supported Crispin, and who were rather subdued.

  "There are many here who need convincing--just a little more and

  we shall have them. They don't realize that the world I offer is so

  much better. Do well, teacher." He put a hand on Pellecus' shoul-

  der. "Do well and I promise you that I will make your name great

  on earth!"

  "If there is a rebel spirit in Heaven it flows from the Throne, not toward it." 161

  Pellecus looked up at Lucifer and then indicated the noisy

  crowd. "Why must our angels be so...common?" he finally asked.

  "They are loud and brutish. Look at Berenius for example--leading

  that pack of unruly wisdom angels. Most of them are unfit to enter

  the Academy, much less sit in on an academic exercise such as this.

  They discredit the intellectual and philosophical impetus of our

  movement and of this debate. They are making it a spectacle rather

  than a discourse!"

  Lucifer laughed a little as if in agreement. "Dear Pellecus, I am

  not interested in these angels being educated. I am interested in

  them being loyal. You are a teacher and as such want a stage, a plat-

  form from which to teach. That is well and good." He looked

  intently at him. "But the strength of this movement, as you call it,

  is not in doctrine or truth or myths. The strength of this liberation

  is me. It is I whom they follow--not a teaching. It is I who shall lib-

  erate them--not a doctrine. It is I who shall lead them to earth--not

  a philosophy. Those things are useful, in that they provide a rea-

  soned justification--but they are merely a reference.

  "Whoever follows a teaching may one day turn from it. Who-

  ever finds freedom will never turn it loose. It is freedom that the

  angels seek--order and freedom is what I offer. And that, dear Pel-

  lecus, is why these brutish angels are cheering you on today. Be

  glad for Berenius--he is one of our most bright and shining stars.

  Therefore I say again, do well. These brutes will serve us one day."

  Before Pellecus could answer another cheer went up, though

  not as noisy as the first, as Crispin entered and sat next to Pellecus

  on the platform. Crispin turned to embrace Pellecus, who nodded

  affably at him but refused the embrace. Crispin took his place next

  to him.

  Lucifer walked to Kara, greeting angels as he went. Kara was

  talking to one of the Elders. Finally he turned to Lucifer, who gave

  him a familiar look.

  "No, my lord," said Kara. "There has not been a word from

  the Zoa or any source as to the petition. However it has been intro-

  duced in the proper manner and now we must wait upon the

  Lord's timing."

  162 CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile of Lucifer

  "No matter," said Lucifer. "I must say though, it is one of the

  chief flaws of our Lord that He takes an interminable period of time

  in making up His mind. I promise you, Kara, I shall not rule like

  our Lord!"

  "I hope that this was a good idea," Kara said, nervously look-

  ing around. "I don't trust Crispin. And where is Michael...and

  Gabriel? Surely they are attending such an important event."

  "You worry far too much, Kara," purred Lucifer. "Michael

  will be here, I am sure...and wherever Michael is Gabriel won't be

  far behind. They'll be here, encouraging their dear Crispin. This is

  the chance for which so many have been waiting, Kara."

  "Yes, I know," answered Kara. "I am ready to be done with it

  all. In my opinion this is not a good idea. Suppose Crispin is victo-

  rious? What happens should Pellecus falter in some way?
We will

  be made to look ridiculous!"

  "Then in humble attitude I will concede defeat," responded

  Lucifer, "while knowing that my destiny cannot be altered." Kara

  looked at him puzzled. "You see Kara, when one is confident of his

  destiny, one must not allow events to dissuade him from that even-

  tuality. Whatever happens today will have no bearing on our

  designs. If Pellecus does well, then we will have convinced more

  angels to our side. If he does not do well, then we become a mere

  distraction in the eyes of those who are suspicious--a philosophi-

  cal nuisance which will soon go away.

  "So long as our plans proceed I have no care whether the

  angels take me seriously or not. It is in fact to our advantage to

  remain a hazy distraction rather than an obvious contender for the

  loyalty of others. Remember this, Kara--true power dictates events

  whether or not those being influenced are aware they are being

  manipulated. Win or lose this day, we continue on course. And our

  numbers continue to grow."

  Kara began to say something but Lucifer held up his hand to

  stop him. "It is starting," he whispered.

  ----------------

  "You are certain Lucifer is at the Academy?" asked a very

  shaken Serus.

  "If there is a rebel spirit in Heaven it flows from the Throne, not toward it." 163

  "Quite sure, Serus," answered Michael, who, knowing

  Lucifer's ability to show up unexpectedly, was himself looking

  about him. "Very well," said Serus. "But not here."

  Serus led Michael away from Lucifer's house through the lush

  garden in the rear. They walked down a path past the many vari-

  eties of flowers and shrubs. Michael followed Serus a few paces to

  the rear. Serus stopped now and then to surmise the area, and then

  move on a bit further. Finally he found a place he deemed suitable

  and secure and motioned Michael to sit next to him in the soft

  grass. Michael obliged and waited an awkward moment or two for

  Serus to speak.

  "I know what you and the others think of me," Serus began.

  "Please don't protest, Michael. I know. And it is for good reason

  that you think the way you do. I am not, after all, the most popular

  angel in the Host!" He laughed a slight laugh.

  "Serus," Michael said. "Please don't..."

  "Of course being in the service of the greatest angel in Heav-

  en," he continued, then catching himself added, "apart from your-

  self of course, Michael..." Michael grinned. "...has its advantages.

  Advantages that help make up for the lack of fellowship with the

  other angels." He paused and added, "or so I thought."

  Serus picked a flower and began plucking its petals off one by

  one. "You see Michael, I have always been somewhere to the rear of

  the ministries of the Host. It is quite true that I could have been a

  wisdom angel of great import--perhaps a teacher in the company

  of Crispin and Pellecus." He looked at the flower, now bare of all

  but a single petal. "But instead I wasted my time of preparation in

  petty grievances. I chose to be hurt and was passed over until I

  eventually was attached to the ministry of worship and soon found

  myself in Lucifer's service."

  He motioned in the direction of the gigantic dwelling. "The

  finest angelic dwelling in Heaven and the most important angel of

  the Host. Who could not be satisfied to serve under such circum-

  stances, hmm? It was a tempting offer, Michael. And one that made

  me feel that if I could not prove my merit on my own, then at least

  I should serve one whose merit I could benefit from. This was my

  164 CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile of Lucifer

  thinking, Michael, when I entered the services of Lucifer. I found,

  however, that things are not often as satisfying as one might

  believe--even to the point of emptiness." He plucked the last petal

  off of the flower that he held and threw the bare stem away.

  "Serus, you know that our Lord never abandoned you,"

  Michael said tenderly. "Your place in the Host remains should you

  ever return to it. But you must return with complete confidence in

  our Lord's love and determination to obey Him. He is our Com-

  mander and we are His servants."

  A look of stark fear came over Serus. "No. No, you must not

  say that," he said, looking around as if he was expecting someone

  to break into their private conversation at any moment. "I will

  never be able to leave Lucifer. Do you realize what he would do to

  me? Why, if he knew you and I were talking at this very minute..."

  He looked at Michael with renewed defiance. "I am bound to

  Lucifer as surely as you are bound to the service of the Most High."

  He looked to Michael for some sort of comfort...sense...reason...

  "Serus. We serve different masters, you and I. I am bound to

  my Lord out of love. You are bound to yours out of fear. Yet I assure

  you that our Lord's love vastly outweighs whatever fear Lucifer

  might hold you with. Lucifer cannot really harm you except in your

  heart and mind. He holds no power over you except that which you

  allow him influence. Some of these angels who have taken to him

  have surrendered themselves to him...but it was their decision. Just

  as it is Lucifer's decision to..." He stopped himself and looked at

  Serus. "Why did you want to speak to me, Serus? It was not to reaf-

  firm your service to Lucifer. Was it?"

  "No," whispered Serus, who looked around the garden nerv-

  ously. "It was to question it."

  165

  Chapter 12

  "This nonsense has gone

  far enough, Lucifer!"

  Gabriel could not make out the features of the four figures

  who stood before him. He only knew that they were extremely

  sacred to the Lord, giving off a purplish aura as he had never

  before seen on a creature in Heaven. He began to feel a little fool-

  ish as he stood there, wondering how to proceed. Suddenly the

  purple aura brightened and the faces of the four could be clearly

  seen. Gabriel recognized three of the faces as coming from creatures

  that God had recently created on the earth:

  "Gabriel," said the beast with a face similar to other angels,

  "your task is not to question the ability of the Most High God to

  reign, but to serve Him in humility."

  "Gabriel," sounded another beast, this one with the face of an

  eagle, "the Lord is well aware of the events unfolding in the King-

  dom. It is not your place to prevent, but to believe."

  "And," continued the man-faced creature, "allow the Most

  High in His wisdom to deal with all the affairs of this Kingdom

  forthrightly."

  "For behold," added the creature with the face of a calf, "the

  time will come when all things will be made right; when all things

  166 CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile of Lucifer

  will be exposed; there will be nothing hidden which shall not be

  made known. There is nothing unknown to the Most High."

  Then in chorus the four creatures said, "So be it! Holy, Holy,

  Holy is the Lord God Almighty who was, and is, and is to come!"

 
Gabriel was overwhelmed by the presence of these beings

  whose ministry to the Lord brought them to His very presence. Still

  he needed to satisfy the questions that prompted the visit to the

  Zoa in the first place. Before he could ask, the calf-faced Zoa spoke:

  "You may ask what you will, Gabriel," he said. "And without

  fear. For behold, the Lord Almighty is aware of who loves Him and

  who is obedient to His name."

  "You have found favor in the sight of God," added the lion-

  face. "And He commends you for your passion and perseverance."

  The silence that followed was awkward to Gabriel. He took it

  as his cue that now was the time to approach the Zoa with his ques-

  tions. He began with a recount of all the recent events, from his ini-

  tial conversation with Michael to the recommendation by the

  Elders of Lucifer to the Most High. As he concluded he added, "I

  know, lords, as you have spoken, that nothing escapes the Most

  High. I know that none of the events that have unfolded and as I

  have relayed to you are unknown to you. That He will indeed pre-

  vail, we know. What we don't understand and must know...forgive

  me...what we desire to understand is, where is the Lord through-

  out all of this? At what point does He prevail before too much dam-

  age is done?"

  "You seek answers, Gabriel, and that is good," spoke the man-

  faced creature. "And you attribute to us knowledge which is

  beyond us. Indeed we sit at the very throne of the Most High God.

  But we, like you, are merely creatures whose task is to worship the

  Lord God and to serve Him."

  "We do not understand the mysteries of God," said the eagle-

  faced Zoa. "No creature can ever attain the knowledge of its Creator."

  "This then is the error of Lucifer," said the calf-faced Zoa. "He

  has indeed transgressed the boundaries of his creaturehood and is

  assuming truths that are his alone, while attributing them to a more

  enlightened interpretation of the sacred teachings."