Exile of Lucifer (19 page)

"I fear you are making a grave mistake placing yourself in Lucifer's hands."   147
who presided over all the angels in the court of the Most High, who
sat in proximity to His Holy Person...the custodians of all angelry
in the Kingdom recommending Lucifer to become the steward of
earth? He had hoped that somehow within that body a voice of rea-
son would prevail and dismiss this proposition out of hand.
Michael began feeling a sense of despair for the first time--either
he had completely misunderstood Lucifer in this entire affair, or
Lucifer's influence had somehow crept into the sacred chambers of
the Elders and deceived or corrupted even these most holy angels!
Could one angel hold such persuasive ability? Could one choice
divide a kingdom?
"And what does the archangel think of this?" Kara's voice
boomed. He knew that Michael was bound by honor not to publicly
reveal his prior conversation with Kara.
"I'm sorry," said Michael, a little dazed. "What did you ask?"
"It is quite astonishing, isn't it?" said Kara. "To think that an
angel should be so honored. It will truly be a great day for all
angels when Lucifer is made governor!"
"I should think that we must be sensible in this," answered
Michael finally. "Lucifer said it himself: Who can know the plans of
the Most High? If the Lord agrees that Lucifer should be named
governor then I will naturally support my brother with all my
heart."
"You have your doubts then?" asked Plinus, whose own mea-
ger influence was tied to Lucifer's success in this issue. "You think
the Lord will name another?"
"I have no thought on the matter at all, Plinus," said Michael.
All the Elders were listening to him. Kara looked at Lucifer who
remained impassive. "I only suggest that until Lucifer or any angel
is named by the Most High..."
"How true," Lucifer interrupted. "I would never assume such
a position. Perhaps the honor will go to Michael...or Kara...or
some other angel. You're quite right, Michael, nothing is settled
until the Lord declares it so."

148          CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile           of Lucifer
"Nevertheless," interjected Kara, "the Council has deter-
mined to place your name before the Most High and begs you to
accept this honor."
Various voices in the room began speaking to Lucifer, who
looked deep in thought as if wrestling the matter over in agonizing
fashion. "You must!" "It is your duty." "Service requires it!" Lucifer
held up his hands to silence the room.
"Brothers," he began. "Honor is for gods and we are only
creatures. I cannot think of any reason why I should be so named.
But if the Council urges me on in this regard, then I must out of
respect for the Council accept their nomination and allow my name
to be set with all humility before the Lord!"
And with all speed, I'm sure, thought Serus, listening at the
door.
The room erupted in cheery congratulations. Kara read the
official petition that would be brought before the Lord so all could
hear it. Lucifer could only shake his head in mock disbelief as Kara
finished reading the scroll.
"Thank you, dear brother," Kara said, "for taking up duty
once more. We shall retire now and leave you to your business."
"My business is to do the will of the Father," Lucifer said.
"But presently I shall go to the garden and meditate upon the great-
ness of our Lord. Let us never forget, brothers, how blessed we are
to serve in such a Kingdom with such a King!"
The angels began to leave, talking as they went about the
greatness of the occasion. Kara lingered behind and waited until all
had left except Michael. When he saw that Michael intended stay-
ing on Kara turned to leave himself. "Farewell then, brothers," he
said. "I shall personally take this to the Most Holy Place and
deposit it with the Fiery Ministers of the Holy Throne. They will
see it into the Lord's hands."
Michael watched as Kara left. He wondered what reception
would be awaiting Kara at the Throne. He turned to Lucifer, still
befuddled by it all and said, "Well, brother. This is quite a season
for you."

"I fear you are making a grave mistake placing yourself in Lucifer's hands."   149
"I'm still in disbelief," said Lucifer. "Though honored of
course."
"As I said I will report to the others that we have sorted out
some of the misconceptions that have been aroused. I'll also talk
with Crispin about the debate with Pellecus. I'm sure they will be
interested in the report from the Elders."
"I sincerely hope that because this was an issue that originat-
ed within the Eldership and not from the ministry of worship that
your friends will see that I am not involved in some nefarious plot.
It's quite absurd really."
"I'll report all that we have discussed," Michael repeated. The
two angels embraced one another as Lucifer escorted Michael out
of the room. As he turned to leave he caught a glimpse of Serus in
the hallway. Their eyes locked on to one another and for a brief
moment Michael the archangel stared into the eyes of Serus, the
servant of Lucifer. Serus began to motion as if to say something, but
stopped quickly when Lucifer turned to place his hand on
Michael's shoulder. "Good-bye, my friend," said Lucifer. "I'm so
very glad that we have cleared up this confusion."
"Good-bye, Lucifer," said Michael, still looking at Serus over
Lucifer's right shoulder. "Thank you for being so candid."
Michael was, as had been the case more and more, glad to
leave that place. It seemed that every time he chatted with Lucifer
in order to clarify things the picture became less clear. Now he had
to report to the group that he truly didn't know what he should
believe. Lucifer seemed sincere. And his story made sense on the
whole. But Sangius never indicated any jealousy toward Lucifer.
And to complicate matters further, what about the Elders recom-
mending Lucifer to the Lord?
All of these things swirled in Michael's mind in a cloudy puz-
zle. He looked toward the earth, now green with lush plants and
herbs and wondered as to its future ruler. One clear picture did
emerge, however--that of Serus indicating that he wanted to talk
secretly to Michael while Lucifer was shutting the door. That might
prove interesting!

150           CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile             of Lucifer
Chronicles of the Host
Day Five
As the Lord continued in His wonderful plans, the earth became
more and more interesting to the angels. For now the mind of
God turned from the form of the planets to its creatures--and
all of Heaven waited in great anticipation as the earth brought
forth from the command of God something that had not previ-
ously existed in material form before: life.
And the Lord said,
"Let the waters bring forth abundantly
The moving creatures that hath life
And fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of Heaven."
And God created great whales,
And every living creature that moveth,
Which the waters brought forth abundantly,
After their kind,
And the winged fowl after his kind:
And God saw that it was good.
And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

151
Chapter 11
"If there is a rebel spirit in Heaven it
flows from the Throne, not toward it."
"Lucifer! Lucifer!"
The shrill, excited voice of Octrion could not be mistaken.
"Yes, Octrion," answered Lucifer, who was returning from the
Temple. "Must you bellow my name all over Heaven?"
"I'm sorry, lord," said Octrion, looking at some of the other
angels who were watching the exchange. "It's just that...have you
had occasion to visit the earth since the Fifth Day? Marvelous!"
"And noisy," said Lucifer. "Far too noisy to suit me." He nod-
ded in greeting to a passing angel. "I think I liked it better when it
was a floral world--a peaceful garden in the blackness of the uni-
verse. The place is now teeming with creatures of all sorts who
make it their home."
Octrion began drifting off as usual. "Well, I just thought that
you might be interested...that is...well since you might have a
voice in what will happen on that world."
Lucifer looked sharply at him and pulled him aside. "What
are you talking about, Octrion? What have you heard?"

152          CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile            of Lucifer
Octrion looked rather timid and said, "I heard that you were
being considered as the Lord's steward for the earth. A wonderful
honor should it prove true."
Lucifer's anger subsided. "Steward over what, Octrion? Birds
and fish? Perhaps when the Lord creates a more challenging crea-
ture I will be interested. I have no desire to be the zookeeper of the
Most High. Farewell, Octrion."
Octrion hurried off toward the Temple, chatting with what-
ever angel might listen to him about the earth's newest life. Lucifer
walked along the walls of the outer court of the Temple, glancing
now and again at the earth looming blue and distant in the heavens.
Five seasons of creation, he thought. When will it end? When will
He make a finish of it? He thought about the progress of recent events
and was pleased. Kara's actions in the Council were flawless. And
now they waited the strategic moment to address the Most High as
to their recommendation. Everything seemed to be moving accord-
ing to plan. And yet...he entered his house and walked to the edge
of the balcony overlooking the Great City.
Toward the north was the Great Mountain, atop which was
the Most Holy Place, shimmering as always in the distance. Within
that sacred site dwelt the greatest being alive: the Most High God,
Creator, King, Lord, the Father, Son and Spirit. God of mystery,
God of power, all-knowing, all-seeing...
What do You see when You look upon the Morning Star now, O
Most High God? Lucifer wondered. Do You see an angel who is using
the intellect You gave Him to further himself for the advancement of the
Kingdom? Do you see a creature that You fashioned as an instrument of
worship becoming the object of worship? Do You see a wretched malcon-
tent grasping at opportunity? Or do You see at all?
How did the Lord look upon this? Lucifer encouraged the oth-
ers that when the decisive moment came, the Most High would do
nothing except react gracefully to a foregone conclusion. Still, the
question badgered away unanswered and looming: How long shall
the Lord allow me to progress? If He is truly Lord why does He not have
me exposed and be done with it? he thought to himself.

"If there is a rebel spirit in Heaven it flows from the Throne, not toward it." 153
Lucifer perceived the Lord's apparent laxness as the subtle
flaw in His character. The Most High is the nearest being to perfec-
tion that exists. But perfect? How could One who is so awesome in
power, so splendid in beauty, which commands the adoration of
every living creature--how could such a God be so impotent at
such a time? Certainly the Lord's blind eye to Lucifer's plans indi-
cated at best an unwillingness to confront him--at worst an inabil-
ity to. Was He willing to confront Lucifer, but unable? Or was He
able to confront him but unwilling? Therein lay the gamble of it all.
Lucifer knew that for all his planning and all his subtlety, he
was taking an enormous, horrific risk. He knew that to lose in this
meant shame, disgrace, loss of his high office--or worse. But to
win...to win meant everything. Should he win in this endeavor and
be allowed to rule as steward of the earth, without interference
from on high, then he could at last fashion a world in which true
freedoms were allowed--freedoms orchestrated around Lucifer's
own teachings and dispensed by Pellecus and other wisdom angels
through a true academy. No more bowing low to a benign God who
cannot even discern or disable a rebel plot in His own Throne Room.
Rebel plot? Did he just think that? Certainly rebel is not the cor-
rect word. Lucifer assured himself that he was not a rebel, but a lib-
erator. He didn't foment open strife, but healthy debate. A rebel
would seek to turn the Kingdom over--Lucifer merely intended in
sharing in it. A rebel would create havoc and deceptions to throw
the enemy off. Lucifer felt himself an honorable angel who was
only fostering the self-deceptions that Crispin and the others had
bred into the Host, and used those to his advantage. A rebel would
actively enlist support from others by influencing them to his way
of thinking. Lucifer was only encouraging the feelings already res-
ident among many of the angels and was offering a place of hope
and comfort. One cannot deny one's own discontent.
Shall I pretend all is well here? Lucifer mused. The truth is that if
there is a rebel presence in Heaven it moves from the Throne and not toward
it. God, in His desire to be loved, has allowed Himself to become indecisive
and posturing, Lucifer concluded. He is the rebel, having rebelled from
His responsibility to reign effectively by becoming sentimental. No being

154           CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile             of Lucifer
could expect to hold onto power who is unwilling to exercise it. The old
Kingdom must give way to the new, just as the prophecy spoke.
Lucifer looked toward the glowing, holy Mountain. I know
that I will never be greater than You, he thought, but I can indeed be like
You. I cannot speak into existence as You, but I can govern that which
already exists. I cannot create a world out of nothing, but I can move what
has been created. I cannot construct a universe, but I can conduct one as
I would any arrangement.
Lucifer gazed intently into the shimmering light and began to
speak boldly toward it in a monologue that he had rehearsed in his
mind a thousand times before. "It is said that You are all-knowing.
How can that be? If it were true, would You not be hearing my
thoughts even now and responding? Yet I continue forward in my
efforts unimpeded. What good is all of Your knowledge if not acted
upon?
"It is said that You are all-powerful. How can that be? If it
were true...Ah!" Lucifer angrily turned from the light, unable to
hold his eyes upon the brightness any longer. He continued more
forcefully, still looking toward the hill but not directly into the
light. "If You were truly all-powerful would You have allowed my
activities to flourish to the point that upwards of one out of every
three angels is following me? What sort of power sustains such
indecision?
"It is said that You are ever-present. How can that be? Were
You present at the Council meetings when Your name was held in
contempt by every angel there? Were You present when Kara mis-
led Michael and Gabriel and those who would interfere with that
which will soon happen? Were You truly present when I made the
decision in my heart that You are not fit to rule? If these few exam-
ples indicate the power of Your presence then we are very lonely
angels indeed.
"I am humble enough to admit, O Most High, that I am not
all-knowing," Lucifer continued, arms folded behind him now as
he paced the balcony, assuming a lecturing posture. "I cannot know
the thoughts of angels, yet I can observe the intentions of their
heart and thus influence them. Therefore the knowledge I have is of
far greater utility than Your own. Neither am I all-powerful, O