In Exile (Archangel Jarahmael and the War to Conquer Heaven, Book III) (7 page)

COMPASSION

The rain continued to come down as Jarahmael stood outside the cave. He could hear Adam and Eve talking inside, something about finding a new way to worship. Jarahmael could not contain himself any longer, so he made himself visible and intensified the light waves within himself to shine as brightly as the sun. He turned the corner and his brightness caused Adam and Eve to fall to the ground and lower their eyes. The brightness was so intense that in a few seconds they were covering their heads with their hands to protect their hair from Jarahmael's heat.

Jarahmael turned down his level of light but did not extinguish its brightness totally, just enough to make it uncomfortable for the Humans to talk with him and so that they remained afraid of him.

“Rise Adam! Rise Eve!” Jarahmael commanded in a deep voice that penetrated into the middle of the Humans’ minds.

As Adam and Eve got up from the floor, they shot a reassuring and joyful glance to one another.

“Do you know why I am here?” asked Jarahmael.

Eve could not contain herself and blurted out, “You have come to restore us to the Garden of Eden, my dear Angel!”

Adam was likewise happy, and had a huge smile on his face. “The Almighty has heard our prayers and is now returning us to the Garden of Eden. Tell us, dear Archangel, when do we leave and what should we bring with us for our return?”

Jarahmael once again used his command voice. “You shall not be returning to the Garden of Eden anytime soon.”

Adam and Eve looked at one another with a mixture of confusion and sadness.

“How can that be?” asked Eve. “I was told by the Angel Morning Star that we shall be restored to our rightful place.”

“Where is the Almighty?” asked Adam. “I want to speak with him directly.”

Jarahmael thought to himself what an arrogant request that was from this mortal man. Most of the Angels themselves could not ask for an audience with the Almighty, much less expect that it would happen at their own command.

“I have come to help you, Adam. Demanding for the Almighty to appear, at your will, won’t get you very far. Demanding even an Angel to appear like that won't happen either. Unless it is the Angel you call Morning Star and his other rebel Angels.”

“What do you mean by that?” asked Eve indignantly.

“I mean that the Angel you call Morning Star is the Archangel Luciferael. He is the leader of the fallen rebel Angels who battled for, but lost, the war to conquer the Heavens. They tried to take over with Luciferael replacing the Almighty. The war for the Heavens that started with Eve being tricked to eat the forbidden fruit!”

Adam calmed himself and got quiet. “We have been tricked by this Luciferael?”

“One and the same, Adam. Eve, Morning Star was the Angel who tricked you into eating the fruit.”

“But it was a snake, Serpentalia, who tricked me!” she said.

“No, Serpentalia was a creature made by Luciferael. And Serpentalia was not the brightest of creatures. The serpent denied any knowledge of tricking you Eve, so I have come to believe that Luciferael either took over the snake and its body or duplicated Serpentalia's appearance in order to trick you.”

“Morning Star looked nothing like the snake!” Eve repeated.

“It was Luciferael who wanted you and Adam destroyed. He still wants you destroyed. What exactly did he promise you?” Jarahmael asked.

“That he would be able to return Adam and me to the Garden of Eden!” said Eve proudly.

“He said he was going to put you back in the Garden of Eden?” Jarahmael asked with specific emphasis.

Eve responded, “Well he didn't say the Garden of Eden specifically. He said he would restore us to the place we should be.”

“Don't you understand that in Luciferael's mind the place you should be is dead and out of the Almighty's Universe? Did he interrupt your prayers and petitions to the Almighty?”

“Yes, twice,” responded Adam. “Oh yes and Eve, tell him what he wanted for us to do after today.”

Eve started to look down as she was thinking. “He told me that Adam and I did not have to keep worshiping the Almighty, but that we could worship him, the Morning Star, instead and he would make sure we were rewarded.”

“Luciferael then wanted you to stop praying and worshiping the Almighty but that you should worship him instead,” Jarahmael repeated.

“So Eve and I were fooled again?” asked Adam.

“Yes, you were,” said Jarahmael. “Although it looks like Eve was the one who was actually tricked again by him. Did he talk to you directly at all, Adam?”

“No, he did not come near me,” said Adam.

“He was afraid you would see through him. That's a good sign, Adam He may not bother Eve if you stay with her.”

“I am angry with Eve right now,” said Adam. “She has been duped at least three times in dealing with this creature.” Adam paused, and then asked, “Do we still have to worship him?”

“No. You don't need to worship him. In fact, I would advise against worshiping him at all.”

“Thank you Archangel, for your help. If the Almighty has not sent you to return us to the Garden of Eden, then why are you here?” Adam asked.

“Let's just say I have an interest in seeing Luciferael receive his own justice,” Jarahmael said as his eyes glowed. “And I want you and Eve to have a nice life while you are on Earth.”

“It would be nicer here in the cave if we had some way of getting warm during the night!” Eve said.

“I can teach you something that will help you stay warm anytime. It will also allow you to cook your food, make it better so it won't spoil.”

“What is that?” asked Adam.

“It is a way to make fire, Adam.” Jarahmael reached over and grabbed some wood, some leaves, a piece of thin vine and a flat rock. He assembled a small bow-like object with the greener and more flexible stick, took another stick, and wrapped it in the bow string. He placed the end of the stick against the rock, and placed the leaves and small bits of wood around it. Then pushing and pulling the bow string and stick with one end against the rock he generated heat and a spark that set the small leaves and debris aflame. Once he had built a small fire he said: “That is fire, Adam. You can make it anywhere that you have dry wood using that technique. You can also keep fire going by continuing to feed it with more dry wood.”

Adam and Eve were amazed with what they had just seen. “Thank you, lord Archangel. What should we call you?”

“I am Jarahmael, the fourth Being of Light born into the Universe. I have more things to teach you to make it easier for you to survive here on the Earth, but that is enough of a lesson for one day.”

“Should we continue to pray from the river?” asked Adam.

“I do not want to tell you what to do when it comes to praying and making requests to the Almighty. That you must find from within your own heart” Jarahmael responded.

“Will this Morning Star harm us?” asked Eve.

“I don't think he can actually do anything physical to harm you, but he can trick you into doing things, things that if you do to yourself, can cause harm to yourself and others,” Jarahmael responded, trying to keep his anger against Luciferael under control.

“Can you tell us why the Almighty does not come and talk to us as He did in the past when we were in the Garden of Eden?” Adam asked, his eyes welling up with tears.

Strangely, Jarahmael felt a wave of empathy pass over him as he looked at these two frail creatures having to survive in a world created for them but now turned hostile. He did not want to tell them that the Almighty would not redeem them now that they had not prayed all day and all night as they had promised.

“I don't understand all things, only the Almighty does. Violating the commandments and rules that are set by the Almighty have consequences apparently, perhaps even not controlled by the Almighty,” Jarahmael said, holding back his own tears as the sadness grew from his own loss of Lillith, and it became quiet in the cave.

Jarahmael thought for a second about how he was similar to these creatures for his actions this evening. Actions that he felt compelled to do. Teaching them was in violation of the Almighty's commandments not to interfere, but he still had the assignment from the Almighty to protect them, to watch out for them.
It may be all tied to the concept of free will
, he thought to himself.
But these creatures are not going to even come close to understanding that concept.
Jarahmael suddenly felt exhausted and wanted to get some rest. But he wanted to leave them with some hope.

“Maybe over time the Almighty will find a way to forgive your transgressions, return things to the way they were. But for now you need to be able to survive. I will return and in the meantime be careful of any Angel or creature that appears before you saying they are from the Almighty or making any promises to you. Now I must go,” Jarahmael said as he turned and left the cave, taking wing a few yards outside the entrance, and disappearing once again into the dark and raining sky.

Adam reached out and pulled Eve over to him and they moved foward on their knees closer to the fire, enjoying its warmth. They were thankful, too, for its light, as they had been in darkness at night, all the while in a world they did not understand.

“Let us give thanks to the Almighty for sending us the Archangel Jarahmael,” Adam said as he bowed his head and both of them said their thanks to the Almighty.

Those quiet prayers of thanks were heard far away, both through to the highest Heaven and to the lowest pit of the Underworld.