I am choosing to share a chapter from the book today because I am moving forward, God willing, in the publishing process! I hope to share this with you and get some feedback. This chapter moves me so much. I become overwhelmed with emotion every time I reread it. A little set up for this chapter:
The beginnings of time. The main character, a nameless guardian angel known as a Keeper, has discovered her closest friend, Jericho, has chosen to take Lucifer's side in the Great Deception- where a third of the angels get thrown out of Heaven. The Keeper decides to take this information to the Throne and reveal it all to God. Before she is able, something major takes place. Please enjoy.....
As Imade my way back down the path I'd followed up the Great Hill, mysteps were slow and calculated. No time was left to be wasted beforeI delivered a message that would surely be the catalyst to a chain ofevents that would change the future forever. I knew this meant theend of my friendship with Jericho. I didn't know what my words wouldmean for him, what would be his outcome. But, I knew my silence wouldbe a transgression against truth. My allegiance to the Only One waswithout question, and no matter the cost. I was going to approach TheThrone with information that He deserved to know, although itcouldn't possibly have escaped His attention this long. I couldn'tfigure out why He had allowed things to escalate this far. All I knewwas that I was going to let the Father know where I stood. I wastaking no chances on getting caught on the wrong side of thisatrocity.
Mymind wandered as I walked. Everything inside of me was tangled inknots; all conversations I'd had with Jericho, the faces of the onesunder the trees, the stares of the leader when he'd heard myintentions to shed light on his business. I moved slowly so that Icould gather my thoughts, although my mind spun out of control like atornado. The ideas and questions I still had about the wholesituation seemed to confuse me to the point that I had no idea how Iwould even begin to explain this travesty when I arrived at mydestination.. My heart was absolutely broken that my best friend wasamong the ones who would surely suffer because of my next decisions.I wondered what kind of judgment faced them all. I wondered if Iwould ever see my friend again.
Irecall walking through our Home, coasting past numerous others likeme, and I wondered if they could sense something was terribly wrongjust by my passing . I wouldn't meet their glances, but I could feelthe peace they exuded bouncing from their presence like a springtimebreeze. Oh, the joy of being oblivious! I did my best to hold closeto me my thoughts and fears. I knew the information I housed wasweightier than any matter flowing through the city, and I knew myeyes would tell the story if given the chance. So, forward I marched,eyes pierced straight down to the golden street. My vision dartedfrom one perfect flower to the next. My thoughts pounding like a druminside my head, I barely could muster the strength to lift my feetoff the ground. The closer I became to my destination, the more myfeet seemed to want to carry me in reverse. I had never known fear.My whole existence since creation was one of complete and uttertranquility. Now, here I was: looking back over my shoulder,expecting one -or all of them- to overtake me and do what? The more Ibegan to imagine them coming for me, although I didn't quite knowwhat they could possibly do to me, the faster and more relieved Ibecame to tell the story. I knew who my Protector was and I knewwhere to find Him. At that moment, I decided to rush.
As mygait began to excel, I was almost stopped in my tracks at Jericho'sthoughts inside my own.
“Areyou sure you want to do this?” He knew where I was headed. At thispoint, I tried in no way to conceal my mission from him. I opened mythoughts wide and let him see my intentions to reveal this treacheryto the One. Perhaps this would shake him awake from this terriblenightmare he was living. I hoped he would retreat in time.
“Pleasehear me out. Do you really think I would do anything to put my friendor myself in danger?'
A fewmoments passed before I decided to respond.
“DoI know you at all?!” I replied.
“Whywould you say such a thing? Listen to me, I am only looking out foryou. There is something coming and you need to be prepared. You needto know where you stand, and you are going to need protection innumbers. Our leader wants to offer you a position of power. ”
I waslivid! “I know exactly whereI stand, Jericho...and I'm sorry to say that it is nowhere near youor that band of fools who dare to blaspheme Father! Stay far awayfrom me!,” I choked out in exasperation.
Myheart was aching with pain I had never imagined. This new reality, offear and confusion and deceit, was so overwhelming that I almostcouldn't stand it. I wanted to be nowhere but in my Master's arms. MyFather offered love and protection unmatched anywhere in this worldor any other. Regardless of any love I'd ever felt for Jericho, Iknew where I belonged. I was suddenly sure of that.
Atthat moment, I felt a wave of rushing doom swallow up my innerthoughts and I knew the current flowed from Jericho.
“Wait,what's happening? How did you...,” were the last words I heard himsay before everything went dark.
Jericho'swords were cut off and I stopped suddenly, stunned and confused in aflash at the utter blackness that fell all around us. You mustunderstand, the Light had been removed from our Home for the veryfirst time since eternity began. Never had we experienced this. Gaspswere all around as we tried to figureout what could possibly be happening.Terror began to shower itself over us like rain, joined with utmostsorrow and hopelessness:the feeling of the absence of Him. The ground began to rumble andquiver. A furious wind began to blow. It blew so viciously, I andeveryone around me, were crushed to the ground. The Power of theSpirit was surging over us like the force of a freight train would feel to gnat on the rails. We struggled to lay prostrate to keepfrom blowing violently all around. Suddenly the brilliance shownforth like it had never been gone. I squeezed my eyes to see what wasat the foot of the Throne. I blinked wildly until the smoke from TheMaster's nostrils cleared the vicinity.
At the foot of the throne, many were joined together,yet they were not rising. I thought for a moment they were in deepprayer and reverence, until I saw the face of God Almighty bend downand meet them face to face. His countenance is usually so far abovethat we rarely see the Creator come down for such a close encounter.His face was so beautiful that a thousand stars couldn't hold acandle to the sparkling brilliance it beheld. All of Heaven gasped atthe sight. His eyes were blazing flames and His voice buckled theground, thundering judgments to the tiny creations at His beautifulfeet.
Oh my, is this what I think it is?! My eyes focused inon the giant multitude on the ground. There was one struggling in thefront to stand, but the power was too much for this stubbornblasphemer. I recognized the long limbs quivering as they fought todefy the breath of God storming on top of him. Directly behind him, aform I knew very well was held by the force onto the ground with hiseyes squeezed shut...Jericho, prostrate with a face that looked likeit would melt from the anguish displayed there. My eyes had not seenthe likes of that level of horror before nor since that horrendousday.
The archangels flew in circles around God and over thecrowd. They had swords larger than their bodies drawn and pointed tothe dreadful ones below. They had heavy chains in their hands, and Iwatched as they locked them up one by one, all the while, shouting ina harmonious chorus, “Holy Holy, Holy is the Lamb!” No one daredto fight back. No one dared to lift their eyes to God. Fear wastangible and it blanketed our world.
As quickly as it all began, the Lord spoke His royaldecrees concerning the Fallen and their atrocities. I am not atliberty to disclose to you the details. Some things must stay amystery, yet all will be laid bare on that great and awesome day ofthe Judgment. But I can tell you that what happened next will foreverhaunt me and everyone who witnessed it. The Lord, God, Almighty tookHis powerful hand and He swept them up into it. They looked like antson a stick, scrambling to hold on as He waved it through the air. Inoticed that it must have been a third of everyone I knew graspingonto His palm and fingers. He closed His tremendous fist and raisedit high above His crown. Their wailing could be heard so loudlyoutside and inside my senses that it was unbearable. Everyonewatching was paralyzed with fear of what would happen next. We wereso closely entangled spiritually that we felt every ounce of horrorpounding through them in those moments. Suddenly, the darkness fellagain, and the next thing I knew, a bolt of lightening, a loud bangfrom far below us. They were gone...and Heaven wept.
