Exile of Lucifer (17 page)

"One day it will be the Son casting the shadow, not us!"        131
He was speaking to all of them now, pointing the scroll
towards them. "One must have patience when achieving greatness
and one must be willing to attempt that which has never before
been attempted. That is why the Lord is great. He performs that
which has never before occurred. He creates His greatness out of
His ability to do that which is unknown and spectacular. I put it to
you that any creature who successfully breaches the unknown will
become great."
Lucifer's eyes glanced at the large oval window that faced the
Great City. The light, ever present, poured into the room. Putting
down the scroll he walked over to the window and gazed into the
busy streets of Heaven. "Events are moving much more rapidly
than you realize, brothers. Just because you see nothing happening
does not mean that there is inactivity. I promise you that very soon
all we have envisioned will be realized!" He stood in front of the
emblazoned window so that only his dark silhouette could be seen.
"One day it will be the Son casting the shadow, not us."
Walking back to his place at the table Lucifer continued. "At
this very moment Kara is introducing to the Elders a formal pro-
posal to have me named governor of the earth. Sentiment in that
body is sympathetic and increasing in our favor." He thought
smugly of the secret agreements he had made with certain angels in
the Council in exchange for their affirmation. "It seems some Elders
are just as anxious to be set free as are we. At any rate, I cannot fore-
see any scenario which we will be unable to handle."
"What about Michael?" asked Rugio.
"Michael! Always Michael!" said Lucifer, perturbed. "How
long must I endure this Council's fear of Michael? He is only an
angel after all!"
"Well, lord," said a subdued Rugio, "he still commands the
greater number of angels loyal to the Most High. They stand ready
to enforce the Lord's will in any case."
Even as Rugio was speaking Serus entered the room and whis-
pered something to Lucifer, who nodded his head in understanding.
"Serus, your timing could not have been better," Lucifer said.
"To answer you, Rugio, Michael and I shall be meeting very soon."

132          CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile           of Lucifer
Many of the angels stood up, aghast at the prospect of a possible
confrontation with this great angel. Lucifer held up his hands. "No,
no, my friends. I have not lost my mind in this. True, he is getting
uncomfortably close, and of course, Rugio, I respect his strength
and authority.
"But that is why I must meet with him. The best way to deal
with one's adversary is to befriend him. I will assure him of my loy-
alty. As will Kara. I know Michael too, Rugio. He is fierce in his
service to the Most High, but he is also quite open to sincere sug-
gestion. I have yet to see him turn away a friend--especially one
who has been acting rather out of character of late." Lucifer smiled.
"And as for us?" asked Rugio, who still believed that a violent
confrontation was inevitable but was content to continue the game
for now.
"Continue as always," said Lucifer. "Be cautious but not sus-
pect. Visit the earth and learn of it. Divine its nature and your abil-
ity to manipulate its contents. We will one day rule there so become
acquainted with it. Above all, build sympathy among the angels
who are more ambitious than others. And be prepared to move.
Creation will not last forever and events will soon overtake us."
Lucifer walked to the table where his book of prophecies lay
open. "A new entry in this august book, my brothers, which I share
with you now to inspire our effort. Sacred will be these writings
one day as we rule a new world." The room was completely silent
as Lucifer began reading:
And once was the time to see;
And once was the time to understand;
And then was the time to build;
And then was the time to command;
And now is the time to act;
And now is the time to demand.
And so He gave way to the Host;
And allowed them their freedom at last;
Father, Son and Ghost;
Henceforth from the past.

"One day it will be the Son casting the shadow, not us!"     133
Thus are these writings fulfilled,
For all of the Kingdom to see;
And so it is I am like Him,
And so it is He is like me."
He took the book and slammed it shut dramatically, startling
many of the angels, and then spoke in a quiet, almost reverent tone:
"We are henceforth bonded together in destinies, you and I. What-
ever the outcome, we shall be brothers to the end--whether in
glory or in despair. We have transgressed the line of discretion and
prudence. We now rise as one to a new height that no angel has
ever seen...or plunge into an unknown and disgraceful abyss."
As Lucifer spoke a reddish aura began glimmering around the
outline of his person. He held his hand down in the center of the
table and the other angels followed suit, placing their hands on top
of his. "Let this be a sacred oath and pledge together to be either
creators or devastators of the new order. May we be forever revered
or forever damned in this effort; eternally free or eternally cursed."
The angels stood back as Lucifer walked to his seat and stood
behind his chair, the reddish glow still outlining him. He bored into
each of the angels with his blue-gray eyes. "So be it," he whispered,
picking up his glass and holding it up. The others held up their
glasses and repeated in hushed tones, "So be it."

135
Chapter 10
"I fear you are making a grave mistake
placing yourself in Lucifer's hands."
Kara's impassioned argument for naming Lucifer as earth's
future steward was going well. He had presented a marvelous and
scholarly argument as to the sensibility of such an action. An angel
was the only choice for the Lord, he said. Who else could the Lord
trust with so important a task? And with Lucifer's ability in wor-
ship the entire world would be a tribute to the glory of the Most
High. It seemed only fitting after such a distinguished record of
unselfish service in the presence of God that such service should be
rewarded. It was along this line of reasoning that Kara skillfully
made his argument that was now being deliberated in the Council
of Elders.
As he sat in the proceedings Kara counted heads. The Council
seemed divided into three distinct factions. The vocal oppositon
was led by Dabran, who was suspicious of Lucifer's ambitions. He
continually tried to sway the undecided that Lucifer was unfit to
take on such a task because it was not an angel's role to promote
himself. Another group was undecided, but leaning toward a deci-
sion for Lucifer simply to keep the peace in the Council. These
angels were Kara's target as the decision could be rendered with a

136           CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile             of Lucifer
simple majority of Elders. Finally, there were the dedicated Lucife-
rians who viewed his speech as a mere formality to a conclusion
already attained. Kara nodded to this and that angel and thought
about his role in this endeavor as he excused himself from the
gallery to allow a freer debate.
In other circumstances Kara might question the use of one's
position to maneuver so important an issue. In this case, however,
he felt justified. As an Elder, he was furthering the cause of the
Kingdom, was he not? By helping Lucifer become the earth's stew-
ard he was removing a future threat to the peace of Heaven and
placing a highly competent angel in a place of service to the Most
High. Lucifer would make a magnificent governor. He was a bit
overbearing, perhaps, but over time he felt he could handle him,
especially since he would be working closely with Lucifer in
administering the earth. He pondered a heady future...
"Kara! Kara!" came a voice. It was Plinus, an angel very sym-
pathetic to Lucifer. "You made a wonderful presentation!"
"How do you view the outcome?" asked Kara, who accompa-
nied Plinus down the long hallway to the gallery where the Elders
convened.
"Splendid! There were a few who felt that angels have no prece-
dent for making recommendations to the Most High on such a mat-
ter. It is after all a bold move," he said with an air of self-satisfaction
in having been a part of such an occasion. "Wisdom angels! Always
asking questions."
"Yes, it's about time the Council made a bold move," added
Kara, who was perturbed at Plinus' smug manner. Plinus was of
such low character in Kara's estimation that to speak as if he had
performed an honorable task of his own initiation was repugnant.
"I'm sure you were quite in line with everyone as always, dear Pli-
nus. Very bold indeed!"
Before Plinus could respond the two entered the gallery and
began greeting the angels assembled. The Chief Elder sat in his
chair with the seven ruling angels. The remaining Elders were tak-
ing their places around the crescent-shaped table that faced the
ranking Elders. Kara felt good about his handling of the Council.

"I fear you are making a grave mistake placing yourself in Lucifer's hands."   137
He thought of the time to come when Gabriel, one of those suspi-
cious nuisances, would himself have to officially announce
Lucifer's promotion to the Kingdom. Delicious irony, he thought.
"Brothers," said the Chief Elder, "please be seated. Before we
embark on so important an action, I wish to thank this body for its
generous spirit of debate and cooperation. We have proven to the
amazement of some and to the disappointment of others (he looked
playfully at the Elders who had held out against assigning Lucifer
the position) that even angels can come to a reasonable consensus!"
Everyone laughed. "Brother Kara, you have submitted to us that of
all the angels in Heaven there is one who stands out from all the
others in regard to this matter, correct?"
Kara stood up and began speaking. "Brothers, I would never
submit to this body or any citizen of this Kingdom that there are
not a number of angels who could serve well in this matter. Why, in
this Council alone are many who could serve as governor of the
earth and perform admirably! But as there may be only one stew-
ard for the Most High, I must confess that the name which contin-
ually presents itself--and not only through me but from others in
the Kingdom--is Lucifer."
Voices in agreement filled the chamber as angels validated the
name of Lucifer as their choice to submit to the Lord. The Chief
Elder waited for the demonstration on Lucifer's behalf to subside
and then recognized Dabran, who stood to speak.
"Not again," groaned Plinus to Kara.
"Quiet," said Kara. "Better he speak now than later."
"I realize that I do not speak from popular sentiment on this
issue in this chamber," began Dabran, whose words were met with
jeers from some of the angels: "He's jealous," or "Quit delaying
things," or other such words.
The Chief Elder pounded the dais and raised his voice: "There
will be a decorum commiserate with these proceedings! I will have
no voice shouted down in this body. Do I make myself under-
stood?" The angels nodded assent to the presiding Elder and began
to lower their voices and take their seats.

138         CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile          of Lucifer
Kara was disturbed by the rashness that the Lucifer contin-
gent had been demonstrating of late. In casual encounters on the
street or at the Temple those who supported Lucifer were growing
in confidence and becoming more and more bold in their
demeanor. Such attitudes are healthy to a point, but must be kept
in check. Kara decided to speak to Lucifer about holding his disci-
ples a little more tightly. As a representative of the angels to the
Most High and as a leader among the Host, Kara felt it was his duty
to make sure that dignity was maintained throughout the proceed-
ings. As he saw it, it might be he and not Lucifer who could broker
the great peace to come. A wonderful legacy!
Dabran and Lucifer had been opposed to each other on many
issues in the Kingdom and Dabran had come to the conclusion that
Lucifer was not at all the angel he appeared to be. "You who would
put Lucifer as governor would do well to remember that he seeks
only his own gain," he said. Many angels began muttering again,
cajoling or laughing at the scholarly angel who opposed them.
"Yes, his own gain!" Dabran continued forcefully. "I know that
some of you have been bought with promises of appointments to
serve under Lucifer--to the utter shame of all angels..."
"Sit down, Dabran," someone shouted. "Quit making a fool of
yourself."
Kara watched with keen interest as the angels began to drown
out Dabran's words with their demonstrations of loyalty to Lucifer.
How masterfully Lucifer had cultivated such loyalty and in such
short order. He truly was the greatest angel in Heaven.
Dabran continued on as if he didn't notice the noisy angels
shouting. "Serve him well. But the day will come that you will
regret ever having heard the name Morning Star!" The chamber
exploded in angry cries for Dabran's expulsion from the room. The
tension was overwhelming. Angels stood and accused Dabran of
playing games with a most holy decision. The Chief Elder tried to
regain control but to no avail. Dabran simply stood, quietly waiting
to continue speaking. The Council slowly came to order again,
amidst a few spontaneous outbursts.
"May I speak, Dabran?" asked Kara.

"I fear you are making a grave mistake placing yourself in Lucifer's hands."   139
"Of course, Kara," answered Dabran, who was shaken from
the ordeal but not defeated. "If there is one voice which I respect
here it is yours, though I fear you are making a grave mistake plac-
ing yourself in Lucifer's hands."
"Thank you, dear Dabran," Kara said. He walked over to
Dabran's seat and embraced the shaken angel. Dabran sat down as
Kara stood to his side and began speaking. "Brothers, we all know
that some have opposed this idea from the beginning. We are, as
someone said, setting a new precedent, stepping onto unknown
ground. But I must admit that it saddens me to see such arrogance
displayed by some of the Elders in here. I would rather withdraw
the name of Lucifer than watch Dabran be treated with such con-
tempt." Kara's voice was growing more and more loud. "This is a
deliberating body--a fellowship--where one voice may speak
freely and without risk of the sordid display we just witnessed. I
suspect that Lucifer would feel this way and that he will build the
same individual freedoms on the earth.
"The Most High expects that we will be fair and cooperative
in this Council. As to the issues of delegating certain future offices,
yes, Lucifer has speculated with some about possible positions of
authority that will be created on earth. But is that so wrong? Does
not the God Most High, the Three-In-One, deliberate the great and
secret things of the Kingdom?"
"You would compare Lucifer's dark deliberations with the
most holy dialogue between the Father, the Son and the Spirit?"
asked an incredulous Dabran. He stood up again, his anger build-
ing. He looked straight at Kara. "You would turn over stewardship
of the Lord's greatest design to an angel who shows contempt for
His Holy Name?" He turned to the other angels who were watch-
ing him intently. "I think you overestimate your influence with the
Lord, dear Council. Creatures do not dictate to their Creator--nor
do they even make polite recommendations no matter how official
they may be. I will not remain here and be party to such a gross
and...yes, unholy proposition!"
The room exploded in boisterous tumult as Dabran exited the
chamber, accompanied by the same jeers and maligning he had