“And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they did not prevail, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”
Revelation 12:7-9
Ariel sat in silent mediation as was his practice since the beginning of time. It was the morning hour of prayer. An age old habit. No, it was more than a habit, it was a necessity. For him prayer was more about listening than talking. Listening and thinking.
Today like so many days before his mind drifted. It was quite unintentional. He didn’t desire to dwell on the past but there it was. Like a dark summer rain cloud quickly blowing in. Before he knew it was on him. Suddenly casting a shadow across his mind.
Ariel’s mind shifted from the duties of the present to the wounds of the ancient past. It wasn’t intentional. In fact he often tried to intentionally avoid it. But his subconscious mind was draw to it. Like a moth to the flame.
It had been thousands of years ago now, but he remembered it like it was yesterday. His emotions responded to the visceral images that flickered in his mind like a movie. A war movie. The Great War. A war of pain and loss and betrayal. A war that tested one’s meddle. A war where you found out what you were made of on the battlefield. It happened so quickly.
The rebellion. The sound of the trumpet. The shout of the archangel Michael calling all of his warriors to battle. Ariel sat and watched as the war replayed in his mind.
Brother against brother. Legions of warriors fighting against one another. Good against evil. Obedience against rebellion. Swords clashing. Fiery poisonous arrows penetrating through armor.
The horror of it. The madness of it. The needless waste of it all. WHY? Why did it have to be this way? Why would anyone do such a thing? Rebel! Against God?
That day changed everything forever. Innonence was lost. Trust was lost.
Lost in his own meditation Ariel saw himself laying on the battlefield. He had hesitated to strike.
It was his friend Asmodeus, who had deceived him.
His impulse was to try one last time to reason with Asmodeus That was all it took and he was down.
His name, Ariel, meant “Lion of God”.
Even now, tens of thousands of years later, Ariel physically scuffed at that image of himself and shook his head. A warrior. A air of self-loathing disgust blew through him.
“Lion of God”. He was not worthy of the name.
Angels were created immortal and could not die, but they could feel pain. The searing hot pain from the poison arrows, spreading through his body like living fire was more than he could bear. But now, thousands of years later, it was the emotional pain that was worse.
He had failed Michael.
He had failed the Most High.
In his mind he watched himself laying wounded on the battlefield as Michael and his warriors vanquished the enemy.
He lay there helpless. Just watching.
He saw Lucifer and his angels fall from heaven like lightning. One third of the angelic host, shooting across the heavens and down to earth like an unholy meteor shower. His friend Asmodeus was among them.
We had won.
No. THEY had won. Michael and his angels had won.
He had done nothing.
It was the Great War in Heaven. Things would never be the same after that day.
He sat for a moment as all the emotions flooded through his mind.
Then he snapped back to the present.
He swallowed those emotions and set his mind toward today's tasks. He was a guardian now. No longer a warrior. He had been a guardian for over 10,000 years. Demoted in rank for the ages.
He took pride in his work. He gladly served at the direction of the Most High. But, at heart he was a warrior. A fighter. At least he felt like a warrior. He loved to protect. He longed for the fight. He longed for justice, for retribution. He wanted there to be a reckoning. Although he knew that now that was not his place.
Ariel stood. His translucent wings spread out wide and then folded against his body. No sword hung from his waist. No armor protected his body. He had been stripped of all of the accouterments necessary to be a warrior. Now, he was a just a guardian.
Ariel took in a deep breath and exhaled the thoughts of the past.
It was time to go to work.
(To be continued)