The Lion of God - (Preface) I Saw Satan Fall Like Lightening
“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
(June, 2016 AD)
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 you knew it was on you suddenly casting a shadow across his mind.
Ariel’s mind shifted from the needs 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 responding to the visceral images that flickered in his mind like a movie reel. 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. Fighting for life and death. Fighting for good and evil. 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? Who 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. He had paused for one split second. That was all it took and he was down.
He was scared and humiliated.
Even now tens of thousands of years later, Ariel lost in his thoughts, physically scuffed at that image of himself and shook his head. A warrior. A air of self loathing disgust blew through him. He was not worthy of the name.
The pain was unbearable. The searing pain from his injuries. The poison from the arrow spreading though his body like living fire.
Angels were created immortal and could not die but they could feel pain. And some pain was worse than death. The searing hot pain from the poison arrow was more than he could bear. But now, over 10000 years later it was the emotional pain that was worse. The emotional pain of his own failure . The pain of not being enough. The pain of not living up to his calling. His failure as a warrior. 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 helplessly lay there and watched.
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 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.
Ariel snapped back to the present. He sat for a moment as all the emotions flooded through his mind. The fear, the failure, the pain, the loss of position. The brokenness.
He swallowed those emotions and set his mind toward today's tasks. He was a guardian angel now. No longer a warrior. He had been a guardian now for over 10000 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. He was a guardian.
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 rank and with that all of the accouterments necessary for a warrior. His shield and sword taken. He was a guardian now.
Ariel took in a deep breath and exhaled the thoughts of the past.
It was time to go to work.