Authors: D. Brian Shafer
"All that God holds in contempt we shall encourage in mankind." 305
"It is the Lord," A'dam whispered to Eve. "We must hide from
Him!"
Lucifer realized that the Lord was present and quickly fell to
the ground, prostrating the serpent. He tried to make the serpent
scurry away but found he could no longer control the animal. He
sat still, quietly terrified. The unholy angels, upon hearing the
Lord's voice, quickly scattered. Michael and the other angels pulled
back, turning their eyes from Eden. Many bowed low to the Lord,
waiting the judgment which must surely follow.
"A'dam," said the Lord again. "Where are you?"
A'dam remained hidden behind a large bush. Eve sat next to
him, quietly sobbing.
"A'DAM!" said the Lord. "Where are you?"
A'dam stood up. His poorly made covering of leaves was al-
ready falling apart. He held up a portion of it to cover his nakedness.
"I am here, Lord," he said. "I heard Your voice in the garden
and it frightened me. I didn't want You to see the shame of my
nakedness."
A'dam looked to the ground. Eve came up behind her hus-
band and stood.
"Nakedness?" He said. "Who told you that you were naked?
Who told you that you should be ashamed of anything?"
A'dam and Eve remained silent.
----------------
Michael and Gabriel were feeling the shame of watching
God's creatures turn on Him for a second time. They could only
look on in agonizing silence. The rest of the Host had quietly
departed or were prostrate in the Lord's Presence. Serus joined
Michael and looked upon the fruit of his former master's labor.
"This is freedom," Serus said in disgust. Michael looked at the
little angel who had recently returned to the Lord. "Lucifer's free-
dom always seems to lead to rebellion and shame. If only I had seen
the truth earlier, perhaps..."
"There is nothing any of us could have done," said Michael.
"Even had we exposed Lucifer, his course seemed set--one way or
306 CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile of Lucifer
the other he would have found a way to rebel against the Lord. It
was his choice, Serus, not ours."
"Yes," agreed Serus. "But now his choice has become man's
choice."
----------------
"Did you eat of the trees which I forbade you?" the Lord
asked.
A'dam could not look up at all. The Father he once knew
seemed distant now. It was as if they were strangers. He felt
ashamed, and embarrassed. He also felt anger building up inside of
him. He recalled his conversation with Eve at that very spot and
looked at his wife with intense hatred. The leaves he was grasping
dropped to the ground and he pointed at Eve.
"This woman you made for me to be my helpmate--she
tricked me. She is no helper to me! She gave me some of the fruit
and I ate it!" He looked at her with contempt and added with great
sarcasm, "Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh indeed!"
Eve looked at her husband pitifully, sobbing.
"Eve," said the Lord. "What is it you have done?"
Eve looked up at the Light. She still could not see the serpent
but sensed he was nearby.
"It isn't my fault," she said, fighting back the tears. "I was
here to help the serpent. He began talking to me and deceived me.
He laughed at me after we ate of the fruit. He drove me to eat!"
Eve stepped back. The Lord turned His direction toward the
serpent. Lucifer trembled violently, unable to control the beast that
was once his to command.
"Serpent!" said the Lord.
Upon the word serpent, Lucifer was shaken violently. The ser-
pent came slinking out from behind the tree and stood in front of
A'dam. Lucifer tried to leave the beast but it was as if he was
imprisoned there for this critical moment. The serpent stared at the
light where the Lord's presence was. He was terrified.
"You have done a grievous thing," the Lord said. "For this you
are now cursed. You shall be cursed above all beasts of creation. You
"All that God holds in contempt we shall encourage in mankind." 307
shall be humbled to the point that you shall eat dust! It will be as if
you shall crawl on your belly--no longer dignified, no longer a
prince among your peers. And hear this: I shall place between you
and the woman an enmity that shall span the ages. Hear me, ser-
pent! There shall be enmity between your vile seed and hers. And
one day her Seed shall thoroughly break your crown, though you
bruise His heel!"
At that moment the serpent gave Lucifer up with a loud wail-
ing noise. The animal dropped to the ground, dead. Panicked and
terrified, Lucifer flew into the Heavenlies to get away from that
place of cursing. Michael and the others watched as Lucifer
streaked past them out of Eden, screaming as if in great pain.
Lucifer could feel something happening to him, overwhelm-
ing him. He looked down upon Eden and seethed with a hatred for
the Lord and all that He held dear, with an intensity never before
experienced. His heart and mind were given over to complete cor-
ruption, as all that was once holy inside of him died. Lucifer had
become the complete Adversary--the Satan. He glanced at
Michael.
"As I said to you once before, Archangel, this is not finished!"
he screamed.
He quickly disappeared into the earth.
Eve looked at the lifeless body of the serpent, then awaited
her own punishment.
"Because you have done this thing, I will cause great pain to
come upon you when you bear children. You and your husband
will indeed fill the earth, but it shall be through much pain and sor-
row in childbirth. Not only that: Because you rebelled against the
authority of your God, your desire shall be toward your husband
and he shall rule over you in earthly, carnal authority."
Eve stepped back, ashamed and weeping.
"A'dam," said the Lord.
A'dam shielded his eyes from the great light that he could no
longer look upon.
"Yes, Lord," he answered.
308 CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile of Lucifer
"Because you listened to the counsel of your wife and did not
keep the law in Eden, the ground will now be cursed. That which
once yielded fruit will now yield thorns. That which gave to you
freely will now have to be worked rigorously. By the sweat of your
brow you will labor all your life simply to exist. And one day you
shall return to the ground from which you came. For you have for-
gotten something, A'dam. You are dust--and to dust you shall
return!"
A'dam turned away from the Lord and looked at Eve. He real-
ized in his heart that he had shamed both of them. He had been
given the responsibility to keep the law and failed. He took her by
the hand, managing a weak smile. Together they left the area,
weeping bitterly for what they had done.
----------------
Chronicles of the Host
Exile
Following the rebellion in Eden, the Lord determined that
rather than risk further impertinence from the humans, He
would set a guard around the trees. Thus did Michael com-
mand that two cherubim be placed around the trees with
swords of fire which would keep any tempter to eat of these
trees away. For the Most High knew that should the fallen
humans eat of the Tree of Life, they should live forever.
Thus began the struggle for which we angels continue to fight
this very day. The Great War that began in Heaven was now
raging on earth as darkness sought to wage war against light
through the lives and minds of humans. The Host never
dreamed the critical role they would play in this conflict; that
they would be intervening and encouraging, fighting and
ministering, supporting and strengthening men and women
on behalf of the Lord. They never dreamed that one day a
human would be born of the Seed of the woman in whom God
"All that God holds in contempt we shall encourage in mankind." 309
would invest His Very Self; that through a man would come
the redemption of mankind...
----------------
Lucifer was brooding. Not even Rugio's report that the Lord
had driven the humans out of Eden seemed to encourage him. He
sat lost in thought, sizing up the situation and trying to discover
what would be the next move. The Council gathered nearby await-
ing his direction.
Tinius walked over to Pellecus, who was seated on a large
rock in the great cavern where they were meeting. The other angels
waited in awkward silence, exchanging awkward glances.
"How long must we stay in these gloomy quarters?" he whis-
pered to Pellecus. "Surely we may inhabit Eden now that the
humans have been forced out!"
"Not that it matters, but the last report I heard of Eden is that
it is being overrun by thorns," said Pellecus dryly. "It is hardly the
paradise it once was. It's quite desolate."
"How like the Most High to be so cruel in His judgment," said
Tinius, "to remove the one completely beautiful spot from the
earth."
"I hear that the Most High actually made clothes for the
humans out of the skins of animals," said Kara, coming over to the
conversation. "How bizarre!"
"Yes," said Tinius. "It seems that nakedness is suddenly offen-
sive to the Lord! It never bothered him before."
He laughed, breaking the silence of the chamber. Everyone
turned his way and then went back to what they were doing.
"The nakedness is not what bothers Him," said Pellecus. "It is
the shame of the disobedience. The Most High now realizes He has
made a grave error in judgment and is attempting to cover the
indiscretion as it were with the skin of beasts. Pitiful symbol really
of A'dam's fallen state."
"The blood of beasts to cover the shame of beasts," said Kara. "I
sometimes wonder if the Most High knows what He is doing at all."
310 CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile of Lucifer
Pellecus smiled at the stupidity of Kara.
"I am weary of waiting," said an exasperated Tinius. He
addressed Lucifer directly: "My prince, when do we move?"
All of the angels looked at Tinius, startled at the exclamation
which broke into Lucifer's reverie. Some scowled at him; others
nodded in silent affirmation; all eventually looked to Lucifer. He
remained impassive.
Finally he looked up at Tinius.
"I have been thinking," Lucifer began. "I have been thinking
about those things which the Lord said to me in Eden. He cursed
me, you understand. And not only me, but realize you too are
cursed. As I once said, we are in this together."
A chill swept through the room. Every angel knew that he had
tied his destiny to Lucifer. Now they understood that they tied
their grim fates to him as well.
"I know you sense this," said Lucifer. "There is, however, one
consolation to A'dam's disgrace. His rebellion prolongs the war.
Gives us time to prepare. Hear me!"
The Council gathered around the makeshift conference area,
deep within the heart of a mountain. Lucifer found solace in darkness
and preferred it to the light of earth. He rarely ventured on the sur-
face anymore, although he anticipated that one day he would return
in complete triumph. He could see the dark eyes peering at him.
"These are the facts--grim or great--however you wish to
interpret them," Lucifer began. "First of all, the earth is ours," he
said. "We have obtained legally what we could not take by force.
A'dam's decision has wrested the kingship and the authority from
him and it now belongs to me. That is the rule of law. We are the
principle authority on earth. We also find ourselves in a grave bat-
tle with Heaven which centers on the fallen humans. It is through
humanity that we shall wage our warfare."
"But how so?" asked Tinius. "The humans shall never trust
you again."
Lucifer stood up, and thought a moment.
"I once remarked that the Lord has a propensity for leaving
doors open," he said, ignoring Tinius' question. "Every time we are
"All that God holds in contempt we shall encourage in mankind." 311
finally set back, He leaves room for us to react. Whenever we are
cast down there is an opportunity to rise again. He has done so
once more. The Lord is a great God but a poor strategist for the long
term."
The angels perked up, hopeful that somehow Lucifer had a
definite plan of action which could stop or delay the inevitable
judgment that awaited them.
"What is your thinking on this?" asked Pellecus.
"Dear Pellecus," said Lucifer. "Always a question. My think-
ing is in terms of the prophecy that the Lord spoke to me. Do you
recall the words?"
"You mean the Seed of the woman?" asked Kara.
"Yes," said Lucifer. "The Seed of the woman. Everything on
this planet that yields life involves some sort of seed--a deposit of
sorts which assures the continued existence of itself. The Lord Him-
self told the woman that she should bring forth children in great
pain--the children are the seed of the woman."
"And the Seed of the woman will break the crown of the ser-
pent," muttered Pellecus. "Interesting."
"And deadly," agreed Lucifer. "The same Seed which yields
life to man will yield death to us."
"So we are to war with the children of Eve?" asked Tinius.
"Yes," said Lucifer, "but not just any child of Eve. One day
there will be a child with which we must contend--provided we
allow such an event to occur. The prophecy clearly speaks of a com-
ing one. But since we cannot ascertain who that one is, we must do
our best to exterminate all of them."
"What do you mean, my prince?" asked Pellecus. "We cannot
stop the blessing of the Lord. He has willed that A'dam and Eve fill
the earth. What are you proposing?"
Lucifer looked at the Council with a malevolent stare.
"Death for death," said Lucifer. "That is what I am proposing.
Death to humans. Death to A'dam and to Eve and to all who come
after them. Destruction of the human seed. War against mankind.
Death to the plans of the Most High!" He looked at the group with
cold, savage eyes. "The only way we will stop the prophecy from
312 CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile of Lucifer
being fulfilled is to corrupt the Seed before it has a chance to turn
on us."
The Council looked at each other in melancholy glances.
"When you say `death,' my prince," said Pellecus, "you are
advocating..."
"Murder," said Lucifer. He began his customary pacing as he
spoke. He paused. "I felt the serpent dying, you know. I know what
death feels like. A'dam shall return to the dust of the earth. He was
not permitted to eat of the Tree of Life. He only ate of the tree which
will destroy him. He can die. He will die. As will all humans who
follow him. Of course there are only two of them presently..."
Rugio smiled at the thought of tearing A'dam and Eve to
pieces. Lucifer looked at the angels, reading many of their faces.
"I'm telling you that if we do not compromise the race,"
Lucifer pleaded, "A'dam shall breed the Seed of our own destruc-
tion! The Lord has left us no choice. The humans must die--to
themselves, to each other, and most importantly to the Lord."
"But how can we approach them, much less destroy them?"
asked Tinius.
"The same way I approached the serpent," said Lucifer.
"Remember, we now have legal possession of this world and all of
its resources. The Lord has distanced Himself from it. We now may
approach the humans, influence them, even control them if they let
us. I once sought to guide their destinies as their steward--now I
shall drive them as their master."
"But how?" said Kara. "What will be our strategy?"
"We will set them to war against each other," said Lucifer.
"Brother shall fight against brother in hatred. We shall stir up base
qualities of jealousy and greed, lust and anger, strife and bitterness.
All that God holds in contempt we shall encourage among men.
Everything that is profane we shall inspire. This will be the fruit of
our seed in mankind! We will thoroughly corrupt that which the
Most High once held so dear. By the time we are finished He will see
no reason to continue this conflict. Why would He desire to preserve
a race of humans who have nothing but contempt for Him? What