THE ARCH-ANGEL AND THE PRINCE. Episode 1 (THE REBELLION)

“There is going to be war in heaven. I can feel it”, thought Michael as he swiftly dashed through the air towards the Palace. In a few seconds, he will be standing in the very presence of Elohim. When the king summons his Commander-in-Chief, it can only mean one thing- War. And the reason is obvious.

Lucifer.

Recent tales that reached the throne spoke of how Lucifer had rebelled against the King. He was the archangel given the authority to have ruler ship over the inhabitants of the earth. His domain was under the clouds, under the stars and under the heavens, on earth. Then the impossible happened. Iniquity was found in him and his loyalty to Elohim was questioned. He wanted to dethrone the king and
take His throne in heaven. He wanted to be called Elohim. After weakening and terrorizing the nations under him on the earth, he had finally decided to make war and bring his rebellion to Heaven’s Gate.

Michael touched down in front of the Palace. Stepping through the gates in front of the enormous edifice, he returned the salute of the angels on duty. None of them wished to be in his shoes. Not now. With some of the top arch angels joining forces with Lucifer, he was highly regarded as the one to take over the leadership of the army. His coronation as Commander did not help matters. It only highlighted
the burden placed on his shoulders. However, Elohim assigned Gabriel, the arch angel who stood in the presence of the King, as his counterpart. But Gabriel also has his other duties.
“He is not here now”, thought Michael, and he felt heavy blocks placed on his shoulders. The ideal one for such a position was Lucifer.

Lucifer was the greatest of Elohim’s creation. Even the angels envied him. He was the most beautiful of the angels and the high prince among the arch angels. What made him even more outstanding was his craftsmanship in music.
He is considered a maestro in the use of musical instruments; wind, string or percussion. He sings with a voice that pierces through the galaxies with such pleasure that makes the planets dance. Michael will never forget a time when the arch angel was summoned to sing in the court of the King. He sang with such grace that the King stood up from his throne. He was so excited that the heavens
shivered. The more he sang, the more Elohim got exited, the more the place trembled. Even the angel choir that sang with the archangel fell silent in panic. But Lucifer, undisturbed by what was going on continued with such grace that some of the angels felt like worshipping him. That was when the unexpected happened. He
stopped. Then he started a new song. This time, the song caused so much serenity that Elohim regained his calmness and sat upon his huge throne. Within a
moment, the only voice that could be heard was that of the archangel. By the time he stopped singing, there was a mighty stillness.
“Who else but Lucifer is capable of such a thing”, Michael mumbled to himself.

Reality flushed on Michael as he was ushered into the courts of Elohim. Each time he stepped into the King’s court, he was always greeted by awe and
wonder. He has been here countless times but each time is different. Unique. Exceptional. It was like he had never been there before. Like he had never seen such glory before. It was always beyond comprehension. Always. Above the throne stood the Seraphim’s towering figures. They were gigantic beings whose size became more pronounced at the full stretch of their huge white wings. Each one had six wings; two covers their face, two covers their feet and two are for flight. No other set of angels got this close to the King as often as these ones. The number and size of their wings made it easier for them.

Despite the size of the throne, the figure that sat on it filled it. He was brilliant in glory, shinning like refined gemstones. His hair and beard was as white as snow and soft as wool. When he spoke, the court quivered. The giant throne was like the appearance of a singly carved sapphire stone, showing off the elegance of the one who sat on it. The throne was as elegant as the one who sat on it. Twenty four smaller thrones surrounded the giant throne. On them sat twenty four celestial beings with crowns on their heads. In front of the throne was a clear sea of glass, shinning and sparkling like crystal. Scattered around the court were angels stationed in different places whose job was to minister to the king.

“My Lord”, Michael said, bowing towards the throne, in honour of the king. Elohim lifted up his eyes in the direction of warrior-angel. Michael tried holding the stare of the King for as long as he could before finally looking away. He saw fire in the eyes staring back at him. The silence that followed was heavy. Waiting for Elohim to speak was like waiting for the avalanche of many waters.
“Lucifer has rebelled”, the king finally said. “He has lured a third of my angels and has deceived the nations on earth. Now he seeks to dethrone the Ancient of Days. He has forgotten that before the creation of Lucifer, I am. After the destruction of Lucifer, I am! He has destroyed my worlds and turned them into
wastelands, he has defiled my sanctuaries with his profanities. He has exalted himself above the Most High. Instead, he will be brought down to the place
of the dead, down to its lowest depths.”

“I hereby judge Lucifer thus”. It was when Michael raised his head that he discovered that the king was standing and beneath his robe, he was dressed for
war. His eyes were blazing with lightening as he stepped down from the colossal throne towards the archangel, his sword swaying at his side. As he closed in on Michael, strength drained out of the angel. It was as if the weight on his shoulders was sapping with his strength.
“Lucifer is hereby banished from the kingdom of heaven and cast into the earth. Assemble the angelic forces and defeat the traitor and his army at Heaven’s Gate. I hereby decree the destruction of Earth by flood. Let there be total darkness and
blackness and emptiness over it. The sun shall cease to shine and the moon and stars shall cease to give their light. Life ceases until my appointed time.”

The king had spoken. Elohim slowly removed his sword that was sheathed at his side. Rage could be seen written all over the King’s face as he handed it to Michael.
“I hand you my sword. As the captain of my army, you are hereby given the privilege and responsibility of judging Lucifer and banishing him forever".
As the king walked gracefully back to the throne, the twenty four elders bowed before him, casting down their crowns, saying, “The King is a man of war; the Lord is his name.”
As the archangel swooped out of the palace, sword in hand, he knew the end of it all. The King had declared war and also victory!