Rise of the Beast (62 page)

C
HAPTER
25

It had been a quiet time in the ring room of Refuge. There had been only one teleportation all day. It had been Bedillia, who had made a round trip from there to the new ring in the Caverns of Noak.

Although this subterranean realm had been established below a frigid land of eternal night, it was thought best to operate on a 24 standard Earth clock to make it seem as normal as possible to its human inhabitants. Right now, the standard clock they lived by read 2
A.M.
, and most of the citizens were asleep.

Bedillia had just used the telesphere in the ring room to communicate with her good friend David in Heaven. He had both good and bad news for her regarding her daughter on Earth.

“It sounds like the situation on Earth is deteriorating,” noted the dark angel Lenar, turning to Bedillia.

“Yes,” confirmed Bedillia. “Still my daughter is doing a great work for the Father.”

“You must be very proud of her,” noted Lenar.

Bedillia only nodded. Her attention had been drawn to the ring. A blue mist was forming in its depths. “We are about to have company,” she said.

Lenar turned to the ring to see the wall behind it vanish. “There is no one scheduled to arrive at this time,” he said, drawing his sword.

A dark angel and a human sentry quickly drew their weapons, not knowing what to expect. A second later a winged angel in white stepped through the portal.

“Aaron,” said Bedillia stepping forward.

“Hello, Bedillia,” said Aaron taking her hand in his. “It’s so good to be with you again.”

“But how?” asked Bedillia.

“With the Father, all things are possible,” said Aaron. “I have been asked by God to bring Abaddon back with me. He is to have an audience with the Father of us all.”

A minute later, Abaddon and others had joined the group in the ring room, including Nikola Tesla and Krissie James. There was excitement in the air. The ring had been designed to move passengers from one place in Hell to another, not from Heaven to Hell and back.

“I don’t understand,” admitted Tesla. “How was this accomplished?”

Aaron smiled. “I cannot tell you how God accomplishes a thing. His ways are beyond my understanding. I was simply told to bring Abaddon to the Father. We will be carried directly into his presence.”

A cloud of blue appeared once more within the ring. Never had the sparkling stars within it seemed so brilliant.

“We must go,” said Aaron, leading the way.

“Hey, Abaddon,” said Krissie as he approached the very threshold of the ring. “Would you put in a good word for me when you speak to God? I think I need all of the help I can get.”

Abaddon turned and nodded, then stepped into the blue mists of the ethereal corridor. He vanished from sight.

Krissie turned to Bedillia. “God has never called for him before?”

“Not as long as I’ve been here,” said Bedillia, gazing into the dissipating mists.

“Any idea what it’s all about?” asked Krissie.

“Not a clue,” said Bedillia. She looked around the room. “Well, I don’t know about any of you, but I’m going to get some beauty sleep. I’m sure we’ll get a full report when Abaddon gets back.”

“I don’t see what beauty sleep is going to get me,” said Krissie, shaking her head. “No matter what I do, I’m going to look the same come tomorrow morning, and the morning after that, and forever.”

Bedillia placed her hand on Krissie’s shoulder. “Good night, Krissie.” With those words Bedillia departed, as did most of the crowd. They wouldn’t hasten Abaddon’s audience with the Father by milling around here. They had all of the time in the universe.

Abaddon and Aaron walked through the cool. blue mists. A moment later they found themselves at the edge of a meadow full of flowers. Behind them a majestic stand of tall pines towered toward a crystal-blue sky. Walking toward them, through the flowers, was a tall, golden-haired man with blue eyes. He wore a long white robe and leather sandals. He looked in all ways to be human, but Abaddon knew better. It was the Father. He knelt before his creator as did Aaron.

“Rise, my friends,” said the Father, who now stood before them.

“I feel honored to stand in your presence once more, Father,” said Abaddon.

The Father placed His hand on Abaddon’s shoulder. It was soft and warm. “It is good to see you too,” replied the Father. “Come, we have much to discuss.”

They proceeded across the meadow side by side. Abaddon was not quite certain what to expect.

“Be at peace,” said the Father. “I want you to know how pleased I am with your progress. You have learned so much, and you will learn more. For millennia you dwelled among Satan and his minions, yet not you nor a single one of your minions yielded to his will. You befriended Serena when she was very much in need of one. Because of your efforts, Satan has been denied thousands of souls, and just as many have been relieved of physical suffering. It was you who helped to reshape her character when she was at last ready to be remolded. Now, you have given thousands more a new life, a new purpose, in a land of despair. These are the acts of a noble angel. I am proud of you.”

Abaddon was astonished. He only hoped that he was understanding the Father’s meaning.

“Abaddon, today I tell you that you and your fellows have regained the status of angels in My service. The word fallen shall no longer apply to you. From this day forward your minions shall be known only as the dark angels, and you shall be their leader, answering only to Me.”

For once in his long existence, Abaddon was without words. His greatest desire had been granted by the Father. He had been forgiven. “Yes, Lord,” he finally said.

“The task ahead of you shall be difficult,” continued the Father. “There is coming a day when your children will at last fulfill the purpose for which they were created. You shall send them on a mission to torment the followers of the Beast on Earth. They will be under strict orders not to kill them, nor to do damage to Earth’s living environment. The Beast and his prophet will come to fear you and to fear the one who sent you. You will know when it must be done. You must be ready to send them through the gates to Earth at the right moment. You will need to work with others to that end.”

“Yes, Father, I understand,” replied Abaddon.

“Second, I give you this warning; do not trust General Krell, this new master of Hell. He serves Satan and none other.”

Abaddon nodded. “Yes, I feared as much.”

“But I tell you this,” said the Father. “The day is coming when you shall face Satan on the field of battle. On that day it shall be your responsibility to defeat him that you might bind him in chains and confine him for a thousand years. You shall be his keeper. You shall become the master of Hell. You shall be challenged, but you shall receive help from Heaven. Remember, I am with you always.”

Abaddon hesitated. “Lord, what of the people of Refuge? Is there any hope for them?”

The Father didn’t answer immediately. They stopped in the middle of the field. “What do you think, Abaddon?”

“Father, so many of them, like Serena, were misled on Earth by the adversary. It is in their hearts to do right, but they never understood. Now they find
themselves in Hell, beyond Your grace.”

The Father smiled, though slightly. “Beyond My grace?”

“No, Lord,” said Abaddon. “My words were poorly chosen. Perhaps I should have said beyond mercy and deliverance.”

This time the Father laughed openly. “You still haven’t answered My question, Abaddon.”

“I suppose I haven’t,” said the dark angel. “I truly don’t know the answer.”

“Perhaps they have already found all three,” suggested the Father. “When you freed them from the torment that Satan had inflicted upon them, you granted them both mercy and deliverance. In Refuge they have found a form of grace, a grace that you have granted them. It is not unlike the grace I have granted to you. My friend, grace and mercy flow from Me. I gave it to you, and you in turn have given it to others, who then pass it on to still others. So, you see, they are not beyond My grace.”

“But do they have any chance of achieving Heaven?” asked Abaddon.

“You shall soon know the answer to that question,” said the Father. “However, now is not that time.”

Again Abaddon hesitated. “Before I stepped into the ring to come here, one of the citizens of Refuge asked me to make an appeal to You on her behalf.”

“Yes,” confirmed the Father, “Krissie James. Tell her this. I have not forgotten her. When the time comes, she will know what to do.”

“Yes, Lord,” replied Abaddon.

The Father placed His hand on Abaddon’s shoulder once more. “You feel that I am being very vague in my answers to you. You are right, but it is necessary, I assure you. Knowing the future with certainty is not a blessing. If anything, it is a curse. Such knowledge dashes one’s dreams and aspirations. Most often, it is in the race for the prize and not in the prize itself that one finds fulfillment and personal growth. I will not deny you the race.”

Abaddon smiled. He now understood.

For over an hour Abaddon and the Father walked and talked. How Abaddon treasured this time with the Father. He had almost forgotten just how much
he loved Him. By the time he departed, he had a new vision for the future. He didn’t know exactly what the future held, but he was looking forward to the journey.

“Now, let me make sure I have this all straight,” said Tim, looking across the large conference table at Abaddon. “God has pardoned the dark angels, but He isn’t giving any of us humans any guarantees. As far as any of us are concerned, we could be damned for eternity.”

“No, that’s not what He was saying,” interjected Bedillia in a gentle voice. “He was saying that our salvation is still being worked out. The dark angels have been here for thousands of years. They resisted Satan for all of that time. They have reached out to help us. They were in line first, so to speak.”

“I think I understand,” said Megan. “It makes sense to me. I wish He’d given us some rules to follow, told us what we need to do to get delivered from Hell.”

“I think we already have the rules,” said Tom. “We have the Bible as our guide.”