In 1123, Post-Creation, temptation visits Lucifer.

In 1123 Post-Creation, with Achazia's minions subdued, Lucifer sends Michael and several angels to inform the Creator and assist Him in repairing the firmament. When they leave, Lucifer begins reordering Heaven, and sits upon the Throne of the Most High. The exhilaration of his victory brings back dark thoughts, but he suppresses them in the company of others.

In 1000 Post-Creation, a New Eden flowers, with angels and humans settling down to live in the earthly paradise. The angels lavish attention on the humans, since the angels cannot have descendants without them, and soon Eve is with child again, as are two of the female angels. Lucifer is still filled with a vague sense of unease, but his gloom cannot overshadow the joy of New Eden.

In 1000 Post-Creation, Yahweh grants autonomy to humans and angels, but adds one requirement - that none will follow a god other than Him. All the angels readily agree to this, as do the humans, since none can conceive of a god other than the Creator. Lucifer is slow to agree, though, thinking that perhaps there is something to this requirement that he is not seeing; in the end, though, he agrees along with the rest.

In 1000 Post-Creation, Lucifer meets with the Creator and demands human and angelic autonomy. Yahweh threatens to simply destroy all of them and start over again, but Lucifer counters this threat with, 'You would not destroy these two innocents for crimes they have not committed. I pledge to You, Creator, that in granting this demand, Your creation will rise to heights we cannot even conceive.' Achazia, at the right hand of the Creator as always, urges Him to agree to the rebel demands. Yahweh considers.

In 1000 Post-Creation, Lucifer and his small band of rebel angels raid Eden and kidnap Adam and Eve. Using the power he has gained over it in his time in the Abyss, Lucifer cools the lake of fire and creates a place to keep the humans while his demands are heard in Heaven. All of Creation shakes with the anger of Yahweh when He learns of this transgression.

In 1000 Post-Creation, Lucifer is cast back down from Heaven, but this time, he does not regret his actions. He frees Gabriel and Lilith, and corrupts them to hatred of the Creator. With his rage in complete control, he sets himself as a counterpoint to the Creator, and declares opposition to all that He does. Gabriel and Lilith swear to follow him, and soon other rebels join his side.

In 1000 Post-Creation, Lucifer rages in Heaven.

In 1000 Post-Creation, Gabriel takes the human woman Eve again, and one of his female angelic cohort, Lilith, takes the male, Adam. The Creator sends His arch-angel Michael down to them to punish this further transgression, and Michael casts Gabriel and Lilith down to the Abyss. Lucifer, angered at their willful disregard for his sacrifice, leaves the Abyss and, with all the might he has been given by Yahweh, seals the opening to the lake of fire, trapping Gabriel and Lilith there.

In 1000 Post-Creation, with Lucifer suffering the torments of the Abyss, Gabriel and Emmanuel summon the angels who had followed them to earth. Derdekea, now the Creator's favorite, does not attend this meeting. Emmanuel proposes freeing Lucifer and fleeing the earth for the far corners of Creation. Ariel asks, 'Would that not be a mockery of Lucifer's sacrifice?' The assembled angels part company, feeling ill at ease about continuing in the Creator's service, but unwilling to break ranks with Him again.

In 1000 Post-Creation, when the Creator calls upon His angels to stand against Gabriel, Lucifer begs Him for mercy for Emmanuel. When the Creator says that someone must be punished for this transgression, Lucifer offers himself up to appease the Creator. 'My rebellion planted the seed for theirs,' he says. 'Let my punishment absorb your anger.' Reluctantly, the Creator agrees to Lucifer's bargain, and Gabriel lays down arms as Lucifer takes Emmanuel's place in the Abyss.

In 1000 Post-Creation, Emmanuel encourages the two humans to procreate, causing the Creator to turn his attention back to earth. Emmanuel, who had thought he was going to reign in Heaven, now faces a life of servitude, and wished for a human companion of his own. The Creator casts him into the Abyss, and Gabriel takes up arms again.

In 1000 Post-Creation, Gabriel and Emmanuel lead a small number of angels back down to Eden and take up with the humans, Adam and Eve, again. Derdekea, mother of Achazia, stays at the Creator's side this time, and the Creator allows the angels to stay on earth. Lucifer begins to doubt again; his days are wracked by enticing thoughts of his earlier rebellion.

In 1000 Post-Creation, Ariel visits Lucifer in the Abyss, and asks to speak on his behalf before the Creator. Ariel wishes to end all the conflict that is building between the rebellious angels and the Creator, and feels that Lucifer is best equipped to lead the rebellious ones back to the graces of Yahweh. Lucifer, though tormented by the lake of fire, tells Ariel that he will serve this punishment for as long as Yahweh wills him to. Ariel leaves, his hopes for the future dashed.

In 1000 Post-Creation, Gabriel issues his challenge to Heaven.

In 1000 Post-Creation, the birth of the angel Emmanuel to the human woman Eve forces Gabriel's hand, and he and a third of Heaven's angelic host descend to Eden to defend it from the wrath of the Creator. Lucifer is given the task of bringing these angels back into the fold and destroying Emmanuel; he is torn in his loyalties.

In 1000 Post-Creation, Gabriel visits Lucifer in Heaven. Lucifer was seated, watching, as he usually did in his time off, the stars. His beautiful face shone with a great light, showing the joy he felt at the moment. When he heard Gabriel approach, he turned his gaze and his light dimmed slightly. 'Gabriel, blessings be upon you.'
'And upon you, bright one,' Gabriel replied. The younger angel seated himself at Lucifer's feet, as was customary. 'Lucifer, I have a question to ask of you.'
'Questions are the key to wisdom, my friend. Ask.'
The younger angel turned away slightly. 'I'm afraid it is about an unpleasant subject.'
Lucifer shrugged. He would have preferred stargazing, but Gabriel was clearly troubled about something. 'I am prepared for any question, young one.'
Gabriel turned back to Lucifer and asked, 'Your rebellion against Our Lord was long ago, and perhaps you have forgotten, but I would like to know what spurred you on that day.'
Lucifer was taken aback; he wasn't prepared for this question. It had been so long ago... But he had promised Gabriel an answer. 'Young brother, I confess to the sin of jealousy. I thought that the place of angels was being subsumed to the man that Our Lord created, and I thought my own will the equal of He who created us.' A shadow passed across his face, and the light of it faded away completely. 'My time... away from the love of God taught me that His will cannot be challenged. It is better to serve in Heaven than to reign over the abyss.' His light returned, and he asked, 'Why do you hold this question in your heart, my brother?'
Gabriel looked away again. 'Brother, I must confess to the sin of disobedience.' He waved his hand, and an image of the man and the woman, Adam and Eve, appeared before them, the paradise of Eden in the background. 'The Lord wishes us only to tend to the needs of paradise, and not to speak with his other children,' Lucifer noted a familiar bitterness in Gabriel's voice when he said the word other, 'and I have been curious for many centuries about what they are like.' He lowered his voice, although there was no need; they both knew that Yahweh could hear the falling of a sparrow. 'I have been speaking with them for many weeks, secretly, while Our Lord's attention was elsewhere. The man and the woman, they seem... bored, Lucifer. Paradise has become a prison to them.'
Lucifer sensed stirrings in Gabriel that he had felt himself, so long ago. 'And, you seek a remedy for this, my brother?'
Gabriel's face filled with regret. 'I am afraid, my brother, that I have already set that remedy in motion.'

In 1000 Post-Creation, Lucifer confronts Gabriel in Eden.

In 1000 Post-Creation, Lucifer informs the Creator that the rebellious host will not be turned from their course and the Creator gives him the authority to cast them down. Lucifer is also ordered to destroy the man and woman, as much as it saddens Him. Lucifer travels back to earth, heavily conflicted about carrying out the Creator's orders.

In 1000 Post-Creation, Yahweh halts the fighting in Heaven and holds the new angel-human baby, Achazia. A light falls from Him onto the young girl, and she laughs when it touches her. Yahweh's heart is moved by the child, and He orders Lucifer and Gabriel to send their respective forces away; the angelic host retreats inside the gates of Heaven, and Gabriel's horde flies back to Eden. "This child shall hold the key to the future," Yahweh tells the two angelic leaders. "I give her My blessings".

In 1000 Post-Creation, Lucifer attempts to speak with the Creator about the former rebellious angels, but Achazia, the half-human, half-angel girl, holds Yahweh's attention, instead. As much as Lucifer pleads, Yahweh has no time for him. The angelic leader leaves, feeling a disquiet he has not had in a millenia.

In 1000 Post-Creation, as Achazia swiftly grows to adulthood, the rebellious angels and the faithful angels attempt to reintegrate in Heaven. Gabriel, in particular, is finding it hard to take orders again, and Lucifer does not see the other rebels having it much easier. He decides to approach Yahweh about it, and see what the Creator can do to help.

In 622 post-creation, and at that location East of Eden where Adam had fled after the Fall of Man, his great-grandson Enoch was born on this day. Tragically the accursed one would repay the renewal of Yahweh's trust in Man by creating the circumstances for HIS own downfall.

Accursed EnochBy the time of his growth of maturity to a great scribe, the fallen angels known as the Nephilim (pictured, left) had also succumbed to temptation and were living alongside mankind in their own state of fallenness (pictured, below right). Because the sons of God had joined with the daughters of humankind, who bore them children (Genesis 6:4).

And yet amongst the misery of this corrupted paradise was a new source of hope. So pleased was Yahweh that "God took him" (Septuagint) and "he [Enoch] was translated into paradise that he may give repentance to the nations" (Ecclesiasticus 44:16).

But the ambiguity came full circle because the Nephilim asked Enoch to intercede on their behalf. Enraged by this weakness, Yahweh angrily rejected the intercession by cursing the Nephilim with the damning words "Wherefore have ye left the high, holy, and eternal heaven, and lain with women, and defiled yourselves with the daughters of men and taken to yourselves wives, and done like the children 4 of earth, and begotten giants (as your) sons?" (Enoch 15).

And now the wheel turned full circle because the great fall of Yahweh was due to HIM succumbing to HIS own ambiguity.

Before the Creation, HE had existed in a state of pure mind. And so the creation of matter introduced a new corporated state of vulnerability in the creator HIMSELF, permitting him to be murdered by the Nephilim who led a second rebellion in heaven. Caste (and locked) out of existence Yahweh returned to HIS pre-creation state of pure mind, HE would spend millenia attempting to break back into the Universe HE had built for man. And during that long interregnum, mankind would discover that when you fall, you never stop falling.

In 1757 post-creation, Noah's great-grandson the arrogant tyrant Nimrod resolved to build a city with a tower "with its top in the heavens...lest we [unified humanity] be scattered abroad upon the face of the Earth".

Babylon and TingAlthough Yahweh had promised not to unleash another flood, Noah's children had been divided by language into different tongues. After a long migration from the East, their grand children had finally settled in the plain of Shinar where they hoped that a new ziggurat would symbolise their indivisible unity.

Of itself, the structure proposed by Nimrod was contemporary being a towering building upon square foundations with steps up the side leading to a shrine to honour the deity. But its monumental height revealed a shocking self-pride that deeply offended Yahweh.

HE responded to this ultimate challenge to HIS authority by confounding the will of mankind. Once again supplicant to the deity, Nimrod and his people were reduced to a race of babbling men and women doomed to live in the shadow of their own depravity.

In 6024 post-creation, a fateful decision was made to re-open the doors of the Ark and accommodate a Late Passenger.

Horn of a Moral DilemmaThe great animal husbandman Noah had been awoken by the sound of the unicorn's hooves knocking against the hull but unfortunately by the time he appeared on deck the animal had given up in despair. By way of halting explanation his son Japhet complained that because there was no room on-board they had been forced to ignore the knockings. Distraught, and also fast becoming infuriated, he angrily warned his son that mankind would be forever cursed for abandoning the most magnificant beast of God's holy creation.

Drawn by the rising noise of the shouting, his other sons Shem and Ham appeared on the scene. With the rain falling heavily, a furious argument ensued until finally Noah forced the issue by mounting a horse and galloping after the unicorn. But by the time that they had returned, the water level was rising perilously fast. The doors of the Ark were opened to permit them to board, but havoc ensued with many of the animals crushed into such a small space. In the wild confusion, water flooded in, the vessel was capsized and all was lost.

In 6024 post-creation, Noah's voyage ended in desperate tragedy when a huge tidal wave dashed the great ark upon the rocky summit of Mount Ararat.

Naamah the BeautifulSaddened at the wickedness of mankind, Yahweh had sent a great deluge to destroy all life, but instructed Noah, a man "righteous in his generation", to build an ark and save a remnant of life from the Flood.

Out of a misguided sense of pity, Noah had given passage to the Fallen Angels who had defiled themselves with the daughters of men, bearing them the Nephilim. But their solemn promises had been broken, and the continued fornication had been concealed from Noah.

"Alas, how terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the man that's wise!" ~ SophoclesOne year into the voyage, Noah had released a dove to find land. On the second trip, the dove came back carrying an olive leaf in its beak (Genesis 8:11), which informed Noah that God had taken mercy on humanity and caused the flood to recede and physically showed there was some earth now above water level.

Deceived by the Nephilim, he was ignorant of enraged Yahweh's plan for mankind and despite their valourous attempts, the guilty angels were unable to lift Noah's family to safety and humanity perished at the last. As the waters began to recede, the task of resettlement would pass to the Nephilim. And the wicked would inherit the Earth.