SAGA OF DARKNESS VISION OF LIGHT
Chapter Eight - Primordial Being
by Dennis R. Cook
Once inside Old Blackgoat's rustic dwelling we
maneuvered Steven into the kitchen. It had the
best
light.
We had taken enough chances for one evening.
There
was no point in losing Steven in the middle of the
night
because we overlooked some damning injury. We
found
swelling above the left ear, and one shoulder
was
severely bruised. A tinge of drying blood from
nose
and mouth made Steven look worse, perhaps, than he
was,
but I couldn't be sure.
Old Blackgoat wasn't taking any chances. Sensing
Steven's need for medical attention, he wrestled the
boot
black
can of lamb oil from Steven's hip pocket, and
anointed our compadre with the stuff. If nothing
else,
Steven's bedazzled gaze disappeared; it hopped on my
face.
The
rapidity of Steven's recovery was astounding. I
thought about asking Old Blackgoat for an application of that stuff, but something on the inside
of me
said not to. Instead, I directed my attention
to the
big fella’ who had saved our bacon in the bowels
of the
cavern.
What were we going to do with him, I wondered,
while
listening to Old Blackgoat explain to Steven how
big
foot had stormed out of the pit of hell to rob
Death
of its newest presents. In my excitement,
I
interrupted him.
"Our moving the lamb oil away from the fire pit
and
cracking the sarcophagus in which he (I pointed
to the
big fella’) was imprisoned, must have done the
trick. It broke the spell on him," I said,
trying
to seem disaffected by everything. "Our main
problem is a tad more complex. Now that we have
mighty
man of old, what are we going to do with him?
He is
too tall, too broad, and too heavy to stand,
sit or
lie down comfortably in this trailer.
"And his comforts are just the beginning of our
problem," I continued. "I don't want to seem faithless, but what will people think of our giant
companion? What are we going to tell them?
How
will
our friend adjust to life in our quaint surroundings?Will
he always be gentle? Will he talk normally?
There
will be the problem of his origin. What kind of
lies
are we going to concoct? Let's face it, our new
friend
is not human. So.., what are we going to tell
people....we accidentally rescued an alien being from
the
clutches of fallen angels? Everyone from NASA to
the
Weekly Reader will be in Old Blackgoat's front yard
from
now till the cows come home."
"I think those are all valid concerns," Steven
said,
"but I think the more immediate threat will
not
come from health workers wanting to know if the
big
fella’ has been vaccinated, although," Steven laughed,
"I
doubt they will be far behind.
“No, Steven said, locking eyes with me to let me
know
he wasn't joking, "the occupants of those thrones in
the
belly of that mountain must have had mighty good
reasons for wanting to keep our big buddy captive, and
I
don't think they'll take his escape lightly. Every
black-hearted thing that ever inhabited a human body
from
here to Tucumcari will be after us long before
big
brother. I can't imagine to what lengths the
devil
will go to to get their captive back. We had
all
better brush up on our understanding of the blood
of the
lamb and the word of our testimony, put on
the
whole armor of God, and take up our cross, because
we're
going to have some overcoming to do!"
"Just imagine," Old Blackgoat said, "what
this
man could do for the faith of countless millions
all
over the world. His very presence at prayer
meetings and revivals worldwide could convert the very
masses
of humanity to Christianity. He could inspire
them
to practice what they preach..., you know,…,
faith,
hope, and love!"
"You are both right on target," I said, "but,"
pointing at the big fella’, who, at that time had
managed to find floor space for his tremendous torso,
"perhaps our friend will help us out a little.
Would
you
mind answering a few questions for us?" I asked,
taking
great care not to overextend eye contact with
the
big fella.
"I am Prometheus, the Cherub, born of the creation
of the
Almighty One that was before man," the creature
thundered, but in a tone devoid of malice. "There
is
no
need for you to verbalize your intentions to
question me. I know your thoughts. They have
been as
paintings before my eyes since you entered the shrine
of my
captivity. For you see, mine is the sum of all
vision, as Lucifer's was the sum of all wisdom.
From
the
beginning of the creation of God, I have seen all
things
as through the Great One's eyes. I have tasted
the
limitless riches of His glory. For eons beyond
your
wildest dreams I communed with the King of all
creation. I was rich with treasures men cannot
fathom.
"In that day Lucifer was like unto me. Our
playground was the expanse of the universe and realms
far
beyond your comprehension provided our dominion.Agelessness and timelessness were ours, perhaps to our
own
destruction. For there came a day, it seemed,
when
we could be no longer satisfied with who we had been
made
in God, and broke away from Him.
"Lucifer was the first to break fellowship with
the
Father. He became enraged when I revealed to him
that I
had envisioned the Almighty issue a new proclamation
heralding the challenge of salvation. There would
be
a
competition held to determine status and power in
heaven. Lucifer would no longer be the anointed
Cherub
of all
favor unless he fulfilled the conditions of the
covenant. The thought of being less than the most
favored anointed Cherub was more than Lucifer could
stand. He devised a plan to set up a Kingdom of
his
own
that would be greater than that of God, tempting
many
with false visions of greater freedom and power
beyond
what they had ever tasted by the hand of the
Father. Those false visions were created my me!
Prometheus!
"I joined Lucifer's mad scheme, never realizing
my
very actions had, as with Lucifer and many other
great
ones, disqualified us from the very prize the
blessed God was so lovingly desiring to bestow upon
us.
We esteemed ourselves wise, and became fools.
As
much as we were corrupted by the nightmare of our
own
creative abilities, we failed to see the justness
of the
Holy One's offer, and that cut us down. The
challenge was merely to remain sinless...a state we
had
maintained since the dawn of creation. How
simple! But as you say, hindsight is always
twenty-
twenty.
"I became enraged at Lucifer when his anger
turned
toward man, and though second in command of
all
his dominion, favored even in power above the
arch
angels Hell and Death, the lingering compassion
of
love toward God in me, compelled me to stand for
man.
I longed much to help man overcome his pitiful
estate
after his murder by ruthless Lucifer, but in
so
doing earned exile from the evil ones. I was
told
there was no room for compassion in their 'new
world
order,' only survival of the fittest. I was
deemed
unfit.
I attempted to rejoin with those of God, but
received such stern rebuke from the blessed Gabriel,
that I
dared not, choosing rather to suffer with my
shame
alone, than be made to feel shame at the hands
of
all.
"On the earth in that day were many valiant
warriors and mighty men, men who had been sired by
the
dark ones of Lucifer's hoard, a ploy to seal
man's
destruction. I saw my chance to blend in with
the
other giants of that day, and so, I took a mortal
woman
as my bride and lived as a mortal, but I dared
not
sire any children. What I did not know of my
deed,
was that the heavenly high council, the
'Watchers,' had decreed, as they had been given the
law
with which to guide the affairs of men, that
should
any son of God be found in the company of a
mortal
woman, the same would be chained in darkness
for a
thousand years.
"The decree had come too late, for already the
seed
of Lucifer's dark ones had corrupted the earth.
The
good seed of God could scarcely be found, save
crying
out from murderous blows inflicted without
mercy
by the wicked. Ultimately, the servants of
Lucifer succeeded in bringing the wrath of God upon
man
through unholy intercourse, and the continual
violence that was perpetuated by the seed of the
devil.
"When the flood came upon the Earth for the
violence in it, I was caught and chained a thousand
years
in the depths of the netherworld for my
marriage to a mortal woman. Though I sired no
children, it did not matter.
"I had many days to contemplate my wickedness.
How
could I have been so insane? How could I have
been
so foolish to leave my first estate and forfeit
my
place in the Kingdom of Heaven? I was not bitter.
I had
sinned the great sin and was without remedy.
At the
end of my thousand year imprisonment I strode
upon
the earth seeking an answer to my dilemma, when
Lucifer again confronted me with a proposition.
"Help me destroy God and the man He has made to
take
our place," Lucifer said.
"Go away Lucifer," was my swift retort, "I've
had
part in your schemes of glory, but they always
come
to naught."
"And I walked away. I knew Lucifer was not one
to be
turned down lightly, but I had no idea how he
would
punish me, and I did not care. After all, was
my
wretched existence worth so much as a piece of
gold?
I thought not!
"On my journey I chanced upon the region of the
Tigris
and Euphrates rivers, and there came upon the
great
high tower of Babel. A great celebration was
in
progress, and I was cheered by the knowledge I
could
drown my sorrows in the depths of a flask of
wine,
but I should have known that would mean trouble.
An
immortal diva named Astarte feigned my seduction
while
I was woefully drunken, and led me into the
trap
Lucifer had set for my imprisonment in that
sarcophagus where you found me. She was a demi-
goddess drawn by Lucifer at the time of our fall
into
his mad scheme of world destruction. When I
refused to use my visionary powers against mankind
as
Lucifer willed, Astarte took my place. Her
orders
were to create traps and pitfalls for man
using
any means necessary. The lamb oil was her
invention. Thus, I have been kept bound...,
bound
by words of that substance you, Steven, have
well
named, pure faith, lo, these thousands of years.
"Do you see my friends, how it pays to follow
Lucifer? I will follow him no more!
"But what of you three?" Prometheus queried,
"how
is it I detect the Spirit of the Living God
within
you? After the flood it was not so except
for a
few chosen of God."
"Please allow me to put things into perspective
for
you." Steven said. "The heavenly competition for
the
"most anointed" has been won by a man. But
that
is all I am going to say about that right now.
We
still want to hear more about you. For example,
why
was Death so afraid of you in it's own sanctuary?"
"Weren't you listening?" I scoffed at Steven. "He
said
that he, at one time, was second in command,
subject only to Lucifer himself."
"Oh, yes," Steven said, putting his hands
to his
forehead which was apparently still smarting,
"I
guess I'm not quite a hundred percent, yet."
"I guess we will forgive you this time," Old
Blackgoat said.
"I know my next question isn't redundant," Steven
said,
"but how could you have been kept bound
by the
substance of faith in that sarcophagus three
thousand years?"
"Is it not known in this day that words of
faith
can bind or heal, curse or cure, build up
or
destroy? Pure faith has no equal in power among
all
earthly authorities when activated with words
that
are void of doubt. Is it not common knowledge
that
the very fabric of all creation is pure faith,
and
that faith is the womb of all creation?"
"Well, er, umm," Steven stumbled for words, "we do
have
that knowledge, but I can't think of many who
have
become persuaded faith is as powerful as all that."
"I see," Prometheus said, "your world must be
in
terrible darkness without such power and knowledge.
It
explains much why Lucifer has chosen the earth as
his
battleground. There is so little resistance.
Faith
is the only shield, the only weapon that can
keep
him at bay.
"I do not believe that my freedom at your hands
was
mere coincidence," Prometheus continued. "I see
it as
a sign that the one we call Father has granted
me the
right of repentance, though I know not how. I
believe it is the Father's will that I serve you, and
learn,
at the same time, how I might regain His Spirit and
His grace."
Old Blackgoat laughed and rose from his chair.
"Well," the old sage said, "you certainly have
come
to the right place."
"All this sounds great," I said, "but what
are we
going to do about the problems discussed
earlier? We don't have much time."
"Just let me ask one more question," Steven
interrupted, "and then we'll tackle those issues.
How
can a corrupt being like Lucifer use the pure
substance of faith?"
"Faith is of the heart," Prometheus instructed,
"whether of the heart of Lucifer to destruction, or
the
blessings of God to eternal life. The great
monuments to the faith of man, though they are of
faith,
if they are not a blessing of God, are they
not
thrown down or scattered by the winds of heaven?
And if
man build a thing, and God blesses it, shall it
not
endure the ravages of time and stand forever?
“And as for your questions, Joseph,” Prometheus
said,
surprising me that he had remembered them,
"I
shall address them now. Don't worry,...I
have
many talents that will enable me to remain
unnoticed in your realm of existence. I do not
have
to
eat. Neither do I have to sleep. My body is
self
regenerating. Unless I ingest food or drink, I
give
off no waste. I do not need to bathe, for I do
not
stink with body odor. I do not need clothes.
My
body
adjusts to keep my frame comfortable in cold
or
heat. However, I recognize I must wear them
should
I travel with you as you see me now. But
observe..., as spirit, I can, at my will, disappear
from
your sight."
"Where did he go?" I questioned with amazement.
"I am sitting right here," Prometheus explained,
reappearing as miraculously as he had disappeared.
"You
see," Prometheus continued, "I have no need for
a
wardrobe. I can go with you all places and not be
seen
or heard. I shall talk with no one, and I shall
do no
violence to a human being.
"As to your most difficult problem," Prometheus
said,
"of now having to contend with three
dangerous devils for having violated their sanctuary,
I
shall be your defense. Whether together as one, or
apart
as one, I can travel to any spot on planet Earth
in
moments. And if I stay sober, I will always know
when
trouble is brewing.
"I must teach the three of you how to use the
substance of faith with power which will enable you
to
stand any attack of the evil ones whether we are
apart
or together. You see, I desire to accompany
you,
Joseph, and you, Steven, on your upcoming journey
to
this city that is of the angels."
"What?" Steven said, "city of....oh, you mean
Los
Angeles. Now I get it." Steven batted his
eye lashes
a few
times on that one.
"Yes, that is the city," Prometheus said. "I
desire
to accompany you and Joseph. I will be like your,
uh,"
Prometheus paused, seeming to search for the right
word,
"uh,...spy. I will spy for you.
"But, Old Blackgoat," Prometheus addressed the old
sage,
"since you will be here alone, I cannot leave
you
defenseless, so if I should sense that you are in
greater danger than you are capable of dealing with,
I will
leave Steven and Joseph and come to your aid."
Steven, Old Blackgoat, and I powwowed for a moment.
"What
do you think? Do we have any alternatives
to
Prometheus' offer that seem more logical?" I asked
Steven
and Old Blackgoat.
"Not in my mind," Steven said. "Finding
Prometheus has leveled the playing field. I mean,
considering what we know about our adversaries that
we
didn’t know before, what have we got to lose?"
Old Blackgoat remained silent for the moment,
choosing to look within before answering. "I
cannot
find a
restraining check in my spirit," the old sagesaid.
"But those kinds of smoke signals from theLord
have been hard to come by lately."
I knew what he meant..., we had been caught in
Death's sanctuary without so much as a hint in our
spirit's that danger lurked near.
"Is it agreed, then?" Steven asked Old Blackgoat and
me.
We both nodded our approval, but Blackgoat summarized.
"We are agreed," the old one said. "Joseph, you
and
Steven will take Prometheus with you to Los Angeles
tomorrow evening, but, if things get out of hand, here,
he
will return and help me."