Chapter 4 – Better than the “Angels”
As he moves forward to his next destination, Daniel notices that his body appears to have gotten better. It’s more angelic features shine brightly, and his skeletal features have come off like a snake’s skin. His skin is smooth and feels like it has a sort of power to it that has been bestowed upon him.
“You’re almost there, Daniel,” Azrael says.
“Does it get any harder from here?”
“If you let it. I can tell you that the last place we’re going to might be the hardest thing for you to witness, but I’m sure you’ll make it through.”
“I have a bad feeling I already know what it’s about.”
“Don’t worry about it now. Just focus on what you’re going to see next. It’s going to be a bit personal to me.”
“Oh, don’t you start you, big crybaby,” Cherub says, “You’ve been through this more than a thousand times.”
“Going through it multiple times doesn’t make it any easier!”
Azrael’s change of mood because of the next trial makes Daniel feel uneasy.
His guardian angel sees this and assures him that, “Don’t worry about me, Daniel. This is only going to be a little emotional for me.”
“Alright.”
The next place Daniel arrives at is a garden. It has many fruit trees and plants along with various kinds of animals in it with a river that runs through it that they can drink from. It’s almost as if this garden is the Garden of Eden since there are also flaming swords around the entrance. Azrael hands one of Daniel’s luggage to a gardener who appears to be a higher angel. No door is shut on Daniel to transform his surroundings. Instead, the swords around the garden turn in synch with the changing of the garden until they stop when they’re supposed to.
Everything around Daniel is now colorful, unlike Purgatory. This all seems to be perfect until several angels fall to the ground in front of Azrael. Legions of angels bring down a legion of angels who have become demons. The two sides fight in the garden, which ravages it until the angels win and force the demons into hell. With the battle over and the garden destroyed, some of the angels mourn for their brethren while others comfort them. Azrael sits underneath a tree in his normal angel form with Cherub, as a small angel.
He says to the two, “You two were part of this battle?”
“Heh, who wasn’t? I remember it like it was yesterday,” Azrael says, “Fighting my brothers and sisters wasn’t an easy feat for me. Not combat wise, but mentally. Sure, they deserved it, but I still cared about them.”
“Why do fallen angels hate humanity?”
“Humanity is God’s creation and as such He loves you. You can’t hurt or kill God, but even if you could, they wanted to just hurt Him instead because they rebelled Him. What greater way is there to hurt a person than to hurt his children? Imagine what it does to a father when he is forced to kick out his children from his house and no longer see them again. Every time a soul rebels against truth and goodness, not only do angels weep, but so does God Himself, but when they come back, there’s celebration.”
“Celebration? For every soul that comes back?”
“Every soul is of immeasurable value no matter how much they do. That’s another thing. Humans have various decisions and points in time where they can be redeemed or damned. Fallen angels only had one decision at one time. They had time to make this decision and they were in the direct presence of God, and yet, they chose damnation because of their pride. I don’t blame you if you hate them but remember that hate is isn’t a good weapon against the hateful. Do what an angel above me does and tell them that the Lord rebukes them. There’s nothing we can do for them.”
“I see. That’s what I’ll do then. You shouldn’t worry about them much either, Azrael. You have new brothers and sisters in humanity that care for you now. Including me.”
“Daniel…You’re something special.”
A flood washes over the three as they smile at each other. The flood takes the garden with it, but Daniel, Azrael, and Cherub are unaffected and don’t move until they appear back in the garden in Purgatory.
Azrael says, “You know some people say that if you're frightened of dying and you're holding on to life, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the Earth. That line might be used in a different context, but you get what I’m saying, right?”
“I do.”
“Some of the people I’ve watched over and helped have seen me as a demon. I’ve lost some of them as a result because of my lost brothers and sisters.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I know, but I can’t but feel guilty. Don’t worry about me though. What you said just helped me get over something I should’ve ages ago.”
“I guess that makes me special, doesn’t it?”
“In a way.”
“Come on you two. We’re almost at the end,” Cherub says.
“Oh, that’s right. Daniel, you’ve gone through these pretty well so far. This next one might be a bit of a doozy.”
“I can handle it.”
“That’s the attitude I love. With that, you’ll see your wife and children in no time.”
Mention of his family gives Daniel pause. He knows he has to face them eventually, so he swallows his uneasiness and keeps moving forward to Heaven.
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