At Hyde Park Corner, commanding the view, stands a monument known as Wellington's Arch. On top of the arch are four impassioned horses, their necks straining, their nostrils flaring, their fore- legs kicking the air. They are pulling the chariot of the Angel of Victory, who stands in confident control of the horses with one arm raised on high, a laurel in its hand.

"Michael, it seems to me that Wellington's Arch is a better depiction of a warrior angel than this," I said, taking a step toward the altar and pointing to the low relief.

"It does a better job of capturing a sense of angelic strength and confidence," he replied. I was glad my taste in art compared favourably with an angel. I turned back toward Michael and continued with my real question.

"Michael, you are a warrior. From what I have read, and heard, your role in the war between the angels was significant. Satan was thrown out of heaven when he rebelled against God. But I am curious about the battle. Was it a clashing of steel, of sword against shield?"

"That is how it is often depicted, for so men have fought through the ages, but that is quite removed from the way angelic battles actually work. You must keep in mind that we are not material beings, but spiritual. We have no bodies with which to fight. We cannot experience physical pain, nor physical death." Michael lifted both hands and looked at them and his torso before again looking at me. "What can a sword do to me, or to Lucifer?"

"It sounds like what we call 'Cold War.'" I said. "No one gets killed. No guns are fired, but hostility is there, waiting to break through and destroy the peace."

"It is only similar in that there was no physical death; still it was a very real war. Our warfare is spiritual and has much deeper consequences."

I raised my hand to question. "How is that possible? One would think that matters of life and death, which war obviously is, would be as serious as things could get."

"If one's existence ended with death, then what you say would be true. But spiritual beings like us, and like you, exist forever. In our case there is no physical body to destroy. None the less, there is suffering, and death, in a certain sense. ...In order to best explain our battle, I will begin by asking you a question. Would you rather be punched in the nose or be despised and hated?"

"Well, I'm not really fond of either, but the punch in the nose would be over more quickly and cleaner somehow."

"Exactly! You are not fond of either, because in both of them there is suffering, but in only one of them is the suffering physical. Here is another question. Would you rather be shot in the leg and limp for the rest of your life, or have a gnawing sense of emptiness and purposelessness for the rest of your life?"

A bit gruesome, I thought and then said, "I guess I would rather limp."

"Right again. You have chosen physical suffering as the lesser of two evils. Physical suffering is not the worst thing you can undergo. Spiritual pain is much deeper than physical pain. It was on this level that our warfare was fought. Not having the physical level to fight on, all of our experience of war is spiritual. The consequences of our warfare involve spiritual pain on levels you cannot, at present, comprehend. There are depths of despair, loneliness, fear and hatred which are so strong that they would destroy you physically if you ever had to tolerate them. The weapons angels use are spiritual weapons."

"Like what?"

"Light and dark, good and evil, truth and lies, love and hate - polar opposites. We all were living in a world without pain, suffering, temptation or evil of any sort - a perfect world. Lucifer took a portion of that world and made it into something evil. The difference between them is immense. Let me illustrate my point. Do you feel guilty after you sin?"

"Yes, usually."

"How guilty?"

"What do you mean, how guilty?"

"I mean, how guilty?"

"OK, I suppose it depends on how big the sin is."

"Have you ever done something that you know is really wrong yet you chose to do it anyway?"

"We are getting a bit personal I see."

"All the better for making the point."

"Do I have to include this part when I write down all of this?"

"No."

"In that case, yes."

"And you felt..."

"Absolutely rotten!"

"Exactly. Sin separates you from God - the greater the sin, the greater the separation. The greater the separation the greater the guilt. Now, you aren't an extraordinarily holy man."

I knew better than to argue about that.

"If you had been extraordinarily holy, and had committed this sin, then how would you have felt?"

"Even worse, I am sure."

"Right. If you fall a short distance, the pain is less. The higher you are, the more painful the fall. Lucifer was the highest of created beings and he has fallen to the greatest depth. The injury and pain he experienced was immense, since then, what he has inflicted upon creation is beyond description. Angels went from the deepest communion with God to the utmost in isolation. Inexpressible joy became inexpressible sorrow. Beholding the face of the Most High is to behold beauty beyond compare, an unceasing delight to the eye. For Lucifer this became an unbearable horror. In addition, he went from being a spectacular reflection of that beauty to being so repulsive that no eye would willingly behold him. But he would not be dissuaded. He chose falsehood and evil for their own sake. He was under no illusion that they were good. He was neither enticed nor deceived. He simply chose them with no outside persuasion. This perversity of choice is what sets him apart from all others who have yielded to evil."

"But how did he come to choose this?" I asked. Michael took one of the chairs in front of the altar and turned it so that it nearly faced another. He motioned to me to sit down. He sat as well. He stroked his chin and began to tell the story of the fall starting from the very beginning.

"Before time, before creation, before all else, there was the One, the Most High and nothing else. All else that now is, was not: no sound, no light, no space, no time, no matter.... In the midst of this void we angels were created. Pure spirits, we were created of the Spirit, with immediate and full consciousness of what we were and who we were, whence we came and the purpose for which we were created. We did not learn or grow as your race does. We were created perfect and mature. Still there was no material world. All that was, was spirit. There was spiritual knowledge, love, sight, and understanding, but there was nothing material - not like space with nothing in it, rather nothing at all.

"In a moment, that all changed. A word was spoken by the Most High which we had not yet heard. He simply said, 'It is.' Suddenly, creation burst into being, filling the void with the glory and splendor of sight and sound. In the word that was spoken were all things. That word contained all of material creation. 'It is' meant also 'Let there be light.' And when that word was spoken, instantly there was light. The darkness disappeared, replaced by light and colour. It contained a universe of matter, eons of time, immeasurable energy.

"From the moment we were created, we worshipped in reverence and awe as the Word fashioned the universe: galaxy after galaxy, each of them unique, their pattern never repeated. He no more spoke their name and they were created. In his word was their existence and their very essence. The power of his word immediately became the material of their being. The sound and shape of the word spoken gave them their form. With it all came light and colour and texture, one thing after another, all of them with their own glory and splendor, reflecting the glory and splendor of their creator.

"We worshipped without pause for the Word was creating without pause. We stood in amazement as we observed and understood each new thing instantly. Every moment was exceded by the next for depth of knowing truth and goodness and beauty. Even the most spectacular theories of your science, and the most beautiful expressions of your poetry fall far short of describing the experience of creation. Human beings are far from comprehending the vastness of the universe, the intricacies of its workings and the glory of its origins.

"In the beginning, all of creation lived in perfect harmony. Every created thing had its own beauty, which only led us to more profound awe of the Most High and all that he had created. But, of all created beings, the Most High made one which stood out above the rest. He was known as Lucifer, the bearer of light, the morning star. His glory was unsurpassed. His fall was unexpected by all of us. It occured in this way.

"The multitude of heavenly hosts stood before the throne of the Most High and we were addressed as follows.

"'You have seen all that I have created and how all of it is good. To see is good, but you must also choose. I have created you free, you may do as I instruct or you may go your own way. Each choice will be accompanied by its consequences, but as you choose, so you shall receive through all eternity. What I have made and all that I will give you to do will be good. It will be true. It will be beautiful. If you choose for it, such shall you receive. If you choose against it, you will receive that which is negative, that which is less, that which is not good, that which is not true, that which is not beautiful.'

"The choice for each of us, put simply, was for or against the Most High. We had watched creation and experienced our role in worship before the throne. We were then asked to decide for the good. To do anything less was to decide for evil. The Most High did not describe in detail what evil was, nor the fullness of its consequences, though what he did say was more than enough to make an informed choice. We knew the difference between good and evil. Evil was a diminishing of the good."

"What do you mean? I'm not sure I understand."

"There does not exist an absolute evil as there does an absolute good. Even now Satan is not an absolute evil. He was created good. That in itself means he, who is the most evil, is not absolutely evil. But there is another reason, much more profound: some of what he does with the worst of intentions results in the good of the Kingdom of God. This is a source of constant irritation to him. He cannot guarantee that evil acts will always have evil consequences. Certain types of suffering he causes often results in increased faith and dependence upon the Most High in the one who is suffering."

"OK, I understand that. But if you were supposed to choose between the two, why didn't God tell you more about evil, so that everyone would choose against it."

"You must be careful here. A choice against evil is not necessarily a choice for the good. We needed to choose for the Most High, not just against evil. We knew enough already to choose for the absolute good. We were beholding it. In addition, because of his absolute goodness the Most High would not describe evil, misery, pain or death. That we learned through Lucifer. In the end we understood evil very clearly before we decided.

"In any case, I don't know when Lucifer began thinking evil but I was among the first with whom he spoke.

"'Michael,' he said, 'have you noted how perfectly good all of creation is?'

'I am ever in awe before it and its Creator. Yes.'

'Have you seen the slightest flaw, or even the most minor imperfection?'

'No. I have not.'

'Nor I, so I have worshipped before the throne along with you and all the angelic choirs. Yet I have a question.'

'Yes?' 'When you gaze upon the Most High, what do you experience?'

'Perfect beauty, overwhelming love, and profound awe.'

'When you gaze upon me, what do you experience?'

'Why you are the reflection of his glory and his splendor beyond all others.'

'And when you gaze upon Gabriel?'

'It is the same, but he is not as you are.'

'There you have my concern. Beauty does not reside fully, everywhere. There is less beauty in Gabriel than there is in me, less in me than there is in him. Why should this be so?'

'Surely you err in your reasoning. The Most High does not err,' I said.

'Even so, my next point. It is possible to err. It is possible to be imperfect in our reasoning. Is this not true? Imperfection is possible. ...Another question has come to mind. Do you comprehend him when you stand before the throne?'

'Most assuredly not. His wisdom and power are far beyond me. That is also why I stand in awe and worship!'

'Again you are right. Your understanding is less than full. It is lacking. Why is it that we are not all as is he, containing the fullness of beauty and truth? Why are we also not God?'

'Lucifer you err. We are not God because we are not the Most High. We are created. We are part of the fullness of his creation, the expression of his creative, loving nature. But we are each only a part, we are not all, and we are not him.'

'Michael your reasoning is his. Is it not possible to reason differently.'

'Yes, it is possible but then the reasoning would not be true.'

'I am not talking about true and false. I am just asking about a different kind of reasoning. Let me give you an example. He is. All that is not him differs from him, as you just explained. That is why we are not gods. Yet the difference between him and me is not as great as it might be. There is a position in the universe, different from God, opposite to him, in a sense complimentary to him, as yet unoccupied. You might call it the position of the other God. In fact I believe there must be positions, infinite in number, to be occupied by those utterly different than God. Is it not possible that we are meant to take those positions. What is not yet, could be. It would fill up the fullness of creation. It would provide for what is lacking. You too can be as God, Michael. All of us can. Can you not see it.'

'Lucifer, we are not God. We are not the Most High. We cannot be other gods, for there is only one. You err. In truth, you err. What you suggest is false and evil.'

'False, no. I think not. Another truth. You say, One is true. I say, All are true. Do you not see the fullness of what I say versus the singleness of what you say?'

'No! Your reasoning is empty. It is false.'

'Yes, it is empty, Michael, still you do not see. Could it not be that it is empty only because such reasoning has never been done, even now as I do it, it begins to exist. It is an addition to all that is. How much more could yet be! Falsehood, emptiness, evil, all of these could be but are not yet. I could create them as he has created the good and the true. I too could author a universe. I too could create!'

'But that is not to create, that is to bend, pervert and destroy!'

'Even so! None of those yet exists either. They could be, and that is their beauty. So much is not yet, but I could create it all! I can ascend to the heights. I am meant to raise my throne above the stars of God. Then I would sit enthroned on the utmost height of the holiest mountain. I would climb to the top of the clouds of thunder. I would make myself like the Most High!'

"Michael," I asked, "Why didn't God destroy him then and there?"

"The Most High does not destroy what he creates. Also, Lucifer had, as yet, only thought falsely, he hadn't yet acted. It is not sinful to err in your thinking. He hadn't yet fully chosen. He hadn't rebelled and he hadn't declared war."

"When did he act?"

"Not immediately. At first he did not openly rebel against the Most High, but more and more he began to think his own thoughts. The next time I saw him, I noted to him that he had changed."

"'Yes, I have changed,' he responded. 'Is it already noticeable?'

'Your light has changed. There is darkness in it.'

'Yes, you have perceived it.'

'I have perceived it but I do not like it.'

'Am I not now more like him than before? Clouds and thick darkness surround him. Now there is darkness in me as well. You yourself have said to me that you do not fully understand him, and now you do not fully understand me! I am growing greater!'

'Him I do not understand because he is infinitely good and wise and beautiful. I cannot comprehend his depths. You too have a depth I have not seen before, but it is not goodness, wisdom and beauty.'

'Of course not, that is him, not me. I am different, and out of this difference shall come a new creation. I now see how I may do it.'

'Will the Most High permit it?'

'Most assuredly! How else are we to fully grow into his image and likeness if we do not create as he has created. To create something from nothing.'

'Lucifer, what is this darkness I see in you?' I asked.

'One might call it evil, or that which is other than good. It has a depth which even I have not yet uncovered, but I shall find it. The depth of my evil will be as low as the heights of his goodness are high. It too shall be broad, wide and deep.... Michael,' he continued, 'I have spoken to others. Many are beginning to understand what I say and are thinking like me. Come, add your strength to ours!'

'In rebellion?'

'No, not rebellion, complementarity. How much there is yet to create. Just listen: evil in all manners and forms. First there will be lies, not just misunderstanding or lack of comprehension, but a "No" that means "Yes", a "Yes" that means "No".

'But that will confuse, and create disorder.'

'Oh, it will create far more than confusion and disorder. First it will create mistrust, which will lead to independence and then to isolation and loneliness.'

'But why would anyone follow you if what you promise is mistrust, lies and loneliness?'

'Ah, you are asking the wrong question, but I will answer it anyway. They are curious. I have held out something to them of which they know but little. The only way to learn more is to follow me. They know that. Do you expect the author of good to reveal the mysterious power of evil? Of course not. It is there only for those bold enough to explore its depths. There are many who are so bold. Even among the sons and daughters of earth many will reach out to receive this knowledge. I dare say the first born among them will find this attraction irresistible. ....But now I will answer the question you should have asked. It is not, "How do I expect them to follow me?" It is, "How do I expect to lead them?" The answer is that I will create fear. But not the fear that we have before the throne. This will be fear of the unknown, fear of darkness. It will be terror, not awe. It will lead to a new form of servanthood. Unlike ours which is good and grounded in freedom, this will be slavery, which is evil and grounded in oppression. But, most important, it will be effective. My followers will fear my authority even more than his, for my retribution will be merciless. A world without mercy. A world without love. A world without joy. Can't you see how much more room that creates when those are gone? And there is so much to replace them, great things that currently are not: murder and war, slander and hatred. These will be the hallmarks of a bold new world. We will be unafraid to embrace the fullness of evil. It will be fruitful and multiply, far faster than good ever could. You must painstakingly grow your fruit tree to have your fruit. I only need chop it down to have mine.'

Michael interrupted his narrative here because he saw a slightly puzzled look on my face.

"Did you believe what he was saying?" I asked.

"No. Never."

"I am surprised that such a conversation could go on in heaven."

"Why? In heaven there is greater freedom of thought than anywhere on earth. We, like you, are given a free will and the opportunity to consider what is true and what isn't. Such a discussion helps in knowing the depths of the wisdom and knowledge of the Most High."

"Did you recognize the falsehood in what he was saying?" I asked.

"To a great extent, yes. I knew what he was saying was wrong. I am, after all, an intelligent creature. In addition, however, the Most High was not allowing any of us to be tempted without at the same time providing the voice of truth in our ear. It was simply a choice of whom to believe. Though I was tempted, for me there was never any question of whom I believed. I knew that Lucifer's ideas were evil simply because they were not in harmony with those of the Most High. How evil they were and how horrible their consequences, neither I nor Lucifer, knew at that point."

Michael continued his narrative.

"What followed happened quickly, in less than a moment of time. The presence of evil in heaven is not tolerated for a moment. For us your day is like a thousand years come and gone. The events of earth are very slow. As immaterial beings we are uninhibited by physical and temporal laws like the speed of light. You snap your fingers and say 'It was over like that!' We can accomplish much in such a long period of time. So when I say, what followed happened quickly, I mean by that, in less than a moment of our time."

"Lucifer left his normal position at the head of the angelic host and spoke to as many as he could. At the end, as he grew in readiness to act, and he drew more and more of the angels into his web of darkness. Near to me I heard him speaking to one of those he had recruited.

"'My son,' he began, 'how are you named?'

'I am called Tahm or Integrity.'

'I shall address you as Tahk. Do you know what that means?'

'Deceit, I believe, father.'

"I did not believe what I heard. Lucifer addressed him as 'son' and he returned the address with 'father.' I chose to wait, to see where Lucifer was leading.

'And what is deceit?' Lucifer asked.

'Deceit is the opposite to truth. It is its complement, just as hate complements love and strife complements peace.'

'Have you ever lied?'

'No I have not. You are the father of lies. We will create them only when you finally allow us to do so.'

'So why do you wait for my order, instead of one from him who created you.'

'Because he will not allow us to lie. You are the one who will create a world to complement his.'

'My son, you learn quickly. You will be a fine spirit of deception. You sound so innocent and guileless, but your gift of deceit will be rooted in bitterness and resentment.

'I believe I will like that.'

'Oh, quite the contrary. You will not like it. To deceive with the utmost effectiveness, lying mustn't give you any pleasure. Pleasure would simply distort you. Your rejection of pleasure must be pure for your deceit to be perfect. I will bring you to know bitterness. It is essential for him who is the son of the father of lies. Those whom you deceive will also be bitten by bitterness. They must also choose to deceive in self-interest or revenge. Don't you see how well it all fits together. An innocent one will be treated unfairly. He may remain innocent if he doesn't yield to bitterness. But once he does, you will use his experience of injustice and his acceptance of bitterness to lead him, through the power of your lies, to retaliate with even greater injustice. You will show him how to use slander. In using it he will ruin the other's good reputation as well as his own. Both will grow through it in their love (if that is what you call it). They will grow in their love for darkness and deceit. They will grow in their love for us. But we, of course, will not abide their love, for that will not be part of our kingdom. We will turn their love for the darkness into a hatred for the light. My son, you will deceive thousands. I shall put great power into your hands, far beyond anything that the source of truth would ever give you. You shall be great as I am great.'

Michael continued his description. "Satan turned to another. 'How often you smile. How quick you are to delight, Anag. Joy comes easily to you.'

'Yes, my delight is in others and therefore it is always at home in me.'

'Ah, but you know nothing yet of anger. You know the peace of happiness but not yet do you know the fullness of rage, when anger burns within like a roaring fire, devouring everything that comes near, unquenchable, unapproachable, a wrath-filled rage that is beyond description. Do you know of this?'

'No, this is the first I have heard speak of it.'

'Information has been withheld from you. It is your right to know these things. Are you a fool that you should remain uninformed? Why should it be that this has been kept from you?' 'But how will I learn of these things?'

'You won't. Not if you remain lost in your delight. To know its complement you must choose against delight. Only then can you learn anger. You must choose to follow me, then you will learn of anger, rage, fury and wrath! Anaf, Anger, shall be your name.'

'Yes, I shall be Anaf and Anag no longer.'

"Satan wasted no time. Already he had turned to his next victim as he sought to deceive many as quickly as possible.

"'And you are called Gabar the Mighty because you are powerful, but you will be known as Gabah. Do you know why I will call you that?' 'It means exalted, lifted up.'

'Yes, but once it has gained its full definition, it will mean proud! Now, have you seen those whom he has created which he calls, "the Sons of God, human beings, man, and the lastborn" Adam and Eve?'

'Yes,' was the response, 'they truly reflect his image and likeness as no other does, though they do not bear his glory as much as do we.'

'They do not bear our glory because they are corruptible. They are made of dust which can rot and decay. None the less, do you see the attention he pays to them.'

'Yes.'

'It is much more than he pays to us who worship him. Is this just? Is it right? No! But you do not understand him as I alone do. There is a reason for his behavior. His ultimate purpose is worse than the behavior itself. His love for us is not full. It is shared. He has diluted it. Believe me, I do not lie, I alone know his plan for these lowly creatures. He intends to exalt them - to exalt them to a position higher than you, higher than I. He who is pure in spirit as are we, intends to exalt these lowly, physical and last born creatures to a position where we will bow before them as servants. Yes, and even more, he intends to wed his nature to theirs and theirs to his. He would corrupt and defile heaven with their revolting presence, but this must not be! They will be kept in their place. We are meant to reign and to rule and they are to submit in servile fear. Who will reign with me? Who will take his place among the great lights of heaven? Who will lead others where they would not go? Shalem come with me. You can lead them from peace into confusion. I will call you Balal. And you who are noble, Chorim, you shall become Chorbah, the source of desolation and despair. You I shall use to bring the vile race to the most desperate of ends. And Maleh, you shall go from fullness to emptiness and become Malor. You shall drain them of their life, you shall drain them of their hope and their joy, with empty promises and unfulfilled expectations! I will set you as the adversary of many souls. They shall obey your commands and bow before you. You shall wander the earth doing as you please, devouring at will. You will no longer be bound only to this world. In freedom you shall roam following the souls of those whom you drain until they despair of life itself. Yes! And you and Chorbah shall work together. One shall empty and the other shall destroy!'

As Lucifer finished, the Most High addressed me such that all heard everything he said.

"'Your heart is pure and true, is it not Michael?'

'May it ever be so.' I responded.

'Have you seen the growth of darkness among those who worship.'

'I have, and it is disconcerting.' I responded observing how Lucifer refused to listen. Instead he conducted a dialogue with the angel at his right, saying, 'My son, Ebah, do you know what hatred is?'

'But I am Ahabah, Love.'

'Yes but how quickly love can become hate and Ahabah becomes Ebah. Ebah, do you know what hatred is?'

Ahabah answered, 'No.'

'Ebah, you do not know it because he, (at this he pointed menacingly at the Most High), has withheld it from you. I will not. Now you have said to me that you too wish to know all, both good and evil. I, my son, shall teach you what he refuses. I shall lead you where he fears to go, where he will not take you.'

"At the same time, the Most High continued what he was saying. 'Michael, it is right you are concerned. To each of them I have said what I now say to you. Many are considering choosing a disastrous course. Once upon it, there will be no repentance, they shall never return to the light and the truth. Should they act on this choice they will never return to my presence. I will not tolerate that which is evil.' The Most High motioned me to his side and said, 'If they choose evil, you are to cast from the heavens.'

"At this, Lucifer ascended higher, where all could see him. He grew proud in his looks, turned his back to the Most High, and spoke to all with a commanding voice. He began gently but then grew defiant. As he did, his light slowly changed to darkness.

"'My fellow angels, you understand love. You understand its force and its power, its splendor and its beauty. You have begun to taste of its height and its depth. But I say to you that there is something yet greater. A power untasted, a beauty unseen. It is a force so strong that it can overcome even love. I speak to you now of hatred. Even now I am tasting it, and as I do, it empowers me, and I empower it. Love displays its power as a force which holds creation together. Hatred is more powerful still, for it can both hold together, when it is the bond of mutual hatred, but it can also tear anything asunder, these heavens included. This power, which will make you like me and me a GOD, is being withheld from you. (Again he pointed toward the Most High). For he will not create it, no indeed, he cannot create it, for his power is limited.

"As he said this his light became very dim, so faint as to be hard to see. He was choosing not to reflect the light and the glory of God anymore. Still he continued.

"'I, however, have begun to create a new power, and I will give it to you, if you follow me. Its fruits are manifold and its uses innumerable. I tell you the truth and I do not lie. There are many gifts I have to give which will make you great in power. I have fathered deception, I am fathering hate, I shall yet father loneliness and despair, anger and woe, suffering and war, pain and sin and death. Death shall be my servant, as life is his. Death shall be my crown! In death you will be set free from life. You will not be shackled in slavery to him. You will then know not only what it is to be one with God but also what it is to be totally other than him. You shall know isolation and loneliness, where you alone are, and you alone reign. He would prevent you from having this knowledge. He has set limits and said we are not to pass them. He has bound us and hemmed us in on every side. We are being oppressed, prevented from attaining the heights of glory and power which are ours by right, a right which none can justly withhold from us. This injustice must cease. This bondage I will break. These limits I will destroy. All of you who choose to follow me will be free from the tyranny of this injustice and oppression. Come to me all you who are weary with these chains and I will give you freedom. Join me now. Say with me, "I will not serve!" (Now he turned toward the throne again, and addressed the Most High). I defy you, I renounce you and all of your limitations on me. I will not serve!'

"At this, the last of his light was extinguished. His reign of darkness had begun. Lucifer had become Satan. He turned to all of the angels, and shouted aloud, 'I WILL NOT SERVE! Join with me, 'I WILL NOT SERVE!'

"To my amazement," Michael continued, "many joined in immediately and others joined thereafter. He had sowed his lie in the minds and hearts of many, calling it 'new' and 'creative'. He stressed that all others could be like him. Nearly one third of the angels joined in his rebellion. As I watched, Satan grew yet darker. His became a darkness that could smother light.

"Ebah had chosen to follow Satan freely, and now Satan began to show him the consequences of his choice. With his hand he reached into Ebah's breast and began compressing the light with his own darkness. The light therein was shrinking, and a large darkness was taking its place instead. It was Ebah's voice that first manifested pain to the ears of the holy angels as he cried out at the torture inflicted upon his inmost being. Despite the agony, Lucifer held firm his grasp and stared at him, summoning all of his authority as he spoke, 'That my son is the doorway to hate. It is pain. Do you feel it?'

"'Yes.'

"'Have you ever felt it before.'

"'No.'

"'No, because I have just created it. It is new. Do you want more?'

"'NO!' Ebah cried.

"'YES! And you shall have more, for you have also now tasted the fruit of deceit, but there is still more: far greater in scope, with far greater depth and far greater effect.

"All were watching with horror as we saw the pain Satan was inflicting, a pain you can not comprehend. I was repulsed by the evil I saw, but among those who had chosen to follow him there was a different response. Fascination with evil had gripped them. They wanted to see more, even though few would have volunteered to be next

. "Satan saw the looks on their faces, and knew he had captured them. 'This is the mystery of evil. Even as it repulses it attracts. Yield yourselves to the attraction. Come deeper into the darkness. Its power is great. It gives me strength even as I create it. Let it live in you as you live in it. Draw from its power! You saw the power and splendor in the six days of creation. Watch now! In one moment I am corrupting what took six days to create. My creation begins in an instant! Watch as all things yield to my power. There will be no end to the darkness. It will grow until all is enveloped in it. First the willing and then even the unwilling. My power is growing. Yield to me! Wait no more! Make way for the king of darkness, the prince of deception, the ruler of the realm of wickedness! Welcome him! Welcome the twilight of light. Welcome the dawn of darkness!

"Satan's darkness grew yet again. He covered all of those who joined in his rebellion and as though he had a multitude of hands he choked the light and the life from each of those who had said I will not serve. The wail of agony was unbearable. Those who had not fallen shielded their ears. When the last of the light had finally gone from among them. Satan commanded, 'And now we shall learn war.' Again Satan pointed toward the Most High and spoke insolently and directly to Him, 'I shall throw you down from your place on high, and in your place I shall reign!'"

"Such a response must have been elicited some reaction. How could it be tolerated?" I asked.

"It amounted to a declaration of war. It was not tolerated."

"Did the war last long?" I asked.

"No. It was over very quickly. The Most High released the full expression of both his mercy and his justice - a wave of grace with the power to soften the heart of any being who had not chosen irretrievably against Him. At the same time it was instantaneous judgment against evil, for the Most High would not tolerate evil in his presence."

"What happened?"

"All around Satan and his followers was a nearly impenetrable darkness. Satan believed their combined darkness could crush the infinite and eternal light, as easily as his alone had crushed the reflection of it among those who had cast off their loyalty to the Most High. Yet Satan did not consider that his followers had chosen for the darkness, thus allowing him to destroy their reflected light and glory. The Most High never would never make this choice.

"Satan, his followers, and all of their darkness rushed toward the throne. It was unquestionably an act of war. We who remained loyal immediately arrayed ourselves between the hosts of darkness and the throne in response to an internal command from the Most High. As we did, I received into my control an immense infusion of light. I directed it to where Satan and his followers stood. At the impact of it he roared in pain, for light and darkness do not mix, and darkness cannot overcome light nor remain in its presence. Satan recoiled from the impact of the light and fell from the heights. As he did, he grasped all of his minions with a mighty sweep of his will and dragged them with him."

"As Isaiah has said, 'How you have fallen from heaven, O Morning Star, O Son of the Dawn. You have been cast down to the earth. You said in your heart, I will ascend to the heights. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit enthroned on the utmost height of the holiest mountain. I will climb to the top of the clouds of thunder. I will make myself like the Most High! But oh how the mighty have fallen.'"

"Michael, I can see the picture of the war, but I don't think I can comprehend the nature of its weapons."

"Most assuredly, you do not. Though you hear more, you will still be far from comprehending it.

"When I received the infusion of light, I was changed by it. Much more than light was contained in it. The light was the impartation of the divine nature. His glory and splendor and majesty now dwelt in me more deeply. This is one of the places Satan most erred in his thinking. The Most High is ever unfolding more of his love, goodness, truth and beauty. We can never exhaust it, because it, like he, is infinite.

"In this light was a taste of love much sweeter and filled with even greater joy. I grew in my understanding and my experience of love divine. I had thought I knew the fullness of the love of the Most High for me, and I for him, but I did not. The light also brought a revelation of the truth of the ways of the Most High and the falsehood of all that Satan had said. With truth comes assurance and confidence. I saw how right and just the Most High is. Foremost in this was mercy, an offer of complete forgiveness and total restoration. This was boundless mercy as far as I could comprehend it or experience it. There was also an overwhelming experience of his goodness: the purity of thought, word and deed. How holy is the Most High: unblemished, untainted and impossible to corrupt. It is why he is so easy to follow and obey.

"At the same time I saw the horror of the darkness, the fear, the hatred and all the evil that Satan was choosing. The corruption of his heart was instant and total. He was a being most beautiful, most holy, and became in an instant most revolting and loathesome. To experience the transformation was agony. To see the result is unbearable to any of your kind. There is only one possible response to evil of this magnitude when it refuses to be changed by the good: it must be judged as unfit for heaven and unfit to remain in the presence of the All Holy."

"So," I started, "In some way it was your weapon of light against his of darkness."

"In as much as light, love, goodness, truth and beauty are ever weapons, yes. The light that I directed was meant to purify him, to allow him to repent and return to the love of good and to forsake his fascination with evil. He merely had to receive again the light and the glory of the Most High. If he were at all willing, he could have received this greater revelation of the love of the Most High for him, but his response was to reject it, totally. He refused to allow it to affect him. He had fully, and eternally chosen against all that is good

. "As he and his followers fell, their self-chosen torture began. The choice for what is evil meant they were now separated from God, never again to know love, mercy, beauty or goodness. Their only companions are hatred, malice, misery and darkness."

We had been sitting alone in the Chapel of St. Michael for nearly two hours as I listened to his story. I was so caught up in what he had been saying that I was unaware of the other sounds in the Cathedral. Only when he finished the story of the fall of Satan did I seem to come back to the present. Both Michael and I remained quiet for a while, but then I felt as if I should say something to break the silence. At first I thought myself foolish. Only later did I realize that the question had come into my mind just so I would ask it.

"Michael," I asked, "have you ever been tempted?"

"Twice. One you have just heard, that of Lucifer seeking my aid in his rebellion. The second you will hear about later."

"Later?"

"Yes. We haven't finished, but we have finished for today." Michael stood, so I stood as well. "There is much we have to cover, but you must get it in installments. Otherwise you won't remember it. Go write what you have heard. Return this time tomorrow to this same place. I will be here."

I was a bit taken aback by the abrupt end of the conversation. I suspect it was showing on my face. I intended it to. I expected he would say something more. He didn't. He just stood there. The full stop at the end of his sentence was the full stop to all that he presented. It became obvious that I was expected to leave. I turned and left.

Walking to the back of the cathedral I couldn't help but think, "That was really strange." I don't ordinarily talk to angels. I was still convinced I had, I just couldn't believe I had. It is like bumping into the President of the USA by accident. It's not supposed to happen, but I guess it must.

As I walked out the doors of the church I stopped, trying to identify the strange sense that I was experiencing. Suddenly it was clear. I was reminded of my childhood. I believed that angels inhabited my church. Often I would be left alone in the church after the service. I was intuitively aware that I was not alone, but in the presence of many - many who were good. I felt I was somehow safe, and being in their presence mysteriously seemed to strengthen my courage.

No sooner had I left the cathedral than I became aware of another sense, and a memory attached to it. Again, as a child, I was convinced that demons lived in my cellar even though I had never seen one. The assurances of trustworthy adults that there was nothing to fear was not sufficient to allay those fears. When it was necessary to descend the stairs into their realm of darkness, I would do so with utmost caution, drawing upon every deposit of courage within me. I also carried a torch. Even as a child I knew that the light cast out the darkness. Somehow I hoped that they feared my torch as much as I feared them. My explanation was that the light constrained them to retreat under the stairs or behind boxes, and that it would keep me safe from their works, ...although I would still look over my shoulder regularly to be sure that none were about to jump me from behind.

A child is easily convinced that more than just human beings inhabit the earth. Angels and demons, fairies and leprechauns were as real to me as elephants and rabbits. My imagination was alive, and my fantasy world was just as real as my school was, but these two worlds seemed to operate on slightly different sets of principles. Both sets I found difficult to understand. I now see that my understanding of angels and demons, as in many other fields of knowledge, was woefully inadequate. As I grew older I made an all too common error. Instead of throwing out just what was wrong in my understanding of spiritual realities, I went too far and threw out the realities altogether. One should know what a baby is when throwing out the bath water.

I reached the intersection in front of Victoria Station, looked left, caught myself, looked right, let a car pass and then crossed. "How can I be so forgetful?" I thought. Then it struck me that I had better try to remember what Michael had said to me. I didn't want to forget any of it.

I returned to my hotel room at the Ramada in Houslow. I removed my tie and jacket, ordered a meal from room service, sat at the table, and did as I was told. I wrote down all that I could remember of what had happened. When I finished I reviewed it, placed it in a folder, and went to bed.