Seraph Read online

  “Do you rest with the body?”

  “Not usually, we never sleep and we are rarely ever tired . . . but after tonight’s events I am very weary,” John explained.

  “Well, there will be no rest tonight. We are going to see The One,” Ahadiel said.

  “The One?” John asked. “Do you mean God? Like God, God?”

  “Does this surprise you? Yes, we are going to see them,” Ahadiel countered.

  “Them? We’re going to see Jesus and the Father both?” John inquired.

  “Yes and no.”

  “Why do you call them The One?” asked John.

  “We address them by many titles. We call them by their Name or the Creator, Father, Son and sometimes we call them The One. Only they can help us, but we will not see them separately,” Ahadiel answered.

  “I . . . don’t understand . . .” John was completely puzzled.

  “It may become clearer in a moment. Hold on.” Ahadiel assured.

  Before John had a chance to react, Ahadiel opened a magnificent gateway and walked through, taking John with him. Traveling through the portal, John felt a sense of euphoria, peace, and tranquility. He also felt love echoing through the cloudy, sky blue, starry portal. He could hardly believe his eyes or his feelings. He just kept thinking that this had to be a dream of some kind. The last thing he remembered was lying down on his bed, but everything seemed much sharper than being awake, which is incongruous with dream worlds. They walked only a few steps and then John saw a light in the distance. A white light. It appeared when he finally stepped out of the portal. He arrived in a great, white hall, and there was a man on the other side looking at him. John knew instantly that this man was The One.

  CHAPTER 2

  She sat in her dimly lit chambers and waited for her lackey to arrive. According to her, she was waiting entirely too long. She sat patiently nonetheless, with her feet on her rock table. Her cavernous abode with its faint red glow she had sculpted out of the mountains herself, far from the reach and jurisdiction of the Evil One. Here she was able to be, to dictate, and to control without any interference from Satan. She was not a servant of his, but in hell everything and everyone belong to him in one way or another. Lilith lived in a mountainous, desert range far from the cries of the billions of the guilty that inhabited hell. There were millions of these poor souls where she called home, but they were buried deep in the sands of the Ottocom Desert, being afflicted by whatever they deserved. She didn’t participate in dealing punishment to the guilty in hell like her demonic counterparts, but neither did she feel sorrow, only apathy, believing that it served anyone right for rejecting The One and consequently making this place their eternal home, like she once did. No, Lilith was above that.

  She was astonishingly beautiful. She chose to take the appearance of a young woman, olive-skinned with dark hair that made her red eyes stand out, similar to how she was originally created in the Garden of Eden; it was her way of staying connected to the Creator. She was a strong, liberated spirit that conformed to no one’s will but her own. However in order to advance, even in this dimension, she knew she had to rub shoulders with the elite demons in this realm. So she set a series of events in motion, and her slave, Ornias, had an essential role to play.

  Just when she thought she couldn’t wait any longer, a deep auburn portal opened before her. She hated portals in her private chambers because she never knew who would walk through them. Usually when a portal opened in her private chambers it meant trouble, and although it did not happen often, high-ranking demons, or even Satan himself, opened gates without announcing their arrival, which always made her uncomfortable.

  This is why she requested of some, and demanded from those beneath her, that they walk through the mouth of her cave if they sought an audience. She stood and waited for the being that would step forth and when it did she was both angered and relieved.

  “Ornias! Haven’t I told you to never portal jump into my chambers?” Lilith yelled and began hurling fireballs at him.

  “Yes, mistress.” He cowered and dodged as best he could, “but I had no choice. Please believe me.”

  “You are an imbecile and I should feed you to Shaziel.”

  “NO, PLEASE, mistress, I beg of you no. I can explain . . .”

  “I’m waiting,” Lilith said impatiently

  “You’ll never believe what I’ve just been through.”

  “Try me.” She hurled another fireball in his direction and nailed him.

  He yelped with pain but continued as best he could. “Ahadiel has been hunting me down . . . and he finally caught me. . . . He was going to bring me before The One . . .”

  “Go on.” She threw another fireball that intentionally missed.

  “Well, he almost had me but I managed to escape. . . . I possessed a young man . . . and the angel did something that I didn’t think was possible. He too possessed the young man.”

  “Get to the point.”

  “Well, I got away because I jumped out and trapped him in the man.” He began laughing, marveling at his plan.

  “You did what?” She began working a big ball of fire between her hands.

  “I imprisoned the angel inside the man so I could escape.”

  “The depths of your stupidity know no limits.” And she let the big ball of fire go and it burned him immensely.

  “Mistress, my apologies but I fail to understand,” he said as he begged for his existence, writhing in pain on the floor.

  “Clearly,” Lilith reprimanded. “You trapped an angel inside of a HUMAN!” She hit him with yet another fireball. “You imprisoned heavenly power inside a mere human? If he has a spiritual awakening, he will have power to cause serious problems, not only for us but the entire kingdom. And what’s worse . . . what if Satan finds out what you’ve done? He will see us both to the Sea of Fire.” She shuddered. “Find him and release him at once!”

  “Mistress, I can’t. He is surely long gone by now, and even if I can find him, the moment the angel is set free, he will surely overpower me and arrest me. Either way, we have no choice but—”

  “—to continue as planned,” Lilith finished his sentence. “You idiot. You had better hope that your little mistake doesn’t become a big one or you will have hell to pay.”

  “Y-yes, mistress.”

  “Did you at least find what you were looking for?”

  “Mistress, I did. Her name is Andrea Lewis-Rose,” Ornias said with a wide smile.

  John looked at The One and could hardly move, let alone speak, as he was gently tugged forward by the hulking angel that had accompanied him on this strange journey. A journey that led them into a beautiful, great white hall that had pillars that went up to the sky, which was deep space with a multitude of stars in the great expanse, with the occasional shooting star and super nova. John was beyond words as he divided his time between gazing at The One and space. He had never seen anything so beautiful, so amazing. Any doubts that this omnipotent and benevolent being had created the universe were erased when he saw The One face-to-face for the first time. Ahadiel approached The One with a sense of familiarity, as if he knew this being since his creation, and knelt down before him. John was too shocked to comprehend anything as he stood there looking at The One with wide-eyed amazement until his chain was yanked down and he fell on both knees before him. John looked up and could see him looking back with a smile. His hair and his beard were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were like a flame of fire; and his body like unto fine brass, as if it burned in a furnace; and his voice was loud and deep. He also wore a white robe with a golden lapel, and on it were the words “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” John looked up and smiled faintly, and he could hardly believe that He, the Creator, God, The One, was smiling back at him.

  “Rise,” The One said.

  Ahadiel rose to his feet gingerly, but John was still in too much awe to even hear the word, and then The One spoke again in a soft, gentle voice that seemed to make ev
erything instantly better.

  “Rise, John, give me a hug.”

  John rose to his feet and greeted the man who died on a cross for his sins and rose from the grave in three days so that he may one day meet him and call heaven his home. He rose and hugged the Supreme Being and spoke his name.

  “Jesus . . . ,” John said. “Am I dead?”

  Jesus laughed aloud with genuine laughter. Each of the Father’s children always had a different reaction to him when they met, but Jesus’ favorite reaction was when he encountered the living who thought they had died.

  “No, you are not dead, but you are really here.”

  “Here? Is this place heaven?”

  “A part of it, yes. This isn’t where the saints come once they have passed from earth and are ready to enter their reward. But this is heaven.”

  “Am I not allowed? Am I being rejected?”

  “No, no of course not, child, you are here because you are not ready for heaven. You still have much work left to do on earth before you can come home.”

  “Where is the Father?” John asked.

  “He and I are one. You cannot see Him. My Father is far too holy to be seen by any man—you would be destroyed instantly. Man is too sinful to see My Father’s face and live, so that is why I address you. But always know that anyone who has seen me has seen the Father also because—”

  “You and the Father are one.” John answered, trying his best to understand.

  “Exactly, John,” Jesus assured him.

  “My Lord,” Ahadiel interjected. “We have a small problem.” And he raised his arms to reveal the manacles that he and John shared.

  “Yes, I see. I suppose you’d like to be free.”

  “Yes, my Lord, so that I may finish pursuing Ornias and bring him into custody. I almost had him and—”

  Jesus raised his hands before Ahadiel could continue his statement. “Ahadiel, relax.” He examined the manacles and saw how disgusting and dirty they were. The One could see the blood around their wrists and the barbs that caused them. He took the chains in his hands and when he touched them, the cuffs became gold and comfortable to wear. Gold from the cuffs to the chains that connected them. Ahadiel looked stunned and confused.

  “My Lord?” Ahadiel questioned. “You, you did not remove them . . . why?”

  “Yeah, I thought you said he was going to free us,” John added.

  “I will, just not yet. Walk with me,” said The One.

  As the two beings began walking with The One, they went from the great, white hall. Within a few steps they went through a misty fog and ended up walking on an ocean. John immediately panicked and began sinking. Ahadiel tried to pick him up, but The One held up his hand to test John’s faith. The One never spoke to John, and John never asked for help. He simply remembered the story of old Peter, and amidst his drowning he looked to The One and instantly found solid footing on the calm waters. Jesus smiled when he saw his faith and knew he was ready for the task that was about to be placed on his shoulders.

  “My return is near. . . . I do not know when, only the Father knows, but it is very near. I have watched the earth suffer under the curse of man, and it is crying out to me from the dust to the seas, from the heavens to the animals. Even my people who are called by my name are beginning to awaken, anxiously awaiting for me to return, to set them in their own land and set up the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. I have heard their prayers and I will answer them soon. However, the demons have sensed that their time is coming, and they are beginning to manifest themselves in physical form like the days when I once graced the earth’s soil. Some have possessed, others are showing mankind their true natures. Some people have taken to working for them, others have begun worshiping them.

  The wrath and reign of the Beast and the False Prophet are coming upon an earth that is ripe for their harvesting. I would rather that many more would turn to the truth first so that when I crack the skies, more of the beloved children would meet me in the air. You can help me. Fight for me! Face these demons head on! Loosen their footholds around the world so that my creation will have a spiritual awakening and turn to me. Will you help me?”

  Ahadiel was the first to bow low and respond with a resounding yes; John was a bit more tentative. He said nothing; he just stood there and looked upon The One.

  Jesus continued, “John, I know that you are afraid because you feel inadequate, you feel that you will fail, you feel you are unworthy of me to use you, but I will equip you with everything you need if you just say yes. Don’t be afraid because you don’t understand—Nicodemus didn’t. Don’t be afraid because you are young—Timothy was. And don’t be afraid because of your short stature, or that you are the least in your own family, or even if you struggle with lusts of the flesh; David struggled with all of those and I still used him greatly. . . . What do you say?”

  “Yes,” John whispered with tears in his eyes.

  “It is good,” was Jesus’ response and He touched John on his forehead and a blue inscription appeared, imprinting him with a burning sensation. The mysterious letters burned a bright, fiery blue, and the flame started at his head and then began to consume his whole body. From his head to his torso, neck to his arms, legs to his feet until he and Ahadiel were both engulfed. The fire burned brightly and fused the human and the angel into one entity. When the fire was extinguished he was covered head to toe in a white, blue, and black body armor suit. His whole body was protected and the ancient blue inscription was engraved on his forehead and disappeared. The helmet protected his whole face, and his eyes glowed bright bluish white. Two angels approached from the skies carrying two objects on two very small clouds. They landed on the water next to The One. Jesus took the first object from the first angel and placed it on John’s left forearm. It was a blue light shield to protect him. When John activated it, he swung it around to try to get a feel for it. It wasn’t heavy, but he was assured that it would protect him from anything. When John deactivated the shield, Jesus took the second item and placed it in his hands. It was a handle without a blade attached to the end.

  “What is it?” John asked.

  “It’s a sword. Well, it’s just a handle,” Jesus answered.

  “How do I turn it on?” John responded.

  “By staying close to me. This sword is connected to my Father’s Holy Spirit, the source of all power here in heaven. You stay connected to me and it will be your most powerful weapon. The suit has no power by itself; it only serves as your protection from the elements and from injury that you would otherwise sustain without it. Ahadiel will help you harness your new supernatural abilities. Take care of him and he will take care of you. It is important for you to be what I’m calling you to be, that you two learn to coexist. You are my guardian angel on earth and I will give you a new name. From now on your name is Seraph,” Jesus said.

  When Jesus said those words the sword powered up, and an erratic beam of orange fire shot out until it stabilized and extended about forty-two inches from the handle. The bright, burning, orange glow reverberated with energy, making it feel like the sword itself was alive. John could feel the warmth emanating from the weapon as he stared at it. The sword slowly began to cool and the double-edged blade made from blue-angel steel replaced the burning fire. The sword’s edges were extremely sharp and surrounded white-angel steel that had two words on either side written in the angelic tongue.

  “What does it say?”

  “‘Living,’ and on the other side, ‘Powerful.’ I have written the Name of my Father on your forehead. You have been sealed to do His will just as I do His will.”

  The sword deactivated and when it did so, John placed it in his sheath on his right thigh, then the entire suit powered down.

  “What do you want us to do now, Lord?” John questioned, not knowing if they should get started on a task right away or wait until they were issued a formal assignment. But Jesus didn’t answer his question; instead, he only asked that John close his eyes. John clo
sed his eyes tightly and waited for something mysterious to happen. After he thought he had waited long enough, he opened his eyes and found himself lying in his bed. John looked around and could see that his alarm clock read 8:54 a.m.

  The sun was shining in his eyes through the blinds in his studio apartment. He felt a little bit of soreness on his forehead. Jumping out of bed he ran into his bathroom and looked into the mirror, he could see the writing on his head but knew not how to read it. He only knew that it was the Name of his Father in Heaven, assuring him that whatever he dreamt actually happened. But before he could examine the mark that was emblazoned on his head further, he heard a knock at the door.

  Camilla Adams stood on the other side of John’s door, banging loudly. She had a bad feeling about letting him walk home by himself as intoxicated as he was. She had sent him over twenty-seven text messages and called thirteen times, until she finally fell asleep at 4:00 a.m. She even called 911 to file a missing person’s report, but they told her she couldn’t file a claim unless he had been missing for twenty-four hours. So she decided she would try and get as much sleep as she could and check on John first thing in the morning.

  She continued banging on the door until she heard a voice tell her that he was on his way. She breathed a sigh of relief and thanked God that John was okay.

  When the door opened, it wasn’t who she expected. She saw a tall, very handsome young man with bulging muscles and indented abs under a white T-shirt that was obviously too small for him. She looked down at the young man’s sturdy athletic legs—his strong, robust thighs were covered by a pair of high school gym shorts that began ripping from the new body wearing them.

  His suddenly handsome face sported a well-trimmed goatee and he had a buzz cut with a perfect hairline. Had she not been so attracted to the stranger, she would have screamed immediately. But then the man said, “Hey, Cammy, what are you doing here?” She screamed, simultaneously taking out the fresh pepper spray she kept in her purse, spraying the young man right in the eyes. John hollered, rubbed his eyes, and tried to remedy the burning sting. Camilla ran past him screaming to John that she was here to rescue him and telling him that he could come out now.