Rebellion

By Kenneth John Marks

As I sat down to write this story, its basic themes had been much on my mind for a very long time: What did it look like from heaven when God created all things? What did it look like when Lucifer rebelled and was thrown out of heaven? What motivated him?

I've also been fascinated by God's Destroying angel, Abaddon, who appears many times in the Bible. I've wondered what he must be like. Unlike certain Biblical scholars, I do not believe Abaddon is evil. While the Book of Revelation mentions that he is the ruler of the abyss, the ultimate ruler of the abyss is God Himself, and God is not evil. Rather, every time Abaddon appears in scripture, he is doing precisely what God has told him to do. That is how he appears in Revelation 21, unleashing the forces of evil on the earth to bring about mankind's end, just as God foretold through the prophets.

Speaking of evil, this story also deals with its origin. It states unequivocally that God created the devil and the demons that live in hell. How could that be, one of my readers asked? How could a good, righteous and holy God create these evil beings? Well, I can’t explain why He did it; but I do know that He did do it, because this is absolutely unequivocally stated by God Himself in Scripture.

Certainly, before creation, no evil could have possibly existed because it would have had to exist in God Himself, and He is absolutely pure.

A reader also commented on the demons in hell, how ugly they were. She wondered how could God create such ugliness. Well, because one might consider God’s wrath to be ugly and terrifying, and these beings are the exact representation of God’s wrath, which expresses His hatred of sin and of evil.

As to the creation story in Chapter 8, I have tried to remain true to the order of events as they are described day by day in Genesis 1. But there’s a problem in this for us mortal beings who believe in the inerrant truth of God’s Word and who also believe in the power of human reason to discover a few truths about this great universe God has set us in. Our problem lies in the fact that the Genesis account flies somewhat against the current popular myths (fueled by that same very limited human reason) about how the universe was actually formed.2

To deal with such problems, I have applied the following three rules to my interpretation of the Biblical creation account (which I believe should govern anyone’s interpretation of God’s Word): first, the Bible is not a science manual; second, God does not tell us everything we might want to know about the nature of His creation; third, and by far most important, if something God says about how the universe operates or came into being conflicts with human reason’s current understanding, God’s Word rules.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fideli Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 19, 2011
• ISBN: 9781604143638

Kenneth John Marks

Ken was born in San Francisco California and grew up Hayward California. He attended high school in Hayward, college at the university of California at San Diego where he received a liberal arts degree concentrating in mathematics and the humanities.Ken, a born-again Christian, now lives in Portland, Oregon and is active in his local church. Ken has been a student of biblical history and of the Bible for many years.

Book preview

Rebellion

By Kenneth John Marks

Smashwords ebook edition published by Fideli Publishing, Inc.

FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

© Copyright 2011, Kenneth John Marks

No part of this eBook may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and email, without prior written permission from Fideli Publishing.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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ISBN: 978-1-60414-363-8

Contents

Acknowledgements

Forward

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Epilogue

Foot Notes

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

READING AND COMMENTARY

I want to thank Ms. Nichole Joor and Mrs. Kim Smith for their valuable help in reading and commenting on this book.

THE COVER

The cover was created in collaboration with Greg Gordon, http://nlemedia.com, using images from the Doré Bible Gallery found on http://catholic-resources.org/Art/Dore.htm. The Doré images were made available on this site by the Reverend Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D., Director of Biblical Education Loyola Institute for Spirituality, 480 S. Batavia St. Orange, CA 92868-3907, email: [e-mail]. Reverend Just has very kindly given us permission to use this material. Our heartfelt thanks go out to him.

FORWARD

As I sat down to write this story, its basic themes had been much on my mind for a very long time: What did it look like from heaven when God created all things? What did it look like when Lucifer rebelled and was thrown out of heaven? What motivated him? I’ve also been fascinated by God’s Destroying angel, Abaddon, who appears many times in the Bible. I’ve wondered what he must be like. Unlike certain Biblical scholars, I do not believe Abaddon is evil. While the Book of Revelation mentions that he is the ruler of the abyss, the ultimate ruler of the abyss is God Himself, and God is not evil. Rather, every time Abaddon appears in scripture, he is doing precisely what God has told him to do. That is how he appears in Revelation 21, unleashing the forces of evil on the earth to bring about mankind’s end, just as God foretold through the prophets.¹

Speaking of evil, this story also deals with its origin. It states unequivocally that God created the devil and the demons that live in hell. How could that be, one of my readers asked? How could a good, righteous and holy God create these evil beings? Well, I can’t explain why He did it; but I do know that He did do it, because this is absolutely, unequivocally stated by God Himself in Scripture. For example, He says in Isaiah 45:6b — 7: I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things. John 1: 3 — 4 states of Jesus (who is the creator God): Through him [Jesus] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made … and again in Colossians 1: 16: For by him [Jesus] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. Certainly, before creation, no evil could have possibly existed because it would have had to exist in God Himself, and He is absolutely pure.

My reader also commented on the demons in hell, how ugly they were. How could God create such ugliness, she wondered? Well, because one might consider God’s wrath to be ugly and terrifying, and these beings are the exact representation of God’s wrath, which expresses His hatred of sin and of evil.

As to the creation story in Chapter 8, I have tried to remain true to the order of events as they are described day by day in Genesis 1. But there’s a problem in this for us mortal beings who believe in the inerrant truth of God’s Word and who also believe in the power of human reason to discover a few truths about this great universe God has set us in. Our problem lies in the fact that the Genesis account flies somewhat against the current popular myths (fueled by that same very limited human reason) about how the universe was actually formed.² To deal with such problems, I have applied the following three rules to my interpretation of the Biblical creation account (which I believe should govern anyone’s interpretation of God’s Word): first, the Bible is not a science manual; second, God does not tell us everything we might want to know about the nature of His creation; third, and by far most important, if something God says about how the universe operates or came into being conflicts with human reason’s current understanding, God’s Word rules.

My hope is that you might find this book stimulating and enjoyable. I hope it makes you think about your faith. Or if you are not a person of faith, my hope is that you might consider the future of those who rebel against God. For their future will certainly be the same as Lucifer’s and all those who follow him.

Finally, this is a work of fiction. All the characters mentioned in reference to Jerusalem, except for Ezra, Artexerxes and Nehemiah are fictional, as are the events surrounding them. All the words ascribed to Ezra the scribe and priest are fictional, not taken from God’s word, unless Ezra, himself quotes the scriptures. Also the characters in heaven: Neahstari, AnteSo, MariSo, and Niri are fictional. The rest are taken from God’s word and drawn according to my understanding of their natures. The rebellion in heaven is certainly not fictional, though Abaddon’s role in defending God’s honor is the product of my imagination. The same can be said of the images of the creation scene in Chapter 8.

Introduction

A few things the reader needs to know

Most of the characters in this little book were introduced in my previous book, Prophet’s Son.³ Readers of that work may skip to Chapter 1. However, for others, here is a brief introduction to the main characters in this book.

Phinehas bar Eli was born about seventy-five years previous to the events of this story in the seventeenth year of the Persian king Darius, and about thirty years after the Jews returned from their captivity in Babylon.⁴ His father, Eli, a prophet of God, was sent by the Lord to the Jews in Jerusalem (in the Persian province of Judah during the reign of Darius) to warn them to return to following Him and His holy Law.⁵ Phinehas was married in his eighteenth year to his wife Esther. Shortly thereafter, Eli was brutally murdered. About thirty years later, Phinehas and Esther had a daughter, Rachel. At the time, Phinehas and Esther were the personal property of Zebulun bar David, a wealthy and powerful perfumer, who also had a personal and quite friendly relationship with the Persian kings Xerxes and later his son Artexerxes.⁶ Lord Zebulun had saved Phinehas’ and Esther’s life from Eli’s enemies by allowing Phinehas to sell himself and her to him. Because they were his property, Zebulun’s wealth, power and close friendship with the kings of Persia provided protection to Phinehas’ family.

Phinehas had become wealthy in Zebulun’s service and he and Zebulun were also the closest of friends. Their homes were situated within a few yards of each other in the northwestern quadrant of Jerusalem and their families shared everything. Phinehas’ wife Esther became like a second mother to Zebulun’s sons after his wife died, and she took care of his household as well as her own.

Since his father’s murder, Phinehas had harbored bitterness and anger in his heart. So bitter was Phinehas that he turned against Zebulun. This bitterness also led him to make some awful choices that eventually got his wife killed and his daughter kidnapped and spirited off toward the slave markets in the Persian capital of Susa. But through the merciful intervention of Almighty God, Rachel was saved and, after many months, restored to her father and to her betrothed, Zebulun’s youngest son, Asa.

Asa and Rachel had grown up together and it was always Zebulun’s and Phinehas’ desire that Asa and Rachel marry, which they did in the Persian king Artexerxes’ twenty-first year. As of the time of this story, Rachel and Asa had been married about thirteen years and had had many sons and daughters. The reader will meet David, Rachel’s ten-year-old son, in Chapter 1.

Now, Zebulun also had three other sons Daniel, David and Elias. Daniel, the oldest, married Abigail, daughter of Ezekiel the jeweler, another very wealthy and powerful merchant living in Jerusalem. Daniel and Abigail also had many sons and daughters. Azmaveth, Abigail’s nine-year-old son, will also be introduced in Chapter 1.

Living in Judah at the time was the scribe and teacher of the Law, Ezra bar Seraiah.⁷ He was a Levite priest who could trace his lineage back to Moses’ brother Aaron. God spoke and worked great works through this wonderful man, and he was highly regarded and feared by the Jews in Judah and throughout the Empire, as well as by the Persians, who acknowledged Ezra’s God as the king of heaven.

Chapter 1

Two little boys search for the Angel of Death

On a bright hot day in the thirty-fourth year of the reign of King Artexerses of Persia, in the ancient city of Jerusalem, two young boys, one ten and the other nine, ran quietly through its narrow streets that led toward Solomon’s palace, the administrative center of the province of Judea. They ducked out of sight from time to time, hoping not to draw too much attention to themselves. For Persian soldiers were everywhere and frightening to behold, their armor gleaming and their bright swords drawn as they cast sharp glances and menacing scowls at everyone who passed.

This was because chaos reigned in the City of God just now. The provincial governor had been assassinated over two months ago, and the Persians were on the rampage. They were claiming Judah’s enemies to the north and east had arranged to have this great patriot murdered, and that collaborators among the Jews had aided and abetted their scheme. Everyone knew who these enemies were: the Horonites and the Ammonites; and there were always collaborators among the Jews, or so everyone said.

This explanation might have been plausible had persistent rumor not cast some doubt on it, citing the arrival shortly before the governor’s death of a particularly powerful Persian general, Imanishs, leading an army of several thousand soldiers. He was said to be a singularly ambitious and particularly brutal man. That was why, it was also said, that many had lost their lives over the past few months. The Persian soldiers, loyal to the general, went from home to home, dragging people out into the streets and carrying them off to a certain dreaded room in the palace, from which none of them ever returned. Terrible, frightening rumors circulated concerning Imanishs’ purpose for all this killing in this four hundred thirtieth year before the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

As the boys made their way stealthily along one of the city’s narrow streets, keeping as close to the sides of the buildings as possible, one of the soldiers turned suddenly and looked directly at them. David, the elder of the two boys, skidded to a stop and ducked behind a large donkey-drawn cart, heavily laden with fruit. But his friend Azmaveth could not stop soon enough. He bumped into David, who then bumped into the cart, whereupon the hobbled animal jerked backward suddenly. This tipped the cart a bit and several oranges fell into the street and rolled toward the soldier. The boys’ breathing stopped, as did their hearts, or so they thought.

The scowling soldier now moved slowly toward the cart. David, afraid that his young friend might jump up and run, held him tightly and whispered, No, Azi. Don’t. Let’s just be quiet. Here. See. We can go around here, behind the cart. That son of a donkey will never see us. The trembling nine-year-old allowed himself to be led around the side of the cart closest to the building, opposite the approaching soldier.

Shaking mightily as he followed his crawling friend through the dust, Azmaveth hated that he was here. How, he wondered, had he let David talk him into going to the palace to see if Abaddon was really there? David was always getting him into trouble, it seemed. Now, with this killing menace stalking them, they might not survive long enough to endure their mothers’ scolding; or at least David’s mom’s wrath, which Azmaveth feared as much as his own mother’s, if not more.

And who was this Angel of Death, this Uthamel, anyway? David always talked about him as if he were God’s own destroying angel come to earth. Though he had heard his name mentioned many times, Azmaveth never believed he existed. Nobody the boy knew outside of his or David’s family really did. Why, the stories David’s mother’s father told about him were crazy, though Azmaveth loved the old man’s stories as much as any of his friends did.

Almost to the front of the cart now and seeing the soldier’s boots on the other side, David had just turned to smile a victory smile at his friend when a strong hand grabbed his shoulder and a gruff voice said, Got you, you young scamp! The child looked up into scowling black eyes in a helmeted head. As the point of a gleaming razor-edged sword came down toward him, he shrieked, jumped up, jerked out of the soldier’s grasp, grabbed his young friend, who had gone stiff with fear, and dragged him away as fast as he could. As the words Hey! You! Come back here! snapped at his backside, David imagined that the dogs of hell were after him; for he had heard (or thought he heard) the scuffling of boots and the clink of armor. He might have breathed a little easier had he looked back. Then he would have seen two soldiers laughing at their fleeing backs, pointing at the boys, bending over and slapping their thighs.

But he did not dare look as he ran carelessly through the streets for a few seconds, keeping a tight hold on Azmaveth’s hand. He then ducked into an alley and hid behind a pile of boxes. He pulled his friend down beside him, and they both curled up into little balls, their heads together, their eyes closed. Trying to suck in as much air as they could, they could only manage short gasping breaths, deathly afraid that any sound might give them away to the Persian soldiers.

But nothing happened.

David uncurled himself slowly and peeked around a box toward the street. No soldiers there; just the pedestrian and animal traffic normal for this time of day. Breathing normally now, he nudged his friend. Azmaveth slowly opened his eyes and found himself looking into the smiling face of his friend.

Anger burned in him.

You, David, he breathed out, still afraid to raise his voice above a whisper, what are you smiling at? David started to laugh. We almost got killed back there, Azmaveth said, pointing off in an indeterminate direction, his face red with rage.

"Oh,