Fallen Angel - Chapter 2 - Forgotten Son
- FallenWingz
- 2 days ago
- 10 min read
Celestial Deceit
Fallen Angel
Chapter 2 - Forgotten Son
The group gathers around a table, pleasantly reading a plethora of quaint books. Medieval history, Greek mythology, Dark Age legends - a surplus of varying narratives combined to pursue the joint topic.
Genny becomes weak. Spending all afternoon scavenging Bibles of different translations, and other books surrounding the theme. The others in the group look content in their thoughts, blissfully marching through their work like it was in their nature.
The Angel of the Lord said onto Hagar: I will multiply your offspring exceedingly, so that it cannot be numbered.
Gen 16:10
Genny, contemplating the text, trying to understand the strange phrasings, continues to make her notes.
“Oh, so it's Ishmael that the Israelites come from,” she says as she drotts down her thinking.
The group lift their head in surprise.
“Issac”, Rubi exclaims.
“Huh? Isaac? What about all this…”
And God said to Abraham, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and thou shall be a father of many nations… will make nations out of thee, and kings shall come from you.”
Gen 17:4-6
“Is this not the tribes of Israel I’ve heard about?” Genny asks.
“Nooo, that’s much later. The tribes come from Jacob, Abraham's grandson, from his son Issac.” Rubi explains.
“Let me help. Take a look at this…” Rubi holds up a printout from her work.
And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, thou shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name…and she shall become a mother of nations; kings of people shall come from her.”
Gen 17:15-16
And God said, “Sarah thy wife shall bear you a son, and thou shall call his name Isaac. And I will establish my covenant for an everlasting covenant, for him and all his offspring after him.”
Gen 17:19
“See, Abraham has a child with Sarah, Issac, who has children, such as Jacob, who later gets renamed Israel, whose sons become the tribes of Israel,” Rubi explains.
Genny looks dazzled, losing track of the names, similar names, renaming, and the vast family trees that result.
Sera nods in the background, blissfully following along.
“It’s all very simple.” Voy scoffs, trying to read herself.
“Wait, wait, wait… How many tribes were there?”
“Twelve”, the group exclaims exhaustedly.
“So? Explain this,” Genny frantically holds up her book.
“As for Ishmael…Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he father, and I will make him into a great nation.”
Gen 17:20
“Where is it. Where is it…” Genny mumbles, and she frantically scrambles through her notes.
These are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bore to Abraham…twelve princes according to their tribes.
Gen 15:12-16
“Okay? So, he had twelve tribes, just not THE twelve tribes,” Voy slates, sarcastically.
“Haven’t you read through the genealogy yet?” Sera exclaims cheerfully.
Zad and Rubi laugh, knowing that it was such a Sera comment to make; no one they know cares as much as she does to memorise the genealogy sections.
“It’s all explained in there, I can show you later!” Sera adds.
“Sure…. Anyway, what about this?” Genny deflects.
“I don’t get it…”
And the LORD appeared to him by the land of Mamre, as he sat under the tent door due to the heat of the day. As he lift up his eyes and looked, behold, three men stood in front of him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth and said “O Lord, if I have found favour in thy sight, I pray, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be fetched to wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree…”
Gen 18:1-4
“Three men? Isn’t that odd to say?” Genny ponders.
“Hadn’t Abraham already seen God before? Like the vision in chapter 15 and when he had his and Ishmael’s covenants in 17?” She adds.
“What if it meant Lord figuratively? As in his presence through his angels?”
Voy rebukes, “Well, LORD is used to signify God Himself. The one true God, not an angel, not something in his place.”
Rubi quickly intercedes to ease the tension, “God's name is sacred. It’s not like saying ‘Abraham said this’, ‘Jacob said that’. Being the creator of the entire universe, reality, and space-time itself kind of demands a certain extraordinary level of respect. Ha, ha.”
“Yeah, and the dudes stage name doesn’t even have vowels," Zad comments. “We're never really given his full real name away!”
“Dude? Stage name?” Sera comments under her breath, herself and Voy giving Zad stern looks.
“Are you being serious right now?” they say harshly, as he shies away back into his book.
“Okayyy, but it only infers that they are Angels, or, well, two Angels and God. It never actually clarifies this.” Genny adds.
“Wait a min, who are these two angels anyway?”
“Haha, you don’t need to look into it this deeply”, Rubi responds. “You're just rambling again.”
“I want to know, I need it for my notes!”
“Michael and Gabriel probably”, Zad adds. “Those two are always by God's side.” The others giggle at his response, with himself still scurrying away behind his book.
“You mean it doesn’t SAY? Even with ‘The angel of the LORD’, the angels aren’t usually named?”
“Well…” Rubi answers. “The bible advises against idolism, especially against anyone but God.”
“You know, the whole destroying the golden calf and murdering those who worshipped it was kindaaa a big hint to that.” Rubi cheerfully adds, patting Genny’s head like that of a pet.
Moodily removing Rubi’s hand, she then persists, “Well, I want to know. Also, aren’t you supposed to die if you see God?”
“Sure. Besides Jesus, I guess” Sera answers.
“So…?” Genny adds.
The others look up from their books, interested in where her odd point is trying to arrive.
“Abraham lived? His wife? Others in his household?” Genny follows.
“Well…” Rubi gathers her thoughts.
“Also, three men? Why in the form of people? Abraham already believes!” Genny continues.
“You’re going to give yourself a headache!” Rubi worryingly deflects.
“Plus, it doesn’t necessarily say God… Just three men. It does mention the Lord many times, though…” Genny persists.
“Well, who else would it be?” Voy laughs loudly.
Annoyed, tired and increasingly agitated by being treated like a newbie or pet thing, Genny responds, “Well, if it was God in human form… Why did he need Mary for Jesus?”
BANG!
Sera drops her book in surprise.
“I mean, Jesus wasn’t born yet, and if he can just appear as a man, why have Jesus at all? Why not make him earlier?”
“Hahaha, angels appear indistinguishable to humans allll the timeeee.” Rubi quickly intervenes.
“Besides!” She says nervously, “Jesus was here for a very important purpose.”
Rubi continues, “To absolve the sins of man, past, present and future! To set a precedent for both human and angel kind, that man can live without sin. And to grant people access to repent and for their sins, redeeming their way into heaven. Forever proving God's eternal love towards people”.
Genny, unconvinced, returns to her work.
Time gets on. Zack returns with snacks gathered from the disembowelled vending machine downstairs. Sera neatly organises her folders - every piece of work sleeved, marked, and categorised to perfection.
Soldering on, Genny’s notes become vast. Her deep, contemplative thoughts are projected on her face, making Rubi giggle.
“How's it going on down there?” Rubi asks Genny. “You haven’t said anything in hours.”
“Good”, Voy mutters under her breath.
Genny grunts, only a couple of books in, more than sixty left to go, brings up the courage for yet another question.
“Wait a min, look at this… at the mountain…”
The angel of the LORD appeared, amidst the flame of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet the bush was not consumed.
Exodus 3:2
God called unto him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” Then he said, “Here I am!” Then he said, “Do not come near; Take off thy shoes for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Furthermore, he said, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, afraid to look upon God.
Exodus 3:4-6
“So, both the angel of the Lord and God were there? Or was it the angel in the burning bush, but God's voice through it?” Genny wonders, scribbling down beside the verse.
“Another one of your conspiracies? Hehe,” Rubi taunts.
“Something just doesn't feel right about this whole situation.” Genny taps her pen on her lips, her head propped up, lying exhausted in her other hand.
“You're new! Why would it?”
“This feels like earlier again!” Genny exclaims.
God tested Abraham and said, “Now take thy son, thy only son, Isaac, whom you love, and take him to the land of Moriah; and offer him as a burnt offering upon the mountain of my choice.”
Genesis 22:1
Abraham took out a knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the LORD called on to him from heaven, “Do not lay thine hand on the boy, or do anything to him, for now I see that you fear God, seeing that you without thy son, thy only son, from me.”
Genesis 22:11-12
“Okay, this is too weird”, Genny claims. “So, Abraham has all this difficulty having this son with Sarah. And it's so important that God himself intervenes and eventually gifts him…Issac. Even though he already had Ishmeal with the servant women.”
Rubi raises her head.
“Just to ask him to kill him? As a sacrifice?”
“It was a test to verify his loyalty, plus the angel stopped him before it went too far,” Rubi explains smugly.
Zad raises an eyebrow to see where this is going.
“THAT’S MY POINT!” Genny exclaims to the group. “Why was the angel there at all? And why did the angel stop it and not God?”
“What are you even banging on about? Some of us are trying to work.” – Voy scolds.
“I don’t get it. God appears to Abraham perfectly fine in the beginning, promises him this great son that’s so important it needs God himself to show up, and gives him this massive test. Then when the danger is real… And his life's at risk… He uses an angel? He’s not there himself?”
Rubi and Sera exchange looks of bemusement, letting Genny ramble on about what's on her mind to herself.
“And why do I get that weird feeling that this angel is not totally on queue with God's intentions?"
“Huh?” Rubi looks at her, baffled.
“I mean… God seems to have this grand plan for Issac, but it feels like the angel prefers Ishmael.”
“Okay WHat?” Voy exclaims.
“Didn’t you just bang on the last half an hour about God telling him to kill Isaac?” Rubi teases.
“Well, look…” The table becomes littered with notes from Genny’s bag, highlighted and marked with large red circles.
“Why does God and the Angel refer to Issac as his son? His ONLY son? Especially when both of them have met Ishmael and know he is Abraham's first son? Doesn’t that strike you as weird?”
Zad looks upon Seras and Voys' discomfort on the matter. Rubis' grin only grows wider.
“And God intends Issac to lead these kingdoms, as you already proved, but the angel seems to prop up Ishmael, telling his mother the same destiny?” Genny continues.
Genny looks up, bewildered by her notes. “Knowing full well God intended the foretold Issac to pursue this role instead?”
The patience of Voy grows thin. Sera, obviously feeling the agitation, puts on a weak grin to lighten the atmosphere.
“It almost feels like this angel wants to push Ishmeal's bloodline, whereas God wants to excel Issac’s, rejecting Ishmeal…”
“Okay! That is a MASSIVE leap and ten halves, there is nothing to support that. It even specified that God called Abraham to kill him. If your theory was true, the angel would tell him to trick him, and God would have to step in to stop it, not the other way around.”
Rubi’s head bounces back and forth, watching the exchange.
“Not if God was using a pretty risky way of not just pressuring Abraham's loyalty, but testing the angels too!”
Zad chuckles to ease tension. Sera hints to Rubi to interject, who is instead sitting back, relishing in what's going on.
“And why the distinction between ‘I know you fear God’ and ‘withheld your son from me’? Does this not prove my point that the angel is different from God?”
“That is ridiculous! What about Genesis 22:15? And many more? ‘By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD’ The angel is clearly God! How many translations do you need to prove that?”
And the angel of the LORD called Abraham from heaven a second time, and said, “By myself I have sworn, saith the LORD, because you have done this, and have not withheld thy son, thy only son. I will bless thee, and will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and as the sand upon the seashore…”
Genesis 22:15-17
“Okay, what about here?” Genny smugly points out another verse from a later chapter.
Then the angel of God said to me in a dream…“I am the God of Bethal, where you anointed a pillar, and where you made a vow to me…”
Gen 31:11-13
“Why was this angel, the one who specifies directly they are God, called the ‘angel of God’ and not ‘The angel of the LORD’? Is this not a more direct appointment?”
Genny taps her pen on her lip, thinking of what to write.
“A different book by a different author, maybe, but why break consistency only a handful of chapters later when talking to his descendant Jacob?”
“Besides, it always seems that this angel of the Lord appears when someone is being tested, or set up for some grand plan. Even to punish in some parts.” Genny concludes.
Zad stands up, asking if anyone wants some snacks, defusing the situation. Sera's eyes widen with joy, and she reaches out her hand. He pours out his stash with joy.
“Besides, why all these forms? A Man, Angel of God, Angel of the Lord? None of these are in the trinity?” -argues Genny.
“Haha! Don’t worry your weary mousy head.” Rubi mockingly nudges Genny’s chin.
“Yeah, you might get yourself AND us in trouble with these questions”, Voy scorns.
Sera looks over her shoulder, and bystanders raise an ear to the commotion at their table.
“We'd better talk somewhere else”, Zad interjects.
The group gathers their things and heads to Voy’s dorm room. Genny trails behind, stuffing her work into her satchel bag.
They arrive at Voy's dorm room.
Candles, ornaments, thriller posters and gothic music paraphernalia fully encompass her room.
Zad cautiously removes a scant item of clothing from her bed with his pen, unsure whether it’s something more personal, and far too scared to ask.
The group gather around and lays down their bags. “Crystals, black candles…. Hope I'm not a sacrifice,” Genny cheerfully teases.
“Besides fire control, don’t some of these things deter from those rules you live so harshly by?” - Probing Voy further.
“To some, perhaps.” Voy fiercely mutters, pulling a blanket over the crystals on her desk.
Genny laughs. “What, you believe in that whole predicting the future and talking to spirits stuff?”
“You… You don’t believe in spirits outside of the natural world?” Rubi says, playfully elbowing Zad.
“You grill me for evidence in the library, yet do you have any proof that spirits are real at all?” Genny chimes back, relishing in her moment.
Voy eyes Genny fiercely. “Trust me. Sprits are always much closer than you realise.”
“Haha, fun. Try not to fight everyone”, Zab interjects.
“I think we’ve mocked each other’s ideas enough for one day”, Sera gently chimes in on the banter.
“Fine.” Voy defects to another matter. “We should be safe to talk here anyway. My flatmates never dare go near my room.”
Zad smirks, “I wonder why.”