Enoch Primordial (Chronicles of the Nephilim) (25 page)

For the last part of the trial in heaven, Yahweh Elohim allowed the litigators to engage in cross examination and rebuttal. The satan stood next to Enoch before the throne. Yahweh Elohim announced the beginning of the next exchange, “Accuser, you may speak.”

The satan began with his first complaint, “On this fourth aspect of the covenant, the ‘blessings and curses,’ we find another series of un-covenantal maneuvers by Elohim, the first of which is the injustice of his capital punishment.”

The satan delivered his lines with theatrical exaggeration. It would have annoyed Enoch had they not been so self-incriminating. “What kind of a loving god would punish a simple act of disobedience in the Garden with death and exile? In the interest of wisdom, the primeval couple eat a piece of fruit and what reward do they receive for their mature act of decision-making? Pain in childbirth, male domination, cursed ground, miserable labor, perpetual war, and worst of all, exile and death! I ask the court, does that sound like the judicious behavior of a beneficent king or an infantile temper tantrum of a juvenile divinity who did not get his way?” The satan curtsied with a mocking tone in his voice, “Your majestic majesticness, I turn over to the illustrative, master counselor of extensive experience, Enoch ben Jared.”

The satan’s mockery no longer fazed Enoch. His ad-hominem attacks on a lowly servant of Yahweh Elohim was so much child’s play. It was
the accuser’s impious sacrilege against the Most High that offended Enoch — and the Most High’s forbearing mercy that astounded him. He spoke with a renewed awe of the Almighty, “If I may point out to the prosecuting accuser, the seriousness of the punishment is not determined by the magnitude of the offense, but the magnitude of the one offended. Transgression of a fellow finite temporal creature requires finite temporal consequences, transgression against the infinite eternal God requires infinite eternal consequences.”

The satan jumped in, “But why does a loving God punish at all? Is it not his obligation to forgive all transgression large or small? What kind of a loving God punishes imperfection? What kind of a loving God casts people into Sheol? That is not love, that is cruelty.”

Enoch sighed. He was already weary of hearing “what kind of a loving God” preface a horde of false accusations. But in the interest of fairness, he sought to address each one. “Firstly, I would like to establish that counsel is repeating a falsehood already laid to rest. It is not imperfection that is being punished, it is iniquity. Secondly, may I remind my accusing adversary that a
just
God is not obligated to forgive anyone anything. A
just
God rewards and punishes. Forgiveness without propitiation is the true cruelty. Worse, it is to denigrate the criminal’s own worth to nothing. For if the criminal is forgiven without the penalty being served, then both victim and victimizer have no value. But neither is “love” obligated to forgive, for that would make such actions duty and no longer gracious.”

“Ah,” interrupted the satan, “But there you are on the horns of a dilemma. For Elohim to be just, he must punish, but for Elohim to be loving, he must forgive. So if he punishes, he is unloving, and if he forgives, he is unjust. So I ask the Judge with humility, submission and deference, which art thou, cruel or impotent?”

Now that was a coup
, thought the satan as he let his impeccable logic sink in to the minds and hearts of ten million “holy ones.”
Holy, my rear end.

• • • • •

The moon cast its pale light on endless lines of rafts, built and portaged to the shores of Lake Urimiya. The Nephilim launched their rafts
. They paddled across the watery expanse, led by seven of the Rephaim, including Thamaq and Yahipan. Inanna stood on the shores staring out on the waters with her Anzu mount next to her. She thought of what it would be like one day in the near future when she would swim across the expanse of the waters in the heavens to take Elohim’s throne. Utu stood beside her like an obedient komodo dragon, his thunderbird ready for flight. His hands held the war trumpet ready.

• • • • •

Enki
on an Anzu bird and his four Rephaim generals led the expeditionary forces onto the Sahand range. Ohyah and Hahyah rode the final two thunderbirds as reconnaissance. The Nephilim forces had pieced together their sail-chutes and had crossed the volcanic terrain surrounding the Sahand. They encamped at the foot of the mountain and began their ascent.

Unbeknownst to the giants, they had
trampled the volcanic rock ceiling of the underground city of Sahandria, home of the Karabu giant killers. The Adamite cave dwellers had not been warned of the planned invasion because of Methuselah’s capture. But the sound of twelve thousand Nephilim foot soldiers stomping overhead was warning enough. Lookouts had spotted the Nephilim long before they arrived, and the Karabu were already suited up and ready for battle. They simply waited for the right moment.

• • • • •

Cain was unearthed at dark
. He bid farewell to his comrade-in-arms, Inanna, and her armed force of demigods. It took only a few hours to fly back to his Hidden Valley.

When he
arrived, a downcast Awan and her pack of wolves greeted him. He learned that their prisoners had escaped in broad daylight. She had no idea how it happened. She had turned her head and they were suddenly gone. She wondered if they had put a spell on her and the guards. But when they had heard the roar of Behemoth signaling their exit, she knew they were either dead and eaten or long gone into the Zagros mountain range, where no doubt they were quite at home in evading detection.

Cain flushed with anger.
He suppressed the emotion to maintain control of the situation.

“You said you heard Behemoth?”
he asked.

“Yes,” said Awan. “But when we checked the valley exit, we found nothing. No blood, no sign of struggle.”

Cain said, “Had it entered your thoughts that they may have possibly engaged in a deceit to make you
think
they had escaped or were eaten?”

Awan was silent. She had not thought of it.

“Had you considered that they may in fact be hiding somewhere in this valley, waiting for a better opportunity or better course for departure?”

“No, my lord and god,” said Awan.

“I want the entire pack ready for the hunt, NOW!” he yelled.

She bowed in submission and ran to alert the others.

I had them,
thought Cain.
I had them in my hands, and they slipped through.
It burned like a knife in his back, one that kept burning.
I have sought all my life for this opportunity and now I have been betrayed by my own clan. My own clan. I have nothing. I have no one. I am alone, utterly alone. Elohim has stolen my revenge.

He heard the howls of the wolf tribe already on the chase for human blood.

Maybe I will kill the whole tribe when this is over,
thought Cain.

After the satan
trumpeted his philosophical dilemma of an unloving or unjust God, Enoch was about to respond when the entrance of another counselor to his team interrupted him. He came from the right hand of the throne of the Ancient of Days and whispered to Enoch. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. But when he whispered, it was a still small voice heard only by his listener.

It was the Son of Man, the “second power in heaven.” The first one
he spoke to was Uriel. The Son of Man whispered something to him and Uriel immediately excused himself from the throne room.

Then the Son of Man walked
to Enoch and gave him counsel. Enoch could see the satan visibly shaken by the presence of this glorious being. It was as if he knew his case was instantly lost. Enoch had seen this “Son of Man” in his dreams when he was on earth, but after ascending into heaven, he came to know him. There he learned that this Son of Man was also a Son of Elohim, but not like all the other heavenly host. He was the Firstborn, a species-unique, uncreated Son of God. And now, he had joined the defense. Everything would change.

After receiving counsel, Enoch spoke, “There is a third way, not addressed by the satan’s dilemma. And that is substitutionary atonement.”

The satan scoffed with derision. He was so loud, he turned heads. “I knew he would pull this.”

Enoch continued, “The purpose of blood sacrifice is to place the penalty of the guilty upon an unblemished innocent. The shed blood satisfies divine wrath for justice, which makes forgiveness of the repentant covenant-breaker possible.”

“Barbaric!” barked the satan. “Slaughtering innocent precious animals for the bloodlust of divinity. This animal cruelty is despicable and disgusting.”

In truth, it
was not despicable or disgusting to the satan or the rest of the rebel Watchers. They had set up their own religion of blood sacrifice that would substitute humans for animals. Children seemed to please them the most. Children in great numbers. Cutting their hearts out and piling their bodies into a pit. The Great Goddess Earth Mother was the most voracious, with a ravenous appetite like Sheol. Her tree rings consisted of the corpses of human vermin, the virus of the planet. But the satan did not have the luxury of consistency, he was trying to win a case.

• • • • •

Lake Urimiya
stretched out about thirty leagues, but was only ten leagues wide. The flotilla of Nephilim warriors crossed at the shortest point, a distance of only half the full width. It was the largest salt water lake in the entire region.

But it was also one of several key openings to the Abyss.

The Abyss contained the great waters below the earth that fed the waters above and formed the overhead to the underworld of Sheol. It was this same Abyss whose waters rose to the surface of the black lake in Mount Hermon’s bowels. It was this same Abyss that was one of the only things on earth that Nephilim feared. And that is because it was this same Abyss that was the abode of Rahab the sea dragon of chaos.

Climbing Nephilim covered the base of the Sahand range like termites on a tree. Enki on one of the Anzu birds flew overhead with a strategic eye, noting the progress of the masses below. About half of their forces were ready for the next wave.

At that moment, t
he Karabu slid out from their hiding places and crevice openings. They attacked the Nephilim at the base of the mountain.

The Nephilim forces were
divided into two units, those climbing and those waiting to climb. But the six thousand at the bottom of the mountain would still be a difficult victory for the three hundred members of the vanishing secret order of giant killers. The battle form of the Karabu was referred to as “the dance of death,” which showed itself as the Karabu attacked. They came at the Nephilim in clothing the color of the volcanic rock around them. The Nephilim did not even know what hit them. By the time they could get their bearings on the hostile force cutting them down, they had already lost nearly a thousand giants.

The Nephilim below pulled in their ranks to fight the spinning, twisting, flipping, near invisible enemy. The Nephilim above saw the slaughter
, but kept climbing toward their launch point above.

• • • • •

In the Hidden Valley, Cain’s pack
spread out into the entire basin in search of their prey. But their prey had been working all day at setting traps. They were ready for the pack. The odds were about three to one, against the escaped captives. Except that there were two minor details that Cain did not take into account. These three prey were giant killers and they were not afraid of mangy dogs.

Methuselah, Lamech, and Betenos had not been able to
collect their homemade weapons before they slipped out of the village. They had one knife and would rely on their traps to alleviate their handicap.

The first pack of eight wolves that ran across a scent became overconfident with zeal as they saw their quarry
. Betenos and Lamech struggled up the rocky side of the valley. Lamech stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud.

The pack ran like the wind, yipping with victory
. Seconds before reaching the prey, the ground gave way beneath them. The branches and leaves covering the pit full of carved spikes gave way. The wolves had thrown caution to the wind. Because they ran as one, they all fell as one into the pit.

All eight of them were skewered and impaled through their legs, throats and bellies. The few that did not die
immediately yelped and whimpered in pain. Long spears carved by the team’s lone knife finished them off.

A sound in the brush startled the team.
Had they missed one? They drew their pathetic weapons, a few pointy sticks for Methuselah and Betenos, and a blunt useless knife for Lamech.

It
was not a wolf that stepped out. It was Uriel.

“We thought you were gone,” said Betenos.

“No. I was just teasing you,” said Uriel.

They
did not laugh.

“Oh, come on,” said Uriel. “I
was not going to let you get killed
that
easily.”

Methuselah was angry. “Have you come to give us more ‘encouragement from the Lord’?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I have,” said Uriel. “But this time in the form you prefer.”

He reach
ed into the brush and pulled out a large bag. He threw it at their feet.

Uriel said, “I think even you are going to thank me for this one, Methuselah.”

Methuselah stared at him dubiously. It was hard to know what this crazy angel was going to say or do next.

Betenos
bent down and opened the bag. She pulled out a bow and a quiver of arrows and a rack of javelins.

“Our angelic weapons!” she
exclaimed She handed the javelins to a slightly less peeved Methuselah.

Methuselah growled, “
It is about time.”

“
You are welcome,” replied Uriel.

Uriel
strode up to Lamech. He knew he had nothing in the bag. Uriel reached behind his own belt and drew out a familiar handle with rolled up blade. “You did not think I would forget about you, did you, Lamech?”

A big broad grin spread across Lamech’s face as he unfurled Rahab into the dust
. He snapped a sapling in half.

“Please give our regards to Elohim,” said Lamech.

“Oh, I am not going anywhere,” said Uriel. “I am supposed to guard over you.”

“What, now
you are my guardian angel?” said Lamech.

“
Do not flatter yourself, Lamech,” said Uriel. “I would not miss this for the world.” He drew his shimmering sword from its sheath with the sound of metal crossing metal.