And nobody appeared more astonished than the Archangel Michael, who was staring at me as if to say, 'Azrael, you've brought them into Heaven.'
But before he could get the words out, and as the souls still stood together, only beginning to realize that they could shift and touch the things they envisioned even here, there came the Light of God Himself rising and spreading out from behind the figures of the Seraphim and Cherubim, and very gently and considerately falling down upon these human souls, filling each and laying all secrets of each totally open, as angels are open.
The human souls cried with joy. Anthems rose from the Angels. I began to sing with my arms outstretched. 'Lord, Lord, I have your souls, worthy of Heaven and look what they have brought to Heaven, Lord, look on your creation, look on the Souls of those you evolved from the tiniest cells through flesh and blood and Sheol to your very Throne. Lord, we are here! Lord, it's done, it's done. It's happened. We have come back and you have allowed it.'
And having said more than enough, I fell down on my knees.
The songs had reached a frenzy, a sound no flesh and blood human could endure. Anthems rose from all quarters. The human souls were growing denser, more visible, until they appeared as clearly to use as we did to them and to each other. Some of them were locking hands and jumping up and down like little children. Others were merely crying and screaming and the tears were flooding down their faces.
And then the light swelled. We knew God was about to speak. We fell silent, en masse. We were all the bene ha elohim. God said:
'My Children. My beloved Children. Azrael and Lucifer stand with their Millions, and they are worthy of Heaven.'
And the voice of God ceased, and the light grew stronger and warmer, and all of Heaven became pure acceptance and pure love.
I lay down upon the floor of Heaven in weariness, staring upwards into the great firmament of beautiful blue sky and ever-twinkling stars. I heard the souls of humans rushing hither and thither. I heard the welcoming hymns and incantations of the angels. I heard everything, and then, in imitation of a mortal, I closed my eyes.
Did God ever sleep? I don't know. I closed my eyes, and I lay still in the Light of God, and after all those years and years in Sheol, I was safe again and I was warm.
Finally, I realized that the Seraphim had come to me, three or four of the, I didn't really notice, and they were standing over me, and looking down on me, their faces almost unendurably bright with reflected light.
'Azrael, God wants to speak to you and Lucifer alone,' they said.
'Yes, at once!' I sprang to my feet.
And far from the jubilant throngs, I found myself standing in silence beside Lucifer, in quiet, my arm up over my eyes, my eyes down, and near as I could possibly be to the presence of the Lord.
'Uncover your eyes and look at me,' He said.
Instantly, aware that this might mean my total obliteration, that all might have been folly and misunderstanding, I obeyed, and so did Lucifer.
The radiance had become uniform, glorious yet tolerable and in the very midst of it, broadcast in it, I saw distinctly a countenance such as our own. I cannot say that it was a human face. Countenance, person, expression - that is what we beheld, and the Highly Personal Countenance was regarding us directly and fully.
It was so beautiful that I couldn't imagine moving or ever turning away from it, but then it began to brighten, it began to force me to blink and to struggle not to cover my eyes rather than imperil my vision forever.
The light then became muted, it contracted, it became bearable and engulfing, but not blinding to us. And we stood, trembling, very glad we had not reached to cover our faces.
'Lucifer. Azrael,' God said. 'You have done well. You have brought souls from Sheol who are worthy of Heaven, you have increased the joy and bliss of Heaven; you have done well.'
We uttered a thanks that were anthems of adoration, repeating the obvious, that God had made all these souls and that in His mercy He had allowed them to come to Him.
'This makes you very happy, doesn't it?' He asked.
'Only if it makes you happy, Lord,' I said, which was a bit of a lie.
'Rejoin the angels, my Sons,' He said. 'You are forgiven for your transgressions - for your sin in tempting mankind in the Garden, and for becoming flesh and blood without my permission, and for having slept with the Daughters of Men. You are upheld in your hopes for the souls of Sheol, and henceforth, Azrael, you will be known as Malak Al-Maut, the Angel of Death, minister to these souls. Leave me now and do whatever it is you wish, but interfere no more with Nature or with humankind, since you insist they are not part of Nature, and on which point you are wrong.
I was overcome with joy, with... relief, you might call it, and happily I thanked God, and flew to rejoin the others, to embrace my Brothers and the Souls of the Dead.
4/4
But before he could get the words out, and as the souls still stood together, only beginning to realize that they could shift and touch the things they envisioned even here, there came the Light of God Himself rising and spreading out from behind the figures of the Seraphim and Cherubim, and very gently and considerately falling down upon these human souls, filling each and laying all secrets of each totally open, as angels are open.
The human souls cried with joy. Anthems rose from the Angels. I began to sing with my arms outstretched. 'Lord, Lord, I have your souls, worthy of Heaven and look what they have brought to Heaven, Lord, look on your creation, look on the Souls of those you evolved from the tiniest cells through flesh and blood and Sheol to your very Throne. Lord, we are here! Lord, it's done, it's done. It's happened. We have come back and you have allowed it.'
And having said more than enough, I fell down on my knees.
The songs had reached a frenzy, a sound no flesh and blood human could endure. Anthems rose from all quarters. The human souls were growing denser, more visible, until they appeared as clearly to use as we did to them and to each other. Some of them were locking hands and jumping up and down like little children. Others were merely crying and screaming and the tears were flooding down their faces.
And then the light swelled. We knew God was about to speak. We fell silent, en masse. We were all the bene ha elohim. God said:
'My Children. My beloved Children. Azrael and Lucifer stand with their Millions, and they are worthy of Heaven.'
And the voice of God ceased, and the light grew stronger and warmer, and all of Heaven became pure acceptance and pure love.
I lay down upon the floor of Heaven in weariness, staring upwards into the great firmament of beautiful blue sky and ever-twinkling stars. I heard the souls of humans rushing hither and thither. I heard the welcoming hymns and incantations of the angels. I heard everything, and then, in imitation of a mortal, I closed my eyes.
Did God ever sleep? I don't know. I closed my eyes, and I lay still in the Light of God, and after all those years and years in Sheol, I was safe again and I was warm.
Finally, I realized that the Seraphim had come to me, three or four of the, I didn't really notice, and they were standing over me, and looking down on me, their faces almost unendurably bright with reflected light.
'Azrael, God wants to speak to you and Lucifer alone,' they said.
'Yes, at once!' I sprang to my feet.
And far from the jubilant throngs, I found myself standing in silence beside Lucifer, in quiet, my arm up over my eyes, my eyes down, and near as I could possibly be to the presence of the Lord.
'Uncover your eyes and look at me,' He said.
Instantly, aware that this might mean my total obliteration, that all might have been folly and misunderstanding, I obeyed, and so did Lucifer.
The radiance had become uniform, glorious yet tolerable and in the very midst of it, broadcast in it, I saw distinctly a countenance such as our own. I cannot say that it was a human face. Countenance, person, expression - that is what we beheld, and the Highly Personal Countenance was regarding us directly and fully.
It was so beautiful that I couldn't imagine moving or ever turning away from it, but then it began to brighten, it began to force me to blink and to struggle not to cover my eyes rather than imperil my vision forever.
The light then became muted, it contracted, it became bearable and engulfing, but not blinding to us. And we stood, trembling, very glad we had not reached to cover our faces.
'Lucifer. Azrael,' God said. 'You have done well. You have brought souls from Sheol who are worthy of Heaven, you have increased the joy and bliss of Heaven; you have done well.'
We uttered a thanks that were anthems of adoration, repeating the obvious, that God had made all these souls and that in His mercy He had allowed them to come to Him.
'This makes you very happy, doesn't it?' He asked.
'Only if it makes you happy, Lord,' I said, which was a bit of a lie.
'Rejoin the angels, my Sons,' He said. 'You are forgiven for your transgressions - for your sin in tempting mankind in the Garden, and for becoming flesh and blood without my permission, and for having slept with the Daughters of Men. You are upheld in your hopes for the souls of Sheol, and henceforth, Azrael, you will be known as Malak Al-Maut, the Angel of Death, minister to these souls. Leave me now and do whatever it is you wish, but interfere no more with Nature or with humankind, since you insist they are not part of Nature, and on which point you are wrong.
I was overcome with joy, with... relief, you might call it, and happily I thanked God, and flew to rejoin the others, to embrace my Brothers and the Souls of the Dead.