Imagine if angelic beings went to school to learn to become guardian angels. They would probably have a lot of questions about the strange things that humans do on earth. They would need to study humans closely and learn the best ways to lead them into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
Chapter 3
The Classroom
The new angels followed their chaperone through the doors and into a vast hallway. The roof could barely be seen it was so high. It was like one of the great cathedrals on earth. This gave the angels a lot of space to fly from one room to the next.
The hallway was packed. Angels flew from every direction heading to their classrooms. Chaz paused in the middle of the hall in a daze from the flurry of so much activity.
“C’mon Chaz!” shouted Sim from up ahead. He snapped out of it and flew towards the group of new students soaring through the hall towards their room.
By the time Chaz arrived to the classroom, Sim was already in the front row beaming with energy. The rest of the seats in the room were filled with new angel students. Only one seat remained open and it was right next to Sim.
“Chaz, here!” she said pointing to the open seat. “I saved a spot for you.”
Chaz looked around the room and saw the many eager angels talking to their classmates. For the first time he realized how odd his wings looked compared to theirs. His were dark while almost all of the other angels in the room had wings with light colors.
“Isn’t this exciting?” Sim said to him as he took his seat next to her. “I can’t wait!”
Chaz noticed Sim’s eyes go wide with amazement before he could answer. She was looking towards the door. Chaz turned to see a great angel landing from flight at the front of the room.
“It’s–it’s–” Sim started too say.
“I am the Archangel Barachiel. Welcome to Angel Academy!” the teacher said with smile. “And welcome to your first lesson.”
Sim’s hand shot up into the air before Barachiel could say another word.
“Yes?” he said pointing to her.
“When do we get to see a real human?” she said excitedly.
“You are eager and excited. That’s good.” He looked around the room at all of the new students. “This is exciting for you all. You have been chosen by God to be guardian angels. It will not be easy. There is a lot of preparation to do. Your job will be very, very important.”
An angel near the back raised his hand. “Sir, what exactly is our job?”
“Excellent question!” said Barachiel. “When you graduate from this academy as guardian angels, you will be matched with a human on earth to guard and guide. You will have one, simple task: get them to heaven.”
There was a pause as the angels considered this for a few moments. Chaz raised his hand and Barachiel called him. “Sir, why aren’t they in heaven already? Why do they even need us?”
“I’m so glad you asked that question my young angel. That is exactly what we will begin to learn today. And, yes, you will indeed get to see the humans for the first time. Prepare yourselves class. We are about to begin.”
The floor below them slowly started to change. The walls seemed to fade into mist and in moments they seemed surrounded by white fluffy clouds. These clouds began to circle around them and change from white to gray. They swirled faster and faster until a cyclone began to form at their feet.
“What is happening?” asked Sim.
“We have initiated the Time Tornado,” Barachiel said raising his voice to be heard over the rushing winds that grew in strength by the seconds. “We are heading back in time to the very beginning. Get ready to visit the Garden of Eden everyone. Here we go.”
Barachiel leaped into flight and led the way down the tornado into the base of the twisting winds and clouds. The other angels in the room took flight and followed him down the way.
“Did you hear that?” said Sim turning to Chaz. “Real humans!”
Chaz nodded and took the back of the line down the funnel. He still felt self-conscious about his wings. He didn’t want the other angels to look at him as they flew down the tornado.
He soared and felt the wind take hold of him spinning him in circles until everything was still.
He looked around. Everything was green. He was standing with the other angels in a lush garden.
Chapter 4
The Garden of Eden
The garden was absolutely beautiful. There was so much to see. The angels had nearly forgotten why they where there until their teacher Barachiel got their attention.
“This is the Garden of Eden,” he said. “You are about to see why you are needed as guardians of these humans. First, however, let’s meet two very special people. Here they come now.”
Barachiel moved to the side and the angels saw two humans walking through the garden.
“Humans!” Sim shouted but quickly covered her mouth and whispered, “Oh, can they hear me?”
“Not to worry, Sim,” said Barachiel. “They can neither hear nor see us. Think of this more as what the humans might call a recording. There is nothing we can do to influence the events as they unfold.”
The angels stared at the humans. “So this is what they look like?” asked Chaz.
“Some of them. Humans are all unique just as you are each unique. They look differently and think differently. All of them. But they are united and similar in many ways. We will learn more about all that soon. First, let’s listen in and hear what they are saying.”
The two humans were speaking, but not to each other. “Wait, they are not alone!” said one of the angels.
“Yeah,” said another. “They are speaking to someone else.”
“But who?” asked Chaz.
They listened closely and heard a voice. “Now remember. You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. From that tree you shall not eat; when you eat from it you shall die.”
“It is God!” said Sim excitedly.
Shouts of joy and excitement were exchanged among the angels.
“That’s correct,” said Barachiel. “What you see here are Adam and Eve in the original state God intended for them. Humans were created to be in union with the Lord just like us, the angels.”
Chaz furrowed his brow. “But if these are the humans and they are united here with God, why do they need us? They are already united with him.”
“The were united united with him,” said Barachiel. “Let me fast forward a little bit.” In his hand he held a remote control like the ones a human might use for a TV. He clicked a button and the garden around them turned into a blur. He clicked a button again and the scene stopped.
“Ah, here we go. Class, observe,” said their teacher.
The angels looked around then spotted Eve in the distance standing under a vast tree full of ripe red fruit. The angels flew towards her and landed nearby.
“She’s not alone,” said Chaz pointing behind the tree. “Look!”
A reptilian creature walked out from behind the tree. He had the body of a snake, but legs that made him look like a fire-breathing dragon. The angels gasped when they saw him.
“Is that . . .?” Sim started to say.
“Couldn’t be,” said another angel.
“Not . . . him?” said Chaz.
“Yes,” Barachiel said grimly. “It is him. It is the Evil One. It is Satan, the devil, who you know to be the leader of the Fallen Angels. He appears here to Eve as a serpent to temp her to sin.”
The serpent was speaking now. “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any of the trees in the garden’?”
The woman answered, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat or even touch it, or else you will die.'”
“You certainly will not die!” said the serpent. “God knows well that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know good and evil.”
The angels saw Eve look up at the fruit of the tree. She was deep in thought. Then she reached for one of the fruit and pulled it from the branch.
“No! Don’t do it!” shouted Sim flying up into the air in astonishment. “God said not to eat of it! We heard him say it and you heard it, too! The snake is lying!”
Some of the other angels nearby moved closer so they could get a better view of the scene. Sim covered her eyes.
“Look, her husband is there too,” said an angel pointing to Adam who was standing there with her.
The two of them each ate of the forbidden fruit. The angels were absolutely silent.
Finally Chaz spoke, “But they disobeyed God. They . . .”
“They sinned,” said Barachiel. “They sinned and have separated themselves from God. They no longer have unity with the Lord.”
The scene paused.
“What happens next?” asked Sim. “I can’t watch.”
“They were cast out of Eden. The serpent was punished, too, with his legs being taken from him,” said Barachiel.
“So, our job is to help them get back into this garden?” asked Chaz.
“No,” said Barachiel with a laugh. “A cherubim guards the gate. No humans will return here.”
“So, what do we do to help them?” asked another angel.
“Let me show you,” said their teacher. “Let’s head forward to the time period in which you will be guarding the humans.”
Clouds began to form around them and a tornado began to lift them up into another time period.
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