Rise of the Fallen Read Online Free

began.
    Elohim’s gaze penetrated Validus’s soul with love. “What is it, Validus? What has troubled you?”
    Validus realized that he was indeed more troubled than perplexed. “We discovered a stairway filled with blackness. It was cold and empty. What is it, my Lord? Where does it lead, and what is below heaven?”
    The warm glow of Elohim’s smile settled his soul with peace. “Tomorrow, Lucifer will gather all the angels of heaven at the shores of the Crystal Sea. There you will see what is below heaven. Do not be troubled.”
    The words of Elohim comforted Validus. He had wondered if their discovery and encounter with the blackness might have displeased Elohim. Validus shared the words of Elohim with Niturni, and he too was greatly relieved. They looked forward to the gathering with great anticipation.
    At the appointed time, the entire host of heaven gathered around the Crystal Sea. Validus, Niturni, Cadriel, and Persimus stood together. The sea was as still as glass, reflecting the beauty of the sky and the images of millions of angels. Ben Elohim, the Son of God , descended from the Holy Mount and hovered over the middle of the sea. From the first to the last, all looked on with great anticipation as their Creator lifted His hands.
    “Behold!”
    In an instant, the sea turned to utter blackness, and the angels stepped back from the abyss of darkness, startled.
    “It’s the same blackness, Niturni, like the stairway,” Validus whispered.
    Niturni reached down to touch it, but before he could, Ben Elohim stretched out His hand, and the blackness faded away to an image of beginnings. The sea became a portal through which the angels could view the hand of God as He began to create another realm.
    A formless orb of watery darkness appeared first. Then from the Holy Mount, Ruach Elohim, the Spirit of God, flowed across Zion and fell through the darkness and onto the orb. He hovered over the face of the waters until the voice of God echoed across both realms .
    “Let there be light.”
    The brilliant light of Elohim filled the realm below, and the angels marveled.
    Validus was filled with awe and wonder and also a holy fear as he watched the power of Elohim transform the blackness below into a realm of enchanted beauty.
    Each day for six days, the angels gathered at the Crystal Sea and watched as Elohim brought the creation of the Middle Realm into existence. Elohim called the misty blue orb Earth and filled it with seas, mountains, valleys, plants, animals, and every wondrous thing imaginable. In the seam between the two realms, He reached out His hands and dusted the vast space with innumerable stars, all testifying to His power and His glory .
    And then near the end of the sixth day, Validus watched as Ben Elohim stretched forth His hand once more and formed the crown of His creation, man.
    As the man rose up from the dust of the earth, Persimus the compassionate leaned toward Validus and whispered, “Last does not mean least, my friend.”
    The words crushed him with goodness. He looked over his shoulder at Persimus with tears in his eyes. They were words he would cherish and cling to forever.
    Elohim paused and then added the jewel to the crown of His new realm. From the man He took a rib and formed a masterpiece, and the man called her woman .
    When Ben Elohim finished His work, the indescribable beauty and wonder of His creation so filled Validus with joy that he could not contain the shouts that rose up in him. Millions of angels lifted their voices in unison toshout and sing praises to Elohim as they gazed at the new realm and the life within it . It was a majestic work of love.
    “Lucifer, Michael, Gabriel … come and see,” Ben Elohim offered. The three archangels rose up and followed Elohim down into the universe of man.
    Not long after the creation of the new realm, most of the One Hundred were allowed to visit the place called Earth. The stories they told left Validus pondering the wonders of