Sheer ecstasy crossed his countenance. His brothers forgotten, slowly he dropped his arm from his face, his eyes gradually attuning to the blinding, iridescent radiance that cascaded down on Lucifer in blazing, shimmering light streams. He raised his countenance, shaking his head from side to side, bathing his features in the prisms of white fire, recklessly drinking in the intense brilliance.
Turning his face to the panorama of light before him, he bowed his head, lifting his arms wide to heaven, the strong, masculine hands spread wide in reverence.
‘Our Father . . . ’
The light intensified dramatically.
‘Creator . . . Preserver . . . ’
The shimmering increased tenfold, radiating from deep inside the vast range of the Golden Mountains.
Outside the palace, the outer brilliance of the radiance emanated from thousands of translucent, angelic forms and white eagles, which blanketed the vast golden mountain and the translucent Crystal Palace that rose thousands of leagues beyond the white, swirling mists.
Surrounding the palace’s perimeter was an immense, towering jasper wall, over one hundred feet wide and four hundred feet high, studded with clusters of diamonds, emeralds, jacinth, amethyst, jade, and lapis lazuli, all exuding their own dazzling light. Beyond the northern wall, almost completely obscured by the mountain, stretched the infinite onyx plains of the Mount of the North, the mount of angelic assembly, where a hundred million of the angelic host gathered in legions serving under the three great angelic regents: the archangels. The chief princes. Yehovah’s three mighty warriors and commanders: Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer.
Rising above the western wall was the splendid Palace of Archangels where the three brothers dwelt in harmony and kinship – a triune brotherhood. Michael, the chief prince and holy commander-in-chief of Yehovah’s angelic hosts, filled with valour, honour, and might. Michael, the warrior. Gabriel, the revelator – the youngest prince, filled with wisdom and justice and soon to be inaugurated. And the eldest of the three brothers, most adored of heaven, Lucifer, the light-bearer, prince regent, and Yehovah’s viceroy. His throne was second only to the royal throne of Yehovah Himself. Lucifer, filled with wisdom and perfect in beauty. The shining one.
On days when Lucifer climbed to the highest vantage point of his pearl balconies, he could distinguish the translucent Crystal Palace, carved out of one immense diamond and soaring above the mount where dwelt the twenty-four Ancient Ones. The twenty-four angelic monarchs, ancient governors of heaven and stewards of Yehovah’s holy mysteries – His holy elders, their white hair like spun silk falling to the floor, golden crowns upon their heads. Executors of His holy purposes.
At the very summit of the palace three imposing crystal domes, the portals, surrounded a mammoth golden tower that peaked into seven spires, disappearing into the clouds above. Each portal appeared to have no ceiling, to extend straight out into the galaxies where living dwarf stars and moons radiated continually over each portal – almost an extension of the myriad solar systems radiating from above the palace.
Soaring around the seven spires, near their peaks, were myriads of white eagles, their wingspans reaching over twenty feet. Their feet and beaks appeared to be dipped in pure gold – Yehovah’s messengers.
To the east of the spires stood a vast tower, a battlement completely exposed to the heavens: the Tower of Winds. In its centre stood a large golden table surrounded by eight golden thrones where the angelic zephyrs of wisdom and revelation raged in eternal cyclones, blowing down their wisdom upon the Ancient Ones as they met in the councils of heaven. One hundred enormous white owls perched on the battlements.
Thunder and electric-blue lightning emanated from the vast golden tower, which was itself surrounded by magnificent rolling gardens that seemed to hang from infinity thousands of leagues above the mountain as if held by an invisible force – the eastern Gardens of Eden where Yehovah walked in the cool of the day.
The monumental Waterfalls of Nectar thundered a hundred leagues down, reflecting the changing rainbow hues of Eden’s horizon. Lined by the great, ancient willows, its hallowed streams flowed north, south, east, and west out of the lush, tropical celestial gardens, watering the First Heaven. Unicorns and oryx grazed in the fields of Eden, while porpoises and sea urchins frolicked in the deep pools beneath the falls. Birds of paradise, rainbow-hued flamingos, and blue griffins swooped across the hot springs. Giant indigo swans and their cygnets floated downstream towards the crystal sea.
In the farthest corner of the hanging gardens stood two massive trees, their fruit glistening gold in the lightning, almost wholly enveloped by swirling white mists. To the north of the two trees a colossal golden, ruby-encrusted door, ablaze with light, was embedded into the jacinth walls of the tower – the entrance to the throne room.