The Majesty of God
Chapter Five – King of the Earth
The fifth day brought new agony to Lucifer. The sound of mighty waters roared forth again. Lucifer streaked back to the edges of light that rimmed the horizon, and goggled as birds and flying reptiles sprung out of the air. He darted frantically among the birds and reptiles, looking each of them over for as long as he could stand their noise. All were oblivious to him in their eager discovery of their abilities, glad recognition of their mates, and joyous chorus of adoration to the Creator that blended with the angels' praises.
As he was about to dart away to the other side of the planet again, Lucifer noticed waters churning in a sea. His eyes sharpened and he saw creatures moving within it, configured to live beneath its shimmering surface. Huge creatures burst above the waves, spouting water from the top of their heads and opening their maws to gulp air before diving below the surface again. Like the air creatures, the water creatures each had a mate. He saw a pair of large sea serpents undulating together in a dance, their coils roiling around each other, fire belching from their mouths in a happy exercise of acknowledging their kinship.1
Satan dived into the water and peered within the aqua depths. Fish of various forms and decorated with bright patterns darted about with joy, playing tag with each other. Animals inside of shells did their slower, stately version of the Creation dance. Lobsters, prawns, and other bottom creatures scuttled about merrily among clams and anemones and vegetation. Filmy jellyfish and squirmy squid wafted gracefully to the surface of the sea.
Satan leaped out of the water in horror at the praises to God, but all the noise from the flying creatures made his head hurt. The pain got worse as the sun rose higher and the air began to hum with the morning song of the stars.
He reached out to take an irritable slap at a bird, but his hand passed through it. He did not want to listen to chirps and trills and shrieks and whistles of praise to God, nor watch the creatures delighting in their ability to swim or fly, but his curiosity held him. He needed to see if there was anything of which he could take advantage.
The sound of thunderous waters broke forth, and God commanded the denizens of the water and the air to be fruitful and multiply. Satan rolled on the ground, clutching his ears to try to drown out the sound, horrified also at the thought of the planet burgeoning with more of those awful creatures making their happy noises. He crawled and stumbled across the field, gagging at the life he saw around him. He knew it was all building up to something, so he didn't leave.
Long hours later, the air and water creatures finally settled down as dusk stretched its deep blush across the land. Satan's mouth twisted bitterly and blasphemies hissed between his teeth as he watched the flying creatures perch among the trees, cuddling with their mates to take some rest. Some pairs stayed awake longer than others, hooting softly, and others swooped lazily among the trees on leathery wings. They were oblivious to the evil ponderings and plottings of the Destroyer who lurked nearby.
Dawn was just starting to stretch tentative fingers of light towards a vast expanse of rich, emerald grass when Lucifer's gloating fantasies of conquest were interrupted. The Voice spoke again, commanding the earth to bring forth living beasts. Lumps arose beneath its velvety, breathing carpet. The bumps and lumps burst and revealed dark soil beneath the green grass, and heads, ears, horns, crests, and snouts poked out. Nostrils fluttered in curiosity and excitement as they got their first whiff of air.2
Creatures fully emerged from the ground, clambering through the loam. They staggered to get their legs on an even keel, and then shook the dirt off their furry or leathery coats. The creatures looked about with their intelligent, luminous eyes, took affectionate note of their mates, and then gambolled about on the lawn.
Lucifer noticed creeping things popping out of the dirt also, and some had wings that enabled their jewel–like bodies to zip off the ground and into the air where they danced about in praises to the Creator. One landed near him and he tried to squish it between his talons, but it remained happily ignorant of the attempt on its life. Presently, it zipped off again to join its mate who was inviting it back to the dance.
The grass settled and quickly knit itself together again as the creatures frolicked about, oblivious to its mending. The tiniest insects to pairs of gigantic reptiles made sounds that blended in a cacophony of trumpeting, hooting, howling, baying, braying, neighing, mooing, baaing, bellowing, roaring, squealing, squeaking, squawking, grunting, croaking, whirring, chattering, buzzing, and barking that lauded the Creator. Birds rushed about and water creatures splashed in the sea to add to the merriment. The angels laughed and clapped their hands. Again they broke forth into ecstastic song.
Lucifer was ready to retch. Just as he was about to leave, the thunderous Voice spoke again from Heaven, endued with enthusiasm and joy, and said, "Let us make Man in our image, and let them have rule over all the fish and birds and animals and insects and everything upon the Earth."
At this pronouncement, everything hushed. The animals hurried off to clear a wide space upon the lawn. Animals that had the ability to do so scampered up into the trees to get a better look at what was about to happen, and the birds and winged reptiles and mammals settled on the branches, as well. Curiosity also bound satan to stay and endure this glory as best as he could, though it felt like his whole body was tormented in white hot flames.
Dawn fanned out its splendour. That special hour of the morning had arrived when the sun's rays slanted at just the right angle to pick up the songs of the stars as they hummed the harmonies of Heaven.3
God the Word appeared suddenly in a physical form and walked towards the centre of the lawn. All the creatures murmured in awe at the Creator. Those that could do so knelt or lay flat against the ground in worship, while others bowed their heads. The Creator shimmered with light, His glistening white hair flowing around His shoulders. Though He had chosen to appear in a form smaller than that of many of the animals, it was, nonetheless, endued with infinite majesty.
The angelic observers who stood among the trees or hovered in the air also bowed, and then raised their hands in worship and their voices in another song. The adversary gnashed his teeth and clutched his ears in agony, but he forced himself to stay and see what was going to happen next.
The Creator knelt upon the ground, parting the grass to scoop up clay. The animals, though not understanding what was going on, felt tense with anticipation and excitement. Angels pressed closer and watched with awe as the Creator intricately shaped bones, then organs, sinews, muscles, blood vessels, and nerves, building a figure and covering it all with a skin, turning out a finely muscled body shaped like His very own. He lovingly sculpted nails on the toes and fingers and individually made each hair that embellished that magnificent body. His fingers emanated with an energy that entered commands into every cell, personally programming the body to work according to perfection.
Excitement seized the angels at seeing this specimen of creature, bearing God's own expressed image. Then God leaned over and breathed into the form to give it a unique personality and animate it. Light filled the body as its soul and spirit entered, and the glory of God came over the figure, clothing its nakedness with radiance. The angels had never seen such an intensity of glory on any other creature! No, not even on Lucifer before his fall. Their voices burst forth with an anthem to laud this great and mysterious work that God had performed.
When Lucifer saw the glory upon Man, he nearly ruptured himself with outraged envy. This puny creature, with only a fraction of his own mental and physical capabilities, and no supernatural abilities whatsoever, had glory and destiny conferred on him that far outshone anything Lucifer could have achieved? This creature and its progeny were supposed to rule the Universe with God? Not if Lucifer could stop it!
What was the first moment of his life like to the man whom God had made? I suppose that the first thing he was conscious of was the singing of the angels, and the excited noises of the animals, as well as a warm, loving, and comforting Presence that hovered over him. Imagination is needed to paint the scenes of those first glorious moments and what followed after.
The man opened his eyes and looked into the smiling eyes of his Creator. He saw His lips move and words come forth saying, "It is good." Then the Creator perhaps spoke and lovingly said, "You are my son." Perhaps He then extended His hand and the man reached forth automatically, innocently like a little child, though he was a full–grown man in form.
He noted that he had a hand like the One who was his Father, his Father whom he knew in Heaven when he was still a spirit without a body that could live upon the Earth, and he himself had a hand that looked like the one he reached for. The power in the Word's hand stood him on his feet and the man looked all around at creatures that were bowing before him. Perhaps he saw a great cat leap forward and lay down at his feet, purring loudly, and a mammoth kneeling before him, waving its tusks and trunk for joy. Did he wonder what this strange action was? Perhaps for a moment, but his brain was working at 100% capacity and soon made associations that were built into a framework from which he could form logical conclusions.
Looking above him, the man saw a vast expanse of sky and figures hanging in that expanse, their wings shimmering with light and wiggling with ecstasy as great waves of sound rolled from them. As interesting as all this was, it paled in comparison to those eyes into which he first looked.
Turning back to the Creator, he looked into those eyes again. They were like oceans of love that immersed him in their depths. Oh, to look at those eyes – that would be bliss forever, even if nothing else ever happened. Love poured from them over the man in waves and his soul was prostrated within him, but that gentle hand enabled the man to stay upon his feet.
The Creator spoke in a tender Voice that was like a caress and began to instruct the man. He said affectionately, "Your name is 'Red',4 because I made you from the red earth." Red looked down at his body and raised his hand to look at it more closely. His skin indeed had a reddish hue, and perhaps the fine, glistening hair sprinkled upon his body, framing his eyes, and springing lushly from his scalp and lower part of his face like a glorious mane was red, as well.
Then the Creator said, "Come with me." He took Red's hand and soared with him up to the sky. Red was delighted with the weightlessness, and the wider perspective as they arose. Everything he saw rapidly impressed itself on his brain. His mind filled with questions that were telepathically answered by his Maker, who sensed every emotion in his heart and delighted in his inquisitiveness. He grinned merrily at Red and kept a firm grasp on his hand.
They flew eastward to a lush enclosure that had fields laid out like a mosaic using different varieties of grasses and flora. Red was intrigued to see orchards, shrubbery, lawns, vegetable patches, and flower beds forming patterns. Viewed from the top, he could see designs weaving throughout the garden, and four rivers winding down through it from a geyser that gushed from the peak of a terraced mountain that stood at its centre. Little streams fanned from the rivers like intricate lace, evenly watering the whole enclosure, burbling placidly or rushing in waterfalls over cunningly–placed rocks and crystals. Paths of polished, precious stone laid down in patterns added to the ingenuity of the garden's design.
The garden had only one gate, which was on the eastern side, and the animals were turning to march through it. The Creator hovered with him over the garden and said, "Red, this planet is your domain. You are its king. This garden is the seat from which you will rule and these creatures are your subjects."
They descended into the garden and stood before a tree. The Son said to Red, "This is the Tree of Life." The name was interesting, but Red wasn't feeling hungry at the moment, so he didn't taste any of its fruit, and he wasn't sure why it was called the Tree of Life.
His Lord led him to another tree. This tree, he was told, was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Creator solemnly told him that he could eat from all the other trees in the Garden, but not from this tree because if he did, he would die.
Red didn't know what dying was, but obviously it was something that the Creator didn't want to happen to him. He would have to ask about that later, but for now, it was enough to know that he wasn't supposed to eat from it. Of course, he wouldn't do that. If the Creator said not to, that was good enough for him.
He followed his Lord along paths to a large concourse of grass. It looked like all the animals had assembled there. The Son turned to him and said, "Red, what do you want to call each of these creatures?" He stood next to Red, smiling as a long parade of creatures presented themselves before them. Red stared at each for a moment, observing its form and grasping what it was capable of doing. He also sensed the individual personality of the genus or parents of later species, and named each for its physical abilities and personal idiosyncrasies, from the tallest reptiles and mammals to the tiniest birds and insects.
At the sound of their master's voice conferring upon each their name, the animals on the earth and in the air made a motion of submission and gave forth their particular cry of joy before moving on to permit the next to receive its name. And so it went until all the land and air creatures were acknowledged, probably taking only a fraction of a minute for Adam to discern each appropriate name.
The Son said, "There are yet more." He took Red by the hand and they walked to the nearest river. The Creator led him into the water until it passed over their heads and showed him how to move his body to swim, pushing the water aside with his hands. Red marvelled at the variety of creatures that had swum up from the seas to join the naming celebration. There was vegetation in the rivers and he could breathe under water, for death had not yet entered the planet. The Lord smiled at him and said, "With me, everything is possible." He nodded at the animals and they wafted towards Red a pair at a time to receive their names, and then swam around them in a dance after they did their obeisance.
Again they arose, passing through the water and then through the air, but higher than before, until the vast carpet of grass on the planet seemed like a wall behind Red when he looked back. Far into the air they continued, passing through crystals that parted for them. A luminescent glow emanated from the pale pink bubble beneath, and Red saw the whole form of the planet that he had been standing on. This was his domain. How beautiful!
Something was missing. As much as he enjoyed seeing all this beauty and wonder, meeting his subjects, marvelling at their variety, and delighting in their personalities, uneasiness niggled at him inside. All those animals had a mate, but there was no mate for him. None of the animals or birds or water creatures had intelligence and complexity of personality equivalent to his own, neither did any of them physically resemble a close enough complementary match for him.
Even the Creator, as wonderful as He was, and as close to Him as Red felt, He wasn't a mate. There was no way that Red could reproduce after his own kind and fill the Earth with offspring like the animals could.
He wondered, "Will it always be this way for me? There is no female whom I can talk to on my own level. Will there never be someone whom I can hold in my arms and look into her eyes, and share my heart with who will understand? Is there no one whom I can take pleasure with and who will bring forth babies for me?" He lifted his sad eyes to the Creator and saw compassion and understanding there as the Creator said tenderly, "It is not good for man to be alone."
1 Leviathan, as described in Job 41.
2 Thanks is due to C.S. Lewis for the imagery of the creation of the animals.
3 In Hebrew reckoning, a day consists of sundown to sundown. In the pagan religious system, days are counted from dawn to dusk. It is probable that the animals were created while it was still dark and that Adam was brought forth when the sun was rising, in acknowledgement that Man is the glory of Creation and was given dominion over this planet.4Adam means "Red" and the Hebrew word for soil and ground is adamah.
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The Majesty of God, Chapter 6
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