Ariel and Serena were angels. God gave them all kinds of interesting assignments which they loved doing because they were created by God for the sole purpose of doing his bidding. But for as long as they could remember, they had never had such an interesting assignment as this one.
“Where are we going?” Serena complained to Ariel as she drug her out of her angel apartment right in the middle of her nap.
“Listen, we need to hurry. God is about to do something completely new. He is going to create a whole new universe and he is going to do it in just seven days. Not only that but word on the streets of gold and silver is that God is going to create a whole new being, not like angels or anything we have seen before.” Ariel said breathlessly trying to get her friend to hurry up. “God wants all available angels there to witness it and create songs of praise about what he is going to do.”
So Serena hurried and they got pretty good seats on the edge of the universe so they could see everything. “What’s wrong out there? The whole place looks like chaos.” Serena observed.
“It is but God is about to fix that. Watch”. Then as the two angels watched, the voice of God could be heard commanding “LET THERE BE LIGHT” and there was light. Then he created sky and the dry land of this new world that was named “earth”
“See now that’s where I would have done things differently.” Observed Serena. “I would have made the universe and the stars and suns and all that first and then make the earth last, in some sort of big bang or something like that.”
“Yeah, well good thing you aren’t God then, Serena” Ariel criticized. “Because that is a dumb idea.”
There wasn’t much time for discussion because God was moving fast. “Wow it’s like he had this all planned out” Ariel said with awe.
“Since the beginning of eternity, some say.” Serena observed.
“How can eternity have a beginning, its eternity?” Ariel nit picked.
“Stop you are going to hurt my head.” Serena responded.
God was moving fast. He created the planets and then the stars and moons and seasons. It was all falling into place one thing after another. “I think He is done.” Ariel speculated.
But God was far from done. He filled the oceans he just made with fish and whales and a huge variety of living things and then he turned around and did the same thing to the land, populating with a dizzying assortment of animals of every imaginable shape, size and color.
“Wow, God is so creative.” Serena said with a low whistle.
“Well, he is the creator silly. Do you think that thing with the long neck is the special creature he is going to make that we talked about?” wondered Ariel.
“No, that’s an ostridge you nut.” Serena corrected her fellow angel. “This new creature will rule this world. Ostridges can’t rule, they spend too much time with their heads in the sand. Oh look, I think the time has come, God is creating his masterpiece.”
The process of creating this new creature was completely different. God formed him from the dirt very carefully. He seemed to be pouring so much love into this new design. Finally, the shape was perfect and he named this new creature “man”. But it was still a dirt statue when God did something completely unexpected. He exhaled his own breath into the figure and it came to life.
“Wow, that means that man has God’s own life inside him. Not like the other animals or fish or plants. This “man” thing is a relative to God.” Ariel said reverently.
It was so much fun to watch Man and then the companion God made for him, Woman, enjoy the wonderful earth and the special garden God made for him. They seemed to be in paradise. But something went wrong.
“Look, the woman is talking to that snake.” Serena said with alarm. “Get away form him, Eve.” She tried to call out. “He is nothing but trouble.”
But it was too late. The evil one talked the woman and then the man into sinning and all of a sudden, all of God’s perfect creation started going to shambles. God took his beloved creations, Man and Woman and they were thrown from the garden. They started knowing disease and old age, and worry and decay and so did the wonderful creation God had made.
Serena was beyond consolation at what had happened. Ariel had a terrible time getting her to come out of her room she was so upset. “It’s ruined forever. This is so tragic.” Serena wept.
But then, suddenly, they heard the voice of God as he condemned the snake for his role in the Fall. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
“Serena, did you hear that? Do you know what that means?” Ariel said with a barely held in excitement.
“No Ariel, it was pretty hard to understand.” Serena answered.
“God is promising to save mankind. He is giving them a promise that some day, God himself will come to earth and die for the sins of man. The son of God that we love so much here in Heaven, he is going to go down and bring salvation to all lost men and to the fallen earth and universe too. And when it’s all over, it will be better than it ever was in the first place because God’s people will know better than to disobey and they will follow God willingly and be his family and that is what God has wanted all along.”
“Well then,” Serena concluded. “Let’s get busy and help man all we can. When Jesus brings them salvation, the glory of God will be greater than it ever has been through all eternity. Come on, Ariel, we have work to do.
