For the first time since creation, the Men of Nod and the Nephilim were no more.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The priest was mesmerized. He had countless questions yet at that moment, none came to his mind. Finally, the most natural of questions came, “What came next?”
“Cherubim showed us where creation began,” Diego answered.
The priest almost felt blasphemous asking the next question. “What’s it like?”
“It would easier if I showed you.”
“You can take me there?”
“It wouldn’t be safe right now,” Juan interrupted. “We don’t know where the Watchers might be. They’re looking for Enoch and that’s where he’ll be.”
“Enoch lives in the original part of the garden? I thought he was at the Throne of God to speak as His Voice.”
Diego smiled. “Did it not occur to you that the original part of the garden and Heaven are one in the same?”
The priest did not have an answer. He had often wondered where exactly Heaven existed but had no idea it was actually a place that could be reached without death. The surrealism of the moment placed fear in his heart. He didn’t understand all that was being presented to him and the eternal nature of it all terrified him.
He was used to guarding the secret of the Ark of the Covenant and reaching into his soul to commune with God to learn more of his faith but all of that had become routine. He realized now the nature of what was occurring and how the ancient prophets must have felt.
Since he couldn’t grasp the moment, he used a defense mechanism and redirected the conversation. “How would the Watchers gain access to that part of the garden? I thought it was forbidden to them.”
Juan explained, “Inside the Ark is the Rod of Moses’ brother – Aaron. The rod itself looks no different than any other rod: the wood is dark with age and is stained with the blood of animals and men; the shaft is twisted and rough to the touch.
“What makes the rod unique, however, is the wood from which the rod was created. The first man received the rod upon his expulsion from the garden as a reminder of his downfall. It is made from a branch of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.”
The priest was dumbfounded and his face portrayed the emotion. He had guarded the Ark for decades and had no idea such an item was within.
Juan understood his astonishment but continued, “The rod was passed down through the years – through Enoch, Abraham, and finally to Jethro, the father in-law of Moses. To protect the rod, Jethro buried the rod in the ground. He knew that hidden on the rod was the name of God and only to those who were worthy would the name be revealed.
“Moses visited Jethro and read the name of God aloud, even though the rod was buried under the earth. Because Moses showed he was a man favored by God, he was granted the rod by Jethro who also offered his daughter in marriage. Moses accepted both.
“Moses knew the name of God because God spoke it to him. Otherwise he couldn’t have known as the rod is unadorned and the only location where name can be revealed is at the site of creation.
“Through the name of God, access to the original part of the garden is granted. Once inside, the Watchers can use Enoch to claim the Throne of God.”
The priest was silent as he thought on what that would mean. “Can we stop them?”
Diego answered, “We’re going to try. Enoch said we need to seek out the Book of Jubilees. Well, we have the book. Hopefully you can help us decipher what to do next.”
The priest swallowed hard. “So this falls on me?”
“It falls on all of us,” Juan replied. “You are one of us now.”
“And who are we?”
“Enoch calls us the Keepers of the Fountain. A strange title but an interesting one. We are here to protect the garden, just as the Men of Nod did for eons.”
“What happened to your other men? Where is Eduardo?”
Juan smiled at the mention of Eduardo. “There are five others and Eduardo is one of them. We have been placed throughout time as we are needed.”
“Time? What does that mean?”
“There is much you do not know about our universe. Time is merely a location. Plus, do you really think this is the only planet that God created for man?”
“But the scriptures do not speak of other worlds.”
“Do they not? Did God not say let us make mankind in our image?” Diego asked.
“I was always under the impression that he was speaking of his Holy Trinity,” the priest answered.
“One could see it that way, or one could see it for what it is – other people on other planets.”
“And what does God mean by us and our then?”
“Each planet has its own version of God.” The priest was speechless. Diego helped him by continuing, “It’s the same God, only in different forms. Do you think God can appear in three forms to us on Earth and not appear in other forms to people of other worlds?”
The priest was not able to answer.
Juan diffused the moment. “Why don’t I tell you of the original part of the garden and what we found there?”
The priest nodded numbly and Juan narrated:
After the beheading of the Nephilim, Cherubim drove his sword into the ground. As he did, the flame from his sword began to augment. The heat intensified until his sword was white with flame (any other sword would have melted).
Then, a burst erupted from the sword. It was as if a star imploded and then reversed to discharge light in all directions.
