Chapter 79 That Was God
It was late autumn.
The wind blowing down from the mountaintop swept across the wilderness and carried far away.
At dusk, the shepherds returned from the fields, driving their bleating flocks of sheep.
The setting sun shone on the way home...
But the Canaanites, still basking in peace, were unaware that the sunset... was about to end...
The Messiah in white robes, having drunk with his friends, spoke from the depths of his heart, instructing his old friends:
"Dicktis...after I leave, you will encounter many hardships..."
"From men, or from Mount Olympus..."
"But never abandon your faith in the Lord..."
"Just as in the deepest night, never extinguish your fire."
"The Nine Commandments, the Temple, these all need you to uphold and perfect them..."
"This is what distinguishes it from worship, and it must never be abandoned..."
Dicktis listened intently to Ara's heartfelt words, tears streaming down his face, his eyes filled with boundless sorrow and pain...
He had already... Knowing that Yara only had ten years to live...
But when that day truly arrived, he still felt a sense of unreality, as if something was slowly peeling away from him, leaving him empty and lost...
Yara gave many instructions to everyone: telling Pan to find a woman to marry and to have an heir; asking old Tyr to take good care of Isaac and to also shoulder some of the responsibility of defending Canaan; kissing his wife Sarah gently, telling her to have less sorrow and pain and to focus her energy on the children; telling Shiaka to help Sarah and take good care of Isaac, not to let Sarah be too burdened alone...
While his mind was still clear, he gave many final instructions...
After this, he asked everyone, "Where is Isaac? Bring Isaac here..."
Old Tyr knew Isaac's location and brought him over.
When Isaac saw his father's appearance, he was immediately stunned...
Just yesterday, his father's hair was still black, and his expression was normal...
How could he have aged so much overnight? Before Isaac could recover,
his father took Isaac's hand and led him along the stone path across the grassy yard to a small wooden hut.
This hut was a place for prayer.
The others waited outside. Yara led Isaac into the hut.
The hut was simply decorated. There were no idols on the shrine at the front, only two scrolls.
Yara said to Isaac,
"Have you memorized the Nine Commandments?"
Isaac was a little confused, but he still followed his father's instructions and recited them fluently.
Yara nodded with satisfaction. He smiled kindly and said,
"Very good..."
"Next, I will tell you..."
"The thing that has puzzled you since childhood—"
"What is the Messiah..."
As he spoke, Yara gently squeezed Isaac's hand.
He made him kneel down with him, bowing respectfully before the scroll.
Then,
in front of Isaac,
he uttered the most high and holy name—
"Yahweh."
Boom—
The sky seemed to crack open.
A golden beam of light shot out from the crack, illuminating the small house.
The light blazed brightly, engulfing everything in its intensity.
Everything within sight turned incandescent…
The two involuntarily closed their eyes.
…
And when they opened their eyes again, they were in heaven.
Isaac was speechless with awe at the sight...
The boundless clouds, like a flowing ocean, merged with the azure, jewel-like sky at the horizon...
A magnificent, platinum-colored palace, its surface shrouded in a thin mist, stood atop the Cloud Kingdom. Before this golden palace, countless winged, pure white, holy, and beautiful angels frolicked and played...
But before Isaac could clearly see these figures from mythology...
An angel with two pairs of wings on his back and a golden halo above his head slowly descended before them, the clouds beneath his feet rising and falling gently...
At the same time, the resounding voice of the messenger of heaven reached his ears—
"I am Archangel Remiel..."
"By the will of God, I have come to guide Arah the Messiah to ascend to heaven..." "...
"The Lord has been waiting for you for a long time."
Upon hearing this, Ara felt a long-lost, immense surge of emotion welling up within him once more. He said to the messenger of God:
"O radiant messenger..."
"I want to bring my son to see my Lord..."
"So that those who shed my blood may also feel the glory of the Lord..."
The angel Remiel nodded and said:
"The Lord already knows everything..."
"Go then..."
With these words, Isaac was led by his father, following the angel, to the golden palace...
Isaac rode on auspicious clouds, feeling utterly amazed; along the way, the angels cast curious and interested glances their way. Several bold angels flew curiously beside Isaac, examining the little boy...
Heaven had never seen a mortal child before; all the angels were filled with wonder.
When the beautiful angels appeared beside him, Isaac was initially timid, but upon realizing they meant no harm, he relaxed and even reached out to touch one of their wings…
However, this action was clearly presumptuous. The angel whose wings had been touched immediately withdrew them, revealing a fierce expression as he glared at Isaac. Isaac responded with an apologetic look…
Upon reaching the sacred hall, the angels dispersed on their own.
Just as Isaac was wondering how to push open the magnificent door…
The golden door opened by itself.
Isaac followed his father into the resplendent hall…
What he saw inside left him speechless, his expression mirroring his father's when he first entered the hall.
On either side stood archangels, each possessing extraordinary abilities.
Each was so beautiful that it was difficult to distinguish male from female; Isaac thought even his sister Shiaga wasn't as beautiful as these angels.
Then, Isaac looked towards the position above the angel...
At only ten years old, he had no concept of greatness or holiness...
However, the instant his gaze fell upon that phantom...
He was completely stunned...
Light, darkness, wind, rain, thunder, lightning, flowers, grass, mountains, rivers, flames...
Everything he knew was within that phantom.
All power and glory belonged to Him...
All legends and myths turned to dust upon Him...
Isaac didn't know how to describe his feelings.
Like the sun? But the sun was nothing more than a firefly before Him...
Like the sky? But the sky couldn't contain Him, not even an inch...
Like the earth? But the earth was far less than one-billionth the weight of Him...
Isaac was somewhat flustered and at a loss.
He could only look at his father...
And his father... gazed at the sacred phantom with worship and reverence.
Seeing Isaac's panicked expression, he explained to Isaac—
"That is God."
...