Free 04 The Edge of Darkness by Tim Lahaye Page A

stepped the mysterious blonde beauty he had seen in his last class session. This time, her hair was down and a pair of sunglasses sat on the top of her head. She did not carry a purse or notebook. She found a seat and looked up and smiled. Murphy could see some of the men in the back row nudging one another and pointing at her. It was everything he could do to keep his train of thought.
    “The, uh, the belief in these gods strongly influenced the daily actions of the people, as evidenced not only by their sacrifices of crops, animals, and humans, but also by their art. Many ancient civilizations illustrated their gods in physical form by the making of idols, paintings, and reliefs on buildings, pottery, and coins. This was also true of their belief in angels. They would often place characterizations of angels on artifacts. The Ark of the Covenant is a classic example of this. On the top of the Ark there were two angels with their wings spread protectively above the chamber that held the Ten Commandments.”
    A voice chimed in. “Don’t forget that some countries use angels on television programs to increase their television ratings.”
    The class laughed and Murphy noticed the blonde smiling.
    “That’s a good example of the belief in the afterlife, Clayton. There are basically two types of angels: good angels and evil angels. Both of those types are displayed in television programs. Under the category of good angels they go by the following biblical names.”
    Murphy clicked on a slide.
    GOOD ANGELS

Announcing Angel—his name is Gabriel
Archangel—God’s lead angel, named Michael
Celestial or Heavenly Beings—a general title
Cherub or Cherubim—chiefly guardians of God’s Throne
Heavenly Host—a general title for good angels
Seraph or Seraphim—angels who lead Heaven in worship of God
Thrones, Dominations, Principalities—ranking divisions

    “The two angels on the top of the Ark of the Covenant were called cherubim. In a number of passages in the Bible, angels are seen taking on a human form and conversing with men and women. This concept is also the basis for many modern television programs and movies.”
    Murphy clicked on another slide.
    GOOD ANGELS

Angels punish God’s enemies.
Angels execute God’s will among men.
Angels do not get married to each other.
Angels have been revealed in bodily form.
Angels have great wisdom and strength.
Angels guide the affairs of nations.
There are a great number of angels.
Angels seem to protect followers of God.

    “You will notice on the second-to-last point that there are a great number of angels. That concept comes from several different passages. One is found in Revelation where it states:
    Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders
.

    “The last point suggests that angels protect the followers of God. This comes from the book of Psalms where it says, ‘The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.’”
    As Murphy continued he became aware that the striking blonde in the back row seemed to have her eyes riveted on him. On one hand it was exciting and on the other hand a little unnerving. He felt like he was having one of those Shirley MacLaine out-of-body experiences, giving a lecture and at the same time thinking about the beauty in the back of the room.
    Murphy expounded upon good angels and how they tied in with many biblical artifacts that had been found. At one point he reached down to advance to the next slide. As his eyes came back up to the students, he saw the blonde leaving the lecture hall and felt the sting of disappointment.
    Who was she?
    He glanced at the clock on the wall and
realized
that the bell would soon ring.
    “You may need all the help you can get from angels this next week,” he said with a grin. “On Tuesday, you will be tested on the material we have