Sal walked with Caleb through a wide field that stretched past Peter's gate and beyond. They stopped for a minute and leaned together against a large eon tree while munching on some leaves and fruit. Sal fell back into his arms and sighed.
"You know, our girls seem to be doing okay, don't they, Caleb?" she asked as she held his arms tightly around her, then kissed on his fingers. Her head lifted up to look at his face, and she noticed a broad smile of satisfaction that didn't need words.
"Yes, they have. They have the best genes, don't they? I'm sorry Sal, but they're better looking than their mother. Must be that angelic touch, right?" he replied as he tenderly nibbled at her neck hairs and waited for a slight protest but not getting one.
"Okay, Caleb, I give. Yes, they are great looking. Abigail has done such a great job of raising them. I'm still unsure what they're up to lately. It's like they're closing their minds off to me and probably don't even know how to do that yet. They haven't learned near what they should about their full potential. Imagine, they'll soon be 30, and only Day has learned to morphslow learners. And what about Riley? You know he's to graduate from seminary this semester and has a good chance at a position at the tabernacle in Jerusalem. He'd serve in the innermost sanctuarynear the Glory Throne."
"That's quite an earthly honor. When our Lord comes to visit earth, He'll be sitting with Riley right nearby. What bothers me are the number of Jesus Priests who have recently died. There's something strange about all that. Considering that Riley has a chance for Jerusalem because of the new shortage of priests, it could be considered a blessing, but what a way to get one."
"Caleb, I noticed that Abigail is communicating a lot with Day, lately. She's sending her stuff clipped out the newspapers. The girls keep going over death notices and things like that. Don't you think you might want to stick you nose into what's up with all that?"
"Sal, you know I promised that I wouldn't interfere with the girls' upbringing. I've never broken that promise, not once. Abigail made me promise to let them bond with Alex. She was right when she made me stay at a distance. Even after Alex died, she only let me appear at his funeral for a moment. I just wanted to be a whisper to the girls that it was going to be okay. That's all she allowed. Smart woman that Abigail. Alex was already having the time of his life here by the time they got ready to bury him. All he talked about for a month after arriving were his Caleb-and-Sal girls. I couldn't ask for a better father than Alex."
"We need to keep tabs on this stuff they seem so interested indeath notices? If they've discovered something we should know about, it could be dangerous. Oh, by the way, how have the abyss sentries been doing? I'm glad you didn't get that duty. I'd have never seen you again. What rotten duty."
"The sentries are doing fine, but we aren't taking any chances. We have over 20 million angels assigned to guarding Fernandian. They stay around the clock. Never a minute goes by without at least five million angels standing around its perimeter."
"Caleb, why did Jehovah pick an earthly place for the abyss?" she asked as she turned to face him just so she could watch his star eyes that pulsated their brilliance into her own mind and thoughts.
"Think about it. Where else on earth could you find a lake of fire with those bottomless depths than Fernandian? God picked one of the largest and most active volcanoes on earth and capped it with the palm of His hand. Its total perimeter length is over 50 miles. I think it's a perfect place."
"But why did God only give earth a thousand years? Why not just keep them there permanently?" she asked, then noticed the question disturbed Caleb a little.
"Sal, Sal, you ask too many questions. Let's see if I can answer it simply without being cute. Apollyon is alive now, and so are his dark angels. This is just punishment. No sense being too merciful by destroying Apollyon and his hordes so quickly. God wants him to pay for what he's done. Even Apollyon removed himself from the hell-heat while he was in his own realm. Now, he has to participate. This is a terrible and painful payment for his rebellion."
"But what happens at the end of the Reign of Peace?" she asked while watching Caleb's mouth twitch slightly from her question.
"Please, Sal, not so many questions. Why are you asking these kinds of questions so long after we destroyed the Dark Dragon?"
"I don't know. I just keep thinking about our girls and their grandchildren. Someday, our heirs will be face to face with Apollyon's forces again, and I just wanted a reason why?"
"Okay, it may have as much to do with teaching everyone of us an eternal lesson. The fact is, that no matter how long it takes, God wins. How else to prove this than to continue to torture Apollyon, including giving him some hope of the possibility of freedom a thousand years later? Then, just when he thinks he can win again, it never happens. It's kind of like a cat playing with the mouse. It's God's way of showing off and proving He's in charge. There can be no doubt about it from then on."
Sal answered flatly, "Seems like a long way round to prove a point."
"Please, Sal, don't act that way. It's for the best. It settles it once and for all. In the scheme of things, we can't have New Jerusalem until it's totally settled. God can't afford even the smallest uprising and protest once New Jerusalem happens. That's what makes New Jerusalem so special."
"And angels can be married and bear children in New Jerusalem, right? Including, us, right?"
"And us, little Sal," replied Caleb while standing, then turning her towards him and encircling her with his arms, then kissing her tenderly on her lips. "Why don't we go sneak up on Irish and Aaron at her special pond?"
"Caleb, that's terrible. You're so sneaky. But it's a great idea!" she said excitedly as they ran off through a flowered field laughing together.