Seven Heavens

The **Seven Heavens**, also known as **Heaven**, **Heavenly Paradise**, **Abode of God** or **Divine Abode**, is the dimension where angels and archangels watch over the course of the human species and the physical universe.

## History

On the Second Day of Creation, after the Fulgiston, the Universe began to expand rapidly. The matter, which accompanied this expansion, began to wrinkle, forming "waves" in space-time, and when they closed, they created cosmic pockets, some of them divided into layers. Within these dimensions, physical laws and rules are unique and reality works differently.

On the Third Day, the archangels found one of these pockets and remodeled it to accommodate the angels and the throne of the Mighty. Because it was divided into seven layers, this dimension became known as the Seven Heavens, and each division was given to one of the seven castes - except for the Elohim, who would stay in the common Universe performing the maintenance of the Cosmos.

After the dawn of the Seventh Day, the angelic castes settled in the Seven Heavens in their respective tiers. The djinns, the artisan strain of the Ishim, were summoned to build the heavenly cities and they ended up discovering a "tear", a cosmic breach, in the foundations of the Fifth Heaven. Despite the djinns' recommendations, Lucifer decided to keep the rip open, which resulted in the attack by Enuma, the last son of Tehom. After Enuma's defeat, the archangels decided to use the breach to banish their enemies to unknown dimensions.

### **Lucifer's Rebellion**

After the Revolt of Sodom, Lucifer began to recruit allies among the angels for his revolution against his brother Michael. As soon as a third of the Seven Heavens allied themselves with the archangel, he started a war, intending to defeat his brothers and go to Mount Tsaphon, where God slept, to take control of the entire Universe. The war ended with the defeat of Lucifer and his followers, with them banished from the Seven Heavens by the cosmic rip to Sheol, which would become Hell.

Before the rebellion took place, Lucifer would have "killed" his brother Raphael, but the truth is that the Fifth Archangel had chosen to step away from celestial politics and watch over the entrance to the Third Heaven.

### **Civil War**

Millennia have passed since Lucifer's banishment. Since then, the Seven Heavens have been ruled by the 3 archangels that were left: Michael, Gabriel and Uziel. The Firstborn, afraid that Gabriel would revolt against him as well, decided to send him to Earth on a fake mission and sealed the Fifth Heaven entrances for Gabriel. During this time at Haled, the Messenger learned about love and grew closer to humanity, taking sides with the mortal race. So, against his brother's ideology, Gabriel took refuge in the First Heaven and attracted angels who were tired of Michael's tyranny.

For two thousand years, the Seven Heavens were divided in a civil war. On the one hand, Gabriel's new rebels controlled the First Heaven, while Michael's loyalists controlled the Fifth Heaven. The Second and Sixth Heaven remained neutral in the war, continuing their original functions; the Fourth Heaven was an open battleground and neither side could take control; the dynamics of the Third Heaven hampered the plans of both archangels, as neither of them could cross the layer and the Seventh Heaven was technically under Michael's domain.

## Layers

As stated before, the Seven Heavens is a dimension divided into seven layers, hence the name. Each layer was remodeled by the archangels to house each of the angelic castes, except for the Elohim, who would take care of the common universe.

### **First Heaven**

**Tartarus**. Home to the Ishim, it houses the four elemental realms and is the layer closest to the earth. During the Civil War, it was used as a base by the New Rebels and Gabriel.

### **Second Heaven**

**Gehenna**. The Purgatory, a dimension of darkness and torture, designed to hold prisoners and souls in penance. Home of the Hashmalins, formerly ruled by Lucifer.

### **Third Heaven**

**The** **Celestial Eden**. It is the fate of the soul of the righteous after death. Filled with diverse spiritual colonies, it is also home to saints and martyrs.

### **Fourth Heaven**

**Acheron**. An intermediary layer. Contains angelic strongholds and battlefields.

### **Fifth Heaven**

**Celestia**. Here are the Celestial Palace, the angelic cities and the celestial cathedrals. It was the rallying point for the archangels before the civil war, now the base for the Loyalists and Michael. It is the central and main region of the Seven Heavens.

### **Sixth Heaven**

**Rachi'a**. Region controlled by the Malakim. Used as a retreat and study pavilion, here are the House of Glory and the celestial libraries.

### **Seventh Heaven**

**Mount Tsaphon**. It is the highest region of the Seven Heavens, where Yahweh rests.

## Inhabitants

The Seven Heavens are mainly inhabited by the celestial race. Each layer belongs to a caste, but probably angels can freely roam the Seven Heavens, except Mount Tsaphon, the abode of God.

### **Currently**

* Archangels
	+ Michael
	+ Gabriel (temporarily banned, now in Tartarus)
	+ Raphael (in the entrance of the Celestial Eden)
* Angels
	+ Cherubs (Fourth Heaven; currently spread accordingly to their faction)
	+ Seraphs (Fifth Heaven; currently spread accordingly to their faction)
	+ Hashmallim (Second Heaven)
	+ Ishim (First Heaven; currently spread accordingly to their faction)
	+ Malakim (Sixth Heaven)
* Humans souls
	+ Good souls (Third Heaven)
		- Holy Child
		- Rachel Arsen
		- Hugo Arsen
		- Eva Arsen
	+ Souls in expiation (Second Heaven)
* Yahweh (omnipresent)

### **Formerly**

* Archangels
	+ Lucifer (banished to Sheol)
	+ Uziel (killed by Micheal)
* Angels
	+ Ophanim (ceded the Third Heaven to righteous human souls)
	+ One third of the angels (banished to Sheol)
	+ Brotherhood of the Renegades (banished to Haled)
		- Ablon
		- Ishtar
		- Hazai
		- Yarion
		- Other 14 Cherubs
	+ Exiles
		- Denyel
		- Mickail
	+ Kaira (decide to live in Asgard)
	+ Urakin (decide to live in Asgard)
	+ The Seven (banished to Haled)
		- Teth
	+ Metatron (temporarily imprisoned in Gehenna)

## Hierarchy

### **Archangels**

The archangels were Yahweh's first creation, and from the beginning of the Seventh Day, they were responsible for ruling the Universe in God's name. Michael, being the eldest and most powerful among the five, commands the entire angelic race and the Seven Heavens. Before Lucifer's fall, Michael was in control of Uziel, who commanded the troops of Cherubim, of Gabriel, who commanded the Ishim and the assembly of Elohim, and of Metatron, whose domain was the Sentinels and the Earth. Meanwhile, Lucifer was responsible for the Hashmallim and Seraphim and Raphael was responsible for the Ophanim and Malakim.

After the banishment of the Morning Star and with the beginning of the Civil War, the political scene of the Seven Heavens was changed, being divided into two parties: the Loyalists and the New Rebels. Michael commanded the Loyalists and would be in control of Celestia, Raqui'a and Mount Tsafon. Gabriel commanded the New Rebels and had Tartarus under control. Uziel continued under Miguel's command until he was killed by him and Rafael, unhappy with the human genocide and the war between the brothers, decided to disappear from celestial politics, reserving himself to receive human souls in Elysium.

#### Before the Fall

* Michael
	+ Uziel
		- Cherubim
	+ Gabriel
		- Ishim
		- Elohim
	+ Metatron
		- Sentinels
		- Earth
* Lucifer
	+ Hashmallim
	+ Seraphim
* Raphael
	+ Ophanim
	+ Malakim

### After the Fall

* Michael
	+ Loyalists
	+ Uziel
* Gabriel
	+ New Rebels
* Raphael (protecting the Elysium)

### Princes

The princes of each caste are angels who are below the archangels in terms of hierarchy and in terms of power.

* Cherubim
	+ Azrael (formerly)
		- Raziel (formerly; banished to Sheol)
	+ Balberith (currently)
* Seraphim
	+ Azazel (formerly; banished to Sheol)
	+ Jehoel (currently)
* Elohim
	+ Melchisedek (assembly ambassador)
* Ophanim
	+ Bael (formerly; banished to Sheol)
	+ Rikbiel (currently)
* Hashmallim
	+ Samael (formerly; banished to Sheol)
	+ Hashmal (currently)
* Ishim
	+ Uriel
		- Azael
* Malakim
	+ Mitzrael
		- Kamael

### Other titles

The hierarchy of the Seven Heavens is related to the level of power of angels, called cycles. There are 7 power cycles: the archangels and Metatron (and Ablon) were the only ones to reach the 7th and the other 6 are listed below, in ascending order:

* Infantryman
* Decanus
* Archon
* Legate
* Tribune
* Herald

## Cosmic Routes

The Seven Heavens are cut by multiple cosmic routes, including the following Cosmic Rivers:

### Phlegethon

It is a river of fiery waters that crosses Tartarus, along with the Acheron River.

### Acheron

The River Acheron rises in the Fourth Heaven, hence the name, and descends to the First Heaven, following through several dimensions. It is through Acheron that the New Rebels reach the Fourth Heaven.

### Lethe

It is a river that cuts through Gehenna and descends to Gerython, the Third Circle of Hell. Through Lethe, the Hashmallim dispatch human souls who have failed to redeem themselves or are too sinful for the Third Heaven.

### Oceanus

It is the river that cuts through the Celestial Eden. Its waters suppress mystical radiations, leaving the beings who sail it to the terrible Ecaloths. The Archangel Michael once tried to use the river to invade the Third Heaven, but to no avail.

## Trivia

* The concept of heaven being divided into seven layers is present in religions such as Judaism, Gnosticism, Islam and Hermeticism.
* In a way, all human souls go to the Seven Heavens. First, they go to Gehenna, the Second Heaven, where they are judged by the Hashmalins and their fates are decided. The righteous are placed in the Third Heaven; those who have done dubious deeds spend time in Gehenna until their fate is assessed and those who are evil are sent to Hell by the River Lethe.