"It is even so. The Father's eyes are always upon the righteous and His hand is quick to save them from sudden calamity. Tell me what is it you would ask?" The Angel said.

"Can you please help Elon?" She begged in agony with every moment Elon remained in the fire.

"It has not been given to me to intercede on behalf of him or I would. Do not fear for his faith is strong and the promises of God are sure. He will be delivered as he has placed his faith in the only One who can deliver. You should go to Elon as your place is by his side."

Oh how Maria wanted to! All she wanted was to be near Elon experiencing life with him, but he had tasked her with the responsibility of keeping the door and obediently her hands remained on the handles behind her back.

"I will keep the way." The Angel said and Maria let go of the handles as she did not doubt him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was on a battlefield. I remembered it well. The battle had been lost.

"All these brave men and women died because of you. Why did they die? Because you inspired them to believe in what could only lead to their deaths. You are at fault!"

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I turned in the vision to see once more the form of Ishtar.

"You are mistaken. I helped lead them into the path of righteousness and their blood that was spilled consecrated the ground of this place, even as the lives lost have an eternal resting place in glory with their Creator. How am I at fault?"

The scene changed and I was in the midst of a harem full of beautiful women, who rose to press closer to me moaning and yearning for my touch. I looked past them to Ishtar, who leaned against a post of the tent to await the words that I knew were coming.

"All these women were given to you as a gift and yet you refused them. You denied them their right to lay with you and as a result they were sold off as slaves, when they could have had the security of being your wives. Are you so righteous to hold to poorly thought out vows of celibacy to not consider the misery you caused by denying yourself the pleasures they so willingly offered you, which led to their demise?"

"Your logic is as twisted as your master and full of his lies. My vow of celibacy was well thought out and like Moses I departed from the pleasures of Egypt that last only a season, before they are gone forever. If these women were sold into slavery it was by no fault of mine for I have kept my vow before God and remained faithful to it. What is my fault?"