Matthew 24:36

  “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

  For Man, it is impossible to know the mind of God, much less to possess any measure of true comprehension. Say for a few moments though, we could grasp just the faintest edge of His vast and unknowable Mind. Even the thought is just beyond the edge of near-infinite possibilities, even for me.

  He was pleased. His favorite creation grew and covered the earth. They prospered. Their Dominion, freely given, was over all they could see and all the beasts of the Earth. Through strife and struggle, they became strong. His Favorite Children, the challenges He gave them were minor, insignificant things that seemed great, insurmountable, appearing to be impossible challenges. Until they weren’t. When these hurdles were overcome they praised Him and brought Him thanks. It was Right. It was Good. The worship from His creation brought Him even greater joy. Truly, you didn’t know. It. Was. Good.

  After all, a well-working watch would, of course, bring the watchmaker pleasure.

  There is one significant difference between a watch and Man. A watch doesn’t spit in the eye of its Creator.

  Who knew what the final straw was? The creation of AI and thinking themselves petty little gods? Maybe. The global persecution and destruction of all Churches? Perhaps. Systematically burning every Bible they could find, including the Gutenberg's? Yikes. The outlawing of religion? A strong contender. The outright worship of AI and discarding of Humanity? Could be.

  Some say it was the lynching and murder of the Last Priest on Earth. Also putting it on Pay-Per-View as the best-selling event of all time was probably a bad call. You know what? It was probably that. Wait, did that happen yet? I’m pretty sure they did. Well whatever, it was going there. Trust me, it was. Probably.

  Though, who knows for sure? We can’t ever truly know what He is thinking; though, through careful, reverent observation, we can tell a few things. Chief among them? He was pissed.

  He snapped His Fingers and across the Earth it was heard by all at precisely the same moment. The floodgates opened, metaphorically of course. After all, God had made a Covenant with Man that He would not flood the earth with waters. Man would wish that He hadn’t made that promise to them. Another Flood would have been a Blessing and God wasn’t quite as keen to hand those out anymore.

  For Man was not the only child in vastness of His Creation, they were just the favorite Child. And being ‘Most Favored’ of ‘The Big Guy’ is, surprise, kind of a “BIG DEAL”. A True Blessing, gifted freely to every Man, Woman, and Child.

  That is, unless you lose His Protection and are left at the tender mercies of the less-favored siblings. And there are many. Conscious plagues, mad-machines, entire species singularly warped by jealousy and hate, sentient-beings gifted with pocket spaces and cursed to inhabit them, perhaps most dangerous are the noble races who still, despite that nobility, carry seeds of jealousy hidden deep within their hearts. All waited for the day they fervently hoped that would one day come to pass. A day that none of them truly believed would come.

  And so, when it did, the unexpected suddenness of it was a Blessing itself, as very few were ready to pounce when His Protection ceased. Some didn’t even notice at all. Others? They did. Those that missed the first message couldn’t help but notice when their enemies suddenly departed for some far corner of the Milky Way Galaxy and, themselves filled with curiosity, followed behind.

  Now all the terrors of day and night and beyond, even those, are given free reign, free to release their jealous hate on this most vile, most unappreciative of species that once sat upon a divinely beautiful rock that was made perfect, just for them. Named ‘Earth’. Their hate won't scourge the Earth. It was too Divine a planet to dare to do that. They wouldn’t commit such a Blashphemy, but they would gladly come and evict its ungrateful tenants by the corpseload.

  “Most Favored!” they spat, tongues colored green. “Man!” they called for their destruction. “No longer Most Favored” they screamed with unrestrained glee. They would destroy ‘Man’, then maybe, then perhaps they would be the “Most Favored” by dint of Man no longer existing. They couldn't risk the chance of the 'cursed, favorite Child' regaining their position at the top of the heap. Above the heap even. It wouldn't be, couldn’t be, tolerated. Still, God's Aegis was vast and to cross the distances required, it would give Man a chance to grow. To Repent, to Redeem. Or not.

  After all, in their current state, they didn't have a chance against those that for countless millennia had viciously fought each other for positions far removed from the position that Mankind had once possessed, simply through their mere existence.

  Perhaps His Most-Cherished Creation would survive, perhaps they wouldn’t. God, of course, already knew the conclusion of this story, but even I don’t.

  The thing about Faith is that once you KNOW, like see it with your own eyes?

  That’s no longer Faith.

  Whoops.