What if the 7 deadly sins were personified as angels, not devils

The seven angels of the Lord stood before him, but they looked unlike any angels he had imagined. <br><br>Instead of being pure white, they had the color of crimson blood. <br><br>Their wings were not delicate but rough and scaly. Their faces were grotesque and evil. <br><br>And they stood at the head of the Lord, not bowing down to worship him but defying him with their cold eyes and sneering smiles.<br><br>The first angel said, “We are the seven deadly sins, and we are here to tempt you.”<br><br>“Ah,” said the Lord, “I see you have come in your true forms. I commend you for your boldness. But do not think that you can tempt me. I am all righteousness and virtue.”<br><br>“Is that so?” said the second angel. “Then I shall prove you wrong. I am Greed, the angel of avarice and covetousness. Look, Lord, at the wealth of the world. See how it shines and glitters, how it can make your people happy and comfortable. But I shall make you covet more, and more, until you are consumed by your desire for it.”<br><br>The Lord looked at the angel and said, “You are a foolish mortal. For I have all wealth and power, and I do not need more.”<br><br>“I see,” said the third angel. “Then I shall try a different approach. I am Gluttony, the angel of excess and decadence. Look, Lord, at the pleasures of the flesh. See how they delight and satisfy your people, how they bring them joy and happiness. But I shall make you crave more, and more, until you are filled with the sweetness of the fruit and the wine, until you are drunk with pleasure and excess.”<br><br>The Lord looked at the angel and said, “You are a foolish mortal. For I have all pleasures and delights, and I do not need more.”<br><br>“I see,” said the fourth angel. “Then I shall try again. I am Lust, the angel of passion and desire. Look, Lord, at the beauty of the world. See how it attracts and seduces your people, how it makes them weak in the knees and weak in their hearts. But I shall make you desire more, and more, until you are consumed by your passion and lust, until you are drunk with the sweetness of the flesh.”<br><br>The Lord looked at the angel and said, “You are a foolish mortal. For I have all beauty and attractiveness, and I do not need more.”<br><br>“I see,” said the fifth angel. “Then I shall try once more. I am Envy, the angel of resentment and jealousy. Look, Lord, at the envy of your people. See how they resent and jealousy each other, how they compare themselves and feel inferior. But I shall make you feel the same way, until you are consumed by your own envy and resentment, until you are eaten alive by the worms of jealousy.”<br><br>The Lord looked at the angel and said, “You are a foolish mortal. For I have all power and authority, and I do not need to envy others.”<br><br>“I see,” said the sixth angel. “Then I shall try again. I am Wrath, the angel of anger and hatred. Look, Lord, at the wars and conflicts of your people. See how they hate and kill each other, how they destroy and devastate each other’s lives. But I shall make you feel the same way, until you are consumed by your own anger and hatred, until you are burned by the fire of your own wrath.”<br><br>The Lord looked at the angel and said, “You are a foolish mortal. For I have all justice and vengeance, and I do not need to feel anger and hatred.”<br><br>“I see,” said the seventh angel. “Then I shall try once more. I am Pride, the angel of arrogance and haughtiness. Look, Lord, at the arrogance of your people. See how they think themselves better than others, how they look down on those who are weaker and less fortunate. But I shall make you feel the same way, until you are consumed by your own pride and arrogance, until you are eaten alive by the worms of self-importance.”<br><br>The Lord looked at the angel and said, “You are a foolish mortal. For I have all power and authority, and I do not need to feel arrogant and haughty.”<br><br>But as he spoke, he began to feel a strange sensation within himself. It was as if his desire for wealth and power was growing stronger, as if his craving for pleasure and delight was becoming more intense, as if his passion and lust for beauty was burning brighter, as if his resentment and jealousy towards others was festering deeper, as if his anger and hatred towards those who opposed him was boiling over, as if his arrogance and haughtiness towards those who were weaker and less fortunate was becoming more unbearable.<br><br>The seven angels laughed at the Lord’s reaction. “You see, Lord,” said the first angel, “we are not devils, but angels. And we have been sent to tempt you, not to destroy you. For you are not as righteous and virtuous as you think yourself to be. You are just as weak and flawed as your people. And we shall prove it to you.”<br><br>And with that, the seven angels disappeared, leaving the Lord to his own desires and weaknesses.