What are two sources of tension in the novel, When the Beginning Began?

There are two sources of tension in When the Beginning Began. One is the mystery of what God is doing. At any moment, He could say a word and that word would become reality. When He says "Light!" everything becomes lit, enabling angels to see each other for the first time. Most of the tension derived from the mystery of God's creating is happy and humorous; the animals He creates are usually wonderful. The other source of tension comes from characters that oppose themselves to God's will.

The most obvious such figure is Satan, a snobbish angel who thinks far better of himself than anyone else does. "Any of us could have made a world—if we had wanted to," claims Satan. This is a lie, but events win him some foolish supporters.

One problem is God's seeming remoteness, as well as His volatility. Why does He sometimes seem distant, remote from His angels and His Creation? "Sometimes you need to stay in the darkness for a long time because of the magnitude of what you are going to create," God explains to Aviva.

Another problem is His insistence that all be equal in value. Satan does not want to be equal; he plainly wants to rule.

Dissatisfaction with Creation receives a focus with the creation of Adam, the first man. He looks like an angel, as if he could be someday exalted above angels. Furthermore, God breathes some of Himself into Adam and all humans, giving them souls.

Satan says what God has done was bad; a few others agree with him, and they choose to accept banishment into the Earth, from where they try to ruin Creation. However, nearly all the angels remain with God, determined to do as He says out of love and respect.