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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Christian Tale of the Second Coming of Christ, 11 May 2004
Because of the translations involved, the Bible can be obscure to the average reader. With directed assistance, it makes much more sense. In this book, Mr. BeauSeigneur has created a vivid, detailed exposition of the events in Revelations that are prophesized to precede the second coming of Christ. Many readers will find their interest in the book of Revelation rekindled from reading this novel.In this book, Christopher Goodman proclaims that the New Age of man is at hand. Man will move beyond needing God to become God's peer. With the aid of a blood communion, the rate of expansion in human powers rises at a fast pace. Just as progress seems the smoothest and most certain, disasters begin to occur all around the earth. Christopher denounces these as being psychic manifestations of those who are resisting the New Age, and vows to wipe out the people who encourage them. The war between the new and old beliefs quickly shapes up into a culminating battle between good and evil in the minds of both sets of people. What will happen? Who will prevail? What will life be like in the New Age? The suspense around these questions is nicely developed. Where the first two books in the trilogy display much moral and doctrinal ambiguity, this book is squarely in the Christian tradition. Mr. BeauSeigneur uses a fine knowledge of science to provide some fascinating insights into what the Scriptures mean. I thought that this book was by far the best of the three. One of the characters is nicely developed in this final book, while another one who could have been is not. I felt that missing the chance to give a more complete psychological perspective of Christopher Goodman was an important flaw in this novel. That area is explored, but not adequately for my taste. You should realize that the last days as described in Revelations are pretty horrendous, so much of this book reads like a Stephen King novel. If death, violence, and gore bother you, this book will be very upsetting. It takes humanity's potential inhumanity to humanity to new lengths. The action is particularly well developed in this book. I found it compelling, although I was able to resist the temptation to read into the night. I especially liked the plot devices that allowed the reader to understand the perspectives of both the New Age and the "Old Age" people. I have long been fascinated by Petra, and was glad that much of the story was centered there. I felt rewarded by the conclusion offered here. It was worth the trip through the three books to get the author's perspective on what the conflicting beliefs in modern society mean for a Christian. Mr. BeauSeigneur has clearly thought a lot about these questions, and created a thought-provoking series that will cause most to reexamine their behavior, and some their beliefs. Yet the result is "non-preachy" and will be accessible to those who are interested in knowing more about what the Bible tells us. After you finish this book, I suggest that you do use the many Biblical references here to direct you to parts of the Bible or Torah that you would now like to reexamine. With this fresh perspective, your understanding of the Scriptures should be much better. I also encourage you to see ways in which belief differences can be bridged, rather than become a source of intolerance.
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