Foreword from End of the Age: The Ascendant

Foreword

There are many examples of apocalyptic literature and films in this day and age. Two movies in 1998 (Deep Impact and Armageddon) foresaw the world being destroyed by meteor impacts. Sometimes the end comes in a nuclear holocaust, or disease. Another favorite genre is invasions by various assortments of monsters or aliens. All have a macabre appeal. It would appear that people have a fascination with the thought of end-time disaster. Perhaps this is natural. One can certainly see it in the various religions of the world and when one thinks of the Bible the name Armageddon jumps quickly to the mind of many.
When people hear the word Armageddon, they often think in terms of the end-times and the end of the world. They associate it with Biblical end-time mythology or as Christians might prefer, eschatology. However, according to Christian prophecy, Armageddon is not the end of the world, but the dawning of a new age, an era that will last at least one thousand years. This novel envisions a civilization that is thriving in this distant future. A world populated with mortal men and women having the same flaws and virtues common today.

1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. Revelations 20:1-3 NKJV

This story is presented from a Dispensational perspective. Discussions of the Rapture and the Tribulation often use ideas drawn from this theological framework. The early nineteenth century Plymouth Brethren movement and John Nelson Darby form its modern roots. Several different offshoots exist. Rigorous exploration of these branches leads to fascinating concepts like pre, post and mid Tribulation Rapture, as well as various other nuances. An interesting book to research end-times theology is Things to Come by Dwight Pentecost.
The goal of this novel, however, is not to appeal to the Christian reader only. I tried to present the story in such a way that all who enjoy stories of the future might find it interesting. Only time will tell if I have succeeded. It is a novel of a future time in the same fashion as Huxley’s Brave New World or Orwell’s 1984. A comparison of parts of this book, have been made with Robert Heinlein’s novella If This Goes On. I do not recall having read the novella, but I have read enough of Heinlein to consider that praise.
In my mind End of the Age is a three part story. I believe that The Ascendant as a novel stands on its own, but the story that I have set out to write is not completely told here. Book Two is almost finished and the plot outline for Book Three is already set. It is my intention to publish these as well. I hope you enjoy the story.