Matthew 22: 29-30
Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.
I read this scripture a few nights ago and it just keeps going through my mind. I guess it’s hard to imagine how life is for the angels in heaven since I’m human.
Things are still crazy at my day job, and I’m trying to finish up a manuscript to send to a publisher. I’m hoping I can find a home for my latest novel.
Things have been kind of hectic at my day job, plus, I’m trying to finish up a manuscript. Hopefully, I’ll be blogging more within the next day or so.
Paperback
ISBN: 1595540210
Pub. Date: February 2005
Book Description
Enter an adrenaline-laced epic where dreams and reality collide.
Fleeing his assailants through deserted alleyways, Thomas Hunter narrowly escapes to the roof of a building. Then a silent bullet from the night clips his head…and his world goes black.
From the blackness comes an amazing reality of another world-a world where evil is contained. A world where Thomas Hunter is in love with a beautiful woman. Then he remembers the dream of the chase as he reaches to touch the blood on his head.
Where does the dream end and reality begin? Every time he falls asleep in one world, he awakes in the other-both facing catastrophic disaster. Thomas is being pushed beyond his limits…even beyond the limits of space and time.
Black is an incredible story of evil and rescue, betrayal and love, pursuit and death, and a terrorist’s threat unlike anything the human race has ever known.
Some say the world hangs in the balance of every choice we make. Now the fate of two worlds hangs in the balance of one man’s choice.
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This book was very strongly written. As a novelist, I can see that it took Dekker a lot of time and effort to create an alternate world where Thomas Hunter traveled through his dreams. The ‘other’ fantastical world where he travels when he ‘dreams’ kind of reminds me of the paradise that God promises us in the New Testament. It also reminded me of the Garden of Eden in the Old Testament. I noticed in this other place that they did not eat meat (that I can recall). They would eat different fruits and the fruits had healing powers.
POSSIBLE SPOILER BELOW:
Also, in this other place, Tom is ‘chosen’ by Rachelle. She wants him to woo her and win her over so that she can be his woman. This is not soemthing that Tom particularly wants to pursue initially, but he does get into the Great Romance as time goes on, and he figures out what needs to be done to win Rachelle over. I sense The Great Romance is symbolic of something else? Since fantasy and sci-fi is not my usual genre, I don’t always get all of the points that are being made. I’m not a deep reader, so sometimes I might miss something if it’s sci-fi/fantasy.
When Tanis is tempted by Teelah with the fruit and he eats it, and then the black bats attack the perfect-like world, well, that was obviously like the serpent tempting Adam in the Old Testament.
The ending left me stunned, though. I guess it was written that way so that you would automatically read the next book in the installment. I would highly recommend this book to all who want a good sci-fi/fantasy read.
Stacy Calhoun in New Mexico! She wins a copy of my novel, First Mates!
Stacy, please provide your mailing address to me so that I can mail you a copy of the novel!
I found this article interesting. Enjoy!
My editor at Barbour Publishing sent me this book for my reading pleasure! I look forward to diving into it!
I just finished reading Black by Ted Dekker. Whenever I read something outside my normal genre of romance, women’s fiction, or just “regular” Christian fiction, I always feel like I’m ready to read a few novels within the realm of my normal reading tastes. I know, it might be hard to get my point from the previous sentence. I guess I’m trying to say that fantasy and science fiction is not usually on my to-be-read list, although I do read a few of those titles occasionally. However, I don’t think I could read them all the time, the same way I read romance, WF, and non-sci-fi/fantasy Christian fiction.
Not to suggest Black is abnormal, just kind of deep and full of symbolism. The book was good, and I’m sure it took a lot of work and thought to create a alternate universe like Dekker did.
I’ll be blogging about that shortly!
I know, sounds a bit weird, but I recalled reading some scriptures in the King James Version (the old one) that had the word unicorn. They were Old Testament scriptures, and I rememeber when I first read them when I was a kid, someone told me that it meant goat?
Well, I guess my reading the book Black by Ted Dekker, with his fantastical/sci-fi world, made me think about those unicorn Old Testament scriptures again. I went onto Bible.com and looked up the old/original King James version for the word unicorn. Here are the scriptures it lists:
Numbers 23:22
God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.
Numbers 24:8
God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.
Deuteronomy 33:17
His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
Job 39:9
Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?
Job 39:10
Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?
Psalm 22:21
Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
Psalm 29:6
He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
Psalm 92:10
But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.
Isaiah 34:7
And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.
I then went into dictionary.com and looked up unicorn. I’ll copy and paste the definition below, however, I’d like to point out that I’m still wondering why the word unicorn was used in the first place since they are not talking of the mythical creature. It appears they were talking about a rhino or a wild ox, so I would have just called it a rhino or a wild ox when doing the translation. However, perhaps, at the time, the unicorn didn’t carry the same meaning as it does today, as far as animals are concerned? I’m no Biblical scholar, so it’s hard for me to give any insight on this matter. Here’s what dictionary.com had to say as far as what a unicorn means in the Bible:
4. an animal mentioned in the Bible, Deut. 33:17: now believed by some to be a description of a wild ox or rhinoceros.
Online Etymology Dictionary – unicorn
c.1225, from O.Fr. unicorne, from L.L. unicornus (Vulgate), from noun use of L. unicornis (adj.) “having one horn,” from uni- “one” (see uni-) + cornus “horn” (see horn). The L.L. word translates Gk. monoceros, itself rendering Heb. re’em, which was probably a kind of wild ox. According to Pliny, a creature with a horse’s body, deer’s head, elephant’s feet, lion’s tail, and one black horn two cubits long projecting from its forehead. Cf. Ger. Einhorn, Welsh ungorn, Bret. uncorn, O.C.S. ino-rogu.
Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary – Unicorn
described as an animal of great ferocity and strength (Num. 23:22, R.V., “wild ox,” marg., “ox-antelope;” 24:8; Isa. 34:7, R.V., “wild oxen”), and untamable (Job 39:9). It was in reality a two-horned animal; but the exact reference of the word so rendered (reem) is doubtful. Some have supposed it to be the buffalo; others, the white antelope, called by the Arabs rim. Most probably, however, the word denotes the Bos primigenius (“primitive ox”), which is now extinct all over the world. This was the auerochs of the Germans, and the urus described by Caesar (Gal. Bel., vi.28) as inhabiting the Hercynian forest. The word thus rendered has been found in an Assyrian inscription written over the wild ox or bison, which some also suppose to be the animal intended (comp. Deut. 33:17; Ps. 22:21; 29:6; 92:10).
I believe the Original King James Version was the only one using the word unicorn, however, there may be other versions using it that I’m not aware of. Just thought it was interesting.
I’m almost finished with Black. I’ll be posting a review about sometime this week, probably.
I know I usually focus on books and writing, however, occasionally, I’ll post a recipe that I’ve tried. My hubby and I made corn on the grill last weekend and it was yummy! We used white sweet corn. For all of you summer barbeque fans, this is a recipe you might want to try!
EASY CORN ON THE GRILL
2 ears of corn for each person
1 tablespoon butter for each ear of corn
3 tablespoons crushed ice for each ear of corn
aluminum foil or foil pockets
salt, to taste
Husk corn and rinse. Heat grill to 350F.
Cut a rectangle of aluminum foil large enough to wrap each corn cob twice. Place each corn in the center of foil with the shiny side in. Add 3 tablespoons crushed ice and 1 tablespoon butter.
It’s important to wrap the corn with the aluminum foil so that the edges of the foil are crimped and sealed securely so that as the ice melts, the liquid will be retained in the foil pocket. Make an envelope with the foil and double fold the edges, then place the seams on the top.
Place the corn pockets on the hot grill and cook for 30 minutes or so, turning over half way through cooking time. (Length of cooking time will vary depending on the tenderness, variety and age of the corn – some types of corn may be done in half the time).
