THIS PRESENT DARKNESS - WEEK 2 - CHAPTERS 1 - 4

THIS PRESENT DARKNESS by Frank Peretti

Before we really step into the discussion of this new book, I feel that it's important to take a few minutes and think about spiritual warfare and what we know about it. Coming from a Biblical Worldview, I believe in the existence of a spiritual realm. I believe in the Trinity - God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. I believe in the existence of created spiritual beings - angels, Lucifer/Satan, and demons. I believe Satan is on the prowl in this world like a lion "seeking those whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8) It's easy to think of spiritual warfare as some tribal group somewhere in the world under the influence of a "witch doctor," but I fully believe that spiritual warfare is alive and well right here in the US. (Eph. 2:2) One glimpse we really get of the interaction between angels and demons in the Bible is Daniel 10:10-14. Fascinating. One of the last things I'll mention here is the fall of Lucifer and the demons. You can read about it in Rev. 12:7-9 and Isaiah 14:12-17.

I live outside Small Town, USA. It could easily be Ashton. Our small town has a yearly county fair in the fall. I can almost hear the sounds and smell the smells that Peretti describes emitting from the celebration. It appears wholesome, idyllic, but picturesque can be oh so deceiving, can't it? I think Peretti wants us to feel that connection, because the reality is what's going on in Ashton could be Anywhere, USA.

I love Peretti's descriptions: the richness of his word choice, the images he vividly paints for us. We can see the angels, the demons, the town, the people. It's as if we have stepped right into the pages of the book and are viewing it all first hand.

The last thing I'm going to cover is the tenseness of relationships. The pressure is already building right out of the gate in several areas: Bernice's arrest and the denial of Brummel seeing her, Pastor Busche and some of his parishioners, Marshall and Brummel, Marshall and his daughter Sandy, the confrontation between the professor and Marshall. Already we can feel strong lines being drawn, but we don't know the why, and in the midst of it all, spiritual beings are appearing and affecting outcomes.

Okay, I just left a basketball game, so I've got basketball metaphors on the brain! The ball is in your court. Grab it and go. Expand on what I've started, or comment on what stuck out to you!