THIS PRESENT DARKNESS - WEEK 3 - CHAPTERS 5 - 8

THIS PRESENT DARKNESS by Frank Peretti

Whew!! Our plot is starting to thicken! As always, there is so much in these chapters, so I'll hit on a few things and then pass it over to you for your thoughts! By the way, I thought the discussion thread that took off last week was fantastic!

Starting off, I really enjoyed seeing the interaction between the angels and then later the demons. As I finished up the demon section, I definitely felt as if I had stepped a bit into Screwtape Letters. Anybody else feel that? The demons discussion

 of where to attack, the fact that they are named, the hierarchy (the arrival of Rafar and establishment of his authority)- you get the drift. Back to the angels a moment though. I loved the history that some of these beings have together. I found myself fascinated by the idea of the beauty of different races within the angelic ranks (obviously pure speculation). Prayer directly affects their abilities. The mention of the remnant - those words give us hope when it feels as if we are the only ones left. God reminds us constantly of it in His word. (Isaiah 1:9, Jeremiah 23:3-8) I googled it and the word remnant is used over 90 times in the Bible. God always preserves a group of the faithful.

Chapter 6 opens with a stereotypical setting, a dark and stormy night. Immediately, we know something is up. We all recognize what happens on these types of nights. The intense nightmares, the felt presence, the vocalization of the demons, the disappearance of Sandy all lead to building a night of terror for Hank and Marshall. Peretti gives us two different reactions and outcomes of the encounters. While both men and their wives are clearly troubled by the attacks, Busche recognizes what is going on and calls on the name of Jesus. Marshall ends up scared and agreeing to go talk to Pastor Young. 40 demons were plaguing him. As I read this, my mind drifted to the story in the Bible of the possessed man among the tombs ( Mark 5). When asked what his name was he replied, "Legion, for we are many." Ever meet anyone who claimed to have an encounter with a demon in today's world?

I'm going to pick up the speed - Marshall's encounter with Pastor Young. Scripture warns us of "wolves in sheep's clothing." (Matt. 7:15) I hope we all know to test the words of ANY person against the authority of Scripture. I'm not going to go too far off the beaten path here, but we have a lot of wolves in pulpits in the Christian community. We have a lot of people who are more concerned about the message of the world than the message of God. The powers of evil don't have to worry about churches and congregations that operate under that mindset. I'm sure there will be a lot more to come on this topic.

Now, it's your turn. Anything really striking you and causing yo to stop and ponder out of these chapters? Tell us about it!

Last thoughts - Sandy's question of why can't her dad just love her for what she is? I think we all know as parents that sometimes "love" is one hundred percent the act of trying to help our children move away from the danger they are in.

Langstrat and Brummel's relationship - it's clear Langstrat is pulling the strings, but who are "The Masters" and what is "The Plan" for the sleepy town of Ashton?