Who’s read Frank E. Paretti books?

[Brini]

I’m reading a book called This Present Darkness by Frank E. Paretti and it is AWESOME.
So I’d like to ask:

Who else likes this author?

What books of his have you read?

What do you think of this book?

What did it do for you, i.e. what effect did it have on you?

I never thought of the spiritual realm in this way even though the bible says that we do not war against flesh and blood, I didn’t think much about it. But since reading this book I can’t stop thinking about it.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. —EPHESIANS 6:12”

 

[Heavenhome]

I read that book many years ago the sequel also which I can't remember the name, I also read another of his "The Oath".
I liked them at the time of reading and as I said , it was many years ago.

A very disturbing thing I found at the time was that many took the books as non fiction.
I overheard at the church I was attending then when at a meeting " this is great, its just like This present darkness". I left that church shortly afterwards as there were many problems there.

A word of caution is to remind ourselves of what we should spend our time thinking on. Our focus is God and the gospel of our precious saviour Jesus.

We can read these books but must remember they are fiction and everything, in all realms including the spiritual;
that God wants us to know is in the Bible.

God bless

 

[Kevin Snow]

I read This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness and then started to get a sense that his books were going a little too far into reading into things. But those books I read were great at the time.

 

[miamited]

Hi brini,

I've read about all of his books. He's a good christian fiction author and I believe he makes a good theological point regarding the reality of our existence in both This Present Darkness and This Piercing Darkness. They tell of an existence where the realm of God and the angels and the realm of man are two overlapping realms. This seems to in line with the several places where we read in the Scriptures about the interaction of man and angels.

It may well be found that angels are literally all around us. God just didn't give us the eyes to see that realm except by His choice. I think a really good example of this idea is found in the story of the birth of our Lord. We are told that shepherds were out in the fields watching their flocks and that suddenly a host of angels were praising God. Those angels were likely always around them, but for a brief moment in time, God gave the shepherds the ability to see into that small piece of the other realm and to hear what they were saying.

Just as there are certain wavelengths of light that our eyes cannot see, there may actually be entire existences going on all around us that our eyes cannot see nor our ears hear. Just as when angels visited Daniel and Joseph and Mary, we aren't told that any of them saw the angel coming from afar and walking or flying towards them to speak to them. Not at all! Each visitation seems to be described as just suddenly the angel was there beside them. This would, for me, only allow for two options as to how that could happen in real time in real life. Either angels can be teleported instantly from one place to another with no apparent signs to the human that they are meeting with that they just arrived all out of breath; or the angel was already there but the eye of the human being was temporarily and miraculously given the ability to 'see' into the angelic realm.

Anyway, I think, as christian fiction authors go, he's a pretty good one. I also like Joel Rosenberg who often writes fictional accounts of the last day's prophecies.

God bless,
In Christ, ted

 

[Uber Genius]

Read first four books and liked them all. Many here are giving correctives as if they don’t realize the books are fiction. Very strange.

One can’t “go too far,” with fiction it seems.

 

[Kevin Snow]

Read first four books and liked them all. Many here are giving correctives as if they don’t realize the books are fiction. Very strange.

One can’t “go too far,” with fiction it seems.

Sure you can because it either lines up with scripture or it doesn't. When someone starts making stuff up about the heavenly realm then that goes beyond what has been written down for us in the scriptures. As it says:

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” ~1 Corinthians 2:9

I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. ~1 Corinthians 4:6

So when someone starts to imagine the workings of the heavenly things, this will quickly deviate from reality as we are not told how those things work really from day to day. Giving it the term "made up" or "for fun" or "fiction" does not remove our responsibility we have to God to handle these things with care and in the truth of his word.

 

[Heavenhome]

Read first four books and liked them all. Many here are giving correctives as if they don’t realize the books are fiction. Very strange.

One can’t “go too far,” with fiction it seems.

I said what I said in my post because people I knew did not differentiate this as a work of fiction and treated it as FACT that's all.
And yes it was weird.

 

[Uber Genius]

I said what I said in my post because people I knew did not differentiate this as a work of fiction and treated it as FACT that's all.
And yes it was weird.

Fair enough. I had the same problem in my church and workplace with the book Divinci Code! However, the difference being Dan Brown claimed his work was based on historically true facts as opposed to Perretti claiming he was writing fiction.

 

[Heavenhome]

Sometimes people are nuts

 

[Brini]

Hi brini,

I've read about all of his books. He's a good christian fiction author and I believe he makes a good theological point regarding the reality of our existence in both This Present Darkness and This Piercing Darkness. They tell of an existence where the realm of God and the angels and the realm of man are two overlapping realms. This seems to in line with the several places where we read in the Scriptures about the interaction of man and angels.

It may well be found that angels are literally all around us. God just didn't give us the eyes to see that realm except by His choice. I think a really good example of this idea is found in the story of the birth of our Lord. We are told that shepherds were out in the fields watching their flocks and that suddenly a host of angels were praising God. Those angels were likely always around them, but for a brief moment in time, God gave the shepherds the ability to see into that small piece of the other realm and to hear what they were saying.

Just as there are certain wavelengths of light that our eyes cannot see, there may actually be entire existences going on all around us that our eyes cannot see nor our ears hear. Just as when angels visited Daniel and Joseph and Mary, we aren't told that any of them saw the angel coming from afar and walking or flying towards them to speak to them. Not at all! Each visitation seems to be described as just suddenly the angel was there beside them. This would, for me, only allow for two options as to how that could happen in real time in real life. Either angels can be teleported instantly from one place to another with no apparent signs to the human that they are meeting with that they just arrived all out of breath; or the angel was already there but the eye of the human being was temporarily and miraculously given the ability to 'see' into the angelic realm.

Anyway, I think, as christian fiction authors go, he's a pretty good one. I also like Joel Rosenberg who often writes fictional accounts of the last day's prophecies.

God bless,
In Christ, ted

Thanks Ted,

I agree with what you’re saying about the two overlapping realms , that there are times when God allows us to peek into that realm, just like when Elisha prayed for his servant to see the angelic army in 2 Kings 6:17. I think that’s pretty cool that God sometimes allows us to see things like this.

My take away is that I’m finding this book encouraging to read, especially when the characters pray or worship, the angels act or become empowered to act out the will of God. In addition, that it displays how Gods people are helped and protected. It’s a comforting thought.

My friend has also lent me Paretti’s other one called Piercing The Darkness, so I’m looking forward to starting that one next. I think she too has read all of his books, so I may be in Paretti land for a while longer.
brini

 

[miamited]

Hi brini,

Enjoy.

Yes, the power or our God is most amazing to us. We little feeble humans who can only take the things that God has made and reshape them or mix them to have appearance or qualities that are different. But God who can spread the vast array of the universe created from nothing but His desire that it exist...that is an awesome God! To think that such a powerful God has the capacity to love us in the special way in which He does...that is an awesome God!

It reminds me of a joke that is told of a man who decided that God wasn't such a powerful God in comparison to us. That creating a man was really no big deal and so he stood before God and challenged Him. Saying to Him, "I can create a living being just as you." So, he reaches down and scoops up a bit of dirt and God stops him and says to him, "Get your own dirt!"

For me, such a story amplifies the fact that while we can create tall and beautiful and majestic structures; while we can build technologically astounding vehicles that can carry a man into space, none of that would be possible without first God created...

God bless,
In Christ, ted

 

[miamited]

Hi brini,

I also wanted to thank you for correcting my error in the second title. It is Piercing the Darkness and not This Piercing Darkness. Guess I should have looked it up.

You asked what other books of his that people had read. I've been through The Oath, The Visitation, Hangman's Curse, Illusion, House, Prophet, Monster. Besides the two already mentioned in this discussion.

God bless,
In Christ, ted

 

[Brini]

"Get your own dirt!" love it


I’m blown away that we are absolutely nothing in comparison to Him, but he loves us immensely anyway. I find that so fascinating that the creator of the universe would love us like he does. It’s so cool!

I’ve started the other one, Piercing the Darkness and… Oh My… It’s just as good as the first. I Can’t put it down, gonna have some late nights me thinks

 

[miamited]

Hi brini,

Yes, when we sit back in a quiet moment and truly ponder all that God has done, it is awesome and amazing. I often remind my children to go all the way back to the first cause, when marveling at the things of this world. Just the fact that there is oxygen contained within our atmosphere that we are able to breath and have life...is because God is. The food that we put down on our table exists solely because God is. The flowers that we enjoy in the spring and summer are there for our enjoyment because God is.

Sure, we can hybridize and cross cultivate plants and cross breed various animals, but the very basic building blocks that allow that living things live...is because God is. I find that when I consider the first cause of things, it creates in me a more thankful heart to God for all that I see. Even beautiful and ornate man-made structures have their first cause in God. There would be no sand for mortar or mud for bricks or ore for steel had not God created those things within the crust of the earth for our use.

But yes, the love. A love that we can't even begin to truly fathom its depth and breadth. That is surely the most awesome aspect and nature of the one true and living God who made all things that we might have life.

God bless you and enjoy the books. But give thanks to God.
In Christ, ted

 

[faroukfarouk]

I said what I said in my post because people I knew did not differentiate this as a work of fiction and treated it as FACT that's all.
And yes it was weird.

Hi; I've seen that Frank Peretti books have been popular for a while, though I've never read any...