Fool's Errand (54 page)

Well it has been many years since then, and God allowed me to lead my family to Him and to serve him on various short and longer term opportunities in four countries on three continents. We currently still reside overseas and hope that opportunities to live abroad while writing and serving continue to present themselves.

I hope if you have read this far in the Afterword that it is because God may have you searching for truth in your own life. I have deeply researched the historicity, the archeological evidence, and the truth claims of the Bible for many years and found the more I learn, the more reasonable and solid my faith has become. There are many resources along these lines, so I will not do a disservice to the field of apologetics by trying to do a Cliff’s Notes version in an Afterword, but I do want to share a few basic truths with those who want to understand the road to salvation as laid out in the Bible.

1) We are all sinners (Romans 3:10; 3:23). That is hard to hear, but the fact is there are two kinds of people in the world, perfect people and sinners. If you are not one, you are the other. If you truly believe you are the former, there is not much else to discuss. Most people, however, are honest enough to admit they have lied, they have not always honored their father and mother, they have lusted, they have coveted, or they have hated someone. Any of these things puts you firmly in the category of sinner.

2) We cannot remove our own sin. God in the Bible says the wages of sin is death. If, like many of the other world religions teach, we could counterbalance or work off our own sin by praying, giving alms, making pilgrimages, doing good deeds, meditation, or whatever, then God lied in the Bible and Jesus died for nothing. In Matthew 26:39-44 Jesus prayed three times asking if there were another way and yet still He went to the cross and died. If there were any way apart from Jesus that man could be saved, Jesus would not have died upon the cross (Acts 4:12).

3) We will stand before God and be judged one day (Hebrews 9:27). God created us and He has the right to judge His creation. He takes no pleasure in the death of sinful man but truly desires that all may come to repentance and faith (Ezekiel 33:11). To that end, God has made a way for our sin to be forgiven and for us to be restored to righteousness.

4) Jesus is that way (John 14:6). Jesus says “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Some have called this narrow-minded, arrogant or elitist, but if we open our hearts and minds to the truth, God was not obligated to make
any
way for man to be saved. He did so because He loved the world and humankind (John 3:16). He wanted us to have a hope. Does a drowning man look at the person throwing them a rope from a lifeboat and say “Don’t you have another way? That is very narrow-minded for you only to have one rope for me to choose. I prefer a life preserver or life jacket instead.” How silly would that be? No a drowning person would grab onto that rope and hold on for all they were worth and be very grateful to the person who had tossed it to them. Yet this is exactly what society has conditioned us to do in response to the gospel. We sneer at the rope and criticize the boat captain who has thrown it to us.

If you are seeking truth, then the one true truth that exists is Jesus. A way has been made for you by a loving God to be saved from judgment and wrath. All that is needed is for you to recognize and repent (turn away from) your sin and put your faith in Jesus Christ. Grab onto that rope and hold on for all you are worth. You can do that by saying a prayer wherever you are asking that God forgive your sins and draw you to Himself.

If you have, or are willing to do that, you have taken the first step. The road does not end there, however. Profession of faith in Christ is not a “get out of hell free” card. There is nothing in the Bible that mirrors the false teaching of “easy believism”. Faith in Christ means living your life for Him. Three times in John chapter 14, Jesus equates loving Him with obedience. So how do you know what to obey?

You need discipleship. You need to find in your area a Bible-believing church and get plugged into not only Sunday services, but Bible study classes as well. Every day you eat food to nourish your body, in the same way set some time aside every day to spend in prayer and in God’s word to nourish your spirit.

You may have questions still. As you read and study you may have things come up that you do not understand. Your first resource should be your local pastor or teacher at the church you attend. If you do not find the answers there, I might suggest a few websites that might help. These are excellent resources for Christian apologetics and questions about the Christian life.

1)
www.carm.org
This is the website of the Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry. It is an excellent site to find many answers to a broad range of questions.

2)
www.reasonablefaith.org
This is the website of Dr. William Lane Craig, noted Christian apologist and speaker.

3) Beyond those websites, if you have specific questions about the gospel or Christianity and cannot find the answers with either your local clergy or the above sites, you can contact me with questions at
[email protected]
. Please be aware, I am opening this email up to my readership as a resource and help. I will not argue or debate questions I feel are aimed in that direction, but will gladly do whatever I can to help sincere inquiries concerning biblical truth. There are numerous debate boards on Facebook and elsewhere for those looking for that, but this email address is for sincere seekers of truth that have earnestly sought answers elsewhere and yet have been unable to find those answers. I cannot promise to be able to answer every question, but coming from the background of a skeptic and having researched truth claims and studied apologetics for several years, I hope that I can be a resource to anyone sincerely seeking faith or struggling for answers. Your patience with my response times is appreciated as I have a number of responsibilities on my plate, but ministering to seeking souls is a high priority.

Finally, for those who do not have specific faith-based questions but would like to send fan-mail, questions, comments, feedback, etc. specifically regarding the
Chadash Chronicles
books themselves, those types of responses can be sent to
[email protected]
. Again, if there are things sent here requiring a response, please be patient and know I will do my best to respond. I also have an author page up on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/DavidGlennJohnson, so feel free to drop by and like my page and keep your eyes out for new projects and new releases.
 

By His grace,

David G. Johnson

Achiram
– Archangel, second in command of the Malakim. Patron of the herbivorous and ursine anthromorphs, not including Centaurs, which inhabit primarily the Sambraturan Savannah, Ombatu Forest and the nation of Ursara. Those races include the Ouaga-Yi, Ursai, Dicero, Loxodo, Pardali, Caffera and Tsebi. His powers include transformation into other forms as well as control over animals and the forces of nature such as wind, rain, etc.

Aerik Iceblade
– Current king of the Wolf Clan Qarahni and father of Goldain. After centuries of warfare and raiding, Aerik has a vision of his people living in peaceful coexistence with the nations around. He has also made peace with the Goram Bol, the Bear Clan, who have been enemies of the Lubane Bol, the Wolf Clan, since the time of the death of the Everking.

Al-Kali, aka “Sirocco Al-Kali”
– 46
th
son of Kali Al-Kali the Maharajah of Kali in the Great Southern Desert. He was sent as a child to the Burning Sands monk order due to his discovered
koach
gift of fire manipulation. The Burning Sands not only trained him to be an extremely deadly swordsman but also trained him how to control and use his fire
koach
as well.

Arian Meridius
– Adami human Dreadknight in service to Cyria. Currently serving Princess Tarynna. Is a sadistic pervert with a penchant for young girls.

Arreya
– A Zafirr
chats-enash
huntress. She is twenty-one at the time of the events of Fool’s Errand. She has been exiled from her village in the Djarmangara as her family was in the service of the recently deposed queen and the new queen has banished her forever. She is seeking a life somewhere and a place to fit in outside the jungle.

Ayabim
– The Hebrew word for “the hostile ones”. In Chadash the nine archangels still in rebellion against the One Lord are called the Ayabim while the nine repentant archangels serving the One Lord are called the Malakim. Each of the Malakim and Ayabim have servant races without eternal souls, which serve them as quasi-free-willed agents in their battle for the souls of the humans of Chadash.

Azadriel
– Archangel, leader of the Malakim. Patron of the elvish races, the V’rassi, V’Arbri, V’mayim and V’shami as well as the living tree-men called the Whosheera. His powers include stealth, archery, limited creation oth abilities, control of the woodlands and prophecy.

Azmik
– Fallen Archangel Ayabim. Patron of the Zawuti. Her powers include command over ice, snow, cold and winter storms.

Bardrick
– One of two twin brothers hired to help break the blockade of Dragon Pass. Fights with axe and buckler. Loud and obnoxious.

Chats-enash
– A term meaning “half human”. It is used to describe the offspring of a human race and one of the Malakim or Ayabim servant races. While some
chats-enash
mixes have their own sub-species names, such as Fenriri
chats-enash
being called Fenratu, the term
chats-enash
is generic and can be used properly to describe any mixed-blood offspring of humans.

Chikava
– A heady mead made by the Rajiki from fermented roots. A stronger version, chikava-papa, is mixed with hallucinogenic flowers and is used in religious rituals to induce a “spirit trance”.

Dadao “The Blade”
– Piqa
chats-enash
. Has forsaken the Piqa culture of following the One Lord and has moved from Piqana to Thalyia to become a slaver and bandit lord. He is building his base of power in the region by forming alliances with Wild Lands goblinoid tribes.

Daemius Kallandar
– Adami human pyromancer and conjurer in service to Cyria, currently serving Princess Tarynna.

Dalwyn Othblest
– Durgak, current High Priest of Stonehold and member of the Stonehold High Council.

Darius Tropham, aka “Captain Tropham”
– Current captain of the Aton-Ri Elite Duelist Corps.

Donovan Silvermane
– Durgak, older brother of Duncan Silvermane and captain in the Stonehold Berserker Corps.

Duncan Silvermane
– Durgak priest of the One Lord. He is eighty-three at the time of the events of Fool’s Errand, still fairly young for a Durgak whose life span is typically around 650 years. He is out on his valor quest, a mandatory Durgak ritual for all males to achieve one’s place in society. Generally started between eighty and eighty-five years old and lasting for a three year period where Durgak leave Stonehold and seek fame and glory through deeds in service to the One Lord and the Durgak people, which are then recounted before the city at a special ceremony.

Ebon Blackblade
– Hobgoblin
chats-enash
and brother of Garrack Skullcrusher. Ebon is a current member of the Black Blades, a mercenary/assassin’s guild in Aton-Ri. He is a consummate swordsman and longtime friend to Thatcher.

Elanna
– Archangel Malakim. Patron of the Solana. Her powers include control of sunlight as well as crops and fields. She can also bring blight and famine.

Elisheva
– Archangel Malakim. Patron of the feline anthromorps and feline Centaurs including the Zafirr, Rumari and Baru’uwa. Her powers include mastery of swords, spears and knives. Greatest warrior of the Malakim and on Chadash is second only to Mutazz, leader of the Ayabim.

Farris Stonebender
– Durgak, current Minister of Mining and member of the Stonehold High Council.

Felonious Redhand
– Mitsar assassin. Member of the Shadow Cloaks, a guild of highly skilled assassins from Mitsaria. Husband of Pernicious Highhill. Currently in service to Cyria and Princess Tarynna.

Garrack Skullcrusher
– Hobgoblin
chats-enash
and current leader of the Skullcrusher clan in the Wild Lands. Long time friend of Thatcher and brother of Ebon Blackblade. Garrack is well read and brilliant but envisions forming a takeover of other Wild Lands clans by like-minded
chats-enash
with the goal of ending the raiding and inter-clan wars and bringing peace between the Wild Lands clans and the human nations of the northwest.

Gideon Trueheart
– Paladin from Parynland. He is thirty-five years old at the time of the events in Fool’s Errand. One-eighth V’rassi blood. A holy warrior with a deep, genuine faith, which he attempts to live out in some form of balance with his calling to a life of the sword.