August 20, 2019 – Click here to listen
I have a rough draft of a book I wrote several years ago that remains languishing on my computer and lately I’ve felt the urge to get it finished. It is a fictional novel that is filled with intrigue and mystery and is fascinating to read, or at least that is what I’ve been told by the few people I’ve shared the rough draft with. The problem with the book is the ending. A good friend of mine who is a very successful writer told me that if you want to write a great book, come up with a “killer” ending and then write the book around it.
I came up with just such an ending, and when someone reads it they are amazed at how this story ends. It is nothing like one would expect and the conclusion leaves you in a state of shock. The reason I quit writing it and didn’t publish it was because in my estimation, it didn’t turn out to be long enough. I couldn’t think of a way to lengthen it without continuing on writing past my “killer” ending. While this lengthened the book, the ending lost its hard-hitting impact. I could not figure out how to handle the dilemma and thus I just brought the project to a screeching halt and stopped writing.
After mulling it over for several years now, I’m going to go back and find a way to maintain the “Killer” ending and lengthen the book, or just leave it shorter than I’d like. Either way I’m committed to finishing this book. It will be fun to revisit it.
As I was pondering this today I thought of other books with a perfect ending and the Bible came to mind. I’m going through the Bible daily with friends chapter by chapter and we are fast approaching its conclusion in Revelation. The Bible gives us intrigue and mystery, trials and tribulations, and details the strengths and weaknesses of the greatest men and women who have ever walked this planet. I used to struggle with names that were hard to pronounce and civilizations and even countries that no longer exist and concepts that are seemingly too difficult to comprehend, but as I’ve read and studied I have become totally captivated by this amazing book and look forward to my study every morning.
I have struggled for years to write just one book. The books of the Bible were written at different times by different authors over a period of approximately 1,500 years. But that is not to say that it took 1,500 years to write the Bible, only that it took that long for the complete canon of Scripture to be penned as God progressively revealed His Word. The oldest book of the Bible, according to most scholars, is either Genesis or Job, both thought to have been written by Moses and completed around 1400 BC, about 3,400 years ago. The newest book, Revelation, was written around AD 90. It consists of 66 books. It was written by some 40 different authors; some wrote one book and others wrote several, it was originally penned by authors who spoke and wrote in three different languages, Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew. It was written on three different continents with three different cultures and it seems it would end up being a convoluted mess, BUT GOD . . .
It is hard to imagine it being written in such a manner and still flowing like a smooth crystal river. To me when this is objectively viewed it easily debunks the lies of those who would try to discredit it. The best thing to me about the Bible is that its ending can never be rivaled. “Yes, I am coming quickly”
And the sequel?
God has designed us to live happily forever and Jesus will allow us to have fellowship with our Father and He will fascinate us for never-ending eternity and we will be able to thank Him and praise Him with worship. The sequel will play out real time forever and will be written in our spirits.
“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”
Revelation 1:18
I am he that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen . . .