Islands In The Sea: Illegitimate? Book III – Sample Chapter
Table Of Contents
Acknowledgments – – – ix
Introduction – – – xi
1 AN OPEN SCROLL IN HEAVEN – – – 13
2 PIECES OF A PUZZLE – – – 25
3 THREE EVIL PRINCES – – – 35
4 JUST BENEATH THE SURFACE – – – 51
5 DECODING THE MESSAGE – – – 63
6 A VIEW FROM ABOVE – – – 79
7 A LABYRINTH OF EVIL – – – 89
8 A RACE AGAINST TIME – – – 105
9 OPERATION ANCIENT DOORS – – – 119
10 ILLEGITIMATE – – – 135
11 BEFORE THE COURT – – – 153
12 ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE – – – 171
13 OPERATION RESCUE – – – 183
14 ONE CITY RISES AS ONE FALLS – – – 199
Author’s Comments – – – 209
About The Author – – – 211
Special For You! – – – 216
Islands In The Sea: Illegitimate? – Book 3
Sample Chapter
Chapter 1
AN OPEN SCROLL IN HEAVEN
Several weeks had passed since they had moved out of the hotel and into their temporary homes. It was in the middle of the night, again, when a vision appeared before Dan in a dream. In it, a huge scroll was unrolled in front of him. As he started to look at its surface an angel appeared at his side. It was Alex.
“Well, hello again, my friend!” said Dan, as he relaxed knowing that his old friend was beside him again. He wasn’t always sure of what to expect, given that some of his supernatural visitations had been from the dark side. He was remembering his encounters with his adversary, Terror, in previous dreams.
“Hi, Dan!” exclaimed Alex. “It is good to see you again as well.” Alex touched his shoulder and an instant charge of glory engulfed his body.
Trying desperately to continue standing from the glory that weakened his knees, Dan asked, “What is this?” He was puzzled at what he was being shown.
“This is a master plan of the city that is being built,” said Alex as he started to point out certain aspects of the scroll. “I am going to give you a general overview of the plans for now, and then we will go more into depth when you are ready.”
“Why me?” asked Dan incredulously. “It seems there are others who are more qualified than yours truly here.”
“I don’t know, Dan,” replied Alex matter-of-factly. “I just do what I am told, but I do know this – all of us angels and the great cloud of witnesses have longed to see this scroll opened for ages. We are all excited to be able to witness what is soon to come in your generation. All of the works of those who have come before you hinge on what you do with what you are shown. Your generation is the culmination of many things that have been planned from eternity. You will do well to heed the warnings from those who have gone on before you as well as gain insight from the lives they’ve lived. If you look deeply, it wasn’t about how perfect or qualified they were, but rather obedience to the Lord’s words to them and then walking it out in His grace and mercy.”
“Wow! This journey never ceases to amaze me,” exclaimed Dan, as he was so excited about what he was seeing. “What is all of this?” Dan pointed to the upper right of the huge scroll that reminded him of a large blueprint that would be developed by an engineer or architect.
“I am going to explain these things to you now,” said Alex, “but you won’t remember all of the details when you awaken. As you are obedient to do what the Lord tells you each day, you will remember pieces of what I am showing you. Some of it will seem like deja vu to you and then you will remember the scroll you have seen here.”
‘Why can’t I just remember the whole thing when I awake?’ Dan was thinking to himself.
“Because it is not time for you to know the whole story,” said Alex. “The Lord is bringing new people into your life, and there are things I am going to tell you about them now that would become a hindrance if you remember before the circumstances happen in front of you. In everything that occurs, there is a specific timeline that must play out in its proper sequence.”
“I totally understand that,” Dan replied, remembering the many times he had stepped out too soon in some choices he made in the past. “I’ve been down that path many times. I am so grateful the Lord is protecting not only me, but also His plan.”
Just then, Susan rolled over next to him and her elbow hit him in his right side. He awakened suddenly to a dark room with only a glimmer of moonlight shining through a crack in the curtain on the French doors in their room. The blue digital face of their clock on the dresser was showing 3:13. Susan was sleeping soundly so he didn’t want to awaken her. He quietly got out of bed and went downstairs to the study where he could gather himself after the jolt that shook him awake. He was so deep into the dream – that he was still shaking a bit even after he sat down in his desk chair. He rested there for a few moments trying to remember what Alex had revealed to him in the dream, but all he could recall was the scroll being unrolled and Alex telling him about it. The rest was gone. He stayed up for about another hour before finally giving up and going back to sleep.
It only seemed like a few minutes had passed before he was awakened by another sound. After looking at the clock, he saw that it was just a few minutes before his alarm was set to go off, so he slipped out of the bed, turned off the alarm, and started to get ready for the day.
By the time Susan had taken a shower, prepared for the day, and walked into their new kitchen, Dan had a steaming hot breakfast ready for them to eat. “Good morning, princess!” Dan exclaimed as he walked towards her to give her a good morning kiss.
“Wow! Good morning to you too, my prince,” said Susan after a rather long kiss. “You look like you’re on top of the world.”
“I am, sort of,” said Dan with that playful look in his eyes.
“Ok, spill!” continued Susan. “You had another dream or vision and I want to hear it.”
“Okay! Okay! Let’s get some coffee first and I’ll tell you while we are eating. I don’t want this awesome, delicious, mouth-watering food to get cold,” replied Dan teasingly. “Besides, I think these omelets are the best I’ve made yet. Just wait until you see what is inside of them.”
“Oh, you got me now,” Susan jabbed quizzically. “Hurry up then! What are you waiting for?”
“You, of course,” Dan said as he spun her around and went for another kiss.
“You know that if you keep doing that, other things might happen and this wonderful looking and smelling breakfast just might get very, very cold,” said Susan and then she gave him a very long kiss.
“Ok, sobering up right now – not!” Dan said as he gave her another quick kiss and then walked over to pour the coffee.
As they sat at the table eating, Dan told her about the vision in the dream. They both began to talk about the days that followed their trip to England with all of the moving and chaos that had met them.
“I’d really like to start the building of our houses on the property, but really feel a hesitation in my spirit,” began Dan. “It’s like there are a few things that need to take place first. I think it might be better if we wait awhile.”
“As much as I’d like to see a faster progress on the property too, I agree with you,” Susan added. “With all of the delays because of the gruesome discovery in the caves, we’ve gotten behind on our schedule. Of course, that doesn’t mean that we are behind on His schedule.”
Dan began, “I wonder what is going to happen today? It’s been a fantastic start so far.”
“Yes, indeed,” Susan added, as she got up from the table, came around and sat on his lap. “I am so happy we are together. This makes everything else seem possible. I think of what we’ve already been through and I can’t envision what is yet to come. It has been beyond my wildest dreams and imagination.” Susan was thinking of their roller coaster ride of a romance and the journey with the business and ministry.
“It makes that scripture that says He can do beyond what we can think or imagine, so real,” Dan chimed in. “Well, I guess we better get ready to head to the office. It’s always good to be on time, even if we own the place.”
“I agree,” she said, as she kissed him one more time before she got up. “Besides, I think your legs need a break. I’m not that light, you know.”
“Oh, ok,” he teased.
They gathered their things, got in the SUV, and headed towards the office. It was a lovely day as the sun was shining brightly without a cloud in the sky. The smell of a fresh, new day was in the air, but those who were sensitive to the atmosphere around them, knew something was about to change. There was a stir in the heavenlies as a legion of angels appeared above the city, mostly unnoticed by the inhabitants below them.
The morning started out without any new developments. Dan and Susan brought their team up-to-date with the vision in the night, and the team shared all the business deals at hand. New clients kept calling, and they were having to scramble to hire new personnel as well as continue to finish out some of the vacant space in the building with new offices. Dan was often reminded by how the Lord had him purchase such a large building when he was just starting out with his small design firm. Those were the times he was really beginning to hear the Lord speak to him. He was so glad his brother, John, encouraged him to go with it.
It was almost 11:30 and they had a meeting scheduled with his brother and sister-in-law. Dan looked up from his desk just as Susan entered his office. “Are you about ready to go?” she asked.
“Yes, I was just shutting my computer down. Just a few more minutes,” He replied. “As usual, I am looking forward to seeing John after that dream. He always seems to see more as we talk.”
“I know what you mean,” said Susan. “I am excited to see Nikki too, I mean, it’s only been a couple of days, but it seems like weeks. We have been so busy with the move, the property, the FBI, the…”
“Yes, I’m glad we are meeting at the El Serena Cafe again,” he said. “I know the outside stream is frozen today, but I sure like the waterfall inside. It is so soothing to my soul. Hey, you know what?”
“What?” asked Susan expectantly, her eyes beaming with joy and excitement.
“We need to buy some more decorative waterfalls and place them throughout the office. Do you mind asking Sharon to look for some here in the city?”
“Sure!” she replied. “I think that’s a great idea. Maybe we can put one at the front entrance that goes across the whole back wall.”
“That would be great,” he replied. “Let’s see if we can get a mountain background, maybe with a stream and then run a separate vein of water over it like a real cascading waterfall.”
“I can see that,” said Susan, “That’s awesome.”
John and Nikki were already seated close to the back of the cafe near the waterfall when Dan and Susan walked in. Susan spotted them first and began to walk over to the table. John saw them as they approached and both he and Nikki got up to hug them.
“I was wondering if you guys were going to show up,” John piped in as he sat back down. He was grinning, of course.
Susan returned with a playful jab, “Yeah, you early birds got the worm, eh?” Then she added to it by poking him in the side with her elbow.
“Hey, what was that for?” John asked as he gave her a little jab back.
They all laughed and the stress seemed to leave Dan. The peace of the Lord engulfed them as he shared the dream and the things Alex had told him.
“Seems to me, you just have to wait,” John started. “I know that we want to see the whole picture and just run with it, but like Alex said, there are things we must master or face that will get us ready for the next steps ahead.”
“I was hoping you would have something else to say other than just agreeing with Alex,” said Dan a bit sarcastically. “Sometimes, I just want to run with things and this is one of those times.”
“Dan, you’ve been running since the first vision you’ve had, and you haven’t slowed down at all,” John replied with a grin. “You and Susan have been in overdrive since the beginning and you’ve had us running right beside you. It’s like being strapped to a rocket blasting towards the moon. Never in my life, nor have I read about it anywhere, have I ever seen things move this fast. I know your honeymoon was a little rest and relaxation for us too, but we need to watch the pace and listen clearly. The enemy would like nothing better than to trip us up by rushing us.”
“I know you’re right,” said Dan. “I just want to get beyond these attacks. I wish we already had the city built, and then things could calm down somewhat.”
Susan piped in, “Dan, this is not a sprint. This is a marathon, and we have to pace ourselves so that we don’t get exhausted. I felt the change in the atmosphere here this morning. More angels are on the scene, so something is brewing. They don’t mobilize for no reason, so we need to be prepared.”
Nikki added, “We felt the same thing, too, this morning. Susan is right. We need to be ready. All it takes is one phone call or connection to change everything.”
“I know and thanks,” replied Dan. “This vision bugs me right now, and I just have to let it go. It doesn’t seem right to get all of that information and understanding in the dream and then it all just goes away. I’ll be all right. I just need to let the stress fall off.”
“Yes, you do,” said John in a stern yet comforting tone. He leaned over towards his younger brother, placed his hand on Dan’s shoulder and began to pray, “Lord, I remove this stress from Dan and declare your anointing and peace to come upon him now, in Jesus’ name.”
Dan just sat there for a few minutes receiving the peace of the Lord. “Wow! That is awesome, big brother. Thanks! I needed that.” Dan sat there in total peace as the stress completely left his body.
Immediately, Dan heard the Lord speak to him, “Get ready! Be on your guard, but listen completely before you judge what is about to take place.”
Susan had been watching Dan intently and saw the change in his countenance, knowing that something had just happened. “What is it Dan? What did you hear?”
Dan’s whole face had gone from one of total relaxation to seriousness. “The Lord just told us to get ready and to be on our guard.” He told them the rest of the words, too.
John looked at his brother and spoke, “We need to be cautious. I don’t know what this is referring to, but we also need to add Alex’s words to it. Perhaps we are going to meet some new people and need to watch how we respond to them.”
“I agree,” said Dan.
They enjoyed their meal together and then discussed the last few week’s events since they had arrived back in the states from Europe and Dan and Susan’s wedding in Switzerland. They were trying to get used to the new homes they were placed in by the FBI, but so far the threats of violence upon their lives were weighing heavier upon them than they liked or even cared to admit. The good part was that the Lord always gave them advance warning and provided help along the way. This was a key moment in the development of the city as things were about to change. The group wondered what was coming next, but decided to focus on having some fun to get their minds off of it while they finished eating.
“One thing’s for sure,” said Nikki. “The food here is delicious.”
“Yes, it is,” agreed Susan. “That lamb dish is so good it seems like it melted in my mouth.”
“Well, I hate to be the one to end our time together, but we need to get back to the office and get some work done,” said Dan reluctantly.
“Yes, we do, too,” added John looking at his watch. “We are meeting with Roger and Jessica when we get back. They have a group of friends here that want to start helping us get the word out and join with us in prayer. Roger said that he’s not sure if they will fit into where we are because they believe differently about some things. We will find out if we can all meet to see what the Lord wants to do in our midst.”
“I’m really excited about this,” said Nikki. “His Kingdom is so vast, and the thought of others in the city coming together is just great. The focus is His purpose and His love.”
“Well, let us know what you decide, and we’ll be there,” said Susan. “I have a feeling this might be a part of what Dan was told this morning.”
“I do too,” said John. “I was feeling that as he was sharing earlier, but it is good to get confirmation.”
They left the cafe and drove back to the office.