Sir Rowan and the Camerian Conquest
Page 18
James 4:10 says that God will lift them up.
The Prince shows Rowan compassion and mercy and offers him forgiveness. The Bible says in Psalm 51:17 that God will not despise a broken and contrite heart.
CHAPTER 8
Answer based on personal experience.
CHAPTER 9
The Bible passage is Matthew 19:16–26. Jesus said that it is difficult for a rich man to enter into heaven. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus said that a person cannot serve both God and money. Any of us, no matter our financial status, can fall into this trap of choosing money as our lord instead of Jesus. Other verses relating to this are Luke 18:25; 1 Corinthians 1:26; 1 Timothy 6:9–10, 17–19; and James 1:11.
Answer based on personal experience.
CHAPTER 10
This represents the targeting of the United States by fanatical terrorist groups because of its support for Israel.
The Resolutes represent those who fight against the suppression of freedom and specifically religious freedom. As later chapters will show, they also represent the persecuted Christians in the end times who will wage spiritual warfare through prayer.
CHAPTER 11
Answers will vary. (His true identity will be revealed in later chapters.)
CHAPTER 12
Some possibilities are Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27–35.
This is an example of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost, thereby fulfilling the Great Commission as given in Matthew 28:19–20; Mark 16:15; John 20:21; and Acts 1:8.
CHAPTER 13
Some examples are Isaiah 1:9; 10:22; Jeremiah 23:3; Ezekiel 6:8; Romans 9:27; 11:5; and Revelation 12:17.
CHAPTER 14
Histen represents the Antichrist, depicted in the book of Revelation (beginning in 13:1) as the “beast.” (The actual term antichrist is introduced by John in 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; and 2 John 1:7.)
CHAPTER 15
This story allegorizes the days leading up to the end times as depicted in Revelation.
Chessington represents the nation of Israel. It is important because according to Scripture (for instance, Daniel 9:12), the end times will culminate in one of this nation’s cities, the historic city of Jerusalem.
The King’s people represent the Jewish people, descendants of Abraham who came from Canaan. The Kingdom Series book that first contained this symbolism is Kingdom’s Dawn.
CHAPTER 16
The battle for Laos represents a spiritual battle in the end times when the Antichrist comes into power and begins to persecute the followers of Jesus.
Revelation 6:9 refers to “the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.” (The intention of this story is not to place this passage within the context of a particular time frame, but rather to show that there will be difficult times for believers as the end times near.)
CHAPTER 17
Remembering the promises of the Prince helps Rowan overcome the temptation.
Some possibilities are Matthew 13:43; Psalm 34:17; and Deuteronomy 31:6.
Answers will vary. Jeremiah 17:9 says that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” History has shown that societies do tend to spiral down into wickedness and blood-lust, especially when they do away with God and His moral absolutes. Only principled, moral, and godly men and women leading a God-centered people can keep this from happening.
CHAPTER 18
Deuteronomy 32:35 says that vengeance belongs to the Lord (not to us!) and that He will repay the wrongs done to us.
Jesus tells us that in the end there will be distressing times but that we will be a testimony for Him, just as the Knights of the Prince are for the Prince. Just as they hope for the Prince’s return, our hope as believers is in verse 28: our redemption is near. John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”—a grand promise indeed!
CHAPTER 19
Answer based on personal experience. Some examples could include Matthew 5:4 and 2 Corinthians 1:3–4.
Rowan and Lijah represent the “two witnesses” described in Revelation 11. Their mission is to prophesy (verse 3) and to execute judgment (verses 5–6).
Moses and Elijah.
CHAPTER 20
Answers will vary.
CHAPTER 21
Revelation 11:3 specifies 1,260 days, which is the same as forty-two months or three-and-a-half years.
CHAPTER 22
According to Revelation 11:7, the beast (Satan) “will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.”
CHAPTER 23
Verse 10 says that they celebrate and send one another gifts.
CHAPTER 24 AND EPILOGUE
The Life Spice represents the working of the “spirit of life from God” (the Holy Spirit, KJV) to bring them back to life, described in Revelation 11:11.
The Prince says that the days of Lucius and his Shadow Warriors are numbered and that He will return and conquer them. Likewise, Jesus will return with His saints in glory, conquer the beast and the false prophet, and cast them into the lake of fire. Satan will be bound and cast into the bottomless pit for a thousand years.
The rest of the story is told in Kingdom’s Reign.
John 14:12 says, “He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” Burn bright for God and watch what He will do!
Copyright © Emily Elizabeth Black 2010
Copyright © Emily Elizabeth Black 2010
Copyright © Emily Elizabeth Black 2010
Copyright © Emily Elizabeth Black 2010
Copyright © Emily Elizabeth Black 2010
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
The purpose of Sir Rowan and the Camerian Conquest is twofold: first, to explore and reveal the consequences that result from a stronghold of pride, and second, to close out the Knights of Arrethtrae Series with a speculative storyline leading up to the return of Christ by using the prophecy of the two witnesses as foretold in Scripture.
The first sin committed against God, and perhaps the most dangerous, is that of pride. The five “I wills” of Lucifer in Isaiah 14:12–14 testify to the prideful heart that spawned evil in God’s creation. Lucifer knew this sin well and used it to tempt Adam and Eve in the garden when he stated that they would be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Perhaps this is why one central theme seems to ring loudly throughout Scripture: God hates pride. Proverbs 6:16–19 succinctly lists the things God hates, and pride is at the top of the list:
These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. (KJV)
Additionally, God warns us over and over that pride will bring us to destruction, and this rings true in human experience. In fact, whenever a great Christian man or woman has fallen, pride seems to be the core reason for that fall.
The antithesis of pride, of course, is humility, a quality God encourages us to daily seek. The Bible tells us, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:10).
Unfortunately, just as Sir Rowan learned, the consequences of having a prideful heart are often extremely painful and humbling. When a believer has a stronghold of pride, God often must utterly break that person in order for him or her to be restored to a spirit of humility. It is important to daily remember the words of David: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:17, KJV).
Finally, a spirit of pride can keep us from entering or continuing effective service for the Lord. In fact, Scripture tells us that God “resists” the proud. Only when we humble ourselves before Him, when we acknowledge that we can do no
thing in and of ourselves, will the Lord use us to do mighty things through Him for His kingdom.
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. (James 4:6, KJV)
The prophecy of the two witnesses in Revelation 11 is one of the most intriguing aspects of the end-time scriptures. The great speculation regarding the interpretation of these passages allows sufficient room for literary freedom in an allegory such as this. I considered it appropriate to tie in this prophecy to the closing book of the Knights of Arrethtrae Series since the theme of the books is to tell of the great deeds of a few of the mighty Knights of the Prince.
The two witnesses, if literally interpreted, will be perhaps two of the most bold and dramatic messengers ever to have lived. Whether literal or symbolic, the advent of the two witnesses will certainly initiate a time of judgment, renewal, and profound prophetic fulfillment. My allegorical depiction of the end times is only one very loose interpretation, and it is not my intention to presume that this is an accurate rendition of the time line of future biblical events. Rather, it is my hope and prayer that it will inspire you to live all the more passionately for Jesus Christ as His return draws close.
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
—REVELATION 22:12, KJV
Table of Contents
Cover
Other Books by This Author
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Map
Kingdom’s Heart: An Introduction to the Knights of Arrethtrae
Prologue: Cameria the Great
Chapter 1: Stable Boy
Chapter 2: Bread and Tournaments
Chapter 3: The Victory Cloak
Chapter 4: The Grand Trophy Quest
Chapter 5: One Hundred to One
Chapter 6: Prison with No End
Chapter 7: Journey of Dreams
Chapter 8: A Song in the Dark
Chapter 9: Homeward Bound
Chapter 10: The Work of One
Chapter 11: Mysterious Knight
Chapter 12: Bandits
Chapter 13: The Resolutes
Chapter 14: Flight of the Eagle
Chapter 15: Higher Calling
Chapter 16: The Battle for Laos
Chapter 17: The Conquest of Cameria
Chapter 18: A Hopeless Fight
Chapter 19: Call of the Prince
Chapter 20: The Armor of the King
Chapter 21: Chessington’s Promise
Chapter 22: The Final Stand
Chapter 23: Life Like the Prince
Epilogue: Across the Great Sea
Discussion Questions
Answers to Discussion Questions
“The Final Call” (written for Sir Rowan and the Camerian Conquest )
Author Commentary