By: Tony Scott Macauley
June 22, 2011
About A Dream Before Dying
Originally A Dream Before Dying was titled “The Immortal Dream” for reasons that had to do with the main event-taking place within the story. The Immortal Dream takes place every time one of God’s Immortal Keepers turns twenty-one years old.
During that special night three things occur beginning with a visit from an Archangel. This is followed by two dreams, one of which is a witness to the three-year ministry of Christ beginning with the baptism and ending with the crucifixion. They are eager at first, but then become very unwilling as the pain and suffering of Christ increases.
Vincent’s case is somewhat unusual in that his circumstance has never arisen in over two thousand years and has the whole immortal realm on edge throughout the story.
This story was inspired by a number of dreams I personally had after resigning from military duty in 1990.
My first dream was about a popular movie, the Vietnam War, and with it happening around the Easter holiday, the crucifixion of Christ. As if touched by the Holy Spirit, I began writing and succeeded in writing the first 100 pages over the next few nights. Imagine three of your favorite movies, “The Wizard of Oz”, “Platoon”, and “The Passion” all rolled into one amazing story line and Bible study.
Since I am a bible teacher, I also wanted a meaningful story, one that entertains and teaches readers how to apply verses from Old and New Testaments to the second coming of Christ. 1st Corinthians 10:11, “everything that happened in history is a warning for those here in the end,” is the driving force of my focus and I hope this story delivers on that promise.
Within the story many biblical questions are addressed and answered by the main character. I was careful not to preach or sound “sermony”. Most of the teaching parts are in the form of conversations between the characters in the story.
Some of the main topics include:
• Where do we go when we die?
• Is there a difference between saved and born again?
• What lessons can we learn from the raising of Lazarus, and the 12-year-old girl?
• Why do loved ones betray each other in the end days?
• The Rapture theory, how to understand the “anytime” doctrine.
• What did Jesus mean when he said…? And much more.
It is not my intention to tell readers what to think. However it is certainly my intention to provoke readers to think about everything they have been taught about God’s word and use A Dream Before Dying/The Initiation as a resource for wisdom and knowledge.
