“If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”
As a pre-school youngster, I often whispered that prayer while covering my head with a blanket. Rumors of war, tornado warnings, or even a bump in the night would raise fears of death in my young mind. What would happen if I should die? Would I live on in heaven? Would God really take my soul to be with him?
As I grew in years, wisdom, and spiritual knowledge, I learned about a loving God who cared for every soul he created. Life experiences confirmed Scripture’s promises. God really did love me. I am a child of my Heavenly Father.
Fears faded. Confidence sprouted and gave rise to certainty. I now know—when I die, God will take my soul to eternity.
I have also learned, however, that far too many Christians have not conquered those fears and doubts. Some are even held captive by them, not yet experiencing the Bible’s promise that Jesus can “free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives” (Hebrews 2:15, NASB). And those who are not believers are in a far worse state, having no hope at all that God will take their souls to an eternal promised land.
These are some of the reasons I wrote the Oculus Gate series, especially book #3, My Soul to Take. I designed the themes and characters to reflect both my early fears and my growth in faith as I watched God prove his faithfulness time and time again. The story dives deeply into afterlife reality, both the triumph of heaven and the tragedy of hell as the heroic characters battle a sadistic villain who cannot be defeated without wisdom and light from above.
My hope is that readers will identify with the darkness and danger that the characters must go through and also feel the joy as they march out of hell and into victory. Maybe they, too, will be able to cast away fear, break the chains of slavery, and know for a fact that God will someday take their souls to heaven. For when they have this confidence embedded within, they will be emboldened to stand against evil and never fear the darkness again.
Bryan Davis is the author of The Oculus Gate Series and Let the Ghosts Speak as well as several bestselling series, including Dragons in our Midst, the Reapers Trilogy, the Time Echoes Trilogy, Dragons of Starlight, and Tales of Starlight. He and his wife, Susie, work together as an author/editor team to create his fantasy/adventure tales.
Can Ben Garrison go to hell and back . . . again?
The souls of Leo and Iona are trapped in hell, their bodies inhabited by the souls of Alex and her henchman Bartholomew. Now disguised as Iona, Alex launches her centuries-old plan to restore her power and take control of both Earth and Viridi.
Unable to communicate with their allies, the real Leo and Iona embark on a journey, hoping to somehow break through hell’s impenetrable gates. Along the way, they meet a strange woman, a Reaper who believes she can help them escape.
On Earth, Ben Garrison and company begin to suspect that Leo and Iona are not who they seem, and their souls might still be in hell. Aware of their suspicions, Alex, in Iona’s body, escapes them to pursue her world-takeover plans.
As Leo and Iona face the dangers of a beast-infested forest, a lava-filled chasm, and the nightmarish Lake of Fire, Ben tries to figure out a way to help them from Earth. Only one option presents itself—to return to hell and face the dangers himself.
