The "Between The Verses" Series, by Thomas Walker

[Thomas Walker]

39 minutes ago, Paradise-Lover said:

Please correct the epub of "The Whole Truth" also.

... looks like the right file to me. Chrome doesn't usually give previews of epubs, so you have to download it, but it's looks like the right file.

 

BTV 03 The Whole Truth - Thomas Walker.epub

[Thomas Walker]

 

Coming, June 21st.

[GodlyDevotion]

I am a little off with the timeline of the books. I would love to get back to reading them, but I am missing the piece.
 

Bro Walker, would you kindly share more insights on the order of the “between the verses” series?

[Thomas Walker]

7 hours ago, GodlyDevotion said:

Bro Walker, would you kindly share more insights on the order of the “between the verses” series?

 

Between the Verses is a series that each tells a 'Bible Time' and a 'Modern' story, side by side, for comparison purposes. The modern sides aren't that chronological, and follow different people. The Bible Time half of the story is most chronological, starting with Genesis.

 

1) Written Beforehand: Noah's Time.

2) In My integrity: Joseph's time.

3) The Whole Truth: Moses's first confrontation with the King, and The First Plague of Egypt.

4) You Will Know: The Plagues, and the Exodus.

5) Walking To Paradise: The Red Sea to the Golden Calf.

6) He Will Call: Job's story.

7) The Sake of My Name: The 40 Year Exile in the Wilderness.

[Thomas Walker]

Well, a little sooner than I planned. Amazon always says 'Up To 72 Hours' to publish, but you never know where in that 72 Hours' it will arrive.

 

 

The Sake Of My Name is now available for Kindle on Amazon.

 

***

 

Oskar doesn't know how the world changed so fast. One moment he was living a normal life, and the next, he was a prisoner of the Nazi's. His daughter has been taken from him, and his life before the Camp is barely a memory. His only Crime is following his faith, and refusing to fight in a War that has consumed the world.

 

Thousands of years before, a man named Takarut is living a similar situation. He has rejected the teachings, and gods of his youth in Egypt, to follow Israel on their path to freedom; in service to Jehovah God. And yet, at the very entrance to the Promised Land, his new people changed their minds.

 

Both men will have to endure the most unexpected of trials. Neither of them know what will come next, or how long it might last. Both men have only the support of those in the same situation, and the hope that their faith gives them; as they both attempt to endure the greatest challenge of their lives

 

***

 

For those of you who aren't buying from the US Amazon store, it'll get there in another day or so. The Paperback version will follow. It's already set up, but usually takes a while to upload to all International Amazon Stores. If you're a regular follower, you'll know that I need to wait a few days before I put the text up for free on the blog, or Amazon's webcrawlers will accuse me of plagiarizing myself. (I know, but it's happened before.)

 

Enjoy!

 

[playfuld]

I'm so excited to read this one too. The others have been captivating.

[Thomas Walker]

So, the Paperback is now ready to go.

 

Another day for the Webcrawlers, and I'll put it all up on the Blog. My thanks to everyone who's purchased it so far. I hope you're enjoying it.

[Thomas Walker]

I figure enough time has passed to make Amazon happy, so the Blog now includes the whole book, free of charge.

 

Chapter One: Just Rumors

 

Chapter Two: "What Happens Now?!"

 

Chapter Three: Not Going Anywhere

 

Chapter Four: Not Everyone Agrees

 

Chapter Five: Testing The Limits

 

Chapter Six: Apostasy

 

Chapter Seven: Something New

 

Chapter Eight: Nothing More Human

 

Chapter Nine: The Crucible

 

Chapter Ten: Time Conquers All

 

Chapter Eleven: Swords Into Plowshares

 

Chapter Twelve: How Many Miracles?

 

Epilogue

 

 

Of course, if you'd like to support the Author, please do tell others who might be interested, or make a purchase on Amazon. It helps with the algorithms, if nothing else.

 

Since the book is now posted for free in it's entirety, I also declare this thread to be 'Spoiler Territory'. Feel free to talk about the books openly here. (Please. Because when I go too long between publishing a new book and hearing something from the people who've read it, a part of me is convinced I've messed something up completely.

[Roxessence]

As with all of your amazing books, I practically inhaled this one in 2 sittings (yes, nonstop thru the night!)!  Now, the Real work begins, rereading large portions to get the deeper meanings you’ve buried, comparing with Scripture text, pondering & digesting this lovely new Feast!  
Matt, your writing never fails to enlighten, encourage & satisfy.  Thank you.

[Dages]

I like these : 
 

Quote

“Daniel knew the question of food was deeper than what to eat. Jesus knew he was being asked about more than a coin. The real point in both cases wasn’t obedience, it was identity. Jesus was being challenged to identify himself as a rebel against Rome. Daniel was being asked to identify himself as a willing citizen of Babylon.” Matheo summed up. “What will our identity be? Today, the question of our identity as a people is growing more and more relevant, while all sides in the political affairs of the world become more and more passionate, even hostile. That’s why, just a short time ago, our own organization took on a new, global, and unified name: We are Jehovah’s Witnesses. Above all other things, above nationality, race, or favorite sports team: That is our name. That's who we're with. It's not just an identity, it's a mission statement. We're not soldiers, or judges, or prosecutors. We're Witnesses.”

 

Quote

All we have to do is surrender, and tell the world, in writing, that our faith isn’t real. See, that’s the point: Faith is like Hope. You can’t steal it from someone. They have to give it up.”

 

Quote

“When I was debating with my father, I had to defend my beliefs to another. Right now, we are prisoners. But we’re also free. Free from distractions. Free from ‘shades of grey’. It’s all black and white now. The only people we need to build up are each other. The only people we need to convince are ourselves.” Matheo seemed steadfast. “In debate, we have to get the Truth into our heads. To hold on while under oppression? It’s about keeping the Truth in our hearts.”

 

Quote

Leahe suddenly realized this was true. They’d never get anything but Manna. She looked at Emet, playing outside. By the time her son entered the Promised Land, there’d be a whole generation who didn't know how to prepare a meal, as they’d never know anything else as food. Nor would they know how to repair clothing, since the clothes and sandals never wore out or became threadbare…

 

Quote

Endurance is one of the most important qualities of faith.” Matheo said serenely. “Our endurance brings honor to Jehovah, showing Him, and the world that we don’t quit when things get tough. It builds Endurance in our brothers, helping them to ‘hold on’. And above all, by showing endurance we gain God’s approval. After all, some of the giants of our faith had to hold on for decades, in the face of injustice. And at all those points, Jehovah never lightened their load… He gave them bigger, stronger shoulders to carry on with.

 

Quote

“Sooner or later, those gates will open, and we will leave this darkness.” Matheo said seriously. “History will remember the survivors. Certainly the Brothers will. Every single Witness is in here because we said ‘Yes’ to God when it was difficult, and ‘No’ to men when it was impossible. Our brothers will remember that. Certainly God will. Maybe even the history books will know what we endured for.”

 

[Thomas Walker]

Well, in the month since publishing, Sake of My Name has remained in the Top 100 in it's categories (Admittedly a niche topic) the entire time. More than a hundred copies have been sold or downloaded, and I've gotten multiple Five Star Ratings.

 

Still no reviews on Amazon, which always has me nervous. I edited part of this on a public computer, I'm always worried someone snuck something offensive into it. Or worse, I uploaded the wrong file, and left all my idiotic placeholders and editorial comments in. 🤪

 

My thanks to everyone who's supported me thus far.

[Dages]

23 minutes ago, Thomas Walker said:

Well, in the month since publishing, Sake of My Name has remained in the Top 100 in it's categories (Admittedly a niche topic) the entire time. More than a hundred copies have been sold or downloaded, and I've gotten multiple Five Star Ratings.

 

Still no reviews on Amazon, which always has me nervous. I edited part of this on a public computer, I'm always worried someone snuck something offensive into it. Or worse, I uploaded the wrong file, and left all my idiotic placeholders and editorial comments in. 🤪

 

My thanks to everyone who's supported me thus far.

Can't wait for the next one  

and can't wait when you'll no longer have to write these, because we will already be there  

[Pikachu]

I enjoyed the story. My favorite part of it is having the brother who signed the form try to come back into Jehovah's organization. When I was younger, I always thought that there was no hope of coming back if one did that because of what Jesus said in Matthew10:33 ' But whoever disowns me before men, I will also disown him before my Father who is in the heavens.' Of course, I was and still am afraid of failing under extreme (and not so extreme) tests. So it's nice to see that it isn't so. I also enjoyed reading about Leah's and her husband's continued faithfulness despite the punishment.. It's wonderful not to read about their deaths in a gory and unpleasant way. Thank-you! A point that was brought out that I've never thought about was the children who were born in exile who may have never thought about needing a change. It's true that growing up in this system with a relatively privileged surrounding we could feel like that. I know that sometimes I do. I'm still young, and it's hard to imagine better than what I have. Although I'm sure in a few years it will be much easier after multiple disaster happen. 🤣

[LeolaRootStew]

The main focus of the New Earth series was the New System and wondering how things will play out. The focus of the Between the Verses series is to explore familiar Biblical accounts from a bystander perspective, juxtaposed with modern Witnesses enduring the end of this system. Both series had moments of triumph and defeat.

 

My review of the big themes:

 

Spoiler

THE FLOOD

 

-the angel boy and demon discussing the flood as the ark floats in the distance was an interesting concept. I've lived my whole life on this side of the Flood, so I don't ever remember thinking that the Flood was an "escalation" in the war of God vs the Rebels. Hearing the demon express shock that Jehovah would "take it this far" was eye-opening. It really was a big chess move.

 

-The ever-presence of violence was nerve-wracking. It seemed understandable that women would see the giants and the demons as a source of safety even though they were also what made the world so dangerous. It is a wonder only 3 women decided to join Noah's family and find real safety. This makes me realize that people may complain about world conditions, but they don't really want the solution because they are seeking something more important to them: fame, power, wealth, status, etc. Those things are worth more to them than true peace, so Noah's ark has no lasting appeal to them. What he offers them is practically worthless in their eyes. A lack of peace is just the price they are paying for the things they really crave - the things God's Kingdom will never provide for them.

 

-It's hard to say when the demons should have known they were fighting a lost cause. Genesis 3:15 was the first prophecy and it is still undergoing fulfillment, so the real first prophecy that they saw fulfilled was probably the Flood. They must have realized at that point that 1) Genesis 3:15 would surely come true if the Flood had come true, 2) Jehovah is not afraid of taking extreme measures to accomplish His will, and 3) there is no way Jehovah can lose. But I suppose if they were capable of that kind of reasoning they wouldn't have become demons in the first place.

 

THE ISRAELITES

 

-First thing to say is the Israelites have a slave mentality that I didn't truly appreciate until I read this series. Oppression from authority is all they have known from infancy, so it makes sense that they would stumble many times. 

 

 

-I felt the plagues viscerally. I felt a feral desperation to escape. I felt like I couldn't sit comfortably while reading. I felt like running to Jehovah.

 

-Respect to Leahe for choosing herself for punishment.

 

-It slowly chipped away at me to see people fail tests in the Wilderness. I began to understand Leah's broken spirit and I felt almost a form of PTSD whenever I knew another test was coming. Who is going to fail? Who are we going to lose?

 

-Jehovah may have seemed similar to Pharaoh when it came to the severity of a death sentence, but that is where the comparison ends. Pharaoh forced them into cruel slavery; Jehovah demanded exclusive devotion. They spent so much time looking at the hand that beats them that they didn't notice the hand that provided and protected them. I hate to say it, but perhaps that generation was never capable of entering the Promised Land - they were just too broken. I hope they find the rest of their healing in the resurrection.  

 

-The racism against the Egyptians who left Egypt with them was disheartening, though understandable. I would like to hope that I could be friends with an officer who once persecuted me for being a Witness. The greatest balm to suffering is being an example that saves someone else.

 

JOSEPH

 

-This is one of my favorite Bible stories and my favorite book in the series. It's always nice to root for the guy who makes the right decisions.

 

-Lapis should not have apologized for "betraying" Joseph - he took a stand for Jehovah. His loyalty to Jehovah in that moment proved he is not just following a man. 👏👏👏

 

JOB

 

-This was a hard read. My favorite part was the angelic perspective. This feels like a turning point in history. Before Job proved faithful it seemed at least possible that the demons may have been winning - at least with numbers. No one earth-side seemed to care about Jehovah and the only people who carried His name were subjected to cruel slavery or appeared to be cursed. What was the benefit of worshipping Jehovah? 

 

It really shows us how much humility Jehovah has to even allow the perception that He is a weak, unloving, or detached God while this court case plays out. He knows he will be vindicated in the end, so He's willing to endure the temporary damage to His reputation. The angels, on the other hand, have to choose sides based on the evidence they have seen already. The demons, as mentioned, always seem to have the numbers on their side, so why would an angel choose Jehovah? 

 

In my opinion the angels had all the information they needed to wisely choose sides from the moment there was a choice to make: Jehovah is the Creator of all things and has the right to decide the rules. End of story. The angels don't need to understand what Jehovah is going to do or why He did the things He did. He has the right to rule and no one else does. Case dismissed. 

 

That being said, it's still intriguing to hear the reasoning of the "Merchant" and his arguments with "the boy". I jumped for joy when the angels were given ammunition to use against the demon's propaganda. Job's endurance spit in the face of all the demons and for that he deserves respect.

 

-But not too much respect! I think the book went a little overboard for heaping the amount of praise it did on Job after his trial. The praise he got in his time-period seemed justified because it was by the same people who had abandoned him to die, so they kind of owed him an apology of sorts for slandering him and not helping him, but the praise in the NS felt excessive and bordering on idol-worship. I don't think it's good for anyone's mental health to have entire talks at conventions, viewed by every servant of Jehovah, dedicated to just their praise.

 

-It was an eye-opening concept that Jehovah had so much faith in humans that he "bet it all" on one man...who was not even perfect. Phrased that way, I was a little hesitant and wanted Jehovah to give it just a little more thought - even though I already knew the outcome. 

 

For those who read the New Earth series, there are characters mentioned in both series and it was fun to cross-reference them. Here is the list of the characters I can remember that are at least mentioned in the New Earth series:

 

Nomi, the Flood

Leahe, Israelite

Mirah, Israelite

Pharoah Ramensti, ruler when Moses was adopted

 

Elizabeth, soup kitchen

Homer/Mira/Cyrus, soup kitchen

Kit, homeless woman

Benedict, elder

Del, brother 

Grant, criminal leader (perhaps referenced, but not named.)

 

For those who have read the New Earth series already I wanted to add some details to remind you of their backgrounds in the other series. MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD OF THE NEW EARTH SERIES:

 

Spoiler

Nomi: she is mentioned as the new wife of Dexter in the 5th book of the New Earth series. She decides to forfeit the Final Test because she doesn't feel worthy. Knowing this ahead of time did not lessen the impact of her choices, but by the end of the book I understood why she couldn't forgive herself. I've had the thought before in the New Earth series that resurrection is not the "clean slate" I thought it was. If you betrayed people in the old system, they are still going to have feelings about that in the New System. And it will be very difficult to prove you are a changed person, and not just the same person in better circumstances. If you can't honestly say to them you would do it differently if you could go back in time, can you really repent in their eyes? How could you prove that you mean it? How could you convince them? How can you convince yourself?

 

Elizabeth: in this series she is working in the homeless shelter and eventually studies with Eleanor and Del. She is mentioned in the New Earth series in the same job with more background details during the GT.

 

Homer/Mira/Cyrus: the other Soup Kitchen workers in both series.

 

Kit: She is briefly mentioned in book 1 as a homeless woman coming into the shelter where (future Witness) Eleanor and (current Witness) Elizabeth volunteer. In the New Earth series, books 4 and 5, she is the sister of Christopher (a recently released prisoner). She is a Witness by the time the GT starts and we go through that from her brother's perspective. Nice cameo.

 

Benedict: He is mentioned as a side-character throughout the New Earth series as a Brother who gives many public announcements and landmark talks during the GT and 1000 years. It doesn't add much to the reading, except to show a familiar face.

 

Mirah: She has just one mention in the New Earth series. When Leahe introduces herself as "daughter of Mirah". For those who knew this detail, the reference to Mirah's "son" in this series was a red-herring. We knew she died in childbirth and Leahe was an only-child, so it's likely she assumed the gender of her child. 

 

Leahe: She is introduced as a student of Tilly, the chef, in the New Earth series. Based on the BtV series, she was probably introduced to her by her mother who also met Tilly and loved her food. She is not mentioned as traveling with anyone, so it is unclear if she is married or who else from her life is back. She is broken down and still pained by her memory of life in the wilderness when everything seemed like a test they would fail and they were never allowed to make choices. She develops a kinship with a man who lived under extreme political oppression and has many similar viewpoints. It is hinted they may have romantic feelings for each other, so it questions whether Leahe will remarry Takarut.

 

Del: 

Husband of Eleanor. From the New Earth series we go through the GT with Eleanor and their son, Jace. There is a brief reference to her husband, Del, being in Geneva and not being able to make it back during the GT. In this series we find out what happened from his perspective. It made the story interesting because I already knew he never made it home, but I technically didn't know if he survived.

 

Grant: I vaguely remember Julian, the lawyer, mentioning a criminal that I took to be Grant from books 4 and 5 of the New Earth series. Can't find the reference any more.

 

Pharaoh Ramensti [invented name of Pharaoh that ruled when Moses was adopted], book 3 Between the Verses: 

He is shown to be on an island with other "undecided" ones in the New Earth series, books 2 and 3. It's a nice glimpse at the mindset of the Pharaoh that the Plague Pharaoh certainly shared.

 

What I want to see/loose ends:

 

Spoiler

-A story about Elizabeth's background. It's hinted at briefly in the New Earth series.

-Ellis has room for a Tribulation story along with Piper

-I want to see Ryder again

-I need a resolution to the Nate, Paige, Red storyline. 

-I want to see if Kenton becomes a problem (book 5)

-An explanation for why Flora's great grandchild has the same name as the Nazi boy from school who bullied her (Emil). Will there be a backstory where she marries him?

-Does the rest of Leahe's family make it? Where is Takarut? Do they remarry?

-It feels like it's too late to add books to the New Earth series, but there's a lot of NS stories I still want to read and the Between the Verses series seems to be the early days of the NS only. Is there still room for more stories across the 1000 years? I hope so.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

 

-I cried for every resurrection. Every. Single. One. 

 

-I think what I'll remember most from this series is to have compassion for people because you can never truly understand how their minds have been shaped by their experiences.

 

-I'll also take with me a vivid appreciation for the angelic perspective of world events. They have been silent Witnesses for the entirety of human history and their examples of faith are good food for thought. 

 

-A recurring question I had throughout this series: if I had lived in this time-period, how would I have developed enough faith to survive spiritually?

[Dages]

wow, good thing to link all the characters between the series, I had forgotten about Nomi...

[Thomas Walker]

@LeolaRootStew, I want to thank you so much for the review. You've hit all the themes that I was trying to bring out in the BTV books. You're right, that in the New Earth Series, the Main Character was Paradise itself. BTV required a whole different approach.

 

The 'Themes' that you mention? It might surprise you to learn that I didn't set out to use any of them. I sort of 'discovered' them as I was writing the conversations.

 

In Particular:

Spoiler

The Conversations between the Boy Angel and the Merchant Demon. Because I have new characters in every Generation, these two became my 'narrators'. They're the only regular characters in the books that have the same perspective as the reader, seeing the Past and Future laid out for them as these things occur.

 

Writing a believable conversation from both viewpoints is how I saw Job as God betting His reputation, or the Flood as the 'Nuclear Option' in a game that was just getting started.

 

We discover the most interesting things about a story when you try to tell it from another person's viewpoint.

 

(Oh, and about Emil? I don't know there is any connection yet. In all honesty, I use an internet name generator, trying to get region/era-appropriate names. Sometimes there are... duplicates. 😅 It's possible I might turn that into something, but it wasn't intended that way.)

 

Many thanks for the thought out review.