Brief

Sarah's morning activities seemed quite ordinary, but on this day, the divine invaded the mundane. Today, the eternal transformed Sarah's very existence; Resurrection Morning fulfilled every hope that reverberated deep in her soul, as she is taken up to Heaven and shown her new home.

What We Liked

Sarah's journey in this story is as fantastic as it gets, and it's fun to experience it with her. From sitting on a park bench to sitting next to God himself in Heaven, she finally experiences the fruits of her lifetime of devotion. Every sight and sound holds wonders, not to mention the cast of luminaries she interacts with. The reunions with her family and friends are full of joyful emotion, and the fight against Satan is exciting - and will be great visually - as will most of this story.

Resurrection Hope would make a visually sumptuous film, and with suspension of disbelief, it would also be emotionally compelling. Everyone dreams of Heaven at one point or another, but this film would show, not tell. The scenes would be lavish spectacles that belong on a big screen. The lead character's journey is epic, and her emotions are at their zenith as she discovers the wonders of the universe and revisits tough times during her life.

Key points: The afterlife; Amazing visuals; An empathetic lead; Fantasies come true; True love

Synopsis

Sarah, 60, reflects on her family as she cooks breakfast for husband Paul, 60. They have three adult children, John, Mark, and Linda. She thinks about how much better her day is when it starts off with prayer. She turns on an oldies station and the music reminds her of the good times and the horrible times of her own childhood. There was violence in her childhood home. She thinks about how she has used food as a comfort her whole life. In an outing, she sits on a bench in a park and watches squirrels before going over the passage from her Bible study that week. She then writes down how to put the scripture into action - tell a friend and make a sign that reminds her of the message. She then imagines her face in the hands of God and is overcome with emotion. She then sees and hears strange things and realizes that she is being caught up in what people have called the rapture. Her body feels rejuvenated and there is no pain. A glorious angel introduces itself to her - she is Keturael. Sarah sees all of her relatives and friends being taken into the air by angels as well, it’s a big celebration. She sees Paul ascend, His angel is named Guiriel. Sarah notices that some people on the ground are baffled by the piles of clothes that now lay where each person used to be. Sarah’s new focus is flying through space with her angel, toward Heaven.

They all come to a palatial hall, where Jesus shows each of them their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Sarah hugs him. They then go into an adjoining room filled with food. Out in a courtyard, Sarah imagines what her dream home looks like, and Keturael takes her to it. God welcomes to her new heavenly abode. He explains there are no bedrooms or bathrooms because sleep and elimination aren’t needed. Sarah walks through the gold streets and notices flowers and precious stones of all kinds, including some she’s never seen. She’s invited to go to the Throne Room of God, where she sees Father God and Jesus on their thrones with gold crowns and precious jewels. On the walls are writings from the scripture. A river of water flows through the immense room. 24 additional thrones surround God and Jesus, and as Sarah wonders to whom they belong, The Spirit tells her that these are the faithful elders who held the testimony of Christ and His love in their lives. They all wear crowns which they present to Jesus, as they sing.

Sarah finds Paul, who asks her to walk in a garden with him. They marvel at everything and express their happiness that they will continue in relationship with each other. They no longer feel romantic feelings for each other, but have a tenderness for each other, as brother and sister. Sarah visits Paul’s home, and their three children and granddaughter show up to see it, as well. They all tell each other where they were when the shift into the rapture happened. Then they visit each of each other’s homes, astonished at their beauty and perfection. Even Sarah’s five year-old granddaughter, Pearl, has her own house and she tells them God told she would grow up quicker here. Everyone goes on their own, to explore Heaven. Sarah is visited by her angel, Keturael, who brings her a book of her own life, wrapped in a scarf, entitled, “Angel Story.” Sarah begins to read, and learns about the creation and purpose of angels and how they see God. Keturael then writes of Lucifer and how he rebelled and then was cast out with the other angels who followed him. God asks Sarah if she’d like to attend a family reunion and she says yes and is instantly with thousands of her relatives, including her mom who used to be paralyzed by a stroke. Jesus visits, and they sing to Him. Sarah goes home and back to her book. Her angel writes that she is awed by God’s creations, and bears witness to His creativity. Many of the deep questions about humanity are dealt with. Sarah sets aside the book and goes outside. She is soon swept up in an all-of-creation musical tribute to God, and together they experience worship unlike ever before. She meets up with her family, and they learn about new spiritual abilities. Joining together in one of them, they all travel back in time to watch Jesus being born. Back in Heaven, they share with each other their new interests and how God has increased their talents. More singing and dancing breaks out in the streets, this time with King David leading the crowd. Jesus comes to join him as they all dance into the throne room and Jesus and God sing to each other. Back home, Sarah reads more of “Angel Story,” and learns about her life from her guardian angel’s perspective. The death of Sarah’s older brother as a child is explained. Sarah spends time with her father, who had found God later in life and is grateful for the forgiveness of his horrible sins. She attends a mother’s reunion luncheon hosted by Jesus and Mary, where women are reunited with the children they lost. Sarah meets the baby she was forced to abort when she was a teen, who was conceived out of rape. Sarah then gets a personal audience with God, who explains why suffering exists.

Sarah explores Heaven in flight with the Spirit as her guide. She runs into a friend from home, Wayne. They explore a veritable zoo where none of the animals are dangerous and they all want to play. They ride a creature called Dino who is twice the size of “earth-lore” dinosaurs. She reconnects with her childhood friend Lila. Sarah visits with Keturael, asking her about some of the times she wondered if the angel may have protected her - like when Sarah almost got into car accidents. Keturael confirms to Sarah that she was there, as were other angels. She tells Sarah how Sarah’s prayers summoned angels to protect their son from a demonic attack. Keturael shows Sarah how to see the spiritual meaning of historical events that she witnesses. Sarah goes outside for a walk and converses with a squirrel, reaffirming her love of animals. Then she meets the apostle Paul and they bond on their past suffering. At The Marriage Supper of the Lamb, Jesus reaffirms his devotion with humanity. Then Jesus lets in scores of horses, in armor and gems, and invites them to all go back to Earth. Sarah goes home to find a riding outfit and returns to meet her horse, Skatira. They all ride to the valley of Megiddo, with an angel, Sendel-phenel carrying a huge chain that was spun from a giant spider who lives deep under the River of Life. Back on Earth, after Jesus dispatches those who oppose Him, the angels surround Satan and his hordes with the chain and Jesus casts them into the lake of fire, where they will spend the next thousand years.

About The Author

Freda experienced physical and sexual abuse throughout her childhood. She was broken and confused for years. As a young woman, she sought counseling for 12 years. When she began to grow in her Christian faith, she realized the depth of healing in the words of the Bible. She then combined tiny steps of healing with those comforting Scriptures and wrote Flame of Healing: A Daily Journey of Healing from Abuse and Trauma, a devotional with a journal, for in-depth, personal healing. Flame of Healing is helping people in several countries to heal from deep emotional pain from abuse and trauma. Freda is foremost a child of God, but also a wife of 43 years, mother of three adult children, and a grandmother of one. Her second book is Resurrection Hope. This novel sparked something very special and has grown to be a series; the second is Millennial Hope, which focuses on life during the Millennial Reign of Christ back on Earth. The final novel in the series will be available soon, Eternal Hope, focusing on living eternally in the Presence of the Triune God, the Father, Son, and Spirit. Freda is becoming a prolific writer; she regularly contributes to a blog at www.goodsamaritanministries.org. She has also penned a booklet, Creative Writing, as an Extension of Listening Prayer and is planning another non-fiction book about spiritual maturity and spiritual warfare experienced through the strength of that maturity.