The First Judgement: Messiah - Wendy Alec

This is the second novel in the series Chronicles of Brothers, based loosely of what we know of the Archangels: Michael, Gabriel and (fallen) Lucifer, from the Bible. The prequel, Book One, The Fall of Lucifer, sets the scene, vividly describing the events from the Creation of the Heavens and the Earth, and up to the Fall of the ‘Race of Men’.

Book Two, The First Judgement, covers a period of 2025 years from 4BC to 2021AD. It embellishes the events surrounding the coming of Christ to the Earth, up to His death on the Cross, His Resurrection and Ascension back to the First Heaven, to sit alongside His Father, in the Godhead. But running alongside these events the scene is being set for a sequel novel set in the future, linking into what is described in the Bible as the Tribulation period. I felt that the text does not pervert Scripture, but fundamentalists may consider that she is trying to add to the historical record.

Wendy Alec is the co-founder of GOD TV and has a strong prophetic ministry. But she is adamant that her novels are works of fiction. I find it intriguing and at times challenging to wear a prophetic hat whilst reading them!

The First Judgement is set in Heaven and Hell with the host of Angelic and Demonic creatures dwelling there. The interaction between the physical Earth and the unseen spiritual realm, which stretches right across the cosmos and beyond, is told in a way that draws the reader into fantastical images of the different characters and the confrontations and ensuing battles between the forces of Good and Evil.

The triumphant section where Jesus takes back the Keys of Death and Hades was one of the best chapters, in my opinion, encouraging the reader to enlarge their vision of where, how and why this event could have occurred.

Throughout the book there are constant time shifts and also dimension shifts, from the physical realm to the spiritual realm. Some of the sections are very short, barely a page, giving just a tiny glimpse of a character or event. I found this quite difficult, and I lost track of some of the characters, which are drawn out gradually. At times I couldn’t see how they fitted into the overall story. It would benefit from being read over a shorter space of time and in fewer chunks than I was able to give it. I also wanted more development of the real people in the story, as the focus tends to be on the supernatural creatures. Two real characters have the name, Jotapa, and they are linked through history, but I didn’t feel that the link went far enough to connect them within the time frame. Also, the analogy between the three heavenly brothers and the three earthly brothers, set in the 21st Century, is rather weak, but this may be a deliberate way of the author setting the scene for the sequel novel.

Nevertheless, the story is fast-paced and gripping, using rich, vivid descriptive language and it has some clever sub plots. It is a compelling narrative and I would recommend this to anyone who reflects on Heaven and Hell, and how the coming of Jesus Christ to the Earth fits into the bigger picture, giving it focus and relevance for each one of us.