Once upon a time in a land not so far away there were several kings.  Each of these kings had dominion over a part of the land and ruled it as they saw fit.  Some of their kingdoms were large and some were small, but there was one which completely dwarfed all the rest.  This one was so immense that all of the other ones together could fit easily into a small corner of it.  Battles were occasionally fought as the kings of these lesser kingdoms sought to increase the size of their territory or tried to exercise authority in some neutral area.  No one, however, dared challenge the largest kingdom, as it and its king were, by far, the mightiest of them all.  This larger kingdom was also incredibly wealthy.  Its citizens not only had everything that they could possibly need, the king had provided so much gold, silver, and precious stones that they were as common as everyday rocks.  This king was also an extremely wise, wonderful, and loving leader, and all of his subjects were totally content to live under his authority.  He had gone to great lengths to make their lives wonderful, and had done it so well that the poorest person in his whole kingdom was better off than even the kings of these other kingdoms.

One day something terrible was discovered.  There were two very powerful enemies preparing to come against these kingdoms.  One was amassing in the mountains, back behind the mighty kingdom, and the other was amassing in the sea, which bordered all the smaller ones.  When they would arrive could not be determined, but the result could.  All but the largest kingdom would certainly perish.  It was the only one strong enough to withstand their force.  The smaller ones, even working together, would never survive. 

As a result of this impending disaster, the mighty king sent messengers to all the kings of these smaller kingdoms.  He invited them to become part of his empire.  He told them that if they would come under his authority, he would not only provide all the protection they needed, he would also bless and care for them with all the riches of his kingdom.  They would be given full citizenship–vested with all rights, privileges, and responsibilities–and would be blessed far more abundantly than they had ever achieved in their own little kingdoms.  He also said if they chose to do this, he would seal the entire agreement with the official seal of the government, which no one could break. 

Why did he do this?  Well for one thing, this mighty king absolutely loved people.  He dearly loved all of the subjects of his own kingdom, and he would be more than happy to bring in more.  He also knew these kings needed his help, and he certainly had the resources to provide it.  His kingdom was so large and so wealthy that he could easily bring all of these people in with no strain at all.

There was, however, one more reason for his offer.  Like some of the lesser kings, he too was interested in more land.  You see, at one time he had ruled it all.  Many years before, there had been a rebellion, and all of these smaller kingdoms had broken away.  The people wanted to be their own authority and had rejected his.  He had not forced them to stay, and he would not force them to come back, but he would take advantage of this opportunity.  With his offer, he also gave them two promises:  First, if they would truly come back to him–truly accept his authority, abandoning any idea of running a separate kingdom–he would totally forgive their rebellion, and it would never be mentioned again.  Second, if they sincerely wanted a position of authority, then by earnestly and faithfully serving him as citizens of his kingdom, he would ultimately give them more than they ever had.   

He told them that if his offer was acceptable, they were to come before him, remove their crowns, and formally accept him as their king.  They were, however, to stay and rule their own kingdoms–subject to his authority–until the enemy advanced.  He wanted time to prepare for their coming as well as to see how they were going to serve him.  He told them that he would permanently hold off the enemy in the hills, but when the enemy from the sea moved in, they would have to come into the kingdom.  He also promised them access to many of the kingdom’s treasures immediately and said that they could come to him at any time with any needs they had.  He would always be available.

Now, let’s stop and take a closer look at this offer.  What were these lesser kings being asked to give up, and what would they receive in return?  The answer is “nothing” and “everything”!  They were being asked to relinquish authority over a tiny, doomed kingdom in order to gain the love, acceptance, and forgiveness of this very wise, wonderful, and mighty ruler.  They were to receive the protection and provision of his much larger, wealthier, and more powerful kingdom while being spared the horror of all that the enemy would do to them.  Finally, they would be given the opportunity to earn even more authority than they were being asked to give up.  They had everything to gain and nothing to lose.        

So what did they do?  What would you have done if you had been in their situation?  More importantly, what are you going to do?  You see, this story is a parable on life.  It is about God and us and the wonderful offer that He is presenting to each one of us.  He is the Mighty King who eternally rules the universe, and we are the lesser kings who are temporarily seeking to rule our own lives (or were, if we have already accepted His authority).  God has a better plan and a better offer, in a kingdom which lasts forever, and He is trying to get us to accept it.  I, formerly a lesser king, am now one of His messengers, and I am here to tell you that God is awesome, God is wonderful, and God wants you in His kingdom!  It doesn’t matter what you have in your life or what benefit it brings you, God is better!  You will find more love, mercy and acceptance, more joy, peace, power, pleasure, significance, and security in a relationship with God than anywhere else in life.

I am also here to tell you that there is absolutely nothing that can keep this from happening–that can keep you from entering into this most blessed and everlasting relationship with God–except your will.  There is no power in heaven, hell, or here on earth that can keep us away from God if we truly want Him.  Nor is there anything that we have ever done for which He will not forgive us.  The one and only true barrier which stands between God and man is desire.  We must want Him with all of our hearts. 

  It is for this reason that the major objective of this book is to show you how absolutely wonderful God is, and to tell you of all the blessings which accompany a personal relationship with Him–both in this life and throughout eternity.  In addition to this and many other strange and wonderful things about God, you are going to learn the true meaning of life, about the coming end of this world and the creation of another, about three phases of heaven, about interacting with the supernatural (both good and evil), and about how every bit of this fits together.  You are going to learn of life and death, of love and hate, angels and demons, knowledge and power, and of physical and spiritual warfare–past, present, and future.

On a far more urgent matter, you are also going to learn that we do not have an unlimited amount of time to accept our Mighty King’s offer, and if we miss our opportunity, we will suffer some very severe consequences.  These consequences–represented in the parable by the two encroaching enemies–are “death” and “judgment,” and none of us knows when they are scheduled to arrive.  “Judgment” is the enemy in the hills behind God’s mighty kingdom, and it is growing with each and every sin we commit.  God is temporarily standing between us, trying to get us to accept Him as Lord and Savior, so the protection can become permanent.  “Death” is the enemy in the sea, and there stands nothing but time between us.  No, accepting God may not stop death’s arrival, but it will transform it into the most wonderful blessing we will ever experience.  It will move us instantaneously into the city of heaven–a very real and wonderful place. (A physical description of heaven is included in this book.)   

 So venture on and enjoy.  It is my sincere prayer that you will be as blessed by reading this book as I have been by writing it.