Thursday, August 24, 2023

❤Author Interview: 'The Adversary Chronicles' Randy C. Dockens #authorinterview #scifi #Christian

 

 


Dr. Randy C. Dockens has a fascination with science and with the Bible, holds Ph.D. degrees in both areas, and is a man not only of faith and science, but also of creativity. He believes that faith and science go hand in hand without being enemies of each other. 

After completing his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Auburn University he went on to graduate school at Auburn and completed his first doctorate degree in Pharmaceutics. He began his scientific career as a pharmacokinetic reviewer for the Food and Drug Administration and later joined a leading pharmaceutical company as a pharmacokineticist, which is a scientist who analyzes how the human body affects drugs after they have been administered (i.e., absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted). 

Through the years, he has worked on potential medicines within several disease areas, including cardiovascular, fibrosis, and immunoscience to see and develop new and novel medicines in these therapy areas. 

He has also had his attention on the academic study of the Bible. He earned a second doctorate in Biblical Prophecy from Louisiana Baptist University after receiving a master’s degree in Jewish Studies from the Internet Bible Institute under the tutelage of Dr. Robert Congdon. 

Randy has recently retired from his pharmaceutical career and is spending even more time on his writing efforts. He has written several books that span dystopian, end-time prophecy, science fiction, and uniquely told Bible stories. All his books, while fun to read, are futuristic, filled with science to give them an authentic feel, have a science fiction feel to them, and allows one to learn some aspect of Biblical truth one may not have thought about before. This is all done in a fast-paced action format that is both entertaining and provides a fun read for his readers. 

Website: https://www.randydockens.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/RandyCDockens 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Randy.C.Dockens    

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16453941  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/randydockens/
 

When you wrote your first book, Rebellion in the Stone of Fire, did you have any idea it would blossom into a 4-book series?

     The short answer is no. The idea for the first book came from my research for a class I was going to teach at my church. The topic: M-theory, or the theory of everything, which purports that there are eleven dimensions, where each higher dimension contains all the elements of the lower dimension plus an additional element. I know that is a strange topic for a Bible class, but this topic got me to think about what the Bible may say about dimensions. I mean, after all, if the Bible speaks truth, then would it support the idea of eleven dimensions? That idea piqued my interest and was the start of the journey to this first book of this series.

     M-theory states the order of dimensions are the following: first (length), second (breadth), third (height), fourth (time), fifth (time travel), sixth (multiverse or multiple worlds), seventh (multiple words with each on a different timeline), eighth (multiple worlds in different parallel universes), ninth (multiple infinities; able to jump from timeline of one world in one universe to another world on another timeline in another universe), tenth (all possible infinities of all possible universes), and eleventh (all subatomic particles of all dimensions). It is expected that 10 to the 500th power of universes can exist. From the eleventh dimension, if the positive energy can balance the negative, then a universe can spontaneously appear.


I don’t think there is any big argument that the Bible supports the first four dimensions. After all, I think we can all agree that everything around us is presented to us in 3-D. And we, of course, experience time, even if we only experience it in a linear fashion. When I investigated the Bible for support of higher dimensions, I had to take into account the spiritual realm, and even Satan and the angels who followed him being kicked out of heaven and thereby being placed in the fourth dimension where we reside. Because they came from a higher dimension, we cannot experience them the way we experience each other.

     There are limited instances of God allowing some to experience the fifth dimension, or time travel, but it was done by him and not by the human involved (e.g., Philip as presented in Acts chapter 8). I considered Sheol as the sixth dimension. It is outside our dimension and connected only to the eleventh, or highest, dimension where God exists, as God is in control of it. Yet, there are a few instances of it being connected to our dimension (e.g., Lazarus coming back from Sheol, found in John chapter 11). I consider the seventh dimension as Tartarus which is also connected only to the eleventh dimension as only God has access to it. This is where God placed selected angels because of their disobedience (mentioned in Second Peter chapter 2).

     It may seem strange to think of the sixth and seventh dimensions disconnected from the others except for the eleventh. Yet, they are definitely higher than ours but certainly lower than what would be more “godly,” so to speak. It is God who has placed these limits on these two dimensions. Yet, I feel they do fit into the hierarchy of how I am presenting these “Biblical” dimensions.

     I think of the eighth dimension being Paradise, or Eden. This may be where Adam and Eve were in the beginning but were put into the fourth dimension after their rebellion when Satan deceived them. This is also the place the righteous who were in Sheol were taken, and the place where the righteous today go when they die. The ninth dimension is the angelic realm. As God’s messengers, they can travel to our dimension and would be the reason we would not visibly see them because they would not naturally be corporeal in a lower dimension from theirs. The tenth dimension would then be higher angels who attend to God’s throne like the cherubim and seraphim. Then the eleventh dimension would be where God himself dwells and who has access to all dimensions below his. Perhaps he exists as unity in his dimension but manifest as triune in dimensions below his as that is the only way lower dimensions can reveal him. Just a thought. The number of universes may actually be the number of decisions people make and yet God knows which one will be picked so the timeline progression is in one direction even though there are seemingly endless possibilities.

     


All of that to say these were the thoughts for the genesis of Rebellion in the Stone of Fire. It describes these different dimensions, but in a nonscientific way, tells how they have interacted with each other, and why certain things happened the way the Bible describes them.

After writing the first book, I thought it would be good to go further to show the consequences of Lucifer’s rebellion and what that means for the human race. Lucifer’s rebellion started because of his pride and that led to him trying to take over the world God created and make it into his image rather than it remaining in God’s image. The second book, The Holy Grail of Babylon, is about the Tower of Babel and how Lucifer used Gilgamesh to try and create a superhuman to deceive the world. But this is presented in a very science fiction fashion with time travel and a lot of creative license. When his attempt failed, he moved on to try and destroy Israel, the nation though whom God was to provide his Messiah to the world. We find this in the third book, The Defining Curse. That plot ultimately failed as well.

I then wanted to let people see that the Adversary is alive and well even today. Lucifer is still scheming and trying to take control. This is revealed in a dramatic way in The Luciferian Plague where today’s technology is used against us for his ultimate control. This too failed—at least in my book he failed. Yet, we must see what real life will reveal to us.

     My goal with this series was to take somewhat familiar Bible stories and make them unique in how they are told, dramatic in how they are presented, and different from how they are normally read in hopes such a presentation will help readers see these stories in a new and fresh way. By being presented from an angelic point of view, hopefully readers will learn something they perhaps didn’t already know. These stories definitely put a new twist to age-old stories that are just as relevant to us today as they were to generations past.

Can you give us your book blurb so others can find out what your series is about?

I wasn’t sure if you wanted this for the series or for each book, so I present both here:

Series:

     See the excitement behind the scenes from the view of one of God’s archangels of how Lucifer became the Adversary and the part he has played even before the creation of the universe, as well as how he has influenced all of mankind from the creation of Adam and Eve, his involvement with the Nephilim causing the implementation of the worldwide flood, his influence on the construction of the Tower of Babel as a means to his control over the world, his involvement in the curse of king Jehoiachin and his animosity for the nation of Israel, and even how he nefariously interferes in modern times in our day-to-day activities.

Rebellion in the Stones of Fire:

     He has many names: Lucifer, Satan, Devil, Adversary.

     


Come learn how he falls from the highest of places to where he is today. Understand the conflict that starts in Heaven and how it extends to Earth. See everything through the eyes of Mikael, the Captain of the Lord’s Hosts: from the beginning of the universe, the initial rebellion, creation of time, the Garden of Eden, and up through the time of Noah and the Flood. Get a different perspective on these events that will help you rediscover the awe of age-old Bible stories and give you a new perspective for you to ponder.

The Holy Grail of Babylon:

     Lucifer is preparing for his ultimate reign.

     And he has a plan literally out of this world for creating the perfect human who can influence and dominate the Earth so he can come to power and rule all. Since the time of the Tower of Babel, he has been scheming by creating a planet in a time dilation field where advances in human genetics can be faster than here on Earth.

     A few have arisen to stop his plan at all costs. This involves a couple who unknowingly have almost identical DNA to the ancient rulers of Babylon who created the false religion that is key to Lucifer’s plan for ultimate control. Can Lucifer’s plan be stopped before this couple must pay the ultimate sacrifice to save their world?

The Defining Curse:

     Lucifer causes a curse that could change mankind’s destiny.

     The prophet Jeremiah announces a curse which states the descendants of the Jewish King Jehoiachin will not become king of Judah and that Jehoiachin will be put in prison in Babylon. Lucifer tries to use this curse to change the prophecy of the coming Messiah while at the same time the archangel Mikael works to defeat Lucifer’s plans by aiding the prophet Daniel to alter Jehoiachin’s destiny. Can either accomplish this feat when Babylon is the heart of the worship of Lucifer and his demons?

The Luciferian Plague:

     A plague with the power to change biblical prophecy!

     Lucifer has hijacked a new technology that is believed to be the next step in mankind’s evolution to living longer and healthier. Yet, his agenda is somewhat more nefarious: developing a plague that targets those of Jewish descent.

His plan has huge spiritual ramifications and brings Bible prophecy to the brink of being a mere fairytale. Can what the Bible teaches be changed to fit a new agenda? Or do the prophecies in the Bible remain irrefutable?


Do you write in any other genres?

     All my books can be described as Christian fiction. I like to say they are fiction with a science fiction feel and a Christian perspective. They are adventure mysteries with a little romance mingled in with a little to a lot of science fiction. The various series vary from dystopian, to end-time prophecy, to science fiction, to retold bible stories in a unique way.

     The Coded Message Trilogy (T-H-B, F-S-H-S, and T-U-L-E) is about a dystopian world where all religions and icons have been abolished and replaced with the idea of community. Yet, these codes keep popping up for the main character, who is an astrophysicist working on a Mars mission, to find and understand. He soon discovers these are messages about God and his character. His appetite for understanding these codes eventually gets him in trouble with the elite and he and his friends get sent to Mars.

     Stele Prophecy Pentalogy (Mercy of the Iron Scepter, Promised Kingdom, Hope Renewed, Darkness in the Light, and Iron in the Scepter) is perhaps the most prophetically based series but, again, written in face-paced and fun stories. It also reveals that people are people no matter in which time of Earth’s history one is looking. The same problems, issues, and struggles still happen. The only thing that changes is the technology that allows one to cope with their struggles and issues.

     The Erabon Prophecy Trilogy (Myeem, Sharab, and Qerach) is perhaps the most science fiction of any of the other series I have written. An astronaut living many years into our future gets involved in a stellar gate accident which propels him into a galaxy that is so far from his that he has no hope of returning to his home. He encounters aliens who are much different from him yet finds their focus is somewhat hauntingly familiar, and soon discovers he meets the criteria of being their prophesied forerunner to Erabon, their deity, returning. So his mission is to unite all of their clans strewn across six different planets and prepare for Erabon’s return.

     The current series, The Adversary Chronicles (Rebellion in the Stones of Fire, The Holy Grail of Babylon, The Defining Curse, and The Luciferian Plague) are Bible stories but told in a unique way and from a unique perspective. These reveal the age-old story of good versus evil but told from an angelic perspective and how Lucifer (who becomes Satan, the Adversary) gets involved with mankind to try and make this Earth and all its inhabitants his own. The last book of this series is not from the Bible but keeps that same feel in a modern era to show how the Adversary is just as inventive in his ruthless plans today as he has always been.

Where can readers buy your book?

There are a number of places one can find my books: my website (randydockens.com) which has a bookstore powered by IndiePubs.com (www.randydockens.com/bookstore), Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobu.


What author would you like to be if you couldn’t be yourself and why?

     What an interesting question! My, the choices are endless. However, I think I would have to say Frank Herbert. Now, of course I would not like to be him today, as he died in 1986. LOL. Yet, I have always admired him for how he was able to create such a novel world in his book and series, Dune. I read this series when I was in graduate school and basically devoured each book of the series as fast as I could read it. I was in awe of the world he created, and I remember feeling like I stepped into another realm every time I opened one of his books. It takes great talent to create such a captivating world where readers feel so immersed into the world that was created merely through words. My, how powerful words are!

I attempted to do something along the same line with my Erabon Prophecy series. Now, I can’t say it is as good as the world Frank Herbert created, but he was my inspiration for attempting to do that. I hope others can feel some of the same awe after reading this series as I did when I read Dune.

     Even after the author has passed away, generations are being impacted by his work. I find that so empowering. And I do hope future generations will find my books still relevant and impactful. Maybe not to the same extent as Frank Herbert, but still captivating and enjoyable.

What’s next for you?

     I’m currently working on two new series. One deals with what I call “Regions of Light.” While sounding perhaps fanciful, there are some prophets today who say we are on the verge of a new era for our Earth where God is going to manifest himself on a grand scale. Therefore, I have tried to envision what a world like that would look like and am writing a trilogy about that.

     Then, there is another series I am working out in my mind that will deal with parallel universes and how one will travel between them to bring technology back to our world. Of course, the main character will find out he is being played for a nefarious reason. So, stay tuned!

 


 

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